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TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
...right, I meant Moonstone, not Lorestone. But as I recall the reason we hid the Moonstone was to keep Lone Wolf from getting mobbed by evil, not because we were worried that it'd be corrupted.

Anyway, listen to Tanith.

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Jackard
Oct 28, 2007

We Have A Bow And We Wish To Use It
Welp, two sections in a row asking the same question - we all know what that means. Listen to her.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

But what if Tanith's secretly an evil agent?

Do nothing and let evil win.

Mister Perky
Aug 2, 2010
We had to evade combat instead of stand and fight at the end of book 1.

We had to give the Kleasa the black rod instead of fight it at the end of book 2.

I am SENSING A PATTERN HERE.

Fighting is for tanks we are a wizard. Do Not Fight Back

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice

Toplowtech posted:

Well, clearly listen to Tanith and just watch the evil guy explode.

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
Tanith has spent this whole book being nothing but helpful. She's earned some trust.

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

Toplowtech posted:

Well, clearly listen to Tanith and just watch the evil guy explode.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


The book makes this one even more obvious than it already was by saying "If you refuse to fight with the Jahksa as Tanith suggests, turn to 350."

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

Triumphantly, the Jahksa deals a killing blow. You feel a searing pain tear through your body, but miraculously you are not slain. The Moonstone, instrument of judgement and truth, has made a reality of Shasarak’s mockery of you. In killing you the Jahksa has killed itself. With a howl, the Jahksa dissolves into black shadows and returns to the spirit realm from whence it came.



With a thrill of anticipation, you take up the Moonstone. It flares, as if in recognition, at the touch of your hand. It glows with a warm, familiar feeling as it nestles in the palm of your hand. Tanith’s eyes are wild and shining with triumph. You have fulfilled your pledge and completed the quest … almost. Armed with the might of the Moonstone, you now possess the only known power that could throw down the evil Wytch-king, Shasarak. But that is another story, and the day is yet to come.

The final conflict in your fight against the Shadakine Empire is concluded in Book 4 of the Grey Star saga, entitled:

War of the Wizards

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


    Final stats for book 3.

    Combat Skill: 15 (15)
    Endurance: 20/25
    Willpower: 25 (35)
    Lesser Magicks:
  1. Sorcery
  2. Elementalism
  3. Enchantment
  4. Alchemy
  5. Prophecy
  6. Evocation
    Weapons:
  1. Wizard's Staff
  2. Sword
    Robe Pocket (money):
  • 15 Nobles
    Backpack:
  1. Shasarak's Tome
  2. Animal Keys (can be given to Tanith)
  3. Potion of Healing (+4 EP)
  4. Meal
  5. Meal
  6. Coil of Rope
  7. Torch
  8. Tinderbox
    Herb Pouch:
  1. Vial of Karmo (This potion, when taken before combat, will double your ENDURANCE and WILLPOWER point totals for the duration of the combat. After taking the potion you must pick a number from the Random Number Table. The number that you pick equals the number of ENDURANCE points that you lose due to the side effects (0 = zero).)
  2. Vial
  3. Vial of Saltpetre
  4. Vial of Sulphur
  5. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  6. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  7. Azawood Leaf
  8. Sealed Pouch of Calacena Mushrooms
    Special Items:
  • Map of the Shadakine Empire
  • Magic Talisman (+2 WP)
  • 1 Tarama Seed (use a Magical Power or Wizard's Staff without expending WP)
  • Chaksu Pipes
  • Mind Gem
  • Eagle Key (in Backpack)
  • Wolf Key (in Backpack)
  • Spider Key (in Backpack)
  • Dragon Key (in Backpack)
  • Bunch of Keys
  • Prism
  • Gyronome
    Deaths:
  1. Jumped in a hole (book 3)
  2. Crashed an aircraft (book 3).
  3. Crashed the same aircraft again (book 3).
    Total: 11

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

Jahksa, we could have avoided all this if you'd just had the decency to just fall to your death!

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


I found this book pretty underwhelming. The Daziarn seems to be just an excuse for the author to throw a bunch of random stuff at you and so the plot barely exists. The evil double doesn't really come across as menacing - he mostly seems kind of disinterested. There's just not a lot here to really care about.

anakha
Sep 16, 2009


Just one fight in the whole book, and that fight seemed like it was avoidable.

I guess they reduced the fights and just added in a ton of instadeath options to compensate.

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

murdering all those jerks in their tower was good times tho

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


War of the Wizards



War of the Wizards posted:

The Story So Far … 

You are Grey Star, trained in the ancient lore of a Shianti wizard. For sixteen years you have dwelt in safety on the Isle of Lorn, the hidden realm of the magical Shianti race, until Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, sent you upon a dangerous quest to save your people, the race of man, from the evil rule of Shasarak, the tyrannical Wytch-king of the Shadakine Empire. Held by their ancient vow to the Goddess Ishir, the Shianti are unable to leave their island and come to the aid of man themselves but no such promise prohibited you from leaving the island and you were sent to recover the Moonstone and use its power to defeat the Wytch-king.

