NEVERWINTER NIGHTS- OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN GUIDE
By: HitNRunI95
www.leesux.com
[email protected]
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Technical Disclaimer: This guide is Copyrighted hitnruni95 and should 
not be used without an affirming email from the author, should not be 
directly linked without an affirming email from GameFAQs.com, and 
should not be published in any case. 
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Real Disclaimer: This is my first guide, so bear with me.
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Note: Neverwinter Nights has a very dynamic story. If I say something 
that didn't happen to me, its not because I'm a newb, its because I did 
something different. You're welcome to email me how it happened for 
you, I'll check it out and make additions.
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Update 7/8/02: Finished Peninsula District. Guide now at 20 pages in MS 
Word.
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Update 7/12/02: Finished Beggar's Nest. Guide now at 23 pages in MS 
Word.

A.0 Introduction
B.0 Creating Your Character
    Walkthrough Notes
0.0 Prelude
1.0 Chapter 1
 .1 Peninsula
VERSION 1.0, MORE TO COME


A.0 INTRODUCTION (a.k.a. Blah Blah Blah)

The long awaited Neverwinter Nights is finally here, and you've come 
looking for help. Obviously, the full experience of NWN stretches 
infinitesimally away from the single player game, but that's what I'm 
covering with this FAQ.
 
Why waste your time on the single player game when you can make your 
own module? Well, first of all, not everyone has the confidence for 
such an undertaking as creating a module from scratch. Second, nine-
tenths of those who do are going to make some really, really bad 
modules. Third, as of right now (early July '02), only the default tile 
and character sets are available- a limited selection, to say the 
least. Fourth, as either a player or designer, you're much better off 
having played an actual, professionally made game with the Aurora 
Toolset before you venture into the world of MODs. Trust me, I just 
played a MOD that had been released not a week after NWN- really, 
really bad.

Anyway, I've blown the last week and a half or so of my life on the 
single player campaign playing a ranger with a few levels in rogue, and 
now I'm going to blow some more time playing through as a Wizard, with 
some levels in whatever-I-feel-like. This guide will combine my current 
experiences of my wizard character with my recollection of doing the 
same areas as a ranger. This will give us a good blend of melee and 
arcane points of view.

Without further ado, behold the observations recorded from the 
adventures of the ranger Albatross the Regarded and the wizard 
Kellindra the Preeminent.

1.0	CREATING YOUR CHARACTER (a.k.a. I got a level 56 necromancer!)

Now is a good time to explain two things.
 
MODIFIERS: +2, -3, etc. This is a modifier to one of your character's 
skills or ability scores. The computer randomizes a number, or sort of 
rolls a twenty-sided dice, whenever you perform a skill. Whatever 
bonuses or penalties you have gets added or subtracted to the roll. If 
the total number is higher than the Difficulty Class (DC) of whatever 
you're trying to do, then you succeed. If the number is lower, you 
fail.

Let's say I wanted to pick a lock. This particular lock is DC 15. I 
have a +3 in Open Lock. So when I pick the lock, the computer rolls a 
twenty-sided dice and comes up with a 13. 13 plus my +3 in Open Lock 
equals 16. 16 is higher than the DC of 15, so I would succeed. In non 
combat situations, your character automatically "takes twenty" and the 
roll of your dice is automatically its highest (twenty). So outside of 
battle, I would succeed automatically (Twenty plus three is higher than 
15.)

FAVORED CLASS: In Neverwinter Nights, your character can have up to 
three classes simultaneously. Some classes, like Paladin and Monk, can 
not be accessed if you do not have the proper alignment. Taking more 
than one class can cause a penalty to how much experience you gain- the 
larger the discrepancy of Level between classes, the larger the 
penalty. The exception to this problem is the Favored Class.

 All of the races except Human and Half-Elf prefer a certain class, and 
that class does not count toward the exp penalty. Humans and Half-Elves 
are free to choose their own favored class- their highest level class 
is considered their favored class. Each race's favored class is listed 
below. And now, we get into the meat of character creation.

2.1 GENDER
The first part of creating your character is the least important as far 
as power-gaming goes and the most important as far as roleplaying goes: 
your gender. 

Gender has no impact on any quality of your character, and its only 
effect on the game is whether the text says "man" or "woman" and which 
prostitutes you're allowed to hire. Go civil equality or whatever.

2.2 RACE
Part two is an aesthetic, gaming, and roleplaying choice, all in one. 
If you get confused, you should probably just stick with a human.

HUMANS are the first choice and the best for those new to Dungeons and 
Dragons. They get skills quicker than the other races, and can excel in 
any role. They incur no bonuses or penalties to their statistics. Their 
favored class is their highest class- they don't have to worry about 
keeping another class maintained unless they take out three classes. 
They get one extra skill point each level, and four extra at level one. 
They also get an extra feat at level one.

ELVES are slim and quick, but not quite as tough as the other races. 
This is reflected in their +2 bonus to Dexterity, and their -2 to 
Constitution. Reasons to pick them include their immunity to sleep 
spells, their +2 defense against mind-affecting spells, and their +2 
against Spot, Listen, and Search checks. They can also Search at full 
capability without activating Detect Mode, which slows humans down. 
Elves are also proficient at using longswords, longbows, shortbows, and 
rapiers- this is not quite as cool as it sounds, since most classes are 
proficient with these and more automatically. Their favored class is 
wizard- see explanation under 2.0

HALF-ELVES take bonuses from both Humans and Elves, and penalties from 
neither. They can choose their own favored class and have no anomalies 
in their ability scores, like Humans. From their elven parent, they 
have a +1 bonus to Listen, Spot, Search, and they are immune to sleep. 
They do not develop as sharply as humans, nor do they have the 
dexterity of elves- but they have no penalty to constitution, either.

DWARVES are built to fight. With a +2 to constitution and a -2 to 
charisma, their time is best spent in the more basic forms of 
discourse. They get a +4 bonus to searching in subterranean areas (and 
virtually all traps are underground) and a +2 to lore checks, which can 
save you money. They get a +2 to saving throws vs. spells, and a +2 to 
saves against poison. Top that off with a +1 against orcs and 
goblinoids and a +4 Armor Class bonus against Giants, and you have a 
class that is well bred for the trenches. Their Favored Class, of 
course, is Fighter- see under 2.0 for data on Favored Classes.

HALFLINGS are small, quick beings that lack the brute force of the 
bigger races. This is reflected in their +2 to dexterity and -2 to 
strength. Their list of bonuses is quite comprehensive, and includes a 
+1 to attack and AC for being a small race, a +4 to hide, a +2 to 
Listen and Move Silently, and a +1 to throwing weapons. This makes them 
ideal rogues, which is their Favored Class. (See 2.0) They also have a 
+2 bonus against Fear Effects, which are more common than you might 
think.

GNOMES are also small, but where a Halfling is quick, a gnome is tough 
and gnarly. They get a +2 to constitution, but a -2 to strength, a 
setup ideal for spellcasting (Mages need the hitpoints gleaned from 
constitution, but are not as reliant on attack bonus.) They also have a 
large list of modifiers, including a +1 to attack and AC and a +4 to 
hide for being small, a +2 against illusion spells, a +1 against 
Reptilians and Goblinoids, a +4 AC against giants, and a +2 to Listen 
and Concentrate. They also start with a spell focus in Illusion, making 
spells of that type stronger and harder to resist. Their Favored Class 
is Wizard, mostly because BioWare adjusted the D&D specialist system to 
fit their house rules, as will be mentioned later.

Finally, HALF-ORCS are large, strong, stupid, strong, ill-mannered, 
strong, and brutish. They get a +2 to strength, but a -2 to both 
intelligence and charisma. This may seem like a bit much, but few Half-
Orc characters are very reliant on those statistics anyway. Half-Orcs 
have only the above modifiers and a Favored Class to separate them from 
Humans- unsurprisingly, that class is barbarian.

2.3 PORTRAIT
I'd tell you that this has absolutely no affect on the game at all, but 
you probably already know that. You can make your own portrait by 
cutting an image to the appropriate dimensions and pasting it into your 
Portraits subfolder in your Neverwinter Nights folder.

