Blackwing made a whoopsie.

[grandpheonix]

Vs spellbook is sitting right. Next. To. The. Scroll.

[Sylian]

Maybe V protected the spell book with magic spells? Or maybe V has a spare?

[zimmerwald1915]

Vs spellbook is sitting right. Next. To. The. Scroll.
Destroyed spellbook for preserved familiar? Seems like a perfectly sensible tradeoff, really. Especially for the familiar.

[theMycon]

I thought V's book was red?

[Douglas]

Blackwing wouldn't be able to use a spellbook. A scroll is a spell already charged up with magic energy just waiting for someone with the right skill to set it going. A spellbook is a collection of spell formulas to help guide someone to craft their own magic energy into the right shape to cast a spell, and Blackwing doesn't have the right sort of magic energy to do that.

[jere7my]

Blackwing wouldn't be able to use a spellbook. A scroll is a spell already charged up with magic energy just waiting for someone with the right skill to set it going. A spellbook is a collection of spell formulas to help guide someone to craft their own magic energy into the right shape to cast a spell, and Blackwing doesn't have the right sort of magic energy to do that.

The issue is that Blackwing set off a small explosion next to it.

[Keltest]

The issue is that Blackwing set off a small explosion next to it.

based on the damage to the door, I would call that at least a medium explosion.

[Pyrous]

based on the damage to the door, I would call that at least a medium explosion.
While I agree with the medium explosion, V's power level is enough to protect his spellbook from it.

[Gift Jeraff]

It could be any random book.

[grandpheonix]

Comic 950 brown book and V writing a spell.

[Euclidodese]

I thought V's book was red?It's brown. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0306.html)

But I'm sure the book is fine.

[Kareasint]

It is possible for a Wizard to cast spells to protect their spellbooks from certain types of damage. Given V's Evocation specialization, the spellbook probably has some protections on it (Resistance > Permanency: Cost of 500 XP).

[PoeticDwarf]

While I agree with the medium explosion, V's power level is enough to protect his spellbook from it.

It is, and it doesn't have to be the spellbook

[grandpheonix]

Given that he also thought leaving the teleport orb in the same room, unprotected, V may have thought V's book was safe as well. Wizards can be burned once, but never twice. Unless the twice was both at the same time. Which apparently is happening right now.

So V is gonna end up needing to create a new spellbook, and either wait a year to raise blackwing, or find another familiar (like Bloodfeast)

[Bulldog Psion]

While I agree there's some chance the spellbook is damaged, I don't think that Blackwing just committed suicide. I really, really don't.

[Euclidodese]

While I agree there's some chance the spellbook is damaged, I don't think that Blackwing just committed suicide. I really, really don't.

Indeed not. I would bet any money in the world that Blackwing doesn't die here... I think that's a pretty far-out interpretation...
I think some people are reading this entirely wrong. Sure, the door's bulged, but that's to sell this genius and hilarious plan as an effective distress-signal. Blackwing's just done the magical version of setting a napkin on fire and holding it up to the smoke-alarm... He hasn't set a nuke off.

Otherwise people would send untrained commoners with scrolls of Acid Splash into battle as suicide bombers...

Maybe the spellbook will be charred and V will ignore Blackwing's feelings and moan about it... Maybe... But we're talking a flash and a bang here, not a nuke... Just IMO. We'll see...

[Gnoman]

Even if this spellbook were destroyed, a wizard of V's level would require a (not so) small library to keep their spells in (20 5th level spells, for example, will fill one), and if the book was brought out just to scribe a Locate Creature scroll, it probably would be merely a mid-level archive book that V is using to make "not-worth-preparing-but-still useful" scrolls.

[zimmerwald1915]

While I agree there's some chance the spellbook is damaged, I don't think that Blackwing just committed suicide. I really, really don't.
Mister Scruffy has Evasion, and Blackwing has Improved Evasion. They'll be fine. If anyone (besides the rats) is in danger from the explosion, it's Little Whiskers and Bloodfeast.

[Kurald Galain]

either wait a year to raise blackwing, or find another familiar

Blackwing has a surprisingly high amount of hit points for a raven. That's because a familiar has hit points equal to half his master's maximum.

[goodpeople25]

and either wait a year to raise blackwing, or find another familiar (like Bloodfeast)
Uh what? Never mind that blackwing is most likely alive, I'm pretty sure you got that backwards. A slain or dismissed familar can't be replaced for a year and a day. but a slain familar can be raised just like a character minus the level/con loss.

[nyjastul69]

I wouldn't be surprised if Rich used the destruction tion of V's spell book to further nerf her. Wizards of that level can tend to break a game if they choose to. They can also destroy an attempt at good story crafting. This is assuming it's V's spell book of course.

[Keltest]

I wouldn't be surprised if Rich used the destruction tion of V's spell book to further nerf her. Wizards of that level can tend to break a game if they choose to. They can also destroy an attempt at good story crafting. This is assuming it's V's spell book of course.

If Rich is thinking along those lines, I doubt he will explicitly state such until and unless he comes to a part of the story where he needs V to not have a spell available. It even works on spells he has previously cast.

[Killer Angel]

Wizards of that level can tend to break a game if they choose to.

While true, V is sufficiently toned down, if you do a comparison with the typical high level wizard of the Playground. :smallwink:

[BaronOfHell]

Pretty sure Blackwing is housebroken.

[Wilko]

Also the book that was on the desk is in the Bg for strip 1021, it's scratched but looks basically undamaged....

[Quartz]

Vs spellbook is sitting right. Next. To. The. Scroll.

But it was closed.