[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 64(?)-Night of the Necromancer

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:55 pm

Marrok

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 2:12 pm

Uh, I would be very wary about trying to possess a ghostbustin' crusader who presumably carries spiritual defenses. Same with the priest.

I say Blondel.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 3:30 pm

Well, if the fat cook actually has tolerable stats, the bard is probably a god of war. Plus since this part of the book seems to be "climb to the final battle on the corpses of the castle's inhabitants", let's keep our friends for last.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:08 pm

I'll third the bard.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Feb 04, 2016 10:42 am

Returning to the feast hall, you find Blondel the Bard cowering in a corner, both Chamberlain Unthank and the Dread Knights of the Black Shroud having departed. Before he has time to try any tricks to escape you, you bring the full power of your will to bear against him. Roll two dice. If the total rolled is less than or equal to your WILL score, turn to 176. If it is greater, the minstrel resists your attempts to seize control of his body, plucking the strings of his lyre to create unsettling discords that upset your etheric field, forcing you to flee. Turn back to 13 to try another approach.

Another test that we can't fail....

With a strange, almost musical cry the bard's consciousness flees to some distant corner of his mind as you take control of his body. (Add the codeword Host to your Adventure Sheet.)

Make a note of your spirit-form's current SKILL and STAMINA score, for later use, on your Adventure Sheet. While you are wearing the body of Blondel the Bard you must use his stats which are as follows: SKILL 8 STAMINA 15.

If you are injured in battle you may eat provisions to recover STAMINA points. You hastily gather scraps left over after Unthank's bizzare midnight feast and collect enough for 4 meals. Blondel carries a short sword in a scabbard at his waist, which is not enchanted, and lyre, which is. (Make a note of on your Adventure Sheet.)

If Blondel's STAMINA score is ever reduced to 2 STAMINA points or fewer, the Bard will be knocked out, and you will be forced to leave his unconscious body. You can keep on fighting in your spirit form, however, using the stats that you have written down here.

He's significantly weaker than the cook was. At least the Golem is no longer in top condition, so we still have a chance. But our magic sword is left with Inglenook's corpse, so we'll have to make do with Blondel's non--magical shortsword.

We're directed back to the same section as when we possessed the cook, so I'll just fast forward to the fight with the Golem again:

COMBAT LOG:

Hellfire Golem 15, Isolde (Blondel) 13. Blondel then rolls a 1 and is now at 13.
HG 16, Isolde (Blondel) 16. Tie.
HG 15, Isolde (Blondel) 14. Blondel then rolls a 4 and is now at 9.
HG 16, Isolde (Blondel) 18. Blondel then rolls a 2. HG is now at 6.
HG 16, Isolde (Blondel) 11. Blondel then rolls a 6! He then rolls a 3 for damage and is now at 6.
HG 11, Isolde (Blondel) 12. Blondel then rolls a 2. HG is now at 4.
HG 15, Isolde (Blondel) 16. Blondel then rolls a 5 and only does 1 damage. HG is now at 3.
HG 17, Isolde (Blondel) 15. Blondel then rolls a 1 and is now at 4.
HG 16, Isolde (Blondel) 15. Blondel then rolls a 1 and is now at 2.

Nope, Blondel's crappy stats aren't quite enough to get the job done!

Next option?

Keep in mind that, while whomever we pick next can probably finish off the Golem, there might be other tougher adversaries after it......

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Thu Feb 04, 2016 11:38 am

My preference in order: Marrok, Isolde (Rest in Peace), Bertild.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Feb 04, 2016 6:26 pm

Ugh, this book doesn't do a very good job of letting us keep the moral high ground. Marching innocents into the blender isn't very sympathetic.

Go with the RIP option. Risk no more lives that aren't our own.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu Feb 04, 2016 10:19 pm

They're unconscious. I'd guess the fate which awaits the innocent NPCs if Isolde fails is substantially less pleasant than getting beat up to the point of requiring (the horror!) a couple of meals to restore health.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Feb 05, 2016 5:34 am

Marrok will either be really hard to possess (what with him being a ghost-hunting badass) or easy (since we might be able to tell our old friend we need to borrow his body for a few to get into the Inner Sanctum.) If it's the former we have a crazy good will score. So possess our bro.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:03 am

Starmaker wrote:They're unconscious. I'd guess the fate which awaits the innocent NPCs if Isolde fails is substantially less pleasant than getting beat up to the point of requiring (the horror!) a couple of meals to restore health.

