[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 43 - The Keep of the Lich-Lord

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SGamerz
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[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 43 - The Keep of the Lich-Lord

Post by SGamerz »

Fellow gamebook fans, welcome back to my next FF Let's PLay!

Book Cover:
Image
Coming back to this familiar series, I've gone back to my previous poll threads and settled on this book for 2 reasons: 1) it seems to be one of the books where most of the players here aren't already familiar with, and 2) this is one of the few remaining FF books that can legitimately be completed and played fairly without sky-high stats. Written by Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson (co-creators of Fabled Lands gamebooks), this is known as one of the easier books that some players have literally completed on their first playthrough!

So what's this book about?

Back cover blurb:
"Clawing his way back from the grave, the foul Lich-Lord has once again set his sights on the Arrowhead Islands. Allying himself with the Chaos pirates of Blood Island, he threatens to bring the Varadian Alliance under the cruel domination of his undead armies. They have already taken Bloodrise Keep, a key point in the defence of the islands, and soon nothing will stand between Mortis and victory. A cunning and fearless warrior is needed for a vital mission to enter Bloodrise Keep and overthrow Lord Mortis - a warrior like YOU!"
And here's the introduction inside the front covers:
Bloodrise Keep has fallen to a deadly foe The safety of the Arowhead Islands ls threatened once more by the forces of Evil. After two centuries of peace the dark necromancer, Lord Mortis of Balthor, has returned from the grave to rekindle the flames of war. In league with the Chaos pirates of Blood Island, and commanding legions of foul undead warriors, he threatens to sweep the Varadian Alliance into the sea!

YOU are a mercenary, battle-hardened and cunning, a man with a mission You will need all your skills if you are to penetrate Bloodrise Keep and destroy the threat to the Alliance.
Well, this time there's no arguments about whether the PC in this for the money!

First of course, we have the rules, and as usual there are the Standard FF Boilerplate Rules:

Skill, Stamina, & Luck
SKILL score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result. We roll a 3 and get 9.

STAMINA score: Roll two dice. Add 12 points to the result. We roll a 4+2 and get 18 (The Alliance doesn't seem willing to spare much expenses for a first-class mercenary. They'll have to settle for an average one!)

LUCK score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result. We roll a 5 and get 11 (Good fortune for a Soldier of Fortune!)

SKILL score reflects your expertise in combat, your ability with weapons, and your dexterity. STAMINA is your general constitution and "Life points" . LUCK score shows how lucky you are. None of them may exceed their Initial score unless specifically stated.

Eating a meal restores up to 4 points of STAMINA; you may only eat one meal at a time.

Testing your Luck: When instructed by the book to Test your Luck, roll two dice. If the result is equal to or less than your current LUCK score, you are Lucky. If the result exceeds your current LUCK score, you are Unlucky. Whatever the outcome, you must deduct one point from your current LUCK score every time you Test your Luck. The more you use your LUCK, the less likely you are to be Lucky.
Combat:
SKILL and STAMINA scores are given in the text for each adversary that you face.

The combat sequence is then:
1. Roll two dice for your opponent. Add the total rolled to its SKILL score. This is the Attack Strength of your enemy.
2. Roll two dice and add the total to your own current SKILL score. This is your Attack Strength.
3. If your Attack Strength is the higher, you have wounded your opponent: deduct 2 points from your opponent's STAMINA..
If your opponent's Attack Strength is higher, it has wounded you: deduct 2 points from your own STAMINA.
If both Attack Strengths are equal, you have avoided each other's blows.
4. Begin the next Combat Round, starting again at step 1. This procedure continues until either you or your opponent has a STAMINA score of zero. If your opponent's STAMINA score reaches zero, you have killed it and can continue with your adventure. If your own STAMINA score reaches zero, you are dead.

Often you will have to fight more than one opponent at a time. Sometimes you will treat them as a single opponent; at others, you will be able to fight them one at a time; and sometimes all of them will be able to attack you, while you defend yourself and may attack only one of them. Specific instructions will be given whenever you meet more than one opponent.

