Saturday, March 18, 2023

Nog Advances in DEATH BATTLE!

         

Nog, the Goblin in Disguise

Just a Goblin was created by Brandon Chen, it can be read on Webtoon


Welcome back to the blog! So, a subgenre of webcomics I haven't tackled yet are the manhwas & manwha-esque series that center around a character leveling up over time. A lot of series in that vain usually don't catch my eye, but this is easily my favorite out of the bunch due to the overall concept. I'm thrilled to talk about it, and I hope y'all get a kick out of it too! Major thanks to ConnorDiesel for the descriptions and scans for Nog's arsenal, abilities, and weaknesses!

Background

"I'm going to find out why these adventurers are killing us, and what this system truly is!"

Goblins. Between them and slimes, they're usually the weakest monster in any JRPG. Thanks to their small build, they're easy to kill and farm for experience points. So how do you think they feel when they're massacred by adventurers?

The life of a goblin is one filled with danger and loss. Adventurers relentlessly target them just so they can take their ears, teeth, linen, and even their fingers. They've been preyed on for so long that goblins have been desensitized to their own siblings dying. They've have tried combatting adventurers by sending more of their kin to face them head on, but that just makes them cannon fodder. While adventurers have plagued their kind for many years, there's one goblin who dreams of the day that goblins and adventurers can see eye to eye.

Nog is his name, and he's an inventor. He builds all sorts of machines and traps to help catch dinner for his kind. Although half of them don't even work, he's always innovating and improving on his previous designs. He's grown tired of the constant struggle goblins face and wants to put a peaceful end to their plight by finding out why the adventurers keep killing them. Everyone in Rektoros Village except his best friend Gubble think he's crazy for thinking he can even reason with them, and that he's destined for failure like his many inventions. But Nog doesn't give up hope, so he and Gubble decide to trap an adventurer to interrogate.

They're successful in capturing one, but when they question him, all he said was that simple-minded goblins wouldn't understand. Nog tried to scare him into thinking he was gonna die for outliving his use… until Gubble accidentally killed him. To his surprise, the adventurer was no ordinary human. For after he died, Nog was bestowed with a small "spirit" only he could see. The ghost was named Pip and it registered Nog as a "player." As a player, he has access to a system of toggle menus that shows the stats of himself and everyone around him and quests for him to take. But the best perk about being a player is that he levels up through fighting and obtains new skills as he gains more EXP. Now that he's introduced to this mysterius system, he's hungry for more answers.

Nog comes up with the crazy idea to disguise himself as an adventurer and infiltrate a guild to learn more about them and hopefully bridge a relationship between their species. With Gubble tagging along to support him, they disguise themselves as gnomes and venture out. They encounter a gang of adventurers dealing with a horde of slimes, and joins them to help out. Led by a human named Tyros, he invites Nog and Gubble to compensate them. After being led to the human town Murlos Village, the goblins enter and succeed the Red Ravens Guild adventurer tryouts and become full fledged adventurers!

The disguised duo go on more quests with the humans and progress in the guild's ranks. With each fight, Nog levels up further. Nog and Gubble are quickly exposed to how different the lifestyle of humans are. Murlos Village is far more luxurious and developed compared to Rektoros Village. Most humans they meet there treat them with lots of respect and companionship, but they also catch glimpses of their dark side. An example being the adventurer Goliath, who gets a sadistic kick from killing goblins.

Quests are open for adventurers to bring back goblin parts to sell on the market in exchange for currency. Not only goblins, but all monsters are seen as ingredients to be harvested for everyday items. There's even one adventurer named Goliath who takes sadistic pleasure in killing goblins for fun. Eugh…

Given how powerful these adventurers are and his low levels, if he wants to protect Gubble and the rest of his village, he needs to become stronger. FAST. He starts pushing himself to help more in fights and increase his levels. However, he starts to become so focused on becoming stronger that he starts to feel more companionship with the adventurers. He even went as far as killing the beast that guarded his village's forest just so he could be on better terms with the adventurers. It even seemed like he was warming up to goblin-slayer Goliath.

