[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 9 - Caverns of the Snow Witch Redux
Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 12:28 am
Deep within the Crystal Caves of the Icefinger Mountains, the dreaded Snow Witch of Allansia is using her dark powers to bring on a new ice age and thereby hold the world under her dominion. You know nothing of this until a brave trapper dies in your arms, having fallen victim to the terrible creature you are hunting, and lays the burden of his mission on your shoulders. But time is running out and YOU must take up the challenge without delay.
Unlike, say, Vault of the Vampire, this gamebook is known for being unforgiving. Unlike, say, Crypt of the Sorcerer, it is known for being winnable, as long as you make all the right decisions and have high stats. This gamebook was attempted here once before, but not completed. WhenIf you die, I'll note the number of times you've died and rewind to the place where you stepped off the gamebook's true path.
Standard Fighting Fantasy rules:
Skill, Stamina, & Luck
[spoiler]SKILL score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
STAMINA score: Roll two dice. Add 12 points to the result.
LUCK score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
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.
Testing your Luck: When instructed by the book to test 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.
[/spoiler]
Combat
[spoiler]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.[/spoiler]
Equipment and Provisions:
[spoiler]A sword, leather armor, a backpack, and 10 Meals. Eating a Meal restores up to 4 points of STAMINA; you may only eat one Meal at a time. In this book you may eat whenever not in combat. And you may occasionally be told "you have just enough time to stuff food into your mouth before the enemy attacks, if you choose." You will sometimes be told "you must eat a Meal"; when this happens, you don't gain Stamina from it, just deduct the Meal. If you're told that and you have no Meals, take 2 points of damage.
You also have a Potion of Dexterity, Strength, or Fortune. The Potion of Dexterity will restore your Skill to your Initial Skill. The Potion of Strength will restore your Stamina to your Initial Stamina. The Potion of Fortune will increase your Initial Luck by 1 and then restore your Luck to your (new) Initial Luck.[/spoiler]
Winters in northern Allansia are always cruel and bitter. The snow falls thick and the icy wind blows hard, chilling everybody to the bone. For the past few weeks you have been hired by a merchant called Big Jim Sun to protect his trading caravans as they roll their way slowly north to the frozen outposts. The horse-drawn carts are laden with cloth, utensils, weapons, salted meats, spices and tea, which are traded for furs and ivory carvings made from mammoths’ tusks. Big Jim is not usually worried about travelling north, as bandits only attack his caravans on the return journey – he is not alone in recognizing the value of the northern goods.
On this particular trip you are walking ahead of six carts across a frozen lake. In the distance you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Icefinger Mountains jutting out of low cloud. Your destination lies at the base of the mountains where the Northmen meet to trade. Snow is falling, but not too heavily. You stop to prod the ice with your sword to make sure it can bear the weight of carts, when suddenly the shrill call of a hunting horn breaks the silence. You stand up and run back to the carts to talk to Big Jim. He is sitting next to the driver of the second cart, puffing on a long briar pipe. A huge man, with a great bushy beard, Big Jim is obviously a man to be reckoned with. His bright blue eyes scan the horizon, searching for signs of life. In a deep voice he says, ‘Sounds like it came from the outpost. Reckon you better go and investigate. Could be trouble. And get back quick.’
You set off straight away towards the outpost at the base of Icefinger Mountains. You arrive two hours later at a scene of ugly carnage. The snow is red with blood and all the wooden huts are smashed and torn down. Six men lie dead, their bodies slashed, their axes at their sides in the snow. Judging by the size of the footprints, the creature that attacked the outpost must have been enormous. There is nothing you can do for the unfortunate Northmen, so you head back towards Big Jim’s caravan to report the news. You reach them in an hour, just as the daylight is fading, and relate the terrible events that have befallen the outpost. Big Jim orders the carts to be drawn into a circle to protect his men during the night. A large fire is built into the centre of the circle and you sit down beside it to talk to Big Jim. Everybody is nervous and a guard is posted to watch for signs of movement outside. In a low voice, Big Jim asks you if you will hunt the terrible creature, for otherwise his business will be ruined forever. You smile and reply that you will track down the beast, but only for a purse of 50 Gold Pieces. Big Jim’s jaw drops open, and it takes a great deal of persuasion before he agrees to your demand. The snow finally stops falling as you settle down for the night; sleep is a long time coming, for your mind is active with thoughts of the impending hunt.
When you wake just after dawn, the fire is reduced to dying embers. Wisps of smoke rise gently into the morning mist and not a sound is to be heard. You walk over to where Big Jim is sleeping and tap him on the shoulder. He wakes with a start and you tell him that you are setting off and hope to be back later in the day. You wave to the guard as the snow starts to fall again, and make your way back to the outpost.
By the time you reach the outpost again, the bodies are blanketed with snow and the beast’s footprints are covered over. The visibility is poor as you set off towards the mountains where you hope to find the abominable killer beast. The snow on the mountainside is soft and you sink in up to your knees as you climb slowly up. You soon find yourself at the edge of a crevasse which is spanned by an ice bridge.