Using Luck in Combat

You can use your LUCK in combat to inflict a particularly serious wound, or to minimize a wound that has been inflicted on you.

Whenever you wound an opponent, you may Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound: deduct an extra 2 points from your opponent's STAMINA. If you are Unlucky, you have merely grazed it, and you deduct 1 point less than normal from its STAMINA.

If you have been wounded, you can Test your Luck in exactly the same way. If you are Lucky, the wound upon you was only a glancing blow and you can deduct 1 less point of STAMINA than usual. If you are Unlucky, the wound is serious: deduct 1 extra point from your STAMINA.
Additional Stuff for this book:

There are 2 new values we need to keep track of (although one of them only comes late in the book). They are:

Resolve
The major theme in this book is that we'll be facing lots of undead stuff, and they're notorious for not only good at killing people, but also at scaring people (sometimes better at the latter than the former). Apparently, those raised by this Lord Mortis guy are especially terrifying. RESOLVE is a stat that can be tested exactly like our LUCK, and a successful test (rolling under our score) determines whether we manage to overcome our fears.

Our Initial RESOLVE can be determined by rolling 1 die and adding 5: we roll a 3 and get 8. However, Resolve CAN be raised above our Initial scores. But it can never go above 12, or below 2.

There's one more thing about this stat that needs to be mentioned, but I'll leave it to later, as there's something I want to determine by your votes....
Alarm Value:
This really only comes into play during the later portions of the book. Basically, this score goes up when we do something to attract attention after we've infiltrated into Bloodrise Keep (such as making too much noise or getting spotted by patrol). Our score starts at 0, and ideally should be kept at that level if we don't want to get caught! (It will only start increasing after we enter the Keep, so we don't need to sneak about for the entire adventure)
Our Starting Equipment:

Pretty standard stuff here too: we're armed with a sword, dressed in leather armour, and carries a backpack that contains enough provisions for 10 meals.

So, before we begin, here something concerning the new stat that I'd like to hear your opinions on: one thing I've yet to mention about RESOLVE is that it's stated that every time we test it successfully, we can add 1 to it, whereas if we fail, we must subtract one from the score. Now, if we go strictly by the text, if we start with a high score we're almost guaranteed to get it up to 12 after the first few tests and pretty much be immune from failure for the rest of the book. Conversely, starting at a low score is likely to mean that it'll deteriorate all the way to 2 very quickly.

Some players choose interpret this in a different way so that the stat tests will not be horribly unbalanced: when they pass a RESOLVE test, they add 1 to the score for the next RESOLVE test (and vice versa for failures) instead of adding to the score permanently, which does sound fair.

What do you guys think about this? Should be adhere strictly by the letter of the text regarding the RESOLVE tests for this playthrough (add/subtract 1 permanently for each test), or go by the latter interpretation (add/subtract only for the next test)?

Note that there are also other opportunity for gain/loss of RESOLVE other than via tests (some permanent and some not).

Also, any ideas regarding the name of our new hero are welcome!

Adventure Sheet:
Name: ???
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 18/218
LUCK 11/11
RESOLVE: 8
Equipment: Sword, Leather Armor
Provisions: 10 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
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Post by Mr Shine »

Let''s go with your homebrew version. It does make more sense.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'll agree to that. As an aside, UK Steve and Ian Livingstone seem to not be as good at coming up at morale mechanics than some of the later authors (Beneath Nightmare Castle had WILLPOWER, and Vault of the Vampire had FAITH, both of which worked much better.) House of Hell's FEAR mechanic was a crime against god and man.

Anyways, I think our name should be Gonad the Penetrator.
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Post by SGamerz »

Alright then, let's get started:

BACKGROUND:
You have voyaged east of Khul to the Arrowhead Islands. Here you signed on for a short lime as a mercenary in the famous White Tiger Regiment, but now your term of service is up. Just as you are packing your belongings before leaving Port Vernale, word reaches you that you have been summoned by the Triumvirs - the Council of Three who rule the Varadian Alliance. You arrive at the council chamber to find old General Chaideshu awaiting your arrival.

