[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 57 - Magehunter

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 4:10 am

I think switching here is a trap. Don't switch.

If it turns out we only have two crosses, then I think we should talk to authorities, though I'd also be OK with the Ranger Tower.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 9:28 am

JourneymanN00b wrote:Hold on. I only count two crosses: One where we made further enquiries and one where we were deciding to ambush Saba or give up on him. Where did we pick up the third one?

You're right, I think I might have messed up and counted an additional cross during the section where we chose to follow Saba. It seems that the text said to add a cross only if we give up the lead on Saba, but I misread that we would pick up the cross just by going through the section.

Sorry about the mistake. So I guess we don't have to think about whether to risk the body switch or not yet...

So, I'll leave this for another day to vote on our next action. Our choices are:

- Look for the local authorities
- Use mage-hunting techniques
- Go shopping
- Go back to Al-Haddar
- Go to Rangor Tower

I'm counting 1 pre-existing vote (Omegon) to try Rangor Tower, 1 vote to go shopping (Journeyman) and the latest vote change to seek out authorities (pragma). Any tie-breakers?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:43 am

Look for local authorities, I guess.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:05 am

You discover that the current ruler of Kallamehr is Asiah Albudur. Her palace lies in the middle of the city, near an imposing statue of a woman carrying a sword in each hand. If you apply for an audience with Asiah Albudur, to warn her about the menace of Mencius, mark a cross on your Adventure Sheet, then turn to 197 if you have the word 'bath on your Adventure Sheet, or to 162 if you haven't. If you simply wish to make enquiries, turn to 284 if you have the word 'early' written down or to 356 if you haven't.

Note that "making enquiries" here don't lead to the same section as making enquiries from the central hub section.

Audience, or enquiries?

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 5:10 am

Audience seems more fun. We have fancy robes after all.

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 6:36 am

I really do not trust rulers or the authorities in foreign lands out of principle, so my vote is to simply make enquiries. No need to draw attention to ourselves if we can help it.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Sun Nov 01, 2020 9:55 am

Audience seems more fun, but enquiries seem wiser, so go enquire.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:02 pm

The palace officials are slightly suspicious of you, but you are careful in your enquiries and soon they relax a little. You discover that, only a day or two earlier, a foreigner meeting the description you give them obtained an audience with Asiah Albudur. As a result of that audience, he was granted permission to love in the Rangor Tower overlooking the market, a building which has been deserted since the death of the previous ruler. Clearly this was an extraordinary turn of events. You are now fairly sure where Mencius is hiding: the Rangor Tower. If you go there now, turn to 312. Otherwise, note down the number '312' on your Adventure Sheet. If you are given the option to go to the place where you know Mencius is, you may turn to this paragraph. Now, if you want an audience with Asiah Albudur, turn to 197 if you have the word 'bath' written down, or to 162 if you do not. Otherwise, mark a cross on your Sheet, then turn to 241.

The information came from a different source, but it's the same information. We can go to Rangor Tower now, or any time we go back to the central hub section.

Still have the chance to get an audience. Do we want that now.

Note that if we choose neither the Tower nor the audience, then we will automatically trigger the encounter with Mencius (where he gives us a box and we get the chance to try and switch bodies) that I posted prematurely earlier, since we'll be picking up another cross.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:23 pm

"he was granted permission to love in the Rangor Tower"

To love in the Tower? Hmmm...

Half vote for audience.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:05 pm

Out of the options presented, audience. Though I wonder how we'd have got the Bath keyword.

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:56 pm

Yeah, since Mencius has obviously corrupted Asiah Albudur to his will, I don't think she will be an ally for us. JVG still isn't properly equipped to face Mencius, so my vote is to go back to the central hub section and NOT to switch bodies, as I believe that it is a trap and that Mencius obviously did not bring anything that would be able to kill him on the spot.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Nov 04, 2020 9:37 am

Thaluikhain wrote:"he was granted permission to love in the Rangor Tower"

To love in the Tower? Hmmm...

"To live", just in case you hadn't figured out the typo...

