Pools of Darkness

31.12.1992
Users 79/100
For ten years your glorious band has fought Evil wherever it has threatened the Realms. Lord Bane has suffered many defeats at your hands and new peace washes over the land. Now your path comes full circle - back to the thriving city of Phlan. As your ship arrives, you see the towers of Phlan, where before only ruins stood. The slums and decay have given way to new growth. Boats bob in the harbor under the watchful protection of Sokal Keep. In large measure this prosperity and success was born of your defeat of Tyranthraxus so many years ago. As the sail is furled, and the crew prepares to dock, you wonder "Where could adventure be found among such peace ...
The party's objective is to defeat Bane's lieutenants Thorne (an ancient red dragon), Kalistes (a Tanar'ri Marilith), and Tanetal (a Tanar'ri Glabrezu) and acquire the items they possess. The ultimate goal is to reach Bane's Land and face off against Bane's last and greatest lieutenant, Gothmenes (a Tanar'ri Balor). All of the lieutenants are found in other dimensions, which can be reached using portals known as Pools of Darkness. Traveling through the pools can cause many types of items the characters are holding to be permanently destroyed and lost. The party may opt to leave these items in a vault to save them. Naturally, any items from the dimensions will suffer this same fate when traveling back to the realms. Some items that will survive include the Vorpal Long Sword, magic rings, and composite bows. There are also many side quests the party can do along the way, which can help the party in gaining experience and items, especially early on. There are a lot of invisible areas on the overworld the party can enter, which can be found if the player looks around the open fields for any such places. This is true of all the overworlds. The mandatory quests involve: Clearing the Steading near Dragonhorn's Gap, which opens the way to the Dragon's Aerie. Clearing the Dragon's Aerie, which opens the way to Thorne's Cave via a Pool of Darkness. Clearing Thorne's Cave, which will give the party the Horn of Doom. Clearing the drow caves and Kalistes' Temple under Zhentil Keep, which opens the way to Kalistes' Land via a Pool of Darkness. Clearing Kalistes' Parlor, which will give the party the Crystal Ring. Clearing the red tower of Marcus, which opens the way to Moander's body via a Pool of Darkness. Clearing the heart of Moander where Tanetal resides, which will give the party the Talisman of Bane. Clearing Arcam's Cave under Mulmaster, which opens the way to Bane's Land via a Pool of Darkness. Finally, clearing Bane's Land and defeating Gothmenes (a Tanar'ri Balor), who battles Elminster. There are also side quests in several places, and famous people in the realm too. For example, Elminster was always there to maintain the dimensional portal for the party should they arrive at any Pool of Darkness. The lost princess Alusair Nacacia will ask the party to help her to fight Rakshasas in Myth Drannor. Lastly, after finishing the final quest, the party had the option to either end their journey or go through one more dungeon of enemies and traps, known as "Dave's Challenge".

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Part of collection:
Pool of Radiance (last 3 games)

24.09.2001

The game is a dungeon crawl, with focus on hack and slash combat and exploration of large dungeons. Story progression and interaction with other characters is a minimal part of the game, although there is some interaction with NPCs and other in-game characters.

31.12.1992

For ten years your glorious band has fought Evil wherever it has threatened the Realms. Lord Bane has suffered many defeats at your hands and new peace washes over the land. Now your path comes full circle - back to the thriving city of Phlan. As your ship arrives, you see the towers of Phlan, where before only ruins stood. The slums and decay have given way to new growth. Boats bob in the harbor under the watchful protection of Sokal Keep. In large measure this prosperity and success was born of your defeat of Tyranthraxus so many years ago. As the sail is furled, and the crew prepares to dock, you wonder "Where could adventure be found among such peace ...

31.12.1991

The frigid valleys of the Dragonspire Mountains echo with the desperate plea of terrified miners: "Heroes of the Forgotten Realms, save us from evil!" Unwittingly digging in unhallowed ground, they have disturbed an ancient vault and released its terrible content. Scores of horrific creatures now infest the mine shaft - and threaten to escape into the world above! You and your heroes must find the way to contain this scourge. All hope depends upon your ability to unravel the age-old mysteries surrounding this evil infestation. Secret of the Silver Blades improves on the award-winning game system used in Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds. Continue your exciting saga in the FORGOTTEN REALMS’ game world - transfer your characters from Curse of the Azure Bonds. Or create all-new characters. Either way, explore the largest 3-D adventuring expanse ever in an AD&D computer game. Battle monsters you've never before encountered. Use higher character levels, and invoke new, wondrous spells. All this plus spectacular graphics add up to unequalled excitement in AD&D computer fantasy role-playing!

