When a webcomic updates but you don't want to make a huge deal out of it, what you do

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

but "fairy tales"?

to be fair, the school at Gunnerkrigg Court doesn't really seem to be interested in updating the English language or any of its idioms in order to accommodate the facets of reality that don't easily fit into scientific categorization.

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

EDIT: THEY DON'T EVEN TELL TALES

Well THOSE TWO don't, but the ones that talk to the pidgins do! They tell very tall tales!

...
...
... but yeah, really, I got nothin'. That does seem pretty dense of her, or, at the very least, insensitive. I think, however, this is supposed to be showing the beginning of the divergence between "super-science" and "magic" that the court exemplifies. Still, admittedly, that's kind of silly.

In other news, Captain SNES ends on a non-cliffhanger (if you've read the archives)!

[Loyal]

So, we now have actual data for what Mr Fingers is. I'm slightly terrified to find out what a greater finger horror would be like. And I'm pretty sure K'seliss is a goner; That's four Fortitude saves he's failed.

[Aldurin]

Man, Belkar is going to turn that kobold into a pair of underpants when he finds out what happened.

[TDK]

Originally Posted by Invisible Queen

So Dead Winter is pretty original for a zombie apocalypse comic about a bunch of improbably badass wisecracking young men and women of action. How is that possible you ask? It's full of mysteries that take their time to reveal themselves, like who the hitman is there to kill. It's full of stupid ass villains, but the writing is good enough that we get frustrated with them rather than the author. The main character is a highly moral pacifist and poet who wants to shove the zombies away gently with a mop. Some things like that.

PS Edit: Lackadaisy put up three new pages the other day.

Shit yo, this comic is fantastic.

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Loyal

So, we now have actual data for what Mr Fingers is. I'm slightly terrified to find out what a greater finger horror would be like. And I'm pretty sure K'seliss is a goner; That's four Fortitude saves he's failed.

... what a truly horrible, horrible way to die. I'm guessing that a greater Finger Horror is really just an advanced Finger Horror: probably larger or something. Of course, it might just go through a terrible transformation or be a completely different species altogether... And now I'm wondering how they propagate. Thanks, me, thanks alot.

EDIT: THE FOLLOWING RANT IS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY, AND BASED OFF A FAULTY PREMISE, THAT OF A DC 29 FORTITUDE INSTEAD OF A DC 19 FORTITUDE. IT WILL STILL BE LEFT FOR POSTERITY. CARRY ON WITH YOUR LIVES.
In other news, I have no idea how an insta-limb-loss DC 29 is a CR 7. Base (best) fortitude save at 7th level is +5, with a perfect uber-dwarf* (roll 18 +2 racial +1 class: total 21 CON [modifier 5]) granting another +5 for a total of +10 on fortitude checks. That means a whopping roll of 17 is needed to avoid loosing a limb. At seventh level. Even with Great Fortitude* (a feat that grants a +2 bonus to fortitude saves), a casting of Bear's Endurance* (another +4 to CON for another +2 modifier), a barbarian's rage* (+2 to CON for a +1 modifier) and virtue* (shiny extra +1 to saves... once) would grant you a less-than 50/50 chance to succeed, granting a total of +16* (needing a roll of eleven or higher on a d20) v. losing a limb forever. Wat. Even given that it's not terribly tough (only 3 HD) that's a hideously over-powered ability to give it! And the fact that it can force you to make the save four times per round is unbelievable! Plus, I mean, it's undead, so it's got a heck-ton of immunities. It's other two abilities are... terribly weak in comparison. Which is good, because, dudes, that's awful. Even if the save was much lower, the fact is, I gave a best-case scenario above. The vast majority of adventurers isn't going to have even half that, much less all of it. The DC for the lesser hand is much smaller, but it's still a ridiculous threat to anyone and anything. EDIT: I was wrong. The actual DC is 19, not 29, so the character I created above would succeed, unless it was a natural 1 - which is an automatic failure anyway. Nonetheless, the character created above is a very, very rare and extraordinarily specific build and relies very heavily on chance (the high constitution via a random roll). There is one other basic character build that could push it higher - a paladin (rage gained by way of spell), but again, that's very rare, much more so because it requires that a dwarf have a high charisma. Technically a gnome could pull it off a bit better, but whatever. A more normal presumed bonus for a typical seventh-level high-fortitude tank would be +8, or +9 under special circumstances. Requiring one roll of 9 or higher, and three more of 7 or higher per round is an awful lot to ask of a character. This becomes especially true if said character's allies are running in a panic or are stunned (both a distinct possibility, due to the fear effects)!

