Terrestrial Environment
Deserts comprise one of ten categories of terrestrial environments, the others being badlands, forests, hills, marshes, moors, mountains, plains, swamps, and subterranean.
A desert can be defined, technically and succinctly, as an area where more water is lost via evaporation and transpiration than falls as rainfall. Glaciers can qualify as deserts.
Deserts of the Realms
Cold
- The Frozen Sword (Anauroch): blue abishai, hound archon, baneguard, barghest, crossroads guardian, darkenbeast, divine minion, dragon, dread warrior, ettin, gargoyle, ghast, ghoul, hakeashar, hellcat, hell hound, ibrandlin, janni, kir-lanan, lamia, dire lion, mummy, nishruu, nyth, ogre, orc, phaerimm, shadow, shadow mastiff, spectator, troll, vargouille, wight, wolf, dire wolf, worg, wraith.
- The Great Glacier: crossroads guardian, darkenbeast, divine minion, dread warrior, ettin, frost giant, frost worm, hakeashar, ice serpent, Innugaakalikurit, kir-lanan, kupuk, mohrg, ogre, phaerimm, polar bear, remorhaz, rothe, spectator, spectre, tirichik, troll, white dragon, wight, will-o’-wisp, winter wolf, worg, wraith. Innugaakalikurit, kupuk, and tirichik are only encountered on the Great Glacier.
- The High Ice (Anauroch): crossroads guardian, darkenbeast, divine minion, dread warrior, ettin, frost giant, frost worm, hakeashar, ice serpent, kir-lanan, mohrg, ogre, phaerimm, polar bear, remorhaz, rothe, spectator, spectre, troll, white dragon, wight, will-o’-wisp, winter wolf, worg, wraith.
Temperate
- The Plain of Standing Stones (Anauroch): blue abishai, hound archon, asabi, baneguard, barghest, crossroads guardian, darkenbeast, divine minion, dracosphinx, dragon, dread warrior, ettin, gargoyle, ghast, ghoul, gnoll, gorgon, hakeashar, ibrandlin, janni, laerti, lamia, dire lion, mummy, dark naga, nishru, nomads, nyth, ogre, orc, orpsu,phaerimm, scorpion, shadow, shadow mastiff, spectator, spider eater, stinger, stingtail, vargouille, wight, dire wolf, wraith.
Warm
- The Plains of Purple Dust: androsphinx, giant ant, baboon, baneguard, barghest, blue abishai, brown dragon, crossroads guardian, dark naga, darkenbeast, divine minion, djinni, dracosphinx, dragon, dragonne, dread warrior, efreeti, gargoyle, ghast, ghoul, gnoll, gorgon, gynosphinx, hakeashar, hound archon, ibrandlin, janni, laerti, lamia, dire lion, giant lizard, mummy, nishruu, nomads, nyth, ogre, orc, orpsu, phaerimm, scorpion, shadow mastiff, shadow, snake, spectator, spider eater, Statue That Walks, stinger, stingtail, vargouille, wight, wolf, dire wolf, wraith. Statues That Walk are generally only encountered in Mulhorand.
- The Quoya: androsphinx, giant ant, baboon, baneguard, barghest, blue abishai, brown dragon, crossroads guardian, dark naga, darkenbeast, divine minion, djinni, dracosphinx, dragon, dragonne, dread warrior, efreeti, gargoyle, ghast, ghoul, gnoll, gorgon, gynosphinx, hakeashar, hound archon, ibrandlin, janni, laerti, lamia, dire lion, giant lizard, mummy, nishruu, nomads, nyth, ogre, orc, orpsu, phaerimm, scorpion, shadow mastiff, shadow, snake, spectator, spider eater, stinger, stingtail, vargouille, wight, wolf, dire wolf, wraith.
- Raurin: androsphinx, giant ant, baboon, baneguard, barghest, blue abishai, brown dragon, crossroads guardian, dark naga, darkenbeast, divine minion, djinni, dracosphinx, dragon, dragonne, dread warrior, efreeti, gargoyle, ghast, ghoul, gnoll, gorgon, gynosphinx, hakeashar, hound archon, ibrandlin, janni, laerti, lamia, dire lion, giant lizard, mummy, nishruu, nomads, nyth, ogre, orc, orpsu, phaerimm, scorpion, shadow mastiff, shadow, snake, spectator, spider eater, Statue That Walks, stinger, stingtail, vargouille, wight, wolf, dire wolf, wraith. Statues That Walk are generally only encountered in Mulhorand.
- The Sword (Anauroch): androsphinx, giant ant, baboon, baneguard, barghest, blue abishai, brown dragon, crossroads guardian, dark naga, darkenbeast, divine minion, djinni, dracosphinx, dragon, dragonne, dread warrior, efreeti, gargoyle, ghast, ghoul, gnoll, gorgon, gynosphinx, hakeashar, hound archon, ibrandlin, janni, laerti, lamia, dire lion, giant lizard, mummy, nishruu, nomads, nyth, ogre, orc, orpsu, phaerimm, scorpion, shadow mastiff, shadow, snake, spectator, spider eater, stinger, stingtail, vargouille, wight, wolf, dire wolf, wraith.