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Title: Using Swamplands in your DnD Campaign | Thematic Terrains
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If you want to put your adventuring
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party in a hostile environment, then a
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swamp is a pretty good choice. A
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waterlogged, disorienting landscape home
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to lurking monsters and infectious
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diseases. It can feel like a real slog
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trying to navigate those waterways and
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adventure through. In the most classical
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fantasy sense, swamps are often these
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symbols of decay, corruption, and death.
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Swamps are a wild place, one that is far
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from the comforts of urban civilization.
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Hi, welcome aboard the Earth Mo. I'm
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Randall. Welcome to my thematic terrain
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series where we explore the different
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terrain types that we use in our hex
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crawls and sandbox campaigns. The
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purpose of these videos are to break
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down their unique themes and how those
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apply to the features and monsters that
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call them home. So, let's go ahead and
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venture into the meers for this week's
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episode of Thematic Terrains.
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I think to start our discussion on these
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different terrain types, we need to take
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a look at how they have been presented
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contextually in literature and
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throughout human culture. Nature and the
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different biomes of our planet Earth are
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ripe with symbolism and meaning that
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humans have attributed to them. And I
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think that if you want to design some
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fun areas for your sandbox or your
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campaign world, you might as well lean
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into some of those themes and at least
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borrow from them to kind of represent
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that to your players. Swamps, bogs,
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messers, marshlands all have a few
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central themes that come up time and
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time again. The first theme is this idea
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of swamps as boundaries and in between
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spaces. Because swamps sit between solid
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ground and open water, they represent
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this idea of a boundary, this
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transitional space between the known and
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the unknown. Characters crossing them
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are often in a stage of transformation
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or testing. What's interesting here is
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using a swamp in this manner works well
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from both sides in which the party might
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travel from. If the party is entering
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the swamp from the open water side, then
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they do so with anticipation of what
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land lies beyond this first initial
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test. And if the party enters the swamp
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from the landside, they do so in hope of
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finding shorelines that will afford them
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easier mobility and navigation to other
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distant lands, assuming they have a
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watercraft on the other side to use.
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Psalms that are used in this thematic
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function as a boundary present this idea
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of uncertainty. Paths disappear, the
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land shifts, and visibility is often
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poor. Swamps embody ambiguity, danger,
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and uncertainty, both physically and
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psychologically. When designing our
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swamps under this function, I think we
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do well to really build up that idea of
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mystery surrounding these wetlands. both
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what lies within and what lies beyond
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them. Secondly, a popular framing of
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swamplands is one of decay and rot. The
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smell of stagnant water, rotting
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vegetation, and even the sight of hidden
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bones in the mud, has long given swamps
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an association with corruption and
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death. In the classical and medieval
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imaginations, marshes and swamplands
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often serve as metaphors for hellish
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terrain or gateways to the underworld.
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In Dante's Inferno, we see where Stixs
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is a swampy wrathfilled meer. Even
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within Dungeons and Dragons, the game we
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talk most about, within their
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established cosmology, we see Minos, the
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third layer of hell, described as a
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swamp. And the gaping ma and Shedak law,
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the slime pits, two layers of the
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infinite abyss, are both described as
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swamps, bogs, and marshes home to the
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wicked demon princes. Historically,
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swamps were feared as a source of
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malaria and miasma, making them stand
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for sickness, weakness, and societal
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corruption. They tend to really
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represent these strong ideas of disease
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and pestilence.
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This second idea, the second theme of
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swamps is definitely probably the most
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tropel laden in that we associate swamps
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with kind of being these dark places of
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death and decay. But there's nothing
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wrong with that. They are tropes for a
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reason. And if your players are
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expecting that, then there's nothing
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wrong with leaning into that trope and
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providing that sort of fantasy
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experience for them. It's a good one to
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understand and have a grasp on so you
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can decide how you want to either twist
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it or bend it or apply it within your
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own campaign worlds. Lastly, swamps are
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often presented as these places of
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mystery and misunderstood magic. Swamps
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have often been associated with
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enchanted or cursed terrain. Folklore
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often places witches, hags, and other
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magical beings in swamps where human
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civilization feels far away and remote.
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A common element we see come up under
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this theme is the idea of illusions and
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spirits. Marsh lights or willow the
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wisps symbolize false hopes and lure
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these travelers into danger. Swamps are
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places where reality blurs with trickery
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and the supernatural. I think swamps can
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also represent this idea of hidden and
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or forbidden knowledge. Swamps hide
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ancient secrets, forgotten ruins in the
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muck, or wisdom that can only be found
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by the brave or foolish enough to enter
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them and seek it out. You can also see
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this idea play out with dark wizards
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practicing their black magics away in
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these swamps. I think in conjunction
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with our second thematic function, decay
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and death, it's no coincidence that
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necromancy is often associated with
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swamplands. And that definitely ties
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nicely into this third idea of forbidden
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magics within these swamps.
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With an idea on those recurring themes
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that come from our swamps and marshes, I
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think there are a few ways that we can
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functionally present our wetlands to our
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players that make them interesting
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places to adventure in. And these
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different ways are going to give us
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different narrative outcomes that we
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might be able to present to our players.
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Of course, you are free to mix and match
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these different themes and ideas as you
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see fit, but I'm going to present our
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three functions independently in this
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video just to give you an understanding
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of how each one stands, and then you can
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modify them from there. First, we had
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the theme of threshold or passage. The
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symbolic role of the swamp in this case
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is really to be this boundary crossing
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between the known and the unknown, life
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and death, possibly order and chaos.
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Your narrative function in this case is
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a physical and symbolic trial. The
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characters could be changed by what they
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endure while traversing through your
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swamp. Tools for designing these types
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of swamps. I would focus on things like
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heavy laden fog that kind of disorients
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the travelers. Maybe shifting paths that
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help represent uncertainty. You can
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implement physical obstacles like
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sinking mud. You know, unseen predators
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definitely play well in this type of
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trial. And then you could even implement
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things that have sort of ritual
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undertones. Maybe crossing as a descent
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or ordeal. Maybe there's some sort of
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religious undertones within your
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campaign that are associated with this
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place that would make it some sort of
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trial to the pious. So use this type of
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swamp if you want it to really serve as
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kind of this right of passage. It's sort
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of a testing ground for heroes or a
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symbolic threshold into another stage of
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the journey within your campaign
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sandbox. Secondly, we had the thematic
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idea of corruption and decay. The
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symbolic role really here is to embody
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the ideas of rot, disease, and
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stagnation, possibly even sort of a
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allegory to society's festering
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underside. Your narrative function in
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this case is really to kind of represent
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moral decline, maybe these cursed lands
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or possibly kind of lingering weight of
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past sins within your game world. Now,
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tools for design here, I would
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definitely lean into kind of foul
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smells, lots of nagging insects that
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kind of irritate the travelers, bones
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half buried in the muck to represent
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this sort of past decline, poisonous
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plants and animals to kind of up the
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danger and sort of the ideals of death
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within the swamp lands. And then, of
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course, ruins that are sinking into the
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meer to represent that slow decay over
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time. So, I would use this type of swamp
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if I want to kind of emphasize those
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ideas of moral or societal breakdown or
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create a swamp that just really feels
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oppressive, contaminated, and possibly
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grotesque. Lastly, we had the theme of
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mystical and forbidden knowledge. In
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this case, our symbolic role of the
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swamp is to act as a keeper of secrets,
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a place where wisdom or cursed relics
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lie hidden in the mud and roots of your
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swamplands. The narrative function in
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this case is to act as a quest zone
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where discovery has a cost. Only those
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who are willing to risk corruption or
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danger are able to gain this knowledge
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that has otherwise been lost to the
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greater world. Now, tools for designing
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these types of swamps. Again, you can
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lean into those half-sken ruins, ancient
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shrines that are submerged within your
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swamplands. You could look to include
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magical creatures that are tied to this
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forgotten lore and really play up the
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swamp as a labyrinth, a labyrinth of
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secrets. Perhaps that, you know, secrets
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are really only going to reveal
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themselves to the worthy or those
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desperate enough to undertake the ordeal
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of your swamp lands. So, use this type
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of swamp if you're looking to guard a
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mystery. It's a place where truth or
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power are accessible to those who are
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willing to seek it out, but only through
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risk and possibly sacrifice.
