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That's what we get for trying to loot, I guess. To the east wall!
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Apr 25, 2021 22:28
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Remember how I said I peeked at the west door?Reference 409 posted:You tug at the door and it opens to reveal a storeroom of some kind, with shelves lining the walls. But there is nothing on the shelves and there seems to be no way through. As you peer into the cupboard, a creaking sound startles you. You swing round to see the door in the east wall slowly opening. Glowstones in the passage outside flick on to light up your way. You cannot resist this invitation and leave through the east door. Turn to 49. I also peeked at the north door... Reference 262 posted:You step over to the door in the north wall. But as you grasp the handle, a deep creaking sound comes from behind you. You swing round to see the door in the east wall slowly opening. Glowstones in the passage beyond the door flick on to light up your way. You cannot resist this invitation, and you leave through the east door. Turn to 49. ...and the south door. Reference 201 posted:The door in the south wall opens to reveal a short, narrow corridor. But as you are considering whether or not to step through the door, a creaking sound comes from behind you. You swing round to see the door in the east wall slowly opening. Glowstones in the passage outside flick on to light up your way. You cannot resist this invitation, and you leave through the east door. Turn to 49. So yeah. Unless there's a hidden action on any of those references, we're off to... Reference 49 posted:The passage leads east. A short distance ahead, you arrive at a rocky bridge across a deep chasm. Far below you can hear the sloshing of a slow-moving river and you step up to the edge of the bridge to get a better look. A disgusting smell is coming up from the river, and as this hits your nostrils, you stagger a few paces backwards. But this is the only way on. The bridge is narrow and wet from the moisture in the air: no doubt it is slippery too. Nevertheless, you have no choice. You hold your breath and step on to the bridge. But halfway across, you lose your footing on the slippery bridge. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 457. If you are Unlucky, turn to 60. As you might guess, being Unlucky here leads to... Reference 60 posted:You try to regain your footing, but the bridge is too slippery. You lose your balance completely and tumble over the edge and down, down towards the stinking waters below. The current drags you down and your lungs fill with the putrid waters of the Bilgewater. Your death is not pleasant... Death #2: same poo poo, different reference. Reference 457 posted:You regain your footing and hurry across the bridge to the other side. Shaken by your near accident, you continue until you arrive at a side passage on the right. You do not like the look of this side passage, so you continue eastwards. Turn to 122. Reference 122 posted:You follow the passage eastwards, peering ahead as the glowstones flick on to light your way. Eventually you arrive at two doors and you listen for any clues as to what may be beyond. No noise comes from behind the door in the north wall. But there are definite sounds coming from behind the door in the east wall. A heavy breathing is unmistakable and is interrupted by loud snorts. This sounds ominous. Do you wish to:
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Apr 25, 2021 22:44
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We are a Creature of Havoc. Time to cause havoc. Charge that east door.
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Apr 25, 2021 22:47
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Let's avoid ominous things and go north.
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Apr 25, 2021 22:48
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Wrath of the Cursewitches would be a solid metal album name Charge!
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Apr 25, 2021 23:11
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Arcvasti posted:Wow, that's even worse then Deathtrap Dungeon and the statue with emerald eyes, where prying out one eye will give you the gem you need to escape the Dungeon, but if you pry out the other it's filled with poison gas and instantly murders you. I checked out this blog's Deathtrap Dungeon section to find their reaction to it, and discovered there actually *is* a way to figure out which eye has the poison: the illustration only has one of the eyes glinting, so the other one is clearly fake. ...Of course, there's no mention of whether the left/right eye choice is from *your* perspective or the *statue's* perspective, so it really does just come down to luck and pagescumming.
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Apr 25, 2021 23:18
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someone awful. posted:Let's avoid ominous things and go north. Reference 154 posted:The door is locked. It may be possible to break it down, but you could damage your shoulder, as the timbers are heavy. Do you wish to: In for a penny, in for a pound. Reference 396 posted:The door cracks as you charge it and eventually you break into the room, but not before you take 1 STAMINA point of damage for a sore shoulder. The room inside has no occupants. Instead a single desk is surrounded on three sides by racks of parchments, each rolled up neatly and tied with string. A door in the east wall is half hidden behind the untidy racks. Do you want to:
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Apr 26, 2021 00:07
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Maybe they've written something about us 
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Apr 26, 2021 00:14
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Following the directions on random pieces of parchment has never steered anyone wrong, has it?
