[Let's Play] Blood Sword V - The Walls of Spyte

Stories about games that you run and/or have played in.

Moderator: Moderators

SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Healing roll = 1...... :argh:

COMBAT LOG:
Round 1 ... FIGHT!

Awareness 9 acts ...

Trickster moves next to Lepers #1 and #2.

Awareness 8 acts ...

Warrior waits.

Enchanter casts Nemesis Bolt on Leper #3. Damage = 21+7-3 = 25. Leper #3 has 5 END left.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage shoots Leper #3. Roll = 7. (Hit!) Damage = 5+3-3 = 5. Leper #3 is destroyed.

Awareness 5 acts ...

Leper #1 fights Trickster. Roll = 12. Miss.

Leper #2 fights Trickster. Roll = 11. Miss.

Quick Thinking bonus:

Trickster fights Leper #1. Roll = 6. (Hit!) Psychic Ability roll = 5. Leper #1 survives the Blood Sword's magic. Damage = 11+1-3 = 9. Leper #1 has 21 END left.

Round 2

Awareness 9 acts ...

Trickster fights Leper #1. Roll = 3. (Hit!) Psychic Ability roll = 6. Leper #1 survives the Blood Sword's magic. Damage = 17+1-3 = 15. Leper #1 has 6 END left.

Warrior waits.

Enchanter calls Immediate Deliverance to mind.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage shoots Leper #1. Roll = 7. (Hit!) Damage = 6+3-3 = 6. Leper #1 is destroyed!

Awareness 5 acts ...

Leper #2 fights Trickster. Roll = 12. Miss.

Round 3

Awareness 9 acts ...

Trickster fights Leper #2. Roll = 6. (Hit!) Psychic Ability roll = 7. Leper #2 is destroyed by the Blood Sword's magic.
The last mound of quivering slime falls with a wet splash to the noisome floor of the cavern, to add its organic rot to the cesspool. Shuddering, you move on to examine the tomb. It is a large slab of stone, the top of which is carved to represent a queenly woman dressed in robes, wearing a pectoral and holding a short rod or sceptre in her hands. Around the edge many symbols and hieroglyphs are carved, mostly meaningless, even to a Sage.

If you wish to open the tomb, turn to 62. If you wish to examine it more closely first, turn to 166.
Desecrate the tomb or not?
Starmaker
Duke
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Redmonton
Contact:

Post by Starmaker »

Desecrate, but conduct a pre-desecration examination.
User avatar
angelfromanotherpin
Overlord
Posts: 9745
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Why would you not look at a thing before touching it?
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

You find an inscription you can read: 'The Bride of Pestilence. May she rest in peace. The stars rule her.'

If you decide to open the tomb, turn to 62. If you return to the chamber of doors, turn to 119.
Not much of a choice here, really. 119 leads back to outside the 5 doors, and there's literally nowhere else to go. Since we already know by this point that we're looking for a rod and we don't have it yet, there's really only one option...
You lift the lid of the stone coffin - it comes away with remarkable ease. Inside is the body of a woman, long dead, a shrivelled husk of dry leathery skin drawn tight as a drum over ancient bones. Long black hair covers her torso. She is dressed in green and yellow raiment of fine construction. In her skeletal hands is a green rod with the number XX marked on it. You take the rod and step back, expectant, but nothing happens: no limbs twitch, no long-closed eyes flick open, no withered hands reach out to claim back its prize. Note you have the rod on your Character Sheet, and make sure you note the correct number beside it.

The character with the highest Awareness must roll two Dice and try to score equal to or under his or her Awareness. If successful, turn to 194. If the roll fails, turn to 139.
That would be the Trickster (although if he hadn't gotten that buff from the side-quest earlier, there'd have been some difficulty in deciding whether all 3 characters with Awareness 8 get to roll for this).

