Mountains

Breathe Life into Your Campaigns

Matt Davids – www.dicegeeks.com

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 Far Over…
Mountains not only shape the
landscape, they mold the
climate and define cultures.

They form pockets of

isolation and create barriers
to trade and commerce. They
create natural borders
between countries and even
continents.

Mountains teem with unique ecosystems. Mountains live in mythology and

folklore. They fill people with terror and awe but also majesty. They are symbols
of strength, symbols power, and symbols of protection.

Many people are filled with such wonder that they must climb to the tops of
peaks. During great migrations, mountains made travelers and refugees quake
with dread.

Mountains help create entire

people groups with distinct
languages, because of the
difficulty of reaching beyond
the peaks.

When introducing mountains

into your RPG campaign, the
characters should be filled
with wonder and struck with
dread.

No easy road lies before them when mountains cross their path.

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 No journey through mountains should be simply described as, “You crossed the
mountains,” or, “There are mountains,” or, “You move through the mountains.”

Crossing mountains should be an

arduous journey.

As a game master, use the terrain

to your advantage. Use mountains
to create complications in your
adventures. Indeed, climbing a
mountain is an adventure in itself.

The purpose of this little guide is to get you thinking how to extract details from
mountains. Do not create your campaign or adventure in a vacuum. Let the
terrain give you ideas and complications. Work with it, not against it. Use images
and new thoughts to inspire you. Put yourself into the shoes of travelers looking
at distant, cloud-shrouded peaks.

Hopefully, you will never present your players with non-descript journeys again.

Mountain Ranges
Mountain ranges can extend for
thousands and thousands of miles. They
can encircle entire lands. They can cut
half a continent off from rain and soak
the other half.

They shape societies. Occupations,

beliefs, mythologies, traditions, house construction— all are influenced by
mountains.

When creating a campaign world, think of mountain ranges as natural borders

between nations. Since it is so difficult, especially in fantasy role-playing games, to
travel over the mountains, people tend to congregate on either side. In the

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 resulting isolation that the
mountains create, new languages
develop on either side. Cultural
divides widen into vast chasms
not easily bridged.

Also, on either side of the

mountain range, the climate is
most likely different. This creates
even deeper divides in cultures
and societies. The countries separated by mountain ranges may constantly war
with one another. Think of European history as a real-world guide.

When a party is traveling and they come upon a mountain range, unique and
strenuous challenges should present themselves. The constant climbing pushes
the hardiest soul to its limit. Switchback paths make a mile walk into an eight-mile
journey. Rocks and loose stones falling from cliffs or littering the path make every
step require forethought.

Sheer cliffs are incredible obstacles. The lack of oxygen at high altitudes tests
physical endurance. Pack animals become incredibly cumbersome, unless they
have been bred for mountain paths.

Finding food can be difficult.

Hunting, camping, and sleeping all
become more challenging due to the
altitude and the steepness of the
slopes.

Work all of these into your

campaign or your adventure. Do not
let an opportunity like mountains go
to waste. Challenge your players
with the simple difficulties of the terrain. Then your story ideas will gain even
more power.

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 Mountain Passes
Passes through mountain ranges become the lifeblood of trade and commerce or
great migrations. They also create bottlenecks. A small band of warriors can force
the starvation of a vast invading horde.

Secret mountain passes become advantages that can win wars and change the
course of history.

In winter, a mountain pass can fill with dozens and dozens of feet of snow,
trapping would-be travelers at high elevations. With scarce food, it could lead to
incidents like the Donner Party.

Summiting
In most adventures, characters will be
tasked with crossing mountains into new
lands. These parties will follow—
however treacherous—paths and or
somewhat defined roads.

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 However, in some cases the quest is actually to climb to the summit. Perhaps they
have to retrieve an item or honor a deity. Whatever the charge, they are in for a
challenge.

Parties climbing to the

peak will need climbing
gear. They will face
sheer cliffs, chasms,
loose rock fields,
snowdrifts, thin air,
and more.

As a GM, remember
the characters hands
and knees would be
covered in bumps,
bruises, cuts, and scrapes after only a day or two. At times, finding handholds and
footholds will command a climber’s full attention.

Lonely Mountains
A lone mountain juts up from a plain or other low-lying surrounding land. These
mountains often become the focal point of a society that lives near them.

The Tallest Mountain

The tallest mountain in a region usually takes on a powerful symbolism. It lives in
the imagination of those who live near its great slopes. It enters into stories,
myths, and legends. It stretches so high, it is as if it touches the heavens
themselves and becomes the home of the gods. It may be deified itself.

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 Sacred Mountains
Many mountains are considered sacred.

Holy ground either too dangerous or too revered to be traveled. Perhaps ancient
traditions were handed down here. Maybe a great battle took place on its peaks.
Perhaps it is the tomb of an ancient hero or ruler.

