Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor is a Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game released in 2001 by Ubisoft.
Ruins of Myth Drannor is based on the AD&D module of the same name, but with rules updated for the third edition of AD&D.
Gameplay
Ruins of Myth Drannor takes place from an isometric third-person perspective, similar to the Baldur's Gate series. Unlike Baldur's Gate and other Infinity Engine games, Ruins of Myth Drannor features turn-based combat rather than real-time combat. The game uses three-dimensional characters over pre-rendered two-dimensional backgrounds.
The game is a dungeon crawl, with a focus on hack and slash combat and exploration of large dungeons with many bare, similar-looking rooms. Story progression and interaction with other characters is a minimum part of the game, although there is some interaction with NPCs and other in-game characters.
Reception
Sales for the game were initially low as it received lackluster reviews and was plagued with bugs, especially in the multiplayer part. The situation was so bad that uninstalling the unpatched game could wipe the user's system files. The main complaint about the game was that it was boring: as the AD&D module it was based on is intended for a large player group. This, in combination with the initial lack of multiplayer support, is understandable. And add to this some infinite and confusing dungeons, and an only one game style — hack and slash — to make this title a boring and repetitive one. Later patches fixed some of the stability issues, but by this time stronger competition such as Bioware's Neverwinter Nights had been released.
Story
A dracolich and his sorcerous queen have seized control of the Mythal, the ancient magic that once protected the long-abandoned elven city of Myth Drannor. Once the elven ruin is completely in their thrall, the cult intends to expand its domination one city — and one soul — at a time.
Four heroes are sent to Myth Drannor by Elminster to stop the dracolich and the sorcerer queen from using the power of the Mythal to conquer Faerûn. They must travel to all areas of Myth Drannor, from the dungeons below the city, to the city itself, the catacombs beneath the city, et al, in an attempt to stop the evil from taking over the region.
Index
- Characters
- Athan • Beriand • Bronwyn • Eadred • Elena • Elminster Aumar • Emmeric • Faeril • Jarial • Inglore • Kellan • Mol • Molostroi • Nottle • Onglore • Pelendralaar • Tudo • Zud
Referenced only
- Creatures
- arraccat (black, guard) • dark naga • dracolich • dragon-kin • drow • dwarf • dwarven statue golem • elf • gargoyle (margoyle, margoyle queen) • ghast • ghoul • half-elf • half-orc • halfling • human • lich • lizardfolk • mohrg • orc • ormyrr • orog • revenant · shadow · skeleton (knight, lord) • spectre • wight • wraith • zombie (lord)
Referenced only
- Locations
- Avenue of Smiths • Bedlam Prison • Castle Cormanthor • Central Ruins • Cormanthor • Deep Halls • Dwarven Dungeons • Dwarven Tombs • Grand Avenue • Great Hall • Halls of Stone • Lizardfolk Row • Myth Drannor • Nightingale Court • New Phlan • Rhonglyn Room • Stillwater Ruins • Turgild's Square • Windrider Glade
Referenced only
- Hillsfar • Moonsea • Phlan • Podol Plaza • Sokol Keep • Valhingen Graveyard
- Organizations
- Cult of the Dragon • Elven Court • House Freth • Sisterhood of Silver Fire
Referenced only
- House Ammath
- Wondrous Items
- Amulet of constitution • Amulet of strength • Deathbane • Deathspike • Dwarven Great Warhammer of Death • Fists of Ranman • Gauntlets of dexterity • Gauntlets of Moander • Healing salve • Longspear • Magician's boots • Massive club • Orcish lead mace • Onglore's Amulet of War • Potion of healing • antidote • Potion of restoration • Potion of speed • Reptilian scale mail • Ring of cold • Ring of protection • Spear of skewering • Wand of charm monster • Wand of chain lightning • Wand of cold • Wand of healing • Wand of magic missiles • Wand of resurrection
- Religion
Referenced only
- Miscellaneous
Novelization
A novel based on the game, written by Carrie Bebris, was published by Wizards of the Coast and also included with the collector's edition of the game. Despite the many criticisms of the game itself, opinions on the novel have generally been positive.[citation needed]
Appendix
Further Reading
- Johnny Wilson (August 2000). “Silicon Sorcery: Everybody into the Pool”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #274 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 128–130.
External links
- Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor
- Sorcerer's Place (extensive coverage of all (A)D&D CRPGs)
- PoR2 Review at Ars Technica
Other settings
Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse • Planescape: Torment (Enhanced Edition) • Ravenloft: Stone Prophet • Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession • Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace
Collaborations
Dragonheir: Silent Gods • Stumble Guys
| Pool of Radiance series | |
| Pool of Radiance • Curse of the Azure Bonds • Secret of the Silver Blades • Pools of Darkness Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor | |