37) Portal of Evil Solution

[champskees]

Portal of Evil is a well designed book and very playable. This path allows the book to be completed with minimum stats, though there are a couple of rolls against your Stamina & Skill that need to be made in order to survive, so it may take a couple of goes with a Skill 7 character (I completed it first go with a 7/14/7 guy). Overall pretty fun, the author writes well and it is a fairly interesting read, battles are fair and many items are not mandatory to complete the adventure – though they certainly help. Note that there is no limit to increases to your Skill score & provisions can only be consumed when instructed.

- Help defend the monster.
- Fight Sk 5 St 8 Soldier. Fight until opponent’s Stamina drops to 3 or less.
- Try to find out more about Gartax.
- Enter the forest from a south easterly direction, hoping to find Gartax.
- Come to the man’s rescue.
- Sheathe your sword & surrender.
- Reply that you are on your way to Kleinkastel in response to Gloten’s appeal.
- Ask for information on Gloten.
- Add note: Gloten is a Dwarf who likes winning pick-axe fights.
- Ask Gartax if there is anyone else who can help him & his followers.
- Add note: If Wizard is met, tell him what Gartax has told you.
- Stay with Gartax & help defend the camp (+4 Stamina).
- Hold your position in the defensive line.
- Search the bodies of the attackers.
- Take Dark Talisman.
- Place it in your backpack & return to Gartax’s camp.
- Take 5 Food.
- You can eat a meal here (+4 Stamina if you do).
- Head south through the forest.
- Go downstream towards the south west.
- Attempt to climb out of the ravine.
- 6D6 Test Skill+Stamina.
        o If success:
                o Let the spider eat the Goblin.
        o If fail:
                o Lose X Stamina (X=6D6 total – Skill+Stamina).
                o Test Luck.
                        • If successful:
                        o Hurry away from the cave.
                        • If fail:
                        o Roll D6:
                                o 1,2,3: -1,2,3 Skill.
                                o 4,5: -4+-4,5 Skill. If Skill <1, death.
                                o 6: Death.
                        o Fight Sk 3 St 19 Stegocephalian. Fight until opponent’s Stamina drops to 12 or less.
                        o Recover lost Skill points from encounter.
                        o You have had enough fighting, continue along the path.
- Go to the hut & knock on the door.
- Give him some of your food in return for a boat (-1 Food).
- Take whatever floats your boat.
- Let the boat continue to drift with the current in the middle of the river.
- You can eat a meal here (+4 Stamina if you do).
- Steer to the right, near the west bank.
- Go to the tower to see if it will provide shelter.
- Do not inspect the cellar.
- Climb the staircase & push up the trapdoor.
- Take Stub of Thick Candle.
- Stay in the dark and look for a way to reach the top.
- Try to climb it (2 Damage).
- Wait for the nest’s owner.
- Take 10 Gold & Egg.
- Fight Sk 5 St 8 Pteranodon.
- You must eat here or take 4 Damage (-1 Food).
- Stand & wait for them to reach you.
- Obey his instructions.
- Your belongings include Gold Pieces.
- Gamble for your money in a game of chance (Lose all gold. Gold put into sack).
- Roll 6D6:
        o 3 Odd & 3 Even = +5 Gold & 1 of your possessions (Sword and/or Dark Talisman first) placed in sack & roll again.
        o 4+ Odd = Take all items in sack.
        o 4+ Even = Lose all items in sack. Take 1 Gold Piece.
- Toss a Gold Piece towards the shape (-1 Gold).
- Say you are searching for a wizard.
- Describe the strange things you have seen and heard in the forest.
- Whose am I? Wizard’s. What am I? Shadow. Reply ‘Wizard’s shadow’.
- The answer you gave was ‘you are the wizard’s shadow’.
- If you have a weapon:
        o Throw it on to the rusty heap on the island (-4 Skill, lose Sword).
- Ask him if he is a wizard.
- You have a message from Gartax, give it now.
- Take Ring of Zombie Warding.
- Take Sword of Gravalan (3xDouble Damage for duration of fight).
- Restore Skill to Initial value (+4 Stamina).
- If you have a Dark Talisman:
        o Wait while he studies his books (for some extra story).
- Go with the wizard to Kleinkastel.
- Take 2 Gold Pieces.
- You have some money (-1 Gold).
- Buy an excellent breakfast (-1 Gold).
- Enter the tournament.
- Force yourself to remain still.
- Answer ‘2 Silver Pieces’.
- Challenge Gloten to a pickaxe fight.
- Fight Sk 9 St 16 Gloten. Fight until you or opponent’s Stamina drops to 4 or less.
- Pretend that Gloten’s next few blows strike you hard, collapse and submit.
- Tell him that he fights with the strength & courage of a Dwarf.
- Sit patiently on a couch.
- Take Hunting Horn.
- Restore Skill, Luck & Stamina to Initial values.
- Take Margrave’s Warrant.
- Take 10 Gold, Potion of True Seeing & 5 Food.
- Fight Sk 9 St 12 Struthiomimus. Fight for three rounds only.
- You have a Ring of Zombie Warding.
- Run out of the clearing along the eastward path.
- Wait on the path for the men to arrive.
- Reach into the tree to pull out the heap (1 Damage).
- Take Mirror & Sprig of Swords Ease (only take 1 Damage in fight when used. +1 Luck).
- You have a Warrant. Show it to the officer (+4 Stamina).
- Stay in the village a little longer and search it quickly yourself.
- Take Rope & Torches.
- Use Candle Stub with Miner’s Helmet. Take Miner’s Helmet.
- Pass them by and continue along the path.
- Take the wider branch leading north east into the mountains.
- Enter the mine.
- Agree to help the old man.
- Reach in to retrieve a nugget for yourself.
- Give up fishing for nuggets & return to the other room to help Azudraz.
- Take Sack of Igneolite.
- Leave now.
- Go on through the doorway.
- Take Red & Blue Birds.
- Release all the birds from their cages (+1 Luck).
- Follow uphill branch.
- Wait until the fighting is over.
- Pass it by & climb across the top of the mound.
- Take Mirror.
- You have the Hunting Horn.
- Add 1 to Initial Skill.
- Talk to them.
- You have a Potion of True Seeing.
- You can eat a meal here (+4 Stamina if you do).
- Leave the hut & explore your surroundings.
- I, S & O not in Left. Go to para 150.
- You must eat here or take 4 Damage (-1 Food).
- Take north path.
- You have an egg.
- Give it a meal (-1 Food, +1 Luck).
- Take lit Torch.
- You have a sack of Igneolite.
- Step into the shadow of the portal.
- You have a Ring of Zombie Warding.
- 3D6 Stamina Test. Fail = Death.
- You have two cage-birds with you.
- Test Skill. Fail = Death.
- You have three sources of light.
- Go right into the jungle.
- Take the left hand path.
- Surrender.
- Wait for her to return (+4 Stamina).
- Test Luck. Fail = Roll D6. 1-5 = 1-5 Damage. 6 = Death.
- Sleep & wait for the dinosaur hunt (+1 Luck, +4 Stamina).
- Get a Tattoo on your forehead of the Sign of the Spear.
- Fight it alone.
- Fight Sk 8 St 8 Triceratops. +2 to your Skill for this fight. Your blows inflict 1 damage; enemy inflicts 3 damage per hit. Only fight for 5 rounds.
- Return in triumph with your fellow warriors (+6 Stamina).
- Ignore everything that distracts you from confronting the Warlord himself.
- Use your mirror.
- Fight Sk 8 St 10 Horfak. Use a charge from Sword of Gravalan & Sprig of Swords Ease here. (Double damage & only 1 damage received per hit).
- You left a sack of Igneolite against the foot of one of the megaliths.
- You accept a chest of gems & a good pack horse and leave Kleinkastel quietly.

