A prosperous region of gunslingers and outlaws has fallen into terror as colossal creatures awaken from beneath the earth.

Designed by Carlos Cisco, Rowan Hall, Spenser Starke, & Mike Underwood

Complexity Rating: ••••

The Pitch

Read this section to your players to introduce them to the campaign.

The Drylands were a place that put the old stories aside. While superstitious miners have long said that the crystals growing wild in this desert are made from the very life-essence of Forgotten Gods, the folk around here had real work to do, and actual deities were left for campfire stories. That is, until a massive colossus answered the call of something ancient and apocalyptic, rising from the earth and devastating the lands. The bold prospectors, tired laborers, and born-again worshippers in the dusty town of Wyllin’s Gulch were thrown from their routine of industry and exploitation, forced to raise scattered armies and watch them die to the behemoth’s strength. And this is only the first of many titanic beasts poised to terrorize the land. In a Colossus of the Drylands campaign, you’ll play a heroic posse of mavericks who must save their home from a legion of colossi and a primordial god seeking vengeance.

Tone & Feel

Awe-Inspiring, Dusty, Eerie, Gritty, Larger than Life, Terrifying

Themes

Breaking Cycles, The Burden of Heroism, Faith vs. Doubt, Greed, Ordinary People Accomplishing the Extraordinary

Touchstones

Shadow of the Colossus, Red Dead Redemption, Deadlands, On the Shoulders of Colossus

Overview

If your group decides to play this campaign, give your players the following information before character creation.

The Prophecy of the Drylands God begins as thus: In the center of the world there is a mountain, and deep beneath that mountain there is an ancient and terrible god—a Forgotten God—struggling to break free of his confinement. One day Kudamat, the First Doom will escape his earthen tomb with the help of his nine colossi, the Children of Godfell, to sunder the world, his hated prison, and tear down the sky like fabric. As the New Gods fall from the Hallows Above, Kudamat will slay them with his stone sickle that their blood will flood the Mortal Realm. In this sanguine tide, Kudamat and the new generation of colossi, each made from the god’s very being, will destroy the creatures of the Mortal Realm and make room for abhorrent creations to repopulate the land, sea, and sky. In his triumph, Kudamat will free the many trapped gods of his generation and become the high lord among all divinities.

At least, that’s how the old story went. Most people believed it was just another tall tale of the Drylands.

The History of the Gods is a myth known by many and believed by few: When the Forgotten Gods built the Mortal Realm in the Earliest Age, they made a place of joys and sorrows, freedom and labor. All the creatures of the land, sea, and sky worked for the many gods and enjoyed the spoils and trials of deities that had nothing but time and endless curiosity. These immortals could not fathom that the New Gods would one day rise and overthrow them in a violent battle, tossing them from their place in the high Hallows Above and entrapping them in the Mortal Realm and the Circles Below.

Many Forgotten Gods imprisoned in the Mortal Realm were trapped within the ground, buried over the centuries beneath the rise and fall of civilizations. The deific essence of these gods bleeds from their lasting wounds—and whether this enervation was intentional or not, their power seeped into the earth where they’re entombed, running like veins of stone up to the surface. The crystal born from these veins is known as “essentia”, and all magic in the Mortal Realm comes from its power. As such, there’s a mad scramble for any opportunity to harvest this precious resource, and in the eyes of those in power, land with a vein of essentia is worth the millions of lives sacrificed to the mines built to dig the crystals up.

Godfell Mountain is one such land. Sitting in the middle of a crowd of high mesas, amid arid countryside peppered by meager lakes and sparse forests, this peak marks the richest essentia mines on the continent. Though it’s not the center of the world as the stories say, it’s the hub of a region filled with newfound wealth, industry, and an ever-expanding network of dusty towns run by crooked sheriffs.

The numerous veins of essentia running from Godfell Mountain come from the power of Kudamat, the First Doom, a Forgotten God seeking freedom and the destruction of the entire Mortal Realm. As these makeshift towns follow the veins of crystal ever closer to Godfell, they move toward the blighted earth the New Gods left to keep mortals from the prison of the ancient god. This mountain is a desolate and dangerous place where few can survive, but that doesn’t stop powerful mining operations and bold prospectors from trying their luck.

Kudamat was trapped within Godfell Mountain, or rather, the mountain was formed around him when the Forgotten Gods lost to the New Gods at the end of the Earliest Age. Ever since, like many of his kind, Kudamat was forced to wait for the day he could finally break free. But it wasn’t a simple burial the New Gods performed. To trap the First Doom, the usurper gods split part of his being into nine pieces and tasked nine mortals with hiding the soul shards so Kudamat could not reach his full power.

But they should not have given such a paramount task to mere mortals. The nine riders took the shards as far from the mountain as they could manage and buried them in the arid earth, but it wasn’t far enough. Over the centuries, Kudamat reached out through the dirt and stone, veins of crystalline essentia stretching out like tendrils to find his missing pieces. Over time, the godly strife of the Earliest Age and the hidden resting places of the soul shards drifted out of memory and into stories and legends. Legends most sensible folk ignored or forgot.

When Kudamat found the first piece of his soul, he began channeling its power to restore his godhood, and a single thundering quake tore a fissure through the center street of Wyllin’s Gulch—a terrible earthquake, they believed, not understanding the apocalyptic toll ringing out across the sands. Kudamat then used a fragment of his divine might to craft a colossus and droves of accompanying aberrations that would guard the soul shard while he siphons the remainder of his power and seeks out the other eight shards. Even with only the barest portion of his power restored, Kudamat’s reawakening is all but inevitable. He grows stronger by the day, searching out the remaining pieces and building more colossi to guard them. If left unchecked, he will reclaim the power of all nine shards and break his earthen shackles, rising again to bring doom to this world.

