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  • Locked thread
Corzanth
Apr 8, 2011

Rawr!
Glad I'm not the only one who thought being a Warlock sounded like the silliest option.

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MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

Swashbuckler! We get a pistol and a sword, and none of those silly spells.

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

And seriously, we're starting off in a rickety rowboat, if there's not a seafaring check in there I'll eat my hat.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Warlock is so utterly inappropriate that it's the only real choice.

chiefnewo
May 21, 2007

Warlock for the free gear and to see how useful spells will be in this book.

Tuxedo Ted
Apr 24, 2007

Let's get in on some wiz biz with the Warlock.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
So we'll just split the difference and go with a new thread title.

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

I like it :pirate:

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
I guess I may have brought this upon us, but let's see how Jay the Watery Warlock fares!

Page 1 posted:

You know that you will need supplies to have any chance of survival on the open sea. It means taking a big risk, because you will have to go right past the officers' cabins, but there is no help for it. While your comrades keep a nervous vigil, fearing discovery at any moment, you creep aft and descend below decks. The only light in the passage is the glow of an oil lamp shining from the half-open door of Skarvench's cabin. As you skulk forward through the shadows, you hear the voice of the pirate captain raised in typically drunken bluster:

'What, my merry lads, is the easiest route to fortune, would you say?'

'Why, piracy, Cap'n,' you hear one of the men answer hurriedly.

'Aye, piracy, right enough,' roars Skarvench, 'but what's the most profitable form of piracy, I'm askin' you? Why, 'tis kidnap and ransom, that's what. There's no cargo takes up so little space nor fetches so high a price as live human baggage - so long as you choose the right person. Even you daft lubbers must've heard how Toliver Crimp earned himself a thousand doubloons last summer when he ransomed the Viceroy's nephew -'

'A thousand doubloons!' cry the pirates in unison.

'A spit in the ocean compared with what I've got planned! I'll be earning us a king's ransom - or a queen's ransom, rather, if you wants to split hairs on it - when I capture the best prize of all. I'm talking about that pretty young Queen Titania of Glorianne, my hearties, who'll soon be sailing here on a tour of the colonies!'

You were just tiptoeing past the door, glad of Skarvench's ranting as it kept you from being overheard, but this news roots you to the spot. Can Skarvench really mean to set his sights so high? The kidnapping of a monarch is surely beyond the limits of even his voracious ambition. Everyone knows that Queen Titania is well guarded by her loyal admiral, Lord Calidor, whose naval tactics have sent many a foe to the sea's bottom. And no trickery or poison can prevail against her while she is protected by her wizardry counsellor Mirabilis. Skarvench's plan seems impossible, and yet you have suffered enough harsh experience of the man aboard his ship to know that, although unmatched for cruelty and greed, he is nobody's fool. He must really think he has a chance of carrying off the Queen!

You glance across the passage to the sailmaster's cabin. No light shows under the door. The sailmaster must still be in the galley with most of the other pirates. Now is your chance to sneak into the empty cabin and gather a few items for your voyage — and, God knows, your comrades must be getting anxious for you to return. At any moment one of the pirates might go up on deck and your bid for freedom would be discovered. But Skarvench is still boasting of his madcap scheme, and despite your best instincts you feel compelled to eavesdrop further.

If you stay where you are and listen to what Skarvench says, turn to 20.
If you look in the sailmaster's cabin for supplies, turn to 39.
If you decide to hurry straight up on deck, turn to 172.

: I figured that I'd be safe on the high seas. No way an elf could hunt me down out here. First week out? SHOT IN THE HEAD. At least I've got this shiny amulet...

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, magic wand

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
We're about to escape on a tiny boat with no seafaring skills. We need all the supplies we can get.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Yeah, we're adventurers. Loot everything -- uh, get supplies.

inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010
Yeah, let's not regret our lack of stealth skills this early. Eyes on the supplies.

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
We must retain the element of supplies.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 39 posted:

The sailmaster is the officer in charge of day-to-day navigation of the ship. His tiny cabin is strewn about with papers, compasses, books and other maritime paraphernalia.

A sound from the bunk directly by your shoulder makes you give a start of alarm. You thought the blasted cabin was empty! But just as you are lunging forward, the blanket is tossed aside and you have a clear view of the bunk's occupant — not a sailor, but only the little monkey that serves as the ship's mascot. Mister Chatter is what the crew call him. He squats on the bunk and watches as you search around the rest of the cabin.

