Perilous Vistas: Marshes of Malice

Marshes of Malice, the latest entry in the Perilous Vistas series, joins real-world elements and the fantastical together to breathe fresh life into this overlooked environment.

The wetlands are more than wet land...

Long-forgotten treasures await those with a stout heart and sound mind, yet numerous obvious and hidden dangers also lurk behind the lush reeds and tall trees. Wetlands never give up their secrets without a fight. Disease runs rampant in the warm, moist incubator that is most swamps and marshes. Spread by flying pests, tiny earthbound insects, or simple, parasitic organisms, these deadly contagions wreak as much, if not more, havoc than volatile gases, raging peat fires, quicksand, and sinkholes combined. Likewise, ferocious beasts and seemingly otherworldly monsters stand at the ready to defend their territories and most prized possessions against any trespassers who encroach onto their fiefdoms.

With Marshes of Malice, GMs receive a bevy of information about running a campaign or lone adventure in this rugged terrain that includes rules and advice on adjudicating travel across this challenging landscape and waterways, negotiating natural and man-made hazards, and determining prevailing weather conditions. This sourcebook fosters a greater understanding of the wetlands’ critical ecological role in relation to its inhabitants and neighboring biomes. If nothing else is certain, wetlands experience constant flux, which allows GMs to use uncertainty as their greatest ally. Unexpected and never-before-seen encounters enhance the exhilarating sensations of coming face to face with the great unknown.

Of course, this sourcebook strives to create a level playing field. Players benefit from a diverse array of feats, alternative skill usages, equipment, and spells to overcome otherwise insurmountable obstacles to win the day. Characters can emulate an ornery crocodile in battle, identify the best location to build a canal, create water-resistant shoes and clothing, find a missing corpse dumped in a swamp, and even launch a torpedo at an underwater target.