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GrailQuest

 GrailQuest
type
TVTItem
 GrailQuest
label
GrailQuest
 GrailQuest
page
GrailQuest
 GrailQuest
comment
Hold still and don't fidget. See, Merlin (yes, that Merlin) has cast a spell on you, modern day reader, that will transport your mind back in time to the days of King Arthur and his court. See, they weren't quite as competent as the legends portrayed and someone (you) needs to save their bacon. Merlin's too busy.You, in the body of sturdy farmboy (or possibly farmgirl) Pip, go forth to defeat the evil wizard, dragon, black knight, what have you; armed only with your dice, your spells (in some books), your talking sword; Excalibur Junior ("E.J", for short), and a lot of British humor.GrailQuest is a set of Gamebooks by J.H. Brennan, with eight books in the series: The Castle of Darkness (1984) The Den of Dragons (1984) The Gateway of Doom (1984) Voyage of Terror (1985) Kingdom of Horror (1985) Realm of Chaos (1986) Tomb of Nightmares (1986) Legion of the Dead (1987)Not to be confused with The Grail Quest by Bernard Cornwell.For other gamebook series by J.H. Brennan, check out Horror Classic Gamebooks and Sagas of the Demonspawn.
 GrailQuest
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2024-03-05T14:30:38Z
 GrailQuest
parsed
2024-03-05T14:30:38Z
 GrailQuest
processingComment
Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
 GrailQuest
processingComment
Dropped link to CriticalEncumbranceFailure: Not a Feature - ITEM
 GrailQuest
processingComment
Dropped link to MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail: Not a Feature - ITEM
 GrailQuest
processingComment
Dropped link to TreasureIsland: Not a Feature - ITEM
 GrailQuest
isPartOf
DBTropes
 GrailQuest / int_1467a30c
type
Unexpected Gameplay Change
 GrailQuest / int_1467a30c
comment
Unexpected Gameplay Change: Once you reach the Ghastly Kingdom in Gateway of Doom, you have to use a series of maps rather than straightforwardly going from reference to reference.
 GrailQuest / int_1467a30c
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GrailQuest / int_1467a30c
 GrailQuest / int_14beeefd
type
Darker and Edgier
 GrailQuest / int_14beeefd
comment
Darker and Edgier: Realm of Chaos is considered the bleakest and generally less inspired chapter, possibly on purpose, because it involves exploring Camelot during the peak of a curse that makes everything rot. So most of the story is spent venturing through desolate landscapes and deserted places, with very little of the trademark humour of the rest of the series.
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GrailQuest / int_14beeefd
 GrailQuest / int_156864b1
type
Encounter Repellant
 GrailQuest / int_156864b1
comment
Encounter Repellant: In the second part of The Gateway of Doom, you can find a trinket that put an end to every Random Encounters in a given level of the dungeon. It has three charges, which should be well enough to finish the book without any longer being bothered by these encounters, except the dungeon also includes teleportation traps that can send you back to another level, forcing you to deplete it further.
 GrailQuest / int_156864b1
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GrailQuest / int_156864b1
 GrailQuest / int_16dad7a7
type
It May Help You on Your Quest
 GrailQuest / int_16dad7a7
comment
It May Help You on Your Quest: Quite frequent throughout the series, though the items are often rather bizarre. Especially notable in book 3, The Gateway of Doom, which adds a Critical Encumbrance Failure aspect, and has Merlin lampshades the trope in the text:
 GrailQuest / int_16dad7a7
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GrailQuest / int_16dad7a7
 GrailQuest / int_1713b00a
type
Your Head A-Splode
 GrailQuest / int_1713b00a
comment
Your Head Asplode: Pip's head explodes in Realm of Chaos. This is accompanied by a full-page illustration of said explosion. Surprisingly, this is not fatal and is actually required to progress in the game.
 GrailQuest / int_1713b00a
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GrailQuest / int_1713b00a
 GrailQuest / int_185f3995
type
Memetic Badass
 GrailQuest / int_185f3995
comment
Memetic Badass: Pip has definitely become this, in-universe, by the time of the final book.
 GrailQuest / int_185f3995
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GrailQuest / int_185f3995
 GrailQuest / int_1b2b1d2c
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Violation of Common Sense
 GrailQuest / int_1b2b1d2c
comment
Violation of Common Sense: Lampshaded thusly:
 GrailQuest / int_1b2b1d2c
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GrailQuest / int_1b2b1d2c
 GrailQuest / int_1f1248fc
type
Vancian Magic
 GrailQuest / int_1f1248fc
comment
Vancian Magic: The spells Pip can learn can only be used a limited number of times in each book: 10 for the Firefingers, 2 for the Fireballs, 3 for most common spells and only once for the rarest spells (like Invisibility).
 GrailQuest / int_1f1248fc
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GrailQuest / int_1f1248fc
 GrailQuest / int_20c6638f
type
Easing into the Adventure
 GrailQuest / int_20c6638f
comment
Easing into the Adventure: The first book introduces Pip having a fistfight with the local bully (to introduce the combat rules) before he or she meets with Merlin, gets starting spells/magic items, and is sent on an adventure.
 GrailQuest / int_20c6638f
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GrailQuest / int_20c6638f
 GrailQuest / int_216c045b
type
The Scottish Trope
 GrailQuest / int_216c045b
comment
The Scottish Trope: Played for laugh with the Phantom Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!).
