[Let's Play] Grailquest 3: The Gateway of Doom

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

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Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

We've not been given an actual incentive to change our mind.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Omegonthesane wrote:We've not been given an actual incentive to change our mind.
Some would consider having a Wand of Incredible Destruction pointed at them to be a good incentive. However, Pip is obviously made of sterner stuff than that!
Phut!

A globule of leprous green light leaps from the tip of the wand, only to fall with mediocre sizzle on the floor.

'My wand has run out!' shrieks the man in alarm.

Splat!

You crack him on the head with the flat of EJ's blade, knocking him instantly unconscious.

'My hero!' cries the carrot in delight and promptly fangs you in the ankle. At once you feel your LIFE POINTS draining away at an alarming rate.

'Beware the bite of the Vampire Carrot!' calls out the carrot joyously, preparing to deliver a final, lethal bite.

You've only one chance here, Pip: the spell that turns vegetable monsters friendly! What is it called? PALS! If it works, then the Vampire Carrot will return all the LIFE POINTS it's just drained and remain with you as a bodyguard until you leave the Ghastly Kingdom. (And a good bodyguard it is too: in normal circumstances it requires a roll of six to score a hit, but if it manages three in succession, at whatever damage, it will always kill its opponent.) If the spell doesn't work, the Carrot's final bite will drain your last remaining LIFE POINTS and send the pale husk of poor Pip straight to 14.
Dice roll = 8. Success! We've gained a new bodyguard!

Pip leaves 123 and continues on the dark corridor that spirals inwards towards 69. He needs to make 5 more Wandering Monsters rolls:

1st roll = 5 (no encounter).
2nd roll = 8 (Animated Skeleton)

Skeleton rolls 2, Pip rolls 6. Pip goes first.

COMBAT LOG:
Pip rolls 5 and hits for 1+5+5 (Magic coin) = 11 damage. Skeleton is at 9.
Vampire Carrot rolls 2 and misses.
Skeleton rolls 11 and hits for 5+1-4 = 2 damage. Pip is at 35.
Pip rolls 6 and hits for 2+5 = 7 damage. Skeleton is at 2.
Animated Skeleton is knocked out.
Pip loots another 10 GP.

3rd roll = 6 (no encounter).
4th roll = 8 (Animated Skeleton....again).

Skeleton rolls 9, Pip rolls 7. Skeleton strikes first.

COMBAT LOG:
Skeleton rolls 3 and misses.
Pip rolls 9 and hits for 5+5+5 (Magic coin) = 15 damage. Skeleton is at 5.
Animated Skeleton is knocked out.
Another OHKO, another 10 GP earned.....and another Permanent LP earned with this kill, which brought our current Xp up to 20!

5th roll = 7 (no encounter).

And Pip finally reaches 69:
A peculiar room this, peculiarly shaped and with a deep purple velvet curtain closing off the northern section.

Cold, isn't it?

There are little glittering crystals on the walls, like ice, except they are green and pink. You touch one curiously and promptly get a cold burn. This stuff is colder than ice, colder than anything you've ever experienced. You're shivering already. You head for the curtain fast before you freeze to death.

If you race for the curtain, throw two dice. Score above 3 and you make it to 138. Score 3 or below and you're a block of pink and green ice, thawing out slowly in 14.


At least this is an easy roll (above 3 on two dice).

Dice roll = 6 (Success!).
Sword in hand, you brush aside the curtain.

No monsters, but something maybe just as terrifying. You've found a locked door and behind it (as you can see through a tiny barred window) stairs! Stairs going down...

Only one key can unlock this door--the Key to the Gateway of the Ghastly Kingdom itself. If you have it, unlock the door and take the stairs down to 71.

If not, you'd better make your way back the way you came and continue to explore this level until you find the Key.


Pip has the key, and in any case has already scoured every room on the first level......
***

These are very long stairs. Very long, very steep and very dark.

'The sort of place you'd likely find spiders,' whispers EJ, who is a bit nervous of spiders.

But you press on bravely, brushing aside webs--

'Spider webs,' groans EJ.

--knowing perfectly well that any spiders you are likely to meet will be quite harmless little fly catchers who wouldn't do any harm to a brave--

'Here it comes!' shrieks EJ as two fiery red eyes approach you like an express train from the darkness ahead.

It's a giant spider, of course. What else could it possibly be in a place like this. Only 13 LIFE POINTS, but the bite is poisonous so that if the Spider manages to hit you three times in a row without you hitting back, then you're lethally poisoned and the Spider's next meal. The Spider hits on 6 or better and has surprise automatically since this is its home territory. Curiously enough, it is susceptible to Bribery, as you may have noticed by the asterisks, but it will demand an awful lot of gold. If you get past the Spider, go to 74. If not, try 14.