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Apr 26, 2021 00:14
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Put our reading to good use.
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Apr 26, 2021 00:18
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you don't find a note and not read it, that's for sure
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Apr 26, 2021 00:30
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bbcisdabomb posted:Following the directions on random pieces of parchment has never steered anyone wrong, has it? Reference 100 posted:The rolls of parchment are meaningless to you. You step up to the desk and grab one which is open. But as you touch it, a loud noise startles you. You wheel round and your eyes widen as you see a hideous beast taking shape in the corner, materializing out of thin air! It is taller and bulkier than you, and its rough skin looks to be made, not out of living flesh, but out of the rock itself! Its huge fists are covered in irregular bumps and its eyes glare at you in fury from its wide-mouthed face.  Reference 100 posted:The Rock Demon you are facing takes a step towards you and you must quickly decide what to do. The creature looks much more powerful than you are. Will you: Think fast! I'll take the next choice. FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Apr 26, 2021 |
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Apr 26, 2021 01:16
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Go to the East. South seems like the way we came.
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Apr 26, 2021 01:23
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Maigius posted:Go to the East. South seems like the way we came. It is indeed. I amended that reference entry (since the book does mention that), but it must have been after you decided to cast your vote. Reference 365 posted:The door opens into a straight passage leading east, which you follow until you reach a dead end. You growl in frustration and, as if your voice had acted as some kind of trigger, you hear a click and a sliding sound. Part of the rock-face slides aside and reveals another passage running north and south! You step through the secret doorway cautiously, wary of a trap. When you are through, the door grinds shut again. But at the same time there is another sound, which seems to be coming from above you. Just in time you look up to see a heavy portcullis dropping from the roof towards you! You fling yourself forward not an instant too soon. A heavy clang sounds behind you as the portcullis hits the ground. You escaped death by inches!
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Apr 26, 2021 01:54
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Continue north!
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Apr 26, 2021 02:18
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East is where a beast should go.
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Apr 26, 2021 02:19
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West solely because nobody else said it yet!
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Apr 26, 2021 03:07
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habituallyred posted:
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Apr 26, 2021 04:01
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(West)
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East When I was reading those books as a kid, my philosophy when faced with this kind of blind, context-free choice was to always go towards the smallest section number, reasoning that "since everyone wants to get to 400, the writers must expect greedy players to go towards the highest !" Proudly metagaming since I was 9 years old. But very stupidly, of course, in retrospect - though I'd be interested to know what actual methods gamebook writers used to allocate their numbers.
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Apr 26, 2021 05:27
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habituallyred posted:
Reference 213 posted:You reach a dead end. The light is dim and it is difficult to see, so you grope around for a possible way onwards. There is none to be found. You turn round and return to the crossroads. Will you now: Well, that was pointless. Kobal2 posted:East Reference 50 posted:The passage continues east and you pass under two carved archways before you finally find yourself in a small, circular room with no apparent way onwards. While you are considering what to do, you feel a slight shift in the ground beneath your feet. Almost as if you had pressed some invisible switch, your surroundings have now changed! Frantically, you look round to find the tunnel by which you entered, but it has disappeared. There is now no way out of the room. A rumbling noise from beneath the floor is followed by a fierce roaring. But this is not the roaring of a creature! Smoke seeps from the walls and you begin to sweat as the temperature increases. The room is becoming an oven in which you are beginning to roast! As the temperature becomes unbearable, you search round for any means of escape. Are you wearing a pair of yellow metal bracelets? If so, turn to 202. If not, turn to 339. As it happens, we are, looted back on 259. Reference 202 posted:The heat is becoming unbearable. Your thick scales serve only to make matters worse and you drag yourself round the walls, searching desperately for a way out of the furnace. You pound on the rock, hoping to find a loose stone, but there is none. However, at one point you bash the two bracelets together. The ringing sound becomes unnaturally loud and, as it does so, the roarings of the furnace subside. The vibrations on your wrists increase and eventually all is calm and the temperature has been restored to normal. An opening appears in the west wall and you can leave. You arrive at a familiar crossroads, but this time you choose a different direction. Will you: We've already seen 213, and the only new place we can get from there is 443. Reference 443 posted:You follow the passage to the north until you reach a junction. To the left you can see that the passage soon reaches a dead end; but on a ledge in the end wall is a large orb of clear stone. To the right you can see that the passage disappears around a bend heading northwards. Will you:
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Apr 26, 2021 06:21
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maybe right will be the right choice this time?
