Chapter 15 Page 23

Chapter 15 Page 23 - http://bit.ly/1MAwby3

Bram's spell here will hopefully be one of those things that people look back on with greater understanding much later down the line.

Lightning magic is a highly advanced mixture of fire and air magic, known for its volatility and tendency to blow up the wizard trying to cast it. It's considered totally off limits for lower ranked wizards due to its danger, and masters of lightning are hailed as geniuses of magic (such as White Flash Heath who appeared several chapters ago with the AA rankers). Bram's fear, anger, and desperation allowed him to put everything he had into this lightning bolt, which no doubt would have decimated a more normal opponent. The Killer is on a different level entirely, unfortunately for our party.

Chapter 15 Page 22

Chapter 15 Page 22 - http://bit.ly/1QTXDda

Briar's determination shows through here, as she throws herself at this terrifying new enemy in an attempt to save her friends. What a shame that her knife bounced right off, and was blasted out of her hand. I'm sure she'll be alright!

Chapter 15 Page 21

Chapter 15 Page 21 - http://bit.ly/1kFAHCu 

A quick reminder about Barriers and Force magic in general: force manifests mainly as one of two different types of energy. The first is an invisible "push" used to move or manipulate something through magic, and the second is molding the force into a more visible form to create objects. This is achieved through compressing the force, and molding it through willpower into a sheet of force, somewhat like glass.

As with glass itself, force constructs gain strength through adding layers and compressing the force to gain more density. A barrier is only as strong as the caster makes it, in other words. Bram's barriers have worked well so far... but when facing an attack from the dungeon killer the wall of force literally shattered, and the shockwave blasted them back unabated. Scary!

Chapter 15 Page 19-20

Chapter 15 Page 19 - http://bit.ly/1RUneB1 Page 20 - http://bit.ly/1LfKlQS

And here we are, after such a long time of talking about him, the killer has arrived! There were some who thought he was going to show up in the first dungeon... and truth be told my initial script had him appearing even later. These things sometimes change in progress, and I decided I liked it to happen here instead.

In essence, this is the first major plot point of the story. The first big "Crisis" that will push the characters forward and establish many more story elements to come. If they don't all get murdered, that is.

Chapter 15 Page 18

Chapter 15 Page 18 - http://bit.ly/1QiKU4k

Switching to a black/white art style has been a good choice so far, it just took me a few weeks to figure out how I want to draw effects. I'm pleased with how they ended up like in panel 5 here, with the explosion. It's a fun challenge to attack these kinds of panels in this way, since it felt like before I was drawing in a "lazy" manner. Slap on a glow layer, a few gradients, and there you go. I already feel that my art has begun to improve again, like I've moved past a plateau. It'll be exciting to see where things go from here.

Chapter 15 Page 17

Chapter 15 Page 17 - http://bit.ly/1ldNKL9

And so the comic comes full circle! Well, maybe not. But it has been about three years since the Hall of Scryers has appeared in the comic. Comparing this version to the prologue, I feel a sense of accomplishment at how I've improved. Falconus looks about the same though, funny enough. 

Chapter 15 Page 16

Chapter 15 Page 16 - http://bit.ly/1PtmwLN

With pages like these I feel for my update-to-update readers, since it ends mid transition. I hope you're not too upset with me! What a strange shape floating up in the air, though... it looks like a scrap of cloth. You can see the scratchy lines behind Caldwell here again, I chose to use them to relay that "feeling of unease" to the reader. If only I could take many more pages for this transition... but alas, we need to keep moving forward.

A crystal ball... the last panel has the party seen inside a crystal ball. Have we seen a crystal ball used elsewhere in the comic?

Chapter 15 Page 15

Chapter 15 Page 15 - http://bit.ly/1KZWhq0

The title of this chapter is "Crisis" and there didn't seem to be any crises involving the Ogre... so, readers, the crisis must be coming up soon! Caldwell is the first to realize something isn't quite right, but Bram voices his concern moments later. Caldwell's sharp mind can pick up on danger and strange circumstances, but he has trouble putting it immediately into words. For this reason Bram makes a better leader while Caldwell is more of a tactician in a sense.

Chapter 15 Page 13-14

Chapter 15 Page 13-14 - http://bit.ly/20gsSTU

Once again a conflict central to Spellcross rears its head. Caldwell really pulled out all the stops to battle in the dungeon and defeat the boss, even going so far as to risk his life in a daring stoneskin defense ploy in order to draw the monster's attention. Even with all of that, though, Nell is immediately more impressed with Bram's spell. Is it enough to work hard and reach your goals, even if you receive no recognition? Or, worse yet, if someone else takes the glory?

