Dungeon 9 Turn 8
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Lara pulls out her pick and tries to smash the indented floor with it, but it doesn’t give at all. It seems she would need to apply significantly more force to break it. The ghast turns and swipes at her with its greataxe, making a comparatively feeble swing but still dealing 3 damage. Kamau strains to break the paralysis, but doesn’t manage to do so in time to prevent his ally (…friend?) getting hurt, and he gains 3 Remorse. Making up for this, the flytrap bites into the ghast’s heavy armour and tears it clean off, dealing no damage but creating an opening for future combat. At least Lara managed to shake off the paralysis!
Ricki runs past and unlocks the nearby chest, once again expending her thieves’ tools and leaving her with none. Inside she finds a nice helmet. She swaps out the one she’s currently wearing (despite the fact that, it clearly being designed for humans, it hurts her ears and partly obstructs her vision) and then runs all the way up the ladder in search of something that might help deal with this powerful enemy.
Botanya leaves the fight and heads left.
The room above doesn’t seem to have any obvious ways to kill the ghast, just more jars and undead. Coccyx follows once again and continues to fire arrows at Ricki, but this looks like the end of their weird isolated firing platform.
“Stop ignoring me! Stay out of there!”
Botanya smashes the two burial urns, and finds a total of four gold coins within. She feels a vaguely ominous aura surround her when she does so, but nothing bad seems to happen, so she ignores it.
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HELMET, FULL
Accessory
Def +2.
Weight 2, Cost 24
Not Ideal result. But time to just keep pushing onwards.
Kamau: Interpose
Botania: Move Right, Play pipes on Ghast
Ricki: Move down, attack Ghast
Lara: Attack Ghast with Spear
Mushrooms and MVP plant, attack Ghast.
We need this thing dead and we’ve wasted enough time on this. Hopefully Kamau doesnt get paralyzed.
On a side note. I am against breaking any more jars. Between Remorse and infection, I dont want to worry about curses or some other mechanic that may occur from this. Unless we’re planning to abandon dungeon later. In that case, smashy smashy.
I’d rather we don’t break any more jars even if abandoning, just in case it spawns a dangerous monster at the entrance.
I guess this is to avoid paralysis?
But the ghast doesn’t paralyse every time. Let’s say, 50%. And pipes only works 20%. So this spend Botanya’s action for 10% chance of avoiding paralysis on Kamau.
And Kamau being paralysed would cost us maybe 2-3 actions total by forcing us to do non-combat actions with the others for a turn.
So this spend 1 action for 0.3 actions on average. Why not do something else in the room with her like the coffin or trapped chest? Botanya’s got the def to shrug off even explosive bolts and is immune to infection shenanigans.
We’re only guessing what the probability is. But I’d imagine that ghast have a higher chance. I think kamau has been paralyzed 3 of the 4 times he’s been hit so not good odds.
If we activate a tomb, it could spawn something new which would be very bad.
Fair. But even if we exaggerate it to 99%, and say that it make the whole team waste their entire next turn… piping him still only saves us less than 0.8 actions on average.
Fair. Then what about the trapped chest?
Actually, have everyone stand off the trapdoor if we open it, just in case they’re linked.
EDIT: Might be too late, but variant posted.
There’s a pressure plate just left of the ladder of the bottom floor in the new room.
Also 3 remorse and 1 infection is a bad start for Kamau. And it’s not even turn 10 yet (when the first group of zombies is due)…
So Ghasts do have intelligent optimal targeting. At least that wasn’t instant-game over as I feared since it doesn’t actually coordinate with Coccyx.
Let’s remember interpose is our only way to deal with ghasts.
I don’t see anything we could have chosen last turn for the actions in this turn that could prevent remorse with Kamau paralysed, maybe except spending Lara’s web binding.
Or leaving Kamau and having Flytrap attack, sacrificing it.
Or having Ricki (with her higher defense) stick around and Lara leave, reducing remorse
Monsters can attack characters that are leaving the room. Especially if they have intelligent targeting.
Ghast prob hit lara cause she was still in melee range . Was probably a coin toss between plant and her.
Two other things we seem to have learned:
(a) Paralysis is not always assured; if you get a lucky roll you’ll “shake it off.”
(b) Ghast paralysis lasts longer than ghoul paralysis, although you *might* be able to “break it” on the second turn with a lucky roll.
Kamau is no longer paralyzed, the text just means he didn’t shake it off in time to act this turn.
Oh, by “anything we could have done this turn” I meant the actions we chose last turn, which get done this turn.
Edited the clarification in.
Might as well post my minor variant of Claudious’ plan:
Ricki: Move down, point out trap floor to everyone, attack Ghast after moving to Kamau’s side of trap floor(do not stand on it)
Kamau: Interpose
Lara: Attack Ghast with Spear after moving to Kamau’s side of trap floor(do not stand on it)
Shrooms and Flytrap: Attack ghast with your owners
Botanya: Move right, open trap chest
Explanation:
Same as Claudious’, with a more productive action for Botanya instead. Math in comments under Claudious’ plan.