2.4 CLASS
One frequent concern on the GameFAQs forum I've heard is just how 
balanced the classes are. Posters hearken back to other RPGs where one 
class is dominant and to pick another class is to gimp oneself.

The Neverwinter classes, as I've experienced and observed them, are 
fine. Playing a Warrior class offers more reliable damage. Playing a 
Magi offers the high-impact spells. Healers can heal, and still hold on 
(albeit tenuously) in melee.  Rogues have 72% fewer headaches than the 
other classes outside of combat.

The beauty of NWN is teamwork- even in the single player campaign, 
you'll have henchmen and (maybe) animals and familiars to back you up 
and cover the areas in which you are weakest. Just remember that 
BioWare has tuned the class rules (among other things) to match their 
personal preferences- Wizards who normally specialize in D&D may want 
to stick to the main path this time around.

Details on what you should do with your stats depending on what class 
you are can be found in section 2.6, Abilities.

BARBARIAN- (Must not be lawful) You can't keep a good savage down. 
Barbarians are the toughest class in the game to drop, with a 12 + 
constitution bonus in hitpoints per level. This means Dwarven and even 
Gnomish (hah!) barbarians are bone chillingly tough, taking all the 
punishment you can dish out and more. They don't dish out the damage a 
fighter might with all his bonus feats, but the above example isn't 
even considering the Barbarian Rage, which gives them a +4 to strength 
and constitution and +2 to Will saves. (Later, you get Greater Rage, 
which gives +6 to your stats and +4 to Will saves.) Its only downside 
is that you lose 2 AC, becoming easier to hit. Barbarians are also 
faster by 10% than other classes, starting from the very beginning. 
They also have faster reactions than other classes, getting to keep 
their Dexterity bonus to their AC even when surprised, and with all 
kinds of bonuses to their Reflex saves to avoid traps. If that isn't 
enough, they also gain damage reduction in later levels, and get to 
shrug off light damage starting at the level 11.

BARD- (Must not be lawful) The traveling minstrel, bards have a little 
bit of everything and know a little bit more. I won't describe then 
with the favorite cliche- D&D fans know what I'm talking about. But 
suffice it to say that Bards have some skill in infiltration, potential 
to become half-decent combatants, six levels of arcane spells, and a 
song ability that raises the performance of all allies within thirty 
feet once per day according to such a comprehensive bonus chart that I 
don't feel like detailing it here. They also have a great Lore ability, 
which will save you a ton of dough in Identify fees. They're not quite 
as tough in melee, with a hit-die of 6+ constitution bonus.

CLERIC- The consummate healer, clerics glean spells (mostly of the 
support type) from their deity and can put up a half-decent fight in 
melee. Their damage spells aren't that bad either, but they're best at 
stunning and turning undead in combat. Harm is the exception, being one 
of the most powerful spells in the game. A cleric's armor class tends 
to be higher than other casters as well, because armor interferes with 
neither their ethos nor their spellcasting. Just to round off what they 
do best, clerics can substitute a basic healing spell for any memorized 
spell of the same level. They can take a decent amount of hits, with 8+ 
constitution bonus per level.

DRUID- (Must be partially neutral) An alternative to Cleric as a 
healer, druids are not quite as good at healing as the former but have 
a wide array of nature skills and spells to make up for this. 
Basically, they lack the instant-substitution abilities of a cleric but 
instead have some very mage-like attack spells and a familiar to boot. 
They have a host of nature abilities they share with rangers, including 
a +2 to attacks in the wilderness, +4 to stealth in the wilderness, and 
a nifty immunity to movement-stopping spells. At fifth level they can 
transform into an animal and at sixteenth level they can transform into 
an elemental. After ninth level, they're immune to poison. They can 
take a decent amount of hits, with 8+ constitution bonus per level.

FIGHTER- The quintessential dungeon crawler class, fighters are tough 
enough to take the hits and strong enough to dish them out, with 10+ 
constitution modifier hitpoints per level. They have the best field of 
feats for most melee styles (rangers make better dual wielders) and get 
more of them than any other class. Every two levels, they can pick an 
extra feat, in addition to the feats that all classes receive every few 
levels. They are also the only class that offers the Weapon 
Specialization feat, which gives a +2 damage bonus to the favored 
weapon.

Many characters that attack in melee will want to take a level or two 
of fighter later on, to get appropriate combat feats. This is fine, but 
remember that you must remain devoted to some classes to continue 
advancing in them, and some races will incur penalties to their 
experience for this.

MONK- (Must be lawful) Fast, strong, tough, and disciplined, D&D Monks 
combine the rigorous lifestyle of Western monks with the self 
advancement of Eastern monks (not to mention the armory of Eastern 
monks) to make a daunting fighting machine that can riddle you with 
penalties in the blink of an eye, while being immune to half of what 
you dish out. Their 8+ constitution hitpoints per level lets them take 
a decent amount of hits, but their ability to add their Wisdom modifier 
to their armor class means they don't have to. Monks have the largest 
list of abilities in the game, including Flurry of Blows, the ability 
to go faster than even barbarians, immunity to common diseases at level 
five, the ability to heal oneself at level seven, the ability to 
transform his hands into a magical weapon at level ten, immunity to 
poison at level eleven, high magic resistance at level twelve, the 
chance to deliver one-hit death at level fifteen, 50% concealment at 
level eighteen, and immunity to mind spells and a damage resistance of 
20/+1 at level twenty. Whew.

PALADIN- (Must be Lawful Good) Symbol of virtue and righteousness, the 
paladin is a fighter that sacrifices his cousin's extra feats for 
spells and favor from his god. His spell list is very cleric-like 
(without healing substitution, of course) and his list of special 
abilities is half as daunting as the above monk, which is saying 
something. Paladins are as proficient as fighters in combat to start- 
all arms and armor. From level one, the paladin is favored with the 
ability to add their charisma bonus to all saving throws, and is 
completely immune to disease from the start. Paladins also have their 
trademark Lay Hands skill, which heals (charisma bonus * paladin level) 
in hitpoints once per day. They are immune to fear from level two and 
can also Smite Evil at level two, which adds their charisma bonus to 
their attack roll and their paladin level to their damage roll once per 
day. They can turn undead at level three, and can remove disease from 
their friends at level three. Paladins can take most of what evil can 
dish out with 10 + constitution modifier hitpoints.

D&D fans should note that falling out of the Lawful Good alignment does 
not permanently deactivate the paladin class- getting back to Lawful 
Good reinstates your ability to continue on the Paladin's path. More 
house rules, BioWare?

RANGER- Quick, stealthy, hard to hit and hitting hard, rangers are 
fighters of the countryside and, I must admit, my favorite class so 
far. Getting Ambidexterity and Two-Weapon Fighting feats automatically 
at level one, they're the masters of melee damage, though they get hit 
more often then their Paladin and Fighter cousins when fighting large 
groups due to their dependence on dexterity. (Rangers must wear light 
armor to keep their automatic feats.) They also have a +4 to stealth in 
the wilderness and a bonus against their favorite (or least favorite) 
enemies that accumulates and applies to more enemies every five levels. 
(Pick Human, then Monstrous Humanoid or Giant, then Lizard.) Besides 
his animal companion available at level six (pick Bear or Panther,) 
there isn't much else to say. When you whip out your flaming longswords 
and rip up a Very Difficult foe in a few rounds, you'll like rangers 
too.

Rangers are best complemented with a level of fighter to get their 
weapon specialization and possibly rogue, if you aren't using Tomi or 
another rogue in your party. Of course, only Human rangers can do this 
without taking a penalty to experience.

ROGUE- Sneaky and observant, everyone who is allowed to is going to 
want a level of rogue. No lie. Most people realize this about the time 
they stumble over their 452nd trap and have to go retrieve their 
henchman for the 185th time that day. Rogues are not that bad on their 
own, with an extra 1d6 Sneak Attack every two levels when the enemy 
isn't looking. (Even when the enemy is staring right at you, you'll get 
sneak attacks left and right. Who knows?) They also get every dodge and 
evasion feat automatically, plus a handful of once-a-day attacks every 
three levels from level ten. There's Crippling Strike, which deals two 
points of strength damage on a sneak attack, Opportunist, which gives a 
+4 to attacks of opportunity, the ability to "Take 20" even when in 
combat, two chances to save vs. mind affecting spells, or defensive 
roll, which lets you make a Reflex save vs. damage dealt each time you 
are about to be killed. With 6+ constitution hitpoints per level, 
rogues are best suited to relying on their sneak attack, rather than 
charging into the fray. As mentioned before, every class that can 
should get a level or two in rogue and pour all their points into 
disable traps and Search (if your class isn't skilled in searching) or 
Open Lock (if your class is skilled in searching.)

SORCERER- Full of fireballs and acid arrows, sorcerers are unmatched in 
terms of dealing out damage. Unlike a wizard, when a sorcerer hits you 
with a fireball, you don't mop your brow in relief if you and your 
assistants all save...you prepare for the next one, and the next one, 
and the next one. Sorcerers have to shortchange themselves on support 
spells to get this kind of power, (in fact, a sorcerer can shortchange 
their offense for their support spells, if they wish- this example is 
merely an offensive sorcerer) but the results can be devastating, 
giving the caster the ability to cast his favorite spells again and 
again, without the day's notice a wizard needs. Sorcerers also get a 
familiar from level one- this writer recommends the panther.

WIZARD- Holding their cards tight and keeping their poker face up, 
every wizard is different. They have the potential to be roughly as 
destructive as their sorcerous cousins, but they are bound by lack of 
foreknowledge and a much larger variety of spells to choose from. This 
is not so much of a limitation- if a situation gets out of control, 
simply load the game and memorize more appropriate spells before wading 
back in. In the meantime, you enjoy the widest variety of spells in the 
game. Everything from the big damage to the shield spells to the magic 
shield spells to the stat buffs to the Identify and Invisibilities and 
more are yours to command, as long as you have a little foresight. 
Wizards also get a familiar from level one- this writer recommends the 
panther.

SPECIALIST WIZARD- Well, I've been hinting at it, and here it is. The 
second most intrusive house rule from BioWare (and there are some 
doozies) in the otherwise wonderful experience of Neverwinter Nights. 

Two odd years ago (summer 2000), Wizards of the Coast released their 
3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons rules. Among the improvements were the 
well thought-out specialist wizard rules, which transcended the rival-
school system of 2nd edition and evolved into a sort of point- buy 
system. For example, under the old rules if you wanted to be an Evoker 
you had to drop all Enchantment spells from your repertoire, because it 
was the opposing school of magic. Your reward was an extra spell per 
level. There were no limitations on which spells you picked- thus, 
there were Necromancers with no Necromancy spells memorized, who had 
specialized just to get that extra spell. Under the new rules, (which 
supposedly govern NWN) to play an Evoker you could sacrifice (1) 
Conjuration (2) any two of the following: Abjurations, Enchantment, or 
Illusion (3) any three schools. This gave a lot of leeway in character 
variety- each specialist was different and you didn't have to lose a 
second favorite school if you didn't want to. Also, the new rules 
entailed actually HAVING A SPELL memorized FROM YOUR SCHOOL each level, 
so Necromancers could be expected to actually cast necromancy. 

BioWare has set gaming back a few years, however. Under their house 
rules (which seem to be incorporated more and more into NWN) we're back 
to the old Rival Schools system. Also, there is not memorization 
requirement, so we're back to evoking Necromancers. Anyway, the facts 
of specialization are as follows. Keep in mind that you are not 
required to memorize a spell of your perferred type.

Abjuration is the magic of defense. Abjurers cannot cast Conjuration.
Conjuration is the magic of summoning. Conjurers cannot cast 
Transmution.
Divination is the magic of sensing and detecting. Diviners cannot cast 
Illusion.
Enchanment is the magic of...enchanting. Enchanters cannot cast 
Illusion.
Evocation is the magic of..well, damage. Evokers cannot cast 
Conjuration.
Illusion is the magic of trickery and light. Illusionists cannot cast 
Enchantment.
Necromancy is the magic of life and death. Necromancers cannot cast 
Divination.
Transmutation is the magic of change. Transmuters cannot cast 
Conjuration.

Specialization is, of course, optional. You can remain a normal wizard 
with all powers intact. Personally, I perfer Illusionist, because I 
don't much care for the enchantment spells in NWN, but you might like 
them. First time wizards should play straight wizards.

2.5 ALIGNMENT

Your alignment is important in a roleplaying sense. As for the gaming 
part, it only determines which classes from a short list are closed to 
you.

Paladin- must be Lawful Good.
Monk- must be Lawful.
Bard- must not be Lawful.
Barbarian- must not be Lawful.

2.6 ABILITIES

And here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for. The largest 
violation of the player in Neverwinter Nights. After this, the game 
rules. But first, we must contend with- THE STAT SYSTEM.

There are six statistics in Neverwinter Nights.  When you're done 
adjusting them, they should all be 10.

Seriously, the limitations placed on your statistics (which govern 
every skill and facet of the game) are a harsh thing. Raising any stat 
above 13 causes the game to explode and quickly suck away your reserves 
so you're either left with a character sporting all 12s and 13s or a 
character completely crippled with one stat for being above average 
with another.

To make it worse, dropping ANY stat below ten is disastrous. Characters 
with nine intelligence (Nine! One below average), dey speek like dis. 
Me ogur! Me have nine inteljense. Me speek bad. Me get zeerow skil 
poynts per level. Characters with nine strength can't hit a paralyzed 
frost giant. Characters with nine constitution get killed in melee by 
pixies. Characters with nine dexterity can't avoid a paralyzed frost 
giant, nor can they hit one with a missile weapon. Characters with nine 
charisma never get bonuses in conversations and have to sell their 
newbie weapon and armor to afford a glass of ale. The closest thing to 
an expendable is wisdom, (it gives you conversation insights, letting 
you say witty things) but paladins, rangers, clerics, and druids all 
need it. Also, dissing wisdom drops your Will save, and who wants that?

Luckily, you get all kinds of stat-increasing items from chapter two 
on. So just make an average character for now, with slight advantages 
here and there- you get to augment them later. What about my modules, 
you ask? Well, yes, your modules are bound by the same rules. Luckily, 
there are override codes the DM can used to set statistics- these can 
be found in your instruction manual.

Strength- Governs your melee attack bonus (how often you hit) and 
damage, and how much you can carry.

Constitution- Governs your Fortitude save and HITPOINTS. 'Nuff said. 

Dexterity- Governs your missile attack bonus and damage, and Armor 
Class. (Most armors have a restriction on how much Dexterity bonus you 
can use while wearing the armor. No more unhittable elves in plate from 
the glory days of 2nd edition.) The Weapon finesse feat lets you use 
your dexterity for melee attack bonus and damage for small weapons, so 
small-weapon-warriors don't have to max out strength if they don't want 
to. Also Governs most rogue skills.

Intelligence- Governs your skill points per level, and what level/how 
many arcane spells you can cast as a wizard. Also governs speech 
impediments (keep it above nine, unless you're a half orc.)

Wisdom- Governs your Will save, what level/how many divine spells you 
can cast, your Lore, and some conversation "Insights."

Charisma- Governs your Persuade skill, which gets you more reward from 
conversation, and the prices merchants charge you. Governs what 
level/how many arcane spells you can cast as a sorcerer or bard.

So what stats should you raise? Don't worry, I've got your answers 
here. REMEMBER TO DISREGARD any notices from BioWare suggesting you 
click the recommended button. The very act of reading this FAQ raises 
you above the level of Abject Newbie, so don't worry. You're in good 
hands. The suggestions below every class will suggest how many points 
you should raise each stat. The number in (parentheses) is what the 
adjusted stat will be if the character is human.

