Let's Play Fighting Fantasy 41: Master of Chaos

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Put on the ring. Maybe it'll give us protection from his magic.

Besides, this is probably the Boss fight. Any advantage we could have gained by wearing the ring may be wasted if we don't use it for this fight.
Last edited by SGamerz on Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Starmaker »

Since the "immensely powerful artifact that's too good for you the player" is already represented by the Staff, the ring is likely beneficial. Put it on.
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Sirocco
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Post by Sirocco »

Changing my vote to put it on.
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Post by SlyJohnny »

You now have Shanzikuul's SKILL ring. This increases your SKILL by 2 points when worn; it can increase your SKILL above its Initial level, and you may add it to the SKILL bonus you already have for any Magic Sword you may possess. It is even possible for your SKILL to exceed 12 with this bonus if your Initial SKILL was high to begin with. What's more, when you fight Shanzikuul in hand-to-hand combat, you may subtract 2 from the SKILL rating given for him, since you have taken his magical ring away - make a note of this! However, the dark mage has had time to get well away from you, and now he prepares to cast a spell from his Staff as you head for him.
As you run towards him, Shanzikuul holds his black skull-tipped Staff of Power aloft and whispers a few words. Right in your path a Wall of Bones materializes, and you run straight into a barrier of hard-knobbed, sharp bones. Deduct 4 points from your STAMINA. You have to spend time getting round this obstacle, and Shanzikuul is readying another spell: turn to 316.
You'll get to the wizard soon-but not soon enough! His Staff conjures a writhing ball of slime-dripping tentacles. beaks and mucus, and the disgusting creation flies through the air, straight at your face!
Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, tum to 204. If you
are Unlucky, turn to 95.

(We are Lucky.)
You duck, avoiding the slobbering abomination which smacks wetly into the wall behind you and whimpers as it thrashes mindlessly about. Now you close with the sword-wielding wizard.
Shanzikuul has lived for centuries, defying death at the hands of innumerable powerful enemjes. You will have to be brave and very fortunate to overcome this supernaturally powerful magician:

SHANZIKUUL SKILL 13 STAMINA 16

If you reduce Shanzikuul's STAMINA to 2 or below without killing him, tum at once to 306.
This guy would be our equal in SKILL... if we weren't carrying the moonstone sword and hadn't just jacked his magic ring.

Combat Log:
Huge 19, Shanzikuul 21. Shanzikuul 16, Huge 9
Huge 18, Shanzikuul 19. Shanzikuul 16, Huge 7.
Huge 21, Shanzikuul 14. Shanzikuul 14, Huge 7.
Huge 20, Shanzikuul 22. Shanzikuul 14, Huge 5.
Huge 21, Shanzikuul 16. Shanzikuul 12, Huge 5.
Huge 20, Shanzikuul 15. Shanzikuul 10, Huge 5.
Huge 20, Shanzikuul 13. Shanzikuul 8, Huge 5.
Huge 16, Shanzikuul 14. Shanzikuul 6, Huge 5.
Huge 23, Shanzikuul 18. Shanzikuul 4, Huge 5.
Huge 24, Shanzikuul 21. Shanzikuul 2, Huge 5.
Shanzikuul at 2, we turn at once to 306.
Shanzikuul's amulet glimmers! Work out the Attack Strengths for the two of you in this Attack Round. If you have the higher Attack Shength, turn to 349. If Shanzikuul has the higher Attack Strength, turn to 3.

(Huge 16, Shanzikuul 14. Shanzikuul dead, Huge 5. He did surprisingly well, and cut a few chucks out of us even without his skill ring, but now...)
You strike down the Master of Chaos! Bloodied, his body falls and as it does, an event of unutterable horror takes place. The mage's face, frozen in terror, twitches briefly, and the eyes roll over in their sockets, to stare in paralysed horror at the tiny, malefic fiend that flits towards him. You cannot bear to watch the fiend consuming Shanzikuul's soul.
You have thirty seconds to carry out certain actions. You may eat a meal (takes thirty seconds - there is food on the table if you have no Provisions left), drink a Potion if you can (ten seconds per Potion drunk), use a magical LUCK ring if you have one (ten seconds), or draw a charge from a magic item if you have one with charges (ten seconds per charge drawn). You have other options; these, with the time they take, are:

Read a magical book, if you have one (thirty seconds)
Take a ring from Shanzikuul's hand, if you haven't done so before (ten seconds)
Run like the wind out of here (thirty seconds)
Retrieve the Staff of Power (thirty seconds)
Take the amulet from Shanzikuul's neck (ten seconds)

When you have selected and performed your actions, turn to 216.
Alright, 30 seconds worth of buff rounds. Go go go!

