June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

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spiderwrangler
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June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by spiderwrangler » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:23 pm

Well... that happened. 5 down, 6 remaining. Demon-claimed Kin didn't even get a hit in...

http://www.goblinscomic.org/06242013/
Last edited by spiderwrangler on Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: June 25th... 5 down

Post by LordsBreed » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:25 pm

I count 4. Kin from panel 3 is not shown being damaged. Peg leg in panel 2 is first, then the three in the last panel.

Though looking closer I think she is "off scene" in panel 5 and 6. You can see bits of her gear and coloring.
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Re: June 25th... Simplifying the equation...

Post by SamWiser » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:26 pm

What happened to Icemax? He just disappeared. Also, I think Psimax might be unbeatable.
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spiderwrangler
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Re: June 25th... Simplifying the equation...

Post by spiderwrangler » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:27 pm

4 get splished in the last panel, plus the alt MM makes 5
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Xavier78
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Re: June 25th... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Xavier78 » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:29 pm

OK then. I find that hard to believe. One of the very, very few times I've read a page and just shook my head. So anticlimactic. :meh:

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Hrothkael » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:32 pm

5 gets squished in the last panel I believe. The tail of demon touched Kin is on the left. =)

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Occams Meataxe » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:47 pm

We're gonna need a wumpus. Or a grue. Or something.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Shadowolf » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:51 pm

But in the last panel, is that a "Now, I'm pissed look", or a "Now, I just shot my load and am running dry" look?

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by spiderwrangler » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:52 pm

Hrothkael wrote:5 gets squished in the last panel I believe. The tail of demon touched Kin is on the left. =)
You're right! 6 down then... 5 (plus our MM) remaining.
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Corruptuser » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:57 pm

Leaving Mermax, DrowKin, Goldmax, Firemax, and Voodoogath.

So... those gears, do they grant Psimax unlimited psionic energy or something? They spun when levitating the other alts, and we never saw Psimax levitating anyone until after he set up his Divide By 0 machine (he merely splishes his 'friends'). Perhaps he can only levitate people via the machine, and the Kinparty can disable it?

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Vreejack » Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:59 pm

We do not actually see green-haired Kin going "splishk", though she was elevated with the rest. She is likely gone, but her fate is still uncertain. Thunt could have easily included part of her, but he did not, and the reason is either that she is still okay or that there was not enough real estate on the page to show her demise.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by LooksAndSmiles » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:00 pm

[INSERT LAST PANEL HERE]

I know what you're thinking: "Did he SPLISHKED six or only five"? Well, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Product Placement » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:04 pm

He just instakilled, at very least, 5 people with a single action. All the while, he's maintaining a psyching barrier that's successfully blocking off all melee attacks.

That's not MinMaxing. That's full fledge, bona fide Gorgonzola territory.
Last edited by Product Placement on Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by RJJ7 » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:07 pm

Psimax definitely seems to be a one-trick pony when it comes to killing people.
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by SamWiser » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:08 pm

With a trick like that one, do you need any more?
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ÔÇ£Shoot the dictator and prevent the war? But the dictator is merely the tip of the whole festering boil of social pus from which dictators emerge; shoot him and there'll be another one along in a minute. Shoot him too? Why not shoot everyone and invade Poland?ÔÇØ
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Vreejack » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:08 pm

At least we got to see Psimax in combat. I assumed he had gained a few levels on everyone else, but then I realized that there was a limit to how many levels he could gain since his opponents are always level 1-3. At what point do you stop gaining xp against weak foes? You can increase the effective challenge rating by taking enemies on several at a time, but I don't think Psimax cares much about the xp or the effort involved in setting up mass combats for training purposes.

And Psimax is staring at Minmax. Does he seem astonished? He looks puzzled, at least. I guess we will find out next time.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by sobachatina » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:17 pm

How many omnipotent antagonists does one web comic need? :)

I count three so far with Kore, Psymax, and Junior.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Aegis J Hyena » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:17 pm

This is why I hate psionics (and the Green Lantern, which to me is essentially the same thing, but I'm no superhero-type person so...).

Just what psionic power IS that shield Psimax has? I'm pretty sure the gears are some form of "probability control", though.

Junior isn't omnipotent. Lethal, but not invincible. Kore's the same way.
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Cedh » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:18 pm

Product Placement wrote:He just instakilled, at very least, 5 people with a single action. All the while, he's maintaining a psyching barrier that's successfully blocking off all melee attacks.

That's not MinMaxing. That's full fledge, bona fide Gorgonzola territory.
Do you mind if I use that last line in any and all appropriate situations? Because that is an absolutely fantastic way to call out game cheese.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by pindesucre » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:23 pm

Now, I have one question: which of the eleven alts shot an arrow? I think this means that there are more than the protagonists we saw involved in trying to kill the purpled arm Minmax, which could explain the somewhat "what now?" look on his face...

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by ForgetsOldName » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:30 pm

There are charts and someone worked it out once.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnD_DMG_XPFinal.asp

I'm not sure if this is the right one but CR 3 opponents drop out at level 10 and CR 5 at level 12. Someone speculated that a typical FMK would enter at 2 or 3 and exit at 4 or 5, so Psimax = 12. There are also rules for multiple opponents and small (singleton) parties but I can't figure them out and apparently most people can't either. Anyhow he really shouldn't be level 20 or 50 or 100.
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by DrinksTooMuchCoffee » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:31 pm

Cedh wrote:
Product Placement wrote:He just instakilled, at very least, 5 people with a single action. All the while, he's maintaining a psyching barrier that's successfully blocking off all melee attacks.

That's not MinMaxing. That's full fledge, bona fide Gorgonzola territory.
Do you mind if I use that last line in any and all appropriate situations? Because that is an absolutely fantastic way to call out game cheese.
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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Litharian » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:34 pm

To be honest, this was to be expected. It's a high level wiz.. Err, Psion. The splishing looks like the psionic version of a disintegration spell, and the mass one could very easily be a homebrewed Death Spell... Or both could even be homemade.

Psimax's Mass Splishing.

I'm not going to say he's not cheesy... But he's exactly what I expect from a high level Minmax Psion... But on the flipside, he still has limited Power, and he's likely been throwing out custom high level spells for a while. The eleven attacking him are expending LARGE amounts of his power just killing them enmasse. And I have this strange feeling, Psimax hasn't exactly optimized power costs with those 'spells'.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by MrBogey » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:35 pm

Vreejack wrote:We do not actually see green-haired Kin going "splishk", though she was elevated with the rest. She is likely gone, but her fate is still uncertain. Thunt could have easily included part of her, but he did not, and the reason is either that she is still okay or that there was not enough real estate on the page to show her demise.
That's presumably her hand and weapon on the right side of panel 5.

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Re: June 25th, 2013... Simplifying the equation...

Post by Ansan Gotti » Tue Jun 25, 2013 4:35 pm

Product Placement wrote:He just instakilled, at very least, 5 people with a single action. All the while, he's maintaining a psyching barrier that's successfully blocking off all melee attacks.

That's not MinMaxing. That's full fledge, bona fide Gorgonzola territory.
Pretty much, yeah. The big weakness of Psions in 3.5E is that they run out of PP quickly. Even if you add the ridiculous, "Hey, in a very short time, I can construct a machine that gives me unlimited PP" cheese, that doesn't address the ridiculous, "Hey, I can instakill five people with a targeted power simultaneously" cheese.

I was pretty impressed with PsiMax as a villain when we first met him. Now, I just roll my eyes, because he's just so over-the-top.

And he hasn't even showcased the likely power of his Junior arms, yet...

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