Rod of Seven Parts Info Request

Nifft

Penguin Herder
Do each of the individual parts have names and "themes"?

What are the different powers each part has, and how did they change over the generations of D&D?

I'm planning on using a similar artifact soon, and I'd like to steal from the classic as much as makes sense. :)

Thanks, -- N
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Nifft said:
Do each of the individual parts have names and "themes"?

Well, according to a little google-foo the command words for each piece are "Ruat," "Coelum," "Fiat," "Justitia," "Ecce," "Lex," and "Rex," which collectively make up a Latin phrase that translates into "Though chaos reign, let justice be done. Behold! Law is king." But I honestly forget what they do. I supose you might even say those are the names of the rods. Without names, they would just be "the 3-inch part", the 7-inch part" and so on as each was a different size IIRC.

-DM Jeff
 

No themes that I recall. The "names" have already been covered, although they are truly the words used to activate the power of each rod.

The powers have changed over time. Officially, they change somewhat each time the Rod is scattered. There is a 3rd edition printing of the Rod (I forget which book it is in--Arms and Equipment Guide perhaps?) that lists powers somewhat different from the Rod of Seven Parts boxed adventure from 2nd edition.

Each rod has a power, and parts that are assembled in order create more powerful resonant powers. If all seven parts are assembled, one at a time, in order, then the most powerful ability is unlocked. In 2nd edition, that power was resurrection, although using that power would scatter the Rod.
 

Nifft said:
Do each of the individual parts have names and "themes"?

What are the different powers each part has, and how did they change over the generations of D&D?

I'm planning on using a similar artifact soon, and I'd like to steal from the classic as much as makes sense. :)
I don't blame you :) . I first read about them in the AD&D 2e DMG and I've always found the Rod of Seven Parts, the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, and Mishka the Wolf-Spider very evocative.
 

Nifft said:
What are the different powers each part has


According to the version in The Arms & Equipment Guide:

4" part - cure light wounds 5 x day
5" part - slow 1 x day
6" part - haste 1 x day
8" part - gust of wind 5 x day
10" part - true seeing 1 x day
12" part - hold monster 1 x day
15" part - heal 1 x day

When they're started to get put together the powers increase again -

2 segments - fly at will
3 segments - grants SR15; useable as a +1 mace
4 segments - control winds 2 x day; useable as a +2 heavy mace
5 segments - shapechange 1 x day; usable as a +3/+3 quarterstaff
6 segments - wind walk 1 c day; useableas a +4/+4 quarterstaff also gives Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting
7 segments - control weather; whirlwind; greater restoration 1 x day; useable as a +5/+5 lawful chaotic outsider bane quarterstaff; can also use true resurrection once but causes the rod to shatter across the Planes.


I have very fond memories of playing the Rod of Seven Parts box set... great fun !
 

In first edition the Rod had all balnk spaces that the DM could fill with entries from the big list of suggested artifact powers. So whatever powers you want it to have really.
 


Thanks, guys! Y'all are awesome. :)

I'll post my variant when it's done. I'm probably going to be adding parts like an orb (head of the mace), a ring (which is actually the smallest part), and a pommel gem (possibly a chaos diamond or similar), so it's not just different lengths that distinguish the various parts.

Thanks, -- N
 

Although the vaati were the ones who died and sacrificed to put Miska in check, the real counterpart to the Queen of Chaos on the lawful side is probably Asmodeus, who might be secretly aiding the PCs in their quest to reconstitute the rod and defeat the schemes of the obyriths. It would be interesting if you played that up, introducing some suspiciously helpful devils (who would probably be disguised erinyes or the like) and so on, letting chaotic PCs slowly discover a vast conspiracy on the lawful side of the Outer Planes, so the real solution involves not only reconstituting the rod, but also keeping it out of the claws of the baatezu. Perhaps the entire quest is part of Asmodeus' plan to rewrite all the cosmic laws in his image, and he needs the Rod in order to do that because of certain pacts and agreements he made with the vaati billennia ago.

Perhaps the baatezu could give the PCs a rite with which to unite the pieces of the rod, without telling them that it also teleports the rod to Nessus. So the challenge would be to figure out that their ritual is flawed and also to track down the true, uncorrupted ritual (perhaps in Mechanus). If they fail to do this, that's an opportunity for another quest to the Nine Hells to recover the rod from those who've gained it. Maybe Asmodeus' ruby rod and Dispater's iron rod are the eighth and ninth parts of the same item, and there's a struggle between conservative Dispater and ruthless Asmodeus over whether or not they should be united, giving the PCs an opportunity to play them against one another or even accept Dispater's help in thwarting Asmodeus' scheme.

While you're at it, why not bring in the eladrins and slaadi with their own agendas, to better showcase the diversity of Chaos? Maybe the eladrins want the PCs to bring the un-united parts of the rod to them so that they can twist its magic and change its nature before using it against Miska (maybe they want to redeem Miska instead of destroying him; maybe Miska was once an eladrin who was corrupted by the Queen of Chaos long ago, transformed into a tanar'ri against his will - maybe he was a former concept of Queen Morwel, thought long dead by all outside the Court of Stars). Maybe the slaadi are working variously for the obyriths, tanar'ri, and eladrins (often the same slaad working for all three), and appear in human form trying to convince the PCs to help one group or the other. Of course, some slaadi don't care what the Queen of Chaos does, and just want to keep the rod because it looks pretty and stings them when they touch it in such a hilarious way.
 

i thought i had also seen somewhere in print that Asmodeus and/or the devils in general had some kind of interest in the Ro7P... perhaps in FC2?
 

Remove ads

Top