However, everything came crashing down when he, Gubble, and a select few others were invited by the most powerful empire in the world, the Cromae Kingdom to take place in an A-ranked quest. At first it seemed like just raiding the kingdom of the orcs turned out to be a slaughter. Nog had grown too comfortable around the adventurers, so this was a wake-up call to stop him from becoming like them. However, it seems some of his other comrades are catching on that something about this war feels off. By the end of it he attempted to talk peace with the emperor of the orcs, but before they could truly reach an agreement after a fight, the emperor was murdered by Goliath.

In spite of the treachery he participated in, Nog not only gained a huge boost in EXP, but also unlocked an evolutionary path for him to evolve into more powerful types of goblins. After evaluating his choices, he decides to permanently evolve into the agile and immensely rare onare goblin. After that, he regroups with Goliath and learns what the other adventurers went through… only for Goliath to unmask him, having figured out his ruse. Having figured out his true identity, he initiated combat with Nog, wanting to be praised for killing a goblin spy. If Nog doesn't put an end to him, his identity will be unveiled and Gubble's will be in danger. With no other option, he's forced to kill Goliath.

Goliath died as a hero who slew the Orc Emperor and gained Tyros' complete trust after grieving with him. But now that he sees Nog as a good friend, how can he ever believe that if he learns the truth? While the event challenged his friendship with Gubble, she chose to stick with him since she could see that he's been helping her all throughout, and is being a comforting shoulder to Tyros like she was to him. While Nog was able to soothe Tyros for a moment, he later realized that Nog was responsible for Goliath's death. As payback for killing his best friend, Tyros stabbed Gubble in the back after she failed to appeal to him. Unable to get through to Tyros, Nog rushes back to his village so someone there can heal her. Unfortunately, Gubble had already passed and Nog's actions led him to being banished from the village.

Nog lost everything. His home, Gubble, his adventurer friends. Gone. As tragic as this was, it was a wakeup call. He realized peace is impossible to achieve without a little conflict. He storms back to the guild, frees all the captured monsters, and defeats everyone in his way in order to find Tyros. Upon finally reaching him, he lets out all his rage as they fight on equal footing. It was an intense fight, and Nog was really close to defeating him. But after sparing him, Tyros had an opening to land a blow that knocked him out. Thankfully his efforts inspired the adventurers he teamed up with to defend him against Tyros. Ultimately he was stopped and Nog was shipped off to the Infinity Prison, the place where the most dangerous monsters are kept like animals, and end up either enslaved, tamed, trapped for life, or forced into death games for the entertainment of nobles.

Nog may have failed to avenge Gubble and unite adventurers and monsters, but his story isn't over yet. When he first came to the prison, he had lost all will to live. However, he starts to regain some motivation after making some new allies, including a survivor of the orc genocide he rescued. Everything changes when he meets the head warden, who also has access to the system. As a goblin shouldn't be in possession of the system, he seeks to extract it from him. He does everything in his power to put down Nog, but with each trial he faces, he boosts the morale of the other monsters in the prison and gives them hope. It all cumulates in Nog's punishment, where he receives brutal lashes in front of all his inmates. In spite of it all, Nog held hope that the monsters would rally against the warden and break free. As it seemed like he received a lethal lash, that's what incited the coming revolution.


Equipment


Unnamed Net Trap

Nog has a few traps that require some preparation to set up. One is a simple net trap that scoops up anyone that walks into the tripwire rope

Net Launcher

It's basically the same as the prior trap, but the net falls on the target instead of scooping them up

The Human Trap

Literally just a beartrap. At least this one's easy to place, and anyone dumb enough to not notice it will be in for a world of pain

Heaven Snatcher

A bush trap where he sets down a cool mineral for adventurers to grab. Once they take it, Nog and Gubble would cut ropes that instantly ensnares them, tying them up and lifting them above ground


Spike Pit

You best appeal to Nog, or else you might wind up falling to your doom!