 GrailQuest / int_216c045b
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GrailQuest / int_216c045b
 GrailQuest / int_234073a4
type
Your Mind Makes It Real
 GrailQuest / int_234073a4
comment
Your Mind Makes It Real: Sleeping is one way of regaining LIFE POINTS, however you have a good chance of dreaming, which sends you to DreamLand, where anything that happens to you will usually impact the real you. In the first books, this usually meant you could die or lose LIFE POINTS while dreaming, and the best you could hope from a trip to DreamLand was staying alive (although you can still gain experience points for vanquishing enemies in dreams). Later books made way for more beneficial dreams, including one that allowed you to gain money after dreaming you found a treasure.
 GrailQuest / int_234073a4
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GrailQuest / int_234073a4
 GrailQuest / int_259d5879
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Anachronism Stew
 GrailQuest / int_259d5879
comment
Anachronism Stew: Clearly intentional and Played for Laughs as much as possible, as things like chocolate biscuits and Horlicks appear in the time of King Arthur.
 GrailQuest / int_259d5879
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GrailQuest / int_259d5879
 GrailQuest / int_295087bf
type
Non-Indicative Name
 GrailQuest / int_295087bf
comment
Non-Indicative Name: At no point in this series do you ever go on a quest for the Holy Grail.
 GrailQuest / int_295087bf
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 GrailQuest / int_295087bf
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GrailQuest / int_295087bf
 GrailQuest / int_2a6a8e89
type
Sadist Teacher
 GrailQuest / int_2a6a8e89
comment
Sadist Teacher: The Evil Math Teacher in book 3.
 GrailQuest / int_2a6a8e89
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GrailQuest / int_2a6a8e89
 GrailQuest / int_2ad3eb22
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You Can Talk?
 GrailQuest / int_2ad3eb22
comment
You Can Talk?: At the start of The Gateway of Doom:
 GrailQuest / int_2ad3eb22
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GrailQuest / int_2ad3eb22
 GrailQuest / int_2fd985e3
type
Pit Trap
 GrailQuest / int_2fd985e3
comment
Pit Trap: The Gateway of Doom really went to town with these, including a room that consisted of about half a dozen unavoidable pit traps in a row.
 GrailQuest / int_2fd985e3
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GrailQuest / int_2fd985e3
 GrailQuest / int_3069d72a
type
Attack Backfire
 GrailQuest / int_3069d72a
comment
Attack Backfire: In Realm of Chaos, you encounter the Pondifilous Maximus, a six-foot-tall stick insect wearing purple robes. However, although he only has 12 LIFE POINTS, he is immune to weapons and each of your attacks will actually give him more health. However, he'll let you go if you give him enough LIFE POINTS.
 GrailQuest / int_3069d72a
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GrailQuest / int_3069d72a
 GrailQuest / int_34bd7be2
type
Super Drowning Skills
 GrailQuest / int_34bd7be2
comment
Super Drowning Skills: Pip can't swim, and this comes up several times in The Den of Dragons, where you essentially have to roll dice to see if you can learn to swim on the spot.
 GrailQuest / int_34bd7be2
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GrailQuest / int_34bd7be2
 GrailQuest / int_37d94ed9
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Agony of the Feet
 GrailQuest / int_37d94ed9
comment
Agony of the Feet: In Voyage of Terror, when Pip is given the option to pick a lock or kicking the door open, kicking is a bad choice:
 GrailQuest / int_37d94ed9
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GrailQuest / int_37d94ed9
 GrailQuest / int_40a533db
type
Guest-Star Party Member
 GrailQuest / int_40a533db
comment
Guest-Star Party Member: In Voyage of Terror you can be helped on your quest by Jason, Herakles and Achilles.
 GrailQuest / int_40a533db
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GrailQuest / int_40a533db
 GrailQuest / int_41d5f145
type
Fluffy the Terrible
 GrailQuest / int_41d5f145
comment
Fluffy the Terrible: Fred the demon in Kingdom of Horror.
 GrailQuest / int_41d5f145
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GrailQuest / int_41d5f145
 GrailQuest / int_441ccbad
type
Talking Weapon
 GrailQuest / int_441ccbad
comment
Talking Weapon: E.J. also speaks. He gets more talkative as the series progresses, and in later books gains the ability to read your thoughts.
 GrailQuest / int_441ccbad
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GrailQuest / int_441ccbad
 GrailQuest / int_480c69ba
type
Infinity -1 Sword
 GrailQuest / int_480c69ba
comment
Infinity -1 Sword: E.J. gives accuracy and attack bonuses. He's less useful against spiders, and if he's mad at you, he won't fight at all.
 GrailQuest / int_480c69ba
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GrailQuest / int_480c69ba
 GrailQuest / int_4a4d6f7c
type
Comedic Sociopathy
 GrailQuest / int_4a4d6f7c
comment
Comedic Sociopathy: A great deal of the injuries you sustain are presented as amusing, such as the double spear trap from Tomb of Nightmares that requires you to tear the spears out of your stomach.
 GrailQuest / int_4a4d6f7c
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GrailQuest / int_4a4d6f7c
 GrailQuest / int_4c709317
type
Useless Useful Spell
 GrailQuest / int_4c709317
comment
Useless Useful Spell: In one of the earlier books, you receive the spell PIP (Pip's Immunity to Poison). At one point you are presented with a poisoned meal, and given a subtle prompt to do "something" before eating. The section you turn to determines whether you live or die by a random roll, not even mentioning the spell; if you live, it's because you're immune to that particular poison. The spell doesn't affect it at all. The Invisibility spell is the only one that can only be used when the book specifically gives you the option (which is very rarely).
