The Darke Crusade (4 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 Grand Master Disciplines and Special Items 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
27) is attacked by a pack of Doomwolves (
COMBAT SKILL
30). He is taken by surprise and is not given the opportunity of evading their attack. Lone Wolf has the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-surge to which the Doomwolves are not immune, so Lone Wolf adds 8 points to his
COMBAT SKILL
, giving him a total
COMBAT SKILL
of 35.
He subtracts the Doomwolf pack's
COMBAT SKILL
from his own, giving a Combat Ratio of +5. (35−30 = +5). +5 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 the Doomwolf Pack has been established as +5. If the number picked from the
Random Number Table
is a 2, then the result of the first round of combat is:- Lone Wolf loses 3
ENDURANCE
points (plus an additional 1 point for using Kai-surge). - Doomwolf Pack loses 7
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
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 evade only if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.
The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles you can achieve at each stage of your journey along the road of Kai Grand Mastership. As you successfully complete each adventure in the
Lone Wolf Grand Master
series, you will gain an additional Grand Master Discipline and progress towards the pinnacle of Kai perfection — to become a Kai Supreme Master.
- Kai Grand Master Senior
- Kai Grand Master Superior
- Kai Grand Sentinel
- Kai Grand Defender —
You begin the
Lone Wolf Grand Master
adventures at this level of Mastery - Kai Grand Guardian
- Sun Knight
- Sun Lord
- Sun Thane
- Grand Thane
- Grand Crown
- Sun Prince
- Kai Supreme Master
As you rise through the higher levels of Kai Grand Mastery, you will find that your Disciplines will steadily improve. For example, if you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus when you reach the Grand Master rank of Grand Thane, you will be able to pass freely through Shadow Gates and explore the nether realms of Aon and the Daziarn Plane.
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian (5 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
- Animal Mastery
- Kai Grand Guardians with this Discipline are able to summon a limited number of forest animals to their location. The creatures so summoned will become loyal and willing allies, willing to do the Kai Grand Guardian's bidding. This ability can only be used in an outdoor setting.
- Assimilance
- Kai Grand Guardians who possess this skill are able to create a cloud of fog-like vapour within 15 yards of their location. This fog will obscure both normal and infravision. The duration of the fog increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Grand Huntmastery
- Kai Grand Guardians with this skill enjoy increased mobility when travelling across all types of terrain, whether on foot or on horseback. This improved ability is very useful when used to outdistance a pursuing enemy.
- Kai-surge
- Kai Grand Guardians who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to attack up to three enemies in psychic combat simultaneously.
- Kai-screen
- Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to exercise a defensive psychic skill known as Mindblend. This cloaking ability enables them to both protect and hide their minds from being detected by a hostile psychic probe.
- Magi-magic
- Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:
- Splinter
— This causes breakable items such as bottles, jugs, mirrors, windows, etc., to shatter to pieces. The range of this spell increases as a Grand Master rises in rank. - Flameshaft
— This causes the tip of any arrow, or arrow-like missile, to burn fiercely with a magical flame which cannot readily be extinguished by normal means.
- Splinter
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Knight (6 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
- Grand Weaponmastery
- Sun Knights with this Discipline are able to wield two-handed weapons (i.e. Broadsword, Quarterstaff, and Spear) with full effect, using only one hand.
- Deliverance
- Sun Knights who possess this skill are able to repair serious wounds sustained by creatures other than themselves. By the laying of hands upon the affected creature's body, a Sun Knight can cause an open wound (or other serious injury) to mend itself. The speed at which this healing takes place increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Grand Pathsmanship
- Kai Sun Knights with this skill are able to repel at will all normal-sized insects within a radius of three yards. The range and number of insects so affected increase considerably as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Grand Nexus
- Sun Knights who possess Mastery of this Discipline are able to feign death. By placing themselves into a state of suspended animation, outwardly they are able to achieve all semblance of being truly dead. However, whilst in this state the only sense that a Sun Knight retains is the ability to hear.
