spellarena

Oasis

Added 2020-04-10 16:46:15 +0000 UTC

Oases are made fertile when sources of fresh water, such as underground rivers or aquifers, irrigate the surface naturally or via man-made wells.

The presence of water on the surface or underground is necessary and the local or regional management of this essential resource is strategic, but not sufficient to create such areas: continuous human work and know-how (a technical and social culture) are essential to maintain such ecosystems.

The location of oases has been of critical importance for trade and transportation routes in desert areas; caravans must travel via oases so that supplies of water and food can be replenished. Thus, political or military control of an oasis has in many cases meant control of trade on a particular route.

As a DM, you can make the oasis a place where the team sets out on their adventure or is attacked by local robbers!

"Oasis" [30x30] has 8 map variants (plus grid, no-grid, JPG, PNG and PDF versions, ready for Roll20, Foundry or your favourite VTT platform).

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New map pack is here! An oasis is a lush green area in the middle of a desert, centered around a natural spring or a well. It is almost a reverse island, in a sense, because it is a tiny area of water surrounded by a sea of sand or rock.

Oases can be fairly easy to spot—at least in deserts that do not have towering sand dunes. In many cases, the oasis will be the only place where trees such as date palms grow for miles around. For centuries, the sight of an oasis on the horizon has been a very welcome one for desert travelers.

Of course it’s a great spot to set up a camp. Fresh water is a blessing in the heat of the burning sun, and the possibility to sit in the shade of a tree is very pleasing.

Of course spending the night in the desert is not safe, even if the oasis gives you a false feeling of safety. Snakes, scorpions, sometimes even bandits who know where the water sources are, come to steal from the sleeping travelers. Even nature might put adventurers in danger - sudden sandstorm is merciless and destroys everything that lays in its way.

The guide finally decided to stop. Our faces were covered in the sweat and sand, but bodies covered in layers of thin material were isolating our bodies pretty well. The gem in my bag was shining stronger and stronger, sending beams of light into the darkness of the desert ahead of us. But we got to the oasis, after a week in the saddle sign of the green plants was very surreal, I had to touch every one of them to convince myself that they were true. We didn’t need torches or anything like that - the gem was enlightening a huge area around us and every part of the land around this pond was covered with the greenish light. I know something is waiting for us, something is calling. And we will be the one who answers.

The map of oasis would be a great addition to the D&D or Call of Cthulhu campaign! Think out of the box, imagination is your friend, make the story unforgettable!

And remember that you have more maps, their versions and bonuses in the higher tiers! Click here to change your tier >