[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 72 – The Dungeon on Blood Island

[deaddmwalking]

Since killing him isn't an option, I suppose paying 1 gp for what is probably not a real gold ring is still the way to go. Half vote for buying the ring.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, buy the ring.

[Dogopolis]

The old man pockets the Gold Piece and hands you a tarnished white-gold signet ring that has a sword etched on its face. 'Go on, put it on,' he urges. You slide it on to your little finger and suddenly feel extra alert. It is a Ring of Dexterity that will improve your combat skills. Add 1 SKILL point and 1 LUCK point. You thank the old man and leave the room, turning left to open the door at the end of the corridor.

No real good to us at the moment, but I'll let you put it back on for the SKILL point later if it does become useful
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The door opens into a large chamber with a high ceiling where you see a tall figure in hooded robes standing in front of a long wooden table with a heavy oak door behind them. There are two iron doors in the left-hand wall and two in the right-hand wall. On seeing you enter, the hooded figure places both hands on the table and you notice a large gemstone ring on the right forefinger of their gloved hand. You are unable to make out their face as it is hidden by a white face mask. 'You are the first to arrive here. Interesting. I thought it would have been the Warrior-Knight. No matter,' the masked figure says in a deep voice. 'I am the Dragonmaster, the senior servant of Lord Carnuss. I'll say this once. Do not attack me. It would be foolish. To progress, you must pass three tests. The first test is a game. If you win, you will take the second test. If you lose, well, let's just say it's better not to lose. I trust you are prepared for the challenges that await you. Do you have any bone dice? If you do, place them on the table.' If you have one or more bone dice..... (we have 3)

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The Dragonmaster places three black dice on the table that have skulls on the faces instead of numbers. He calmly rolls This dice several times and says in a cold voice, 'The game we are about to play is the game of life. Your life. I roll my dice. You roll yours. Highest total wins. But, since this is the first test, I'm going to give you the chance to improve your dice roll. To do that, however, you will need to give me some charms. I collect charms, and I know there were four hidden in the dungeon. Did you find any? If you did. suggest you place them on the table.' (We possess 3 charms). Do you want to put them on the table or do you want to tell the Dragonmaster that you do not have any charms?

[deaddmwalking]

Since it's an all or nothing option, I don't think it's likely that we need to retain one charm for something else. It's possible that they're useful in two places, but this is where we are NOW and they look to be useful HERE. So I vote to lay our charms on the table.

[Thaluikhain]

Put charms on the table.

[Dogopolis]

The Dragonmaster watches you place your charms on the table and says, 'For each charm you give me, I will let you add 1 to your dice roll total. The game will now begin.' You roll your dice at the same time as the Dragonmaster rolls his three dice. The total of his three dice is 9. Is the total of your dice and bonus 9 or less? If the total is 10 or greater

Natural 11+3=14

The Dragonmaster points a finger at you and says, 'You win. You have passed the first test, but now a tougher test awaits you. When you were exploring the dungeon, did you find any small metal balls bearing a dragon motif? They are Dragon Balls. If you have any, place them on the table." (we have 3). Do you wish to put them on the table or do you want to tell the Dragonmaster that you do not have any?

Fingers Foley

Skill 9/10
Stamina 20/20
Luck 11/11

Backpack
Craggen Knife
2 Throwing Daggers
Brass Button
Small Bottle of Mullweed Oil
Hand Axe
Sentinel Shield (+1 Attack Strength)
Rope
Worm Paste Tin
Breastplate (+1 Attack Strength)
Piece of Chalk
Bottle Labelled ‘Weezle Juice’
Chewed Bone
Iron Key
Bronze Key
Silver Ring (etched with ‘111’)
Copper Dragon Ball
Brass Dragon Ball
Silver Dragon Ball
3 Bone Dice
Copper Bracelet
Silver Coin
Gold Key stamped with ‘270’
Silver Armband
Bone Ring
Gold Key stamped with ‘90’
Gold Key stamped with ‘180
10 provisions.
Magic ring (+1 attack strength, immunity to mind control)
Vorpal sword
Handwritten note
Gold key 360

[deaddmwalking]

Once again, I think using the doodad now beats saving it for later. There may be some trick where sometimes they're good and sometimes they're bad, but other than general paranoia I have no reason to suspect that's the case. I'm inclined to believe that these will help in the same manner as the last ones (though apparently we didn't actually need the help).

