This all-in-one package includes the most up-to-date versions of three modules: The Gods Themselves, The War for Cania, and Monastery of the Flaming Star. Together they comprise an epic adventure for a PC that completed the evil storyline of the Hordes of the Underdark official campaign (betrayed the seer, elected to rule Cania with big M as a servant). Each module seamlessly transitions to the next. In addition to this package, you will need patch 1.69 + HotU + SoU + the Castle Interior Windows hak. Older 1.68 version still available.
Package in self-extracting executable (Windows). This package was created with Bioware's nwcontbuild; to run succesfully on Vista, you'll likely need to use "Run as Administrator".
Opal: these modules don't have a custom tlk file and neither does the castle interior windows hak. Please check that you are patched to 1.69 (or download the 1.68 version of the modules).
Werelynx: thanks for the offer to test, but I am not currently doing any NWN development.
I remember playing the first module and I thought it was incredible. But my NWN died and I had to reinstall it. Now I've downloaded the files, but it still says I'm missing a .tlk file when I try to play it. Is there a file I missed?
There will be updates? Your trilogy is on my "to play" list, but if you are planning on expanding the thing I would gladly wait and play(test) the new version. _________________________ Thanks Rolo:)
Posted by Jedijax at 2011-01-01 22:43:14 Voted 10.00 on 01/01/11
Updating my votes according to the modern abundance of perfect 10's for mediocre modules. I think this trilogy deserves the highest possible rating. Not an objective vote, but certainly a way to put this work above other overestimated ones.
Thanks for all the feedback, positive and negative. Re: combat. As I noted in the HTML file, balancing epic levels is difficult. Re: sequel. Nothing under development; some additional content to the existing modules is more likely. Part 3 is intended to leave your character's future somewhat open. Urthok: you should be able to speak with Aribeth and switch between the two portraits (assuming you are playing the latest version, this option is available even in part 1).
Posted by urthok at 2010-01-14 09:09:53 Voted 9.75 on 01/14/10
Oh, I must agree with the others, part 3 could've been better.
But it was the first module that I played and was better than a lot of other modules around...
Posted by urthok at 2010-01-14 08:52:45 Voted 9.75 on 01/14/10
Great module but... why did you change Aribeth's portrait on part 2? I didn't like that cow portrait... (it costed you 0.25).
Posted by cgeckle at 2009-08-04 14:44:18 Voted 8.00 on 08/04/09
Not bad continuation of HotU. Though, I found it somewhat strange that the story has you gradually declining in power. Over the course of the trilogy, you go from a Relevant Power in Hell, to a Semi-Relevant Power in Hell, to some guy with a keep near Algorand. It seemed somewhat counter-intuitive, since you're still growing in power. Especially in the last episode, where you're building your armor/slaughtering low-level gnomes: By this point, you've slaughtered an army of drow, you've bound an archduke of hell, you've killed an archduke of hell, and somewhere along the way, you might have killed an avatar as well. Why in the Hells are you worrying about a a bunch of small time cultists and ogres?
Nonetheless, the scripting, locations, and characters were all interesting enough to keep me going, and I shall likely go through it again at some point.
I don't suppose there's a part four in the works?
Posted by Razide0506 at 2009-05-15 14:13:28 Voted 7.75 on 05/15/09
I played this series with a F 14/WM 7 and found it much too easy, despite the fact that the description recommends playing with a minimum lvl 25 character. Part of the problem was that I was using a very powerful weapon, but even switching to a weaker weapon didn�t change much, and once I gained a few levels and got Dev Crit, most opponents were going down in one shot. Really, the only difficult opponent was Elistraee, and as such, the modules weren�t challenging, and thus not exciting.