You have time to grab two items from the following: a toolkit, a book of charts, a crucifix, a lodestone and the monkey.

Record the two items you're taking among the possessions on your Adventure Sheet, then turn to 172.

: How many compasses does one man really need?

I'd like to gather votes for the gear to take before going any further. Absolutely no reason, none whatsoever. Putting the list in a more easily perused form:

Toolkit
Book of charts
Crucifix
Lodestone
Monkey


Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, magic wand

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

We need the monkey.

Oh, we get two items? Are there two monkeys? No? Fine, book of charts then.

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
Yeah, that sounds good. The charts are the most useful-sounding item for what we're about to do, and damned if I'm not curious about whether the monkey will do anything for us. (Possibly what it will do for us is "draw attention to us and get us killed", but...)

chiefnewo
May 21, 2007

Isn't a lodestone another word for a magnet? We need the book of charts and the lodestone to make our own crude compass.

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

Book of charts and the monkey!

Sighence
Aug 26, 2009

Charts and lodestone and we gotta at least see what horrible fare befalls us of we take the monkey but don't really do it.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
: Hey guys, I got a monkey!

Page 172 posted:

The others are waiting for you on deck. In the slanting rays of the setting moon you make out the furtive silhouettes of Grimes, tall and gaunt; Oakley, strong as a tar barrel; and fat little Blutz.



They have the jollyboat swung out over the side. Stealthily you lower it into the water, working in deep silence like four burglars intent on a night's business. From below wafts the sound of a hornpipe and snatches of revelry as the crew sing sea shanties in the galley. Climbing down to the jollyboat, you shove off from the side and row with muffled oars away from the brooding bulk of the Belle Dame. The moon slips below the western horizon, leaving the night studded with stars. There is no wind and the sea is as flat as a pane of glass. As the sounds of jollity fade into the distance, only the soft splash of your oars remains to disturb the eerie quiet.

Consider the following points in turn:

If you have either the SEAFARING skill or a book of charts, turn now to 381.
If not, but you have the CHARMS skill, turn to 399.
If you have none of the above but you have the SPELLS skill, turn to 416.
Otherwise, turn to 289.

I'd usually offer a choice when we have several of the queried requisites, but the result is nested.

Page 381 posted:

Your next goal is to reach civilization, and now you weigh up the advantages of each route. The direct westerly course to Port Leshand lies through stormy seas that might easily capsize a small boat like yours. Alternatively, diverting far south would take you into a region where the prevailing ocean currents flow westward, so you could be carried to Leshand faster than if you steered a direct course. The drawback is that your supplies might not last out. One solution to that problem would be to steer the middle course, island-hopping as you head generally west towards Leshand. Then your only worry would be the risk of attack from hostile natives.

Now, if you have CHARMS turn to 399.
If you do not have CHARMS but you have SPELLS, turn to 416.
If you have neither, turn to 289.

Page 399 posted:

Your small boat is in a sorry condition, weatherbeaten from lying unused and untended on the ship's deck for so long. Worms have made tiny holes in the wood, and the timbers are sun-dried and warped.

Grimes sees you looking at the planking and gives a wry chuckle. 'Aye, not much is she? A sorry little vessel for us to pin our hopes on.'

'Our hopes?' says Oakley with a snort. 'Our lives, man!'

You touch your amulet and mutter the words of an incantation. 'That will help keep us safe from disaster on the high seas,' you explain to the others. 'It's an old charm to keep the boat seaworthy. Never fails.'

'And have you a charm to keep us from dying of thirst?' grumbles Blutz. But no, there is no such charm.

If you have SPELLS, turn to 416.
If not, turn to 289.

Page 416 posted:

Grimes gazes back into the east, where a pale gold glimmer heralds the approach of dawn. 'God curse that Skarvench!' he declares suddenly. 'I wish I'd had the chance to slice open his foul heart as he slept.'

Oakley nods. 'Even that might not have been enough to stop the fiend from coming after us.'

'Coming after us?' says Blutz nervously. 'Do you think he will?'

You have to agree with Oakley. Skarvench is not the kind of man to let others cross him. The fact that you four have got free of his clutches will enrage him as much as the theft of the jollyboat. He might well give chase - and if he catches up with you, your fate will not bear thinking about.

'What about your magic?' Blutz asks you. 'Can't you keep him off our stern? Conjure up a tempest to blow the Belle Dame far out to sea!'

You mull it over. You could cast such a spell, but it is mighty magic indeed. It could all too easily get out of control, and even if it works it might leave you too weakened for further sorcery later.

