Another path I wanted to try was to sleeping Roc obvious trap. Well, it is a semi-trap. There was, indeed, a sleeping Roc. But unless you had been nice to people earlier, and especially attentive to a wall of text, you wouldn't have read the story of a legendary Ta'ashim hero who knew how to command the Roc... So the outcome was either to not know the command word and die, because the Roc would be litterally flying to the end of the world, in its nest perched on a peak overlooking the place where the great ocean surrounding the world meets the cosmic void -- which is a cool way to die, in a cosmologically flat world -- or to have a Sage in the group who would just hop off the Roc above the little island where the rendezvous with the pirate ghost ship was suppose to happen, and pray he'd succeed at using Levitation as a substitute for Feather Fall. But finishing the book as a single rank 3 character is tough. Or you could have read but forgotten the word to make the Roc land (the book offers several trap choices) in which case he rises higher instead and you suffocate and die from exposure.
Now, can we kill Prince Susurrien? Is the maze at the end a real maze.
I've made an intricate 3D rendering of the maze.
On our first try, we managed to get the optimal choice, by turning left initially, then learning from the frieze how to deactivate the automaton with 3 spikes over his head, and selecting the "right" alcove and bypassing the arrow-slits trap by running instead of crawling.
There is no way to reach Sussurien before we meet him after the door guarded by the Dog-headed monster.
If we had taken a right in the well from the entrance, we'd have the opportunity to have our first player in the marching order be drawned while walking on a narrow ledge along a pool occupying the bottom of a spherical room. Which rotates. Save or die drowning. The group is discouraged enough that they will never try to reach the other corridor leading FROM the room. Despite having a Wizard that can cast Teleport over short distance. Or having a flying Faltyn explore for us for a price. Or the possibility of throwing a dwarf...
If a group goes south, he passes by an Idol in a corridor. It's fun because if there is a Sage in the group (remember, it's supposed to be played with friends), the Sage player gets an opportunity to be a jerk in real life. He is told that the Sage recognize an Idol of a Kaikuhuran god, Something-the-All-Seeing, and that the clay at the bottom of the idol is a pool of blessed clay one is supposed to smear over its eyes on its forehead, and that he can either ignore it, do it and tell everyone in the group to do it, or keep the information for himself and do it without warning the rest of the group.
In the next room, of course sits (... bet it...) an... INVISIBLE MONSTER. He's doing a lot of damage, has a lot of HP, and one must roll 3d6 to attack him in melee (can't be targetted with ranged attacks, so much for a Nemesis Bolt) because he's invisible, unless one has the benefit of a blessed vision... Also, if you don't have the blessed vision, you can't avoid his life-draining ray that incurs a loss of permanent HP. (there is connection to the corridor from this room, it's just that I forgot to write it on the map).
If you reach it, you have now way of knowing how to deal with the monster from the frieze (the spiked giant automaton) so you're in for another tough fight in a row. And if you win, you can also take the wrong alcove, which closes behind the last character and where a giant stone sarcophagus on wheels is smashed into the closed door behind the group. Save (Awareness) or die, smashed between a rock and a hard wall. And even if you save, there is the opportunity for a permanent injury here.
We were really lucky in that maze.
There is also a way to fight Susurrien. If you snatched the Hatuli, and get definitely blocked by the door behind the Dog-headed guard, then Sussurrien catches up with us and we have to fight... for nothing since as he dies he confirms that we'll never be able to cross the door and our quest has failed.
Because of a wooden door, a "stout ashwood door with a large padlock and several rusted iron bolts", is enough to make us renounce our quest.
Despite us being able to cast Nemesis Bolt at the door.
Despite us being able to come back with a battering ram and 10 helpers we hire in the street.
Despite us being able to Teleport a short distance, like, on the other side of the door -- this is an example given in the rules for the description of the spell.
Despite us being able to break rusted bolts by hand. Or, even more imaginative, to get back with a hammer.
Despite our ability to BURN ashwood. It's even one of the few woods that will burn easily even if not totally dry, as can be supposed in this dank environment.
Well... Gamebook logic!
Next?
