Environment (16, BURNING SANDS, source: Mike Underwood)

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BURNING SANDS

Tier 2 Traversal

A wide expanse of desert -- dunes of sand dotted by cacti and scrubland--sprawling beyond the horizon and promising a desiccated doom to any that enter.

Impulses: consume water, exhaust travelers, tempt folly with mirages

Difficulty: 14

Potential Adversaries: Giant Eagle, Glass Snake, Mortal Hunter, Merchant Baron, Spectral Archer, Spectral Captain, Spectral Guardian

FEATURES

Rolling Dunes - Passive: Travel across the desert is disorienting and exhausting. Set a Progress Countdown (8) representing the journey. Characters might roll Instinct for navigation, Knowledge to recall a route or analyze a map, Presence to bolster the spirits of the traveling party, Strength to pull a cart, etc.

What landmarks let the party know they’ve gone in circles? What carrion-eaters watch the party as they languish? What insight might they gain from local animals?

No Place to Hide - Passive: The punishing sun makes taking downtime during the day impossible unless the PCs find meaningful cover from the heat.

What dangers lurk in the night while the party rests? Do they travel at night as well, or just rest and plan for the next day?

Mirage - Action: Spend a Fear to create a mirage on the horizon. Each PC must make an Instinct Reaction Roll to identify the mirage as fake. On a failure, a PC can take a Hope if they insist that the mirage is real and add one to the Progress Countdown as they take the group off-course to confirm.

What form does the mirage take? Is it a fake oasis, a friendly traveling party, a hated foe, or something else?

Sandstorm - Action: Spend 2 Fear to introduce a sandstorm. Call for a Group Action (with the leader probably rolling Instinct) to represent the group finding cover before the storm hits. On a failure, each PC marks 1d4+1 Stress. On a success, each PC marks a Stress. Once the Sandstorm clears, the next roll to traverse the desert is made with disadvantage due to the changed landscape.

Who notices the sandstorm first? How do the PCs protect themselves from sand getting everywhere in their clothes and supplies? What is lost in the scramble to find cover?

Shifting Sands - Reaction: After a sandstorm or downtime, reveal something that had been previously buried and covered by the sand.

Do they find the ruins of a settlement that could serve as shelter? Do they find a wrecked merchant caravan with goods intact, wondering what happened to the merchants?

Oasis - Reaction: If a PC rolls at least a 19 or higher (or a critical) on a roll to navigate within the environment, they locate an oasis. Each PC immediately gains a Hope. Additionally, while in the oasis the PCs may take downtime during the day despite the No Place to Hide feature.

What makes this oasis so hard to find? Is anyone else present when you arrive? Has someone tried to seize this site by force?

Punishing Heat - Reaction: When a PC makes a roll to traverse the environment during the day, they must make a Strength Reaction Roll or mark a Stress and lose a Hope.

Where do you most feel the heat? What do you do to try to stay cool? Are you still sweaty when the sun goes down and the temperature drops?

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