Descent into Mechanus: What's it like?

[Nagog]

Hey ya'll!

If Moze the Wizard has hired you and took you to a fancy event recently, please stop now! SPOILERS!

So I'm running a Political Intrigue campaign right now involving dethroning Vlaakith CLVII from the Githyanki throne, and I think the next bit will involve them seeking out the details of the contract between Tiamat and Gith/Vlaakith the 1st that granted the Githyanki the Red Dragon allies they now have. Considering the nature of the contract (and that it's magically binding and embodied by the Scepter of Ephemolon), I would assume that the contract is recorded in the Halls of Concordance in Mechanus. After reading up on Mechanus, and that most of it is huge, continent-sized gears, how do I provide a fun, other-worldly feel without requiring the party to travel a few continents over to see the gears intermeshing?

[Warder]

Obligatory linkage of the Mechanus Cannon spell from Planescape: Torment. Here you can see a small part of Mechanus, and it's even animated:



I imagine much of Mechanus is like this - entire subsections devoted to very complex mechanics that exist entirely for a very narrow purpose. Like the Mechanus Cannon, which exists to receive planar coordinates from outside sources and then deliver true, logical justice onto said coordinates. Why was it created? Why do the modrons maintain it? Why are non-Mechanus-aligned mages allowed to call in Mechanus support? If you're not a modron, you just wouldn't understand.

[J-H]

Tell me more about this cannon spell, please. I don't remember that as an option in PST, but it's been over a decade since I played it.

[Warder]

Tell me more about this cannon spell, please. I don't remember that as an option in PST, but it's been over a decade since I played it.

It wasn't that easy to find, you got it in the Modron Maze Cube off the final wizard boss. It wasn't that impressive in terms of power for an 8th level spell though, it only affected 1 creature and didn't do amazing damage, but the upside was that power of Primus didn't allow for any saving throw. I love the flavor though, in that you just send a message to some quadrones in Mechanus who uncaringly punch in your planar coordinates into some arcane device and fire the cannon through a portal, then continue about their business.

[KorvinStarmast]

@warder:
I must have one of those.
And don't you dare let my player (artificer) ever see that picture.
He'll want one too.

[Millstone85]

I would assume that the contract is recorded in the Halls of Concordance in Mechanus.

I thought there was only one Hall of Concordance, in Sigil? Hmm, that must be part of the same retcon that replaced the kolyaruts with a single Kolyarut and its marut servants.

After reading up on Mechanus, and that most of it is huge, continent-sized gears, how do I provide a fun, other-worldly feel without requiring the party to travel a few continents over to see the gears intermeshing?

I imagine that, to see intermeshing gears, the party would just have to look at the sky.

Anyhow, I remember someone suggesting that all the clanks and clunks would form a surprisingly zen background noise, justifying the plane's full name of "Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus". These sounds would also be the true medium of the modron hive mind.

I think that would lead to some particularly strange dreams, full of fractals and a sense of cosmic instrumentality.

[J-H]

Mechanus Cannon Beacon
Very rare
This perfectly octagonal rod is made of polished mithril, decorated with precisely engraved runes of Law. It holds one charge, and regains one charge every 3 days. As an action, someone may attempt to activate it to target a shot from the Mechanus Cannon, a giant inter-planar weapon of immense power at a point within 120'. On a successful activation, every creature and object in a cylinder 40'H x 5' radius takes 20d8 radiant damage, no save.
Activating the item requires a successful DC 15 Arcana check.
This part requires use of the Identify spell and cannot be decoded by simply examining the item:
If the user is of non-lawful alignment, he must roll a DC 20 Charisma save. On a failed save, the beam is targeted on his location instead.

[Unoriginal]

Hey ya'll!

If Moze the Wizard has hired you and took you to a fancy event recently, please stop now! SPOILERS!

So I'm running a Political Intrigue campaign right now involving dethroning Vlaakith CLVII from the Githyanki throne, and I think the next bit will involve them seeking out the details of the contract between Tiamat and Gith/Vlaakith the 1st that granted the Githyanki the Red Dragon allies they now have. Considering the nature of the contract (and that it's magically binding and embodied by the Scepter of Ephemolon), I would assume that the contract is recorded in the Halls of Concordance in Mechanus. After reading up on Mechanus, and that most of it is huge, continent-sized gears, how do I provide a fun, other-worldly feel without requiring the party to travel a few continents over to see the gears intermeshing?

Just to point out: that contract is *so* secret that using divine magic to research it literally does not work, and trying to use arcane magic to research it turns out into an Allip.

I would personally have the PCs gt directly to the Halls of Concordance, and then have a "this is where the contracts which are secrets are kept" dungeon, and even deeper a "this is where the maps for each individual extra-secret contract are kept" part. And the *real* place where the maps for the extra-secrets contracts are kept is actually a secret itself, hidden in the very architecture of the dungeon.