Designing Deadly Deserts for your DnD Campaign! | Thematic Terrains (YouTube Video Transcript)

(00:00:00) Your YouTube transcript will appear here (00:00:00) If you want to drop your adventuring (00:00:02) party into a landscape that is (00:00:05) unforgiving yet feels inspiring and (00:00:09) alien compared to the temperate fantasy (00:00:12) terrains that we're familiar with, then (00:00:14) I think deserts are a great choice. You (00:00:18) have blistering heat, arid winds, (00:00:21) endless dunes, and horizons that blur in (00:00:25) haze and mirage. Travel through deserts (00:00:28) becomes a battle against dehydration, (00:00:31) disorientation, and exposure to the sun. (00:00:34) In classic fantasy, deserts are symbols (00:00:38) of desolation, (00:00:40) mystery, and ancient power. A place (00:00:44) stripped of comfort where only the (00:00:47) resilient, the cunning, or the (00:00:49) supernatural tend to thrive. Hi, welcome (00:00:52) back aboard the Earth Mo. I'm Randall (00:00:54) and welcome to our thematic terrain (00:00:56) series where we take a look at different (00:00:59) terrain types for use in our hex crawl (00:01:02) and D&D sandbox campaigns. We'll break (00:01:06) down their unique themes, features, and (00:01:09) the monsters that call them home. So, (00:01:12) today we head off into the shimmering (00:01:15) heat of the deserts. (00:01:18) Before we design our desert hex's, it's (00:01:21) helpful to think about how they have (00:01:23) been portrayed in mythology, (00:01:25) storytelling, and culture. Deserts are (00:01:29) more than just hot, dry places. They can (00:01:32) function as metaphors, as trials, as (00:01:36) spiritual crucibles, and gateways to (00:01:39) lost civilizations. Here are a few (00:01:42) different themes that you can lean into (00:01:44) when you're designing your own desert (00:01:46) hex. Number one is the desert as a trial (00:01:51) of survival and isolation. Deserts (00:01:54) represent emptiness, silence, and those (00:01:57) ideas of harsh survival. In a desert, (00:02:00) the biggest danger to a party or a (00:02:04) person isn't any one given monster. It's (00:02:08) the world, the desert terrain itself. (00:02:11) That sun is unrelenting. Water is really (00:02:15) precious and scarce and landmarks that (00:02:19) the party uses to navigate shift with (00:02:21) the wind, erasing those paths and (00:02:24) memories, causing that disorientation. (00:02:27) Deserts are an environment that are (00:02:29) truly actively trying to kill the people (00:02:32) that occupy that space. They are not (00:02:34) really meant to be there. Characters (00:02:37) crossing a desert endure that physical (00:02:40) hardship, but also psychological (00:02:43) pressures. They face loneliness, the (00:02:45) ideas of isolation away from (00:02:47) civilization. They face fatigue from the (00:02:50) unrelenting sun. And if they begin to (00:02:53) lack food or water, they may suffer from (00:02:57) hallucinations (00:02:58) within the desert. I think deserts work (00:03:00) really well for adventures where the (00:03:03) kind of narrative function you're trying (00:03:05) to get across is sort of the story is a (00:03:09) struggle itself. Really crossing those (00:03:12) sands becomes some sort of right of (00:03:14) endurance that the party or figures are (00:03:18) facing when they are undertaking it. (00:03:20) Number two, deserts as ancient forgotten (00:03:23) worlds. The dry arid heat can preserve (00:03:27) ruins, bones, and relics for ages past. (00:03:32) Many realworld myths place ancient (00:03:35) kingdoms beneath sand dunes waiting to (00:03:38) be uncovered. You can use your sunken (00:03:40) temples, your buried necropolis, or even (00:03:43) entire cities swallowed by sandstorms. (00:03:46) Deserts are really a natural backdrop (00:03:50) for that exploration and discovery. (00:03:53) Secrets lie inches beneath the surface (00:03:55) of the sand. History really can sleep (00:03:58) under those layers, waiting to be (00:04:00) uncovered. A desert's emptiness kind of (00:04:03) creates a sense of mystery. Sort of a (00:04:06) what was here before the sands arrived (00:04:10) or what still lies beneath them. And (00:04:13) don't forget, sand dunes shift and move (00:04:16) over time. So, this gives you a great (00:04:18) opportunity to unearth some of those (00:04:21) ruins lost for ages for your party to go (00:04:24) ahead and explore. Number three, deserts (00:04:26) as mystical, spiritual, or visionary (00:04:30) spaces. Many traditions view the desert (00:04:33) as a place of purification and (00:04:36) revelation. Prophets, hermits, and (00:04:39) aesthetics all retreat to the desert (00:04:42) seeking divine or spiritual insights. (00:04:46) Isolation tends to become clarity. At (00:04:49) the same time, I think it's worth (00:04:51) mentioning that the deserts can harbor (00:04:53) elucery dangers. You can have miragages, (00:04:57) false oases, or malevolent spirits of (00:05:01) sand and wind that occupy your (00:05:03) fantastical deserts. They often (00:05:06) represent that border between the mortal (00:05:09) and supernatural forces. Think of things (00:05:12) like jin, ephriti, other elementals, (00:05:16) even leaning into things like ancient (00:05:18) curses. All work really well for these (00:05:21) kind of spiritual or divine spaces. This (00:05:24) makes the desert ideal for magic or (00:05:27) mythic storytelling where that reality (00:05:30) tends to blur under these extreme and (00:05:33) hostile conditions. (00:05:36) So, with our themes in mind, let's go (00:05:37) ahead and take a look at a few different (00:05:39) ways we can functionally use those (00:05:42) deserts within our campaign worlds, each (00:05:46) with their own kind of different (00:05:47) narrative purpose that we can lean on. (00:05:50) And of course, you can mix and match (00:05:52) these to shape your different desert (00:05:55) hex's and locations accordingly. So, (00:05:58) number one, we're looking at the harsh (00:06:00) trial or ordeal. The symbolic role in (00:06:03) this case is to really test the (00:06:05) worthiness and resilience of the party. (00:06:09) Our narrative function in this case is (00:06:10) really travel becomes a crucible. Those (00:06:14) who cross the desert emerge changed or (00:06:18) with some sort of new found insight. So (00:06:21) tools for designing these types of (00:06:23) deserts. I would look into maybe making (00:06:26) some mechanics or understanding the (00:06:28) mechanics for your game system on (00:06:31) exhaustion, dehydration, and heat. I (00:06:34) would look at using weather in this (00:06:37) case. So, winds and sandstorms that can (00:06:40) disorient your party, maybe make them (00:06:42) get lost easier or possibly separate (00:06:45) them from one another if they get caught (00:06:48) in this bad weather. And then I would (00:06:50) also look into using maybe that crushing (00:06:54) sense of scale. The desert can go on for (00:06:58) miles with nothing really distinct (00:07:01) causing them to get disoriented and (00:07:03) really play up that isolated feeling in (00:07:07) a desert all alone. So I would use this (00:07:10) if I want the desert to feel like an (00:07:13) antagonist itself. really creating that (00:07:16) tension through attrition and resource (00:07:20) scarcity. Number two, we have the lost (00:07:24) civilization or buried secrets function. (00:07:28) The symbolic role in this case is to (00:07:30) really have memories preserved beneath (00:07:33) the desert sand. Our narrative function (00:07:35) in this case is the party's going to be (00:07:37) making discoveries tied to ancient (00:07:40) kingdoms or long dead magic. tools for (00:07:44) designing these types of deserts. You're (00:07:46) definitely leaning into those buried (00:07:48) dungeons, half sunken statues, forgotten (00:07:51) tombs, dungeonbased adventures are going (00:07:54) to be critical here. You can have (00:07:57) locations or entrances revealed after (00:08:00) storms shift the sand dunes and the (00:08:03) landscape in the desert. And then I (00:08:05) would also think about what guardians (00:08:07) are protecting these longlost spaces. (00:08:10) Are they magical? Are they undead? Are (00:08:12) they immortal? What was left to protect (00:08:15) the forbidden knowledge? I would use (00:08:17) this type of desert if I really want a (00:08:20) mystery focused location. You're really (00:08:23) leaning into those ruins, archaeology, (00:08:26) and ancient horrors all packed into one (00:08:29) location. Number three, mystical visions (00:08:32) or the spiritual realm. So the symbolic (00:08:35) role in this case is to play up (00:08:36) revelation, illusion or spiritual (00:08:40) testing. Our narrative function in this (00:08:43) case is to really focus on encounters (00:08:45) that challenge perceptions and beliefs (00:08:48) of the party. Tools for designing these (00:08:51) types of locations. I would definitely (00:08:54) look into maybe miragebased illusions or (00:08:57) hallucery terrain, misleading terrain, (00:09:00) things like that that aren't quite what (00:09:03) they seem to the party at first glance. (00:09:05) I would look into, you know, spiritual (00:09:08) forces, whether that's wind, sand (00:09:10) spirits, um, other elementals would all (00:09:13) work really great in this type of (00:09:15) location. And then also you're going to (00:09:18) have other interesting characters that (00:09:20) are there for those kind of pilgrimages (00:09:23) or divine revelations. So that could be (00:09:26) nomadics, mystics, prophets, things like (00:09:29) that. And you could also have other (00:09:32) worldly courts. So maybe jin courts or (00:09:35) fa courts that are hidden in these sands (00:09:39) even though they're in the mortal half (00:09:41) of the world. So, I'd use this function (00:09:43) if my deserts are meant to feel mythic (00:09:46) and otherworldly. Really, a place where (00:09:49) those supernatural events manifest (00:09:52) plainly within the open desert air. (00:09:56) Deserts offer a really nice collection (00:09:59) of creatures that work with the themes (00:10:02) we've already discussed, but just desert (00:10:04) environments in general. So, looking at (00:10:07) the kind of creatures that would work (00:10:09) well in our trial or survival themes, (00:10:12) you're going to have giant scorpions, (00:10:14) fire beetles, giant ant lines. These are (00:10:17) all really great desert adapted (00:10:20) predators. You can use giant vultures, (00:10:23) rocks, manticores, all have ties to the (00:10:26) desert. Purple worms and bouletes (00:10:29) lurking underneath the sands are great (00:10:32) predators that hack from below. And then (00:10:35) you could use elementals. So dust (00:10:37) methods, sand elementals, and other (00:10:41) heatbased creatures or hazards would (00:10:44) also work really well for this survival (00:10:47) type theme. These creatures emphasize (00:10:50) the desert's hostility and (00:10:52) unpredictability. For themes of buried (00:10:56) secrets and lost civilizations, of (00:10:59) course, undead are your obvious choice. (00:11:02) mummies being the classic in deserts. (00:11:05) Uh, but you can have other undead (00:11:07) guardians and ancient spirits, whites, (00:11:10) that roam your halls as well that cause (00:11:13) terror and horror for anyone who would (00:11:17) search them. Lemias and sphinxes work (00:11:20) well as these kind of fantastical (00:11:23) creatures that can be tied to old or (00:11:26) decaying kingdoms. And animated statues, (00:11:30) golems, or other magically cursed (00:11:33) guardians work well as creatures that (00:11:36) have that kind of enduring or longlasted (00:11:40) life. That would make sense for (00:11:42) locations where they could still be (00:11:44) threats to parties, you know, hundreds (00:11:46) or thousands of years after the city was (00:11:50) lost to the sands. These types of (00:11:52) monsters make the desert feel like a (00:11:55) place where the past really kind of (00:11:57) refuses to stay buried and anyone who (00:12:00) comes there will be reminded of that. (00:12:03) Lastly, for the mystical, the visionary, (00:12:06) and the supernatural themes, looking (00:12:09) into those greater elemental spirits. (00:12:12) So, Jin, the creatures of air and (00:12:14) smokeless fire. They kind of work as (00:12:17) wandering elemental nobles in the (00:12:19) desert. It's a really fun and great (00:12:21) theme. You can look at your planer (00:12:23) creatures that are drawn to the heat of (00:12:26) the desert. So, you're going to use your (00:12:27) Asurers, your Ephriti, your fire (00:12:30) salamanders. all would work nicely in (00:12:34) this location. And then you can use your (00:12:37) illusion casting creatures, whether (00:12:39) that's fay, desert spirits, or (00:12:42) miragebased creatures that distort (00:12:44) reality. These would all work well in (00:12:47) this theme. And then lastly, you're (00:12:49) going to have celestial or prophetic (00:12:52) figures dwelling in these locations, (00:12:55) probably in solitude, but they might be (00:12:58) in pilgrimages or groups as well. monks, (00:13:01) hermits, kowal, naga as oracle serpents (00:13:05) all work well. You could have angels or (00:13:08) demons as well work in these locations. (00:13:11) So these types of creatures reinforce (00:13:13) the desert as that location that sort of (00:13:17) offers a transitional space between the (00:13:20) mortal world and the spiritual one. So (00:13:24) hopefully that gives you a clear sense (00:13:26) on how deserts function symbolically and (00:13:31) thematically within our games. I like to (00:13:34) think of them as landscapes of (00:13:36) endurance, memory, and mysticism. Each (00:13:40) offering its own tone for your sandbox (00:13:44) game. And of course, mix and match these (00:13:46) different functions to create unique (00:13:49) desert regions, whether that's cursed (00:13:51) tomblands, spiritual pilgrimage routes, (00:13:54) or survival driven wastelands. How do (00:13:57) you use deserts in your own D&D games? (00:14:00) Let me know down in the comments below. (00:14:03) If you enjoy the video, don't forget to (00:14:05) like and subscribe and consider checking (00:14:08) out Enchanted Nimbus, my monthly (00:14:10) newsletter. Thanks for hopping aboard (00:14:12) the Earth Mo. I'll see you in the next