The ultimate journey in Quests from the Infinite Staircase is the legendary Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. I’ve learn this journey! Not solely have I learn this one, I did a evaluation for the Goodman Video games OAR3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks conversion/commemorative launch.
Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is one other match journey. PCs present up on the dungeon and it seals them in for 20 hours. PCs want to seek out as a lot stuff as they will contained in the unidentified unmoving object earlier than time is up.
Authentic Credit for Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
Design and Improvement: Gary Gygax
Improvement: Gary Gygax, Allen Hammack, Jon Pickens, Edward G. Sollers
Modifying: Edward G. Sollers
Artwork: Jim Holloway, Erol Otus, Jeff Easley, Stephen D. Sullivan
Playtesting: Jeff Dolphin, Luke Gygax, David Kuntz, Richard Kuntz, Sonny Savage, James M. Ward
Particular Thanks: Rob Kuntz
Art work
There are as soon as once more fourteen items of art work on this chapter. There are 4 maps, all executed within the fashion of a pc show. There are seven scenes from the journey, and two character pictures. There may be additionally the usual door on the Infinite Staircase, which on this case seems to be a suitably science fiction “whoosy” door.
Whereas a few of the art work might be what you’d count on for contemporary science fiction art work nowadays, a few of the android illustrations have robust Maschinenmensch from Metropolis vibes.
The Framing Gadget
When you’re utilizing Nafas and the Infinite Staircase because the framework for a marketing campaign, Nafas mentions that they’ve heard a voice trapped in a mountain of metal and sends the PCs to free them. Slight nitpick on my half, however I’m not likely positive who’s wishing what, because the particular person being referenced remains to be in suspended animation. Minor quibble.
One of many hooks introduced to be used outdoors of the Infinite Staircase framework is similar to the unique hook from the journey. Bizarre issues are inflicting issues for the Duchy of Geoff, and adventurers are employed to move into the Barrier Peaks to determine the place these unusual issues are coming from. The opposite hook has the PCs being employed by an inventor that has heard about a few of the unusual mechanical gadgets within the neighborhood of the Barrier Peaks, and needs some samples introduced again to them.
This journey has a canonical location within the Greyhawk setting, however there are three extra instructed areas in different settings. One suggestion is the Vingaard Mountains in Solamnia within the Dragonlance setting, the Blackcap mountains in Eberron, and the Greypeak Mountains within the Forgotten Realms. It’s fascinating that two of the three instance settings are locations which might be historically “walled off” from being simply accessed to the surface cosmos, and in at the least one place, seems like it could be combating a bit in opposition to the tone of the setting.
Journey Overview
We’re going to be accessing restricted information, in any other case generally known as spoilers, so chances are you’ll need to depart the entry hatch earlier than the time lock seals is shut once more in the event you’re going to play on this journey.
The unique journey didn’t have quite a lot of backstory on the ship apart from describing it as a colony ship. There have been a number of particulars that instructed a story, however not as many definitive components assembled right into a historical past. This journey provides a few of that story in. What’s fascinating to me is that this model of the journey has a tiny little bit of the plot of the AD&D 2e journey Story of the Comet, one other fantasy/sci-fi crossover journey, in that it entails a malevolent pc villain.
That is nonetheless a colony ship, however it particularly got down to discover a new world, after the individuals of the society that created the ship ruined their very own planetary ecosystem. The sentient pc that runs the ship (you understand, I used to be going to name it an AI, however I form of really feel like that time period not has any which means on this context) decides that the individuals on the ship don’t deserve a brand new dwelling, as they are going to doubtless wreck it as effectively. It introduces lethal mould into the air flow system, and kills nearly your complete crew, apart from one scientist that managed to seal herself right into a stasis pod.
As soon as the pc kills the ultimate scientist, it plans on mobilizing the robots of the ship to begin gathering assets from the world and being it’s job of controlling the world the place it has landed. The pc will level the PCs to completely different areas on the ship, ultimately sending them to take away the final impediment for its safety robots, so the robots can end off the scientist. The PCs might discover the servers for the pc and shut it down earlier than it could end its plans.
As within the unique journey, as soon as the PCs enter the ship, it seals itself off for 20 hours.