Chapter 15 Page 12

Chapter 15 Page 12 - http://bit.ly/1N8GkUv

And here we have Bram's big spell! You might now understand what he was going for a few pages back, after Caldwell was smashed. I hope it follows visually, but the spell draws fire into one point, then launches out in a tight spiral. In his anger, Bram was about to cast the spell as a less focused lance without the use of the arcane circle. Careful readers will glean a bit more about how magic is cast. Without discipline and focus, magic can become wild and go out of control. Once Bram cleared his head, the spell was cast successfully.

Chapter 15 Page 11

Chapter 15 Page 11 - http://bit.ly/1KBkLpa

If it wasn't clear, right after Caldwell was blasted back into the rock he commented "I can't move!" I intended the reader to think that Cal just got winded or injured, but in truth it was his Stoneskin potion activating. This kind of potion doesn't coat the skin in stone right away, but waits for damage to occur first. It's kind of weak in that regard, since the first attack is not absorbed the user could easily die or take serious injury before the effect even occurs. That's low rank alchemy for you!

The style of Spellcross also changed on this page. The pace of updates up until this point... well, over the course of Spellcross' lifetime the interval between pages has risen and fallen. For the first 2 years I was highly consistent in posting 3 pages a week, with only one minor interruption I can remember. Then I took a three month hiatus, and since then life has been much busier for me. Working full time makes it very difficult to come home and pursue creative interests. So to that effect, I wanted to pare things back from my initial claim that Spellcross needed more visual fidelity. It's also become apparent to me that even with the quality being higher, I still haven't drawn in more viewers.

Chapter 15 Page 10

Chapter 15 Page 10 - http://bit.ly/1KbQbCr

This is another inbetween page, not a lot to say. Caldwell's one smart cookie to figure out how the gem works on his second try, though! There's also another hint to Caldwell's secret survival technique here, but it'll be revealed next page anyway so it's not important.

Chapter 15 Pages 8-9

Chapter 15 Page 8 - http://bit.ly/1j4SXUh

Chapter 15 Page 9 - http://bit.ly/1NzIA8t

In which Caldwell gets turned into a pancake! Just kidding. What actually happens is that the Ogre smashes its frozen arm down and the shards cut into him. I apologize if the action was kind of hard to follow here, but I started condensing the action in order to keep things moving. What could Caldwell have used to survive? The answer is already in the previous pages!

Anyway... this might be the first actual, big spell we've seen in the comic. Previously it was "enchant" style spells, with Grey's "Stone Gauntlet" and Sophia's "Ember Slash", or support type spells such as "Icy Bubble" and Junon's barriers. Bram fills the role of the proper wizard, casting hugely damaging "nuke" spells. Whatever this new spell is, it's definitely going to bring the hurt!

One other thing though. If your hand or arm falls asleep, it's not strange to bite it, right? Just to see whether there's feeling there or not? I asked a friend and they said it was definitely weird, but another said it was normal. Someone who hasn't done it before might be confused what the Ogre's up to here, but I think it'll make sense reading through later. If he just massaged it with his other hand, I don't think it would've followed well visually, y'know?

Chapter 15 Page 7

Chapter 15 Page 7 - http://bit.ly/1KGxt9L

Yikes! Now that's a powerful gust of wind. This page had a lot crammed in, I actually got two pages worth of material in here so it ended up a little hard to read at net resolution. Sorry about that. If you read the bestiary entry for the Lowlands Ogre, then you know that its thick skin and fat serve to shrug off blows and allow it to pursue its target without stopping. Right now its smelled weakness in Caldwell, and wants to smash him flat. How'll he get out of this one?

Chapter 15 Page 6

Chapter 15 Page 6 - http://bit.ly/1L8Yki3

Somewhat dialogue heavy page today. Condensing action made this a little too fast, but I think it still reads fine. Anyway, remember spell gems? Bram made a set for Caldwell many chapters ago so he could power his alchemy circles. They're the solid, crystallized form of essence that many wizards use in alchemy and enchantment. When broken down, the essence stored within can be used for many magical purposes. But, with proper application a spell gem can both hold and release a magic spell stored within. In this case the combination of the spell gem of air and the whistle crafted around it allowed for an elemental to be summoned. Without the whistle, well...

Chapter 15 Page 5

Chapter 15 Page 5 - http://bit.ly/1G101Xc

I really enjoyed drawing the action on this page. Remember how Junon's barrier looked in the first dungeon exam? I tried to pattern Bram's after that, but with some slight changes. It's part of the setting that different people can cast the same spell a little differently. Oh, I suppose I could actually talk about barrier spells a bit here too.