That said, I'm not completely sold on K'seliss being dead, quite yet. I don't think we've ever had a death THIS long and drawn-out before. Granted, it might be for some narrative reason, but generally deaths are pretty horrible, but fast... not four comics long, dragged somewhere else, into a pit-cave only to see him rotted and digested. If anything, I'd guess that this might lead to K'seliss to getting prostheses, maybe even being turned into a half-golem or something similar (something that comic continuity's hinted he might have an affinity for). I've been wrong before, however, so have at thee!

*In tangentially-related-to-web-comic news, did you know that the letter "z" didn't used to be the last letter of our alphabet? Weird.

[Loyal]

That said, I'm not completely sold on K'seliss being dead, quite yet. I don't think we've ever had a death THIS long and drawn-out before. Granted, it might be for some narrative reason, but generally deaths are pretty horrible, but fast... not four comics long, dragged somewhere else, into a pit-cave only to see him rotted and digested. If anything, I'd guess that this might lead to K'seliss to getting prostheses, maybe even being turned into a half-golem or something similar (something that comic continuity's hinted he might have an affinity for). I've been wrong before, however, so have at thee!?

How long did it take for Chief to die again?

And now I'm wondering how they propagate. Thanks, me, thanks alot.

Well, it's undead, and explicitly the product of a child's nightmare(s), so I'm thinking that's not an issue. Still. Pretty fucked up imagination that kid's(Even odds that the kid is Thunt.) got.

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Loyal

How long did it take for Chief to die again?

Okay, granted. I would say that the situation is very, very different, as it's a set-up that's based on a character we've been following for most of the comic rather than a monster we've seen for only four comics more than it's taking K'seliss to die. Also, it's a powerful character moment in the entire goblin crew - and there were other people to witness it, as opposed to what is, basically, a horrible death off-screen that K'seliss' should be. BUT, you have a good point, and I completely concede: Chief also took an insanely long time to die.

ALSO, I totally made a mistake when I read it the first time. It's a fortitude 19 DC instead of a fortitude 29 DC, so that is an enormous reduction in power that does make an equally huge difference in CR. THAT SAID... it's still way to high for what's basically insta-gib against a character. The power is still WAY off. Even the medusa, who can insta-petrify (a far more reversible condition in games than not having a limb) can only force the save once per round, and it's easy enough to avoid if you're a) out of range, b) have magical protection, or c) close your eyes. That's three ways to avoid in addition to the standard save. This one... you just kind of have to hope your out of range. Sure, it's an attack roll, but most 7th level adventurers are pretty much fair game for what seems to be a touch attack (ignoring armor) or a grapple (which it has a huge bonus to use)... four times per round. I'm in no way surprised that K'seliss has failed four fortitude saves... most lizardfolk (we've fairly well established that K'seliss hasn't - and indeed no one but Dies and Fox, that I can tell - taken class levels) have a fortitude save of a grand total... of +1. He'd need to roll 16 or higher normally, or an 18 or higher thereafter. Sheesh.

Originally Posted by Loyal

Well, it's undead, and explicitly the product of a child's nightmare(s), so I'm thinking that's not an issue. Still. Pretty fucked up imagination that kid's(Even odds that the kid is Thunt.) got.

First, most non-mindless undead totally have means of propagation, but yes, you're correct, it's unlikely to be any natural form thereof, so that's nice; and, although originally the product of a child's nightmares, it seems that said child only had one in-mind, and, if there is a lesser there must be a greater, ergo there's more than one, so there must be a way to make more. On a related note, although undead also don't need to eat, it may very well be one of those compulsive eaters, like ghouls or vampires, which answers my unasked question.

Second, yeah, it's Almost certainly Thunt's nightmares. I'm surprised the guy does that, but it's kind of cool, in a morbid way.

Originally Posted by Aldurin

Man, Belkar is going to turn that kobold into a pair of underpants when he finds out what happened.

... huh. Somehow I missed this update, your comment, AND misread the DC for the limb-fall-off. I must be having an off night, or something. That said, OH. MY. WORD. Belker will murder EVERYTHING. This might be foreshadowing his long-expected final doom, though. Especially with how nonchalant he is about it.

Originally Posted by Jagos

And so... Captain N loses a friend...

... Oh. So that's how the series ended.

[Jagos]

And so... Captain N loses a friend...

[Loyal]

Even King Hippo is horrified.

[POS Industries]

Originally Posted by Fifthfiend

In the Shortpacked! plus column: Malaya p. much owns.

Like I really hope she isn't being set up as "evil" because so far her major evil activity is being totally right about everything.

Basically, my main criticism of Shortpacked! for the longest time is that every character but Leslie has become completely unbearable, and I must admit that it's nice to have a character like Malaya come along and outright inform them of this.

Originally Posted by tacticslion

Will this be the final reveal of Mother Brain's true evil, or will this be another author fake-out?

Consider that question answered!