Fire on the Water (3 page)
There will be occasions during your adventure when you have to fight an enemy. The enemy's
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
points are given in the text. Lone Wolf's aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his
ENDURANCE
points to zero while losing as few
ENDURANCE
points as possible himself.
At the start of a combat, enter Lone Wolf's and the enemy's
ENDURANCE
points in the appropriate boxes on the Combat Record section of your
Action Chart
.
The sequence for combat is as follows.
- Add any extra points gained through your Kai Disciplines to your current
COMBAT SKILL
total. - Subtract the
COMBAT SKILL
of your enemy from this total. The result is your Combat Ratio. Enter it on the
Action Chart
.
Example
Lone Wolf (
COMBAT SKILL
15) is ambushed by a Winged Devil (
COMBAT SKILL
20). He is not given the opportunity to evade combat, but must stand and fight as the creature swoops down on him. Lone Wolf has the Kai Discipline of Mindblast, to which the Winged Devil is not immune, so he adds 2 points to his
COMBAT SKILL
, giving a total
COMBAT SKILL
of 17.
He subtracts the Winged Devil's
COMBAT SKILL
from his own, giving a Combat Ratio of −3. (17 − 20 = −3). −3 is noted on the
Action Chart
as the Combat Ratio. - When you have your Combat Ratio
, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. - Turn to the
Combat Results Table
. Along the top of the chart are shown the Combat Ratio numbers. Find the number that is the same as your Combat Ratio and cross-reference it with the random number that you have picked (the random numbers appear on the side of the chart). You now have the number of
ENDURANCE
points lost by both Lone Wolf and his enemy in this round of combat. (E represents points lost by the enemy; LW represents points lost by Lone Wolf.)
Example
The Combat Ratio between Lone Wolf and Winged Devil has been established as −3. If the number taken from the
Random Number Table
is a 6, then the result of the first round of combat is:- Lone Wolf loses 3
ENDURANCE
points - Winged Devil loses 6
ENDURANCE
points
- Lone Wolf loses 3
- On the
Action Chart
, mark the changes in
ENDURANCE
points to the participants in the combat. - Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, the next round of combat now starts.
- Repeat the sequence from
Stage 3
.
This process of combat continues until the
ENDURANCE
points of either the enemy or Lone Wolf are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If Lone Wolf is dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, Lone Wolf proceeds but with his
ENDURANCE
points possibly reduced.
A
summary of Combat Rules
appears in the back of this book.
During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade combat. If you have already engaged in a round of combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored, and you make your escape. Only Lone Wolf may lose
ENDURANCE
points during that round, but then that is the risk of running away! You may only evade if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.
The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles that are bestowed upon Kai Lords at each stage of their training. As you successfully complete each adventure in the
Lone Wolf
series, you will gain an additional Kai Discipline and gradually progress towards mastery of the ten basic Kai Disciplines.
- Novice
- Intuite
- Doan
- Acolyte
- Initiate — You begin the
Lone Wolf
adventures with this level of Kai training - Aspirant
- Guardian
- Warmarn or Journeyman
- Savant
- Master
Beyond the ten basic skills of the Kai Master await the secrets of the higher Kai Disciplines or ‘Magnakai’. By acquiring the wisdom of the Magnakai, a Kai Lord can progress towards the ultimate achievement and become a Kai Grand Master.
Your mission will be one of great danger, for the Darklords and their servants are a cruel and fierce enemy who give and expect no mercy. Use the
map
to help you steer a correct course for the capital. Make notes as you progress through the story, for they will be of great help in future adventures.
Many things that you find will aid you during the adventure. Some Special Items will be of use in future
Lone Wolf
adventures and others may be red herrings of no real use at all, so be selective in what you decide to keep.
There are many routes to Hammerdal, but only one will enable you to retrieve the Sommerswerd and return to Sommerlund with the minimum of danger. A wise choice of Kai Disciplines and a great deal of courage, will enable any player to complete the mission, no matter how weak their initial
COMBAT SKILL
or
ENDURANCE
points score.
The fate of your country hangs on the success of your perilous quest.
Good luck!
