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

[pukunui]

I have a question about When A Star Falls. This is just my ignorance from never having played a hexcrawl before. The hex map for the module has some artwork for each key location, including obvious smoke rising from settlements.

The characters receive a "crudely drawn" version of the region map at the adventure's start that clearly marks a couple of these key locations, but not all of them. It sounds like the travel and exploration is handled through Survival rolls/etc. to determine if the characters can find the precise location they are looking for, and there's no instructions about hiding anything on the hex map.

Am I correct in thinking I don't need to hide anything on the hex map from them, even if it makes it obvious what general directions they should go in?

Another nice touch on the map is there's actually art for each of the random encounters on some of the hexes, though I will have to tell the players that they don't magically find a griffon just by going to the hex with the griffon art.

For my playthrough, I didn't even bother with the hexcrawl aspect of it. From viewing the dead sages' memories, they got the sense that they needed to skirt around the mountains to the south to find the druid's valley. When they got close enough, the giant eagles guided them the rest of the way to the druid's home. After passing the druid's test and getting the info they needed from her, she gave them directions to the hunters' village. The hunters provided a guide up to the derro lair. This same guide took them across a mountain pass so they could reach the observatory more quickly. They then got directions from Shalfey on how to find the deep gnomes' lair.

 

[pukunui]

This isn't what I originally posted here, but it's something I want to mention.

While the Infinite Staircase version of Pharaoh replaces the hostile dervishes in the original with the neutral/friendly Tears of Athis group, its conclusion just casually drops a moral dilemma into the mix like it's nothing.

Namely, the original point of the adventure remains: the ghostly pharaoh tasks you with looting two very specific items (his magical staff of ruling and his heirloom gem of seeing) from his tomb in order to break the curse. "If you undo my terrible mistake by removing these two precious objects from my tomb, then you may keep all the treasure you find within."

The Tears of Athis are described as "a group of historians, priests, and descendants of Bakar who hope to see the River Athis flow once more". If told about Amun Sa's ghost, they dismiss it as sunstroke. They are friendly unless the PCs act like "defilers".

If the PCs acquire both items and return via the one-way teleport, and they are on good terms with the Tears of Athis, then "Iaseda commends them on their successful quest. The Tears of Athis then rush from the pyramid to see if the curse has been lifted."

If the PCs carry the two items out of the pyramid, stuff happens, and then Amun Sa says in the PCs' minds, "The curse upon this land is ended. Keep my staff, my star-gem, and all the treasure you have found within my tomb -- and know that you will forever have my gratitude."

Then we get this: "The characters have also earned the gratitude of Iaseda and the Tears of Athis. As a reward for completing Amun Sa's quest, the characters may keep any magic items or treasure they recovered from the tomb, though the Tears of Athis ask the characters to leave any items of cultural, historical, or religious significance inside the pyramid."

So the Tears of Athis will have seen the miraculous end to the curse, but they won't have heard Amun Sa's ghost tell the PCs they can keep all his stuff ... and so they ask that the PCs leave items of significance in the pyramid. I would think that would include the staff and gem. If the PCs want to keep those two items, they might have to fight the Tears of Athis. (Or maybe the Tears just won't go on to "spread word of the party's deeds" ... instead they might paint them as grave robbers!)

 

[pukunui]

Another comment about Pharaoh: In room P33, there are four grenade palms with explosive pineapple fruits. As written in this version, a fruit is guaranteed to fall if a creature comes within 5 feet of a palm. The fruit explodes with a 20-foot radius (which is the entire room and more!), dealing 6d6 damage! It talks about a creature being able to pluck a fruit off a tree safely with a Sleight of Hand check, but nothing about catching a falling fruit. There's also no mention of how many fruits each tree has on it.

Looking at the map, there's really no way to move around this room without triggering multiple explosive fruits.

I looked at the original. It doesn't mention how many fruits each tree has on it either, but it at least says there's only a 20% chance of a fruit falling. While there's a 95% chance it will explode when it hits the ground, it only does 2d8 damage in a 10-foot radius (covering only 1/4 to 1/2 of the room). There's also a chance a PC can catch a fruit, which reduces the explosive chance to 40%.

