[LP] The Way of the Tiger. (Complete)

[hogarth]

D) Call a truce and ask about any recent job openings.

By the way, you probably explained this already, but if what does the book say to do when you run out of Endurance? Does it ever say "flip to page 48 if you run out", or are you just supposed to make up your own death scene and start again?

[MisterDee]

Somehow, I doubt the Poison Needles will allow us to avoid the dramatic showdown with the other ninja on the top of the keep during a thunderstorm.

Throw shurikens.

[Omegonthesane]

Shurikens, then needles if it lets us, then Kwon's Flail because we must have had a plot reason to learn it.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Again, we totally want to avoid poison because as a ninja master he probably has Poison Immunity.

Shuriken him.

[angelfromanotherpin]

By the way, you probably explained this already, but if what does the book say to do when you run out of Endurance? Does it ever say "flip to page 48 if you run out", or are you just supposed to make up your own death scene and start again?

I think the only specific result of running out of Endurance was back at the beginning against Gorobei – but that's not a fight to the death. Otherwise, yeah, it's the old Restart/Quit prompt.

[angelfromanotherpin]

With lightning speed your hand flashes through the air three times in rapid succession and three Shuriken fly towards Yaemon. Make a Shuriken roll. Yaemon's Defence is 6.

(7, success)

The three Shuriken speed towards Yaemon's throat, but with astounding timing he turns sideways and, raising his right forearm in front of his chest, passes his right hand up, down, and up through the air in a rapid flailing motion, using the back of his hand and the heel of his palm to deflect the Shuriken, without touching their blades, and they whir away into the night. Amazed as you are, you know you must act before he has finished concentrating on your stars.

(Yeah, that's a success. On a failure, he catches one and throws it back at you. All that bought is a moment's distraction.)

• Use a Poison Needle?
• Run to the attack?

[Korgan0]

ATTACK

[MisterDee]

Out of curiosity, do we actually gain something out of that distraction, or are we merely going to the same paragraph numbers as before?

Either way, attack and kick his dick off, but enquiring minds want to know...

[angelfromanotherpin]

You cartwheel towards Yaemon and launch into the attack.

(there's a bunch of decision points about exactly what kind of attack, but I'm going to go with Kick: Kwon's Flail to fulfil previously stated preferences. We have to decide whether or not to use Inner Force before we try, and of course we use Inner Force!)

With incredible speed you spin to the right on the ball of your left foot and whip your right heel around in an arc, as if your leg were a chain and your foot a heavy metal ball. It smashes into the side of Yaemon's face with a crack, spinning his head around, the force of the blow sends him whirling away, barely able to remain on his feet. Subtract 8 from his Endurance. Double this if you were using Inner Force.

If he is still alive, you leap head-first towards him and somersault in the air, so that both your feet are hurtling towards him in a drop-kick. At the last instant he recovers and brings his right forearm across his face, sweeping your legs aside and down. You land nimbly with your back to him, and acting quickly, whip your left foot up in an arc from left to right. This time Yaemon ducks and, as you turn to face him, you drive a Leaping Tiger kick at his face. Yaemon, under pressure, rears back, avoiding your foot by inches, and somersaults backwards onto his hands and then to his feet, repeating these flips until he is well out of range.

You pursue him, and when he comes to a halt you are ready to attack again.

Avenger, Grandmaster of the Five Winds
Modifiers: Fortune +1
Inner Force: 3/5
Endurance: 2/20
Techniques: Climbing, Disable Device, Poison Needles, Kwon's Flail.
Shuriken: *
Ninja Tools: Ninja Costume, Breathing Tube, Iron Sleeves, Garotte, Flint & Tinder, Spiderfish.
Special Items: Opal Ring, Pouch with 15 Gold Pieces.
Yaemon's Endurance: 20 4

Will you use:
• Kwon's Flail (again)?
• The Forked Lightning Strike kick?
• The Winged Horse kick?
• The Cobra Strike punch?
• The Iron Fist punch?
• The Tiger's Paw punch?
• The Whirlpool throw?
• The Dragon's Tail throw?

(Yaemon is too quick to attempt a Teeth of the Tiger throw. Also, we're told to decide whether or not we're using Inner Force before we finalize our technique. We may not need it, since he's only at 4 End anymore, but of course we use it, this is the end boss.)

[Omegonthesane]

Is the page reference the same for Kwon's Flail Again? If so, Kwon's Flail Again.

If not? I'd go with Tiger's Paw but I don't really get the mechanical difference between the punches.