Rolling for initial stats I get: 4, 2, 5, 2. As usual I will be letting you vote to distribute them.
Please vote on:
The PC's sex and name.
Where to place which die.
Which potion to take.
Whether to cross the crevasse by the bridge or walk around the crevasse.
Unlike, say, Vault of the Vampire, this gamebook is known for being unforgiving. Unlike, say, Crypt of the Sorcerer, it is known for being winnable, as long as you make all the right decisions and have high stats. This gamebook was attempted here once before, but not completed. WhenIf you die, I'll note the number of times you've died and rewind to the place where you stepped off the gamebook's true path.
Standard Fighting Fantasy rules:
Skill, Stamina, & Luck
[spoiler]SKILL score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
STAMINA score: Roll two dice. Add 12 points to the result.
LUCK score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
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.
Testing your Luck: When instructed by the book to test 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.
[/spoiler]
Combat
[spoiler]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.[/spoiler]
Equipment and Provisions:
[spoiler]A sword, leather armor, a backpack, and 10 Meals. Eating a Meal restores up to 4 points of STAMINA; you may only eat one Meal at a time. In this book you may eat whenever not in combat. And you may occasionally be told "you have just enough time to stuff food into your mouth before the enemy attacks, if you choose." You will sometimes be told "you must eat a Meal"; when this happens, you don't gain Stamina from it, just deduct the Meal. If you're told that and you have no Meals, take 2 points of damage.
You also have a Potion of Dexterity, Strength, or Fortune. The Potion of Dexterity will restore your Skill to your Initial Skill. The Potion of Strength will restore your Stamina to your Initial Stamina. The Potion of Fortune will increase your Initial Luck by 1 and then restore your Luck to your (new) Initial Luck.[/spoiler]
Winters in northern Allansia are always cruel and bitter. The snow falls thick and the icy wind blows hard, chilling everybody to the bone. For the past few weeks you have been hired by a merchant called Big Jim Sun to protect his trading caravans as they roll their way slowly north to the frozen outposts. The horse-drawn carts are laden with cloth, utensils, weapons, salted meats, spices and tea, which are traded for furs and ivory carvings made from mammoths’ tusks. Big Jim is not usually worried about travelling north, as bandits only attack his caravans on the return journey – he is not alone in recognizing the value of the northern goods.
On this particular trip you are walking ahead of six carts across a frozen lake. In the distance you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Icefinger Mountains jutting out of low cloud. Your destination lies at the base of the mountains where the Northmen meet to trade. Snow is falling, but not too heavily. You stop to prod the ice with your sword to make sure it can bear the weight of carts, when suddenly the shrill call of a hunting horn breaks the silence. You stand up and run back to the carts to talk to Big Jim. He is sitting next to the driver of the second cart, puffing on a long briar pipe. A huge man, with a great bushy beard, Big Jim is obviously a man to be reckoned with. His bright blue eyes scan the horizon, searching for signs of life. In a deep voice he says, ‘Sounds like it came from the outpost. Reckon you better go and investigate. Could be trouble. And get back quick.’
You set off straight away towards the outpost at the base of Icefinger Mountains. You arrive two hours later at a scene of ugly carnage. The snow is red with blood and all the wooden huts are smashed and torn down. Six men lie dead, their bodies slashed, their axes at their sides in the snow. Judging by the size of the footprints, the creature that attacked the outpost must have been enormous. There is nothing you can do for the unfortunate Northmen, so you head back towards Big Jim’s caravan to report the news. You reach them in an hour, just as the daylight is fading, and relate the terrible events that have befallen the outpost. Big Jim orders the carts to be drawn into a circle to protect his men during the night. A large fire is built into the centre of the circle and you sit down beside it to talk to Big Jim. Everybody is nervous and a guard is posted to watch for signs of movement outside. In a low voice, Big Jim asks you if you will hunt the terrible creature, for otherwise his business will be ruined forever. You smile and reply that you will track down the beast, but only for a purse of 50 Gold Pieces. Big Jim’s jaw drops open, and it takes a great deal of persuasion before he agrees to your demand. The snow finally stops falling as you settle down for the night; sleep is a long time coming, for your mind is active with thoughts of the impending hunt.
When you wake just after dawn, the fire is reduced to dying embers. Wisps of smoke rise gently into the morning mist and not a sound is to be heard. You walk over to where Big Jim is sleeping and tap him on the shoulder. He wakes with a start and you tell him that you are setting off and hope to be back later in the day. You wave to the guard as the snow starts to fall again, and make your way back to the outpost.
By the time you reach the outpost again, the bodies are blanketed with snow and the beast’s footprints are covered over. The visibility is poor as you set off towards the mountains where you hope to find the abominable killer beast. The snow on the mountainside is soft and you sink in up to your knees as you climb slowly up. You soon find yourself at the edge of a crevasse which is spanned by an ice bridge.
Rolling for initial stats I get: 4, 2, 5, 2. As usual I will be letting you vote to distribute them.
Please vote on:
The PC's sex and name.
Where to place which die.
Which potion to take.
Whether to cross the crevasse by the bridge or walk around the crevasse.