[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 58: Revenge of the Vampire

[Thaluikhain]

*fingers crossed we don't get hit once, cause that could be bad, but luck is precious*

[Beroli]

[spoiler=Wraith]
Round One: Eric 25, Wraith 16. Wraith is at 7 Stamina.
Round Two: Eric 23, Wraith 18. Wraith is at 5 Stamina.
Round Three: Eric 18, Wraith 14. Wraith is at 3 Stamina.
Round Four: Eric 17, Wraith 14. Wraith is at 1 Stamina.
Round Five: Eric 22, Wraith 15. Flawless victory.[/spoiler]

You force the door at last, the frame giving way as the wood splinters and cracks. The room behind the door is shrouded in black and red silk clothes,and a familiar sight greets you in the middle of the otherwise bare room: one of the Count's coffins! Unfortunately, one of the Count's Vampyre maidens is also here, protecting the resting-place of her master.

(An unfailable Faith test says she won't attack you first, but neither will she step aside from the coffin. I am somehow confident you won't choose to leave, even with the established risks of fighting a Vampyre, but I'll pause for a vote to confirm this and ask if you want to use Luck anyway. You do get a free hit.)

VAMPYRE Skill 9 Stamina 108 If her Attack Strength is 21, you know what happens.

Please vote by 7 AM EDT and before there is a three-vote majority to be sure it will be counted.

[spoiler=Adventure Sheet]Name: Eric Cross Brooks
Skill: 13/13
Stamina: 18/20
Luck: 11/11
Faith: 13
Blood Points: 14
Equipment: 2 Magic Swords (+1 Attack Power), Magic Gauntlets (+1 Attack Power), Nonmagic Sword, Leather Armor, Shield, Backpack, Lantern, 2 Herbal Brandy (+4 Stamina), Resin, Garlic, Silver Stake, Mallet, Silver Mirror, Climbing boots for hill-climbing, Rope, 15 pages of sage correspondence, 90-Faceted Red Crystal Heart, 2 Potions of Stamina (+9 Stamina), Mystery Potion, Baleful Red Lantern, Cooking Oil, Blackfire
Provisions: 12 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold Pieces: 38
Special Notes: [/spoiler]

[SGamerz]

I actually don't think this fight is worth the risk. Unlike Vault of the Vampires, we haven't been instructed to keep count of how many coffins we destroyed, so I don't think they'd be a necessary win condition, and the only thing we'd gained from destroying them so far has been Blood Points. We have quite a lot this time, so I don't think we need more of it that badly...not enough to risk another Latent Vampirism, at least, especially since she will inflict it even if we roll a higher Attack Strength.

My preference is to leave her alone, but if I'm out-voted on that, then I vote to use Luck to increase damage.

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, risk of her getting 21 is slight, and we are here to kill vampyres. I vote attack.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Personally I think it’s worth risking the 1/36 chance of latent vampirism but let’s play it safe.

[Beroli]

Okay, I think that's a 2-1 majority for leaving.

A few paces in front of you is a plain wooden door, where the passage bends round to the right. You peer further along the passage and can see two more doors, one to your left, halfway down the passage, and one to your right at the very end. The first of these doors is also plain, while the third one--at the end of the passage--has a shield design on it showing a broken thorn dripping blood against a white background. Which door will you open?

The door in front of you? Turn to 28.
The door halfway down the passage? Turn to 393.
The door with the shield design at the end of the passage? Turn to 11.

Please vote by 7 AM EDT and before there is a three-vote majority to be sure it will be counted.

[spoiler=Adventure Sheet]Name: Eric Cross Brooks
Skill: 13/13
Stamina: 18/20
Luck: 11/11
Faith: 13
Blood Points: 14
Equipment: 2 Magic Swords (+1 Attack Power), Magic Gauntlets (+1 Attack Power), Nonmagic Sword, Leather Armor, Shield, Backpack, Lantern, 2 Herbal Brandy (+4 Stamina), Resin, Garlic, Silver Stake, Mallet, Silver Mirror, Climbing boots for hill-climbing, Rope, 15 pages of sage correspondence, 90-Faceted Red Crystal Heart, 2 Potions of Stamina (+9 Stamina), Mystery Potion, Baleful Red Lantern, Cooking Oil, Blackfire
Provisions: 12 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold Pieces: 38
Special Notes: [/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

We know where the shield door takes us, so I suppose go there?

