D&D 5E (2024) Thoughts on Infinite Staircase?

[pukunui]

If it’s like a coconut the fruit will be clustered around the trunk, and thus fall in the centre of the tree’s space.

Sure but the map has the trees right next to the pool of water. The side view map even makes it look like they’re growing out of the water.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Sure but the map has the trees right next to the pool of water. The side view map even makes it look like they’re growing out of the water.

As written, the fruit explode irrespective of if they fall in the water or not. This room is already extremely trivial in 5e, if anything I would look to make it harder, not easier.

 

[pukunui]

As written, the fruit explode irrespective of if they fall in the water or not. This room is already extremely trivial in 5e, if anything I would look to make it harder, not easier.

I’d be more inclined to just not have the explosive fruit. It’s pretty random and nonsensical already.

I’m already removing the doppelgängers from the maze cos I just can’t be bothered with that kind of thing. This exploding fruit is another thing I’m not sure I want to bother with. (The random gnome with the spoons is a third.)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I’d be more inclined to just not have the explosive fruit. It’s pretty random and nonsensical already.

Plenty of real world see pods explode. Just not usually fruit, and not usually doing that much damage. The puzzle needs to have some sort hazard for walking on the ground.

But Hickman did tend to be quite jokey (also see Ravenloft), and Pharaoh is a parody of Mummy movies. If you want want to play his stuff dead straight you will have some work to do.

 

[jasper]

Quests of the Infinite Staircase Review

TLDR. Kept the Flavor, Dropped the Danger.

After play review using Adventure League Version 15.1 rules.

The Quest of the Infinite Staircase covers six ancient first and basic edition adventures which have been converted to 5E. Levels 1 to 11. I have dm or played in five of these back in the 80s. And owed all of them.

The Lost City is for pcs 1 to 4 and has milestone leveling. It brings back tracking ammo, rations, and water. It maintains the close door aspect of early D&D where what happens next door, stays in that room. My player’s bad rolls help with the 1st edition feel of frustration of what is next.

When a Star Falls. Is for fourth to fifth level pcs. This is great module as it covers all the three pillars of D&D. You may want to adjust the wandering encounters at bit.

Grrrr page 49 is a picture not a map. WOTC is still in 2024 releasing maps where you can’t see the grids. The story and encounters are great. This is an adventure which can use a lot of social skill challenges but you will need to put them in.

Beyond the Crystal Cave Is for sixth level pcs. A search of lost lovers when are in the fey wild. This does have some interesting encounters but use your judgement to change combat encounters into social. One player came up with a great idea which broke the module but fitted with the story.

Pharaoh is for sixth and seventh level pcs. Some of the combat encounters are very weak as I had three pcs take out two minotaurs. (Note this before 2024 Monster Manual update).

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth is for ninth level pcs and has a small problem in the original and current. The initial quest giver location is too close to the Caverns. This was okay back then as most groups would try to go over every possible location with a fine tooth comb. I moved the quest inn to the north of map. Also the difficulty of the adventure is set to easy. Very few combat challenges for an average party.

Expedition to Barrier Peaks. Is for level eleven plus pcs. Two of major changes are how easy it is to master the space tech, and less empty rooms and floors for the DM to populate. This should be ran as a tier 2 module as only 2 monsters are about CR 10. To bring up to tier 3 give each monster at least one extra attack and plus 3 or more to hit.

Final Thoughts. If you want to keep with the first edition feel. Turn on encumbrance, ration tracking, and other resource tracking. Give out no bags of holding. Start lots of encounters start with monsters hostile or auto fights.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Grrrr page 49 is a picture not a map

The area map? (no page numbers on DDB) why would it need grid squares?

Final Thoughts. If you want to keep with the first edition feel. Turn on encumbrance, ration tracking, and other resource tracking. Give out no bags of holding. Start lots of encounters start with monsters hostile or auto fights

Or you could just do what I did and run the adventures with lower level characters than suggested. More tedious bookkeeping isn’t the same as more difficult, and we pretty much ignored that in 1st edition. And cutting out dialogue options is to chop out some of the most important elements from the adventures.

 

[pukunui]

Plenty of real world see pods explode. Just not usually fruit, and not usually doing that much damage. The puzzle needs to have some sort hazard for walking on the ground.

I just read about the sandbox tree. It has pumpkin-like fruits that explode. The explosion flings its seeds at 160 mph up to 150 feet away. It is dangerous to animals and humans.

Maybe I’ll just leave it at 20-foot radius and 6d6 damage and just add a chance to catch the fruit as it falls. And clarify that each tree has 1d4+1 fruits.

Or you could just do what I did and run the adventures with lower level characters than suggested.

Speaking of which, having the Final Boss of Pharaoh (Nafik) be only CR 6 seems pretty weaksauce, especially since his backup consists of two ochre jellies, a number of shadows equal to the number of PCs, a wall of fire, and a giant animated fist. I might just use the new CR 15 mummy lord stats instead (even if the adventure does state that Nafik failed to turn himself into an actual mummy lord).


EDIT: Another observation: Room P59 has a 10-ft x 10-ft x ??-ft pool of water in it. This pool is inhabited by three water weirds. Water weirds are Large, so the same size as the pool. I'm not sure how three are supposed to fit in there.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Nafik

I seem to recall in the original that Nafik's main shtick was he was unkillable unless you destroyed his organs. Aside from that it was his minions that were dangerous. I'll have a look at his 5e stat block and add any other thought in a minute.

Ah, I see he stays down for 24 hours in this version. I think originally he just couldn't go down at all, but his heart was in the same room somewhere. That does make him a pushover for a 7th level party. He hits quite hard but with only 82 hp (and fire vulnerability!) he is unlikely to last long enough to get an attack in. I think his minion priests were tougher than shadows as well. Wights perhaps?

Edit edit. Try this. He regenerates 20 hp per round so long as his heart exists. he has four undead cult adepts (or similar) in addition to the stated minions, and if any one falls he can reanimate them as an action as often as he likes.

 

[pukunui]

I seem to recall in the original that Nafik's main shtick was he was unkillable unless you destroyed his organs. Aside from that it was his minions that were dangerous. I'll have a look at his 5e stat block and add any other thought in a minute.

Ah, I see he stays down for 24 hours in this version. I think originally he just couldn't go down at all, but his heart was in the same room somewhere. That does make him a pushover for a 7th level party. He hits quite hard but with only 82 hp (and fire vulnerability!) he is unlikely to last long enough to get an attack in. I think his minion priests were tougher than shadows as well. Wights perhaps?

Edit edit. Try this. He regenerates 20 hp per round so long as his heart exists. he has four undead cult adepts (or similar) in addition to the stated minions, and if any one falls he can reanimate them as an action as often as he likes.

So you reckon do that instead of making him a fully-fledged mummy lord?

FWIW my PCs all have resistance to psychic damage from a wish they made in Beyond the Crystal Cave, so the full mummy lord's Dreadful Glare attack won't be as potent against them as it normally would.


Just looked at the original, and his heart was in a cave off to the side guarded by a golem (now it's two earth elementals). His original minions were two "Chabang men". I'm not sure what those are, but it says "The Chabang men are magical creations of Munafik ... When any cutting blow hits them it will cut right through. The severed part and the original body will dissolve into a pile of mud, and then suddenly spring up as two Chabang men, exactly like the original." I guess that's why they went with divisible ochre jellies for this revision instead.

The shadows in the original were mud duplicates that have as many HP as the PCs currently have and look just like them but can't cast spells and don't have any magic items. In the revision, the shadows look like the PCs too. I'm just going to give them more HP.

Another thing to consider is that the PCs may have found the Mace of Disruption in the maze, which does extra radiant damage and can potentially destroy an undead creature if it has low HP.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So you reckon do that instead of making him a fully-fledged mummy lord?

I don't have the 2024 rules, so I'm not able to gauge it. I just know the 2014 one was rubbish. But the stat block doesn't matter. The problem is "revives in 24 hours" is a non-ability. There is no way the PCs are going to still be around to be affected by it. Regeneration means they either need to split the party and have someone keep whacking him every time he gets up (opportunity for dialogue here) or turn him or otherwise restrain him, whilst they frantically look for his heart.

Just looked at the original, and his heart was in a cave off to the side guarded by a golem (now it's two earth elementals). His original minions were two "Chabang men". I'm not sure what those are, but it says "The Chabang men are magical creations of Munafik ... When any cutting blow hits them it will cut right through. The severed part and the original body will dissolve into a pile of mud, and then suddenly spring up as two Chabang men, exactly like the original." I guess that's why they went with divisible ochre jellies for this revision instead.

I had forgotten that, but I really like the idea of giving him all sand themed minions. It's reminiscent of the Brendon Fraser Mummy films, which is the feel I would be aiming for. So, if I had the original text I would make 5e chabang man stat blocks, possibly using ochre jelly as a start point. Ochre Jellies feel really off-brand.

Doesn't the lore say he has acolytes?

Another thing to consider is that the PCs may have found the Mace of Disruption in the maze, which does extra radiant damage and can potentially destroy an undead creature if it has low HP.

Treat "destroyed" as meaning "reduced to zero hp". I would do that for any boss undead.