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GameMastery Guide / Adventures / Wilderness / Environment

Deserts

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 222
Deserts are defined not by climate, but rather by the amount of rainfall a region receives; they can be cold, temperate, or hot. They exist in weather shadows, blocked from ordinary precipitation patterns. Desert vegetation is tough and sparse, able to store water for long periods, which means in turn that the soil in a desert is loose and barren, if not entirely rocky. Desert animals tend to be smaller insects, arachnids, mammals, and lizards, with some predatory birds. Venomous creatures are common. In hot deserts, the days are scorching; but at night the heat dissipates quickly, and those who don’t have proper cover or clothing can suffer from exposure.

The following sections of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook can help flesh out desert terrain. Desert terrain is described here, but encounters in the desert might also include exposure to either severe heat or cold; storms, whether blizzards, sandstorms, or thunderstorms, which can lead to flash floods in the higher deserts in particular; and thirst, when water stores eventually vanish.

Archives of Nethys

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Deserts