Monstrous Bat
Cipher
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- Dec 30, 2011
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In 1989, Mindcraft released the (somewhat) famous Ultima clone The Magic Candle. Later, they went on to make two direct sequels to the game, as well as several spinoffs.
Bloodstone is one of the spinoff games in the MC series and one of the last Mindcraft games. It's a CRPG using the same engine as MC3 and is supposed to be a prequel to MC1, story-wise. Despite it being quite an obscure game, Codexians who have played Bloodstone generally seemed to like it. V_K in particular is a big fanboy of this game.
The game also features a fuckton of dwarves. Therefore, I shall do my best to shoehorn in as many Dwarf Fortress references as I conceivably can.
This is once again a blind LP, so no spoilers please. I also urges you to read my majestic, Invictus-approved LP of MC1 here, if you haven't already.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Party Creating - this post
Escape
Two Cities
Jump the Skyshark
Arcophobia
Going Academic
Wasn't Crooked Bee supposed to have interviewed the creator of MC series in 2013? I could never found the interview in Codex news.
Ooh, a red axe. I wonder if that's the bloodstone axe mentioned in the introduction?
Let's start a new game, then.
Uhm, in any case, we have to create a hero before we could start this adventure proper. The male hero's default name is Danat, and theheroine female hero's default name is Danta. We could, of course, rename our hero.
Glad to see that this time, we're allowed to input a name with more than 5 letters. But it doesn't matter, for I intended to give the hero a 5-characters name anyway.
I think the word Taldor is just Bloodstone's way of saying "goblins".
Spell totems in Bloodstone are basically the spellbooks in other MC games. Also note that you'd still see two bearded dwarves even if the protagonist was a girl.
With the introduction sequence over, we're now required to select three companions from eight volunteers to from a party of 4. (Don't worry, the maximum party size is still 6 - but the last two vacancies will have to be filled later.)
Anyway, let's take a look at one of the volunteers:
For each character, we have 30 points to allocate to improve their attributes and skills. The maximum value for any attribute is 12; for skills it's 99. Improving an attribute by one costs 3 points; improving a skill costs 1. Skills can be improved through usage or in schools. It's probably possible to improve the attributes in the course of the game as well.
Anyway, Poral is a pretty typical fighter dwarf, skilled with axe and lockpicking. Unfortunately he can't learn spells.
Tara starts out somewhat skilled in all weapons, but she too can't learn magic.
Entor is a dwarf skilled in magic and soulreading, in addition to being an adquete fighter.He starts out with five spell totems, giving him quite a lot of different spells at his disposal. No he doesn't, the only one who starts out with spell totems is the hero. (There's a total of 7 different spell totems in this game.)
Halan the only human volunteer has the potential to be a pretty good spellsword.He starts with 4 spell totems. No he doesn't.
Ranak is another fine dwarven spellcaster. He has only 2 totems though. Actually he has none.
Maka is mostly the same as Poral, with a few differences in initial skills and equipments. She can't learn to cast spells.
Kenit is a tlengle (some weird scaly race) with some pretty good combat and survival skills. No tlengles can use magic.
Finally, Endel is an amazon with some experience in almost every skill.She starts out with two spell totems.
Here's the hero's character sheet for reference. You'll notice that he is better than the volunteers in just about every area.
Now, Codexians, this is where your input will be needed. Vote now to decide which volunteers to take with us and which ones to leave in thisfortress bunker cave for dead! Also, if you have any thoughts about how we should build a particular character, feel free to voice your opinion.
Bloodstone is one of the spinoff games in the MC series and one of the last Mindcraft games. It's a CRPG using the same engine as MC3 and is supposed to be a prequel to MC1, story-wise. Despite it being quite an obscure game, Codexians who have played Bloodstone generally seemed to like it. V_K in particular is a big fanboy of this game.
The game also features a fuckton of dwarves. Therefore, I shall do my best to shoehorn in as many Dwarf Fortress references as I conceivably can.
The Manual said:INTRODUCTION
Rohrkhad Dwar-Father sat in the Throne of Stars and cast his Second Eye upon the land. Although viewing his children always disappointed him, he could not help himself from looking upon the dwarves who, once peaceful, had now split into warring tribes.
He bent the Eye upon chief Rakan of the Morin tribe and saw through Rakan's eyes. Rakan was in his longhouse in the stead Kafari, studying a leather map showing the boundaries of the Morin and Tamar tribes. But now Rakan's loremaster placed colored clay to indicate the positions of a new threat - bands of Taldor raiders to the west. Rohrkhad could feel Rakan's fear; the Morin were dwarves and could be counted on to adhere to the Codes of Battle, but the Taldor were unpredictable creatures.
