Citadel Of Chaos by Steve Jackson was the second in the series of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and is a much more complicated offering than it’s predecessor, The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain. It was also the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook that I owned back in the 1980s. I didn’t know what gamebooks were at the time, I just got the book because I liked the fuzzy monster on the cover.
Like the other early Fighting Fantasy books it doesn’t have a very sophisticated plot. In this one an evil sorcerer, Balthus Dire, is amassing an army so your mission is to get inside the citadel and assassinate him before he can invade neighbouring lands.
Character Generation
Stats really don’t matter in this book, you can get through fairly easily even with the lowest possible stats.
Assuming a character with very low stats and the worst possible roll for your MAGIC stat you should choose the following spells:
Shield
Weakness
ESP
Levitation x 2
Illusion
Luck
Stamina
Strictly speaking you don’t need the second Levitation spell. If you reach the end of the book then it allows you to escape from the Citadel but technically you’ve already completed the adventure at this point. Getting out alive without the Levitation spell is a problem that the book does not address.
The Illusion spell isn’t essential either but from a role playing perspective your actions late on in the book make more sense if you visit the area where the Illusion spell is needed.
If you have a higher MAGIC score then a couple of extra ESP spells are useful just for getting extra background information. There’s also an area where you need to Test Your Luck repeatedly until you either succeed or give up. Even with LUCK 7 you’ll probably succeed but it can’t hurt to have extra Luck spells for the unlikely event that you keep failing the Test Your Luck rolls. A Fool’s Gold spell might be useful too.
The Walkthrough
[1] You arrive at the outer gates and are confronted by a couple of guards.
Tell the guards you are a herbalist come to see someone called Blag. They’ll let you in without a fight. All other options will get you inside the citadel too but you might have to fight or use up a spell to get in.
[251] Inside the gates is a large courtyard with a monument in the centre and a few groups of creatures hanging around. Creep around the edge to a group of creatures around a fire.
[339] There’s an orc, a dwarf and a couple of goblins sat around the fire. One of them has a vial of liquid in a box.
Sit down without asking and one of them will tell you the password to get inside the Citadel itself.
Ask about vial and you’ll provoke them into a fight. Spells are a waste of time here so you must draw your sword and fight. Fortunately one of the goblins backs off into the shadows so is is only three against one:
Dwarf SKILL 5, STAMINA 6
Goblin SKILL 6, STAMINA 4
Orc SKILL 5 STAMINA 7
It’s not a terribly hard fight even if your SKILL is only 7. Against the orc you might as well Test Your Luck when you hit it. Even if you fail, and only do 1 damage it would take 4 hits in total to kill it which is the same as if you didn’t Test Your Luck so you might as well try it. If your LUCK is high then Testing Your Luck against the goblin might kill it in one blow but fail and you’ll need to hit it 3 times in total to kill it.
Once you’ve killed them you can loot the bodies and take any 2 items chosen from 8 gold, copper key or a jar of ointment. Quite why you can’t take everything is a mystery but those are the rules. Take the ointment and the key.
In addition you’ll get the vial that turns out to be a Potion Of Magic. It has two doses and each dose lets you use a spell without crossing it off your list of available spells.
If you have sustained any damage in the fight then use your Stamina spell to heal yourself.
Now head towards the main entrance to the citadel, or if you have a Fools Gold spell then optionally you can first go to see the men standing by a torch. There’s a merchant arguing with a prospective customer about the price of a magic throwing dagger. They will ask your opinion on the value of said item.
Tell them that it is worth 10 gold pieces and the customer will get decide it is too expensive and will leave. You can then buy it using gold created with your Fools Gold spell. The dagger can be used a single time to automatically do 2 STAMINA damage in a fight without needing to roll for Attack Strengths. Surprisingly there’s not much fighting left to do in order to complete the book so the dagger isn’t really essential. Then head for the main entrance.
[245] On the way to the Citadel entrance you’ll encounter a Living Whirlwind.
Try to ignore it and carry on walking but then get angry. Turns out that the whirlwind just likes annoying people and seeing them get angry. It will leave you alone after that.
