[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 51 - Island of the Undead (Take 2)

[Thaluikhain]

May as well

[SGamerz]

You have opened the door to the Captain’s cabin. It has teak-lined walls, a magnificent mahogany desk and chair, a globe of the world of Titan, navigational charts on the walls, and ornaments and items you want to start inspecting … except that the remains of the Captain bar your way! Foaming at the mouth and snarling with fury, his decaying form lunges towards you in the ragged remains of his once-resplendent uniform. You can avoid this combat by slamming the door and fastening it shut; if you wish to do this, turn to 356.

GREATER GHOUL SKILL 9 STAMINA 11

If the Greater Ghoul hits you three times, turn to 22; if you win before the Greater Ghoul has managed to hit you three times, turn to 236.

Picture of an undead = 2 more extra lives gained.

Although we still have a slight SKILL advantage, over it, our lack of a sword means we may potentially need to win 11 rounds to kill it if we're unlucky. It only needs to win 3 rounds to paralyse us. Do we want to use LUCK for this battle? (or even flee?)

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12 (unarmed, 11 in combat)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 11/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Vial of Green Cream (found in section 145), Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 0
Extra Lives remaining: 6/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to use Luck to deal extra damage once.

[Thaluikhain]

I think we should use luck twice.

[SGamerz]

LUCK will be used once, since that's the minimum voters could agree to spend.

COMBAT LOG:
Greater Ghoul 17, Fred 18. Die roll = 1. GG id at 10. (I won't be using LUCK if we only score 1 damage, since it won't be maximizing the output)
GG 18, Fred 21. Die roll = 5. Luck Test roll = 7 (Lucky). GG is at 6.
GG 12, Fred 16. Die roll = 1. GG is at 5.
GG 18, Fred 20. Die roll = 6. GG is at 3.
GG 18, Fred 18. Tie.
GG 18, Fred 18. Tie. (Yes, again)
GG 14, Fred 23. Die roll = 3. GG is at 2.
GG 21, Fred 18. Fred is at 17. (Hit once)
GG 17, Fred 17. Tie.
GG 18, Fred 15. Fred is at 15. (Hit twice)
GG 12, Fred 17. Die roll = 4. GG is at 1.
GG 18, Fred 14. Fred is hit three times!

The final strike by the undead creature paralyzes you! Unfortunately you can still feel pain as the monster begins to feed on your flesh...

Alas, we were literally one blow away from finishing it off...

Do we use 1 extra life to continue this fight? Or burn more extra lives to rewind further back/find out whether you missed something vital?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to rewind back to the time where Fred dived from the wreck, and have him go for the chest, bottle, and net in that order.

[Thaluikhain]

That sounds like a decent idea.

[SGamerz]

Alright, spending 2 lives to rewind back to the first wreck we saw to dive for the 3 items:

1st dive:

Dice roll = 6+2+2+5 = 11 (Success!)

Fred nabs the chest this time.

2nd dive:

Dice roll = 2+4+1+4(+2) = 13. Fred gets the bottle as well.

3rd dive:

Dice roll = 6+4+2+3(+4) = 19 (Fail).

We would have succeeded if we were still at full STAMINA, but since we took a wound in the first battle, we still couldn't get the net,

You are just coming back to the surface after your last dive when a pair of rubbery tentacles rises from the water and a jet of filthy blue-black gunk is squirted towards your face by a Squirting Octopus! You must Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, the gunk misses you. If you are Unlucky, you are splashed and partially blinded by the foul, inky mess, and you must deduct 1 point from your Attack Strength when you fight the Octopus. If you have a fishing net and want to use it here, turn to 305. Otherwise, turn to 77.

Again, with our LUCK still at max, we auto-pass the roll to avoid the ink.

The Squirting Octopus lashes at your face and limbs with its adhesive, grey-green-suckered tentacles – and, while the teeth in its beak may be small, they are razor sharp … and there are scores of them!

SQUIRTING OCTOPUS SKILL 7 STAMINA 9

If you win, you may retrieve your fishing net. If ]you have acquired a chest from your diving , turn to 202. If you have no chest, but you managed to bring up a bottle, turn to 279. If you obtained neither, turn to 387.