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Apr 26, 2021 06:28
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Man, is this entire book just a serious of blind left/right choices and occasional save-or-die checks? Are all fighting fantasy books like this? I only have extremely vague memories of having one as a kid
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Apr 26, 2021 12:26
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Orbs are typically pretty useful, so Turn left? Turn to 155.
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Apr 26, 2021 12:28
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CountryMatters posted:Man, is this entire book just a serious of blind left/right choices and occasional save-or-die checks? Are all fighting fantasy books like this? I only have extremely vague memories of having one as a kid It really varies from author to author (and from series to series as well). As time went by they all tried to go beyond the ol' "blind dungeon with only one correct path through" through various means though. Havoc lies somewhere in that tension, early enough in the history of gamebooks that it's still very "haha, gently caress you, shoulda gone left !" but already trying to do new things like the number of knowledges that, when you acquire them, tell you "if in the future you're faced with X, add/remove Y to the section you're told to go to", or making your creature's confusion and dawning awareness be a game mechanic in itself like we've seen. Hell just the ability to backtrack without cheating was somewhat new AFAIK (although I suppose it came after Scorpion Swamp - yet Scorpion Swamp had veered way too far in the other direction...). Kobal2 fucked around with this message at 13:16 on Apr 26, 2021 |
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Apr 26, 2021 13:13
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Oh anyway, orb, dead end, my dumb booby trap sense is tingling, let's do that it's gonna be great. Left.
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Apr 26, 2021 13:16
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Apr 26, 2021 15:47
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MaskedHuzzah posted:Orbs are typically pretty useful, so Turn left? Turn to 155. Reference 155 posted:You approach the orb. Its perch is only slightly above your head and you reach up to take it in your hands. But as your fingers close around it, you suddenly leap away! Although its appearance gives no warning, it feels red hot to the touch! Lose 1 STAMINA point for the burns. Then a shape begins to form in the crystal. Moments later, a shrivelled, death-like human face within the orb opens its eyes and glares at you. Its mouth begins to speak and an eerie voice booms out along the corridor: "Foolish creature. Did you think you could thieve the Orb of Darramouss? None may touch my sacred crystal, for it is my eyes and ears. And my weapons, as you shall see." What will you do now? Do you wish to: All going back to the crossroads will do is force us to eventually turn to 81.
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Apr 26, 2021 17:35
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Ha! What can an Orb do to us? I say we fight it so we can claim it for ourselves, or whatever is left of it.
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Apr 26, 2021 18:18
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Wait and see. This Daramouss fella seems like a villain, gotta get 'em monologuing. EDIT : I forget, was Daramouss mentioned in the 20+ pages backstory ? That was such a treat back in the day - every FF gamebook prior had sort of vaguely alluded to a common backstory or gameworld, but CoH was the first (and the only) one to give a general lay of the land and sort of tie them all together. Kobal2 fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Apr 26, 2021 |
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Apr 26, 2021 18:21
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Wait and see what the shiny orb does to us.
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Apr 26, 2021 18:41
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BraveLittleToaster posted:Wait and see what the shiny orb does to us. Reference 428 posted:The face swirls within the murky mist inside the orb and you watch to see what will happen next. Gradually the face re-forms, but this time it looks larger than before and the sightless eyes begin to glow red like hot coals. Suddenly a small fireball shoots from one eye straight towards you! You jump to avoid it but it catches your leg below the knee and makes you howl in pain. The second eye releases its fireball and this one hits you on your arm just above the elbow. Lose 4 STAMINA points for these injuries. Leave quickly by turning to 81. Reference 81 posted:The passage turns to the left and you follow it for some time until you feel that perhaps this corridor has no end! Eventually you see a particularly dark area straight ahead. Will you: I'm going to go ahead and peek: Reference 279 posted:You turn back towards the crossroads. On the way back, you may stop to examine the orb, if you have not done so already, by Wandering around will eventually lead to reference 20 being the only new place we can go, so... Reference 20 posted:You find yourself at a dead end: there is no way through. You will have to retrace your steps. Turn to 279. Welp. Softlock #1: lost underground without a clue. I'll make another post shortly.
