Building a game world from scratch, posting ideas here for feedback

[micahwc]

I'm building a world to start a DnD 5th campaign in. I wanted to create a thread where I could post ideas for constructive criticism and feedback. This is what I have so far.


I'm envisioning a place like this as starting setting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sala...=1991&bih=1129
I have a folder full of pictures of this place and of various salt mines throughout the world for inspiration. Google image search for salt mine, salt flat, salt pan, etc.


I'm cutting and pasting my ideas so far:

Great Salt Desert: (Inspired by Salar De Uyuni) This is a massive salt flat with very little change in elevation. Said to be created from uncontrolled magical experimentation and warfare; no one knows for sure how this area came to be. What is known is that it’s beauty is an illusion which hides death. Salt covers everything here. Outside of the rainy season every year water is rare. Conditions are harsh. Metal requires constant maintenance to avoid oxidation. Salt elementals roam free and freely ambush whatever prey they like. To a fully grown salt elemental, prey is anything smaller than it is.
If it were not for the large natural resource deposits in this area few people would seek to settle here. Salt mines are a major source of income, and large mineral deposits are freely available for those who are willing to take the risk of traveling across the desert. It is not hard to find work as an adventurer here. People hire constantly to replace the guards who are killed on a daily basis by the natural dangers here. Convoys carrying minerals to civilized areas are frequently targeted as easy prey by the bandits who are hardy enough to make a living here.
Many rare magical components are found in large quantities here. These are found both in the natural mineral and plant resources found in the desert, and in the bodies of the various magical creatures that make this desert their home.
Settlements in the Great Salt Desert are full of rough people who are able to live with the dangers here. Some people come here by choice, either seeking to make a life in the frontier, or seeking to avoid the life they had in civilized lands. Others are brought here by the opportunities this place brings. Still others are brought against their will, to work as slaves in the various mines throughout the area.
The general atmosphere of settlements here is that of frontier towns from the various American and Canadian gold rushes. Towns are full of miners and entrepreneurs. There is little in the way of law. Society here is very chaotic. Most local businesses are either to support the mines and caravans which transport raw materials, or to cater to the wants and needs of the rough workers who live here. Bars and brothels are common, as are gambling halls. There is no organized law, though criminal or trade organizations may enforce certain standards to keep society moving. (Think Deadwood, SD prior to 1980)

Salt mining is the largest source of income for the various settlements in this area. Salt mining is full of both natural and supernatural dangers. Many enterprising salt miners start mines in the various caverns that are discovered underground. Many of these caverns are home to various natural and magical creatures. Salt elementals, silt vampires, various dangerous insects, dire weasels, and other threats call these caves home. Salt dragon lairs make very good mines once the dragon is dealt with.

Water: Technically the Salar is not a desert. There is water, it is just undrinkable by most races. There is a fairly lengthy rainy season. Settlements can survive by collecting this rainwater before it hits the salty earth and becomes contaminated. Frequently rain water is harvested in rain pits, cisterns dug into the ground and lined with clay or other material to keep the salt from contaminating it. Water is essential to life on the Salar, and rain pits are frequently sought by those who need it.

Comments and criticisms welcomed.

[micahwc]

As a note, all names subject to change.

Some notes about creatures inhabiting the Salar....


Giant insects/scorpions/etc.: These typically have a hard shell which is resistant to lightning as a result of living in a place where lighting strike occur so frequently. The shells are sought by those brave and/or powerful enough to take them from the insect to make lightning resistant armor. The most fierce of these creatures is the dire scorpion, whose only ferocity is matched only by its only natural predator, the dire badger. (I really wanted to include a dire weasel, upon research this wasn't really going to work out so I substituted a badger instead)

Salt Elemental: These range in size from small and nearly harmless, to gargantuan. The larger ones work as ambush predators, posing as natural salt formations until they are ready to strike. They are semi-resistant to water. Small amounts of water damage will have little to no effect, whereas large amounts of water damage will quickly dissolve the elemental.

Silt vampire: This class of creatures lives by draining the moisture from its prey. They are not true vampires. They do not drink the blood of humanoids; however, they will drain moisture from anything they can subdue. (I went with silt because I got tired of just adding "salt" to everything)

Salt dragon: These large predators are thought to be related to blue dragons. They have blue and tan coloring and blend in very well with the environment in the Salar. They sometimes hunt as ambush predators, burying their bodies into the salt with only their wings and heads showing above ground. The dragon quickly covers itself with the salty earth around it and blends into the ground very well, appearing as a large outcropping of salty earth. These dragons are not thought to be true dragons, as it is assumed they are not intelligent; however, rarely has anyone survived an encounter with one long enough to determine true intelligence.