Preacher Rayos (he/him) was the first, or perhaps only the loudest, to recognize the rise of the colossus outside Wyllin’s Gulch as the first step in the Prophecy of the Drylands God. He proclaimed the story of Kudamat, warning people of the increased dangers of the god’s charged essentia. Above all else, he stressed the importance of finding the soul shards and keeping the god from siphoning them. To get the word out, he took his flock from their home in the Left Luck Outpost to Wyllin’s Gulch, the unofficial capital of the western line, where he continues to preach, growing more popular with each passing day. He already had enough of a following in his community—and now times are apocalyptic enough that people are eager for a spiritual leader.

Wyllin’s Gulch worships no gods but the earning and spending of gold, and it will take more than a violent colossus to get the people of this town to pay attention to an ancient prophecy. In the early days of the Essentia Rush, roughly 40 years ago, the Gulch was established as the first western outpost in the region surrounding Godfell Mountain, just a few miles from a rich vein of essentia. As more and more of the crystals were unearthed, powerful moguls established processing plants to speed up the time between mine and money. Belching factories were built up the sides of the Twin Turtles, two great mesas that bordered the burgeoning town, their massive conveyor lifts hauling tons of essentia to the manufactories that process the crystals into the conductive batteries most folk use to power their homes, weapons, and all manner of magical items.

Today, with its natural fortifications and wealthy elite, Wyllin’s Gulch is the gatekeeper for anyone approaching Godfell Mountain on the western train line. As such, the townspeople either work mining and processing essentia or host money traps that appeal to new fools who come to try their hand at prospecting the crystals.

A wide variety of folks inhabit Wyllin’s Gulch. The arid plains, breathtaking skies, and the possibility of boundless riches attract all types. Living away from the prying eye of larger law enforcement is another perk—while there are sheriffs in Wyllin’s Gulch, they’re paid to protect the mines and manufacturing rather than uphold any version of “justice”. It’s common for outlaw gangs to seek their fortunes by stealing the valuable crystals, while others, who see these mining operations as anathema, destroy the equipment that tears essentia from the ground. But most outlaws find greater success at the smaller essentia outposts than this bastion of dusty fortitude.

Essentia outposts range in size from a small collection of tents to a thriving town. Some outposts are formed when just a few folks get together to mine the same vein or sift the same river. Others are created when a company purchases a parcel of land containing a vein and installs a small settlement of workers. Still others are larger towns built by people wanting a bit of community along with their work. Though essentia outposts can vary in size, style, and operating procedure, one thing is always true: where there is an outpost around Godfell Mountain, there’s a vein of essentia. Now, these outposts face the coming threat of more colossi rising from the earth as Kudamat locates his soul shards and uses the essentia veins to siphon back his power.

Communities

All communities are available, but some have unique aspects within a Colossus of the Drylands campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players and choose one or more of the questions to ask them during your session zero.

Loreborne

In the Drylands, many folks hold fervent beliefs about the Forgotten Gods, the New Gods, and the essentia crystals that power the world. Loreborne communities take a more scholarly, possibly even evangelical, approach to these beliefs. Some follow the “forgotten ways” and utilize raw essentia in their spiritual practice, while others abstain from essentia entirely, believing it’s a profanity to the New Gods they worship.

• What were you taught about the origins of the Mortal Realm, and how did the colossi emerging affect that worldview?
• Kudamat’s impending return changed the beliefs of many, but not you. What did you experience in the past that makes your faith unshakeable?
• You refuse to use the magic of essentia because you follow the “new ways”. How has your devotion to the New Gods helped you? How has it hindered you?

Orderborne

Some orderborne characters come from the law. Whether sheriff or deputy, these individuals are often seen as the most powerful members of their town. Though these officers are usually in the pocket of rich essentia mine moguls, if not fully on the payroll, they’re often the most prepared to protect civilians in times of danger. Other orderborne communities are organized bands of outlaws—some who steal and sabotage essentia outposts with a moral goal in mind, and others who just need crystals to sell or power their own magic. Either way, they always operate by a code, unique as it may be.

• What incident during your time working for the sheriff prepared you to help panicking civilians worried about the colossus?
• You and your posse have killed to get what you need. What rules do you have about who you’ll never harm?
• You once took a bribe to do something you regret. What happened, and what was your reward?

Highborne

In the Drylands, most true highborne folk come from elsewhere, seeking to further enrich themselves using the industries surrounding essentia. Some were born into wealth, while others are fallen business owners forced to move out to the desert for their “next big venture”. Regardless of how highborne characters originally found fortune, they often find themselves at odds with the beating sun and the clinging dust, though they have employees to do any task that could even vaguely be classified as “work”. The grand myth that keeps people prospecting is that anyone can find an essentia vein or river deposit and change their lives with riches untold. Though some have done it, they’re few and far between. Most earn enough to keep on working for another day, and a few live comfortably with a little to spare.

• What disaster befell your family’s fortune that precipitated your move to the Drylands?
• What local custom or practice do you find refreshing that people from home would balk at?
• How has your lineage, title, or other highborne affectations gotten you in trouble in the Drylands?

Ridgeborne and Underborne

In this region of mountains, mines, high deserts, and sparse greenery, both ridgeborne and underborne communities thrive. Ridgeborne characters could come from small outposts, family encampments, or other groups that make home atop the dangerous crags of the region. Some of these communities may even be bold enough to live where others will not—on Godfell Mountain. Though it is dangerous, desolate, and blighted, the mountain yields the richest essentia for those willing to risk everything.

An underborne character could be part of a community that took to old essentia mines for refuge, building homes in the darkness beneath the earth. Others are essentia miners who create small underborne communities with fellow members of their profession who spend most of their life excavating the crystals from the stone. This is one of the most dangerous yet common jobs in the region, and it makes for a hardy lot. Whether a character grew up in a Drylands outpost or moved to one to prospect, there are more than enough communities peppered throughout the Drylands that any of these places could be called home.