Awareness roll = 8 (Pass)
You notice a thin copper pectoral or torque hidden under her hair. It is covered in star symbols. Will you take it or leave it there and head back to the door?
We've already robbed the dead......but do we want to rob her some more?
Starmaker
Duke
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Redmonton
Contact:

Post by Starmaker »

Yes.

edit: if the "leave it" leads to 119, leave it. If it leads elsewhere, take it.
Last edited by Starmaker on Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

If we didn't have to roll Awareness to notice it then I'd suggest leaving it. But as it is, we should probably take it.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
User avatar
angelfromanotherpin
Overlord
Posts: 9745
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Nope. Do not further expose ourselves to plague bride.
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

You take it - it is a Torque of Reanimation. If there is only one person in the party, it will be of no use. However, if in a multi-player party someone is killed, the torque can be placed around that player's neck. He or she will come back to life, but as a zombie, obedient only to the person who placed the torque. The zombie can be used only in combats, as an extra fighter. It cannot make decisions, or act as its old character (for example, if it was a Sage, it cannot turn to Sage paragraphs). It cannot cast spells, and all its abilities will be at -1, save for Endurance, which is at +10. It will be immune to Psychic spells.
Since the Trickster spotted it and wanted to take it, he'll be carrying it for now. If you think it should go to someone else, let me know.
While it doesn't seem likely that it'll be coming into use, taking the Torque was the right option for more than one reason....because if we leave it on the corpse, it re-animates the queen and she attacks us!
Gingerly, you step away from the Undead Queen's corpse, half expecting it to rise up with grasping talons and staring eyes. But nothing happens. You leave the cavern of Plague Star and go back to the chamber of doors.
We're back outside the doors again, but this time we have all 5 rods!
Each rod section has a number on it. Add all the numbers together. The total number is the paragraph you should turn to. If you haven't got all the rods (that is, you have cheated), turn back to 119 and choose again.
Ok, now we've come to a point where I think there's a bug in the book.

Here are the rods we have:

Golden Rod ('100')
White Rod ('16')
Blue Rod ('50')
Red Rod ('50'
Green Rod ('XX')

If we were to take 'XX' as its Roman numerical value, which would be 20, then the total will be '236'.....which is NOT the right section.

The correct section is, in fact '316', which means the Green Rod is probably supposed to be marked '100'. One possible theory I've read is that the 'XX' might have been just a placeholder figure in the text before authors decided on which numbers to assign to the rods, and forgot to change it by accident.

Either way, we'll just proceed to the correct section here:
The five sections fit together perfectly to make a large key, with the blue one at the end. You step over to the circular slab of steel and insert the key. It disappears from sight, and you leap back as a deep rumbling noise sounds from below you. The steel circle begins to rise upwards, revealing itself to be a huge pillar of metal embedded in the floor. Up above, in the ceiling, a round hole appears. The pillar of steel rises right up to cover the hole. At the base of the pillar a door slides open, revealing a spiral staircase that travels up the interior of the steel edifice. You step in and start to wend your way up.
This is why I didn't ask who would be carrying the green rod, since it'd have been gone pretty son, and I figured as long as we still have slots between the party members it doesn't matter.
You come out at the top of the pillar in a large antechamber with a corridor running off at the far end. Several people seem to be waiting for you here - a couple of men-at-arms, several armed peasants and a merchant or two.

'All foes of our astral masters must perish!' screams one of the merchants. 'Destroy them!'

If you have a Trickster in the party who wishes to try something, turn to 92. If a Warrior wishes to try something, turn to 256. Otherwise, it looks as if you will have to fight these mad disciples of the Magi - turn to 152.
Does either Benedict or Kiki want to find out what he/she can do?
User avatar
angelfromanotherpin
Overlord
Posts: 9745
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

I *do* with to try this 'something' you speak of, but I'll defer to the Trickster if he wants some spotlight.
Starmaker
Duke
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Redmonton
Contact:

Post by Starmaker »

I'd rather not steal spotlight if I can help it.
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

You've had enough of this unnerving place, and the last thing you want to deal with now is a bunch of crazed imbeciles who revere the foul Magi as though they were gods! Your blood boils. With a howling scream of battle-mad frenzy, you charge at them, brandishing your sword. Some of the peasants give a yelp of fear and turn tail, running for their lives. Turn to 152 and fight them, but note that the fifth and sixth disciples have fled and will take no part in the combat.
From the look in their eyes you can tell they are as beyond reason as all zealots. They will fight until you or they are dead.

