Let's Play Secrets of Salamonis (#70) redux?

[Dogopolis]

Settling on a table of Dwarf miners, who are drinking together at a table in a darkened corner, you try to give them the same banter Rodriguez gave the landlord. Although you are not as well-practised at this sort of thing as he is, you do actually manage to persuade the five Dwarfs to agree to give you 2 Salacoins each, if you can correctly guess the second card they pick.

A burly Dwarf with muscular arms and a shaved head goes first. He picks a card. ‘Okay, now double it,” you tell him, ‘add 5, and multiply the number you now have by 5. Then, when you're ready, pick another card."

Another of the miners selects the second card and a hush falls over the table as they work out the final sum. ‘One hundred and eighteen!’ the Dwarf says at last, beaming at his friends proudly. So, what were the two cards the Dwarfs picked?

[deaddmwalking]

A 9 and a 3.

9 x 2 = 18. 18 + 5 = 23. 23 x 5 = 115. The last card must be a 3 because 115+3 = 118.

If the first card had been an 8 the calculation would be based on 105 (8*2= 16. 16 +5 = 21. 21 x 5 = 105. There are no cards between 1-9 that could provide a result above 114.

Edit:
When you have 9 numbers between 1-9, the difference between each number is 1. When you double each number, the difference between each number is 2. Ie, 1x2=2; 2x2=4. When you multiply those numbers by 5, the difference between them is 10 (2x5=10, 4x5=20). If we had only done those steps, the process would have worked fine; the step of adding 5 only exists to add confusion. Any number could be used - it doesn't increase the difference between any of the numbers; it just establishes what value corresponds to the lowest card.

Using 5 as the Book Does

Code: Select all

#	x2	+5	x5
1	2	7	35
2	4	9	45
3	6	11	55
4	8	13	65
5	10	15	75
6	12	17	85
7	14	19	95
8	16	21	105
9	18	23	115

Using 8 as an Alternative

Code: Select all

#	x2	+8	x5
1	2	10	50
2	4	12	60
3	6	14	70
4	8	16	80
5	10	18	90
6	12	20	100
7	14	22	110
8	16	24	120
9	18	26	130

Not adding anything

Code: Select all

#	x2	+0	x5
1	2	2	10
2	4	4	20
3	6	6	30
4	8	8	40
5	10	10	50
6	12	12	60
7	14	14	70
8	16	16	80
9	18	18	90

But I suppose if we told people to multiple by 10, then add the numbers together it'd be pretty obvious that 93 could only be possible if you had a 9 (x10) and a 3 (not multiplied).

[Dogopolis]

‘The two cards you picked were a nine and a three,’ you tell the Dwarfs. The shaven-headed miner turns the cards over on the table in front of him, dumbstruck. You are right! The Dwarfs reluctantly hand over your winnings, accompanied by a lot of grumbling and complaining. (Add the 10 Salacoins to your Adventure Sheet and gain 2 points of Amonour,) The Salacoins jangling in your pocket, you make your way back to the bar and tell the landlord that you would like a room for the night.

‘That'll be | gpld Piece, or 10 Salacoins,’ he tells you, You can afford it, but are you willing to pay for a room for the night or would you prefer to sleep on the street, so as to save as much money as possible?

SKILL: 6/6
STAMINA: 8/12
LUCK: 6/6
AMONOUR: 5
MONEY: 10 Salacoins = 1 Gold Piece
0 Gold Pieces
15 Salacoins
1 guttery employee found
Possessions: Trinket

I'm not sure about Rodriguez's motivation here. He basically buys us a free dink and shows us a trick for free. We didn't help him in any way, and in fact made it harder for him to do it again. Although that trick wouldn't impress a credulous 4 year old in the real world.

[Beroli]

Sleep on the street; right now we can afford to get our backpack back but if we buy a room we'll wind up right back at "Luck test or go to jail and stay there."