If you decide to attempt it all the same, turn to 15.
If not, turn to 289.

If only we'd chosen to steal the disconsolate boat instead...

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, magic wand, monkey, book of charts

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

We didn't become a Warlock so that we could not cast spells. Attempt it!

inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010
Hell yes. We'll blow him so far off course that he won't even be able to find his own arse without a map. And we've stolen his map!

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Whip up a squall, matey.

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

Casting a giant wind spell when we're on a tiny boat can only go well.

chiefnewo
May 21, 2007

We Have Magic And blah blah you get the picture

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

CirclMastr posted:

We didn't become a Warlock so that we could not cast spells.

...

Page 15 posted:

Raising your arms to the heavens, you commence the incantation. At first the apparent gibberish coming from your lips gives your three companions cause to smile. But the smiles soon fade, to be replaced by wide-eyed awe, when they see black stormclouds piling up against the eastern sky at your command. The faint glow of sunrise is drowned in fresh darkness. Thunder cracks from far off, like distant cannon-fire, sending a dull and ominous rumble across the world.

A breeze ruffles your clothes. Finishing the spell, you glance down to see your friends crouching in the bottom of the jollyboat, faces drained of colour. 'Do not be afraid,' you tell them. 'The full force of the storm will not reach us here. I have placed it athwart the Belle Dame's bows, and she'll have to run with the wind till it blows itself out. Skarvench will have a hard time following us now.'

A blossom of lightning flares beyond the sooty haze of the stormclouds. If only you felt as confident as you are trying to sound. But you know that such titanic elemental forces cannot be conjured lightly and indeed, even as you lower your wand, it explodes in a shower of crackling blue sparks! Delete the wand from your list of possessions. Since you cannot use SPELLS again until you acquire a new wand, put brackets around the skill to remind you of the fact.

Then turn to 289.

: Ah, nuts!

Page 289 posted:

In the glimmering predawn, as your little boat drifts gently on across the still ocean, you have your first chance to take stock of the situation. You must judge every factor with great care from now on: even the smallest mistake could spell disaster, and you will need every scrap of luck and cleverness if you are to make it to civilized lands alive.



First, your companions on the voyage. Grimes, lanky and lantern-jawed, is a lugubrious fellow but despite his habit of expecting the worst he is a good man to have aboard, because he is neither timid nor quarrelsome. Oakley is tough and smart but abrasive - a possible challenge to your leadership if you fail to assert yourself. All the same, you have been in enough tough scrapes together in the past to know that you can count on him too. Blutz is the weak link of the group: a timid, clumsy little scuttlebutt of a man. But you know that he can be clever and resourceful when he has to be.

The three of them look at you and Oakley says, 'Well, where shall we point our prow?'

Look at the map. Port Leshand is your obvious destination.



If you decide to steer straight for it, heading due west, turn to 2.
If you prefer to steer a course through the Smoking Islands, turn to 21.
If you elect to steer south of the islands, keeping well clear of them, turn to 40.

: *indignant shrieks*

: Oh, stuff it, George. I'd have given you three more days, tops, back on the Belle Dame before you were stew.

: *makes obscene gesture with wand and hat remains*

: YOU...YOU TAKE THAT BACK!

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, the distinct absence of a magic wand, monkey, book of charts

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

According to the charts, the best course is probably to steer well clear.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"

CirclMastr posted:

According to the charts, the best course is probably to steer well clear.

That sounds suspiciously easy. I reckon we have to head through the islands.

inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010
The islands offer the best chance of getting into trouble. Besides, we've aleady been warned about our lack of supplies, and without seamanship skills we won't have much luck fishing.

Maybe we can convince the inevitable native savages that the monkey is a god!

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
Yeah, the islands seem like both the most interesting option and our best chance to stock up on supplies.

blackmongoose
Mar 31, 2011

DARK INFERNO ROOK!
So based on the page numbers and the lack of a keyword or any sort of information remembering - summoning a storm has absolutely no effect except to lock you out of using your skill for the rest of the book. "Have an adventure? Yes/No" checks are bad enough, but a choice with no effect other than losing a skill seems even worse. Also, voting for due west for the probable irony of seeing us wrecked by a storm after the storm we summoned did nothing to our enemy.