[hogarth]

Don't use Kwon's Flail again, of course. (I assume it points to a different paragraph this time.)

A punch with Inner Force will do 2d6 damage and a kick with Inner Force will do 2d6+2, correct? At least, providing the paragraph it leads to doesn't say otherwise...

[Dr_Noface]

I would just try an inner force punch since it has a higher chance of landing than the kick. There's a 11/12 chance of killing him with it.

[MisterDee]

We certainly can't risk a throw, so I suggest we go with Kwon's Flail again since it's super-effective.

If people don't want to Kwon's Flail again, then finish it with a simple Iron Fist Tiger's Paw to the dick.

(EDIT: changed the punch choice just to avoid a tie)

[Ancient History]

I say Tiger's Paw. If we try the same trick twice, we will be punished.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You bring your hand across from left to right in a vicious chop at his neck. Unfortunately, he is too fast for you and he catches your wrist and delivers a deft snap-kick to your stomach. Lose 2 Endurance.

(And that's it for us. And it wouldn't matter if we'd found herbs or something earlier, because his follow-up is fatal unless Avenger is an acrobat, which our version is not.)

(So, let's say that was just one of those samurai-style mental simulations, where they predict the result of an attempted attack. Clearly the Tiger's Paw is not a wise move.)

Pick again:

• Kwon's Flail (again)?
• The Forked Lightning Strike kick?
• The Winged Horse kick?
• The Cobra Strike punch?
• The Iron Fist punch?
• The Whirlpool throw?
• The Dragon's Tail throw?

[Ancient History]

Fuck it. Winged Horse Kick.

[MisterDee]

Let's go down the list and find a technique that works.

So Winged Horse first just to avoid ties, then Kwon's Flail, then down the list.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Inner Force Winged Horse Falcon Kick.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You turn sideways and unleash a Winged Horse kick straight at his head, with a cry. Yaemon, anticipating your move, drops onto his back and lashes the ball of his foot into your groin as your kick whips out over his head. You double up in pain as he wraps his feet around your neck and twists savagely, cartwheeling through the air in a variation of the Teeth of the Tiger throw. In agony, you cannot control yourself and fall awkwardly into a heap. Lose 6 Endurance.

(The follow-up here is not unavoidably lethal, so I'm going to do a minor retcon to say that Avenger actually avoided the Chaos-Bringer's lightning bolt earlier, and has been craftily faking injury since, even towards you, the players. The lightning was worth 8, so 2+8-6 is 4 Endurance left, leaving us even with our foe.)

If you are still alive, you spring to your feet as fast as you can, leaping out of range of Yaemon's attempted chop. However, as you come to a halt, he leaps into the air towards you, his left leg extended, in a flying Winged Horse kick. (Avenger does not have Acrobatics.)

You have no option but to try and block. Your Defence for this is 7. (4, success!)

As his foot nears your head, you drive the palm of your right hand up onto his ankle, forcing his leg higher and he sails over your head. As you turn, he somersaults backwards to land safely on his feet and spins to face you. He runs at you to attack again. You have no time to kick, but you may try to throw or punch him.

• The Cobra Strike punch?
• The Iron Fist punch?
• The Whirlpool throw?
• The Dragon's Tail throw?

[MisterDee]

Fist! Fist! Fist till dawn!

EDIT: of the first list of choice, is there one that would have finished Yaemon or are they all "Fuck you, take X damage" choices?

[Ancient History]

Yeah, Brony Kick has failed us, let's go for the power of the Iron Fist.

[angelfromanotherpin]

EDIT: of the first list of choice, is there one that would have finished Yaemon or are they all "Fuck you, take X damage" choices?

It is possible to defeat Yaemon without taking any damage. I did it on my first play, though with the exception of Kwon's Flail there's no particular clue as to which moves will succeed or fail.

For instance, I never used the Tiger's Paw, on the theory that as a Tiger-themed move Yaemon would be expecting it. But I just made that up and there's no particular in-book explanation for why it was a poor choice.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You drive your right fist toward Yaemon's head, but he steps towards you and to the right, legs apart and knees bent, sweeping the side of his left hand up into the inside of your right wrist, pushing your punch past him, and twists his right fist up into your midriff with a shout. You double up. Lose 4 Endurance.

(Mental simulation.)

Pick again:

• The Cobra Strike punch?
• The Whirlpool throw?
• The Dragon's Tail throw?

[Darth Rabbitt]

Cooooobraaaa!

[Omegonthesane]

Cobra too - I really hope we aren't meant to throw this guy as the One True Solution.