From Shahara

Revision as of 18:38, 13 August 2007

History

Places

Vehicle rental shop
Amsil, city of desert, emerald jewel of etc etc

Landscape

Rumors

In the Forgotten Desert is a broken tower sealed in sand. Archaeologists are still looking for the tower, for its treasures may yet lie undisturbed. Adventurers may research the origins of the tower or escort an archaeological expedition. Travel lightly now; the deep does not easily give up its secrets.

The nomads of the Forgotten Desert were working on technology to harvest pure, clean water from plants before the Upheaval. Remains of their research may still be out there, from research notebooks to actual prototypes. Now only the desert knows for sure.

Notable Events (Fulfilled PC quests)

Sample Wilderness Encounter Table

The desert is divided into three areas based on ratings: safe, unsafe and deep. These ratings act as travel advisories for expeditions and foreigners. Safe areas are few: there's Amsil, a couple outposts and a vehicle rental shop. Unsafe areas are the default rating for the entire desert, and the deep rating applies to a central part of the desert past the advisory markers.

Base EL: 6

Safe Area Encounters (EL 1-6)

Unsafe Area Encounters (EL 4-8)
a minefield
a sandstorm
a group of 1d2 sand sentinels

Deep Area Encounters (EL 6-9)
a massive sandstorm
a war trap
a group of sand sentinels

==Sand sentinel== The sands in front of you shift and up rises a black-skinned humanoid. Its face is chiseled from black metal. It wears a dull ivory armor. Its eyes are pinpoints of red light. It raises its weapon and attacks!

These automatons are relics of a past age of war. Your movements have awakened a group of them. They rise like undead skeletons and attack anyone who does not wear, in plain sight, a Talisman of the Fargatherer. A Spot check (DC high) reveals the constructs buried in the sand. Failing the check results in stumbling upon the sentinels and activating them.

stat block here.

Talisman of the Fargatherer. An item identifying descendants of an inventor known as the Fargatherer, for his planar travels to learn and to create a variety of constructs. Knowledge (planar) DC high.
Dull ivory armor. Deflects heat. Very heavy ceramic armor. Tightly integrated with sentinel, so it's not loot.
Tactics. Bash, slam to paste. Then sleep again.
Development. The sand sentinel(s) may guard the entrance to a dungeon with good secrets and even greater dangers. Or the Talisman controls the sentinels.
Making a sentinel. Construct rules here: materials, difficulty, etc.

==War trap== A giant crystal flies from the ground and hovers in the air. A sphere of blue energy surrounds it. Lightning crackles within the sphere.

The war trap's appearance is the same as the giant, laser-shooting crystal used by Valdis' mages in Dungeon Siege 2.

This artifact is used to guard certain places, to serve as an alarm and to neutralize intruders. Detect Magic may reveal the war trap. Either a mechanical trigger activates the war trap and therefore detect magic does not apply, or it does apply.

The crystal casts lightning bolt as a ?th-level caster twice per round. It has hardness ?, hp ?. The energy sphere protects the crystal and has DR 2/magic.

Stat block here. EL medium or high?