[SGamerz]

Sleep on the street

[deaddmwalking]

Convincing. Hate to lose the stamina but I'm sure there's a life lesson about staying within one's means.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, stay on street.

[Dogopolis]

You wake the following morning to find yourself in the gutter, with a couple of rats curled up next to you, sharing your body’s warmth. You shoo them away in disgust. You have a crick in your neck and do not feel ready for the day at all. (Lose 1 STAMINA point.) But it could have been worse – at least it’s not winter!

--------------------------------

You might not have been in Salamonis long, but what you have learned is that anybody who wants to become an adventurer and take on any officially listed quests has to become a member of the Adventurers’ Guild first.

It’s a new day, and the bright morning sunlight fills you with a renewed sense of optimism. You soon find your way to the Adventurers’ Guild on Market Square, next to the Bazaar. The building might be in need of a few repairs – there are tiles missing from the roof and a couple of broken windowpanes – but its pillared entrance and sturdy, iron-bound oak door still speak of a faded grandeur. In some ways it reminds you of a grizzled veteran adventurer.

The Guild is open for business and, as you approach the entrance, your eye is drawn to the Quests Board outside. Pinned to the bottom board is a curl of parchment with three words written on it in neat calligraphic script: ‘Found – 1 Backpack.’ Could it be your missing pack?

You enter the Guild House at a run, your heart hammering in your chest. You find yourself in a large room that seems to be full of hard-bitten adventuring types – Flatlands Barbarians, salty sea dogs from the Skull Coast, Half-Elves from the Forest of Yore, Dwarfs from Stonebridge, and even black-clad warriors swathed in loose-fitting black robes from Chiang Mai – discussing everything from the price of throwing knives in Silverton to the whereabouts of a lost city in the Desert of Skulls, and rumours of a war brewing between two rival sorcerers. You approach the counter on the far side.

Standing behind it is an elderly gentleman with a warm smile and a twinkle in his eye. ‘And what can I do for you?’ he asks.

‘I saw you’ve had a backpack handed in and thought it might be mine,’ you say. You then proceed to tell him how you came to lose it in the first place.

When you have finished your story, the Guildmaster says, ‘How do I know what you say is true? You could be a scammer trying to claim something that doesn’t belong to you. Can you tell me what was in it?’

You rattle off the list of contents: a few personal mementos, a short sword, spare underwear – ‘Did your mum write your name in them?’ the Guildmaster laughs – your money bag and a copy of Longbeard’s Legends of the Windward Plains.

‘Sounds like it could be yours,’ says the man, ‘but are you prepared to put your money where your mouth is? You need to pay 1 Gold Piece if you want me to release it into your custody.’

This is outrageous – you’re having to pay to get your own pack back! – but it doesn’t seem like you have any choice.

---------------------------------------------
We have 10 Salacoins

You hand over the money, and the Guildmaster hands over your backpack.

You are delighted to be reunited with the canvas rucksack at least, and unpack it – there, in the middle of the Guild House – just to make sure nothing has gone missing.

Add the following items to your Equipment: Short Sword, Spare Clothes, a Purse containing 12 Gold Pieces and Longbeard’s Legends of the Windward Plains. (Add 1 point to your LUCK score and 1 point to your AMONOUR score.)

‘If you want to join the Adventurer’s Guild, you need to talk to me. For I am Jeskan Stovec, the Guildmaster.’

He explains that it will cost you 2 Gold Pieces and that will give you an Adventurers’ Permit, which means you can then take on any of the jobs posted on the Quests Board outside the Guild House. You can also use the permit to prove your credentials to any potential employer, such as a priestess wanting someone to find some magical fungi for her in the Moonstone Hills, or a merchant who’s looking to hire guards for his caravan travelling to Chalice. ‘But you look like you’re new to this game,’ he says, giving you the once-over. ‘If I were you, I’d get some training before setting yourself up as a sword for hire.’

Without having to be asked twice, you hand over the money and the Guildmaster writes out a permit for you. (Deduct 2 Gold Pieces and add the Adventurers’ Permit to your Equipment List.)