Force Magic is the "neutral element" in the elemental wheel, often appearing in the middle or outside of it. It represents invisible forces of physics such as inertia, gravity, and magnetism which bind the world together. It's also generally considered to be the easiest element to channel and manipulate, and as such many wizards begin their training with the spell "force bolt" which is little more than a ball of force that smacks into an enemy. The most common use for force magic is to create a barrier of force, often a wall or a sphere, which protects the caster by repelling attacks. Due to its utility and ease of use, many healers opt to train in force magic alongside healing magic.

Chapter 15 Page 4

Chapter 15 Page 4 - http://bit.ly/1Kmnpng

This page ties into what I discussed on the previous page, what's known as "essence weaving". When Bram uses ice magic to form a spear, it's basically as if he were launching an icicle that had formed naturally. Sure a person can be injured when an icicle falls, but this is a huge, thick skinned Ogre we're talking about. When it hits its skin, the spear shatters harmlessly. However, that's not to say that all "Ice Spear" spells would be ineffective. Through adding more essence, the spear becomes sharper, colder, flies faster, and gains a magical aura. A high level Ice Spear would have the power to pierce through thick armor and scales. Though it's a product of "ice" which exists in nature, the "spell" of Ice Spear can nonetheless deal damage in a way that no natural icicle could. That's the difference between a low level and a high level spell. Low level spells mimic natural occurrences while high level spells become a phenomenon entirely based in magic.

Chapter 15 Page 3

Chapter 15 Page 3 - http://bit.ly/1Kmnpng

It's time for Briar's big spell, the Air Sword! Not the most inventive name... but it'll do I suppose. Briar's a straightforward girl, so she uses simple names for her attacks. In terms of effectiveness, the air sword is like a more concentrated air cutter. This'll be a recurring technique in Spellcross, and is the secret to high level spells. When Air Cutter is used, it's essentially a single air blade that cuts at the target. When several air blades are layered one on top of the other, it creates a blade that cuts more powerfully. More essence and greater skill allow a spell to have more and more power compacted into it, thus raising its effectiveness.

This leaves me an opening for writing stronger spells as time goes on. It's a problem to a narrative that resembles a videogame. In a game you can have Air slash 2 which does more damage than regular air slash, and is a direct step up that's easily understood as being stronger. With a setting such as Spellcross I need a way to demonstrate power creep over time, as well as the difference between a novice and a veteran. Maybe we'll get to see some high level spellcasting before too long...?

Chapter 15 Page 2

Chapter 15 Page 2 - http://bit.ly/1WQLic9

Whoah! That ogre sure is strong... but it's to be expected with those trunklike popeye arms and that thick core. Some of the strongest people in the world appear "strongfat" so to speak. Anyway, this kind of enemy makes for an ideal "early game" boss. He poses a threat just due to his brute strength, but his slowness and clumsiness keep him from being truly deadly. Especially dealing with those stubby legs. Nell has the right idea in targeting that weakness.

Chapter 15 Page 1

Chapter 15 Page 1 - http://bit.ly/1EdB1kc

This is only the second time that Caldwell has drank one of his own potions, the first time being during the exam when he drank a healing potion. In case you were curious he's brought along healing potions for this dungeon too, only he's keeping them separately in his pack so as to not mix them up. Someone's bound to get hurt during the fight, so you'll definitely see him pull them out.

Chapter 14 Page 33

Chapter 14 Page 33 - http://bit.ly/1IOtrJd

Originally the entire dungeon and boss battle was scripted to be in a single chapter... but, considering how long it's taken me to complete chapter 14 (and 33 pages) I felt it was prudent to extend the fight into the next chapter.

Regarding the update pace... for those reading after the fact it won't be as apparent, but it's taken nearly a full year to complete these 33 pages. On my original update pace it would have taken 2-3 months. I've gotten back to three pages a week now for the past two weeks and i've been much happier for the fact.

Anyway Ogres! I'll talk more about this species of monster during the actual bossfight pages, but I can give a tidbit of info here as well. As a humanoid type ogres are considered intelligent and self aware, but unfortunately rank among the lowest in terms of actual intelligence and cleverness. From a writing standpoint this lets me use them as lower level enemies that are easily outsmarted, but carry a level of danger due to their brute strength. Here's to hoping none of the cast get turned into jelly!

Chapter 14 Page 32

Chapter 14 Page 32 - http://bit.ly/1Wd79Kk

The imp's character really hasn't developed since his introduction, and on this page he's flatter than ever.

