Goblins XVII: The shocking end of the story arc

[remetagross]

Hmm, not too sure about Oblivion has worked here.

Also, wasn't expecting an update that early.

[John Cribati]

Hmm, not too sure about Oblivion has worked here.

Only Minmax has any effect on the sword's motion at all, making it simultaneously an unstoppable force and an immovable object. To question what it can and can't do is to start on the road to madness.

[Keltest]

Minmax... what the heck is that technique? Why would you try and pry the sword from between your legs? Its pointlessly uncomfortable and youre balanced on one leg trying to pull this thing.

[John Cribati]

Minmax... what the heck is that technique? Why would you try and pry the sword from between your legs? Its pointlessly uncomfortable and youre balanced on one leg trying to pull this thing.

Looked to me like he was pushing down on it with his whole body weight.

[Willie the Duck]

Last panel, Kin gets kind of a different appearance. No strong opinion except that it is different. MM's expression is goofy, but that seems wholly deliberate and appropriate.

[Keltest]

Last panel, Kin gets kind of a different appearance. No strong opinion except that it is different. MM's expression is goofy, but that seems wholly deliberate and appropriate.

Its because she suddenly has visible lips.

[Willie the Duck]

Its because she suddenly has visible lips.

So it is. Also, I thought her nose looked different and maybe a little bit more anime-esque eyes, but backscrolling and finding this strip suggests this is how she normally draws Kin full-on side-view (as opposed to 'kind of from the side, but her facial features are all still contained by her face').

[Cygnia]

So, did someone steal Minmax's sword?

[Kish]

Almost certainly, it's Minmax from the future picking it up.

[Lissou]

Whenever Minmax lets go of Oblivion, we get to see the next time he's grabbing the sword. In this case, the foreshadowing is only the color of his armor. Sometimes you can hear what's being said at the time, too. This is the kind of thing I really like because it requires a lot of planning, it wouldn't work as well in a comic that's thought of as the author goes.

[Traab]

Too be fair, like 90% of the time the only thing it shows us is his armor color at the time. I think the only time it was setup for something else was the time when they were going to try to sneak past those demo looking doppleganger monsters and minmax went to draw his sword only for "OMGASSYFACEIHATEYOU!" to come screaming out of the hole alerting the monsters.

[Lissou]

Too be fair, like 90% of the time the only thing it shows us is his armor color at the time. I think the only time it was setup for something else was the time when they were going to try to sneak past those demo looking doppleganger monsters and minmax went to draw his sword only for "OMGASSYFACEIHATEYOU!" to come screaming out of the hole alerting the monsters.

True, but even that much could be a pain to keep consistent, it would be easy to just have the same armor color or something. I don't know, I guess most of the time someone would just improvise stuff but knowing it's not improvised is nice, because it makes me actually wonder when the next time he draws his sword is, rather than not care about it because I know it doesn't correspond to anything yet. YMMV of course.

[John Cribati]

So the next time he grabs for it will be after he asks a question about the Jade Teapot I assume.

[xroads]

So the next time he grabs for it will be after he asks a question about the Jade Teapot I assume.

Maybe. But it also seem to be the same shade of blue as the ice wall. I figured he was going to make a comment along the lines of "What's this blue stuff?"

[Cisturn]

I'm sorry if this was asked before, but where did Kin get seven levels of sorcerer?

[Lissou]

I'm sorry if this was asked before, but where did Kin get seven levels of sorcerer?

Presumably from adventuring with the other Kins, since she could do it for as long as needed? I don't remember either though.

[Vinyadan]

I personally am not a big fan of MM's armour or the IME effects. They are cool details in theory, but they get way too much space for what they do. IME in particular has only been useful in a couple of cases, to show Kore's immense power on the bridge and present Chief's situation, and to give Kin a hint on what was going on. The armour has yet to do anything, and it's been eight years.

Oblivious' abilities by comparison have consistently been a pretty important plot point. It was the key to destroying the little universe in the Maze, and so keeping it out of reach was essential. MM was challenged exactly because of that. And then there was the time he alerted the monsters. Or when MM couldn't pass his almighty sword to Forgath.

EDIT: Will Kin explain why she returned from the Maze at a different time than MM?

[xroads]

I personally am not a big fan of MM's armour or the IME effects. They are cool details in theory, but they get way too much space for what they do. IME in particular has only been useful in a couple of cases, to show Kore's immense power on the bridge and present Chief's situation, and to give Kin a hint on what was going on. The armour has yet to do anything, and it's been eight years.

The color changing aspect of the armor is just fun. I don't think it really needs to serve as a plot point. Probably was added as more of a personal challenge for the author than anything else.

But the IME has had an effect in the game. Both for the reasons you've mentioned. And it was fairly instrumental in helping Kin outwit Kore. Then there was that Door Golem puzzle that tripped up the heroes for a bit.

[Lissou]

Will Kin explain why she returned from the Maze at a different time than MM?

He teleported out with the teapot. She physically took the teapot to her village, then went to seek him. They probably left at the same time, from the outside's point of view.

[Kaptin Keen]

You know ... she should have cast wall of ice in front of the little mouths in the wall. Meh, hindsight.