The Moonstone, an artefact that possesses the combined force of all Shianti wisdom and power, was hidden on the Daziarn plane and you first had to find the invisible gateway to the Daziarn, the Shadow Gate. To help you find the Shadow Gate, you sought the Lost Tribe of Lara, a race of magical but primitive creatures called the Kundi, who possess the gift of astral vision, enabling them to see magic portals and gateways to other planes and dimensions. When Shasarak’s Shadakine army first invaded the free provinces of the south, they came through the forests of the Mountains of Lara where the Kundi lived, and were constantly ambushed and delayed by the Kundi. The Kundi always eluded them, disappearing into the dense forest before the Shadakine could retaliate and, finally, in wrath, the Wytch-king burnt down the forests and forced the Kundi to flee south. No one knew where they came to rest.

Voyaging across the Sea of Dreams, you came first to the city of Suhn, the largest port in the Shadakine Empire. There you were befriended by a cheerful merchant named Shan Li, a widely travelled man. Your questions about the Lost Tribe aroused suspicion in Suhn and you were captured and taken to the House of Correction, the prison of Suhn, and subjected to the truthsay of Mother Magri, Shadakine Wytch and Law-giver. With the aid of the power of the Kazim Stone, she attempted to read your mind, but you were able to preserve the secret of your quest.

With the help of Tanith, a young and beautiful girl learning the ways of wytchcraft in the service of Mother Magri, you were able to escape from the House of Correction. With Shan as your guide, you eventually turned south and headed towards the region known as the Azanam, for it seemed likely that the Lost Tribe had settled there. However, again using the power of the Kazim Stone, Mother Magri summoned a Kleasá against you—a demon shadow that feeds upon the soul. Neither your Magical Powers, nor the might of your Wizard’s Staff were able to defeat the Kleasá, and it had almost destroyed you when Tanith cast a spell and called the demon against herself. She was totally consumed by the Kleasá and both disappeared in flames. Her brave sacrifice saved your life.

At the Azanam you found the Kundi and they gave you their Shaman, Urik the Wise, to guide you to the Shadow Gate. You travelled across the hostile lands of the Shadakine Empire and, close to the gates of the city of Karnali, you freed a man named Samu, a former king of the extinct tribe of the Masbaté, from a Shadakine slave train. Then the leader of the rebel Freedom Guild, Sado of the Long Knife, enlisted your aid in freeing the city of Karnali from the rule of its Shadakine Wytch and her warriors, but you did not stay, for still you had to find the Shadow Gate. You journeyed on, accompanied by Samu, Urik, and a thief by the name of Hugi. On this later stage of your journey, you discovered that Shasarak was once a Shianti Master. So now you know your eventual confrontation will be with one versed in the same magical arts as yourself. You finally found the Shadow Gate beneath the wasteland of Desolation Valley, only to discover that the magic portal was guarded by a demon Kleasá, holding in its grasp Tanith, who had not after all been slain in her attempt to save you. Instead, the Kleasá had offered her to its master, Shasarak, as a prisoner. Using Tanith as a shield, the Kleasá withstood your attempts to gain entry to the Daziarn portal but at last you managed to force the Kleasá away from the Shadow Gate and stepped through to be reunited with Tanith.

Together you entered the Daziarn plane which held many mysteries and perils, the worst of which was the Jahksa, a creature created in your likeness by Shasarak. You travelled through this strange, abstract world until, at last, you came to the Trianon, a chamber floating in the void. Within the Trianon was the Moonstone and, after a last paradoxical confrontation with the Jahksa in which the lawful and magical effects of the Moonstone were used, the Jahksa was defeated and the Moonstone made yours.

With the Moonstone now resting in your hand, you begin the final part of your quest to defeat the Wytch-king. Armed with the might of the Moonstone, you now possess the only known power that can destroy Shasarak the renegade Shianti Wizard.

According to the book, we reroll our Combat Skill. Project Aon says we can keep our previous score. So I'll leave that up to you. Our Willpower is 50 plus whatever we had left at the end of the previous book, so 75, and our Endurance is 30 plus our remaining EP from the previous book, so 50. These numbers are getting ridiculous.

