The Death Knight is the first through the breach.
Cast[]
- Vaarsuvius ◀ ▶
- General Chang ◀ ▶
- Four Enlarged Soldiers ◀
- Female Low-Level Cleric ◀
- Two Azure City Soldiers
- Death Knight ◀ ▶
- Skeletal Steed ◀
- Enough Dead Hobgoblins to Form a Ramp
Transcript[]
- Panel 1
The Death Knight rides up the ramp of dead hobgoblins and flies through the Enlarged Soldiers, beheading four of them with his scimitar.
- Panel 2
Chang: By the Twelve Gods, that thing just ripped through our front lines!
Vaarsuvius: Not to worry: while I have expended many of my area-effect spells, I did maintain a few single-target spells for just such an occasion.
Vaarsuvius: Disintegrate!
- Panel 3
The spell hits the Death Knight, "BZZfshhhh....", who laughs.
Death Knight: Bwa ha ha ha!
- Panel 4
Vaarsuvius: Thrice-cursed Spell Resistance!
Vaarsuvius: It's almost like the universe is trying to enforce some sort of arbitrary equality between those of us who can reshape matter with our thoughts and those who cannot.
- Panel 5
Chang: Zap the horse, then!
Vaarsuvius: Why? It hardly appears to be doing that much—
- Panel 6
Chang: So he can't use his Mounted Combat feats on us! Hurry!
Vaarsuvius: Oh!
Vaarsuvius: Disintegrate!
The Disintegrate beam hits the Skeletal Steed, "BZZZZZAP!"
Death Knight: You try again? Your feeble magics cannot penetrate the unholy radiance of my dark power!
- Panel 7
The Death Knight continues forward despite the fact that his steed has been turned to dust.
Death Knight: I will feast on your entrails this day, elf!
- Panel 8
Death Knight: Your skill shall serve as my—
He looks down, noticing he is not riding anything.
Death Knight: Oh.
- Panel 9
The Death Knight hits the ground, "WHUMPH!"
- Panel 10
Vaarsuvius: W. E. Coyote's Law of Cartoon Inertia:
Vaarsuvius: "Objects in motion tend to stay at the same altitude until gravity is noticed."
The Death Knight slides into the panel next to V and Chang, "screeeeeee". Chang strikes it with his katana, "AOO!"
D&D Context[]
- Disintegrate is V's most powerful offensive spell at this time. It is a 6th level spell and does 2d6/level damage. If that damage brings the subject below 1 hp, the body is entirely disintegrated.
- Spell Resistance is a special ability of Death Knights which makes them partially immune to spells, depending on the caster's level. V had previously struggled with Zz'dtri's spell resistance.
- V's comment in the fourth panel describes the game balance which spell resistance provides.
- Mounted Combat Feats include Mounted Combat, Mounted Archery, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, and Trample. Ride-By Attack may have been how the Death Knight killed the Enlarged Soldiers.
- General Chang gets an Attack of Opportunity (hence the "AOO" sound effect") since the Death Knight ended up in his range while prone.
Trivia[]
- In the final panel Vaarsuvius is of course referring to Wile E. Coyote from the Merry Melodies and Loony Toons cartoons. The character was first conceived in 1948. The Law of Cartoon Inertia that is referred to refers to a constant gag seen in his cartoons (and others) where someone doesn't fall until they realize there is nothing underneath them.
- This is the final appearance of the Skeletal Steed ridden by the Death Knight. It first appeared in #426.
- This is the final appearance of the Enlarged Soldier. They first appear when Vaarsuvius enlarged them in #427.
- This is the final appearance of the Female Low-Level Cleric who first appeared in the previous strip.