Hammer

While he doesn't use it for combat, he builds many of his inventions with a small hammer.

Basic Dagger

Nog’s first weapon. As he was too weak to wield anything else, Nog had to make due with this for the majority of his journey thus far. Though it may look worn down, he’s killed quite some powerful opponents using it, so it’s still got its uses.

Healing Potions

Initially gifted to him by his friend Lora, Nog later learned how to craft these for himself should he have the right materials. Standard potions that allow the user to restore lost health.

Leather Bag

A leather bag that can hold up to 30 lbs of items. While it's unnecessary since he has an inventory, doesn't it look stylish on him?

Grappling Gun

Stored in his inventory, Nog uses this to stay incredibly mobile through the air like a monkey in order to make a hasty getaway or lead his opponents into traps.

Daggers

Stored in his inventory. Used against the Mountain King, these daggers have wires attached to the handles, meaning it can be thrown as a grapple in order to pull Nog closer to his enemies.

Hit-Point Hammer

Gifted to him by his friend Tyros, this lightweight hammer was made to accommodate Nog’s size and fighting style of what was believed to be an agile assassin. The hammer has a passive ability that lands a critical hit when he hits the same area twice.

Tripwire Bombs

Hand-held explosives Nog keeps in his inventory, and is used as a trap should he encounter a superior foe.

Goblin Doll Trap

Once someone is lured close to a goblin doll, the expected outcome is that they get caught in a rope that yanks them up by the ankle, tying them up as they dangle upside down

Smoke Bombs

Handcrafted bombs that release flammable smoke. Nog can use them to hide in the smoke, or light a match to surrounds its area in flames.

Sweet Cloud Platforms

Inspired by the bouncy sweet cloud mushrooms in his village, Nog can spawn dozens of platforms of his design to bounce off of. As he bounces from platform to platform, it builds up his momentum to increase his speed, which is incredibly useful when he lacks mana to perform Accelerate.

Slime Shield

A slime that can expand into a shield. It can break if it takes enough damage, but it can regenerate if the attack isn't too strong

Slime

The slime ingredient can be used on its own. It's useful for Nog to throw at his enemies' discarded weapons so they're stuck to the ground.

Iron Bola

Get knifed lol

Tacks

Don't tread on these, they hurt!

Gobble

A mini golem Nog created from scraps collected from the Warden Games. His most advanced creation yet, it's able to transform its hand into any object and create copies of anything it sees. It can be a key, a saw, etc. Don't underestimate its small size, it's capable of deactivating technology, even stuff as advanced as the golems.

Goblin Spiked Climbing Boots

Wearing these lets him walk on walls and ceilings, furthering his stealthy skills

Abilities


Genius Intellect

Nog is a rather curious individual, and thus is always working to create new gadgets and innovations for his village. Though they don’t always work, he seems to be the only goblin who’s intelligent enough to make such things. On top of this, Nog is incredibly crafty in a fight and is very well known to make up plans on the fly, sometimes working perfectly as intended.

Pip and the System

After Gubble had accidentally killed a human adventurer, Nog came in possession of the adventurer’s “system,” an interface that Nog can interact with in order to view the stats and abilities of himself, friends, and enemies, as well as looking over and enhancing his skills. Alongside The System, Nog is also accompanied by Pip, a small electrical wisp known as a "navigator" that only he can see. Pip can read Nog's mind and gives him tips about the system interface and aids him in combat by providing advice. When it comes to other people who have their own system, Nog is able to see that people have a being like Pip following them around if he makes physical contact with them.

Statistics Amplification

By gaining experience points through killing enemies and completing quests, he's able to level up his stats to become stronger. He can also distribute EXP into specific stats like health points (HP) and speed. Some tasks require him to have a higher number in order to perform them, like being able to wield a heavy weapon. The image above shows Nog's current known stats.

