not-so-newguy
I'm the Straw Man in your argument
So we just finished the Funnel Portal Under the Stars last week. The players seemed to find the puzzles and traps a nice change of pace from our usual combat heavy sessions in 5e. With that in mind, I've decided that I'd like to run Crypt of the Science Wizard for our next adventure. This adventure features a heavily trapped dungeon with plenty of player handouts in the form of illustrations of each encounter in the dungeon (20 total).
Using this adventure has one major setting assumption that diverges from Dungeon Crawl Classics which is that the setting is pseudo-Mesopotamian rather than pseudo-European. Now I am not a historical expert by any stretch of the imagination and, lucky for me, neither are the players. What will end up happening is that the setting will be a mishmash of cultures which consist of Mesopotamia, Medieval Europe, and ancient Egypt with 99.9% of it being historically inaccurate and anachronistic. I'm fine with this, although I'd like to be accurate where I can.
Another setting assumption from the adventure is that ancient Magic-Tech can be found, although the knowledge of its creation has been lost. This matches really well with DCC's style. I mention these two assumptions because they play a large part in my query.
At the end of the last adventure, Portal Under the Stars, there are two things that happened that I am having trouble resolving:
The first one is that the Players gain half of a Rod of Rulership, specifically my problem is how it would look and function. I have already determined that the Rod will allow someone to cast Charm Person, but I want it to be something that was created through a combination of Magic and Advanced Technology. Here's all the information from the adventure that I have:
The bronze rod of rulership is engraved with half of a demon’s face.
(I'm willing to retcon the look of the Rod if I find something that fits)
The second problem I have resolving is figuring out what the cultural and mythological equivalent of a Dryad would be in Mesopotamia (or any ancient culture from that area of the world). The reason for that is because the players contacted an other-dimensional being that tasked the group with this:
"Fill this copper brazier with wood from a dryad’s tree and ignite it with the spark of a living fire. The blaze will reveal the location of the other half of the rulership rod. Find that for me, and you shall be rewarded."
TL;DR: (1)What would a Rod of Rulership look and function like if it was made from Magic & Technology? (2) What is the mythological equivalent of a Dryad from Mesopotamia (or any ancient culture from that area of the world)?
Using this adventure has one major setting assumption that diverges from Dungeon Crawl Classics which is that the setting is pseudo-Mesopotamian rather than pseudo-European. Now I am not a historical expert by any stretch of the imagination and, lucky for me, neither are the players. What will end up happening is that the setting will be a mishmash of cultures which consist of Mesopotamia, Medieval Europe, and ancient Egypt with 99.9% of it being historically inaccurate and anachronistic. I'm fine with this, although I'd like to be accurate where I can.
Another setting assumption from the adventure is that ancient Magic-Tech can be found, although the knowledge of its creation has been lost. This matches really well with DCC's style. I mention these two assumptions because they play a large part in my query.
At the end of the last adventure, Portal Under the Stars, there are two things that happened that I am having trouble resolving:
The first one is that the Players gain half of a Rod of Rulership, specifically my problem is how it would look and function. I have already determined that the Rod will allow someone to cast Charm Person, but I want it to be something that was created through a combination of Magic and Advanced Technology. Here's all the information from the adventure that I have:
The bronze rod of rulership is engraved with half of a demon’s face.
(I'm willing to retcon the look of the Rod if I find something that fits)
The second problem I have resolving is figuring out what the cultural and mythological equivalent of a Dryad would be in Mesopotamia (or any ancient culture from that area of the world). The reason for that is because the players contacted an other-dimensional being that tasked the group with this:
"Fill this copper brazier with wood from a dryad’s tree and ignite it with the spark of a living fire. The blaze will reveal the location of the other half of the rulership rod. Find that for me, and you shall be rewarded."
TL;DR: (1)What would a Rod of Rulership look and function like if it was made from Magic & Technology? (2) What is the mythological equivalent of a Dryad from Mesopotamia (or any ancient culture from that area of the world)?