Barbarian- As with most melee classes, you'll need strength to hit 
things, constitution to take hits. Barbarians who want to fight with 
medium or light armor will also want high dexterity for their armor 
class, while those aspiring to heavier platemail may want to leave it 
average. Intelligence and Wisdom are both partially expendable- if 
you're a half-orc, you should ditch Intelligence. (levelling it up to 
thirteen would be more trouble than its worth.) All other races may 
want to drop wisdom, as intelligence gives combat feats, and barbarians 
are all about combat. Charisma is vaguely important for all classes, 
but shouldn't be boosted too high- you need the points for your more 
vital stats.

A good setup might be Str +6 (14), Dex +6 (14), Con +7 (15), Int +5 
(13), Wis +0 (8), Cha +5 (13). Half-Orcs may want to switch 
intelligence and wisdom. 

Bard- Bards really have it rough. They need almost every stat- Strength 
to hit, constitution to take hits, dexterity to dodge, (bards in heavy 
plate can't cast spells) charisma for their spells and song, and 
intelligence for their rogue skills. Only wisdom (ironically enough) is 
expendable, but gimping it would hamper the largest advantage of a 
bard- Lore. Basically, you're going to have to decide what kind of Bard 
you want to be- melee or magic - and work on that. One loophole you 
have is the Weapon Finesse feat, which lets you use your dexterity 
bonus instead of strength for light weapons- you could gimp strength 
and pour the extra into dexterity.

I'm not going to even attempt to suggest bard stats, since you should 
be experienced in NWN (or at least D&D) before attempting to play one. 
Try to have at least 16 Charisma, or prepare to wear some nymph cloaks.

Cleric- You'll need high Wisdom for spells, and constitution to take 
hits. Strength is also important, especially in single player when 
you're not part of a whole party. Dexterity is less important, as most 
clerics wear encumbering armor anyway. Charisma is vaguely important 
for all classes, but shouldn't be boosted too high- you need the points 
for your more vital stats.

A nice setup might be Str +4 (12) Dex +4 (12) Con +7 (15)  Int +2 (10) 
Wis +8 (16) Cha +4 (12)

Druid- You'll need high Wisdom for spells, and constitution to take 
hits. Strength is sort of important, but you have damage spells to back 
you up if you decide to leave it average. Dexterity is quite important, 
as you need it to make up for your ethos that permits you from wearing 
anything heavy. Intelligence can be gimped, if you want- keep it above 
nine though (sigh) as your character will become illiterate if it dips 
into the single digits. Charisma is vaguely important for all classes, 
but shouldn't be boosted too high- you need the points for your more 
vital stats.

A good idea might be Str +2 (10) Dex +8 (16) Con +4 (12) Wis +5 (16) 
Int +2 (10) Cha +2 (10)

Fighter- Most fighters will need Strength to hit things (with small 
weapons and the weapon finesse feat, you can use your Dexterity) and 
Constitution to take hits. Dexterity, an old must-have from Baldur's 
Gate and 2nd edition, is unecessary for fighters who hope to have heavy 
armor- most heavy plate armors max your dexterity bonus at one. Wisdom 
is an expendable, as the only dowsides for losing it are your Will Save 
and occasionaly Conversation insights. Charisma is vaguely important 
for all classes, but shouldn't be boosted too high- you need the points 
for your more vital stats. RAISE YOUR INTELLIGENCE TO 13. My largest 
regret from my first character was his low (10) intelligence. I forgot 
you needed 13 intelligence to perform a good number of combat feats, 
such as disarm. Intelligence also gives you extra skillpoints each 
level, and skillpoints are at a premium for fighters.

A good fighter setup might be Str +7 (15) Dex +4 (2) Con +7 (15) Wis +2 
(10) Int +3 (13) Cha +3 (11)

Monk- Monks are in nearly as tight a boat as Bards, but they don't need 
to worry about spellcasting. They need decent strength for attack bonus 
and damage, constitution to stand up in melee, and dexterity and wisdom 
for armor class (pooling these statpoints to one or the other causes 
the game to devour your stat pool in moments). Charisma is vaguely 
important for all classes, but shouldn't be boosted too high- you need 
the points for your more vital stats.

A good monk combo might be Str +6 (14) Dex +6 (14) Con +6 (14)  Wis +6 
(14) Int +2 (10) Cha +4 (12)

Paladin- Paladins have a lot of ground to cover as well, utilizing 
Strength to hit and damge, Constitution to take hits, Charisma for 
their skills (especially Lay Hands), and a little Wisdom and Dexterity 
for spells and Armor Class, respectively. Intelligence should be kept 
average for speech purposes and skillpoints. Wisdom is NOT as much of a 
necessity as Paladins don't cast that many spells anyway- a +1 bonus 
will do just fine.

An appropriate setup might be Str +6 (14) Dex +4 (12) Con +6 (14) Wis 
+1 (12) Int +2 (10) Cha +7 (15)

Ranger- Rangers need Strength to hit and damage, Dexterity for their AC 
(most rangers wear light armor to keep their two-weapon fighting feats) 
and constitution for hitpoints. They need thirteen intelligence to get 
the most out of their combat feats. They can actually skimp a bit more 
than most people might think in Wisdom- Ranger spells are only used on 
special occasions anyway, such as elmental resistance when fighting a 
dragon or Cat's Grace at a boss. Take this advice firsthand from 
someone who has beat the game with one and looks back with regret- 
leave your wisdom at 11, and boost intelligence to 13. Charisma is 
vaguely important for all classes, but shouldn't be boosted too high- 
you need the points for your more vital stats.

My ideal ranger is Str +6 (14) Dex +6 (14) Con +6 (14) Wis +0 (11) Int 
+5 (13) Cha +4 (12)

Rogues can skimp on strength if they want to use smaller weapons- just 
take the weapon finesse feat, and you can use dexterity in place of 
strength for daggers, short swords, rapiers, and more. This is good, 
because you need dexterity anyway for Armor Class, because you can't 
excel in anything heavier than light armor. You need constitution for 
hitpoints. Wisdom should be kept average, so as not to gimp your Will 
save and conversational insights. Intelligence is important- it 
determines skillpoints per level, which a rogue depends on. Charisma is 
vaguely important for all classes, but shouldn't be boosted too high- 
you need the points for your more vital stats.

A nice rouge is Str +2 (10) Dex +8 (16) Con +6 (14) Wis +2 (10) Int +6 
(14) Cha +4 (12)

Sorcerers cast spells through their charisma, which they'll need a good 
amount of. They can use a good amount of dexterity, as they cannot wear 
armor without a penalty to arcane spells. Strength is not quite 
essential, but constitution is important for hitpoints. Wisdom should 
be kept average, and a bonus to intelligence helps with skillpoints and 
the spellcraft skill. 

A good sorcery set is Str +2 (10) Dex +6 (14) Con +6 (14) Wis +2 (10) 
Int +4 (12) Cha +5 (16)

Wizards need intelligence to cast their spells, and should have a 
decent amount of it. They can use a good amount of dexterity, as they 
cannot wear armor without a penalty to arcane spells. Strength is not 
quite essential, but constitution is important for hitpoints. Wisdom 
should be kept average. Charisma is vaguely important for all classes, 
but shouldn't be boosted too high- you need the points for your more 
vital stats.

A solid wizard has Str +2 (10) Dex +6 (14) Con +6 (14) Wis +2 (10) Int 
+5 (16) Cha +4 (12)

2.7 PACKAGES
Looking at the package screen would suggest that you only have a few 
choices, viewable on the left hand side, for what skills and feats you 
want. Almost everyone, even complete newbies, are going to want to 
click the Configure Packages button, convieniently hidden at the bottom 
center. Disregard any notices from BioWare strongly suggesting you 
click "Recommended". They're the ones that came up with that godawful 
stat system, after all. 

Avoid the Healing skill, as you'll find more than enough potions 
throughout the single player game to keep your hitpoints up. Rogues 
should get the weapon finesse feat, unless they've brought their 
strength up and/or plan to use medium weapons. Every class that has 
Search as a class skill should level Search up, and all excess points 
should be put into Search and Disable Trap. Many characters may even 
consider taking a level of rogue (those characters that can, anyway) to 
level these up, as they are important.

2.8 CUSTOMIZE
You don't need me for this. Have fun.


---WALKTHROUGH NOTES---

Save often.

