RPG Gamebooks

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #3 Part 2


REFSTEEL rested by the tree in CHOICE #9 in hopes of waiting out the HEADHUNTER patrols.  Not that they would have been more than a nuisance.  The foliage may have been worse than the marauding head shrinkers, since REFSTEEL had to Test Your Luck in CHOICE #103 to avoid being strangled by a vine!  Passing was Section 256 and failing was Section 132.


Test Your Luck:  1+2=3


SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  13 (initial 17)
LUCK:  15 (initial 16)



Not only did REFSTEEL have to sacrifice the usual 1 LUCK, but he had to give up 1 SKILL and 2 STAMINA to the choking vine before advancing to CHOICE #10. . .where he'd have to fight the HEADHUNTERs anyway.  The chronicler's account: 


By now you cannot breathe and your face is crimson with the veins bulging in your neck.  You desperately hack at the vine until you cut through it and roll away out of its lethal range.  You cough and rub your neck and watch the hideous vine drip purple sap.


First HEADHUNTER

SKILL 6
STAMINA 6

Second HEADHUNTER

SKILL 7
STAMINA 6

Third HEADHUNTER

SKILL 6
STAMINA 7


In spite of oxygen deprivation, REFSTEEL's sword overwhelmed the HEADHUNTERs' primitive clubs and spears.  The Third HEADHUNTER made a valiant effort in the last round after rolling 6 twice, but this was insufficient even when REFSTEEL wasn't fighting perfectly.  He marched northwest to avoid the volcano's fumes and acquire the Hand-Axe and Rope.  The 1 STAMINA he gained from defeating the HEADHUNTERs was soon lost to climbing to the man on the tree platform.  REFSTEEL gave 3 Provisions to the old thief to gain the Picklock's Wire and the Map.  Why would REFSTEEL need a crude Map if he knew the future?  To sacrifice it to the Shaman's stone circle, of course!


Current Stats


SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  13 (initial 17)
LUCK:  15 (initial 16)

Items:  Hand-Axe, Rope, Map, Picklock's Wire
Potions:  Potion of Fortune
Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid



Current Location:  CHOICE #17, Section 375, just before the GIANT DRAGONFLY.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #3 Part 3


GIANT DRAGONFLY

SKILL 8
STAMINA 4


REFSTEEL sliced off the GIANT DRAGONFLY's wings in two rounds of combat, ignored the "clam-shaped fungus", and touched the crystal to recover 3 STAMINA.  He snickered at GUSTARAN breaking his sword on the crystal in the journal the wizard gave him, but would he have done the same without foreknowledge?



SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  16 (initial 17)
LUCK:  15 (initial 16)



REFSTEEL was a less diplomatic adventurer than GUSTARAN, and was determined to slay the PYGMIES where they stood by CHOICE #22, Section 71.  That way, he wouldn't have to give them any items or Provisions.  But the PYGMIES were more prepared than the HEADHUNTERs.  They shot six darts from their blowguns at REFSTEEL, and he would have to roll 1D6 to determine how many landed.


1D6 roll=4



SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  12 (initial 17)
LUCK:  15 (initial 16)


Not only did REFSTEEL lose his STAMINA, but he also lost 2 LUCK and ALL of his items and Provisions except for his sword!  Such was the price for gloating over GUSTARAN's foibles.  He wanted to "curse the Pygmies", but then wondered why the PYGMIES didn't want his weapon.  The PYGMIES couldn't steal his Aniseed Tasting Liquid effect when they didn't have blood transfusion techniques.




SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  12 (initial 17)
LUCK:  13 (initial 16)



REFSTEEL left the jungle and entered the somehow more loathsome swamp.  He remembered how GUSTARAN fell prey to the SWAMP SUCKER and the GIANT LEECHES when he dismissed the MARSH HOPPER's guidance.  REFSTEEL followed the Gollum lookalike in CHOICE #25, Section 317 and moved to Section 58.  Once there, the MARSH HOPPER gave a signal to follow it south to Section 235.  The alternative was to ditch the MARSH HOPPER in Section 37:  where the GIANT LEECHES dwelt.


