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Mini Fighting Fantasy Adventures
Outline
Location:	Wastes of Chaos, Khul
References:	200
Publication details
Author(s):	Paul Struth
Illustrator(s):	Tim Sell

First published:	March 1985
Publication:	Warlock (Issue 4)
Previous Mini-FF:	Beyond the Shadow of a Dream
Next Mini-FF:	Dungeon of Justice
Reprint

Published:	N/A
Publication:	N/A

The Dervish Stone is a single-player role-playing mini adventure written by Paul Struth, and illustrated by Tim Sell. It was published in 1985 in Warlock Issue 4 by Puffin Books. It has not been reprinted since.

CreationEdit

The Dervish Stone was the winning entry of the "Adventure Competition" run in Warlock issue 1:

“ Create your own Adventure and win a first prize of publication and £100! Five runner-up prizes of £20 each are also to be won. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone have created a world where you can almost believe that dragons breathe fire and fabled treasure can be won. Now Warlock is offering its readers the opportunity to design their own Fighting Fantasy adventures and have them published in a future issue, as well as winning a fantastic prize.

How to Enter

Using the same game system as in The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (see pages 13–15), all you have to do is design an adventure consisting of 200 references. Think of an exciting and original background for the adventure – perhaps a lost city in the jungle or a desert wasteland inhabited by lizards, giant sandworms and nomads. Also think of an objective for the adventurer, perhaps a mission to find somebody or something, or even to slay an evil overlord. Then set the scene in your fantasy world, with plenty of detailed descriptions of the surroundings and inhabitants, trying always to make it sound believable. The judges will be looking for originality in your encounters and inventiveness in the creation of monsters. You should aim to present a real challenge to the adventurer. It might sound simple, but designing an exciting Fighting Fantasy adventure is no easy task.^[1] ”

BackgroundEdit

“ A long time ago, in a world far, far away, a dervish priest called Shanhara found a large and beautiful diamond. So wonderful was it, that adventurers and fortune hunters came from all over to try to steal it – none succeeded. The diamond, known as the Stone of Shanhara, was kept in a cave filled with traps that were so formidable that no one succeeded in passing them all. The location of the cave was forgotten until only legends of the Lost Cave of the Dervishes remained. Now you have found a parchment telling you to seek the Stone of Shanhara. Will you succeed or fail?^[2] ”

How to Fight Creatures of the DesertEdit

The mini adventure in general follows the original rules set down in The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. (see Game System)

Unique RulesEdit

While a player has only one Potion, it contains two doses.

Equipment ListEdit

Sword
Leather Armour
Backpack
5 Provisions
20 Gold Pieces¹
Choice of one of three Potions (see Game System for generic fantasy setting choices)

These are mentioned in the Rules and in (1), but presumably are the same 20 Gold Pieces and that (1) does not mean an additional 20.

Although not mentioned in the "Rules" section, later paragraphs indicate that the player also has a lantern.

IllustrationsEdit

The illustrations were by Tim Sell. There were 14 full page (or equivalent) illustrations and 6 minor repeated illustrations scattered throughout the text. The paragraphs with a full page illustration were: Title card, 14, 23, 42, 61, 77, 85, 127, 136, 143, 162, 179, 197 and 200. Additionally, one piece of text - a letter from Jokar - was presented in a drawing of a piece of parchment (1).

The cover for that issue of Warlock, by Alan Craddock, also belongs to the adventure, depicting Goblins riding a flying Griffin.

Intertextual ReferencesEdit

Main CharactersEdit

YOU: Hero of The Dervish Stone

Gumpas - Sorcerer-Governor of Alasiyan
Hermit of the Hills
Jokar One-Eye
Kuperan - Fire Giant/"Monarch of the Sands"

LocationsEdit

EncountersEdit

Bronze Golem
Bugbear Guards
Crab Spiders
Fire Giant
Giant Hawk
Giant Roc
Gnoll
Goblins
Hobgoblins - Guards/Regular
Humans - Dervish/Nomads/Nomad Trader/Town Guards
Lauper War-Cats
Laupers
Lizard-Men
Night Ghoul
Orc
Rock Toad
Snakes
Sorcerer-Governor
Thoul

Further NotesEdit

The adventure contains many Star Wars references, especially some dialogue from the cantina in (118).
Translated into French in issue 7 of Piranha as La Pierre de Shanhara. It was also translated into Japanese as デルビッシュの洞窟 in issue 2 of the Japanese version of Warlock (ウォーロック).

ErrorsEdit

(158) awards a luck bonus when you couldn't have lost any.
(110) and (139) award skill bonuses when you couldn't have lost any.
It is assumed that (50) means the Wizard's Eye item is lost; that by "point" at (87) means "stamina point"; that 160 means stamina instead of skill; that if you don't have enough money to pay in (71) you should get neither the potion nor the luck point; and that (162) should read skill in both places.
(27) says you "get out and continue", then sends you to a section where you must make a roll in order to get out.
The Nomads give you a hint in (103) and (181), but not in (53) which is the "best" outcome of that encounter.
You always have the Boots of Leaping in (29) and (155), and it's extremely unlikely you wouldn't have them in (48), meaning about a dozen paragraphs are useless as the player would never turn to them in the course of the game.

ReviewsEdit

Per Jorner reviews The Dervish Stone at the group fighting_fantasy_gamebooks

External LinksEdit

ReferencesEdit

↑ Warlock Issue 1 - p.50
↑ Warlock Issue 4 - p.25

[0] Warlock Issue 1 - p.50

[1] Warlock Issue 4 - p.25

[1]

[2]