[218] The main entrance. Knock on the door and it will be opened by a tough looking Rhinoman guard. You could just fight it, it is only SKILL 8 STAMINA 9, but it is a tough fight for a character with poor stats. Strength or Weakness spells would help here. Or you can just tell it the password Scimitar that you learnt from the group by the fire and get into the Citadel without having to fight or use up any spells.
[177] Entering the Citadel you find oyurself in a narrow hallway. There is a door at the end and an arch halfway the hall with stairs leading downwards.
Go through the door at the end of the hall.
[5] A corridor which turns to the right and ends in another door with a bell and a sign saying to ring for the butler.
Ring the bell and a butler will open the door and tell you to take the left hand corridor up head to get to the receiption room. Follow his directions and go left.
[243] The passage ends in a door that leads to a room with a Gark, large goblin like creature, asleep. Enter the room…
[352] The Gark wakes up and confronts you. It’s possible to get past the Gark without resorting to violence but unfortunately for the Gark it has an item that you are going to need later so things aren’t going to end well for it.
Optionally you can cast as ESP spell on it if you have one in addition to the ESP spell that you’ll need for the final battle. You’ll learn that it has a haribrush that has some special significance.
You’ll have to fight the Gark but he is a tough opponent with SKILL 7 STAMINA 11 so first cast a Weakness spell. Use one of the doses from your Potion Of Magic so you don’t have to cross it off your list as you’ll need a Weakness spell later. The Gark is now a much less dangerous opponent with SKILL 5 STAMINA 5. If you have the magic dagger from the courtyard and you don’t intend to defeat Balthus Dire in combat then you might as well start the fight by throwing the dagger. You won’t be doing any more fighting after this anyway.
Once you’ve defeated the Gark take its gold and the ornate hairbrush.
There are two doors on the opposite side of the room. Leave via the right hand door.
[38] A corridor ending in a door with a side passage to the left. A voice on the other side of the door tells you not to knock and just to enter the room.
Enter the room as instructed.
[132] The Library. You can choose to read about various topics.
Read about Secrets Of The Black Tower [237]. Amongst other information, the book tells you that there is a magical combination lock on the door to Balthus Dire’s room and the combination is 217. Mr Dire really needs to be more careful with security.
Now read the book about Balthus Dire [18]. This tells you that he is most powerful at night and sunlight is poisonous to him. Perhaps that might be useful information. The librarian seems to be getting suspicious of you.
Optionally you could just leave the library at this point – leaving now is the quickest route to completion of your adventure and will lead you to the Dining Room but you’ll miss out on gaining some STAMINA and LUCK as well as some important information. If you wish to leave now then skip ahead to the Dining Room section.
[84] Continue browsing the shelves and you’ll find that the librarian has summoned some orc guards who knock you unconscious.
[234] You wake up in a prison cell. There’s a calacorm, a two headed lizardman, which will bring you food.
Take the food [397] and regain 2 STAMINA. Next you’ll want to cast a spell.
Cast as Illusion spell to make the calacorm think he is being attacked by an enemy.
[364] The spell appears not to work properly as it just creates an illusion of a mouse but the calacorm is terrified of mice. It will throw the cell keys to you so that you can let yourself out and save it from the mouse. Grab your sword and head off down a passageway.
[174] The passage twists and turns and then goes up a flight of stairs to a dead end with a lever in the wall. Pulling the lever opens a secret door which you step through finding yourself in front of another door.
Break down the door. Don’t bother using a Strength spell you don’t need it.
[210] A room with a sleeping Leprechaun. A catapult fires a missile at you as you enter.
Cast Shielding to protect yourself. Technically you don’t need to do this as the missile is just a tomato but you wouldn’t know this at the time. Use the second dose of your Potion of Magic so that you don’t have to cross the spell off your list.
[29] The Leprechaun wakes up, introduces himself and offers to shake your hand.
It doesn’t matter what you do here, the outcome is always the same. You can shake his hand and lose a point of SKILL when he makes your arm go numb, or threaten him and he’ll make your sword blade go droopy. Either way you end up talking to him. The SKILL loss doesn’t matter at this point.
