sylas
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Post by sylas on Sept 28, 2019 18:54:15 GMT
Been having fun lately playing Fighting Fantasy books but with a difference. Using a single hero, can you go from Basic to Epic?
* You begin with Skill 7, Stamina 14, Luck 7. Choose any book from the original series (so FF 1-59 only). Gain any items of equipment the book starts you with. If you complete it, choose another book and continue play using the same hero – leave your stats as they currently are. You may bring over up to 5 items in total from previously completed books. Do not count Provisions, Gold, Rings, Keys, Ammo, or Gems as items.
Skip the ‘How To Fight’ and ‘Equipment’ sections (you don’t get extra provisions, gold, or potions). Any new rules must still be taken into account so, if you need to include a new attribute (such as FEAR), roll the dice as normal. If you gain any new SKILLS or Special Abilities, they will only apply for the book you are currently playing and do not carry over to the next books. The ‘Background’ does not affect you unless it is to give you a vitally important item (E.g. the Torch in Fangs of Fury), and neither do the endings (E.g. you don’t carry over 10000 gold pieces for completing Deathtrap Dungeon).
Standard FF rules apply to ALL books so, do not mistake Skill additions with Attack Strength, or use loopholes where stats can go over the Initial limit. Lastly, Appointment With F.E.A.R cannot be chosen since you can begin with Skill 13.
Your goal is to complete a book and achieve one of the following: have your Initial Skill or Luck at 13+, or your Initial Stamina at 25+. Play through as many books as you need to; the fewer books you play through to achieve your goal, the better your score.
* NB – any further application of rules will be added to the current ones if necessary.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Sept 28, 2019 21:35:39 GMT
Surely it is best to play Warlock first because it is alright with minimum attributes and you acquire the +2 skill magical sword. Does the sword count as one item or does that become your standard weapon?
This will open up possibilities with the other books but I do not own all of them so I cannot really say. Scorpion Swamp then becomes plausible with the +2 luck increase and then this opens up further possibilities. City of Thieves to acquire the +1 attack strength helmet?
Sorcery would make things a lot easier.
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Sept 28, 2019 22:00:29 GMT
Surely it is best to play Warlock first because it is alright with minimum attributes and you acquire the +2 skill magical sword. Does the sword count as one item or does that become your standard weapon? This will open up possibilities with the other books but I do not own all of them so I cannot really say. Scorpion Swamp then becomes plausible with the +2 luck increase and then this opens up further possibilities. City of Thieves to acquire the +1 attack strength helmet? Sorcery would make things a lot easier. Warlock would be one of the good choices if you can beat it. The +2AS sword would count as 1 of the items you can carry over to the next books. But remember, you can only use one magic weapon at a time. The pluses to your stats should open up the way for later books and certain items carried over will even make some books a lot easier. Including Sorcery! would make it too easy
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Post by daredevil123 on Sept 29, 2019 14:40:16 GMT
This is an interesting idea; I might give it a try if I have time. I haven't played all the books but my instinct would be to start with Demons of the Deep, which gives you several opportunities to improve your initial stats and can be completed with 7/14/7 with a bit of luck.
I'd also like to know why you excluded the Wizard/Scholastic books from the rules. I can see The Port of Peril causing a problem with Yaztromo's stat boost though.
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Sept 29, 2019 14:49:39 GMT
This is an interesting idea; I might give it a try if I have time. I haven't played all the books but my instinct would be to start with Demons of the Deep, which gives you several opportunities to improve your initial stats and can be completed with 7/14/7 with a bit of luck. I'd also like to know why you excluded the Wizard/Scholastic books from the rules. I can see The Port of Peril causing a problem with Yaztromo's stat boost though. Demons of the Deep is a good choice for stats boosts...if you can get past the Skeletons/Bone Demon in one piece. Arguably you can get to Epic from this one book alone but it's not recommended (you'll miss out on the fun of going through several adventures). The Wizard/Scholastic books give too much of an advantage with stat boosts and useful items, namely from Howl of the Werewolf, Stormslayer, Port of Peril. Same as Sorcery! Too beneficial.