Part of franchise:
Dungeons & Dragons (last 3 games)

03.06.2024

Dead by Daylight: Dungeons & Dragons brings the realm of fantasy horror into The Fog with new Killer, Vecna and new Survivors Aestri Yazar and Baermar Uraz (one character with 2 playable options). A new Map, Forgotten Ruins, is available for all players.

31.03.2024

The multi-award winning RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 released to the mortal plane. Fill your mantelpiece with feelies while you fill your heart with adventure. Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil. Choose from 12 classes and 11 races from the D&D Player's Handbook and create your own identity, or play as an Origin hero with a hand-crafted background. Or tangle with your inner corruption as the Dark Urge, a fully customisable Origin hero with its own unique mechanics and story. Whoever you choose to be, adventure, loot, battle and romance your way across the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Gather your party. Take the adventure online as a party of up to four.

26.09.2023

Experience a dramatic tale unfold with Minecraft's Dungeons & Dragons DLC. Explore iconic locations in the Forgotten Realms like Icewind Dale and Candlekeep, battling Beholders, Mimics, and more. Choose your class, unlock classic spells, and ace ability checks to escape sticky situations. Your story awaits!

Could be interesting

31.07.1999

Lord Draak's henchmen are spreading chaos in Uma. Are you going to let them get away with it?

02.08.2005

The Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based tactical strategy game with a high fantasy theme. Build up a great army, gradually turning raw recruits into hardened veterans. In later games, recall your toughest warriors and form a deadly host whom none can stand against! Choose units from a large pool of specialists, and hand-pick a force with the right strengths to fight well on different terrains against all manner of opposition. Wesnoth has many different sagas waiting to be played. Fight to regain the throne of Wesnoth, of which you are the legitimate heir... step into the boots of a young officer sent to guard a not-so-sleepy frontier outpost... lead a brutal quest to unite the orcish tribes... vanquish a horde of undead warriors unleashed by a foul necromancer, who also happens to have taken your brother hostage... guide a band of elvish survivors in an epic quest to find a new home... get revenge on the orcs by using the foul art of necromancy... There are at least two hundred unit types, sixteen races, six major factions, and hundreds of years of history. The world of Wesnoth is absolutely huge and only limited by your creativity — make your own custom units, create your own maps, and write your own scenarios or even full-blown campaigns. You can also challenge up to eight friends—or strangers—and fight in epic multiplayer fantasy battles.

31.03.2014

Age of Wonders III, like the previous games in the series is a turn-based strategy game set within a high fantasy universe where the player assumes the role of a political-military leader. Gameplay is 4X-based (explore, expand, exploit and exterminate) where players explore the world map, slowly building an empire through colonization, warfare and diplomacy with rival powers. However new to III is the greater addition of role-playing game features, where players must first choose and customize their leader, all options dependant on the player's chosen style of play. There are six available races in the initial release: humans, draconians, high elves, dwarves, orcs, and goblins, all that will determine the race of their empire with each having unique perks and abilities. The leader and empire is further shaped by the choice from skill sets based on traditional RPG classes along with further specializations and skills to select. Each leader class also has access to their own unique units with a distinct visual look based on their corresponding race, each to accommodate their own unique approach to strategy, both in combat and when managing their empire. On release there are six different classes a leader can be. The "Sorcerer" class emphasizes the use of magic for enchantments and summoning powerful units. The "Theocrat" derives from an organized religion based society including zealots followers and the use of holy spells and warriors. The "Rogue" favors less direct approaches to situations, employing stealth, thievery and manipulation aswell as dark magic in diplomacy and warfare. The "Archdruid" channels the power of nature, using it to their advantage by being very self-sufficient and being able to call upon wild creatures. The "Dreadnaught" leads a steampunk styled society, using large industry, machinery and gunpowder-based units like cannons and tanks. Finally the "Warlord" specializes in direct conflict and combat tactics, utilizing effective non-magic based units and abilities. Leaders themselves and separate recruitable hero units will be able to gain experience and level up, while also being able to gain new equipment and powers. Players can also develop their alignment between good and evil based on their player's actions and the cultures the player absorbs into their empire, rather than race like the previous games in the series. Cities themselves provide much of the resources, infrastructure and host to unit recruitment. Independent cities and units not immediately aligned to any player/leader are also present in the world map. Units that come from an unaffiliated city will fight to protect a city's domain, and they won't forget that they're tied to it. Many of these independent settlements aren't cities in the traditional sense, but can be alternative settlements, like a "Giant's Keep" for example. The player can conquer these holdings, which will provide units like a city, or they can absorb them through diplomatic means by paying tribute and diplomatic and/or alignment standing. Quests can also be given to players by independent forces and cities, including but not limited to clearing out wild units, searching for relics and even conquering cities and other holdings. Quests can grant the support of independent forces for player in addition to a reward such as gold or equipment, sometimes with the choice of either given to the player upon completion of the quest. As in the case of the first game in the series, Age of Wonders III offers a story-driven campaign that is playable from two sides, the human-centric Commonwealth Empire and the Court of the High Elves. In addition to the campaign; single-player scenarios, online multiplayer, random map generation and a map editor are also available. The graphics of Age of Wonders III will be presented in 3D instead of the isometric view the series has utilized up to this point.