• You were born in the mountains and mesas of the Drylands. What do you know about this land that new prospectors will never understand?
• You are afraid of the dark, but venture into the mines every day anyway. What keeps you going back?
• You once found something unexpected near Godfell Mountain. What was it, and who did you tell about your discovery?

Slyborne

With its untold veins of essentia bringing folks seeking to make their fortune from the earth, the Drylands also appeal to people seeking to make their fortune from the exploitation of others. There’s no small share of bad actors who want to get rich and get out quick, either by selling useless parcels of land, shilling water-and-vinegar “snake oil”, or outright theft. But some slyborne communities are more interested in stopping major operations from stripping essentia from the desert than robbing the innocent. The “Harlan Family”, a small but active posse of thieves led by Trace Harlan (they/them), works out of Wyllin’s Gulch for one purpose: to stop ambitious tycoons from mining and producing essentia batteries. They hope to one day tear the factories from the walls of the mesa and drive out the greedy moguls that put profit over people.

• What darkness in your past did you attempt to leave behind when coming to the Drylands?
• You once betrayed a close accomplice. What happened and why haven’t you spoken since the incident?
• You had to go through a terrifying initiation to join your posse. What did you do, and how has it changed you forever?

Wanderborne

Wanderborne characters are just as likely to originate from within the region as arrive from elsewhere. As most things in the Drylands do, their wanderings gravitate toward the essentia veins. Some wanderborne communities are as old as Godfell Mountain itself, and they have stores of essentia they visit across the desert. Others are new groups of unprepared prospectors who are more likely to die by sun or snake than find any ease in the Drylands.

• What common practice of outpost living do you find utterly baffling or uncomfortable?
• You have a small cache of emergency items hidden in the desert. What did you hide?
• You used to live in an outpost, but something terrible happened that caused you to leave. What happened, and why will you never return?

Ancestries

All ancestries are available, but some have unique aspects within a Colossus of the Drylands campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players.

All Ancestries

Many folks of all ancestries profess to feel the presence of essentia in the ground—especially while Kudamat is using it to siphon back his power. No one can prove if this is true or not, but many use these claims to get high-paying positions working for mining operations.

Clanks

Clanks are powered by essentia. If a player creates a clank, they should consider how their character regularly obtains this resource and what happens if they’re unable to get enough.

Infernis

Players who have chosen the Infernis ancestry should consider how their character’s relationship with their heritage from the demons of the Circles Below plays into the various faiths of the Drylands.

Fungril, Galapa, and Ribbets

Fungril, galapa, and ribbets native to the Drylands are most often well adapted to the desert, but those who aren’t from these deserts commonly live near the few lakes in the region or devise systems to travel with large amounts of water.

Classes

All classes are available, but some have unique aspects within a Colossus of the Drylands campaign. As needed, provide the following information to your players.

Druids

Druids in the Drylands are more equipped than many to navigate the inhospitable environment. They’re familiar with the unique qualities of desert flora and fauna, and their spells and abilities reflect that.

Rangers

Many rangers in the Drylands are “lone riders” who prefer only the company of their mount and ride from outpost to outpost, never stopping for long. They’re often defenders of the weak who stand up against local law enforcement when deputies push people around.

Seraphs

Many seraphs have strong relationships with their faith, either worshiping the Forgotten Gods (such as Kudamat) or the New Gods. This also affects their relationship with the use of essentia—the former utilize the crystals prolifically, while the latter may have a fraught relationship with magic. When playing a seraph, players should consider how their character feels about magic, as well as the way their character engages with their faith within the community. Many choose to become preachers, healers, and prophets of the land.

Syndicate Rogue

These rogues often operate as deputies, mining operation overseers, or members of outlaw posses. Though any of these groups might work publicly, it takes a master of charm and negotiation, as well as clandestine activity, to accomplish the organization’s more covert goals.

Player Principles

If your group decides to play this campaign, give your players the following information before character creation.

Embrace the Drylands

When building your character, consider how their place in the Drylands impacts their aesthetics and approach to the world. Find reasons for them to love the land despite its harshness as they work desperately to protect the region from the monsters trying to tear it asunder.

Face the Unstoppable

In this campaign, your character stands against creatures taller than the largest buildings, whose destructive power is only matched by the most devastating natural disasters. Decide what makes your character particularly equipped to destroy colossi and, more importantly, what’s personally at stake for them should they fail.

Navigate Your Faith

The Drylands are a land of extremes: it’s extremely hot, extremely harsh, and extremely easy to die. Folks approach religion the same way. Some people believe that the gods never existed and the stories about the origins of essentia are just marketing and grandstanding. Others continue to worship the Forgotten Gods, attributing a spiritual aspect to their use of essentia. Still others believe essentia is a profanity and commit crimes to close up the mines in the name of the New Gods. Consider the beliefs your character held before the rise of first colossus and how they might have changed since.

Ride Like the Wind

Just about everyone born in the Drylands can ride a mount from the moment they can walk, and newcomers are expected to learn quickly. Unless you choose a feature for your character that provides an animal companion or applicable spell with benefits, their mount will not change their mechanics or give them an advantage in combat. They can, however, use their mount to pass between towns and portions of the desert with added ease and speed. The colossal children of a vengeful god are on the rise, and the party has no time to waste.

Compared to what other creatures people of the Drylands ride, is your character’s mount unique? Select their mount from the list below, or make up your own.

Horse	Dire Wolf	Giant Turtle
Buffalo	Rhinoceros	Giant Toad
Deer	Giant Goat	Giant Scorpion
Elk	Giant Jackalope	Giant Centipede
Bear	Giant Rattlesnake	Shadow Beast
Mountain Lion	Giant Lizard	Robotic Mount

GM Principles

Keep the following guidance in mind while you GM this campaign.

