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This deadly, shape-changing servant of the Darklords cannot be killed with a normal weapon. Your only hope of defeating it is to fight it using Paido's sword, a blade forged by the Elder Magi in the furnaces of Elzian.

Gnaag Helghast: COMBAT SKILL 34 ENDURANCE 48

Ignore any ENDURANCE point losses sustained by your enemy in the first round of combat, as you are stooping to unsheathe Paido's sword from its scabbard when combat begins. This creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL17 by 2 points at the beginning of every round you fight this creature. If you have completed the Lore-circle of the Spirit, you may increase your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of the combat.

If you win the combat, turn to 268.

[17] It seems peculiar that you are instructed to reduce COMBAT SKILL at the beginning of every round if you do not have Psi-screen. This loss would be cumulative so that during the first round you fight with 2 fewer COMBAT SKILL points, the second round with 4 fewer points, the third with 6 fewer, etc. This loss is certainly intended to be for the duration of this Combat only--not permanently--since Joe Dever always makes special note of instances where you permanently lose COMBAT SKILL. It is possible that this penalty is an error, and that you are meant to lose 2 ENDURANCE points rather than COMBAT SKILL points at the beginning of every round.

Text copyright © 1987 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1987 Gary Chalk.