View Full Version : Why Didn't Xykon Just...?
craverguy
2010-02-15, 06:02 AM
During the invasion of Azure City, why didn't Xykon just kill O-Chul outright, rather than paralyzing him? He goes through the entire Sapphire Guard in about 90 seconds, then decides to spare the life of this one particular guy. Why? If he hadn't, he'd have saved himself an awful lot of grief.
Math_Mage
2010-02-15, 06:11 AM
During the invasion of Azure City, why didn't Xykon just kill O-Chul outright, rather than paralyzing him? He goes through the entire Sapphire Guard in about 90 seconds, then decides to spare the life of this one particular guy. Why? If he hadn't, he'd have saved himself an awful lot of grief.
Well, from his commentary just before Soon appeared, it sounded like he was going to make O-Chul watch him zombify the rest of the Sapphire Guard, just for kicks. :smalleek:
Because he wanted one of the Sapphire Guard to watch as he zombified all the others.
Beyond that, http://www.giantitp.com/FAQ.html#faq7 .
Morquard
2010-02-15, 06:14 AM
And where exactly would the fun be in that?
Xykon loves to go for the pain instead for the kill if he can. Having someone just failing by an inch and having him know that and being able to make him suffer for a while, for him thats far more preferable to just a quick kill
And for us? Well I quote the FAQ on this one:
Q: In Strip #X, why didn.t character Y take action Z? If they had done so, they could have avoided a whole lot of trouble.
A: You just answered your own question. The strip is ABOUT the trouble these characters get in; if a tactic would result in an effortless solution to their latest problem, there would be little point in showing it, see? The characters are woefully inefficient as a result, and often take actions that are rarely seen in a real D&D game, like running away from moderate danger or .forgetting. major abilities for the sake of a joke. But their foibles are what fuel the humor.
factotum
2010-02-15, 07:20 AM
Also, think of all the months of fun Xykon had watching O-Chul attempt to escape from more and more deadly traps...a slight inconvenience in the phylactery department is more than worth it, I'm sure!
Everyone keeps asking these questions. "Why didn't Character X take the most optimal course of action to achieve Y?"
The answer is: "because that's not what they're trying to do." Xykon isn't generally interested in 'winning' - he's powerful enough that it's not a challenge for him anymore. He's immortal, epic-level, and extremely bored, and since he's a lich he can't enjoy all of the normal human pleasures. So he spends most of his time finding ways to keep himself amused, and about the only thing left that really amuses him is hurting people in creative ways.
Conuly
2010-02-15, 01:10 PM
For the lulz, that's why. Making O-Chul suffer is a lot funnier than killing him now.
drengnikrafe
2010-02-15, 01:26 PM
You're right? Why doesn't a sadistic, horrible monster just kill off a random, pointless looking NPC when he could watch him get whacked again and again by clever traps, as well as testing out the damage potential of various obscure monsters that you never thought you'd be able to use?
Oh, wait...
On a similar note, have you ever used to the word "Squiddlededoodlefluffer" in casual conversation, just to look back and say you did? Well, Acid-Breathing Sharks. How often can you use those things for a good purpose?
derfenrirwolv
2010-02-15, 02:19 PM
Xykon is an epic level sorcerer lich. WINNING is a foregone conclusion for him in any fight. Its BORING. To make it interesting he goes for bonus points in style. in this case. keeping o chul alive long enough to watch him zombiefy the women and have him slowly be eaten by the bodies of his friends.
TheBlackShadow
2010-02-15, 02:24 PM
The fact that this forum even exists indicates that the author, in over seven hundred strips, has gained absolutely NO insight into the nature of Xykon's character, a character that can be more-or-less summed up in only three words.
:xykon:FOR TEH EVULZ!!:xykon:
Ancalagon
2010-02-15, 02:47 PM
:xykon:FOR TEH EVULZ!!:xykon:
In english, please?
Doppelganger
2010-02-15, 02:50 PM
and since he's a lich he can't enjoy all of the normal human pleasures.
Why can't he? I mean its nice to say how sad it is someone can't taste or smell, but why doesn't he cast (or get someone else to cast on him) poltmorph, and turn into a human?:smallconfused:
-Pixie
Why can't he? I mean its nice to say how sad it is someone can't taste or smell, but why doesn't he cast (or get someone else to cast on him) poltmorph, and turn into a human?:smallconfused:
*shrug* I haven't checked the rules, and I don't know how it'd work in OotS. But if you read Start of Darkness, you'll see that his transformation into a lich was a major tipping point.
