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Post by a moderator on Mar 12, 2022 0:00:02 GMT
24-hour warning for nathanh, peasantscribbler, thealmightymudworm, schlendrian & The Count.
Week 11 This century - Sword of the Samurai Last century - Island of the Undead
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Post by terrysalt on Mar 12, 2022 5:13:17 GMT
I guess I'll be cashing in the points for my stats this time around. Skill: 7 Stamina: 21 Luck 8
Kills: samurai warrior, samurai items: 7 provisions, 3 willow leaf arrows, 1 armour piercing arrow, 3 bowel raker arrows, 3 humming bulb arrows Information learned: 7 skill really sucks
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Post by nathanh on Mar 12, 2022 15:23:35 GMT
I tried Sister Angela's Veil and ended up stuck at the doors with no code.
Sk 10 St 20 Lu 8.
This seems to be an adventure where Luck is important. I got a fools gold nugget, a silver carving knife, and an alabaster mask, for what it's worth. Enemies killed: BATS, METAL WARRIOR.
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Post by schlendrian on Mar 12, 2022 17:17:06 GMT
I also ended at the doors, though I at least had the code for one of them: Sk 10 St 18 L 9
Enemies defeated (6): Bats, Calacorm, Metal Warrior, Nandibear, Minotaur, Goblin
Information gathered: Code for door 1, Sister Angela is alive (along with a code to use for when I confront her)
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Post by The Count on Mar 12, 2022 20:51:34 GMT
I attempted the exquisite Phantoms of Fear, though to make the deadline, had to rush it slightly. Skill 12 Stamina 21 Luck 10 Power 15
After going in the wrong way, I could only gather three provisions, and lost two of these after the dunking by the pixies. I befriended Eric Rune-Axe only to see him slain by a Dark Elf raiding party. Inside Ishtrahs lair, my beloved sword Telessa ended up blunted by a Quartz Golem, and I almost ended up in the cooking pot! Lacking the ability to heal my many wounds, it was lucky I was near the end of my quest. In the Dream World, a lucky set of rolls against the Angroc was countered by a succession of terrible rolls against the Clawbeast. Thanks to Eriks warning, I spared Morpheus before the Demon Prince appeared before me. Sadly, I missed two items and failed to gain enough Power to confront Ishtra in the dream world, meaning he blasted me to oblivion with a single fireball.
Items: Potion of Fortune (not used) Antlers *12* Branches *22* Amber *20* Ice *33*
Enemies: Fog Devil Forest Giant Arctolyce Slime Monster Tree* Shapechanger First Dark Elf Second Dark Elf Third Dark Elf Dark Elf Wounded Dark Elf Troll Quartz Golem Cook Angaroc* (undefeatable - escaped from) Shikara Harpy* Clawbeast* (lost this fight) Wraith* Morpheus** (did not strike the final blow)
*Dream battle **Power as Stamina
Such an amazing book, I found a path I don't remember ever following.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Mar 12, 2022 21:27:24 GMT
I tried both adventures for this week, but I got a lot further in Sister Angela's Veil.I got past the doors, but I was killed by a Wight-Priestess for lack of a magic sword. I had great fighting stats but not much call to use them.
Starting Stats: Skill=11, Stamina=23, Luck=7
Fights Won (1) Bats
Items gathered: Potion of Invisibility Fool's Gold
Information learned: "The second of the two"=176 Combination for door one=141
Didn't use a guide.
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 12, 2022 23:54:11 GMT
Managed to attempt both adventures this week (just). Not that familiar with either. Might have left it at just SAV, but figured the fact I had pretty stonking stats for that meant that anything short of success was a big failure, so I'd like to be judged on my ignominious failure in PoF please. Both included for completeness.
Sister Angela's Veil
Skill: 11 Stamina: 24 Luck: 8
Reached final two doors, but didn't know what to do with them.
