Lilura
RPG Codex Dragon Lady
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2013
- Messages
- 5,274
UPDATE (02-20-15):
Completed:
Hordes of the Underdark (Part 1 of 7)
The Aielund Saga (Part 1 of 34)
Siege of Shadowdale (Part 1 of 5)
Current:
Orcs - The Awakening of Arak-hur (Part 1 of -)
Random Remarks on Neverwinter Nights OC (Part I of -)
Crimson Tides of Tethyr (Part I of -)
/update
UPDATE (06-01-15):
Hi guys, sorry but I'm not cross-posting to teh Codex anymore, I just can't be assed with linking to 30-40 images each time I update.
This is the next post, though:
The Aielund Saga: Act Three - Part VI
There are now already two more posts after that and a third one coming, everyone is welcome to comment here or there, but I won't be bumping this topic anymore after this.
Thanks go out to all who posted here, but especially to Grimwulf and Dreaad for your many informative and amusing comments!
/update
UPDATE: Hordes Let's Play now complete. Aielund Saga currently in progress, first post begins on page 3.
Note this is being updated on my blog first, where it's a bit more readable (esp. for smartphones) and palatable (no foul language and messy thread to sift through).
/update
Hi, and welcome to my Hordes recounting. This is from my blog, and it was just gonna stay there, but Grimwulf suggested I post it here also, to get more feedback. So, here goes...
Hordes of the Underdark is the second and last expansion for BioWare's Neverwinter Nights, introducing epic rules with a campaign level range of 15-30. The latest and definitive version of the game is 1.69, which I have installed along with Project Q-infused modules (Q Campaigns) for improved visuals.
After burning myself out on the exhausting MXL: Ultimative mod for Diablo 2, I decided to relax and recount a run of Hordes. I can't stand excessive waffle or reporting combat encounters in dice-rolly detail, so this is basically a recount characterized by "brevity" (in so far as over-caffeinatedness allows) and interspersed with pro-tips. It will contain little in the way of comments pertaining to the story, lore, dialogue and moral choices, or characters (ie, "role-playing"), focusing more on comments about combat encounters, area design and mechanics. Note that obviously this document is still spoiler-heavy; new players should not read this if they have any intention of later playing Hordes (unless of course they don't mind spoilers), and veteran readers might have their memories refreshed or discover something new. I hope to learn more from this run, too.
So, the first choice to make is whether to go with a newly created character or import from Shadows of Undrentide. Since I don't have an Undrentide character, I'll be creating a new one. They both start at LVL15, anyway (if the import is less than LVL15, then she gets bumped up). One difference is that gold carries over with the import, but paltry gold bonuses don't factor as concerns in epic campaigns like Hordes. Your imported gear also gets stolen as part of the plot, and, while you can get it back later on, by that time you'll mostly have better stuff - and selling it off just isn't worth it, either. The only other difference is one carried-over item from Undrentide which can be used in mid-Chapter 2 of Hordes, but its all but useless (and bugged).
The second choice to make is "which build"? For this adventure I've decided to go with a ranged combatant, specifically an elven BARD(1)/FIGHTER(X)/ARCANE ARCHER (X) wielding a longbow. I'm a huge fan of archery in RPGs, yet to my disgrace have never built one in NWN. Anyway, with this build I want to meet the pre-requisites for the AA prestige class fairly quickly and then dedicate to AA all the way into Epic levels.
After manually leveling my character to BARD(1)/FIGHTER(6)/ARCANE ARCHER (8), I'm ready to roll. But before any major combat encounter BioWare lavish on the player an array of items from the Yawning Portal Inn's armory, so I equip a +2 Longbow and other build-relevant gear as can be seen here.
As you can see on the Quickbar, I already have a decent bag of tricks. My active or "clicky" feats are Seeker Arrow, Imbue Arrow and Hail of Arrows. My most-used clicky will be Rapid Shot. Relevant passive feats are first of all Point Blank Shot and also include the usual Dodge, Mobility and Spring Attack along with Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization and Improved Critical, all obviously for Longbow. Awh yeah! (I will describe the clicky feats as I use them).
Note also on the left of the Quickbar I have Stand Your Ground, Follow and Attack Nearest hot-keyed. I recommend everyone do this, it makes controlling your Henchman much easier and faster.