If you get a valuable item from a chest, chances are loading it and 
reopening the chest again will produce another valuable item of a 
different type. With a little persistance, you can outfit yourself very 
nicely. For this reason alone, you should never feel pressure to craft 
your character's skills according to a few nice items. Chests that drop 
a relic-item suitable to your level are referred to as BOSS CHESTS.

In some battles, the object is not to kill, it is to survive long 
enough to kill. These battles, which I call DEFENSIVE BATTLES, should 
be approached with Parry Mode On (if you're dual wielding) or the 
biggest, most powerful shield you can find (if you're wielding anything 
else.) or defensive spells memorized. You should never use two handed 
weapons in Defensive battles, (unless you're a caster) and you should 
cast Cat's Grace or Barkskin if you have the spells. (And for really 
hard battles, use the potions if you don't.)

Have your map as often as possible. Most of my references can only be 
fully digested if you have your map open. If its too big, you can 
downsize it.

0.0 PRELUDE (a.k.a. Goblins With One Hitpoint Wipe Out a Military 
Stronghold)

Neverwinter Nights opens with your character awakening in their 
bedchamber. The first thing you should do is equip your newbie items 
and, if you are a spellcaster, open your spellbook (the little circle 
with dots around it) to memorize your newbie spells. Unmemorize the 
Light spell in favor of another Ray of Frost, if you have it.

Then, walk outside. Talk to Pavel to hear the gossip about the latest 
goings on in Neverwinter. Look around the other bedrooms for some small 
loot, then talk to Bim, who will then let you proceed to the next room. 
In the next room, you will meet Olgerd the dwarf, who will explain 
stores and your inventory, and give you a decent item depending on your 
character class. Proceed to the next room, where you can (if you wish) 
talk to Berna, who will explain to you the nuances of your journal and 
map.

Now you're free to talk to the NPCs around the academy and hear the 
latest news about the plague and the dire state of the city, as well as 
learn how to use spells and skills. To advance, you'll need to pass a 
test by your trainer. Sargeant Herban is the melee trainer, found right 
outside Berna's room. Down the next hall to the left is Jaroo, the head 
mage. The next door to the left is the home of Ketta, master rogue. The 
door in the right houses Elwynyd, priest of Tyr. Most characters should 
explore as much as possible, though you only have to report to your 
class's headquarters to advance.

Once you've finished looking around, head to the Door Guard at the end 
of the hall. Tell him you wish entrance, and he'll admit you to the 
graduation ceremony, where you'll meet Lady Aribeth de Tylmarande.

Lady Aribeth (supposedly your personal sponsor for the academy) is very 
pleased to speak with you...but your conversation is cut a bit short 
when four Very Difficult mages teleport in and you, Aribeth, and a 
handful of recruits have to mop the floor with them. Try to stick near 
Aribeth- you wont get experience for anything she kills, but your first 
two level-ups are going to be fake anyway, automatically rewarded by 
the game. So you may as well help the most powerful person in the room.

After the mages are mopped up, Aribeth will tell you to get your hide 
over to protect the Waterdhavian creatures. This will be the first of 
several hundred times Lady Aribeth utters the phrase "Waterdhavian 
Creatures," so get used to it. If you have not done so yet, summon your 
familiar.

As you leave the room, (the way you came in) you'll be accosted by a 
"mysterious mage," who will sick a couple one-hitpoint goblins on you. 
Don't bother with spells, this is a game of paintball- one tag and down 
they go. If you haven't rested and have unmemorized spells, now would 
be a good time to rest. Note that the sneaking-down-the-hall style is 
not very effective in the demo, even for rogues- you're just not high 
enough level with Sneak yet, and you'll rarely if ever avoid detection 
long enough to get a sneak attack. Wait until level four or so. Now 
would also be a good time to SAVE THE GAME.

You can either go a few steps down the hall and then to the large door 
to your right that you haven't gone into yet, or you can clean out the 
training floor that you recently passed through. Although any 
experience you get is pointless, (leveling from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 is 
going to be automatic) the treasure is still good and it will help you 
get used to Neverwinter Nights. Each room has a few goblins in it, and 
the Warrior's training plaza has about five to contend with. Don't 
bother zoning back past poor dead Olgerd- all you discover in the 
starting room is that Bim is also dead. Gee, how did a pack of goblins 
that probably have fewer than twenty hitpoints between them wipe out 
these veteran warriors and spellcasters? I've beaten the game, and I 
still don't know.

Once you go through the big door, prepare to fight the mage and his 
goblins again. No big deal. Now, save the game. There's a chest to the 
left that offers something sweet- warriors seem to get a breastplate, 
spellcasters a Ring of Fortitude +1. Proceed throught the stables to 
meet Pavel the Brotherless, who offers to join him. There's no reason 
not to take him up, so let him teach you about henchmen and tag along. 
Go through the door to a hallway that forms a square on your map around 
a central room. Go into the central room, and wipe out the inhabitants 
and loot the area.

Through the door intersecting the square hallway, and you'll meet an 
old man who gives you your first free level up and offers you a 
tutorial on how to level up. D&D vets won't need it, everyone should 
listen once. After you're through leveling (I suggest you save it 
first- leveling is a time of experimentation, and things go wrong.) go 
through the door. 

Clean out the goblins in the room immediately to your right for fun and 
profit. Then leave the room and continue south down the hallway. Clean 
out the skeletons behind the door at the two-way intersection (you may 
want to rest and heal around now) for more fun and profit, then 
continue west toward the T intersection.

All three ways here lead to the same spot. Assuming you're looking to 
do everything, first go right (north) and clean out the warehouse, then 
about face and go south to clean out the library. Rest and save, you're 
finally about to finish off that inispid "Mysterious Mage."

If you're a combatant, rush the mage and hack him to interrupt his 
spells. (Dual wielders obviously have an advantage here.) If you're a 
caster, then try hitting him with a stunning spell, wipe out the 
goblins with Pavel, then melee the mage. Elminster he's not, as long as 
you can shut him down fast. Loot the Archer's Belt (usually) from his 
body, and put it on- it's a nice item. Proceed to the Stables and the 
end of the Prelude.

In the stables, you get to watch a couple of goblins with four 
hitpoints among them free the Waterdhavian Creatures despite the best 
efforts of a pair of clerics. Help the latter mow down the goblins, 
then talk to one of the clerics. You'll learn about the relationship 
between Aribeth and Fenthick, (yeah, too bad hotshot) and that Desther 
has even more of a stick up his rectum than what D&D fans expect from a 
Helmite.

Congratulations on your level up. This is your last automatic one, 
unfortunately- from now on, every little bit of experience counts. 
Proceed through the door before/after you level up. (You start Chapter 
1 at the rear of a Tyrran temple.)

1.0 CHAPTER 1 (a.k.a. So Obvious, You Never Suspected)

Emerging into the back of the Temple of Tyr, you can have a 
conversation with Fenthick and Desther, standing before you. They tell 
you about goings on in the past week, and the dire straights of the 
city. You have your first of several enjoyable opportunities to be rude 
to Desther, which I enjoyed. You also discover Lady Aribeth is waiting 
in the next room. Go speak to Lady Aribeth, and she charges you with 
the recapturing of the Waterdhavian (sigh) creatures. Apparently, chaos 
is reigning- a prison revolt in the Penninsula district, an explosion 
of undead in the Beggar's Nest, an uprising of cutthroats at the Docks, 
and a bunch of callous aristocrats in the Blacklake district. Sounds 
like a job for Superman, but he's on vacation so you're up.

She suggests (and I agree) that you try the Penninsula district first. 
Like any good RPGer, you're going to want to peer around town first, to 
see who says interesting things, what quests need to be done, and what 
equipment you can afford (not much.) Talk to Tomi Undergallows on your 
way out- he costs more money than he's worth right now, but if don't 
plan on following my advice and taking a level or two of rogue down the 
road, (or can't because of race/class restrictions) you're going to be 
coming back for him quite often. Familiarize yourself with the Sergol 
and the portal in the temple- you're going to donate tens of thousands 
of gold to Tyr via that portal before the final blow against the as-
yet-unknown enemy is struck.

