D&D 5E Ideas for a Crystalline Biome?

[Shadowdweller00]

So I wanted to introduce a crystalline biome for an upcoming adventure. Maybe a place like the crystal towers shown briefly in the Neverending Story 1, for all of you old geezers like myself who have seen it. Was thinking that the place is made from living and growing crystals that feed on ambient magical energy. The place is maybe mostly a desert because the ground is rocky and impermeable to water, though there are water-ways that run through it. There's probably some lichen that grows there - and maybe other stuff that can metabolize the magic that radiates through the area.

You all have any ideas for creatures, hazards, challenges that seem suitable for such a place? Outside of maybe Xorn and Galeb Duhr; or winds that raise razor-sharp shards of crystal.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

The Gem Dragons from Fizban might be a good fit, as well as the Gem Stalker and Draconic Shard (An undead gem dragon spirit that inhabits a cracked gem matching the dragon type) from the same book.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Areas where the crystals focus the light at a given time of day, turning that point into a deadly heat trap.

Edible crystal! Literal Rock Candy and Salt -- no way to tell which is which!

Some sort of sound puzzle based on the resonance of certain areas of crystal -- let the bard sing to shatter it!

 

[Shadowdweller00]

In case anyone cares:

I got to thinking that I kind of like the idea of the PCs starting to find the occasional body of various people and monsters apparently trapped within some of the crystals. Though how and why remains to be seen.

 

[cranberry]

In terms of the setting, it might help to add depth by specifying what type of crystals are present rather than just having everything look like generic quartz.

E.g. mountains of malachite, rivers of azurite, etc. - "The BBEG's eyes were as black schorl, his sword, the dull grey of magnetite radiated with power."

 

[CreamCloud0]

naturally occuring crystal(stone) golems and creatures who have absorbed the minerals through their lifespan(like crystal-shelled snails or crystal clams in the waters),
typically crystals have some association with psychic abilities so you could have creatures with psychic abilities or pockets of 'high intensity psychic energy' that either deal damage or react to your players thoughts and memories(talking about the snowy mountain peaks and the area starts getting bitterly cold, talking about their family or their rival and a simulacrum of them appears nearby)
crystals resonating in the winds that cause thunder damage, with potential to randomly shatter and send giant boulders and razor sharp shards raining down on the players.

 

[Oofta]

If I were to do this, I'd likely first look at constructs and just make them made out of crystal. But for the most part? I'd just take just about any monster and make it a crystal version. Maybe replace a few abilities here and there so that if you have a dragon that instead of breathing fire breathed small crystal shards that did piercing damage.

How far you want to take this is completely up to you. If it's a true crystal realm a fair amount could just be descriptive fluff. Trees with emerald green glass leaves, flowers made of delicate crystals, clouds that look like they're pieces of floating quartz.

 

[RoughCoronet0]

You did mention crystals absorbing magic. Could be used as both an environment hazard and/or something both the players and the enemies can use to their advantage during combat.

• Crystals that cause wild magic effects if a someone casts a spell too close to them
• Crystals that strengthen or weaken different types of spells in some way like increases or decreases Damage, spell DC, or chance to hit.
• Crystals that absorb spells cast around them before explode, either dealing concussive Thunder damage or the damage type of the casted spell in question.
• Crystals that echos the spells cast, creating a duplicate to the same spell later in the initiative order that effects a random target or area.
• Crystals that have unique effects based on the spell’s school of magic.

There are a lot of possibilities. You can also have them activate with magic items or other supernatural features that certain classes have.

 

[Corinnguard]

Is this going to be a Material Plane world with a strong connection to the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Minerals? One populated by Crystal Genasi?

 

[Gorck]

Edible crystal! Literal Rock Candy and Salt -- no way to tell which is which!

Reminds me of the Fraggles eating the construction of the poor Doozers on Fraggle Rock.