Do you want to ask the Guildmaster for his advice regarding where to train or would you rather set out on a quest straightaway and prove yourself as an adventurer that way?

We also pass one pig icon and manage to recruit.

SKILL: 6/6
STAMINA: 7/12
LUCK: 6/6
AMONOUR: 6
MONEY: 10 Salacoins = 1 Gold Piece
10 Gold Pieces
5 Salacoins
2 guttery employees found
Possessions: Trinket, spare clothes, short sword, Longbeard’s Legends of the Windward Plains.

[Thaluikhain]

Ask where to train.

[Dogopolis]

‘What do you suggest?" you ask,

‘Well, Salamonis’s Palace of Learning houses King Salamon's famous library. As well as containing books on myths, legends and monsters, there are also treatises about advanced fighting methods, Although nothing beats actual physical training when it comes to swordplay,’ he says. ‘Oran Flintforge will teach you all he knows about tricks and traps, for a fee of 3 Gold Pieces, right here at the Guild. And I've heard tell that the Temple of Logaan teaches skills that, by rights, it shouldn't be possible to
teach.”

These all sound intriguing, but perhaps you've already met
someone, since arriving in Salamonis, who could help train
you.

--------------------------
We have met a few people.

What have you learned since arriving in Salamonis? Do any of the following mean anything to you?

The Forest of Spiders?
Benboy?
The Half-Darned Sock?

Forest of Spiders:

Leaving the Adventurers’ Guild, you set off for the port where, as you had hoped, you find Ruznik Ulisen trying to sell his maps to new arrivals to the city. ‘Congratulations, my young friend!’ he exclaims when you tell him you are now a fully paid up member of the Adventurers’ Guild. "So,how can I help you today?” You tell him about your desire to get a little training under your belt before you set out on your first proper quest. "Well, like | told you before, there’s the rumoured Testing Grounds in the Forest of Spiders, and for 4 Gold Pieces, Ican teach you Spelling. That would prove useful, I'm sure.’

Benboy:

By luck, you find Nanoc sitting on a bench on the edge of the Market Square, drowning his sorrows with a flagon of Willow Cider. You engage him in conversation, and it soon becomes apparent that he’s had a falling out with his wife. ‘I'm thinking of going back on the road," he says, despite what he told you yesterday about retiring his services as a Captain of the Strongarms. "There's nothing for me here. Velenore Musek has asked me to find her some suitable bodyguards to accompany one of her caravans through the Trolitooth Pass and across the Flatlands to Wolftown. I'll put in a good word for you, now you've got your Adventurers’ Permit, if you like, he adds. ‘It's. A great way to see the world, and I could teach you some advanced fighting techniques. But if you don't fancy that, Thugruff's always looking for willing recruits at the Testing Grounds
located in the Forest of Spiders.’

Half Darned Sock:

You return to the Half-Darned Sock and ask if anyone knows where Rodriguez is, but it turns out he’s already moved on. However, it doesn’t take you long to track him down in the Bazaar, where he has found himself another couple of marks, but this time the trick he’s trying to pull involves a ‘lost’ coin, Having fleeced his new ‘friends’ for a handful of Salacoins each, he puts an arm around your shoulders and leads you off through the market. "Well, | see your fortunes have picked up since we last spoke,’ he says. ‘So, what can t do you for?"

You tell him you would like to learn more about grifting. "Very well,’ he says, ‘First lesson was for free, but from here on in you're going to have to pay.’
“How much?’ you ask. ‘3 Gold Pieces,” he says, the sparkle back in his eyes.

What do you want to do now?

Visit the Halls of Learning?
Train with Oran Flintforge at the Guild?
Visit the Temple of Logaan?
Learn Spelling with Ruznik?
Join Nanoc?
Go to the Testing Groiunds?
Learn advanced grifting with Rodriguez?
Set off on your first quest?