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Apr 26, 2021 19:59
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Kobal2 posted:EDIT : I forget, was Daramouss mentioned in the 20+ pages backstory? Here's a quick summary of the lore: let me know if there's anything specific you care about. Romeena Dree, a hag-witch, was exiled from Salamonis for practicing the forbidden art of marrangha, or magical organ transplants, and attempting to create a hybrid super-creature. Other hag-witches followed her there, and they founded the village of Dree to continue her experiments. Merchants tried to trade with the town, but they were captured and used for those experiments - up until Ganga of Mirewater realized that the trick was to bring things they needed, like herbs that didn't grow in the area, instead of useless fineries. By the time other traders caught on, he'd made a fortune. Dree is also known for being the birthplace of the Women of Dree, a trio of sisters who like being oracular and giving quests. It's also known for being the birthplace, or perhaps the spawning place (no one knows for sure), of Zharradan Marr. The Women of Dree took him from the village as an infant and raised him in secret; when he was old enough, he studied the dark arts under Volgera Darkstorm. So embarrassed was he by his birth name, REDACTED, that he learned and cast a spell that caused everyone who knew it to forget it and know him by Zharradan Marr instead. That should give you an idea of how powerful, and how petty, he is. Eventually he and his two fellow pupils joined together to kill Darkstorm once they'd gotten everything they could from him, then went their separate ways. Marr disguised himself as a prospector in order to build an underground stronghold in secret, but surprised himself by actually striking gold! So he set up the Yellowstone Mines, putting someone named Vallaska Roue in charge of both running the mine and building an army. He also hired a wizard named Hannicus as a source of information about the outside world. That's how he learned of the Vapours of Stittle Road. The Rainbow Ponds are the source of magical waters that contain incredible powers. No one knows where they are, as they're protected by the Elves of Eren Durdinath. However, an Elf by the name of Leeha Falsehope left that village and visited the nearby town of Chalice, where he partied hard and used the power of the vapours to win at everything and be a hit with the lads and ladies. One night, though, he got drunk enough to spill the secrets of his success; when he realized he'd not only told them about the vapours, but where to find them, he quickly attempted to cover his tracks: "Did I say Eren - no, no, the village is named Stittle Woad. (They'll never figure out that's the name of an Elvish dye.)" The damage was done, though, and to this day his descendants bear the shame. Eren Durdinath is protected by the gods in exchange for having their queens chosen not by birth but by merit: only the most beautiful, witty, and graceful can successfully complete the ritual to make them queen. They always give birth within a year of the communion (ahem hem), and one such queen gave birth not to a kid, but to three vapours, one for each of the Elven gods who had visited her during her communion (*coughcoughcough*): the god of languages, the god of reason, and the god of Elf magic. I wonder if this is at all significant. Zharradan learned all this from Hannicus and figured he could become invincible if he got his mitts on Elf magic, so he focused on finding 'Stittle Woad' and building his power base. He hired a Half-Troll named Thugruff to set up a hidden training ground, known as the Testing Grounds. (That sounds familiar.) He also ousted Hannicus, who had outlived his usefulness, with a recruit Vallaska Roue turned up: Page 29 posted:Marr listened intently as he heard of Darramouss, a Half-Elf and one of the undead. According to Roue, he was a ruthless creature, who was totally without remorse and who took pride in torture and torment. As an officer in the army, he was known as one who would always welcome the order to kill the prisoners. When this order was given he would first torture them for his private pleasure, then kill them. Marr hired him to run the Yellowstone Mines, which he did by enslaving the workers already there (much more economical to not pay wages, you see) and having Thugruff hunt for more as the ones he had died. Meanwhile, another Elf, Daga Weaseltongue (cousin of one of the Falsehopes), went a-wandering and met up with some of Marr's goons, who struck up a friendship with him. Marr heard of this and went in disguise as a Rhino-Man (probably not that Rhino-Man) to do likewise. Once Weaseltongue was sufficiently buttered up, Marr used a Control Creature spell to cause Weaseltongue to steal the Vapours from the elves, then set about searching for the Elven village so he could locate the Rainbow Ponds. (Why he didn't just ask Weaseltongue where it was, I don't know.) In this endeavor, Marr was aided by the Galleykeep, an airship (literally an enormous ship that flew instead of sailing) which he captured in a short but bloody ambush. He knows the general location of Stittle Woad (somewhere in the Forest of Spiders) and is searching for it even now. Various factions are racing to stop him; we've already bumped into a few of them. The lore ends by mentioning that we don't actually know any of this at the start of the adventure, and some of the information may be misleading. So keep that in mind.
