Description:The Bamboo Forest exists in the Feywild, or some plane with an equivalent theme. The stalks of bamboo stretch up to unnatural heights. An almost solid wall of green surrounds the worn path, inflexible and uncompromising. The air is humid, but despite the moisture the plants stand almost perfectly upright. You can hear the noise of life all around you, but can only see a few insects buzzing about your head. The forest seems to stretch for an eternity, with the sun hanging perfectly overhead at all times. The path somehow looks both worn and smooth, and winds through the forest seemingly without end. It branches off, but seems to have no immediate destination. You feel as though you are always watched here, but can not make anything definite out of it.
- The forces of nature are strong in this place.
- Most sources of food here are inedible to life of the material plane, but some can be found.
- Nearly everything here is not just alive, but sentient to varying degrees. Even the bamboo stalks could be described more as plant-based tentacles of some larger creatures.
- Natural magic flows easily here.
- Some schools of magic may have unpredictable effects, bending to the nature bias in the forest.
- Many creatures here are inherently magical - making this check will allow the player to determine some base powers of different creatures, plants, or environments.
- The Feywild is a nature plane, dominated mostly by fairies and plant life.
- Magic in this plane can sometimes be altered to the attunement of the plane itself.
- Nearly everything in the Feywild is magical in nature - making this check will allow the player to determine some base powers of different creatures, plants, or environments.
This plane of existence has a very heavy nature theme. The way I actually envision this area is not necessarily in the Feywild, but rather just very heavily in touch with it. Some faerie lord could have made this place his domain, or perhaps a coven of druids have set this up to be their territory. This is supposed to be another sort of puzzle area for the players - the path winds them through the forest, but doesn't actually go anywhere. Sounds indicate there is danger, but it's mostly artificial unless the players attempt to stray from the path, in which case the bamboo forest will actively turn against them. This is very hard, as the bamboo stalks form a nearly impassable wall.
The bamboo stalks are actually all part of a very large creature. It could be either some subterranean entity that has bamboo spikes shooting - pun fully intended - up, or a very large plant creature like in "The Swamp" from Avatar: The Last Airbender. In either case, it is fully aware of the player's presence and simply watches them. If they attempt to attack, it responds in turn until they return to the path. The way to leave can change depending on different circumstances, but I imagine it will involve appeasing whoever's in charge of the forest.
Magic works weirdly in here. This can either be randomly generated or systematic differences. Nature-based magic should be amplified, but not always in a beneficial way! For instance, if a Druid were to use Summon Nature's Ally, that ally may not appreciate being summoned like that, and is now strong enough to rebel. Depending on the circumstances, different forms of magic can be altered. For instance, if a group of Good druids own the forest, then violent or evil magic may be turned against the user. Evil ones may twist magic into being even more destructive. Faerie lords may turn playful, and just randomly twist magic. Almost all of it will take on a more nature-y theme, but may not impact the actual effects of the spells beyond a quick re-flavoring.
The environment is not entirely inhospitable. There is some food available, but much more of it is inedible to most people. The sun remains in the exactly same position at all times, directly overhead, no matter how far or for how long the players walk along the path. When they decide to camp, they will also wake to the sun being in the same spot. They won't be able to find any shelter for their camp, and may turn to trying to harvest some bamboo for a makeshift shelter. This will trigger a violent response from the stalks. The stalks will stop attacking as soon as the players stop trying to cut them down, otherwise they will attack without end.
Different encounters can occur when the players stop to rest. Faeries may come to riddle with them, or angry druids may confront them. Alternatively, nothing at all could happen, until the players solve some sort of puzzle. Things should change whenever they stop for the night, however - either the time of day will be different for the entire next day, the path will be slightly different, the clouds will change, whatever. The entire area is shrouded in some sort of time lapse, and the weather is frozen in place. Encounters should happen, otherwise walking along a path can become quite boring.
Possible enemies are either the bamboo stalks themselves, which I imagine will have basic slam attacks, but be otherwise stationary. Mud elementals, faeries, and magical beasts are other creatures I can imagine here. If you want to go a less magical route, the setting could also lend itself to elven attacks, or possibly faerie-ninjas of some description.
- The players are en route to some other location, and accidentally wander into this secluded area. Once they exit, time will have either completely not passed since they entered, passed very rapidly while they were inside such that they spent months in there when it only felt like days, or passed at a normal rate.
- Someone was lost in the wilderness, and the players are tasked with finding them. Turns out they were lost in the Bamboo Forest.
- Mischievous faeries are plaguing local druids, and they ask for assistance. They were kicked out of their own domain, and the forest itself is being enslaved by the faeries.
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