COMBAT LOG:
Squirting Octopus 17, PC 17. Tie.
SO 16, PC 16. Tie.
SO 11, PC 21. Die roll = 4. SQ is at 8.
SO 13, PC 20. Die roll = 3. SQ is at 7.
SQ 18, PC 18. Tie.
SO 16, PC 21. Die roll = 3. SQ is at 6.
SO 17, PC 19. Die roll = 4. SQ is at 5.
SO 17, PC 21. Die roll = 3. SQ is at 4.
SO 14, PC 23. Die roll = 2. SQ is at 3.
SO 15, PC 14. Fred is at 15.
SO 14, PC 20. Die roll = 4. SQ is at 2.
SO 14, PC 20. Die roll = 2. SQ is at 1.
SO 10, PC 18. SO is killed.

This fight took WAAAAAY longer than it ought to have, and I can actually picture the PC slashing inefficiently at the octopus with his little knife. Still the end result is the same as last time, with Fred only taking one hit before winning.

And since we got the chest this time, future combats are thankfully likely to be less time-consuming:

You force open the lid of the black wooden chest. It contains no mountains of pearls or piles of gold doubloons … but what it has may be more valuable to you. You find a pot of thick glue, a sword and a small pouch with a few Gold Pieces in – 6, to be exact. Now, if you also salvaged a bottle, turn to 279.

And we already know what's in the bottle:

The bottle contains almost a half a litre of best-quality olive oil. You’ve no immediate use for it, but you have a sneaking feeling that it may come in useful at some time in the future … turn to 387.

After wading back to land, where will you go? Will you head for:

The barren moorland to the east?
The distant lighthouse?
The southern woodland?
The hill in the middle of the island?

Do we want to proceed the same way as last time from here, or try a different location?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12 (11 in combat)
STAMINA 15/19
LUCK 11/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 6
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to eat a meal and to do everything that Fred did last time up until the point where he faced the Greater Ghoul. I then vote to use Luck once to deal extra damage.

[SGamerz]

You set off towards the lighthouse and soon find yourself standing before a sturdy door, slightly open, at the base of a white stone tower with a glass cupola on the top of it. No light is visible within the glass, and everything behind the door is pitch dark. Now you’re close to the clifftop, you can see that a small sailing ship has been wrecked down in the bay, just to the east of you; the disappearance of the magical light from the lighthouse has already claimed a victim. A rowing boat has been smashed on the rocks a short distance from the main vessel. Angry waves break over the headland below and spray is whipped in by a fierce east wind. The door of the lighthouse is hanging open and it periodically bangs in the breeze; drawing closer, you gain a distinct impression of cold and evil lurking in the darkness beyond. Will you:

Open the door and enter the lighthouse?
Descend and investigate the wreck?
Leave the area and find somewhere else to visit?

You peer through the open door into the circular room at the base of the lighthouse. Fortunately, just enough light is filtering down from the dome into the gloom to make general outlines just visible. Simple, plain stone steps cut in a spiral staircase lead upwards, while a wooden trapdoor shows that there is something below ground level. There is also a repulsive monster slobbering and drooling in the half-dark here! It looks like an obese, slime-dribbling giant maggot with several sets o{ human arms protruding from its segmented body, and its head has the vestiges of human features. With a vile shudder the Slimeworm expels a great gobbet of evil-smelling muck at you, then il squirms towards you, lunging with its surprisingly hard nails outstretched and extending the suckered, bony plates of its slobbering mouth. You may be able to evade combat here; will you:

Attack the Slimeworm?
Try to dodge the monster and run up the stairs?
Run away and descend to the wreck?
Run away and find somewhere else to visit?

Well, this should be much quicker now that we have a sword...

The gross, filthy horror advances towards you with a disgusting undulation, squelsching in its own acidic slime, eager to devour you!

SLIMEWORM SKILL 8 STAMINA 10

If you win, will you:

Climb the stairs?
Open the trapdoor?
Leave and make for the wreck?
Leave and find somewhere else to visit?

COMBAT LOG:
Slimeworm 11, Fred 20. SW is at 8.
SW 15, Fred 19. SW is at 6.
SW 13, Fred 22. SW is at 4.
SW 11, Fred 18. SW is at 2.
SW 14, Fred 19. SW is defeated.