Adventure Sheet
Huge Nuge

SKILL 13/11 (14 in combat)
STAMINA 5/17
LUCK 11/12

Skills: Blindsight, Acute Hearing, Tracking, Move Silently

Equipment: 9/12 Provisions
Boots with hidden coin compartments
7gp (hidden in boots)
Backpack
Waterskin
Leather armour and shield
Lantern
Ring of Endurance
Boots of Stealth
Medicinal herbs, 2 bags
Preservative spices, 1 bag
Potion of Healing
Bronze Bracelet
Iron Key
Sword
Crossbow, 5 bolts
Magic Scimitar (+1 SKILL when below 11, sheds light as a lantern)
Brandy, 2 tots
29-ray Silver Amulet
Metal Torch
Rope
Baalberith's Scimitar (+1 SKILL)
Book entitled The Three Hundred and Thirty Incantations of Ssassuzlit
Moon Sword, 3 revitalising charges
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

We should probably fulfill our mission and retrieve the staff.
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Sirocco
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Post by Sirocco »

Healing healing healing.

ETA: Usually, if we're given a brief respite after a fight, something bad will happen afterwards. So, given our low STAMINA, I think we should gobble up 3 Provisions to bring us back to full.
Last edited by Sirocco on Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

I assume by "gobble up 3 Provisions" you mean "deplete the Moon Sword" given that eating even one Provision would eat up the entire 30 seconds.
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Post by Sirocco »

Whoops. Yes, that's right.
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Post by Starmaker »

Oh shit. I know whom we're going to fight. Spend two charges from the sword. If we're at 12 or lower, drink the potion of healing for a guaranteed 5 hp. If we're at 13 to 15, spend the last charge instead.
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Post by Sirocco »

I kinda have an idea as well.

Do what Starmaker suggests.
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Post by SGamerz »

Starmaker wrote:Oh shit. I know whom we're going to fight. Spend two charges from the sword. If we're at 12 or lower, drink the potion of healing for a guaranteed 5 hp. If we're at 13 to 15, spend the last charge instead.
Yeah, considering all the foreshadowing, it's pretty obvious who's going to show up here.

I'm tempted to go for the magic book if it didn't take up the full 30 seconds (or if our STAMINA weren't this low), but I think we need to heal, and there's no guarantee that the book will help, so...

.....agree with what Starmaker suggests.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'll go with Starmaker's plan.
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Okay. This is it. Monsieur Huge Nuge, the Wyrmslayer, he whom Giants are said to speak of in fear, the keen eared tracker who can see in the dark, spends 10 seconds drawing a charge from the Moon Sword he found courtesy of that mad warrior he recently liberated from the cursed snake helm.

(3+1, 4, Huge at 9/17 STAMINA)
And another. (4+1, Huge at 14/17)
And then the last charge. (3+1, Huge at 17/17)
Image

Sliding down out of thin air comes Naas the Dark Elf, clambering down his magical rope and drawing his thin-bladed, wickedly sharp longsword. This time he has no words for you, only murderous hatred in his eyes!

DARK ELF SKILL 10 STAMINA 13

If you win, turn to 400.
Combat Log
Huge 24, Naas 19. Huge 17, Naas 11.
Huge 26, Naas 19. Huge 17, Naas 9.
Huge 20, Naas 20. Huge 17, Naas 9.
Huge 18, Naas 19. Huge 15, Naas 9.
Huge 21, Naas 19. Huge 15, Naas 7.
Huge 24, Naas 19. Huge 15, Naas 5.
Huge 23, Naas 19. Huge 15, Naas 3.
Huge 19, Naas 13. Huge 15, Naas 1.
Huge 19, Naas 20. Huge 13, Naas 1.
Huge 20, Naas 15. Huge 13, Naas is dead.
Image

Naas lies dead at your feet. You tuck the Staff of Power under your arm, and then you notice a faint gleam in Shanzikuul's amulet. You guess that this is some sort of teleportation-magic item, and you pray desperately that it will be powerful enough to transport you home, as you hear the screams and howls of cleaver-wielding Mutants approaching down the passage beyond the door. You know nothing about the way magic works, so you pray to the Gods of Law and Good to help you, and you hold the amulet tight round your neck, trying to conjure up an image of Amberon and the place you met while still concentrating fervently on the amulet, as your fingers turn white and you hold on to it for dear life...

...and the magic works! You are standing amongst a gathering of cowled wizards, one of whom is reading from an ancient scroll of vellum, browned with age; and they stand, gazing in astonishment upon the relic you have brought back to them. Their bewilderment turns to relief, and smiles spread over the faces of men whose expressions are usually so serious, they look as if they have never smiled in their entire lives.

