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

[Zardnaar]

OK. Yeah, see I’m not familiar with any of the original versions of the Infinite Staircase adventures, so I have no idea what’s been changed.

The dungeons under the pyramid are inverted. Another 5 levels like a big d8.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The dungeons under the pyramid are inverted. Another 5 levels like a big d8.

Yeah, level 5 being the biggest level. Levels 5-7 are mapped but unpopulated, washisname’s lair is the whole of level 8, moved to a city location in the new version.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, level 5 being the biggest level. Levels 5-7 are mapped but unpopulated, washisname’s lair is the whole of level 8, moved to a city location in the new version.

Those levels were barely detailed. I remember a blue dragon.

 

[plecostomus]

Later this month I am DMing for the first time with Infinite Staircase and the 2024 rules. I will let you know my thoughts in...a few months?

Also TessaPresents made a bunch of maps related to the Staircase itself -

• Everything: Quests from the Infinite Staircase - Google Drive
• Examples (Staircase random encounters):

 

[Lazybones]

When I created my 5e adaptation of The Lost City I leaned heavily into the suggested content for expanding the adventure provided in the original Basic module. There are some decent maps of the underground city online, and I built out the three faction headquarters, the Temple of Zargon, the goblinoid camps, the fungal forest (I placed another faction of fey there), and the volcano where they have to take the horn of Zargon. By the time I was done the adventure had become a campaign that takes a party from first level to around ninth. I only made a few minor changes to the upper pyramid, including adding another route into the city that the three "good" factions use (it didn't make much sense to me that the cultists and the factions all used the same route to go back and forth). I'm mostly just using the maps from Infinite Staircase, but I might go in and adapt the new lower level as Zargon's HQ, as it's superior to the old "you slide down a shaft and suddenly confront the BBEG" from the original.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'm running through some of them now. After using The Lost City, I'm expanding the "Zargon Plot" using some of the guideance in 3e's Elder Evils, which provides some seeds for a campaign that revolves around Zargon's rise. I'm using that as the framing device for the other adventures, rather than the Inifinite Staircase, which I found kind of....bland, in the end.

So, like, the party was hired by Vanessa Mackelroy (from Elder Evils) for the initial expedition and, having completed that, is now rescuing Dorn from gnolls. The weather will start to turn. Then, we'll have Vanessa send them on to the next adventure in the series. When they return from that, they'll find the Juiblex cult and Vanessa missing. And so on, until they return to the Lost City for the big confrontation at the end.

Using some of the material from 3e's Sandstorm and 4e's Dungeon Delves, too, to add a bit of texture to the adventures in between the main ones.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm not a fan of the linking material in this book. It feels contrived and cheesy.

But the adventures are good, I would use them on an ad hoc basis. I dropped Barrier Peaks into Vecna: EoR in place of the Forgotten Realms section (because my players had seen enough of that setting).

On the other hand, The Radiant Citadel (minisetting) is great, I've used that.

 

[pukunui]

New question about Pharaoh. The text seems to indicate that the PCs wander around aimlessly for two days before Amun Sa appears. He tells them his story then turns and starts walking toward his pyramid. It says he reaches the pyramid the following evening. Since he is a ghost and is more or less on autopilot, I presume he doesn’t stop (and wouldn’t stop if the PCs do).

So the PCs will have already spent a day traveling (unless they just sat around all day) and will then have to spend another ~ 24 hours walking through the desert to reach the pyramid. This means ~ 24 Con saves to avoid exhaustion from walking for more than 8 hours (plus a Con save to avoid exhaustion from not sleeping) in addition to any potential Con saves from the extreme heat.

Does that sound reasonable for 8th level PCs or is that too much? I mean, they only need to fail 6 times (or fewer if they already have exhaustion levels) to die of exhaustion.

Should I have the ghost stop and wait while they sleep overnight?

 

[Zardnaar]

New question about Pharaoh. The text seems to indicate that the PCs wander around aimlessly for two days before Amun Sa appears. He tells them his story then turns and starts walking toward his pyramid. It says he reaches the pyramid the following evening. Since he is a ghost and is more or less on autopilot, I presume he doesn’t stop (and wouldn’t stop if the PCs do).

So the PCs will have already spent a day traveling (unless they just sat around all day) and will then have to spend another ~ 24 hours walking through the desert to reach the pyramid. This means ~ 24 Con saves to avoid exhaustion from walking for more than 8 hours (plus a Con save to avoid exhaustion from not sleeping) in addition to any potential Con saves from the extreme heat.

Does that sound reasonable for 8th level PCs or is that too much? I mean, they only need to fail 6 times (or fewer if they already have exhaustion levels) to die of exhaustion.

Should I have the ghost stop and wait while they sleep overnight?

Refresher on DMG exhaustion levels?

In Pharaoh extreme heat is 1d6 hours. Then 1 more level for staying awake 24hours.

I think they didn't consider this converting perhaps.

 

[pukunui]

Refresher on DMG exhaustion levels?

In Pharaoh extreme heat is 1d6 hours. Then 1 more level for staying awake 24hours.

I think they didn't consider this converting perhaps.

Yep. No, the issue is that it seems like the pharaoh’s ghost would just keep on walking non-stop, but the text says he arrives at the pyramid “the next evening”. That to me suggests a whole day of walking (or close to it).

Con DC starts at 11. If you walk for 24 hours after you’ve already walked for 8 hours, then by the time you finish, the DC will be 34. I think that would probably auto-kill most PCs (as many won’t be able to succeed on Con saves with DCs higher than 22 or so).

I think with that in mind, I’ll have to have Amun Sa stop and wait for the PCs while they sleep.

Or make it so the pyramid is closer and they come across his ghost during the day and then find the pyramid that same night (before they need to sleep). That would result in fewer forced march rolls.