Somehow, I doubt that golem stopped pounding on poor Blondel just because we left his body. (Inglenook too, but fuck that guy.)

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:46 am

Wait, couldn't we have picked Nightslayer up from Inglenook's dead body during the fight? Was it specifically knocked into a lava pit or something?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:11 am

Omegonthesane wrote:Wait, couldn't we have picked Nightslayer up from Inglenook's dead body during the fight? Was it specifically knocked into a lava pit or something?

This is one point I'm not too sure about. There's no mention that we're supposed to be able to loot all the previous host bodies that were beaten (but no instruction to specifically say that we can't. But the idea that the player can intentionally grab a bunch of weak bodies, get them knocked out, so that he can stockpile all their provisions and weapons and special items (like the lyre) for the last body doesn't sound right to me.

There's one section which at least implies that only the original host body should have access to whatever item we picked up in those bodies:

there's on section where, if we have the lyre, the text automatically decides that we're still in Blondel's body, and therefore has the bard's skill to use it.

Of course, Nightslayer is a bit of a unique case since it doesn't actually belong to the host originally. But if you can grab the sword from the unconscious bodies then there's no reason why there should be restrictions on other items...

At the very least, I think it's right to conduct the Golem fight without using anything from the last host. We should have to get rid of the immediate threat before we have the freedom to loot the body lying at its feet.

Do the rest of you think we should be able to loot Blondel or Inglenook after we beat the Golem? (or maybe we should just take the sword, since we "earned" it from the Lich Queen)

Meanwhile, I'll go ahead with Marrok, since there're 2 votes for him:

You find Marok where you left him, in the castle feast hall. He has fallen asleep, his squire beside him, in a corner of the now otherwise empty chamber. Seizing this opportunity, you exert your will against his in an effort to take over his body. Roll two dice and add 2. If the total rolled is less than or equal to your WILL score, turn to 444. If it is greater, Marrok wakes and, on seeing your ghostly form hovering before his, leaps to his feet.

'Mighty Telak!' he shouts. 'That you would take on the guise of a great and noble warrior to do your evil shall be your undoing, I curse you to Hell for all eternity! For Telak and for Valsinore!' Marrok doesn't believe it is really you and comes at you, his blade bared.

If you would allow yourself to be cut down by the noble knight, write the number 13 on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 100. If not, you are going to have to fight him, no matter how much you might loathe the idea.

CRUSADER SKILL 11 STAMINA 11

Marrok's sword Deathbane is a holy weapon and so will harm you in your undead state. In fact, for every successful strike that the crusader makes against you, roll one die and on a roll of 5-6 you lose 3 STAMINA points instead of the usual 2. If Marrok slays you, write the number 13 on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 100. If you cut him down first you must lose 1 LUCK point and 1 WILL point for having to kill your battle-borther. Then turn to 13.

It just never occurs to this guy that something that takes a form of his great and noble warrior friend may just be that great and noble warrior. Not even if we'd just stood there and let him kill us without a fight once before.

It's possible to fail the WILL test, but not very likely...

Dice roll = 4+2 = 6 (Success)

Your mind, inside Marrok the Crusader's body, will make a ruthlessly effective combination. (Add the codeword Host to your Adventure Sheet.)

Make a note of your spirit-form's current SKILL and STAMINA score, for later use, on your Adventure Sheet. While you are controlling Marrok's body you must use his stats, which are as follows: SKILL 11 STAMINA 22.

If you are injured in any way, for as long as you are wearing the crusader's body, you may eat provisions to recover STAMINA points. One meal recovers up to 4 STAMINA points and Marrok has enough food in his backpack for 6 meals. He is armed with Deathsbane, a blessed blade not unlike your own Nightslayer, which is capable of harming undead, demons and magical creatures.

If Marrok's STAMINA score is reduced to 2 STAMINA points or fewer while you are possessing him, he will be knocked unconscious, forcing you to release his body from your influence. However, you may continue fighting in your spirit form, using the stats that you have made a not of here.