It has an auto-kill mechanism like our Vampire Carrot bodyguard, but it's highly unlikely that we won't be able to hit it for 3 straight rounds while it keeps hitting us, so I think we're pretty safe.

COMBAT LOG:
Giant Spider rolls 8 and hits for 2-4 = no damage.
Pip rolls 6 and hits for 2+5+5 (Magic coin) = 12 damage. Giant Spider is at 1.
Giant Spider is knocked out.
At the bottom of the stairs you find yourself in a 20' x 30' chamber with a door in the south wall. The entire place is piled high with the bones, skulls and rusting weapons of previous adventurers. This is not a good omen, Pip.

But pinned to the wall with a broken spear is a tattered sketch map... (see Appendix, p.223)

You will find in the corridors of this level that you must make a Wandering Monster roll every 50 feet (5 squares) not every 60 as on the level above. Results should be read from the Level 2 Wandering Monster table (see Appendix, p.211).

Try the door?

Or return to 138 and Level 1.


And we've reached Stage 3!

LEVEL 2 WANDERING MONSTERS:
Image
LEVEL TWO MAP:
Image
There's nothing left for us on Level 1, so onwards towards 129!

Pip makes a Wandering Monster roll in the dark corridor:

Dice roll = 8. We meet a pair of Poison Dwarves (whatever that means)!

Dwarves roll 8, Pip rolls 6. The Dwarves strike first.

COMBAT LOG:
Poison Dwarf#1 rolls = 5 and misses.
Pip rolls 6 and hits for 2+5+5 (Magic coin) = 12 damage. Poison Dwarf#1 is at 3.
Poison Dwarf#1 is knocked out.
Vampire Carrot rolls 9 and hits for 3 damage. Poison Dwarf#2 is at 12.
Poison Dwarf#2 rolls 7 and hits for 1+1-4 = no damage.
Pip rolls 12 and hits for 8+5 = 13 damage.
Poison Dwarf#2 is killed.
Pip collects 20 GP from the dwarves and continues on to 129:
Despite what the map shows, you are in a 10' x 10' room with doors in the north, west and east walls.

The door east leads back to the corridor.

The door north to 78.

The door west to 83.
Yes, we just landed in a mini-maze within 129. Neither 78 nor 83 are on the map.

Which door do we take?

QUEST JOURNAL:
Pip's LIFE POINTS: 36/53
Permanent Life Points: 9

SPEED: 11/22

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
1. Excalibur Jr. (hits on 4, damage +5)
2. Dragonskin Jacket (damage taken -4)
3. Double-headed Copper Coin (can be used to win any gambling games)
4. Weed-killer
5. Poison Antidote (6 doses)
6. Lamp
7. Healing Salve (5 applications)
8. Healing Salve (5 applications)
9. Magic coin (+5 damage to successful physical attack or spell, once per combat)
10. Magic coin (+5 damage to successful physical attack or spell, once per combat)
11. Key to the Gateway of the Ghastly Kingdom of the Dead

MONEY: 978 GP

MAGIC:
PANIC 3/3
POW 3/3
PILL 3/3
PAD 3/3
PIP 2/3
PIN 3/3
PiR2 3/3
INVISIBILITY 1/1
Firefingers 21/21 (must spend 3 LP to re-cast the spell to use the last 10)
Fireballs 2/2
PLoP 3/3
PID 3/3
PALS 2/3
PIL 3/3
POPS 3/3

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 3
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Giant Danish Spider
3 Ghouls
110 Ants
4 Nerds
Creeping Jello
4 Orcs
Shark
Little Old Lady Monster
5 Animated Skeletons
4 Kobolds
2 Guards
Treasure Room Nerd
Twisted Mirror Image
Giant Poisonous Spider
2 Poison Dwarves
PUZZLES SOLVES: 2

No. of Deaths:
1. Suffocated in smoke-filled room
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Creeping semolina? Huh. Only time I've heard "poison dwarf" before was in reference to annoying TV interviewer Andrew Denton.

Anyway, try 83, I guess?
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

What does the Vampire Carrot Body Guard do?
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Ikeren wrote:What does the Vampire Carrot Body Guard do?
Fight on our side, can't get killed, and auto-kills on 3 consecutive strikes:
158 wrote:(And a good bodyguard it is too: in normal circumstances it requires a roll of six to score a hit, but if it manages three in succession, at whatever damage, it will always kill its opponent.)
Going west:
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north and west walls.

Take the door east to 129.
The door north to 118.
The door west to 89.
East goes back to the previous section (which is till a legit option as we can go to 78 from there).
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Half vote for west again.
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north and west walls.

Go north to 93.
East to 83.
West to 86.
Almost the exact same text, just with different section numbers.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

A third of a vote for continuing west.
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north and west walls.

Go north to 121.
East to 89.
West to 98.
This might take a while.....
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Hug the left wall, assuming our current facing is west.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Sorry for the late update. Had been ill since the weekend.
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north and west walls.