28.11.2003

In a world beyond imagination... In their immeasurable greed and constant thirst for power, the thirteen most powerful Mages of all time doomed the land, hurling it into an endless spiral of chaos and despair. Entire countries were wiped out in the blink of an eye when the devastating power of the Elements was unleashed – Elements summoned by dark rituals. Continents shattered like glass, the pieces strewn about like leaves in the wind. Huge armies, bound by the the power of ancient runes, brought war and destruction to the lands that survived the initial onslaught. All that was left were a few islands, connected by magic portals. Now, only a few years after the end of the Convocation, evil is back – stronger and more powerful than ever before – to finish what was started. Yet there is still hope. The prophecies tell of a human. A human damned to immortality, bound forever by the power of the blood runes… Soon, the time will come when the power of one may change the destiny of many. For better or for worse... Summary of the most important features: Innovative game design: The unique mixture of RTS and RPG elements offers a brand new game experience. High degree of identification with the hero-avatar, whose skills and strengths can be improved by the player Click’n’Fight: This revolutionary control system guarantees instant action, the best possible overview and completely new tactical possibilities in battle 6 races – Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Dark Elves, Orcs and Trolls – that can be used simultaneously (!) to build settlements and fight battles More than 30 different enemy races, from cowardly goblins to powerful demons and dragons A multitude of spells, divided into different categories of magic (white, black, elemental, etc.) Persistant game world with continuous, gripping storyline and myriad sub-quests Awe-inspiring 3D graphics with zoom levels from isometric to 1st-Person-views

31.12.1991

As the story opens, you and your companions are celebrating in triumph. The caravan you've been guarding has just completed its dangerous passage to the trading town of Yartar. But the realms are full of danger and there is tension in the air. Great armies are on the move, and the relative peace of recent times will soon be shattered. Your party becomes a problem to the evil forces whose plans lie behind the current troubles. Only by the swiftness of your sword--on land and water--will you live to save the region from certain destruction.

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Here, order is maintained by the Church of Seiros, which hosts the prestigious Officer’s Academy within its headquarters. You are invited to teach one of its three mighty houses, each comprised of students brimming with personality and represented by a royal from one of three territories. As their professor, you must lead your students in their academic lives and in turn-based, tactical RPG battles wrought with strategic, new twists to overcome. Which house, and which path, will you choose?

05.03.2019

A fully featured RPG with classic game mechanics and extensive lore based on Norse mythology. As all elven unicorns were taken away and cursed by witchcraft, the elves’ sole existence became endangered. Players will encounter mesmerizing locations and fantasy characters as Aurehen, a young pure Elf, who undertakes her quest to free the last surviving Unicorn that protects Elven immortality.

20.08.2019

The world is in ruins. Only a remnant of mankind remains, hunted to near extinction by horrors from another world. As one of the few survivors left, you will venture into portals to fantastic realms to gather the resources and firepower needed to fight back and retake what was lost. Remnant: From the Ashes is a third-person survival-action game set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by mythical creatures. The game provides players and up to three of their friends with a unique, customizable gameplay experience filled with intense shooting and melee combat, gear and weapon crafting, character progression and dynamically-generated levels that offer an infinite number of ways to explore and take on deadly monsters and epic bosses.

13.06.2020

Set in the same beloved universe as Torchlight I and II, this shared-world action-RPG brings back many of the franchise's signature features and mechanics that captured the hearts of ARPG fans around the world. In true Torchlight style, players will team up with friends and devoted pets to hack and slack their way through a vibrant world, discover ancient ruins of lost civilizations and brave dungeons filled with riches and dangerous creatures.

15.11.2019

Unsheathe your sword and take up your shield! The world of Pokémon expands to include the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield!

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