Contrast the Mundane and the Extraordinary

Before the first colossus appeared in Wyllin’s Gulch, things were pretty ordinary. Folks came in on the one train, sought their fortunes mining or panning for essentia, spent their meager earnings on liquor at the bar, kept their mount fed and their belly (mostly) full, and tried to stay out of the way if a posse rode through town. Now, with the colossus rampaging, the mines are flush with power to the point of explosion, and creatures are forming seemingly overnight. Unfortunately, the impending arrival of the First Doom does nothing to dissuade the impending arrival of debt collectors, and the essentia refineries still hunger for fuel. The cataclysmic foes threatening the Drylands become more apocalyptic when juxtaposed against mundane moments found only in these small towns.

Emphasize Scope and Scale

The Drylands are a big place. The mesas are massive, the sky stretches as far as the eye can see, and something about the darkness of the nights feels infinite. This is a place that makes one feel small, even on a normal day. The sprawling geography is a perpetual reminder of the true insignificance of civilization’s footprint. Confrontations with the colossi should serve as a reminder: the adventurers are but ants to them, scaling their bodies and stinging them with tiny weapons. Their destruction is calamitous—a single footstep could level a town. Let both the colossi and the landscape feel immense.

Make Colossi an Allegory for Personal Woe

The colossi are destructive beings formed from aspects of Kudamat’s soul and the environment they inhabit—but they can also serve as allegories for the PCs’ personal journeys. When you can, use these behemoths to address the themes of the campaign, informed by the PCs’ choices and their backstories. In your session zero, make note of themes or struggles the players want to highlight in their characters’ backstories… then make them gigantic.

For example, if one of the characters has a past with a corrupt small-town sheriff with too much influence and a finger in everyone’s business, you could utilize Zuudra, the Many Arms of Calamity (see the upcoming “The Children of Godfell” section) as a metaphor to represent the sheriff’s destructive overreach and the inescapable grip he holds on the outpost.

Offer Chances for Creative Solutions to Colossal Problems

Some players may be satisfied with simply climbing a colossus and jabbing sharp things into their weak points until they die. Other players might come up with elaborate plans and traps, or even attempt to tame a colossus. Lean into these opportunities for player creativity, giving them plenty of nails until they figure out what hammer they want to use when tackling these monstrous beasts. Each colossi should have a unique personality, physicality, and weakness that encourages the players’ ingenuity.

Distinctions

Use this information to prepare your campaign. You can also share it with your players as needed.

The Children of Godfell

Each of Kudamat’s nine soul shards are protected by a colossus known as a Child of Godfell. These beings are physical manifestations of the god’s will, hellbent on protecting their soul shard as its power is siphoned back to the mountain. Formed by elements of the soul shard’s surroundings, each is unique in personality, form, and capabilities.

You’ll need nine colossi to populate the area around Godfell Mountain and guard Kudamat’s soul shards. You can use any of the colossi from the list below as inspiration, or make your own. (See the upcoming “Colossal Adversaries” section for mechanical guidance on building a colossus.)

Example Children of Godfell

Aandira, the One Who Devours: Her form is a mix of humanoid and spider, and she scurries across the Drylands on bent-back limb with a dozen mouths of broken teeth.

Aikar, Shepherd of the Meek: This bipedal colossus has two arms affixed with bladed shields, allowing them to deflect and deliver blows with ease. Aikar’s howl can stop living creatures in their tracks.

Aphedos, the Creeping Darkness: Aphedos is formed from thousands of flies that operate independently. Impossible to climb, he must be brought down by alternate means.

Balorma, the Blooming Hornwolf: This wolf bears elk horns formed of flourishing plant life. When she steps, she plants roots that suck the life from all they touch.

Chakantis, He Who Knows the End: This crystalline beetle’s wingbeats rain down deadly shards onto the ground, and his abdomen can vibrate at high frequency, shattering even stone.

Daktadae, the Cleaver: A massive steel rhinoceros formed from a steam train, a cleaver emerging from his head instead of a horn. He seeks vengeance upon those who’ve harmed him in the past.

Eriphisia, the Radiant Light of Eternal Cleansing: A crystalline statue whose dozens of eyes cast blinding light upon the world. They reflect the sun upon victims as a ray of white, hot death.

Ga’mor, the Shade of Quick Death: Ga’mor is formed from the shadows of mountains, buildings, and people. When this amalgam steps into new darkness, they can adjust their shape to match the bounds of the shadow.

Heladra, Sower of Sorrows: This cloaked figure weeps waterfalls from unseen eyes, flooding the land wherever she travels.

Ikeri, Injuries Untold: This apelike creature has the face of a bird. They are made of stone and carry an enormous mesa upon their back.

Impahk, They Who Know No Rest: This massive desert cyclone never stops moving and consumes all they touch.

Kelir, the Virulent Hate and Her Hundred, Hundred Children: A crablike, mountainous beast whose children scurry in and around her, bringing food as tribute.

Mirmett, the Lover of the Hollow Hearts. This giant humanoid cage places enemies inside themself to be killed or eaten by the creatures that live within them.

Moraidus, the Keeper of Graves: This centipede is formed from grave dirt and tombstones. Their arms are made of skeletons that hang from their composite form, reaching and scrabbling for anything that comes near.

Nocte, the Invisible Tide: Imperceptible to the eye, Nocte swims through the ground like a fish through water and attacks from below, pulling his victims into an early grave.

Oosha, Eerrae, and Yyisu, Three Who Parse Infinity: These three humanoid figures can fight separately or come together as one terrifying form. They cut their victims into pieces with rusted blades.

Poy, Sky Skimmer of the Dust Sea: This massive shoebill stork is formed from the dust of the Drylands and traps enemies in their cavernous beak.

Quelle, the Innocent Pain: A feline creature covered in thousands of burrowing tendrils, Quelle is fascinated by living beings and tears their enemies apart to look inside.

Syan’til, the Serpent of the Last Light: A serpent of lightning, Syan’til races down from the sky to strike with blazing speed.