3d6+3 beats 9 95% of the time; it beats 10 (assuming that's what they mean by tougher) 90% of the time.
3d6 beats 9 74% of the time; it beats 10 62% of the time. So trying for a bonus seems the most rational course of action.

[Thaluikhain]

Use the thingies.

[Dogopolis]

When you place the Dragon Balls on the table, the Dragonmaster says in a sombre voice, 'Finding three Dragon Balls is a good effort, but you still have a very difficult task ahead of you. Follow me.' He walks over to the first iron door in the right-hand wall and unlocks it. He opens the door and beckons you to walk through, saying, 'If you survive, knock on the door. I'll be waiting for you.'

You draw your sword and walk into a dank, dark cave. You hear the door slam shut behind you and see a tall green-skinned creature with a reptilian head walking towards you. It has a ridge of spikes along its back and its long tail, and two horns on its head. It is wearing body armour and is carrying a long spear. It is a LIZARD MAN, and you must fight it.
LIZARD MAN
SKILL 8
STAMINA 9]

If you win....

(we currently have an effective AS of 12)

FF 22 LM 13
FF 22 LM 16
FF 18 LM15
FF 20 LM 15
FF 19 LM 17


Flawless victory

You search the cave and discover a large tunnel entrance at the back of the cave that has been blocked up with boulders and rocks. The only way out of the cave appears to be the iron door you came in from. You bang on the door with the hilt of your sword and are relieved to see it open. The Dragonmaster beckons you back into his chamber and tells you to stand in front of his table. 'You did well to survive,' he says in his cold voice. 'Your final task is to unlock the door behind me. Did you find any gold Compass Keys in the dungeon? If so, place them on the table.' (we have 4 compass keys) Do you want to put them on the table or do you want to tell the Dragonmaster that you do not have any Compass Keys?

I'll skip the question of pleading ignorance this time.

The Dragonmaster tells you to put the keys down on the table. He picks up one of them, taps the table with it and says, 'You have done well to find all four Compass Keys. Lord Carnuss did not think it would be possible. You will see that the door behind me has four keyholes in it. These must be unlocked in strict order from top to bottom'.

What order do you want to use the keys?

[deaddmwalking]

So we have keys with 90, 180, 270, and 360, which represent degrees of a circle. But with a circle you can orient 'North' however you want. If you put 0 degrees as North, the order would be 360 (because that's the same as 0), 90 and 270 would be aligned (W/E), and 180 would be at the bottom (S).

But I kinda feel like I'm overthinking this, and strictly speaking there's no reason that West should come before East, or even which one is East/West - it depends if you go clockwise or counterclockwise.

Half vote for 360, 70, 270, 180. But I'll be easily convinced to change my vote if someone has a more convincing logic. I could see 'top to bottom' meaning 'high to low', but that seems contrary to the compass motif.

[Dogopolis]

Since it's been a year I'll give a hint:

Read page 13 of this thread

[deaddmwalking]

Okay,

Note the degrees
Of the Compass Keys
To open the Dragonmaster’s door
North is first
Then East and West,
South is number four

Usually 0/360 is N, so 360 first. If that's the case 180 is South, and that's last. 90 is normally East, so 270 is West.

So 360; 90; 270; 180

Which is what I thought originally (despite the typo), but I'm feeling a little more confident in it.

[Dogopolis]

You breathe in deeply and walk over to the door. You turn the key and hear the satisfying click of the lock mechanism turning. The Dragonmaster nods approvingly and says, "A good start. Now you must select another key to unlock the second lock.'

You insert the key in the lock and turn it slowly, and are relieved to hear it unlock. The Dragonmaster claps his hands slowly three times and says, 'Now you must select the key to open the third lock.'

You insert the key in the lock and hear it turn. The Dragonmaster nods his head in acknowledgement. *Congratulations. Just one more lock to open. The problem is, I can't let you open the door and walk out of here just like that,' he says coldly, snatching the remaining key off the table. 'Should you escape from this dungeon with the Golden Orb, you will become hideously rich, whereas I must survive on whatever pittance Lord Carnuss deigns to give me. So, I'm looking to you for a small gratuity for allowing you to progress. You have two choices. One, you give me all your Gold Pieces, and I will give you your key back. Or two, you die a hero.' Do you want to give the Dragonmaster all your treasure and gold or do you want to attack the Dragonmaster?