The chronicle's warning about MARSH HOPPERs luring adventurers to predators was true.  REFSTEEL had avoided a SWAMP SUCKER only to stare down a two-headed HYDRA!  CHOICE #28 was a Spear check:  Section 272 for Yes and Section 29 for No.  At this moment, REFSTEEL wondered if he should have ventured close to the volcano's smoke to the HEADHUNTER village, since they might have had a Spear.


There was no penalty for fighting in the mire unlike the SWAMP SUCKER, though both of the HYDRA's heads attacked at once, similarly to the PIRATEs on the beach that GUSTARAN killed.  REFSTEEL would have to make a roll to block the other head so long as both were alive.


HYDRA Left Head

SKILL 9
STAMINA 9

HYDRA Right Head

SKILL 9
STAMINA 9


REFSTEEL triumphed after 11 intense rounds of combat.  The worst was Round 5, when the Left Head bit him and the Right Head was barely blocked.  It seemed the LIZARD KING's mutagens couldn't make a HYDRA like in the labors of Hercules, since REFSTEEL didn't need to cauterize each head.  His troubles were not over yet when another gimmick monster rose out of the muck. . .

Current Stats


SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  10 (initial 17)
LUCK:  13 (initial 16)


Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #3 Part 4


"As the Hydra sinks down into the black mire, the Marsh Hopper takes flight, his treachery revealed.  He runs off in great loping strides and is soon out of sight".  Thus said the history.


REFSTEEL's next opponent was deceptively simple when looking at its attributes.  But it had a fearsome trait that no previous Fighting Fantasy monster possessed:  a 2 attack roll penalty per round.  This represented REFSTEEL's exhaustion after slaying the Hydra.


GIANT WATER-SNAKE

SKILL 6
STAMINA 5


REFSTEEL needed four rounds to slash the GIANT WATER-SNAKE, as fatigue set in by the time his effective SKILL dropped to 11.  He rolled two 1s, and the serpent rolled 3 and 5.  REFSTEEL sobbed as he remembered that the PYGMIES robbed him of his Provisions.  His next stop was CHOICE #28, Section 362 where the gorge began.


SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  8 (initial 17)
LUCK:  13 (initial 16)



Our hero knew to climb the hill to avoid the landslide, then decided to Test Your Luck to survive slipping off the hill.  There was something he wanted to try before descending into the gorge that GUSTARAN hadn't dared.  LUCK effectively did not change due to gaining 1 from avoiding the falling rocks.


Test Your Luck:  3+4=7


In CHOICE #31, Section 334, REFSTEEL reached into the dark hollow. . .and was bitten by a RATTLESNAKE!  CHOICE #109 was a steep STAMINA check as REFSTEEL attempted to perform sword surgery on himself:  18 or under was Section 264, and over 18 was Section 55.


SKILL:  15 (initial 16)
STAMINA:  3 (initial 17)
LUCK:  13 (initial 16)



REFSTEEL lost 5 STAMINA as his arm throbbed.  CHOICE #109 must have been one last chance to survive:  Section 124 if STAMINA was 9 or under, and Section 364 if it was over 9.  Actually, he had one "this time for sure" last chance when CHOICE #110 was a Test Your Luck as REFSTEEL passed out.  Section 156 to pass and Section 357 to fail.


Test Your Luck:  2+6=8


Losing consciousness actually helped REFSTEEL, as his STAMINA was now set to 4.  The real pain was having a SKILL of 5.  CHOICE #112 was to attack the RATTLESNAKE in Section 5, but even REFSTEEL was not that foolhardy.  He instead picked Section 119 and CHOICE #32.  REFSTEEL opened the snuffbox to obtain the Snuffbox Message and the Gold Nugget, then fought what would probably be his last battle against the GIANT LIZARD.