Accelerate

Nog’s first and main ability. What he lacks in physical prowess, he makes up for in blazing speed. “Accelerate” temporarily increases his speed by a specific percentage as Nog’s proficiency in this skill increases. Assuming it’s a 100% increase with each level, Nog could be sitting at a potential 300% increase in speed.


Analyze

“Analyze” allows Nog to…well, analyze the environment around him in order to come up with the best possible strategies. Using “Analyze” allows Nog to pinpoint those in his active party, i.e. Gubble, as well as use it to find the proficiency of certain weapons, danger level of enemies, track footprints, and potential weak points. However, if an item or opponent is too “high level,” Analyze may not work. He also can't see the levels of other system users. Despite being a skill in the system, Analyze doesn't run on mana.

Store and Inventory

Much like a video game, “Store” and “Inventory” allow Nog to store things in his inventory for later use. Nog is able to store objects larger than himself inside his inventory.

Crafting

If he has the right materials on hand, Nog can run these materials through the System in order to craft items such as potions. These items seem to share the same effectiveness as if they were made by a professional. Potions have different effects on him, like increasing his stats or healing damage.

After-Image

With the skill “Afterimage,” Nog is able to create illusion clones of himself.

Cruel Bandit

This skill allows Nog to transfer his power or agility onto an object or individual, making something like an ordinary pebble just as strong as him.

Extrasensory Perception

The System can alert Nog to potential danger.

Resistances


  • Illusion resistance (Nog himself isn't resistant to illusions, but Pip can completely nullify them if Nog experiences one)

Onare Goblin Physiology

After defeating the lord of the orcs, Nog was at a high enough level to evolve into a stronger goblin subspecies. Out of the three, he chose the illusive onare goblin. They're known as ghosts due to their supernatural speed, adaptability to the darkness and perfect night vision, and mysterious powers that have yet to be fully shown. Onare goblins aren't too different from regular goblins besides his colored limbs and horn protruding from his forehead. In desperate situations, their horns are said to grow, which unlocks more of their powers. Of his known powers, he wields dark mana/magic, has heightened agility and stamina, has a new skill tree that grants him new abilities as he levels up, has the power to regenerate and reattach limbs he lost, and an unknown transformation.

Regeneration (Low-Mid)

Onare goblin limbs aren't actually real, so he can regrow or reattach his limbs if they're cut off

Dark Mana

Onare goblins are practitioners of dark mana, able to channel bursts of it through their attacks.

Amputation

A passive ability that lets him reattach broken limbs. It should be noted that he is still able to move his appendages around even if they are severed from him as long as they are in range. He can also equip items in his detached arms. Sure, he can regrow lost limbs anyway, but it has a nifty usage I'll get to in the next section.

Blessing of the Pacifist

The description says it all

Techniques


Impulse

An ability that pushes foes away with a pulse of dark mana. It costs 20 MP per second.

Influx

An ability that lets Nog pull his opponents closer to him with dark mana. The cool thing about this is that Nog can combine it with Amputation. One time he let his opponent cut his arm off, but that was intentional. Pinning his target where he wanted them, he pulled them in with Influx, reconnected his limb, and beat the shit out of them. The cost is 20 MP per second.