He explains the situation as together you wait for your audience with the Triumvirs. 'Even though you're a foreigner, you've learnt a bit about our country while you've been here,' he says. 'You know that the various city-states of the Varadian Alliance are the outer bulwark of civilization against the reavers of Blood Island, Our fleets hold those chaos-pirates in check, and have done for centuries. Now, all that could be changing. Our main fortification to the east is Bloodrise Keep, on Staying Island. However, we've lost contact with the keep and the outlying villages.'

Before General Chaideshu can tell you any more, you are called into the council chamber. The Triumvirs are studying a glimmering image that floats in the centre of the chamber: a V-shaped line of verdant islands set in an azure sea. You realize that it is a strategic map of the Arrowhead archipelago, fashioned by means of mirage spells. One of the Triumvirs points to a bright red dot on the shore of the easternmost island. 'This shows the location of Bloodrise Keep,' he says 'We have here the last report filed by Castellan Braxis, and it sheds a rather sinister light on recent developments there.' You take the report and quickly scan it.
Bloodrise Keep will shortly fall. The troops I sent to investigate the strange lights in the sky above the village of Menela have now retuned. They have marched back to within sight of the walls but refuse to answer signals. A runner sent out came back shivering with dread. He got close enough to see that the men have grey, mask-like faces and that their eyes are the staring eyes of Zombies! In place of their old battle-standards they now carry ratted black pennants - the symbol of plague. Even as I write, it is close to dusk and the camp is active. Troops are massing and people from the villages are also milling about the camp as though hypnotized. I can see a man in tarnished silver armour who appears to be in command. Now he has given the order for his troops to advance. There are too many, and the small garrison I have left cannot hope to hold them off for more than a few hours. I will send this report by messenger pigeon and hope it will not be shot down by the enemy's archers. Now it only remains for me to take up my weapon and go out on to the battlements for the last stand. I regret having failed n your service, my lords. I am your dutiful vassal, Braxis, Castellan of Bloodrise Keep.
'A brave man . . .' you say grimly as you return the report to the Triumvirs. 'Do you have any information as to who the silver-armoured warlord might be, and how he took control of Braxis's troops?'

'It is all too clear,' says one of the Triumvirs. 'Black plague-standards and tarnished silver armour are the trademarks of Lord Mortis of Balthor; he was formerly tyrant of Staying Island and tried to conquer the eastern provinces of our nation. It took the combined strength bf all the Varadian armies to defeat him, for he was a mighty necromancer as well as a warlord, and it is said that he recruited his army from the bodies of fallen foes.'

Baffled, you turn to General Chaideshu. 'How is it I've never heard of this Mortis?' you ask. 'I didn't know there'd been any wars within the archipelago for centuries.'

'There haven't,' he says. 'This all happened two hundred years ago. Mortis died in battle and was buried in a black granite tomb near the village of Menela. Now it seems that he has returned from the grave to take his revenge.'

The Triumvirs nod in agreement. 'He is even now turning the people of Staying into undead,' says one. 'His evil will eat into our good empire like a cancerous wound unless it is excised. For this we have need of a sharp knife. You.'

Your interview over, General Chaideshu takes you without delay to the harbour, where a ship has already been prepared for you. Although he is hardly a young man, even you have difficulty keeping up with the general's brisk stride. On the way he explains that most of the military strength of the Varadian Alliance is currently engaged in fighting the reavers of Blood Island. 'That means you're on your own,' he warns. 'In any case, since assassinating Mortis would immediately neutralize his entire army of Zombies, the Triumvirs feel that it makes more sense to send one capable individual than a large body of troops.'

