[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 63 - Stormslayer

[SGamerz]

Affiliated to the College of Mages, there are plenty of sorcerers at the Academy happy to help you with your problem - for a price! You manage to haggle one wizard - called Prospero Seacharmer - down to 10 Gold Pieces. For that fee he will travel with you out into the Eelsea and cast an appropriate spell on you when you wish to descend below the waves. Fully-qualified naval sorcerers don't come cheap! If you can afford his fee and you want to hire the wizard, deduct 10 Gold Pieces and add the name Prospero Seacharmer to your Adventure Sheet and turn to 252. If you can't affird his fee, or you don't want to spend that sort of money on hiring a wizard, you will have to visit the Brotherhood of Alchemists or the Guild of Artificers instead.

If it makes you feel any better, we could not have afforded his price even if we hadn't bought the Sun Talisman.

This seems like the standard price for travelling companions in this book.

Where to we try next?

[JourneymanN00b]

Sigh, I vote for the Guild of Artificers next.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[SGamerz]

Having stated your business you are ushered into the guild and taken before a tall, bespectacled man, wearing a heavy leather apron and impressive-looking tool-belt. When you enter his workshop he is busy putting the finishing touches to a large spherical contraption of brass, glass and wood, big enough to carry a man. "It's a Submarine Conveyancing Carriage," he explains, taking in the uncomprehending look on your face. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Brindle Deep but most people call me Briny - as in Briny Deep. Get it? Well anyway, I'm something of a specialist when it comes to submersibles and submarine matters." Briny gets very excited when you tell him what it is you need. "Now that I can help you with," he declared proudly. "I've been working on my patented Breathing Helmet for some time now; I just need somebody to test it out for me." He hands you a heavy brass helmet, with a glass viewing pane in the front, attacked to two brass cylinders. "The helmet goes over your head and the cylinders, which strap onto your back, feed a controlled stream of air into it, allowing you to breathe underwater. As it's still only a prototype, I won't charge you if you'd like to try it out for me at sea. Just try to bring it back in one piece." If you want to accept Briny Deep's generous, if rather unnerving, offer, add the Breathing Helmet to your Adventure Sheet and turn to 252. If you would rather not risk your life trying out some untested new-fangled device, will you pay a visit to the Brotherhood of Alchemists or the Academy of Naval Sorcerers instead?

Well, this one's free of charge, but understandably more risky (and probably more limited too). Do we want to be the guy's guinea pig?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to accept the offer.

[Thaluikhain]

I guess

(Those old fashioned diving suits were pretty cool, but terrifying)

[SGamerz]

Making your way down to Chalannabrad's impressive docks you know something is wrong when you see the forest of masts over the rooftops of the buildings that surround the the city's grand harbour. The docks are full to overflowing with all manner of ships, everything from merchant galleys slavers to freebooter galleons. There is usually a steady stream of vessels setting sail from here for the distant continents of Allansia and Khul, with just as many boats travelling to Chalannabrad from elsewhere around the globe - but not today. All of the vessels are in harbour and you cannot see so much as a schooner out at sea, beyond the grand harbour wall.

You soon discover why when you run into a salty old sea-dog, sitting on a jetty picking his teeth with a splinter from his wooden leg. "It's the storms, see? There's more of 'em, and they're getting worse, threatening the seaways. And reports of Great Eel attacks are on the increase too. If you want to go to sea today - forget it!"

The day drags on, with you pleading with the sea-captains to take you out. You are beginning to despair that you won't be able to find anyone willing to help when you come across the redoubtable Captain Katarina. Her reputation is almost as widespread as yours, but she is particularly known for her recklessness. She looks every part the lady buccaneer, dressed in practical leather trews and a fine embroidered jerkin. A scimitary hangs from her sword-belt. her luxurious, long black hair is tied back in a ponytail with a ribbon of Khulian silk, and a patch covers the orbit of her left eye, taken in a battle with a Giant Crab.

You have nothing to lose in telling her of your quest, hoping against hope that she might agree to help you out of the goodness of her heart. "I know the place you seek, and I'll take you there too," she says. "All I ask in return is half of whatever you bring back from the bottom." Sounds like the best offer you're going to get so you agree; Captain Katarina's ship, the Tempest, sails with the tide.

You have been at sea for less than a day when a thick sea fog blows up as if from nowhere. It moves towards the ship with a sinister purpose until its sickly yellow, cloud-like mass threatens to engulf the Tempest.

