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Story Monday January 1, 2018

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42 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:

Time for Susan to throw a hammer or two....

Or a stream of explosive fairies - re-summoning as they explode - so she doesn't have to aim the throws so precisely and can respond to Gullet moving.

Gullet couldn't ignore Susan but dare not turn her back on Raven.

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3 hours ago, Scotty said:

So aberrations can have the distinction of being a wizard or not as well. Guess that's what Scarf Guy meant by "Fancy Magic".

But then, what about Scarf-dude? He's more powerful.

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1 hour ago, partner555 said:

But then, what about Scarf-dude? He's more powerful.

We do not know that. He might simply be more clever. Or manipulative. Or just be really good at some ordinary power level things.

I am reminded of a time where John Constantine faces down an entire roomful of evil mages and wizards. Technically he is not that powerful. But his reputation and his skill at emerging intact from unsurvivable disasters are so that not even one of his opponents dares to raise a hand against him.

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Remember that Susan has a couple of swords. Also, Dan putting "close range weapon" in Raven's last thought balloon makes me suspect that someone else does have a long range attack. I'd put my cookies on Diane; Pandora wouldn't leave her defenseless, and she's had a couple of days since tea and scones with Heka.

Thinking more about Friday's comic, I'm suspecting that Koala is going to go after Susan again. What triggered this suspicion was noticing that Koala found it important that Raven borrowed the sword from Susan. I'm thinking that Koala is thinking if he kills Susan, or just disrupts her concentration enough for her magic to stop working, he can take Raven's sword away.

Now, Susan has another sword, and even if she didn't, she's not really summoning an actual sword from her chest; she's creating a magical copy. Why not more than one copy? We already know she can summon at least three fairies at once, and a fairy and a sword at the same time. Koala's chances of actually defeating Susan are very poor, and of course, he has absolutely none of killing her. Still, while Koala may not be aiming for it, Susan won't be able to help Raven while she's dealing with Koala, and that could leave Raven fatally vulnerable. I'm not risking any cookies betting on Raven's survival.

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8 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Swords are not necessarily only useful as close range weapons.

You just need a bigger sword.

Or you could throw your sword at the enemy! This is often very effective against dragons and other large monsters. However, this technique is inadvisable when dealing with multiple enemies or if your aim is less than perfect, unless you have a large number of swords on you.

(Fun fact: When I first played the original Legend of Zelda as a kid, when your hearts are full and your sword can shoot energy blasts shaped like swords I initially thought Link was actually throwing swords.)

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3 hours ago, partner555 said:

But then, what about Scarf-dude? He's more powerful.

Scarf guy might not be as powerful as Gullet, but all he needs is one ability that could negate Gullet's power. Gullet gets energy from consuming victims, what if Scarf guy has some sort of energy drain that doesn't need physical contact. Scarf guy might have survived by never actually having to kill anyone, just drain some energy here and there, people feel under the weather for a couple days but no one suspects they just got drained by a vampire. But Scarf guy could maybe amp up the drain if needed and possibly suck all the energy from someone. Maybe Gullet sensed this when they first met, like "this guy is weak I could....wait, he's got an energy drain, I can't counter that!"

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34 minutes ago, Scotty said:

Scarf guy might not be as powerful as Gullet, but all he needs is one ability that could negate Gullet's power. Gullet gets energy from consuming victims, what if Scarf guy has some sort of energy drain that doesn't need physical contact. Scarf guy might have survived by never actually having to kill anyone, just drain some energy here and there, people feel under the weather for a couple days but no one suspects they just got drained by a vampire. But Scarf guy could maybe amp up the drain if needed and possibly suck all the energy from someone. Maybe Gullet sensed this when they first met, like "this guy is weak I could....wait, he's got an energy drain, I can't counter that!"

 

This sounds plausible. Bonus points if the energy drain ends up involving actually wrapping the victim up with his scarf.

Double bonus if it's not even really a scarf, but rather an extension of his mouth and/or tongue.

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3 hours ago, ChronosCat said:

Or you could throw your sword at the enemy!