On arriving at the ship, Chaideshu introduces you to its captain and then accompanies you to your cabin for a final briefing He gives you a map of Staying Island and a Ring of Communing 'The ring will allow you to communicate with us telepathically for information or advice - but over such a large distance it will function only a limited number of times, so use it sparingly.' (Note on your Adventure Sheet that the Ring of Communing has three charges.)

A whistle from on deck signals that the ship is ready to cast off. Chaideshu tums in the doorway of the cabin for a last word. 'Don't forget,' he says grimly, 'it's vital that you stop Mortis before his undead army can join forces with the reavers. The lives of all of us are in your hands.'

'Rest assured, General,' you reply as you slip the Ring of Communing on to your finger. 'I'll return Lord Mortis to his grave.'

It is only after he has saluted you and left that you find an inner voice adding: '...or die in the attempt.'
I think that's the first time we receive an tem to be added to our Equipment in the Background section. Unfortunately, I think the map that's supposed to come with the ring has been left out of this particular publication, since there's no map at all in my copy of this book (there is mention of a map in the Equipment section so it certainly looks like a publication error). :(

Now we move to Section 1:
The small boat arrives at Siltport a week or so later. The journey is uneventful and by the end of it you are almost looking forward to your coming challenge. Siltport is a dilapidated old town which was once prosperous but which has now fallen on the hardest of times. The harbor is shallow and heavily silted, making the docking of any large ship impossible - hence its name and its lack of prosperity. However, the captain of your small skiff has no trouble getting you ashore and, with a curt farewell, he sails away, obviously keen to get home. The people - what few there are - eye you suspiciously but, looking around, it seems that Siltport has suffered more from lack of trade than from the ravages of Mortis's undead hordes. Perhaps the town is far enough away from Bloodrise Keep to remain untouched as yet. You notice few shops and fewer taverns; the place is almost a ghost town. If you want to go to one of the taverns to try and pick up some local rumours, tum to 41. If you prefer to leave Siltport straightaway, turn to 21.
Do we want some booze information before we go on?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Gonad the Penetrator
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 18/218
LUCK 11/11
RESOLVE: 8
Equipment: Sword, Leather Armor, Ring of Communing (3 charges remaining)
Provisions: 10 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Last edited by SGamerz on Wed Jan 28, 2015 2:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Check out the tavern. Gonad needs to get smashed.
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Post by SGamerz »

You enter an inn called The Sword of the Samurai. Inside, several ex-sailors and townspeople glance up at you warily. After buying a round or two of drinks, you get into conversation with some of them. One old sailor tells you, 'Aye, it's the nighttime that's dangerous in these parts. As long as ye be safe inside - behind locked and barred windows and doors, mark ye - ye kin survive.' You ask him to go on, and he tells a frightening tale o foul creatures stalking the streets, of people disappearing, to return to their families and friends as hideous walking corpses - all this since they heard of the sacking of Bloodrise Keep a month or two past. 'Anyhow,' growls the sailor, 'what be a young warrior like y'rself doin' in this forsaken hell-hole? 'Will you tell the sailor, and those others who are listening, of your mission on Staying Island or say that you are just passing through on your way to some islands to the west of here?
Jamie Thompson plugging his other FF gamebook (Sword of the Samurai)!

(Dave actually did the same thing in this book in another section, although that plug is for a non-FF gamebook, as this book is his only contribution to the FF series/)

Do we want to reveal anything?
Last edited by SGamerz on Thu Jan 29, 2015 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Gonad will spill all.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Keep on talking. Gonad isn't afraid of a little seaman.
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Post by SlyJohnny »

I think this is a bad idea. Our mission is a semi-secret stealth assasination gig, and a Blood Pirate might be listening.
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Post by SGamerz »

Gonad spills it all!
In a low whisper, you tell the sailor of your intention to slay Mortis, free the island of the Undead who terrorize it, and thus rob the Chaos pirates of the ally they need to destroy the Delphic Islands. He is overjoyed at this news, and promptly tells everyone present about your mission Soon they are all buying you drinks and wishing you luck. You spend a pleasant evening quaffing ale and impressing the locals. You do notice a shifty-looking individual leaving surreptitiously, but you soon forget him as another round of drinks is brought. Note down the word 'PIRATE on your Adventure Sheet.

