Regarding strip 900

[Dante2001]

Why Redcloak used disintegrate on Roy instead of implosion like he did on the elf-rebel? Seems that disintegrate is way less powerful or does it have some range restriction? Just so you know, I don't know DnD so I'm just asking if there's some restriction or Redcloak just did that cuz he felt like it

[Mike Havran]

Implosion works only at close range and Redcloak was pretty far away from Roy's position. Disintegrate has medium range.

[JSSheridan]

You get the most use from Implosion if you have several targets, and it's a bit of a waste if he was just trying to take a single target down.

[Kish]

He cast Implosion in the cavern. He cast Gate to leave Gobbotopia for the Astral Plane. He cast Summon Monster IX. Unless at least a day passed since he wiped out the Resistance, it's extremely unlikely he had another Implosion prepared.

[Bobbis]

Also, Roy probably made his save against disintegrate (if he hadn't, he'd be taking upwards of 125 damage, and he only has a few scrapes in the next panel), and probably would have made his save against implosion.

With disintegrate, at least he can guarantee some effect (5d6 damage).

[Cerussite]

Tarquin could explain that for you: A failed implosion does absolutely nothing, which is a very boring use of a 9th level spell, and if the implosion were to succeed, we'd be all over again in the 'Resurrect Roy' arc, neither of which is desirable. Hence, implosion is dramatically impaired here.

If Reddy wanted to instakill Roy, Destruction would be a more appropriate choice, doing damage on a save.

[NerdyKris]

He cast Implosion in the cavern. He cast Gate to leave Gobbotopia for the Astral Plane. He cast Summon Monster IX. Unless at least a day passed since he wiped out the Resistance, it's extremely unlikely he had another Implosion prepared.

This. It hasn't been a full day yet. Redcloak already used his Implosion for today in the cavern.

[halfeye]

This. It hasn't been a full day yet. Redcloak already used his Implosion for today in the cavern.
Really? it seems so long ago now.

[Seppl]

This. It hasn't been a full day yet. Redcloak already used his Implosion for today in the cavern.

Actually, no. In strip 833 Xykon tells Redcloak that he needs him to prepare and cast a number of certain cleric spells to protect the (fake) phylactery during their stay on the astral plane. Its only afterwards that they teleport to Girard's gate. Probably even after Redcloak reprepared his usual list of spells.

[NerdyKris]

Really? it seems so long ago now.

Redcloak cast it in 826. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0826.html) He then promptly returned to the castle, killed Tsukiko, and gave Xykon the fake phylactery. They then set off for the astral plane.

Niu left to alert Hinjo of the incident with her scroll of sending. Durkon then returned with V from the plane of ranch dressing. Hinjo received the sending from Niu in 865. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0865.html) She only had to get to safety, so it's not likely to have been long. In the meanwhile, the Order had two clashes with the Linear Guild, both within minutes of eachother.

Then Belkar and Durkon's fight with Malack occurred. Belkar rejoined the others and they were caught in the final illusion. Several hours after the Malack fight, the Order arrived in the gate room, where they recieved Hinjo's sending in 893 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0893.html).

Roy then destroys the gate, and they encounter Redcloak and Xykon outside in #900, where Redcloak hits him with disintegrate. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0900.html)

So still the same very, very long day.

edit to add-

Actually, no. In strip 833 Xykon tells Redcloak that he needs him to prepare and cast a number of certain cleric spells to protect the (fake) phylactery during their stay on the astral plane. Its only afterwards that they teleport to Girard's gate. Probably even after Redcloak reprepared his usual list of spells.

I think you're right now that I see that. And the trip took 2 days and started right before the sequence with the phylactery. So the phylactery sequence was probably 24 hours before we return to the Order waiting for Durkon. (Who now that I think of it, also had to prepare the two plane shift spells to get home.)

So for some reason, it took Niu an entire day before she cast the scroll of sending.

[Amphiox]

Tarquin could explain that for you: A failed implosion does absolutely nothing, which is a very boring use of a 9th level spell, and if the implosion were to succeed, we'd be all over again in the 'Resurrect Roy' arc, neither of which is desirable. Hence, implosion is dramatically impaired here.

If Reddy wanted to instakill Roy, Destruction would be a more appropriate choice, doing damage on a save.

Thinking back, it's kind of interesting that no one used Disintegrate in the ULTIMATE DUEL BETWEEN CLERICS!....

[Newwby]

Redcloak cast it in 826. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0826.html) So for some reason, it took Niu an entire day before she cast the scroll of sending.

