[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 14 - Temple of Terror Redux
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:22 pm
This is a moderately unforgiving, firmly One True Path gamebook. I've always had a soft spot for it, which is also something I could say about Caverns of the Snow Witch, but my memory, at least, is that this one's more of a meatgrinder early and less late.
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, a lantern, 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."[/spoiler]
Perhaps it was because he was born during a full moon, with wolves howling around his mother’s forest hut, that Malbordus’s nature was evil. Perhaps it was something more sinister than that. But it is certain that, after his mother abandoned him, Malbordus grew up in Darkwood Forest in the care of Darkside Elves. He was taught the Elves’ wicked ways, and also discovered powers of his own. He could make plants wither and die simply by snapping his fingers; he could make animals obey him with his piercing gaze. The Elves urged him on and helped him develop his powers, so that they could teach him the arcane and evil magic of the ancient Elf Lords – magic so vile and powerful that it kills unworthy users. In pursuit of such evil powers, Malbordus grew into manhood. In order to prove to the Elves that he was ready to receive the Elf Lords’ knowledge, he first had to pass a test. He was ordered to journey south to the Desert of Skulls to find the lost city of Vatos. In the city were hidden five Dragon artefacts which he would have to find and collect. A simple incantation would bring the Dragons to life to serve the forces of evil. Malbordus would then instruct them to fly him back to Darkwood Forest, where a massive army would be assembling. He would receive the ancient powers and lead the hordes of chaos across Allansia in an unstoppable wave of death and destruction.
It was only by a stroke of luck that these terrible plans were discovered. On the edge of Darkwood Forest lived a strange old Wizard named Yaztromo. Something of an eccentric, he lived alone in his tower, practising simple magic and communicating with animals and birds. He was always willing to sell small magic items, so that he could afford to have brought to him delicious cakes from all over Allansia. His sweet tooth was the cause of his only link with the outside world, as he rarely left his tower. It was therefore much to everyone’s surprise that he came huffing and puffing into the village of Stonebridge. What could possibly have forced old Yaztromo to venture through Darkwood Forest to Stonebridge? All the Dwarfs who lived there were eager to find out, and a message was sent to Gillibran, their king.
After the rigours of a recent quest, you are resting in Stonebridge, enjoying the merry company of the Dwarfs. Your wounds are almost healed and the local blacksmith has honed the blade of your sword as only Dwarfs can. Resting on a porch with your feet up on the railing, you are intrigued by the commotion in front of you in the village square. Followed by a throng of inquisitive Dwarfs, Yaztromo climbs the stone steps of Gillibran’s house and is warmly greeted at the top by the king. The crowd falls silent when Gillibran raises his hand, and Yaztromo turns to speak. You slide out of your chair and join the crowd to hear what the Wizard has to say. With a glum expression, his face almost as long as his beard, Yaztromo relates the bad news concerning Malbordus. The Dwarfs look up apprehensively as though expecting the five Dragons to descend upon them at any moment. He calls on them to show courage, saying, ‘Friends, look on the bright side. At least we are warned of our impending doom, thanks to my pet crow who overhead the conversation between the Dark Elves and Malbordus. What we must do now is find somebody who can reach the lost city before Malbordus and destroy the Dragon artefacts. We need a fearless young warrior who is willing to risk life and limb to save us all. Is there one among you who would volunteer?’
Each Dwarf looks around to see if another has dared to accept the challenge. Standing there watching the worried Dwarfs, you realize that there is only one thing you can do. With a wry smile on your face, you raise your arm in the air and offer your services. Yaztromo sees you and says, ‘Haven’t I seen you somewhere before? (Interesting, is Yaztromo implying that you've completed Forest of Doom before this?) Never mind, you look like the kind of person we want. Make way for our brave volunteer. We must leave for my tower immediately. Come along, let’s be off. You have a lot to learn, but I cannot teach you much until we are safely through Darkwood Forest and inside my laboratory.’
You hardly have time to cram your belongings into your backpack before the impatient Wizard leads you out of Stonebridge towards his tower on the southern edge of Darkwood Forest.
Rolling for initial stats I get: 5, 4, 4, 2. As usual I will be letting you vote to distribute them.
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, a lantern, 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."[/spoiler]
Perhaps it was because he was born during a full moon, with wolves howling around his mother’s forest hut, that Malbordus’s nature was evil. Perhaps it was something more sinister than that. But it is certain that, after his mother abandoned him, Malbordus grew up in Darkwood Forest in the care of Darkside Elves. He was taught the Elves’ wicked ways, and also discovered powers of his own. He could make plants wither and die simply by snapping his fingers; he could make animals obey him with his piercing gaze. The Elves urged him on and helped him develop his powers, so that they could teach him the arcane and evil magic of the ancient Elf Lords – magic so vile and powerful that it kills unworthy users. In pursuit of such evil powers, Malbordus grew into manhood. In order to prove to the Elves that he was ready to receive the Elf Lords’ knowledge, he first had to pass a test. He was ordered to journey south to the Desert of Skulls to find the lost city of Vatos. In the city were hidden five Dragon artefacts which he would have to find and collect. A simple incantation would bring the Dragons to life to serve the forces of evil. Malbordus would then instruct them to fly him back to Darkwood Forest, where a massive army would be assembling. He would receive the ancient powers and lead the hordes of chaos across Allansia in an unstoppable wave of death and destruction.
It was only by a stroke of luck that these terrible plans were discovered. On the edge of Darkwood Forest lived a strange old Wizard named Yaztromo. Something of an eccentric, he lived alone in his tower, practising simple magic and communicating with animals and birds. He was always willing to sell small magic items, so that he could afford to have brought to him delicious cakes from all over Allansia. His sweet tooth was the cause of his only link with the outside world, as he rarely left his tower. It was therefore much to everyone’s surprise that he came huffing and puffing into the village of Stonebridge. What could possibly have forced old Yaztromo to venture through Darkwood Forest to Stonebridge? All the Dwarfs who lived there were eager to find out, and a message was sent to Gillibran, their king.
After the rigours of a recent quest, you are resting in Stonebridge, enjoying the merry company of the Dwarfs. Your wounds are almost healed and the local blacksmith has honed the blade of your sword as only Dwarfs can. Resting on a porch with your feet up on the railing, you are intrigued by the commotion in front of you in the village square. Followed by a throng of inquisitive Dwarfs, Yaztromo climbs the stone steps of Gillibran’s house and is warmly greeted at the top by the king. The crowd falls silent when Gillibran raises his hand, and Yaztromo turns to speak. You slide out of your chair and join the crowd to hear what the Wizard has to say. With a glum expression, his face almost as long as his beard, Yaztromo relates the bad news concerning Malbordus. The Dwarfs look up apprehensively as though expecting the five Dragons to descend upon them at any moment. He calls on them to show courage, saying, ‘Friends, look on the bright side. At least we are warned of our impending doom, thanks to my pet crow who overhead the conversation between the Dark Elves and Malbordus. What we must do now is find somebody who can reach the lost city before Malbordus and destroy the Dragon artefacts. We need a fearless young warrior who is willing to risk life and limb to save us all. Is there one among you who would volunteer?’
Each Dwarf looks around to see if another has dared to accept the challenge. Standing there watching the worried Dwarfs, you realize that there is only one thing you can do. With a wry smile on your face, you raise your arm in the air and offer your services. Yaztromo sees you and says, ‘Haven’t I seen you somewhere before? (Interesting, is Yaztromo implying that you've completed Forest of Doom before this?) Never mind, you look like the kind of person we want. Make way for our brave volunteer. We must leave for my tower immediately. Come along, let’s be off. You have a lot to learn, but I cannot teach you much until we are safely through Darkwood Forest and inside my laboratory.’
You hardly have time to cram your belongings into your backpack before the impatient Wizard leads you out of Stonebridge towards his tower on the southern edge of Darkwood Forest.
Rolling for initial stats I get: 5, 4, 4, 2. As usual I will be letting you vote to distribute them.