[deaddmwalking]

When it says Treasure and Gold, does it make clear what all counts? If it was just the six gold I'd be tempted if I thought it would let us bypass an encounter because I don't think we can do much with it.

But I think the right answer is we stand up to this bully and fight the Dragonmaster. So that's my vote.

[Dogopolis]

This is badly written by Livingstone, but the clear intention based on other paragraphs is just to include gold pieces.

[deaddmwalking]

Gold only is tempting. But I've made my decision. We'll kill the bastard that tries to blackmail us.

[Thaluikhain]

Given that the guy is in the Deathtrap Dungeon rip-off, (the dungeon, that is, not saying the book is), we can kill him in good conscience, so murder away.

[Dogopolis]

When the Dragonmaster sees you draw your sword, he raises his right arm and points at you. A jagged bolt of lightning flies out from the ring on his finger and slams into your chest. The force of it sends you flying, and you smash your head against the back wall. Wracked with pain and barely able to move, you can do nothing but watch the Dragonmaster pull down a lever on the wall to open a trapdoor. He grabs your legs and drags you over to the trapdoor and pushes you down a chute. As you slide down, you hear him shout, 'Be gone with you!"

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You slide down the long chute, and land with a bump on the ground outside in bright sunlight. There is a huge crowd gathered who cheer loudly when they see you, but their cheers turn to jeers when they find out that you failed in your quest to find the Golden Orb. You are pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes and have to be rescued by the guards. You are marched to the harbour and put on a boat to take you back to the mainland. Your adventure is over.

Let's rewind and give up our gold...

The Dragonmaster examines the items on the table and hands the key to you, saying, 'I was hoping for more, but this will have to do.' Deduct the items you give to the Dragonmaster from your Adventure Sheet. 'You may now leave my chamber. Did I tell you that there are three Demons on the other side of the door? No, I don't think I did. Sorry, it must have slipped my mind. Anyway, good luck with them!'

It refers to items here rather than just GP, but this is mandatory to pass this stage, later paragraphs ask about items that would be considered reasonably to be "treasure", and the original request is just Gold pieces. There's a disconnect here but the plot of the book does not have us give up "treasure" items.

You put the key in the keyhole. The lock is larger than the other locks and it feels like you can turn the key either way. Do you want to turn the key clockwise,or do you want to turn the key counterclockwise?

[deaddmwalking]

That was brutal. I thought we'd at least get a fair fight. I think surrendering all of your 'x' is almost always a trap option, so I'm surprised that it wasn't, here. On the other hand, if we're close to the end there probably isn't much reason to hoard gold, which I considered... I guess it's a learning experience, but hopefully I take the right lesson from it. Thanks for rewinding.

Oh, clockwise or counterclockwise.... Interesting historical note - before clocks, they still needed a way of describing which way a circle went. Widdershins was counterclockwise, and it refers to counter to the apparent motion of the sun.

Anyways, page 20 said:

‘Do not turn the gold key numbered 180 clockwise in the lock. Turn it counterclockwise.’

I'm all for following instructions of unknown origin. Turn the key counterclockwise (widdershins).

[Thaluikhain]

Counterclockwise then.

(And widdershins should be clockwise in the southern hemisphere, but people tend to overlook that)

[Dogopolis]

You put the key in the keyhole and hear a satisfying click as it turns in the lock. You open the door and step through into a long, dimly lit tunnel heading north. As you walk along in semi-darkness, you do not see a tripwire stretched across the passageway. Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky...

7 is lucky

Tripping over the wire triggers small, needle-sharp iron spikes to shoot up from holes in the stone floor. You stumble forward in the darkness, but somehow avoid stepping on a spike. You walk on slowly, watching out carefully for more traps.