The next day, you decide to get on with your mission and leave Siltport.
We may not be afraid of the seaman, but it seems like we should have been wary of him being an idiot that goes around announcing someone else's assassination plot to everyone he sees.
You arrive at the main gate of SiltPort. Worried guards gaze out at the surrounding countryside as if they expected a thousand Zombie warriors to appear and assault the place at any moment. Perhaps they will, you think grimly to yourself. You step out on to the main road outside the town. 'Hah, we'll never see that one again, I'll wager,' you overhear one of them mutter to another. Will you head north on the road to Menela, south through the hills or use your ring to communicate with General Chaideshu?
Which way?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Gonad the Penetrator
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 18/18
LUCK 11/11
RESOLVE: 8
Equipment: Sword, Leather Armor, Ring of Communing (3 charges remaining)
Provisions: 10 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Codeword: PIRATE
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Post by Shiritai »

I found a map!
Image
Going north seems to take us past Mortis' Tomb; lets go and loot the place pay our respects.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Sounds like a plan to me!

It'll be kinda funny if our blabbing kills us, since it's apparently hard to die in this book.
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Post by SGamerz »

I actually thought that you guys might jump at the opportunity to use an item right away (and I wouldn't blame you.....this is FF after all), but it's a good thing nobody voted to do that because
apparently the General doesn't take very kindly to you wasting the charges of the ring when it's obvious that you don't have anything to report yet. :biggrin:
And many thanks for providing the map, Shirtai! :)
You travel north on a dusty, unmade road. To your right, a column of rocky crags and low hills marches alongside you. After a while you spot the smoke of a village up ahead. As you near it, you notice that part of the outer stockade has been destroyed and that some of the buildings are damaged, as if struck by a giant flail. At the makeshift wooden gate stand several guards, weapons at the ready. They are dearly desperate and desperate men are dangerous men. Curtly one of them demands your business at the village of Menela. Will you look down your nose at them and tell them to mind the own business or tell them you are on a mission for General Chaideshu that concerns the welfare of the whole island and its inhabitants?
Do we want to snub them?
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Post by Mr Shine »

Fuck off, peasant!
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Post by SlyJohnny »

I voted for discretion earlier, but it looks like they've just been attacked, so I think we need to tell these guys we're on an important mission rather than be rude, or they'll default to "stab suspicious intruder".
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Post by Shiritai »

Our hero isn't a dick, he's Gonad. Tell them we're here to help.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Yeah, let's chat them up.
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Post by SGamerz »

Gonad ain't no dick!
'Yeah? And my aunt's the queen of all Khul,' mocks the guard. 'Be off with you!' The other guard looks You over, then whispers to his companion. They both look at you again, carefully this time, then the first guard says, 'Well, I suppose we'd better take you to see Belar, just in case. Come on.' He motions you to enter the village.
Snubbing them causes them to chase us from the village and close off the below side quest.
You are taken to see Belar, the village headman. You tell him that you are on a mission for Chaideshu, to find out what has happened to Braxis and to kill Mortis.

Belar is suitably impressed. 'We haven't had so bad a time of it around here,' he explains, 'at least as far as Mortis and his Undead go. It was a sad blow to hear of Braxis's defeat, for he was a just and fair lord. However, our food situation is worsening, for the other villages - especially those nearest Bloodrise Keep - have been very badly hit by the ravages of marauding Undead. It is difficult to carry on trading, and we are forced to turn refugees away and to fortify ourselves against Mortis's raiders. The villagers here live in constant fear. And now another terror has come to plague us: some hideous monster has made its lair in the hills and is attacking the village from time to time, destroying our stores and buildings and carrying off people to eat. This is a simple village - we have no heroes. But now that you have come along, you could free us from this thing! We will pay you well, no less than fifty Gold Pieces, a princely sum for humble folks like us. Kill the beast for us!'