After talking to the girl just outside the temple (she asks you to 
check out the Penninsula, simply report back to her for some more 
experience when you finish that part of town) you can explore. First 
thing on your list should be to walk around every section of the City 
Core. On the itinerary for magi is the tower just to the left of where 
you emerge. Druids and Rangers should check out Nyatar at the Tree next 
to the tower and receive a quest for (much) later. Melee classes should 
get a feel for the Shining Knight where a certain dwarf in the basement 
will make relics if you have the cash and the ingredients.

Everyone should check out the Trade of Blades, where three useful 
henchman (like Tomi) can be hired. Daelan Red Tiger is a powerful 
barbarian of the Uthgardt and a compliment to anyone. His quests are 
the easiest to do and net you a nice amulet that gives you more 
strenght throughout the game. Linu La'neral is a godsend for warriors, 
especially later in the game when the Heal spell becomes common. (Note 
that her AI is terrible- you should tell her manually to heal you if 
you need it.) Boddyknock Glinckle is a sorcerer, a profession not 
suited to AI. You may get good results out of him- I didn't. If you 
decide to try him out, remember to rest a lot, because he WILL blow all 
his good spells on goblins with a dragon on the horizon.

Quests accumulated while exploring the city core will be discussed in 
section 1.5- Chapter 1 side quests.

1.1 PENNINSULA DISTRICT

Since the releasing of the Waterdhavian creatures, there's been a 
prison break, and the inmates have overrun the district. Rumors have it 
that Captain Alaefin, the head Gaoler in Neverwinter, has gone crazy 
and ley all the prisoners free. The guards are barricaded in front of 
the gate to the city core, determined not to let the invasion penetrate 
to the inner district.

Into this mess you walk in. Talk to Captain Kipp if you like, and find 
out interesting locations on your itinerary- primarily, the Militia 
Headquarters. Clean out the house and containers in the cul de sac to 
the left. Then take the right fork, helping the guards in front of the 
ramp take out some rebel prisoners. Go up the ramp.

Take care to notice the scattered groups of prisoner guards (small 
joke) patrolling. Just ahead from the ramp, you'll have to fight a 
particularly large group in and around the ruins of the main wall of 
the prison, so save the game. If the fight gets too hot (it probably 
will) run back to the gate and the guards will cover for you. You 
should be using Daelan, because none of your other henchmen are as 
consistantly effective yet. (Tomi doesn't have enough hitpoints, Linu 
and Boddyknock don't have enough spells.) The enemies in this district 
are more alert than anywhere else in the game- maybe BioWare hand't 
gotten the hang of scripting a good alert radius yet- so assume if you 
see someone that they've seen you. Try leaving your henchman behind 
(the Stand Ground and Follow commands should be hotkeys, so you can 
switch between them) and sneaking up on someone if you're a rogue or 
ranger.

After you take out the prisoners partying in the ruins to the right of 
the ramp-path, about-face to the east across the street and talk to 
Master Johns. He was being kept a prisoner of the prisoners, for what 
purposes I don't care to imagine. Take him back to the gate for 62 
experience and some Good alignment if you want. Go back to where you 
find him and continue generally East, looting and pillaging as you go. 
(Hey, if you don't take it, the prisoners will. And how else are you 
supposed to fund this little operation?)

Go East, cleaning out the standalone house to your right and the row 
home to your left- both sport a number of prisoners and some treasure.  
Make your way to the corner where the Mercantile and the Militia 
Headquarters stand side be side. Don't go in yet, unless you really 
want to. Go North, kill a few prisoners, clean out the guardhouse 
behind Mrs. Dulicae, then rescue her (just like Master Johns). The 
guardhouse sports four thugs and a leader. Then go behind the HQ 
building and kill the one or two stragglers lurking in the cul-de-sac. 
Loot away.

Go into the Mercantile and unburden yourself. Buy maps of the city if 
you want them- the advantage is knowing where everything is and how the 
city is structured without having to explore. The disadvantage is not 
knowing if you've been to a certain area before. Rest, Save, then head 
into the Headquarters and get down to business.

Sebos Sedile is the leader of this area. She seems kind of ditzy for a 
company leader, but she offers a 300 gold piece reward for taking care 
of the problems in this district. Intrepid adventurer that you are, you 
readily accept, and she tells you about getting into the prison. You 
can decide how to get in...once you've finished getting the most exp 
and treausre possible, of course.

In any case, head toward the Sewer Access on you're your new map. (If 
you didn't buy the map, head southwest. Around the "Sewer Access" 
you'll fight a miniboss, so save it. The gang leader has about eighty 
hitpoints. You might want to try parry-mode if you levelled it up. 
Rogues may try losing him in the streets, then returning for a sneak 
attack- or you can just sneak attack as Daelan distracts him. Don't be 
shy with the Healing potions- you get more of them than you'll need. 
Make sure to drink some Barkskin, before the fight, if you have it.

DO NOT OPEN THE CHEST. Save the game first. Now, before you is the 
first of what I like to call "Boss Chests." Boss Chests, as I explained 
in the Walkthrough Notes, randomly drop a really cool (for your level) 
item. Feel free to keep loading the game until you get something you 
can use- don't be too picky, though- you shouldn't ditch the good armor 
just because you really want a magic axe. It could be an hour before an 
axe shows up. Also, if you're getting frustrated, just go with an item 
you think will sell for the most- heavy armor generally sells the best, 
as do heavy weapons.

Now, save it and head into the sewer. You'll be plunged into a battle-
royale. Prepare to use your Stone of Recall to teleport to safety. Work 
on the thugs, first, then go after the leader. Now, go back outside 
(from any door) and work your way around the perimeter of the Prison, 
killing and looting. Be cautious- there is at least one more (less 
difficult) Gang Leader waiting for you. When you can't go any further, 
go into Lady Tanglebrook's house. (The key is under the mat.) Save the 
game- two stink beetles await you in the west room. After you kill 
them, check out both south side rooms, (the door in the west room is 
trapped) then go downstairs.

When you get into the chess room, save the game and TELL YOUR 
ASSISTANTS TO HOLD THEIR GROUND. Walk up to the chessboard...then go 
get something to drink, maybe a snack. Let your character just sit 
there, his Search check slowly uncovering all the traps. When you're 
ready, save the game and go to the left of the board. Loot the boxes. 
Then work your way slowly to the right side. Loot the boxes. Then save 
it, and look across the other bridge- see the Fire Beetles? Move close 
to the gap. (but not the bridge). You should have them trapped, or at 
least with a long stretch to cover before they get to you. Open fire.

When the beetles are dead, go across and up into the Prison. ONCE 
YOU'RE IN THE PRISON, tell your assistants to follow you again. Go 
around the bend and east into the room. Defeat the gang, then move 
north to the cell block. Don't bother with the cells now, but head east 
and then north through the door. (The door on the right is trapped, 
wait a while.) Take out the gang guarding it, then heal up. 

You're now in the MAIN HALL, so if you did the quest the way it was 
supposed to be done (i.e Finding the key) you've just come in. I was 
just about to tell my fellow Max Powerites to go into the Southwestern 
door, in which is another gang is defending the locking mechanism to 
all the locked cells they passed by following my way.

You can loot the South Wing cells if you want, but when you're done go 
into the Northwestern door (from the Main Hall) and wipe out yet 
another subgang to open the North Wing Cells. The Armoire in this room 
usually furnishes good loot.

Next, clean out the Northeastern room, (the door is trapped) which has 
(gasp) another mini gang, and two loot containers.

Now, head out the Westernmost door on the North Wall. A fight near the 
turn, and you'll be in the North Cell block. Clean out the cells, then 
head into the only North door leading from that cellblock. It leads 
into an storehouse. Relieve the prison of its surplus valuables, then 
rest and SAVE THE GAME TO A SEPARATE FILE, especially if you're the 
type of person who likes to quicksave during a large battle.

