Kubota's mistake

[lonewolf23k]

Well, it definetly looks as if Lord Kubota has covered all of his bases, making sure to erase any incriminating evidence that might lead back to him, thus ensuring that no matter what, Hinjo can't have him tried and arrested...

But he forgot something.

Elan is Chaotic Good. He doesn't have to follow proper procedure. He doesn't need to find the evidence that can expose Kubota for the fiend that he is.

All he really needs is a reason to go kick Kubota's ass, Dashing Swordsman style.

[Lord_Butters_I]

Well, it definetly looks as if Lord Kubota has covered all of his bases, making sure to erase any incriminating evidence that might lead back to him, thus ensuring that no matter what, Hinjo can't have him tried and arrested...

But he forgot something.

Elan is Chaotic Good. He doesn't have to follow proper procedure. He doesn't need to find the evidence that can expose Kubota for the fiend that he is.

All he really needs is a reason to go kick Kubota's ass, Dashing Swordsman style.

+5 armor and total defense actions won't do **** against a rapier to the brain in the middle of the night. Avenge an assassin by being an assassin.

[lonewolf23k]

+5 armor and total defense actions won't do **** against a rapier to the brain in the middle of the night. Avenge an assassin by being an assassin.

Unfortunetly, that wouldn't fit a Dashing Swordsman. Elan still has to follow the rules of drama, and confront Kubota face-to-face, so the villain knows what he's being killed for.

[Lord_Butters_I]

Unfortunetly, that wouldn't fit a Dashing Swordsman. Elan still has to follow the rules of drama, and confront Kubota face-to-face, so the villain knows what he's being killed for.

Don't tell me a thrilling stealth sequence as the hero canily evades the guards isn't theatrical enough. Just make sure Kubota's death scream can't be heard and he can be woken up for a split second so the last thing he will ever see is the blade going through his skull.

That's some dramatic **** right there.

[Sylian]

Elan is Chaotic Good, assassination isn't his style.

[EvilRoeSlade]

Yeah, Elan might not follow Hinjo's rules, but even a Chaotic character can have rules of their own.

[Talya]

I feel like it would be dramatically appropriate for Elan to remind us he's actually somewhat competent since taking his PrC, and go on a vengeance spree. I don't think stealth is his thing...he's going to fight his way onto Kubota's ship, dispatch several dozen samurai (Rich would do well to make a joke about how much the Samurai class sucks, right about now), and confront Kubota face to face, no quarter given or asked.

[Chronos]

Well, it definetly looks as if Lord Kubota has covered all of his bases, making sure to erase any incriminating evidence that might lead back to him, thus ensuring that no matter what, Hinjo can't have him tried and arrested...Aside from, well, every single piece of evidence conceivable. He's now got three eyewitnesses against him personally, with another one only a Speak with Dead spell away, plus the bodies of two of his samurai (whose allegiance, unlike that of ninja, are not secret) at the scene of the crime, plus he's acquired powerful poison from somewhere, which may be trackable. Hinjo's now got an open-and-shut case against him, and he turned down any opportunity of negotiating a plea bargain. The only way he can possibly escape justice now is if his boat is faster than a shark can swim.

[Heroic]

think Kubota is going down in a final dramatic battle versus Elan on his ship.

[SPoD]

So today, we have our answer. Whether or not Elan cares about "the rules," Kubota manages to survive by playing on his Good side and surrendering. Kubota knows that real heroes don't stab unarmed men in the process of giving up.

[MReav]

So today, we have our answer. Whether or not Elan cares about "the rules," Kubota manages to survive by playing on his Good side and surrendering. Kubota knows that real heroes don't stab unarmed men in the process of giving up.

"They say mercy is the measure of a great man."

*Stab*

"I guess I'm just a good man."

*stab**stab*

"Well, I'm alright."

[NikkTheTrick]

Reminds me a quote from one movie:

I need them dead, not prisoners!
Seen one of them - shoot!
Shoot before he can raise his hands!

[David Argall]

So today, we have our answer. Whether or not Elan cares about "the rules," Kubota manages to survive by playing on his Good side and surrendering. Kubota knows that real heroes don't stab unarmed men in the process of giving up.

Real heros don't slug people in the process of giving up just to hurt them. Flat out wrong.
Real heros aware the surrender is false in some way, such as the prisoner already aware of how he is going to escape jail, may well kill the surrendering prisoner.

and A-the unarmed doesn't matter, and
B-seems to be false since Kubota seems to still have his poison ring, plus the very good chance of other hidden weapons.

[Heroic]

Well, it definetly looks as if Lord Kubota has covered all of his bases, making sure to erase any incriminating evidence that might lead back to him, thus ensuring that no matter what, Hinjo can't have him tried and arrested...

But he forgot something.

Elan is Chaotic Good. He doesn't have to follow proper procedure. He doesn't need to find the evidence that can expose Kubota for the fiend that he is.

All he really needs is a reason to go kick Kubota's ass, Dashing Swordsman style.


The new comic says otherwise... dammit! I wanted to see an Elan vs Kubota final confrontation. :smallmad:

[chiasaur11]

"They say mercy is the measure of a great man."

*Stab*

"I guess I'm just a good man."

*stab**stab*

"Well, I'm alright."

The punch today seemed to fill the same niche.

Ah, Mal. The model of fun-to-play chaotic good.

[TheNifty]

Real heros don't slug people in the process of giving up just to hurt them. Flat out wrong.

Are you kidding? Kubota just murdered a woman who loved him (who died tragically in his arms), and is now gloating about it. I can't think of a single fictional hero who would let that slide without at least a punch.

