Cover
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This is it, everyone. With this FF Let’s Play, we will now have a thread for each of the 59 books published by Puffin Books from 1982 to 1995. That is a huge accomplishment for any forum to have, so I think that in of itself is worth a huge accolade. The book that we will be playing to conclude this batch will be Book #56. Anyone interested in joining our attempt to complete this adventure is welcome. The plan is to update this thread on a twice per day basis, with the exception of Sundays, where I will try to update more frequently on those days. The exception will be during the Chinese New Year weekend, as I will not have reliable access to the Internet during that time.
Preface
IntroductionFor years the brave Knights Templar of the Demonkeep and the Citadel have kept the peace in Ruddlestone, protecting it from the constant ravages of Orcs and Beast Men. But now an ancient evil has reawakened in the land. The sorcerer Belgaroth has returned from the dead to reclaim his throne at Caer Skaal. His aim is simple: he will settle for nothing less than total dominion of Ruddlestone. His fanatical Knights of Doom will ensure that his evil plans do not fail. One heroic knight – YOU – must sneak through a land plunged into war, penetrate the teeming enemy lines and overcome the deadliest foe of them all.
Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need to embark on this awesome adventure, which comes complete with its own elaborate combat system and a score sheet to record your progress. Uncountable dangers lie ahead and your success is anything but certain. It’s up to YOU to decide which route to follow, which dangers to risk and which foes to fight. The future of Ruddlestone is in your hands!
For the purposes of this thread, the Adventure Sheet will be hand-made and will be periodically displayed.It has taken several years for you to become a member of the holy order of the Templar Knights of Telak the Swordbearer, in the northern kingdom of Ruddlestone. After your initial training as a Warrior-Priest at the Citadel, you served in the Demonkeep Outpost on the border with war-like Brice. There you rose swiftly through the ranks, undertaking many hazardous missions into enemy territory and becoming renowned not only for your fighting prowess but also for your mastery of the arcane secrets taught by your order, achieved through long hours of study. In time, you were invited to return to the Citadel to continue your training and studies in order to become one of the elite Templar Knights. There you swore the Oath of the Templars: to strive to wipe out Evil and Chaos wherever they may be found and always to uphold the honour of your order.
Since that time, you have faced many foes and completed many dangerous quests to the benefit of your country, overcoming seemingly impossible odds by using your heightened warrior’s skills and your mystic priestly powers. You have become one of the most trusted and respected of your order, having recently returned from leading a force against a horde of Orcs and Beast Men whom you succeeded in driving back into the mountains.
Before embarking on your latest adventure, you must first discover your own strengths and weaknesses. You use dice to determine your initial scores. On pages 20-21 there is an Adventure Sheet which you may use to record the details of your adventure. On it you will find boxes for recording the scores of your attributes. You are advised either to record your scores on the Adventure Sheet in pencil or to make photocopies of the sheet for use in future adventures.
Skill, Stamina and Luck
Normally, I would make the appropriate rolls and modifications to generate our hero’s Skill, Stamina, and Luck. However, players with maximum stats will already have a difficult enough time attempting to successfully complete this adventure, although not to Spellbreaker’s level. Because I want us to have a fulfilling experience in this Let’s Play, I will set our hero’s initial scores to the maximum allowed values. Our hero therefore begins with the following scores:Roll one dice. Add 6 to the number rolled, then enter this total in the SKILL box on the Adventure Sheet.
Roll two dice. Add 12 to the number rolled, then enter this total in the STAMINA box.
Roll one dice. Add 6 to the number rolled, then enter this total in the LUCK box.
For reasons that will be explained below, your scores will change constantly during the adventure. You must keep an accurate record of these scores, and for this reason you are advised to write small in the boxes or to keep an eraser handy. But never rub out your Initial scores. Although you may be awarded additional SKILL, STAMINA and LUCK points, their totals may never exceed their Initial scores, except on those very rare occasions when the text specifically tells you so.
Your SKILL reflects your expertise in combat, your dexterity and agility. Your STAMINA score is a measure of how healthy and physically fit you are. Your LUCK score indicates how lucky you are. In all these cases, the higher the score, the better!
SKILL: 12
STAMINA: 24
LUCK: 12
Battles
Fighting More Than One OpponentDuring your adventure you will often encounter hostile creatures which will attack you, and you yourself may choose to draw your weapon against an enemy you chance across. In some situations you may be given special options allowing you to deal with the encounter in an unusual manner, but in most cases you will have to resolve battles as described below.
Enter your opponent’s SKILL and STAMINA scores in the first empty Encounter Box on your Adventure Sheet. You should also make a note of any special abilities or instructions that are unique to that particular opponent. Then follow this sequence:
1. Roll both dice for your opponent. Add its SKILL score to the total rolled, to find its Attack Strength.
2. Roll both dice for yourself, then add your current SKILL score to find your Attack Strength.
3. If your Attack Strength is higher than your opponent’s, you have wounded it: proceed to step 4. If your opponent’s Attack Strength is higher than yours, it has wounded you: proceed to step 5. If both Attack Strength totals are the same, you have avoided or parried each other’s blows: start a new Attack Round from step 1, above.
