Sandy Deserts

My new campaign to put my players through takes place in a desert. I know the general rules for the desert, and can make things up as I go. I have some thoughts on changing mount styles; instead of horses use lizards that can adapt to the environment, and a battle lizard could use its claws. I can also see it being a world full of bird and small dragon riders. Tell me your thoughts on this. I also plan to continue the use of my magic system.(see "a new type of magic") Thanks for the input.
Thank god it isn't that hard for me to make up a new world. If anyone needs any thoughts on creation pm me and I'll think on it.
Dicechild

Here's the "desert lizard mount" I have IMC, you might want to use or adapt it:

ZEERESHI
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+11
Attack: Bite +6 melee (2d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (2d6+4) and 2 foreclaws +1 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: None
Special Qualities: scent
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +8, Jump +26, Listen +10, Spot +10, Survival +10
Feats: Run, Track
Environment: Warm desert
Organization: Pack (3–6)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
A Zeereshi, or Marrakeen War Lizard is a quadrepedal reptile, 6' at shoulder, dull tan along its back and flanks, with a much lighter shade of the same color on its underside. The body often has darker spots or stripes. Its tail extends straight out behind itself, held aloft by an intricate structure of bony supports, thus allowing it to run quickly. It weighs about 800 pounds.
Combat
A Zeeeshi uses a combination of speed, large teeth, and fore legs with ripping talons. In the wild it hunts in packs by running at prey (+2 charge bonus) and biting them, then biting & clawing with talons. A Zeereshi has a relatively large brain for a dinosaur, and wild packs hunt with cunning tactics. Most Zeereshi are domesticated, though.
Skills: A Zeereshi has a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival checks.

Thank you for the info. I need all of the help I can get. That sounds exactly like what I need, I'll just have to work it into my campaign. Have you ever done a campaign similar to this. What sort of rules should I use? Desert fighting is not different but is there special qualities that I need to be careful about?

I strongly suggest you pick up Sandstorm. It's got all kinds of good desert-related stuff in it.

I suggest giving a player 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 PP. Just for fun. And let him be epic level right off the bat.



(for thos of you lost in the dust, this is my dm!! )

Hey, Jester, Judging by your avatar, I thought you would be entertainded to know that we have pug pups at our place!!! Can you tell me if it is rare to have a black femal?


(sorry, I know it's off topic, but oh well.)

palleomortis said:

Hey, Jester, Judging by your avatar, I thought you would be entertainded to know that we have pug pups at our place!!!

Click to expand...

Heck yeah I am! I am a pug person through and through.

Can you tell me if it is rare to have a black female?

Click to expand...

Black pugs are much rarer than fawn. I'm not aware of it being more common in one gender or another, though now that I think about it I can't recall any black female pugs that I have met.

I just went to a pug rescue fundraiser yesterday, actually! It was really fun and cool!

[/hijack]

On topic: er, yeah, Sandstorm. Cool book.

dicechild said:

Thank you for the info. I need all of the help I can get. That sounds exactly like what I need, I'll just have to work it into my campaign. Have you ever done a campaign similar to this. What sort of rules should I use? Desert fighting is not different but is there special qualities that I need to be careful about?

Click to expand...

Glad you like it - I think the stat block started as a velociraptor & adapted from there. I haven't done a whole desert campaign but I've set many scenarios in desert.

Rules - hm, I'm sure Sandstorm has good ones. Two I use:

Sandstorms do non-lethal damage every hour (or whatever) until the PCs get into cover.

Magic tied to the Elements is affected by the dominant local element, which in desert is Fire. So while Fireballs and other fire magic work fine (you could even give them bonuses), Create Water and similar Water spells are badly affected in the desert, they may not work at all, or produce just a cupfull of salty water. This _really_ helps to maintain that deserty feel in a high-magic game.

the Jester said:

Heck yeah I am! I am a pug person through and through.



Black pugs are much rarer than fawn. I'm not aware of it being more common in one gender or another, though now that I think about it I can't recall any black female pugs that I have met.

I just went to a pug rescue fundraiser yesterday, actually! It was really fun and cool!

[/hijack]

On topic: er, yeah, Sandstorm. Cool book.

Click to expand...

Sorry, just a final word. 3 black(1 femal); 2 wight(both male)
Yeay!!!

dicechild said:

Thank you for the info. I need all of the help I can get. That sounds exactly like what I need, I'll just have to work it into my campaign. Have you ever done a campaign similar to this. What sort of rules should I use? Desert fighting is not different but is there special qualities that I need to be careful about?

Click to expand...

One of my favourite things about Sandy deserts (especially the powdery stuff of dunes) is that its possible to drown in the stuff! Walking on a sand dune is like walking on foam (balance checks), the sand moves and, depending on how viscous it is, you might even sink into it and drown!

Also don't forget that the sand will get everywhere coating food clothing and skin.

(NB the idea of a mount able to 'swim' through sand is always one I considered kewl -some kind of giant lizard perhaps)