What white-gloved hand is that, taking the sword? Should I know that? oO

[Draconi Redfir]

You know ... she should have cast wall of ice in front of the little mouths in the wall. Meh, hindsight.

She probably couldn't. the room she was in was magically silent.

What white-gloved hand is that, taking the sword? Should I know that? oO

That's Minmax from the future. Any time he drops his sword, him from the future instantly picks it up again.


Theoretically, they could use Oblivious and Minmax's armor as a sort of code to get information from the future. For example if they're looking at a long hallway they think might be trapped, they could decide that "Red" means danger, and "Green" means safe. Then Minmax drops his sword, and they look at the colour of the glove picking it up. If it's Red, then they know to keep an eye out for any traps. If it's green, they know they can walk through the hall without worry. Then when they reach the end of the hall, Minmax can say the word "Green" and retreive his sword to alert his past self. saying "Red" if combat begins or a trap triggers before retrieving his sword to alert his past self.

This would open up the possibility of changing the future though, which may lead to a parodox and problems. Plus i doubt Minmax is smart enough to go through with that even if someone did come up with that plan. He'd probably shout "Orange!" when combat began or something.

[DataNinja]

Theoretically, they could use Oblivious and Minmax's armor as a sort of code to get information from the future. For example if they're looking at a long hallway they think might be trapped, they could decide that "Red" means danger, and "Green" means safe. Then Minmax drops his sword, and they look at the colour of the glove picking it up. If it's Red, then they know to keep an eye out for any traps. If it's green, they know they can walk through the hall without worry. Then when they reach the end of the hall, Minmax can say the word "Green" and retreive his sword to alert his past self. saying "Red" if combat begins or a trap triggers before retrieving his sword to alert his past self.

This would open up the possibility of changing the future though, which may lead to a parodox and problems. Plus i doubt Minmax is smart enough to go through with that even if someone did come up with that plan. He'd probably shout "Orange!" when combat began or something.

Also, the more he understands that the sword can work that way, the less likely it is that the sword will continue to work that way.

[Quild]

I personally am not a big fan of MM's armour or the IME effects. They are cool details in theory, but they get way too much space for what they do. IME in particular has only been useful in a couple of cases, to show Kore's immense power on the bridge and present Chief's situation, and to give Kin a hint on what was going on. The armour has yet to do anything, and it's been eight years.

How does it take too much space?

MM's armor is actually one of the things that proves the solid writing of the author. Not an easy thing to deal with. Besides, I often note that MM spoke about a color because the armor changed. Really, I love that.

I have no clue what you might have against IME, really.

[John Cribati]

IME in particular has only been useful in a couple of cases, to show Kore's immense power on the bridge and present Chief's situation, and to give Kin a hint on what was going on.

The IMEs have been serving a meta purpose of showing off all of the casters' power levels for a while now, and the more advanced they get, the more they show off the characters in a way that's somehow simultaneously flashy and subtle.

[Vinyadan]

Solid writing is different from careful adherence to one minute detail that doesn't change anything about the story. It is remarkable, but it drains mental resources for very little gain. And I get bored very fast when seeing the same thing happen over and over and over, with zero effects. For me, it's like a caption saying "this armour changes colour to match the one last spoken by its wearer", every single time. Seriously, I got it! I swear, I'll remember it when/if it will ever be relevant.

Concerning the IMEs, they take up room because they force a certain framing to show them off (and, again, they represent a lot of effort with little payback). In theory, I enjoy watching them grow, but, in practice, there are years of time between iterations, which kinda kills the tension.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Theoretically, they could use Oblivious and Minmax's armor as a sort of code to get information from the future. For example if they're looking at a long hallway they think might be trapped, they could decide that "Red" means danger, and "Green" means safe. Then Minmax drops his sword, and they look at the colour of the glove picking it up. If it's Red, then they know to keep an eye out for any traps. If it's green, they know they can walk through the hall without worry. Then when they reach the end of the hall, Minmax can say the word "Green" and retreive his sword to alert his past self. saying "Red" if combat begins or a trap triggers before retrieving his sword to alert his past self.

This would open up the possibility of changing the future though, which may lead to a parodox and problems. Plus i doubt Minmax is smart enough to go through with that even if someone did come up with that plan. He'd probably shout "Orange!" when combat began or something.

"Definitely not green!"

[Kaptin Keen]

She probably couldn't. the room she was in was magically silent.

Oh right. Also known as 'the entire point of the trap!'

[Lissou]

"Definitely not green!"

Oh man, Minmax would so do that.

[Dragonus45]

IME's are just a great way to show off character traits and symbolism in general really. I've been playing with added a modified version of them to various different games I run. Especially in 5e so I could give players a chance to make their characters feel more unique.

[Lord Torath]

IME's are just a great way to show off character traits and symbolism in general really. I've been playing with added a modified version of them to various different games I run. Especially in 5e so I could give players a chance to make their characters feel more unique.

You also might be interested in the 2E Dark Sun Dragon Kings book. It has sensory effects for spellcasting. Like, every time a particular mage casts a spell, there's a blue flash (more noticeable the higher the spell level), the sound of a stream, and the scent of cinnamon.