[SGamerz]

Yes, shield door, and this time we know exactly which tomb to go for!

[Beroli]

A magical glow swirls round the door with the shield on it, but you are not apprehensive. The usual sense of evil filling the crypts is absent here. You push the door open and discover a long corridor and five doors, each bearing a shield design. Materializing before you is the ghost of a knightly figure, tall and stern, who looks you over appraisingly.

'No evil enters here,' the ghost announces. 'Any undead creature would be destroyed instantly by the magic guarding the tombs of the Knights of the Thorn.' He seems to peer right into you - even through you - for a moment. 'You come to destroy the evil here,' the shade declares approvingly. 'And not before time!' What looks almost like a smile flickers on his face. 'l will allow you to pass into one, and only one, of the tomb rooms here, to take whatever may be of help to you.'

You must choose which tomb to enter. Do you choose:

The first Knight's? Turn to 113.
The second Knight's? Turn to 171.
The third Knight's? Turn to 224.
The fourth Knight's? Turn to 292.
The fifth Knight's? Turn to 314.

Please vote by 7 PM EDT and before there is a three-vote majority to be sure it will be counted.

[spoiler=Adventure Sheet]Name: Eric Cross Brooks
Skill: 13/13
Stamina: 18/20
Luck: 11/11
Faith: 13
Blood Points: 14
Equipment: 2 Magic Swords (+1 Attack Power), Magic Gauntlets (+1 Attack Power), Nonmagic Sword, Leather Armor, Shield, Backpack, Lantern, 2 Herbal Brandy (+4 Stamina), Resin, Garlic, Silver Stake, Mallet, Silver Mirror, Climbing boots for hill-climbing, Rope, 15 pages of sage correspondence, 90-Faceted Red Crystal Heart, 2 Potions of Stamina (+9 Stamina), Mystery Potion, Baleful Red Lantern, Cooking Oil, Blackfire
Provisions: 12 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold Pieces: 38
Special Notes: [/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

We are supposed to go to the fifth knight's, but why are we allowed only one?

(Also, how do we know that the fifth knight is beyond the fifth door from the entrance? That might not be the same thing)

[Queen of Swords]

We are supposed to go to the fifth knight's, but why are we allowed only one?

Good point. If the ghostly knight wants us to destroy the evil here, why place limitations on what we do in that regard?

Anyway, fifth tomb.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Go to the 5th tomb.

[Beroli]

Arguing with the ghost knight about what he'll let you do probably won't end well for you.

Surprisingly, the room on other side of this door has no tomb in it, just a stone statue of a huge knight, mightily muscled and strong-faced. You gaze at the beautifully sculpted figure for a moment before you realize that the sword in the man's right hand is not made of stone at all: it is of metal! Excitedly you prise it away from the stone hand which grips it only loosely. (You do not have Lycanthropy or Latent Vampirism.)

This is the magic sword 'Imperator,' and it is a mighty weapon indeed. It adds 1 to your Attack Strength in all combats, but it adds 2 to your Attack Strength against all undead. It also has three special powers which you should use with great care. First, it can--once and once only--deliver an especially powerful strike against any Vampire or Vampyre. You must decide when to use this power before you roll dice for Attack Strengths. If you have the higher Attack Strength, Imperator will inflict 8 points of damage upon your enemy. If you have the lower Attack Strength, this special attack is dissipated and lost, and you cannot attempt it again. Secondly, Imperator will automatically dispel and negate any one (and only one!) spell cast against you. You can choose which spell attack this will be, and you can then ignore instructions about lost STAMINA, SKILL, etc., caused by the spell attack. Thirdly, the sword immediately cures you of all afflictions you currently have (you have none) and restores any Skill points lost through fights with the undead (you haven't lost any). Gain 2 LUCK points for this wonderful find! (Luck was already maxed.)Then the knight's ghost ushers you out of the tomb, and you make for the door halfway along the passage beyond the tombs, and open it.