[deaddmwalking]

Spelling didn't help us before. Are we able to do each training provided we have the coin? My preference is to join Nanoc.

[Dogopolis]

Spelling didn't help us before. Are we able to do each training provided we have the coin?

In JourneymanNoob's game the plot was moved on after your second attempt. Think of that as a template.

[Beroli]

Join Nanoc.

[SGamerz]

Nanoc provides a quest. I think we should do some training before setting off on a quest. I think we should join Nanoc for our second attempt after we're redirected back here from the first training.

For the first training I still want to learn Spelling (just because it didn't help in that one quest we took doesn't mean it's useless). Failing that, Testing Ground for potential stat improvement.

[deaddmwalking]

I find that convincing. Let's do Spelling first then join Nanoc.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well try spelling.

[Dogopolis]

You meet Ruznik Ullsen again at the Boondocks and from there – as soon as you have paid him his fee of 4 Gold Pieces, of course (deduct the money from the Gold box on your Adventure Sheet) – he leads you to a smoky tavern called the Wizard’s Pipe. In a secluded booth in a dark corner of the drinking establishment, he sits you down with a flagon of ale and teaches you the art of Spelling. (Gain 2 STAMINA points from drinking the ale.)

‘It’s really quite simple,’ Ruznik says, rolling out a scroll on the table before you. It is made up of a grid of twenty-five squares filled with the letters A to Y. ‘In any given situation where you think you might want to cast a spell, unroll the Spelling Sheet, and lay your hands upon it. You then clear your mind and enter a meditative state to allow the Oracle to guide you. Any visions or messages you receive should guide you to spell out a particular word or words, and in doing so you cast your spell. Let me demonstrate.’

Ruznik closes his eyes and lays his hands on the scroll. You watch as, slowly at first, and then more quickly, his fingers begin to spell out a word using the grid of letters. The word they spell is ‘FLAGON’ and you watch in astonishment as, before your very eyes, Ruznik’s flagon magically refills itself.

‘Now you try,’ he says. ‘Remember, empty your mind and allow the Oracle to speak to you.’

‘What sort of spell do you want me to cast?’ you ask as you spread your hands out on the piece of parchment.

‘That is up to you,’ says Ruznik, ‘but don’t you feel it’s a little cold in here?’

‘You close your eyes and, as you clear your mind of all thought, it is as if you hear a voice speaking inside your head…’

There is a mighty warrior without sword or shield. Enemies use him against one another. His strength is fierce, but anyone can tame him. He will meekly serve any who know the trick of looking after him and feeding him properly, but if they let him grow proud, this ungrateful friend will soon turn against them. [F_R_]

This is Ruznik’s Spelling Sheet. If you can work out the answer to the Oracle’s riddle, fill in the missing letters and then use the grid to turn the answer into numbers, add them together and then turn to the section with the same number as the total.

------------------
We already solved this in the other thread

Your fingers move over the grid, spelling out the word ‘FIRE.’ As soon as the spell is complete, your open your eyes to see a small fire burning in the grate beside your booth.

‘Congratulations!’ Ruznik exclaims. ‘It would appear you have the knack as well.’ (Gain 2 AMONOUR points and 1 LUCK point, and tick off the Spelling Special Skill on your Adventure Sheet.)

Thanking your teacher for his help, you leave the Wizard’s Pipe in a buoyant mood. Do you have a Holy Symbol?

------------------------------------
We don’t

The streets of Salamonis are busier than you have ever seen them. It is the tenth day of the month of Winds and the Holy Day of Libra. The priests of her temple are parading through the city, carrying a statue of the Goddess of Justice and Truth before them. She is depicted as a beautiful woman holding a pair of scales. You pause for a few minutes to watch the procession.

While you are standing there, an excited young woman wearing the grey robes of Libra’s worshippers approaches you and pins a Holy Symbol, in the form of a pair of scales, to your tunic. You are filled with the euphoric feeling that the goddess is watching over you herself. (Gain 1 LUCK point, 1 AMONOUR point, and add the Holy Symbol to your Adventure Sheet.)

