Planescape review: Planewalkers
For the last three years, I've run a Planescape1 campaign through almost all of its modules. Now, after successfully finishing it, I want to look back and review these adventures, highlighting the pros and cons of each one.
Each module will be rated in three categories, up to 3 points in each:
- Presentation: how easy it is to understand and run the adventure.
- Openness: how open the adventure's scope is, regarding the freedom of choice.
- Quality: Overall quality of the adventure, including the originality and richness of its content, and players' enjoyment.
The full list of currently published reviews is available under the planescape tag.
About in the middle of our main campaign, we took a detour into the Tales From the Infinite Staircase anthology with a separate group of mid-level characters. The book contains 8 adventures tied to the eponymous planar path — another one in addition to the more famous ones, such as Styx and Oceanus rivers, Mount Olympus, or Yggdrasil. While you can play these adventures separately, I would recommend following the mini-campaign premise given in the book. This collection differs both from the unconnected anthologies (like the Well of Worlds) and sequential ones (like The Great Modron March). Instead, all the Staircase adventures are connected and can be played in any order, except the first one, which acts like an introduction. Additionally, certain events will happen between the adventures regardless of the order they are played in (p.7), potentially adding a twist to some modules depending on the order the characters have chosen to play them. For example, we played them in the following order:
- Planewalkers
- Winds of Change
- Reflections
- Lost Sovereignty
- The Dream Well
- In Disarray
- A Devil's Dream
- Lord of the Worms
If the characters are lucky enough in their choice, they can even resolve the main goal before visiting all the locations. To make things clearer, I will be reviewing the chapters in the order they are written.
Planewalkers
Wherein the heroes make their way to the Infinite Staircase searching for a Guild of Travelers, and find a Barmy Sorceress and an Angry Fiend instead.
- Designer: Monte Cook
- Source: Tales From the Infinite Staircase2, Tale 1
- Party: 4-6 characters of 3rd-5th levels
- Play-time: 1 session
- Locations:
- Ysgard / The Gates of the Moon
- The Infinite Staircase
Overview
There are two ways the adventure could be started — either from Sigil or from the Prime — and both are described in detail. Either of these will task the characters with delivering a valuable package to a wizard of the Planewalker's Guild, Oriam Trascalia, and both will lead them to the Gates of the Moon — Selûne's realm on the first layer of Ysgard. After passing through the palace of Selûne, the characters enter the portal to the Infinite Staircase and meet its custodians — lillendi, creatures with humanoid torsos, multicolored serpentine lower bodies, and strikingly patterned feathered wings. While ascending the Staircase, the characters learn the intricacies of its workings and how it exclusively connects to the places with great concentrations of creativity. They are also warned about some mysterious malady affecting some of these locations. Later, the characters will experience the effects of this "disease", The Iron Shadow, firsthand, attempting to save the multiverse from its spread. This chapter also contains general rules on climbing the Infinite Staircase, along with a list of nine random encounters that might happen along the way.
After about six hours of climbing, the characters arrive at the headquarters of the Planewalker's Guild. This small settlement is located on a large landing right on the Staircase itself. The characters who wish to join the Guild must pay a yearly fee of 10 gp per level in exchange for some useful benefits. Oriam Trascalia is nowhere to be seen and is rumored to have had romantic relationships with a sorceress Shavanistra, before his recent disappearance. Some additional investigation will lead the party to a secluded area of the Staircase where Shavanistra dwells.
As the characters soon learn, this region of the Staircase is now infested with tanar'ri, thanks to the insane sorceress' failed summoning attempt. To complete their task, the party must find and rescue Oriam while dealing with the glabrezu Gerrzog and its squad of 13 manes and a charmed warrior.
After the party saves the wizard, lillendi will reveal to them the threat of the Iron Shadow and ask them for help. If this proposition is accepted, the characters will receive the direction to seven doorways leading to the next modules and can choose to tackle them in any order they wish.
Presentation
🖋️🖋️🖋️ superb
Both the Introduction chapter and the first tale are highly detailed and precise, allowing even a new DM to grasp the whole picture before starting this mini-campaign. The single map representing the section of the Infinite Staircase where the first module takes place is presented in a side-view perspective with a 10'-square grid and elevations. All expected information, such as NPC backgrounds, monster statistics, and location-specific mechanics and effects, is present.
Openness
☀️ linear
Not much player choice in this one. The area where the main part of the adventure takes place has about six keyed locations, and that's it.
Quality
★★ good
It's a decent introduction to the following adventures, but it feels a little lackluster in comparison to them. On the other hand, its short span wouldn't let the players become bored.
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