Oh, by the way. The plot: Drow are ravaging the Inn and Waterdeep - kill the Drow! (yawn)
The first major combat encounter occurs in the common room of the Inn, and here I face off against several Drow and Duergar. But since I have about a dozen allies (including the "heroic" Henchman from NWN OC), this fight - while dramatic - is mostly introductorily benign, but there is a Drow Priestess who can be killed for a staggering 3,780 experience, the most EXP for any enemy kill in the entire Hordes campaign. The reason for this - to put it crudely - is that EXP is awarded based on your level relative to the enemy's level, and if the enemy is theoretically supposed to be much more powerful than you but despite that you still manage to beat it, then EXP yield will reflect that. Anyway, suffice it to say this first combat encounter is always won by the allies without any player intervention. And actually, the next encounter in the Well Room featuring several more Drow can play out the same, with Durnan the Innkeep casually pwning them all.
When the fight's over I recruit Deekin, an amusing bardic kobold from Undrentide. I immediately enter dialogue with him to ensure he levels up as Bard exclusively and not Red Dragon Disciple. Bard Song and higher level spells are far more important than what RDD offers (at least for me, in this run). Talking to White Thesta is recommended here, as she bestows upon you a Rod of Resurrection with 20 charges. But unless you really need particular class items from her shop, you shouldn't trade with her as she's a tight-ass. Deal with the Magic Shoppe in Waterdeep, instead.
I remove unneeded items from Deekin's inventory and ensure he only has a crossbow to wield, so that he's never tempted to wade into melee. I also tell him not to pick locks or disarm traps, and to stay close.
As I exit the Inn onto the streets of the City of Splendors, I meet the first combat encounter that isn't decided by immortal NPCs. There are a few Duergar littering a courtyard, so I ask Deekin to cast Haste, Improved Invisibility (enemy attacks have 50% chance of missing), and to Sing, then I hit the Rapid Shot clicky (for extra attack rate) and make my bow sing, too. The Duergar were mowed down before they could cast much or close in on me, though I did get in two stinging crits of about 40 damage each, and that always helps.
All unneeded inventory items are sold off in the Magic Shoppe for 30,000 gold and I use The Relic of the Reaper (a teleporting device) to "bind" a position within the shop, to which I can later immediately return to sell off inventory-clogging loot that BioWare loves to throw around like confetti. I then head to the blacksmith and buy a Composite Longbow +3, several arrow quivers and a set of entry level armor. Appropriately geared up, I head down the well-lift to delve the infamous Undermountain.
This sprawling dungeon consists of three separate major sections (north, south, central), and is largely non-linear and explorative in nature. There are mazes, teleports and secret doors that spice up navigation, and also traps to avoid and (simple) puzzles to solve. Enemies can persistently be found in certain areas (campers), but some types roam around the corridors making nuisances of themselves (ie, drow skirmishers). The Drow and Duergar are the most interesting foes here, using stealth and Darkness spells to annoying effect.
The first thing I do here is use the Rod to resurrect Sharwyn, the bard Henchman from NWN OC. I'm not sure why BioWare decided to give the player another bard so soon when you already have Deekin, but I set Sharwyn to level up as Fighter (since she also specializes in longbow) and give her my old Composite Longbow +2, so now we have three snipers in the party.
The best way to tackle this dungeon, for any character build, is to head to the North section first to take out the ogre mage Olgin for the Dragon Slippers and a build-based boss drop (in my case, Taralash, a +4 Mighty longbow with perma-Haste), then hunt down the drow skirmisher for the Cowl of Warding around the same area. Between these two items you're bestowed immunity to fear and mind-affecting spells, and granted freedom status. Fear immunity is then worn against the neighboring Mummy Lord who's sarcophagus contains a Greater Amulet of Health, bestowing immunity to level drain, disease and poison, and granting regeneration. With these three items equipped, you're set, because you're permanently warding off the most annoying and lethal debilitations in the game.
Sharwyn is capable of spotting secret doors and picking most locks on this level. For the chests and doors that are beyond her skill, I simply incinerated them with an Imbue Arrow fireball. You can also cast Knock on locked chests, otherwise you need Power Attack because they have like 40 dmg soak...
Undermountain Level One can be solved in two ways: either by collecting coloured rods scattered around that, when inserted into the correct leavers, lower corresponding coloured pillars blocking the central exit, or by blowing open a sealed passage in the northern area with a barrel of alchemist fire found in the South. I solve both exits for extra experience, and then my trio descend deeper into Undermountain.
WiP, more to come soon depending on feedback. Please ask any questions, and thank you for reading.
