Hey, everyone. As most of you DMs know, the Age of Worms Adventure Path involves the Rod of Seven parts- to an extent. A third or so of the adventure path seems to revolve slightly around the Wind Dukes of Aqaa, who created the rod- and one of the adventures even has the players finding the largest piece of it. However, as far as finding the whole thing, all that we get is a possible encounter with a Pit Fiend trying to get that one from the PCs- but has anyone tried to expand this?
One of the PCs in my group loves the Rod of Seven Parts, and would love playing through a plane-hopping campaign in search of it. As a result, he was ecstatic when he found out that the Wind Dukes in the Whispering Cairn created it, and he asked if this was going to be such a campaign. Giving as little information about the storyline as I could, I told him no (as, really, it's the truth, and in my opinion isn't too big of a spoiler of anything)- but it's intrigued me. Has anyone thought of using the Rod of Seven Parts more in this Adventure Path? Does anyone know of any small sidequests could be slipped into the adventures to involve them more? One idea I had was to drop one of the pieces (say, one of the smallest pieces) into an earlier adventure (we've just gotten through the Three Faces of Evil), but not make it entirely apparent that the piece is a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. (An identify spell could determine that it was an artifact, but not much else.) After all, according to their write-up in the Arms & Equipment Guide, the pieces don't really look like they're broken- one side effect of being an artifact of law, I suppose.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to drop off a piece of the rod, or whether to use a sidequest at all? Or should I simply ignore the PC's request and possibly do another campaign based around it later? Any tips would be most appreciated.
|
Hey, everyone. As most of you DMs know, the Age of Worms Adventure Path involves the Rod of Seven parts- to an extent. A third or so of the adventure path seems to revolve slightly around the Wind Dukes of Aqaa, who created the rod- and one of the adventures even has the players finding the largest piece of it. However, as far as finding the whole thing, all that we get is a possible encounter with a Pit Fiend trying to get that one from the PCs- but has anyone tried to expand this?
One of the PCs in my group loves the Rod of Seven Parts, and would love playing through a plane-hopping campaign in search of it. As a result, he was ecstatic when he found out that the Wind Dukes in the Whispering Cairn created it, and he asked if this was going to be such a campaign. Giving as little information about the storyline as I could, I told him no (as, really, it's the truth, and in my opinion isn't too big of a spoiler of anything)- but it's intrigued me. Has anyone thought of using the Rod of Seven Parts more in this Adventure Path? Does anyone know of any small sidequests could be slipped into the adventures to involve them more? One idea I had was to drop one of the pieces (say, one of the smallest pieces) into an earlier adventure (we've just gotten through the Three Faces of Evil), but not make it entirely apparent that the piece is a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. (An identify spell could determine that it was an artifact, but not much else.) After all, according to their write-up in the Arms & Equipment Guide, the pieces don't really look like they're broken- one side effect of being an artifact of law, I suppose.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to drop off a piece of the rod, or whether to use a sidequest at all? Or should I simply ignore the PC's request and possibly do another campaign based around it later? Any tips would be most appreciated.
i was also slightly dissapointed about this. No, I would not use a sidequest, because it might end up making the Pcs too strong. The way i see it, the people who own the other pieces would be able to track the PCs down and attempt to kill them to get their piece(s). I say, since the PCs can't track down the smaller pieces, have the pieces come to them. After the Pit fiends minions fail for the Nth time, Visciannix will get annoyed and come himself. Have him make the tactical error of bringing the rod on his person (Not as dumb as it sounds. The owner of the 5th part might try to steal it while he is away, so he decides it will be safer with him). Then, later, the owner of the 5th part, then the 4th part, etc. will use theirs to locate the PCs, come to them, and try to get the part.
The only downside to this I see is that The complete rod might be too effective against Kyuss in Dawn of an Age.
Alternatively, make it an Epic level Quest after the campaign as printed in Dungeon ends.
I plan on running a long side-quest for each of the parts. I finally got my hands on the Arms and Equipment guide and was shocked to find the players had the largest piece. This means that they couldn't use it to find smaller pieces. Fortunately they know this guy named Manzorian (Tenser in my game) who has a Pool of the Planes, that when tuned to the fragment they do have, can be used to locate the other pieces. Here are some quick ideas I jotted down to use:
Fragmented into seven sections, each section entered into various planes in a blast of arcane fury. The first section will have been recovered by PCs on the Prime Material Plane. The rest of the sections will be found as follows:
2) A Pit Fiend is in possession of a fragment and is using it to track the PCs to acquire their piece. The Pit Fiend is located in one of the numerous layers of hell. Acquiring this rod (and thus ending the ceaseless raids) is straight forward: enter the Pit Fiend’s lair and lay down some whup butt.
