An adventuring party stumbles through the woods full of frosting pines and icy temperatures, only to walk into a clearing that holds sweltering tightknit jungle fauna. Completely at odds with where they were just standing. The sweat beads instantly on their faces and they find behind them is a smooth black triangle of obsidian taller than any man and most monsters the party has seen.

Too sudden for you? How about this instead?

Your group has set sail to find an island that has miraculously arrived in the southern seas about a day’s travel from your homeland. You’ve been hired to survey the island and found that a settlement has already been established long before you arrive. Since this is a miracle all on its own, you stay to investigate how this island has appeared to better explain it to your superiors.

If you don’t like either of those, there are plenty of ways to wind up on Monster Island. Heyo, I’m Kat. I’ve been a Games Master (GM) for a little over a decade and I’m here to talk about the versatility behind using Monster Island as a backdrop for your next session.

You’re not reading that wrong, I said, session not campaign. It’s not that you couldn’t easily use this as a campaign setting. Honestly, I don’t know why you wouldn’t. But the beauty of this beholder is that the framework of the ‘sandbox’ allows you to pop in and out of Monster Island so long as the stars align.
Let’s explore Monster Island together, shall we?

What is Monster Island?

Monster Island is a six tiered sandbox setting for all of Mythras. The reason I mentioned versatility is that this island can be inserted into any timeline and into any location you need it to be. It can be your entire campaign setting since there are six tiers of environments within the island’s shores. Or it can just as easily be a side location between major plot points. That’s one of its biggest design bonuses in my mind.

For those of you who are new to the concept of a sandbox setting, it’s simply a setting that has a general framework where you, as a GM, can create a lot of your own towns, people, encounters, and environments; its also designed for the character to explore in any way they wish, rather than following a prescribed path, such as a dungeon. It’s great for creators and those wanting to test waters of larger scale creation. Hence the concept of a one-shot session instead of building a full campaign.

Speaking of the full campaign concept, though, there are plenty of reasons to show up or hang around and explore Monster Island. Treasure is a huge reason for adventurers, but each of the environments presents their own unique challenges. Let’s explore a bit more of what Monster Island is as an island before I escort you through the environments.

Monster Island is based on a sequence of rather active volcanoes that have slowly grown the island over the course of time. However, after several cataclysmic events–namely the gods who designed it coming down and wreaking all sorts of havoc on the island itself, most of the volcanoes have grown dormant. A good portion of the calderas have developed tough jungle and the collapsed cliff faces cause all sorts of dramatic and problematic weather patterns.

This creates a unique set of locations across the island for players and GMs to explore that range from the coastline all the way to the top of the highest volcanic peak. The Coastline, The Jungle, Cloud Forest, The Plateau, High Mountains, and finally the Glacial Peaks make up the various tiers of Monster Island. Now, not all of these are easily reachable, namely the Glacial Peaks. That doesn’t mean adventures couldn’t reach that far, however. Much like the Jungle is extremely difficult and prone to causing adventurers to overheat, the Glacial Peaks aren’t known for being hospitable to anything beyond terrifying winged monstrosities.
Granted, there are very few locations on Monster Island that are easy to live in. The Coastline consists of sheer cliff faces where the winds howl, whip, and often kill. If the heat of the Jungle doesn’t kill you, the plethora of monsters, natives, and plants will try. The Jungle is honestly the best place in my mind to start a campaign or throw your players into.

The Jungle is also the most intriguing place to traverse. The forest is dense, hot and humid, making travel difficult for anyone not intimately familiar with the environment. It’s also the home to some of the fiercer creatures on the island which can make navigation exceedingly hazardous at times. If you can manage to avoid or defeat the dangers, there is always the issue of getting lost, since the canopy high above often blocks the sun.

The next area is Cloud Forest–this does shift in certain areas but the terrain starts from 1500 metres above the Jungle to 3000 metres. This area is known for its dense fog clouds and milder temperatures. It can easily be a relief to go from steamy Jungle to cold and damp Cloud Forest but then again, traversing either tier presents with their own unique challenges. The trees and dangerous animals are significantly less here for parties, but that doesn’t mean that this area is safe. Swarms of vampiric butterflies and deadly moths are more common, however, and will eat anything in their path.

