I'm going to run a desert themed campaign (loosely based off of MTG's Amonkhet and Hour of Devistation). Anyone have any monsters and tactics that could be useful? All I have right now are a bunch of mummies and skellytons.
Maybe a group of sand-burrowing scarabs based on the Ankheg or Bulette statblocks (depending on what level difficulty you're going for)?
Along the same wavelength, if your party is exploring a pyramid dungeon or something, could easily borrow one of the Swarm of blank statblocks as a Swarm of Beetles and add a swarm or two to an encounter. Not terribly exciting on their own but maybe have a mummy with a swarm that creeps their way out of the mummy's wrapping after the mummy's first turn or something as a mid encounter surprise.
If there is a evil energy vibe going on at your necropolis, adding some Lamasu or un-death cultists spamming Animate Dead spells would both be appropriate. And I do believe Blue Dragons have deserts as their preferred habitat.
Deserts are hot, cold, lacking in water, and often lacking in food. The environment is an enemy itself. Exhaustion makes even weaker monsters dangerous. And having to create food and water magically sucks up the party’s spells.
Good opportunities for neutral and good aligned monsters for the characters to interact with in a non-combat RP kinda way. Coautl, Ki-rin, Brass Dragons, and Sphinx spring to mind for example.
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Indeed, I’ve experienced 100 degree F swings between 3PM and 3 AM in the American SW deserts. 120 in the sun to 20 at night - welcome to the moderating effects of water vapor.
Indeed, I’ve experienced 100 degree F swings between 3PM and 3 AM in the American SW deserts. 120 in the sun to 20 at night - welcome to the moderating effects of water vapor.
Yup. People can freeze to death in what we typically think of as “hot deserts.” (Many forget there can be arctic deserts too, since a “desert” is defined by having an absence (or scarcity) of liquid water.) Others too can die from the shock of such drastic temperature changes. If none of that gets you, the venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions can. And that’s just in our RL deserts….
Indeed, I’ve experienced 100 degree F swings between 3PM and 3 AM in the American SW deserts. 120 in the sun to 20 at night - welcome to the moderating effects of water vapor.
Yup. People can freeze to death in what we typically think of as “hot deserts.” (Many forget there can be arctic deserts too, since a “desert” is defined by having an absence (or scarcity) of liquid water.) Others too can die from the shock of such drastic temperature changes. If none of that gets you, the venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions can. And that’s just in our RL deserts….
I've planned this one around a RL desert, but the freezing temptutures at night give me ideas for those little imp like creatures that look like ice or sand, and combine them both!
If you want some “Egyptian inspired” deserty undead type stuff, there used to be a game called “Warhammer Fantasy,” and on of the armies was the Tomb Kings:
The game rebranded, everything shifted around into different categories, Tomb Kings didn’t make the cut… it doesn’t matter. The point is, if you want some fantastic inspiration for something like that, you can probably find the book for that army online cheap since it’s no longer current. If you don’t understand the rules for Warhammer Fantasy it really doesn’t matter, the pictures are cool, the descriptions are evocative, and if you’re nerdy enough to understand D&D, you can pick up enough WHFB from online to figure it out. You will totally get some cool ideas for how to take a handful of skeletons & mummies and turn them into a variety of horrors.
Another option, beyond just choosing desert-appropriate creatures, is re-skinning creatures that exist and placing them in a desert setting. For example, perhaps you have a cactus-roper that deals piercing damage to any creature it currently has grappled. Various mammals like wolves and lions could be pretty easily re-skinned into coyotes or mountain lions. Or, if you want something in that vein but more magical, you could reskin a Displacer Beast as a coyote-like creature that uses its displacement effect to hunt on the ever-shifting sand dunes.
Animated Armor could be another fun thing to add. It likely would be pitted from exposure to sandstorms, but metal can last a pretty long time in the low-moisture environment of a desert as it is less likely to rust.
One thing to note about deserts, not only are they colder at night, they tend to be a bit more active as many desert animals are nocturnal to avoid the heat of the day. This could be a fun way to balance party travel--if they travel during the day, they have to take greater precautions against the extreme heat (which is much more punishing than the nightly colds if you are wearing armor and carrying a pack of gear), but they will also encounter fewer threats. If they travel at night, they have to deal with greater threats and the whole "it being dark" thing, but they also are going to have an easier time coping with the environment itself.
Edit: One additional thought--deserts are usually depicted as wastelands devoid of life and color, but, having lived in one when I was younger, I can say that is the furthest thing from the truth. Not only is there the myriad colors of the rocks and sand, but there are also wildflowers, cacti, etc. There are also plenty of small animals scurrying about (usually not so much during the day) and you can hear the noises of rattlesnakes and coyotes well into the night. Be sure try to make your desert seem like a living, breathing environment, rather than falling into some of the clichés that are really easy to adopt.
No need to reskin wolves or lions, actually. Wolves were found in deserts in the Middle East and North America in historic times, and lions still live in some deserts in Africa.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
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I'm going to run a desert themed campaign (loosely based off of MTG's Amonkhet and Hour of Devistation). Anyone have any monsters and tactics that could be useful? All I have right now are a bunch of mummies and skellytons.