The tunnel continues straight on, and eventually ends at a flight of stone steps that curve round to the right. You hear footsteps coming towards you at speed and draw your sword. A burgundy-coloured creature with a spike-covered hide comes flying round the bend and bounds up the steps on all fours with its red eyes fixed firmly on you. It doesn't stop, and leaps at you, slavering at the mouth. It is a vicious THORN DEMON, and you must fight it knowing that one bite of your flesh could be fatal. If you are fighting with a Vorpal Sword, add 2 points to your Attack Strength during each Attack Round for this battle only.
THORN DEMON
SKILL 10
STAMINA 8
If you win but lose one or more Attack Rounds during combat, turn to 140. If you win without losing any Attack Rounds, turn to 39.

Effective AS=14
FF 21 TD 18
FF 19 TD 18
FF 25 TD 14
FF 22 TD 17
Flawless victory again

You sheathe your sword and walk down the steps to where the tunnel runs down to a dark, flooded cavern. The water looks jet black, with streaks of red luminescence caused by BLOODWORMS swirling around on the surface. All is quiet except for the sharp echo of water droplets falling from stalactites into the water below. The silence is suddenly broken by a piercing screech. A grotesque four-armed creature emerges from the gloom, striding quickly through the shallow water towards you. It has thin, pallid skin stretched over its large skull, and long spines protruding from its shoulders and down its back. It screeches again, louder this time, with its four arms raised, ready to attack. The creature is a HOWLING DEMON, and, as it closes in on you, its howls become terrifyingly loud. If you have drunk a Potion of Mind Control stolen the Priestess's ring...

You conquer you fear and step forward to fight the vile creature as it tries to rip you apart with its four clawed hands in a frenzied attack. If you are fighting with a Vorpal Sword, add 2 points to your Attack Strength during each Attack Round for this battle only.
HOWLING DEMON
SKILL 12
STAMINA 10
Deduct 3 STAMINA points instead of 2 points each time the Demon wins an Attack Round. If you win..

Effective AS=14

FF 18 HD 23 FF at 17
FF 23 HD 17 HD at 8
FF 21 HD 18 HD at 6
FF 19 HD 21 FF at 14
FF 22 HD 19 HD at 4
FF 24 HD 16 HD at 2
FF 20 HD 22 FF at 11
FF 25 HD 20 HD dead

Still breathing hard after fighting the Demon, you wade into the shallow water. With your eyes now adjusted to the gloom, you see there are steps leading up to the entrance to another tunnel on the left side of the cavern. You have no choice but to wade through the water over to the tunnel. Test Your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 9. If you are Unlucky, turn to 134.

9 is lucky

You wade through the murky water over to the left side of the cavern and climb the steps to enter the new tunnel and head north. Turn to 147.
The tunnel has a gentle incline, and you feel the air getting noticeably hotter. The tunnel leads into a large cave that is a bubbling cauldron of molten lava. You see that there is a narrow stone pathway running round the edge of the fire pit along the left-hand wall to another tunnel entrance. As soon as you set foot on the pathway, a giant horned creature enveloped in flames and belching fire rises slowly up from the lava with smoke escaping from the many fissures on its torso. It is a LAVA DEMON, a malevolent creature made of molten rock. It reaches down to scoop up a handful of lava to hurl at you. If you are wearing a Ring of Ice, turn to the number that is etched on the inside of the ring.

You tap the silver ring several times and watch an ice storm erupt from it, covering the Lava Demon with a thick blanket of ice. You keep tapping to keep the ice storm flowing until the ring turns black, its magic spent. The cave fills with steam as the ice begins to melt. You seize your chance and run as fast as you can round the pathway to the far side of the fire pit into the new tunnel before the Demon can free itself.

You walk north along the tunnel for what seems like ages until it finally comes to an end at a magnificent gold door covered with intricate etchings of fire-breathing dragons. The Golden Dragon door isn't locked and opens into an opulent chamber that has a white marble floor and plush furnishings bedecked with statuettes, vases, inlaid boxes and ornaments. But what interests you the most is the white marble statue of Lord Carnuss sitting on a grand throne set against the far wall. He is holding a Golden Orb in his lap. Do you want to examine the throne,or do you want to search the chamber?

[Thaluikhain]

Search chamber.

[Beroli]

Examine the throne.

[deaddmwalking]

I vote to examine the throne. I think that’s where thr danger will come from.

[Dogopolis]

You check the throne carefully for hidden traps but don't find any. Do you want to pick up the orb or search the chamber?