Are you referring to the fruit-flavored chewy candy, the ancestral form of bowling, or the “street” name for Coricidin? Because if it’s A or C, you need to capitalize it.
You are right, that is definitely the 1st lvl sorcerer/wizard/bard spell: Color Spray.
“A vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from your hand, causing creatures to become stunned, perhaps also blinded, and possibly knocking them unconscious.”
Given that there is a material component of a pinch of blue, red, and yellow sand. There is also a lack of spell pouch. This ladies and gents, through deductive reasoning, is a Sorceress with the eschew materials feat.
The Excellent Prismatic Spray gets a lot of use the Dying Earth. Of course, there, it evokes a hundred little burning threads of light, not D&D’s Prismatic Spray (with it’s potential poisoning, petrification, random planar transpositioning, etc) nor Color Spray’s dazzling effect.
The only other specific spells I noticed them keeping is The Forlorn Encystment, which became Imprisonment, and the Omnipotent Sphere, which I think became Sphere of Force or something similar.
Geez, can’t believe I forgot his name. God, I’m so out of the loop anymore about DnD. I’m lucky I even remember what 2D6 even means anymore. I probably ought to turn in my dweeb badge.
I was rereading, and I clicked the link to the TVTropes page for Vancian magic that I linked, and the illustration for that page is now a strip from later in this chapter.
(a) There is a huge difference between color spray and prismatic spray.
(b) The term “dual-class” went out the window eleven years ago.
(c) I’m guessing that if she had Rogue levels the predicating encounter would have gone down a bit more satisfactorily (although I’m prepared to be proven wrong).
(a) There is a huge difference between color spray and prismatic spray.
Huge difference indeed… the former is a 1st level spell resulting in “sinuses full of skittles” (what a phrase!), the latter 7th level with random effects ranging from blasts of fire, to banishment to another plane.
Ok, guys and Gals; this is 1st & 2nd edition stuff: Color Spray orginially an Ilusionist spell, does very little damage but can distract foes for a rather short period of time. I am wondering why they did not ‘Mind Blast’ her; one of the few 1st edition psionics abilities that can effect a non-psionic. I Love the sinus complant 🙂 Now squidy #1 is running thru his wand charges quickly, he lacks concern for bystanders, typical of orginazed crime of the modern era. Expensive suits, hmmm….wonder what the young lady took from the don?? I am glad to see I am not the only one who remembers the pencil & paper era classics! Cannot wait for next installment!
You do realize that Color Spray is also in third, third-and-a-half, and fourth editions, right? The spell hasn’t really changed very much either. It’s still a low-level Illusion that distracts foes.
Not to mention that an illithid’s mind blast is not technically a psionic power (although in psionics-using 3E/3.5 campaigns it’s categorized as a “psi-like ability”), and that, these days, there are very few psionic powers that can’t affect non-psionic creatures.
Oh, and of course, back in the AD&D days, most psionic powers could affect non-psionic creatures — only 4 out of 5 “attack modes” couldn’t, and an illithid’s mind blast wasn’t a psionic attack mode.
I know color spray remained with the game after 2nd edition; I even have the 3rd edition books, and have read over a freinds copies of the 4th edition. All I’ll say is why reinvent the wheel. Call me a Dinosaur if you will…..Just please remember that they rules the planet for millions of years before becoming extinct. Humans….well ;/ The strip just keeps getting better, in some ways reminds me of Wormy from the Dragon in the 80’s, except with more humor 🙂
So far I’ve played every edition of the game that’s been produced, except for the Rules Cyclopedia D&D 2.5 update, and with the exception of D&D 2E (Basic Set, Expert Set, etc.), each edition I’ve played has shown significant improvements over what has gone before (streamlining rules, making rules make more sense, improving the organization of the core rulebooks, improving options for character-building), until 4th Edition screwed up the trend. That, of course, is why Paizo is such a great company.
I loved Wormy. Alas, poor Tramp: if only he’d been working in the age of web-comics. No, wait: part of what made Wormy so beautiful was that he could spend ten days on the penciling, inking and color work. If I HAD an avatar, it would be Bender the salamander with that little pocket-knife thing he used to kill the gator-gar…
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I’ve gotta remember that Skittles line for when the grass pollens ramp up this season.
Agreed; that is my new favourite comic/D&D quote now.
In Canada, they’re called ‘skittles’.
Are you referring to the fruit-flavored chewy candy, the ancestral form of bowling, or the “street” name for Coricidin? Because if it’s A or C, you need to capitalize it.
Vance? And her beam attack, is she Rainbow Bright’s less garish daughter?
*I thought that rainbow spell had to have a bard to be used?*
I do believe that might be color spray, or a related spell. And the skittles line will be remembered.
You are right, that is definitely the 1st lvl sorcerer/wizard/bard spell: Color Spray.
“A vivid cone of clashing colors springs forth from your hand, causing creatures to become stunned, perhaps also blinded, and possibly knocking them unconscious.”
Given that there is a material component of a pinch of blue, red, and yellow sand. There is also a lack of spell pouch. This ladies and gents, through deductive reasoning, is a Sorceress with the eschew materials feat.
Vance as in Jack Vance, inventor (as I understand it) of the fire-and-forget system of spells that Gygax used for D&D?
Hm, I did not know that Prismatic Spray actually came from Vance. I should get his books.
The Excellent Prismatic Spray gets a lot of use the Dying Earth. Of course, there, it evokes a hundred little burning threads of light, not D&D’s Prismatic Spray (with it’s potential poisoning, petrification, random planar transpositioning, etc) nor Color Spray’s dazzling effect.