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Apr 26, 2021 20:39
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Wow, that's a lot more lore than I was expecting.
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Apr 26, 2021 20:52
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So. Waaaay back on Reference 1, we had three options:
Reference 364 posted:You greet the Dwarf. At least you try to greet the little creature. But instead of any message coming from your throat, it is silent and your hands reach down to grasp the terrified figure around the chest. He screams and makes a strange sound, which sounds like: "Keep away from me!" You try to answer, but the only sound you are able to make is a grunt of effort as your rough, scaly fingers close tightly around the creature's chest and your sharp claws dig in. Summoning up all its strength, it swipes at you with its sharp sword. The blade digs in under the scales above your knee, but the wound is not too serious - deduct 2 STAMINA points. The blow causes you to roar loudly and to increase the pressure on the creature's chest. Its ribs crack like twigs under the force of your grip and the body falls limp. You drop it to the floor where it lands like the sack of bones it now is. ...or we could turn to 185... Reference 185 posted:The little creature screams in horror as you raise your foot over its head. "Leave me alone!" it squeals, as it swings the sharp sword in its hand towards your leg. But the blow is weak and glances off your tough scales; you feel nothing. A second later you are looking down with mixed feelings at the lifeless form of the Dwarf. Will you: ...but as you can see, the first choice doesn't make a difference except for how much, if any, STAMINA we lose. What about this choice? Well, we've tried examining the creature; what about hiding it? Reference 218 posted:You plan to drag the body down the short passageway to the south. You bend down to grip the lifeless figure. But instead of responding to your wishes, you find that your body has other ideas of its own. Turn to 399. Okay, what about just leaving? Reference 248 posted:You stand up, ready to leave the area. After glancing left and right to make sure you are alone, you turn towards the westerly passage. At least, you try to turn. But your body will not respond. Instead it is bending down towards the lifeless Dwarf on the ground. Turn to 399. Fine, we'll examine the body, I guess. (We'll also checkpoint page 399, as all roads lead there regardless.) We get a piece of hide describing Swinebeard's sentence to look for the vapours and then have to roll a die. Last time we 'rolled' 1-3. Let's roll 4-6. Reference 148 posted:You decide to follow the passage east, to your right. Your first steps are slow, as you take in the encounter with the Dwarf. After a few paces, the corridor turns north. You approach a stout wooden door and must make a decision. Will you smash the door from its hinges and continue? Or will you give up on this route and return the Dwarf's corps? Roll one die: If we turn around... Reference 419 posted:You shift your weight and turn your great bulk around. With laboured steps you stomp back the way you came and pass the lifeless body. Turn to 308. ... we go back to a page we've seen before. So let's try 72. Reference 72 posted:With one hand you swat the door. The force is great and your fist succeeds in cracking the wood. But the door does not open and your anger rises. A sound stirs within the room! You listen carefully and can hear heavy breathing coming from within, mixed with a shuffling sound, as if something were slowly moving around. A growl, deep and low, comes from your throat. Will you risk facing whatever is beyond the door? Or will you try the safer route, back past the Dwarf? Roll one die: At this point, turning back is quite unlikely. Reference 170 posted:Fury builds up within you! You step back and with a loud roar you charge the door. The hinges crack and are ripped off as the door crashes inwards. There is no furniture or decoration in the cave that greets your eyes. There is a seat carved out of the stone, but the room is clearly the dwelling of a captive or slave. Your eyes then switch to the room's inhabitant - and your reaction is swift! The huge Clawbeast, whose peace you have disturbed, slashes at you with its deadly talons! You lurch back and avoid the creature's onslaught. But this attack serves only to fuel your rage. Your own sharp claws slide out and you turn to the Clawbeast. Resolve this combat: I was gonna calculate the odds of us winning this fight, but I was running into bugs in the program and I didn't want to delay the update any longer. Suffice to say, we'd probably win - our SKILL can be between 7 and 12, and our STAMINA between 14 and 24, plus we have the Instant Death rule - but not unbloodied. Reference 389 posted:Your foe is defeated and you feel justifiably proud. Your gaze passes from the dead creature to its lair. But there is nothing of interest, and the sickening stench of Clawbeast makes you want to leave quickly. There are three ways onwards: the passage behind you, a cave entrance in the western wall and another in the northern wall. What will your next action be? Roll one die: This is another fake choice, because: Reference 230 posted:Your vengeance on the Clawbeast