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

Let's check out those islands. Should be a lot more interesting then getting becalmed and starving out at sea.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 21 posted:

Having sailed these waters as an honest merchant before he was press-ganged into service on the Belle Dame, Oakley relates what he knows of the islands: 'Pandanus Island, the westernmost in the chain, has often been visited by ships,' he says. 'The natives there are friendly enough. The next, known as Grimoire Island, is a mystery except I've heard the natives shun it out of fear for a hellish demon that lives there. Foolishness, of course! Next in the chain is Firepeak Island, which gets its name from the immense cone of a smouldering volcano that dominates its hinterland. I never met a man who went ashore there -'

'But what about the easternmost island?' asks Blutz. 'That's the first one we'll come to.'

Oakley shrugs. 'Red Skull Island. I've heard that too is inhabited, but it lies clear of the main shipping route and so the natives can have had little contact with the outside world.'



If you have FOLKLORE, turn to 58.
If not, turn to 97.

In case the resized version of this pic is ambiguous, it's a skull with a bullet hole in the temple, not a coconut.

Page 97 posted:

Taking turns at the oars, you row westwards under the glare of a fierce sun. Soon your lips are parched, your necks blistered red in the heat. Everyone's spirits were at first buoyed up by the relief you felt at escaping from Skarvench's grasp, but soon you begin to wilt with the awful gnawing of discouragement and doubt. Will you survive long enough to reach land, or will the little jollyboat become your floating coffin?

Lose 1 Life Point owing to thirst, fatigue and heatstroke. (Exception: if you have WILDERNESS LORE lose no Life Points because you know to protect yourself from the heat by soaking your clothes in the water.)

Around noon of the second day you catch sight of Red Skull Island. 'Well?' mutters Grimes through thirst-blackened lips. 'Do we risk going ashore? There might be fresh water... and food.'

'Aye,' says Oakley. 'And it's us that might be the food, if there are cannibals in these parts.'

They look to you to make the final decision.

If you go ashore, turn to 173.
If you sail on towards the next island, turn to 116.

: Well, we do have at least another 3 days worth of food here if we ration it right...

: *leaps up and down while shrieking furiously*

: Oh don't act like you're above this. I saw you grab a bite of Old Marshy!

: *sulks monkily*

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 9/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, the distinct absence of a magic wand, monkey, book of charts

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

all ashore who's going ashore!

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 173 posted:

You beach the jollyboat on a narrow strand of fine white sand backed by high cliffs. At the top of the cliffs you can clearly see the tall green boles of coconut trees. 'We're saved!' cries Blutz, dancing an absurd little jig. 'We can eat those coconuts and even drink the milk if we can't find fresh water.'

'But there's a problem,' says Grimes, surveying the steep cliffs with a dour gaze. 'Who's going to climb up there and get them? You, Mister Blutz?'

If you have AGILITY and wish to climb the cliffs alone, turn to 192.
If not, you can make your way along the beach in search of a way up (turn to 211) or try looking for food here on the beach (turn to 230).
Alternatively, you could put to sea and continue west towards the next island (turn to 116).

If only we had some item in our inventory appropriate for a situation like this...

: *jumps excitedly*

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 9/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, the distinct absence of a magic wand, monkey, book of charts

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
No point going to more effort than we need to. Let's check for food on the beach first.

MysticalMachineGun
Apr 5, 2005

Try to find a way up! What could possibly go wrong?

inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010
Let's see if we can find a way up there.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 211 posted:

Some distance along the shore you find a ladder of knotted vines dangling down from the clifftop. 'Looks like there are natives,' observes Oakley unnecessarily. 'Perhaps we'd be wiser to go back to the boat and shove off.'

Your experience has been that not all islanders are hostile. It usually depends on the way they have been treated by the outsiders they've met. On the other hand, there are some who are unabashed cannibals and will attack with no provocation if they see the chance of an easy meal.

If you decide to climb the vines, turn to 249.
If you return to the jollyboat and continue on your voyage, turn to 116.

For inquiring minds, the AGILITY option describes our actions as similar to those of a monkey. There is no justice in this world.

: *slumps dejectedly*

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Waterlogged' Sherman the Warlock

Skills: CHARMS, MARKSMANSHIP, SPELLS and STREETWISE

Life Points: 9/10

Doubloons: 10

Possessions: Magic amulet, pistol, the distinct absence of a magic wand, monkey, book of charts

Codewords:

Kills: Embracer, a guard, an Infernal Machine and the tiny man inside it

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!'d, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd, tree'd from a great height x2, Countless Swords of the Westermen'd

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Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
Climb. One way or another, someone's going to have food before we leave here.

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