To obtain an audience, you require a vizier's robe; otherwise you will have to bribe the various functionaries at the palace. Tactful enquiries reveal that this will require either 15 Gold Pieces or any one of the following: a diamond, a piece of jewellery, a crystal goblet, a ruby ring, or a lapis lazuli brooch. If you know the secret of the ring and you still possess it, you may use that. Otherwise, if you wish to make the bribe, cross the appropriate payment off your Adventure Sheet, then turn to 351. If you want to choose another option altogether, turn to 241.

Good thing we have the robe, since we don't have enough gold, or any of the other listed items for bribery...

The audience is for one person only so, if you have a companion, or Kurt, they must wait for you outside the palace. You are led into a magnificent audience chamber, in which Asiah Albudur sits regally on a throne, attended by huge men with oiled muscles and sour expressions. She peers at you short-sightedly.

You prostrate yourself before her, then, rising to your knees, tell her about the peril of Mencius. She listens to your story, then pauses for long seconds before declaring: "What babble is this? Why should I fear some wizard? I have six of my own to protect me!" She waves her hand imperiously.

At least Kallamehr's rulers seem to have upped their magical defenses since the time of the Riddling Reaver....Baron Bluestone only had 1 wizard under him (2 if you count the apprentice Dappa). Not that I think 6 would have been enough to stop the Reaver but still...

A huge attendant closes in from either side and grabs you by the arm. If you offer no resistance, turn to 279. Otherwise, you must fight the courtiers.

First COURTIER SKILL 6 STAMINA 8
Second COURTIER SKILL 5 STAMINA 7

Fight both the courtiers at the same time. Each will make a separate attack against you in each Attack Round, but you must choose which one you will attack. Fight against your chosen target as normal. Against the other opponent, roll for Attack Strengths as normal, but you may not wound him: you are simply attempting to parry his strike. If you defeat the courtiers, turn to 23.

Do we want to let ourselves get arrested?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Wed Nov 04, 2020 10:07 am

Beating up the local authorities doesn't seem a great way to get them to help us.

Offer no resistance (but either say "You may live to regret this" or babble wide eyed about impending doom" as we leave)

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed Nov 04, 2020 10:13 am

Offer no resistance. Though it's kind of rude that they start with "security drags you out" without even attempting "you take the hint and leave, embarrassed".

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Wed Nov 04, 2020 10:22 pm

Sigh, I knew trying to contact Asiah Albudur wasn't a good idea. She is obviously corrupted to Mencius' will, and going to her was just asking for trouble. The guards are probably going to throw us into the dungeon or execute us, so I vote to fight the courtiers and try to escape.

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Thu Nov 05, 2020 3:24 am

Fight, I don't think getting arrested goes anywhere good. Also, maybe we can bring Asiah Albudur around by dealing with the guards.

(Count me as a 1/2 vote if I tie us up. Just getting kicked out would be fine.)

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Thu Nov 05, 2020 2:11 pm

If compliance gets us imprisoned or killed then pretend I voted to fight, because I voted to comply on the basis that we were only being removed from the property.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Nov 06, 2020 9:44 am

Omegonthesane wrote:If compliance gets us imprisoned or killed then pretend I voted to fight, because I voted to comply on the basis that we were only being removed from the property.

Well, when you say "imprisonment" are you just referring to the game-ending type of imprisonment? Because we do get imprisoned here:

The courtiers drag you along a number of corridors and down flights of stairs, finally depositing you in a tiny, lightless cell. Here you languish for several days, wondering whether you will ever see sunlight again. Finally guards drag you from your cell and throw you out of the palace gates. If you have the word 'early' on your Adventure Sheet, cross it off. If you left a human companion outside the palace, there is now no sign of him - note down the word 'missing' on your Adventure Sheet. However, if you left Kurt here, he runs up to you, apparently none the worse for a few days alone in the city. If you now have one or more crosses on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 241; otherwise, turn to 100.

It was a temporary imprisonment and one that seems surprisingly not too punishing. No damage, no items confiscated, and most curiously, we don't even gain any extra crosses for apparently wasting several days in the dungeons. The only penalty is that we are separated from Reinhardt (and lose access to the items he carry).

