Defeating the Gholam

[aevogt]

Is there any reason why a channeler couldn't simply pick up everything in the room, including the kitchen sink, and used it to simply beat the hell out of a Gholam.  They may be fast but I was thinking about how fast Rand is able to manipulate things using the power.  In TSR, he actually weaves cloth using threads from the melted stag and wolves.  That shows pretty good dexterity with the Power. 

 

If he were to pick up, oh, say a dozen swords, I'd think not even the Gholam would be able to survive being put through a threshing machine like that.  Sliced to bits (think of a paper shredder) is a little bit more damaging than Mat's knife in it's ribs.

 

 

 

 

[elmis]

The problem is, how do you spot him before it's too late.. and would he attack you knowing there are several people that can channel in the room?

[DemandredFO]

Rand is as powerful as a man can be.  You would need at least Egwene level strength to do that or have a powerful angreal or sa'angreal

[hurryupnwait]

I think it is a solid idea, it may even happen like that, the Aes Sedai with Mat have figured out his little loophole and it would not take much of a leap from there as to how to deal with a creature with similiar protection.  Also Teslyn or Joline at least being sitters would be decent in strength in the OP.  Also RJ went out of his way to demonstrate that these women found the loophole it might just play out with them throw crap at the gholam.

[DuDZiK]

I always thought that Rand, if he's attacked by one, should do to him what Rand did to himself to protect himself from the attack the Asha'man launched at him in Cairhien, when he surrounded himself with a layer of rock or something. It was completely sealed; and wouldn't even let air in so he couldn't keep it around him long, but doing that to a gholam should contain it nicely, and then you can bury the thing a few miles under ground and no more gholan to worry about ;D

[Morindin]

I had been thinking about how to defeat a Gholam without the One Power ever since Mat faced one.

 

I beleive that the Gholam is too fast for a guy with 1 sword...

 

So the image that always poped in my head has always been Anakin in Attack of the Clones wielding 2 light sabers against count Dooku...

 

How about the best blade master, which in my opinion is Lan, wielding 2 swords??? If he could not kill it, could he at least have a draw???

 

[BKVMC]

I think fain could kill the gholam  and i hope  he does :)  but i think  that battle  if the golem appears again will be slated for Mat to  take on.

[YoungKing]

If Aes Sedai kill the Gholam by throwing shit at it, I will be extremely disappointed.

 

I want to see a one on one between Mat and this thing. They are both in their own ways anti-channelers which would make sense for them to duke it out. Perhaps Mat's spear could have a similar effect on it?

 

YK.

[Saidar]

He can not be killed with swords. When Mat fights him in Ebo Dar he sticks his dagger in him and the Gholam just laught and pulled it back out. What would help is this:

 

I always thought that Rand, if he's attacked by one, should do to him what Rand did to himself to protect himself from the attack the Asha'man launched at him in Cairhien, when he surrounded himself with a layer of rock or something. It was completely sealed; and wouldn't even let air in so he couldn't keep it around him long, but doing that to a gholam should contain it nicely, and then you can bury the thing a few miles under ground and no more gholan to worry about.

 

I was thinking about this too. Seems pretty easy to me. But do Gholams need air? That's the question. Just keep him away from blood for a long time and he dies, I think.

[Luckers]

Lightning seems the most effective weapon to use on a Gholam. We know his essense can burn. Other than that a deathgate would likely be effective too--possibly balefire, depending on how it actually works.

[Kura]

Lightning seems the most effective weapon to use on a Gholam. We know his essense can burn. Other than that a deathgate would likely be effective too--possibly balefire, depending on how it actually works.

 

How does the Gholam resist channeling? I always thought he had some sort of weave cutting aura, or maybe a TP aura that wouldn't mix with the OP, and thus weave disapaited when they were thrown at him... If so, I don't think any of those would really work; they'd just be repulsed/destroyed/slashed/baked in a pie before they got near him.

 

But its been a while, so be gentle. ;)

 

Oh, and welcome back Luckers, not sure how long you didn't post, but the forums were void without you. ^_^

[RobertAlexWillis]

How does the Gholam resist channeling?

 

We don't know ... exactly.  But the effect is not weaves being slashed or cut ... they simply disappear.  If the flows touch him -poof- they're gone, much the same as Mat's ter'angreal, with similar apparent weaknesses.

[Kura]

Well...this doesn't shoot down my TP aura idea. Yay, had a thought that lasted a full post by RAW -gives himself a medal-  :D

[RobertAlexWillis]

Well ...

 

... the TP aura doesn't seem likely.  Both Mat's ter'angreal and one of Cadsuane's have precisely the same effect ... and it is highly unlikely that either uses the True Power ... since that can only be accessed with the Dark One's explicit consent, and not, apparently, through any kind of artifact.

 

... sorry ...  :(

[Graikos]

We know Mat's foxhead burns the Gholam. Maybe that whinebag Elayne should take a look at it. She has that gift to tell how angrael work. Then use those weaves to kill the Gholam. Problem solved.  ;D

[Kura]

Well ...

 

... the TP aura doesn't seem likely.  Both Mat's ter'angreal and one of Cadsuane's have precisely the same effect ... and it is highly unlikely that either uses the True Power ... since that can only be accessed with the Dark One's explicit consent, and not, apparently, through any kind of artifact.

 

... sorry ...  :(

 

I can still fight! From what I understand shadowspawn are creatures created with the True Power, and since it is in them they can't go through gateways made of the OP. Perhaps the gholam was so saturated with the true power, that he effectivly is immune to the one power, due to their inability to mix?

 

This could also be used to explain why Mat's weave cutting medallion hurts him. Since if you are cut off from the TP, you are sliced from the OP as well. So, when mat's medallion touches the Gholam it cuts away the True power in that spot of him, and without it he is hurt.

 

Or there could be another explanation... The Medallion being an OP construct, and the Gholam being made of TP, when they are forced into contact they hurt eachother, though the medallion doesn't appear hurt by this..

 

I'm getting very far into speculation, and shall stop. Enjoy RAW! (that's two)

[RobertAlexWillis]

I certainly don't have proof ... since as I said at the outset, we don't know exactly how the Gholam works.  It just seems unlikely that it is the True Power, given how precisely similar the effect is to the effect of Mat and Cadsuane's ter'angreal.  Its not impossible, though.  Sometimes, different procedures can produce similar or even identical results.  1+3=4, but so does 2+2.

[Kura]

So, unlikely but possible? I'll take it.  :)

[trakand_01]

lol  :D

 

Is it Dumb and Dumber where he asks what the chances are of a girl like her getting with a guy like him, she says about one in ten million and he says 'so you're saying there's a chance...'

[krelianzg]

Well, we know gholam are Shadowspawn, and we know Shadowspawn cannot survive passing through gateways.

 

The only question about the efficacy of Deathgates, in my mind, is whether the gholam's anti-OP could disrupt the weave and cause the gateway to dissipate before it completely enveloped the gholam.

 

I really don't see how a gholam could survive being through through a stationary gateway though.

 

There was a topic here a few months ago where someone suggested opening horizontal gateways underneath the gholam (which RJ specifically said is possible), and that seems like a pretty surefire way to get rid of them.

 

[Hokuten]

I've always wondered why none of these characters has realised how useful a horizontal gateway could be...

 

In Perrin's case...he was tracking down the Aiel for soooooo long.  Open up a horizontal gateway on the ground that connects to a gateway 1 mile+ up in the air.  You should easily be able to see a city sized camp of Aiel.  Or instead of having Asha'man holding gateways open all day...have then help tracking by jumping from hilltop to hilltop with a small group of trackers.  Then once the small group of trackers actually finds the Aiel...THEN send everyone through a gateway.

Oh well..thats over and done with.

 

Honestly...I think Mats luck will help kill the Gholam.  He kicks a rock while walking through a high mountain pass...and it creates a massive rock slide that tears the Gholam apart.

 

[Luckers]

The only question about the efficacy of Deathgates, in my mind, is whether the gholam's anti-OP could disrupt the weave and cause the gateway to dissipate before it completely enveloped the gholam.

 

Recall that gateways themselves have very little to do with the One Power other than in the act of creating them. Its possible that even if the Gholam destroys the weaves that opened it the gateway would not even close--or even if it did, it does take time, and involves a razorsharp rotating edge.

 

How does the Gholam resist channeling? I always thought he had some sort of weave cutting aura, or maybe a TP aura that wouldn't mix with the OP, and thus weave disapaited when they were thrown at him... If so, I don't think any of those would really work; they'd just be repulsed/destroyed/slashed/baked in a pie before they got near him.

 

Well, lightning is an effect of the power, not a direct weave. All the power does is give random electrons the energy to move, and funnel them in a direction--much like throwing  rock, only this involves throwing something much smaller. Gateways--well i mentioned them in the paragraph above and balefire im not sure on. The fact that the weave always originates close to the channeler and remains connected to that point suggests that it too is a effect, not a direct weave--but we dont know, so yeah.

 

Oh, and welcome back Luckers, not sure how long you didn't post, but the forums were void without you. ^_^

 

Thank you! I was off having a tempestuos love affair in between stopping invading aliens from conquering the moon and discussing Tolstoy with a french philosopher. (Work got busy, and i was very lame for a while. *sigh*)

 

 

[RobertAlexWillis]

The only question about the efficacy of Deathgates, in my mind, is whether the gholam's anti-OP could disrupt the weave and cause the gateway to dissipate before it completely enveloped the gholam.

 

Since Mat and Cadsuane both go through gateways with their ter'angreal on, I don't think there's a problem there.

[Majsju]

Since the Gholam melts weaves, there might be a risk that if it touches the weave creating the deathgate (or regular gateway for that matter), the entire thing will simply collapse.

[krelianzg]

I was referring not to the actual "hole" that is the gateway (which is not of the OP), but the weave that supports the Deathgates and keeps them spinning for a few minutes. It's specifically mentioned during the attack on the manor.

 

I agree with Luckers that it's unknown whether disrupting this would immediately dissolve the Deathgate or if it would simply act like the weave had worn off (in which case it would simply rotate itself closed as if it had expired on its own).