November 22, 2013: The fight everyone's been waiting for

[Liesmith]

I tend to get engrossed with whichever party we've been following for a few weeks/months, then I get annoyed with the idea of going back to a different group...it doesn't matter which one. Hopefully we'll be consolidating parties soon (I really wish the GAP and FM would stop fighting and chat a bit!) so we can keep that momentum going.

[Jochi]

I think what's most telling is the "the run is erased from time" thing. This implies that time resets for the entire maze, minus winner (and in this case, minus anyone else who got out.)

That might have other implications. Either the AKAP (All Kin Adventuring Party) reset the Maze, and much to everyone's surprise, M & F are sucked back in, or Grinnorarcen is in Hell and free of obligation to GoldMax. Assuming he was adventuring "alone" and did not have companions other than his enslaved demon, he is going to become very weak and vulnerable compared to the other teams. Not to mention that as his time and memory were erased, he's going to assume ENTERING THE MAZE cost him the demon.
I have assumed up until now that Grinny wasn't really free and would be given back to Goldmax with the reset -- but that implies that M & F aren't really free either. And somehow I doubt that's the path the story is going to take. That means we have to wonder how MFK got past M37 all the other times they encountered him (or at least enough times that their 'usual' end was in the tower room) without freeing the demon. Up until this run, they might have had the Absorbing Sword, but it hadn't become Oblivious.

[ForgetsOldName]

I also find FMK much more interesting than the GAP, and would like to see the MAP and the ex-Drow players again (Drowbabe and her replacement are both dead, but hopefully the trio will roll up characters yet again). Biscuit, Fox and Dies I can take or leave pretty much, and the same is true of the GAP...Thaco and Big Ears are the only ones that really interest me, now that Chief is dead (it had long since happened by the time I started reading, so I'm not too broken up about it, but I do think he works out to have been my favorite of the Goblin characters overall). It's not that I don't like Complains, I just feel as if he gets kinda over-focused on. And Fumbles I could really do without...I'm sort of glad that he escaped his torture, but I didn't actually miss him a bit while he was gone.

Actually when we lost saw Drowbabe she was still alive.

When the strip was first out I vacillated between thinking we are supposed to assume it's obvious she will die and the possibility that Thunt is leaving it open. I'm still not sure. We see Junior apparently assimilating the skeletons of the other two so that he can walk. Not sure why Junior would want to walk as flying has numerous advantages. Anyhow I found myself wondering if there might be some weirdness going on which may or may not kill Drowbabe and may or may not show us some part of her again.

The two cases are not exclusive--we may see her again even though she's very, very dead.

[AntMac]

ORRINOCO ! Where have you been mate . . . and who stole your hat?.

[willpell]

We may not have technically seen her die, but we saw her fall over with negative HP, on top of Seth who was also at negatives, and Drasst was killed outside at roughly the same time. And we later see MM and Forgath return to the warcamp, and the Drow are not mentioned again, but we do see their players with new characters. It's pretty clear what happened.

[St.Rider]

We may not have technically seen her die, but we saw her fall over with negative HP, on top of Seth who was also at negatives, and Drasst was killed outside at roughly the same time. And we later see MM and Forgath return to the warcamp, and the Drow are not mentioned again, but we do see their players with new characters. It's pretty clear what happened.

Sorry for stepping in, but I think he was actually talking about Yodette.

[Nerre]

Drowbabe is Tryst DrowÔÇÖden, Yodette is the new char the same player made after his drow died. Still, Forgets was talking about Drowbabe: "Actually when we lost saw Drowbabe she was still alive." and about the warcamp, so no, her name is not Yodette, and what willpell wrote therefore correct. All 3 Drow are dead, as their players made new chars: Yodette, the samurai Baka and the little archer Tuck. He could not have been talking about the new chars, since they never met Forgath and Minmax or have been to any warcamp.

[ForgetsOldName]

Drowbabe is Tryst DrowÔÇÖden, Yodette is the new char the same player made after his drow died. Still, Forgets was talking about Drowbabe: "Actually when we lost saw Drowbabe she was still alive." and about the warcamp, so no, her name is not Yodette, and what willpell wrote therefore correct. All 3 Drow are dead, as their players made new chars: Yodette, the samurai Baka and the little archer Tuck. He could not have been talking about the new chars, since they never met Forgath and Minmax or have been to any warcamp.

The conversation was about Drowbabe's new character. It is common to refer to them as the Drow trio even though they have new characters. I think it likely that we will see them again, that they will have new names, and that they will still be referred to on the forum as the Drow trio.

The post made it obvious that it was her second death (or possible death), not the death by goblin.

[Nerre]

Sorry for stepping in, but I think he was actually talking about Yodette.

As you can see, it is neither common nor correct, which caused the confusion between willpell, you and St.Rider. You should not justify using the false name by making it "a thing" right after somebody misunderstood when you used it.

Willpell thought you talked about Drowbabe since you wrote Drowbabe, and St.Rider and I corrected it. As you see Willpell did not think you wrote about Yodette, as he talks about warcamp, Forgath and Minmax => Drowtrio, not Humantrio. You should differ between the players and the chars. If your first char would have been named Remembers and your second Forgets, you wouldn't want him to be called Remembers all the time, don't you?

Make it easier by using the right names please, and save us the discussing about doing it or not. MFK and GAP are hard enough to understand already for those who are new to this forum.