Go east to 86.
North to 79.
West to 84.
Quick someone find a way out before Pip dies from the monotony!
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Sorry, forgive me if I wasn't clear - I meant to vote for "SGamerz follows the left hand rule until we either encounter something, get out of this maze, or find we've gone in a circle instead of asking for a vote for every single place with a turning point".

Map of the maze so far.
Borders indicate "there is no option to travel in this direction from this space". Numbers indicate the page reference of that square. Have manually highlighted 98 as that's our current position; there doesn't appear to be a way to draw an arrow to indicate facing without taking up a cell.
If you use Google Drive you should be able to fork off your own copy and update accordingly if you so desire.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

That sounds like a plan.
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Heading west again:
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north and west walls.

Go east to 98.
North to 88.
West to 91.
And west again:
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north and west walls.

Go east to 84.
North to 106.
West to 129.
......and it looks like we need a new strategy, because 129 is exactly where the maze started:
Despite what the map shows, you are in a 10' x 10' room with doors in the north, west and east walls.

The door east leads back to the corridor.

The door north to 78.

The door west to 83.
Yes, once again Brennan screws with players who map the place carefully.

What do we do now?
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Do we get the same sections going east?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Head north from 129 and continue heading north until we encounter a turn east, an interesting thing, or loop back to 129.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Thaluikhain wrote:Do we get the same sections going east?
Since 129 is where we started in the maze, east takes us out of the maze, but back to where we first entered level 2, which is no good to us since all we can do is backtrack to level 1 from there.

Going north:
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the south and west walls.

Take the door south to 129.

The door west to 118.
Well, the plan dies here again, since we can't go north any further and we can't turn east either.

Since there's only one other exit, let's try west:
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the south, west and east walls.

Take the door east to 78.

The door south to 83.

Or the door west to 93.


We can go east now, but that just goes back to the previous section.

Keep going west from here again? Or try something else?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Westward bound! (Repeatedly until something interesting happens.)
Last edited by Omegonthesane on Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Second that.

The incorrect map thing is an idea I like in theory. Not so much in practice.
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Continuing west....
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, south and west walls.

Go south to 89.

East to 118.

West to 121.
And west again.....
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, south and west walls.

Go south to 86.

East to 93.

West to 79.


And again......
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, south, and west walls.

Go east to 121.

Go south to 98.

Go west to 88.


And again.....
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, south and west walls.

Go east to 79.

South to 84.

West to 106.


And again......
Another 10' x 10' chamber. Doors in the east, north, south and west walls.

Go east to 88.

North to 144.

West to 78.

South to 91.


Okay, going west again loops back to 78, which is north from 129 (where we started the maze).

East goes back to the previous section.

Do we want to turn north or south here? (Note that we've been to 91 before: we passed through that when we were repeatedly going west from 129 previously. 144 is a new section.)
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

North once and keep going west until something interesting happens?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Agreed.

So far this isn't actually an incorrect map, just a map with portals.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

By Jove, you're out, Pip! You're out of the maze! Mark you, the mental effort has taken a lot out of you. Better nosh some of your rations before going on. (If you aren't carrying rations, you lose 1 PERMANENT LIFE POINT sue to brain [EDITED].)

If you look around carefully, you will find you are standing in the northern corridor just outside the northern door to the area marked 129 on your map.

You will also find you are in grave danger of stepping on a small, but quite amazing, magical artifact--a Talisman of Wandering Monster Protection. When you invoke the power of the charm, it sends out rays which absolutely ensure you will never encounter a Wandering Monster on the level you are in. There is only one slight problem: the Talisman has only two charges, so use them wisely. (Or not at all, if you wish, some adventurers prefer to hack up Wandering Monsters for the sake of their gold.)

Should you wish to retrace your steps back through 129 from this direction, you can go direct to the door in the eastern wall since you've solved the maze now.
Pip isn't carrying any rations, so he just lost a Permanent Life Point! Well, at least he already accumulated quite a few of those in this adventure.

What do we want to drop for the Talisman (if we want to pick it up)? If we pick it up, do we want to activate the Talisman now? Or save the charges in case there are more difficult levels below?

(Note: the last word in the first paragraph was apparently censored on this board. It's a 3-lettered word beginning with 'F', ending with 'G', and with an 'A' between them.)
Last edited by SGamerz on Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

We lose 1 PLP due to brain cigarette. Got it. (Suspect he meant to say "brain fog" because the alternative doesn't even make sense as a bigoted slur.)

Save the charm for when we need it.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

There're a couple more choices I should have listed in the previous post:

1) What do we want to drop for the Talisman?

2) Which section do we head for now? We're at the bottom of the left-most dark corridor on the map.
Last edited by SGamerz on Mon Jan 08, 2018 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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