3) Elemental Plane of Fire: Much like Star Wars’ planet Mustafar, this area of the plane resembles an infinitely distant volcanic region consisting of a mixture of relatively cool (only 1d6 damage per round) rock formations surrounded by lakes, rivers and oceans of fire spewing magma. The PCs must overcome Fire Salamaders and their elemental minions to win access to the rod (of which they are unaware of).
4) Elemental Plane of Earth: Gaining access to this rod is difficult by virtue that it is hidden somewhere in tons of solid dirt material. The PCs will face various tunneling earth creatures and another adventuring party that may wish to exchange equipment or information.
5) Elemental Plane of Water (Ice): The area of this plane is partially submerged waterways and frozen ice-bound passages. The party may encounter water elementals, Ice Salamanders, and other creatures of the cold as found in the accessory Frostburn. The Party must acquire the item, taken as a piece of treasure and added to a hoard by a not-so bright White Dragon. (run the adventure Frigid Demise with an appropriate advancement for the dragon)
6) Shadow Plane: A Plane shrouded in perpetual Darkness, undead and worse wander the sorrowful land of death. Characters will get their chance to resist the taint inherent to this plane. Monsters from Libris Mortis and Heroes of Horror will be encountered here; the biggest surprise is that they will face evil undead versions of themselves (a unique type of undead) in a supernatural crypt that will magically divide them to be alone (very scary indeed) to gain the rod portion.
7) Celestial Plane: On this plane, gathering the rod would be difficult for evil aligned parties, whom probably would be killed on the spot. On the other hand, they may find it easier to acquire, at first. In this area of the celestial plane where the shard is located is a populated area not unlike a material plane city. Its buildings are built with sweeping architecture layouts, and silver and gold trim isn’t as common as one might seem. The city is clean, however, and there are no pubs, bars, or other businesses of ill repute. The shard itself is in the hands of a store owner who is intrigued with the possibilities of trading it with the first person who comes for it. What he really wants is the heart of a dragon. Of course we’re talking about an ultra-rare gem the size of a fist that beats as if it were alive. These rare gems can be found naturally only on the Plane of Chaos. Here the PCs must battle a Chaos Dragon whom will defend the gems jealously if not negotiated with. There will be plenty of Chaos Oozes, Chaos Golems, and Chaos Drakes to keep the PCs company, too.
Although Tenser has magical paintings that allow PCs to more easily direct their teleportation to specific locales, non such exist for differing planes. To accomplish this feat, PCs may utilize his Pool of the Planes that provides Plane Shift to a certain degree of accuracy for those who pass through it. (Note that the PCs are protected from “portal” effects using this magic.)
You should also note that I am changing the abilities of each piece to reflect the plane its found on (e.g. - fragment found on the plane of Fire casts Fireball.), and I will also up the abilities of the rod when assembled in parts and as a whole. The artifact will be a mover and shaker when I'm done with it.
Creative Director
|
Just as events in Shackled City tie into events in Age of Worms... events in Age of Worms will tie in to Adventure Path 3. Which is a cagey way of saying we might be doing something more extensive with the Rod of Seven Parts in Adventure Path 3. We here at Paizo will know for sure after tomorrow (we're having the last of our "What are we going to do about Adventure Path 3" meetings tomorrow).
So basically... my advice is that if you run Age of Worms, you shouldn't punch up the presence of the Rod of Seven Parts much more over what it's at as it is.
Again... no promises. We could just as easilly base all of Adventure Path 3 off of anything in Age of Worms... I wonder how a 12-part adventure based on an expedition into the Underdark to take on the White Kingdom would go over? Or a 12-part adventure that has the PCs traveling to the 4 corners of the world to uncover the reasons for a sudden population bloom of froghemoths?
Which is a cagey way of saying we might be doing something more extensive with the Rod of Seven Parts in Adventure Path 3. We here at Paizo will know for sure after tomorrow (we're having the last of our "What are we going to do about Adventure Path 3" meetings tomorrow).
James, an adventure path based on the Rod of Seven Parts would be great. I'm a big fan of the adventure (and yes, I like the spider demons!!). I would love to see a write up done for the Queen of Chaos and Miska. I also like the way you guys (and gals) at Dungeon update monsters by looking at the original - always a treat to see how you've interpret an AD&D monster. Of course, the other ideas you bantered around also sound great.
Alternatively, make it an Epic level Quest after the campaign as printed in Dungeon ends.
This is what I'm planning on doing. The quest should fit in well with Epic level characters, seeing as they have to battle greater demons and such. I might wait and see what James and the gang come up with though - an adventure path based on the original writings of the Rod would be great.