The trapdoor opens to reveal a set of stone steps leading down to a cellar. Here, some stored items may be of value to you. There is a rope, a wooden pole and enough food for 4 meals. You return to the main room in the lighthouse; will you:

Climb the stairs, if you haven't done so before?
Leave and make for the wreck?
Leave and find somewhere else to visit?

Once again, our carrying capacity means that we can't take more than 1 meal.

You drag your weary legs up what seems like an endless procession of steps leading to the very top of the lighthouse tower. In a bright, airy chamber at the top there is a spinning glass globe close to the roof, but no light radiates out from it. If you know an Incantation of Light, turn to the paragraph with the same numbers as the flecks of light in the Magic Stone you carry. If you don't have a Magic Stone, you may be able to return here if you find it later. For now, though, there's nothing you can do here, so you leave; you can descend to the wreck in the bay below if you haven't already done so, investigate the trapdoor downstairs if you haven't done so already, or leave here and find somewhere else on the island to visit.

We still don't have a Magic Stone, but are allowed to come back later if we find it.

You descend to the shoreline and discover a small rowing boat, bobbing up and down in the seaweed-choked waters near the shore. You could reach the wreck of the sailing ship, which is already breaking up, using this boat. This venture would certainly be hazardous; the wind is whipping in from the sea and the waves are growing higher. But the wreck may have supplies aboard which you could use, and possibly even some information about what has been happening on the island. If you decide to row out to the wreck, turn to 367. If you think better of it and wish to explore elsewhere, turn to 70.

Through the squalls and choppy grey waters you struggle to reach the creaking timbers of the sailing ship, its back broken on rocks that you manage to avoid. You grab some ropes hanging down the ship’s side, fasten your own rowing boat safely, and haul yourself up on deck. You see a half-smashed lifeboat lying partly over the railing of the ship, an empty berth from which another lifeboat must have been launched, a large hold with flapping tarpaulin covers, and a set of wooden steps, close to the wheelhouse, leading down below decks. On the main mast, a crow’s nest seems to have a slumped figure of some kind in it. Will you:

Investigate the hold?
Climb to the crow’s nest?
Descend the steps below decks?

Below decks you see a door swinging loose. It opens into the seamen’s mess where hammocks swing wildly as the boat rocks in the water; there’s no one there, and nothing to catch your eye. However, there are also two closed main doors and one of them has a strange magical symbol etched on it. Beyond them is a double door, which you guess may open into a large hold at the bow of the ship. Will you:

Open the double door?
Check the magical symbol on one of the cabin doors?
Open the other cabin door?

The forward hold is partly waterlogged and the timbers are pierced by a sharp rock. You can hear the grinding of wood on stone but, even though the vessel is shipping water, you don’t think it’s about to go down just yet. You can see some useful items here, so you set about gathering them up. You must Test your Skill; if you are successful, turn to 145; but if you fail, turn to 396.

Another auto-pass.

You salvage a glass bottle, a rope and a sealed vial containing some gunky green cream (make a note of this paragraph number as the one where you found it). Now, will you:

Check the magical symbol, if you haven’t already? Turn to 97
Open the other cabin door, if you haven’t already? Turn to 114
Leave the ship? Turn to 272

Study the symbol carefully. Unless you can decode the number concealed within it you won’t be able to enter the room beyond. If you think you know what the number is, turn to the paragraph with that number. If you can’t decipher the number, you must find somewhere else to go, so turn to 356.

Answer 40 again...

Alright, I usually wait for at least 2 votes before proceeding, but there's no point here once the puzzle has been solved, especially when it was done before in the previous LP (I did forget to add note about the existent error, thanks to JourneymanN00b for pointing it out).