[deadshadowrunner]

I thought the answer to the enchanted door was 56?

[champskees]

Interesting, it appears you are right. I can't seem to figure it out though; why is the answer 56?

[thealmightymudworm]

May 9, 2014 8:56:59 GMT champskees said:

Interesting, it appears you are right. I can't seem to figure it out though; why is the answer 56?

If I remember rightly (don't have the book handy) it's 56 because

SPOILER: Click to show

EF=56 because E=5, F=6
and
'ef' appears in 'left' but not anywhere in 'little soft felt elf'
unlike 'le' and 'ft' which do (if you were tempted to turn to 125 or, um, 620).

(Sorry if I'm treading on DSR's toes here, but he mentioned he's busy with exams.)

[deadshadowrunner]

No worries.I couldn't figure it out either;it was just that the previous owner wrote 56 in pencil next to the riddle reference(which I have erased (the 56, not the reference)).

[champskees]

Thanks for this. Looking back at my original solution to the puzzle, it is totally illogical!

[tyrion]

I know it's been over 6 years, but I'd just like to add the following:
Champskees answer to the elf lock riddle is incorrect, as has been discussed. If you use the correct answer,you will have to test your luck later to escape. This can be avoided by using your rope and investigating the groan coming from the tree trunk and then removing the talisman.

