Quests from the Infinite Staircase Review: The Staircase of Multiverses

Here is the Review of Quests from the Infinite Staircasea fantastic one collection of adventures focused on the endless staircase for Wizards of the Coast’s D&D 5E. This particular adventure delves into the infinite staircase found in the game master’s manual, which represents a dimensional crossroads capable of enriching the previous expansions (Keys from the Golden Vault, Journeys through the Rawhile Citadel And Tales from the Yawning Portal) integrating into the context of the stories as a means of transportation in the adventurers’ interdimensional journeys.

Doors everywhere

The endless staircase It is a legendary crossroads located in another dimension. The only way to access it is to find and cross its doorsor planar portals placed in the most unlikely places. A door, for example, could be found in the depths of a Lich’s lair, in a clump of tissue in a Mind Flayer’s laboratory, or even in the old grandfather clock in the basement. The doors of the infinite staircase are strongly influenced by the plan connected to them translating the characteristic elements of their dimension onto their external appearance. For example, a terrifying red light that filters through the outline of a dark door on a Gothic-style arch indicates an access route to the Shadowfell, or a door covered in glowing mushrooms located inside the entrance of a cave could represent the Underdark.

The Eternal Twilight

The panorama of the endless staircase is shrouded in an eternal twilight illuminated by the starlight of distant doors, navigate within it It does not tire travellers but it still takes days to reach the desired door, unless one of them has already passed through it. The doors of the stairway often guide travelers to places where inventiveness, creativity, and magic flow freely.

“Where there is a story worthy of being told, the stairway will always be found”However, the nature of the planar portals within it is ephemeraland as the creative elements of a dimension fade, so do the corresponding doors. This is a cycle of natural events accelerated only by the incessant propagation of the iron shadow.

The Iron Shadow is a plague fueled by creativity in all its forms. Originating from the Shadowfallcauses portals to decay and threatens the lives of those who come into contact with them. It appears in some sections of the stairway as a dark veil, Freddo And lifeless. Each creature reached by the iron shadow must succeed at a Constitution roll each turn, or gain a level of fatigue. A creature after reaching the fifth level of fatigue is swallowed up by the iron shadow and becomes a shadow itself; the process is normally irreversible, but the wish spell or divine intervention can reverse this sad condition.

The noble guardian

The protector of the balances of the infinite staircase is a noble genius, calm and merciful, called Nafas. He was born from the cosmic breath of the winds that came out of the portals of the crossroads, and he respects an ancient unwritten rule: the infinite staircase must always be observed by a noble genius. Nafas’ powers allow him to rewrite realityeach of his sentences is capable of transforming a commoner into a prince, bringing the dead back to life, or throwing a devastating meteor on his enemies. Unable to abandon the staircase, Nafas collects the stories and requests for help coming from the portals, offering adventures and missions to the visitors of the crossroads. The reward offered by Nafas It often consists of objects of inestimable value, however the most deserving can ask to make a wish to the genie, who, unlike other members of his race, respects the wishes of the applicant without hiding pitfalls and traps. Achievable Wishes from Nafas can allow adventurers to:

• Destroy or prevent the creation of a magic item;
• Learn the true name of a powerful enemy such as an angel, archfey, demon, or devil;
• Restore the life of a creature;
• Remove a debilitating effect such as being transformed into a tree by a Barkburr or becoming a shadow by the iron shadow;

Six unique stories

The Quests from the Infinite Staircase story collection consists of 6 past adventures revisited and re-proposed in a modern key. These are:

1. The Lost City: a Introductory trip created in 1982 to accompany the basic set Of Dungeons & Dragons. In The Lost City players, after getting lost in the desert, will discover the ruins of Cynidicea and its peculiar factions;
2. When a Star Falls: is the first adventure of 1984 created in the United Kingdom to feature the Union Jack flag on the cover. When a Star Falls introduces the hunting for a fallen star and the group of antagonists who wish to obtain it;
3. Beyond the Crystal Cave: is one of the few adventures of 1983 that in an era of Hack-and-Slash offered encounters not focused on combat. Beyond the Crystal Cave is inspired by the works of William Shakespeare and transports players to a timeless garden of Feywild;
4. Pharaoh: is the first adventure in the series Desert of Desolation published in 1982, in this adventure the ghost of a Pharaoh will convince players to explore his tomb to free his soul;
5. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth: is an old classic from 1982 initially proposed in 1976 as a tournament adventure, it involves players in the exploration of the lair of the archmage Iggwilv;
6. Expedition to the Barrier Peaks: is a 1976 hybrid adventure that transports its participants from the context Fantasy to that Sci-Fiintroducing the exploration of a spaceship packed with futuristic weapons and crazy robots.

The Neverending Story

Quests from the Infinite Staircase from Wizards of the Coast represents a fantastic leap into the past, thanks to the revisitation of 6 iconic adventuresThe manual is presented as a collection of fairy tales, illustrated by painted panoramaseach of which offers glimpses of the infinite staircase plan, a system of gliding journey which acts as a glue between Quests from the Infinite Staircase and the other expansions of D&D 5E.

The exploration of the endless staircase is further enriched in the supplement as a setting in its own right, including Random Encounter Generation Tables and commissionable adventures by Nafas. Overall Quests from the Infinite Staircase is a great collection recommended for nostalgics as well as newcomers ready to tackle a series of adventures that will leave them glued to their seats from the level 1 to 11.