You tap gently the indicated number of times and the door swings open. The cabin behind the door is clean and tidy. A small book lies open on a desk, a half-eaten meal some days old rests on a table and a set of robes is laid out on the bunk bed. A small wooden coffer is wedged under the bunk bed. There is no sign of the person who occupied this cabin. Checking carefully first, you then drag the coffer out from under the bunk. You force it open and find a small Gold Key (make a note of this paragraph number as the one where you found this key) and a Potion of Stamina. This Potion can be drunk at any time, except during combat, and will restore lost STAMINA points up to one-half of your Initial STAMINA (round fractions up). You also find a vellum scroll secured with a black ribbon; you untie it and read with interest:

Dear Shantizair,

Your Work in tracking down the Elementalists is much appreciated. Take great Care if you plan more direct Investigations! Consult Brother Kendris at the Monastery of Hamaskis before you contemplate entering the Circle of Summoning itself – if you can reach it! Indeed, a Spirit there might serve you, but practise Caution! Kendris may have found a Truename which will give you Power over one of the Wizards. And he will have the Crystals which will protect you against their Magic. Almost certainly the Shrine will be used to safeguard at least some of them. Old Father Honorton has a Key to the old Crypt below the Tower, which might also be important if you decide to investigate the Wizards directly.

The scrawled signature is illegible. Pondering the meaning of the information in the note, it’s time for you to go elsewhere.

Where will you go now? Will you:

Search the forward hold, if you haven’t done so before?
Study the magical symbol, if you haven’t done this already?
Open the other cabin door, if you haven’t before?
Leave the ship and return to shore?

You have opened the door to the Captain’s cabin. It has teak-lined walls, a magnificent mahogany desk and chair, a globe of the world of Titan, navigational charts on the walls, and ornaments and items you want to start inspecting … except that the remains of the Captain bar your way! Foaming at the mouth and snarling with fury, his decaying form lunges towards you in the ragged remains of his once-resplendent uniform. You can avoid this combat by slamming the door and fastening it shut; if you wish to do this, turn to 356.

GREATER GHOUL SKILL 9 STAMINA 11

If the Greater Ghoul hits you three times, turn to 22; if you win before the Greater Ghoul has managed to hit you three times, turn to 236.

COMBAT LOG:
Greater Ghoul 17, Fred 20. Luck Test roll = 9 (Lucky). GG is at 7.
GG 19, Fred 18. Fred at 17. (Hit once)
GG 16, Fred 23. GG is at 5.
GG 18, Fred 17. Fred is at 15. (Hit twice)
GG 16, Fred 17. GG is at 3.
GG 17, Fred 19. GG is at 1.
GG 16, Fred 17. GG is defeated.

Fred came dangerously closed to being paralyzed a second time, but just manages to get the job done.

The Captain slumps to the ground in a writhing heap. Swiftly searching his cabin, you come across some valuable acquisitions. A flask of grog on the desk can be drunk at any time except during combat, and it will restore 4 lost STAMINA points; it also adds a temporary bonus of 1 to your Attack Strength for the first combat after you drink it. The Captain’s excellent ship’s biscuits, still in a sealed tin, are fresh and wholesome and there are enough for 4 meals (add 4 to your Provisions). You also find the stout treasure chest the Captain hoarded; it has a well-constructed brass lock. If you want to try to prise this open with your knife, turn to 382. If you don’t want to chance this, turn to 356.

We still can't pick up all the extra food, but we'll again eat one meal on the spot to restore back to full.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12 (11 in combat)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 10/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Vial of Green Cream (found in section 145), Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 6
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to prise the chest open with the knife.

[Thaluikhain]

Open the box!

[SGamerz]

In forcing the chest open, you also trigger a vicious trap: a cutting blade springs out from below the lock and slices deeply into your forearm and wrist. Yelping with pain; you clasp your bleeding swordarm; lose 3 points from your STAMINA.

Inside the chest is the Captain’s cutlass; this Magic Sword will add 1 to your Attack Strength when it is used during combats. There is also a pouch containing 7 Gold Pieces, and a shield. Now will you:

Search the forward hold, if you haven’t done so before?
Study the magical symbol, if you haven’t done this already?
Leave the ship and return to shore?

And we're finally completely armed. More than that, in fact, since we now have a magic weapon.

Our injured swordarm thankfully does not give us any SKILL penalty.

It's now time to leave the ship!