Chapter 14 Page 31

Ch14 Page 31 - http://bit.ly/1T6iHA4 

I ended up drawing a lot more Briar this chapter than I expected... but she's ended up being quite an ostentatious character. Anyone familiar with the writing process will understand when I say that. Sometimes a character just stands out in your writing process and forces their way into the script/story. I really enjoy it though, so you won't hear me complaining about it. This does happen more often than I like to admit, however. Sophia was largely the same way in that she began as a one-off side character who quickly grew on both myself and my reading audience such that I felt compelled to add her to other scenes in the story. The Colosseo wasn't even going to get a chapter to itself before Sophia was written so strongly into the plot. I get the feeling that Briar will end up similarly.

Ch14 30

Chapter 14 Page 30 - http://bit.ly/1W47ZsV

I apologize for how squished this page came out, but I absolutely needed them to be facing the dungeon boss within the next 4 pages or I was going to lose my mind. I'm somewhat worried that the urgency of following the imp into the dungeon room was lost because of pacing. They're in big trouble if it summons another air elemental alongside the boss. If the battle becomes too difficult they'd have to abandon the dungeon. These kinds of complex underpinnings are tough enough to portray in a normal comic or graphic novel, but in a webcomic setting it's extremely tough. I hope the feeling is still lingering from that panel where Caldwell realized the danger they were in.

This is also the first time Caldwell is having someone else drink a potion. I wanted an exchange like this to happen back during the first exam, but couldn't fit it in. Seriously though, with how he's been acting it's no shocker that Briar is a little hesitant. Did he even remember to label them this time?

Ch14 28-29

Chapter 14 Page 28 - http://bit.ly/1guQC4d - Chapter 14 Page 29 - http://bit.ly/1DljXII

Hmm, what's this? A mysterious figure in the fog? I wouldn't worry about it, it's probably nothing.

Here we see the boss door of the garden dungeon. Amusingly the last boss door we saw in the comic was from June 13 2013, a span of just over 2 years. Clearly this comic needs more dungeons! Or more bosses? Nah, just more page updates I think. The concept of a dungeon boss is possibly the most "gamey" thing in the setting of Spellcross. As I was constructing the plot and lore of Spellcross, dungeon bosses quickly became a central idea. The logic went like this: dungeons have infested the land, dungeons are full of monsters, monsters are fed energy from the dungeon core, the dungeon core is protected by a boss monster. Therefore in order for an adventurer to complete their mission and return with the core, they must defeat a dungeon boss.

Thematically this allows a buildup to a climax as the characters struggle under the harsh conditions of battle inside the dungeons. They have to manage their stamina and essence level as they fight, or risk tiring out during the boss fight. They might experience terror at the prospect of encountering such a powerful monster, or the stress might push them to new heights. Imagine if none of this were present and the characters just waltzed into the core room at the end of a dungeon. Boring!

Ch14 27

Chapter 14 Page 27 - http://bit.ly/1ltXuc1

Here's the first big earth spell since Grey's Stone Gauntlet! Grey didn't have a very good grasp of earth magic in the dungeon exam, so the best he could do was stick together a bunch of rocks on his arm and make them shatter when he punched something. In this case, Bram uses earth magic to crack the ground under the air elemental and cause it to explode violently upward.

There's a bit of a challenge when thinking about earth magic compared to others. For fire, water, and wind magic it's very easy to imagine these elements appearing out of thin air when created by magic. For earth magic, it's most common to imagine the spell coming from the ground. It's a little more weird when earth appears out of thin air... for whatever reason. The most common earth spells of the top of my head are the classic earth spikes, causing an earthquake, making a hole in the ground, or throwing rocks. Kind of dull when you think about it, which is why I've designed earth mages to be close quarters fighters, and also made earth magic the main "enhancement" type of magic to spice things up.

Ch14 26

Chapter 14 Page 26 - http://spellcross.smackjeeves.com/comics/2155301/ch14-26/

It goes without saying, but elementals have the ability to return themselves to their basic element to move around or evade damage. Higher ranked elementals can completely shapeshift if they chose and take on more fearsome appearances, or disguise themselves as humans. Oh, and did you recognize these exploding stones from way back in the Dungeon Exam? Caldwell used them to stun the wolf, but it ended up stunning Grey instead. Turns out they worked really well when caught up in the Air Elemental's wind barrier.

