Neverwinter Nights: The Ruins of UnderMountain

[Blackmote]

I realize that this website and forums focuses on the older editions of our beloved D&D and related games. But I wanted to share with you the passion I have for UnderMountain by showing you what I worked on for more than two years within the Neverwinter Nights toolset.

Please note the inset pictures to see how true I was trying to stay with the original published maps. This was not too entirely difficult in most cases with the game engine, but sometimes nigh impossible...

• The first image shows a view within the Hall of Many Pillars (before the pillars were added)
  
  
  
  and then here you can see what happened after I filled the room with fallen pillars resulting from a huge battle that took place between a high level party and a group of devils who were determined to make UnderMountain their own:
  
  
  
  needless to say, Halaster stepped in during this particular fight.

• The next image shows the view from the west end of the Hall of Mirrors looking due east. I actually had mirrors in each of the niches. And we had a working 'doppleganger' mirror as well.
  
  

• And here is a view of the Room of Watery Worship - before the water was added. Unfortunately the best we could do here was add ankle-deep water. But we did customize some skeletons into Banedead. We also had the working teleport trap that dumped you into this room. Obviously we had no giant gar.
  
  

• ...and just north of the Hall of Many Pillars:
  
  

anyway, you get the idea. It was fun while it lasted.

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Wow, that would be totally cool, to be able to explore Undermountain from that sort of point-of-view. Like really being there!

[Doirche]

Now THAT is sick.....

[Blackmote]

I realize these rooms and hallways look pretty empty, but these were taken when I was going back through rebuilding the areas for a re-vamped version of our older module.

As it stood, we have more than 50 of those maps as you see above for level one - and we hadn't even covered half of the dungeon. We also had about as many laid out for level two, though my partner laid those out and he did 'ok' with them.

But We had also mapped out the Dungeon of the Crypt, parts of the City of the Dead, and several important sections of Waterdeep - including lots of sewers (and Xanathar Guild areas), Virgin Square and most of the docks. We had even started on Skullport. I just don't have pics of those areas readily available.


and hey... I still have the mod and a friend to host it for us if anyone has NwN installed. Just let me know and we can give you a grand tour. All it takes is installing Neverwinter Nights Diamond edition (20 bucks), some hak downloading, and then we're off and running!

[Mira]

Cool I have NWN installed as a matter of fact, I just re-set up my server yesterday so that a friend and I could play.

Mira (You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you)

[Blackmote]

pretty soon I'll be able to list the haks we required and maybe within a couple of weeks my friend can upload the mod again and we can take some folks here on a tour of UnderMountain like you've never seen it before...

[McDeath]

I wish there was a construction set for the Baldur's Gate series to make an undermountain game (I'd say Temple of Elemental Evil construction set but that's entirely 3rd ed). I do have Arcanum but that wouldn't exactly work either.

[Doirche]

I wish there was a construction set for the Baldur's Gate series to make an undermountain game (I'd say Temple of Elemental Evil construction set but that's entirely 3rd ed). I do have Arcanum but that wouldn't exactly work either.

The original Temple of Elemental Evil came out in 1st Edition

[McDeath]

I should have clarified that post more. I meant using the Baldur's Gate series to make Undermountain rather than the Computer CRPG Temple of Elemental Evil. The computer version put out by Black Isle Studios (I think) was done in the 3rd edition ruleset. So I'd rather make undermountain using the Baldur's Gate engine.

[Doirche]

Ahh ok cool

[Blackmote]

yeah, if I had my druthers, I'd love to design UnderMountain using a Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale type of toolset. But alas, there is not one.

About a year or so ago, I tried to get involved with a group who was using the ToEE toolset. But no one was very forthcoming with information. So I grew bored and forgot about the place.

But for what it's worth, there is a fantastic community out there using the NwN Aurora toolset who are more than happy to share their expertise. And we certainly took them up on it through the years.

I really need to look through some of my older files on my comnputer at home to see if I can find some older pics of the earlier versions of what we built. Those images definitely have a little more atmosphere.

[Mira]

The toolset is definitely what gave NWN the longevity it's had, there is literally thousands of user-created modules for it. Many of the 1E and 2E modules were translated into it, it was fun playing through some of the old classics, even though the feel was a little different due to the 3E engine.

I played Baldur's Gate as well, that was really good, but the lack of extensibility kept it from having the longevity.

Mira (Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat)

[Zherbus]

If I could find my disks, it's be pretty awesome. I had the whole Giants Module series as well as some others, but of course all that was lost. Could probably find it again though online if I searched, but they seemed kinda medicorely done.

[Blackmote]

for anyone who might be interested, the Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition can be found at Wal-Mart and Target for $19.99. And it's on one disc now (not 4+), and comes with an extra storyline or two. Pretty good deal - even for someone that's completed the original game. I never did. No, I spent too much time in the toolset developing UnderMountain!

[Mira]

I spent MANY hours playing NWN One of the few games that runs on Mac as well as Windows. Even had a persistant world on a server for a while, though there weren't many people on it. I had lots of fun exploring it, as well as many other user created modules. I did go through the original story line, including the continuation in Hordes of the Underdark. Never did finish the alternate starting line (Shadows of Undrentide) though. I had gotten too involved with the other modules by then

Mira (To err is human; to blame it on the other party is politics)

[tedopon]

I'm always looking for a mod I haven't played. Please post again if you want to share.

[Blackmote]

at this time I am waiting for the final mod update from the person I was teaming with when we put it back online this past year. But unfortunately, my NwN-UM server owner is spending every day and night in the hospital with his 10-yr old son, who is recovering from spinal surgery.

I'll be happy to post something as soon as I am able. Thanks for the interest!