If you throw your sword, chances are remote it will hit pointy-end first. This is why arrows and throwing spears have long lightweight shafts. The Roman pilum was often made with a lead weight behind the long, thin iron head  for balance. To make it especially evil, the point was fastened to the shaft with two pins, one made of iron, and one made of wood. When it hit a body, a shield, or anything else fairly solid, the wooden pin would break, leaving making a hinge between the head and the shaft. This had two advantages. Number one, the enemy couldn't pick it up and throw it back in the middle of the battle. Number two, if the point stuck in an enemy's shield, it weighed it down and made it useless. Enemies without shields are much easier to stab with shortswords than enemies with shields. As an added bonus, if the Romans held the field after the battle,  they could pick up the used pila, replace the cheap wooden pins, straighten out  or sharpen any bent or dulled heads, and throw them again in the next battle.

1 hour ago, Scotty said:

what if Scarf guy has some sort of energy drain that doesn't need physical contact.

Interesting idea, if it works fast enough. Wouldn't do a lot of good against Gullet's flamethrowing if it doesn't; Scarf would be toast.

A better power would be Absorption. This is one of the more expensive Powers in GURPS. Not only does it take energy away from an enemy's attack; it gives you some or all of that energy for your own use. However, that's so unbalancing, Scarf wouldn't need any allies.

Maybe a better guess for Scarf's ace-in-the-hole is some kind of Illusion of Stealth magic which allows him to get close. He's been holding back, you might notice.

Of course, his trick could turn out to be something like the one Avatar used on his brother Black Wolf at the end of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards. I believe Pandora pointed out something along these lines to the Emissary of Magic. 

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13 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

Time for Susan to throw a hammer or two....

Fairy would be much easier to direct.

6 hours ago, Tom Sewell said:

Remember that Susan has a couple of swords. Also, Dan putting "close range weapon" in Raven's last thought balloon makes me suspect that someone else does have a long range attack. I'd put my cookies on Diane; Pandora wouldn't leave her defenseless, and she's had a couple of days since tea and scones with Heka.

I don't think Diane is already marked. The one with ranged weapon is Susan.

3 hours ago, Scotty said:

Scarf guy might not be as powerful as Gullet, but all he needs is one ability that could negate Gullet's power. Gullet gets energy from consuming victims, what if Scarf guy has some sort of energy drain that doesn't need physical contact. Scarf guy might have survived by never actually having to kill anyone, just drain some energy here and there, people feel under the weather for a couple days but no one suspects they just got drained by a vampire. But Scarf guy could maybe amp up the drain if needed and possibly suck all the energy from someone. Maybe Gullet sensed this when they first met, like "this guy is weak I could....wait, he's got an energy drain, I can't counter that!"

Hmmm ... could be. He definitely have better way to consume energy than eating people, ranged one would make sense ...

2 hours ago, Illjwamh said:

Bonus points if the energy drain ends up involving actually wrapping the victim up with his scarf.

Double bonus if it's not even really a scarf, but rather an extension of his mouth and/or tongue.

:)

5 hours ago, ChronosCat said:

(Fun fact: When I first played the original Legend of Zelda as a kid, when your hearts are full and your sword can shoot energy blasts shaped like swords I initially thought Link was actually throwing swords.)

1 hour ago, Tom Sewell said:
5 hours ago, ChronosCat said:

Or you could throw your sword at the enemy!

If you throw your sword, chances are remote it will hit pointy-end first.

Yes. Normal swords, that is. There may be way to throw magical sword in useful way, but likely not THIS magical sword.

Throwing normal sword in combat is suicidal move.

1 hour ago, Tom Sewell said:

This is why arrows and throwing spears have long lightweight shafts. The Roman pilum was often made with a lead weight behind the long, thin iron head  for balance. To make it especially evil, the point was fastened to the shaft with two pins, one made of iron, and one made of wood. When it hit a body, a shield, or anything else fairly solid, the wooden pin would break, leaving making a hinge between the head and the shaft. This had two advantages. Number one, the enemy couldn't pick it up and throw it back in the middle of the battle. Number two, if the point stuck in an enemy's shield, it weighed it down and made it useless. Enemies without shields are much easier to stab with shortswords than enemies with shields. As an added bonus, if the Romans held the field after the battle,  they could pick up the used pila, replace the cheap wooden pins, straighten out  or sharpen any bent or dulled heads, and throw them again in the next battle.

Also, didn't it caused more serious wounds?

1 hour ago, Tom Sewell said:
3 hours ago, Scotty said:

what if Scarf guy has some sort of energy drain that doesn't need physical contact.

Interesting idea, if it works fast enough. Wouldn't do a lot of good against Gullet's flamethrowing if it doesn't; Scarf would be toast.

A better power would be Absorption. This is one of the more expensive Powers in GURPS. Not only does it take energy away from an enemy's attack; it gives you some or all of that energy for your own use. However, that's so unbalancing, Scarf wouldn't need any allies.

EGS is not following rules of GURPS. Drain usually DOES mean you get the energy. Also, there is no need to balance people in EGS: The main eight are not really balanced either.

1 hour ago, Tom Sewell said:

Maybe a better guess for Scarf's ace-in-the-hole is some kind of Illusion of Stealth magic which allows him to get close. He's been holding back, you might notice.

He can have both. Would solve the problem of "working fast enough": his strategy would be to attack Gullet from behind and drain him before he has chance to redirect his attack.

Of course, he's not likely to use this power against GULLET now. More likely, against Adrian.

1 hour ago, Tom Sewell said:

Of course, his trick could turn out to be something like the one Avatar used on his brother Black Wolf at the end of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards. I believe Pandora pointed out something along these lines to the Emissary of Magic. 

Everyone knows that blaster is weak weapon against magic, as you can easily make it miss ... unless it's enchanted to resist such attempts and instead automagically aim on target.

(I suspect my reference is even more exotic than yours, possibly never translated ... but the idea, while not necessary true in other universes, should be understandable ; in fight between magic and technology, both sides are missing opportunity for creating superior weapons).

 

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2 minutes ago, hkmaly said:

Also, didn't it caused more serious wounds?

Yes it did. There's a scene in the Charleton Heston Ben Hur where Judah ben Hur and his Roman friend (the one that betrays him later) throw a couple of authentic First Century pila at a target, and you see how the momentum of the pilum is concentrated behind the tiny point--it would cause a deep wound in soft tissue, and be more likely to penetrate bone or armor. You also see how the point bends away from the shaft after it strikes. It would be especially effective against chain mail, the best armor the Gauls and Germans were likely to be using, if they had armor at all. Most would not.

BTW, the Roman troopers were mostly wearing chain mail in this era. Only the wealthy officers would have the bronze cuirasses with built-in-muscles you see in all those sword-and-sandal movies. The loricum segmentum, basically modular plate armor for the chest and shoulders came a little later; you see this in a lot of movies and historical re-enactment. It looks cooler and shinier, and the real armor provided better protection, especially against thrusting weapons.But it was more expensive, harder to make, less comfortable, and you needed someone else to help you in and out of it. It was made so the plates could nest inside one another and fit inside a pack.

Okay. topic drift.

31 minutes ago, hkmaly said:

I suspect my reference is even more exotic than yours, possibly never translated

Well, my reference is obscure because Wizards came out the same week as Star Wars in 1977. Bonus factoid: Mark Hamill did one of the voices in Wizards. Bonus factoid #2: The look Leia had in A New Hope, buns and all, may have been stolen from an unused character design for Wizards. There's a picture of that design on the collector's edition Blu-Ray.

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5 hours ago, Tom Sewell said:
5 hours ago, hkmaly said:

I suspect my reference is even more exotic than yours, possibly never translated

Well, my reference is obscure because Wizards came out the same week as Star Wars in 1977. Bonus factoid: Mark Hamill did one of the voices in Wizards. Bonus factoid #2: The look Leia had in A New Hope, buns and all, may have been stolen from an unused character design for Wizards. There's a picture of that design on the collector's edition Blu-Ray.

Is it this one? BEWARE: Spoiler - don't play if you want to see it from beginning.

Mine is BOOK. Not available on youtube.

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1 minute ago, Tom Sewell said:
4 minutes ago, hkmaly said:

Is it this one?

SPOILER!