I know that 5e doesn't really do percent chances, but this might be one instance where it's worth reconsidering.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Another comment about Pharaoh: In room P33, there are four grenade palms with explosive pineapple fruits. As written in this version, a fruit is guaranteed to fall if a creature comes within 5 feet of a palm. The fruit explodes with a 20-foot radius (which is the entire room and more!), dealing 6d6 damage! It talks about a creature being able to pluck a fruit off a tree safely with a Sleight of Hand check, but nothing about catching a falling fruit. There's also no mention of how many fruits each tree has on it.

Looking at the map, there's really no way to move around this room without triggering multiple explosive fruits.

I looked at the original. It doesn't mention how many fruits each tree has on it either, but it at least says there's only a 20% chance of a fruit falling. While there's a 95% chance it will explode when it hits the ground, it only does 2d8 damage in a 10-foot radius (covering only 1/4 to 1/2 of the room). There's also a chance a PC can catch a fruit, which reduces the explosive chance to 40%.

I know that 5e doesn't really do percent chances, but this might be one instance where it's worth reconsidering.

I would certainly use the original radius and damage (but no save for half). The trees aren't going to evolve to shred themselves! Or change the damage type to poison, changing the save to CON. I would probably stick with the auto-fall if players are walking on the ground (since they should be floating), but allow a DC 20 slight of hand check for any player who says "I try and catch the falling fruit" before you say "it explodes". I believe coconut palms* typically produce 3-4 fruit, I would go with that.

From a purely mechanical point of view increasing the damage makes sense. When the adventure was written PCs had fewer hp and they were harder to recover. It just doesn’t make narrative sense.


*Real pineapples don't grow on trees and only produce one fruit.

 

[pukunui]

I would certainly use the original radius and damage (but no save for half). The trees aren't going to evolve to shred themselves! Or change the damage type to poison, changing the save to CON. I would probably stick with the auto-fall if players are walking on the ground (since they should be floating), but allow a DC 20 slight of hand check for any player who says "I try and catch the falling fruit" before you say "it explodes". I believe coconut palms* typically produce 3-4 fruit, I would go with that.

Yeah. I’ll go with 1d4 per tree.

The issue is getting to the altars to activate the floating magic. You can’t get to the altars without dropping at least one fruit.

I reckon there should be a chance for the fruit to fall in the water and not explode.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah. I’ll go with 1d4 per tree.

The issue is getting to the altars to activate the floating magic. You can’t get to the altars without dropping at least one fruit.

I reckon there should be a chance for the fruit to fall in the water and not explode.

You read this stuff way more than I do.

I normally skim it, take notes and read it in depth when I want to run it.

That may be almost 30 years later oh well.

 

[pukunui]

You read this stuff way more than I do.

I normally skim it, take notes and read it in depth when I want to run it.

That may be almost 30 years later oh well.

I am reading it in depth because I am going to run it! (We were supposed to start tonight but we’ve had to delay till next weekend.)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yeah. I’ll go with 1d4 per tree.

14d+1 would give a more natural spread.

I reckon there should be a chance for the fruit to fall in the water and not explode.

Nah players want to see what happens. Even 6d6 damage is unlikely to be significant in 5e.

There is a good chance they can bypass the whole puzzle using Misty Step, Jump or Fly. I would work out the stats for the trees too - destroying them is an option.

 

[pukunui]

Nah players want to see what happens. Even 6d6 damage is unlikely to be significant in 5e.

Sure. I just mean, if a fruit falls, roll a d8 to see what square around the tree trunk it lands in. There's a possibility it could land in the water. If it does, I would think it wouldn't explode until it gets carried down the stream to where it makes a hard right turn.

There is a good chance they can bypass the whole puzzle using Misty Step, Jump or Fly. I would work out the stats for the trees too - destroying them is an option.

Yes. Destroying a tree would most likely result in all the fruit exploding. I would think the trees would be immune to their own fruits' damage, though. But yes, I expect the druid/ranger in my party will be able to identify the trees. She's got Slippers of Spider Climbing and her swarm can give her a Fly speed. The vengeance paladin has Misty Step. The shadow monk can teleport via shadows, but of course that room has a ceiling that emits sunlight, so there's nowhere in the room with dim light. He could use his Darkness spell to make some, though.

So yeah, the party has some options here to get to the altars without triggering any fruits.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Sure. I just mean, if a fruit falls, roll a d8 to see what square around the tree trunk it lands in

If it’s like a coconut the fruit will be clustered around the trunk, and thus fall in the centre of the tree’s space.