[348] There are three doors with handles of brass, copper and bronze. The leprechaun tells you that two of the routes are dangerous and one is very smelly.
Ask his advice and he will tell you not to take the door two to the left of the copper handled door, nor the door to the right of the bronze handled one. This riddle doesn’t really help much.
Leave via any door – the Leprechaun is playing a trick on you here so all the doors lead to a dark corridor where you get attacked by an unseen creature. You can cast spells if you have a spare Strength or Weakness spell (don’t use your last Weakness spell here, you’ll need it later) but they won’t help. Or draw you sword and try to fight. The creature will bite your neck and then you wake up back in the Leprechaun’s room.
[323] You have a good laugh with the Leprechaun about his oh so funny practical joke. Then he gives you a silver mirror and a magic sword that adds 1 to your Attack Strength.
Now you must leave but this time the doors all lead to different places. Take the bronze door this time.
[338] You go down a winding passage way until you find yourself by an underground river where there is a woman washing clothes.
Optionally you can use an ESP spell if you have any spare (an ESP spell is essential later on so don’t use up your last one). You’ll find that she is a ghost of a washer woman who was murdered along with her children by Balthus Dire because she hadn’t done his laundry on time.
Make conversation with her [21] and she will tell you that need to find the Fleece if you are to make it as far as Balthus Dire. You gain 2 LUCK.
[367] Carry on down the passage which will eventually lead to a 4 way junction where you head north until you come to a door.
Open the door and step inside
[257] A room with a golem guarding three wooden chests.
There’s nothing of value here. You could fight the golem but there’s nothing that you need in any of the chests so you should just run for the other door.
[237] The door takes you into a passage heading east, then up a flight of stairs and into the Dining Room.
[169] The Dining Room.
There are paintings and suits of armour lining the walls. Two staircases lead up to a balcony with doors leading off it.
Don’t look at the armour, predictably one of the suits of armour will hit you and you’ll get hurt.
If your LUCK is below its initial value and your STAMINA is 4 or more then look at the paintings. You’ll find a portrait of Balthus Dire. This brings you 1 point of LUCK but also causes the loss of 1 STAMINA due to the fear his appearance causes.
Take the right hand staircase to safely reach the balcony.
[363] The balcony has 3 doors.
Take the door to the left and unlock it with the copper key that you took from the creatures in the courtyard.
[292] The bedroom. Mrs Dire is in bed and isn’t very pleased that an intruder has entered so you’re going to get fried by her hex vision.
One of the tidbits of information that you gained from the books in the library is that she is very vain as well as being a powerful sorceror.
Tell her you have a special gift for her and give her the ornate hairbrush.
[91] She takes the hairbrush and goes to brush her hair. While she is distracted you can try to steal a Golden Fleece that lies on her bed and sneak out through a door on the far corner of the room.
You must Test Your Luck successfully to steal the Fleece but you can try as many times as you like. If you talked to the washer woman you’ll know that you need the Fleece so keep trying until you succeed. Cast Luck spells whenever you are down to half of your initial LUCK. You should manage to get the Fleece – even with LUCK 7 you have an 83% chance of getting the Fleece without casting a LUCK spell.
[140] Leaving the bedroom you go down a corridor which leads to a spiral staircase leading up into the Citadel’s tower. Going up the stairs you come to a landing with doors to the left and right.
Take the door to the left.
[25] A circular room with a pit and a platform in the middle of the pit with a chest on it. There’s a door opposite.
Walk around the pit to the door and leave this room. There’s nothing of value in the chest.
[206] Another spiral staircase leading to a landing with a single door which you must go through.
[182] You enter a room where your torch goes out. You’ve met the Gangees, some sort of terrifying evil spirits, who inform you that you are going to die. You’ll lose 1 SKILL, 2 STAMINA and 1 LUCK due to the fear they are causing.
Look in your backpack for an arefact to help you and get out the Jar Of Ointment.
[291] The Gangees are very interested in the ointment – they have recognised it as Ointment Of Healing and they agree to let you pass safely in exchange for it.
[328] Leaving the Gangees’ room you’ll come to another spiral staircase that again leads to a landing with a single door. This one leads to a room containing a hydra.
The hydra is a deadly opponent. If you try to fight it you will die.
You might remember the film Jason And The Argonauts. In the film the hydra was the guardian of the Golden Fleece. The Fleece is just what you need to get past the hydra. Take it out of your backpack and the hydra will snatch it from you and retreat into a corner of the room allowing you to proceed onwards.
[229] From the Hydra’s room you follow a winding passage which leads to a sprial staircase. At the top is a landing with a single door with a combination lock.
If you want to fight Balthus Dire then now is the time to case any Skill, Stamina and Luck spells that you might have left over.
You’ll know from reading the books in the library that the combination to the lock is 217 so open the door.
[217] As you enter the room a trident is thrown at you. Cast a Shielding spell to avoid potentially significant loss of STAMINA.
[374] You’re now in balthus Dire’s room facing the man himself.
He summons a Clawbeast to attack you. Cast a weakness spell to defeat it. The spell makes it too weak to move so you can kill it while it is helpless.
[77] You may now cast another spell. Choose ESP.
[187] The ESP spell doesn’t tell you anything useful. Dire in return casts a spell that causes the ground to shake making you fall over while he remains unaffected. Counter this with a Levitation spell.
[279] You are floating above the shaking floor and can move to a different part of the room.
Head for the window.
[78] Dire now casts a spell making his eyes turn silver and giving him a hypnotic gaze.
Pull down the drapes to throw over his head and block his gaze.
[124] As you pull down the drapes sunlight streams into the room and kills Dire. His own fault really, if he had been using a high factor sun block then he would be fine.
[400] With Dire dead you set fire to his room and use a Levitation spell to safely escape out of the window.
Brute Force Approach
If you would prefer to kill Balthus Dire with brute force instead of the rather cheesy method of opening the curtains then you need really high stats. A character with SKILL 9 and very high STAMINA and LUCK will have the odds in their favour but to do it reliably you want SKILL of 11 or 12.
If you are strong enough you can fight the Clawbeast (SKILL 9 STAMINA 14) but after 4 hits it will knock your sword from your hand reducing your SKILL by 3 until you retrieve your sword after the fight. Due to this you’re better off using a Weakness spell as detailed above.
You can then just engage Dire in combat – he is SKILL 12 STAMINA 19 but a character starting off with SKILL 12 should be able to defeat him as you will have the +1 magic sword that the Leprechaun gave you.
To make the fight a bit easier, follow the spell casting sequence as detailed in the walkthrough but instead of going to the window go to either the armoury or get behind Dire.
If you have high LUCK then get behind Dire. If you Test Your Luck successfully you can steal his ring which will give him a penalty of 2 on his attack rolls.
The Leprechaun’s sword giving you a +1 bonus and stealing the ring to give Dire a -2 penalty is the best option for fighting him but if your LUCK is low then a more reliable option might be to go the Armoury. You can grab a sword from there which grants +2 to your attack strength.
Changes In Steam Edition
The digital verison of the book available on Steam has changed the Hydra encounter slightly. In the original book you can cast Creature Copy three times to create a clone of the Hydra which will then do battle with the real Hydra. If your copy wins then you can proceed. If the real Hydra wins then it kills you so you have a 50% chance of getting through the room.
The digital version changes things so that you escape from the room while the Hydra is distracted fighting against its copy. This means that if you have a high enough MAGIC score to learn the requisite three Creature Copy spells then you don’t need the Fleece. As you don’t need the Fleece you don’t need to visit the washer woman to justify using up all your LUCK to steal the Fleece, nor do you need to fight the Gark to get the hairbrush.
Tell the Gark you are a guest if you don’t want to bother fighting it. After reading two books in the library you can just leave to avoid being captured. When you get to the balcony above the Dining Room take the centre door. This leads to a room with some small creatures that might be orc or goblin children. You can safely walk through the room to exit to the same area that you reach if you go through the bedroom.