Salt golem/gargoyle/other construct and/or carved creature: The ancient inhabitants of the Salar where very proficient in carving salt blocks into all sorts of fantastical shapes. Many of these became enchanted through design or accident.

Various reptilian creatures: The Salar is a desert and as such many reptiles thrive here. The heat helps to keep cold blooded creatures active. There are large snakes and lizards as well as more fantastic reptilian races.

[micahwc]

Some plot ideas which can be used alone or mixed with others:

Encounter ideas:
1. A large cave has been discovered that would make a great salt mine. The only problem is that it’s inhabited. The owners of the mine will pay to clear it. The inhabitants of the cavern have other ideas, and may be intelligent.
2. Miners working in a mine cut into an elaborate vault. What do they find their? Who made it? What is its purpose? What did they just loose?
3. A mine collapses with few or no survivors. Investigations show that the mine was deliberately collapsed by its owners. Why? What are they hiding? What where they really trying to find?
4. While traveling between sites the group is attacked by slavers who want to sell them out as mine workers.
5. A mated pair of dire badgers has attacked the local town, attracted to it by the remains of its natural enemy, the dire scorpion.
6. Dire scorpions are preying on the herd animals. Town pays heroes to eliminate the nest.
7. A newly discovered salt cavern is actually the only entrance to a below ground temple.
8. Silt vampires attack the water pits in search of moisture.
9. A famous, but unaware to everyone else, incompetent adventure has arrived in town with the goal of hunting a large salt dragon or salt elemental. He/she hires you as a guide, and then in a fit of bumbling idiocy lures the dangerous creature back to town as he runs away from it.
10. A representative of an important mage has arrived with the intentions of gathering rare magical components. The key component is the remains of a gargantuan salt elemental /salt dragon/dire scorpion, etc. The representative is very vague about what the components will be used for. This may end poorly for someone.
11. A wealthy merchant will pay well for dire badger pups, as they command a good price when exported to other places.
12. An infamous person has come to Salar with the hopes of hiding on the frontier. He hires you to keep him from getting found out, or, someone else hires you to find him. There is a price on his/her head. He/she hires you to clear his/her name. Etc.
13. A wise, if really out of touch with reality, scholar comes to Salar to study something incredibly dangerous. Ignorant and unwilling to look at the danger, the scholar hires you to protect him while he studies xyz. He promises a large reward, after he returns safely.
14. Salt storms are increasing in size and ferocity. They all seem to be originating from the same place? Why are they getting worse and how can we stop them before they destroy all of us?
15. An unusually violent salt storm uncovers the remains of an ancient city. Amongst the city are very intricate statues carved from salt blocks. It is clear that the city was abandoned or destroyed quickly, and there are many valuable things inside it. People fight over the riches they can find here. What is the mystery of the salt statutes? What happened to the city? What uncovered it?
16. The owners of the salt mine have hired you to find and destroy unauthorized mines. You track one down and find it, with everyone inside it already dead.

[micahwc]

Lastly, a random trap idea with a quote about what happens when you pour lava into salt water:


Trap idea: Drop a lava elemental into a salt water bath. The steam which results is hydrochloric acid and is incredibly dangerous to breathe. The plate that triggers the elemental also triggers the doors and causes them to close. The only way out is swimming under the salt water and finding an exit underwater. Of course, the lava elemental is really not happy anymore. Also, as the elemental rapidly cools and hardens parts of it will break off and explode. The effect is there is a lot of shrapnel and toxic gas. If they players don’t move through the water fast enough it will become super heated and also be dangerous.


"When lava meets the sea, large steam plumes (dubbed "laze" for lava haze) are created as the more than 1100?C (2012 ?F) lava boils and vaporizes seawater. A portion of this steam recondenses and rains out of the plume as acidic precipitation that has been enriched with seawater salt, and contains tiny glass fragments generated by the intense physical interaction of hot lava and cool seawater. The pH of the plume precipitation is between 1 and 2, or between that of battery acid and pure lemon juice. This acidity arises from two main sources. When molten rock and seawater react, the heat from the lava causes the salt in the ocean to break apart and react with water to form hydrochloric acid (the same acid that is in our stomachs). The main salt species involved is likely sodium chloride (table salt), although magnesium chloride may contribute as well. At least 70 percent of the acidity is generated by molten rock-seawater interaction.
The other source of acidity is from the magmatic gases in the lava itself. Unlike an open beer or soda that loses its carbonation on a long journey, molten rock traveling the more than 30 km (18 miles) from beneath the summit of Kilauea to the sea, retains some of the gases that originally carried it up to the surface of the earth. These gases, in particular sulfur and fluorine gases, react with water creating sulfuric and other acids. When Kilauea is erupting at a typical rate, and just one third of the erupted lava is flowing into the sea, the amount of acid generated at the ocean entry is comparable to the largest industrial sources of sulfuric and hydrochloric acid in the nation-or the equivalent of the acid from about 30,000 car batteries, each day. "