Feats


Overall


  • Nog is the only one in his village actually developing new things
  • He successfully captured an adventurer, albeit with Gubble's help
  • Helped fend adventurers Lora, Edward and Aria from slimes before Tyros stepped in
  • He passed guild tryouts with flying colors after surviving a minute-long duel against Tyros, the strongest member of the guild
  • Nog is currently considered a B-rank adventurer
  • Completed a quest in helping his gang kill a pack of dire wolves
  • Repeatedly thwarted goblin slayer Goliath's attempts to hunt for goblins by getting in his way and making it look like a mistake
  • Killed the beastly guardian of Ludwood Forest, a C-rank elite level 15 monster, by utilizing his knowledge of Ludwood Forest to constantly evade them and strike whenever he can. Ultimately he needed Gubble's help to take them down, but he still landed the killing blow
  • He was the first in Red Ravens Guild to kill a B-rank monster. He killed the Mountain King, a level 27 elite mountain troll that mauled Gummo the the Great Boar, the challenging monster Nog's party intended to kill for a quest. While Tyros failed to best them on his own, Nog was able to fight them while treating the mountain as his playground. Utilizing his increasing stats, his new afterimage ability, and relying on the heavy-hitters to break down a chunk of the cliffside, Nog was able to slay them.
  • He's been an adventurer for over two months
  • Was deemed worthy enough by the Cromare Kingdom to participate in an A-ranked mission
  • His current stats are as follows:
    • Level: 27
    • HP: 270 (+5)
    • Agility: 49 (+5)
    • Intelligence: 22 (+5)
    • Stamina: 30 (+5)
    • Perception: 20 (+5)
  • Participated in the invasion of Uda'mor, the orc city
  • Helped defeat holy ogre warriors Razzo and Kazzo, the conjoined level 35 elite monster
  • Knocked out two orc guards using two pebbles imbued with his agility via Cruel Bandit
  • Tricked Goliath into falling for his goblin doll trap
  • Defeated the Orc Emperor Onikuro
  • Faced Tyros in equal combat, and bested him while he was empowered by the Phoenix. Despite running low on mana, he was able to beat Tyros with his sheer wits. While Nog ultimately needed to be saved at the end, he had the opportunity to land a killing blow right in front of him—only refusing as to not perpetrate the cycle of violence any longer.
  • Defeated a prison golem, a large self-repairing robot that has defeated many monsters previously. It didn't take him long to figure out its weakness
  • Defeated Vulgor—a powerful djinn and the champion of the prison's Warden Games
  • With Vulgor, fought and defeated Pod, the S-ranked bubble-manipulating adventurer and son of the Infinity Prison warden

Strength


Speed


Durability


Weaknesses

  • Despite his incredibly impressive skills, they rely on Nog’s mana reserves, which are not infinite, forcing Nog to use his “Accelerate” and “Afterimage” skills wisely.
  • Though it happens less and less as the series goes on, some of Nog’s inventions and traps are prone to break down or sometimes fail outright. 
  • Though he has been getting stronger as the series goes on, Nog is still insecure about himself being “too weak,” which causes him to attempt to push past his limits to fend off an enemy. While this tenacity may seem like a great benefit, it also can potentially put him in danger.
  • Susceptible to stat debuffs
  • His illusions can be disabled with magic
  • When Nog becomes too enraged to focus clearly, he ignores Pip's advice and uses his MP willy nilly
  • The onare goblin skilltree relies on abilities that use mana. Running out of mana in a fight can be troubling for Nog, but even worse is that Nog's access to mana can be disabled, severely limiting the abilities from the system he can use

Matchup Potential


Nog vs Goblin of the Goblins (Brave Series)

(thumbnail by Vibe Check)

Vibe Check


Two goblins who belong to villages that are constantly massacred by human adventurers, seen as a worthless species only good for being ransacked and farmed for levels like in a RPG. They try to convince their people to change up their strategies, but are considered outcasts by their own race, with only one person they consider a true companion. Fed up with their village’s uselessness, they and their best friend take matters into their own hands to defeat an adventurer on their own. During their journey however, they find they’re able to level up like humans can, and use their newfound ever-increasing strength to defend their people whether they want their help or not.

The concept of Just a Goblin clicked with me so much because it greatly reminded me of of the journey Goblin goes through in Brave Animated Series, which I do hope is explored further in the next season if it ever comes out.