The only other specific spells I noticed them keeping is The Forlorn Encystment, which became Imprisonment, and the Omnipotent Sphere, which I think became Sphere of Force or something similar.
Geez, can’t believe I forgot his name. God, I’m so out of the loop anymore about DnD. I’m lucky I even remember what 2D6 even means anymore. I probably ought to turn in my dweeb badge.
I was rereading, and I clicked the link to the TVTropes page for Vancian magic that I linked, and the illustration for that page is now a strip from later in this chapter.
Bwahahahah! Now I love skittles more.
The po(li)po’s are after you. Time to skittledaddle. This is starting out good. I like anybody who can shoot the rainbow like that.
MIND(flayer)-CRUSH!
What a tentacular debut!
So that’s what you mean by ‘not getting past the blue.’ Skittle-flavored vodka shooters. Huh. Fried Calimari with tzaziki or I’m telling on you.
That’s “tzatziki” (note the second “T”).
The “Vance” is probably tell us that she is a wizard.
The spell is Colorspray. It only dazzled them instead of doing any interesting.
So Mindflayers have synesthesia; color to smell at the minimum.
Who wouldn’t at least consider giving themselves synesthesia if they had the mindflayers ability to mess around with brains?
TASTE THE RAINBOW, BITCHES!
Playa played a flaya.
Oh My What a Pretty Rainbow!
I guess it only makes sense that Vancian magic would be affective against psionic creatures.
I had my sinuses filled with skittles once.
Just one more reason never to keep your mouth closed when sneezing.
Ah, Color/Prismatic Spray! Sort of a magical stun or dazzler grenade.
Also: I’m betting dualclass Wizard/Rogue. You can’t go wrong with Rogue.
Alsoalso: For more about Jack Vance, go to http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VancianMagic . Gygax apparently echoed the system while they were making DnD.
(a) There is a huge difference between color spray and prismatic spray.
(b) The term “dual-class” went out the window eleven years ago.
(c) I’m guessing that if she had Rogue levels the predicating encounter would have gone down a bit more satisfactorily (although I’m prepared to be proven wrong).
(a) There is a huge difference between color spray and prismatic spray.
Huge difference indeed… the former is a 1st level spell resulting in “sinuses full of skittles” (what a phrase!), the latter 7th level with random effects ranging from blasts of fire, to banishment to another plane.
VANCE!! – +1 for the Vancian system reference. Makes an old grognard feel proud to know the classics aren’t completely forgotten.
Ok, guys and Gals; this is 1st & 2nd edition stuff: Color Spray orginially an Ilusionist spell, does very little damage but can distract foes for a rather short period of time. I am wondering why they did not ‘Mind Blast’ her; one of the few 1st edition psionics abilities that can effect a non-psionic. I Love the sinus complant 🙂 Now squidy #1 is running thru his wand charges quickly, he lacks concern for bystanders, typical of orginazed crime of the modern era. Expensive suits, hmmm….wonder what the young lady took from the don?? I am glad to see I am not the only one who remembers the pencil & paper era classics! Cannot wait for next installment!
You do realize that Color Spray is also in third, third-and-a-half, and fourth editions, right? The spell hasn’t really changed very much either. It’s still a low-level Illusion that distracts foes.
And if by distract, you mean potentially incapacitate opponents for a nice coup de grâce, at least at low levels, then yes, it does distract.
Not to mention that an illithid’s mind blast is not technically a psionic power (although in psionics-using 3E/3.5 campaigns it’s categorized as a “psi-like ability”), and that, these days, there are very few psionic powers that can’t affect non-psionic creatures.
Oh, and of course, back in the AD&D days, most psionic powers could affect non-psionic creatures — only 4 out of 5 “attack modes” couldn’t, and an illithid’s mind blast wasn’t a psionic attack mode.
shoop da rainbow, tasete the rainbow
I know color spray remained with the game after 2nd edition; I even have the 3rd edition books, and have read over a freinds copies of the 4th edition. All I’ll say is why reinvent the wheel. Call me a Dinosaur if you will…..Just please remember that they rules the planet for millions of years before becoming extinct. Humans….well ;/ The strip just keeps getting better, in some ways reminds me of Wormy from the Dragon in the 80’s, except with more humor 🙂
So far I’ve played every edition of the game that’s been produced, except for the Rules Cyclopedia D&D 2.5 update, and with the exception of D&D 2E (Basic Set, Expert Set, etc.), each edition I’ve played has shown significant improvements over what has gone before (streamlining rules, making rules make more sense, improving the organization of the core rulebooks, improving options for character-building), until 4th Edition screwed up the trend. That, of course, is why Paizo is such a great company.
I loved Wormy. Alas, poor Tramp: if only he’d been working in the age of web-comics. No, wait: part of what made Wormy so beautiful was that he could spend ten days on the penciling, inking and color work. If I HAD an avatar, it would be Bender the salamander with that little pocket-knife thing he used to kill the gator-gar…
Taste the rainbow, bitch!
Ow not a lemon one!! That’ll hurt even worse for that dude.
Technically, does Mimic even have a head?
mechwarrois anyone.
‘it’s like my sinuses are full of Skittles’ lol i’m so using that line next time one of my chars gets caught in a color spray 🙂
i am having a lot of fun reading this comic. concider it faved.
Oh yeah, they’re definitely MOBs here to make her an encounter she can’t refuse…