When I was deciding what to do for my latest campaign, I dusted off my old Rod of Seven Parts boxed set and seriously considered updating and running that. I decided against it (king of a lot of work) and when the AoW came out I decided that would be my campaign.
Having just recently re-read the Ro7P I was pretty interested in what impact on the campaign it would have. Shortly after the Overload came out I began thinking of an epic level adaptation of the quest. I think it's a nice tie as the PCs first brush with the Wind Dukes happened at the start of their career. I too envision a plane-hopping quest, with plently of homages to both the Ro7P and a few other modules from back in the day...
1. After securing Redhand the PCs will recieve occasional envoys from Iuz, which I asume they will spurn. After some time has passed they will recieve word from Celeste that Tenser (Manzorian) has disapeared. When they arrive in Magepoint they find it under attack by spyder-fiends (advanced versionsbefitting epic characters of course). To keep the piece of the Rod the PCs entrusted to him safe Tenser hid it in the same place he once hid a clone... the moon. Unfortunatly Iggwilv's been stuck there for some time. Drawn to the rod a servant of the Queen of Chaos has traveled to the moon and allied with Iggwilv. The pair captured Tenser when he went to check ont he rod, but he never revealed its location. When the PCs rescue the archmage, they inadvertantly allow Iggwilve to return to Oerth.
2. tenser has been doing some research and believes he knows where another piece of the rod may be found, he encourages the PCs to seek it out to prevent the agents of the Queen of Chaos from finding it. Tense belives the smallest piece was in the lair of an ancient brass dragon, but the heroes find the dragon has died and another dragon, a disciple of Ashardalon, has taken over his lair. After defeating this dragon they discover the dragon consumed most of his treasure (including the rod) before heading to the dragon graveyard. Once there they once again encounter spyder-fiends.
3. Using the smallest segemnt of the rod, they learn that the next piece is in the castle of a family of titans preparing for a wedding. I pretty much insert the "Uninvited Guests" adventure (it was my favorite) from the Ro7P, with better giants.
4. The next piece of the rod is in the hands of the Queen's newest ally, none other than Graz'zt. Graz just happens to be co-ordinating his operations on the Material Plane from his son's pad... the Empire of Iuz. I assume the PCs will try to gain audience with Iuz through the diplomatic attempts the Old One has made. Fortunatly for the PCs ever since his mother (Iggwilv) arrived, she and pappa Graz'zt have done nothing but squabble, the sxual tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife, and it's getting on Iuz's nerves. He tells the PCs he'll get the piece of the rod to them if they can do something about the domestic strife with his parents.
(Not sure how the PCs will handle this one, but I have images of a demonic version of the Parent Trap in my mind, he he)
5. Iuz may or may not be true to his word, but when the PCs secure Graz'zt's piece of the rod they will discover the next piece is in the City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire. During their time in Iuz's palace they observed som indfo on the Temple of Elemental Evil, and the elemental node portal is the nearest path. After a brief rematch (for the players not the characters) with Prince Imix from RttToEE, they will gain access to the plane of Fire.
The Sultan himself has the next piece of the rod, they will meet a fire genesai who agrees to help them find the rod if they help free her sister from from the sultan's harem. Afterwards she offers leads hem to a portal to Sigil.
6. In Sigil they will actually meet som Wind Dukes, who try to prevent them from putting the rod back together for fear Mishka willescape. Eventually they will discover that the next piece of the rod is in the hands of a rakshasa prince in Archeron. No one seems to know of a portal to Acheron, but they discover a portal to the border town of Glorium (Ysgard), from which they could travel across the Outlands to Rigus (Acheron).
While in Glorium a bold thief steals a piece of the rod, but they later learn it is an aspect of Olidammara who has no desire to see the war of law and chaos resume. Oli warns the Graz'zt is looking for them. he suggests taking the long way around and sailing the River Styx to Acheron. On the way there they will pass near Scourehold--Hextor's domain--and encounter the late Theldrick. Once they defeat the Rakshasa they are ready to assemble the rod
7. Mishka himself hold the final piece in his prison in Pandemonium. But before they can face the Wolf-Spider they have to get past Graz'zt--and this time he's ticked!
8. They return to Redhand and have tea and crumpets.
|
Creative Director
|
James, an adventure path based on the Rod of Seven Parts would be great. I'm a big fan of the adventure (and yes, I like the spider demons!!). I would love to see a write up done for the Queen of Chaos and Miska. I also like the way you guys (and gals) at Dungeon update monsters by looking at the original - always a treat to see how you've interpret an AD&D monster. Of course, the other ideas you bantered around also sound great.