So given that, do we want to rewind and fight instead (since I think Omegon's last post doesn't make it too clear whether he still wishes to change his vote in this scenario).

Keep in mind that we're still at SKILL 6, and would have to fight both courtiers at the same time, so we'd need luck (and probably LUCK too) to win this...

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Fri Nov 06, 2020 11:10 am

I assumed imprisonment would be game ending, so continue with a lost Reinhardt.

Slightly shocked that we spend several days in solitary for trying to warn someone politely.

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Fri Nov 06, 2020 6:17 pm

I still vote for fighting the courtiers, as losing Reinhardt is really not good.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 1:44 am

Since there was only 1.5 votes to fight, we take the imprisonment and return to the main hub.

EDIT:

We must choose another action:

Go to Rangor Tower
Go to Al-Haddar
Go shopping
Try mage-hunting technique

pragma · Post by **pragma** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 1:49 am

I agree with not switching.

JourneymanN00b · Post by **JourneymanN00b** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 3:25 am

Hang on. Based on the choices that we took, JVG did NOT earn an additional cross from seeking an audience with the ruler and getting imprisoned. So we should still be able to have a choice to go somewhere else without Mencius turning up. My vote is to go shopping.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:21 am

Ok, the way crosses are gained is confusing. If we tried getting an audience immediately, we get a cross. If we only made enquiries but choose not to get an audience after that, we also get a cross. But making enquiries first, then getting an audience, followed by being imprisoned for days afterwards, doesn't gain us any. I'm now completely clueless about what the crosses are supposed to represent based on that.

Still, I guess no reason not to take advantage of that to perform more actions. What should JVG do now (choices are listed in my edited post above)?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:54 am

I guess we proceed with the lone vote for shopping;

Kallamehr's marketplace is full of aggressive traders, desperate to foist their wares off on you. You can find anything you want, but obtaining it quickly is another matter. You also start to grow a little suspicious of the quality of some of the wares on sale. You can also try to obtain money by selling any precious objects you may have acquired. However, you realize that you are not going to get the best price here. You are looking for a quick sale and haggling with masters of their craft. Note that 10 Silver Pieces (sp) are worth 1 Gold Piece (gp).

To Buy
Candles, 12 1sp
Backpack 1gp
Cloak, fine silk 10gp
Clothing, undyed 4gp
Dagger 1gp
Gloves, leather 3gp
Horse 40 gp
Lantern 2gp
Mirror, small 5sp
Provisions (each meal) 8sp
Rope, hemp, 10 metres 7gp
Sword, (heavy and curved) 30gp

To Sell
A horse 20gp
A ruby ring 20gp
A Gold Hex 5sp
A shauca claw 3gp
A vizier's robe 40gp
Al-Bakbuk's glass 1gp
A crystal goblet 5gp
A diamond 100gp
Jewellery (per piece) 10-60gp (roll one dice then multiply result by 10)
A magic amulet 10 gp
A serrated knife 1gp
A lapis lazuli brooch 5gp

If you have a dog and wish to obtain goat meat, turn to 106. If you possess a ruby ring and you know its secret, you may use it. When you have bought all you need, mark a cross on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 241.

We're not exactly swimming in cash at the moment, so not a lot we can afford to buy unless we sell something to gain cash. We actually don't have access to anything in our "Equipment" section because those are on Reingardt's body....but he didn't have anything that can be sold here anyway, so it doesn't matter at the moment. The only items we can possibly see are Khasim's amulet and the vizier's robe.

Please vote on what (or whether) to buy or sell here!

Adventure Sheet:

Name: Jaime Van Ginyu
SKILL 5/5
STAMINA 13/13
LUCK 10/11
Money: 2 Gold Pieces
Equipment: Rapier, Fine Red Clothes, Silver bullet, Rope of Human Hair,
Provisions: 2
Codewords: kal, missing

Companion (Switched)
SKILL 6/6
STAMINA 12/12
Equipment: Undyed clothes, Vizier's Robe, 12 Mirrors, Dagger, Magic Amulet

Notes: Turn to 312 to go to Rangor Tower, turn to 158 to visit Al-Haddar, 2 crosses gained while in Kallamehr