This short series of articles will explore the ideas of using a desert setting within a campaign or adventure. There are numerous issues that a DM (and by extension the PCs) will face in attempting to use a desert in a game, and while this series is not by any means an exhaustive guide, it will answer questions, provide example scenarios and hopefully spark some inspiration in DMs who may be suffering from the inevitable block that strikes us all occasionally.
One question that may spring to mind is why on earth would you want to adventure in a desert? It isn’t exactly the most hospitable environment around, and the majority of people would undoubtedly rather avoid deserts than make a point of going far into one.
From a DM’s point of view, setting an adventure in a desert can make an interesting change from the usual dungeon crawl or journeys through more forgiving wilderness areas such as plains or forests. A desert will challenge the players’ ability to survive in harsh conditions, and can help to make them examine their characters in great detail as they attempt to find ways to cope with searing heat, dehydration and worse.
Introducing a desert environment is a good way of adding a new dimension to a campaign, fighting in a dungeon or a forest is fine, but short of perhaps offering cover here and there, the setting is not going to impact heavily on the way your players deal with encounters. In a scenario where you add in the constant danger of heatstroke and the need to conserve as many resources as possible, and that normally trivial fight with bugbears becomes a real battle for survival.
Adventure Hooks – Getting your characters into a desert
So maybe you want to use a desert setting, but are unsure of how to integrate it into your current campaign, well this section is designed to provide an overview of a few possible reasons for entering this harsh environment.
- Someone the PCs are close to contracts a potentially fatal disease. The only known cure is manufactured by an alchemist’s guild located in a city beyond the desert. Going around the shifting sands would take the heroes much longer, and does the victim have that much time left?
- A villain the PCs have been tracking has fled into the desert to escape justice. The relevant authority figures want him taken alive, and a big part of the heroes’ salary will be cut if the desert claims him first.
- A team of archaeologists wants to investigate the ruins of a great civilisation that are now buried beneath the desert, and they will pay the PCs handsomely to accompany them.
- A desert is expanding at an alarming pace and is threatening to engulf a nearby city. Scrying spells have pointed to a source at the heart of the desert.
- Nomad caravans have recently emerged from the desert telling tales of a great necropolis that has been uncovered by a sandstorm.
- A famous nobleman has organised a race across the desert for teams of adventurers, with promises of great riches for the winners.
Thanks for reading!
Next time – A more in depth look at the hazards involved in adventuring in a desert and how to apply them in a campaign.
