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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 6043926" data-attributes="member: 6669384">Thanks for the tip.I'm seeing a tale being told by a blind sailor, his eyes and face showing the signs of exposure to great heat.He tells of his travels in the great waste south of the land of the River Gods (Egypt), where barbarian tribes rule.  He and his party had heard of a place where a star fell, and went seeking Adamantine, the star metal.Long story short, they found it, but when they uncovered the star they found it was still burning.  The flames killed his companions and left him blind and scarred.  How he found his way out of the wasteland is a tale in its own right, but the bottom line is that he can give people a good idea where to look.  Of course, the way he's telling it it's a place to avoid, but we all know that that sort of thing is an open invitation to adventurer types.Now it happens that my group has a Ranger/Druid in it, and the player is a bit soft spoken.  He tends to get talked over, and sometimes his actions get skipped.  I'm going to make a distinct effort to change that with this adventure.  He, being the resident expert at tracking and wilderness lore, will be the star of the show.  The tale will revolve around his character, since mere survival in the Sahara will depend on those skills.Yes, Create Water is pretty much essential.  So is Endure Elements.  But it takes a bit more than that to make it out there.  First, without any stars or direct sunlight, it's very hard to keep your directions straight when there are no landmarks.  Second, all it takes is one sandstorm and their tent is shredded and blown away, leaving them with no shelter.  (And no, nobody has any of the Tiny Hut/Secure Shelter spells.  They left those to the Bard, who is my character and will be an NPC for this one.  Meaning "not there".)  And third, horses drink a lot of water and eat a lot of food, and are generally ill suited to the sand.  In that environment a man will drink two gallons of water a day, easily.  (One gallon a day was considered short rations aboard sailing ships, so double that isn't an unreasonable minimum.)  Horses will need triple that.  Six PCs with horses plus a Tiger works out to about 55 gallons per day, minimum.  The Cleric can produce about 18 gallons per casting of Create Water, and since this isn't Pathfinder he has a limited number of those per day.  This will tie up three or more of his orisons each day, and gods help them if something happens to him.So Survival rolls are going to be paramount.  Find water, find shelter, keep their directions straight, keep alive.Next will come the wandering tribesman.  Who aren't "men" as such, but more like Bugbears.  I.e. wandering monsters.  Speed bumps to a party of their level, but still a factor.Add a giant scorpions and other insects, plus a few horrors from the Sandstorm book and we have a truly harsh landscape.Next we add the enemy, the opposing force that either wants the chariot for themselves, or wants it destroyed.And finally we have the challenge of the chariot itself:  It's buried in a crater on the slopes of a glass mountain.  (What happens when sand gets way too hot.)  Even walking through the area can be hazardous.  Like walking on ice crusted snow, only sharper.  You break through and the crust can flay the flesh from the bones of your legs.   Walking takes something like a Balance check.  Crawling is safer.  (I'll have to look in Frostburn to see if they have any rules I can adapt.)  Running is a great way earn the nickname of "Stumpy".  Horses that try to walk there will risk slipping and falling, and will likely cripple themselves when they break through.And, of course, the chariot is hot enough that it flying low overhead blasted away all life in its path, creating the Sahara in the first place.  It's also blindingly bright.  Literally (remember that sailor?)And finally, it's an Artifact, a creation of divine origin.  And while Hell is occasionally on the side of our heroes, the forces of the Abyss are definitely arrayed against them.  Demons are resistant/immune to fire, right?  And PCs generally aren't?  I think the fire is, like a Flame Strike, half divine, so fire resistance/immunity won't be enough.Sound epic enough for our heroes?I'll let you know...</blockquote>

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