Volcanoes and the Plane of Magma
As work continues on the next compendium, we’ve also got another theme-based sample from The Elements and Beyond, the first entirely free compendium from D&D Unleashed. This 246-page compendium contains all varieties of D&D content, from subclasses and spells to monsters and magic items. One of the major additions to D&D found in the compendium is a wealth of content relating to lava, magma, and volcanoes — which are almost completely absent from the official game. But D&D Unleashed has exactly what you need if you were hoping to build a lava mage or take your campaign to a classic volcanic dungeon or molten valley. The Elements and Beyond even features new monsters-by-environment lists for environments that aren’t listed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, including the Volcanic environment. This list contains monsters from the Monster Manual, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, as well as a bunch of new monsters that can only be found in the compendium itself!
Those new monsters include a diminutive elemental spirit of earth and fire combined, called a slag spirit, which looks like a floating bubble of molten metal. Though they are rare and usually harmless if left alone, an enterprising adventurer can capture one, bring it to a skilled smith, and destroy the spirit to create powerful weapons or armor made from its magical body of elemental metal. Journeying into a volcano might be an insane idea, but it’s an insane idea with a hefty payout for those who can carry back enough slag spirits with their scorched arms!
Those volcanoes might be defended by more than just elementals and magma flows. Some wildlife does more than just survive the intense heat — these creatures, such as the lava worm, thrive in it. Adult lava worms are rightly feared and revered by those who live in their volcanic territories, for the massive worms pose a serious threat to even the highest-level of adventurers and explorers.
We talked about lava worms already when they were previewed, but its worth mentioning that they work especially well alongside the other fiery monsters of the compendium. For example, fire giants might rely on the magic of an incinerator to help tame a worm.
With so many fantasy races accustomed to heat and fire, it is reasonable to expect natives to inhabit these volcanic regions, and with them come druids that venerate the volcanic earth and its fiery eruptions. You can get both the earth and fire themes you want by choosing the Circle of the Land and selecting the Volcanic land option, one of the new elemental Circle of the Land options found in the compendium.
In addition to the volcanic spells granted by the Circle of the Land choice, a volcanic druid can make good use of the new higher-level volcanic spells found in the compendium, along with pyroclastic sorcerers, wizards, and warlocks, of course! At the 8th-level slot, you can conjure a massive wall of lava, and with a 9th-level slot you can not only transform yourself into lava (and boost your fire damage) using ordainment of lava, but you can even turn the floor into lava or create a real volcano (over time) using caldera!
Those volcanic druids may be able to tell you more than anyone that the natural world doesn’t stop just because things get hot around a volcano.
For example, spiders! The scorch spiders is a breed of elemental spider that was originally created by the azer as a way to fight back against the salamanders, who aren’t immune to poison. But tiny spiders are difficult to keep caged, and these days they range all across the planes. They can be found not only in hot or volcanic regions, but also underground anywhere that spiders crawl and nest.
If molten spiders aren’t mindless enough, fiery enough, or old-school-dungeon-y enough for you, the molten ooze should overcome your resistance. Burning oozes are a classic variation on the beloved ooze/slime monster archetype. Even though the ooze can grapple and light you ablaze, its most interesting trait might be its ability to hide as a pool of lava. If you thought your volcanic dungeons couldn’t get any more deadly, think again!
Both of these monsters can be especially dangerous to lower-level PCs, and so they should be used carefully by Dungeon Masters that are running low-level campaigns. Scorch spiders might have two vulnerabilities, but some groups will have no access to cold or thunder damage, and will struggle against the spiders’ high AC and immunities, especially those without magic weapons. The molten ooze also has many resistances and immunities, and its high damage can quickly turn low-level PCs to ashes if they (or the DM) aren’t careful. That doesn’t mean they can’t be used at those lower levels (though they do play better at higher levels), but it does mean that low-level players should be adequately warned and given plenty of opportunities to escape the monsters, if nothing else.
With nature continuing to thrive in the heat of these fantasy volcanoes, the volcanic biome must have its own primal spirit of nature just like any other biome or wilderness environment, and the volcanic bull is exactly that. Like the other primal spirit avatars in the compendium, the volcanic bull is CR12 and so it can be summoned by druids using the new 9th-level summon primal spirit spell, but it also works well as a stand-alone monster that can be encountered in any volcanic environment. In some worlds, clans of fire giants might ride volcanic bulls like these into battle. In others, they might be fiends instead of fey, and could patrol the halls of the Nine Hells.
These volcanic regions have their own natives, and some are the new fiery subraces available in the compendium: ember dwarves (such as the Dark Iron Clan), and ash genasi.
Of course, the molten depths of a volcano are rife with the perfect conditions to open a rift to the elemental realms of earth, fire, and magma. The compendium contains a variety of larger elementals to fill a volcano or magma dungeon with beyond the simple slag spirit. One of the more commonly summoned elementals, magmin, have a variant of their own: the Medium-sized magmin tunneler, known not just for burrowing but also for grappling. Lava elementals, which are size Large, fill a similar role as the generic CR5 elementals like fire elementals and earth elementals, and can even be summoned using conjure elemental at 6th-level. And there are even Huge-sized magma elementals — perfect for spearheading sieges or guarding fiery ruins — that can be found in volcanic caverns but are native to the Plane of Magma itself.
If you’re looking for a molten home for these molten elementals, you can always search for a good natural volcano, or you can use the new caldera spell that we previously showed to create one (given enough time and money). But there are faster ways to make a volcano, such as the legendary staff of the volcano.
This magical staff is brimming with fire and lava spells, enough to put the standard Staff of Fire to shame. Though its many spells and charges allow any user to do their best pyromancer impression, in the hands of a proper pyromancer the staff’s bonus to fire damage spells can really be fully utilized. And if you’re willing to part with the staff, it can also be destroyed to create a brand-new volcano right in the spot that it’s planted. If the staff is fully charged, the denizens of whatever spot you’ve chosen have only one hour to stop the 9th-level magic that is forming the volcano before it becomes permanent and nonmagical. Even kings in their own palaces may struggle to prevent this volcano from growing.
Combine these molten options from The Elements and Beyond with the official content, and you can easily unleash your own volcanic game of D&D!
This sample was from The Elements and Beyond, a magical exploration of the four elements and the various energies of creation — minus those dark forces that belong in forbidden tomes — powers such as light, thunder, lightning, acid, frost, and the magic of nature! It’s entirely free and you can download the pdf here!
This 246 page compendium contains 23 subclasses, 8 spellcasting feats, 134 spells, 213 spell variants, 85 monsters, 30 magic items, 4 races plus 12 new subraces each with racial feats, and even more goodies for both players and DMs!