The Plateau is perhaps the most hospitable area on Monster Island. Minus the occasional predator and violent temperature swings between day and night, that is. The Plateau is much like an elevated and tormented desert. While the moisture and humidity of the Cloud Forest and Jungle are left far behind, the elevation and mountains surrounding the Plateau create its own unique weather conditions. Wind is one of the most common issues–whipping up into fierce abrasive gusts that damage everything in their path. Beyond that, the most that can be found are herbivores, avian predators and the occasional feline predator.
The last area is the High Mountains. Much like the Glacial Peaks, there’s no easy way to reach this area. It’s devoid of major plant life, and only the rodents and avian creatures who nest in the mountains are ever seen here. While there are spaces that still have hot springs adding heat to this icy tier, the majority of the mountains are well below freezing, even during the day.

You can see why I said there’s plenty of versatility when it comes to locations on Monster Island. Let’s discuss what else Monster Island brings with it.

New Species, New Monsters, New Magic

If there’s one thing that you can count on with settings like this, it’s that there’s usually something brand new that comes with it. Monster Island brings with it two new (playable) species–that can be playable–and a plethora of new monsters and magic to accompany it. The Ophidian High Folk and the Lizardfolk of the jungles are two sides of a same coin. Here’s a bit of history for you.

Before the split between the High Folk and the Lizardfolk, there was a war of the gods. They came from the heavens and tore each other and the land to shreds, sinking part of the island into the sea. After the gods became settled and slumbered, the people sought other means of achieving guidance and power. The High Folk were those that succeeded in finding this power and helped build new cities, creating a mighty civilization. However, their experiments in sorcery reached the point where they depleted natural resources faster than they could recover.

That is when the High Folk discovered how to create the Smoking Mirrors. These mirrors are the large, obelisk-like black obsidian like structures I mentioned at the start of this essay. They were designed to bring in creatures to help with food and other materials for their people to survive. The arrogance of the High Folk was to believe that they were supreme and all those beneath them–all those not of the Ophidian race–were nothing more than a force to be ruled.

The Lizardfolk, now known as the Savages by the Ophidians, rebelled and awoke the slumbering gods to survive the wrath of the High Folk, destroying much of the sorcerous knowledge of old and the majority of their cities and all their armies. Thus was the split between the High Folk and the Savages complete.
This deep history funds dozens of campaign ideas, as well as establishing a Lost Civilization of Great Power trope that is ripe for a setting such as Monster Island.

The High Folk are a dying breed of Serpentine humanoid. The Savages are of the Lizardmen variety. While they are not designed as player-character species per se, there’s nothing (beyond the GM) stopping a player from exploring or adventuring as one of these two species. If you choose not to give your players access to either of these species, there is a colony of human settlers on Monster Island already. I’ll get to that in a moment, though.

Magic is something found in varying degrees throughout The Design Mechanism’s settings. Monster Island is no exception to this rule. While Sorcery is the biggest one for High Folk, it is easily countered by the majority of Animists among the Savages. There is a slew of new spells and modified ones within Monster Island that honestly terrify me at the effects. Concoct Chimera being one of the first ones on the list for Sorcery spells. This is a spell that allows the caster to combine two or more creatures (depending on skill, power, and success) into one entity. Because no two creatures combine identically, the possibilities are infinite.

Alongside the new and modified spell list, there’s an equal amount of unique monsters that arise within each tier of environments. Manananggal is one of these new creatures. On a waxing full moon, this monster splits itself in half at the waist, grows bat-like wings and goes on the hunt for blood from the youngest victims it can find. And being inside doesn’t make you safe since its proboscis-like tongue can fit through small cracks in windows and doors and extend a rather lengthy distance.

If you’d rather something not animal, how about carnivorous plant life? The Kulamyu Pod is a giant leafed plant with a false flower for a stamen. This flower smells like jasmine and blooms in such a way that it’s hard to resist touching or plucking it. That, however, is the death sentence. As soon as this false flower is touched, you are snapped up in the pod and start to be digested as the pod fills with acid. If you happen by this plant after it snatched up a victim, it looks like nothing more than an odd almond shaped pod roughly the size of the average human.

