Rushing to the stone steps, you will be able to evade the ballista, since the Ogre can't point it al you. However, now he will try to drop rocks on your head from a pile on the top of the platform. It will take three Attack Rounds for you to get to the top of the stone steps (four Attack Rounds if you are Stubble). In each Attack Round you must Test Grool's SKILL; if he is successful, he catches you with a rock and you must lose 2 STAMINA points If he fails, the rock sails harmlessly past your head. You have no time to do anything except race up the steps, but, if you are still alive after Grool's rock-hurling exploits, turn to 172.
Now that's a mechanism you don't see too often: testing the opponent's SKILL. And a pretty dangerous one, at that!
Round 1 = Grool rolls 8 and hits! Jallarial is at 13 STAMINA.
Round 2 = Grool rolls 8 and hits (again)! Jallarial is at 11 STAMINA.
Round 3 = Grool rolls 11 and misses.
As you arrive at the top of the platform, Grool lets a potion vial fall from his lips; the crafty monster has drunk a healing draught. Roll one dice and add 1 to the number rolled; the total is the number of points of lost STAMINA he has regained. Raising his club above his head, the Ogre prepares to fight to the death. If you win, tum to 252.
Die roll = 3+1 = 4. Grool is at 12 STAMINA.
And the fight continues!
COMBAT LOG:
Grool 14, Jallarial 16. Grool is at 10.
Grool 16, Jallarial 17. Grool is at 8.
Grool 16, Jallarial 14. Jallarial is at 9.
Grool 16, Jallarial 18. Grool is at 6.
Grool 18, Jallarial 18. Tie.
Grool 15, Jallarial 22. Grool is at 4.
Grool 17, Jallarial 20. Grool is at 2.
Grool 16, Jallarial 19. Grool is killed.
And finally, it's down!
Your reward for overcoming Grool is a Tower Chest, plus a table laden down with looted castle wines and preserved food (add 5 to your Provisions)on the ballista platform. There is also a set of Dragonbone keys here; 116 of them in all, although you spot one huge one that is clearly the master key. If you are Anvar or Braxus, turn to 393. Otherwise, you clamber down the stone steps here and head to the main passage outside the tower to explore elsewhere; turn to 52.
Luck Test = 7. Jallarial loses 3 STAMINA and is at 6.
Die roll = 4. We find another Silver Dagger (we've got 8 now, and only 2 Gold Talisman).
Anvar and Braxus get a new weapon here.....mostly Anvar, since Grool's axe is his "ideal weapon". Braxus can use it but doesn't get additional bonus.
It's time to move on. We've explored the entire wing, and I'm sure you want to search the opposite wing, so let's head directly there:
You push open the double doors leading to the west wing of the castle and find yourself gazing down a long, long passageway that stretches before you - but a malign, undead presence awaits you here! The maddened shade of a castle knight, who has been tortured most horribly by servants of evil, is now too crazed to distinguish you from one of its old tormentors. You will not be able to flee; the Spectre will chase you anywhere you go. If you do not have a magic weapon to fight the Spectre and if you have no other means of destroying it by magic, you will perish here, since non-magical weapons have no effect upon this creature.
SPECTRE SKILL 10 STAMINA 14
If you win but the Spectre hit you even once, you must roll one dice. If you roll any number other than a 6, you must lose 1 point from both of your Current and Initial SKILL through the life-draining touch of the monster. You walk forward some forty metres to reach the mid-way point of this long western passageway in order to take your bearings; turn to 36.
The potential penalty of being hit by it even once is kind of harsh....
Do we want to try any item/magic or engage normally?
Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jallarial
SKILL 11/11 (+1 from Ebony Wand)
STAMINA 6/23
LUCK 6/9
MAGIC: 3/9 (+2 from Ebony Wand)
Equipment: Staff, Leather Armor, Shield, Lantern, knife, rope, Iron rod (-1 to Die roll when opening doors via Skill Test), Potion of Invisibility (opponent -2 Attack Strength if drank before combat), Flask of Herbal Restorative/Liqueur x3 (+4 STAMINA), Golden Talisman (x2), Silver Dagger (x8), Magical Oil of Enchantment (enchants non-magical weapons for one combat), Jailor Keys (70), Wand of the Hawk, Vials of Acid (does 4 STAMINA damage if used during combat), Onyx Staff, Oatmeal x3 (counts as 1 meal each), Potion of Luck (restores 1-3 LUCK), Orc-slaying Sword, Plague Antidote, Neckerchief of Invisibility (1 charge remaining, opponent -2 Attack Strength if used before combat), Bottle of Fluid from dragon egg, Dragonbone Keys (166)
Provisions: 5
Treasure: 4 GP
No. of Deaths: 1
Additional bonus from Wand of the Hawk: 1) +2 Attack Strength once Jallarial's entered Great Tower, 2) enchants weapons, 3) restore Magic OR STAMINA to full once