Exploring the Ship
In comparison with the unique journey, the ship is a bit smaller, chopping down on the variety of empty rooms. That is topic to my capacity to rely, so take it with a grain of salt, however for example, degree 1 within the unique is round 540 toes throughout, whereas on this conversion its about 400 toes throughout.
A number of the long-lasting encounters from the unique journey nonetheless exist on this model, however with fewer rooms, lots of them are nearer collectively, with a number of rearranged to position them in additional handy locations. Among the monsters have been swapped out, however not the long-lasting creatures that had been launched. For instance, the attention of the deep that seems within the unique journey will get swapped out for an aboleth. The Shedu that seem within the unique journey get swapped out for slaad.
We nonetheless have wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing monsters, froghemoths, androids, and robots. There are some modifications of terminology, like referring to the earlier police robots as safety robots.
There are 4 ranges on this model of the starship:
- The primary deck
- The commentary deck
- The backyard deck
- The service deck
That’s a change from the unique journey, which had:
- Technicians Quarters
- Service Deck
- Higher Walkway and Lounge
- Botanical Backyard, Rookery, Menagerie
- Service Deck
- Theater, Athletic, Exercise Deck
The service deck on this journey is much less about being a transition between ranges, and extra the extent the place the entire story components come collectively. Which means a number of areas shift flooring, however there’s nonetheless a normal logic to the place issues have been rearranged. There are a number of added components, like Githyanki within the ship looking the illithids which might be current.
Digital Desires
As soon as the PCs discover the central pc room on the primary degree, the ship’s pc acts benevolently towards the PCs, asking them to carry out sure duties for it, after which rewarding the PCs with extra technological gadgets. Its final plan is to maneuver the PCs to take out the froghemoth guarding entry to the service deck, ideally whereas being wounded or killed, permitting the safety robots to scrub up and discover the scientist in suspended animation.
The pc doesn’t have full management of the ship after the crash. It may management robots, however not androids. It may open doorways and gravity lifts between ranges, however it could’t lock individuals out of rooms if they’ve the right key playing cards.
The vegepygmies on this occasion are a little bit simpler to barter with, though they don’t belief the pc and might be cautious of the PCs if they’re working for it. Among the androids know what’s occurring with the pc however gained’t volunteer the data as a result of it’s not required of their programming.
If the PCs free the scientist, she will clarify how they operate. There’s a “Figuring Out Alien Know-how” desk, which is similar because the chart within the DMG for a similar subject, besides it provides a further class if a test is 4 or decrease. It’s a little bit extra forgiving than the flowchart within the unique journey, and there aren’t any bizarre designs which might be expressly made to get the PCs to level the factor within the improper course.
Ideas on Chapter 7: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks
I just like the framing system of the pc to offer some momentum for the PCs in case they don’t need to poke round an excessive amount of of the ship. Regardless of being extra of an “old-fashioned” adaptation, even the OAR3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks adaptation talks about chopping down on the PCs wandering out and in of empty rooms. I believe condensing issues and directing them is smart, however it does really feel a little bit completely different than “the ship unintentionally let quite a lot of issues out of stasis to run amok.”
Surprisingly, for an journey conversion that provides extra story to the unique dungeon crawl, there are a number of narrative touches that don’t seem, and I want that they had. For instance, a few of the stranger D&D creatures to seem within the unique journey are famous as having been snared by the ships hyperdimensional fields, interacting with their psionic talents. Within the unique journey, the illithid is a kind of creatures, however with the pure connection to cosmic horrors, the illithid felt proper at dwelling. There may be a picture of a mindflayer in an area go well with on this journey, however the illithids on this journey are from the world the place the ship has crashed, and simply began wandering onto the ship. The inclusion of Githyanki looking them feels a little bit pointless and doesn’t add a lot.
Since this model of the journey preserves quite a lot of the large, memorable moments, somebody taking part in the unique model and somebody taking part in this model are going to have some widespread floor to debate. It’s going to let individuals bond over speaking the martial arts teacher android to beat up the fencing teacher. That connection is among the finest issues you’ll be able to ask of any conversion.
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