Redcloak and the High Priest of Azure City have an epic cleric's duel.
Cast
Transcript
- Panel 1
Redcloak and the General ride into the Azure City castle inner bailey on the Fiendish Mammoth followed by a platoon of hobgoblin footsoldiers. They are met with a group of priests.
Redcloak: Have the troops spread out through the courtyard, I want the palace surrounded.
Redcloak: I'll handle these guys.
- Panel 2
Redcloak dismounts and dismisses the Fiendish Mammoth, causing the General to be left mid-air.
High Priest: HALT! I am the high priest of the Twelve Gods!
Redcloak: Yeah? Well I'm the high priest of the Dark One, so you can kiss my green ass, human.
- Panel 3
High Priest: I propose that we let the titanic magic of our respective deities determine this contest.
High Priest: Let us duel cleric against cleric until only one of us lives.
The General hits the ground off-panel,"Whumph!"
- Panel 4
Redcloak: Earlier today, I would have told you to get bent, since my side is already winning and I have nothing to gain and everything to lose.
Redcloak: However, dueling will save the lives of any hobgoblins your spells would have killed. So I guess you've got yourself a deal.
- Panel 5
High Priest: THEN LET US NOW BEGIN THE ULTIMATE DUEL BETWEEN CLERICS!
- Panel 6
High Priest: Blindness!
Redcloak: Made my saving throw.
- Panel 7
Redcloak: Poison!
High Priest: Made my saving throw.
- Panel 8
High Priest: Bestow Curse!
Redcloak: Made my saving throw.
- Panel 9
Redcloak: Slay Living!
High Priest: Made my saving throw.
- Panel 10
High Priest: Hold Monster!
Redcloak: Wait, you get that spell?
High Priest: Law domain.
Redcloak: Nice.
Redcloak: Oh, and made my saving throw.
- Panel 11
Redcloak: Plane Shift!
High Priest: Made my saving throw.
- Panel 12
High Priest: Plane Shift!
Redcloak: Made my saving throw.
Redcloak: (Copycat.)
- Panel 13
Redcloak: Destruction!
High Priest: ...
High Priest: Does a 21 save?
Redcloak: No.
High Priest: Crap.
- Panel 14
High Priest is reduced to ashes, "ZOT!"
- Panel 15
General: Truly, there has never been a more spectacular display of magic in the annals of warfare.
Redcloak looks disappointed
Redcloak: Yeah, we really blew the special effects budget on that one.
Redcloak: Watch it, I think you stepped in cleric.
D&D Context
- In general, this comic parodies "save or lose" spells in 3.5: spells that force a target to make a save, and then inflict some manner of crippling condition onto them if they fail. Variants of this term include "save or suck", typically referring to spells with less crippling conditions, and "save or die", where the spell simply kills the target instantly on a failed save. Clerics have access to many such spells, and as they typically have high Fortitude and Will saves (the two most common saves for dealing with save-or-lose effects), they are also resistant to them.
- Blindness is a 3rd level spell for clerics which causes permanent blindness, unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw.
- Poison is a 4th level spell for clerics and causes 1d10 points of Constitution damage two turns in a row, each of which is negated by a Fortitude saving throw. The High Priest did not explicitly make his second saving throw against this spell.
- Bestow Curse is a 3rd level cleric spell which causes one of three curses to take effect. It is negated by a successful Will saving throw.
- Slay Living is a 5th level cleric spell which causes instant death unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw. Even with his successful saving throw, the High Priest would have taken 3d6+1 point/level damage, though he does not appear to be injured in the strip.
- Hold Monster is a 6th level spell for Clerics in the Law Domain. It causes paralysis for 1 round/level unless the target makes a successful Will save.
- Plane Shift is a 5th level cleric spell which moves the subject to another plane of existence; thus the spell is an attempt to banish the opponent, not hurt them. An unwilling subject can negate the effects with a Will save.
- Destruction is a 7th level cleric spell that instantly kills the subject and consumes its remains unless a Fortitude save is made. Even with a successful save, the subject takes 10d6 damage. Creatures killed by Destruction can only be brought back with True Resurrection. Raise Dead or Resurrection will not suffice. Erroneously, the High Priest's equipment and possessions were also destroyed, but Destruction doesn't damage equipment or possessions.
Trivia
- There are so many kinds and sources of bonuses a character might add to their saving throw that it is common to make mistakes. In #486, his spirit having gone to the Celestial Realms, the High Priest checks his character sheet and realizes he actually got a 22. It is unknown if it would be enough to make that saving throw though.
- This is the final appearance of the Hobgoblin General. He first appeared at the beginning of the Battle of Azure City in #423.
- This is the final appearance of the Fiendish Mammoth, which was summoned with an Extended Summon Monster VII spell. Presumably it would have only lasted 2 strips without Redcloak's Extend Spell Feat. It first appeared in #451.