Ch14 25

Chapter 14 Page 25 - http://bit.ly/1NovE1G 

 Another "inbetween page" unfortunately, but necessary. It's been surprisingly fun to draw the wind effects coming off the air elemental, I designed the elementals but haven't really drawn them in action yet. I'm excited for higher ranked elementals to appear further down the line.

Ch14 24

Chapter 14 Page 24 - http://bit.ly/1JMX94C 

 Another "inbetween" page, but I felt it was important to inform the readers about some properties of Abnormal monsters such as the imp. And so I could draw Caldwell freaking out again, he's been happy and confident for too long now (kidding, kidding. But seriously). 

 I had a friend mention how it felt kind of silly for the elemental to be sitting there while people are talking, but it's important to remember the passage of time is different when reading comics compared to, say, a movie or show. Characters talking takes up very little "space" in time, such that you can have conversations like in DBZ or Bleach where they're flying around attacking each other and also having long conversations. Or charging up their ultimate attack for four chapters, you know. Some might say this is stupid and feels cheesy. While it's tempting to have a more realistic passage of time when writing for a comic, I feel that a particular kind of pacing is really important. Comics are a medium that you read, backed up by the images in each panel. Forsaking dialogue to have a more realistic feel could lead to a very boring comic, so a balance needs to be reached.

Ch14 23

Chapter 14 Page 23 - http://bit.ly/1BUMaja

So, Elementals... I've encountered them in fantasy most often appearing as humanoids that are made out of whatever element they represent. I find that to be kind of boring, personally. I'd much rather see elementals as linked to animals or monsters, or like summons from the Final Fantasy series where different elements have a creature that represents it.

In Spellcross, there are dimensions of pure elements called the Planes. There's one for each of the four cardinal elements, so a Plane of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Fire elementals resemble canines, water elementals resemble birds, air elementals resemble lizards, and earth elementals resemble bovines. I wanted to go with different animals than what classically represent the elements (i.e. salamander for fire), and I'm happy with the designs I've ended up with. The elementals lie on the same Arcana Rank scale as other monsters and their bodies change drastically between lower to higher ranked ones, with Elemental Gods sitting at the highest rank. If you want a brief look at a Fire Elemental, check the Tales from Spellcross page where a summoner calls one to battle.

Ch14 22

Chapter 14 Page 22 - http://bit.ly/1RilAcH 

 Abnormal types (which, again, includes Demonkin like the Gardener here) are so named because they have different properties from other dungeon monsters. The main thing is that they can come and go as they please, so you might imagine the gardener walking around the dungeon watering the plants, all the while being ignored by the monsters scattered throughout. It's a fun mental picture, for me anyway. Just think about this little guy spreading some water around on the Predator Vine the group just defeated. Maybe it'd smile a little bit with that grotesque mouth. 

 Anyway, abnormals often occupy the deadly "wandering monster" role in more dangerous dungeons. For those rooms not blocked by barriers, they could enter at any time to attack the adventurers, even when they're occupied with other monsters. Since demonkin also possess cruelty and intelligence, more sinister ones can plot against the adventurers and lay traps further into the dungeon. Scary!

Ch14 21

Chapter 14 Page 21 - http://bit.ly/1KplIX2 

 You might be wondering why there's a well kept garden in a monster infested dungeon. Well... the answer isn't easy for me to explain, and would be some pretty serious story spoilers. Suffice to say that not all dungeons are caves and castles, there'll be some pretty interesting and varied locales. This is also yet another time that I've become really attached to a monster or side character, I love drawing this little guy. He'll be sticking around for a number of pages yet, but I'll still be sad to see him go. 

 This actually reminds me, one thing I always aim for in my writing is for every character to be interesting or dynamic. There shouldn't ever be a "filler" character as far as I'm concerned. Even if they only appear for a few pages, I want the reader to see them and how they act and wonder about their personality, their motivations, etc. In this case it's just a tiny little imp, but you might wonder just how long he's been tending the garden. How much does he care about his plants? Where'd he get those dapper gardening clothes?

Ch14 19-20

Chapter 14 Page 19 - http://bit.ly/1cbVKHO - Chapter 14 Page 20 - http://bit.ly/1HnpsqZ 

 Hey, it's a new monster type! I'll be posting a bestiary page on Abnormals in time ($5 patrons will get to see it on the lore tumblr), but 'til then here's a quick rundown. Abnormals are monsters with high intelligence that are known to use magic and gain greater strength from the Dungeon Core than other types. There's two major classifications of Abnormals, demonkin and dragonkin. Demonkin form into hierarchies based on their size, strength, and magical power while Dragonkin are ranked solely on their age. This little Imp is of the lowest class of demon, but even the weakest demon can cause a lot of trouble.

