Dudley's dungeon

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Monday, 28 January, 2008 by Kernigh
The ghoulThe forces of the gloom know each other, and are strangely
balanced by each other. Teeth and claws fear what they cannot
grasp. Blood-drinking bestiality, voracious appetites, hunger
in search of prey, the armed instincts of nails and jaws which
have for source and aim the belly, glare and smell out
uneasily the impassive spectral forms straying beneath a
shroud, erect in its vague and shuddering robe, and which seem
to them to live with a dead and terrible life. These
brutalities, which are only matter, entertain a confused fear
of having to deal with the immense obscurity condensed into an
unknown being. A black figure barring the way stops the wild
beast short. That which emerges from the cemetery intimidates
and disconcerts that which emerges from the cave; the
ferocious fear the sinister; wolves recoil when they encounter
a ghoul.
        [ Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
hits! The ettinThe two-headed giant, or ettin, is a vicious and unpredictable
hunter that stalks by night and eats any meat it can catch.

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
zombieThe zombi... is a soulless human corpse, still dead, but
taken from the grave and endowed by sorcery with a
mechanical semblance of life, -- it is a dead body which is
made to walk and act and move as if it were alive.
        [ W. B. Seabrook ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
hits! ---------- |VZ VZZ.Z| |Z WMMZ@(-###### |MW |ZMM| ### ------- -- ## ##
@ "Ahh! Help me!"
#turn               
                    
                    
   ----------       
   |VZ VZZ.Z|       
   |Z WMMZ@(-#######
   |MW  |ZMM|   ####
   ------- --  ##   
              ##    
@ "Turn undead!"
You turn into an orcOrcs, bipeds with a humanoid appearance, are related to the
goblins, but much bigger and more dangerous. The average orc
is only moderately intelligent, has broad, muscled shoulders,
a short neck, a sloping forehead and a thick, dark fur.
Their lower eye-teeth are pointing forward, like a boar's.
Female orcs are more lightly built and bare-chested. Not
needing any clothing, they do like to dress in variegated
apparels. Suspicious by nature, orcs live in tribes or
hordes. They tend to live underground as well as above
ground (but they dislike sunlight). Orcs can use all weapons,
tools and armours that are used by men. Since they don't have
the talent to fashion these themselves, they are constantly
hunting for them. There is nothing a horde of orcs cannot
use.
        [ het Boek van de Regels; Het Oog des Meesters ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
zombieThe zombi... is a soulless human corpse, still dead, but
taken from the grave and endowed by sorcery with a
mechanical semblance of life, -- it is a dead body which is
made to walk and act and move as if it were alive.
        [ W. B. Seabrook ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
! ---------- |VZ VZZ.Z| |Z WMMZZ(-#######` |MW |ZMM| ##### ------- -- ## ## ##
Z "How does this help?"
Turn back!


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Rating

12185
Average rating: Good
Number of ratings: 17

Comments

Grognor, killed by a newt January 28, 2008 00:21
First comment: 28 November, 2007 19 comments written
Stupid remark about Grognor's grammaticality, followed by a misspelling and a remorseless spark of his infamousness.
Nameless January 28, 2008 00:52
First comment: 29 December, 2004 281 comments written
#Turn undead.
You die. DYWYPI?
G January 28, 2008 01:00
First comment: 5 October, 2005 82 comments written
Cute. That is how the name of the wand'Saruman!' he cried, and his voice grew in power and authority.
'Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am
Gandalf the White, who has returned from death. You have no
colour now, and I cast you from the order and from the Council.'
He raised his hand, and spoke slowly in a clear cold voice.
'Saruman, your staff is broken.' There was a crack, and the
staff split asunder in Saruman's hand, and the head of it
fell down at Gandalf's feet. 'Go!' said Gandalf. With a cry
Saruman fell back and crawled away.
        [ The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
struck me at first, so I am amused.
Henry J Cobb January 28, 2008 01:54
First comment: 28 June, 2007 29 comments written
He can't be level drained now...
Antheridium January 28, 2008 03:24
First comment: 17 May, 2007 442 comments written
I think that's the way that ability strikes EVERYONE to start with. It creeped me out when I first saw it - "Why would you want to do that!? Especially if you're a PRIEST[...] For the two priests were talking exactly like priests,
piously, with learning and leisure, about the most aerial
enigmas of theology. The little Essex priest spoke the more
simply, with his round face turned to the strengthening stars;
the other talked with his head bowed, as if he were not even
worthy to look at them. But no more innocently clerical
conversation could have been heard in any white Italian cloister
or black Spanish cathedral. The first he heard was the tail of
one of Father Brown's sentences, which ended: "... what they
really meant in the Middle Ages by the heavens being
incorruptible." The taller priest nodded his bowed head and
said: "Ah, yes, these modern infidels appeal to their reason;
but who can look at those millions of worlds and not feel that
there may well be wonderful universes above us where reason is
utterly unreasonable?"
        [ The Innocence of Father Brown, by G.K. Chesterton ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
or a KNIGHTHere lies the noble fearless knight,
Whose valour rose to such a height;
When Death at last had struck him down,
His was the victory and renown.
He reck'd the world of little prize,
And was a bugbear in men's eyes;
But had the fortune in his age
To live a fool and die a sage.
        [ Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miquel de
         Cervantes Saavedra ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
!?" Being undead does have its advantages, but I was of course unaware of them at that time...

