What Is Durkula In A Narrative Sense?

[TCRM]

So I apologize if this has been asked and answered, in my defense I did search for the answer to this question before posting, but I did not find it.

So throughout the comic the distinction between Player Characters and Non-Player Characters has generally been used as a narrative device to indicate the status of a character as being essentially indispensable to the overall narrative and safe from being permanently killed, at least that has been my general impression. But Durkula seems to be acting not in the way that a PC who has been turned into a vampire, this has happened to me in a game, would, but in the way that a PC who has been replaced with a non PC vampire would. To be clearer, he seems to be acting in service of his own narrative, one convergent but separate from that of the party, which makes him seem to me that he is acting separate from the party, not in the sense that the party has been split, but that he is no longer, in fact, a true party member. Which for me begs the question, is Durkula in fact still a PC in the way that the rest of the Order is, or is he an NPC? Does he retain Durkon status, or is he now what Miko was when she arrested the Order? And if he is the latter, if he were to die, could he be replaced by a character who is currently an NPC who would then attain the status of PC, or is the Party set, and only able to shrink?

[Pyrous]

The comic started as a parody of a D&D campaing, so Player Characters identifies the guys who usually would be, well, the players' characters. However, there are no players, so we really should think of PC meaning Protagonist Character. Also, note that Xykon and Redcloak are not PCs and are safe from being permanently killed (at least until the ending of the story).

With that in mind, if you acknowledge Durkula and Durkon as separate entities, then it should be clear that Durkon is a PC and Durkula is a NPC.

Also, technically, Durkula can't die because he's not alive (and has never been). But he is keeping Durkon's body and soul. If he was destroyed, then Durkon could be ressurected and "rejoin" the Order.

[Psyren]

Strictly speaking, when a PC becomes a vampire they're supposed to become an NPC under the DM's control (which is more or less what's happened in the comic) with its own outlook and goals. Vampires are monsters, and playing the monsters of the world is the DM's job. The fact that your DM let you control yours was just him/her being nice and allowing you to retain that agency, for fun or pacing or ease of play or whatever other reason applied to your own campaign. In-universe, the original character has no say at all over what the evil spirit that has taken over their body chooses to make that body say or do.

As Pyrous rightly stated, Durkon is still a PC (which in this case does in fact mean "Protagonist Character"), but he is one who is trapped in his own mind by a malevolent NPC entity, and his body's actions are no longer under his control.

[TCRM]

So for the moment, Durkon is removed from the party in the same way Roy was when Xykon killed him?

[Pyrous]

So for the moment, Durkon is removed from the party in the same way Roy was when Xykon killed him?

From a narrative function point of view, yes.

[Lombard]

From the narrative sense, I'd say he's the manifestation of Durkon's normally suppressed dark side of hurt, bitterness, and resentment. All those things used to be trapped inside Durkon without a voice; now those roles are reversed. From that perspective, however, I'm not sure how 'Durkula' could be considered a PC. He's definitely an NPC but in an unusual way. If anyone's seen the cult classic Evil Dead 2, when Bruce Campbell's hand animates on its own and tries to choke him out, we saw a part of the body of the protagonist (compare to "PC") become the antagonist. Or Ged's shadow in Wizard of Earthsea, that would be an apt comparison as well I think.

Summary: an NPC is still an NPC even if it's part of the PC. :smallwink:

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Does there have to be a strict divide? Durkula is an antagonist, the main villain of this book tied with Hel (technically Hel's Dragon probably, but it's fuzzy) and a secondary antagonist of the overreaching plot. If this thing happened in a real gaming group the GM might let the player stay in control of his character, as long as they can agree on roughly how the character will act. When that happens the character is a PC antagonist. The only difference is that he might get slightly more spotlight.

PC is not really a narrative role, it just usually overlaps with protagonist, point of view and hero a lot.

[grandpheonix]

In the game im playing (Pathfinder, but was 3.5 originally) was playing a favored soul that was neutral. Took epidemic because why not, save it for a rainy day. You never know. (Am currently at level 16). The innkeeper's wife was trying to pressure me into paying extra for my room (was in Gheldeneth at the time, population alot.) and the university had just collapsed, taking with it a chunk of the noble/ merchant/ poor districts, leaving alot of people out on the streets.

So I get the info on where my parties rooms were located, as well as establishing that I could have the room next to it. She demands 500 gold for a 3cp room, and I take the key and go to my room and dont pay. an hour later the husband goes to my room, asking for the money and an apology. I fork over the gold to the innkeeper and go back downstairs to apologize. As soon as I see her, I apologize, and offer a blessing, since im a devout holy man in game. She allows it (after a nat 20 bluff check) and I cast heighten Epidemic, raising the DC to 24 and "bless" her.

At this point my DM started freaking out (in a good way) and told me as long as I could keep my mouth shut that im the one who began the epidemic (Bubonic plague) then I got an additional 5k xp per in game day. We did the math, and Gheldeneth will dwindle down to nothing after 20 days. My party eventually found out that I was evil, and at that point my character plane shifted and began to carve out his own path.

I say all of this, because this is almost directly related to the Durkon being a PC still. He's a protagonist in his game, so I see him still being a PC and still having PC status, just as Xykon and Redcloak are PC's. They each are doing their own thing, but still have motivations that guide them down their path. I could totally see a DM allowing separate parties for a long time and when they do meet, they will still have their own control, and will clash with eachother.

See, I can totally pull of an explainabrag too guys!

[Zorgoth]

In the game im playing (Pathfinder, but was 3.5 originally) was playing a favored soul that was neutral. Took epidemic because why not, save it for a rainy day. You never know. (Am currently at level 16). The innkeeper's wife was trying to pressure me into paying extra for my room (was in Gheldeneth at the time, population alot.) and the university had just collapsed, taking with it a chunk of the noble/ merchant/ poor districts, leaving alot of people out on the streets.

So I get the info on where my parties rooms were located, as well as establishing that I could have the room next to it. She demands 500 gold for a 3cp room, and I take the key and go to my room and dont pay. an hour later the husband goes to my room, asking for the money and an apology. I fork over the gold to the innkeeper and go back downstairs to apologize. As soon as I see her, I apologize, and offer a blessing, since im a devout holy man in game. She allows it (after a nat 20 bluff check) and I cast heighten Epidemic, raising the DC to 24 and "bless" her.

At this point my DM started freaking out (in a good way) and told me as long as I could keep my mouth shut that im the one who began the epidemic (Bubonic plague) then I got an additional 5k xp per in game day. We did the math, and Gheldeneth will dwindle down to nothing after 20 days. My party eventually found out that I was evil, and at that point my character plane shifted and began to carve out his own path.

I say all of this, because this is almost directly related to the Durkon being a PC still. He's a protagonist in his game, so I see him still being a PC and still having PC status, just as Xykon and Redcloak are PC's. They each are doing their own thing, but still have motivations that guide them down their path. I could totally see a DM allowing separate parties for a long time and when they do meet, they will still have their own control, and will clash with eachother.

See, I can totally pull of an explainabrag too guys!

Xykon and Redcloak aren't PCs. Redcloack discusses his NPC status in one of the book prefaces.

[grandpheonix]

Poor redcloak. I've always read his stuff as a PC. He has his own battles and struggles he's had to work with this entire time, and uniting an entire goblin nation seems like a pretty badass cause.

[Zorgoth]

Redcloak has no desire to be a PC. He is perfectly content with his NPC status.

[Jay R]

Is this supposed to be difficult? PCs lose control of their bodies regularly, through Charm spells, Dominate, etc.

The HPoH is the NPC currently holding the PC Durkon's soul hostage.