----------------------------------

What do you want to do now?

Visit the Halls of Learning?
Train with Oran Flintforge at the Guild?
Visit the Temple of Logaan?
Join Nanoc?
Go to the Testing Grounds?
Learn advanced grifting with Rodriguez?
Set off on your first quest?

Some previous interest for for Nanoc, (I just got that yesterday! ), but I'll leave it open

SKILL: 6/6
STAMINA: 9/12
LUCK: 6/6
AMONOUR: 9
MONEY: 10 Salacoins = 1 Gold Piece
6 Gold Pieces
5 Salacoins
2 guttery employees fou
Possessions: Trinket, spare clothes, short sword, Longbeard’s Legends of the Windward Plains, Holy Symbol
Special Skills: Spelling

[deaddmwalking]

Call mine a half-vote for Nanoc. I think other options sound interesting, too, and some might be better - I just think Nanoc sounds the most interesting at the moment.

[SGamerz]

I vote to join Nanoc now, since there probably won't be an opportunity later.

I mean, that may be true for the other options as well, but theoretically the other places should still be around after we come back from completing a quest, but I doubt the caravan will wait for us.

[Dogopolis]

And so, you join Nanoc the Strongarm Captain in escorting the caravan of Velenore Musek, carrying spices and animal hides to Wolftown, many leagues away on the other side of the Flatlands. Fortunately, you are provided with a horse for the duration of the trip, which takes many weeks and is not without event, There are Centaurs and Felinaurs to contend with, as well as Hobgoblin bandits, but each encounter you survive only serves to make you stronger.

You spend a week resting up in Wolftown, while Velenore sells on her wares and does various deals, buying corals” and wondrous shells recovered from the Sea of Pearls to sell back in Salamonis and Port Blacksand to her well to-do customers, and you pass the time being coached by Nanoc in advanced fighting techniques, including unarmed combat. Seven days later you are on the road
again, retracing your route back across the Flatlands.

(Tick off the Brawling Special Skill on your Adventure Sheet and gain 3 AMONOUR points. You also gain two further special abilities, Second Chance Rolls (if you do not already have this ability) and the Instant Death Roll. In the case of Second Chance Rolls, if you don’t like the result of a dice roll you may roll again, but you must accept the result of your second roll. With the Instant Death Roll, if you roll two sixes when calculating your Attack Strength, you can choose to treat this as a battle-ending blow, no matter how many STAMINA points your opponent has left. You may only use each of these very special abilities a maximum of three times and no more.

You are less than a league from Salamonis, passing through a wooded area in the southern reaches of the Moonstone Hills, when a band of Brigands launches a surprise attack,

Roll two dice. Is the number rolled is equal to or less than your SKILL score?

8 is higher than our SKILL score. Do you want to accept it?

I'm thinking with 2nd chance rolls, to keep it brisk I will only offer when the text makes it look like it could be important and I won't wait around for a full consensus. If there is a majority at any point I check I'll take it, if it's tied at the time I check I'll disregard the most recent vote. After 8 hours or so if there's no vote I'll just accept the roll.

For Instant Death I 'll automatically take it unless your opponent is already hopelessly outclassed.

If you would prefer another method let me know.


SKILL: 6/6
STAMINA: 9/12
LUCK: 6/6
AMONOUR: 12
MONEY: 10 Salacoins = 1 Gold Piece
6 Gold Pieces
5 Salacoins
2 guttery employees found
Possessions: Trinket, spare clothes, short sword, Longbeard’s Legends of the Windward Plains, Holy Symbol
Special Skills: Spelling, Brawling, 2nd chance rolls (x3), Instant Death roll(x3)

[Beroli]

Retake that roll.