[micahwc]

Origins of the Salar: 2 main theories
1.) The desolation is the result of some cataclysmic event int he past. Some magical disaster of immense proportions caused most of the life here to wither and die. Only the most naturally resillient of creatures survieved and adapted to the harsh new conditions. This event may have been a "natural" disaster, or may have been the result of magical disaster on an uprecedented scale. Evidence for this is found in the fossil record, which clearly shows the Salar used to be a very productive lake.

2.) The Salar is a place of high magic where the borders between the Prime Material Plane and the negative elemental plane of salt have worn thin. In some places it is possible to cross the boundry from one plane to the other. The Salar is one such place. Evidence for this theory is found in the various kinds of undead which can be found here. The mysterious Silt Vampires are the most notable example.

Fauna of Note:
1.) Producers:

a.) Brahma: A Brahma is a magical crossbreed which merges a hardy bovine species (i.e. cow or bison) with athe desrt dweling adaptations found in more desert hardy animals. (i.e. camels). Brahma have wider feet than typical cattle to help them move throughout the salt pan easier. Their thick hides let little moisture out and protect the Brahma from salt storms. Their large bodies are able to efficiently store water.
Brahma meet is not particularly tasty. It is tough and salty tasting. Brahma skin is used widely as protective clothing and/or armorr which protects one very well from the harsh elements. A Brahma stores water in its body and this water is accessable through predation.
Brahma are mean tempered and stubborn. They smell very badly. Wild Brahma are herd animals. Brahma bulls are very aggressive and protective of the herd.
Brahma are able to drink water which is much higher in salt content than other animals are able to. This accounds for the poor taste of Brahma meet. Wild Brahma are one of the most abunant large food sources in the wild desert.

b.) A variety of small roents, migratorybirds, and insects are the other major producers. None of these species are of particular interest to most scholars at this time.

2.) First Order Predators:

a.) Dire Scorpions: The predators are remarkably similar to normal scorpions, except they are much larger and more aggresive. Dire scorpions range in size from that of a large dog to that of a small horse. Dire scorpions will eat anything they can catch and subdue.
Dire scorpions are venemous. Dire scorpion venom is typically not fatal to average sized humanoids, but will cause extreme pain and incapacitation. This venom is highly sought for both legitimate and illegitamate purposes.
Dire scorpions are suprisingly agile climbers. They prefer dark places and are generally nocturnal. They become sluggish when exposed to cold temperatures. Dire scorpions are naturally resistant to lightning and dire scorpion carapace is sought to make armor with electrically resistant properties.
Dire scorpions have only 1 known natural predator, the dire badger.

b.) Desert Snakes: There are multiple types of snakes in the Salar. Some of them are harmless, but many of them are dangerous. Of note is the deadly salt viper, whose venom is often fatal. Salt viper venom is used by those who wish to kill people quickly; though harvesting this venom is very dangerous.

c.) Lizards: Many types of lizards live in the Salar. These range in size from a few inches in length (the common blue lizard), to lizards large enough to kill and eat medium sized humanoids. (salt drakes).

3.) Second Order Predators

a.) Gnolls: Wild tribes of Gnolls live in th Salare. Various subtypes exist and thrive in the harsh desert environment. Gnolls often have symbiotic relationships with desert jackals and Hyenas. Gnolls are very aggressive; and though intelligent, rarely will they engage in any communication with outsiders whom they view as food.

b.) Desert Jackals and Hyenas: These are similar to jackals and Hyenas you could find in most any other desert. There are also a variety of foxes and coyotes.

c.) Dire Badger: These large, weasel like mammals are the only natural predators of dire scoprions. Typically solitary, they are sometimes found in mated pairs which will seperate only after the children they produce are able to care for themselves. Dire Badger pups are very valuable on the exotic pet market.

