Details #1-7 (Depthcrawl24)
These are the first seven details for Xeric Sands. The "easy" ones at the beginning lined up well with a busy week prepping for a job interview (not optimistic but that's unrelated).
1. Empty
Bare desert devoid of any signs of life—nary a lizard, bird, hare, or shrub in sight.
2. Treasure Pile
A handful of coinage and a pair of random Treasures, seemingly abandoned in the dirt or sand. There are 8d6 silver coins shining under the sun.
3. Travelogue
A small wooden box is partially covered in sand. Inside is a dusty scroll, warning of local threats and recounting a cautionary tale about:
| d10 | Warning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Drinking tainted / weird water |
| 2 | Running out of water |
| 3 | Being eaten in a cave |
| 4 | Being swallowed by sand |
| 5 | Getting chased by a sand worm |
| 6 | Getting ambushed by frog men |
| 7 | Falling in a stream vent |
| 8 | Dying from heat stroke |
| 9 | Unleashing an apocalyptic messenger |
| 10 | Being chased and getting lost |
4. Meditational
Spirals, circles, and waves are raked into the sand or etched into stone, as if part of a meditative practice.
Due to the harsh climate, both media are fairly impermanent. Upon returning to the area, roll a d6. In a sandy area, there is a 5-in-6 chance the patterns have blown away. In a rocky area, there is a 1-in-6 chance the patterns have at least begun the process of exfoliation. Nearby winds/sandstorms have the same effect.
5. Dead Explorers
A cluster of d6 bodies lie on the ground.
The corpses are:
| d6 | Body State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Warm to the touch |
| 2 | Leathery and discolored |
| 3 | Picked apart by birds |
| 4 | Insect infested |
| 5 | Bleached skeletons |
| 6 | Scattered bones |
Roll on the Into the Odd starting packages to determine what they carried. Alternatively, use the Cairn class packages.
Add 3d6 silver and roll for a Treasure.
6. Burrows
In rocky ground, fist-sized holes litter the ground as far as the eye can see. They are empty, but pose a sure tripping hazard. Move carefully or make a DEX save vs. tripping.
In sandy ground, the burrows have likely already collapsed and would have no effect on wanderers, other than presenting as subtle snaking patterns in the surface.
7. Tremors
A slight vibration travels through sand and rock, frequently but with no discernible pattern. It feels like something moving just below the surface.
As always, if you're vibing with this project, please check it out on my Itch! I'm updating the pdf in installments and increasing the price each time, so get in early if you're interested. The next upload will be at the end of Details, around March 9/10.