On the other side of the West door is the biggest fight of the game so 
far. Try to pull foes one at a time, because if the South forces join 
up with the gang (lead by a powerful Gang Leader) about halfway up the 
hall...you're doomed. Make sure you have potions handy here. DO NOT TRY 
TO SNEAK UP ON ANYONE TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM. You'll be 
instantly surrounded and cut to ribbons. Instead, pull one of them with 
a missile weapon. Make sure your henchman stays out of the way of this 
delicate procedure until the fighting starts. Anyone but Daelan is 
going to get ripped to shreds, and even he is probably going to bite 
the dust once. If you're a caster, prepare to spend some money 
teleporting back for healing- and even then, I hope you levelled up 
Concentrate. No matter what your class, take out the thugs first, then 
take the leader. Casters should memorize defense spells.

Once you've (if you've) managed to win this brouhaha, SAVE THE GAME 
BEFORE LOOKING AROUND. There's a two real nasty guard dogs around that 
hit for more than ten damage. The chest by the stairs is a BOSS CHEST, 
so you may want to save it. You can open the four doors on the East 
side of the room. Two lead to small storage rooms (with the guard dogs, 
and no treasure), the middle one leads into the main corridor leading 
back to the Main Hall, and the other door leads to the South Cell 
block. If you haven't been everywhere on this floor, finish up, then 
head downstairs.

When you get downstairs, you'll be greeted by an elf. Follow him into 
the proper room, then lock the door as he tells you. He'll fill you in 
on the prison and details. When you've finished, leave him and go out 
into the heavily patrolled halls. Your first objective is to kill 
everyone in the central room- no easy task, as its gaurded by a mighty 
spellcaster and nearly a regiment of thugs. Here's my suggestion: Open 
the door, and shoot an arrow or spell at someone. Then turn tail and 
run back to your henchman, who should be planted down the hall a good 
fifty yards. Kill those goons that are still chasing you, then work 
your way back to the room. If a large pack starts to form again, run 
for it. If the sorcerer is in range, run for it. Then work your way 
back. When the sorcerer is out of earshot of his support, sneak up on 
him (literally if you have stealth) and let him have it. In the center 
room is a boss chest, and some other good loot.

There are four rooms, two on the North and two on the South, packed 
with minigangs and treasure. (The wooden door on the south side is 
trapped.) Some of the cells have lootable bodies on them. Visit all 
these places, watching out for prisoner patrols as you pillage. When 
you're all finished, head downstairs.

Welcome to the Pits. A.k.a. "The Hole" in Oz. Flip the switch to open 
the door, then get ready for a fight as a spell casting gang leader is 
waiting for you, along with some thugs. You may want to pull them with 
a bow, to limit how many can fight you at once. Loot the room, then 
head south. Kill the door guards, then open the door. There's a trap in 
the middle of the room- after you kill the thugs, either avoid it by 
sticking to the fringes or disarm it. In the next room, there's 
another, smaller trap in the middle of the floor, but the larger 
problem is the half-dozen thugs led by a sorcerer. Pull them out in as 
small numbers as possible- you may even want to try the HitNRun tactic 
(pun intended) from the sorcerer upstairs. 

This is the Hub of this floor- southeast is the way you came in. West 
is just a cell with a dog, a prisoner, and some valuable garbage. North 
is the right way, and thus is the last way you should go. Southwest 
leads you to a battle with a pack of thugs. Kill them, and save it, 
because the next room (not the locked door) sports a gang being led by 
(another) sorcerer. Use the same hit and run tactic if you have 
trouble.

The room you're in now should be shaped like an insect. The Western 
legs lead to locked up treasure rooms, one dog in each. The treasure is 
pretty good- you may want to consider chopping the doors down, though 
it will take awhile. The Southeast leg is the direction you came in, 
and the Northeast leg takes you toward the end of the floor- but 
assuming you're looking to sweep the whole floor, return to the "Hub" 
room instead of going in, so we can stay on the same page.

From the hub room, go north now. You will be entered into two battles, 
each supported by a Leader. Kill them, rest, and save. The east door, 
if you can open it, leads to a small room with a foe and a treasure. 
Follow the corridors Notheast, and you'll soon see a Gang Leader on the 
edge of your vision. Save it, this one's a doozie. Plant your henchman, 
open fire, and get ready for a Defensive Fight. (see Walkthrough notes) 
When you're finished, open your Boss Chest and then make your way to 
the 3 way intersection to the Southwest. Fight your way down the East 
hall, then go back to the intersection and go South. Clean out the 
room, take the treasure- the circle on your map should be complete. Go 
back north, then down the East hall you just cleaned out, Rest and Save 
the Game. Here's the first of two bosses.

The half orc Kurdan Fenkt is a formidable fighter. Luckily, you only 
have to get him down to Near Death, but its still a very tough fight, 
and a DEFENSIVE BATTLE. Boddyknock is pretty handy here, shooting Acid 
Arrows at the Half-Orc as you parry with your swords or block with your 
shield, maybe even switching between the two if you find that even with 
Parry, he's still hitting frequently. (If you're using two handed 
weapon attacks, stop for this fight.) Don't be shy with Healing 
potions, this is what they're for.

After you beat Kurdan, he'll declare a truce. I strongly suggest you 
agree while you can. Interrogate him, discover that you've managed to 
corner the Intellect Devourer, (one of the Waterdhavian Creatures, if 
you don't remember) then let him go and teleport back to the Temple. 
Sell, recruit Daelan, rest, go back in the portal and save the game.

The battle against the Head Gaoler is certainly a DEFENSIVE BATTLE. If 
Daelan's still with you, don't go into parry mode unless you're a 
rogue. (the Gaoler will just turn his attention to your henchman). Once 
Daelan dies, of course, feel free to parry away. Once the head Gaoler 
dies, (don't be ashamed about wasting money on teleporting back and 
forth) you'll have to take out the Intellect Devourer as it possesses 
each of the four other guards. Once that's over with, Recall home and 
SAVE THE GAME. Sic Daelan on the Devourer. The things' AC is off the 
charts, and its magic resistance is also a bit high, so expect a long 
and wearisome battle. It isn't that hard once it's the Gaoler is dead, 
however. (Except for the insane AC.) Again, prepare to eat the 
teleportation costs, and you should be fine. After you've slain it, 
loot the chambers (including two Boss Chests) and teleport home, 
victorious. 

Congratulations, you've liberated the Penninsula District. Remember to 
tell the people hanging out in front of the gates to the district, as 
well as the girl outside the temple, of your victory for some extra 
experience.

1.2 BEGGAR'S NEST

(Note: For side quest walkthroughs from the Beggar's Nest, see section 
1.5.2, Beggar's Nest Quests)

Shortly after the release of the Waterdhavian creatures, undead began 
appearing in the common housing district of Neverwinter, also known as 
the Beggar's Nest. Within a week, the walking dead had multiplied to 
the hundreds, and had forced those still alive to flee the district. 
Now its your turn to force back, as you walk into the district well 
rested and with your game saved to a separate file.

Note that Clerics and Paladins should not waste their Turning on random 
patrols of Beavis Zombies. Wait for the large groups, or the harder 
undead, or right before you rest if you have extra.

Talk to Ergus. From the guard barricade, walk forward, take out the 
undead, then scythe north around the standalone building. Go right 
(East) at the first intersection, then right again (south) at the next. 
Walk down the street toward the Shining Serpent. Get ready for a fight, 
as four armed thugs jump you outside the building. Melee combatants 
shouldn't have trouble at full hitpoints, casters should have a defense 
spell up before going near the building. Pick a note off of one of your 
assailants. Read it, then take it back to Aribeth and Fenthick whenever 
you feel like it- you get some gold and get to insult Desther again.

Go into the Serpent. Talk to Herban Ashensmith, who will fill you in on 
the situation and give you a quest to find Krestal and Jemaine. Also 
speak to Drake for another perspective on the problem. Then go upstairs 
and loot the containers- the loot is very good, with a semi-boss-chest 
in one room. Head over to the temple of Tyr across the road, and talk 
to the priests, preferably getting the Lost Soul quest. Head back to 
the Guard post near the core and get the Find Walters quest if you want 
it. Now Get ready- this next run is going to sweep the town and leave a 
lot of twice dead corpses.