Daefos
2010-02-15, 02:57 PM
Why can't he? I mean its nice to say how sad it is someone can't taste or smell, but why doesn't he cast (or get someone else to cast on him) poltmorph, and turn into a human?:smallconfused:
-Pixie
Lichs are immune to polymorph effects unless they cast it on themselves. If Xykon doesn't know Polymorph, which doesn't seem too unlikely, then he's stuck as a skeleton.
Ancalagon
2010-02-15, 03:02 PM
Why can't he? I mean its nice to say how sad it is someone can't taste or smell, but why doesn't he cast (or get someone else to cast on him) poltmorph, and turn into a human?:smallconfused:
See above, that's a very good point.
And if it was that easy... where'd be the point of becoming an utter abomination of all that is good and natural? Solving that problem with a simple spell *must* be impossible or it totally destroys the point about someone who became an undead monster just to avoid death (basically one of the most natural things that can happen; in Xykon's death it was even "death by old age" and not some injury! He *HAD* his lifetime and his time was simply over (give or take a few months due to the "prison")).
Read SoD? I think the point there was perfectly and clearly made. In that moment, Xykon really lost all that made him "human".
Why allow a spell to wiggle out of that trap?
craverguy
2010-02-16, 12:43 AM
Also, think of all the months of fun Xykon had watching O-Chul attempt to escape from more and more deadly traps...a slight inconvenience in the phylactery department is more than worth it, I'm sure!
Except he wasn't expecting to have that fun. At the time he did it, he thought he was mere moments away from conquering the world with the power of the Snarl.
Math_Mage
2010-02-16, 01:38 AM
Except he wasn't expecting to have that fun. At the time he did it, he thought he was mere moments away from conquering the world with the power of the Snarl.
He also thought he was going to make O-Chul watch as he zombified the entire Sapphire Guard, but a ghostly intervention put a stop to that. Didn't we already establish this? :smallconfused:
autoglassmaster
2010-02-16, 12:49 PM
Also, I was under the impression that Redcloak was going to interrogate O-Chul about the other gates. Which he did here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0545.html).
DBJack
2010-02-16, 02:15 PM
Xykon left him so that he could gloat over how his bouncy ball trick worked. As he told O-Chul his plans to make him suffer before probably killing him, Xykon noticed the ghost martyrs and decided to fight them instead of wasting critical time killing a paralyzed paladin that would only become a ghost martyr
Also, I was under the impression that Redcloak was going to interrogate O-Chul about the other gates. Which he did here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0545.html).
That was only after the gate was destroyed. If they had they gate, they wouldn't need to find out about the other ones.
What bothers me is that Xykon risked everything on O-Chul failing the fort save against Paralysis. Now, the general concensus is that, while he dosn't like thinking, Xykon is not an idiot. Killing the paladins with the ball was fun, as was paralyzing O-Chul and making him watch. Besides, even if all or most of the Paladins managed to save against the Symbol, Xykon was powerful enough to blast them to pieces. But if O-Chul had made the fort save he would have destroyed the gate. Even after you factor in his sense of dramatic, it dosn't seem like Xykon to wait until the last possible second before paralyzing O-Chul.
multilis
2010-02-16, 02:46 PM
"EVULZ!"
In english, please?
Verbally sounds like mix of evil and LOL (laugh out loud)
(=Evil funny)
Shale
2010-02-16, 02:49 PM
He may have simply assumed that the paladins were all too wimpy to make the saving throw. Given that the save DC against Xykon's touch is 32 at minimum, and the paladins were not particularly high-level...
snafu
2010-02-17, 04:40 PM
On a similar note, have you ever used to the word "Squiddlededoodlefluffer" in casual conversation, just to look back and say you did?
Well... that depends on what exactly a Squiddlededoodle is, and why it should need to be fluffed...
Alex Warlorn
2010-02-18, 12:26 AM
During the invasion of Azure City, why didn't Xykon just kill O-Chul outright, rather than paralyzing him? He goes through the entire Sapphire Guard in about 90 seconds, then decides to spare the life of this one particular guy. Why? If he hadn't, he'd have saved himself an awful lot of grief.
So O-Chul could watch the end of all he held dear.