Inventory: Fool's gold, alabaster mask and 3 provisions (holy water and potiion of invisibility smashed when I slipped on the floor – slightly tedious) Notes: Talk to Grandier, dwarf warns to avoid dortoir, turn to 128 to confront Angela with her confession
Fights won: Bats, Metal Warrior Phantoms of Fear Skill: 8 Stamina: 16 Luck: 12 Power: 13
Inventory: Potion of Skill, magnificent axe Note: can no longer cast spells
Fights won: Slime Monster, Wild Man
Set off down the source of evil path. Was shortly told that I wouldn't be able to cast spells [oh great], then had a fairly easy battle with a slime monster, and an epic showdown with a Wild Man. I rolled for LUCK five times in that battle and squeaked out of it with Stamina 2. This meant that when I lost the dream battle with a strangling tree, the 2 STAMINA damage finished me off.
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Post by a moderator on Mar 13, 2022 0:40:15 GMT
Week 10 scoring
1st: terrysalt – 12 (stats bonus 2 + victory bonus 10)
2nd: The Count - 7 (stats bonus 2 + most fights won bonus 5)
3rd: vastariner - 5 (stats bonus 5)
4th= schlendrian – 4 (stats bonus 4)
4th= thealmightymudworm - 4 (stats bonus 4)
6th= kieran – 2 (stats bonus 2)
6th= nathanh - 2 (stats bonus 2)
6th= peasantscribbler – 2 (stats bonus 2)
Running totals
1st: terrysalt - 90
2nd: nathanh – 57
3rd: The Count - 56
4th: kieran - 44
5th: thealmightymudworm - 41
6th: schlendrian - 40
7th: peasantscribbler - 38
8th: vastariner – 36
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Post by vastariner on Mar 13, 2022 9:40:32 GMT
From memory, Island of the Undead has lots of things where you apply the alphabet code to names like Zyxpliddlequomquom, so Sword of the Samurai. Sk 9 St 20 Lu 9 Not optimistic with that. Let's go with archery special skill. Gen:
The Jizo invocation The secret of Singing Death
Loot:
Shinmen's headband Companion Moichi (who gets Mungoed) 115 GP Boss armour White feather arrow (used against undead samurai horde) War fan Mini-stamina potion Jade amulet Ivory horn Singing Death (takes me to Sk11, St14, Lu11)
Honour points gained: 3
Kills:
Samurai Warrior First samurai Second samurai Third samurai Tsietsin's bodyguard An assist in Tsietsin Mukade Undead samurai Sort of lots of mates of the undead samurai (St 20) Dai-Oni (down to 10 St) Ikiru
Allies:
Tatsu Golden Company Kirin Sabre-tooth Wow, an actual bona fide genuine win! Somewhat stunned at that. Remarkably, 3 AR wins against the dice against Ikiru, and 3 successful Luck tests, and voom. Some very judicious use of Luck in battles was the difference here, twice went down to one hit from defeat...
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,472
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Mar 14, 2022 11:24:16 GMT
I took the harder path on Sword of the Samurai since I don't know it so well. Probably not the way to climb the ranks but hey ho. Sk11 St18 Lu11 Ni-to-Kenjutsu Things were going ok (bar losing my armour and getting beaten up by a deer) when I got caught in an earthquake. I have a vague memory of being taught that the safest thing to do in an earthquake is to hide under the stairs so figured hiding in a cave might be a similar substitute. It was not.
Victories: Rokuro-Kubi Forsaken One Black Elk Kappa
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Post by The Count on Mar 14, 2022 16:14:09 GMT
As I had the day, off, I thought I'd tackle Island of the Undead as I knew it would need a LOT of bookkeeping... I covered most of the island, made some poor choices, made some good ones as well, managed to scrape through a lot of fights with lucky rolls, and managing to use the Stamina potions at the right times. I somehow made it to the end with 2 Stamina remaining despite clearly being drunk during the last fight as having no provisions left only the Monks Herbal Liquor and Grog for the pre battle healing.