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There are a lot of different monsters
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that you can use to showcase these
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different thematic functions in our
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wetlands. And I think many have
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crossover appeal between these themes,
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making it really easy to mix and match
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them if you're trying to blend some of
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those different thematic functions
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together. In the case of swamps as
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threshold boundaries or passages, I
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think looking first at our large mundane
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monsters, so giant crocodiles, giant
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snakes, turtles, toads, and lizards all
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work really well as hidden dangers at
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the water's edge. If you want to use
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sentient folk, you have bullywug, lizard
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folk, and snakemen. All of which are
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intelligent denisens that may determine
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whether outsiders can pass through these
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lands or not. And then you can also look
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at insect swarms and giant insects both
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work as sources of attrition and
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irritation that kind of symbolize the
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swamp's hostility to humankind.
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Trolls, hydras, frog hemoths, and
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dragons are types of fantastical beasts
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that represent danger to the party when
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crossing through wetlands. I think all
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those work really well. All of these
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creatures make the swamp feel like a
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grueling obstacle, really emphasizing
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that idea of survival and vigilance
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through a harsh and hostile land. Next,
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for the themes of corruption and decay,
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I think looking at carrying crawlers,
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otugs, shambling mounds, all represent
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decay, filth, and rot in their own
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unique ways, but really play up those
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ideas. You could use things like plague
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changed or diseased beasts. Maybe just
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reskinning some of those crocodiles,
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snakes, or boores, and then giving them
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some sort of poison or uh diseaselike
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abilities. I think uzes also work really
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well for this type of theming. Gray
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uzes, black puddings, and so on. Uh
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micoids could be a humanoid type
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creature that have a nice representation
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of decay if you want to have an alien
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yet sentient being in these types of
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swamplands. And then lastly, I do think
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we'd be remiss if we did not mention the
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undead. Undead are the ultimate
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representation of corruption of life.
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All types could work really well in
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swamps. You got your skeletons, your
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zombies, your willow the wisps, your
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specters, your wraiths, your liches. You
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get the idea. If you have undead present
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in your swamp, then I think you should
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give some thought and care to the source
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of them. Was it a sunken civilization,
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an ancient battlefield? You know, why
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are some of these former humanoids in
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this environment? And why are they still
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there now? Use these types of monsters
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to make your swamp feel like a living
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wound where corruption itself has become
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predatory. And lastly, we have the
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themes of mystical and forbidden
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knowledge. I think hags and witches are
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an immediate standout here. could be a
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coven who work their eerie arcane magics
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in the remote isolation of the
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swamplands. On a similar line, you have
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your dark wizards, your necromancers
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that practice black magic. They work
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really well here. Uh we've already
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mentioned liches, but that's just
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another type of wizard that works well
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here, too. Of course, I think naga are
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an interesting keepers of forbidden
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magical knowledge. could definitely see
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them dwelling in ruins with these lost
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artifacts that are sinking into the
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swamp lands. That would be really cool.
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And depending on how deep your swamps
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run or or what sort of bodies of water
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they are connected to, I think you could
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also use Abalis, this sort of greater
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alien intelligence power, kind of
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Cthulhu like from ancient times that has
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the ability to dominate sentient minds.
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All of these creatures do a nice job of
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framing the swamp as a place where there
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is power but at a dangerous cost. So
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hopefully that gives you some ideas on
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how swamps and marshes are represented
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symbolically and thematically. I think
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there's a lot of great themes that we
(00:15:08)
can pull from to make our swamps unique
(00:15:11)
and interesting situations to present to
(00:15:14)
our adventuring parties. Mix and match
(00:15:17)
these different themes to present
(00:15:18)
different vibes, ideas, narratives to
(00:15:22)
your party. Throughout the coming weeks,
(00:15:24)
we'll be covering more of these terrain
(00:15:27)
videos mixed in with other content to
(00:15:29)
keep it from getting too repetitive on
(00:15:31)
the channel, but there will be a
(00:15:33)
playlist on my channel page if you want
(00:15:34)
to check out more of these thematic
(00:15:37)
terrain videos. Let me know in the
(00:15:40)
comments how you like to use swamplands
(00:15:42)
in your sandbox games. Do you think I
(00:15:45)
missed anything that we should cover in
(00:15:47)
these types of videos? If you enjoyed
(00:15:49)
the video, don't forget to like and
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subscribe. It really does help out a
(00:15:52)
lot. Check out Enchanted Nimbus, my
(00:15:55)
monthly newsletter. Thanks for hopping
(00:15:56)
aboard the Earth Moat. I'll see you in
(00:15:58)
the next
