Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
In this column, we take some of the lands from Magic: The Gathering and turn them into something you can use for your fantasy games.
The stats given in each entry assumes that you’re using Pathfinder or 5e for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This week we head to the Calciform Pools for a relaxing holiday. Or so we thought.
Calciform Pools
The Calciform Pools lie to the West, resting near an area of volcanic and geyser activity. The activity in the area is so extreme that it has led to the rise of the Calciform Pools, in a manner that causes them to have permanent activity. Not just once every few minutes or the like, but permanent eruptions happen somewhere in the Calciform Pools all the time. Occasionally they erupt in different sections of the area, causing some of the older spouts to disappear. This causes the entire land to heave and move, making the ground unsafe to walk on.
Lay of the Land
The Calciform Pools are, without anyone knowing it until recently, a living being. The geysers are exhalations of breath on a cosmic scale, with the latest exhalation having lasted over 1,000 years. Soon though, it’ll be time for the being to inhale. What the being is no one knows, as it seems to precede the existing universe, and while gods and heroes have tried to find out since the dawn of time (or even just awaken the being), they have failed. Nor does the being consistent of flesh, but of stone, dirt, water, and salt. The one thing that has been established with certainty though is that the being is sentient, but anyone who has tried to contact it and communicate with it has been driven insane. Even deities have been affected by this. Those who are later returned to sanity (something that is incredibly difficult to do), describe alien landscapes filled with eruptions like these, dark skies with ancient stars, and worryingly, a sense of dread that whatever the creature is, it’s not alone, and more of its kind are coming. Worst of all though, seems to be the implication that the creatures survive on the very essence of life from other creatures, and that each creature is capable of consuming entire worlds on their own, draining them of all life. Only the fact that their life happens on such a slow timeframe ensures that the world is safe for now, at least until the creature awakens.
Dangers
The ground at the Calciform Pools is permanently unsafe, and the area is considered difficult terrain, even to flying creatures, as long as they’re within 200 feet of the ground (the highest any known geyser has reached so far). When wandering, there is a 20% chance each day that a geyser will erupt underneath a moving party – this deals 6d6 points of fire damage, like a fireball. (Saves can reduce the damage by half – treat the geyser as if it was a spell cast by a 6th level wizard). Once a party has been hit by a geyser, the chance of being hit by another increases by 10% (and 10% for each geyser beyond that), almost as if the party is being followed by the eruptions. Only by leaving the Calciform Pools entirely can the chance be reduced to the minimum 20% once more.
And with that lovely spot in the sun sorted, we hope to see you back next week. 😊
Kim Frandsen
Latest posts by Kim Frandsen (see all)
- Finder’s Archive – Crypt of the Eternals - June 2, 2023
