History Literature / TrialOfChampions

You start as a slave, sold to the evil and cruel Lord Carnuss, brother of Baron Sukumvit from Fang, and forced to undergo an harsh gladiator training for one purpose: after the victory of a nameless adventurer over the dangers of Deathtrap Dungeon, Sukumvit has rebuilt his personal deathtrap from scratch, making it even deadlier than before, and has issued a new challenge. Carnuss is jealous of his brother's success, and wishes to humiliate his brother by having one of his own slaves compete in the Walk and triumph, winning fame and gold. And that slave could be you, if you survive the deadly training regimen and the treacherous depths of the revamped Deathtrap Dungeon. Will you be another corpse lost in the pits, or you'll triumph over the adversities and get your revenge?

As with the first book, you have to venture forth in the confusing, deadly dungeon, (if you manage to survive the first part of the game, that is) trying to distinguish between traps and useful items that will allow you to win the trial. In short, it's even harder than the first.

* AttackOfTheMonsterAppendage: This time is a massive, fleshy "tongue" emerging from a hole in a stone face carving.
* BigBad: This time it's Sukumvit's brother Carnuss, who's much more of a direct threat and a gratuitous dick.

* CarryABigStick: The Chaos Champion that serves as a penultimate boss uses a gigantic, dangerous spiked mace as his weapon, hence his high SKILL score.

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted, a horde of Zombies forces you to run away.

* DoubleWeapon: The Strider's weapon of choice seems to be a double-headed [[BladeOnAStick Sovnya]] which he has no trouble wielding, despite his arms and being in an underground tunnel.
* DuelToTheDeath: Two that form BookEnds - The GladiatorGames section has you face against the only other remaining slave, and fittingly enough, the game ends in one which pits [[spoiler:[[LaserGuidedKarma you against Carnuss]].]]
* EpicFlail: The second-to-last gladiatorial test involves a blind-folded battle with flails. It's as frustratingly hard as it implies.
* EvilIsPetty: Carnuss causes the deaths of dozens of innocent people all because he never got over his ridiculous jealousy of Sukumvit from when they were children.
* EvilSorcerer: Lexus, the last Trialmaster, is an elderly wizard, ready to kill you if you don't have all the required stuff. Even if you do, he summons a demon for you to fight and later he tries to kill you with a trap.

* GladiatorGames: The first part of the game, in order to determine who's gonna enter Deathtrap Dungeon.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Carnuss is ultimately out-witted by Sukumvit and killed by the very gladiator he kidnapped and put through hell for his own personal gain.]]

* LuckBasedMission: Arguably the worst in the entire run, giving you NO PROVISIONS or potions at the start (meaning your health pool is EXTREMELY limited), then immediately starting off with multiple Skill Checks in a row where failure equals instant death, taking a Skill Check on a 3d6 (only a 74% success rate with maximum skill 12) or fight an extremely hard against a tough monster with a huge penalty, and at one point simply rolling a D6 and a 1-2 effectively means death because the only way to survive at that point is to FAIL a regular Skill Check, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption which is literally impossible if you have max Skill]]. The luck requirement is so bad that even on the GoldenPath, a max rank Stamina, Skill and Luck hero has only a calculated 25% chance of beating the book.
* MadeOfIron: The Bonecrusher's skin is so hard and tough that swords are next-to useless against it.

* NintendoHard: The beginning alone requires a high amount of Skill and Luck tests, along with many battles and the dreaded, random flail combat. And all of this is before you get to the dungeon, which means that if you die while trying to find all the items you need in the convoluted maze, you have to go through the training sequence again. The dungeon itself has no shortage of very hard opponents to fight either. Oh, and you don't have any Provisions this time around. The book even {{Lampshades}} how ill-prepared you feel when going into the labyrinth.

* OneWingedAngel: When you defeat the Fire Imp it will grow into the bigger, Balrog-like Fire Demon.
* OurSirensAreDifferent: You encounter a singing siren in a dungeon room who tries to stun you long enough for the giant octopus-like monster living in her lake to kill you. If you get past it but are still under her spell, she has a dagger to kill you with.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:When you emerge victorious from the dungeon, Carnuss demands the prize since you won the challenge as his proxy, but Sukumvit offers to grant you any wish you like as a reward. This means you ask to duel Carnuss one-on-one, which spoils Carnuss's plans and allows Sukumvit the chance of getting rid of his brother.]]

* PlotCoupon: This time you have to recover a series of numbered rings ''and'' the three instructions on which combinations to use. This being Livingstone, you must find all of them in order to win. There's also a set of clock hands for the final gate, but they're not technically vital, as you have a 1-in-4 chance of getting it right anyway.

