D&D 5E Quest From The Infinite Staircase Adventures Revealed

Crystal caves, barrier peaks, pharaohs, lost caverns, lost cities, and fallen stars feature in the adventure anthology.

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Roll20 has today revealed some information about July's Dungeons & Dragons release, Quests from the Infinite Staircase.

The Infinite Staircase spirals in a dreamlike expanse, with doors leading to fantastic realms. It's home to the noble genie Nafas, who hears wishes made throughout the multiverse and recruits heroes to fulfill them. These pleas summon adventurers to lost caverns suffused with planar energy, fairytale gardens in the Feywild, futuristic spaceships, and other wondrous locales.

This anthology weaves together six classic DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® adventures while updating them for the game's fifth edition. You can run these quests individually or as a campaign that takes characters from level 1 to level 13.

This book includes the following adventures:
  • Beyond the Crystal Cave
  • Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
  • Pharaoh
  • The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth
  • The Lost City
  • When a Star Falls

These are all adventures from previous editions of D&D (in much the same way as Ghosts of Saltmarsh was). All of them are AD&D (1E) adventures except for The Lost City, which was a Basic D&D adventure.

EN World member @pukunui provided a quick summary of each:

For those like myself who are unfamiliar with (some of) these adventures, here are summaries based on info from wikipedia:

Beyond the Crystal Cave: An AD&D 1e adventure set in Greyhawk which sees the PCs hired to save a couple who eloped and fled into the Cave of Echoes. The PCs must resolve the secret of the cave to reach a magical garden where it is always summer. The adventure is noteworthy for rewarding players for resolving encounters non-violently.

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks: An AD&D 1e adventure written by Gary Gygax himself. In this adventure, the PCs explore a mysterious spaceship that crashed in Greyhawk's Barrier Peaks mountain range. The ship is filled with robots, laser guns, power armor, and all manner of strange creatures (including vegepygmies and a froghemoth). The adventure also involves collecting colored access cards to open restricted areas and the like.

Pharaoh: An AD&D 1e adventure written by the Hickmans of Ravenloft and Dragonlance fame. This one sees the PCs exiled into a desert after being falsely accused of a crime. They end up encountering the spirit of a dead Egyptian-style pharaoh who implores them to break into his supposedly thief-proof pyramid tomb and steal some things that will enable him to find eternal rest or something.

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: Another of Gary Gygax's AD&D 1e Greyhawk modules. This one sees the PCs as treasure hunters seeking the wealth of the archmage Iggwilv. During their search, they encounter a vampire.

The Lost City: This is a Basic D&D adventure written by Tom Moldvay. The PCs get lost in a sandstorm and discover the lost city of Cynidicea, where the inhabitants are degenerate drug addicts. The PCs explore a pyramid and fight an evil monster.

When a Star Falls: An AD&D 1e module in which the PCs search for a fallen star in the moors. They encounter svirfneblin and derro as they seek to give the star to its rightful owner.
 

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Jer

Legend
Supporter
I mean, the verbiage is pretty clear that they are fleshing out the lower levels of the Dungeon?
How is "we just added a layer to that dungeon" the same as "fleshing out the lower levels"? It seems like they're just putting in one extra layer, not fleshing out all 5.
 

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Parmandur

Book-Friend
How is "we just added a layer to that dungeon" the same as "fleshing out the lower levels"? It seems like they're just putting in one extra layer, not fleshing out all 5.
You seem to be interpreting "layer" as meaning "Level," rather than that they added a layer of detail to said Levels.
 

Jer

Legend
Supporter
You seem to be interpreting "layer" as meaning "Level," rather than that they added a layer of detail to said Levels.
Ah. I see how you might understand it that way. That's not the way I understood it. But I think I'll just continue to assume that they're adding a single layer so that I can be pleasantly surprised if your reading is the correct one but not disappointed if mine is.
 

assume will include Zargon
The interesting thing about Zargon is he looks a little strong for a level 3 party. It’s based on the original art, but I have a feeling the original was intended as a campaign end boss.

I guess they could add a McGuffin that the party could use against him, or do a Wizard of Oz, with a fake Zargon and an evil gnome behind the curtain.
 


Parmandur

Book-Friend
Ah. I see how you might understand it that way. That's not the way I understood it. But I think I'll just continue to assume that they're adding a single layer so that I can be pleasantly surprised if your reading is the correct one but not disappointed if mine is.
Fair enough, though I really do think they are going to have the full Ziggurat considering Zargon's presence in the art.
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend
The interesting thing about Zargon is he looks a little strong for a level 3 party. It’s based on the original art, but I have a feeling the original was intended as a campaign end boss.

I guess they could add a McGuffin that the party could use against him, or do a Wizard of Oz, with a fake Zargon and an evil gnome behind the curtain.
In ye olden days the level of the dungeon often correlated to the level of the monsters.
Exactly this: Zargon is at the very bottom of the 3 dimensionally symmetrical ziggurat, in a small chamber at the bottom level that mirrors the apex above ground. The original module gives detail on the Level 1-3 portion, leaving the areas leading up to Zargon for DMs ro detail for higher Level characters, and hooks for areas beyond the Ziggurat. Basically, it was a seed for a gigantic megadungeon.
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend
The interesting thing about Zargon is he looks a little strong for a level 3 party.
Original description and stats:

...a huge humanoid figure rises from the slime, standing 15' tall. Its head is that of a giant lizard. A black 2' long horn curves upward above its single red eye, and sharp teeth fill its mouth. Instead of arms, the creature has six tentacles, three on each side of its body. These end in razor-sharp talons. Instead of legs, the creature slithers toward you on six more powerful tentacles.

Zargon (AC0, HD12; hp 80; MV 30'; #AT 7; D 6 x 1-8/3d8; Save F12; ML12; AL C) It will try to attack and slay any party member it can catch, striking with its claws and biting.
 



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