 GrailQuest / int_4c709317
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GrailQuest / int_4c709317
 GrailQuest / int_4c798fd5
type
Shock and Awe
 GrailQuest / int_4c798fd5
comment
Shock and Awe: Pip starts Kingdom of Horror with a metal bolt charged with electricity jammed through his/her neck as a result of Merlin's experiments, which can be used to Pip's advantage in battle.
 GrailQuest / int_4c798fd5
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GrailQuest / int_4c798fd5
 GrailQuest / int_4f4372e9
type
Early-Installment Weirdness
 GrailQuest / int_4f4372e9
comment
Early-Installment Weirdness: The first book, despite its moments of humor, still plays its plot and environment quite straight, which is quite a weird contrast to the Denser and Wackier rest of the series. The illustrations were also noticeably more extreme compared to the later books. In said first book, The Undead are devoid of LIFE POINTS ('cause they're, you know, dead) and need to be destroyed in one shot with a high enough roll. Later on, undead are treated like any other enemy (although their LIFE POINTS are called DEATH POINTS). This first book has an enemy wolf — an ordinary wolf, mind you — that attacks Pip by biting their arms, legs and neck, which aren't covered by their dragon scale armor (thus disabling the protection bonus). No other enemy in the series takes advantage of this.
 GrailQuest / int_4f4372e9
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GrailQuest / int_4f4372e9
 GrailQuest / int_50727f8d
type
Death Is a Slap on the Wrist
 GrailQuest / int_50727f8d
comment
Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: The later books in particular — the boss fight in Voyage of Terror allows you to return to two sections before the fight if you dies, and the last two books allow you to return to the section where you died.
 GrailQuest / int_50727f8d
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GrailQuest / int_50727f8d
 GrailQuest / int_50f66629
type
Crazy-Prepared
 GrailQuest / int_50f66629
comment
Crazy-Prepared: The series gives players the option to acquire seemingly ridiculous items, such as mechanical aardvarks and devices for communicating with crickets (not insects in general, you understand, but solely crickets). In any given book, most of these items will be useless, but one or two situations can inevitably come up where one of the ridiculous items is be the only thing suitable. The trick is figuring out which, which is trickier than it sounds given the books' surreal, Pythonesque sense of humour.
 GrailQuest / int_50f66629
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GrailQuest / int_50f66629
 GrailQuest / int_51567188
type
Cast from Hit Points
 GrailQuest / int_51567188
comment
Cast from Hit Points: Pip's basic spells cost 3 LIFE POINTS; magic you can find in the adventure tends to take more.
 GrailQuest / int_51567188
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GrailQuest / int_51567188
 GrailQuest / int_5aa4ec8a
type
Ambiguous Syntax
 GrailQuest / int_5aa4ec8a
comment
Ambiguous Syntax: In The Gateway of Doom, you enter a room containing "a man eating plant". The next line informs you that the plant he's eating is a carrot.
 GrailQuest / int_5aa4ec8a
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GrailQuest / int_5aa4ec8a
 GrailQuest / int_5b351f0d
type
IntercontinuityCrossover
 GrailQuest / int_5b351f0d
comment
Intercontinuity Crossover: Mainly in Book 4, Voyage of Terror: For most of the journey, Pip joins Jason and the Argonauts. On one island, he can meet with Long John Silver. No, really.
 GrailQuest / int_5b351f0d
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GrailQuest / int_5b351f0d
 GrailQuest / int_5beef860
type
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
 GrailQuest / int_5beef860
comment
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: E.J. is very afraid of spiders and will cause much less damage if you fight a Giant Spider.
 GrailQuest / int_5beef860
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 GrailQuest / int_5e7c0ab7
type
Kleptomaniac Hero
 GrailQuest / int_5e7c0ab7
comment
Kleptomaniac Hero: You can get a lot of gold in these books. Lampshaded when you have to fight your Evil Twin in one book and you can get out of it by offering your clone an extremely large bribe.
 GrailQuest / int_5e7c0ab7
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GrailQuest / int_5e7c0ab7
 GrailQuest / int_603b77ec
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Savage Wolves
 GrailQuest / int_603b77ec
comment
Savage Wolves: One of the first enemies in the first book is a wolf. If you are lucky enough, it can accept your sandwich as food and go away. If fought it can be quite nasty as it attacks specifically where your body isn't covered by the armor (although no other enemy in the series does this, strangely).
 GrailQuest / int_603b77ec
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GrailQuest / int_603b77ec
 GrailQuest / int_6141b228
type
Full-Boar Action
 GrailQuest / int_6141b228
comment
Full-Boar Action: One of the first enemies to be fought in the first book is a wild boar charging at you. Despite his name, the Phantom Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!) looks like a boar man to you... if you have the Bonkers Helm equipped.
 GrailQuest / int_6141b228
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GrailQuest / int_6141b228
 GrailQuest / int_62453cf7
type
From Beyond the Fourth Wall
 GrailQuest / int_62453cf7
comment
From Beyond the Fourth Wall: The entire premise of the series.
 GrailQuest / int_62453cf7
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GrailQuest / int_62453cf7
 GrailQuest / int_62525a70
type
He Knows About Timed Hits
 GrailQuest / int_62525a70
comment
He Knows About Timed Hits: Merlin breaks the fourth wall to give you the basic instructions, as do several other characters (if a character gives you an item that will stay with you even if you die, they will explicitly say that it stays with you in section 14).