Ch14 18

Chapter 14 Page 18 - http://bit.ly/1Ke73Kz 

 Time for a fun mini-discussion about spellcasting. There hasn't been any actual discussion on the act of casting spells in-comic, so I hope you all will enjoy it. While considering the magic system for Spellcross, I put a heck of a lot of thought into how I wanted to approach it. There's D&D styled magic which is based on memorization and strict somatic/vocal components with reagents, there's Wheel of Time styled spellcasting that kills you as you use it, etc etc. My main concern was crafting a spellcasting system that was both freeform (allowing for characters with highly specialized casting styles) and still adhered to a classic elemental wheel. There's also the "mp bar" of sorts with one's essence pool from which they draw the energy to cast a spell. It all comes together in what I hope will be a coherent and engaging system of magic. Things are still low powered right now in the story, but soon you might get to see some more complicated, over the top spells...

Ch14 16-17

Chatper 14 Page 16 - http://bit.ly/1Fv4Hn3 - Chapter 14 Page 17 - http://bit.ly/1IAe9vy 

 Not much to say about page 16 other than it was fun drawing all that wind. Page 17 features more of Briar's tsundere charms, which frankly never gets old. Some might feel this character type is too predictable, which I can admit. It's okay to have some predictable characters around, those ones you can rely on to react a certain way to situations. Briar's just like that. Also worth noting that this is the first good shot of Nell's broom/staff, being used as an actual broom. I imagine her broom to be like one of those decorative straw brooms that people with country sensibilities put in their houses, but that can't actually sweep much of anything.

Ch14 14-15

Chapter 14 Page 14 - http://bit.ly/19ArXYN - Chapter 14 Page 15 - http://bit.ly/1Bpq4DP 

 Only four panels on this page, but I felt like the mini fire explosions going off inside the "fire bane" cloud was more important to illustrate than the resulting big explosion. I always think of pages like this as happening in animation rather than static images. Maybe some day there'll be an adaption, wouldn't that be something? Also worth mentioning that I've lifted a lot from the Salve-Maker job of Bravely Default for Caldwell's battle alchemy. I think that sort of active combining of ingredients to get an offensive effect is really fun. Will he be able to pull it off consistently in battles with monsters? Probably not...

Ch14 13

Chapter 14 Page 13 - http://bit.ly/1CoaeQE 

 Ahh big special attacks... I could expound for hours on my love of super moves and special attacks. The concept of named special moves that have a bigger, better version with something like "ultra" or in this case "symphony" on the end, whew! It gives me chills. Anyway, when it comes right down to it all these C rankers are just using multiples of the same spell before when they use a "big" move, so it's really not that impressive. I imagine it like someone exercising does a few pull-ups, but if they really bust it out they can do five pull-ups really fast and leave themselves tired afterwards. Or maybe a punching bag is a better metaphor? I'm just rambling now, I'll stop.

 Here's one of my favorite super moves, check out all the EX Burst attacks from Dissidia if you want a really good idea of the kind of finishing attacks I like :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jiu7MY_Q_Og

Ch14 12

Chapter 14 Page 12 - http://bit.ly/17RBrxa 

 Pages like these are where I really wish I could release Spellcross in a weekly or monthly format. Ideally this series of actions would've been about two pages, where Bram and Nell both visibly hold back from attacking while Briar is dangled over the Vine's gaping maw. I've learned when and where I can condense things like action and dialogue, though. Earlier chapters involving the first dungeon exam went on longer than they really should've because I kept the action at an "ideal" length instead of trying to condense. The result is that it reads really well, but it took more than half a year to complete that part of the story. Some might say the action feels rushed here, and I might agree, but it's a necessity for the story to keep chugging along. I really want to finish Spellcross before I die of old age, y'know?

Ch14 11

Chapter 14 Page 11 - http://bit.ly/17hV7dr 

 Ahh it's nice to be drawing action again. These kinds of pages are always my favorite to draw. Commentary may be sparse in these sorts of action pages, but I can at least default to talking about composition and such. One thing to consider in a page like this is when to apply speedlines, and when it's necessary to draw a background. In panel 3 there's a full background to set the scene of the action. In panel 4 immediately after, we have zero background with all speedlines. The last panel then has a mix, to give more depth to the vine reaching out to grab Briar's ankle. I don't generally sit and craft these angles very precisely, it's more like I have a clear image of how the action flows in my mind and pick the key "shots" to transfer into panels.