How large is the radius of Cloister? I can't remember if it was mentioned in the comic but it's possible Niu had quite a ways to go before she could use it, not to mention first she had to contact Hinjo who then had to fall back to the ship and struggle with contacting a disabled/comatose Order.

[Cizak]

How large is the radius of Cloister? I can't remember if it was mentioned in the comic but it's possible Niu had quite a ways to go before she could use it, not to mention first she had to contact Hinjo who then had to fall back to the ship and struggle with contacting a disabled/comatose Order.

Niu being inside the radius of Cloister or not is irrelevant. You can cast spells from inside Cloister to the outside. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0532.html)

[hamishspence]

Niu being inside the radius of Cloister or not is irrelevant. You can cast spells from inside Cloister to the outside. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0532.html)

True- but does Niu know that?

[Kish]

I don't really see how she'd know part of, but not all of, what Celia expositioned about Cloister. Either she would be oblivious to it, like Haley was for all those months, or she would know what Celia told Haley, because Haley and/or Celia told her. "She knows something is there that might theoretically interfere with Sending, and she doesn't know that in fact it won't" locates her level of knowledge at an oddly specific level.

[hamishspence]

She might also have learned about some of the generalities of it from Team Peregrine, it is true.

[NerdyKris]

I don't really see how she'd know part of, but not all of, what Celia expositioned about Cloister. Either she would be oblivious to it, like Haley was for all those months, or she would know what Celia told Haley, because Haley and/or Celia told her. "She knows something is there that might theoretically interfere with Sending, and she doesn't know that in fact it won't" locates her level of knowledge at an oddly specific level.

She must know all of it. The elves would have been briefed prior to entering the city and joining the resistance. And they would have been using sending spells for the last several weeks(months? days?) to keep in contact with Hinjo and the Elven command.

[JSSheridan]

She must know all of it. The elves would have been briefed prior to entering the city and joining the resistance. And they would have been using sending spells for the last several weeks(months? days?) to keep in contact with Hinjo and the Elven command.

Did we ever see where someone replied to the original caster of a Sending where the original caster was under Cloister?

[Shale]

Thanh told Niu not to cast the spell until she'd gotten "as far away from the mountain as possible." Presumably it took her a day to get far enough to be comfortable using a spell with a 10-minute casting time.

[Porthos]

Same day, not same day, doesn't matter. Implosion is a close range spell and Disintegrate is a medium range one.

It really is as simple as that.

[Bulldog Psion]

Plus, I think Redcloak was just looking to injure Roy enough so the elemental could hopefully finish him off. Why waste Implosion when he may need it for bigger game?

[Kish]

When Redcloak cast the spell, he was planning to stick around long enough to kill the Order, and probably not summon the elemental at all (Summon Monster IX is the same level as Implosion, so Redcloak certainly wasn't avoiding using his ninth-level spells).

Still, if he had Implosion prepared, Disintegrate is still longer-ranged.

[Bulldog Psion]

When Redcloak cast the spell, he was planning to stick around long enough to kill the Order, and probably not summon the elemental at all (Summon Monster IX is the same level as Implosion, so Redcloak certainly wasn't avoiding using his ninth-level spells).

Still, if he had Implosion prepared, Disintegrate is still longer-ranged.

Yeah, I really should go back and look at the comic again before posting about it in the future. :smallredface:

[littlebum2002]

Same day, not same day, doesn't matter. Implosion is a close range spell and Disintegrate is a medium range one.

It really is as simple as that.

Also, it doesn't seem like a good idea to cast a spell at a fighter that is negated entirely by a Fortitude save, especially considering the fact that Roy made his save against Disintegration.

So, even if Redcloak WAS in range of Implosion, and hit Roy, he would have made his save and been fine, so he made the right call.

[Kish]

Well. If that was his reasoning, choosing any spell that allowed a Fortitude save was at best a distinctly dubious call. He made the right call, in that he did not leave Roy unscathed.

[Dante2001]

OK, so Implode wasn't viable.

I have another question but I don't think is too important to make another thread:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0399.html

Here we have Haley making a reference of True resurrection. I've read somewhere else that this story won't have TR 'cuz it doesn't exist. Does this mean that TR exists but no one will actually cast it?

[Kish]

That means Telephone Game isn't a very good source of information.

Rich is on record as personally hating True Resurrection, considering it a terrible, game-wrecking spell, and wishing it didn't exist. He has not said anything about how that relates to his writing set in a world based on a game system where True Resurrection, in fact, does exist. We can speculate that, since he hates it, he will probably continue to write around it rather than having anyone actually cast it. But it's only speculation.