- For the AD&D 2nd edition adventure, see The Rod of Seven Parts.
The Rod of Seven Parts, formerly known as the Rod of Law, is a powerful artifact.
Appearance[]
The Rod of Seven Parts, when whole, is a five-foot-long pole.
Properties[]
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Activation[]
The command words for each piece are "Ruat," "Coelum," "Fiat," "Justitia," "Ecce," "Lex," and "Rex," which collectively make up a phrase that translates as "Though chaos reign, let justice be done. Behold! Law is king."
Powers[]
Each piece of the Rod has its own unique powers. The more parts of the Rod a user possessed, the more powerful each one of the seven parts became.[1]
Drawbacks[]
Destruction[]
Related items[]
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History[]
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Creation[]
The Rod was the centerpiece of a story concerning a long-ago "great war" between the Wind Dukes of Aaqa and the Queen of Chaos. At the time the artifact was in one piece, and was known as the Rod of Law.
In the story, the Rod of Law was used at the Battle of Pesh to imprison the Queen's greatest general, Miska the Wolf-Spider, Prince of Demons. The rod was broken into seven fragments during this conflict, and the seven individual pieces were scattered across the world.
Ancient history[]
Recent history[]
Publication history[]
Original D&D[]
The Rod of Seven Parts first appeared in the Original Dungeons & Dragons supplement Eldritch Wizardry (1976).
AD&D 1st edition[]
The Rod of Seven Parts returned in the Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979).
AD&D 2nd edition[]
The Rod of Seven Parts appeared in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Dungeon Master Guide (2e) (1989) and was updated in the Book of Artifacts (1993). The versions of the Rod from Original D&D's Eldritch Wizardry and 2nd edition's Book of Artifacts were updated for the Encyclopedia Magica Volume Three (1995).
The adventure The Rod of Seven Parts (1996) featured the artifact. The artifact was also discussed in two Dragon Magazine articles: A History of the Rod of Seven Parts, Dragon #224 (Dec 1995), p.66-71, and The Rod of Seven Parts, World by World, Dragon #233 (Sep 1996), p.92-94.
D&D 3rd edition[]
The Rod of Seven Parts appeared in the Arms and Equipment Guide (3e) (2003).
The Rod is referenced in the Age of Worms adventure path in Dungeon Magazine.
D&D 4th edition[]
The Rod of Seven Parts appeared in the Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (4e) (2009).
Creative origins[]
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Reception and influence[]
The Rod featured in the novel The Rod of Seven Parts by Douglas Niles, based on the 2nd edition adventure. The story deals with the return of the Rod and the forces of Chaos trying to keep it apart. The book by veteran writer Niles received mostly positive reviews from Amazon.com.[2]
References[]
- ↑ A History of the Rod of Seven Parts, Dragon #224 (Dec 1995), p.66-71.
- ↑ The Rod of Seven Parts (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Tomes) (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2020-09-13.