Now that's something closer to Isolde's usual standard! To bad the sword isn't as badass and for some reason no longer has a 1/3 chance of doing 3 damage. An yes, somehow, his STAMINA is double of what it would be if we fought him. I think the same is supposed to go for all the other hosts (so Inglenook as an opponent likewise would be at 11 STAMINA too).

Marrok is, stat-wise either the best or second-best option for Host in the entire game. That seems to be the entire purpose of this character in the book, given how he always attacks us whenever he sees us, making it impossible to get anything else from him. There's only one other possible host with comparable stats (slightly higher SKILL), but we didn't encounter him in this playthrough.

Let's proceed to the Golem!

COMBAT LOG:

Hellfire Golem 16, Isolde (Marrok) 16. Tie
HG 15, Isolde (Marrok) 17. Marrok rolls a 6 and only does 1 damage. HG is now at 2.
HG 19, Isolde (Marrok) 21. Marrok rolls a 1. HG is defeated!

And what a difference 1 body makes. The Golem rolled better than us every round, but we beat him without a scratch.

Before we move on, let me know if we should be able to grab stuff from our ex-hosts before we proceed. That includes 10 meals, a cleaver, a shortsword a magic lyre and Nightslayer. (My own inclination is not to, as I see it as a price of losing the host bodies, but if most of you think it's reasonable, so be it.)

Adventure Sheet:

Name: Isolde Laodegan
SKILL: 12/12 (Host: 11/11)
STAMINA: 13/19 (Host: 22/22)
LUCK: 7/7
WILL: 13
Equipment: Deathsbane
Abilities: Apparition, Poltergeist, Shade, Spook, Fizzgig the Homunculus (3 uses out of 4 following spells: Banish Undead, Luck, Skill, Strength)
Codewords: Ironheart, Barking, Best Friend, Steed, Gateway, Devourer, Rest In Peace, Banshee, Catacombs, Watcher, Host
Provisions: 6 Meals (+4 STAMINA each)

Note: When fighting opponents with physical forms, opponents' Attack Strength is reduced by one while Korzen ("Best Friend") is with us.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 7:50 am

I would say everything except Nightslayer: strong no.
Nightslayer: weak no, happy to be overruled if others disagree.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 12:05 pm

Nightslayer: I was the one who suggested it and it's our sword, so yes.

Provisions: Abstain - it makes less sense to me that these things would be unusable by the wrong body, but at the same time they have the biggest mechanical effect.

Everything else: No. e.g. We presumably need Blondel's muscle memory to operate his harp properly.

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Sat Feb 06, 2016 6:28 pm

Was Nightslayer ever even lost? I didn't see any mention of that when our previous hosts fell. One more vote for recovering it.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 2:08 am

Shiritai wrote:Was Nightslayer ever even lost? I didn't see any mention of that when our previous hosts fell. One more vote for recovering it.

It wasn't mentioned specifically, no, which is why I'm leaving this up to vote. But if our host body fell against the Lich Queen, we would not have been able to recover our sword at all even if our spirit form beat her, which pretty much implies that we couldn't have kept the sword without the body.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 2:14 am

Yes to Nightsbane and Provisions. I see no reason we can't use those.
Indifferent on the cleaver, since you don't need to be a master chef to use one but the book might assume you're in Ingelnook's body if you have it.
No to the harp.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:50 am

The majority opinion seems to be to take the sword, but not the other stuff, so Isolde recovers Nightslayer from the unconscious Inglenook before moving on.

Climbing over the motionless body of the Golem, its metal body plinking as it cools, you set foot on the bridge at last. The bridge spans the natural sea-channel that lies between the headland on which the Outer and Inner Wards of Valsinore Castle were constructed, and the separate spur of rock on which the imposing Keep stands. Below you the waves crash and white water spumes where the sea is funneled into the narrow channel, forcing the surging waves into the cliffs, sometimes even sending sprays of water cascading over the bridge itself. You are halfway across when something rises from the tumultuous surge beneath. It is little more than a gaping maw of shark-like teeth surmounting a sinuous serpentine body. With a primeval roar, the moat monster attacks. (If you have fought the bridge's serpentine guardian already, but it remains undefeated , amend its stats accordingly before attempting to best it again).

MOAT MONSTER SKILL 9 STAMINA 11.