Skill 11
Stamina 17
Luck 11
Presence 7
Items:
Knife
Waterskin
Leather Jerkin
Gold Pieces 14
Empty Bottles 2
Chest
Pot of Thick Glue
Sword (x2)
Bottle of ½ Litre of Olive Oil
Rope x2
Wooden Pole
Green Cream
Gold Key
Potion of Stamina x3
Grog
Captains Cutlass (Magic Sword)
Shield (x3)
Lantern
Bottle of Monks Herbal Liquor x2
Pestle & Mortar
Rusty Sword
Herbiary
Torn Diary
Sapphire
Topaz
Magical Stone
Incantation Scroll
Skeleton Key
Small Gold Chain
Pearl
Parraine – 3 services
Brass Orb
Pitcher Plant Liquid
Ruby
Tigers Eye
Blade Venom
Stone Axe
Tomb Dust
Decanter
Diamond
Metal Spikes and Rods
Spectrebane
Potion of Luck
Blue Potion
Red Globe
Bottle of Acid
Fire Ruby
Enemies:
Sea Zombie
Octopus
Slime Worm
Sea Zombie
Greater Ghoul
Mass of Limbs (6 rounds)
Zombie Monk
Earth Elemental
Father Honorton
Stone Wight
Fire Elemental
Barrow Guardian
Barrow Spirit
First Skeleton Group
Second Skeleton Group
Grupplers
Swamp Alligator
Shark Kin
Hydra Snakes
First Giant Skeleton
Second Giant Skeleton
Homunculus
Bone Golem
Elemental Vortex
Great Moray Eel
Master of Waters
Skeletal Mutant
Bronze Manikin
Black Skeleton
Master of Fire
Dire Spectre
First time I've ever completed this book.
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CharlesX
Baron
Posts: 2,221
Member is Online
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Post by CharlesX on Mar 14, 2022 16:39:06 GMT
As I had the day, off, I thought I'd tackle Island of the Undead as I knew it would need a LOT of bookkeeping... I covered most of the island, made some poor choices, made some good ones as well, managed to scrape through a lot of fights with lucky rolls, and managing to usVe the Stamina potions at the right times.
I somehow made it to the end with 2 Stamina remaining despite clearly being drunk during the last fight as having no provisions left only the Monks Herbal Liquor and Grog for the pre battle healing. The Winston Churchill way!
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Post by nathanh on Mar 18, 2022 20:03:43 GMT
I might not get chance to play Sword of the Samurai tomorrow, so here is a disappointing attempt at Island of the Undead in case. Sk 9 St 16 Lu 8 Presence 6
Killed: SEA ZOMBIE, SQUIRTING OCTOPUS, SLIMEWORM
Died to the Greater Ghoul, an enemy that spoils an otherwise fun book.
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Post by a moderator on Mar 19, 2022 0:04:12 GMT
24-hour warning to peasantscribbler, schlendrian and thealmightymudworm.
I managed to roll worse stats for Sword than terrysalt did, and got killed by the Samurai Horseman. A Skill of 10 for Island meant that I wound up as Greater Ghoul-fodder.
Week 12 This century - Shrine of the Salamander (Fantazine 2) Last century - Black Vein Prophecy
In Prophecy you may voluntarily fail that Test your Luck, but if you do so, you may only add 5 to the number rolled when generating your Luck score, and must state that you did so when posting your results.
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Post by terrysalt on Mar 19, 2022 4:42:47 GMT
I didn't want to mess about with the rules surrounding BVP so I took on the shrine of the salamander.
skill 5, stamina 18, luck 8 items: lantern, galehorn, 13 pebbles, 3 stone dust, 5 sand, 5 lumps of coal, bomba fruit, 2 giant teeth, rope, potion of healing, enchanted warhammer, 4 gold, 10 provisions kills: merkurio (lost), 5 killer tadpoles, trident of doom knowledge gained: -20 at beehive, +50 at giant fungi, -30 when salamander defeated, +20 to say Xak's name, -15 when reference has * win: yes guide: Champskees
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Post by thealmightymudworm on Mar 19, 2022 5:08:23 GMT
Played Sword of the Samurai which I remember quite well. Win! I don't know IotU at all so I might try giving that a playthrough too but there almost certainly won't be time.
