Okay, if she dies here I won’t shed a tear, it was earned. Going into //magical// darkness with no backup is the stupidest stupid move that stupid can ever stoop to.
Really, any wizard’s first response to “cellar full of magical darkness” should not have been “let’s walk in,” it should have been “Cast a countering spell or find someone who can.”
Or, just Fireball the room on general principles. That wouldn’t have worked in this particular case, but is still better tactics than going in alone and blind.
I don’t think it was a //counter// spell, I think the magical darkness was on the stairs, thus once she was in the basement proper itself, she could cast a regular light spell and light the basement. Still should have done it sooner… and sent a Barbarian in first…
Under 3.5e rules, light spells counter and dispell darkness spells of equal or lower level (and vice versa), as mentioned in the descriptions for Light and Daylight. 5e did away with spell descriptors in the name of simplifying the rules, but it still contains analogous rules in the description for the Daylight spell (but not cantrip-level light spells).
Corollary: any light spell of lower level than the darkness spell it’s trying to counter is useless, and you still won’t see anything.
Mana potions were mentioned earlier in this level. That’s… Warhammer? GURPS? I’m not up on those systems, but I’m pretty sure they exist in no edition of D&D nor Pathfinder.
cone of cold, ice storm, what a time to find out she isn’t an elemental based mage 🙂
And she missed the first and only real proper response to the situation…
“I attack the darkness !!!”
Regarding spells, I’m not sure she’s high level enough for any of those. So far she’s only demonstrated to have few castings of very low-level spells (IIRC, the one time she cast fireball, it was off a scroll). I know the story is not strictly following any ruleset, but in D&D 3~e, I’d not expect Presti to be higher than level 5.
Coming in late on this, but the fireball was prepared, not from a scroll (https://rustyandco.com/comic/level-5-25/). Unless I’m confused about this–I’m a 1e person.
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…the Heat is on, dudum dudum
Not cool!
Oh, they are *such* performers.
Okay, if she dies here I won’t shed a tear, it was earned. Going into //magical// darkness with no backup is the stupidest stupid move that stupid can ever stoop to.
Also, come on grrl, the room is numbered, you know there’s an encounter in there!
Plot twist, she learned how to make duplicates of herself.
Remember, Presti thinks she’s in a war adventure, not a horror adventure. If she knew that , she would take a shower.
Yet I once had an entire party do just that in a D&D campaign. All but one of them died.
She’s in a webcomic. She needs to do the dramatic thing.
Really, any wizard’s first response to “cellar full of magical darkness” should not have been “let’s walk in,” it should have been “Cast a countering spell or find someone who can.”
Or, just Fireball the room on general principles. That wouldn’t have worked in this particular case, but is still better tactics than going in alone and blind.
Not in the building where you live.
The really ridiculous thing is that she did cast a countering spell. Just… three panels too late.
If you can dispel magical darkness that easily, you should do it before walking into the trap.
I’m going to chalk this up this poor judgement to her being sleep-deprived.
low blood sugar
I don’t think it was a //counter// spell, I think the magical darkness was on the stairs, thus once she was in the basement proper itself, she could cast a regular light spell and light the basement. Still should have done it sooner… and sent a Barbarian in first…
Under 3.5e rules, light spells counter and dispell darkness spells of equal or lower level (and vice versa), as mentioned in the descriptions for Light and Daylight. 5e did away with spell descriptors in the name of simplifying the rules, but it still contains analogous rules in the description for the Daylight spell (but not cantrip-level light spells).
Corollary: any light spell of lower level than the darkness spell it’s trying to counter is useless, and you still won’t see anything.
How do lava golems get hidden by darkness? Lava glows!
…Oh wait, magical darkness. Physics need not apply.
Lava only glows above about 1700 F, while some rocks have melting points at only 1100 F.
Lava glows? Lava confirmed to be Feds…
I really hope she knows Create Water.
Unfortunately, that’s not a wizard spell.
True, but I *think* she will be praying hard enough to cross-class this one time!
Does this comic specify a canonical ruleset? Create Water is available to arcane casters in PF2e, though apparently not in PF1e or D&D 5e.
Considering the fact that the comic started when 4e was the newest edition and 3.5 was the most popular one…
Mana potions were mentioned earlier in this level. That’s… Warhammer? GURPS? I’m not up on those systems, but I’m pretty sure they exist in no edition of D&D nor Pathfinder.
No. It’s not tied to any ruleset except the Rule of Funny.
She should just have brought along a decanter. She was the original genius behind it.
At least she brought the source of the heat to light.
Ice storm
cone of cold, ice storm, what a time to find out she isn’t an elemental based mage 🙂
And she missed the first and only real proper response to the situation…
“I attack the darkness !!!”
The gazebo called and wants to have a word. 😉
Regarding spells, I’m not sure she’s high level enough for any of those. So far she’s only demonstrated to have few castings of very low-level spells (IIRC, the one time she cast fireball, it was off a scroll). I know the story is not strictly following any ruleset, but in D&D 3~e, I’d not expect Presti to be higher than level 5.
She’s cast Stoneskin (https://rustyandco.com/comic/level-8-173 ) so she’s at least level 7.
Good catch! Missed that. I need to binge the archive again. 🙂
Coming in late on this, but the fireball was prepared, not from a scroll (https://rustyandco.com/comic/level-5-25/). Unless I’m confused about this–I’m a 1e person.
So Spongebob didn’t make up “Advanced Darkness.”