D&D 5E Quests from the Infinite Staircase TOC and Zargon.

Brandes Stoddard shared the table of contents from Quests from the Infinite Staircase, along with the stats for the elder evil Zargon the Returner, over on BlueSky. Quests from the Infinite Staircase comes out on July 16th, and is an adventure anthology for character levels 1-13.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Total points: Goodman Zargon: 12-13.5 points vs WotC Zargon: 13 points. Roughly equal, which I find somewhat concerning, when you consider Goodman Zargon is a CR 13 monster, while WotC one is CR 17. I get a sense between being bigger bag of hit points and his regeneration you can only stop by dealing him damage he is resistant to, WotC Zargon will be tedious to fight against, while seven attacks per turn and three with legendary action make Goodman Zargon more of a pain in the bottom area to run. Now, Zargon who combines two statblocks would be an utter horror to fight, that would be a final boss material.

It’s more that Goodman Zargon is too powerful for its CR. I don’t think they mathed him out correctly.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Don't know about "confirmed" - I imagine there's at least a chance lillends could be saved for a hypothetical upcoming "Manual of the Planes"-style book - but it certainly seems likely that we'll be seeing them properly in the near(-ish) future.

Though given their canonical ties to the Infinite Staircase, their absence here would have been rather conspicuous.

If it was in a supplemental product they'd have printed them in QotI, they usually do when a monster is in an adventure, but isn't in the MM. I still think it'll be in 2024 MM, but that doesn't mean MotP isn't coming.

 

[Echohawk]

If it was in a supplemental product they'd have printed them in QotI, they usually do when a monster is in an adventure, but isn't in the MM. I still think it'll be in 2024 MM, but that doesn't mean MotP isn't coming.

I've said this before, but I think we're more likely to get a Manual of the Multiverse than a Manual of the Planes for this edition.

 

[TravDoc42]

Seeing leprechauns and gibberlings in 5e makes my heart happy!!
(Even though I homebrewed a leprechaun stat block recently...)

 

[Stormonu]

Seeing leprechauns and gibberlings in 5e makes my heart happy!!
(Even though I homebrewed a leprechaun stat block recently...)

...one of these days Brownies will show back up too!

What is Qotl? Surely not Quetzalcoatl...

 

[Henadic Theologian]

...one of these days Brownies will show back up too!

What is Qotl? Surely not Quetzalcoatl...

QotI = Quests from the Infinite Staircase abbrated.

 

[Necropolitan]

What makes Zargon Lawful Evil as opposed to Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil?

What order, code, or laws does he abide by, believe in, or act within?

Is that a holdover from his Elder Evils writeup which retconned him to be an Ancient Baatorian? Him being from the Nine Hells was the only thing tying him to being Lawful Evil in that book though.

 

[Parmandur]

What makes Zargon Lawful Evil as opposed to Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil?

What order, code, or laws does he abide by, believe in, or act within?

Is that a holdover from his Elder Evils writeup which retconned him to be an Ancient Baatorian? Him being from the Nine Hells was the only thing tying him to being Lawful Evil in that book though.

Well, he has organized an entire religious theocracy and underground prison civilization. Pretty orderly behavior, as elder evil beings go.

 

[Necropolitan]

Well, he has organized an entire religious theocracy and underground prison civilization. Pretty orderly behavior, as elder evil beings go.

He did it personally in Quests From The Infinite Staircase?

Because that's not the case in the original module he appeared in or in Elder Evils. Neither one gave him a personality beyond devouring anyone within reach and the cult around him was built from the original inhabitants and others who had been driven mad by him with no sign what he was doing was purposeful. And in Elder Evils him emerging turned all his cultists into blob monsters (who are mindless and Neutral Evil).

Sure it's reasonable for an Elder Evil to not have a mindset understandable to mortals, but D&D usually has those down as Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Evil, or Neutral Evil to represent that and Lawful Evil ones have an explanation of what makes them that way.

 

[Parmandur]

He did it personally in Quests From The Infinite Staircase?

Because that's not the case in the original module he appeared in or in Elder Evils. Neither one gave him a personality beyond devouring anyone within reach and the cult around him was built from the original inhabitants and others who had been driven mad by him with no sign what he was doing was purposeful. And in Elder Evils him emerging turned all his cultists into blob monsters (who are mindless and Neutral Evil).

Sure it's reasonable for an Elder Evil to not have a mindset understandable to mortals, but D&D usually has those down as Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Evil, or Neutral Evil to represent that and Lawful Evil ones have an explanation of what makes them that way.

I mean, the organization formed? That's Lawful Evil.