Aside from that, the modules are creative and well-designed. Although the first one is short, I liked how it quickly drew me into the setting and got the story rolling. The flashback to the Battle of Loudwater was an interesting addition, although conquering such an insignificant village hardly seemed all that memorable. I also thought the battle in the castle halls with the invading drow was well done, even if it wasn�t much of a challenge. The second module was probably the best of the series. It had a decent story and plot, good area design, interesting dialogue options, and a satisfying resolution. In contrast, the third module in the series felt tacked on, like a separate story, rather than part of a trilogy. The goals in this module were underwhelming � after ruling in Cania and killing a goddess and an arch-devil, assassinating a bunch of adventurers seemed unworthy of my pc�s time. Also, at my character�s level, fighting spiders and ogres was a waste of time, and being able to simply walk into the tavern and slaughter all the adventurers was a real letdown. The assault on the monastery was interesting, but unchallenging, and even the toughest opponents in the module took little effort to defeat. And finally, the module ends without concluding, making me think that the author originally intended there to be another sequel. The last module just failed to excite me, and I�d say it was the weakest of the series.
Overall, the series was ok, but failed to live up to my expectations. I may try it again someday with a weaker character, to see if the series becomes more of a challenge.
Posted by Lorelei86 at 2009-03-12 16:58:25 Voted 10.00 on 03/12/09
Really enjoyable module! I plan on replaying it again! Good work and tons of fun playing an epic class. Thank you!
Generally I approve of this module. I would certainly recommend it to any fan of the official campaigne.
My only problem was the obvious way in which the PC is duped in the first chapter. The specific device maybe unknown, but the fact that Mephisto wants you to do anything should be a clue that it is a bad idea. My gut reaction to him was to open a portal and go to the world and handle it there rather than let him bring anything into the house. But I suppose the rest of the story depends on him tricking you. Also, I would have immediately killed the countess in chapter two for being an upstart. But whatever.
I played it through several times, the later times with some custom modifications to soldiers uniforms and to my personal chambers for consistency with my characters tendencies and preferences. Worth playing again for me still. I also used it to inspire some of my custom armies and terrains for the Good vs Evil module. Its been a nice follow up after the Monastery.
And I certainly would never violate the integrity of anyone's module by implementing CEP 2.1 and horse riding scripts. *coughs*
Reacting to previous comments:
There was a lot of pointless loot. I totally get that it was there to provide a contrast between what is available between chapters one and two. But wow, I spent more time inventorying the loot the first time through, than I did playing the rest of the module.
Personally, I had to crank up the combats to find them challenging. But I usually find that. If my character isn't on the verge of death twice per combat, I feel like cake.
And regarding the alternate cosmology and divergence from "The Great Wheel" or whatever, I always thought that model sucked anyway. But this seems entirely consistent with that model. (Glances at Mergalen) I don't know what you are talking about. _________________________ Friends do not have to be like us.
~the teachings of Orlanth
I cannot comment on the 2nd and 3rd chapters but the first one is a poorly designed with too many flaws to figure in the Hall of Fame. Again, nothing personal they are as we know some excellent modules in the HoF as well as some fair and some poor ones.
I first went through (and failed miserably due to design mistakes) with my Predator character. I consider this character to be a walking killing machine deadly with both melee and range weapons. Got into a room with tons of weapons, robes, armors... It was so ridiculous that I restarted the module and avoided the storage room altogether. What was the point of all that? Why not use a cheap merchant (like the Priestess in HotU) or a couple of chests with some +5 items (e.g. for armors, one heavy, one medium and one light should do plus a mage and a monk robe)? Not to mention that most henchmen have no armor proficiency.
* Major Spoiler *
Later, I found a major NPC who gave some options to my character.
My predator would never refuse a challenge. If there is a major encounter, either the player should have at least a slim chance to survive (if not win) or the encounter should be simply removed. In this case my lvl 28 Predator could barely scratch that lvl 35 (or so character with AC 70 or so Str 25 BAB 45 or so and an average damage of 25 per hit). Oh and did I mentioned that she got a permanent "stunning circle" around her?
Worse perhaps for us role players is that the author is showing a clear lack of understanding of DnD Cosmology. But hey Bioware did the same in HotU.
