Why are there so many giant critters in deserts?

D

DMH

First Post

• Oct 16, 2004

• #1

Blue, yellow, brown, copper, brass dragons (and more in the Draconomicon).
Sun, death and sand giants.
Braxats, cloud rays, megapedes, and so-uts (oops- rampagers).

And all those are from the MMs and FF (except the brown and yellow dragons). How do deserts support such large creatures?

And another odd thing I noticed are the absence of fey (except the Spirit of the Land) for deserts.

 

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The_Gneech

Explorer

• Oct 16, 2004

• #2

Well, they're eating all the giant bugs, obviously!

-TG

 

DragonLancer

Adventurer

• Oct 16, 2004

• #3

Because these big things eat one another (though maybe not the dragons). Also, if they live in such arid consitions they are adapted to require less water than most, perhaps taking it directly from eating their prey.

And the end of the day, don't worry about it. After a while trying to analyse the ecology of a D&D world falls apart.

 

Turanil

First Post

• Oct 16, 2004

• #4

Because the sand of a typical D&D desert is highly nourishing, which tends to attract many sorts of monsters.

 

Rodrigo Istalindir

Explorer

• Oct 16, 2004

• #5

Ummm...

They have to grow extra big so they can provide lots of shade for their young?

Natural selection has forced them to grow tall so they can see over the sand dunes and prevent predators from sneaking up on them.

It wasn't a desert till all the big critters showed up and ate everything?

 

Turjan

Explorer

• Oct 16, 2004

• #6

They went there because this was finally a place where they did not have to squeeze through in between the trees !

 

Piratecat

Sesquipedalian

• Oct 16, 2004

• #7

Photosynthesis makes monsters grow big and strong -- all that sunlight is like Flintstones vitamins for beasties.

 

Sejs

First Post

• Oct 16, 2004

• #8

They all photosynthesize, and store water like a cactus.


All large desert monsters are actually giant evolved super cacti.

 

erian_7

First Post

• Oct 16, 2004

• #9

Well, the braxat, cloud ray, megapede, and rampager (and even the Spirit of the Land) are all from the world of Athas in the Dark Sun campaign--the whole world is pretty much a desert!

 

Nifft

Penguin Herder

• Oct 16, 2004

• #10

I'd agree that they moved there to finally have the space to stretch out. Makes about as much sense as D&D caves being full of civilizations where in our world you're lucky to find three blind fish.

-- N