Captain Katarina looks concerned. "I've not seen the like before," she says. "That is no natural sea-mist. There's sorcery at work here, I'd swear it." You know she's right; you can feel Wyrmbiter vibrating in its scabbard at your side, but what are you going to do about it? If you have Prospero Seacharmer with you, turn to 272. If you have a Hunting Horn, and want to blow it, turn to 292. If neither of these things applies to you, you have no choice but to face the unnatural fog with your sword drawn.

Do we want to use the horn?

[Thaluikhain]

Blow our trumpet again.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to use the Hunting Horn.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, use the horn.

[SGamerz]

Making your way to the prow of the ship, you put the horn to your lips and blow. A booming note sounds across the waves. By the time it hits the approaching fog bank, it has become a deafening blast that tears apart the magical bonds providing the Fog Elemental with its sinister sentience. You take the horn from your lips and the note dies, but the Fog Elemental has been dispatched. The Tempest is free to continue on its journey across the sea. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 359. If you are Unlucky, turn to 147.

Luck test roll = 3 (Lucky).

After an uneventful night at sea, you rise the following morning to glowering overcast skies. (Move the Day of the Week on 1.) There is no land in sight, but the Tempest is at anchor. “Is this the place?" you ask Katarina, yawning and rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You hadn't realised how much your quest has taken out of you.

"Not quite X marks the spot, I'll grant you," she drawls, "but this is the place. We're anchored at the edge of Blackcoral Reef and rumour has it that down there, at the edge of the Devilfish Rift, lies the Sunken Temple of Hydana, God of the Sea. Some say that there was an island here once, until it was drowned by a tidal wave, others, that the temple's always been underwater. Many have come here looking for it, and few have found it. But even fewer have returned to tell the tale. But if there's anything that can help you gain mastery over a Greater Water Elemental, it'll be down there!"

Undaunted, you step up to the gunwale and make your preparations. You will have to leave your backpack behind. Although it's waterproof it wasn't designed to survive a journey to the bottom of the sea. However, you can still take your sword Wyrmbiter with you, along with two other items, which you carry about your person, but no food.

Your last act, before entering the ocean, is to make whatever preparations are necessary for you to be able to breathe underwater. Will you drink a Potion of Underwater Breathing, if you have one, put on a Breathing Helmet, if you have one, or call on the aid of Prospero Seacharmer, if he is with you?

Well, now we can guess what we could have gotten from the Alchemists. We could also have gotten it if we'd asked for help with water from Matteus.

I just want to point out that we're now on Seaday again, just when we're preparing to go underwater. This may spell trouble.

We don't really have a choice about what to use here, because we only have the helmet. But we do have a choice to make: which 2 items do we want to bring with us besides Wyrmbiter?

Note: even though the Dragon Tattoo is somehow counted among our possessions, I'm assume that we'd always have that, as it doesn't make sense to be able to leave a tattoo behind. Green seems to have overlooked this little detail. I'm also assuming that we're not leaving our armour behind, since there're no notes about combat penalties without it. And of course, the Helmet shouldn't count towards the 2 items limit, either.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), Sun Talisman, Breathing Helmet
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 6/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take the rope and grapple and sun talisman.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, especially since I don’t think we can drink a potion with the helmet on.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well

[SGamerz]

Trying to remember all the instructions Briny Deep gave you, you put the helmet on and connect the air supply from the tanks you are carrying on your back. You quickly realise just how much the helmet restricts your vision. The apparatus is also rather cumbersome, and although its weight will be reduced when you're submerged, it will still hamper your movements. For as long as you remain underwater, you must reduce your SKILL score by 1 point. In addition, the tanks attached to the Breathing Helmet have a limited amount of air in them. Keep a careful note of how many paragraphs you turn to while exploring the seabed. As soon as you exceed 16 paragraphs, you are forced to surface (in which case turn to 318 immediately); but for now, turn to 315,

Well, the good stuff really don't come for free. Still, the author made certain that all players at least have a chance at completing the quest even if he doesn't have the optimal amount of gold, which is more than can be said of many other FF books.

Stepping out onto the gangplank, you leap of the end. You drop like a stone into the sea and the waves close over your head. The weight of your armour and sword drag you down towards the submerged reef. Your lungs begin to ache until, unable to fight the urge any longer, you take a gulping breath. But what's this? Miraculously you are still able to breathe - just as you had hoped. You breathe a sigh of relief and moments later your feet touch the seabed.

