Quicksand was a naturally-occurring terrain feature and hazard made up of sand or dirt that took a near-liquid consistency.[1]
Properties[]
Found in swamps, bogs, and low-lying wet areas, quicksand was a volume of waterlogged, near-liquid sand or dirt. Appearing innocuously as a patch of ground up to 20 feet (6.1 meters) across with little to no undergrowth, quicksand was hard to notice for inexperienced or inattentive creatures. A creature such as a human could unwittingly blunder into the quicksand, at which point they would begin sinking through the ground.[1][2]
Sand-based quicksand was a treacherously thin mixture of water and sand, causing the victim to sink rapidly if they could not keep calm and tread water. Although it was possible to escape without drowning, the effort of swimming and climbing out of sandy water was exhausting, so being rescued by others using a pole or branch (or a strong, experienced swimmer) was highly recommended.[1][2]
Dry quicksand in the desert.
Earthy, dirt-based quicksand was effectively a pit of thick mud, and could be water-treaded and swam out of with relative ease as long as the victim wasn't exhausted, overly encumbered, or injured. Mudslides formed similar hazards, potentially washing victims along into an area filled with mud.[2]
In deserts, quicksand formed from large amounts of fine, powdery sand that gathered in depressions. Like watery quicksand, it could swallow people and animals easily if they were encumbered or responded with panicked movements that dug them in deeper.[3]
Occurrences[]
The Realms[]
Memnon's Crackle claims a traveler.
- Memnon's presence in the Calim Desert caused the ground to break apart into fine sand, spontaneously generating dry quicksand.[4]
- Glaun Bog in Tasseldale was a morass of quicksand and sinkholes.[5]
- The city of Hawa used disguised quicksand pits to defend the city from attackers.[6]
- The swamps of Kutuk Valley had an inordinate amount of quicksand.[7]
- The marshes near Lathtarl's Lantern swallowed up "King" Tredarath and his retinue in its quicksand thanks to their heavy loads of treasure.[8]
- The depths of the Lurkwood were said to be home to lethal quicksand, deterring potential explorers.[9]
- The Marsh of Chelimber had uncommonly large amounts of quicksand.[10][11]
- The Mere of Dead Men had a great amount of quicksand.[12]
- The stagnant swamps of the Moonshae Isles had a very high prevalence of quicksand.[13]
- The Marsh of Chelimber was a swamp filled with quicksand and lethal gas pockets.[14]
- The fortress of Opawangchicheng lay within a swamp with sinkholes and quicksand.[15]
- Quicksand lay in the heart of Taglan's Bones.[16]
- Shibi Swamp was full of dangerous quicksand.[17]
- The Vast Swamp had much quicksand and other forms of hazards in its depths.[18][19]
- The Zehoarast Floodplains were marked with quicksand from the regular flooding.[20]
- The Fireplace Level of Undermountain had a sand pit trap that worked like quicksand.[21]
Other Planes[]
- Among other lethal or unpleasant features, Avernus of the Nine Hells had pits of quicksand.[22]
- Othrys of Carceri had bogs and quicksand that extended thousands of feet deep.[23]
- Quicksand was a major feature of the Para-Elemental Plane of Ooze, especially near the border of the Plane of Water.[24]
- The plane of Qui had extremely wet periods in its seasonal cycle, with much of it regularly turning to quicksand.[25]
- Zrintor of the Abyss was a marsh dotted with "quicksalt" hazards.[26]
Creatures[]
The quicksand-laden Vast Swamp.
- Adult amethyst dragons could walk on quicksand or any other surface without disturbing it.[27]
- Ash giant shamans created masses of loose ash that acted like quicksand.[28]
- Basidironds would sometimes make prey hallucinate that they were trapped in quicksand.[29]
- Brain spiders used their psionic abilities to trick prey into quicksand and other hazards.[30]
- Camels were usually able to swim and thrash their way across quicksand, even when laden with cargo and a rider.[31]
- Gibbering mouthers preferred quicksand, and could move quickly through it. They used their powers to liquify earth and stone into a thick quicksand.[32]
- Groundsquids produced a greenish jelly that trapped prey in a pit.[33]
- Hags often altered the landscape around their lairs to become more inhospitable, including creating quicksand.[34]
- Tortles were buoyant enough to float on water or quicksand.[35]
- Retchenbeast drakes looked for carrion to eat in quicksand.[36]
- Will-o'-wisps were fond of leading victims into quicksand.[37]
Spells & Magic[]
- Sand of sinking was a magical sand that turned solid ground into quicksand. Conversely, solid sand turned unstable ground such as quicksand into a solid mass.[38]
- Detect snares and pits informed the caster of the presence of quicksand.[39]
- Dusting the rock used some dried quicksand as a material component.[40]
- Immunity to adherence protected the caster from being stuck in quicksand.[41]
- Protection from earth and stone protected the caster from quicksand, mud pits, and similar threats.[42]
- Sandswallow caused a large area of quicksand or other soft ground to collapse inward, swallowing foes.[43]
- Transmute mud to rock turned an area of quicksand or mud into a brittle stone.[44]
- Water walk allowed the caster to walk across quicksand and other semi-liquid surfaces.[45]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
- Fairy ice, a similar ice-based natural hazard in the Great Glacier.