'I'm sorry this isn't a more lighthearted occasion,' Amberon confides to you at the feast held later in your honour, 'but some of the wizards are still shaken, despite their relief by what has happened. And, just between you and me, some of them aren't exactly proficient at rejoicing and making merry.' Looking around at the old wizards, you can believe it. 'But at least there ale the rewards to look forward to. The older wizards have been scouring the Guild of Wizardry for objects which might make a fitting reward. There are a good magical weapon or two they found lying about, and a magic platter which provides food whenever you need it-' how good that sounds! '-and a suit of the finest magical chainmail the Elven warrior-wizards have made in years - and one or two other items too. That is, if you're interested, of course...' Amberon smiles as he sees that you are very interested indeed, and then he goes on to enumerate the gold, and the gems, and the intelligent warhorse...

You smile and stretch out in comfort. It's going to be a long night, and you've deserved it a hundred times over!
Final Adventure Sheet
Huge Nuge

SKILL 13/11 (14 in combat)
STAMINA 13/17
LUCK 11/12

Skills: Blindsight, Acute Hearing, Tracking, Move Silently

Equipment: 9/12 Provisions
Boots with hidden coin compartments
7gp (hidden in boots)
Backpack
Waterskin
Leather armour and shield
Lantern
Ring of Endurance
Boots of Stealth
Medicinal herbs, 2 bags
Preservative spices, 1 bag
Potion of Healing
Bronze Bracelet
Iron Key
Sword
Crossbow, 5 bolts
Magic Scimitar (+1 SKILL when below 11, sheds light as a lantern)
Brandy, 2 tots
29-ray Silver Amulet
Metal Torch
Rope
Baalberith's Scimitar (+1 SKILL)
Book entitled The Three Hundred and Thirty Incantations of Ssassuzlit
Moon Sword, 0 revitalising charges
Last edited by SlyJohnny on Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

So, that was easier than I remembered! Almost anti-climatic towards the end, Naas didn't stand a chance against an effective skill of 14. You guys hit pretty much all the right choices the entire way through, and did the initial Ashkyos preparations in what seems like an optimal order. I hope how over-prepared Huge was for the final act made you feel smug and empowered, rather than disappointed.

Final thoughts: I do wish they'd made more of the competitors for the staff, it turned out to be just us and the dark elf Naas, plus Vardrath the Necromancer (or whatever his name was).

I do like that there was almost no item that was strictly necessary to win aside from the Iron Key; other then that, the most important "item" is probably Jesper. Without him, you get automatically murdered in your sleep by that mutant orc before even reaching Rahasta, unless you bought either a camel (which wakes you up so you only take a gut wound) or a ferry ticket (which lets you bypass the damn thing entirely). And even once in Rahasta, without Jesper, you don't survive the night unless you have Acute Hearing. So the Iron Key is mandatory for the end game, and either Acute Hearing or Jesper are necessary to have made it to Kabesh in the first place. Everything else just makes the journey easier.

The lower your SKILL, the more you have to get it optimally right, but even a skill of 7 and STAMINA 14 can become a skill 10 vs the big bad's of 11, if you found at least one of the magic swords and made sure to steal Shanzikuul's ring. LUCK gives you decent odds of bridging the gap, and if you managed to scrounge enough healing items to get back up to full after defeating Shanzikuul, you can outmatch Naas in the final fight. The necromancer is a tougher fight- as you have to kill him at some stage to get the Iron Key, without the skill ring, and the odds of him escaping a low skill character in Ashkyos are pretty good- but Naas will help you if you take him on in Kabesh.

If there's interest, I'll probably do Sword of the Samurai next. That was one of my favourites, too. I don't remember it as clearly, but I do remember the art being awesome/creepy as balls, and it also gives you a mundane skill to take with you.

Legend of Zagor was perhaps my most favourite, but it's a very lengthy dungeon crawl with lots of "short" choices interspersed with long descriptive text, so maybe not optimal for this format.

Freeway Fighter was also cool, but I imagine we'd die on that one a lot. You need to scavenge fuel cans and there's lot of blind choices, and it has that sadistic tendency typical to many FF books where it'll let you play on for a little while before finally saying "oh btw, you missed a fuel can when you turned left instead of right back on paragraph 147, so now your car runs out of fuel and you die, gg".

Anyway, I really enjoyed that. Thanks for being such entertaining readers/players, all :) What did you think of it?
Last edited by SlyJohnny on Tue Dec 16, 2014 8:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

I strongly advise against Sword of the Samurai. There's a whole blind choice mambo in the mid-late game where the slightest deviation leads to bullshit death, and I think it would be really toxic for a pbp format.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

What happens if we give Kanestin the book?