Completed:
Hordes of the Underdark (Part 1 of 7)
The Aielund Saga (Part 1 of 34)
Siege of Shadowdale (Part 1 of 5)
Current:
Orcs - The Awakening of Arak-hur (Part 1 of -)
Random Remarks on Neverwinter Nights OC (Part I of -)
Crimson Tides of Tethyr (Part I of -)
/update
UPDATE (06-01-15):
Hi guys, sorry but I'm not cross-posting to teh Codex anymore, I just can't be assed with linking to 30-40 images each time I update.
This is the next post, though:
The Aielund Saga: Act Three - Part VI
There are now already two more posts after that and a third one coming, everyone is welcome to comment here or there, but I won't be bumping this topic anymore after this.
Thanks go out to all who posted here, but especially to Grimwulf and Dreaad for your many informative and amusing comments!
/update
***
UPDATE: Hordes Let's Play now complete. Aielund Saga currently in progress, first post begins on page 3.
Note this is being updated on my blog first, where it's a bit more readable (esp. for smartphones) and palatable (no foul language and messy thread to sift through).
/update
***
Hi, and welcome to my Hordes recounting. This is from my blog, and it was just gonna stay there, but Grimwulf suggested I post it here also, to get more feedback. So, here goes...
Hordes of the Underdark is the second and last expansion for BioWare's Neverwinter Nights, introducing epic rules with a campaign level range of 15-30. The latest and definitive version of the game is 1.69, which I have installed along with Project Q-infused modules (Q Campaigns) for improved visuals.
After burning myself out on the exhausting MXL: Ultimative mod for Diablo 2, I decided to relax and recount a run of Hordes. I can't stand excessive waffle or reporting combat encounters in dice-rolly detail, so this is basically a recount characterized by "brevity" (in so far as over-caffeinatedness allows) and interspersed with pro-tips. It will contain little in the way of comments pertaining to the story, lore, dialogue and moral choices, or characters (ie, "role-playing"), focusing more on comments about combat encounters, area design and mechanics. Note that obviously this document is still spoiler-heavy; new players should not read this if they have any intention of later playing Hordes (unless of course they don't mind spoilers), and veteran readers might have their memories refreshed or discover something new. I hope to learn more from this run, too.
CHAPTER ONE: DESCENT INTO UNDERMOUNTAIN
CHARACTER CREATION AND BUILDING
CHARACTER CREATION AND BUILDING
So, the first choice to make is whether to go with a newly created character or import from Shadows of Undrentide. Since I don't have an Undrentide character, I'll be creating a new one. They both start at LVL15, anyway (if the import is less than LVL15, then she gets bumped up). One difference is that gold carries over with the import, but paltry gold bonuses don't factor as concerns in epic campaigns like Hordes. Your imported gear also gets stolen as part of the plot, and, while you can get it back later on, by that time you'll mostly have better stuff - and selling it off just isn't worth it, either. The only other difference is one carried-over item from Undrentide which can be used in mid-Chapter 2 of Hordes, but its all but useless (and bugged).
The second choice to make is "which build"? For this adventure I've decided to go with a ranged combatant, specifically an elven BARD(1)/FIGHTER(X)/ARCANE ARCHER (X) wielding a longbow. I'm a huge fan of archery in RPGs, yet to my disgrace have never built one in NWN. Anyway, with this build I want to meet the pre-requisites for the AA prestige class fairly quickly and then dedicate to AA all the way into Epic levels.
After manually leveling my character to BARD(1)/FIGHTER(6)/ARCANE ARCHER (8), I'm ready to roll. But before any major combat encounter BioWare lavish on the player an array of items from the Yawning Portal Inn's armory, so I equip a +2 Longbow and other build-relevant gear as can be seen here.
Note also on the left of the Quickbar I have Stand Your Ground, Follow and Attack Nearest hot-keyed. I recommend everyone do this, it makes controlling your Henchman much easier and faster.
Oh, by the way. The plot: Drow are ravaging the Inn and Waterdeep - kill the Drow! (yawn)
YAWNING PORTAL INN AND WATERDEEP
The first major combat encounter occurs in the common room of the Inn, and here I face off against several Drow and Duergar. But since I have about a dozen allies (including the "heroic" Henchman from NWN OC), this fight - while dramatic - is mostly introductorily benign, but there is a Drow Priestess who can be killed for a staggering 3,780 experience, the most EXP for any enemy kill in the entire Hordes campaign. The reason for this - to put it crudely - is that EXP is awarded based on your level relative to the enemy's level, and if the enemy is theoretically supposed to be much more powerful than you but despite that you still manage to beat it, then EXP yield will reflect that. Anyway, suffice it to say this first combat encounter is always won by the allies without any player intervention. And actually, the next encounter in the Well Room featuring several more Drow can play out the same, with Durnan the Innkeep casually pwning them all.