Takkan, the Bone Bearer: Built from hundreds of bones from deep within the earth, Takkan’s form is ever-shifting and ever-grinding as she moves.

Usandi, the Bear of Five Faces: Able to see in all directions, Usandi has a ring of snapping teeth around his neck, sharpened spine bones jutting out of his back, and thrashing claws running up his limbs.

Vian and Naiv, the Makers of Undoing: These vespertilian beasts corrode what they touch until it falls to dust. They can only be killed by simultaneously striking weak points on both creatures.

Xehamras, the Last Breath: Xehamras suffocates his victims, consuming their dying breath to increase his power, all while barking raspy laughter from his coyote head.

Zuudra, the Many Arms of Calamity: This cephalopod has eight writhing limbs that rapidly shift between hardened stone spikes and rivers of flowing magma.

Designing Your Own Colossus

When you create colossi, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do they look like? Are they similar to an animal, do they resemble a particular player ancestry, or are they built from pieces of the physical landscape? Alternatively, they could be an amalgamation of many things.
• What is their personality? Are they quick to dispatch their enemies, or do they toy with their victims? Are they completely loyal to Kudamat, or do they enjoy learning about mortals? They could have many different aspects to their thinking and worldview.
• How do they move? Do they lumber across the landscape, fly on feathered wings, or disappear into the earth and appear elsewhere? They could also utilize different forms of movement based on the terrain or situation.
• What abilities do they have? They may attack many enemies at once with a flurry of arms, conjure an army of ravenous shadow beasts, or rip memories from the minds of their targets. Consider how they’d attack at their strongest, but also how they’d act when they’re gravely injured.
• What is their weakness? Are they vulnerable to fire or another element? Do they undergo a transformation that leaves them open to attack? Are they a pair of colossi who are strong together but weak when separated? Find ways to give the characters openings to defeat these larger-than-life enemies.
• How does the colossus relate to the themes the players want to explore? You might create a colossus that animates the dead if characters have experienced grief, a colossus that grows plants wherever they step if the campaign focuses on the destruction of the environment, or a colossus that corrodes all they touch if characters begin to doubt if their actions are heroic.

The Soul Shards

No one knows exactly where each soul shard is located, but regions overrun with aberrations and supercharged essentia indicate that a shard is nearby. When Kudamat locates a soul shard and begins siphoning power from it, the ground around it quakes with a single, powerful tremor, and the vein of essentia supercharged by his power glows brightly, day and night. This helps the locals pinpoint the soul shard’s location with more accuracy, so to prevent it from being found, Kudamat simultaneously creates a sentinel: a colossus who stalks and guards that entire region.

Once a colossus is slain, the soul shard they defended shatters deep beneath the earth, causing a ring of essentia to violently erupt out of the ground in a mile radius around the shard’s location. Destroying these shards prevents Kudamat from absorbing further power—the sooner each shard is shattered, the less power Kudamat will have when he emerges from the mountain at the end of the campaign (see the upcoming “Emergence of Kudamat” section for more details).

The Aberrations

From the divine power surging through the veins of essentia come new and terrible beasts. These aberrations are smaller than the colossi, but share the same goal: keep all creatures away from the soul shards. Some even resemble the colossi they serve, wielding similar forms or abilities as their titanic counterparts.

Any existing adversaries can be reflavored as an aberration, but you can build your own as well. When creating aberrations, ask yourself the following questions:

• What do they look like? Similar to the colossi, these are twisted and terrible beings never before seen in the Mortal Realm. They usually resemble their surrounding landscape, a characteristic they embody, or the colossi they serve.
• Where can they be found? When you imagine them in the Drylands, consider how they might hunt in the environment they populate. These creatures range in size from miniscule to the size of a house, and each aberration will operate differently.
• What powers do they have? Do they resemble a nearby colossus? Or are they something else entirely? Some of the aberrations might fight in packs, have only one powerful ability, or wear the party down with sheer numbers.

Essentia

All magic in the Drylands is powered by essentia, and without the crystals and batteries made from them, magic users cannot access this power. Had the life forces of the Forgotten Gods not crystallized on the Mortal Plane, its inhabitants would never have harnessed the power of magic. Across the realm, since the dawn of mortalkind, people have mined the earth and plumbed the seas for these crystals of power. But it’s only within the recent past that people learned that, while the raw essentia crystals can provide enormous power, it’s more reliable (and often a more efficient use of less-potent stones) to manufacture batteries. These “essentia cells” are now widely available across the realm, making magic more accessible and the Drylands increasingly wealthy.

Ask players about their character’s relationship with essentia.

• Are they willing to harness the life essence of ancient gods, or do they consider it a profanity?
• Do they install raw or polished essentia crystals in their armor or weapons, or do they utilize modern essentia cells?
• How do they acquire new essentia when their crystals or cells wear out? Do they purchase it in shops, steal it, or mine it as they travel?

Drylands Outposts

Since the Essentia Rush began about 40 years ago, settlements like Wyllin’s Gulch formed around Godfell Mountain. Some are small encampments, while others are bustling towns cut through by dirt streets. But no matter their size, they’re always referred to as outposts, because everyone knows that once the local essentia veins are cleaned out, people will have their town packed up overnight.

Below are a few of the larger outposts, but you’re encouraged to make your own:

The Cinderline: Named for the unique black sand the town is built upon, the Cinderline sprung up around a river that washed bits of essentia into a nice deposit downstream, though no one has successfully panned for essentia in the last few years. Locals are fiercely protective of their water supply, as this outpost is the last stop for fresh water before a long stretch of desert.

Havalaugh: The name sounds as cordial as the folks in this encampment. Though there isn’t a permanent building in sight, the tents that form this town stretch for at least a mile. Run by someone known only as Pickens (they/them), Havalaugh is fairly receptive to outsiders. The outpost is considered to host the premier marketplace on the eastern side of the mountain, and its High Summer Festival is famous—enough for Havalaugh to nearly quintuple its size for a week. There’s no sheriff in Havalaugh, but anyone who harms a citizen is never heard from again.

The Iron Kettle: One of the more industrialized outposts in the region, the Iron Kettle is built around a massive mine owned by Iron Tusk Corp. Because of the talent needed to construct the mining infrastructure, it’s a rustic place full of skilled smiths and crafters, many of whom sell goods to travelers outside their work for Iron Tusk. This need for steel goods has given the smiths more power than Iron Tusk would prefer. But a powerful trade union formed by the smiths keeps them in check and governs “The Kettle”, taking the onus (and liability) off the company.

Pryor: Built into a long-abandoned essentia mine, Pryor is often unnoticed by those who don’t know where to look as they ride by. The folk that live in this insular outpost are not known to welcome guests, but if you have a contact who can get you in their good graces, you’re likely to learn the best tricks of the Drylands from the citizens of Pryor. Most of these families stretch back to the time before the Essentia Rush, when there were only a few folk mining these lands.

Defiance: Famous for its position high atop a mesa, Defiance is an outpost rumored to have been established by a band of thieves looking to escape the law—and its position certainly provides a good view of anyone coming their way. These vagrants have a considerable cache of artillery aimed at the ground below, and they aren’t known to fire warning shots.

The Inciting Incident

You can use the prompt below to start your campaign, or create your own.

When the first colossus rose outside Wyllin’s Gulch, most people spent a considerable amount of time panicking. The sheriff raised a small army to fight it, a band of brave miners piled old equipment in its path, and the factories shuttered to protect their stores of essentia. But every effort was ineffective in stopping the massive creature’s path of destruction

After seeing most of his deputies die in a single crushing blow, Mayor Logan Hartly (she/her) put out an ad. “Help Wanted. Whoever can dispatch the colossus and its pack of abberations will receive a chest of fully processed essentia”. It’s a good deal for anyone who can manage to fight the gigantic force of nature and live to tell the tale.

Meanwhile, Baron Ryder Destry (he/him)—his name, not a title—recently learned that Kudamat’s efforts to siphon the power of his soul has supercharged the veins of essentia connected to the shard, making the stones ten times as valuable. He’s offering “an army’s supply of powerful essentia” to anyone who will collaborate with the colossus to stand guard around the soul shard until Kudamat completes his ritual. Destry swears his factory guard can keep Wyllin’s Gulch safe, and he’ll keep his teams mining the powerful essentia night and day.

The party was assembled by the mayor’s “Help Wanted” ad, but Destry’s offer put more than a few wrenches in an already near-impossible plan. Numerous groups with their eye on Destry’s prize are already on their way to the colossus to help it guard Kudamat’s soul shard. In addition, smaller aberrations have begun to rise from the veins of essentia to aid their titanic counterpart. If the party can manage to fight their way through these smaller adversaries, they’ll have to topple a colossus, a feat no one in the Drylands has ever accomplished.

Will the party take the offer from the mayor, or give up the effort to stand alongside the colossus while Destry continues to mine the supercharged essentia? Can they play both sides? Will Hartly keep her word if they manage to topple the colossus? Can the party kill the massive creation before it destroys Wyllin’s Gulch, or any of the smaller outposts nearby? Once they’ve destroyed this colossus, are the stories true, with another rise to fulfill the Prophecy of the Drylands?

Campaign Mechanics

The following mechanics are unique to this campaign.

Tools of the Trade

From firearms to dynamite, the Drylands’ communities have developed impressive technology thanks to the Essentia Rush. Encourage PCs to reflavor any of the standard equipment and loot as something appropriate for the genre. Additionally, they may choose from the following options.

Primary Weapons

The following primary weapons are also available in this campaign.

Name	Trait	Range	Damage	Burden	Feature
Revolver	Finesse	Far	Tier 1: d6+1 phy Tier 2: d6+4 phy Tier 3: d6+7 phy Tier 4: d6+10 phy	One-Handed	Six Shot: Place 6 Ammo tokens on your character sheet. Spend 1 Ammo token to make an attack. You can mark a Stress to regain spent Ammo tokens.
Rifle	Agility	Very Far	Tier 1: d8+2 phy Tier 2: d8+5 phy Tier 3: d8+8 phy Tier 4: d8+11 phy	Two-Handed	Sightline: Spend 2 Hope to gain advantage on an attack roll.
Shotgun	Strength	Very Close	Tier 1: d6+2 phy Tier 2: d6+5 phy Tier 3: d6+8 phy Tier 4: d6+11 phy	Two-Handed	Scattershot: When you make an attack, target all creatures in front of you within range.

Secondary Weapons

The following secondary weapons are available in this campaign.

Name	Trait	Range	Damage	Burden	Feature
Lasso	Agility	Very Close	Tier 1: d4 phy Tier 2: d4+3 phy Tier 3: d4+6 phy Tier 4: d4+9 phy	One-Handed	Roped: On a successful attack, you can temporarily Rope the target instead of dealing damage. While Roped, the target is Restrained and Vulnerable, but you must remain within Very Close range of the target. When the target clears this condition, you can make a Strength Reaction Roll. On a success, they remain Roped.
Small Revolver	Finesse	Far	Tier 1: d6 phy Tier 2: d6+3 phy Tier 3: d6+6 phy Tier 4: d6+9 phy	One-Handed	Quick Shot: Spend 2 Hope to gain a +4 bonus to primary weapon damage.

Consumable

The following consumable is available in this campaign.

Dynamite: (Consumable) You can light this dynamite and toss it within Close range. All creatures within Very Close range of where the dynamite lands must make a Reaction Roll (14). Targets who fail take 1d20+5 physical damage. Targets who succeed must mark a Stress. Dynamite deals double damage to inanimate objects or structures.