4. You have wounded your opponent, so subtract 2 points from its STAMINA score. You may use LUCK here to do additional damage (see below). Proceed to step 6.
5. Your opponent had wounded you, so subtract 2 points from your STAMINA score. You may use LUCK to reduce the loss of STAMINA (see below).
6. Begin the next Attack Round, starting again at step 1. This sequence continues until the STAMINA score of either you or your opponent reaches zero, which means death. If your opponent dies, you are free to continue with your adventure. If you die, your adventure ends and you must begin all over again by creating a new character.
LuckIn some situations you may find yourself facing more than one person or creature in combat. Sometimes you will treat them as a single opponent; at other times you will be able to fight each in turn; and then again, at other times you will have to fight them all at the same time! If they are treated as a single opponent, the combat is resolved normally. When you are instructed to fight your opponents one at a time, the combat is again resolved normally – except that, once you defeat an enemy, the next steps forward to fight you! When you find yourself under attack from more than one opponent at the same time, each adversary will make a separate attack on you in the course of each Attack Round, but you can choose which one to fight. Attack your chosen target as in a normal battle. Against any additional opponents you throw for Attack Strengths in the usual way. If your Attack Strength is greater than your opponent’s, in this instance you will not inflict any damage; you can regard it as having parried an incoming blow. If your Attack Strength is lower than your adversary’s, however, you will be wounded in the usual way. Of course, you will have to settle the outcome against each additional adversary separately.
For the purposes of this Let’s Play, the attack rounds will be resolved all at once. I will generally only consider using Luck in battles if the character has less than 7 Stamina points. For such battles, I will ask whether Luck should be used to improve the odds of winning the fight. In battles where special options are available and the character has less than 7 Stamina points, I will also ask whether the character should use said special options.At various times during your adventure, either in battle or when you find yourself in another situation in which you could be either Lucky or Unlucky (details of these are given in the relevant paragraphs), you may use LUCK to make the outcome more favourable to you. But beware! Using LUCK is a risky business and, if you are Unlucky, the results could be disastrous.
The procedure for Testing your Luck works as follows: roll two dice. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your current LUCK score, you will have been Lucky and the outcome will go in your favour. If the number rolled is higher than your current LUCK score, you will have been Unlucky and will be penalized.
Each time you Test your Luck, you must subtract 1 point from your current LUCK score. Thus you will soon realize that, the more you rely on your LUCK, the more risky this procedure becomes.
Using Luck in Battles
From time to time you will be told to Test your Luck, and you will then learn the consequences of being Lucky or Unlucky. However, in battles you always have the option of using your LUCK, either to inflict more serious damage on an opponent you have just wounded or to minimize the effects of a wound you have just received.
If you have just wounded an opponent, you may Test your Luck, as described above. If you are Lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound; deduct 2 extra points from your opponent’s STAMINA score. If you are Unlucky, however, your blow only scratches your opponent; you may deduct only 1 point from your opponent’s STAMINA (so that, instead of inflicting the usual 2 points of damage, you now inflict only 1).
Whenever you yourself are wounded in combat, you may Test your Luck to try to minimize the wound. If you are Lucky, your opponent’s blow only grazes you; deduct just 1 point from your own STAMINA. If you are Unlucky, your wound is a serious one and you must deduct 1 extra STAMINA point (i.e. deduct a total of 3 points from your STAMINA).
Remember: you must subtract 1 point from your LUCK score each time you Test your Luck.
More About Your Attributes
Special SkillsSkill
Your SKILL score will not change much during the course of your adventure. Occasionally a paragraph may give instructions to increase or decrease your SKILL score, but it may not exceed its Initial value unless you are specifically instructed to the contrary.
At various times during your adventure, you will be told to Test your Skill. The procedure for doing this is exactly the same as for Testing your Luck. Roll two dice. If the number rolled is less than or equal to your current SKILL score, you have succeeded in your test and the result will go in your favour. If the number rolled is higher than your current SKILL score, you have failed the test and will have to suffer the consequences. However, unlike Testing your Luck, you do not have to subtract 1 point from your SKILL each time you Test your Skill.
Stamina
Your STAMINA score will change a lot during your adventure. It will drop as a result of wounds gained through combat or by falling foul of traps and pitfalls, and it will also drop after you perform any particularly arduous task. If your STAMINA score ever falls to zero, you have been killed and should stop reading the book immediately. Brave adventurers who wish to pursue their quest must roll up a new character and start all over again.
You can restore lost STAMINA by eating meals or Provisions. You start the game without any Provisions, but during your adventure you will be able to obtain meals. You must keep track on your Adventure Sheet of how many meals’ worth of Provisions you have left. Each time you eat a meal, you may restore up to 4 points of STAMINA, but at the same time you must remember to deduct 1 meal from your stock of Provisions. You may pause to eat Provisions at any time, except when you are engaged in a battle.
Luck
Additions to your LUCK score may be awarded in the adventure when you have been particularly lucky or have created your own luck by some action. Details are given, where appropriate, in the relevant part of the book. Remember that, as with SKILL and STAMINA, your LUCK score may never exceed its Initial value.