Maybe a group of sand-burrowing scarabs based on the Ankheg or Bulette statblocks (depending on what level difficulty you're going for)?
Along the same wavelength, if your party is exploring a pyramid dungeon or something, could easily borrow one of the Swarm of blank statblocks as a Swarm of Beetles and add a swarm or two to an encounter. Not terribly exciting on their own but maybe have a mummy with a swarm that creeps their way out of the mummy's wrapping after the mummy's first turn or something as a mid encounter surprise.
That is awesome! I will use that! They are going to explore necropolises and pyramids.
Giant scorpions, anyone? High AC, three attacks/round, poison, and well adapted to the dry climate.
Also, are you familiar with the Ant Lion Larva? Would be fun to throw one of these on a party that decides to split up in the desert.
Was not familiar with the Ant Lion Larva, but HOLY SH__! Those things are freakly awesome! Totaly gonna use them!
Purple worms are a classic desert monster.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I’m always a big fan of land sharks, but Thri-kreen are and have always been one of my favorites, ever since Dark Sun 2e.
What kind of dessert: Sahara, Gobi, Mojave? They each have different ecological and cultural associations that you could draw from.
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If there is a evil energy vibe going on at your necropolis, adding some Lamasu or un-death cultists spamming Animate Dead spells would both be appropriate. And I do believe Blue Dragons have deserts as their preferred habitat.
(Giant) poison snakes, a sphinx or 3, Fire ants, Gnolls, jackal we’re, there are a whole set of desert encounter tables in Xanthers.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
I mean...there's always this.
Deserts are hot, cold, lacking in water, and often lacking in food. The environment is an enemy itself. Exhaustion makes even weaker monsters dangerous. And having to create food and water magically sucks up the party’s spells.
This desert is 115 degrees, so yes, the inverment could turn the party into cooked bite sized munchies with their armor for purple worms.
Good opportunities for neutral and good aligned monsters for the characters to interact with in a non-combat RP kinda way. Coautl, Ki-rin, Brass Dragons, and Sphinx spring to mind for example.
Founding Member of the High Roller Society. (Currently trying to roll max on 4d6)
Most deserts are actually freezing cold at night.
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Indeed, I’ve experienced 100 degree F swings between 3PM and 3 AM in the American SW deserts. 120 in the sun to 20 at night - welcome to the moderating effects of water vapor.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Yup. People can freeze to death in what we typically think of as “hot deserts.” (Many forget there can be arctic deserts too, since a “desert” is defined by having an absence (or scarcity) of liquid water.) Others too can die from the shock of such drastic temperature changes. If none of that gets you, the venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions can. And that’s just in our RL deserts….
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Epic Boons on DDB
I've planned this one around a RL desert, but the freezing temptutures at night give me ideas for those little imp like creatures that look like ice or sand, and combine them both!
If you want some “Egyptian inspired” deserty undead type stuff, there used to be a game called “Warhammer Fantasy,” and on of the armies was the Tomb Kings:
https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Tomb_Kings
The game rebranded, everything shifted around into different categories, Tomb Kings didn’t make the cut… it doesn’t matter. The point is, if you want some fantastic inspiration for something like that, you can probably find the book for that army online cheap since it’s no longer current. If you don’t understand the rules for Warhammer Fantasy it really doesn’t matter, the pictures are cool, the descriptions are evocative, and if you’re nerdy enough to understand D&D, you can pick up enough WHFB from online to figure it out. You will totally get some cool ideas for how to take a handful of skeletons & mummies and turn them into a variety of horrors.
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Epic Boons on DDB
Another option, beyond just choosing desert-appropriate creatures, is re-skinning creatures that exist and placing them in a desert setting. For example, perhaps you have a cactus-roper that deals piercing damage to any creature it currently has grappled. Various mammals like wolves and lions could be pretty easily re-skinned into coyotes or mountain lions. Or, if you want something in that vein but more magical, you could reskin a Displacer Beast as a coyote-like creature that uses its displacement effect to hunt on the ever-shifting sand dunes.
Animated Armor could be another fun thing to add. It likely would be pitted from exposure to sandstorms, but metal can last a pretty long time in the low-moisture environment of a desert as it is less likely to rust.
One thing to note about deserts, not only are they colder at night, they tend to be a bit more active as many desert animals are nocturnal to avoid the heat of the day. This could be a fun way to balance party travel--if they travel during the day, they have to take greater precautions against the extreme heat (which is much more punishing than the nightly colds if you are wearing armor and carrying a pack of gear), but they will also encounter fewer threats. If they travel at night, they have to deal with greater threats and the whole "it being dark" thing, but they also are going to have an easier time coping with the environment itself.
Edit: One additional thought--deserts are usually depicted as wastelands devoid of life and color, but, having lived in one when I was younger, I can say that is the furthest thing from the truth. Not only is there the myriad colors of the rocks and sand, but there are also wildflowers, cacti, etc. There are also plenty of small animals scurrying about (usually not so much during the day) and you can hear the noises of rattlesnakes and coyotes well into the night. Be sure try to make your desert seem like a living, breathing environment, rather than falling into some of the clichés that are really easy to adopt.
No need to reskin wolves or lions, actually. Wolves were found in deserts in the Middle East and North America in historic times, and lions still live in some deserts in Africa.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.