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Surviving Siege of Shadowdale

Playing fan-made 'Neverwinter Nights' modules is cheap and fun.

By Al StoverPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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In an effort to save money while playing video games, I have been downloading free, fan made modules for Neverwinter Nights Enchanted Edition from the Neverwinter Vault. The website is a great resource for NWNEE players to find new adventures, texture packs and other elements to add to their game.

One of the adventures I recently finished in NWNEE was "Siege in Shadowdale."

The module is one in a three-part series based in the Forgotten Realms by author Alazandar.

The recommended level for Seige of Shadow is 1-7, but I went with a level 10 character to make the game flow smoother and not become overwhelmed with enemies.

The other modules in the series include Tyrants of the Moonsea and the Crimson Tides of Tethyr, which I recently started with my dwarf barbarian Samantha.

Chazrael Teadrinker

For the adventure, I played my halfling ranger Chazrael Teadrinker, a character whose looks, mannerisms and personality I based on Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson.

I've played Chazrael in fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons adventures Waterdeep Dragon Heist, Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and a few play by post adventures, but I had never played him in a video game.

Playing him in NWNEE was different in terms of actual mechanics because the video game uses third edition D&D rules. For example, halflings start with a minus two points to their strength in third edition D&D. They also cannot use longbows because they are a smaller race.

Third edition rules removed the ranger archetypes, including the Gloomstalker variant, which is Chazrael’s archetype. For NWNEE, I built Chazrael into a ranger/rogue/shadow dancer.

A benefit of third edition D&D is all rangers get animal companions. I chose a dire wolf named Champion—another Parks and Recreation reference.

Even with the changes in ability scores, feats and class sets, Chazrael was still the hero who caused mayhem with his bow and arrows.

The Adventure

I won't spoil the adventure, but the module is fairly straight foward. You start out traveling through Shadowdale and completing quests for townsfolk that range from slaying goblins to solving a murder. The various quests allow you to acquire magic items that will be helpful on your quest. One drawback is there are no henchmen/companions in the module, or rather I didn’t find any, which didn’t detract from the experience.

After earning the love of the townsfolk, your hero ventures into Cormanthor where he aids a group of rangers in defeating several dark elves. After leaving Cormanthor, you are summoned to the Twisted Tower to aid the Lord of Shadowdale whose son is taken by a dark elf matriarch, who wants to sacrifice him to her god. As the hero, you venture into the tunnels below the tower in order to rescue the boy.

There is a bit more to the adventure, but I will leave that for other players to find for themselves.

I went through the module with Chazrael and Champion, and didn’t have much trouble, until toward the end when I faced the abundance of enemies in the Twisted Tower and Underdark portions of the module. While I wasn’t able to find henchmen, I did receive aid from NPC groups who fought alongside me during battles with the drow.

All in all Siege of Shadowdale took about 6-7 hours to finish and I had fun playing this module.

Being a fan of the Forgotten Realms, I was thrilled for the opportunity to play in one of the worlds' most famous towns, Shadowdale, and visit landmarks like the Old Skull Inn and the Twisted Tower. As someone who loved reading Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms books, I loved having a chance to meet the famous bard Storm Silverhand, and fight alongside the Knights of Myth Drannor.

If you are a fan of the Forgotten Realms and love moments where your character meets famous heroes, you should play Siege of Shadowdale.

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About the Creator

Al Stover

I am a reporter at a weekly newspaper in Ritzville Washington. When I'm not running around the office, I play video games, write fantasy fiction and listening to podcasts.

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