30) Chasms of Malice Solution

[champskees]

Here is my solution to Chasms of Malice. By using this method you will only fight a few bad guys, test your luck three or so times, and most importantly, only fight two one-strike combats throughout the book. It is recommended you have 9+ Skill and 10+ Luck in order to succeed in this adventure.

- Go left.
- Turn left along the tunnel.
- Eat it (+1 Stamina).
- Just hide and see what happens.
- Take the same tunnel.
- Take the left hand tunnel with a dragon’s head carved above it.
- Stay cool and keep a low profile.
- Go through the door in front of you.
- Choose to confide in her (+2 Stamina).
- Test Luck. Fail = Death.
- Ignore the screams.
- Go through the left one.
- Learn the Cyphers.
- Learn the Secret Cyphers.
- Head to the right.
- Enter the third door (+2 Luck).
- Go North East.
- Choose North East.
- Choose North East.
- Choose North West.
- Go through the metal trapdoor.
- Temper your sword in the Heartflame (+2 Luck, +1 Skill).
- Add Note: Weakness of Orghuz is his left knee.
- Leave the purse and climb down the rope (1 Damage).
- Choose the hole on the right.
- Attack.
- Go through the large tunnel leading up.
- Check your adventure sheet for skill, stamina and luck. Why?
- Take Spell of Life (If Stamina falls to 0 in combat, Stamina becomes 4, Skill -1 & enemy is defeated).
- Crouch down and crawl under the slits.
- Take the one sloping down on the left.
- Take the steep track to the left.
- Slope to the right.
- 3d6 Test Stamina. Fail = Death.
- Drop down to a wider ledge below.
- Fight Sk 8 St 10 Gryphon.
- Go right.
- Fight two 'One Strike' combats. This is the hardest part of the book.
- Take the right rope (+1 Luck, +4 Stamina).
- Head off to the left.
- You want to look at his goods.
- Accept the trade.
- Cypher puzzle: 4+2+1+16+8=31. Turn to Para 31.
- Take Invisibility Ring (Lets you win a combat automatically) Turn back to Para 181 (+2 Luck).
- Go to the left.
- Stay where you are.
- Hand over your sword.
- Refuse to wear a metal collar.
- Throw it out of the window.
- Get your sword back & see the traitor (crossed daggers).
- Slip away in the dark.
- Go to the right.
- Run past the hut entrance.
- Roll 2D6. 2 = Death (35/36 chance survival).
- Go up.
- Roll 2D6. Any double = D6 Damage.
- Roll 2D6. Any double = 2 Damage.
- Go through the one on the right.
- Go through the hole on the right.
- Go right.
- Head for them.
- Look at the parchment.
- Add Note: Breach at dagger section.
- Stay on the cart (+2 Luck).
- Fight Sk 8 St 8 Mist Wraith.
- Head off to the right.
- Walk along the wall.
- Dagger sector.
- Fight Sk 7 St 10 Stone Guardian.
- Test Luck. Success = +2 Luck. Fail = Death.
- Cypher Puzzle: 2+256=258. Turn to Para 258.
- Go through the door leading north.
- Test Luck. Fail = Death.
- Go west.
- Fight Sk 6 St 6 Chef Orc.
- Fight Sk 5 St 4 Apprentice Orc.
- Leave the kitchen via an exit to the north.
- Go north.
- Roll 2D6.
        - Any double:
                - Fight Sk 8 St 10 Troll.
                - Fight Sk 8 St 10 Troll.
                - Fight Sk 7 St 8 Troll.
- Fight Sk 9 St 10 Silent Warrior. I recommend using the ring's ability here.
- Go through the door on the right.
- Go through the exit west.
- Go through the south door.
- Fight Sk 8 St 12 Sludge.
- Go south.
- Go through a door east.
- Roll 2D6. Any double = 3 Damage.
- Roll 2D6. Any double = 3 Damage.
- Roll 2D6. Any double = 3 Damage.
- Go north.
- Go north.
- Attack the figure on the right.
- Fight Sk 10 St 12 Orghuz. Auto win if you have spell of life still.
- If you win: You have tempered your Sword in the Heartflame.
- Strike at his left knee & lower leg.
- Third knight with the crossed daggers emblem.
- You are hailed as Tancred’s heir and all of the Knights of the Grey Horse swear allegiance to their new monarch.

[stevendoig]

Just used your walkthrough. I bought this book in 1987 and could never get anywhere! Even with the solution it was a long and tedious slog!!

Now I need never open the book again!

[philsadler]

Oh God. The horror of the 'One-Strike combats': who on earth would ever design such a thing?

[bloodbeasthandler]

Those one-strike rules were awful. At best it should have been a single round of normal combat (i.e. using SKILL scores] and the first to wound. As it stands, it's pure luck and the odds are against you.

[Andyzer00]

After futzing around with this book, I discovered that the max number of Khuddam you can kill in a single playthrough is 6; I suppose to prevent Orghuz from being catatonic before you fight him. The 7th Khuddam is in the Sense Warrior battle; and going that path makes the others inaccessible.

[Akharis]

The Xokusai Orc chase along the cliff face is impossible!

[fingersonthepages]

This is another book you should probably cheat if you play it.

One Strike Combat is a candidate for the list of worst fighting fantasy ideas up there with: needing to fail a luck test to win, needing to beat a 5 skill opponent with a d6 skill character to win and mask of mayhem "if you roll a 4-10 in this one paragraph you cannot win.

Seriously if you lose a one strike combat, swear at the author and just keep playing. Or go read a better book

[terrysalt]

Oct 16, 2022 21:26:33 GMT fingersonthepages said:

This is another book you should probably cheat if you play it.

One Strike Combat is a candidate for the list of worst fighting fantasy ideas up there with: needing to fail a luck test to win, needing to beat a 5 skill opponent with a d6 skill character to win and mask of mayhem "if you roll a 4-10 in this one paragraph you cannot win.

Seriously if you lose a one strike combat, swear at the author and just keep playing. Or go read a better book

If the second one is referring to The Crimson Tide then the author discussed the validity of winning without all the codewords on my playthrough thread. He was fine with you inferring what to do based on incomplete knowledge so it's fine (but obviously suboptimal) to lose that fight and continue without the code.

[CharlesX]

Oct 16, 2022 21:26:33 GMT fingersonthepages said:

This is another book you should probably cheat if you play it.

One Strike Combat is a candidate for the list of worst fighting fantasy ideas up there with: needing to fail a luck test to win, needing to beat a 5 skill opponent with a d6 skill character to win and mask of mayhem "if you roll a 4-10 in this one paragraph you cannot win.

Seriously if you lose a one strike combat, swear at the author and just keep playing. Or go read a better book

I wish I could say Chasms Of Malice was well-written aside from One Strike Combats, but unlike The Count I don't have a high opinion of COM. I guess the encounters are varied and Chasms can be original at times - it isn't as difficult as Spellbreaker or Crypt even if you don't 'cheat\house rule' about OSCs - but there's far too much wandering around one-or-two-sentence blank passages without a thing going on or a clue of where to go next. It doesn't feel epic or gripping enough, and there are too many Orc and Troll combats, one strike or not.