GIANT LIZARD

SKILL 8
STAMINA 9


To REFSTEEL's credit, the GIANT LIZARD didn't eat him in two rounds.  He stabbed the oversized Komodo Dragon defiantly in Round 2, then rolled exactly 9 in Round 3, the same as his enemy's SKILL.  The GIANT LIZARD devoured REFSTEEL, only to perish from lingering RATTLESNAKE poison.  The End.


The "mission control" wizard hurled his pointy hat to the ground and stomped on it in frustration.  How many adventurers would it take to kill some self-proclaimed monarch in a former prison colony?  He summoned another simulacrum of a Realms Beyond member and gave them the requisite items. . .


Now you know to immediately get off the hill  by the gorge as soon as you get the 1 LUCK recovery.  The least painful route through the swamp seems to be to follow the MARSH HOPPER once to dodge the SWAMP SUCKER, then take the STAMINA loss from the GIANT LEECHES rather than fight the HYDRA and GIANT WATER-SNAKE.  Will abandoning Mungo to the GIANT CRAB be a way to get past the beach without fighting?  Next time I'll see if going West in the jungle is better than Northwest.  That seems like the only chance to get the Spear.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #4 Part 1

SKILL:  4+6+6=16
STAMINA:  1+3+12=16
LUCK:  3+4+6=13


The wizard had low expectations for Fire Island's next adventurer.  Such promising stats, only to make inexplicable mistakes like reaching into a RATTLESNAKE's hole and trying to fight PYGMIES with bowguns. SUNRISE089 had carefully studied the journals compiled by Herman, GUSTARAN, and REFSTEEL, and was determined not to repeat their errors.*  SUNRISE089 knew that he wasn't so "blessed" by the Fighting Fantasy gods as the previous heroes, so he brought a Potion of Fortune to increase the initial value when necessary.


SUNRISE089 had learned it was impossible to conquer fate when the GIANT CRAB grabbed Mungo with its pincers.  In CHOICE #4, he left his companion for dead and ran to the hut in Section 307.  Little did SUNRISE089 know that the Morality Test was the divine law of Fighting Fantasy.  Violating it had fatal consequences.


"In your desperate attempt to flee from the Giant Crab you do not pay much attention to the sand you are running across.  Suddenly, your feet land in soft, wet sand and you quickly start to sink in.  You are stuck in quicksand and as you struggle you sink in faster.  You scream in terror as the sand reaches your neck and the last sight you see is poor Mungo being devoured by the Giant Crab".



*Herman's "error" was leaving his house at all with 8 SKILL.  One fact that I hadn't realized until SUNRISE089 died is that you're officially supposed to roll 1D6 +6 for SKILL and LUCK. This doesn't make any sense in a book where the mandatory starting enemies have 10 SKILL, comparable to the final battles in Warlock of Firetop Mountain.  I'll probably roll a few 1D6 + 6 proxies of Realms Beyond members for the sake of comedy, but when it starts getting tedious, I'll go back to 2D6 + 6 to balance the difficulty.


Fighting Fantasy conforms to the "last thing you see" line seen in Choose Your Own Adventure.  Good to know that the OTHER major gamebook lineage does that too!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #5 Part 1


SKILL:  5+6=11
STAMINA=2+4+12=18
LUCK:  6+6=12


The wizard had run out of charges for his forbidden SKILL and LUCK enhancing charms, so the next adventurer would be forced to rely on their wits, sword, and Potion of Fortune alone.*  GOLD ERGO SUM accepted the challenge and rowed with Mungo to Fire Island.


GOLD ERGO SUM knew it was futile to rescue Mungo from the GIANT CRAB, but fleeing was even more hopeless considering SUNRISE089's grisly demise. 


