D&D: ‘Quests from the Infinite Staircase’ Unleashes Giant Frogs, Ancient Tanks, and an Elder Evil
One of the best things about the upcoming Quests from the Infinite Staircase is the sheer variety of monsters to fight…or befriend.
Quests from the Infinite Staircase is almost upon us. And with it, six different adventures that feature myriad monsters and notable NPCs. In addition to gathering together some of the more unique adventures out of D&D’s past, the book serves up a cornucopia of clever creature concepts.
From ancient frogs to battle tanks that wouldn’t feel out of place next to ‘an ancient heat ray’ in a sketchbook to actual robots and more, the new book is packed with fun foes. And today, ahead of the release, we’re looking at some of our favorite entries, including Zargon the Returner, an elder evil that not even Asmodeus could kill.
Fun stuff. Let’s dive in.
That’s no Frog…
Let’s start with probably the best monster in the game: the Froghemoth Elder. If you’re wondering why this monster is the best? Just look at that boy. Not only is he big, he’s a good parent to his little hatchlings. An ancient alien terror and a candidate for father of the year? Sign me up.
But on top of that, the Froghemoth Elder is a fun foe to fight. In the stat block alone, the Froghemoth Elder represents Quests from the Infinite Staircase’s monster design. D&D 5.5E aims to rebalance monsters to better reflect their CR, so the Froghemoth hits harder and has more challenging DCs to escape its grapple and/or swallow attacks. And like other monsters, it seems to move away from Legendary Actions, instead opting for three reactions per round which function basically the same but can be shut down by the Shocking Grasp spell, which prevents creatures from taking Reactions.
Add to that some solid lair actions and regional effects, and you’ve got a truly monstrous alien frog guy. Complete with hypnotoad-like powers.
Some Gnomes built a Tank
The Maschin-I-Bozorg is a steam-powered battle construct that consists of a battle dome on wheels. Invented by svirfneblin, powered by good ol’ fashioned machinery and steam, and loaded down with enough poison darts to take out a tarrasque, were they not immune to poison, a maschin-i-bozorg feels like something you’d see a shirtless hero fighting in a Ray Harryhausen film, or maybe one of the Season 2 episodes of the original Star Trek series.
These constructs blast foes with steam, stab or shoot creatures with poisoned spears or darts, and can roll right over foes, potentially crushing them in a gruesome, Red Shirt-esque death sequence.
The Elder Evil
The last of our preview monsters for today is Zargon the Returner. Zargon is an elder evil, an undying aberration who is known for returning from even the most absolute destruction. Even Asmodeus could not kill the fiend permanently. No matter how heavy the nine hells’ wrath was, Zargon would always return. It’s in the name.
So Zargon was cast out into the world, entombed deep beneath the earth, until someone tunneled a little too close, and his evil got out.
Zargon is what a boss fight should feel like. With lair actions that affect multiple creatures, including a strong dispel magic effect that instantly shuts down all spells of 5th level or lower on two creatures, instantly teleporting as a glob of slime, or even creating harmful terrain out of slime, Zargon packs more of a punch than a normal CR 17 might.
On top of that, Zargon has fairly powerful – and active – defensive abilities. Zargon can absorb spells, potentially create waves of slime, and even turn people into gibbering mouthers if they’re especially unlucky. Fun times all around with Zargon.
And that’s just a taste of some of the monsters that await in Quests from the Infinite Staircase!