Remind me - when does Vardath the Necromancer appear if you didn't kill him in Ashkyos?

What happens if we grab the Staff of Power instead of healing up for the fight with our old flame Naas?
Last edited by Omegonthesane on Tue Dec 16, 2014 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

What would've happened if we accepted the BBEG's offer to join him?
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Post by erik »

SlyJohnny wrote:What did you think of it?
I enjoyed vicariously following the adventures. I felt the ending was proper that Nuge dispensed a thorough thrashing considering y'all kept making the proper decisions all the way through he ought've been well situated for the end.
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Post by Sirocco »

Thanks for the ride, SlyJohnny. It was a fun adventure.

Re: next book. 10 votes for Legend of Zagor.

What, I can't do that? Fine then, just one very very definitive vote. :) I kinda half-remember that book and it's enormous fun for the dungeon (well, castle) crawler. We can even do a map as we progress.
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Sirocco wrote:What, I can't do that? Fine then, just one very very definitive vote. :) I kinda half-remember that book and it's enormous fun for the dungeon (well, castle) crawler. We can even do a map as we progress.
I loved it to bits! Just from memory, there's a lot of small "are you sure" type choices, mixed in with the occasional wall of text, so it might be an awkward format. I might be wrong. Master of Chaos had that extended trek through the desert and that wasn't so bad. I am curious to see how it holds up to nostalgia...
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Omegonthesane wrote:What happens if we give Kanestin the book?
"You hand Patriarch Kanestin the magical folio. His eyes fill with evil pleasure as he takes it in his trembling hands, and he cackles at the evils deep within the later parts of the book. Deduct 1 point from your LUCK for helping this evil man; but he does at least tell you where the entrance to the Chaos Pits is: it is somewhere in the warehouses. He also knows that there is a trapped portcullis in the Pits, and the trap can somehow be avoided by magical fire, but again he can give you no details. 'It won't make any difference anyway,' he gloats, 'Shanzikuul eats people like you for breakfast!' Then he recites a spell from the book and is gone!"

So a hint for how to bypass that trap (which you didn't need, thanks to some shrewd deductive logic) and the location of the entrance.

The book itself is useful if Shanzikuul survives the first fight. That stunt with the amulet was him attempting to teleport and heal up. If he'd won the last attack round, we'd have gotten 30 seconds to heal up ourselves before he teleported back, with similar choices to the scene before fighting Naas.

Using the book there takes the full 30 seconds, but you chance upon a Spell of Fortifying, which heals some of all three stats. Using it the second time around (before fighting Naas) just wastes time and gets you nothing.
Omegonthesane wrote:Remind me - when does Vardath the Necromancer appear if you didn't kill him in Ashkyos?
In the Mausoleum. He shows up after fight with the two skeletons. He has a higher SKILL and STAMINA because the mausoleum makes him more powerful, and one or two nasty spells (as he's already found and claimed the book), but having the bracelet means that Naas would've shown up after a few rounds and joined in attacking him with his skill of 10. Naas would've given us another swig of one of the healing potions he always seems to have, and spelled it out to us once again that we were even stevens now, and that the next time he met us, he'd kill us to get the Staff.
Omegonthesane wrote:What happens if we grab the Staff of Power instead of healing up for the fight with our old flame Naas?
"You retrieve the Staff of Power, but you have already used up precious time getting to it, and you dare not employ the soul-destroying malign Powers within it!"

Nothing basically. It's a time sink.
Darth Rabbitt wrote:What would've happened if we accepted the BBEG's offer to join him?
"So be it. You become the puppet of the mage, and you are soon one more warped servant of chaos. Corrupted and depraved, before long you will get your just deserts at the hands of a braver and better warrior than yourself!"

Fighting Fantasy books generally go for black and white morality, so joining up with Team Evil rarely goes unpunished.
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Post by SGamerz »

I think the ending felt rather rushed. Far as I can see, it's entirely possible to have never met the Dark Elf, and those who didn't run into him will probably confused as to what's going on. I'm also disappointed there isn't a separate dialogue for characters who only met Naas for the first time at the end. Also we seemed to have found out what his name is even though he never once introduce himself. The only clue we picked up about that is when we find the piece of note in the mutant troll's cave, and even that was pretty vague.

Still like the book in general, though. The best part of the game is the city portion (Ashkyos).

As to the new LP, I have all 3 books, but Legend of Zagor is the only one that I don't know inside out. The only things I remember about that book is having to choose between 4 pre-created characters, and that it was really difficult. I guess I'll vote for LoZ.
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