[Fighting Fantasy] Bloodsword v1

[Jfdlsjfd]

I wanted to play this series because in my memory it was interesting with several elements well thought out (as part of the story or as a nod to the world of Legend in the RPG).


As we reach the Hags, we're provided the option to have an Enchanter Enthrall one of the hags or randomly sample potions and equally silly choices. Of course Esmeralda will go for it, while Salvia brings Trixie's HP back to 12.

As soon as Esmeralda tries to chant an incantation of servitude -- we learn now that Enthralling spells are flashy and obvious to the person we're enthralling... they might end up unhappy after we made them allies -- the hags recognize the spell. Well, what a surprise. They try to resist the spell with their PA of 7, and on each miss, they toss a ladle full of acid at fair's Esmeralda's face -- causing the loss of one HP. Fortunately, on a 10, she misses quickly and Esmeralda is reduced to only 3 HP.

Time to spill the beans on the potions! We learn that the green brew is poison to hags, but a healing potion for humans. The black one is a poison called chimera's spittle. The fizzling potion is an antidote to said poison. The purulent green slime is deadly. The last one is an Elixir of Chaos, producing random benefits. As we listen intently, the spells wears off and we lose another HP to the ladle of acid. The hags then retreat, fearing magical retaliation.

And well, they should. But Salvia restores her lost HP at the same time, so there is little lasting effect!

We can now taste the potions and... an inconsistency. We're reminded that we must pay 2 gp for each dose of the potion we try, because we're sent to the same section as if we had gone through another path where we can pay for the priviledge of blind-testing the potions (two of which are poisonous). We start by tasting the healing potion. The liquid is delicious, and we gain one HP above our maximum to a new maximum. That's HP 13 for Trixie and Winny, 11 for Salvia and 5 for Esmeralda.

The non-present Hags tells us that we can't drink several time from this potion because it would poisonous. They are certianly providing good advice so we decide to listen to her absent counsel. We're allowed to take a bottle of antidote to the chimera's spittle for later use (that's two times in a row we're encountering this poison. I guess it will prove useful). Then there is the Elixir of Chaos. The effects depends on a dice being rolled:

1. Nothing
2. You gain one point of FP permanently
3. You become immune to the next blow you'll suffer
4. You become weakened, adding one damage to any blow you suffer until the end of the adventure
5. You lose one point of Awareness permanently
6. You become stronger (+1 damage in the next fight).

If we drink again, we can't get the same effect twice.

I am inclined to have Winny drink, in the worst case she'll have all the effect before getting a boost to her main characteristics, effectively trading 1 Awareness for one FP. The deal wouldn't be interesting for Trixie and the other characters don't use FP as much.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Let's roll the dice for Winny. We had some luck, with a 4 then a 2. We'll be brittle for this adventure, in exchange from being more efficient during our career.

We can now enter the temple. We arrive in a nice place, with an urn full of blood, a sacrificial knife and an altar to sit or most probably lay. I really wonder that's the design goal of this place...

As we wander through this room, arrives the owner. It is Echidna, the Ophidian Lady, Mistress of Inescapable Coils, Giver of Venomous Kisses, Mother of Hydra. If her titles weren't descriptive enough, we're reminded that she is one of the vilest members of the demonkind. We're given the choice to attack her or speak to her.

What will we do ?

 

[Joshua Randall]

“Echidna, the Ophidian” makes about as much sense as “Serpent, the Marsupial” LOL

Speak. Always speak. It always works.

Except when it doesn’t and you instantly die.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

“Echidna, the Ophidian” makes about as much sense as “Serpent, the Marsupial” LOL

Speak. Always speak. It always works.

Except when it doesn’t and you instantly die.

Let's take the risk to speak to her.

Shadows seems to dance around her as she says "Take the knife, Sacrifice your blood". We're offered to accept to slit our wrist, to resist and fight her with a reduced FP because we're shaking off her enchantment.

That's not fair. Enthralling is a thing Esmeralda does to monsters, not the other way round!

By some extraordinary luck, we all resist (6, 8, 5, 4) and we proceed to the fight. Well, at least the death wasn't instant...

