The fight between Durkon and Malack begins, and many spell slots are spent. Malack starts with a probing Quickened Inflict Light Wounds, followed by a Flame Strike. Bolster Undead counters Turn Undead. Melee strikes are evaded, and poison is resisted, so Durkon ups the ante to a 6th level spell.
Cast
- Durkon Thundershield ◀ ▶
- Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶
- Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶
- Malack (as vampire) ◀ ▶
Transcript
- Panel 1
Malack: Quickened Inflict Light Wounds.
The spell fizzles, "fizzzz!"
Durkon: Och, really? That's yer openin' spell?
- Panel 2
Malack: I needed to see if you remembered to target yourself with your Mass Death Ward as well.
Malack: You did. Unfortunate.
- Panel 3
Malack: No matter.
Malack: Flame Strike!
Durkon is engulfed in flames.
- Panel 4
Durkon: I warded tha cat, too, in case yer wonderin'.
Durkon: Turn Undead!!
A cone of light shines from his holy symbol, engulfing Malack.
Malack: Bolster Undead.
Malack is wreathed in black energy.
Malack: At least Tarquin's not here to make a crack about me going blind from bolstering myself.
- Panel 5
Durkon: Thor's Lightning!!
A lightnight bolt arcs from Durkon's hammer to Malack.
Malack: Rrrrgh!
- Panel 6
Malack: A 3rd-level spell, already? How many spells did you need to cast to find this place, Durkon?
Durkon: Mind yer own spell slots, Malack.
- Panel 7
Malack: Greater Dispel Magic.
Black energy lances out from Malacks claws and surrounds Durkon.
Malack: Grrrrr!
Durkon: Ha! Guess ye should spent less time studyin' an' more time adventurin'!
- Panel 8
Malack: It is fairly difficult for a vampire cleric to find appropriate challenges.
Durkon attacks Malack, but he evades, "woosh! woosh!"
Malack: But my condition has other benefits, I assure you.
- Panel 9
Malack: Poison!
Durkon: So does bein' a dwarf. Tastes like me mum's crabapple cobbler!
- Panel 10
Durkon: An' fer tha record, I was savin' me best spell fer when you came back in touch range.
- Panel 11
Durkon: HEAL!
Malack: ARRRRGHHGH!
D&D Context
- Inflict Light Wounds is a first level spell that does negative energy damage. Malack also uses the Quicken Spell Feat, which makes him use a spell slot four levels higher in order to also cast another spell the same round. Death Ward, however, protects against negative energy effects.
- Flame Strike is a 5th level spell that does 1d6 damage/level. Malack is definitively 12th level so this does 12d6 damage, save for half.
- Turn Undead is a Cleric class feature, and does not cost a spell slot. Bolster undead is the same class feature, except for evil clerics.
- Lightning Bolt (Thor's Lightning) is a 3rd level spell that does 1d6/level damage, to a maximum of 10d6, which Durkon hits.
- Greater Dispel Magic is a 6th level spell that removes enchantments, protections, or other magical effects, such as Durkon's Mass Death Ward. However the spell fails due to Durkon being higher level than Malack, which is why Durkon quips about spending more time adventuring: to gain XP and gain levels.
- Malack grumbles about the difficulty of finding challenges as a vampire cleric. This refers to the rules of Level Adjustment, where a character of a powerful race has their level treated as significantly higher for the purposes of XP gain. As a lizardfolk vampire, Malack has a Level Adjustment of +9, along with two levels of racial Hit Dice, meaning he counts as a character eleven levels higher than his class levels would suggest; at that point, there are very few things in the entire setting that could allow him to gain XP.
- Poison is a 4th level spell that does temporary damage to the Constitution ability score over a period of two rounds. Dwarves have +2 to poison saving throws.
- Heal is a 6th level spell that ordinarily heals 10 hp/level (Perhaps 140 hp for Durkon), but on undead it works like a Harm spell, doing 140 hp damage to Malack instead. Harm can not bring a target's hp below 1.