The door here opens readily and a chill draught of air wafts up to you from some depth far below. Your breath frosts on the air, it is so cold. You are wondering whether to go on this way when you are suddenly hammered on the back by what feels like a solid wall--which it is, for the wall opposite the door has suddenly shot forward and thrown you into the darkness! You must lose 1 STAMINA point for the buffeting. The door behind you slams shut and, as you try to force it open, you realize that the wall opposite is now flush with the door, sealing you in.

Chiselled stone steps lead downwards into utterly dark, infernal depths. You come at last to a plain stone landing, where you can hear and smell the occupants before you can see them. Another Ghoul pack is feasting on the bones of the dead here, snarling and growling as they feed. They sense your approach and are ready when you reach them. You have no alternative but to fight; you can fight the entire group as if they were a single opponent.

GHOUL PACK Skill 9 Stamina 10

[spoiler=Ghoul Pack]
Round One: Eric 22, Ghoul Pack 19. Ghoul Pack is at 8 Stamina.
Round Two: Eric 21, Ghoul Pack 15. Ghoul Pack is at 6 Stamina.
Round Three: Eric 22, Ghoul Pack 15. Ghoul Pack is at 4 Stamina.
Round Four: Eric 25, Ghoul Pack 15. Ghoul Pack is at 2 Stamina.
Round Five: Eric 23, Ghoul Pack 16. Flawless victory.
[/spoiler]

Pushing past the fallen Ghouls, you notice a door, opposite the stairs you arrived by, and force it open. Again, you find yourself striding along a passage with wall-alcoves on either side. These are bigger than any you have seen before, and a wooden door is set flush into the back of each. Examining them more closely, you see that each door has a hardened crystal viewing lens set into it, and you soon discover that beyond each door is a room with a single coffin in it, shrouded in black. A magical red glow suffuses the rooms. The coffins are open, and each contains a sleeping figure. You scarcely need to be told that these are Vampires--Vampire Elders, in fact, sleeping the sleep of ages here, banished to eternal slumber by the Knights of the Thorn. However, even as you gaze at them, the figures grow restless. They look like dreamers lost in a disturbing reverie, and their bodies toss and tum. A low groan escapes the lips of one of the monsters. Clearly something is happening to them: perhaps they are being awoken even as you watch! You look around frantically for a way forward. At the end of the passageway you find another door, much heavier and thicker than the rest. It is locked, and you will have to smash it down!

Time is very precious and you are very close to the Count now! To break down the door, you must Test your Skill with a -2 penalty, until you succeed; each time you fail, lose one Blood Point. (A 5 succeeds.)

At last you have found Count Reiner Heydrich himself! But getting close to him will be another matter since he is standing far away from you, in a huge chamber with a central fissure running across it. A narrow rock bridge crosses it, but this route is guarded by a monstrous, green-skinned, Ghoul-like thing wearing an iron mask, which hides all its face, and steel gauntlets that drip poison and hissing acid. The Count himself is wearing his red-lined, black silk cloak, and his hands are clutching an amulet round his neck. Thin waving lines--some form of magic or power--are flowing into his body; they originate in a set of portraits round the walls, pictures of the Vampire Elders in the tombs you have just passed. Behind the Count are two archways, but for all that you can see, they contain only inky blackness. The Count lifts his hands in triumph, but he gestures for his Ghoul-guardian to attack rather than attacking you himself. You wonder why that may be...You have choices to make here.

Attack the Count's bizarre, Ghoul-like thing? Turn to 330.
Forget about trying to cross by the bridge the Ghoul guards, and attempt to jump the chasm? Turn to 280.

You can also, if you wish, eat a Meal at some point between finding Imperator and reaching the Count.

