Publisher Blurb:
Deserts are mysterious and sometimes deadly places to traverse, with heat and lack of water combining to kill the unwary. This supplement has 100 different encounters that a GameMaster can use to liven up a desert journey, or perhaps make it even more dangerous. Some are interesting, some may lead to new places and some will be harmful to the unwary. The different encounters have been strongly influenced by Ancient Egypt, with lost pharaohs and hidden tombs, with an element of Arabia, but are suitable for most fantasy deserts.
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Here are some sample results:
A sand dune in the distance looks oddly regular in shape. When it is approached it can be seen that the sand is covering a roughly rectangular limestone outcropping, 50' by 500' long and 100' deep. Carved into the side of the outcropping are four 30' animal-headed humanoid figures; an ibis, a cat, a hippo and a hawk. Between two of the figures is a rectangular opening, almost as tall as them, leading into the interior of the outcropping. The opening has been mostly filled with sand.
A series of regular stone cairns mark a circle in the desert 100' across. Each cairn is 2' high and made from stones of a similar size and shape. The stones are not of a type of rock that can be found in the area, the nearest region where it can be found being several hundred miles away (a (Challenging -10%) Education Test to confirm this).
A small dust devil, not big enough to do any damage, crosses the path in front of the characters before dissipating. A small fragment of papyrus that was being moved by the dust devil is falls onto the ground. The papyrus has a fragmentary cartouche that appears to be that of a pharaoh whose tomb was lost centuries ago (a (Hard -20%) Education Test to confirm this).
A small lizard scuttles out of the way of the characters as they approach. It disappears into a hole in the sand and, when it does, the hole closes with a snap. That, and movement under the sand, suggests that some type of creature was laired beneath the surface waiting for prey.
A spring flows from a pile of rocks into a sandy pool at their base. The water seeps away into the ground rather than flowing from the basin. Underground, it forms a stream and then a river as more water joins it before returning to the surface many leagues away as one of the greatest rivers in the area.
Two pages are the front and rear covers, one page is the front matter and most of one page is ads.