Much like the spells, there are many more creatures–both plant and animal alike–that are new within Monster Island’s pages. But I think we should start talking about some interesting NPCs you can work with for your soiree onto its shores.

NPCs, Locales, and Starting Ideas

Monster Island gives you the outline of concepts and some NPCs that you can use for the three major locations that it offers. The Colony of Port Grimsand has a slew of different merchants, guards, workers, and, of course, the overseeing lord, Lord Greystone. The Lizardfolk you’re presented with detail their community structure for Puuiki a village a few hours outside of the colony and built in a massive tree for protection. Their society includes the Hetman and Hetwoman, along with several others. Then the High Folk of Akakor, the Golden City, who the most interesting character I found, was Xanzoga - one of the most powerful sorcerers to exist on Monster Island.

He’s also one of the most intimidating because of his magical prowess. A potent sorcerer, Xanzoga is seeking the secret behind the Smoking Mirrors and his ambitions that are nothing short of cosmic in nature. Despite his genial demeanour (for an Ophidian sorcerer), he is ruthless and powerful, caring nothing for the fate of others.

Lord Greystone of Port Grimsand is likely the one to interact with your players the most since he’s the head of the colony and the expansion efforts when it comes to trade and the growth of this well-packed space. He can easily be the one handing out the quests or offering work alongside the many expedition forces that exist within Port Grimsand itself. He has an interesting backstory as to why he’s here on the island and that’s what finalized him as an useable NPCs for me for starting a group off. And if the name ‘Greystone’ sounds familiar, you’ll find that Port Grimsand is packed full of loosely disguised personages drawn from both history and pulp fiction, acting as benefactors, protagonists and sometimes as rivals or enemies.
The High Folk Sorcerer, Xanzoga, is much more likely to destroy players to regain magic points or use them to his own ends while pretending to play the fool. I can see him being a good BBEG (the Big Bad Evil Guy) for players to go against as a long-term campaign with his background motives. Xanzoga, being the inquisitive and highly intelligent High Folk he is, is trying to uncover the magic powering the Smoking Glass so he can use it to his own ends. If that doesn’t give you ideas about where I was going, I don’t know what will!

Thinking of ideas and starting locations, the easiest is Port Grimsand. Taking it from the example we started with of sailing to this mysterious island that appeared out of nowhere is the simplest way to get players there if you stick to the all human campaign. If you’re looking for a one-shot, this is the easiest way.
If you’re more like me though, you’ll likely use the stumbles through a portal route. It creates an interesting dynamic and makes the players think strategically, if not a little panicked at the sudden shift in location. The players can easily stumble upon a camp or pathway that leads them to the Grimsand colony and to some semblance of safety that comes with having high walls surrounding you while you recover. Then it’s a matter of figuring out how to get back where you came from (if you can!).

When it comes to campaign concepts, though, the ‘find out how to get home’ can be overused. The book itself has no less than a dozen ideas to get you going, one of which involves a rampaging, possessed one-eyed dinosaur. The other I would choose is more like the 1997 movie, ‘The Mummy’. Your players have been hired to go into the jungle and uncover a hidden treasure and knowledge. Within the tunnels beneath the ruins, the adventurers find a tomb/shrine/or something of the like and start to excavate and, in the process, wake up an ancient sorcerer who thusly starts hunting the party down. (Fun fact, there is a suggestion similar to this thought in the book, but it came to mind long before I read it.)

If you don’t like either of those, I strongly advise looking through Monster Island’s Campaign chapter for more ideas. There’s plenty of inspiration that can be had by learning about the species and the areas around the island too.

Conclusion

While this may not be my favorite setting so far, it still has many inviting aspects. We discussed the different levels of environments, unique monsters, NPCs, and even touched on types of magic. As you can guess, there’s a lot more to this island than just its strange monsters. The different environments are just the start. The depth of the species’ interactions with each other or outsiders in general brings to it a complexity that role playing thrives on.

If you’re ready to bust right in and learn more, check out Monster Island on the Design Mechanism site. If you’re a little hesitant, join the Discord channel and get into the discussion with the rest of us!
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