Whatever we end up doing, chances are it will draw upon elements of not only previous Dungeon Adventure Paths but previous D&D adventures. It won't duplicate them. The "rebuild the Rod of Seven Parts to put down Miska the Wolf Spider" adventure's been done, and I can more or less guarentee we won't be using that plotline for Adventure Path 3.
Adventure Path 3 will be all new, but it won't ignore what's come before, is what I'm saying.
Wow. we must have been writing simultaneously.
I noticed the same thing, and we had almost differnt takes on the subject to boot!
Adventure Path 3 will be all new, but it won't ignore what's come before, is what I'm saying.
I assume that its too much to ask that when the committee makes a decision, you'd let us know whether to scrap the side-quests to pursue the rod fragments or not.
I was looking at the description of the rod and was surprised that it was pretty feeble relative to other artifacts (this may be where Averil and I disagree to a degree). As such, it would be difficult for a writer to plot an entire adventure path around a device that at its most powerful casts heal, and when fully assembled casts true resurection one time then is fragmented again. By 15-17th level, these PCs are doing that as their 3rd and 4th round standard actions in a battle.
The Rod must be at its most effective in the specific situation where it is utilized in battle with the Chaos goddess Spider Queen, I assume.
Or a 12-part adventure that has the PCs traveling to the 4 corners of the world to uncover the reasons for a sudden population bloom of froghemoths?
If my memory serves me correctly you folks originally planned to do a "Return to the Barrier Peaks adventure", but the content would have been to much for a single issue so you went with Maure Castle instead. Very interesting….
A 12-part adventure that eventually leads us back to the White Kingdom and into the Plane of Shadow and the Negative Energy Plane (or wherever) to combat the ultimate menace of the True Ghoul would make me so happy that I'd be beside myself beside myself beside myself beside myself. We're talking perpetual nerdgasm.
Well, you probably won't read this until after your meeting, but I'm sure whatever you decide upon will be worth it. After all, Age of Worms was a VAST improvement over Shackled City. I'm sure you'll outdo yourselves again.
As far as a 3rd Adventure Path is concerned, I would certainly appreciate one that more thouroughly explores Oerik. Adventures taking place in the Sundered Empire, Fireland, or Hyboria would finally reveal much needed information on these lands.
I vote for Fireland! This could involve a couple of interesting shipboard and/or underwater adventures using the new Stormwrack rules, among other things.
... events in Age of Worms will tie in to Adventure Path 3... We here at Paizo will know for sure after tomorrow...
Wow, I wouldn't have guessed it would be starting so early :)
(Hand wave here) "You don't want to make a generic AP. You want to put it solidly in GH and make Iggwilv the adversary.
"And these aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along."
Jack
Greyhawk Jedi Master
Just as events in Shackled City tie into events in Age of Worms... events in Age of Worms will tie in to Adventure Path 3. Which is a cagey way of saying we might be doing something more extensive with the Rod of Seven Parts in Adventure Path 3. We here at Paizo will know for sure after tomorrow (we're having the last of our "What are we going to do about Adventure Path 3" meetings tomorrow).
So basically... my advice is that if you run Age of Worms, you shouldn't punch up the presence of the Rod of Seven Parts much more over what it's at as it is.
Again... no promises. We could just as easilly base all of Adventure Path 3 off of anything in Age of Worms... I wonder how a 12-part adventure based on an expedition into the Underdark to take on the White Kingdom would go over? Or a 12-part adventure that has the PCs traveling to the 4 corners of the world to uncover the reasons for a sudden population bloom of froghemoths?
Or could the next AP be a showdown between the forces of Order vs the forces of Chaos? Do the heroes seek the pieces of the artifact to wield it or to detroy it forever?
We've seen a lot of good vs evil. Why not try a new twist?
|
Creative Director
|
[(Hand wave here) "You don't want to make a generic AP. You want to put it solidly in GH and make Iggwilv the adversary.
Unfortunately, we can't make it a full-on Greyhawk campaign any more than we could make it a solid Forgotten Realms or Eberron (or Birthright or Red Steel or Maztica or any other campaign setting) campaign, simply because the Adventure Path has to be usable by all of our readers with as little trouble as possible.
Adventure Path 3 will use Greyhawk as its springboard, just as Age of Worms did. It probably won't be as heavilly tied into Greyhawk as Age of Worms, but it'll certainly be moreso than Shackled City was. There'll certainly be nothing in AP3 that'll make it difficult or impossible to run in Greyhawk, since Greyhawk cleaves the closest to "generic D&D" as Dungeon sees it.