 GrailQuest / int_62525a70
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GrailQuest / int_62525a70
 GrailQuest / int_64f0c18c
type
Critical Existence Failure
 GrailQuest / int_64f0c18c
comment
Critical Existence Failure: Averted — if you reach five LIFE POINTS, you fall unconscious (and are generally presumed dead unless the text says otherwise).
 GrailQuest / int_64f0c18c
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 GrailQuest / int_64fa0ea8
type
Random Encounters
 GrailQuest / int_64fa0ea8
comment
Random Encounters: The second part of The Gateway of Doom plays like a typical Dungeon, including a roll on random encounter tables every time you've crossed enough length of the grayed hallways. There is a different table for each level, and the encounters become more frequent and more dangerous as you get deeper into it.
 GrailQuest / int_64fa0ea8
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 GrailQuest / int_6a85e9e1
type
Dub-Induced Plot Hole
 GrailQuest / int_6a85e9e1
comment
Dub-Induced Plot Hole: An infamous one in the French translation. In the last book, Pip can get a Sunstone from the castle people who were cursed by Ansalom. The Sunstone becomes important later. However, in the French version, the Sunstone is given a different name when you get it ("Phoebus") and when you are asked to use it! ("Aventurine")
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 GrailQuest / int_6c51e9e1
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Fisher King
 GrailQuest / int_6c51e9e1
comment
Fisher King: The victim of a curse in Legion of the Dead (see Call-Back).
 GrailQuest / int_6c51e9e1
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 GrailQuest / int_70c06a09
type
The Undead
 GrailQuest / int_70c06a09
comment
In said first book, The Undead are devoid of LIFE POINTS ('cause they're, you know, dead) and need to be destroyed in one shot with a high enough roll. Later on, undead are treated like any other enemy (although their LIFE POINTS are called DEATH POINTS).
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GrailQuest / int_70c06a09
 GrailQuest / int_71748a39
type
Named by the Adaptation
 GrailQuest / int_71748a39
comment
Named by the Adaptation: The Poetic Fiend is called "Nosférax" in the French translation.
 GrailQuest / int_71748a39
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 GrailQuest / int_71a34999
type
Painful Rhyme
 GrailQuest / int_71a34999
comment
Painful Rhyme: Done with every single one of the Poetic Fiend's appearances; Pip has to sit down to recover from how awful one piece of verse is. On one occasion where the Fiend composes a limerick that is actually passable, Pip reacts with surprise.
 GrailQuest / int_71a34999
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GrailQuest / int_71a34999
 GrailQuest / int_7228d0cb
type
Game Over
 GrailQuest / int_7228d0cb
comment
Game Over: When you die, you are sent to Section 14, which would make fun of you before telling you that, next time, you can skip the intro and ignore any enemies you killed (later books changed it so you had to fight them again, but they had half the LIFE POINTS they had previously). What is less nice is that some items and gold that were picked up by Pip will also be missing.
 GrailQuest / int_7228d0cb
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7228d0cb
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_7228d0cb
 GrailQuest / int_7315fd38
type
Covers Always Lie
 GrailQuest / int_7315fd38
comment
Covers Always Lie: These books are a lot less serious in tone than the covers would suggest. The French edition covers even have beautiful dramatic art by John Howe, who would then work on visual concept for The Lord of the Rings films. Most of these covers portray ominous armored figures that supposedly represent Pip, who rarely ever gets to wear this type of armor. The first book's French cover, Castle of Darkness, has an armored character in a boat on raging sea waves, contemplating a castle roughly sculpted on a high-steeped rocky island. In the book, Pip doesn't wear this type of armor and never gets to sea: Ansalom's castle is accessed by going through a forest.
 GrailQuest / int_7315fd38
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7315fd38
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_7315fd38
 GrailQuest / int_745a43fc
type
Fun T-Shirt
 GrailQuest / int_745a43fc
comment
Fun T-Shirt: E.J. also refuses to fight someone wearing his fan club's T-shirt. She's not a club member; her sister is.
 GrailQuest / int_745a43fc
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_745a43fc
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_745a43fc
 GrailQuest / int_74828aea
type
Killer Rabbit
 GrailQuest / int_74828aea
comment
Killer Rabbit: In book 2, a fluffy white rabbit can give Pip a tough fight. Certainly no relation at all to another incarnation of the Arthurian myth. In Book 6, there is another nasty cute-looking rabbit, actually being called a Vorpal Bunny.
 GrailQuest / int_74828aea
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_74828aea
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_74828aea
 GrailQuest / int_76d6c3df
type
I Don't Like the Sound of That Place
 GrailQuest / int_76d6c3df
comment
I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The Ghastly Kingdom of the Dead in book 3. The eponymous Kingdom of Horror in book 5.
 GrailQuest / int_76d6c3df
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_76d6c3df
featureConfidence
1.0
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GrailQuest / int_76d6c3df
 GrailQuest / int_7a292811
type
Reviving Enemy
 GrailQuest / int_7a292811
comment
Reviving Enemy: Grott the Hoddle can pull this twice.
 GrailQuest / int_7a292811
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7a292811
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_7a292811
 GrailQuest / int_7ba493b0
type
Always Accurate Attack
 GrailQuest / int_7ba493b0
comment
Always Accurate Attack: Many of Pip's spells, such as the Attacking Dart and Firefinger bolt.
 GrailQuest / int_7ba493b0
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7ba493b0
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_7ba493b0
 GrailQuest / int_7c88991a
type
Portal Book
 GrailQuest / int_7c88991a
comment
Portal Book: Via Merlin's Net Spell.