Living Mountains
In fantasy RPGs, seize the
opportunity to include a living
mountain if it suits your
game.

A mountain seems to act with

a will against travelers upon
it. It seems to know when a
lonely band of adventurers is
making its way up its slopes. It causes rain and snow to beat upon them. It sends
rocks hurling down about them. It wants to tease and hinder and torture any who
dare walk on its heights.

At nearby inns, legends swirl about its hatred of travelers. Old-timers tell strange
tales of the mountain speaking or weeping or perhaps even moving.

Of course, friendly mountains are a possibility as well. Perhaps their pleasant

slopes are being deforested by bands of orcs. The characters are employed to
stop the orcs and help the mountains flourish in peace.

Snowcapped Mountains
Eternal snow caps the tallest mountains. Think of how this sight affects cultures or
societies that live nearby.

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 Think about how to paint the picture to players. The character, even many miles
away, would see the mighty peaks looming in the distance. As they travel through
the passes, the ominous mountains seem to threaten an avalanche at the
slightest sound. Struggling over the peaks, the characters trudge through deep
snowdrifts as a bitter wind tears at their clothing. But the view is spectacular.
One can feel like a god looking down upon his dominion.

Think about whether or

not the characters have
ever seen snow. Even if
only one of the
characters has never
seen snow, that can be a
powerful detail. The
session has just gained
something a good player
can latch onto and role-
play.

Desert Mountains
Some mountains in deserts are nothing more than gigantic heaps of stones. They
are rocky, dry wastes that forebode danger and peril.

Think about Camelback Mountain in

Phoenix, Arizona. Even though
Camelback is not much of a challenge
to climb, it can give you a great
example of a desert mountain terrain.

Ayers Rock, or Uluru, in Australia is

another unique terrain that can be
used to add diversity into your

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 campaigns. While not a mountain, Ayers Rock is a massive sandstone dome that
protrudes from the surrounding desert. Since the formation is essentially one
giant rock, it has many distinctive features such as nearby springs, waterholes,
and fissures created by rain running down the sides. Enlarged and transported
into a fantasy setting, Uluru could become a memorable challenge for any
adventurer.

Tropical Mountains
Tropical mountains can be covered in rainforests. Great canopies of mighty and
powerful trees spread amid the cliffs and crags. These mountains add their own
treachery to travelers.

Torrents of rain can send flashfloods cascading down the slopes and paths.

Tropical forests always obscure visibility making the terrain ripe for ambushes.
The vegetation also hides pits and traps of all kinds and possibly ancient cities or
ruins.

Volcanoes
Of course, certain mountains are
formed by volcanoes.

A mountain in the form of an

active volcano can be a terrible
encounter and present powerful
complications for any adventuring party. The unpredictability of eruptions can be
a constant threat that looms over the characters and the players.

When GMing an adventure near a volcano, consider the heat, the smoke, the ash,
the steam, scalding or boiling rivers and lakes, different kinds of lava, and the
dread pyroclastic flashes.

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 Ancient dormant volcanoes can provide excellent locations to use in your
adventures. The caldera could be home of a thriving metropolis— think Mexico
City. Or perhaps there is a fortress built in the very heart of the mountain.

An ancient volcano reawakening could be the centerpiece of a campaign. The

heroes have to help move the population of an entire city or, through magical
means, stop the eruption.

Terraced Gardens
Societies that live in mountains
often craft the terrain to meet their
lifestyles. Terraced gardens are one
such example.

Stone walls built strategically on the

slopes create rows of flatland. The
flatland is used for building homes
or farming wheat or barley or rice.

Naming Mountains
Naming conventions for mountains
should be thought of in a number of
ways.

1) The name of the home of the

gods.

2) Great mythological hero names.

3) The names of kings or queens.

4) Named after the first person believed to have summited it.

5) Appearance or features like the “Barrier Mountains” or “Ship Rock.”

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 6) The name of nearby people groups or countries.

The View
As your party is traveling
through mountains,
never forget to describe
the view.

You should remind them

of the striking vistas they
see, how the land opens
up before or behind
them. They can see towns
and lakes and rivers and
other features far, far
away.

Consider if this is the first

time certain characters
have ever been amid
mountains. Help them
imagine the sensation.

Fill your players with awe.

Let them know they are
truly on an adventure.

Conclusion
Never gloss over a mountain in your game. Use them to create adventure. As I
said at beginning, climbing a mountain is an adventure in itself.

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 Think of these things: the mythology, the height, the climate, the animal life, and
the societies that live near or upon the mountain. All of these should inform your
campaign and your world building.

When your players cross mountains in your game, at the end they should truly be
able to say they had an adventure.

Mountain Resources:
Mountains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain

Sacred Mountains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_mountains

Mountains in Mythology -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Mythological_mountains

MORE TERRAIN GUIDES

Wetlands: Swamps, Marshes, Bogs, and Fens
Forests – Breathe Life into Your Campaigns

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