Part II of the Swordflight Walkthrough -- Swordflight (2008-2022) is a NWN Module for Neverwinter Nights 1 (2002).
Chapter 1 Swordflight
This part of the Swordflight Walkthrough covers the Shifting Sands Inn, Calim Desert and Bandit Hideout.
SwordflightChapter One: Calim DesertVersion 1.04You are a novice adventurer hoping to find a quest that will make your fortune. In pursuit of this goal, you have recently arrived in the bustling city of Calimport, looking for work. Awaiting you is a chance meeting in a tavern that may provide more than you bargained for.Recommended Players: 1Recommended Level: 1-3Recommended Class: AnyRecommended Race: AnyRecommended Alignment: AnyRecommended Difficulty Setting: D&D Hardcore- DM Rogueknight.
Shifting Sands Inn
Stage 1: Shifting Sands Inn. Overall, the introductory inn quests serve as a good warm-up to and reminder of the mindset required to play Swordflight. I didn't encounter any difficulties getting through the quests offered in this introductory segment. Combat is minimal; there are mostly just rats and slaves to dispatch. I bluffed Wagu the Wererat and avoided the nigh-unbeatable troll entirely. I forgot to investigate the sneaky halfling hiding out in one of the upstairs rooms. Don't forget about that guy next time; it's an amusing encounter.
My tactic was to buff my Panther Familiar with Mage Armor (AC +4) and Magic Weapon (EB +1). I chose the panther because it seems to be pretty tough, and inflicts sneak attacks. Its combat effectiveness can further be buffed with potions of Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Endurance, Barkskin and Bless. Some buffing is mandatory in Swordflight. It is important to remember that Familiars can be completely healed through dialogue (fed).
Key point:
My tactic was to buff my Panther Familiar with Mage Armor (AC +4) and Magic Weapon (EB +1). I chose the panther because it seems to be pretty tough, and inflicts sneak attacks. Its combat effectiveness can further be buffed with potions of Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Endurance, Barkskin and Bless. Some buffing is mandatory in Swordflight. It is important to remember that Familiars can be completely healed through dialogue (fed).
Key point:
Itemized consumables, such as potions, should be quaffed pre-battle in order to increase combat effectiveness. Neglecting to buff with consumables (and hoarding them instead) results in unnecessarily difficult or seemingly impossible combat encounters.
Pro-tip: We buy as many Haste and Barkskin potions as we can afford from the innkeeper, Salud Sharad, as these potions are not itemized or available for purchase from the two merchants that will be available to us later: Roigo & Zombie. We won't be able to afford to buy many, though. Post-inn, only three Invisibility potions are available for purchase, too.
The Wizards Robe, Gloves of Concentration and Gloves of Spellcraft were purchased from the innkeeper. Both gloves give little bonuses to corresponding skills which may come in handy, but the robe is just for appearances.
Zarala Galhadr
Ok, we can now recruit the Air Genasi Bard companion, Zarala Galhadr, and head off into the Calim Desert:
It isn't obvious at this point, but the entire Swordflight Series revolves around Zarala. It is her story, her adventure, not ours. We are not special, she is.
Zarala can be capable in combat due to her buffs and bardsong. We can't rely on her to win battles for us, but she can make a difference sometimes. Zarala becomes more useful as the campaign progresses (she levels-up and gains better equipment that increases her effectiveness).
Zarala's dialogue, the way she helps out in quests with her lore, and the way her research is woven into a cRPG campaign of unmatched length -- that is what makes the character a good one.
Calim Desert
However, having respawned...
... we find ourselves standing on a stone platform suspended within the Plane of Air:
And hovering before us is an air elemental:
The air elemental explains the situation: "great and mysterious powers", for whom the air elementals are representatives, "restored us and brought us here". In return for this favor of being restored (which is ongoing through the series), these powers expect us to "assist them in influencing events" on the Prime (our plane).
We learn that we are expected to assist and protect Zarala because she has a great destiny, and "sinister forces" will attempt to stand in the way of that. To that end, we are gifted the Orb of Life:
Ok, it's time to take on the bandits who have kidnapped Zarala!
Bandit Hideout
Post-ambush, I found a Wand of Sleep on the corpse of Kaldras Tazen (9 charges). This is quite effective when raiding the bandit approach and hideout. Once immobilized by Sleep, the bandits are easy pickings. It can be difficult to catch them in the AoE as some bandits fire from range.
Key point:
Swordflight itemizes wands, scrolls and other arcane items in order to maintain the viability of Vancian spellcasters under its strict resting restrictions.
This is very well employed. In my specific case, the Sleep wand is very valuable in that Sleep is an extremely effective low level enchantment which I would otherwise be unable to cast because enchanment is my opposition school. In Siege of Shadowdale, I also found a Sleep wand at low level. It had 50 charges!