You quickly look around you. The sunlight penetrating the water is muted at these depths but, as your eyes become accustomed to the reduced light levels, you find that you can see well enough. Behind you the reef itself rises back up towards the surface and you can see the underside of the ship's hull above you. Not many metres ahead is the edge of the continental shelf, and beyond that nothing but the gloom of the ocean depths. To your right you can make out the holed wreck of a galleon, while to your left you can see that the seabed is riven by a great fissure. Deciding that you are unlikely to find the temple beyond the edge of the continental shelf, will you make for the wreck or the rift?

Where do we start looking?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9 (8 while underwater)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, *Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, *Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), *Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), *Sun Talisman, *Breathing Helmet (* = items available to us while exploring under the Eelsea)
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
No. of sections spent while exploring seabed: 1/16 (turn to 318 when exceeds 16)
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 6/6
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Galleon looks like a side thingy, and we have limited time, so the rift.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, rift.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to make for the rift.

[SGamerz]

Standing at the edge of the fissure you peer down through the deepening gloom into the rift. You can just about make out the bottom. The rift opens out like a valley onto another level of sea-floor. On the other side of the rift, the shelf of rock you are on at present enters a narrow ravine between two rising walls of the reef before ending at a vast cave mouth. Do you want to descend into the Devilfish Rift or will you keep heading towards the cave?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9 (8 while underwater)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, *Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, *Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), *Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), *Sun Talisman, *Breathing Helmet (* = items available to us while exploring under the Eelsea)
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
No. of sections spent while exploring seabed: 2/16 (turn to 318 when exceeds 16)
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 6/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I half vote to descend into the rift to see if our hero can locate the temple.

[SGamerz]

As you descend into the rift the surrounding light levels lower still further until you see everything through a twilit gloom. It is hard to make out much that isn't quite close already and everything else just appears as formless stygian shapes. You have not gone far when you find yourself approaching one of these silhouettes and see that it is in fact the carcass of a huge Bullwhale. Half of it has already been consumed by whatever killed it and the submarine carrion-feeders that have been picking at it since. Curved white ribs, the size of roof-beams, protrude from the rotting grey flesh of the whale's side. You have heard legends told of monsters such as this swallowing ships whole, and so having vast hoards of treasure hidden inside their bellies. It is just possible that there might be something worth having still lying in the guys of this decomposing brute. If you want to brave the innards of the Bullwhate, turn to 31. If you would rather push on with your quest to find the Sunken Temple of Hydana, turn to 179.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9 (8 while underwater)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, *Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, *Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), *Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), *Sun Talisman, *Breathing Helmet (* = items available to us while exploring under the Eelsea)
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
No. of sections spent while exploring seabed: 3/16 (turn to 318 when exceeds 16)
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 6/6
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Bullwhale seems like side thingy, and time still a factor, so regretfully leave it be.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to push on with the quest to find the temple.

[SGamerz]

As you progress further into the rift, so the encroaching gloom increases. As the open ocean appears ahead of you, you find yourself standing at the edge of another underwater precipice. Cautiously you peer over the edge; the continental shelf drops away into abyssal darkness with no sign of ever ending. You dread to think what lives down there. Looking right you can see nothing, but then you look to the left. Could that be a fallen column? Is it just possible that you have reached the Sunken Temple of the Sea God at last?

Just as you're thinking that nothing's ever that easy, you feel a rumbling beneath your feet, a disturbance in the water around you, and then it appears. Rising from the abyssal depths of the ocean is some nightmarish demon of the deep. It looks like a hideous cross between a monstrous crustacean and a giant octopus - and it is huge! The monster pulls itself up onto the shelf with its coiling tentacles and starts to drag itself towards you, two huge pincer-claws snapping menacingly. From the mass of flesh that is its body, looming above you, you fancy you see a watery eye watching you intently. You sense that the monster is intent on devouring you, but how are you going to defend yourself against such a creature?

If you have the Spark of Life and want to use it, multiply the number associated with it by 20 and turn to that paragraph. If not, will you draw your sword, or attempt to flee?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9 (8 while underwater)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, *Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, *Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), *Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), *Sun Talisman, *Breathing Helmet (* = items available to us while exploring under the Eelsea)
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
No. of sections spent while exploring seabed: 4/16 (turn to 318 when exceeds 16)
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 6/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to draw Lisbeth Munoe's warhammer and fight.