Vaarsuvius getting healed [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Katuko

2013-09-27, 04:44 AM

I'm just wondering how far the IFCC is going in preserving V. When the elf was pulled down in strip 897 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0897.html), the body that is left behind is clearly injured from the earlier pit/smasher trap. The soul that detaches has no damage shown, as is to be expected of a "ghost".

The IFCC mentions that the body is shielded from all harm for as long as they keep V's soul in Hell, and this does keep it from being harmed by the Gate explosion. However, when the fiends release V, they make no reference to any other form of magical aid coming to the elf.

When V awakes in the sand, there are no injures. V seems fully healed, and confirms it in the latest strip by saying "I am uninjured." I assume that V's body was healed off-screen by this shielding magic or something, but I found it slightly odd given that it was left paralyzed and visibly injured earlier. I expected V to wake up in the same shabby state as the rest of the team, and then be forced to at least drink a potion or something.

In any case, minor detail. It doesn't really make any difference in the end given how easily the healing could have been done on-screen during the conversation with Roy. I'm just wondering if we got an explicit comment about what sort of magical effect caused the heal.

Copperdragon

2013-09-27, 05:10 AM

The fiends lose everything they can gain if Vaarsuvius shuffles off the mortal plane by "death". They will do what they can to keep the elf alive as long as he has a debt and as long as he is involved in things they want to influence.

Their direct influence is limited, as we know. But what they can they will do. I would not be suprised if Qarr at one point comes to help out Vaarsuvius. They need him to be around if they want to influence things to remove him for a time in just the wrong moment.

Tiiba

2013-09-27, 12:11 PM

orrion

2013-09-27, 12:22 PM

V's body was at the center of the explosion of Girard's Gate. They probably had to pull fancy stuff to make sure he still had a body at all.

Porthos

2013-09-27, 12:25 PM

I wonder. If the danger V presents is that of sudden absence, can't he just quit and tell his teammates to go to a tavern? There's the chance that the fiends would then pull him down and NOT let him watch TV, but he doesn't scare easily.

"But what're you gonna do - never do anything important again?"

I think not. A productive V 95% of time is more valuable than a productive V 0% of the time. Especially if Team OotS is forewarned and can make contingencies for the inevitable black out.

If that is all the IFCC can do of course. A bet I am not entirely willing to make. :smallwink:

Tiiba

2013-09-27, 01:08 PM

King of Nowhere

2013-09-27, 01:15 PM

i would guess that rich forgot to draw the damage.
But it can be justified by saying the fiends have an interest in V staying alive

Jasdoif

2013-09-27, 01:15 PM

If that is all the IFCC can do of course. A bet I am not entirely willing to make. :smallwink:And even if it is all they can do, they're not required to exercise their option to borrow V's soul only in regards to the OOTS. They could make plans using Vaarsuvius' unwillingness to get involved as a feature, or execute plans specifically to lure Vaarsuvius into them.

Until the contract is out of the way, either by the IFCC using all their alloted time or the contract itself being nullified, V is always at risk of "disappearing" again. Until the end of his/her life (and maybe even longer). Quitting from the OOTS won't change that.

A productive V 0% of the time + another, equally powerful and arrogant wizard from the nearest tavern 100% of the time.Assuming there's actually a high-level arcane caster waiting at the nearest tavern, and the OOTS could get her/him on board with the mission of taking on the epic lich that took over Azure City...wouldn't it still be better to have "a productive V 95% of the time + another, equally powerful and arrogant wizard from the nearest tavern 100% of the time"?

rodneyAnonymous

2013-09-27, 01:52 PM

If V were to be replaced by a wizard in a tavern, and that event followed common D&D conventions (which is to be expected in OotS), the replacement would be lower level than V. The idea that s/he might be replaced by an "equally powerful" wizard is unrealistic (assuming the idea that s/he might be replaced at all is realistic, which I doubt).

Ewig Custos

2013-09-27, 01:55 PM

And IFCC can safely move V out of the game if there will be dire need for that. Send someone to kill him, then use that sold time when Durkon / someone else tries to raise him, OotS will think that V does not want to be raised, good game well played.

Reddish Mage

2013-09-27, 02:53 PM

i would guess that rich forgot to draw the damage.
But it can be justified by saying the fiends have an interest in V staying alive

Why can't the fiends have simply healed V? Rich forgets a few things occasionally, but somehow I think something as obvious as "V was pretty hurt" would not be forgotten.

Tiiba

2013-09-27, 03:01 PM

Assuming there's actually a high-level arcane caster waiting at the nearest tavern, and the OOTS could get her/him on board with the mission of taking on the epic lich that took over Azure City...wouldn't it still be better to have "a productive V 95% of the time + another, equally powerful and arrogant wizard from the nearest tavern 100% of the time"?

Of course! But mighty Etnaa will ONLY be there if the original party has been reduced.

If V were to be replaced by a wizard in a tavern, and that event followed common D&D conventions (which is to be expected in OotS), the replacement would be lower level than V.

How much lower are we talking?

Jasdoif

2013-09-27, 03:33 PM

Of course! But mighty Etnaa will ONLY be there if the original party has been reduced.Hmm...so Vaarsuvius quits, Etnaa is recruited, Etnaa convinces Vaarsuvius to come back because Etnaa wants to give Xykon and Redcloak someone else to cast spells at an extra dose of arcane mayhem, only for Etnaa to get shot down after plowing through all the monsters in Kraagor's tomb with the OOTS in tow, giving V the opportunity to critically hit Xykon with a disintegrate spell before the IFCC pulls V out of the picture again, Xykon wastes a round attacking V's body while it's under the IFCC's protection....

