The MoJ Password

[Dys]

Since the appearance of the new strip, I've seen something come up a few times in various threads. Namely, people are mistaking the password to remove the curse with the password to activate it. There didn't seem to be an appropriate place to discuss this so I decided to make my own thread.

Well, the short of it is this:

Evolve or Die = password to remove the curse.

Squiddleydoodlefluffer = password to activate the curse.

The two are not the same password. As a comparison, imagine a bomb having a codeword to detonate it and another to diffuse it. One would not use the same password for both, else the bomb might detonate upon an attempt to diffuse it (or vice versa, though it would be less likely).

This seems fairly obvious to me but a few posts here and there lead me to believe some people might not have realised this, so I decided I had best mention it somewhere.

Well, if there's any discussion to be had here then feel free to indulge. I'll fall back to my usual status of lurking.

Dys.

[Hydro Globus]

You are correct.

The confusion seems to be originated from the fact that a remove curse is necessary to remove the curse, simply saying "Evolve or Die" isn't enough. If you had a security key with the bomb, and whether it explodes or diffuses would depend on key being inserted or not, it would work.

But it is not the case.

[HamsterOfTheGod]

Since the appearance of the new strip, I've seen something come up a few times in various threads. Namely, people are mistaking the password to remove the curse with the password to activate it. There didn't seem to be an appropriate place to discuss this so I decided to make my own thread.

Well, the short of it is this:

Evolve or Die = password to remove the curse.

Squiddleydoodlefluffer = password to activate the curse.

The two are not the same password. As a comparison, imagine a bomb having a codeword to detonate it and another to diffuse it. One would not use the same password for both, else the bomb might detonate upon an attempt to diffuse it (or vice versa, though it would be less likely).

This seems fairly obvious to me but a few posts here and there lead me to believe some people might not have realised this, so I decided I had best mention it somewhere.

Well, if there's any discussion to be had here then feel free to indulge. I'll fall back to my usual status of lurking.

Dys.

Well certainly passcodes are an 'evolution' from earlier magic triggers. Back in the day, you couldn't deactive a major spell unless some crazy set of circumtances were put together. For ex, Belkar's MoJ might have only been removable under a Tuesday in the month of May with a cleric of the Twelve Gods facing North annointing Belkar with a paste made of Elderberries picked under a full moon and infused with at least 500 gp of Air Elemental phlogiston. This of course proviced many excuses for side treks to gain Rings of Three Wishes.

[rathnar]

If you had a security key with the bomb, and whether it explodes or diffuses would depend on key being inserted or not, it would work.

I think that if the bomb diffuses, then it definitely exploded. :smallwink:

R

[Hydro Globus]

'Kay, so I used wrong English. Sorry for copying from the previous poster and also would you be kind enough to help me out there?

I'm not a native English-speaker you know...

[ref]

methinks the word you're looking for is 'defuses'.

[Firestar27]

Why was the passcode needed in the first place? Last I checked, a remove curse will remove the MoJ, with or without passcode. How would the cleric of Loki know the passcode anyway?

[Zevox]

Why was the passcode needed in the first place? Last I checked, a remove curse will remove the MoJ, with or without passcode. How would the cleric of Loki know the passcode anyway?
See comic #602 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0602.html), where the Cleric explains this. As for why it was needed, what good would the Mark of Justice be at restraining someone if they could just go to the nearest town and pay a Cleric to cast Remove Curse on them and be free as a bird? The password to remove it is only logical.

Zevox

[Douglas]

It's a Greater Mark of Justice (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0569.html), homebrewed by Mr. Burlew. That is why the passcode is necessary - a normal Mark of Justice can indeed be removed with a simple Remove Curse, but this is a more powerful version of the spell.

As for how the cleric knows the passcode, see the strip Zevox linked.