HonourAs part of your training as a Templar Knight, you have acquired certain Special Skills appropriate to both a warrior and a priest, and these have proved invaluable on many a perilous adventure. Choose four Special Skills from the list below and make a note of them in the Special Skills box on your Adventure Sheet. You must have at least one Warrior Skill and one Priest Skill.
Warrior Skills
Battle Tactics
As well as being a highly skilled warrior yourself, you are also used to commanding dozens of soldiers in battle. With your superior experience in the art of warfare, a force led by you is all but unbeatable.
Ride
You are an exert horseman, able to remain in the saddle and guide your steed in even the most adverse conditions. This skill means that you are also likely to be able to ride other mounts, even unlikely and unfamiliar ones.
Target
This skill allows you to use weapons that are thrown or fired (such as bows, spears and throwing-knives) with greater accuracy than normal.
Tracking
As long as there is a trail to follow, you can track humanoid or beast anywhere. Your success in tracking depends on the nature of the trail and how old it is.
Weapon
You are not only an expert swordsman, you have also specialized in the use of another weapon in close combat. Choose one weapon from the following list and record it on your Adventure Sheet: axe, lance, mace, spear.
Priest Skills
Arcane Lore
Having spent many hours poring over ancient tomes, you are more knowledgeable than most concerning the history and legends of Ruddlestone, and you understand many of the secret symbols and other mysteries of your order.
Banish Spirit
By brandishing holy symbols and using certain esoteric phrases, you are able to free one ghostly undead spirit from its earthly constraints at a time.
Commune
Through hours of concentrated meditation you have heightened your mystical powers so that you are able to pick up the psychic vibrations given off by the inhabitants of the Spirit World and, sometimes, beings from higher planes.
Holy Strike
You are able to hit evil creatures such as undead and Demons with a blast of holy power that will drain their evil energies. You may make only one strike at a time.
TimeAs a Knight of Telak you are bound by HONOUR. Your HONOUR is a measure of your unselfishness, your sense of duty and allegiance to the path of Goodness. At the start of your adventure your HONOUR score is 6 (you do not need to roll dice to discover this). You may increase your HONOUR score by undertaking heroic deeds and destroying especially evil opponents. However, you can also lose HONOUR points by acting in an evil or selfish way that is more benefiting to your enemies, or by breaking the Oath of the Templars. Keep track of your HONOUR in the appropriate box on your Adventure Sheet and do all you can not to dishonor yourself or your order.
EquipmentAs you pursue your quest, it is important that you keep track of the passage of time. Regularly throughout the adventure, whenever a day draws to an end, you will be instructed to add 1 day to the Time Elapsed. This should be done in the Time Elapsed box which you will find on your Adventure Sheet.
Map of RuddlestoneYou start your adventure with the possessions and uniform you would expect of a Knight of Telak: you are dressed in a fine chainmail coat and a white tunic with the design of a golden sword embroidered on it, and you carry a magic sword, a weapon made of the finest steel and cast with a mystical enchantment. This weapon does not give you any bonus to your Attack Strength but it will harm the undead and Demons because of its holy nature. You travel through the kingdom of Ruddlestone on your steed Firemane, a dark roan with a blazing red mane. As yet you do not have a backpack or any Provisions or Gold Pieces.
You should record your magic sword in the Weapon box on your Adventure Sheet; everything else goes in the Equipment box. During the adventure you may only ever carry and use one weapon at a time. However, for as long as you have your horse Firemane with you, you may also carry another weapon on his saddle. If you do this, make a note of it in the Equipment box. If you lose a weapon and Firemane is still carrying the other, then you may use this one. However, you may do this only if Firemane is with you at the time. For example, if you lose your sword in a dungeon, until you get out of that dungeon (or you find another weapon there) you must carry on weaponless. While you are fighting without a weapon, you must reduce your Attack Strength by 2 points. If you ever want to change a weapon during combat and are in a position to do this, you must forfeit one Attack Round and suffer the consequences. Also, whenever you acquire a weapon (or armour) you should record on the Adventure Sheet any bonuses that go with it and whether or not it is magical.
Please keep all spoilers covered out of respect to those of us who want to have a blind experience. Any ties will be broken by me based on my personal instincts.
As I said in the Skill, Stamina and Luck section, this adventure is a difficult one to complete. I will thus give our hero 6 resurrections, just like I did when I ran the Spellbreaker gamebook. Upon dying, our hero will use a resurrection to be sent back to the point where the first critical mistake was made in order to make the adventure winnable once more. The Adventure Sheet will also be reverted to what it was at that point in the story. This makes resurrections more powerful than any boon employed in many of my previous Let’s Plays. Resurrections can also be used to grant our hero additional Special Skills at the start of the adventure at the rate of one resurrection per Special Skill beyond the four normally allowed.
Before we formally get started with the final Fighting Fantasy adventure from the Puffin Books series, please vote for the following decisions:
What name do you want to give our hero?
Which Special Skills do you want to take out of the nine available?
Do you wish to spend any of the 6 resurrections to grant our hero additional Special Skills?
Please make your decisions before 8:00 AM PST to guarantee that they will be counted.