I think the special rules means that damage is increased by 3d6, not that the 2d6+2 becomes 3d6. Making a special rule for this fight -- notice how most fights actually have special rules? -- to change the average damage by 1.5 one in six attack wouldn't be significant.

Anyway, we start with a significant malus of 1 to our FP (so Winny, despite wielding Blutgetranker +1 and having just drunk a potion increasing her FP by 1, only has 9 effective FP. The most problematic situation is that Salvia is adjacent to Echidna, too.

Also, Echidna has an Awareness of 8, which means she acts first, concurrently with Trixie.

Round 1

Echidna attacks, rolls dice to determine whether she'll attack Trixie or Silvia. Bummer, she attacks Silvia, hits (8) and inflicts... 11 HP. At least the poison doesn't affect Silvia (3), who only has 2 HP left (thanks to her AR of 2). Wearing armor saves lives!

Trixie attacks with her Obsolete Sword of Uselessness +0 (formerly Winny's family heirloom sword, which she proudly wielded like her father and grandfather before her, until she got a +1 sword at the beginning of the adventure). She's reduced to FP 6. And would inflict 1d6 damage, minus an AR of 2. Actually, Trixie would be better off Defending and hoping she'll get attacked instead of Salvia.

Salvia decides to Defend as well. At least the odd of being killed (2d6+2 can't do less than 2 damage) are reduced if Echidna must roll 3d6 to attack.

Winny moves toward Echidna.

Esmeralda tries to cast Nemesis Bolt (we'll call this Green Bolt henceforth) and succeds (8+5 = 13, equal to her PA) for a total of 27 damage.

Round 2

Echidna now has 3 potential foes : Trixie (7), Salvia (5) and Winny (4), so she attacks Trixie rolling 3d6+1. That's a 14, widely missing our nimble rogue.

All the characters surrounuding Echidna defends.

At this point a real human would, right at round 1, moved Echidna toward Esmeralda, potentially incurring an attack of opportunity by Trixie, to remove the glasss cannon. But the defaut monster tactic here plays largely in our favour. In the rule, they say that if the book is played cooperatively, with a player controlling a character each, when his character is killed, he gets to play the monster to kill his friends. I think it tend to make many game shorter because a real human mind makes fights much, much more difficult.

Esmeralda misses her Greenbolt (12+5)

Round 3 :

Echidna selects her enemy, Trixie again (10, vs 9 and 7). She misses on a 12 -- she'd have missed again all of her potential victims.

Everyone defends on the Hero side, except Esmeralda, now rolling 2d6+3 (10) and doing 37 damage. Echidna the Marsupilami, Mother of Mammals, dies ignominously in a blast of cleansing green fire.

Looting the temple -- we're not offered a choice, generally I'd have avoided looting temples, it might irritate the gods... -- we find a box with a strange metal. We're asked if we wear an opal medallion and we do.

We hear the faint voice of Balhasar, our patron. He informs us that we have found some Kalium, and that we should transport it sealed in its box, since its volatile and reacts explosively when moistened. Thanks boss. We really appreciate the advice to replay The Wages of Fear within a dungeon and also for being forewarned about Echidna since obviously you saw everything that happened to us in real time.

Anyway, it's a non-combat section so Salvia eats a Meal and spend immediately this HP to create a Healing Pool of... 1 points, so she stays at 3 HP.

Inventory and stats are now

Winny rank 2, FP 10/9, PA (psychic ability) 6, Awareness 6, Damage 1d6+1, HP 13

1. Armour
2. Bludgetranker (+1 FP, +1d6 damage vs Giants)
3. An opal medallion to be tracked by magus Balhazar
4. An octogonal prism of No Discernable Use
5. Dagger of Vislet
6. Golden Snuff-Box
7. A Kalium container
8. Antidote for chimera's spittle
9. An ice jewel
10. A bottle of Chimera's spittle

Trixie rank 2, FP 7, PA 6, Awareness 8, Damage 1d6, HP 13

1. Sword
2. Armour
3. Money pouch with 105 gp
4. Bow
5. Quiver (6 arrows)
6. A healing meal
7. A healing meal
8. A healing meal
9. A healing meal
10. A healing meal