We get no new Lesser Magick, but we have now unlocked the High Magicks and can choose five of them:

  • Thaumaturgy: "The Power of Thaumaturgy can bestow upon a wizard the power of levitation, a limited form of flying; invulnerability and increased strength; the ability to bend metal or warp wood by disturbing their molecules; and, perhaps the most useful of all, teleportation"
  • Telergy: "Telergy is the Power of mind control, telepathy, and autosuggestion."
  • Physiurgy: "Physiurgy grants the wizard mastery over the elements."
  • Theurgy: "Theurgy is an advanced form of Alchemy."
  • Visionary: "look upon events that are taking place elsewhere."
  • Necromancy: "Necromancy allows a wizard to command the dead, though this is forbidden by Shianti law. It also allows him to make an incantation that will imbue the Moonstone with a protective aura of light to keep away all creatures of evil, dead or alive."

War of the Wizards posted:

The Shianti have also given [the Moonstone] the power to teleport you to Shasarak once during the course of your adventure. You will be told of that opportunity when the time is right.
    So we need votes on:
  1. whether we keep or reroll or Combat Skill; and
  2. Which High Magicks we get

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
Keep because why not, and get all but Theurgy.

Mister Perky
Aug 2, 2010
skip Telergy

keep the current combat skill, don't wanna get stuck rolling a 1 or 0 again

Jackard
Oct 28, 2007

We Have A Bow And We Wish To Use It
All of those are proper wizard skills but let's skip Visionary, it sounds even worse than Prophecy.

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

Synthbuttrange posted:

murdering all those jerks in their tower was good times tho

Jackard posted:

All of those are proper wizard skills but let's skip Visionary, it sounds even worse than Prophecy.

And leave CS as it is, it's done us OK till now.

Toplowtech
Aug 31, 2004

Jackard posted:

All of those are proper wizard skills but let's skip Visionary, it sounds even worse than Prophecy.
Yeah but how are we going to lose extra endurance for no reason on obvious visions?

Toplowtech fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Jun 18, 2019

Comstar
Apr 20, 2007

Are you happy now?

Jackard posted:

All of those are proper wizard skills but let's skip Visionary, it sounds even worse than Prophecy.

Also re-roll for the truer experience.

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice

Jackard posted:

All of those are proper wizard skills but let's skip Visionary, it sounds even worse than Prophecy.

Keep the CS score.

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
Keep CS. Skip Theurgy.

It's dumb how there's an anti-climax built in from the start. "Your MacGuffin can end this right away but you have to wander aimlessly until we let you."

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Decoy Badger posted:

Keep CS. Skip Theurgy.

If we advance too far in Alchemy, we'll have to start learning Chemistry and we don't want that.

Jackard
Oct 28, 2007

We Have A Bow And We Wish To Use It
Hey! A wizard needs his drugs, man.

Guy Fawkes
Aug 1, 2014

Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
Keep
Skip Necromancy.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


Runcible Cat posted:

All of those are proper wizard skills but let's skip Visionary, it sounds even worse than Prophecy

nelson posted:

Keep the CS score.

War of the Wizards posted:

At last you hold the fabled Moonstone in your hand. It pulses and glows with a strange milky light. Tanith’s eyes shine wildly, and your heart pounds with excitement. The Moonstone; ancient vessel of all Shianti wisdom. What secrets, what powers, does this magical artefact hold in its glowing heart? The stone exudes a comforting warmth as it nestles in the palm of your hand and you feel a presence in your mind. You hear a familiar voice and your heart lifts to ever greater heights, for it is Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, speaking to you.



‘Hail Wizard, son of man. You have succeeded. We, the Shianti, rejoice and praise you. That which you hold in your hand contains the power that will enable you to defeat the evil Wytch-king, Shasarak.’

A crowd of excited voices fills your mind as each of the Shianti sends words of congratulations and admiration. The last of these voices is Maiteya, your old friend, the Shianti master who taught you all you know. ‘And so, “little one”,’ he says, affectionately ‘now you possess the Moonstone, Shasarak’s bane. While you hold it, we, the Shianti, are able to speak with you but this communication cannot be maintained much longer. Because you have the Moonstone, we have sufficient power to return you to the world, but there is much you should know before we do so. Listen well, Grey Star, for I know not when we will speak again.

‘Though it seems to you but a short time since you arrived at the Daziarn, seven years have passed here in the material world. During your search for the Shadow Gate, you visited the city of Karnali. Your arrival there inspired a revolution, led by Sado of the Long Knife and his Army of the Freedom Guild. After your departure, the Freedom Guild withstood a great siege by Shadakine warriors, who eventually withdrew defeated, much to Shasarak’s displeasure. Word spread of this victory and the strength of the Army of the Freedom Guild grew. Strategically, Karnali was too isolated to make a great impact against the Shadakine Empire, but, due to the surrounding Gurlu Marshes, it remained self sufficient. Soon, many were travelling to Karnali to escape the tyranny of Shasarak’s rule. Pockets of resistance broke out in the townships of Wenat, Zhanis, Sena, and the city of Forlu, and the Freedom Guild soon dominated the hills and the plains of the south. They raided Shadakine supply trains and succeeded in depriving the empire of much of its wealth, cutting off all land routes to the Port of Suhn, the wealthiest and most important trade centre of the empire. An army is now formed in Karnali and, in three days, it will march against the Shadakine Empire, hoping to take Port Suhn in the first of many conquests. But, unknown to Sado and the Army of the Freedom Guild, a vast Shadakine force has been mustered in the Sadi desert. Soon, it will march against them. The Army of the Freedom Guild number ten thousand to the Shadakine’s thirty thousand. The Freedom Guild cannot hope to succeed against such overwhelming odds. You must save them. Take them to the Forest of Fernmost. It is most important that you go there. There is little time and much to do Grey Star … ’

