[Fighting Fantasy] Bloodsword v2

[Jfdlsjfd]

OK, I wanted to make you wonder how we're supposed to handle that.

Honestly, I think we'd be... all defending while Esmeralda spends 2-3 round Sheet Lightning the tentacles to death, provided she doesn't miss (on a 9+ because she's all cheated). But she'd be targetted, if the monster doesn't focus fire, by 2 tentacles each round, acting before. That's doable if (a) we have Dr Esmeralda Strange, Sorcerer Supreme in our team (b) we decided to give her the brooch of shielding at the end of book 1 so the DPR of the monster is only slightly over 2. If the brooch is worn by someone else, she'll on average die before eliminating the opposition. Also, if we didn't play book 1, we'd be in a predicament.

BUT there was an option to use an item to avoid total party kill, just before the fight section. We're offered to use... a scroll of invisibility. Kudos to us for carrying it since the library of uber-cheating from book 1.

As we read the green runes, we are covered by protective magic and the eyes just look at the ice quizzically before retreating to the depth of the Mistral Sea.

 

[Joshua Randall]

BUT there was an option to use an item to avoid total party kill, just before the fight section. We're offered to use... a scroll of invisibility. Kudos to us for carrying it since the library of uber-cheating from book 1.

HaHA! I knew that scroll was a good pickup.

I'd go 1 Invisibility (because there is usually at least one fight where actually fighting it is pointless and you just need to get past),

(
Post in thread '[Fighting Fantasy] Bloodsword v1'
[Fighting Fantasy] Bloodsword v1 )

 

[Joshua Randall]

Back to the HP loss from traveling the icy wastes: how bad would it be for the single, level 8 (or whatever) character? Because I wonder if the book assumed this would be “pretty bad HP loss to punish the character [singular!] for not buying the gear” and forgot that it could be four, much lower HP characters [plural].

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Back to the HP loss from traveling the icy wastes: how bad would it be for the single, level 8 (or whatever) character? Because I wonder if the book assumed this would be “pretty bad HP loss to punish the character [singular!] for not buying the gear” and forgot that it could be four, much lower HP characters [plural].

When reading the book out of sequence, you're still allowed to get higher level characters as if they had done the other book. The best case is a 12th level warrior with 72 HP and the worst case a 60 HP wizard. If you're travelling alone, gearing up takes 5 inventory slots (iron rations, gloves, cloack, bedroll, brazier). Since you're forced to take the Blood Sword hilt with you, and it's better not to drop your weapon and armour, that's only two space left of an extra item.

It is theoretically possible to pass the encounter sequence with both the crucifix of St Ashanax and the Orb of Fire, with a total loss of 6 HP. But it requires dropping valuable and useful loot to gear up. If you don't, you could get 5d6+10 HP loss, so an average of 26 HP loss, something that is survivable. I think the authors might have written this by balancing against a single high HP character...

But playing solo requires to bypass the Eislaken later, which is only possible with choosing the appropriate items, meaning it's highly random on the first playthrough. A single Enchanter with 34 HP left might not even survive the first round against the Eislaken, with 8 attacks doing 23 DPR on average (0-80 range), and would most probably be dead before firing his second spell. And there is no spell to instakill the Eislaken.

 

[Joshua Randall]

So it’s one of those “you must be this tall to go on the ride” sections. Bleh.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

Anyway, time for some additional drama.

We reach the shores of Wyrd without further event, and our Sage informs us that this land is ruled by the Warlock-King from the Palace of Eternal Dusk. He's been ruling for 400 to 600 years. He's able to control people's dream, up to killing them of fright with nightmare, but this power only works of Wyrd natives. There are three castes, the Armigers who enforce the law, the Solons who administrate and judge, and the peasants who toil and die

 

[Joshua Randall]

If you’re born in Wyrd but then you move just across the border to Numbyr, can the Warlock-King still control your dreams?

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

We make our way inland and notice a settlement. We're offered the opportunity to avoid it or continue walking toward the village. Since we used our last meals when reaching Wyrd, I think it's safer to stay at an inn (517).