If you win two consecutive Attack Rounds, you can escape from the sea serpent by running for the Keep at the far end of the bridge. If the serpent destroys your physical form it submerges beneath the waves again (cross off the relevant codeword and turn to 173). If you manage to defeat it, turn to 449.

Ok, if we dodge past this thing, we turn to the exact same section as if we defeat it, and there's nothing to loot from it and no stat boosts, so there's no reason we should bother with killing it...

COMBAT LOG:

Moat Monster 15, Isolde (Marrok) 18. MM is at 9.
MM 14, Isolde (Marrok) 18. MM is at 7.

And we dodge past the monster!

And so you stand before the spirit-warded entrance of the Keep once more, only this time the black wood double doors open at your touch and you enter grand, pillared hall beyond. Now that you have gained access to the Keep at last, do you want to quit your recently-acquired physical form or would you prefer to continue on your way just as you are?

After all the debates about whether we should get the loot from the host body, I think the advantage of keeping the host body is pretty clear (we need it to pick up items. This time, the text makes it clear:

In your physical form you may not use any of the ghostly powers you might have acquired during the course of your adventure so far. However, you are able to pick up and use physical objects. And of course, if your physical form is destroyed you can still proceed with your quest in your spirit-form, at which point you will be able to use your ghostly abilities again but will no longer be able to carry anything, unless otherwise instructed (and must immediately cross off anything you are carrying from your Adventure Sheet).

You may well find that there are other areas within the Keep that are off limit to spirits. If you come to a paragraph marked with an asterisk (*), and as long as you still have your physical form, you may investigate what is behind the door by adding 30 to the paragraph number and turning to this new reference.

It would have been more helpful if we were given these instructions from the beginning. The bits where we keep going back to grab new physical bodies can be pretty confusing with regards to whether we get to keep the old loot, but this ought to clear things up from now.

As you proceed through the hall you are suddenly bathed in brilliant, arctic light, and find yourself unable to move. You can see nothing all around you but for the blinding whiteness. And then out of the light a rasping, inhuman voice speaks.

'Each thing has its allotted span,
But how many years is the life of man?'

If you think you know the answer to this riddle, turn to the paragraph with the same number. If not, or if the paragraph with the same number. If not, or if the paragraph you turn to makes no sense, then turn to 372.

Here we come to what is, I think, the harshest part of the book. Jonathan Green's books in the past have always been extremely harsh (enough to give Jackson and Livingstone a run for their money), but this particular book has bucked past trend by being surprisingly forgiving for the most part....except for this riddle series section.

There are 2 ways to find out the answer to this riddle in the book, but we missed both of them. It is actually not impossible to guess the answer though, because it's a reference to a certain ancient story outside this book.

So....anybody want to hazard a guess?

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:57 am

Is it 70? 'Three score years and ten' is only modestly obscure.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 5:03 am

Yep, old Biblical reference.

Then the voice comes again.

'No breastplate, shield, or armoured helm,
Can 'gainst my blade defend.
Prince and pauper, knight and maid,
All face me in the end.
No weapon forged, can strike me down,
No arrow, sword or lance.
King and servant, rich and poor,
Shall join me in my dance.
Who am I?'

If you think you know the answer to this riddle, turn it into a number using the code A=1, B=2, C=3......Z=26. Add the numbers together and turn to this paragraph. If you do not know the answer, or if the paragraph you turn to makes no sense, then turn to 372.

Next riddle!

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 6:13 am

Seems simple enough; the classic "death".

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 6:44 am

Death.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 7:37 am

Death. So 38.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 8:13 am

Right, this is the easiest one, since you don't need any clues from the book to get this right and the PC has been going through it multiple times in the story.

Your unearthly interrogator is not done with you yet; it has one more question to ask.

'Many have claimed this Keep before,
But who now is lord of Valsinore?'

If you think you know the answer, again, turn the name of that person into a number using the code A=1, B=2, C=3......Z=26. Add the numbers together, double the total, and turn to the paragraph with the same number. If you do not know the answer, or if the paragraph you turn to makes no sense, then turn to 372.

Last one!

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Sun Feb 07, 2016 9:15 am

Unthank.

The Gaming Den

[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 64(?)-Night of the Necromancer

Who do we want to play as?