Once you solve quests, you can't do them again. Break cover after sneaking, and the entire area is on alert for you-even after you leave and return. If you kill Yarash, the land around the Barren River stops being polluted (the game even changes the look of the map). Particularly notable is the way that the game responds to character actions. As the game moves forward, the player learns about the land and its lore through conversations with NPCs and entries in the Adventurer's Journal. At the outset, the player knows the important history around the Moonsea and the circumstances that have led to the party's immediate quest. Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Planescape, and other settings are more interesting (if more confusing sometimes!).Įven judging solely by what is presented in the game, however, the game world is evocative, thorough, and well-built. It's a sort-of generic high fantasy realm, large enough to include derivatives from almost every mythology. I grant you that it is not the most exciting of D&D campaign settings. It's tough to evaluate this, because Pool of Radiance is part of a larger Forgotten Realms campaign setting that has more history and lore than I will ever read in my lifetime. Incidentally, I'm drinking an actual gimlet right now-a tradition I will continue when writing "final rating" postings from now on.ġ. The variety of encounters is rivaled only by Might & Magic, and the tactical combat system is unparalleled. I knew it would be from the second or third day. Non-human characters can also "multi-class" (learn the abilities of another class) when leveling up.You don't need to read to the end to get to the important news: Pool of Radiance is the best game I've played since starting this blog. Fighters gain more attacks, thieves become proficient in backstabbing, while clerics and wizards can memorize more spells to cast before they need to rest. Experience points are awarded for defeating enemies, and characters level up after having accumulated set amounts. Enemy encounters are random and take place on separate isometric combat screens, where player-controlled party and enemies take turns fighting each other. The player can tweak the attributes of the characters and assign a moral alignment to each one.Įxploration of the town and hostile areas (dungeons) is viewed from a first-person perspective in a pseudo-3D world.
Six races (human, elf, dwarf, gnome, halfling, and half-elf) and four classes (fighter, cleric, wizard, and thief) are available. In the beginning of the game the player can use a pre-made party of six characters or create each of them from scratch. Pool of Radiance is the first adaptation of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing system in a computer game format.
A party of adventurers, attracted by these news, sails towards Phlan and accepts the quest. In order to clean the nearby Barren River and rebuild Phlan, local authorities spread rumors about alleged riches hidden somewhere in the city. Only New Phlan remained under human control, but its inhabitants are afraid to venture into the monster-infested areas. However, lately monsters began settling in it, gradually turning whole districts into ruins. Located on the northern shore of the Moonsea in Forgotten Realms, Phlan was once a flourishing trade city.