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Post by schlendrian on Sept 29, 2019 15:03:23 GMT
Warlock also let's you have two doses of the luck potion, so you can boost your luck to 9 right in the beginning of your quest. The +2 Skill sword let's you get over your limit?
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Sept 29, 2019 15:11:56 GMT
Warlock also let's you have two doses of the luck potion, so you can boost your luck to 9 right in the beginning of your quest. The +2 Skill sword let's you get over your limit? The Potion, Yes, that would work. The Sword, don't remember, oddly. But if the text says it can go over then it can. Otherwise, No.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Sept 29, 2019 15:56:10 GMT
Warlock also let's you have two doses of the luck potion, so you can boost your luck to 9 right in the beginning of your quest. The +2 Skill sword let's you get over your limit? If you are asking is it a genuine initial skill boost then this one most definitely is. Ignoring the dice roll Demons of the Deep would be a good next step with 9/14/7. The best way to play Warlock is to take the Potion of Strength but if you play Demons first you may be strong enough to take the Potion of Luck.
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Post by a moderator on Sept 29, 2019 15:58:58 GMT
The +2 sword in TWoFM adds to Initial and current Skill. An Attack Strength bonus would make more sense, but I don't think there are any Skill rolls in Warlock, so the absurdity of having a sword enhance dexterity, mental fortitude, keen eyesight and so on wasn't an issue back then.
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Post by schlendrian on Sept 29, 2019 21:33:44 GMT
Is there even a book where you can raise your initial stamina?
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Sept 29, 2019 22:12:05 GMT
Is there even a book where you can raise your initial stamina? I can think of a few.
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Post by champskees on Sept 30, 2019 0:50:38 GMT
This got me excited Sylas! Might actually play through this myself if I can get the time...
My thinking thus far is that starting with Firetop is probably a bad idea. You only have around 20% chance of survival with minimum stats. This jumps to 70% with Skill 8 (and 78% with luck & skill 8).
Currently my initial approach would be: - Start with an easy book that does give you a potion - Forest of Doom would be my pick. Very easy with minimum stats and you have +1 initial luck at the end of it. - Then go with Moonrunner. It's a flat 5/6 chance of winning, and you get the Hand of Glory, which applies -1 Skill to all enemies you face but you lose 1 Stamina per battle. - At this point, you would be best off finishing Demons of the Deep, reroll your stats, get all those juicy stat bonuses. - Warlock. Very easy after Demons. - Keep of the Lich Lord.
Then again, if you're going to re-roll your stats in Demons, might as well just start with Moonrunner.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Sept 30, 2019 12:52:59 GMT
This got me excited Sylas! Might actually play through this myself if I can get the time... My thinking thus far is that starting with Firetop is probably a bad idea. You only have around 20% chance of survival with minimum stats. This jumps to 70% with Skill 8 (and 78% with luck & skill 8). Currently my initial approach would be: - Start with an easy book that does give you a potion - Forest of Doom would be my pick. Very easy with minimum stats and you have +1 initial luck at the end of it. - Then go with Moonrunner. It's a flat 5/6 chance of winning, and you get the Hand of Glory, which applies -1 Skill to all enemies you face but you lose 1 Stamina per battle. - At this point, you would be best off finishing Demons of the Deep, reroll your stats, get all those juicy stat bonuses. - Warlock. Very easy after Demons. - Keep of the Lich Lord. Then again, if you're going to re-roll your stats in Demons, might as well just start with Moonrunner. Ah but of course with my system it is a 90% of victory.
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Sept 30, 2019 16:01:26 GMT
Warlock also let's you have two doses of the luck potion, so you can boost your luck to 9 right in the beginning of your quest. The +2 Skill sword let's you get over your limit? If you are asking is it a genuine initial skill boost then this one most definitely is. Ignoring the dice roll Demons of the Deep would be a good next step with 9/14/7. The best way to play Warlock is to take the Potion of Strength but if you play Demons first you may be strong enough to take the Potion of Luck. You can only gain starting equipment (provisions, gold, potions etc) from the first book you tackle. The next books you play do not grant you extra provisions, gold, potions unless you find them during the adventure, not before. And your current stats are not automatically restored to maximum after completing each book.
