New guy here! With some comments and questions

[Cometchaser]

Hey guys, I just started playing on Blackstone a couple of weeks ago after I made a post on the /r/neverwinternights subreddit asking for recommendations for Action-based PWs. Blackstone keep got more upvotes than any other suggestion so I decided to give it a shot. I am absolutely in love with it so far!

My main character (at the moment) is Gildrenel, a dual kama Monk/Fighter/WM. I've made it up to level 38, hoping to hit max level in the next few days. I've met a few new friends on this server already, the community has been incredibly kind and open to helping others.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I joined the server, other than knowing that it was an Action server. Here are a few of the things that pleasantly surprised me:

1. The loot box system. This system solves so many of the issues present in other action-based modules. Rather than having to tediously loot every single mob (after waiting 5 seconds for the loot bag on their corpse to spawn, of course), you are free to move on immediately after every kill, confident that you didn't accidentally skip any good loot. When loot DOES drop, you get a nice pop-up message that's easy to see, and it gives you that feeling of excitement that doesn't quite happen with the regular NWN loot system. The fact that the loot boxes are instanced for each player in a group is fantastic as well.

2. Randomized loot. The Ancient loot items are a really cool feature! There have been a few items that have made me audibly go "WOW" once they are identified, because they rolled some really good properties. This is a really fun feature!

3. The general mystery and vagueness of in-game systems. To some people this could be seen as a negative, but I personally love that publicly discussing things like Forge Stones, Shrine passwords, hidden areas and shops, etc is discouraged. It gives a real sense of mystery and wonder to the module. This is the first time in my long NWN history that I've actually felt compelled to use the Notes section of the in-game journal! I love that! And it's just the right amount of mystery, too. From what I gather it's totally allowed to discuss these things privately with others, which is great because it encourages talking to people in-game instead of just finding everything out through a quick google search.

4. This server is still being developed. I only just recently learned about this one. When I first joined I wasn't sure if this was simply a revived old module that people played back in NWN Classic. I assumed it was. But after reading the forums for a bit I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that driller is still actively developing this module. I had no idea that things like the Underdark and the randomized items system were so new. It gives me hope that my time with Blackstone won't be over once I hit 40 on Gildrenel, because there will be more stuff to look forward to in the future.

Speaking of stuff to do at 40, I have a few questions... If any of the below stuff is taboo to talk about, please let me know and I'll edit it out.

1. What kind of max-level content is there? I've been exploring the Underdark and mapping it out on paper (The fact that Azamon tells you to do this when you ask him for a map made me cackle loudly. This is the first hand-drawn map I've made in years!). Shrine #7 (Where I assume Shalnath resides), Lost City, and Aildrek's Tomb all seem to be meant for max-level parties of players. Is there more beyond these 3?

2. Speaking of Aildrek's Tomb... what's the deal with that? Clicking on the door says it opens only once every month, but yesterday I saw two messages pop up saying Aildrek's Tomb has opened, one in the morning, one in the evening. I feel like I'm receiving mixed signals from the game on this one.

3. I only just discovered that the results you get from Forge Stones are based on your crafting skill. I find myself at somewhat of a wall with my gear, since I don't have crafting skills on Gildrenel. Are there any high-level crafting characters that offer their services? If so, what is the currency typically used? Is Gold even useful after a certain point? Or do you just trade in Forge Stones?

4. Other than random drops, is there any way to specifically get forge stones? I've found several in my path to level 40, but I've used all of them up experimenting and trying to learn the crafting system. I assume it's all random, but I figured I'd ask.


Thanks a ton for the hard work, driller. I'm having a blast.

If anyone sees me running around in-world, feel free to say Hi!

[Cornflower]

I'll try to answer some questions:

2. It's once a month in Game Time, so that explains that.
3. Yes, I have a toon that can help you craft. The proper compensation we can discuss in game. (Alannah McCaffrey is her name.) Just find any of my toons in game and we can talk about it.
4. Not as far as I know.

Also, I agree about all your thoughts about this place. It's great.

[driller]

To answer are there more higher level areas question.

There are three more other than the ones you mentioned. One is well known and the other two are secret areas you have to discover.

Welcome and thanks for the kind words.

[Cornflower]

To answer are there more higher level areas question.

There are three more other than the ones you mentioned. One is well known and the other two are secret areas you have to discover.

Welcome and thanks for the kind words.

Three more?!?!? I only know of one secret area.... Damn....

[tiagobigode]

To answer are there more higher level areas question.

There are three more other than the ones you mentioned. One is well known and the other two are secret areas you have to discover.

Welcome and thanks for the kind words.

Three more?!?!? I only know of one secret area.... Damn....

I found two hidden areas and one secret. In the secret area I could not do it, there's nothing to do, there's someone invisible there and a big mirror ....

The other area I found was an island, but I found no quest and no information about it. I think it would be cool, to spread out in taverns or NPCs around, some hint of those areas, quest about is pretty cool.

The other area I found is a large area and there is nothing there, only boats .... I think there should be something, some information, etc.

I opened all the doors of Oasis and did not find anything

And the door with a password, does anyone know anything?

Someone available to talk about?

[Brick Thrower]

What? Is there a sign that says "Secret Area!" How do you know that you have found a "secret area"?

[driller]

It should be pretty obvious.

What? Is there a sign that says "Secret Area!" How do you know that you have found a "secret area"?