The Shadow Queen - Remake

Question: Is there an end to these Malaugrim or should I just forget trying to kill them all and escape thru the portal?

Note: As a bard/shadowdancer, Lich Lyrics work really well for killing Malaugrim creatures as does the silver dagger I got from the shadow grave. Being able to hide in plain sight is also a lifesaver.

I am enjoying the module a lot, just would like my question answered before I proceed. Thanks.

Oh yeah, forgot one more thing. The Soidoc's Arms quest could not be completed because my character doesn't have the correct proficiency to equip/activate the weapon in order to cleanse it in the temple. Therefore the quest cannot be completed. I would suggest that the weapon be randomized according to character type. Such as daggers/short swords for rogues and bards, longswords for fighters, maces for clerics, and so on. Or whatever the character's weapon proficiencies/weapon focuses would dictate. That would make it much easier and make the quest completable for players' characters who cannot use rapiers. I was a bit disappointed in not being able to finish this quest. Oh well.

1. Fate of SoU Companions: Not Explained, though Deekin appears as a projection (-0.25)

2. Given Relic of the Reaper: YES (+0.5)

3. Unique use items: power stone - partially (only haste, no second power - flame arrows), mirror is shattered (+0.25)

4. Ends in Waterdeep: no, but in the realm of the reaper (+0.25)

5. Ending level(should be at least 15, but since I finished SoU at 13th.. I will accept 16th): 17 (-0.5)*

Final Vote: 8+0.25=8.25=8

*Certain easy to kill evil dryad that keeps respawninig grants 500XP and item (76k gold in shops, nice once-per-day spell on each) for each kill.

Bugs etc:

- upon starting the module 2 missing journal entries appear

- typos: "i the act" - how raven stole the sun (book); "omit" (while it should be "emit", in 2 instances) - a treatis on lilac beetles (book); "ryhme" - Tatsumat

- raven and legend of raven are the same book (duplicates)

- female mercane merchant has male voice (never trust mercane!)

- shadow mastiff merchant offers to sell wares but conv. ends abruptly (obsolete line copied from other merchants)

- some empty doors out there

- Carver only gave me one! arrow per stone!!!!

- when asked to level up shadow golem simply disappears

- if you say 500 GP is too steep for nymph you will be charged additional 300..

- lost murkling does not recognise I killed that Grelsir tree, though when I killed it second time(reloaded) it worked, might be that final blow was by henchmen first time.. still a bug

- lanallar has no portrait

- no riddle can satisfy tatsumat (double-checked)

- never found the skin of the creature that could satisfy the weaver despite killing 2 groups of "wolves"

I will play second part soonish as it should be started 30th level.. and I have only 17th and do not wish to go through HotU. I wonder if the shadow queen will be featured again.

This was a mostly enjoyable module that could have been outstanding with a little TLC to the module.

The story was very creative considering the author was writing a story with a preconceived jump off point. There were a variety of quests with some nice twists on the usual standard fare.

The setting was very dark as one would expect from the setting. It was a bizarre sensation when at one point in the came you hit a location briefly on the prime material plane and there is light again! 

Battles were well balanced and I loved the original creatures that were added. I loved the occasional humor and the shout out to some fantasy greats including the D&D cartoon!

I played with a 13th Level Human Sorcerer with 1.69 and CEP 2.6. 

As far as the negatives and bugs, all of the ones that Werelynx posted in the previous post apply.

In addition I could not complete the quest with the Murkling. I could not never get her conversation to change. I just noticed after finishing the module that the old vault page had a post about this issue and the author mentioned that removing all from override should solve the issue.

Also some of the quests were just not clear enough within the conversations and the journal. I had to refer back to the WriteUp doc to finish a couple of them. I would have never finished the one with the paintings in the Shadow Soaring apart from the doc.

Also in the old vault posts there is an issue mentioned regarding the Shadow Golem disappearing when trying to level it. I experienced the same issue and just left the leveling alone.

Still despite the negatives the module was a  good bridge module between SoU and HotU. I am going to play HotU next as I have not played it since the module was first released. I will then play SQ2.

The author clearly worked hard on this module. I am going to vote 8.

Gave up on this one.  I went as far as I could go and got stuck with no clue how to progress.  I'm just walking in circles now.

**Update:  Revisited with a sorceress some time later.  Leveled up from 13 to 15, progressing through the mod.  Was able to finish the main quest, though there were some side quests I did not finish.  Very well made and enjoyable.  Contained all the weirdness one would expect in the shadow plane.

The author took a lot of effort to bring a unique dark atmosphere. This is the 4th bridge module I was trying between SoU and HoU. So far it brings a good design and does not bring the oppressive feeling I was experiencing with The Nether Scrolls while it keeps more focused than Echoes of the Undrentide.

I like the shadowy appearences and even the sense of being lost since I get from one place to another that seem to drag from already explored ones. 

I am going to vote when i get a further progress,so far I am enjooying this work.

I managed to make it through the module, and I generally liked it but it wasn't without its issues or bugs. Selina is bugged to never take the garments you give her, but you can always persuade her to give you the keys before having to do anything for her, and you can keep repeating that to get more keys. Meanwhile, the Shadow Queen is supposed to give you a riddle in your estate that can help you later on, but I never managed to find her there, making one of the later Key quests impossible to do. Thankfully, there are more opportunites to get keys than there are doors in the Shadow Corridor, even without the bug, or else the game would be unwinnable. 

Story-wise, the content was decent, but I didn't like how it ignores the companions from SoU. If they can't be put in the game, at least write in how they managed to get out (if they got out) and maybe the PC was separated from them in the Shadow Plane somehow. I also didn't get the point of the Shadow Queen either, and in the world itself, it seemed no one else did either, so the ending raised more questions than anything and didn't leave my character feeling particularly heroic. 

Overall, I thought it was decent, but this is definitely the type of game where you may need to have the walkthrough open at all times. 

I can't finish this module, too complicated bloody Place of Shadow. Regardless of several bugs this module is really well made and met atmosphere.

This was quite a piece of work. I did quite a number of quests, but still failed to find some major players or things. I also got really tired of wandering around in the Dark, and I mean Dark! No way to see enemies besides the Tab button, and it was easy to miss certain items due to the screening tree branches and such. I played this for a long time with my little henchie, who I could outfit, so that was a plus. Only had to raise her once. 

A fine effort, just not to my liking with so little direction. I am not really in favor of visiting the same places over and over again and that is what was happening, so I left it undone.