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Post by johnbrawn1972 on Sept 30, 2019 21:51:28 GMT
If you are asking is it a genuine initial skill boost then this one most definitely is. Ignoring the dice roll Demons of the Deep would be a good next step with 9/14/7. The best way to play Warlock is to take the Potion of Strength but if you play Demons first you may be strong enough to take the Potion of Luck. You can only gain starting equipment (provisions, gold, potions etc) from the first book you tackle. The next books you play do not grant you extra provisions, gold, potions unless you find them during the adventure, not before. And your current stats are not automatically restored to maximum after completing each book. This seems a bit more complicated. So, like Sorcery, if I finish a book with 6 provisions I start the next book with 6 provisions? Second, like Scorpion Swamp, I could have a boosted initial luck of 9, but have to carry over a luck of say 7?
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Oct 1, 2019 0:05:04 GMT
You can only gain starting equipment (provisions, gold, potions etc) from the first book you tackle. The next books you play do not grant you extra provisions, gold, potions unless you find them during the adventure, not before. And your current stats are not automatically restored to maximum after completing each book. This seems a bit more complicated. So, like Sorcery, if I finish a book with 6 provisions I start the next book with 6 provisions? Second, like Scorpion Swamp, I could have a boosted initial luck of 9, but have to carry over a luck of say 7? That is correct for Provisions, and similarly the rules apply to Gold and Potions. Therefore even the easy books sometimes tax your resources. If you have boosted your stats, they stay boosted. If you boosted your stats via an item, your stats will go back down if you lose the item or do not carry it over to the next book. And similarly, you only get item bonuses for actually using the item (e.g. you don't get +3 Attack Strength for carrying 3 different +1 weapons).
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Post by champskees on Oct 1, 2019 0:38:55 GMT
As a variant of the rules, you could aim to simply complete as many books as possible, each book worth 1 point. The goal of becoming 'superhuman' is a good one but makes me avoid a lot of the books by default.
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kieran
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Post by kieran on Oct 1, 2019 8:31:44 GMT
If you are asking is it a genuine initial skill boost then this one most definitely is. Ignoring the dice roll Demons of the Deep would be a good next step with 9/14/7. The best way to play Warlock is to take the Potion of Strength but if you play Demons first you may be strong enough to take the Potion of Luck. You can only gain starting equipment (provisions, gold, potions etc) from the first book you tackle. The next books you play do not grant you extra provisions, gold, potions unless you find them during the adventure, not before. And your current stats are not automatically restored to maximum after completing each book. What about starting equipment that's plot essential (eg the bracelet and torch in Fangs of Fury)? Or less plot essential but referred to a lot in the text (eg the Fangthane steel sword in Slaves of the Abyss)? Of course the bracelet and torch would be essentially useless in later books but not so the Fangthane steel sword. Choosing Space Assassin first would be a good shout - start with a gun and armour and then shoot all those evil wizards in the face.
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Oct 1, 2019 14:33:00 GMT
You can only gain starting equipment (provisions, gold, potions etc) from the first book you tackle. The next books you play do not grant you extra provisions, gold, potions unless you find them during the adventure, not before. And your current stats are not automatically restored to maximum after completing each book. What about starting equipment that's plot essential (eg the bracelet and torch in Fangs of Fury)? Or less plot essential but referred to a lot in the text (eg the Fangthane steel sword in Slaves of the Abyss)? Of course the bracelet and torch would be essentially useless in later books but not so the Fangthane steel sword. Choosing Space Assassin first would be a good shout - start with a gun and armour and then shoot all those evil wizards in the face. The Torch and bracelet would count as unique items that would be added to your equipment when you begin play. The Fangthane steel sword I don't remember as being vital but if it provides no bonuses I would say you can have it for the flavour or a spare weapon.
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kieran
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Post by kieran on Oct 1, 2019 15:23:31 GMT
but if it provides no bonuses I would say you can have it for the flavour or a spare weapon. Well it does insta-kill on a double 6.
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Oct 1, 2019 16:32:40 GMT
but if it provides no bonuses I would say you can have it for the flavour or a spare weapon. Well it does insta-kill on a double 6. I would say No unless you chose this to be your starting book. If I said Yes, that could make you overpowered just from choosing a couple of books.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Feb 17, 2020 18:40:02 GMT
I decided to give this a try. I also decided that I wouldn’t consult any guides other than the information I can read in this thread. Here’s how it has gone so far.
Attempt 1: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. I got the shield, and it kept me alive longer than I had any right to be against the Iron Cyclops. I got three hits in before it killed me, but it never felt like I had a chance. I decided to change strategy.
Attempt 2: The Forest of Doom. I took a wrong turn (or failed to make the right one) and ended up facing a swarm of Killer Bees. I decided to stand and fight. They turned out to be unusually skillful bees, and I was soon dead--done in by my unfamiliarity with the book I chose for its familiarity. It’s going to be a long road from basic to epic.
Attempt 3: The Forest of Doom. Success! I’ve decided that a successfully completed book will be a save point, so I won’t have to redo FoD if I fail in my next book. Here’s my current standing:
Skill: Initial=7, Current=7; Stamina: Initial=14, Current=13; Luck: Initial=8, Current=7; Provisions=4; Gold=53; Five Items: 1) sword; 2) gauntlet of weapon strength (+1 to attack strength); 3) throwing knife; 4) garlic buds; 5) belladonna.
Yes, I’ve ditched the leather armour. I’ve decided to do Moonrunner next, even though I’m not sure that I’ve ever successfully completed it.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Feb 20, 2020 1:24:02 GMT
I made it through Moonrunner in six attempts, and I feel kind of lucky that it didn’t take more. In brief, this is how it went:
Attempt 1: killed by the Kauderwelsch Monster; Attempt 2: killed by Asylum Inmates; Attempt 3: killed by the Troll Warden; Attempt 4: killed by the Kauderwelsch Monster again; Attempt 5: “crushed by a powerful and invisible foe you cannot hope to defeat”; Attempt 6: got knocked out and tied up over a staked pit but somehow slipped free to walk straight through the entire assembled Cabal of the Werewolf to capture the Old World’s most dangerous war criminal without sustaining so much as a scratch.
It seems like there are vast sections of story that I missed, so I’m not sure that I got all the stat-boosting that I could. However, I’m still pretty pleased with how I ended up.
Skill: Initial=8, Current=8; Stamina: Initial=14, Current=13; Luck: Initial=8, Current=7; Provisions=4; Gold=124; Five Items: 1) sword; 2) gauntlet of weapon strength (+1 to attack strength); 3) throwing knife; 4) Hand of Glory (-1 stamina at the start of any battle and all opponents -1 skill for the duration of the battle); 5) Chain of Argolis (bind any single opponent at the start of any battle).
I’m thinking of taking a quick trip to Scorpion Swamp next. Do unused spell gems count against your item limit or are they subject to the gems exemption?
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kieran
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Post by kieran on Feb 20, 2020 12:48:06 GMT
Regarding Scorpion Swamp, is it necessary to get a 'win' ending or would any ending where your character survives do? Because if it's the latter you could technically take Selator's quest, get his spell gems then, upon entering the swamp, immediately turn back and say you were unsuccessful and carry on your way with the spell gems.
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vagsancho
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Post by vagsancho on Feb 20, 2020 14:12:29 GMT
Regarding Scorpion Swamp, is it necessary to get a 'win' ending or would any ending where your character survives do? Because if it's the latter you could technically take Selator's quest, get his spell gems then, upon entering the swamp, immediately turn back and say you were unsuccessful and carry on your way with the spell gems. It is necessary to get a win ending.