We reach a poor hut, attracted by the smell of smoke, stew and boiled meat, where in a single room families and animal lives. The door is opened by an elderly man who we guess if aged around 25, because here in Wyrd, people don't last longer anyway, unless they're really unlucky.

The whole village is crammed into this hall for shelter and warmth (are we in the Rime of the Frostmaiden thread?) and they will apparently all eat a single chicken for supper. We're offered hot gruel and glasses of water anyway. We're informed that they wouldn't normally take strangers in, as it is against the law, but they are cut off from the road by the snow so no Solon should be there for a few months.

As the evening progress, we hear that a baby was scaled by hot water in the morning, and a lanky teenager girl goes to watch over him and get back to report that he'll not survive the night without help.

As a Sage, we're asked if we want to perform healing.

I get that these people are poor, but maybe not overdoing it would be better. Also, what kind of strange choice is that? It's not like we need to save medicine, mystical healing is basically infinite. What reason would lead a priest to basically say "hum, no, actually, let's not pray for good health for the baby".

We decide to save the baby, which recovers instantly, much to the surprise of the villager who are not familiar with magic, and are awed by our power, one of the villagers even asking if we're one of the old gods. The baby is then comforted by his mother who gratefully offers us all her meager earthly possessions: a woollen blanket that can pass as a cloak and a jug of milk that we can accept if we want.

What do we do?

 

[Joshua Randall]

This place offers us FREE STEW! 5 stars. Would stay here again.

There are often these kinds of choices in gamebooks:

“A poor, downtrodden, innocent person needs your help, help which you can effortlessly provide. Do you:
(A) provide said help; or
(B) withhold help, kick a nearby puppy, twirl your mustache, and laugh evilly as the poor, downtrodden, innocent person dies dies DIES!!!!!”

Because there are always some psycho killers in training.

As for the choice here. Usually the “right” thing to do is to refuse the reward from the poor, downtrodden, innocent person. If the reward is plot relevant, you’ll usually get it anyway, probably alongside some warm fuzzies and/or a bonus of some kind (regain HP / temporary (or even permanent) buff / useful clue).

Except in rare cases where the only way to acquire a key plot item is by demanding a reward from the poor, downtrodden, innocent person; in which case if you nobly refuse the reward, you just screwed yourself because screw you for being a good person.

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

I guess my cliffhanger was much too obvious to your trained eyes: indeed, the jug of milk is an important plot item. But not important enough that we choose to take the sustenance and clothes from the poor downtrodden mother, even if it is objectively the right, psychpathic choice.

Anyway, after our heroic act of child-saving (consisting of muttering a prayer), the elder of the village introduces the lanky girl as Uraba, the Seer. Seers are those people who apparently are outside the power of the Wytch-King of Wyrd and who openly defy his powers. She make jokes about him that makes the other people uneasy.

They must just be non-ethnic Wyrdians, and therefore have nothing to fear from their nightmares. Somehow this sentence makes sense.

She's describing as having a striking appearance, as her head is shaved completely except for a long ponytail of yellow hair, a band of white paint runs across her eyes and in the middle of her forehead there is a tattoo in the shape of an open circle.

We regain mucho HP for the night that is extremely restful thanks to the presence of said Seer, except that we cheated healing earlier so we're at full HP.

She also seems to be able to ignore the climate somehow. Also, a braid.

We meet her again in the morning as we leave. She waited for us aside to speak with us and give us an Iron Bell. She tells us that our destiny is to reforge the Blood Sword and confront the True Magi, and that Wyrd is just a step for us, and she explains that in the past, the Wytch-King was a kind and benevolent man who used his powers to make Wyrd a peaceful paradise for its inhabitant, a true Land of Plenty, but he started to make nightmares and now the whole country is devastated.

She informs us that to get to the palace, we'll need to cross the Forest of Thorns, were the Elves will try to stop us and we'll either fight them with swords or a game of checkers, then we'll need to outrun wolf hounds, then we will need face Gristun, a monstrous ghoul who guards the three palace gates.

We're offered the opportunity to ask one final question, about the gate (518), the hounds (483) or the elves (277).