Hunts and Interludes

Play in this campaign frame is broken into two distinct phases— hunts and interludes.

Once the party finds out a new colossus has risen in the Drylands, they are in the hunt phase. During the hunt phase, they should be riding into the relevant outpost, gathering information they need for their hunt, saving innocents from newly released aberrations, tracking down the colossus, and battling them. During a hunt, the threat of the colossus should always feel present, even from a distance. A hunt might last a few days to a week, but it should feel as though every moment counts as Kudamat siphons power from his soul shard and the colossus wreaks havoc.

Once the colossus is slain, the party moves into the interlude phase. During the interlude phase, PCs have time to take on smaller, more personal tasks throughout the region—perhaps a band of ruffians keeps robbing people outside the local saloon, a train was derailed by an eruption of essentia and is now missing, or a farmer’s cattle keep was devoured by something strange in the night. An interlude might last a few days to a few weeks or more, depending on the players’ desires.

Colossal Adversaries

This campaign frame introduces a unique adversary type: Colossus. If you are running this campaign, you’ll need to build colossi for your party to fight. This section provides some Colossus adversary examples, as well as guidance for how to design and run your own.

Colossus Stat Blocks

Because they’re so large, colossi use multiple adversary stat blocks, each one representing a segment of their form. For example, you might decide you want to build out Ikeri, Injuries Untold. You could divide their segments into six stat blocks: two legs, two arms, a torso, and a head. Additionally, these segment stat blocks exist within the colossus framework, a stat block that holds the information and features that apply to the colossus as a whole.

Some segments can be Broken. While Broken, the segment can’t use actions or reactions until the condition is cleared. When a segment marks its last Hit Point, it’s considered Destroyed. A Destroyed segment can no longer use any of its features. A colossus is defeated when all their segments are Destroyed, but colossi often have an alternative way to be defeated, as well. When a segment is Destroyed, that doesn’t mean it’s gone or detached—it simply doesn’t work anymore.

You can use the following Tier 1 stat block as your party’s first colossus encounter, and it also serves as a template you can use to make your own colossi. The sections after the Tier 1 colossus stat blocks provide additional feature examples, guidance for running colossi, and more example stat blocks at higher tiers.

Example Features

The following list of features are designed specifically for Colossus adversaries, and we encourage you to add the ones you like to all the colossi you build for your campaign.

Passives

The following are examples of passive features.

Fatal - Passive: When this segment is Destroyed, the colossus is defeated.

Chain - Passive: When all segments in this chain are Destroyed, the colossus is defeated.

This feature might appear as Chain (A) or Chain (B) for clarity across multiple segment chains.

Strike (Melee) - Passive: This segment is immune to damage from attacks not made within Melee range.

Melee could be replaced with any range to change up this feature.

Armored - Passive: When this segment marks HP from an attack, it marks 1 fewer HP.

Climbing (+3) - Passive: This segment’s Difficulty gains a +3 bonus against action rolls made to climb it.

This could also be a negative number, such as –3, which would mean the Difficulty to climb is reduced.

Not Climbable - Passive: This segment can’t be climbed.

Weak Point - Passive: The colossus has a weak point on this segment. When this segment marks HP from an attack made within Melee range, it marks an additional HP.

Typically, hitting the weak point of a segment while within Melee range causes the colossus to mark an additional HP, but hitting weak points can have other effects! Feel free to experiment with other outcomes. Maybe that segment can’t be used for a few GM turns, or its damage is halved the next time it’s spotlighted.

Actions

The following are examples of action features.

Shake Off - Action: Spend a Fear to throw off foes. All creatures on the colossus must make a Strength Reaction Roll. Targets who fail fall to the ground and must mark a HP. Targets who succeed must mark a Stress.

Kudamat’s Rage - Action: Spend 2 Fear to force all PCs within Very Far range to succeed on a Presence Reaction Roll or become Shaken. While Shaken, they don’t gain Hope on a result with Hope and instead clear the Shaken condition.

Reactions

The following are examples of reaction features.

Swatting Pests - Reaction: When the colossus is attacked by a flying target within Far range, you can make a standard attack against the attacker. On a success, add a d20 to the damage roll and the target is knocked to the ground within Far range.

Collapsed - Reaction: When the colossus marks at least 1 HP on all Leg segments, it Collapses. While the colossus is Collapsed, segments that aren’t accessible from the ground can be climbed.

This reaction is typically used in conjunction with the “Not Climbable” passive feature. You can always change the trigger out for something that makes more sense within the fiction as it occurs.

Colossal Power - Reaction: When the colossus fails an attack, you gain a Fear.

Segment vs. Colossus Effects

When a feature refers to a specific segment’s name, such as “the Head”, it’s only referring to that specific part of the colossus. For example, the Head might be immune to physical attacks or be more difficult to climb. When a feature refers to the colossus’s name, such as “Ikeri”, it’s talking about the adversary as a whole. For example, a reaction feature might trigger an attack after Ikeri marks 2 or more Hit Points from a single attack. This would mean that when any segment marks 2 or more Hit Points from a single attack, the reaction is triggered.

Adjacent Segments

Make sure to note which segments are adjacent to one another. When climbing on a colossus, PCs will only be able to traverse segments that are adjacent (see the upcoming “Moving PCs Around a Colossus” section).

Building Colossi as a Puzzle

When approaching creating a colossus, consider how you can make them more than just a bag of Hit Points to strike until they die. Perhaps certain segments can only be attacked once other segments are Destroyed, or each segment has its own damage thresholds, or a certain parameter has to be satisfied before the colossus can be hit at all. Maybe the colossus only takes Major damage, ignoring other severities, or is only harmed by a certain type of weapon, requiring the party to hunt down those weapons before the fight. The earlier example features, particularly the passives, can help you create these puzzles, but feel free to invent your own. As you become more comfortable with epic-scale fights, we encourage you to ramp up the adversaries to your preferred level of complexity—but don’t be afraid to start simple!