** If you eat the weird meat you find on the Hill Troll then some parasite will start burrowing through your stomach, making you lose 1 Stamina Point for each paragraph, which likely means you won't make it to the exit alive even if you have all the rings.
** There are nine golden rings in the adventure. To win you must find ''all of them'', and all of them are missable.
* WithThisHerring: Carnuss sure wants to show up his hated brother by having his entrant win the contest. He even holds vicious gladiator games to make sure only the strongest slave will survive to represent him. Who he then kicks into the maze with nothing but a sword, belt pouch and the rags they'd been wearing since being captured.

* AnAxeToGrind: The magical "Ropecutter" axe. [[spoiler: Which attacks you when you remove it from the wooden block it's stuck into.]]

* UnwinnableByDesign: If you eat the weird meat you find on the Hill Troll then some parasite will start burrowing through your stomach, making you lose 1 Stamina Point for each paragraph, which likely means you won't make it to the exit alive even if you have all the rings.

* SimpleStaff: The first Trialmaster forces you to fight him with a staff in an unusual duel where you can choose each move you can make.

* ProngsOfPoseidon: In the beginning, you're given the option between using a broadsword and shield or the trident and net combo. [[spoiler: The latter works better against the Bonecrusher]].

* BaldOfAwesome: Noy, the first Trialmaster, may be hairless, but he's not to be trifled with.

* EnthrallingSiren: You encounter a singing siren in a dungeon room who tries to stun you long enough for the giant octopus-like monster living in her lake to kill you. If you get past it but are still under her spell, she has a dagger to kill you with.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Implied with the Chaos Champion, who are raised from birth to be merciless, cruel warriors.

* NintendoHard: The beginning alone requires a high amount of Skill and Luck tests, along with many battles and the dreaded, random flail combat. And all of this is before you get to the dungeon, which means that if you die while trying to find all the items you need in the convoluted maze, you have to go through the training sequence again.

* SchmuckBait: Again, Sukumvit really loves his "traps-that-looks-like-useful-stuff" routine.

** Just about the only good thing that Carnuss does to his champion for Deathtrap Dungeon is treat him in luxury for a week and make sure they're in top condition for the challenge. Still drags them to Fang in chains, though.

* YellowPeril: You have fights with a pair of extremely nasty Asian opponents in the course of the book. One you might excuse for attacking you on sight, because he's a fellow contestant in the dungeon portion. The other one's a fellow slave who's described as just seeming extremely cruel, then proving it by attacking you as soon as you're locked back in your cells.

As with the first book, you have to venture forth in the confusing, deadly dungeon, (if you manage to survive the first part of the game, that's it) trying to distinguish between traps and useful items that will allow you to win the trial. In short, it's even harder than the first.

* SequelHook: In the end, [[spoiler:after emerging from the Dungeon and killing Carnuss]], you ponder on what to do with all the massive amount of gold you just obtained, and the option to hire some mercenaries for a personal army is mentioned. This is expanded upon in ''Armies of Death''.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Sukumvit to Carnuss, which is way the latter is so decided to humiliate the former.

* BaldOfAwesome: The first Trialmaster may be hairless, but he's not to be trifled with.
* BigBad: This time is Sukumvit's brother Carnuss, who's much more of direct threat and a gratuitous dick.

* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Averted, a small group of Zombies forces you to run away.

* DoubleWeapon: The Strider's weapon of choice seems to be a double-headed Sovnya which he has no trouble wielding, despite his arms and being in a underground tunnel.
* DuelToTheDeath: Fittingly enough, [[spoiler:the game ends in one which pits [[LaserGuidedKarma you against Carnuss]].]]

* EpicFlail: The final gladiatorial test involves a blind-folded battle with flails. Is as frustratingly hard as it implies.
* EvilSorcerer: The last Trialmaster is an elderly wizard, ready to kill you if you don't have all the required stuff. Even if you do, he summons a demon for you to fight and later he tries to kill you with a trap.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: If you're dumb enough to eat the rotting food scraps you find on the body of the Cave Troll, you're doomed even if you somehow manage to get through the dungeon, as the scraps are infested with the parasitic Grub Worms, which will eat their way out of your stomach and painfully kill you.

* MultiArmedAndDangerous: The Idol will come to life if you try to take her lamp. This is bad news if you didn't found the magical Broadsword earlier.
* NintendoHard: The beginning alone requires a high amount of Skill and Luck tests, along with many battles and the dreaded, random flail combat. And all of this Before you get to the dungeon which means that if you die while trying to find out all the items you need in the convoluted maze, you have to go through the training sequence again.

* OneWingedAngel: When you defeat the Fire Imp it will metamorphise in the bigger, Balrog-like Fire Demon.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:When you emerge victorious from the dungeon, Sukumvit offers to grant you any wish you like as a reward. This means you ask to duel Carnuss one-on-one, which spoils Carnuss's plans and allows Sukumvit the chance of getting rid of his brother.]]