Please vote by 7 AM EDT and before there is a three-vote majority to be sure it will be counted.

[spoiler=Adventure Sheet]Name: Eric Cross Brooks
Skill: 13/13
Stamina: 17/20
Luck: 11/11
Faith: 13
Blood Points: 14
Equipment: Imperator (+1 Attack Power/+2 against undead, 8 damage to undead creature on successful combat round one time, nullify one magic attack), 2 Magic Swords (+1 Attack Power), Magic Gauntlets (+1 Attack Power), Nonmagic Sword, Leather Armor, Shield, Backpack, Lantern, 2 Herbal Brandy (+4 Stamina), Resin, Garlic, Silver Stake, Mallet, Silver Mirror, Climbing boots for hill-climbing, Rope, 15 pages of sage correspondence, 90-Faceted Red Crystal Heart, 2 Potions of Stamina (+9 Stamina), Mystery Potion, Baleful Red Lantern, Cooking Oil, Blackfire
Provisions: 12 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold Pieces: 38
Special Notes: [/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Had I known about Imperator removing afflictions I would have definitely voted to destroy the coffin. Oh well.

Attack the Ghoul. I think we get the choice of Blackfire or Mystery Potion on it, and whichever we don't use we should use on the Count.

[Beroli]

I'd just like to point out that it first checks if you have Latent Vampirism and then says, as part of a page of text about what it does after confirming that you do not, that it removes afflictions. So it could be--for example--that if you have Latent Vampirism or Lycanthropy it shocks you and you can't take it, or if you have Latent Vampirism it kills you outright and if you have Lycanthropy it shocks you.

Or maybe it increases your Skill to 20 if you have Latent Vampirism, who knows?

[SGamerz]

Attack the Ghoul and Blackfire him.

[Queen of Swords]

Attack the ghoul.

[Thaluikhain]

Attack the ghoul. And another magic sword, boring, maybe we should have tried one of the other doors.

[SGamerz]

And another magic sword, boring, maybe we should have tried one of the other doors.

At this stage, the most boring thing would be to have to rewind and play through it all again when we're pretty much just 1-2 fights away from completing book, only to die in the Boss fight because we didn't do the sensible thing and pick up the magic sword with all its big bonuses.

[Thaluikhain]

And another magic sword, boring, maybe we should have tried one of the other doors.

At this stage, the most boring thing would be to have to rewind and play through it all again when we're pretty much just 1-2 fights away from completing book, only to die in the Boss fight because we didn't do the sensible thing and pick up the magic sword with all its big bonuses.

Well...um...not if the ending is really disappointing and we're better off just imagining what could have been? Yeah, I got nothing.

[Beroli]

Fight the monster normally with a sword? Turn to 270.
Throw Blackfire at it?
Drink a mystery potion?
Throw acid at it?

Vote to use Blackfire registered.

The horror is engulfed in flame; it screams in a nightmarish, piercing voice which seems to fill the entire cavern. Unfortunately, even the magic of Blackfire doesn't kill it outright. It lumbers towards you, an undead fireball, its superheated iron claws reaching out for you!

FLAMING MEGAGHOUL Skill 10 Stamina Special

For two rounds, it will attempt to catch you in a fiery bearhug while you, realizing that it won't last long, focus on evading it. If it wins a combat round, you lose 4 Stamina. After two combat rounds it will collapse.

[spoiler=Flaming Megaghoul]
Round One: Eric 26, Megaghoul 15.
Round Two: Eric 24, Megaghoul 16.[/spoiler]

Having felled the Count's guardian, you are standing on the opposite side of the narrow bridge to the villainous, saturnine Vampire. He seems to be growing in strength even as you look at him. How will you assail him?

Throw Blackfire at him?
Drink a mystery potion?
Throw acid at him?
Fire a longbow at him?
Race across the rock bridge and attack him? Turn to 273.

Please vote by 7 PM EDT and before there is a three-vote majority to be sure it will be counted.