GIANT CRAB

SKILL 10
STAMINA 11


GOLD ERGO SUM believed the GIANT CRAB could have taken over Fire Island itself it it had the inclination.  It certainly seemed that way after fourteen rounds of combat where he lost two-thirds of his STAMINA pincer cuts!  Rounds 8-10 exhausted our hero after the mutual miss in Round 5.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  6 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12

 

GOLD ERGO SUM searched the box covered in candle wax and drank the Aniseed Tasting Liquid to protect himself from the thorny bush.  He refused to rest at the tree in the jungle, knowing that the strangling vine awaited him.  There would be no rest at any time when the HEADHUNTERs were now a legitimate threat.  He ate three of his Provisions to prepare for their assault.


Current Stats

SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  18
LUCK:  12

Provisions:  7
Potions:  Potion of Fortune
Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid


CURRENT LOCATION:  CHOICE #10, Section 81, in the jungle before the HEADHUNTER fight


It seems the best policy may be to set SKILL and LUCK to 12 in future playthroughs, and only roll for STAMINA.  This keeps the fights and Test Your Luck checks interesting, yet not insurmountable.  STAMINA is more generous than other stats, and you can work around it with Provisions, healing spots, and a potion if necessary.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #5 Part 2


First HEADHUNTER

SKILL 6
STAMINA 6

Second HEADHUNTER

SKILL 7
STAMINA 6


Third HEADHUNTER

SKILL 6
STAMINA 7


GOLD ERGO SUM cut down all three HEADHUNTERs without taking any damage, though the Second HEADHUNTER parried one of his slashes in Round 4.  He entered uncharted territory in CHOICE #11 when he went due West in Section 229 instead of Northwest to the old thief on the platform.  The smoke wasn't from the volcano, but probably the HEADHUNTER village to the Southwest.  CHOICE #113 was to either visit the village in Section 337, or avoid it in Section 113.


GOLD ERGO SUM wanted loot like any good adventurer, so he investigated the HEADHUNTER village.  The inhabitants were playing drums while watching "a half-naked man tied to a post".  Their leader dressed in a "face-mask and head-dress" gave the signal to stop playing the drums:  he was about to kill the victim with a bone knife to take his head.  GOLD ERGO SUM could either burn the huts with a flaming branch in Section 171, or sneak into the woods in Section 113 of CHOICE #114.


CHOICE #115 was a Test Your Luck to check if the HEADHUNTER villagers detected GOLD ERGO SUM.*  Passing was Section 215 and failing was Section 302.


Test Your Luck:  5+6=11



SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  18
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)



It seemed close, but this adventurer had 12 LUCK and was guaranteed to survive the first trial.  The HEADHUNTERs were "shouting instructions to each other in total confusion" as their huts were ablaze.  GOLD ERGO SUM freed the sacrificial victim and ordered him to run into the jungle.  But one HEADHUNTER hurled his spear at our hero, and CHOICE #116 was a 1D6 roll:  Section 76 for one or two, Section 250 for three or four, and Section 323 for five or six.


Roll=5


The spear missed both GOLD ERGO SUM and his new companion Sama.  Although the thorns and branches cut them, these apparently were not poisonous or even damaging.  Sama had escaped the gold mines and wanted to build a raft to return to the mainland before the HEADHUNTERs captured him.  He said the LIZARD KING was invincible, but GOLD ERGO SUM replied that he would kill the villain no matter what.  Sama left GOLD ERGO SUM but gave him a Bone Charm that prevented his LUCK that set its minimum (not initial!) value to 7.  The protagonist left for Section 113.


Section 113 merged into Section 7 where GOLD ERGO SUM met the MARSH HOPPER.  He followed the deceitful creature once to dodge the SWAMP SUCKER, then gritted his teeth as the GIANT LEECHES sucked his blood.


