The Gaming Den

MisterDee wrote:I think we're loaded with medkits already, so sword on the off chance that we lose Shagrot's and take a skill penalty.

(Or would the skill bonus apply anyway? Does the standard "magic weapons don't do anything unless you've lost Skill" clause apply here? If it doesn't of course we go for the free Skill.)

MisterDee wrote:(Or would the skill bonus apply anyway? Does the standard "magic weapons don't do anything unless you've lost Skill" clause apply here? If it doesn't of course we go for the free Skill.)

You enter the house as quietly as you can. A shadow seems to be moving down the wall beside a set of steps that lead down to a cellar. Cautiously you follow the steps down. The cellar is cool and dark, but a small oil lamp throws a tiny patch of yellow light in one corner; half-in and half-out of the circle of light crouches a tall, dark-haired man in a brown robe. He holds a warhammer in his clenched hands and hisses at you to be gone if you know what is good for you. Will you:

Attack the man?
Try to talk with him?
Leave and search elsewhere

SlyJohnny wrote:I'm... actually not sure. There are three magical weapons in this book. Shagrot's scimitar explicatively boosts Skill above our Initial level, but only if it was <11, as it's "not that powerfully magical". Another weapon can boosts your Skill past Initial level, and it doesn't have that <11 caveat.

Then there's this one, which doesn't explicitly state it allows us to exceed our skill bonus, (so if it doesn't actually boost us past Initial, it would only be superior to Shagrot's scimitar if we'd had 12 Skill and taken a skill point loss). Is this scimitar supposed to be more or less powerful than Shagrot's? What do you guys think?

Do you have a mark on your forehead? If you have, you will be forced to fight - the man will not parley with you. If you do not have a mark, turn to 84

You say that you don't wish to fight, and the man doesn't attack. The man, whose name is Kanestin, says that he is here to find a lost magical tome- and he knows your purpose, it seems, for he says he has no interest in trying to overcome the Master of Chaos! He does know where the entrance to the Chaos Pits is, though, and he will tell you where this is- and warn you about a trapped portal there - if you find the tome for him.

If you already have the book and want to give it to him, turn to the paragraph with the same number as the number in the title of the book. If you have it, but will not give it up, you can either attack him or leave and search elsewhere. If you do not have the book, you may promise Kanestin help in finding it; if you won't help, you leave and find another part of the ruins.

Omegonthesane wrote:If we promise to aid him the game will probably let us do a second pass of this area.

'The tome is in one of the tombs of the old mausoleum,' Kanestin mutters, 'but the Master of the Undead may also be in that place.' He is clearly fearful of that creature! You can either head for the mausoleum straight away or go elsewhere in the ruins - if you find the tome and wish to give it to Kanestin, you can do so by turning to the paragraph with the same number as the one in the books title.

The great stone doors to the Mausoleum take considerable effort to force open - deduct 2 points from your STAMINA for this exertion. Inside, there are numerous marble tombs and sarcophagi, and wide stone steps leading down. There are some lanterns on the walls which have a little oil left- so, if you do not have a lantern, you may take one of these (add it to your Possessions). You descend the steps to a landing, where you see tomb-chambers to the left and right. It is eerily silent, and your footsteps echo on the cold, hard stone.

As you are pondering which way to go, two skeletal figures, armed with stone axes, slip out of the shadows on either side of you. You must fight the two together. Each Attack Round, detemine the Attack Strength of yourself and both the Skeletons. The combatant with the highest Attack Strength will inflict a damaging blow in that Attack Round. When you destroy one Skeleton, of course, you will then be in a one-to-one fight with the other!

First SKELETON SKILL 6 STAMINA 5
Second SKELETON SKILL 6 STAMINA 6

If you win, turn at once to 333 without performing any other actions.

Do you have an Iron Key? We do.

Having destroyed the skeleton guards, you begin a search of the Mausoleum. This takes time: it is a large place and you favour caution! However, eventually you find 5 Gold Pieces in one of the tombs (add this to your Treasure) and a book sealed inside another. On the spine you read the title: The Three Hundred and Thirty Incantations of Ssassuzlit. This book radiates both magic and a faint aura of evil. If you want to give this book to someone, you know which paragraph to tum to! Otherwise, you may take this book with you if you wish (if you do, record it and its title in your Possessions). In any event, it is time to go elsewhere.