Running Colossus Fights

Because of the scale of the fight, battles against colossi have some unique rules to use and guidance to follow.

Scale

Unlike normal range in Daggerheart, we use a standard form of measurement when talking about a colossus’s scale. (In our case, we use feet—but you should use whatever you find easiest.) Normal range bands still apply when taking actions and are at GM discretion as usual, but expressing the height or width of a creature through recognizable sizes helps the table to understand the scale of the colossus they’re facing.

Moving PCs Around a Colossus

During an encounter, it’s expected that PCs will scale the colossus. Rather than the normal movement rules, use the following guidelines:

• PCs can climb onto each colossus segment unless a segment notes otherwise in its stat block.
• Once a PC is on a segment, they can usually move around that segment of the colossus without having to make additional rolls.
• To move to an adjacent segment, the PC must make the appropriate action roll (usually Agility or Strength) to leap onto it.

Teamwork

While fighting a colossus, PCs may initiate any number of Tag Team Rolls.

Using a Colossus in Battle

On your GM turn, treat each segment of a colossus as its own adversary when moving the spotlight. You can spotlight a segment as your GM move, then spend a Fear to spotlight an additional segment as you would during a fight with regular adversaries. Some colossi also have actions in their colossus framework; you can spotlight the framework to use this action as you would spotlight a segment, but you should highlight the colossus as a whole in the narrative. You can still spotlight additional segments on your turn.

While a PC is on a segment of the colossus:

• They have advantage on attacks against that segment.
• The segment’s standard attack cannot be used on that PC.

For example, they can’t grab a PC who’s riding on their hand! The colossus would need to use a different segment to attack them. Any feature that allows a segment to attack a PC who’s currently on that segment will call it out in its description. For example, the “Shake Off” feature specifies “all creatures on the colossus”, meaning it would include creatures on that segment.

Any features that would pull or push normal adversaries can’t move a colossus; instead, the feature pulls or pushes the PC making the attack. For example, using a grappler against a colossus can’t pull them toward you, but instead pulls you toward them. Any time an effect is targeting the colossus, use the Difficulty of the segment being targeted. If an effect targets a colossus as a collective, use the highest Difficulty amongst all the segments. If a PC’s feature targets multiple adversaries, it can target multiple segments.

Typically when fighting a colossus, there is no need to add additional adversaries to the encounter—colossi are powerful enough on their own! If you do want to have other adversaries involved, think about their relationship with the colossus. Are they an aberration? Do they find the colossus useful for their own purposes? We recommend keeping additional adversaries limited and purposeful, or a fight can become unwieldy.

Lastly, give the characters information about how to take down a colossus, and consider how that information can be creatively delivered. Part of the hunt phase should include the PCs tracking down knowledge about the colossus before facing it; you’re encouraged to seed rumors from townspeople about what they’ve seen, then provide payoff when some of those rumors are proven true during the fight. Additionally, examine the colossus’s stat block and plan ways you might give clues about its physical body using color, light, and shape to telegraph important information. If you describe heavy armor that surrounds a delicate blue light pulsing in the core of the chest, they’ll have a pretty good idea where the weak point is and the armor they need to contend with. Think about how you can use all of a character’s senses to convey the mechanics of the colossus and use them to narratively guide your players along the monstrous beast. For example, this segment’s skin feels squishier than the other parts of this creature they’ve been on, or the smell is getting more putrid the higher they climb, or they can hear a shrill cry getting louder as they move toward the tail.

Colossus Maps

If you’d like to use maps and minis to help you and the players maintain spacial awareness of a colossus fight, but you’re struggling with how to represent the fight without a massive figurine, you can build out the basic shape of your colossus using notecards, such as the following example visuals. When a PC climbs onto a segment of the colossus, place their miniature directly on the notecard. This setup can help you and the players remember where each PC is and which segments are adjacent to them. It can also help you visualize how you can use each segment’s features and shake up the battle.

Example Colossi

The following stat blocks provide example colossi for each additional tier of play.

Leveling Up

Upon defeating each colossus, the soul shard in that location shatters and the PCs immediately level up as a reward. After defeating all nine colossi, the PCs will be at level 10 and ready to take on Kudamat as their last hunt.

Emergence of Kudamat

During the campaign, you’ll keep track of the power Kudamat is siphoning from the soul shards. Copy the following trackers into your notebook.

Siphoning Track:   Kudamat’s Power: ___________________

The Siphoning Track starts with one slot marked, and Kudamat’s power starts at a value of 0. When the PCs take a short rest during the hunt phase, mark the Siphoning Track once. When the PCs take a long rest during the hunt phase, mark the Siphoning Track twice. Each time a colossus is defeated, or when the Siphoning Track is full, roll as many d12s as marked slots to determine how much power the soul shard gives back to Kudamat. Increase Kudamat’s Power by the highest value rolled, then reset the Siphoning Track to 1.

Once all nine colossi have been slain or his Power reaches 100, Kudamat emerges from Godfell Mountain. Build him as a Colossus adversary with a Severe threshold equal to the value of Kudamat’s Power and a Major threshold equal to half that value (rounded up).

Session Zero Questions

Ask any of these questions to your players, or make your own.

• Is your character native to the Drylands, or did they come from elsewhere? How have they been treated by the locals and incoming prospectors?
• What is your character’s favorite thing about the geography of the Drylands? Do they have a notable landmark they’re drawn to?
• Since the rise of the colossi, who or what has your character lost, and how did that event change them?
• Some believe that, despite the prophecy, Kudamat will bring prosperity to mortals when he rises. Does your character believe this? How do they interact with the people who do?
• Describe an outpost your character visited in the past. What did they love about it? What worried them?
• What terrors has your character seen roaming the desert now that Kudamat is raising ever more aberrations?
• What themes are you most interested in exploring with your characters, and how might they manifest in some of the colossi?