* PlotCoupon: This time you have to recover a series of numbered rings ''and'' the two instructions on which combination to use. This being Livingstone, you must find all of them in order to win. There's also a set of clock hands for the final gate, but they're not technically vital, as you have a 1-in-4 chance of getting it right anyway.

* SoleSurvivor: You, among the trainee of Carnuss for the Dungeon.

* WeaksauceWeakness: Despite the Bonecrushers enormous strength and nigh-invulnerable skin, it has one major weakness: its weight means that losing its balance is a death sentence, as it's almost impossible for it to get back up.

[[caption-width-right:350:Are you not entertained?]]

''Trial of Champions'' is the twentyfirst entry in the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' series of gamebooks, written by Ian Livingstone and acting as a sequel to the events of ''Literature/DeathtrapDungeon''.

!!''Trial Of Champions'' contains examples of:

* AnIcePerson: The Coldclaw is a monstrous beast that chills everything around it, decreasing your Skill in combat.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Implied with the Chaos Champion, who are raised from birth to be merciless, cruel warriors.
* AttackOfTheMonsterAppendage: This time is a massive, fleshy "tongue" emerging from a hole in a stone face carving.

* CallBack: Again, the five contestants include an elf who's crushed to death by a serpentine being (though in his case it's a giant tongue instead of a snake like in the first book) and a warrior from the east who attacks you.

* DuelToTheDeath: Fittingly enough, [[spoiler: the game ends in one which pits [[LaserGuidedKarma you against Carnuss]].]]

* NintendoHard: The beginning alone requires a high amount of Skill and Luck tests, along with many battles and the dreaded, random flail combat. And all of this Before you get to the dungeon which means that if you die while trying to find out all the items you need in the convulted maze you have to go through the training sequence again.

* OutGambitted: [[spoiler: When you emerge victorious from the dungeon, Sukumvit offers to grant you any wish you like as a reward. This means you ask to duel Carnuss one on one, which spoils Carnuss' plans and allows Sukumvit the chance of getting rid of his brother.]]

* SequelHook: In the end, [[spoiler: after emerging from the Dungeon and killing Carnuss]], you ponder on what to do with all the massive amount of gold you just obtained, and the option to hire some mercenaries for a personal army is mentioned. This is expanded upon in ''Armies of Death''.

* WeaksauceWeakness: Despite the Bonecrushers enormous strength and nigh-invulnerable skin, it has one major weakness: its weight means that losing its balance is a death sentence, as it's almost impossible for it to get back up.

* WeaksauceWeakness: Despite the Bonecrushers enormous strength and nigh-invulnerable skin, it has one major weakness: it's weight means that losing it's balance is a death sentence, as it's almost impossible for it to get back up.

Continued in the gamebook ''Armies of Death''.

* OutGambitted: [[spoiler: When you emerge victorious from the dungeon, Sukumvit offers to grant you any wish you like as a reward. This means you asks to duel Carnuss one on one, which spoils Carnuss' plans and allows Sukumvit of getting rid of his brother.]]

* EnthrallingSiren: You encounter a singing siren in a dungeon room who tries to stun you long enough for the giant octopus-like monster living in her lake to kill you. If you get past it but is still under her spell, she has a dagger to kill you with.

* MadeOfIron: The Bonecrusher's skin is so hard and though that swords are next-to useless against it.

* CallBack: Again, the five contestants include an elf who's crushed to death by a serpentine being and a warrior from the east who attacks you.

* EnthrallingSiren: You encounter a singing siren in a dungeon room who tries to stun you long enough for her tentacles friend to kill you.

* PlotCoupon: This time you have to recover a series of numbered rings ''and'' the two instructions on which combination to use. This being Livingstone, you must find all of them in order to win.

* UnwinnableByDesign: If you eat the weird meat you find on the Hill Troll then some parasite will start burrowing through your stomach, making you lose 1 Stamina Point for each paragraph, which likely means you won't make it to the exit alive even if you have all the rings.

You start as a slave, sold to the evil and cruel Lord Carnuss, brother of Baron Sukumvit from Fang, undergoing an harsh gladiator training for one purpose: after the victory of a nameless adventurer over the dangers of Deathtrap Dungeon, Sukumvit has rebuilt his personal deathtrap from scratch, making it even deadlier than before, and a new challenge is issued. Carnuss is jealous of his brother's success, and wishes to humiliate his brother by having one of his own slaves compete in the Walk and triumph, winning fame and gold. And that slave could be you, if you survive the deadly training regimen and the treacherous depths of the revamped Deathtrap Dungeon. Will you be another corpse lost in the pits, or you'll triumph over the adversities and get your revenge?

* BigBad: This time is Sukumvit brother Carnuss, who's much more of direct threat and a gratuitous dick.