- Telegnosis
- Sun Knights who possess this Discipline are able to communicate telepathically over great distances. Initially the range of this ability is approximately 100 miles, but this distance increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Kai-alchemy
- Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Knight are able to use the following Brotherhood Spells:
- Halt Missile
— This causes any projected or hurled missile (e.g. arrows, axes, crossbow bolts) which may pose an immediate threat to the life of a Sun Knight, to cease its flight and remain stationary in mid-air. The effect of the spell lasts for 2–3 seconds, allowing the Sun Knight sufficient time to move away from its line of flight. Initially only one missile can be affected by this spell, but the number increases as a Grand Master rises in rank. - Strength
— By casting this spell, a Sun Knight is able to greatly increase his or her physical strength for a short duration. It can be used to lift or move heavy objects, or to effect a temporary increase in
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
scores whilst fighting an enemy.
- Halt Missile
The nature of any additional improvements and how they affect your Grand Master Disciplines will be noted in the Improved Grand Master Disciplines section of future
Lone Wolf
books.
Your mission to thwart Magnaarn's quest for the Doomstone of Darke will be fraught with deadly dangers. Be wary and on your guard at all times, for the warriors of Nyras are still a formidable enemy despite their recent defeats on the battlefields of the Western Tentarias.
Some of the things that you will find during your mission will be of use to you in this and future
Lone Wolf
books, while others may be red herrings of no real value at all. If you discover items, be selective in what you choose to keep.
Pick your Grand Master Disciplines with care, for a wise choice will enable any player to complete the quest, no matter how weak their initial
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
scores may be. Successful completion of previous
Lone Wolf
adventures, although an advantage, is not essential for the completion of this Grand Master adventure.
The lives of thousands of Lencian crusaders besieging the city of Darke and, ultimately, the final outcome of their war against the hated Drakkarim depends on the success of your mission. May the light of Kai and Ishir be your guide as you venture into the Helotry of Nyras.
For Sommerlund and the Kai!
Having pledged your help, you commence preparations for your long journey to Lencia. You have many things you wish to attend to before you depart and so you invite Lord Floras, the Lencian envoy, to enjoy the hospitality of the monastery for a few days in order that you can settle your most pressing obligations. To your surprise he declines your invitation and insists that you leave at once, for he is anxious to return immediately to his distant homeland. Respectfully he reminds you that time does not favour your quest. By ship and by horse his journey to the monastery took more than a month to complete, and with Magnaarn already so near to finding the Doomstone of Darke, he fears that further delays could prove disastrous.
Mindful of the great distance which needs to be traversed you hurriedly dispatch a journeyman to Toran. He carries your request for help which is addressed to Lord Rimoah, your most trusted friend and advisor, who is presently attending to Guildmaster Banedon in his convalescence. Early next morning Lord Rimoah arrives at the monastery in person, aboard the vessel that is to be the answer to your dilemma:
Skyrider
— Banedon's flying ship.
Warmly you greet your old friend, and then you introduce him formally to Lord Floras. The two talk at length about the war in the west, and Rimoah concludes the discussion by voicing his approval of your decision to go to King Sarnac's aid. Then he offers some words of warning.
‘Be in no doubt, Grand Master,’ he says, ‘this mission you have chosen to fulfil will be as perilous as any you have undertaken in the past. Magnaarn is a cunning adversary and this stone he seeks is possessed of a deadly evil. Do not underestimate your enemy. If he should succeed in his quest then I fear the lands of the Western Tentarias will never be at peace.’
As you search the smouldering ruins, you discover little has survived the fire which, at its height, must have transformed this town into a blazing inferno. The charred bones and skulls of those who died in the battle are strewn everywhere, and no attempt has been made to bury them. You are examining the remains of a Drakkarim sword when suddenly you hear Schera calling you. His voice is full of urgency. You discard the sword and hurry back to the main street to find out what is wrong.