Salvia rank 2, FP 7, PA 7, Awareness 6, Damage 1d6, HP 3/11

1. Quarterstaff
2. Armour
3. Bow
4. Quiver (6 arrows)
5. A healing meal
6. A healing meal
7. A healing meal
8. A healing meal
9. A healing meal
10. An empty spot

Esmeralda rank 2, FP 6, PA 13/14, Awareness 6, damage 1d6-1, HP 5

1. Obsolete Sword of Uselessness +0
2. Armour
3. 1 scroll of Invisibility (to freely flee a fight)
4. 1 scroll of Time Blink (to rewind a fight)
5. An empty spot
6. An empty spot
7. An empty spot
8. An empty spot
9. An empty spot
10. An empty spot

 

[Joshua Randall]

Until today, I did not know that The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur) in an old-school dungeon might be the most incredible combination since chocolate + peanut butter. But now that I know this, I cannot stop thinking about it.

January 12, 2025. The day my dungeon crawling life changed.

No, I'm not being sarcastic.

I will, however, be a slight heretic and state that William Friedkin's remake Sorcerer has some superior suspense scenes. Although worse acting.

---

Back to the FF book: if you straight up attack Echidna, do you avoid the reduced FP penalty?

Also: wow, that extra 3d6 damage (which I agree is the intent) on a 6 when damaged is brutal.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Well, that was close and we can either investigate the inner sanctum or decide to leave by the left or right exit.

Since we fought, we might as well investigate... (Salvia gets back to 6 HP) and we find a strange window-like structure mae of black glass. It has slots to insert octogonal prisms. Like the one Balhazar gave us. There are two slots possible, so I guess we missed one at some point. Silvia is up to 7 HP when we put our prism in the device... which teleports us deeper in the dungeon.

We're teleported atop a black basalt pillar in the lava lake. Reading the section, I thought we had fallen into a trap. But apparently, not, because we're closer to the victory, as we can sense the Emblem being on the next island.

Island which is out of reaching, but our Opal Medalliion rings again! Salvia gets back to 10 as we pick up Balhazar call. He instructs us to make raft out of the door, because they'll float on lava, as they are made of hard Krarthian wood that can float on molten stone. He also adds to make haste because Icon the Ungodly.... Nothing. Since we didn't move, Balhazr must have driven under a bridge.

As Salvia loses 1 HP trying to heal herself, the rest of the team makes makeshift hard out of the door.

This plan is quite puzzling. OK, for some reason, Krarthian carpenter like to work wood into lava-resistant door. I guess this is a boon for OSHA in terms of secure doors, but well, how are use supposed to operate the raft? Will we paddling with our hands? Won't we be scorched by the terrible heat that will surround us? Will it support the added weight of 4 adventrurers? I mean, our party is one of lithe girls, as beautiful as they are dangerous, but we have met a barbarian party earlier...
And why did Balhasar contact us twice in a row after being silent for so long? Did the writer forget about the Opal Medallion until now?
Anyway, the next section answers one of my worries: there was a plank barring the door that we turn into an oar.

We row toward the ridge, where we barely notice two adventurer being lacerated by fire demons that dwell in the magma (hello, Balhasar, didn't it occur to you that it would be worth mentionning?) On of the adventurers quickly dies, and the other warns us away before throwing himself in the lava, preferring that to have his soul feeding the demonic creature. The original is better written than my summary, but it's rather poignant choice to avoid a fate worse than death, in the middle of a random section.

More magma demons, called Skyapirs, gather as we reach the ridge, ready to feast upon us. However, we do have an ice jewel! I don't see a reason not to use it again, since it worked so well the first time.

This time, however, we just throw the jewel into the lava -- last time, we focussed our mind on the jewel to activate it, I gues sthis time it's Winny trying... -- immediately cooling it. The elemental spirits (demons, 1 section ago) are infuriated and deprived of their vital energy. Or of their qi, as Salvia, nun of the True Faith, would say given she studied the Holy Scriptures of the True Faith.

