Jet black dunes stretch out to the horizon. They glisten and shine in the sun, twinkling like a million stars scattered on a dark field. Under the bright desert sun, the sight of an obsidian desert inspires awe and wonder. Yet for all its wondrous appearances, this realm is perhaps the deadliest wasteland of them all. The small shards of obsidian slice through leather, metal, and flesh with ease. Travelers who lack the means to fly may perish long before they suc- cessfully traverse this deadly realm. Each step drives small flecks of razor-sharp rock into a traveler’s boots and feet. Every breeze heralds a wave of slicing debris. A single breath can draw in particles that cut into the lungs and throat, slowly sapping a character’s strength and consigning him to a painful death.
Thankfully, obsidian deserts are rare. The process behind a desert’s genesis involves sus- tained volcanic eruptions, a traumatic churning and rending of the earth, and an influx of ener-
CHAPTER THREE: Deserts
CHAPTER THREE: Deserts
gy and material from the elemental plane of earth. When these three factors combine, they result in massive eruptions that devastate a wide area. In their aftermath, the scarred land becomes a sprawling obsidian shard desert, a deadly land that few adventurers enter and from which even fewer return.
The elemental forces involved in the creation of an obsidian desert cause several side effects that help draw explorers and adventurers into these regions. The churning force that melts, fuses, and expels the obsidian forms massive caverns beneath the desert. Isolated from many of the underworld regions that harbor fearsome monsters and strange beasts, these caves are relatively easy to navigate. Many of them are strewn with gems, veins of gold and silver, and other valuable rocks and minerals. The forces involved in reshaping the terrain help carry these valuables closer to the surface. Thus, many who enter these regions do so in order to find caves and passages leading down to the treasures they could potentially claim.
The siren’s call of a lucrative if dangerous min- ing operation draws many explorers into an obsidian desert. While relatively safe, these caverns hold many dangers. While isolated from other portions of the underworld, they can sometimes open passages directly into the heart of an orc or goblin empire. Creatures from the elemental plane of earth sometimes make their homes within these underground realms, as the forces involved in the desert’s creation spawn gates and passages to that distant world. Creatures from the elemental plane of earth can survive this desert’s hazards with ease. The obsidian shards bounce off their thick hides like rain drops. Any creature with the earth sub- type is immune to all damage and effects from this terrain feature’s hazards.
Minor obsidian deserts are difficult but not
impossible to cross. They consist of a mixture of rocks, sand, and sharpened rock. The con- fluence of elemental energy and volcanic erup- tions was too weak to transform a wide area, resulting in terrain that is hazardous but not deadly. Travelers who proceed at a slow pace can avoid most of the hazards this land pre- sents.
Minor Obsidian Desert (CR 1): Fortitude
save DC 15; 1 hour interval; +0 modifier/inter-
val; 1d8 damage; Special: Characters who lack boots or similar footwear suffer a –8 penalty on their saving throw against this hazard. If the party moves at half its maximum speed or slower, it does not suffer this hazard’s effects.
Moderate obsidian deserts are almost pure
black from edge to edge, with the flat, sharp obsidian shards piled ankle deep in some areas. Beneath them is only bare rock churned up from the heart of the world. A few isolated lakes and rivers break the surface, along with a few earth and rock hills. The water in these deserts is undrinkable unless the characters can somehow strain or otherwise filter it. Specks of sharp rocks and abrasive particles drift within the water, inflicting 1d6 damage to any creature foolish enough to drink it.
Moderate Obsidian Desert (CR 2): Fortitude
save DC 20; 1 hour interval; +0 modifier/inter- val; 1d10 damage; Special: As per the minor obsidian desert hazard. In addition, there is a 10% chance per day that the party encounters a swirling obsidian storm. Heavy winds pick up shards of rock and carry them through the air, cutting down living creatures that cannot take cover. Creatures that are exposed automatically suffer 5d6 points of damage during the storm. A Survival check (DC 15) allows a character to notice the signs of the coming storm, giving him 3d10 minutes to find shelter.
Severe obsidian deserts feature endless dunes
of shiny, razor-sharp black rock. Small moun- tains and hills formed from obsidian rise into the air, creating an alien, endlessly black land- scape. The region seethes with the power of elemental earth, allowing creatures from that plane to wander into this land through planar gates that open between the material world and the realm of rock and earth. Clerics of earth gods and similar deities make pilgrimages to this region, holding rites for their gods and offering sacrifices—the victims of evil rituals are typically tied down and left exposed during a shard storm. The water in these deserts is undrinkable unless the characters can somehow strain or otherwise filter it. Specks of sharp rocks and abrasive particles drift within it, inflicting 1d6 damage to any creature foolish enough to drink it.
Severe Obsidian Desert (CR 3): Fortitude
save DC 25; 1 hour interval; +0 modifi- er/interval; 1d12 damage; Special: As per
the minor obsidian desert hazard. In addition, this desert type features the same shard storms that ravage moderate ones. There is a 20% chance per day that a storm strikes. Otherwise, use the rules given above under the moderate- strength hazard. In addition, characters must continue to make saves as if they suffered from exposure to the minor version of this hazard for 1d4 hours after leaving the desert. The small shards of rock lodge in their throats, clothes, and hair, causing continuing damage.