GIANT LEECHES roll:  5+1=6



SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  12 (initial 18)
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)

Provisions:  6


As painful as that was, it was an improvement on having two HYDRA heads with 9 SKILL attack at once like in REFSTEEL's story.  He climbed the gorge hill to restore his LUCK to normal, then ran as far away from the RATTLESNAKE hole as possible.  GOLD ERGO SUM was delighted to see the Gold Nugget and Snuffbox Message in the gorge, but did not appreciate having to fight the GIANT LIZARD that finished off REFSTEEL.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  12 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12


GIANT LIZARD

SKILL 8
STAMINA 9


GOLD ERGO SUM had a dismal performance in this fight starting in Round 4 when the GIANT LIZARD rolled a CRITICAL HIT** and tail-slapped his sword out of his hand.  When our hero picked it up again, the GIANT LIZARD parried the strike with its tail in Round 5.  The overgrown iguana bit GOLD ERGO SUM in Round 6, but after that the adventurer focused his mind and slew the GIANT LIZARD in Round 9.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  8 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12 


To recover from his trial by combat, GOLD ERGO SUM ate two Provisions.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  16 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12 
  

Provisions:  4


GOLD ERGO SUM wasn't interested in the pond with birds of prey, and he didn't have a Spear to kill the pig to eat.***  He boarded the raft that he was aware of thanks to the Snuffbox Message, but he didn't have an Iron Bar to feed to the CROCODILE since he never battled the PIRATEs on the beach.  He would have to fight the CROCODILE in the next part instead in Section 204.


*Chances are failing this Test Your Luck is a special Death, since it's mentioned that there are too many HEADHUNTERs to fight directly.

**There are no real CRITICAL HITS in Fighting Fantasy, but I like to use that name for rolling two sixes.

***How do you get the Spear?  You're supposed to have it before the swamp, but neither the beach nor the jungle have given any adventurer a Spear.  Perhaps you're supposed to get a particular roll in the HEADHUNTER village?


Current Stats

SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  16 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12

Provisions:  6
Potions:  Potion of Fortune
Items:  Snuffbox Message, Gold Nugget
Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid, Bone Charm

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #5 Part 3


CROCODILE

SKILL 6
STAMINA 7


GOLD ERGO SUM must not have been accustomed to fencing on a river raft.  The CROCODILE blocked two of his attacks by chomping on his sword, and then chomped on his arm in Round 5.  Round 7 was a close victory as the CROCODILE rolled only 1 lower than GOLD ERGO SUM.


If GOLD ERGO SUM had a Spear or a Hand-Axe, he would have lost them in Section 31 when they would have fallen off the raft.  The one exception was to have the Pouch of Unlimited Contents, whose location stumped even the mission control wizard.  He ate a Provision to restore his STAMINA to the maximum.

SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  18
LUCK:  12

Provisions:  5



In CHOICE #38, our hero had foreknowledge that he wasn't required to save the DELIRIOUS PRISONER on the riverbank.  GOLD ERGO SUM rowed on to the gold mines with the help of the Snuffbox Message, then challenged the Lizard Men instead of sneaking by them.  CHOICE #118 was a Test Your Luck to gain initiative:  Section 309 to pass and Section 163 to fail.


Test Your Luck:  2+2=4


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  18
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)



GOLD ERGO SUM backstabbed one LIZARD MAN for an instant kill, but he still had to fight the other.


LIZARD MAN

SKILL 9
STAMINA 8


This victory was a clean four Round fight, which depended on pure SKILL.  On Rounds 3 and 4, GOLD ERGO SUM and the LIZARD MAN had identical dice rolls!  (1+2, 3+5).  GOLD ERGO SUM found the Three Iron Keys needed to unlock a door in the LIZARD KING's fort on his corpse.


Once inside the gold mines, GOLD ERGO SUM moved Left in Section 226 in CHOICE #44 as that was uncharted.  This was a "disused part of the mine", and CHOICE #120 was to continue in Section 213, or turn back in Section 101 to CHOICE #45.


