Warning, spoilers ahead. This document is mostly for folks who have finished the module or need help getting through it.

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...there's not a whole lot to spoil about Penultima City Redux, but there are some points of interest you might overlook.


The first Penultima campaign was not particularly good at handing out money rewards. As a result, you could be strapped for cash. If you don't mind starting a new character, Payne is a good way to get up to speed.

Not only will he level you up to lv9 from any level underneath that, but he gives you a whole LOT of money -- there's a bit of math done to tally up the value of everything in your inventory, then he gives you enough gold to cover the gap and bring you up to 36,000. That's a very nice chunk of change to go shopping with, since it'll net you some good basic magic gear, protective items, and potions.

You have to complete a short quest to get him to do it, but it's nothing hard; go to Burbville (it's a new area transition in the northeast corner of the city) and then go to the house in the south with the ugly lawn. There are a few options for getting his neighbor to cough up the item he wants; most use skillchecks, but there's one that doesn't. Enjoy.


Also in Burbville, you'll meet Eiko Mirai -- a cameo from Unreal Estate[stefangagne.com], selling lemonade at a l'il stand. Aww, cute! Well, take note, spellcasters... this lemonade is a very cheap variant of a Fox's Cunning potion. If you could use the stat boost, then buy as much as you can!


The rules are posted inside the challenge, so we won't repeat them here, but here are some tips.

Don't waste good money on healing potions here. If you die, you still end up with some cash, just less of it (1/3rd less). The real prize for the DragonBites(tm) Challenge is not the money, it's the experience points against some very tough monsters. Don't be surprised if the 'wussy' dungeon is kicking your level nine♥♥♥♥♥all over the place!

Still, there is something to be said about not dying down there. If you can escape with your life, you get the full score you've earned towards your cash reward. And also... if you can get to the 'end' of the Insane Dungeon, and defeat a Balor at the end, he drops a key that opens a chest that yields... a trophy! Woo! Bragging rights! And it's worth 3000 gold if you sell it, which is not too shabby either. Then try to fight your way BACK to the door through all those slaads without dying. You da man! And stuff.

Personally, I don't recommend taking this challenge that often, unless you're really being mauled in the adventures themselves. Why? Well, let's say you do go up a few levels. What happens then? The adventures auto-scale the enemies you face to be even stronger! If you use this to artificially jump up to level 20, it could get quite hairy out there. But some folks like that, so hey, knock yourself out!

One level you may want to reach early, however, is lv17. See, henchmen in the modules scale to (mostly) match your level... and for lv 17/18/19/20, they get an equipment upgrade as well. Shinier golden armor, better weapons, and so on. Handy if you're having trouble out there and need a beefier henchman.

(Henchmen scaling can be a problem if you're level 17 and you're playing multiplayer with a pal who's level 9... it scales to the AVERAGE level of the party, not the maximum level. You'd need everybody at 17 or higher to get the swank new henches.)


No, there's no benefit to dropping money on expensive anvils. If you honestly thought lugging around a hundred pounds of iron would be useful, you play too many adventure games. Next thing you know you'll be looking for a length of rope and a book of matches, since those are always useful in games too...