Image

Disciples
Fighting Prowess: 7 Psychic Ability: 6
Damage per blow: 3 Dice
Armour Rating: 3
Endurance: 15

You cannot flee. If you defeat them, turn to 409.
We seem to have encountered another bug in the book....no Awareness score is listed for the disciples. Since the rest of their stats seem rather puny and they appear to be just common (misguided) peasants, I'm going to rule that they're slower than all of our seasoned heroes.

Strategies?

Adventure Sheets:

WARRIOR:
NAME: Dame Caecilia Wither-Stoat
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 1

Fighting Prowess: 12
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 29/50
Damage: 2 Dice +3

*Extra Notes: Takes no FP/damage penalty when fighting unarmed, +1 Armour Rating from Potentiation on top of normal armour bonus

Items:
1 Sword
2 Sword
3 Plate Armour (Armour Rating four)
4 Money pouch (empty)
5 Potion of Diminution
6 Potion of Diminution
7-10 Empty slots
TRICKSTER:
NAME: Benedict of the Crimson Spires, Honourable Duelist
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 2

Fighting Prowess: 10 (+3 from Blood Sword)
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 9
Endurance: 28/42
Damage: 4 Dice +1 (+2d6 Damage from Blood Sword)

Items:
1 Blood Sword (+3 FP, +2d6 Damage)
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating 2)
3 Money Pouch (empty)
4 Bow
5 Quiver (3 arrows)
6 Quiver (6 arrows)
7 Potion of Diminution
8 Book (looted from crystalized corpse) - turn to 493 if read
9 Healing herbs (+2d6 END)
10 Torque of Reanimation
SAGE:
NAME: "Pepito" Cascadero, Master of the Mystic Way
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 3

Fighting Prowess: 8 (+1 from magic gold ring)
Psychic Ability: 8
Awareness: 7
Endurance: 6/36
Damage: 2 Dice +1

Items:
1 Quarterstaff
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating 2)
3 Money Pouch (empty)
4 Magic Bow (+1 FP when using Archery)
5 Enameled Quiver (1 magic arrow - does 1d6 +3 damage)
6 Quiver (6 arrows)
7 Potion of Diminution
8 Magic Gold Ring (+1 FP)
9-10 Empty Slot
ENCHANTER:
NAME: Enchanter Reed, Ninth of the Inverted Tower
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 4

Fighting Prowess: 1
Psychic Ability: 15
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 27/36
Damage: 1 Die +3

Items:
1 Sword
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating 2)
3 Money Pouch (empty)
4 Quiver (6 arrows)
5 Potion of Diminution
6 Potion of Diminution
7-10 Empty Slot
Starmaker
Duke
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Redmonton
Contact:

Post by Starmaker »

Shoot, hack.
User avatar
angelfromanotherpin
Overlord
Posts: 9745
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Kiki appears to have goaded herself into a berserrrker rage, so nothing tricky this time, just engage the one in front of me and stab-stab, repeat.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Pepito will shoot non-magic arrows at whichever disciple is the most wounded by the point he'd act in the round.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
Shiritai
Knight-Baron
Posts: 560
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Shiritai »

Sheet lightning, then nemesis bolt and swordthrust at whoever.
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

This shouldn't take long...

COMBAT LOG:
Round 1 ... FIGHT!

Awareness 9 acts ...

Trickster shoots Disciple #1. Roll = 8. (Hit!) Damage = 4-3 = 1. Disciple #1 has 14 END left.

Awareness 8 acts ...

Warrior moves and engages Disciple #1.

Enchanter attempts to cast Sheet Lightning. Disciple #1 takes 5 points of damage and has 9 END left. Disciple #2 takes 9 points of damage and has 6 END left. Disciple #3 takes 9 points of damage and has 6 END left. Disciple #4 takes 5 points of damage and has 10 EN left.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage shoots Disciple #2. Roll = 6 (Hits). Damage = 1-3 = No Damage.

Awareness (insert low number) acts ...

Disciple #1 fights Warrior. Roll = 11. Miss.

Disciple #2 moves next to Trickster.

Disciple #3 moves next to Enchanter.

Disciple #4 moves next to Warrior.

Quick Thinking bonus:

Trickster fights Disciple #2. Roll = 11. Miss!

Round 2

Awareness 9 acts ...

Trickster fights Disciple #2. Roll = 6. (Hit!) Damage = 7+1-3 = 5. Disciple #2 has 1 END left.

Awareness 8 acts ...

Warrior fights Disciple #1. Damage = 10+ 3-3 = 10. Disciple #1 is killed.

Warrior fights Disciple #4 with off-hand. Damage = 11+3- 3 = 11. Disciple #4 is killed.

Enchanter casts Nemesis Bolt. Disciple #3 is fried no matter what the damage roll is.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage fights Disciple #3. Roll = 5. Hit! Damage = 11 + 1 - 3 = 9. Disciple #3 is killed.

Awareness (insert low number) acts ...

Disciple #2 fights Trickster. Roll = 10. Miss.

Round 3

Awareness 9 acts ...

Trickster fights Disciple #2. Roll = 8. (Hit!) Damage = 19+1-3 = 17. Disciple #2 is killed.
The last disciple falls dead. You proceed on through the corridor at the far end. It opens out onto a square chamber. There is a door in the opposite wall, but the right-hand wall is more interesting for it is a huge mural. On the other wall hang five coloured masks.
Image
The mural depicts a great warrior whom you recognise as Heimdall, guardian of Asgard. He is standing on Bifrost, the rainbow-hued bridge that spans the clouded skies of the heavens and leads from Asgard to Doomstead, the home of the Fates. In one hand he holds the trumpet Gjall, the legendary horn of heroes. The colours of the bridge are vivid and almost seem to glow of their own accord in the dim light. The masks on the opposite wall all depict various snarling demon faces, but they are of the colours corresponding to the Magi stars: red, green, blue, white and yellow.

You also notice, at each corner of the mural, four blank alabaster faces, over which the masks would fit perfectly. If you wish to start putting the masks on the faces, turn to 225. If you want to ignore all this and go through the door, turn to 188.
Do we want to play dress-up with the blank faces?
User avatar
angelfromanotherpin
Overlord
Posts: 9745
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by angelfromanotherpin »

I suspect that the door is a trap and the way to proceed is to activate the bifrost and walk into the picture or something. In any case, while performing a Magi-related ritual would seem superficially to be not in our interest, consider that the disciples have had access to this area and not moved the masks, which suggests that masking the faces is something we should do.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Yep, put on the masks.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
Starmaker
Duke
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Redmonton
Contact:

Post by Starmaker »

Thirded.
Shiritai
Knight-Baron
Posts: 560
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Post by Shiritai »

Yeah, un-unmask the faces.
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Which mask will you put on the first face? The yellow one, the green one, the red one, the blue one or the white one?
Note that there're 5 masks but only 4 faces....

Which colour to go first?
Starmaker
Duke
Posts: 2402
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Redmonton
Contact:

Post by Starmaker »

I don't think the Magi were ever officially numbered, so, absent more hints, let's sort them by wavelength, in decreasing order. Red.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Yup, that's how blind color puzzles work. RYGB
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

You place the red mask over the first face. Nothing happens. Which mask will you place over the second face?

The blue one, the white one, the green one or the gold one?
'Gold'? I thought it was yellow previously...

So, do you all agree to go with YGB next? If so, I'll just proceed with the next 3 without pausing. If not, you can still list the order of the next 3 colours you want to try instead of just choosing one, if you prefer.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'm still for the rainbow plan.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
Post Reply