CHOICE #121 was blind:  Left in Section 68 and Right in Section 383.  Even the historian was vexed at GOLD ERGO SUM's decision to go Left, as the chronicle says:


"The tunnel is now very narrow and the beams supporting the roof are cracked and dislodged in places.  You feel very claustrophobic in the dim light, but you press on, often being showered with dust and small stones."*


CHOICE #122 was Left in Section 278, Right in Section 70, or to turn back in Section 172.  Left was a failure but surprisingly not instant Death.  Instead, GOLD ERGO SUM had a feeling of unease at a dead end and lost 1 LUCK.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  18
LUCK:  10 (initial 12)



CHOICE #123 was identical to CHOICE #122, except without the "Left" option.  The wizard had given up sending telepathic warnings to GOLD ERGO SUM and left him to his own obsession with gamebook cartography in CHOICE #124.


"A beam cracks and suddenly the whole ceiling comes crashing down on top of you.  Lose 5 STAMINA points.  If you are still alive, Test Your Luck.  If you are Lucky, turn to 345.  If you are Unlucky, turn to 175".


Test Your Luck roll:  6+4=10



SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  13 (initial 18)
LUCK:  9 (initial 12)



GOLD ERGO SUM's abysmal decisions were more beneficial than REFSTEEL's.  After the cave-in, he opened a wooden box that contained a hunting horn.  No, not the bludgeoning weapon he had heard about in stories of Monster Hunters:  the Horn of Valhalla!  GOLD ERGO SUM restored 2 LUCK for finding an item to rally his future army.  CHOICE #125 was to go straight ahead to Section 278 and CHOICE #123, or Left to Section 172.  That will be in another post, since GOLD ERGO SUM has had enough woes for now.


Current Stats
 
SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  13 (initial 18)
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)


Provisions:  5
Potion:  Potion of Fortune
Items:  Gold Nugget, Snuffbox Message, Three Iron Keys, Horn of Valhalla
Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid, Bone Charm


*A literal "rocks fall, everybody dies" warning?  The trick to winning Fighting Fantasy books must be trial and error.  Some mistakes either kill you immediately (running from the GIANT CRAB) or punish you so severely that you might as well be dead (RATTLESNAKE bite).  Other risks are rewarded in the final battle (surviving a cave-in to find the Horn of Valhalla).

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #5 Part 4


GOLD ERGO SUM's next foray into the mines after the cave-in seemed uneventful at first.  In CHOICE #126, Section 172, he went Right in Section 4 instead of Straight in Section 383.  CHOICE #127 was to move Left to Section 101 and CHOICE #45, or Right to the unexplored Section 44.  The chronicle said "The tunnel gradually widens and your feeling of claustrophobia recedes" as its only description for the passage.


But this wasn't uncharted territory at all!  GOLD ERGO SUM saw light and realized it was the entrance, so he moved on to Section 274 and CHOICE #43.  From there, he climbed down the ladder and hid from the LIZARD MAN in the shadows to restore his LUCK.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  13 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12



To save the Dwarf captives, GOLD ERGO SUM needed to fight the LIZARD MAN for two rounds.


LIZARD MAN

SKILL 8
STAMINA 7


GOLD ERGO SUM probably would have killed the LIZARD MAN anyway, but he appreciated the Dwarfs finishing the job for him with their mining tools.  He needed to pass two Test Your Luck rolls to sneak past the guards in the LIZARD MAN's clothes and free the other slaves.


Test Your Luck #1:  6+6=12

Test Your Luck #2:  6+6=12


GOLD ERGO SUM barely passed the first roll with maximum initial LUCK, but barely failed the second.  He cursed the Fighting Fantasy gods for giving him high rolls here instead of in combat!  This led to a battle with an ORC GUARD.  Our hero had an option to Escape by running to the Dwarfs in Section 11, but this would have entailed STAMINA loss as the "price of cowardice". 


ORC GUARD

SKILL 7
STAMINA 7


The ORC GUARD fought above its SKILL level by parrying GOLD ERGO SUM in Round 2 and wounding him in Round 4.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  11 (initial 18)
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)



GOLD ERGO SUM then had to roll 1D6 to determine how many ex-slaves would survive to join his army.


Roll=2


Or so I thought.  GOLD ERGO SUM still managed to liberate the miners, but at the cost of 4 STAMINA in unseen battles.



SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  7 (initial 18)
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)



The adventurer ate two of his remaining Provisions to preserve his health for any battles on the way to the Shaman at the volcano.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  15 (initial 18)
LUCK:  11 (initial 12)

Provisions:  3



GOLD ERGO SUM, unlike GUSTARAN, was curious about the sack in CHOICE #61, Section 129.  He cut it down and was expecting a "poisonous snake", but instead it contained "honeycomb, wheatcakes and fruit".  CHOICE #129 was to eat it now in Section 116, or save the food for later in Section 27.  Apparently our hero thought "save it for later" meant "forget about the food", as he moved on to CHOICE #62.  He had to Test Your Luck to avoid predators at night while camping.


Test Your Luck:  2+4=6


GOLD ERGO SUM spent the night without incident and read the chalk writing to learn what the Shaman expected of him.  In the next update, you'll see whether or not he survived the HILL TROLL.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  15 (initial 18)
LUCK:  10 (initial 12)

Provisions:  3

Potion:  Potion of Fortune
Items:  Gold Nugget, Snuffbox Message, Three Iron Keys, Horn of Valhalla
Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid, Bone Charm

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #5 Part 5





GOLD ERGO SUM received an inevitable club on the head for neglecting to find Sog's Helmet. 







SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  13 (initial 18)

LUCK:  10 (initial 12)





HILL TROLL



SKILL 9

STAMINA 9





The HILL TROLL bludgeoned GOLD ERGO SUM again in Rounds 1 and 3, but our hero managed to roll two sixes in Round 5.  After Round 5, our hero continued the assault until the HILL TROLL collapsed in Round 7.





SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  9 (initial 18)

LUCK:  10 (initial 12)







GOLD ERGO SUM picked up the Feather to present to the Shaman, then approached the painted cave and had to Test Your Luck to avoid a CAVE WOMAN spear. 





Test Your Luck:  4+4=8





GOLD ERGO SUM dispatched the CAVE WOMAN in only three Rounds due to her pitiful 5 SKILL and 5 STAMINA.  He entered her noxious-smelling lair and put the face powder on.  He only knew about this due to reading about GUSTARAN's failure of the Test of Fear. 







SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  9 (initial 18)

LUCK:  9 (initial 12)





What the Face Powder actually did was to restore 2 LUCK and grant GOLD ERGO SUM immunity to mind control.  It was invented by a wizard whom the Lizard Men had enslaved.  He hid the bottle, only for it to be discovered by an incurious CAVE WOMAN.





SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  9 (initial 18)

LUCK:  11 (initial 12)





GOLD ERGO SUM climbed the volcano instead of taking any chances with the mysterious egg, then deposited the Snuffbox Message into the stone circle to meet the Shaman.  Before taking the tests, he ate two Provisions.









SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  17 (initial 18)

LUCK:  11 (initial 12) 



Provisions:  1







The Test of Fear was easily passed with the Face Powder's effects, and the Test Of Luck seemed safest for the second trial.  This was a literal shell game.





Test Your Luck:  5+6=11





The Face Powder's other benefit kicked in here, and GOLD ERGO SUM barely succeeded.  The bead was under the middle shell.







SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  17 (initial 18)

LUCK:  10 (initial 12)



Provisions:  1





The Test of Dexterity was the final challenge.  This was mechanically almost identical to the Test of Luck, except with SKILL as the designated stat.  GOLD ERGO SUM was to throw a dagger at an orange.







Test of Dexterity roll:  3+5=8





The knife throw sent the orange flying off the rock, and now GOLD ERGO SUM had passed all the Shaman tests in Section 214!  He then yielded all of the secrets while summoning a spirit in a trance.*





-The Gonchong looks like a "giant harvest spider" and is attached to the host through its "proboscis".  This proboscis must be cut as soon as the LIZARD KING dies.



-Fire Swords are the only effective weapon against a Gonchong host.  The LIZARD KING cast an illusion spell on his armory to make them seem like worthless rusty knives. 