Obviously, they are weakened, but they attack nonetheless. I wouldn't have liked to fight them in their regular state.

Will the party survive this encounter? (12) And, above all, how?

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Until today, I did not know that The Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur) in an old-school dungeon might be the most incredible combination since chocolate + peanut butter. But now that I know this, I cannot stop thinking about it.

Definitely. I will introduce something like that in my next dungeon crawl. I am not usually fond of them, so they are often rather short, but this might make one more memorable.

Back to the FF book: if you straight up attack Echidna, do you avoid the reduced FP penalty?

Yes, apparently she doesn't have the time to cast her mind-influencing spell.

Also: wow, that extra 3d6 damage (which I agree is the intent) on a 6 when damaged is brutal.

Yes. Especially since there are four characters. If we had selected a one-man party, we'd have started at rank 6, and for example Winny would have started with 40 or so HP and be doing 2d6+2 damage with her standard attack.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Won't we be scorched by the terrible heat that will surround us?

It is well known that convection does not exist in D&D-land (or Titan-land, or any fantasy- or sci-fi-land). You can be 1 inch away from molten steel, lava, or the surface of a star, but as long as you don’t touch it, you’re fine.

To make up for the lack of convection, I do always use the Lava Rules supplement. (“If you fall into lava, you die. No save.”)

View attachment 392516

This FF book is the most dickish DM ever: “You spot some magma demons finishing off a pair of hapless adventurers.”

Players: “We use our ice jewel! We fire bows! We unleash a maximum range sleet storm!”

DM: “Whatever. They are suddenly miniature-base-to-miniature-base with you all. Roll for initiative.”

Players: “What??? How did they cross the intervening distance so quickly without being hit by ice / arrows / sleet / harsh language?”

DM: “I’ll show you harsh language if you don’t roll. For. Initiative.”

Will the party survive this encounter? (12) And, above all, how?

Defend and hope broken spellcaster carries the day?

On a more serious note — don’t kill the one to the north of 1, so the other one further north can’t do anything (as they seem to lack ranged attacks). Similarly the one diagonally adjacent to 4 cannot attack, so perhaps leave it there until later.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

It is well known that convection does not exist in D&D-land (or Titan-land, or any fantasy- or sci-fi-land). You can be 1 inch away from molten steel, lava, or the surface of a star, but as long as you don’t touch it, you’re fine.

I loved this supplement!

This FF book is the most dickish DM ever: “You spot some magma demons finishing off a pair of hapless adventurers.”

Players: “We use our ice jewel! We fire bows! We unleash a maximum range sleet storm!”

DM: “Whatever. They are suddenly miniature-base-to-miniature-base with you all. Roll for initiative.”

Players: “What??? How did they cross the intervening distance so quickly without being hit by ice / arrows / sleet / harsh language?”

DM: “I’ll show you harsh language if you don’t roll. For. Initiative.”

I kind of expected to have one or two round of ranged fighting becore engaging the Skyapirs. There are a few time in the series where it happens exactly as you say, with the writer not taking into account that an experienced adventurer would probably do something while the Skyapirs approach.

Note that it's probably impossible to fight them if you don't use any of the items you're offered to use to bypass the encounter. In their non-frosted state, they do 6d6 damage.

Defend and hope broken spellcaster carries the day?

On a more serious note — don’t kill the one to the north of 1, so the other one further north can’t do anything (as they seem to lack ranged attacks). Similarly the one diagonally adjacent to 4 cannot attack, so perhaps leave it there until later.

Except that there is a Special Rule I hadn't mentionned: the Skyapirs can move wherever they want, because they float (possibly sustained by the non-existent convection winds), while we PCs only are restricted to the ridge.

So we're in a difficult situation since broken wizard can't save the day without risking dying. Retrospectively, we should have kept the scrolls for a later book instead of using them right now, living with 5 HP is a pain. At least it gives this game a 1e feel.

Round 1 :

The enemies and Trixie act at 8.