Will you ask for more information concerning this beast or ask Belar if he knows the whereabouts of Mortis's tomb?
So he knows about our mission, clearly understands how important it is.....and he's asking us to stop and help deal with their troubles. Why can't those damn peasants ever learn to solve their own problems?

Anyway, do we ask about side-quest or the main quest?
Last edited by SGamerz on Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Let's skip our lunch break, and take care of their trifling problem.
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Post by SlyJohnny »

:D Seconded!
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Post by Shiritai »

50 gold sounds too good to pass up, but it doesn't *seem* like asking about the tomb would be turning down that quest. Ask about Mortis' prior digs.
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Post by SGamerz »

Shirtai is actually correct here. The text doesn't make it very clear, but asking about the main quest does not actually lead to us turning down the side quest.
'No one has seen it clearly,' Belar stutters. 'It seems toad-like, but it is furry. What we do know for sure is that it has a powerful tail that it can use to smash down walls. For this reason we call it the Thrasher. Please, will you accept the mission?' If you accept, turn to 52. If you decline, turn to 332.
I think there's been enough interest expressed by the players to skip this round of votes....
Belar smiles and uttes a sigh of relief; then he passes the word on to the villagers. Their faces are no longer set in fear and despair but begin to show glimmerings of hope. They all give you a resounding cheer. To them you will always be a hero - provided you come back. The blacksmith, a large, burly man, offers to sharpen your sword in exchange for two packs of Provisions. 'Special discount rate,' he claims. If you agree to pay and have your sword sharpened, turn Lo 392. If you want to get on with your task, turn to 192.
....wait, you mean those Triumvirs actually sent us on this all-important mission with a blunt sword?? And these bloody peasants still want to charge us for this little service when we're going to do them a favour? Preposterous!

Sharpen our sword or not?
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Gonad likes his sword to be long, hard and sharp. Makes for better penetrating that way.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Pay to sharpen Gonad's sword.
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Post by SGamerz »

Gonad will do anything to enhance the penetrative prowess of his blade!

....even if it means letting an ugly blacksmith handle his blade for a while.

And in return we unload two mouthfuls on him.

Two mouthfuls of food, that is.
Cross off two Provisions from your Adventure Sheet. The blacksmith happily takes both your sword and the Provisions. He soon returns and, to your relief, you find he has done a good job. You may add 1 to the damage you inflict whenever you use this sword in combat from now on.
Sweet power-up! It's generous bonuses like this that makes this book one of the easier ones. This is going to cut down the effort spent on combats by a lot.
The villagers instruct you to follow a mountain trail which is marked by the unmistakable path of the Thrasher: large footprints, smashed trees and shattered rocks. Nobody will come with you to guide you. As you set off the villagers wish you good luck. 'He'll need it,' you hear one of them mutter. Belar cuffs him round the head, before turning to you with a warm smile: 'I'm sure it'll be an easy job for one such as you - no doubt we'll soon see you!'

An hour or so later, while you are following the trail of the Thrasher, you hear a loud crashing and grinding noise up ahead. Round a corner on the mountain trail a raging beast appears, rampaging through the trees. It is the Thrasher. It has a large, toad-like body with two small forelimbs and two huge back legs, obviously for leaping. The body is heavily furred with black, matted bristles, Its head resembles that of a hyena, save for the gaping mouth lined with small, sharp teeth. The tail is long and massive, ending in a solid ball of cartilage which it uses to pulverize its prey. With one bound it leaps at you, swinging its tail ominously. You must fight it.

THRASHER SKILL 7 STAMTNA 13

If the dice-roll for the Thrasher totals 11 or 12 for its Attack Strength, before adding its SKILL score, turn to 152. If you win, turn to 92.
The image doesn't really suit my idea of "toad-like", but you guys can see and judge for yourself:
Image
Now, let's fight!