Ch14 10

Chapter 14 Page 10 - http://bit.ly/17mPpXh 

 Let's talk monster design a little bit! In this day and age, it's difficult to come up with something truly original in terms of enemies and monsters in fiction. Spellcross itself is derivative of all the games I've played and loved in my life, so I draw a lot from experience when I design a new monster. For this nature themed Garden dungeon, it's only natural (sorry) that a plant type monster would appear. Now, plant type monsters... what springs to mind immediately is a piranha plant from the Mario games. There's only so many ways to draw a plant with teeth, after all. Maybe the plant from Little Shop of Horrors comes to mind? 

 Anyway, in designing this monster I had to make sure it wasn't too "badass". We're still only in Rank C after all, so there has to be room to grow. In this case the big ol' lips and drool add enough goofiness to offset the fearsome teeth.

Ch14 09

Chapter 14 Page 09 - http://bit.ly/1Kda9zm 

 There was a lot of speculation over what this Scan spell would be in the comments of the previous page, which made me really happy. People are actually paying attention to how magic works in my story! One of the things that careful readers will begin to notice over time is that different wizards come up with different ways to achieve their goals through magic. In this case, to scout out a hidden monster the perfect method would be remote viewing via scrying. For someone without scrying however, Bram's method of using a shockwave works almost as well. When it connects with a monster, it becomes outlined in light. Other methods might involve magic to modify one's sight and see in a heat/infra spectrum, or a weak damaging spell that covers a wide area to flush them out. Also, don't miss the pobba in panel 3! These little guys are harmless monsters crossed over from my friend GigasT's comic Risk Hunter K. They'll be hidden around any time the story gets to a wooded area.

Ch14 08

Chapter 14 Page 08 - http://bit.ly/1umsb9h 

 The Goddess has already been mentioned a few times now, but not properly introduced. As with all things that haven't been fully explained yet, it's being saved for later. Short explanation is that she's the Goddess of Magic who blessed the world with life and essence long ago, who still watches over her creation. A common phrase is "By the goddess", the Spellcross equivalent of "Oh my God", as well as "Goddess grace you" to politely finish a conversation or wish a blessing on someone. You might remember the Teleportation attendant from the first dungeon exam saw the party off with "Goddess grace you on your quest." This'll show up more times later on as well.

Ch14 07

Chapter 14 Page 07 - http://bit.ly/1ylOC5s 

 This page has a little more exposition on the nature of the dungeons. While scripting, I tried to think of the most obvious questions a reader might have regarding dungeon exploration. At this point in the story they're still mysterious places, and any assumptions the reader would have are tied to dungeons from RPGs and other video games. Playing off of that, one of the first questions might be "What if they break a wall / tunnel through", or possibly "Why don't they just teleport to the boss room." First one's addressed here, second one maybe some other time. 

 Now, any correlations to video games should not lead the reader to thinking "I bet this is all inside a video game!" Despite the heavy RPG influences, I can 100% confirm that the story is NOT going to go in that direction. As much as I love tales of players inside fantasy realms (dothack, log horizon, etc) this story is not intended to be one of them. Though, if I ever make a long post about the history and origins of Spellcross, I'll get to talk about how it was originally that kind of story years and years ago, before it had a proper name.

Ch14 06

Chapter 14 Page 06 - http://bit.ly/1BcT2ed 

 Spellcross factors very heavily on the concept of dungeons, a well established aspect of RPGs since their inception. Many games I've played over the years have gone into crafting the lore of Spellcross, creating an amalgam of things I love about exploring them. Dungeon themes, monster spawns, a dungeon boss guarding the exit and a chest of loot; all of these things have appeared in games I've played and loved. Transferring the dungeons into a "real" setting, where the characters are battling for their lives in them is the absolute core concept of Spellcross. The naming scheme is un-apologetically lifted from dotHack, I have to admit. I loved the dungeons in that game as well. It always gave me a thrill to see what name the random dungeons would have, and added weight to the story-specific dungeons where important boss characters were waiting. Hidden Forbidden Holy-Ground... I mean, if an area like that was just a place name, it wouldn't have the same impact. 

 The dungeons in Spellcross get a three-part name as well, given when a Scryer inspects the dungeon from afar. The first two describe the environment, and the third the overarching dungeon theme. Monsters will almost always fit the theme of the dungeon, such as with the zombies and spider from the first dungeon. Maybe we'll see some Nature themed monsters coming up? It seemed more appropriate to introduce this naming scheme with the second dungeon rather than the first in order to keep the feeling of ignorance and helplessness during the dungeon exam. I hope in time people will have a "favorite dungeon" from the comic, and it'll have an ultra cool name to go with it.

