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If you don't want a linear adventure, don't get it.
If you don't want an adventure where you get the parts of the Rod of Seven Parts, don't get it.
(Gathering the parts of the Rod has been a linear exercise since it was first introduced in 1976 - each part only points to the next larger one. The last does not point to the first.)
Or if you like your D&D grounded low magic and low stakes. It's for people who like their D&D like Avengers: Endgame, not for people who prefer Game of Thrones.
But then you really don't need a review to tell you that.
I understood that, I just meant that even if 7 pointed to 1 it would still be linear. It sounded like that would make it non-linear
"Gathering the parts of the Rod has been a linear exercise since it was first introduced in 1976 - each part only points to the next larger one. The last does not point to the first."
I'm working on making this adventure more open and less linear. Thankfully, my EoR campaign won't start for several months while we continue/wrap up our current campaigns... so I have time to work this out!
My initial thoughts are..
Before I get started on my thoughts,
I'm probably going to move Kas to his own separate thread. I don't like his current place in the narrative but definitely believe he should be working to thwart/supplant Vecna. I'll probably make him focus of one of the Piece quests.
Ok... (apologies for its rambling nature but it is essentially a stream of consciousness!)
It's too convenient in my mind for Kas (and therefore the players) to know where the 1st piece is immediately and doing so also robs the players of much of their decision making power. Give that, I'm planning to mix up the locations for the Rod pieces and have them start with hints/pointers to the the 7th piece. Doing this will force them to have to figure out how to find the other parts and to decide how to go about retrieving them.
How might they do that? It occurs to me that Asmodeus's influence, and the Nine Hells, is noticeably absent. Vecna's and the various demons' plans would tip the balance of the Blood War (and Law vs Chaos) if successful. Therefore, it makes sense for the devils (who are also somewhat "champions" of law) to be working against the chaos that Vecna and the demons are wreaking and planning to wreak. It's plausible that Asmodeus's minions might have knowledge of the location of a piece or two but that retrieving it will require even higher level PCs and the risk of the fine print of a contract.
I'm also considering adding one or more of the Hounds of Law. They could present another opportunity for the players to learn the locations of some of the other pieces and also preliminary knowledge of the threat level involved in retrieving them.
In short, rather than giving the party the location of piece 1 and setting them off down the tracks, I'm going to give them knowledge of where to get the 7th and then the task/choice of figuring out where to go next. In the next steps, they'll determine the location of a couple more of the pieces but also the risk/threat involved in obtaining them. At this point they'll be faced with the choice of going after the 1st given its extreme level of difficulty, or following their leads to the more achievable 3rd/4th pieces.
Anyways, this is what I've come up with as of now. Any comments, suggestions or ideas are most definitely welcome!
In the structurally very similar Doctor Who: Key to Time arc, whilst the Doctor, acting for the White Guardian, searches for the segments in order, the agent of the black guardian locates the final segment and waits for the Doctor to turn up with the other five.
Also, the Black Guardian impersonates the White in an attempt to trick the Doctor into handing over the competed Key.
In the structurally very similar Doctor Who: Key to Time arc, whilst the Doctor, acting for the White Guardian, searches for the segments in order, the agent of the black guardian locates the final segment and waits for the Doctor to turn up with the other five.
Also, the Black Guardian impersonates the White in an attempt to trick the Doctor into handing over the competed Key.
In the structurally very similar Doctor Who: Key to Time arc, whilst the Doctor, acting for the White Guardian, searches for the segments in order, the agent of the black guardian locates the final segment and waits for the Doctor to turn up with the other five.
Also, the Black Guardian impersonates the White in an attempt to trick the Doctor into handing over the competed Key.
Hmm, actually disguising the pieces of the Rod like the pieces of the Key were, and only revealing themselves when touched by the Rod, would be an additional interesting wrinkle. Especially if the final piece of the Rod, like the final piece of the Key, were an actual living person, just for the moral dilemma.
For more info on the Key to Time season, read about it here:
I, too, as others have said, do think it rather convenient that Mordenkainen/Kas knows the location of the first piece. I'd send the party on a quick side-quest to the Elemental Plane of Air (like Pandemonium, it would be interesting to send the party to a plane that's not commonly visited) to meet the Wind Dukes, who can give them some sort of location device (this again hearkens back to the Key to Time). And maybe they'll do it for an additional side quest - maybe even said item has been stolen and the party needs to re-acquire it. Or actually, they don't have such a device, but can make one, and they send the party, say, to the neighboring Frostfell/Paraelemental Plane of Ice to gather a piece of pure elemental ice, guarded by creatures such as winter wolves, frost giants, and perhaps white dragon.
I'm working on making this adventure more open and less linear. Thankfully, my EoR campaign won't start for several months while we continue/wrap up our current campaigns... so I have time to work this out!
My initial thoughts are..
Before I get started on my thoughts,
I'm probably going to move Kas to his own separate thread. I don't like his current place in the narrative but definitely believe he should be working to thwart/supplant Vecna. I'll probably make him focus of one of the Piece quests.
Ok... (apologies for its rambling nature but it is essentially a stream of consciousness!)
It's too convenient in my mind for Kas (and therefore the players) to know where the 1st piece is immediately and doing so also robs the players of much of their decision making power. Give that, I'm planning to mix up the locations for the Rod pieces and have them start with hints/pointers to the the 7th piece. Doing this will force them to have to figure out how to find the other parts and to decide how to go about retrieving them.
How might they do that? It occurs to me that Asmodeus's influence, and the Nine Hells, is noticeably absent. Vecna's and the various demons' plans would tip the balance of the Blood War (and Law vs Chaos) if successful. Therefore, it makes sense for the devils (who are also somewhat "champions" of law) to be working against the chaos that Vecna and the demons are wreaking and planning to wreak. It's plausible that Asmodeus's minions might have knowledge of the location of a piece or two but that retrieving it will require even higher level PCs and the risk of the fine print of a contract.
I'm also considering adding one or more of the Hounds of Law. They could present another opportunity for the players to learn the locations of some of the other pieces and also preliminary knowledge of the threat level involved in retrieving them.
In short, rather than giving the party the location of piece 1 and setting them off down the tracks, I'm going to give them knowledge of where to get the 7th and then the task/choice of figuring out where to go next. In the next steps, they'll determine the location of a couple more of the pieces but also the risk/threat involved in obtaining them. At this point they'll be faced with the choice of going after the 1st given its extreme level of difficulty, or following their leads to the more achievable 3rd/4th pieces.
Anyways, this is what I've come up with as of now. Any comments, suggestions or ideas are most definitely welcome!
making the Rod a more crucial element of defeating Vecna's ritual. That shouldn't be too difficult given its nature as an instrument of law vs chaos.
I haven't seen that Doctor Who episode, but those are some very interesting ideas! Not surprising given it was written by Adams! On the other hand, I think I'm leaning towards a more traditional depiction of the Rod in my campaign. A couple of my players have read Niles' "Rod of Seven Parts" book and really enjoyed it.
