Original Campaign 2002
It's a lost era. Or perhaps, a "replaced era" would be more accurate. The Original Campaign (or the "Plague Campaign") was only playable as intended for a short period, one year, before the first expansion, Shadows of Undrentide, was released the following June and changed the core game.
Join me as we travel back 15 years to play the OC as players did when Neverwinter Nights was first unveiled to eager gamers around the world.
THE SIMULATION: Play the OC as it was intended to be played.
Listed here are the ruleset elements to play very nearly as those who opened the box to install the 3 CDs. The instructional booklet would have contained exactly what you see listed below (except for the comments).
Though some of the scripting was also modified in later releases, a player can mimic a similar challenge level by avoiding the boosts added in subsequent modifications to the core game.
These features are:
CLASSES
Limited to:
Barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, wizard; no prestige available until SoU released; pure or multiclass are equally valid in all releases.
RACES - The original 7 races have remained unaltered from the original game.
WEAPONS
Limited to:
Simple - club, dagger, mace, sickle, spear, morningstar, quarterstaff, light/heavy crossbow, dart, sling
Martial - battleaxe, greataxe, greatsword, halberd, handaxe, heavy flail, light flail, light hammer, longbow, longsword, rapier, scimitar, shortsword, shortbow, throwing axe, warhammer
Exotic - bastard sword, dire mace, double axe, kama, katana, kukri, scythe, shuriken, two-bladed sword (weighed 4.4 lbs in 2002)
SKILLS
The following 8 were added with expansions so they do not apply to the OC:
Appraise (no dice rolls used for trade in the first shops)
Bluff
Craft armor
Craft trap
Craft weapon
Intimidate
Ride
Tumble
FEATS
Racial feats: remained unaltered throughout all releases.
Class feats: remained unaltered throughout all releases.
Epic feats (general and bonus): none applicable to the OC.
Instant feats: none applicable to the OC.
General feats not applicable to the OC are:
Artist
Blind fight
Blooded
Brew potion
Bullheaded
Circle kick
Courteous magocracy
Craft wand
Curse song
Dirty fighting
Divine might
Divine shield
Expertise
Extra music
Extra stunning attacks
Great cleave
Greater spell focus
Greater spell penetration
Improved expertise
Improved initiative
Lingering song
Luck of heroes
Mount actions
Mounted archery
Mounted combat
Rapid reload
Resist disease
Resist energy
Resist poison
Scribe scroll (wizards did not get for free at Level 1)
Silver palm
Snake blood
Spring attack
Stealthy
Strong soul
Thug
Whirlwind attack
Zen archery
Summoning Feats (changes)
Summon Familiar: Limited to bat, fire mephit, hell hound, ice mephit, imp, panther, pixie, raven (eyeball, faerie dragon, pseudodragon... added later).
Animal Companion: Limited to badger, wolf, brown bear, boar, hawk, panther, giant spider, dire wolf (dire rat... added later).
SPELLS (refrain from using any on this list for the OC)
BARD
0 - Flare
1 - Amplify, Balagarn's iron horn, Expeditious retreat, Magic weapon
2 - Cloud of bewilderment, Tasha's hideous laughter
3 - Displacement, Greater magic weapon, Gust of wind, Keen edge, Wounding whispers
4 - (no spells added with expansions)
5 - (no spells added with expansions)
6 - Dirge
CLERIC
0 - Inflict minor wounds
1 - Bane, Divine favor, Entropic shield, Inflict light wounds, Magic weapon, Shield of faith
2 - Inflict moderate wounds, Stone bones
3 - Continual flame, Darkfire, Glyph of warding, Inflict serious wounds, Magic vestment
4 - Inflict critical wounds, Greater magic weapon
5 - Battletide, Circle of doom, Monstrous regeneration
6 - Banishment, Greater sanctuary, Planar ally, Undeath to death
7 - (no spells added with expansions)
8 - Earthquake
9 - Undeath's eternal foe
Domain Spells - remained unaltered throughout all releases.
DRUID
0 - Flare
1 - Camouflage, Magic fang
2 - Blood frenzy, One with the land
3 - Greater magic fang, Healing sting, Infestation of maggots, Quillfire, Spike growth
4 - Mass camouflage
5 - Inferno, Monstrous regeneration, Owl's insight, Vine mine
6 - Crumble, Drown, Stonehold
7 - (no spells added with expansions)
8 - Bombardment, Sunburst
9 - Earthquake
PALADIN
1 - Bless weapon, Deafening clang, Divine favor, Magic weapon
2 - Aura of glory
3 - Greater magic weapon
4 - Holy sword
RANGER
1 - Camouflage, Magic fang
2 - One with the land
3 - Blade thirst, Greater magic fang
4 - Mass camouflage
SORCERER/WIZARD
0 - Acid splash, Electric jolt, Flare
1 - Expeditious retreat, Horizikaul's boom, Ice dagger, Ironguts, Magic weapon, Shelgarn's persistent blade, Shield, True strike
2 - Balagarn's iron horn, Cloud of bewilderment, Combust, Continual flame, Death armor, Flame weapon, Gedlee's electric loop, Stone bones, Tasha's hideous laughter
3 - Displacement, Greater magic weapon, Gust of wind, Keen edge, Mestil's acid breath, Scintillating sphere
4 - Isaac's lesser missile storm
5 - Ball lightning, Bigby's interposing hand, Firebrand, Mestil's acid sheath
6 - Bigby's forceful hand, Flesh to stone, Isaac's greater missile storm, Stone to flesh, Undeath to death
7 - Banishment, Bigby's grasping hand, Great thunderclap
8 - Bigby's clenched fist, Blackstaff, Greater sanctuary, Sunburst
9 - Bigby's crushing hand, Black blade of disaster