S1 (from top to bottom) stands, having nowhere to move.
S2 attacks Trixie (8), Trixie attacks the S3 (to protect Esmeralda) and inflicts 2 HP (on a 4)
S3 attacks Esmeralda and misses (10).
S4 attacks Winny and hits (5) for 1 damage.
S5 can't do anything diagonally.
S6 attacs Winny (4) and hits for 5 damage. Winny is down at 7 HP.

Salvia, safe behind the wall of her comrades bodies, attacks moves to the southernmost square. There are AoO if you leave with an adjacent enemy, but you can go through them freely as long as you don't end your turn on an occupied square.

Esmeralda, moves one square up, in the square just before occupied by Salvia. She endures an AoO from S3, which misses (8). Winny, badly wounded, defends.

Trixie does an extra attack and inflicts 6 damage on S2.

Given the new situation, the northernmost Skyapir moves down to finish surround Trixie, her closest available foe.
The second, adjacent to Trixie, attacks her as she defend, so S2 misses on a 16.
The third, now only adjacent to Trixie (at his north) attacks her and misses (on a 7 on 3d6+1... that was close).
The fourth attacks Winny and hits (4) for 2 damage. Winny is now at 5 HP.
The fifth moves to attack Salvia.
The sixth attacks Winny and misses (10).

All the remaining party member defend, except Esmeralda, who drops Greenbolt from her mind to bring Sheet Lightning to her mind. A rank 4 spell that deals 2d6+2 damage... to everyone. That's probably because Chain Lightning was copyrighted, but I totally picture the spell like this.

Round 3:

Trixie keeps defending. All her opponents miss (13, 16,10). S4 and S6 attack Winny (8, 13) while S5 attacks Salvia (another 13).

All the heroes keep defending. Esmeralda casts Chain Lightning and... 7+4=11. It's a success. She inflicts 9 damage to every foe. Yes, nine. Not ten. NINE. At least S2 and S3 returns to the magma they were born from.

Round 4:

Rince & Repeat. Except Salvia, which is hit (5) for 2 damage, everyone is unscathed.
Esmeralda recast her spell, and that's a miss (11+4=15).

Round 5:

Rince & Repeat, all fail on the Skyapir part. Esmeralda does 8+3= 11 and inflicts 11 damage to the magmatic crowd.
Everyone of them drops dead, felled by the spell of our broken spellcaster.

TBH, defending on 3d6 is potent, so I think even a nonbroken (though legit) spellcaster could pull that off. Especially with better rolls. I might be biased, but I think we're unlucky, globally, with the dice, so far.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

We continue our treck on the ridge, until we're elated to see the island on which the Emblem of Victory stands, after what will seemingly be a tranquil stroll among mounds and tombstones (foreshadowing!) but our hopes are dashed when we realize that reaching this island from the ridge is impossible, as it requires crossing the lava.

OK, are we INT 3 in this group? It is quite OBVIOUS that an island can't be reached from the mainland. And we were walking on the ridge around the crater...

After a few minutes of despairing on the lack of bridge (if we hadn't thrown our Ice Jewel in the lava, I guess we could have just...walked?) we see that one of the Dirges, one with a human faces, has taken interest in us. I hope he'll not mind the fact we killed half his brethrens a few section earlier.

FWIW, Salvia tried to heal during these section, only to lose 2 HP.

We're instructed to go to section 393 if a Sage is present. We're informed that this creature was probably a very bad criminal, since the Magi generally just kill people for minor offenses but rarely trouble themselves to transmute their foes into an horrid creature as a punishment. So, this guy is Evil. I can't resist quoting the text:

You call the Dirge-Man over. Turn to 79.

So, we identified a pretty vile foe and instead of hiding, or using our LONG RANGE WEAPONS AND SPELL, we just call him over to chat.

That, and Salvia just lost another HP trying to heal.

As we hail the dreadful creature, it gently suggest that she could take us over, provided there is something in for it/him.
And yes, we lose another HP.

We're offered the opportunity to use a magic girdle, Chimera spittle, Enthrall the creature or fail our adventure as we can but watch Icon the Ungodly claim the Emblem for Magus Uru.

Honestly, I wouldn't have tried the poison as a dead dirge sounds quite unhelpful as a mean of transportation, but the alternative is quite unambiguous.

321.