If Xykon didn't become a lich?

[paladinofshojo]

Let's say instead of becoming a Lich he ended up becoming some other sort of undead overlord (Vampire Lord, Death Knight, etc.) what in the overall story will be changed?

[FoE]

Start of Darkness spoilers below! Fair thee warned!

The reason Xykon became a lich was because he had been infected with a virus that prevented him from using magic. Because they were trapped in the same cell, Redcloak figured the only way they could break out was to turn Xykon into an undead being, so that he could still use his magic.

However, Redcloak specifically turned Xykon into a lich because he thought that would give him power over the sorceror. Xykon didn't know much about liches, and Redcloak figured he could fool him into following his orders by threatening to destroy his phylactery (which he told Xykon would destroy him).

Unfortunately, becoming a lich made Xykon way smarter, so he saw right through Redcloak's bluff. And that's how the goblin cleric came to serve Xykon, not the other way around.

So yeah, it would be a way different story.

Also, if Xykon was a vampire, he wouldn't be able to walk around in the sunlight, would he?

[factotum]

Perhaps more to the point (SoD spoilers again):


A Death Knight or Vampire wouldn't have had any way to break out of that confinement--they were buried in a cave some distance underground, after all; it needed some major nuking to release them.

[Jayngfet]

The shell game probably would've failed.

[Lumenadducere]

Yeah, and there's also the fact that (SoD Spoiler!)

Redcloak believes they need a high-level arcane spellcaster and a high-level divine spellcaster to work the magic of the gates. If Xykon was a Vampire Lord or Death Knight it would never have worked because they wouldn't have a strong enough arcane caster. Well, maybe Tsukiko, but I get the feeling that once she finds out about the Gate stuff she's going to try and do it on her own (being both types of casters).

[FoE]

Excellent points all. Thanks for pointing out what I missed.

So yeah, Xykon needs to be a lich. Otherwise you're writing a totally different comic.

[Nerdanel]

I'm going to disagree with everyone and say that there would be surprisingly little difference, as Xykon would get to keep his sorcerer spells in all these forms. The biggest disparity would rise from a death knight's inability to recover from 0 hp, which would have made Xykon killed off for real when Roy threw him at the gate to be zapped. In similar circumstances, a vampire would turn into fog and return to its coffin.

Xykon the vampire would even be a mightier spellcaster than Xykon the lich, since vampires get +4 to charisma while liches and death knights only get +2, and charisma is Xykon's casting stat.

[bluewind95]

Hmm... it is true that ability-wise, there'd be no problem if Xykon were something other than a lich. However... when it comes down to it, many of the things that have been written depend on Xykon being a lich (mainly those SoD spoilers, and even some joked in the online strip when he was regenerating).

The general plot wouldn't be affected much, it's true. However, when it comes down to it... I think the details are far more important than the basic plot. It's what makes many light romantic comedies different from each other. After all... many of those plots are similar, but it's done differently, so they become different.

So essentially... Xykon could indeed be a vampire. However... the strip would simply not be the same. The details would have changed and it'd make a significant change in the comic overall.

[Nerdanel]

Instead of jokes about Redcloak dragging the regenerating lich Xykon in a little cart we would have jokes about Redcloak having to drag a healthy vampire Xykon in a little cart so that they can cross little streams of running water.

[Laurentio]

Instead of jokes about Redcloak dragging the regenerating lich Xykon in a little cart we would have jokes about Redcloak having to drag a healthy vampire Xykon in a little cart so that they can cross little streams of running water.
Maybe the Giant wanted to avoid the recursing feeding. Vampires are one of the few undead that need to feed, and Xykon would be a pesky one, refusing to feed on hobs.
Add intolerance to sunlight, water... A lich has less "habits", and more space for just the interesting things.

Laurentio

[Kurald Galain]

Also, if Xykon was a vampire, he wouldn't be able to walk around in the sunlight, would he?

Sure he would, he would simply take the MITD's umbrella. So the answer is, "if Xykon didn't become a lich", we would know what the MITD is by now :smallbiggrin:

[SteveMB]

Let's say instead of becoming a Lich he ended up becoming some other sort of undead overlord (Vampire Lord, Death Knight, etc.) what in the overall story will be changed?

Probably not much, really. The origin story in Start of Darkness would have been set up so that the circumstances of becoming an undead would suit a Vampire Lord or whatever, and some of the details of his apparent "final destruction" and reappearance in the main storyline would be different, but I don't see that anything would necessarily be essentially altered.

[Morgan Wick]

Sure he would, he would simply take the MITD's umbrella. So the answer is, "if Xykon didn't become a lich", we would know what the MITD is by now :smallbiggrin:

The MITD is a vampire! It all makes sense now!

[puppyavenger]

The MITD is a vampire! It all makes sense now!

But a vampiric what?

[Nerdanel]

:mitd: the vampire: "I do not drink... stew."

I think it's quite clear :mitd: isn't undead, or a construct for that matter.

[d'Bwobsling]

The MITD is a vampire! It all makes sense now!

More SoD spoilers: MitD was in a circus, and every day he was shown off to the audience. We don't get to see what he is, but by the audiences' reactions, he is something shocking and no one has any idea what he is

[David Argall]

As has been said, Xykon not becoming a lich would not have made much difference at the basic plot level. Essentially we would have gotten a bunch of vampire jokes instead of a bunch of lich jokes. As has been noted, SoD was written on the premise that Xykon was a lich and tries to justify that. If we have him a vampire, SoD would try to justify that instead.

It's not obvious that a vampire would be a better top evil, so it's not a great concern.