Oh, right. This should be from beginning so no spoiler:

Luckily, youtube doesn't have autoplay :)

 

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1 hour ago, hkmaly said:

Oh, right. This should be from beginning so no spoiler:

Luckily, youtube doesn't have autoplay :)

 

Could you please go edit your first video to insert a proper spoiler warning *before* (any other) people innocently play it on the assumption it must be okay or it would've been labeled??

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3 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

Could you please go edit your first video to insert a proper spoiler warning *before* (any other) people innocently play it on the assumption it must be okay or it would've been labeled??

Right. Sorry. Labeled. Didn't realized that some people might play it before finishing reading the conversation.

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11 hours ago, hkmaly said:

Right. Sorry. Labeled. Didn't realized that some people might play it before finishing reading the conversation.

Well, my assumption would be that the ongoing conversation might include discussing the video, so I normally watch them as they come up.

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On 1/1/2018 at 1:15 PM, Illjwamh said:

 

This sounds plausible. Bonus points if the energy drain ends up involving actually wrapping the victim up with his scarf.

Double bonus if it's not even really a scarf, but rather an extension of his mouth and/or tongue.

Maybe for full on draining where the intention is to kill the victim, in which we might see that happen if it is, but otherwise it'd probably be something more low key to avoid suspicion.

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Raven's final thought suggests now might be a good time to reopen the discussion of Susan creating/summoning a Vampire-killer gun of some kind. 

In previous discussions the idea was shot down (pun intended) by the fact that Susan's weapons couldn't withstand hitting a vampire without being destroyed as a part of the strike..  That fragility meant that the propelling powder charge in the bullet's cartridge would destroy a summoned bullet and likely the summoned gun, attempting to fire it making the whole thing a potentially very loud waste of time. 

But Susan can now create a sword that  repeatedly slices, dices and makes Julian fries out of vampires.  Could she now create a usable gun?  "Yes" is a very tempting answer, but we don't know how hard a strike her current version can take.  While the total energy released by a gunshot is probably less than a sword swing, it's released as an explosion which could still exceed the durability limits of Susan's object creation.

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35 minutes ago, Vorlonagent said:

Raven's final thought suggests now might be a good time to reopen the discussion of Susan creating/summoning a Vampire-killer gun of some kind. 

In previous discussions the idea was shot down (pun intended) by the fact that Susan's weapons couldn't withstand hitting a vampire without being destroyed as a part of the strike..  That fragility meant that the propelling powder charge in the bullet's cartridge would destroy a summoned bullet and likely the summoned gun, attempting to fire it making the whole thing a potentially very loud waste of time. 

But Susan can now create a sword that  repeatedly slices, dices and makes Julian fries out of vampires.  Could she now create a usable gun?  "Yes" is a very tempting answer, but we don't know how hard a strike her current version can take.  While the total energy released by a gunshot is probably less than a sword swing, it's released as an explosion which could still exceed the durability limits of Susan's object creation.

I would suppose gun is still too hard - not only the durability of bullet, but also the powder itself.

Crossbow, on the other hand ... or anything else which uses purely mechanical energy to fire. Like some nerf gun? Against vampires, it doesn't matter so much how fast it's flying when it hits them.

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2 hours ago, hkmaly said:

I would suppose gun is still too hard - not only the durability of bullet, but also the powder itself.

Crossbow, on the other hand ... or anything else which uses purely mechanical energy to fire. Like some nerf gun? Against vampires, it doesn't matter so much how fast it's flying when it hits them.

How about a relatively low powered, purely mechanical. air riffle?  Perhaps a Red Rider BB Gun?

It may not do much damage to most humans, but Susan could put out a vampire's eye with that.

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25 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

How about a relatively low powered, purely mechanical. air riffle?  Perhaps a Red Rider BB Gun?

It may not do much damage to most humans, but Susan could put out a vampire's eye with that.

How 'bout a .22 then?

Some ranged weapons accelerate the projectile too, such as compound bows and gyrojet ammo.  They might be able to get around the impulse-unsummon problem at this point.

It might be ironic if Susan couldn't do a .45 but could do a RPG or stinger missile.  She could probably do a functional Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, but the big question would be shrapnel range before the pieces unsummon....

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