I give it marginal plausibility. :smalltongue:

F.Harr

2013-09-27, 03:50 PM

Hmm...so Vaarsuvius quits, Etnaa is recruited, Etnaa convinces Vaarsuvius to come back because Etnaa wants to give Xykon and Redcloak someone else to cast spells at an extra dose of arcane mayhem, only for Etnaa to get shot down after plowing through all the monsters in Kraagor's tomb with the OOTS in tow, giving V the opportunity to critically hit Xykon with a disintegrate spell before the IFCC pulls V out of the picture again, Xykon wastes a round attacking V's body while it's under the IFCC's protection....

I give it marginal plausibility. :smalltongue:

Maybe, but it sounds like fun.

rodneyAnonymous

2013-09-28, 06:33 PM

How much lower are we talking?

At least one level but probably several.

I don't mean it might not be a net positive to replace V, just saying it's not as simple as the 95% to 100% comparison.

JBiddles

2013-09-30, 04:09 PM

I highly doubt that V will be replaced. Firstly, she's a long-lived and well-loved character (she won the Favourite Character Tournament), and secondly, high-level Wizards aren't exactly common. Vaarsuvius is probably one of, if not the most powerful spellcaster in the world after Xykon, Redcloak and perhaps Aarindarius.

Kish

2013-09-30, 07:14 PM

137beth

2013-09-30, 09:20 PM

And Laurin, and probably Miron (possibly not depending on how multiclassed he is).

I didn't think Miron was primarily a spellcaster, considering how he needed Laurin to teleport him...

Also, Laurin is a manifester, not a caster.

Souhiro

2013-10-01, 10:50 AM

A productive V 0% of the time + another, equally powerful and arrogant wizard from the nearest tavern 100% of the time. Plus, those missing 5% are CRITICAL. The fiends find their cause served better by these minute gaps than by simply killing V.

Take in account that EVERY moment is critical when you're fighting for your life. The fire ring has been critical for the group survival. Blasting the Pterodactyls has been critical for survival, too.

Also, remember that even if they just look for another Lvl-15 elf wizard of ambigous gender in the nearest tavern called "Barloventus", it wouldn't mean that V will hapily retire: The world is at the stake!

Also, think about that: He's a wizard. He's a smart guy/girl/elf, and may (only MAY) think something around. Contingency plans and such. THAT is what heroes do.

Kish

2013-10-01, 10:57 AM

Also, Laurin is a manifester, not a caster.
That reminds me a great deal of Vaarsuvius' "It's not like divine magic is real magic" thing, and JBiddles included Redcloak.

(And Vaarsuvius better not enter a "who is the strongest caster" contest based on the ability to teleport.)

Gorm_the_DBA

2013-10-01, 11:20 AM

Also, think about that: He's a wizard. He's a smart guy/girl/elf, and may (only MAY) think something around. Contingency plans and such. THAT is what heroes do.

Not just contingency plans...

Contingency *spells* http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Contingency

"If my soul is removed from my body, cast...something..."

F.Harr

2013-10-01, 01:35 PM

Not just contingency plans...

Contingency *spells* http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Contingency

"If my soul is removed from my body, cast...something..."

So. . . how about a contingency where, if V is yanked out of action again, something blows up.

veti

2013-10-01, 04:34 PM

Not just contingency plans...

Contingency *spells* http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Contingency

"If my soul is removed from my body, cast...something..."

'Explosive Runes'. On the fiends' TV.

I'm not sure how she could work that, but it'd be totally worth it.

Raenir Salazar

2013-10-04, 07:44 PM

Take in account that EVERY moment is critical when you're fighting for your life. The fire ring has been critical for the group survival. Blasting the Pterodactyls has been critical for survival, too.

Also, remember that even if they just look for another Lvl-15 elf wizard of ambigous gender in the nearest tavern called "Barloventus", it wouldn't mean that V will hapily retire: The world is at the stake!

Also, think about that: He's a wizard. He's a smart guy/girl/elf, and may (only MAY) think something around. Contingency plans and such. THAT is what heroes do.

Wouldn't Ersatz V be named after a different volcano nu?

Ashen Shugar

2013-10-05, 01:46 PM

No guys, you forget. on this page http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0897.html the fiends tell V that his body shall be shielded from all forms of damage while they hold his soul. Nothing was forgotten to be drawn :)

rodneyAnonymous

2013-10-05, 06:01 PM

Vaarsuvius was already damaged (by the pit trap, earlier) before his/her soul was taken by the IFCC, as is apparent in the first three panels of the strip you linked. The implication seemed to be that they'd protect him/her from future damage, not heal past damage. The question here is "How did that damage get healed?"

When the elf was pulled down in strip 897 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0897.html), the body that is left behind is clearly injured from the earlier pit/smasher trap.

The IFCC mentions that the body is shielded from all harm for as long as they keep V's soul in Hell, and this does keep it from being harmed by the Gate explosion. However, when the fiends release V, they make no reference to any other form of magical aid coming to the elf.

When V awakes in the sand, there are no injures. V seems fully healed, and confirms it in the latest strip by saying "I am uninjured."

Ashen Shugar

2013-10-05, 06:22 PM

Oh that's very true, my apologies. In my world of lacking-sleep, i totally read that wrong. V might have drunk a potion off panel...the very instant he was brought back? Or maybe the fiends healed him as part of that 'good customer service"