When the fight's over I recruit Deekin, an amusing bardic kobold from Undrentide. I immediately enter dialogue with him to ensure he levels up as Bard exclusively and not Red Dragon Disciple. Bard Song and higher level spells are far more important than what RDD offers (at least for me, in this run). Talking to White Thesta is recommended here, as she bestows upon you a Rod of Resurrection with 20 charges. But unless you really need particular class items from her shop, you shouldn't trade with her as she's a tight-ass. Deal with the Magic Shoppe in Waterdeep, instead.
I remove unneeded items from Deekin's inventory and ensure he only has a crossbow to wield, so that he's never tempted to wade into melee. I also tell him not to pick locks or disarm traps, and to stay close.
As I exit the Inn onto the streets of the City of Splendors, I meet the first combat encounter that isn't decided by immortal NPCs. There are a few Duergar littering a courtyard, so I ask Deekin to cast Haste, Improved Invisibility (enemy attacks have 50% chance of missing), and to Sing, then I hit the Rapid Shot clicky (for extra attack rate) and make my bow sing, too. The Duergar were mowed down before they could cast much or close in on me, though I did get in two stinging crits of about 40 damage each, and that always helps.
All unneeded inventory items are sold off in the Magic Shoppe for 30,000 gold and I use The Relic of the Reaper (a teleporting device) to "bind" a position within the shop, to which I can later immediately return to sell off inventory-clogging loot that BioWare loves to throw around like confetti. I then head to the blacksmith and buy a Composite Longbow +3, several arrow quivers and a set of entry level armor. Appropriately geared up, I head down the well-lift to delve the infamous Undermountain.
UNDERMOUNTAIN LEVEL ONE
This sprawling dungeon consists of three separate major sections (north, south, central), and is largely non-linear and explorative in nature. There are mazes, teleports and secret doors that spice up navigation, and also traps to avoid and (simple) puzzles to solve. Enemies can persistently be found in certain areas (campers), but some types roam around the corridors making nuisances of themselves (ie, drow skirmishers). The Drow and Duergar are the most interesting foes here, using stealth and Darkness spells to annoying effect.
The first thing I do here is use the Rod to resurrect Sharwyn, the bard Henchman from NWN OC. I'm not sure why BioWare decided to give the player another bard so soon when you already have Deekin, but I set Sharwyn to level up as Fighter (since she also specializes in longbow) and give her my old Composite Longbow +2, so now we have three snipers in the party.
The best way to tackle this dungeon, for any character build, is to head to the North section first to take out the ogre mage Olgin for the Dragon Slippers and a build-based boss drop (in my case, Taralash, a +4 Mighty longbow with perma-Haste), then hunt down the drow skirmisher for the Cowl of Warding around the same area. Between these two items you're bestowed immunity to fear and mind-affecting spells, and granted freedom status. Fear immunity is then worn against the neighboring Mummy Lord who's sarcophagus contains a Greater Amulet of Health, bestowing immunity to level drain, disease and poison, and granting regeneration. With these three items equipped, you're set, because you're permanently warding off the most annoying and lethal debilitations in the game.
Pincushioning the Mummy Lord with Sharwyn.
This dragon is now a push-over since I have a permanent ward against fear.
One of the sub bosses, ogre mage Olgin. In true BioWare style he is killable after surrendering for extra EXP.
Apart from the encounters shown in the above screenshots, most of them are small-time skirmish stuff or trashmobs, which are so trivial they just aren't worth relaying. Loot acquired on this level - other than the few items mentioned above - is merely incremental/temporary or picked up only to be sold off for gold.
Sharwyn is capable of spotting secret doors and picking most locks on this level. For the chests and doors that are beyond her skill, I simply incinerated them with an Imbue Arrow fireball. You can also cast Knock on locked chests, otherwise you need Power Attack because they have like 40 dmg soak...
Undermountain Level One can be solved in two ways: either by collecting coloured rods scattered around that, when inserted into the correct leavers, lower corresponding coloured pillars blocking the central exit, or by blowing open a sealed passage in the northern area with a barrel of alchemist fire found in the South. I solve both exits for extra experience, and then my trio descend deeper into Undermountain.
WiP, more to come soon depending on feedback. Please ask any questions, and thank you for reading.
Last edited: