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

[Zardnaar]

Conan story that was the original inspiration.

Ah only vaguely familiar with Conan outside the Arnie movies.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Ah only vaguely familiar with Conan outside the Arnie movies.

It’s arguably the best of the original stories (and the last written I think). If you have read the module you will know the gist. Conan and Valeria stumble into an advanced lost city and meet some degenerate cultish survivors who are locked in a deadly civil war. They end up all killing each other, Conan shrugs at the stupidity of it all and goes on his way.

 

[Zardnaar]

It’s arguably the best of the original stories (and the last written I think). If you have read the module you will know the gist. Conan and Valeria stumble into an advanced lost city and meet some degenerate cultish survivors who are locked in a deadly civil war. They end up all killing each other, Conan shrugs at the stupidity of it all and goes on his way.

Sounds familiar

 

[pukunui]

OK so, first, I love the Infinite Staircase in general and Nafas as a patron. I am now using it in my Eberron campaign.

Next, my thoughts on the specific adventures:

• The Lost City: I skipped this one because a) my PCs were already past levels 1-3 when the book came out, and b) I don't like this kind of old school adventure design where you've got a bunch of antagonistic factions living in super-close proximity to each other and alongside random monsters in random rooms with no believable explanation as to how they got there. Probably won't ever run it.
  
  
• When a Star Falls: I placed this one in the Icetop Mountains in rural Karrnath and incorporated the falling star into the Draconic Prophecy (so the dragon at the end wasn't just a random dragon). The players had a real blast with this one. Would happily run this one again.
  
  
• Beyond the Crystal Cave: I started this one off in Tantamar in the Lhazaar Principalities. The players didn't explore the whole garden but they had a lot of fun with the parts they did explore, and they cleverly used ones of their wishes to return to Tantamar shortly after they'd left, thus avoiding the timey-wimey Feywild shenanigans. Would happily run this one again.
  
  
• Pharaoh: I am planning on running this one soon. Just gonna it run it at 8th level with no level-ups during the adventure. I'm going to place it in Syrkarn on the continent of Sarlona. I am looking forward to this one.
  
  
• The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: I didn't really like this one after reading it (for similar reasons to The Lost City) and couldn't think of a good place to put it in Eberron either, so I'm not going to run it for this campaign. Might reconsider it for a different campaign down the track.
  
  
• Expedition to the Barrier Peaks: I've never really liked the idea of this adventure, and while I had initially thought I could play it as an experimental House Cannith lab rather than a spaceship, after reading through the early parts, I decided it was just too weird and too sci-fi for my tastes. Probably won't ever run it.

Now, I have also decided to use Nafas and the Infinite Staircase to run the Golden Vault adventure, Shard of the Accursed. I've placed it in the Sun Pillar mountains in Xen'drik, and I've adjusted it so the scholarly hobgoblin quest giver went to Nafas, who then summoned the PCs to help. That got them to Xen'drik more quickly. (Don't worry, I'm planning on running Grasp of the Emerald Claw soon, so they'll get to experience the journey to and across Xen'drik then.)

I might run a few other short-form adventures using Nafas and the Infinite Staircase as well. Basically any adventure where you can frame the adventure hook as someone local making a wish for something to be better can work really well using Nafas and the Infinite Staircase as the framing device. (Like pretty much all of the adventures in the new Dragon Delves anthology.)

 

[Zardnaar]

OK so, first, I love the Infinite Staircase in general and Nafas as a patron. I am now using it in my Eberron campaign.

Next, my thoughts on the specific adventures:

• The Lost City: I skipped this one because a) my PCs were already past levels 1-3 when the book came out, and b) I don't like this kind of old school adventure design where you've got a bunch of antagonistic factions living in super-close proximity to each other and alongside random monsters in random rooms with no believable explanation as to how they got there. Probably won't ever run it.
  
  
• When a Star Falls: I placed this one in the Icetop Mountains in rural Karrnath and incorporated the falling star into the Draconic Prophecy (so the dragon at the end wasn't just a random dragon). The players had a real blast with this one. Would happily run this one again.
  
  
• Beyond the Crystal Cave: I started this one off in Tantamar in the Lhazaar Principalities. The players didn't explore the whole garden but they had a lot of fun with the parts they did explore, and they cleverly used ones of their wishes to return to Tantamar shortly after they'd left, thus avoiding the timey-wimey Feywild shenanigans. Would happily run this one again.
  
  
• Pharaoh: I am planning on running this one soon. Just gonna it run it at 8th level with no level-ups during the adventure. I'm going to place it in Syrkarn on the continent of Sarlona. I am looking forward to this one.
  
  
• The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: I didn't really like this one after reading it (for similar reasons to The Lost City) and couldn't think of a good place to put it in Eberron either, so I'm not going to run it for this campaign. Might reconsider it for a different campaign down the track.
  
  
• Expedition to the Barrier Peaks: I've never really liked the idea of this adventure, and while I had initially thought I could play it as an experimental House Cannith lab rather than a spaceship, after reading through the early parts, I decided it was just too weird and too sci-fi for my tastes. Probably won't ever run it.

Now, I have also decided to use Nafas and the Infinite Staircase to run the Golden Vault adventure, Shard of the Accursed. I've placed it in the Sun Pillar mountains in Xen'drik, and I've adjusted it so the scholarly hobgoblin quest giver went to Nafas, who then summoned the PCs to help. That got them to Xen'drik more quickly. (Don't worry, I'm planning on running Grasp of the Emerald Claw soon, so they'll get to experience the journey to and across Xen'drik then.)

I might run a few other short-form adventures using Nafas and the Infinite Staircase as well. Basically any adventure where you can frame the adventure hook as someone local making a wish for something to be better can work really well using Nafas and the Infinite Staircase as the framing device. (Like pretty much all of the adventures in the new Dragon Delves anthology.)

When I was reading i was thinking Golden Vault. Then you mentioned it.

Given the lackluster quality of post Tashas stuff GV and this were highlights.

I like Lost City at least as far as dungeon hacks go.

 

[pukunui]

I like Lost City at least as far as Dungeon. hacks go.

I think I would like it better if the adventure was about various factions spread out across an actual lost city, not just confined to close quarters in a small ziggurat.

But of course the actual lost city is the part that’s left for DMs to do themselves.