Now I have to wonder where the concept of 'turning' something first came from. Gandalf? ("You shall not pass"?)
Wonderer January 28, 2008 04:19
First comment: 22 March, 2007 106 comments written
http://www.nicolaas.net/dudley/index.php?f=20061026

Somehow every other interpretation of that spell/ability makes more sense than the intended one.
Wellan January 28, 2008 16:54
First comment: 27 November, 2007 247 comments written
Well, everyone sorta knows this one...but it's still funny.
Armv January 28, 2008 18:33
First comment: 5 October, 2006 28 comments written
Being as I have played D&d since early '01 and I only started nethack three years ago I had no problem with the phrase. But wouldn't being turned into an undead be the equivalent of being polymorph into a corpse?
Slowpoke January 28, 2008 22:03
First comment: 27 February, 2007 239 comments written
I really don't know how to rate this one. However, I will anyway.
Quint Sakugarne January 28, 2008 23:59
First comment: 1 January, 2008 233 comments written
Armv: no, not exactly; a corpse is actually dead.

Except for those damn trolls which straddle the quantum states of dead and "un-"dead.
Kernigh January 29, 2008 00:12
First comment: 6 April, 2005 349 comments written
I hit the trap that moved my comment for this comic to underneath the new comic. Visit next strip to read my comment for this strip.
Antheridium January 30, 2008 04:59
First comment: 17 May, 2007 442 comments written
In response to the teleported comment:

I knew it came from D&D, but I wondered where D&D came up with this ability... and why they decided to use that particular turn of phrase. (Groan all you like, the pun's not going away.)
GreyKnight January 30, 2008 09:22
First comment: 24 March, 2006 48 comments written
You're causing the undead creatures to turn, cower, and flee.
Antheridium February 2, 2008 05:50
First comment: 17 May, 2007 442 comments written
Forgive my irritability, but it seems I'm having some trouble communicating precisely what I intended. I'm aware that the word 'turn' in this sense is used to mean 'make them turn away'. My question was where the concept originally comes from of a magical ability that makes undead (or any creature, really) turn and flee from the user. I was wondering if maybe it originated with LoTR's Gandalf, with his attempt to drive back the Balrog... It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as
if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped
the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed
about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming
mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand
was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it
held a whip of many thongs.
'Ai, ai!' wailed Legolas. 'A Balrog! A Balrog is come!'
         [ The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
in Moria. (Google was no help on this one. And as I don't have any place to pageThese strange creatures live mostly on the surface of the
earth, gathering together in societies of various forms, but
occasionally a stray will descend into the depths and commit
mayhem among the dungeon residents who, naturally, often
resent the intrusion of such beasts. They are capable of
using weapons and magic, and it is even rumored that the
Wizard of Yendor is a member of this species.

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
through a backlog of DRAGONIn the West the dragon was the natural enemy of man. Although
preferring to live in bleak and desolate regions, whenever it
was seen among men it left in its wake a trail of destruction
and disease. Yet any attempt to slay this beast was a perilous
undertaking. For the dragon's assailant had to contend
not only with clouds of sulphurous fumes pouring from its fire
breathing nostrils, but also with the thrashings of its tail,
the most deadly part of its serpent-like body.
[ Mythical Beasts by Deirdre Headon (The Leprechaun Library) ]

"One whom the dragons will speak with," he said, "that is a
dragonlord, or at least that is the center of the matter. It's
not a trick of mastering the dragons, as most people think.
Dragons have no masters. The question is always the same, with
a dragon: will he talk to you or will he eat you? If you can
count upon his doing the former, and not doing the latter, why
then you're a dragonlord."
        [ The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin ]

Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 by the NetHack Development Team
Copyright (c) 1994 by Boudewijn Wayers
NetHack may be freely redistributed. See license for details.
magazines, I really can't think of any way to get information on this particular bit of esoteria.)
Fathead February 12, 2008 00:49
First comment: 1 April, 2006 1136 comments written
Em for the footnote.
Antheridium February 13, 2008 05:47
First comment: 17 May, 2007 442 comments written
Speaking of the footnote, it used to be a link. Did the HTML there get broken?

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