4.) Apex Predators

a.) Salt Dragons: The Salt Dragon is widely believed to be the supreme predator in the Salar. Salt dragons feel threatened by nothing, nor do they fear anything. Salt Dragons are extremely patient ambush predators. They bury their bodies into the salty earth and are easily mistaken as large rock or salt outcroppings. They are extremely territorial.
Many scholars debate whether Salt Dragons are true dragons or not. Most assume they are not intelligent, but to be fair, no one has really ever given a Salt Dragon a reason to speak to it. These large reptillian predators are thought to be related to Blue Dragons found elsewhere.

"One of the amazing qualities of these magnificent creatures is thier adaptation to the environment. Their wide, yet thin wings do not suit them well for flying; however, they provide excellent blood circulation and promote cooling for these large beasts", -Unknown scholar before being eaten by a Salt Dragon.

5.) Other Fauna not otherwise classified

a.) Salt/Brine elementals: These are quite similar to earth and water elementals found in other parts of the world. They have no need to eat but are very agggressive. They frequently work as ambush predators, catching travelers unaware. They range from being a small nuisance, to being a gargantuan threat.

b.) Silt Vampire: These remarkable creatures live by sucking moisture out of their victims. Silt Camps are humanoid and intelligent; but are also a major threat to civilized life. They are attracted to sources of fresh water; including, but not limited to, the rain pits communities use to trap rain water. The briefest touch of a silt vamp causes weakness and disorientation, and if not removed this will eventually lead to the death of one so touched. The more a silt vamp feeds, the stronger it becomes.

Finally, a list of creatures from the Monsters Vault that would fit in thematically in this setting. This will be updated when the monstrous manual 5th edition is released.

Drake (salt drake)
Elemental (salt, brine)
Gargoyle (salt)
Ghoul
Gnoll
Golem (salt, rust)
Kobold
Medusa
Mummy
Ooze (brine)
Rakshasa (my limited research shows that most deserts have feline apex predators which are usually solitary, but will also frequently have communal dog like creatures as one of the top predators)
Rust Monster
Skeleton
Wraith
Yuan-Ti
Zombie

Bear (stats will be used for the Dire Badger probably)
Horse
Hyena
Rat
Snake
Spider

[00dlez]

I have a similar area in my homebrew setting, the denizens not only live in a salt desert, but are adjacent to an extra salty part of the ocean. They are heavily invested in death worship and body preservation and treat salt as a sort of medium that can bridge two worlds through practices like mummification. The worst criminals are put to death by being lashed to rocks or crosses and left to desiccate/burn in the desert sun and salty air.


You seem to have a pretty solid idea in mind, I don't see anything wrong with it. But some food for thought:

An additional "trap" or environmental hazard might be a salt wind or salt vortex... Something like a desert twister that whips up salt and sand into a dangerous whirlwind.

If you've not seen it, or seen it lately, check out The Book of Eli - the movie overall isn't super applicable, but the way water is treated and how desert/wasteland marauders act, and what their priorities are, could be interesting to you. Obviously it's not the focus of the movie, but it came to mind when I thought of how towns would guard/compete for water in an old west setting.

[Yora]

Great idea. Two things come to mind:

The most worthless resource in a place like that would be salt. To mine salt for export, you could easily do that close to the edges, with allows the workers to live in the surrounding hills, which makes life infinitely easier. Alternatively, the big exports could be metal ores and minerals found in rocky islands that only barely peek out of the salt surface. Digging through the salt is probably easier than digging through rock, so miners could carve shafts through the salt to get down and only start digging into the rock when they found veins of resources to mine.

On the subject of water, this is going to make things a lot more problematic. For one thing, it will run into the mine shafts and with salt being solvable will probably cause massive damage to the tunnel walls. Since the sun does not reach into the mines and they are pretty much closed off from the air outside, there would be almost no evaporation. Which means all the water needs to be pumped out every season and needs to be stored somewhere, or it will just flow right back into the shafts.

Not saying the idea isn't feasable, but mining under such conditions would be a lot harder and dangerous than one would innitially suspect.

Also, take a look at Lake Natron. That thing is highly caustic and kills most animals that fall into it. If they make it to shore before they die, they get covered in a hard shell of minerals as the water evaporates.

[daremetoidareyo]

Aquaducts?

How do people get non-meat forage, farming isn't going to be all that hot? (fungus, or anenomes that grow in the water, maybe?)

Flying animals, got any?

Building materials? no wood? If so, what are bows made out of?

Clothes, what are they made out of?

Religion? Water will obviously be important. Salt probably would be as well. Maybe some giant salty crocodile god of plenty?