First, combats between mortals and immortals are pointless. To put it simply you can only kill someone lower or at the same rank. The ranks being Pantheon Heads (e.g. Zeus or Thor), Major Gods, Lesser Gods, Demigods and Heroes. So a lesser God could possibly kill another Lesser God, a Demigod, a hero or any mortal but not a Major God or a Pantheon Head. Again, there was an instance in HotU when a simple mortal (your character) could fight an immortal or to be precise an Avatar of an immortal being. The fight was not compulsory however.
Second, the powers of mortals and immortals alike are fading the further away they are from their own plane. Two consequences in this module, first the immortal we may fight must be less powerful in Cania then in her own plane and second it would be impossible for a Demon/Devil to summon (using powers like Gate/Wish) a being located in a very remote plane as the power or spell used may not work at all.
Third, assuming the immortal is really trapped and must kill the PC to escape, again the combat is pointless since it is not the immortal being who is trapped (or possibly killed) but a simple avatar. Avatars are like clones, a Deity may have an unlimited number of them at any given time and they are certainly expandable.
Note: The 2nd time I played, I had my Monk from Hotu and I decided to take the easier path.
Posted by Vhailor at 2008-07-13 18:36:25 Voted 10.00 on 07/13/08
This mod is extremely well done. The only thing I dislike is the rather abrupt ending for the last one. Is there a sequel in the works?
Posted by a_m_a_d_e_u_s at 2008-07-08 23:54:37 Voted 7.75 on 07/08/08
Fun module but it was quite linear and had too much easy hack and slash for high-level characters, in my opinion.
Posted by WJMacKenzie at 2008-06-25 18:21:14 Voted 6.00 on 06/25/08
I found the story to be interesting in concept, but overall, I am left with simply a lacking feeling.
The first module is as mentioned by others.... short. After I completed it the first time, I went back and reloaded feeling like I had missed a HUGE amount of side quests or such, only to really dig and discover I actually didn't miss anything.
The fights were just too easy. Granted my cleric/blackguard was rather amped to start with, but only insofar as what she came out of HotU with. She was strong, but not uber beyond what HotU grants access to. I barely had to cast any buffs at all, and took barely any damage ever... I was expecting my level 27 character would have had something more of a challenge.
It was nice having the djinn bottle work, and there was MASSIVE loot to be sold... but nothing to spend it on. Most of the loot was rather generic, and while it was nice having belts of Cornugon strength (instead of belts of X giant strength), I found that there was very little unique loot worth remembering. Add that to the easy combat... I felt like I had started the module with a munchkin character instead of a legit one.
The low XP gain was also a detriment to overall enjoyment. Not that I felt like any was being earned with the ease of the modules, but still...
Dialog.... A detriment and a blessing in one. I loved the variety of responses in the dialogs (especially all the "in the name of Bane" lines my cleric/blackguard got to say), but then key points felt extremely railroaded because of that... that it mattered little what my character actually said, because in the end only one outcome would happen anyhow.
I do like however the soul-vial concept and how they're gained. The loudwater reenactment had great potential, and the background provided in the books and such was great.
Just overall, I felt this series just didn't live up to what it could have been.
I also encountered a very odd bug. In moving from the second to third module, my character went from lawful evil to chaotic good. I only had it happen twice out of six passes from the second to third module, and I have no clue what's causing it, as I had debugging off (and not that I would be able to catch the debugging text as the modules switched).
Posted by Mr.Misfit at 2008-04-06 17:15:54 Voted 3.50 on 04/06/08
Really disappointed with this "Trilogy", first module having maybe 20 minutes in playtime and for my taste, very little interaction possibilites.
And while making a good start with it, the continuation just doesn´t pull it, interesting idea, but in no way good. It does not make much sense for the player to act as a sort of henchmen for some evil, being send away for mission after mission. And the interaction with the partymembers, my "concubine", stays at an minimum. As I am saying, I am at this point about halfway in Part 3, and sooo disappointed with this... _________________________ Fa´get id!
Posted by HOBGOBLINOID at 2008-02-04 01:04:41 Voted 10.00 on 02/04/08
My favorite modules of all timed! I LOVED THEM! AWESOME! I wish you would make more NWN1 modules!
Posted by Walter_the_Wizard at 2008-02-03 15:58:05 Voted 10.00 on 02/03/08
krazy-- I assume you completed the Tower of Ignos as sidequest and are visiting the Countess as part of the main quest. Did you get the cutscene when you arrived at the fortress? Even if you turn the faction hostile by attacking the defenders outside, the faction reputation should be reset when you enter. A portal should be created during the cutscene.
I just wish there was a way for my Blackguard to capture/corrupt the Paladin in the 3rd module.
Posted by k2zoo at 2007-09-11 08:09:28 Voted 9.50 on 09/11/07
I loved these modules and I just wish they were longer or there was more to them.
Posted by krazy at 2007-08-01 15:17:56 Voted 9.00 on 08/01/07
Enjoyable but the fights got easier not harder.
*SPOILERS*
M was incredibly easy and the CoSS went down so quick they might as well have been goblins.
Still nice to take my Hordes character out for a spin, even if my Rogue/Fighter/Weapon Master could just wipe everything away without breaking sweat. In fact even the dragon went down to a devastating critical in one hit.
Posted by krazy at 2007-07-29 08:55:42 Voted 9.00 on 08/01/07
SPOILERS:
I've done part 1, beaten Eliestrae, don't know how, just stood there whacking away... so I suppose I'm in the War for Cania bit.
Done Ignos Tower and got to the Countesses L's fortress, but I didn't see how to proceed from there. (I also made everyone hostile :X)
Aribeth and other companions aren't levelling up with me, they all stay at level 26. Is there a reason for that? Or how can I fix that?
deadbeat: no plans for another sequel. While the ending of Monastery does leave room for further adventures, it does have a clear ending and no cliff hanger. I do intend to do another update to the trilogy after patch 1.69 is finally released.
Posted by deadbeat at 2006-12-31 11:17:39 Voted 9.50 on 12/31/06
SWEET!
My copy of NWN died about halfway through my first play of "The War For Caina" (about a year ago) and then my install discs somehow got lost in a move. I've been NWNless until last night when I finally got Diamond installed (Yeah, I know, everyone's going to NWN2 :P Phooey on y'all). I've been looking to play through these for a long time now. Thank you, first for writing such an intrigueing storyline, second for keeping the code up to date, and finally for compiling the series together in a single download.
Thanks for the feedback. In response to Whatever1002, I think you gave up playing too quickly. Provided you have the right skills or are willing to buy their truenames, you CAN exact the ultimate price from your prisoners in the first module.
For those that commented on combat difficulty, unfortunately, combat is difficult to balance at epic levels. In my opinion, most of the combat, besides bosses, should be easy. This is to reinforce the fact that your PC is epic. On the otherhand I have tried to make the boss flights a challenge. If you have suggestions that will not make the fights impossible for weaker character builds, I'm open to them.
Posted by whatever1002 at 2006-12-04 09:34:10 Voted 6.00 on 12/04/06
The trilogy starts with a grandiose claim about how the gods themselves fear you... The reality is that your own prisoners ridicule you and you can't even do anything about it. The trilogy should be renamed "You are a Joke."
Posted by Vind Lyonsbane at 2006-11-14 02:02:04 Voted 9.00 on 11/14/06
This trilogy is good! You've done a good job on creating a continuation story for HOTU. I always like the Forgotten Realms setting modules better than the custom ones. I would've given a rating of 10 if not for several cons:
1. The battle against Elisstrae is hard but not challenging enough for me. And I expect a more difficult battles in the 2nd and 3rd modules. As it turns out, Mephistopheles and Company of Seven Stars are much easier to defeat than Elisstrae.
2. The story is good, i just can't get enough of it. I wish the module is longer (in terms of playing hours)
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