- Gorgon mud, a magical mud trap used by stone giants.
- Tar pit, a similar natural hazard composed of petroleum.
External Links[]
Quicksand article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams (July 2003). Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 88. ISBN 0-7869-2889-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kim Mohan (November 1986). Wilderness Survival Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan et al. (TSR, Inc.), p. 83. ISBN 0-88038-291-0.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara). (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 77–78. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (January 1996). Volo's Guide to the Dalelands. (TSR, Inc), p. 199. ISBN 0-7869-0406-2.
- ↑ Nicky Rea (1994). Corsairs of the Great Sea (Campaign Guide). (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 978-1560768678.
- ↑ Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 56. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), p. 49. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ slade, et al. (April 1996). “The Wilderness”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 45. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1994). Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. (TSR, Inc), p. 136. ISBN 1-5607-6940-1.
- ↑ Tim Beach (October 1995). “The Serpent Hills”. In Julia Martin ed. Elminster's Ecologies Appendix II (TSR, Inc), p. 28. ISBN 0786901713.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood and Sean K. Reynolds (May 1999). “Wyrms of the North: Voaraghamanthar, "the Black Death"”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #258 (TSR, Inc.).
- ↑ Douglas Niles (November 1987). Moonshae. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 16. ISBN 0-88038-494-8.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 81. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (1987). Ochimo: The Spirit Warrior. (TSR, Inc), p. 33. ISBN 0-88038-393-3.
- ↑ So Saith Ed Jan – Mar 2005. (25-11-2021). Retrieved on 25-11-2021.
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume II). (TSR, Inc), p. 138. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ Richard Baker, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan, Matthew Sernett, James Wyatt (March 2007). Cormyr: The Tearing of the Weave. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 38. ISBN 978-0-7869-4119-3.
- ↑ John Terra (November 1997). Four from Cormyr. Edited by Kim Mohan. (TSR, Inc.), p. 73. ISBN 0-7869-0646-4.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (July 2000). Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II. Edited by Duane Maxwell, David Noonan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 46. ISBN 0-7869-1626-5.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (November 2005). “Vampires of Waterdeep: The Fireplace Level”. In James Jacobs ed. Dungeon #128 (Paizo Publishing, LLC) (128)., p. 79.
- ↑ Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 76. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 104–105. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 53. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ Rick Swan (1990). Test of the Samurai. (TSR, Inc), p. 42. ISBN 0-88038-775-0.
- ↑ Dale Donovan (May 1998). For Duty & Deity. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 41. ISBN 0-7869-1234-0.
- ↑ Ed Bonny, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Skip Williams, and Steve Winter (September 2002). Monster Manual II 3rd edition. (TSR, Inc), pp. 79–80. ISBN 07-8692-873-5.
- ↑ Richard Lee Byers (2010). Whisper of Venom. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0786955619.
- ↑ James Jacobs (November 2005). “The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Zuggtmoy: Queen of Fungi”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #337 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 49.
- ↑ David Wise ed. (December 1994). Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 156076838X.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 21. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ Wolfgang Baur (1993). Assassin Mountain: Monstrous Compendium Pages. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 9-781560-765646.
- ↑ Larry Di'Tillio (July 1980). “Dragon's Bestiary”. In Jake Jaquet ed. Dragon #39 (TSR, Inc.), p. 57.
- ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 177. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- ↑ John Nephew, John Terra, Skip Williams, Teeuwynn Woodruff (1994). Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix. (TSR, Inc.), p. 115. ISBN 1-56076-875-4.
- ↑ Johnathan M. Richards (June 1999). “Greater Drakes”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #260 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 29–31.
- ↑ Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 101. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- ↑ Rudy Thauberger (Feburary 1996). “Campaign Classics: Magical Sands of Zakhara”. In Pierce Watters ed. Dragon #226 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 80–83.
- ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 220. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.
- ↑ Paul Fraser (August 1998). “Arcane Lore: Secrets of the Arch-Geomancer”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #250 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 92–94.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (1992). Menzoberranzan (The City). Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), p. 65. ISBN 1-5607-6460-0.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1992). Land of Fate (Fortunes and Fates). (TSR, Inc), p. 49. ISBN 978-1560763291.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood (November 1991). Anauroch. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 80. ISBN 1-56076-126-1.
- ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (August 1989). Player's Handbook (2nd edition). (TSR, Inc.), pp. 172, 225. ISBN 0-88038-716-5.
- ↑ Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams (July 2003). Player's Handbook v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 300. ISBN 0-7869-2886-7.