COMBAT LOG:
Thrasher 13, Gonad 15. Thrasher is at 10.
Thrasher 14, Gonad 18. Thrasher is at 7.
Thrasher 13, Gonad 17. Thrasher is at 4.
Thrasher 12, Gonad 18. Thrasher is at 1.
Thrasher 16, Gonad 18. Thrasher is dead!
Wow, not even close! We got a flawless win despite our merely-average stats.
The Thrasher falls at last. After a brief rest, you take its head as a trophy and to prove to the villagers that you have carried out your task. The villagers are ove4oyed to see you, and their expressions of astonishment and joy are quite comical; clearly, most had not expected you to return. Belar thanks you gravely and hands over the promised 50 Gold Pieces( note the sum on your Adventure Sheet). He declares the morrow to be a day of feasting and celebration and invites you to attend as guest of honour. But you have a mission to complete. Politely declining their offer, you request that a guide be found to lead you to the tomb of Mortis. The villagers look away, shuffling their feet, and some of them whistle absent-mindedly.

Fortunately, Belar berates them as ungrateful cowards and eventually a thin, wiry man steps forward 'All right, I'll lead you to the tomb,' he says. Belar tells you his name is Khiro, and that he is their best hunter. To you, however, he looks a really shady character - still, he's all you've got. After a quick meal at the headman's table (you may restore up to 2 lost STAMINA points) Khiro leads you up into the hills.
Well, at least the local chief finally does something useful!
Khiro leads you over rough ground and along a tortuous mountain trail that you could never have found on your own. Eventually you are confronted by a set of double doors set in a broad rock-face. He doors are jet black and are adorned with a large skull, imprinted into the wood in silver. You turn to thank Khiro for guiding you here, but he has already turned tail and fled. Quickly you check your gold pouch - it is still there, to your relief. You approach the doors. On a lintel above the portal are these words:

Herein lies the body of the necromancer Mortis, slain in battle by the sun-bright spear of the hero Qadarnai. Thrice-cursed is Mortis for his many evils. May he remain here for all time.

You notice that one of the doors is slightly ajar. Faint tracks still mark the passage of a person or persons through the doors. Steeling yourself, you step into the shadowy darkness beyond.
How many of you were expecting an option where we have to decide whether to trust our guide (or a section where he tries to betray us) after all that 'shady' description? I know I was, the first time I played it.
As you step through the doorway, the skull symbol seems to give off a pulse of eerie light. A wave of terror sweeps over you. Test your Resolve, but subtract 2 from the dice-roll. If you succeed, turn to 312. If you fail, turn to 292.
Dice roll (4+2)-2 = 4 (Success!)
You manage to resist the awful fear that threatens to overwhelm your mind . You open the doors wide to let light into the tomb. Inside, you see a simple square room, with symbols of the Good Gods adorning the walls. In the centre is a large black sarcophagus; its heavy stone lid is shattered and lies around in pieces. Slumped to one side at the base of the sarcophagus is the dead body of a man, clearly an adventurer. You judge him to have died about three weeks ago; his face is frozen in a fearfully grinning mask of dread, and in his right hand he still grips an old sword. His other hand holds a rune-carved ivory spear. You step across and look inside the sarcophagus, where the body of Mortis rightfully belongs. All that is inside are some broken chains, the links of which appear to have been tom asunder. It looks as though the would-be tomb-robber got more than he bargained for when he tried to rob this tomb. Will you examine the contents of the tomb or take the spear from the dead body?
Finally, a choice!

Loot the tomb or the spear?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Gonad the Penetrator
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 18/18
LUCK 11/11
RESOLVE: 8 (9 for next test)
Equipment: Sharpened Sword (+1 damage), Leather Armor, Ring of Communing (3 charges remaining)
Provisions: 8 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold: 50
Codeword: PIRATE
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