-All Lizard Men are afraid of the Monkey.  (Already knew this.)





GOLD ERGO SUM surrendered the Gold Nugget to the HOBGOBLIN guard in CHOICE #77.  He would probably need all the STAMINA he had to defeat the STYRACOSAURUS with equal SKILL in the next part.





SKILL:  11

STAMINA:  17 (initial 18)

LUCK:  10 (initial 12)



Provisions:  1

Items:  Three Iron Keys, Horn of Valhalla, Feather



Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid, Bone Charm, Face Powder

CURRENT LOCATION:  CHOICE #78, Section 139, just before STYRACOSAURUS



*This implies that visiting the Shaman on subsequent playthroughs is unnecessary, unless there's a check to see through the Fire Sword illusion.


EDIT:  Rocketty-ricketts!  Realms Beyond once again adds unnecessary spaces between lines when I attempt to edit.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Fighting Fantasy:  Island of the Lizard King #5 Part 6


STYRACOSAURUS

SKILL 11
STAMINA 10


GOLD ERGO SUM and the STYRACOSAURUS were evenly matched.  The dinosaur gored him with two sixes on Round 1, then followed through with additional attacks on Rounds 3-5 and 9-10.  GOLD ERGO SUM slew the mount on Round 11, but he was so exhausted that he would probably lose the next fight with the rider.


SKILL:  11
STAMINA:  5 (initial 18)
LUCK:  10 (initial 12)


MUTANT LIZARD MAN

SKILL 9
STAMINA 9


By the end of Round 6, both GOLD ERGO SUM and the MUTANT LIZARD MAN were down to 1 STAMINA.  They staggered towards each other and lashed out for the last time.  GOLD ERGO SUM was the victor with a 20 roll vs 16 for the foe.  His prize was the Shield for +1 SKILL, and he ate his last Provision to restore his STAMINA from "critical condition" to "shouldn't go outside for any reason".



SKILL:  12 (initial 11, Shield)
STAMINA:  5 (initial 18)
LUCK:  10 (initial 12)



Thanks to the Aniseed Tasting Liquid, the thorn bush in CHOICE #80, Section 218 was harmless.  GOLD ERGO SUM rescued the Monkey and talked to the woman with the SABRE-TOOTHED TIGER instead of attacking either one.  He rallied his troops and rolled 1D6 to determine his next opponent.


Die roll=6


GUSTARAN had to fight a LIZARD MAN with SKILL 8 and STAMINA 7 here.  GOLD ERGO SUM was more fortunate and only had to deal with a HOBGOBLIN with SKILL 6 and STAMINA 5.  The HOBGOBLIN was tenacious and parried our hero's sword during Rounds 3-4, and the second was with a roll of two sixes!


GOLD ERGO SUM had made terrible decisions in the mine and endured a cave-in for this moment.  Now was the time to make Heimdall proud and play the Horn of Valhalla!  The Dwarfs, Elves, and humans carved a path through the LIZARD KING's army, allowing GOLD ERGO SUM to skip the CYCLOPS and enter the fort.  He rushed into the Left doors, ignored the "old man" since he was really a SHAPE CHANGER, and unlocked the next room with the Three Iron Keys. 


This was a "dingy torture chamber", with "racks, thumbscrews, iron maidens and whips".  But GOLD ERGO SUM wasn't fooled after his seance with the Shaman.  He grabbed the "rusty knife" in Section 275 knowing it was really a Fire Sword.  The other options in CHOICE #133 were to get a whip in Section 136, or ignore the items and move on in Section 312.  The magical weapon gave GOLD ERGO SUM 2 SKILL and 2 LUCK.




SKILL:  14 (initial 11 + Shield and Fire Sword)
STAMINA:  5 (initial 18)
LUCK:  12

Items:  Fire Sword, Shield, Three Iron Keys, Horn of Valhalla, Feather

Effects:  Aniseed Tasting Liquid, Face Powder, Bone Charm
Potion:  Potion of Fortune