Key point:
Swordflight's itemization is impeccably balanced, yet still interesting, useful and rewarding.
Approach to the bandit hideout. You can see that two bandits are affected by Sleep. Then, it's coup de grâce time. Other than that, damaging sneak attacks win the day.
Ooh, yeah. Loved stinging that halfling with an arrow as he sprung towards me. My maiden wacry actually shouts "Feel my sting!" The halfling dropped on the spot. Sweet.
Key point:
Just because we are a spellcaster, that doesn't mean we can't fire from a bow or square up in melee. Providing it's safe enough to execute, every attack counts in the early going. Remember that True Strike bestows +20 AB!
Learning new things about NWN: I realized at this point that the Expertise feat (which I took as my opening feat) cannot be activated when a ranged weapon is wielded! I thought it was a bug because there is no message in the feedback window (there really should be). This pissed me off but it's not a deal-breaker because Expertise is a great feat for spellcasters (it bestows AC +5, and its penalties are not felt by us).
Raiding the bandit hideout itself. The locked chests in here are DC 24. I had no problems picking the locks with humble investment in the skill. Employ Thieves' Tools for a boost.
I just poisoned many of the bandits by pouring the contents of the vial into their beer-keg. It's funny because their cries of anguish and pain echoed throughout the cavern as they all keeled over. Nasty stuff. Glad that option was available, as taking out dozens of drunken bandits would be particularly problematic.
Wizard duel in arcane lab: Gnome vs. Gnome! Who will win! It could go either way!
This encounter is very touch and go.
Sleep immobilized the rival gnome's dire rat familiar but not the gnome himself (DC 14). Still, we got two nice sneak attacks in before he was able to immobilize us or addle our minds.
To my dismay, the gnome unleashed a spell that took out the panther even as I capped him off with a ranged critical hit. My Spellcraft skill wasn't able to divine what spell the gnome managed to cast - score was 10 - which was somewhat annoying.
Key point:
Never understimate Gnomes - especially arcane Gnomes. Quayle, Jan Jansen and custom Bandit Gnomes are to be respected. Moreover, TIAX RULES.
Gnome and panther die at the same time. The dire rat in the background is under the affects of Sleep: coup de grâce.
Post-battle, only arcane spellcasters find a magically hidden chest in the bandit gnome's den:
Cool!
It seems that a Spellcraft score greater than 10 is required in order to know how to open the chest (this is why I bought the Gloves of Spellcraft, and quaffed a Fox's Cunning potion beforehand):
We cast the Electric Jolt cantrip on the chest (it's the "key"):
And open it for our exclusive arcane spellcaster reward:
Nice. We do need to get some cash-flow going and that's a good start. This sort of build-based reactivity is what separates Swordflight from other cRPGs; the entire campaign is infused with this sort of thing.
Three for the price of one? What a bargain! In the next chamber, DC 14 Sleep hopelessly immobilizes a Bandit Cleric and his two brutes. The panther leaps onto the bodies and mauls them to death. Curiously satisfying.
... Venturing deeper into the subterranean hideout... the Bandit Chief is confronted and enchanted. Our panther gleefully bounds in for the sneak attack. However, the Bandit Chief shook off the effect, got back on his feet, and slew the panther with one mighty blow of his heavy flail! He then disarmed the startled, onlooking gnome (that's me) and bludgeoned her to death!
Learning new things about NWN. Unlike ToEE, coup de grâce does not work on high HD enemies! I was rather surprised when the chief got back up and went medieval on my ass. He hits like a truck!
Key point:
Don't stand there smugly, looking down on your opponent, thinking the battle is all but won. It ain't over until the fat lady sings!
Ok, so this chief is a major A-HOLE. I respawned, rested in the elemental plane of air, and precast Web from a looted scroll but its duration is pathetic compared to BG Web (which is the godliest spell on the Infinity Engine): it only held the chief in place for a couple of seconds! Thus, I relaunched Sleep from the wand, inflicted considerable damage on the sleeping chief (Near Death), and was then able to finish him off when he awoke (True Strike bestowed +22 AB).
Feel my sting, A-HOLE.
The chief's office contains a note to Rajar. This letter can be given to an official in Swordflight Chapter Two. Another document brought up in Chapter Two was found in the inn [Information about Rajar].
Down in the dungeon... here we find some nice treasures and most importantly Zarala and Samon.
At the point of rescuing Zarala from the bandits, we can tell her what happened on the Plane of Air:
And upon returning to the Plane of Air, Zarala feels familiarity with it and questions the elemental:
Ok, we're done with the bandit hideout. Everyone's dead and we picked the place clean of loot, leaving no stone unturned. Having rescued Zarala and obtained some water for the caravan crew, we must backtrack to Kadath's Camp and prepare ourselves for a much harder dungeon crawl.
Take me to Part III: Buried Ruins 1.
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