From the guard barricade, walk forward (maps open, boys and girls) and 
make a left in front of the standalone house from before. Kill the 
undead surrounding the house, then go into the row-home door just to 
the East of it. More undead need slaying. You can go into the 
standalone home if you want- there's a (justifiably) afraid man in 
there, and a bureau to loot. Go north past the sewer grate, (a black 
dot on your map) then left at the corner and into the first barricaded 
home. The sign on the merchant shingle says "Siril's Bakery." Take out 
the zombies and loot Siril's Corpse, which has a recipe that will 
enable you to solve Boddyknock's quest when he gives it to you at a 
higher level. Congratulations, you've solved a quest you haven't been 
given yet. See details in section 1.5.1. Also, check the containers, as 
one contains an Ingredient that will enable the dwarf in the Shining 
Knight in the City Core to make you a low level relic.

From the bakery, go back onto the North/South street and take it up to 
the next barricaded home. Wipe out the undead- this battle is sort of a 
chain reaction and may take you further up the street than you 
intended. That's fine, just come back to the second Barricaded Home 
when you're done. (Its next to the ruined garden.) Inside is Jemaine. 
Talk to him and get you to give you the key to the Strange House to the 
North. Go outside and head North.

The cul de sac with the strange house is where you'll be going. If you 
want to just get it over with, skip to where I type STRANGE HOUSE in 
caps. The rest of us are going on a rampage, we'll meet you there in a 
little while.

From the Strange House cul de sac, go east. You should be well rested- 
get ready to take on a small army of undead by the gates to the 
graveyard. Find Marcus' corpse, and take everything on it. Go south 
past the warehouse and veer East. Find Krestal in the barricaded home. 
From there, go into the middle of the city  and talk to the halfling 
couple waiting for their friend. Go south until you reach the 
southeastern corner of the zone. Go into the Wheel Repair shop and find 
Hector, and return him to the halflings waiting for him. Return the 
journal to Bertran at the Tyrran temple. If you return the staff, you 
get 400 gold pieces and 3 points of Good. If you sell the staff to a 
merchant, you will get about 1200 gold. Ouch. Is virtue its own reward? 
Magi, of course, may want to keep it for themselves.

Now its time to bring down the cause of the undead. There are two ways: 
going into the warehouse and investigatinge the STRANGE HOUSE. 

If you want to go in through the warehouse, head over to the Warehouse 
in the Northeast. Clear out the undead on the top floor, loot heartily, 
then head downstairs. This floor is straightfoward enough. Equip a 
missile weapon, and pick off the shambling zombies one by one with 
arrows, bolts, and low level spells. Loot as you go. When you get all 
the way around to the next door, rest and save. This next battle is 
definetely a DEFENSIVE BATTLE, if you can even manage it. The best way 
to handle it is to keep running away, then shooting spells and arrows 
at the Sword Coast Boy as he shambles after you. You may even want to 
save to a separate file before the battle, then quicksave during the 
battle. Loot away. Rest and Save, its not getting easier.

Drawl is a doozie. Barksin, Cat's Grace, fight defensively. If you're a 
caster, make sure you throw your hottest stuff while your henchman is 
still alive to distract the lightweight lich. After your hench dies, 
(and he or she will) you may want to go retrieve him, if your armor 
class isn't high enough to match Drawl's cruel mace. After Drawl goes 
down, Walter awaits you. Talk to him for some more information on 
what's causing the plague, then go downstairs. Take the first left and 
fight your way to the switch (there are two traps in the left hallway) 
to open the door. Follow the corridors into a big room, then follow the 
hallway east. There's a trap at the end of the hall near the corner. 
Save the game and rest, and recruit Daelan if you don't have him. The 
Bloated Dire Spider hits for eighteen regularly, and you should be on 
the defensive. When it dies, you can explore the rest of the floor, or 
you can just go up the stairs behind it into the Graveyard.

The Graveyard is a battle royal. Twenty something zombies later, head 
to the other tomb- the one that can be opened (the other one is part of 
a Temple of Tyr quest, see 1.5.0) You'll be greeted by "Gulnan," 
speaking through her pet zombie. Let her rave, then go through the 
antechamber and make a right. Blast down the undead waiting for you, 
then enter the chamber at the end of the hall. Go into the room on the 
left where you'll find the remains of Jemaine's poor brother (take the 
ring). Go back out into the hall and head right/north. The chamber 
ahead, of course, has a platoon of zombies taking an unhealthy interest 
in you. Get through and fight your way up the hall, entering yet 
another chamber of the living dead. Do the deed and turn left.

If you're having trouble with your life, note that Linu should be able 
to keep up your HP if you order her manually, and Daelan kills things 
fast enough that they don't hit you.


When you see the door on your left, its time to make a decision. Left 
takes you into the central chamber and the end of the place. Forward 
takes you on a path that eventually forms a square around the central 
chamber, imparting mucho experience and loot.

After you decide to go forward, (everyone else look for TOMBS below) go 
to the end of the hall and go left/south. Go into the first room on 
your right. The chests in here are very good, and are also very heavily 
trapped. Most of them WILL kill you, and are hard enough that only full 
rogues have a chance to disarm them. Make sure your hench stays back. 
Drink/cast some Cat's Grace and remove your armor- its good for your 
reflex save.

After you've had your fun, go south down the hall to the next room, 
where you win a date with a lovely cleric of Cyric. Save it, kill him 
with missiles, and tell me what happens when you try to- I just opened 
the gate for him and he vanished. Oh well. Wipe out his friendly 
cellmates. Head south down the hall again. The last room has a bunch of 
zombies, and substandard loot. Go south down the hall for the last 
time. Zombies await near the gate around the bend.  You've now 
completed the cicle. Go to the north side of the dungeon and through 
the door you passed by into the TOMBS.

The tomb room is a hallway with four side rooms. Don't go in the south 
door yet. Go into each of the other doors. Inside of three is an 
animated suit of armor. Shields up, swing away. The treasure is also 
quite good in these rooms. Only rogues can get the most out of it, 
unfortunately- the sarcophagi are almost immune to bashing attempts. 
When you've looted, walk up to the south door, rest and save. Here 
comes the yuan-ti. 

Sneaking up on the Yuan-ti who is standing on one of the pyramids is 
either really smart (if you're a ranger) or really stupid (if you're a 
rogue, unless you have Daelan or Grimgnaw distract Gulnan's friends.) 
Once you've engaged Gulnan, call your henchman over to help you pummel 
her. (unless its Linu- if it is, let her turn the undead, she's more 
effective that way.) Ward yourself against irritating stat problems- 
drink a clarity potion, or at least some Owl's Wisdom. You may want to 
dual wield in this fight, no matter what your favorite style is- the 
more times you hit Gulnan, the more often her spells are interrupted. 
Casters should cast creatively. (i.e. Time your direct damage spells to 
interrupt her) Any higher-level defensive scrolls you have should be 
used now. DO NOT TRY TO KILL HER BY LAUNCHING SPELLS AT HER FROM A 
DISTANCE. She'll promptly return one three levels better than yours. 
She can kill you very fast if she can get spells off, but if you're 
quick enough on the healing potions, a brutal melee attack will stop 
her.

Once you've beat her, hold her down and RIP OUT HER HEART. Seriously, 
rip it out. Then save it- two boss chests demand your immediate 
attention. You also get a key to a loot room- look at your map, it 
should be the only unopened door, near the entrance. There's some nice 
stuff in there, as you might imagine.

Once you've burdened yourself, teleport back and give Lady Aribeth the 
STILL-BEATING HEART OF THE...oh, sorry. Give Aribeth the Yuan-Ti heart 
and be showered with praise and riches. Stock the church with relics, 
then go out and tell all the beggars that they can go back home now. 
Return to the Shining Serpent for your reward. You get jumped again 
outside, same procedure as last time. Take the note back to Aribeth and 
Fenthick and insult Desther, but first go in and talk to Harben 
"Whilliker's whiskers." Receive more praise and riches. 
Congratulations, only two ingredients left.

The remainder of Chapter 1 and more can be expected in several days.