Back in January 2017, one of the very first pieces I ever posted to the blog was a list of my favourite ways to get killed in a Fighting Fantasy gamebook. That's one of the more popular posts on the blog, and there were plenty of gruesome demises that sadly went unused (not to mention that since posting it I've managed to track down a copy of Knights of Doom). So, time for another 20 of the best, I reckon!
The rules are the same as last time: Actually fatal endings only, unless I like one too much not to include it; only 'proper' Fighting Fantasy books qualify; no more than two entries per book; and the list vaguely counts down to the one I like best, with bonus points for particularly weird, creative or violent deaths.
20. You reach a dead end whilst being chased by Orcs. One Orc attacks the ledge you are on until it drops away, whilst another fires a poisoned arrow, meaning you can either jump to your death or wait for the arrow. (#30 Chasms of Malice by Luke Sharp, section 321)
19. You look into a crystal ball and see a vision of yourself dying at the hands of an Orc. Whilst you are engrossed in this, the Orc sneaks up behind you and kills you. (#28 Phantoms of Fear by Robin Waterfield, section 318)
18. Whilst attempting to prove a young girl is innocent of witchcraft, you are declared guilty of witchcraft and executed. (#53 Spellbreaker by Jonathan Green, section 260)
17. The words you believe will dissipate a magical trap actually strengthen its power, and when you step into the trap you are reduced to a melted sword and a pair of smoking boots. (#58 Revenge of the Vampire by Keith Martin, section 325)
16. A spine-covered creature in a pitch black room fires what are presumably its spines at you. (Sorcery! 4 - The Crown of Kings by Steve Jackson, section 15)
15. You are unable to contain the Eldritch power growing within you, and it destroys your body. (#56 Knights of Doom by Jonathan Green, section 180)
14. You use a teleportation spell, and teleport into an empty room the only exit from which is locked from the other side. (#21 Trial of Champions by Ian Livingstone, section 171)
13. You decide to remove the casing of a supercomputer to sabotage it, but liquid helium flows out when you do so, freezing your feet and causing them to snap off at the ankles. (#18 Rebel Planet by Robin Waterfield, section 325)
12. You drink a magic potion that allows you to breathe underwater, but then get trapped by a giant clam and remain stuck until the potion's effects wear off. (#16 Seas of Blood by Andrew Chapman, section 398)
11. You kill the evil wizard Grimslade, then stay to ransack his tower for treasure, only to be interrupted by a demon who has come to claim his soul and causes the tower to explode. (#8 Scorpion Swamp by Steve Jackson (US), section 375)
10. The Lord of the Forest sentences you to be given to the forest for harming the woodland. (#56 Knights of Doom by Jonathan Green, section 92)
9. You literally bring a knife to a gun fight. (#13 Freeway Fighter by Ian Livingstone, section 244)
8. You offers the Ganjees a Spider in a Jar as a bribe, only to discover it is their missing pet. The Spider turns on you and kills you with its poisonous bite. (#2 The Citadel of Chaos by Steve Jackson, section 208)
7. You believe the King's advisor is taking you to a meeting, but the advisor is actually treacherous and throws you down a pit. (#47 The Crimson Tide by Paul Mason, section 400)
6. You are suffocated when your bedsheets come to life and attack you. (#10 House of Hell by Steve Jackson, section 171)
5. You arrive at the gateway to the afterlife, but by failing to defeat the Shadow King, you have doomed all its inhabitants for eternity. (#64 Night of the Necromancer by Jonathan Green, section 400)
4. You unknowingly get into a queue for an extermination chamber designed to keep the surplus population down. (#4 Starship Traveller by Steve Jackson, section 309)
3. You give a can of nerve gas to an alien chief as a gift, who sprays it in his own face and drops down dead. The rest of his tribe murder you. (#12 Space Assassin by Andrew Chapman, section 314)
2. A prisoner tricks you and gets your knife under the pretence of asking you to kill him to end his suffering, then kills you to avoid alerting his other prisoners to the fact that he is now armed. (#10 House of Hell by Steve Jackson, section 182)
1. You drink from the Waters of Knowledge, but become so intoxicated by knowing the answer to everything you cannot stop drinking, until eventually you throw yourself into the pool and drown. (#20 Sword of the Samurai by Mark Smith & Jamie Thomson, section 161)
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