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Feb 20, 2020 16:14:49 GMT
I made it through Moonrunner in six attempts, and I feel kind of lucky that it didn’t take more. In brief, this is how it went: Attempt 1: killed by the Kauderwelsch Monster; Attempt 2: killed by Asylum Inmates; Attempt 3: killed by the Troll Warden; Attempt 4: killed by the Kauderwelsch Monster again; Attempt 5: “crushed by a powerful and invisible foe you cannot hope to defeat”; Attempt 6: got knocked out and tied up over a staked pit but somehow slipped free to walk straight through the entire assembled Cabal of the Werewolf to capture the Old World’s most dangerous war criminal without sustaining so much as a scratch. It seems like there are vast sections of story that I missed, so I’m not sure that I got all the stat-boosting that I could. However, I’m still pretty pleased with how I ended up. Skill: Initial=8, Current=8; Stamina: Initial=14, Current=13; Luck: Initial=8, Current=7; Provisions=4; Gold=124; Five Items: 1) sword; 2) gauntlet of weapon strength (+1 to attack strength); 3) throwing knife; 4) Hand of Glory (-1 stamina at the start of any battle and all opponents -1 skill for the duration of the battle); 5) Chain of Argolis (bind any single opponent at the start of any battle). I’m thinking of taking a quick trip to Scorpion Swamp next. Do unused spell gems count against your item limit or are they subject to the gems exemption? Don't think you missed any important items in Moonrunner. Gems of all kinds even magical are negligible items so do not count. Not sure but I don't think they are useful anywhere else.
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kieran
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Post by kieran on Feb 20, 2020 16:28:11 GMT
Not sure but I don't think they are useful anywhere else. The ones to restore your stats would be pretty handy
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sylas
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Post by sylas on Feb 21, 2020 0:01:08 GMT
Not sure but I don't think they are useful anywhere else. The ones to restore your stats would be pretty handy I suppose. I didn't think of this strategy.
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Post by peasantscribbler on Feb 22, 2020 20:58:48 GMT
I achieved the limited goals I had set for myself in Scorpion Swamp, but it was a lot more difficult completing Selator’s quest than I anticipated. Here is how it went:
Attempt 1: killed by Sword Trees. Actual cause of death=bad dice. Attempt 2: killed by Sword Trees. Actual cause of death=the deviously designed Sword Trees->Dire Beast->Sword Trees sequence. Attempt 3: killed by Thief. Actual cause of death=erroneous assumption that all FF thieves have mediocre fighting stats. Attempt 4: killed by spiders. Actual cause of death=stubborn resolve to save a fire spell gem. Attempt 5: choked to death on smoke from a fire I had set myself the previous day. Actual cause of death=ran resources too low trying to finish mapping the entire swamp. Attempt 6: completed Selator’s quest without dying and decided that enough was enough, even though I could probably come away with another spell gem or two if I made one more attempt.
Here is my current standing:
Skill: Initial=8, Current=8 Stamina: Initial=14, Current=12 Luck: Initial=10, Current=8
Provisions=4 Gold=123 1 Brass Ring 1 Luck Spell Gem (restores lost luck points equal to half your initial luck score)
Five Items 1) sword 2) gauntlet of weapon strength (+1 to attack strength) 3) throwing knife 4) Hand of Glory (-1 stamina at the start of any battle and all opponents -1 skill for the duration of the battle) 5) Chain of Argolis (bind any single opponent at the start of any battle)
I want to do an experiment to see if spending some of this gold can advance my cause, so I think I will try either City of Thieves or Legend of the Shadow Warriors next.
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kieran
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Post by kieran on Feb 23, 2020 9:06:06 GMT
I want to do an experiment to see if spending some of this gold can advance my cause, so I think I will try either City of Thieves or Legend of the Shadow Warriors next. There's not really all that much to buy in City of Thieves that's useful for other books and it's quite possible to have all your gold stolen. LotSW is probably the better choice.
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