Skill 12 Stamina 22 Luck 12
Blimey, better not screw this up. No wonder folk think I'm a sword-saint.
Skill: Kyujutsu
Take the easier, Westerly, path which seems wimpy given those stats. But my recollection is that whilst there are a couple of interesting encounters on the other path it just constantly feels like it's giving you a kicking for no good reason almost regardless of what you do. It's just much less fun.
Given that I know the way and have these ridiculous stats, it's a predictable breeze: save village, don't kill Moichi, target Tsietsin, kill all that stand in way, answer Tatsu, battle undead samurai then shoot it, have Honour oozing out of every orifice, get all the right allies, reduce Dai-Oni's challenge to a single 10:10 fight. Get secret of Singing Death, amble through shadows, release lightning bolt into Ikiru's face, job done.
The only sticky moment was I couldn't remember the answer to the Tatsu's second riddle for a bit. I was considering 'shadow', which actually I think is just as good as the actual answer. Fortunately I remembered after a while. Getting them right is SO crucial for the Tourney, otherwise you end up fighting the mantis, Gargantus, a magic-toting Dai-Oni and then his ghost instead of just him alone with a silly little cosh.
Kills: Horseman, 3 x Tsietsin's samurai, 2 x Shikome, Tsietien's bodyguard, Mukade, Dai-Oni, Ikiru
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Post by schlendrian on Mar 19, 2022 15:24:15 GMT
I had to cave in and use a guide as book substitute, as suggested. I did however use one for a book I do possess, Sword of the Samurai:
Sk 10 St 23 L 7
Kills (15): Samurai Warrior, 3 Samurai, Bodyguard, Mukade, 7 Undead Samurai, Dai Oni, Ikiru
Win
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Post by peasantscribbler on Mar 19, 2022 17:27:36 GMT
I was cruising through Island of the Undead, feeling untouchable, until the Swamp Alligator instantly killed me in the first round of combat. So instead of that, I present a somewhat feeble attempt at Sword of the Samurai. I chose Kyujutsu, knowing that it's a good option for the westerly path. The Mukade won the last five combat rounds, snatching away what looked like a sure victory. (Sure victory in the fight, not in the game. I don't think I could have won the game because I don't remember the ending very well).
Starting Stats: Skill=8, Stamina=23, Luck=10
Fights Won (2) Samurai Warrior Tsietsin's Bodyguard
Didn't use a guide.
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Post by a moderator on Mar 19, 2022 22:00:04 GMT
Week 11 scoring 1st: The Count - 17 (stats bonus 2 + most fights won bonus 5 + victory bonus 10) 2nd: vastariner - 14 (stats bonus 4 + victory bonus 10) 3rd: schlendrian – 12 (stats bonus 2 + victory bonus 10) 4th: thealmightymudworm - 10 (stats bonus 0 + victory bonus 10) 5th= nathanh - 4 (stats bonus 4) 5th= terrysalt – 4 (stats bonus 4) 7th= kieran – 2 (stats bonus 2) 7th= peasantscribbler – 2 (stats bonus 2)
Running totals 1st: terrysalt - 94 2nd: The Count - 73 3rd: nathanh – 61 4th: schlendrian - 52 5th: thealmightymudworm - 51 6th: vastariner – 50 7th: kieran - 46 8th: peasantscribbler - 40
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Post by The Count on Mar 20, 2022 16:36:10 GMT
An afternoon attempting the sublime Black Vein Prophecy for this week - I decided NOT to choose to fail the Luck roll and played according to the rules, so I could lose very early on in the book... which would possibly give me a route for maximum kills instead. Waking up in my sarcophagus, I fled the scene rather than choosing to go for a nap, and while fleeing my tomb and the corpse, ended up with a Luck of 8 and proceeded to roll a 10 for the subsequent test! Exploring the city and meeting a bizarre mutant, I discovered that I knew some strange magic powers and catapulted myself out onto the water, hurting myself before being rescued and put to work on the boat. On landing, I separate from Velkos, get another power, defeat the Polybleb and the subsequent Luck boost means I can just pass the next Luck test and find a brooch that gets me an imp for a servant, and another power. The Shael Beast managed to cut my Stamina in half, so a trip to a town seeking some healing has me entering a pub and a stranger immediately inviting me to remove my clothes as this pub is really some kind of Roman baths! I recall a certain TV show that suggests this could become a very different book, though as I still don't know much assume that my character is open minded to such experiences... Alas, talking to another patron to scope out the talent reveals I am surrounded by mingers! Luckily, another random stranger offers a different type of service, giving me the opportunity to excuse myself from the situation, though the obviously excited other patrons aren't happy about this, leading me to use my powers to escape! Unfortunately, someone has stolen my clothes leaving me with only some grubby cast offs. My exotic good looks clearly attract the wrong sort in this tale, as I escape from another encounter in a coach when the unsavoury opportunist gets his clothes stuck over his head, grabbing a map with battleplans on it as I jump out. Hiding inside a tunnel leads to me learning yet another power and an old man hiring me to pick up an ugly statue after telling me my name. I search for the man who I so impressed while striding naked from the bath, leading me to go looking for an army and agreeing to meet him later. The King is as crap at strategy as his name suggests so I sneakily take command and we win! Chasing my defeated Evil Twin, we end up in a spell battle, however my trusty imp brings this to a swift end. Then I end up reliving the events of what happened before the book started, watch what is happening now in a crystal ball and end up victorious! Now in charge of the Islands, I bring an age of peace and prosperity - and presumably my character remains in the mindset to potentially create the option for the codewords "When King Offers Wood, Turn..." to appear in a later book.
Skill 8 Stamina 21 Luck 8
Haversack 5 Provisions Greatsword Multicoloured Scales Biantai - Power of Mutation Shrivelled Claw Baopo - Power of Disruption Brooch (343) Izkhao Shangsuo - Power of Locking Jewelled Dagger Filthy / Peasant Clothes Chang Whistle Map / Battleplans Tiaohe - Power of Harmonisation Small Jar of Orange Syrup Snapped Shaft
Ploybleb* (not fought) Shael Beast First Soldier Second Soldier Feior** (not fought) Bezenvial*** (not fought)
*defeated by book mechanics / power **defeated in a spell dual and Izkhao ***defeated by dodging the Sturramak
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Post by vastariner on Mar 20, 2022 23:53:14 GMT
I've done BVP to death, so let's do the Fantazine adventure, which I don't remember doing, or even downloading. Heh, it's quasi-Sorcery. Although the Verlang priests obviously lack the magical sophistication of the Ana-landers.
Sk: 9 St: 15 (well, that buggers up the magic advantage) Lu: 11
Will choose the skullcap to start as the free magic item.
Starting with 2 prov, lantern, armour, 5 GP Gen:
Horntoads love bees (-20 para to get some) Their tadpoles are carnivores Three salamander instars Zared might be an ally (+50 when in a fungus cave) Go left and then clockwise in the crystal cave -30 when killing El Salamandro because of trident How to be a better swordsman (+2 sk) Xak might be the Croaking Cave salamander (+20 para)
Loot:
12 pebbles (1 used) 20 GPs 5 meals 5 coal lumps Crystal jar with stopper, turned into a jar of bees, and given away Rope x2 Stone dust x4 (1 used) Sand x4 (1 used) Giant's tooth (used) Ring of keys (which I couldn't use in the gaol) Honey Enchanted warhammer Vittles Gloister Verrema the Dark Elf, Sk8 St8 (-15 with *) Secret staircase behind Xak
Kills:
Two Dark Goblins Morgul (well, petrified) Rhino-Man (by proxy) Baddu beetle Skurasha Sand golem Two horntoad guards Five killer tadpoles (the third, Sk2 St2, is surely the weakest opponent in FF? I think even the IotLK grannits had better stats) Flayer Young salamander Six salamander efts Xak Xak's trident Another win. And a full victory condition as Verrena was barely troubled by the fights at the end. The key to that one was killing the Flayer and getting a load of useful food at the right time. That and escaping from the Horntoads when the odds looked overwhelming.
Thought that I might be down on the old battle victories, but an absolute plethora of easy opponents helped on that score. I think I basically notched up 11 babies for starters...
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Post by philsadler on Mar 21, 2022 8:08:19 GMT
Five killer tadpoles (the third, Sk2 St2, is surely the weakest opponent in FF? I think even the IotLK grannits had better stats)
The Cave Grub had Sk1 St1 and the Clone had Sk0 St2. They are from OOTP, so I don't know if they appeared anywhere else. The Suma is Sk0 St0 and did appear in a book or two but its low stats are because you literally cannot fight or harm it at all.
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Post by terrysalt on Mar 21, 2022 9:10:06 GMT
Pretty sure the clones are from Forest of Doom, you never enter combat with one though. If you attack them, you kill them without needing to roll any dice.
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Post by vastariner on Mar 21, 2022 9:47:22 GMT
Yeah, the Clones are basically humanoid mushrooms in the FoD underground mushroom farm and do not fight. Really a Clone should not have a skill at all as you could lose an attack round to a Sk0 entity. Maybe that would reflect being such a klutz that as you try to swipe its head off you miss and gash your own leg. Clone warriors do fight but they're weak sauce.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,472
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Mar 25, 2022 18:42:33 GMT
Had a pretty unspectacular go at Black Vein Prophecy: Sk6 St18 Lu9 (cheated on the initial Luck test so Luck was a roll of 4 plus 5)
My low Skill was my undoing and I ended up dying to a Shael-Beast
Kills Maddened Criminal
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Post by a moderator on Mar 26, 2022 2:05:45 GMT
The clocks officially go forward at 2am on Sunday, so the deadline for week 12 is unaffected. Thus, nathanh, peasantscribbler, schlendrian & thealmightymudworm still have until midnight GMT to get their results in.
Week 13 This century - Kharé - Cityport of Traps came up on the randomizer, but to allow for carrying characters forward in Sorcery! that gets changed to The Shamutanti Hills Last century - The Floating City (Warlock magazine 8)
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Post by terrysalt on Mar 26, 2022 4:01:32 GMT
A casual stroll through the hills. played as: wizard victory: yes skill: 7 stamina: 20 luck: 10 items: blimberry potion, broadsword, locket with woman inside, armband of sword mastery, torch, tinderbox, key to Khare, 25 gold, 2 provisions info: Flanker will help in Khare (turn to 79), turn to 12 to use key kills: assassin (spared) guide: Champskees
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Post by nathanh on Mar 26, 2022 9:02:36 GMT
I got a bit further than usual in Black Vein Prophecy but still not close. Sk 10 St 19 Lu 7
Kills: MIRROR IMAGE, MAN HORSE MUTANT, MADDENED CRIMINAL, ROBBER, SLAVER
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Post by peasantscribbler on Mar 26, 2022 15:34:57 GMT
I made two sorry attempts yet again this week. Here's how Black Vein Prophecy went. Velkos attacked me unprovoked in her boat. It wasn't pretty.
Starting Stats: Skill=5, Stamina=24, Luck=11
Fights Won (0)
Didn't use a guide.
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Post by a moderator on Mar 26, 2022 21:38:03 GMT
In Prophecy I learned that you should never Biantai a Polybleb.
For Shrine I got Sk 7 St 19 L 7. After a promising start, I fell down a hole into a latrine, lost all my Provisions and contracted a wasting disease (though neither of those consequences would have occurred if I'd Escaped from the Slime Eater that attacked me rather than killing it), and subsequently got killed by Tadpoles.
Fights won Rhino-man 3 Dark Goblins Slime Eater 3 Killer Tadpoles
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