is not yet complete. You must satisfy your lust for the spoils of victory! You kneel by its side and feast on the flesh of your victim. You may add 2 STAMINA points for the meal; then turn to 165. Reference 165 posted:Roll one die. If you roll 1-3, you decide to head north into the wide cave entrance ahead of you (turn to 408). If you roll 4-6, you take the narrower cave entrance which leads west (turn to 344). I went ahead and peeked to the west... Reference 344 posted:The passage continues westwards but begins to narrow after a few paces. It bends first to the left, then to the right. At one point you disturb a group of rats feasting on some partially decomposed remains, but they scurry off into the blackness as you pass by. Suddenly, sounds in the distance alert you and you stop. Ahead there is a sharp bend to the south, and flickering light and dancing shadows warn you of danger. For a few moments you hesitate. But your emotions take over. A raging storm seems to be gathering within. Your eyes narrow; your lips curl back to reveal your sharp teeth; you flex your powerful muscles and step forward. Fearlessly you step round the corner to face whatever awaits you. Turn to 205. ...and saw that it leads to the Hobbit fight. In the interest of getting more quickly to new content, I'm taking us north. Reference 408 posted:The cave leads north to a large tunnel in the rock which runs from east to west. It is large enough for you to walk along. Roll one die. If you roll 1-3, you decide to turn west (turn to 282). If you roll 4-6, you turn east (turn to 372). Finally, an actual choice. I can't guarantee either choice is a good choice, though.
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Apr 27, 2021 00:30
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 West.
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Apr 27, 2021 01:35
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Ignatius M. Meen posted:
Reference 282 posted:The walls of the tunnel become damp and glisten in the odd half-light. You follow the passage until you reach a point where it turns sharply southwards. Continuing round the corner, you find that the light has now almost totally faded, and you must feel your way along the wall. Several paces down the slimy corridor, you reach a dead end. The wall is rocky and pocked with many nooks and crannies. There is also a musty smell in the air of animal decay - perhaps simply dead rats or maybe the remains of something larger. Around your feet there are several loose stones. At least you assume they are stones, but some are too long, thin and brittle to be shards of rock. Your groping hand touches a length of rope, which may be a clue to a way out of this dead end. Will you pull it? Roll one die. If the result is 1-3, you close your hand around the rope and pull it out towards you (turn to 99). If you roll 4-6, you ignore the rope, turn round and follow the corridor back the way you came, continuing straight on past the Clawbeast's cave (turn to 372). If you wish, you may, before rolling the die, decide to Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, you may choose which of the above options you will opt for. If you are Unlucky, you must roll the die to decide in the normal way. So we have to pay a point of Luck to be allowed to roll to determine whether we can make a blind choice instead of having it be made for us. Okaaaay. Anyway, we didn't choose not to go east to turn back now! Reference 99 posted:Angry and frustrated, you snatch the rope and jerk it towards yourself. It offers little resistance, although the faint click you hear would have warned an astute human adventurer. It was caused by the hair-trigger springing on the deadly trap which has now taken you by surprise. The trigger has released razor-edged spears from the two side walls. Even your tough scaly skin cannot defend you against them, and your body is riddled with a dozen spears. Death #3: this is not how you make Swiss cheese! So yeah. We're asked to make a roll to see if we're allowed to skip a roll to see which way we go when one way is instant death and one way is the way we went on the previous roll. Let's try going east instead. Reference 372 posted:The passage heads east. The rough stone floor begins to feel different underfoot and you look down to see that it has been laid with flat stones of irregular sizes. The light seems to be better, although with a definite bluish tint, and you look up to see blue glowstones in the ceiling, lighting your way. Mysteriously, their glow appears only as you approach; when you look behind you see the light has faded. There are a number of crevices, and small passages lead off from the main one, but you ignore these as they are far too narrow for you to enter. A sound from ahead catches your attention - the soft thump of something landing on the ground. Further on, you discover that it was a tied-up sack. Something inside the sack is struggling, but cannot get out. In size, the lump is similar to the Dwarf you killed earlier. Will you investigate the sack or continue along the passageway? Roll one die: Loot? Loot. Reference 186 posted:You cannot resist the temptation to find out what is bound inside the sack. You squat down next to the squirming figure and prod it with your hand. It squeals pitifully and its hopeless attempts