Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Before you descend...

1. Read up on lore, server lore and preferrably ask elder UD roleplayers about what changes the last years has brought to the server setting. The pure grinders know not much.
2. Have a plan.
3. Realize that anything not drow is considered a second class citizen AT BEST unless it is a wizard or has enough social standing in sshamath to rise above its slave race status (rarely a level 1 thing that). This includes halfdrow.
4. Realize that powerful drow Archmages rule Sshamath period (Lolth is still commonly worshipped mind). But much can be achieved in the back alleys and the taverns by political/economical/social alliances and sometimes.. if quite rarely.. by brute force.
Slavery is frowned upon when it comes to sentient beings, it is the law.
5. Arcana and trade is what fuels the city forward.

A reminder here about NOT PvPing in Sshamath or Varallas passage...read up on those rules as well.

This is not pleasantville:
Open paladins die young, elves are hunted like the treacherous beasts they are, social ineptitude will get you killed or worse (a lot of necromancers in Sshamath and the private sector is always in demand of fresh labor).
Be a wizard and praise whatever diety or power you fancy for it, be useful or be dead, crave ambition or be dead, be a purebreed drow or serve.
That are the norms defining Sshamathan life...

When you hit the streets in a city of racism and corruption...
1. Explore the city proper
2. Get a few companions if you can (This is a drow city, the concept of friend is foreign), introducing your character while making roleplay xp isnt considered bad standards..
3. Buy what you think you need (ac, hitpoints and damage in that order people)
4. Hire a guide or accept temporal servitude?


Now you are set to... evade death (sorry I mean grind, well a little).

As for the variety of killing fields in the underdark for soloing lv 1 toon there are:
Sewers (DR insanity, but a good learning reminder)
Tombs (unlucky hits and getting sick whatnot)
Varallas passage (unlucky hits)
South of Varallas (bugbears can hit hard)
Mushroom Groove (The Shroom menace)
West of Varallas (microhulks being the killer because of mind magic, cats are a slow grind unless taken before displacement)

These are all perfectly feasable depending on build for lv 1, though with a very varied danger level by and of themselves.

I recommend Varallas passage, Tombs and Sewers for a safe trip to lv2, in that order of difficulty.
The quickest way to level a drow to lv2 however is to do all the quests except the idol one, expect to die...

Im not adding Firebridge kobold map to the list because of the initial archers and the spider menace.


In darkness there is opportunity abbil, may darkness keep you.

Lolth tlu malla! (Lolth be praised)


Addendum:
A final warning.

Sshamath is a web of social standings and positioning, just because you are a wizard or somewhat less valuable (other casters) does not mean you can be by default be verbally offensive to anyone lesser.
A Seat of the Conclave or those close to them has a lot of leeway, an apprentice or initiate does not. A slit throat in the dark is a mark of failure.
Deft wordplay or silence can do wonders (drow are elves in that way).

Removed.

Correction, Munin:

Slave races are mostly only races not playable on server, like goblins, gnolls and bugbears. Orcs and Tannaruks can be put here, but not any other of races that are available as player choice, not in Sshamath, at least.

Anything not drow is a slave race being.
This does not automatically make anyone a slave.
Their pedigree is vile however.

That the laws of Sshamath state that no sentient being (this would include even orcs and goblins btw) may be kept as a slave is true.
Unless you get away with it by secrecy, corruption or whatnot.

Sorry for not being clear enough on that point.

Storm Munin wrote:Anything not drow is a slave race being.
This does not automatically make anyone a slave.
Their pedigree is vile however.

That the laws of Sshamath state that no sentient being (this would include even orcs and goblins btw) may be kept as a slave is true.
Unless you get away with it by secrecy, corruption or whatnot.

Sorry for not being clear enough on that point.

There is no slavery in Sshamath, period. --> <--

I mean, it's illegal for 'slave races'(considered by drows in most other cities) like half elves, humans and orcs. They can absolutly be resident of Sshamath, as the law says, but never citizens. Also, residents are forced by the laws to pay 'respect' to full citizens. Something most residents tends to forget.



A little edit for reference:

Slavery is also treated differently here than in other drow cities. Races considered capable of wizardry such as humans, elves, svirfneblin and deep imaskari are never kept as slaves by citizens, however visitors to the city are allowed to bring their slaves. Creatures who demonstrate an aptitude for wizardry are considered free in the eyes of Sshamath law and are allowed to live in a ghetto that is prevented from getting too big by the conclave.

Point taken.

I guess the DM:s have their reasons for this stance.

Nonetheless, you might just encounter a slave or two once in a while, probably they are leased from a visitor...

Mushroom Menace You don't like my poisonous mushrooms?

The kobold area (River Rift) is for parties, not individuals (unless you are higher in level I guess). I created it to challenge players a bit, and to create a more dynamic interactive area that parties can have some fun with at lowish (3 to 7) levels. Keep in mind there are two entrances to this area.

I second on those consumables. They are your best friend from 1 through 30 in the UD. Greed will equal XP loss.

Overall, nice guide!

would drows ever trade with a surfacer? Can they buy one of those licenses for trade?

There are some who do. I'm not sure exactly how that works as for any UDer going to the surface needs to have a valid RP reason (and the other way around). 'Valid' being a term that isn't defined.

I expect anyone who's surface characters trade with UDers to be of non-good alignment IE like a black market thing.

Storm Munin wrote:Point taken.

I guess the DM:s have their reasons for this stance.

Nonetheless, you might just encounter a slave or two once in a while, probably they are leased from a visitor...

Please read lore thread in Glouras' Wings thread, StormMunin.

http://bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2152

The lore, except for some minor fan additions which are noted on site it was ripped from (which in turn ripped it from guide, thankfully, on 99% unchanged). Much more reliable than created by players lore of House sharing name with city they live in.

I am sure any new player reading this thread might have missed the first few lines of my original post.


Thank you for clearing everything out Rainbow Prism.
We will consult you on matters that are server lore prior to your descent into the underdark. Naturally we will not consult anyone actually involved in political roleplay including members of the Seventh Circle, Bregan D'aerthe, the temple or what not. Everything needed to understand whats going on and what has recently occured can be found from your sage typing and in the lore section of the forum right?


We humbly bow at the extent of your wisdom and will of sharing in order to aid new underdark players. Its not like we see much of it ingame, perhaps this will change?


To the forum moderators:
Perhaps this thread would be more helpful if all content after breteas first post are removed?
Ive altered the original text about slavery which seemed to be extremely controversial (and obviously mostly incorrect).

*casts Create Undead on the thread*

I managed to find this after prompting by its author, hinting at its existence. Could this PLEASE be stickied so newbie Underdark characters have a go-to guide to get past their first level?

Second a sticky on this. Seriously.

Anything to give some sense of direction to starting UD players.

But I got a question: let's say I create a new toon in the UD, where should I go grinding to gain my first levels?

Storm Munin wrote:As for the variety of killing fields in the underdark for soloing lv 1 toon there are:
Sewers (DR insanity, but a good learning reminder)
Tombs (unlucky hits and getting sick whatnot)
Varallas passage (unlucky hits)
South of Varallas (bugbears can hit hard)
Mushroom Groove (The Shroom menace)
West of Varallas (microhulks being the killer because of mind magic, cats are a slow grind unless taken before displacement)

Might get a more specific answer if you say what class you roll