51 answers to "What can I do with the immovable rod?" — Revivify Games

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I had a first-time player join late into my mid-level Shadowdark campaign this past week. Not only has he never played Shadowdark, but he has never played a TTRPG, so I started him with an immovable rod.

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Does anyone know when the immovable rod was first printed? I think of it as quintessentially D&D, but I can’t find a reference to it before 3E.

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I researched and I only found 3e…

Its particularly interesting too, Goblin Punch: OSR-Style Challenges: "Rulings Not Rules" is Insufficient Goblin Punch mentioned it in this article about OSR challenges and it had me rethinking the rod, since I had always equated it with “trad” play. In those games the nature of it is often lamented because it is “exploitable,” where it is exactly the type of play I aspire to pull out of players in OSR games.

I never really played 3e so I don’t know if it fits the system well, but everything I have ever seen or read would say no. So it makes me wonder if it was an item that was floating around in early message boards or in old 3rd party materials that they drew inspiration from?

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I love this and I will definitely be including the immovable rod in future games introducing people to the OSR play style, it’s such a fantastic idea.

I’ve always had one question about the immovable rod: When you press the button on the immovable rod it stays in place, but relative to which point?
How would it work in an intergalactic (or interplanar) setting?

I love the idea that is is relative to the core of the planet on which it was created. So if I take it to another planet and click the button it would begin orbiting it’s original planet (to devastating effect).

I probably wouldn’t rule it that way as it’s a bit too punishing and not something the players would figure out without trying it, but it makes me chuckle.

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So it’s fantasy, I just say its stuck in that position relative to “the world” in space I would say it opens a black hole and is consumed lol. Sorry, I’m not a theoretical physicist, that’s beyond the level of realism I am willing to fathom in my hobby time.

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I believe the Immovable Rod started out as the Rod of Inertia from the D&D Rules Cyclopedia.

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Intriguing! Rod of Inertia (Magic Rod) | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki | Fandom

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Ooh! Rod of inertia is stellar! I’m going to be using that as an improved Immovable Rod. The fact it halts and i will continue its trajectory is chef’s kiss

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I might have to drop a rod of inertia into my campaign as well, love it!