Ch14 05

Chapter 14 Page 05 - http://bit.ly/1FA7HEk 

 I still haven't taken time to explain Alchemy in depth, but it might still be a while before I do. Most people reading the comic have at least a basic idea of what alchemy does, the same way they understand magic and spells. Because of this I've held off on a big information dump, since it'll be just plain tiresome to read all at once. Instead I like to write little blurbs like this, where Caldwell talks about alchemy and items/materials he's used and how he used them.

Ch14 04

Chapter 14 Page 04 - http://bit.ly/1tK8fm1 

 And here we have the current dungeon group! Ah, this is a good time for me to elaborate a little on character roles. In MMO's, players typically take a role of either a Tank, Healer, or DPS (what's called the "holy trinity"). I wanted this kind of class based system to be represented in Spellcross, but the concept of "monster aggro" is very game-centric and doesn't make much sense in a realistic setting. So to that end, the adventurer types in Spellcross fall into four groups: Frontline, Support, Ranged Damage, and Direct Damage. Frontliners are those who face monsters directly and make sure they don't get to the other group members. Damagers are self explanatory, and Support wraps up both healer types and those like Nell here who disable monsters, as well as guys like Caldwell who don't fit neatly into the other groups.

 These roles differ from an adventurer's class in that a class does not directly determine a role when it comes to forming a dungeon group. Briar likes to be up in monsters' faces, so she chooses Frontline. Other Spellswords might prefer the Direct Damage role in order to pick their strikes and avoid taking damage. Roles also apply when someone wants to challenge a dungeon, but doesn't have a premade group to go with. 

 Sidenote, you can't see it yet, but Nell follows so-called "witch fashion" and casts her spells with a broom. It's made out of the same materials a staff would, so it's really just an aesthetic thing.

Ch14 03

Chapter 14 Page 03 - http://bit.ly/1tBtFw8 

 Whoah! Caldwell made a fireball! For those who were paying attention to the plot so far, this is obviously the culmination of Caldwell's research involving his alchemy weapon. There'll be an in-comic explanation later on, for now don't stress the details too much. Let's just say he's using the fire gem from the first dungeon boss in a way that lets him create fireballs like the ones it shot from its mouth. It's magic for the magically impaired! It should also be said that I love drawing magic in action. These types of pages are always my favorite. Coming next page, proper re-introductions for the current cast!

Ch14 02

Chapter 14 Page 02 -http://spellcross.smackjeeves.com/comics/2068951/ch14-02/ 

 Nell's signature spell is called "Icy Bubble". As a support spell it's super helpful; it creates a sphere out of a thin layer of ice, which is full of freezing water. When something touches the bubble, it shatters and sprays the freezing water in that direction, covering whatever touches it in a layer of ice. The actual damage is low, but the explosion can send a monster careening away, and when it lands it'll be disabled by the ice covering its body. Nell can only make one bubble at a time, but with careful positioning it becomes a strong support spell. That's utility, folks! You can also see a better view of Caldwell's new coat here. I'll elaborate on his design more when there's a proper view of it a few pages from now.

Ch14 01

Chapter 14 Page 01 -http://spellcross.smackjeeves.com/comics/2068351/ch14-01/ 

 Well, I hope any of my current readers will see the difference between the old style and the new here. I'm utilizing more layers, as well as digital tools I've disregarded in the past such as blurring and filters. I'm also working at a much higher res than before, so when the page is reduced to post it looks much cleaner and more crisp. I'm still finishing pages in a good timeframe as well, so consider this the new standard moving forward. Content wise, well, as the introduction after a long break there's going to be a few pages of lead-in to the chapter. Non-patrons might still be in the dark, but you all know that the girl fighting here is Briar wielding her spell-knife. As an air mage she has access to some cool spells, but this I'll talk more about that in the coming pages.

Ch14 Title Page

Chapter 14 Title Page - http://spellcross.smackjeeves.com/comics/2067765/chapter-14-dungeon-run/  

So, here's the inaugural post of artist commentary! I'll be sharing my thoughts on pages when they get uploaded, and sometimes reveal some lore snippets and secrets. The keen eyed may have already noticed some costume changes for the new chapter! Briar's ditched the school uniform kerchief for a hooded cloak, and while it's being obscured by the title, Caldwell's coat has changed as well. Bram's as dark and mysterious as ever, though. The pink haired girl in the back is a new character named Nell, an Ice Mage. Creating her has been a lot of fun, and I'm excited to draw her more. I've been accused of filling my webcomic with too many cute girls, but if that's a crime then guilty as charged, lock me up.