I would have knocked him out at a minimum - for practical reasons (you don't know what other secret weapons he might have on him) as much as anything.

[Dr. Cthulwho]

Real heros don't slug people in the process of giving up just to hurt them. Flat out wrong.

Why? In fact it seems a fairly reasonable, and even genre approved, for the more "chaotic good" type hero to punch the smug villain when they:

A. Surrender just as the hero stands ready to deliver the killing blow
or
B. Gloat after the hero has accepted the surrender (Villain: "hah, I knew you couldn't do it", Hero: *says something witty before punching them*)
or
B. Manage to escape conviction in court and feel the need to gloat/mock the law/hero/victem as they leave.


Real heros aware the surrender is false in some way, such as the prisoner already aware of how he is going to escape jail, may well kill the surrendering prisoner.

and A-the unarmed doesn't matter, and
B-seems to be false since Kubota seems to still have his poison ring, plus the very good chance of other hidden weapons.

So real heroes, in the heat of the moment, don't throw a punch at a surrendering villain, but they can kill them on the basis they might be planning on escaping or might be planning the old "draw a concealed blade when the heroes back is turned and lunge" trick? :smallconfused:

That's the whole point of those devious villain surrender moments - the hero shows how good they are by accepting the surrender only for the villain to reiterate how sneaky and bad they are by trying something (trying to pull the hero over the edge as he reaches down, the afore mentioned concealed knife/gun/etc etc), which usually kills them anyway, in a way that makes the villain really responsible for their own demise.

[Ganurath]

Well, it definetly looks as if Lord Kubota has covered all of his bases, making sure to erase any incriminating evidence that might lead back to him, thus ensuring that no matter what, Hinjo can't have him tried and arrested...

But he forgot something.

Elan is Chaotic Good. He doesn't have to follow proper procedure. He doesn't need to find the evidence that can expose Kubota for the fiend that he is.

All he really needs is a reason to go kick Kubota's ass, Dashing Swordsman style.Hmm... A fine observation, but I say he forgot to take causality into consideration. His mistake was killing Therkla. He should have used a nonlethal yet powerful poison that could resemble being lethal.

[Rad]

Hmm... A fine observation, but I say he forgot to take causality into consideration. His mistake was killing Therkla. He should have used a nonlethal yet powerful poison that could resemble being lethal.

Moreover Therkla would likely accept to testify against him now and
her corpse is available and whole. A perfect target for Speak with Dead even without having her raised.

[Kurald Galain]

Kubota's real mistake is that he doesn't know how to use a rowing boat.

He's sitting in it backwards. You don't go very fast that way.

[Rad]

Yeah, too bad he didn't put any ranks in Profession(Sailing)

[Lissou]

Also, the oar he's holding in his right hand is going towards the boat instead of out of it... pretty weird. I'm betting on a layer mistake or something, it's under the stuff instead of being over it.

[King of Nowhere]

For all the goodness sake, Assassinating Kubota would be OK; personally I would sink his boat (remember, he wear armor) and just tell that Kubota is "disappeared". But Elan is not the guy to do that.

[Tarp]

just sink the small boat and accept his surrender back at the ship... no body killed him, he drowned :smallcool:

[pendell]

Okay.

So now that Kubota has surrendered, how do he and Elan
escape the sinking boat they're on?

It's filling with water quickly. It can't be more than a few rounds
before it sinks completely.

Elan can't swim and support Kubota with his armor also.

Unless someone on the ship is able to throw them a rope -- or V can rescue
them by flying -- there's an excellent chance that Kubota will drown anyway.

Unless he's got boots of water walking or something like -- but if he had that, why bother with a boat in the first place?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Kurald Galain]

Okay.

So now that Kubota has surrendered, how do he and Elan
escape the sinking boat they're on?

Wood has the funny property of being usable as a flotation device.

[Kroy]

"They say mercy is the measure of a great man."

*Stab*

"I guess I'm just a good man."

*stab**stab*

"Well, I'm alright."

'That man makes some fine roast chicken"

[RosesOnConcrete]

"They say mercy is the measure of a great man."

*Stab*

"I guess I'm just a good man."

*stab**stab*

"Well, I'm alright."

Firefly is ten kinds of win, and yes, that would be a very logical course of action. I mean, the whole "unarmed and surrendering because he knows it'll make it harder for me to kill him in good conscience" thing is probably mitigated by the "just killed my semi-love-interest in front of me after trying to kill my friends" thing, right? -4 because he's unarmed, +4 because it's vengeance, or something.

[Rogue 7]

...which is why he punched him in the face. Elan's a bit more moral than Mal, much as I love them both.

[Ridureyu]

Nah, if Elan tries to kill Kubota, he'll either survive (And get Elan jailed), or he'll die in front of peope, and get Elan jailed. Now, Hinjo SHOULD have Kubota executed. Will he? Probably not. Or he'll try, and be stopped somehow. Cue another 6-12 months of Kubota doing random villainous things while they're stuck on the island/out at sea/doing something else in the side plot.

Essentially, all the villains in this strip went to the same "More prepared than batman" school, while all the villains eat Idiot Flakes in their cereal.

[Enlong]

Essentially, all the villains in this strip went to the same "More prepared than batman" school, while all the villains eat Idiot Flakes in their cereal.
Woah. so that's why we have villians who are crazy prepared, but still end up doing stupid stuff?

[Ridureyu]

Well, it's the current trend. For a little while, the villains ate idiot flakes while the heroes were Batman Jr.