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. Today we stalk the mecha-beasts of Copperline Gorge.
Copperline Gorge
No one is quite certain how the Copperline Gorge came to be, though everyone IS certain that it is not a natural occurrence. However it came about, something infects and changes the creatures that come here, almost as if the metal, verdigris, and rust that covers everything are bacterial, transforming the foolish into mockeries of life. But, the Copperline Gorge is extremely rich in metal — it is literally just below the surface — and since so many valuable and rare metals are readily available here, stretching from copper and iron to titanium and (in one known case) adamantine, it sees a constant influx of people who think they can beat the odds. And enough of them do, that there will always be more coming here.
Lay of the Land
The Copperline Gorge is a canyon created when something (most scholars believe it to be some sort of magical catastrophe or an alien asteroid that crashed into the ground here) destroyed the surface of what was once a wide steppe, exposing everything underneath to the elements. Something definitely happened as the area transformed in but a few years into a metallic wasteland, where magical emanations transfigure and corrupt anything living and natural into a mechanical monstrosity that barely resembles its old form.
Everywhere is covered in metal, most of it copper, but with other metals present occasionally as well, though these are usually buried beneath the copper. While most of the copper has been tainted with verdigris, some of it retains its metallic appearance, especially in areas where many of the clockwork creatures are created and roam – many of whom retain their original biological imperatives, such as digging for or fighting over food and water.
For those who have yet to be changed themselves, this is the land of opportunity. Anyone can mine the metals, though only the brave or foolhardy venture beyond the relatively safe outer zone (the copper zone) into the areas where the more valuable metals are. The further you go in, the bigger the chance of being corrupted into one of the clockwork creatures.
Dangers
There are two dangers within the Copperline Gorge. The first is the “Curse of Metal” that affects everyone who wanders here. Depending on the zone you’re in, the more dangerous the curse becomes. The copper (outer) zone is safe for 24 hours before there is a risk of transformation, though no one is quite sure how to strengthen themselves against it or ward it off. In the second zone (silver) you’re only safe for 12 hours, the gold zone is only safe for 3, and finally the innermost zone, the platinum zone is only safe for a single hour before the curse might hit. (The actual saves and nature of the Curse of Metal are up to the GM but should involve things like Will or Wisdom saving throws, and a gradual (but quick) transformation into a clockwork creature.
The second danger is the clockwork creatures themselves (pf2 / 5e) as they are all insane, from the transformation that they’ve undergone, going from living creatures to the metallic monstrosities that they are now. They most often attack on sight, though some, especially those that were unintelligent animals before their transformation, may try to avoid confrontation or simply alert the more powerful creatures. Regardless, their behavior isn’t totally random, as they have never been observed to attack each other. Anyone else though is free game.
See you back next time. 😊
Kim Frandsen
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