to wriggle free become frantic. Suddenly the creature's smell hits your nostrils. This smell has a curious effect on you. You are spoiling for battle. But alongside this, your mouth is watering; you have the compelling desire to sink your teeth into a large chunk of flesh to satisfy your appetite. Thus your craving is both hunger and rage, and your passion is uncontrollable! Reference 63 posted:Standing before you is a tall, thin figure. It is dark and humanoid in appearance, although you cannot make out much in the dim light. You can, however, clearly make out two large green eyes. The figure is shrouded in a brightly coloured cape and its hair is gathered on top of its head in a tight knot. It steps towards you and flings its cape back to reveal its left hand, which grips a short bow. Reaching over its back, it draws an arrow from a quiver, aims at you and shoots you in the shoulder! Lose 2 STAMINA points. You howl with pain and turn towards the bowman, baring your teeth. But he has yet another arrow poised to fire. This second arrow rips into your forearm with such force that it comes out the other side and clatters off the wall behind. Lose another 2 STAMINA points. Your fury is now uncontrollable. Will you unsheathe your claws and advance on your attacker? Or will you retreat from this deadly foe? Roll one die. If you roll 1-4, you are so enraged that you blunder ahead towards the Dark Elf bowman without a thought of the danger (turn to 14). If you roll a 5 or 6, fear for your life takes over from your anger and you retreat (turn to 260). You may Test your Luck if you wish, but you must do so before you roll the die. If you are Lucky, you may choose your own option. If you are Unlucky, you must let your instincts decide and roll the die as normal. Oh, not this mechanic again! On a side note, if you've read the GrailQuest series of gamebooks, you may recall that Page 14 is the page you turn to if you've died; it contains instructions for how to start over (since sometimes the instructions aren't just 'start over'). Seeing a page direct you to 14 is a sign that you've just had a bad day. Reference 14 posted:You storm ahead up the passageway towards the Dark Elf, roaring loudly and with claws ready to strike. But the Elf does not budge. He merely notches another arrow and looses it towards you. This time the arrow sinks deep into your stomach and you clutch at the wound. Lose 3 STAMINA points. Tears of pain flood your eyes, but you will not hold back. Again you advance, and again the Elf notches his arrow. But this time the bowman's aim is true. The arrow is fired higher, at your face. Before you have time to react, his shaft has pierced your eye and lodged in your brain. Mercifully, your death is instantaneous. Death #4: nibbled to death by the worst Elven marksman ever. You're no Legolas, buddy. Okay, first off, taking off STAMINA on a page that then just kills us outright? That's taking realism a bit too far. (Similarly the pages that have had us lose STAMINA, then lose more STAMINA. You couldn't roll those losses together?) Second... well, at least this time there's a clear 'well don't do that' option on reference 63? So let's take it. Reference 260 posted:Some inner instinct of self-preservation takes over from your fury and tells you that this Elf bowman is not to be trifled with. You turn from him and speed back down the corridor. However, you manage no more than five steps before you realize that your attempts to escape are futile. Ahead of you, four more Dark Elves bar the passageway, all with bows drawn and aimed at your chest. You are confused! Which way should you turn? But your confusion is short-lived. At a signal from their leader, arrows zing from all four bows. Their aim is good. Three of the four shafts pierce your heart... Death #5: what Dark Elves lack in quality what they make up for in quantity. Okay, so investigating the hobbit sack got us killed. Maybe we can not investigate it? Reference 440 posted:Your curiosity has been aroused but not captured by the creature squirming within the sack. You give it a heavy kick as you pass, and send it scuttling across the floor. Whatever is inside squeals for mercy but falls silent after colliding painfully with the stony wall. You continue past it along the passage, your way still lit by eerie blue glowstones. Suddenly, you hear a footstep. You stop to listen hard. A shape forms in the passageway before you! Turn to 63. WELP So! We've learned some important information. In order to successfully complete Creature of Havoc, we must:
What we don't yet know if we have to do it without losing a single round. Let's find out. Reference 86 posted:When you have finally killed the little creature, you must turn your attention to the other two humans. While you have been battling their companion, they have been preparing to attack. The red-robed figure is facing you, pointing the little finger of each hand at you and mumbling. The shiny human has grabbed a sword - similar, you remember, to the Dwarf's, but larger - and is shouting to the other: "Control its mind, shaman! It may be able to lead us to that Swinebeard cur!" You cannot fight both at once. Which will you direct your attention towards? Roll one die. If you roll 1-4, you decide to take on the shining figure (turn to 48). If you roll 5 or 6, you turn towards the man in the red robes (turn to 292). The only difference between this and 160 is that our odds of fighting the shaman first (and thus avoiding getting mind-controlled by the shaman immediately after killing the Armoured Knight) are a flat 1/3 rather than a Test of Luck. Amending our list, we can add:
Reference 101 posted:The door cracks under the force of your blow. A hole appears and you rip the timbers away until it is large enough for you to pass through. Torches are mounted on the wall of the room inside and there are two doors, one to the east and one to the west. There is no furniture to speak of, but some remains - perhaps of a table and chair - litter the floor among a thin covering of dirty straw. The wood has been broken in what appears to have been a furious battle, the result of which lies before you. Reference 234 posted:You approach the smaller of the two pug-nosed creatures and prod it with your foot. Its lifeless body shrugs and lies still. But a similar prod on the leather-armoured adventurer's leg produces a startlingly different result. A shrill screeching sound shocks you to attention! As if this were some kind of signal, something starts to happen in the room. Three shapes begin to materialize in front of you. Turn to 447. This gets us to the Flesh-Feeder fight without a bite taken out of us, which is nice. (Though add 'Survive combat with three Flesh-Feeders on 447' to our to-do list.) From there we get exposed to the vapour of reason and can finally, actually, legitimately make a potentially meaningful choice! And it's a blind left-right choice on 382. Sigh. We went west last time, so let's try east. (We aren't done with the west path, though, so we'll make 382 our new checkpoint.) Reference 33 posted:You leave the room along a dusty corridor. A strange bluish light comes from glowstones set in the ceiling to light your way. With every step you take, a glowstone ahead of you lights up and one behind you fades to darkness; it is almost as if your progress were being monitored by some unseen entity. As you wait for your eyes to adjust to the light, you pause to consider the strange events in the previous room. You retract your claws and rub your rough, scaly belly thoughtfully. You can make no sense of what has happened. Eventually you set off once more and after a few paces you come to a junction. Will you: We haven't been to either of these pages before, and this update has gotten super long, so I'm not peeking. Pays your money and makes your choice!
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Apr 27, 2021 02:41
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Continue the crusade to go in an easterly direction.
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Apr 27, 2021 03:00
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north passageway could be promising.
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Apr 27, 2021 03:08
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FredMSloniker posted:I was gonna calculate the odds of us winning this fight, but I was running into bugs in the program and I didn't want to delay the update any longer. Suffice to say, we'd probably win - our SKILL can be between 7 and 12, and our STAMINA between 14 and 24, plus we have the Instant Death rule - but not unbloodied. This looked like a fun problem, so I went and did the simulation for you:  Line is probability you take that much damage or less. For skill 7, there's a ~12% chance the clawbeast does at least 14 damage to you, so this encounter could kill a weaker player. Even at maximum stamina, there's still a 5% chance of this killing you. For skill 12 you're almost guaranteed to take less than 5 damage. (Also, go north.)
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Apr 27, 2021 04:18
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Not The Wendigo posted:This looked like a fun problem, so I went and did the simulation for you: And that takes into account the special 'if you roll doubles, you just win' rule? someone awful. posted:north passageway could be promising. Reference 311 posted:The glowstones once more light your way as you plod slowly north up the passageway. After a short distance you see a shape ahead, slumped motionless on the ground. When you reach the spot, you can see that these are the remains of a small furry creature - about the size of the Dwarf you came across earlier. It has probably been dead for some time, but if you are hungry you may wish to feed on it. If so, turn to 363. If you ignore it and continue, turn to 75. Sure, we could eat. Reference 363 posted:The dead Hellhound would no doubt have made a tasty meal had you arrived several days ago. But now its rotten flesh gives you severe stomach cramps. You double over and your claws scrape on the rocky walls as you try to support yourself. You must lose 4 STAMINA points and wait for a while before you continue. When you are ready, turn to 75. But maybe we shouldn't. Reference 75 posted:The passage heads straight for some time until you finally reach its end at a junction. You may turn either east or west here. If you wish to go east, turn to 326. If you wish to go west, turn to 353. Another blind choice ahoy!
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Apr 27, 2021 05:20
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