Tower vs Glass Cannon, Part 1

Yesterday’s “skill 7” playthrough was amusing and brief. But for real this time: let’s play Tower of Destruction.

This time I rolled:   7 skill / 16 stamina / 12 luck  Not bad. A bit of a glass cannon, but maybe I’ll get a bit further this time.

Again with the intro: fire and destruction, looting houses and taking off on my quest without helping anybody.

I run into that polar snake again. Same as last time time, the polar snake knocks me down to 10 stamina before it’s done with me. That’s amusing, that my prior playthrough with skill 7 had the same end result. I took fewer hits, but have less stamina, which sort of canceled out. I mull over this as I crawl into a copse of trees to sleep it off.

Again the owl tells me to go see Tasrin the sage, and I do. This time, I vanquish the smoke demon with little trouble, and find Tasrin dying from smoke and injuries. I was too late to save him. I loot Tasrin’s ring as he dies Tasrin gives me his ring and a healing potion. I raid his kitchen, take some gold, and sleep the night in his bed. I’m not feeling very heroic, to be honest.

And back onto the trail!

I walk, and sleep, and walk some more. I see a dragon overhead but it doesn’t see me. And finally, after 3 nights, I come to a clearing / crater where the Sphere has landed.

First off, I anti-miraculously roll a 12 on a skill check, so I fall and skin my knee for 4 stamina (a quarter of my optimum health!). I am then set upon by two ice ghosts, and through they have 7 skill to my 11, they still get a couple of hits in and knock me down to 8 stamina. So I have to eat another 2 provisions as I rest and walk, just to get back up to full health.

As I eat and heal, I step inside the Sphere. I try not to think about the fact that this Sphere is merely the prelude, with much tougher battles ahead of me.

The inside of the Sphere is a TARDIS-style affair, with more space inside than outside. That’s actually not surprising here on Allansia, so I roll with it. I pick one of the three passages, and chance upon a stairwell heading up and also down. Hmmmm.

Let’s go down, into what I assume is the engine room of this thing. I come into an enormous chamber, where giant flaming rocks float in the air, being tended and set aflame by a fire elemental. This must be the firepower! But I don’t get a chance to wreck up the place, because the fire elemental comes right at me! With my 11 skill to its 10, and judging by my other fights so far, I’m not feeling lucky. I turn tail and flee.

Up the stairs, is not much better: a fire demon. Fortunately, it is only half formed into this plane so is fairly weak, and I kill it with little trouble. Well, except for taking 1 point of fire damage every one of the 4 rounds. Again, down to 8 stamina and gulping down food to try and stay alive. I find some gold and a potion of fire breath, but I really wish I could find a bunch of healing potions!

Ultimately, the book drops me back at the original intersection, and I grumble that everything I just did was a waste of time. I pick another passage and head down it. After some unnecessary winding, it drops me into a room with another smoke demon. I kill it without stopping, then notice a secret door and continue through it.

Beyond is a mausoleum, or something like it. Row upon row of dead bodies, laid out on slabs. It’s creepy as heck, and I just keep moving…

Into an enormous chamber, sporting a giant glowing demon statue, a wizard who’s warming up some magic missiles for me, and a half-orc warrior who doesn’t hesitate before he comes right at me. I must fight!

The half-orc gets one lucky shot in (14 stamina left), and I hit him twice. The wizard lets loose with a magic missile (12!), and another (10!) as shatter a gem on the statue that seemed to be powering his magic. The half-orc gets a freebie as I was distracted (8!) then gets in 2 more lucky shots… leaving me 2 stamina.