Character Creation

Maugeter - The Keys to the City is designed to be played with a newly-created level one character. You should create this character using Neverwinter Nights when you start the module, rather than in advance, or with some third-party editor. I've had intermittent reports of the module crashing when you first create a character - if this happens, just restart NWN and select the character you just created from the list of premade characters.

Race

Maugeter's cosmopolitan culture means that your choice of race makes little difference. NPCs will not be interested in your race beyond the fact that you have two arms, two legs, one head, aren't more than eight feet high, possess a normal digestion system and don't have spell-like abilities which could level the city. Some PC races are not available, but orcs and goblins are relatively common members of society.

Dwarves and orcs have had their ability scores changed slightly. These changes reflect the setting and the relative importance of social skills compared to combat skills in this module. Several races have had their racial feats adjusted for consistency with the settings. Skill affinities have been replaced with the appropriate skill focus feat. Some feats which are dependent on background social conditions that do not exist in the Maugeter setting (for example, Stonecunning, Elven Weapon Proficiency) have been removed.

• Dwarf
  +2 Con, -2 Dex
  Darkvision, Hardiness vs Poison, Hardiness vs Spells, Skill Focus: Set Trap, Skill Focus: Disable Device
  
  
• Elf
  +2 Dex, -2 Con
  Hardiness vs Enchantment, Skill Focus: Listen, Skill Focus: Spot, Skill Focus: Search, Low-light Vision
  
  
• Gnome
  Gnomes are an incredibly rare race in Maugeter. Playing a gnome represents an especially ugly halfling or goblin.
  +2 Dex, -2 Str
  Skill Focus: Move Silently, Skill Focus: Listen, Small, Lucky, +1 Fate point
  
  
• Halfling
  You can use a halfling to represent a goblin by giving your character green skin and putting "Goblin" in the subrace box.
  +2 Dex, -2 Str
  Skill Focus: Move Silently, Skill Focus: Listen, Small, Lucky, +1 Fate point
  
  
• Half-elf
  There are no actual half-elves in Maugeter. Playing a half-elf represents an elf with a heavy, human-like build.
  Hardiness vs Enchantment, Skill Focus: Listen, Skill Focus: Spot, Skill Focus: Search, Low-light Vision
  
  
• Half-orc
  There are no actual half-orcs in Maugeter. Playing a half-orc represents playing an orc.
  +2 Str, -2 Int
  Darkvision
  
  
• Human
  Bonus Feat
  
  

Class

There is no class-specific content. Although I originally planned plots for each class, I eventually abandoned them due to the tremendous workload involved in making this content of sufficient quality. Whichever class you choose, you are a farmer from Linlishlin, come to the big city to find adventure. Class abilities represent your natural strengths rather than affiliation with an specific organisation.

Special notes apply to some classes:

• Wizard/Sorcerer: Wizards and sorcerers choose from one of sixteen different mephit familiars. You can change your choice when you level up, and each of them has slightly different abilities. The summon creature spell will create random elementals and elemental creatures to fight for you. There are no scrolls in the module for SOU and HOTU spells (including them would flag the module as requiring the expansions to play), so wizards who want these spells should choose them when they level up.
  
  
• Druid/Ranger: Druid and ranger characters are not affiliated with the degenerate druidic circle of the Emberwilde forest. Instead, playing a druid or ranger represents your own natural abilities. The ranger class has been slightly altered to fit more closely with the 3.5e version of the class. They have a D8 hit die, 6 skill points per level and good fortitude and reflex saves. I haven't altered ranger feats, because it would be impossible to choose between a two-weapon style and a ranged style. Druids can choose from eight new animals as an animal companion, and the summon creature spell will call an animal appropriate to the location you cast it in. Druids and rangers can speak to animals.
  
  
• Cleric: Clerics in Maugeter do not derive their powers from deities, but from their own abilities. As a cleric you are not affiliated with a deity or church.
  
  
• Paladin: Paladin characters are not affiliated with the knightly orders of Ristinnol. Their abilities represent their own natural powers and piety. Paladins have an altered, passive Smite Evil ability (see Feats, below) and can cast Detect Evil at will.
  
  
• Rogue: The module has not been extensively tested with stealth in mind. If you play a rogue, please let me know how you get on. Rogues, characters with the Poison Use feat and character with at least one rank in Barter, Set Trap or Sleight of Hand can read Thieves' Sign which is important for obtaining thieving equipment.
  
  
• Barbarian: Although there are barbarian tribes, your character is not from them. Your abilities represent your undisciplined fighting style.
  
  
• Monk: The module has not been tested with monks. Let me know how you get on!
  
  

Prestige classes are not available in Maugeter. I may change this in the future, but since the module does not go above level 6 and most prestige classes cannot be attained at that level, it doesn't seem very important.

Abilities

Since Maugeter does not include heavy combat, it's less important to minmax your abilities. That said, there are still some reasonably challenging fights, so don't go playing a Strength 8 Fighter or anything ludicrous.

Intelligence increases your skill points, and skills are fairly heavily used in Maugeter. Wisdom determines your available Fate Points (the number of times you can respawn per level) and characters with Wisdom less than 10 will occasionally miss obvious things in conversation. Charisma has no direct mechanical effect, but your Charisma affects all of your social skills, which are comparatively important in Maugeter.

Skills

The first most important thing to notice about skills in Maugeter is that all skills are class skills for all characters, regardless of class. This is intended to give you more freedom in the concept of character you choose to play. In most cases it's not hugely advantageous to take inappropriate skills. Remember the effect that the Armour Check Penalty has on most Rogue skills, for example.

Maugeter operates a "fixed skill check" system - for more details see the Rules page.