[Dogopolis]

We roll a 5

You might have spent many weeks in the saddle, crossing the Flatlands, but you are just as alert as you were when
tribe of Slykk attacked your party when you were fording a meandering river. You hear the rustling of leaves as a figure drops down from a branch above you. You spur your steed forward just in time and your would-be assailant lands awkwardly on the track behind you, rather than on
the back of your horse. But in mere moments the caravan is surrounded by black-swathed brigands. Unsheathing your sword, you attack the nearest of them, a brutish man-orc.

MAN-ORC SKILL 8 STAMINA 7

Since our SKILL can't be higher than 6 at this point this is always going to be a pretty hard fight. You'd also expect some STAMINA refresh since we got 2 just for drinking with Ruznik and we have been apparently resting for a week here.

Code: Select all

Man orc 15. Lee Miles Jr 14 LMJ at 7
MO 12 LMJ at 12 draw
MO 17 LMJ 16 LMJ at 5
MO 13 LMJ 16 MO at 5
MO 14 LMJ 15 MO at 3
MO 18 LMJ 10 LMJ at 3
MO 15 LMJ 13 LMJ at 1
MO 12 LMJ 15  

OK, we have 1 STAMINA left. He has 3, our Luck is 6, we can try a Luck roll to end the fight now at about 41% chance, (we could then use 2nd chance to have a 27.8% chance as a backup. There's a roughly 58% one of the luck rolls will hit
otherwise we still just need to attack him once at a 2 SKILL deficit, which I could use 2nd chance rolls to try again if he rolls too high or we roll low.

Edit: ignore that, there's no reason to deduct the LUCK for 2nd chance so it would be 41% both times for about a 66% success rate.

Use Luck or No?. If yes and first Luck fails use 2nd chance roll for LUCK or No?

[deaddmwalking]

Gotta win. Use luck. If the first luck fails, use 2nd chance for luck.

[Dogopolis]

4 is lucky and we finish him off

Nanoc and the other Strongarms have sent the rest of the brigands packing and so the caravan sets off again on the final leg of its journey. The sun is sinking below the spires of the Halls of Learning as the cavalcade passes through the Sunrise Gate and you find yourself in Salamonis once more. You are paid a fee of 6 Gold Pieces, but before you are sent on your way, Nanoc gives you an armband embroidered with a pair of crossed swords. “You're one of us now,’ he says.

Add the Strongarm Armband to your Equipment List

---------------------------

You feel that you are much better prepared for what life as an adventurer might entail and so, excited to take on your first official job, you make your way to the Adventurers Guild.

------------------------------------------

It is Stormsday when you return to the Adventurers’ Guild of Salamonis, and dark clouds are gathering over the city, You wonder if it is a sign that there are dark forces at work.

Since you first arrived in Salamonis, you have started to earn a reputation for yourself. This is represented by your Amonour score. Your experiences have also toughened you up and honed your skills. You have a pool of points equivalent to your current AMONOUR score, which you now need to share out among your different attributes. For every 2 points of AMONOUR you currently have, you may increase your Initial SKILL, STAMINA, OF LUCK by 1 point.
You may increase the same attribute more than once. Then increase your current score to this new maximum. Please note that your SKILL and Luck scores may not exceed 12 points each, while your STAMINA score may not go higher than 24 points,

I will accept an increase of 0 to be an "increase of 0" rather than "no change" so will refresh all 3 stats whether you add to their initial value or not. You have 12 Amanour so that is a 6 point total increase across skill stamina and luck initial values

SKILL: 6/6
STAMINA: 1/12
LUCK: 5/6
AMONOUR: 12
MONEY: 10 Salacoins = 1 Gold Piece
12 Gold Pieces
5 Salacoins
2 guttery employees found
Possessions: Trinket, spare clothes, short sword, Longbeard’s Legends of the Windward Plains, Holy Symbol, Strongman armband
Special Skills: Spelling, Brawling, 2nd chance rolls (x2), Instant Death roll(x3)

Today is: Stormsday.

[Beroli]

Go to Skill 12.