 GrailQuest / int_7c88991a
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7c88991a
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_7c88991a
 GrailQuest / int_7d561d58
type
Too Awesome to Use
 GrailQuest / int_7d561d58
comment
Too Awesome to Use: Enforced with the sunstone in Legion of the Dead. It can either give you a massive amount of PERMANENT LIFE POINTS or a massive amount of gold, but if you use it at any time apart from in the boss battle with Merlin and the Legion, you can't win the game.
 GrailQuest / int_7d561d58
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7d561d58
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_7d561d58
 GrailQuest / int_7e6c0522
type
Off with His Head!
 GrailQuest / int_7e6c0522
comment
Off with His Head!: It is possible to decapitate yourself with E.J. if you fail a dice roll to remove a magical collar that is choking you to death in Legion of the Dead.
 GrailQuest / int_7e6c0522
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_7e6c0522
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_7e6c0522
 GrailQuest / int_82a4fadc
type
Our Liches Are Different
 GrailQuest / int_82a4fadc
comment
Our Liches Are Different: Grott, the Big Bad in Tomb of Nightmares, is a lich.note The French version calls him a "brucolaque" instead, which would refer more to a kind of vampire.
 GrailQuest / int_82a4fadc
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_82a4fadc
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_82a4fadc
 GrailQuest / int_863fa679
type
What Happened to the Mouse?
 GrailQuest / int_863fa679
comment
What Happened to the Mouse?: Towards the end of Voyage of Terror, a Sidetrack Bonus features a disembodied voice which informs you that it is the only person who can tell you where Excalibur is hidden. In the next book, Kingdom of Horror, you have to find Excalibur (following on from the end of Voyage), but the mysterious voice is never mentioned. The mysterious voice might well be that of the silver-skinned creature who sends you into the Fairy Kingdom in Kingdom of Horror. From the same book, once you've made your way back to Camelot, Jason and the Argonauts are never mentioned again.
 GrailQuest / int_863fa679
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_863fa679
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_863fa679
 GrailQuest / int_8774fb47
type
Eldritch Abomination
 GrailQuest / int_8774fb47
comment
Eldritch Abomination: The thing guarding the eponymous Gateway of Doom and dragging Pip into the Ghastly Kingdom of the Dead. The very first boss met in the last book. Also a sort of octopus-like monster met later in a ravine.
 GrailQuest / int_8774fb47
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_8774fb47
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_8774fb47
 GrailQuest / int_87ce64a0
type
Old Save Bonus
 GrailQuest / int_87ce64a0
comment
Old Save Bonus: Certain items and spells carried over to the next book; until book 4 Voyage of Terror, where you go into the mind of some random Greek kid instead. You go back to Pip in book 5, but presumably Merlin hocked your stuff.
 GrailQuest / int_87ce64a0
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_87ce64a0
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_87ce64a0
 GrailQuest / int_884e513b
type
Medium Awareness
 GrailQuest / int_884e513b
comment
Medium Awareness: The characters are all aware that they are in a gamebook, and talk freely about dice, LIFE POINTS, and section numbers.
 GrailQuest / int_884e513b
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_884e513b
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_884e513b
 GrailQuest / int_8a07e085
type
Denser and Wackier
 GrailQuest / int_8a07e085
comment
The first book, despite its moments of humor, still plays its plot and environment quite straight, which is quite a weird contrast to the Denser and Wackier rest of the series. The illustrations were also noticeably more extreme compared to the later books.
 GrailQuest / int_8a07e085
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1.0
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_8a07e085
 GrailQuest / int_8c4bafff
type
Holy Burns Evil
 GrailQuest / int_8c4bafff
comment
Holy Burns Evil: Averted with the Golden Vampire in book 7: the cross does nothing but the Golden Garlic can hypnotize him.
 GrailQuest / int_8c4bafff
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 GrailQuest / int_8c4bafff
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GrailQuest / int_8c4bafff
 GrailQuest / int_8cb844c6
type
Mr. Exposition
 GrailQuest / int_8cb844c6
comment
Mr. Exposition: Merlin.
 GrailQuest / int_8cb844c6
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_8cb844c6
featureConfidence
1.0
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GrailQuest / int_8cb844c6
 GrailQuest / int_8d718b9e
type
Bears Are Bad News
 GrailQuest / int_8d718b9e
comment
Bears Are Bad News: The giant bear in the middle of a ruined shack for no reason in book 3. The invisible bear in book 5...
 GrailQuest / int_8d718b9e
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_8d718b9e
featureConfidence
1.0
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GrailQuest / int_8d718b9e
 GrailQuest / int_8f1ec2c5
type
Joke Character
 GrailQuest / int_8f1ec2c5
comment
Joke Character: If you attack the old gardener in Gateway of Doom, you automatically get the first strike due to having surprise on your side, and he has so few LIFE POINTS that this may well be enough to kill him. Even if it isn't, he needs to roll an 8 or better on two dice to hit you and his weapon of choice (a blunted pitchfork) scores no extra damage at all. The book lampshades how incredibly unlucky you would have to be for him to kill you.
 GrailQuest / int_8f1ec2c5
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_8f1ec2c5
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_8f1ec2c5
 GrailQuest / int_970c790a
type
Big Bad
 GrailQuest / int_970c790a
comment
Big Bad: Each book has at least one serving as the Final Boss, including the Wizard Ansalom, the Brass Dragon, the Black Knight, the Giant Berkwaddle, The Phantom Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!), Grott the Hoddle and, finally Zombie Merlin.
 GrailQuest / int_970c790a
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_970c790a
featureConfidence
1.0
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GrailQuest / int_970c790a
 GrailQuest / int_98b1dc8f
type
Luck-Based Mission
 GrailQuest / int_98b1dc8f
comment
Luck-Based Mission: Realm of Chaos requires you to fail a dice roll and fall into a very specific pit trap, so that you can find the vital passage hidden there, with no indication that said pit trap is in any way different from the other pit traps you find in the same section. The catch is that the reader is not given the choice to explore these pits on purpose, but you can only fall into them by failing the roll, so ideally, particularly "lucky" players could avoid that trap more than once and never be able to beat the game, and they would never know what exactly they did wrong.
 GrailQuest / int_98b1dc8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_98b1dc8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_98b1dc8f
 GrailQuest / int_9918518b
type
Press X to Die
 GrailQuest / int_9918518b
comment
Press X to Die: J.H. Brennan's gamebooks require you to always turn to paragraph 14 when you die. As a result there are several cases where you can kill yourself:
 GrailQuest / int_9918518b
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_9918518b
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_9918518b
 GrailQuest / int_9d39440e
type
Right-Hand Attack Dog
 GrailQuest / int_9d39440e
comment
Right-Hand Attack Dog: Ansalom has attack dogs you must fight before attacking him.
 GrailQuest / int_9d39440e
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_9d39440e
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_9d39440e
 GrailQuest / int_9f63d4f1
type
Our Vampires Are Different
 GrailQuest / int_9f63d4f1
comment
Our Vampires Are Different: The Poetic Fiend is a vampire poet who appears in every book and will usually help Pip... provided Pip compliments his poetry, or else... There are also regular vampire enemies, a vampire made out of gold, another made out of jade, not to mention the dreaded Vampire Carrot.
 GrailQuest / int_9f63d4f1
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_9f63d4f1
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_9f63d4f1
 GrailQuest / int_a0eeac39
type
Odd Name Out
 GrailQuest / int_a0eeac39
comment
Odd Name Out: King Blogwort's royal advisors in Kingdom of Horror: Tom, Dick, Harry and the Reverend Plantagenet O'Rourke.
 GrailQuest / int_a0eeac39
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_a0eeac39
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_a0eeac39
 GrailQuest / int_a7325f9e
type
The Many Deaths of You
 GrailQuest / int_a7325f9e
comment
The Many Deaths of You: To the point that the last two books include a "Deathometer" to keep track of how many times you died. You get a better rank the less times you die.
 GrailQuest / int_a7325f9e
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_a7325f9e
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_a7325f9e
 GrailQuest / int_ad1db87c
type
Oh, Crap!
 GrailQuest / int_ad1db87c
comment
Oh, Crap!: If you manage to stumble into the Vampire Crypt in Gateway of Doom...
 GrailQuest / int_ad1db87c
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_ad1db87c
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_ad1db87c
 GrailQuest / int_b1346878
type
Fate Worse than Death
 GrailQuest / int_b1346878
comment
Fate Worse than Death: All the deaths instruct you to turn to paragraph 14, but a few times the text tells you that your fate is so bad as to be worse than 14, so you may as well save yourself the trouble and go to 14, such as when you get stuck looking at the magic mirror in The Gateway of Doom.
 GrailQuest / int_b1346878
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_b1346878
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_b1346878
 GrailQuest / int_b21ed2d2
type
Experience Points
 GrailQuest / int_b21ed2d2
comment
Experience Points: The rules regarding these are very hazy: you get one for "every battle or puzzle solved", but what defines these is never explained. In any event, you get one PERMANENT LIFE POINT for 20 experience points. The rules also say you can carry 10 PERMANENT LIFE POINTS to the next book, but you would need a very, very liberal definition of "puzzle" to get anywhere near that total.
 GrailQuest / int_b21ed2d2
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_b21ed2d2
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_b21ed2d2
 GrailQuest / int_b89ed08a
type
Obvious Rule Patch
 GrailQuest / int_b89ed08a
comment
Obvious Rule Patch: One of the items you can find in The Castle of Darkness is a single-use spell which will allow you to hypnotise any enemy, meaning you can ignore them and act as if you won the battle. You can carry it over to The Den of Dragons if you don't use it in Castle, but the texts notes that it does not work against dragons.
 GrailQuest / int_b89ed08a
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_b89ed08a
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_b89ed08a
 GrailQuest / int_bbca7a41
type
Mirror Match
 GrailQuest / int_bbca7a41
comment
Mirror Match: In The Gateway of Doom, one of the enemies is a distorted version of yourself created by looking in a magic mirror (the only difference is that it has only half your current LIFE POINTS).
 GrailQuest / int_bbca7a41
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_bbca7a41
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_bbca7a41
 GrailQuest / int_c0935922
type
Dragon Rider
 GrailQuest / int_c0935922
comment
Dragon Rider: You get to have a go in Legion of the Dead. It is still a baby, but is near-unkillable because it has so much LIFE POINTS.
 GrailQuest / int_c0935922
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c0935922
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_c0935922
 GrailQuest / int_c0b66f61
type
Invisible Monsters
 GrailQuest / int_c0b66f61
comment
Invisible Monsters: The Invisible Demon in book 1. The Ghost of Ansalom in book 3. The Invisible Bear in book 5.
 GrailQuest / int_c0b66f61
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c0b66f61
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_c0b66f61
 GrailQuest / int_c25c7890
type
Fun with Acronyms
 GrailQuest / int_c25c7890
comment
Fun with Acronyms: Most of the spell names, including Pip's Outstanding Wallop (POW) and Pip's Incredibly Rapid Repeater (Pi R2). Parodied with the Invisibility spell, which is given the acronym "I.N.V.I.S.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y. for short".
 GrailQuest / int_c25c7890
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c25c7890
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_c25c7890
 GrailQuest / int_c32d3344
type
Disconnected Side Area
 GrailQuest / int_c32d3344
comment
Disconnected Side Area: On the final map◊ in Gateway of Doom, there are no doors leading into the conspicuous massive room numbered 200.
 GrailQuest / int_c32d3344
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c32d3344
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_c32d3344
 GrailQuest / int_c3d60914
type
Continuing is Painful
 GrailQuest / int_c3d60914
comment
Continuing is Painful: Losing a fight against a vampire in Realm of Chaos requires you to deduct 15 LIFE POINTS from the total of your next incarnation.
 GrailQuest / int_c3d60914
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c3d60914
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_c3d60914
 GrailQuest / int_c3f6e68
type
Dem Bones
 GrailQuest / int_c3f6e68
comment
Dem Bones: An animated skeleton can be found at the Castle of Darkness. If you can get a friendly reaction from him, you will learn he was a servant of Ansalom but got sentenced to being crucified (for spilling drink on Ansalom's kilt) with a spell that kept him alive and sentient even as the dogs ate his flesh.
 GrailQuest / int_c3f6e68
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c3f6e68
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1.0
 GrailQuest
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GrailQuest / int_c3f6e68
 GrailQuest / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 GrailQuest / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: In book 5, if you find one of Merlin's old houses: he apparently keeps books "about some idiot named Fire*Wolf", another series that J.H. Brennan wrote.
 GrailQuest / int_c75df49a
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_c75df49a
 GrailQuest / int_c76ab3f5
type
Cow Tools
 GrailQuest / int_c76ab3f5
comment
Cow Tools: The beginning of some books gives you a list of items to choose from. Said lists are basically a mixture of these and Chekhov's Gun; the trick is figuring out which is which.
 GrailQuest / int_c76ab3f5
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_c76ab3f5
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_c76ab3f5
 GrailQuest / int_cd83fa5b
type
Spoiler Opening
 GrailQuest / int_cd83fa5b
comment
Spoiler Opening: The beginning of Voyage of Terror presents itself much like any other, with Merlin casting the Net Spell, and at the beginning Pip is totally unaware that s/he isn't in Avalon, having to wander around until s/he discovers otherwise. Unfortunately the blurb on the inside front cover and back of the book makes it clear that Merlin's magic has accidentally sent Pip back to Ancient Greece.
 GrailQuest / int_cd83fa5b
featureApplicability
1.0
 GrailQuest / int_cd83fa5b
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_cd83fa5b
 GrailQuest / int_cdfe12c3
type
Nothing Is Scarier
 GrailQuest / int_cdfe12c3
comment
Nothing Is Scarier: The first and third books both feature enemies that are in completely pitch-black rooms. It's possible to dispel the darkness in the former and find out exactly what it is you're fighting, but in the latter you never learn exactly what it is you were up against (the monster is implied to generate the darkness itself).
 GrailQuest / int_cdfe12c3
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_cdfe12c3
featureConfidence
1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_cdfe12c3
 GrailQuest / int_cfb5664f
type
Hair-Trigger Sound Effect
 GrailQuest / int_cfb5664f
comment
Hair-Trigger Sound Effect: The Ghost Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!) in the book The Realm of Chaos is otherwise The Scottish Trope, as people avoid saying its name. Considering that every time the Ghost Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!) is mentioned, this sinister echo happens, it is understandable. The first time Pip hears it, he's quite freaked out.
 GrailQuest / int_cfb5664f
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_cfb5664f
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1.0
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GrailQuest / int_cfb5664f
 GrailQuest / int_d0edc982
type
The Chief's Daughter
 GrailQuest / int_d0edc982
comment
The Chief's Daughter: Sort of parodied: in one of the random events of Voyage of Terror, you stumble upon a tribe of cannibals and must fight the chief's daughter in a duel. If you're killed, you'll be eaten. If you're unconscious, she'll keep you as her pet. Even if you win, you'll have to run for your life.
 GrailQuest / int_d0edc982
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_d0edc982
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_d0edc982
 GrailQuest / int_d6f284a3
type
Anti-Frustration Features
 GrailQuest / int_d6f284a3
comment
Anti-Frustration Features: Unlike Fighting Fantasy or Lone Wolf, the books allow a certain amount of fudging; you can roll for LIFE POINTS three times and keep the best result, and being killed rarely requires you to start over at the beginning (and you can usually ignore any already-killed enemies).
 GrailQuest / int_d6f284a3
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_d6f284a3
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_d6f284a3
 GrailQuest / int_d88e125e
type
Our Dragons Are Different
 GrailQuest / int_d88e125e
comment
Our Dragons Are Different: There are "common dragons", grey winged reptiles with two or four legs and metallic front teeth, which in addition to maidens and cattle eat chestnut leaves. The leaves ferment in the stomach to produce methane, which the dragon can ignite by snapping its teeth together to produce a spark. Killing the Brass Dragon is your main objective in book 2. In book 5, you can summon "Green Alchemic Dragons".
 GrailQuest / int_d88e125e
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_d88e125e
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_d88e125e
 GrailQuest / int_dfa958d7
type
Strength Equals Worthiness
 GrailQuest / int_dfa958d7
comment
Strength Equals Worthiness: In the fourth book, Voyage of Terror, you can meet with the god Hephaestus himself, who has just forged an enchanted breastplate which is the best armor in the whole game. Hephaestus offers to give it to you — but only if you best him in combat. You can refuse, as when he starts announcing his stats, it looks like a completely unwinnable fight. But the god actually has a sense of fair play, and notably allows you to wear the breastplate before starting, and to give you the win if Hephaestus loses a set number of LIFE POINTS (instead of his huge total).
 GrailQuest / int_dfa958d7
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1.0
 GrailQuest / int_dfa958d7
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1.0
 GrailQuest
hasFeature
GrailQuest / int_dfa958d7
 GrailQuest / int_e0606d52
type
Optional Boss
 GrailQuest / int_e0606d52
comment
Optional Boss: The Invisible Demon in the first book. The Tyrannosaurus rex in the fourth. The Cherry Blossom Giant in the fifth.
 GrailQuest / int_e0606d52
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Whole-Plot Reference: Tomb of Nightmares is pretty much a snarky version of Tomb of Horrors.
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Featureless Protagonist
 GrailQuest / int_e3f34fb4
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Featureless Protagonist: Pip's gender is carefully not given — Merlin's introduction calls him/her an "adopted child" of John the farmer, rather than "son" or "daughter", and of course the rest of the book is in Second-Person Narration. Most obvious in the second book when the narrator is offering Pip some encouraging homilies, and one of them is "(S)he who hesitates is lost". Whenever Pip is illustrated, it is from very far, partly or distorted; indeed, the illustrations in later volumes seem to actively play it for laughs, with one memorable example being a full-page picture of Pip's head as it graphically explodes. note Not the case in the French translation, where Pip is definitely male, since the language doesn't have gender-neutral formulations.
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Hell
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Hell: Where you begin in the final book.
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Gameplay and Story Integration: After defeating the "ghost" of Ansalom in book three, you find a copy of your spellbook on him. This one also has Resurrection, which prevents death once if successful. He wasn't a ghost; he had successfully cast Resurrection after you killed him, and then cast an Invisibility spell. But he's dead now.
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Level of Tedious Enemies
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Level of Tedious Enemies: In Gateway of Doom, the last wave of monsters you have to fight before the Black Knight (the game's Final Boss) are the seven Slime Monsters. Each has sufficiently low LIFE POINTS that one or two hits will be enough to kill them, and they score only dice damage with no bonuses, but the problem is that every time they successfully hit you they poison you, which causes you to lose 2 LIFE POINTS every combat round until you cure yourself, which takes up an attack round, so they can try and hit you again whilst you're curing yourself (and you risk running out of spells or potions that cure poison). Their low LIFE POINTS mean you can use magic to just blast all seven of them before they can strike you, but that risks burning through spells you could have used against the Black Knight himself.
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Excalibur in the Stone
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Excalibur in the Stone: Averted. A lengthy paragraph in Voyage of Terror explicitly points out that the sword Arthur pulled from the Stone and Excalibur are completely different swords.
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Excalibur
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Excalibur: A plot point in books 4 and 5 is the theft of Excalibur.
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The X of Y
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The X of Y: All of the books' titles.
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Summon Everyman Hero
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Summon Everyman Hero: While Merlin doesn't summon the body of an everyman hero, he does summon their mind to inhabit Pip's body. Your mind.
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Creepy Child
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Creepy Child: The daughters of the Phantom Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!), met in his lair.
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Hit Points
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Hit Points: Called LIFE POINTS.
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No-Gear Level
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No-Gear Level: The whole of book 4, Voyage of Terror. Pip is accidentally sent to ancient Greece instead of Avalon, and starts out with none of the usual equipment, nor the numerous magical items that could have been gathered during the three precedent books, including Excalibur Junior. Sure, you can find some new weapons, armors and magic along the way, but none of the usual fare until the next book.
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Medieval European Fantasy
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Medieval European Fantasy
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 GrailQuest / int_f9f2c33
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Running Gag
 GrailQuest / int_f9f2c33
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Running Gag: Several. Among them, Merlin's different houses, a new one in each book. The different titles that are bestowed upon Pip throughout the series: by the end, s/he is known as "Pip the Wizard Basher, Dragon Slayer, Gateway Closer, Realm Saver, and Chaos Tamer", and is frequently referred to by this entire title regardless of the current circumstances. Also the one about the Phantom Grunweazel (dum da dum dum!) in Realm of Chaos. King Pellinore being mistaken for the Dreaded Black Knight of Avalon by Pip. Culminates in The Gateway of Doom, where the real Black Knight tries to pass himself off as Pellinore, only for the ploy to fail, as Pip has made the same mistake too many times before.
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Sidetrack Bonus
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comment
Towards the end of Voyage of Terror, a Sidetrack Bonus features a disembodied voice which informs you that it is the only person who can tell you where Excalibur is hidden. In the next book, Kingdom of Horror, you have to find Excalibur (following on from the end of Voyage), but the mysterious voice is never mentioned. The mysterious voice might well be that of the silver-skinned creature who sends you into the Fairy Kingdom in Kingdom of Horror.
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Rhymes on a Dime
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Rhymes on a Dime: The Poetic Fiend.
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Doomy Dooms of Doom
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Doomy Dooms of Doom: Book 3, The Gateway of Doom.
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