You can choose to spread your points across many skills, or concentrate them on a few. Many skill checks require less than the maximum possible skill points, but a few throughout the module require deep investment in one skill.

• Sleight of Hand - This skill replaces Pickpocketing so that the player can only use it through dialogue, avoiding the problem of them turning the whole city hostile every few minutes.
  
  
• Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive - These conversation skills replace Persuade. These skills are usable whether or not you have installed Hordes of the Underdark.
  
  
• Barter - This skill replaces Appraise. Barter gives you a 1% discount for each point of it you possess. This skill is usable whether or not you have installed Shadows of Undrentide.
  
  
• Discipline - This skill has been removed. Instead, the player is treated as always having full ranks of Discipline to resist knockdown, disarm and called shot.
  
  
• Heal - This skill gives you a bonus to your Cure spells. This bonus is capped in the same way the bonus healing from caster level is capped, but the two stack with each other. For example, Cure Light Wounds heals D8 hit points, plus up to 5 hit points from caster level, plus up to 5 hit points from caster's Heal skill. This bonus is also added to your Lay on Hands total. (This effect does not increase the damage that cure spells deal to undead creatures.)
  
  
• Crafting skills are not available to characters in Maugeter. A certain merchant can change the apperance of your armour.
  
  

Feats

Maugeter includes a number of new or altered feats. Most of these changes have been made because the small level range of the module (1-6) means that a lot of the existing D&D feat system is inaccessible, and feat choices tend to be quite repetitive.

• Ambidexterity - This feat is now provided to all characters for free to represent 3.5's integration of Two-Weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity into a single feat.
  
  
• Weapon Focus - Not all weapons can be found in the module. There are no or very few scythes, double swords, kamas, kukris, dwarven waraxes, clubs, darts, dire maces, double axes, halberds, katanas, light hammers, warhammers, whips, shuriken, sickles, spears, tridents or throwing axes. You should avoid taking feats for these weapons.
  
  
• Two-Weapon Fighting - Because of the change to Ambidexterity, Two-Weapon Fighting now has a prerequisite of 15 Dexterity.
  
  
• Two-Weapon Defence - Requires Two-Weapon Fighting - A character with this feat adds a +1 Dodge bonus to their AC when fighting with two melee weapons.
  
  
• Improved Two-Weapon Defence - Requires Two-Weapon Defence, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting - A character with this feat adds a +2 Dodge bonus to their AC when fighting with two melee weapons.
  
  
• Canny Defence - Requires Int 13+, Base Attack Bonus +1, Martial Weapon Proficiency - A character with this feat adds their Intelligence bonus as a Dodge bonus to AC, as long as they are wearing light or no armour and wielding a dagger, short sword, longsword, bastard sword, scimitar, rapier or whip in their main hand and nothing in their off hand.
  
  
• Insightful Strike - Requires Int 13+, Base Attack Bonus +1, Martial Weapon Proficiency - A character with this feat adds their Intelligence bonus to the damage they inflict in melee as long as they are wearing light or no armour and wielding a dagger, short sword, longsword, bastard sword, scimitar, rapier or whip in their main hand and nothing in their off hand.
  
  
• Poison Use - The character takes no negative effects from using blade venoms.
  
  
• Smite Evil - Rather than an activatable ability, this level 2 paladin ability now gives a permanent bonus to hit evil creatures equal to the paladin's Charisma bonus. This is changed because of the comparatively harsh resting restrictions in Maugeter, and because the excitement of adding 1 point to your hit roll really doesn't exist in the CRPG format.
  
  
• Elemental Ancestry: Air - Level 1 only - The character has a noticeable trace of the air element, probably from a Djinn ancestor. The character can Haste themselves once per day for a number of rounds equal to their character level. Characters with air ancestry often have pale or blueish complexions, and light-coloured hair.
  
  
• Elemental Ancestry: Earth - Level 1 only - The character has a noticeable trace of the earth element, probably from a Dao ancestor. The character has tough skin, and receives a permanent +1 Natural Armour bonus (this does not stack with other Natural Armour bonuses, such as from an Amulet of Natural Armour). Characters with earth ancestry often have dark or brownish skin, and dark hair.
  
  
• Elemental Ancestry: Fire - Level 1 only - The character has a noticeable trace of the fire element, probably from a Efreet ancestor. The character ignores the first five points of damage from each fire attack that hits them. This stacks with other sources of fire resistance. Characters with fire ancestry often have reddish or pinkish skin, and similar coloured hair.
  
  
• Elemental Ancestry: Water - Level 1 only - The character has a noticeable trace of the water element, probably from a Marid ancestor. The character can heal themself once per day to their total hit points. Characters with water ancestry often have pale, aqua or deep blue skin, and greenish or blueish hair.
  
  
• Elemental Awakening: Air - Requires Level 6, Elemental Ancestry: Air - The character's air ancestry has begun to express itself more fully. When the character activates their air ancestry power, they also gain an improved invisibility effect for the duration.
  
  
• Elemental Awakening: Earth - Requires Level 6, Elemental Ancestry: Earth - The character's earth ancestry has begun to express itself more fully. The character's natural armour bonus is increased to half their level.
  
  
• Elemental Awakening: Fire - Requires Level 6, Elemental Ancestry: Fire - The character's fire ancestry has begun to express itself more fully. The character is now immune to fire.
  
  
• Elemental Awakening: Water - Requires Level 6, Elemental Ancestry: Water - The character's water ancestry has begun to express itself more fully. When the character activates their water ancestry power, they also gain regeneration equal to their level for the next 10 seconds.
  
  
• Skill Focus: Animal Empathy - This feat also allows you to talk to animals. Druids, rangers and animal domain clerics receive this ability without choosing this feat. This is rarely as useful as you might think.
  
  

Hosting by my mate Alex