You leave the ship and drop down into the rowing boat, which bobs up and down crazily in the big waves. The storm is blowing up to terrifying proportions, and it takes all the strength you possess to force a way clear of the rocks and back towards the shore. Lose 3 points from your STAMINA due to fatigue. Then, just a few metres away from the shore, your boat gets tangled in the dense seaweed. The resistance is surprisingly strong, you think – until you peer down and see to your horror that a veritable underwater forest of skeletal arms is grabbing at your boat, trying to pull it over … and the odd limb is even dragging itself into your boat, to claw at your legs! If you have a fishing net, turn to 298. Otherwise, will you try to fight off this bizarre attack or jump into the shallow water and try to fight your way ashore?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 13/19
LUCK 10/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Vial of Green Cream (found in section 145), Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to try to fight off this bizarre attack, as fighting while in the water is just asking to get killed.

Oh, and if my calculations are correct, our hero should be at 13 STAMINA, so I vote to eat another meal before beginning the fight.

[SGamerz]

Oh, and if my calculations are correct, our hero should be at 13 STAMINA

Oops, right, corrected now.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, fight it with our new sword.

[SGamerz]

You have to fight for six Attack Rounds – the time it takes you to force your way to the safety of the shore. The mass of arms, far too large for you to destroy, has a collective SKILL of 8. In every Attack Round when you have the lower Attack Strength you must deduct 2 points from your STAMINA because of the tearing and gouging wounds inflicted by the undead mass. In every Attack Round when you have the higher Attack Strength, you manage to hack off some limbs; this makes no difference, however, as there are dozens ready to take the place of any you destroy – but at least you lose no STAMINA points. If you are still alive after six Attack Rounds, you manage to stagger ashore, so turn to 166.

Purely defensive battle, but I don't think we're in any danger.

COMBAT LOG:
Undead Mass 15, Fred 21.
UM 12, Fred 20.
UM 14, Fred 16.
UM 17, Fred 21.
UM 16, Fred 21.
UM 17, Fred 15. Fred is at 11.

Fred fails to ward off the last blow from the undead mass before he makes it to safety, but otherwise did not come to much harm in the process.

The storm breaks directly overhead. A jagged bolt of lightning arcs down from the black clouds filling the angry sky and smashes into the ground close to the lighthouse. It would obviously be very unwise to seek shelter there! You are forced to ignore the storm and set off into the open moorland to the south-west. From here you can make your way to a part of the island you haven’t previously visited. Will you head for:

A stone building to the east?
Woodland to the south-west?
A hillock due south?
Marshland further south?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 11/19
LUCK 10/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Vial of Green Cream (found in section 145), Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head to the stone building to the east and eat 2 Provisions.

Oh, and I believe Fred has a shield now, so he should now have 12 Skill in combat.

[SGamerz]

Oh, and I believe Fred has a shield now, so he should now have 12 Skill in combat.

Yeah, I missed out on editing the Adventure Sheet.

I did already take that (and the Magic Sword) into account when running the mass undead battle, not that it would have affected the results much,

[Thaluikhain]

To the stone building. Normally I'd say only eat once in case we get another stamina boost, but we are at max provisions so may as well eat twice.

[SGamerz]

Fred consumes 2 meals to restore his STAMINA back to full.

A stone monastery stands behind a thicket of heavy tanglebriar in front of you. As you approach the tunnel-like passage through the forbidding plant barrier, the thorned and heavily barked branches of the plants lash out to strike at you. If you have some Green Cream and wish to use it here, turn to the paragraph with the number that is twice that of the paragraph where you found the Green Cream. If you have no cream, you can risk forcing a way through the vegetation or leave and find somewhere else on the island to investigate.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 10/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Vial of Green Cream (found in section 145), Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat)
Provisions: 10/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Use Green Cream.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to use the Green Cream as well.

[SGamerz]

Smearing the slimy Cream on your skin repels the twisting tendrils of the plant and you can pass safely through. You arrive at the front door of the monastery, which is slightly ajar; there doesn’t appear to be any other entrance to the building. Roll two dice. If the total is less than, or equal to, your PRESENCE, turn to 206. If the total is greater than your PRESENCE, turn to 222.

Dice roll = 6.

You sense something evil lurking behind the door. If you want to leave the monastery and head elsewhere, turn to 281. If you prefer to attack whatever is behind the door, you can surprise it by slamming the door into its body and then fighting it: turn to 222, and you can subtract 2 points from the STAMINA score of the creature as given in that paragraph.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to attack whatever is behind the door.