Here is a sneak peek at the release notes for the second module, The Twilight Forge set to be released on Wednesday July 12, 2006


New Content!

Long ago, the Restless Isles were a chain of peaks linked by a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns. This natural fortress was transformed into a war foundry by the ancient lords of Dal Quor in their battle against the giants of Xen?drik. Known as the ?Twilight Forge,? this armory created warforged and other weapons for the cataclysmic war that ultimately ended in defeat for the quori and ruin for the giants.

Thousands of years have passed since then, and the land has been inundated with water from the Thunder Sea. Only the tops of the peaks remain above sea level, but quori-reinforced tunnels continue to link the islands in this mysterious chain. Although the quori have been gone for 40,000 years, their strange architecture survives. So do the wildmen – a race of warped humanoids known nowhere else in Eberron, and presumed to have evolved from servants that the quori left behind.

Visit Baudry Cartamon’s Shipping Warehouse, Ghola Fan’s Compound, The Shrieking Mines, and The Twilight Forge. Only a powerful party will survive the challenges of the Restless Isles!

To read more about the Restless Isles click here.


New Race: Drow

Gain enough favor in the new Patron System (see below for more detail) and you will be able to unlock a new playable race, the Drow. This powerful race features the following:

* +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, -2 Constitution: Also known as dark Elves, Drow are nimble, clever, and magnetic, but physically delicate.
* Magical Defense: Drow are immune to magic sleep effects, and gain a +2 saving throw bonus against Enchantment spells and an additional +2 Will save bonus against spells and spell-like effects. Finally, Drow characters begin play with Spell Resistance 11, and this resistance can be increased as the Drow gains levels.
* +2 bonus on Listen, Search and Spot checks: A Drow?s senses are extremely sensitive.
* Bonus Weapon Proficiency Feats: Drow are proficient with the rapier, shortsword, shortbow, and shuriken.

To read the full article on Drow please click here.


New Systems

Stormreach now has mail!

The Couriers of House Orien, masters of transport and delivery, have begun a new effort to make inroads into the wealth held by Xen’drik and Stormreach. To that end, they have placed enchanted delivery devices throughout the city to allow citizens, for a small fee, to transport items quickly over short distances. Send letters! Send items! Send currency! Mailboxes can now be found in all city wards. Click here to learn more.

Patron System / Adventure Compendium

We are proud to introduce a new system through which players gain favor with different groups by completing specific adventures. Favor allows you access to special items and rewards; the higher your favor, the greater the rewards. This will be a dynamic system – as DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: Stormreach™ grows, the Patron system will grow, offering the chance for new and better rewards as well as greater ties and involvement within the various patron groups.

Most adventures in the game have been assigned a patron organization. By completing an adventure you gain favor with the affiliated patron group. The amount of favor each completed adventure grants you is determined by the Challenge Rating (level), length, and difficulty setting (Normal, Hard, Elite etc.) of that adventure. When you have gained enough favor with a particular group you will gain a new rank (i.e., “Friendly” or “Honored”) and a corresponding reward (for example, gaining favor with House Kundarak will allow you to earn additional bank space and gaining favor with the Coin Lords will give you access to expanded inventory slots). Representatives from each of the patron groups will be responsible for giving out new ranks and the accompanying rewards. These Representatives can be found in various locations throughout Stormreach.

When you have earned a new rank with a Patron organization, a congratulatory letter will be sent to your mailbox, inviting you to visit the Patron’s representative for your reward. You will be able to track your favor with each of the Patrons’ organizations with a new UI element called the Adventure Compendium. The Patron system is retroactive and will take into account all of the adventures you have completed up to this point. Many of you will find that you can already visit some of the Patron’s representatives to gain your ranks and rewards.

To read the full article on the new Patron System / Adventure Compendium please click here.


Spell Swapping for Sorcerers and Bards

Sorcerers and bards can now exchange spells! All sorcerer and bard trainers will have a new option added to their dialogue box: “I would like to exchange one of my spells for a different one.” Selecting this option brings up the Spell Exchange panel. Spell exchange works in the same way as the Action Point system - select the spell you would like to get rid of on the left, and select the desired spell on the right. There is a cash price for each spell swap and you can only swap a spell for another spell of the same level. Additionally you can only swap spells once every three days. Click here and here to read more about spell-swapping.