The god then looked upon the stone city Haraza, capitol of the Tamar, where the dark-skinned chief Torongo was shouting at advisors. "I do not want to hear of Taldor raids! We can defeat Morin and Taldor! Find word of the treasures of the gods!" And the advisors scurried away, quarreling about how they could find word of treasures that had been lost for generations.
Rohrkhad sighed a sigh born from centuries of despair. Since the other gods drove him from his castle and stole his sigil, he had watched his children turn bitter, and now he had all but given up on mortal affairs. He longed for the mile-high steel walls of his Castle Entemar. He longed for his sigil, Khamalkhad, the axe forged from bloodstone before the dwarves were born, now hidden deep in the ice caverns beneath Entemar. And the covenants prevented Rohrkhad from returning to his castle except in the form of impotent fire.
But Rohrkhad had one last hope to save the dwarves from themselves and from the cruelty of the other gods. He had been watching a young warrior who lived in the caves beneath Asarene - a young warrior who was skilled with axe, crossbow, and magic. A young soldier who could one day penetrate Castle Entemar, retrieve Khamalkhad, and use it as a symbol to unite the warring dwarven tribes. Rohrkhad sang to the threads of Time, and tied the youth to that destiny with divine chains.
The young warrior of the Asarene caverns was about to grow up.
This is once again a blind LP, so no spoilers please. I also urges you to read my majestic, Invictus-approved LP of MC1 here, if you haven't already.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Party Creating - this post
Escape
Two Cities
Jump the Skyshark
Arcophobia
Going Academic
Wasn't Crooked Bee supposed to have interviewed the creator of MC series in 2013? I could never found the interview in Codex news.
Ooh, a red axe. I wonder if that's the bloodstone axe mentioned in the introduction?
Let's start a new game, then.
The Manual said:There are two possible hero profiles, one male and one female, each with the same attributes, skills and possessions. ("Heroine" is probably a sexist word, so we don't use it.)
Uhm, in any case, we have to create a hero before we could start this adventure proper. The male hero's default name is Danat, and the
Glad to see that this time, we're allowed to input a name with more than 5 letters. But it doesn't matter, for I intended to give the hero a 5-characters name anyway.
I think the word Taldor is just Bloodstone's way of saying "goblins".
Spell totems in Bloodstone are basically the spellbooks in other MC games. Also note that you'd still see two bearded dwarves even if the protagonist was a girl.
With the introduction sequence over, we're now required to select three companions from eight volunteers to from a party of 4. (Don't worry, the maximum party size is still 6 - but the last two vacancies will have to be filled later.)
Now, I should probably explain how party creation work in this game. Each volunteer starts with pre-determined attributes, skills and equipment, but we could make also make some modifications to their attributes and skills. (Isn't it strange that you get to customize your companions but not the protagonist? Usually it's the other way around.)The Manual said:Poral is a young dwarf eager to leave his (axe) mark on the world. Tara is an amazon skilled in weapons and woodcraft. Entor is studying to be a dwarven shaman.
Halan the ranger knows the sword and crossbow, as well as being adept in magic. Ranak wishes to find new lands and new magic spells, while Maka is in search of new beasts to slay.
Kenit is a mighty female tlengle warrior. Endel would like to return to the woodlands whence she came.
Anyway, let's take a look at one of the volunteers:
For each character, we have 30 points to allocate to improve their attributes and skills. The maximum value for any attribute is 12; for skills it's 99. Improving an attribute by one costs 3 points; improving a skill costs 1. Skills can be improved through usage or in schools. It's probably possible to improve the attributes in the course of the game as well.
The Manual said:Bravery determines when or if a character will flee during combat. If a party member flees, the party leader will not be able to issue commands to that member until the combat is ended or the member stops fleeing. The "Courage" spell will temporarily boost bravery and stop a fleeing character. Your hero has the maximum bravery and will not flee against your wishes. However, the hero can certainly flee along with the rest of the party in a strategic withdrawal.
The physical Strength of a character determines what weapons may be used as well as how much damage is done by successful attacks on the enemy.
Dexterity can allow a character to do more than one thing in one combat turn. With dexterity over six. three actions are sometimes possible.
Endurance determines a character's maximum Hit Points.
The higher the endurance. the more Hit Points.
Agility reflects the probability that a character will be able to dodge a physical attack.
A companion's Loyalty tells how likely he or she is to complete assignments given by the hero. Given time, a companion of low loyalty will feel bored and resentful at being assigned to work in a smithy or learn a shelf-full of spells, while others are off having exciting adventures. Enough boredom or resentment, and the companion will quit and go home. Even excitement is not a complete cure: if both bravery and loyalty are low. a companion may flee from combat and decide to just keep running.
Charm measures a character's ability to speak profitably with strangers. The more charming the character, the more likely strangers will be to share information.
Intelligence affects the amount of time needed to memorize a spell. Additionally, when training with a master or an instructor, the duration of the training session is influenced by the student's intelligence.
Resistance is the ability to withstand or lessen the effects of hostile magic attacks.
More specifically, the musical instruments can be played for some beneficial effects like boosting the morale of the party or terrifying the enemies. Soulreading supposedly gives hints as to whether you should talk to a group of monsters.The Manual said:Sword: The Sword skill determines how likely a character is to score a successful hit with a sword. The damage done when the sword hits depends on what sword the character carries. and how strong the character is. Wizards make lousy swordsmen; other races can attain excellent proficiency with swords .
Axe: Like the Sword skill, the Axe skill determines how likely a character is to damage an opponent. Dwarves are the premier axewielders, although other races can attain considerable skill.
Archery: Skill with the crossbow can allow a character to inflict damage on an opponent, even unto death, before the opponent can approach to use a sword or axe. A character of any race can become skilled in Archery, although wizards find it hard. Amazons are the best archers. Where Archery is concerned, wizards are best used to carry supplies of bolts for the other party members.
Magic: Magic is inherent in the elemental forces of the world. Dwarves and Wizards are the best at tapping into this energy, although all of the races except Tlengle can potentially cast spells. The greater the caster's Magic skill, the less personal energy is used in casting spells, and the greater the magic's effect.
Fist: By preference, a character will attack with a hard steel sword or axe. But, if the weapons are broken or lost. the only alternative is attacking bare-handed, using the Fist skill. It's a last resort, but the last resort might be the most important.
Swimming: When traveling through Tarq, you will find rivers and streams. In good weather, with sufficient Swimming skill and a sealskin suit. you will be able to cross them without having to find a bridge and to defeat any guardians it might have. Most characters can swim, some very well, but dwarves are heavier than water and have a difficult time of it.
Trading: The Trading skill allows your party members to get the highest prices for the things they sell, and the lowest prices for the things they buy.
Stealth: Hostile beasts and creatures roam parts of the Solian lands. With adequate stealth. your party may able to avoid their notice.
Researching: The loremasters of Tarq preserve a wealth of ancient information. Sufficient Researching skill will allow a party member to dig the information from stacks of old stone tablets.
Soulreading: Soulreading is a mysterious skill, but often an invaluable one. When your party encounters a group of enemies, an accomplished soulreader might be able to tell you whether they are inclined to run away or to eat you for dinner.
Lockpicking: One skilled in Lockpicking is more likely to open locked chests without breaking lockpicks and without setting off traps.
Tracking: The Tracking skill is common to those who have been raised in the forests of Tarq: humans and amazons. Its most important application is in noticing signs of an imminent ambush by evil beasts of the wild.
Musical: Characters with the Musical skill can entertain their companions with their singing and their virtuosity on various musical instruments. The instruments are described in the chapter on "Items."
Carpenter: The first of the craft skills is that of the Carpenter. There are two advantages to having a Carpenter in your party. One is that, out in the wilds, Carpenters can build shelters that let the party rest more comfortably and regain more energy while they sleep. The other, as with the other crafts, is that a Carpenter can be assigned to work as a journeyman with master carpenters in towns and villages to earn coins for the party's use.
Metalsmith: The next craft skill is that of the Metalsmith. Like carpenters, skilled Metalsmiths can earn a good wage in friendly towns and villages. And, while adventuring, they fix the party's weapons and armor much more quickly than novices might.
Gemcutter: Gemcutters can also earn many coins for the party: not only by working at the Gemcutters' trade, but also by adding their Gemcutter's skill to their Trading skill when selling precious stones that the party has unearthed in its explorations .
Tailor: The final craft skill is that of the Tailor. Tailors can, of course, provide the party with income. But the best Tailors can also ensure that the party makes a good impression-much like a permanent Glamour spell.
Leadership: Before a battle, a party member skilled in Leadership can rally the troops to a higher level of courage and combat skill. During the battle itself, if a member skilled in Leadership heads the troops, they will fight more effectively.
Anyway, Poral is a pretty typical fighter dwarf, skilled with axe and lockpicking. Unfortunately he can't learn spells.
Tara starts out somewhat skilled in all weapons, but she too can't learn magic.
Entor is a dwarf skilled in magic and soulreading, in addition to being an adquete fighter.
Halan the only human volunteer has the potential to be a pretty good spellsword.
Ranak is another fine dwarven spellcaster.
Maka is mostly the same as Poral, with a few differences in initial skills and equipments. She can't learn to cast spells.
Kenit is a tlengle (some weird scaly race) with some pretty good combat and survival skills. No tlengles can use magic.
Finally, Endel is an amazon with some experience in almost every skill.
Here's the hero's character sheet for reference. You'll notice that he is better than the volunteers in just about every area.
Now, Codexians, this is where your input will be needed. Vote now to decide which volunteers to take with us and which ones to leave in this
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