Captain D'Val and his guards escort you to the citadel gate where a small covered wagon awaits you. As soon as you clamber in, the gates are thrown open and you are hurried away through the crowded streets of Holmgard. After a short but uncomfortable journey, the wagon stops and the driver pulls open the canvas flap.
‘This is the quay, my lord. There is your ship, the
Green Sceptre
.’ As he speaks the driver points across the quay to a sleek trade caravel anchored near to the harbour wall.
‘The first mate's name is Ronan. You will find him waiting for you across the square at the Good Cheer Inn.’ Then the driver bids you farewell and quickly disappears into the teeming crowds.
You reach the inn to find the front doors locked and the window shutters barred. You are trying to decide what to do next when a hand grabs your arm and you are pulled into the darkness.
If you wish to draw your weapon and attack your unknown assailant,
turn to 273
.
If you wish to try to pull free of his grasp,
turn to 160
.
You are travelling along a narrow section of coast road which follows a dizzy course beneath high, overhanging cliffs. A rockfall has blocked the road ahead and you must stop to clear it. You are helping the driver to lever a large rock from the path of the carriage, when you hear the sound of falling rocks. A boulder crashes down from the overhanging cliff, killing the driver before you can make any attempt to save him. He was standing less than six feet away from you at the time of his death.
If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense,
turn to 42
.
If you do not have this skill,
turn to 168
.
You enter a small alleyway behind the shop, at the end of which you can see a horse tethered to a post.
If you wish to take this animal and flee the village,
turn to 150
.
If you do not want to take the horse, leave the alleyway by
turning to 19
.
The tavern is full of brigands and drunks, the good-for-nothing crews of trading ships moored at the jetty, all singing and drinking while some try their strength at arm-wrestling. All are so engrossed that nobody notices you enter. In a far corner, you see the fishermen that robbed you. They are seated at a round table covered with empty ale tankards. You know that if you are to reach Durenor in time, you must retrieve the Seal of Hammerdal and your gold.
If you wish to confront the fishermen,
turn to 104
.
If you wish to talk to the innkeeper at the bar,
turn to 342
.
If you wish to try to win some Gold Crowns at arm-wrestling,
turn to 276
.
The door bursts open and in rushes a Helghast, its black sword raised. You strike the creature as it enters the hold and open a terrible gash in its chest. It lets out a hideous cry but although badly wounded, it leaps forward to attack you. You must fight this creature to the death.
Wounded Helghast:
COMBAT SKILL
22
ENDURANCE
20
It is an undead creature. Double all
ENDURANCE
points that it loses, due to the power of the Sommerswerd. It is immune to Mindblast. If you kill the creature, you may leave via the open hold door.
The boy has spotted you following him. Once outside, he turns and runs south. You give chase but he has soon disappeared into the maze of alleyways and warehouses lining the waterfront.
You turn east into Oxyoke Way and walk past another entrance to the trading post. A little further on, you notice a sign above the door of a small shop:
If you wish to enter the weaponsmithy,
turn to 266
.
If you wish to continue walking east,
turn to 310
.
Dorier jumps away from the table and draws his sword. In an instant, his brother Ganon is by his side. You must fight them both as one enemy.
Dorier + Ganon:
COMBAT SKILL
28
ENDURANCE
30
Due to the surprise of your attack, add 2 points to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the first round of this combat only. Because of their combined strength of will, a skill developed during their training as knights, they are immune to Mindblast.
If you win this fight,
turn to 33
.
Your sleep is deep indeed — and it is a sleep from which you will never awaken. During the night you are bitten by a sand snake. Its deadly venom takes only seconds to work.
Your mission and your life end here.
It is early morning on the fifteenth day of your quest when you open your eyes to the breathtaking spectacle of Hammerdal, the mountain city. The capital of Durenor, unlike other cities in the Lastlands, does not need man-made fortifications. The encircling peaks of the Hammerdal Range offer a far more secure protection to the people within.
Illustration I—The King's Tower, a magnificent structure of glass and stone.
The carriage speeds through the lush farmlands surrounding the city with its many towers and wide streets. On a hill in the very centre of Hammerdal stands the King's Tower, a magnificent structure of glass and stone. As the carriage halts at the tower gates, you suddenly realize for the first time that as a wielder of the Sommerswerd, your destiny is to become part of the oldest legend of the Lastlands.