[spoiler=Adventure Sheet]Name: Eric Cross Brooks
Skill: 13/13
Stamina: 17/20
Luck: 11/11
Faith: 13
Blood Points: 14
Equipment: Imperator (+1 Attack Power/+2 against undead, 8 damage to undead creature on successful combat round one time, nullify one magic attack), 2 Magic Swords (+1 Attack Power), Magic Gauntlets (+1 Attack Power), Nonmagic Sword, Leather Armor, Shield, Backpack, Lantern, 2 Herbal Brandy (+4 Stamina), Resin, Garlic, Silver Stake, Mallet, Silver Mirror, Climbing boots for hill-climbing, Rope, 15 pages of sage correspondence, 90-Faceted Red Crystal Heart, 2 Potions of Stamina (+9 Stamina), Mystery Potion, Baleful Red Lantern, Cooking Oil
Provisions: 12 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold Pieces: 38
Special Notes: [/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Mystery potion.

[Queen of Swords]

Glug.

[SGamerz]

Spitfire!

[Beroli]

You drink the potion and at once your head feels as if it is on fire--and so does your stomach! You gasp for air then suddenly belch up a huge gout of flame which races across the chasm. This is not at all what Heydrich was expecting. He is caught by the edge of the fiery cloud, for your attack was not perfectly aimed, but he loses 4 STAMINA points. He is dazed and slow, and you race across the rock bridge to attack him with your sword.

As you ready yourself to attack the Count, a network of magical force winds itself tightly round him. Clearly he is drawing energy from the pictures of the Vampire Elders round the chamber. They must be magical, channelling the essence of the Elders into him. Of course! Now it makes sense to you. Heydrich is not summoning an army of Vampires, as you were told. Rather, he is drawing into himself all the undead energies of the sleeping Vampires here, to tum him into a super-Vampire, utterly indestructible and impossible to resist. The Vampire is already staring at you through blood-red eyes. (You have a red crystal heart. You have the sword Imperator and so you are immune to his gaze.)

His Excellency's starting stats are: Skill 15, Stamina 3026.

You have the sword Imperator, so reduce his Skill by 1.
Your Faith score is 10 or higher, so reduce his Skill by 2. Final Skill: 12.
You can reduce his Stamina by (Blood Points/5, round up)=3. Final Stamina: 23.
You do not have the History of Mortvania or Sewarth's Codex.
You do have Harquay's letters; add 1 to your Current Luck, which is already maxed. Your final Luck: 11.
When the Count's Stamina points reach 10, he will switch from attacking with his fists to attempting to rip your throat out with his fangs. Reduce his Attack Strength by 2 for the rest of the fight, but roll a die after each combat round he wins; if you roll a 5, you take double damage (4 Stamina instead of 2). If you roll a 6, he has gashed your throat badly and you will die unless the fight is over within 4 more combat rounds.

When you reduce his Stamina to 4 or less, turn to 9.

Pausing for votes on how to use Luck, and how/whether to use the smite ability of Imperator.

Please vote by 7 AM EDT and before there is a three-vote majority to be sure it will be counted.

[spoiler=Adventure Sheet]Name: Eric Cross Brooks
Skill: 13/13
Stamina: 17/20
Luck: 11/11
Faith: 13
Blood Points: 14
Equipment: Imperator (+1 Attack Power/+2 against undead, 8 damage to undead creature on successful combat round one time, nullify one magic attack), 2 Magic Swords (+1 Attack Power), Magic Gauntlets (+1 Attack Power), Nonmagic Sword, Leather Armor, Shield, Backpack, Lantern, 2 Herbal Brandy (+4 Stamina), Resin, Garlic, Silver Stake, Mallet, Silver Mirror, Climbing boots for hill-climbing, Rope, 15 pages of sage correspondence, 90-Faceted Red Crystal Heart, 2 Potions of Stamina (+9 Stamina), Baleful Red Lantern, Cooking Oil
Provisions: 12 Meals (+4 STAMINA)
Gold Pieces: 38
Special Notes: [/spoiler]