Because both have a great focus on intense speed, the fight would mainly focus on them zipping around. Goblin starts out just wielding a club, but after obtaining a goblin lord's legendary gear, he now wields a jagged sword and has lightning powers, flight, and super speed. Adding Nog's assortment of gadgets and cloning, and moments where he can utilize his analyze skills can really make the dynamic engaging. The fight could really lean into the sort of JRPG inspirations both relish in by featuring a dramatic chiptune song that sounds like Brave Animated Series' soundtrack.

The banter for this could be interesting because both went about befriending adventurers in different ways. Goblin didn't need a disguise to win over an adventurer, so he could call him out for his constant distraction in becoming stronger instead of dedicating himself to his goals; and constantly lying to the adventurers when he never had to hide his face to win over Main Brave. While Nog hasn't developed enough, I'd imagine once we see his character development he could have a sick comeback. Stuff like that could demonstrate the subversive nature both series are known for.

In terms of who would win, Goblin of the Goblins should somewhat scale to Morewant so that would give him the win, but Nog definitely has more room for growth.

Nog vs Goblin Slayer (Goblin Slayer)

(thumbnail by ConnorDiesel)

ConnorDiesel


Nog vs Goblin Slayer is essentially a contrast matchup as goblin vs Goblin Slayer. Nog’s whole story is him going out into the world of humans in order to understand why humans kill his kind, and what better person to ask than the man who’s made a reputation of doing so.

On top of a pretty solid theme of contrasting opponents, the dynamic is pretty straightforward too with good interaction potential to boot. Nog is still just a goblin (heh) at his core, but he’s also an intelligent goblin, making it so that he can work his around Goblin Slayer’s tactics and plans with his own, and Goblin Slayer, who knew goblins were cunning but surprised by the intelligence that this one has, is forced to change up tactics while simultaneously sticking to his roots. They both plan, predict, and outsmart the other using the tools and skills at their disposal.

Interaction potential, too, I think works really well. It’s no surprise GS knows almost everything there is to know about goblins, but seeing a goblin move around at blazing speeds and cast shadow clones out of thin air would completely up end everything he knows about goblins. Plus, Nog is a goblin of reason, and the fact that he’d be asking GS about why he does what he does is simply narratively perfect for him, with him getting his answer as to why humans kill goblins, and he attempts to persuade Goblin Slayer that not all goblins are bad. That they can be good people, only for GS to respond, “the only good goblin is a dead goblin.

There’s also different ways to go about the ending depending on who wins. If Goblin Slayer wins, Nog cries out in a desperate last attempt to plant a seed of doubt in GS’s mind and, as the final breath of air leaves his lungs, says to himself, “At least I finally got…my answer,” leaving Goblin Slayer in a state where he’s forced to contemplate his lifestyle. Obviously, he won’t change immediately, but that seed of doubt is all that’s needed to make him think, “Maybe…maybe all goblins aren’t so evil.” If Nog wins, have it as Goblin Slayer is on his last dying breathe as well, still trying to kill Nog but too tired to do anything as he collapses on the ground. Nog removes GS’s helmet in order to have the two face to face for the first time in the battle. No words are exchanged, but they look at each other knowing that it was going to end this way one way or another, and the life from Goblin Slayer’s eyes fade away. Nog rests his hand over his eyes, closing them and saying, “Rest now, sir. Your battle is over…”

Nog vs Vainqueur (Vainqueur the Dragon)

(thumbnail by Vibe Check)

Vibe Check


This is less an idea I want for Death Battle and more so a general idea I find interesting. Both are webcomic protagonists that are on opposite ends of the RPG enemy spectrum who gain the ability to level up. So what happens when you put the weakest type of monster against the strongest, with both having the potential for immense growth? It seems like it could be a pretty cool fight with an underdog feel. Nog works well against larger opponents too because t demonstrates his great agility and how he's able to use the arena like a playground. And Vainqueur is just a hammy delight of a character so he'd really carry the banter.

I do wanna cover Vainqueur on the blog someday, but it's taking a while to get through his webcomic since it's a Tapas original.

NEXT TIME ON WCAB… whenever I feel like it

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