Planning some desert encounters...

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If the PCs get lost and thirsty, you could have an oasis. Naturally, the oasis is an illusion, and it's actually a trap filled with life-sucking plant roots, or "fake" water that traps anyone who tries to pick it up or drink it underneath itself to suffocate them... or something. And that's not taking into account the sand brides, sand witches, or what have you that live there.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

How about Mirage Mullah's?

Come across an Oasis, accept hosptiality of it's inhabitants, something inevitably goes wrong, perhaps a party member or two stays too long and become's changed... and then needs to be extracted and kept alive long enough to survive the process of being returned back to normal.

 

[Greenfield]

It's not hard to hold high level casters. Silence and a locked door can do wonders.

What's hard to do is compel them to service. While there are many ways to strip a caster of their spell abilities, that pretty much destroys their value as high level casters. It can quickly become more trouble than its worth.

 

[patofiero]

It's not hard to hold high level casters. Silence and a locked door can do wonders.

What's hard to do is compel them to service. While there are many ways to strip a caster of their spell abilities, that pretty much destroys their value as high level casters. It can quickly become more trouble than its worth.

You're a DM! You can do whatever you want, I'd say after 6 months of operant conditioning that your wizard will do whatever you want as a free action compulsion with a really high DC. There has to be a story behind the rules and while RAW says nothing about operant conditioning you can't argue it's impossible.

The game doesn't end at RAW, it starts there

 

[Grogg of the North]

It's not hard to hold high level casters. Silence and a locked door can do wonders.

What's hard to do is compel them to service. While there are many ways to strip a caster of their spell abilities, that pretty much destroys their value as high level casters. It can quickly become more trouble than its worth.

I think it was mentioned a little earlier but drugs are a great way to "convince" a caster to be of service.

If that doesn't work there's always slave rings.

And keeping their focus and material components away from them.

 

[Empirate]

Good old blackmail. Any player who writes out a detailed background is just asking for it, after all...

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

If only there was a way to convert the type of save a spell used. Make Charm Person based off of Fortitude and then use it on a Wizard.

That would be power.

 

[the Jester]

If only there was a way to convert the type of save a spell used. Make Charm Person based off of Fortitude and then use it on a Wizard.

That would be power.

Ooooh. Needs a metamagic feat.

 

[Loonook]

If only there was a way to convert the type of save a spell used. Make Charm Person based off of Fortitude and then use it on a Wizard.

That would be power.

You've never fought the Samarian Seducing Spider? Dangerous beasts. Small enough to fit in your palm, its venom has been used for years as part of love potions and makes for a very pliant interrogation target.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

On a more series note: the desert is filled with strange creatures. Sandstorm elementals, monstrous hounds that hunt caravans by smelling their protective magics, living spells of desiccation...

Plenty of things to send out.

 

[ksbsnowowl]

Cold desert? Party level 13-15? How about a Brown Dragon (Monsters of Faerun). According to Draconomicon, any true dragon takes no ill effects of temperature up to 140 F and down to -40 F.

As for your potentially tactics-limited party, the Brown Dragon does not have wings, so cannot fly, and also would have no wing attacks.

I've recently statted one up around the CR 13-14 range; if you want the stats, I can PM them to you.