[RedwoodElf]

ORRINOCO ! Where have you been mate . . . and who stole your hat?.

He muzt hef ben de victom uf a BAD PLAN!

[willpell]

Drowbabe is Tryst DrowÔÇÖden, Yodette is the new char the same player made after his drow died. Still, Forgets was talking about Drowbabe: "Actually when we lost saw Drowbabe she was still alive." and about the warcamp, so no, her name is not Yodette, and what willpell wrote therefore correct. All 3 Drow are dead, as their players made new chars: Yodette, the samurai Baka and the little archer Tuck. He could not have been talking about the new chars, since they never met Forgath and Minmax or have been to any warcamp.

For that matter I'm fairly certain that Yodette is dead too, as we last saw her being cornered by the vampiric Klik-monster, and her whole shtick was talking about tropes, so it's pretty unlikely that she'd be an inversion of the "monster kills girl" shtick.

[DrinksTooMuchCoffee]

Spoilers for the Reincarnated Ex-Drow Trio of Tuck, Yodette, and Baka ):

► Show Spoiler

Thunt did say in line drawing that they're all dead again. He didn't seem to think that there was supposed to be any question, even though we only saw a -10 for Tuck and not the others. Why do we even bother giving them names?

[notimportant]

I think what's most telling is the "the run is erased from time" thing. This implies that time resets for the entire maze, minus winner (and in this case, minus anyone else who got out.)

That might have other implications. Either the AKAP (All Kin Adventuring Party) reset the Maze, and much to everyone's surprise, M & F are sucked back in, or Grinnorarcen is in Hell and free of obligation to GoldMax. Assuming he was adventuring "alone" and did not have companions other than his enslaved demon, he is going to become very weak and vulnerable compared to the other teams. Not to mention that as his time and memory were erased, he's going to assume ENTERING THE MAZE cost him the demon.
I have assumed up until now that Grinny wasn't really free and would be given back to Goldmax with the reset -- but that implies that M & F aren't really free either. And somehow I doubt that's the path the story is going to take. That means we have to wonder how MFK got past M37 all the other times they encountered him (or at least enough times that their 'usual' end was in the tower room) without freeing the demon. Up until this run, they might have had the Absorbing Sword, but it hadn't become Oblivious.

It's possible Goldmax and his demon were a fairly "recent" addition to the lineup, or that any party either of them encountered before they met were recently replaced. Also, every party see their counter at the start, and the number changes each time, which makes the groups act differently, and so on. They might not have met very many times before.
And it seems lots of parties makes it to the tower room, so it's likely thats where the most parties die. If you fail enough times, eventually you'll end up "usually" dying in there.

[Unlucky-for-Some]

I've always assumed that Goldmax was a fairly recent addition to the MoM. Traps not withstanding, there wouldn't be much competition for a demon of that sort in a dungeon populated by 2nd (ish) level characters.

[willpell]

Why do we even bother giving them names?

Because if they don't have an official name, the fans will have to come up with something to call them anyway....

[Liesmith]

Ok, so I'm a little behind the curve, but I saw a clip of a video, and suddenly the last few panels of this update reminded me of something:



If you don't get the reference (Supernatural Season 5 spoiler!):

► Show Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jymnvb9zIyI

[willpell]

I've seen Season 2 Supernatural, and that didn't look familiar to me...you're sure it isn't later?

[BuildsLegos]

It's totally Season 5 or 6.

[Liesmith]

DAMMIT! You're right, Legos, it's season 5. I'm sorry if I spoiled anything for you, Willpell.

[Chhhb]

So, despite whether or not his beard grows in invincible or regular, or grows twice as fast or slow, I have a question.

If someone were to stab him in the throat would the blade pass between the hairs and allow penetration?
I was thinking, even if he could grow it into a full chest covering shield, could some archer just sink a shaft through the strands of hair?
Or can we explain it away with curly bushy hair so thick it catches the arrow because it can't tear through?
What about a slim dagger thrust into the beard?
Now I want to know, I can accept that it will stop a throat slicing like Thaco tried to give him.
But what if he had just stabbed him?

[BuildsLegos]

Even the straightest hairs will stray from the parallel path at that point; once a blade gets snagged on a single hair, Forgath is safe.

[Gryphonic]

On the most recent page, Forgath's beard swept to one side when he turned quickly; it still moved like normal hair. So I think the individual hairs would bend and part around a narrow point the same as anyone's hair would. If it the hairs were stiffer they might work like chain mail, but they're apparently not enough so and I think even a curl would uncurl to force.

Perhaps we'll be finding out in a few pages.
Hopefully not via Kore.

[BuildsLegos]

That's just it, though: the blade will have to pass between hundreds of hairs, getting snagged is nearly inevitable.

[vonpenguin]

Even if it wouldn't Forgath tends to braid his beard. That would probably hinder any stabbing attempts, though also reduce surface area a bit.

[Gryphonic]

At least at the moment Forgath's beard isn't braided- he does the big thick ones. Those braids might work (though they don't cover all of his throat then). If it is still flexible like normal hair, as it looks to me on this page and Thaco's, and as Kin's tail moved the same as it used to, even curly hairs do not snag narrow points going straight into them. I just tested this on my own hair, twisted in a coil. It doesn't matter how strong the individual hairs are: mine didn't break on the blade, just didn't stop it at any speed.

A thicker or longer edge on a weapon will likely be stopped. I don't believe Ears' Axe could get through because it will be hitting a lot of hairs broadside.