Dr.Epic
2010-02-18, 12:47 AM
During the invasion of Azure City, why didn't Xykon just kill O-Chul outright, rather than paralyzing him? He goes through the entire Sapphire Guard in about 90 seconds, then decides to spare the life of this one particular guy. Why? If he hadn't, he'd have saved himself an awful lot of grief.
Xykon wanted to torture him by making O-Chul watch as he zombify the Sapphire Guard and it's 'cause of plot.
Forbiddenwar
2010-02-18, 11:46 AM
That was only after the gate was destroyed. If they had they gate, they wouldn't need to find out about the other ones.
What bothers me is that Xykon risked everything on O-Chul failing the fort save against Paralysis. Now, the general concensus is that, while he dosn't like thinking, Xykon is not an idiot. Killing the paladins with the ball was fun, as was paralyzing O-Chul and making him watch. Besides, even if all or most of the Paladins managed to save against the Symbol, Xykon was powerful enough to blast them to pieces. But if O-Chul had made the fort save he would have destroyed the gate. Even after you factor in his sense of dramatic, it dosn't seem like Xykon to wait until the last possible second before paralyzing O-Chul.
Here's the math from geekery thread, using minimum for Xykon and Maximum for Ochul:
Save DC vs Paralzing touch:
10+1/2 hd+Cha=10+14+9=33
O-Chul Fort Save=+8 (Con)+(unknown level)+8=+16
33-16=17
Result: O-chul would have to roll a 17 or better in order to save against Xykon's Paralysing touch. That doesn't seem like much of a risk, and that's optimizing O-chul's save and nerfing Xykon. It's not too much of a stretch to think the ONLY way of O-Chul saving is by rolling a Nat 20.
Dr.Epic
2010-02-18, 01:17 PM
What bothers me is that Xykon risked everything on O-Chul failing the fort save against Paralysis. Now, the general concensus is that, while he dosn't like thinking, Xykon is not an idiot. Killing the paladins with the ball was fun, as was paralyzing O-Chul and making him watch. Besides, even if all or most of the Paladins managed to save against the Symbol, Xykon was powerful enough to blast them to pieces. But if O-Chul had made the fort save he would have destroyed the gate. Even after you factor in his sense of dramatic, it dosn't seem like Xykon to wait until the last possible second before paralyzing O-Chul.
What I just realized was how easy it was for the gate to be destroyed: a katana was all it takes? Nice security plan. I know the gates needed some destruction mechanism to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands but come on. Let's look at the others:
Lirian's: It took an entire forest fire.
Dorukan's: Self-destruct mechanism located near the gate with levels of monsters and magical traps not to mention an epic level wizard all standing in the way.
Soon's: Hit a stationary object with a metal stick which is basically what a little kid does when they play t-ball.
autoglassmaster
2010-02-18, 03:36 PM
What I just realized was how easy it was for the gate to be destroyed: a katana was all it takes? Nice security plan. I know the gates needed some destruction mechanism to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands but come on. Let's look at the others:
Lirian's: It took an entire forest fire.
Dorukan's: Self-destruct mechanism located near the gate with levels of monsters and magical traps not to mention an epic level wizard all standing in the way.
Soon's: Hit a stationary object with a metal stick which is basically what a little kid does when they play t-ball.
The thing is, Soon's was put in a place no one would suspect. I don't think you'd be able to protect a gate of that size with much magic, either, so that's why the entire Sapphire Guard was stationed around it.
Optimystik
2010-02-18, 04:02 PM
The thing is, Soon's was put in a place no one would suspect. I don't think you'd be able to protect a gate of that size with much magic, either, so that's why the entire Sapphire Guard was stationed around it.
Actually, the main reason was that Soon didn't believe that magic could adequately defend a gate. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html) We don't know enough about the gem to know what kind of spells could have been placed on it.
Green Bean
2010-02-18, 04:13 PM
The thing is, Soon's was put in a place no one would suspect. I don't think you'd be able to protect a gate of that size with much magic, either, so that's why the entire Sapphire Guard was stationed around it.
More importantly, putting protective spells on the gem would be a giant "THIS IS IMPORTANT!" sign for anyone with Divination spells.
Asta Kask
2010-02-18, 04:14 PM
More importantly, putting protective spells on the gem would be a giant "THIS IS IMPORTANT!" sign for anyone with Divination spells.
The room was warded anyway, so that's probably not a problem. Soon's solution wasn't bad - if it hadn't been psycho-Miko it would have worked.
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