[kieran]

I've never been able to work out that puzzle - luckily you don't need to to beat the book. Champskees' answer didn't seem right to me, not sure how I missed Mudworm posting the actual answer. Pretty sneaky solution but in a clever rather than an annoying way.

[Sunil]

So the modfied solution in the Elf village is:

- Leave the hut & explore your surroundings.
- At the door: E (=5), F (=6): consecutive letters (=56) ARE in Left. Go to para 56.
- Hear groan, investigate
- Remove his talisman, avoid fight with Slave Elf
- You must eat here or take 4 Damage (-1 Food).
- Take north path

[Charles X.]

Some of the best artwork in the youth-orientated, slightly variable series. The enemies, landscape and portal really left an impression on me as a kid. The actual book is one of the best, as well. Partly just because it doesn't share the insane difficulty level common to FF, but, you know, partly because everything else about it is good, too.

[CharlesX]

Unfortunately I don't have Portal Of Evil with me so I wonder if anyone else here can help me by telling me if this is one of those FFs where you can only eat when you are told you may? If so, this may suffer from a similar problem to Battleblade Warrior, though not half to the extent Battleblade Warrior does - there don't seem to be enough opportunities to eat, with post Triceratops fight being one stand-out example; but more to point "does you may eat a meal" mean merely the one, rather than stuffing five or six down like a caveman as one does in most FF? Having said that the gamebook is comparatively easy and so it makes some sense to limit opportunities to replenish Stama.

   Some people like this rule, some people don't. Personally I think it very much works better having it in this gamebook than it would without it. Btw obviously the Skill bonus in the Triceratops fight is technically useless.

[terrysalt]

Mar 22, 2023 17:42:40 GMT CharlesX said:

Unfortunately I don't have Portal Of Evil with me so I wonder if anyone else here can help me by telling me if this is one of those FFs where you can only eat when you are told you may? If so, this may suffer from a similar problem to Battleblade Warrior, though not half to the extent Battleblade Warrior does - there don't seem to be enough opportunities to eat, with post Triceratops fight being one stand-out example; but more to point "does you may eat a meal" mean merely the one, rather than stuffing five or six down like a caveman as one does in most FF? Having said that the gamebook is comparatively easy and so it makes some sense to limit opportunities to replenish Stama.

   Some people like this rule, some people don't. Personally I think it very much works better having it in this gamebook than it would without it. Btw obviously the Skill bonus in the Triceratops fight is technically useless.

I just looked it up and it says "At various times you will be given opportunities to eat meals and to acquire Provisions. Eating a meal normally restores up to 4 STAMINA, although there will be times, when you get very hungry, when you will need to eat a meal simply to avoid losing STAMINA; you may eat only one meal at a time, even though you may have more in your backpack."

So pretty clear, only when instructed and only one meal per instruction.

[CharlesX]

Mar 22, 2023 21:41:23 GMT terrysalt said:

Mar 22, 2023 17:42:40 GMT CharlesX said:

Unfortunately I don't have Portal Of Evil with me so I wonder if anyone else here can help me by telling me if this is one of those FFs where you can only eat when you are told you may? If so, this may suffer from a similar problem to Battleblade Warrior, though not half to the extent Battleblade Warrior does - there don't seem to be enough opportunities to eat, with post Triceratops fight being one stand-out example; but more to point "does you may eat a meal" mean merely the one, rather than stuffing five or six down like a caveman as one does in most FF? Having said that the gamebook is comparatively easy and so it makes some sense to limit opportunities to replenish Stama.

   Some people like this rule, some people don't. Personally I think it very much works better having it in this gamebook than it would without it. Btw obviously the Skill bonus in the Triceratops fight is technically useless.

I just looked it up and it says "At various times you will be given opportunities to eat meals and to acquire Provisions. Eating a meal normally restores up to 4 STAMINA, although there will be times, when you get very hungry, when you will need to eat a meal simply to avoid losing STAMINA; you may eat only one meal at a time, even though you may have more in your backpack."

So pretty clear, only when instructed and only one meal per instruction.

Yes, I guess those last words heavily imply you can't do the usual trick of eating one meal, then another, then another, then another etc. It does mean you'll have several meals in your backpack going to waste, but it fits very well with the moderate difficulty level.

[CharlesX]

A very rough % chance of completing an FF worked out by extrapolating Champskees Table Skill, 3 permutations for Stamina and Luck.

Portal Of Evil Odds of Victory 91.42%

I'd recommend Portal of Evil as a fun FF for young people to enjoy reading without worrying about having their adventurer die or sadistic, unexpected instant death for going off true path (like the path itself, its well-written and illustrated). Like Stephen Hand's this is the sort of adventure you can enjoy re-reading for writing and illustration rather than (necessarily) 'challenge'.