The voice grows faint and you realize that the Shianti will be unable to maintain contact for much longer. ‘And now, Grey Star, the contact breaks and we must return you to the world to begin the last of your great labours. Are there any last words of advice we can offer you?’

Your mind races as you think of all that you might need to know.
Should we ask about where they're going to transport us to, ask to see what Shasarak is doing right now or ask Maiteya to tell us whatever he feels will be most helpful?

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

Tell us a helpful but probably cryptic hint

Kangra
May 7, 2012

I don't know, what do you think we should know?

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

Synthbuttrange posted:

Tell us a helpful but probably cryptic hint

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


War of the Wizards posted:

‘We will advise you as best we can,’ he replies. ‘Although it is your own wisdom that has brought you, this far, you should not be afraid to trust your own judgement. In the matter of the inevitable challenge of Shasarak, we advise you not to stand against him immediately. He embarks now on a war that will be costly to his strength and demanding of his powers. Wait for him to weaken himself with some great deed of sorcery before journeying into his dark halls for the final duel. First ensure the safety of the Army of the Freedom Guild. Without your help, they will perish. Be on the constant lookout for allies, for the Wytch-king has many enemies, and look to the Forest of Fernmost—a mighty power dwells there and it will do well in your service.’

His voice grows faint.

‘Alas, Grey Star, there is not time for more. The bridge we have created weakens now. Step warily, for the land is beset with dangers, though there are friends there also, friends you would not expect to see … ’

With these words, his voice fades completely. You pray that the Shianti have conserved enough energy to transport you back to the real world.

A swirl of colour passes before your eyes. Instinctively you reach for Tanith’s hand and clasp it tightly. The walls of the circular chamber shimmer in and out of focus: the Shianti are transporting you from the Daziarn plane to the real world. A brilliant flash of light fills the room and you close your eyes involuntarily. When you next open them you look upon a vast plain of grass that undulates like the sea beneath a clear, sunlit sky. The journey is complete.

The Moonstone is still in your hand. However, where once it shone with the purity of white light, it now glows a smoky grey. You can but guess at the meaning of this transformation.
Do we want to use Prophecy at this time or not?

AtomikKrab
Jul 17, 2010

Keep on GOP rolling rolling rolling rolling.

Right so lets NOT prophecy anyway and waste our powers like normal.

AtomikKrab fucked around with this message at 13:57 on Jun 19, 2019

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

AtomikKrab posted:

Right so lets prophecy anyway and waste our powers like normal.

Comstar
Apr 20, 2007

Are you happy now?

Runcible Cat posted:

Right so lets prophecy anyway and waste our powers like normal.

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice
Use Prophecy.

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
We have so many WP. Use Prophecy.

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

We have so many WP. Use Prophecy.

Guy Fawkes
Aug 1, 2014

Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
Use Prophecy. One cryptic clue more shouldn't hurt anyone...

Jackard
Oct 28, 2007

We Have A Bow And We Wish To Use It
We have a ton of willpower right now, so let's waste a point on Prophecy.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


TooMuchAbstraction posted:

We have so many WP. Use Prophecy.

War of the Wizards posted:

At the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point, your Power of Prophecy reveals that you are standing in the middle of intense evil. Danger is close at hand. You tell Tanith what you have learned. She nods as if this confirms what she already feared.

‘We stand upon the Lissan Plain,’ she says gloomily. ‘Once a beautiful country, now inhabited by demons in the service of Shasarak.’ With a shudder, you gaze upon your new surroundings.

Willpower: 74.

Mountains lie all around you on the horizon. You guess that it is summer, for the sun beats strongly and the sky is cloudless. Despite the heat, Tanith shivers. ‘There is an evil presence here,’ she mutters.

According to Tanith, you have arrived in the centre of the Lissan Plain. The fortress city of Shadaki lies many hundreds of miles to the east. A broad line of distant mountains separates you from that city of evil. Suddenly you realize that you have no food or water. The simplest of requirements stands between you and the fulfilment of a quest upon which thousands of lives depend. If you do not find water soon you will die.
Shall we head east, or south?

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girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
If you're looking Southeast, left is East.

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