SECTION 4: BUILDING YOUR WORLD – THE BUDLANDS
The Budlands are a living, breathing world shaped by strain politics, magical cultivation, smokey myths, and high adventure. This section equips the Dungeon Master with ready-made regions, story hooks, environmental mechanics, and cultural textures that bring a cannabis-based setting to life.
4.1. Regional Biomes of the Budlands
Each region in the Budlands is defined by its dominant strain types, cultivation potential, native creatures, and social structures. These lands can be used for campaign settings, dungeons, political intrigue, and exploration.
Kush Valley
Dominant Strain: Indica
Biome: Lush river basin with glowing soil and ancient terraced farms
Known For: Sacred Seeds, healing springs, relaxed but fierce warriors
Locations:
- The Rootspire – Tower of ancient Growcerers with strain-infused glyphs
- Trimmertown – Peaceful trade village and grower marketplace
- The Buried Grove – Ancient ruin of forgotten Indica gods
Encounters:
- Plant spirits needing cultivation help
- Edible geysers attracting Terp Trolls
- Raids from Smokeless Knights during harvest moon
Sparkspire Highlands
Dominant Strain: Sativa
Biome: Windswept canyons, floating cliffs, sun-bathed altars
Known For: Enlightenment rituals, fast couriers, flying gardens
Locations:
- The Observatory of Ideas – Hub for Highspire Assembly research
- Trail of Fireleaves – Sky bridge of burning foliage that grants visions
- Cloudrunner Outpost – Home of the Dankrunners’ fastest smuggler crew
Encounters:
- Mental mazes summoned by overcharged minds
- Time-dilation whirlwinds from vapor hotspots
- Living scrolls escaping the Assembly
Hashguard Mountains
Dominant Strain: Hybrid & Concentrates
Biome: Rugged cliffs, resin caves, icy peaks dripping with rosin
Known For: Extract mines, hashforges, heated diplomacy
Locations:
- The Dabspire Forge – Run by Glassforger clans
- The Melten Vault – Contains ancient concentrates bound by flame glyphs
- Cold Cure Caverns – Slow-cured spirits guard this mine
Encounters:
- Blunt Golems on patrol
- Resin slide chases
- Concentrate Elementals born from unstable extraction
The Smokeless Waste
Dominant Strain: None (dead land)
Biome: Grey fields, cracked stone, prohibitionist encampments
Known For: Reeducation prisons, anti-magic zones, lost freedom
Locations:
- The Gray Bastion – Citadel of the Smokeless Order
- Ash Hollow – Once a flourishing grow site, now chemically scorched
- Silent Steps – Ghost town haunted by echoing laughter and coughs
Encounters:
- Inquisitors with anti-spell tech
- Survivors smuggling seeds in secret
- Whispers from a “seed beneath the ash”
The Green Sea
Dominant Strain: Hybrid
Biome: Vast rainforest of towering cannabis trees, breathable terp fog
Known For: Hidden tribes, living architecture, symbiotic wildlife
Locations:
- Thicketreach – Tree-top commune connected by resin bridges
- The Blooming Vault – Secret strain archive protected by ancient spirits
- Wispwood – Nightglow forest where plants sing at moonrise
Encounters:
- Pack of Terphounds guarding wild strains
- Cannabeasts awakened from pollen slumber
- Strain Golems testing newcomers with riddles
The Mycel Den
Dominant Strain: Ruderalis + Fungal Hybrids
Biome: Subterranean spore caverns, glowing caps, twisted roots
Known For: Mutation, chaos, psychic fungi, forgotten gods
Locations:
- Sporeheart Nexus – Network of living minds controlling the Den
- Echocap Falls – Waterfall of spores inducing memory flashbacks
- The Entangled Seat – Throne made of every plant type; reacts to touch
Encounters:
- Mushroom paladins with spore shields
- Talking molds offering deals
- Strain mutation mazes that morph the party’s powers
4.2. Environmental Mechanics
These mechanics affect gameplay depending on the region and the strain saturation in the air, soil, or terrain.
Strain Saturation
Every biome has a Saturation Score (1–10). The higher the score, the stronger the environmental cannabis effects.
- 1–3: Mild effects – subtle mood shifts, glowing trails
- 4–6: Spell interference, increased strain buff/debuff power
- 7–9: Contact highs, hallucinations, automatic High Checks
- 10: Natural weedstorms, spontaneous manifestations of strain spirits
Weather Events
| Event | Effect |
| Terpstorm | Magical storm of swirling terpenes; buffs or stuns all exposed creatures |
| Kief Fall | Snow-like resin dust grants enhanced vision but attracts Kief Elementals |
| Smoke Eclipse | Moonlight blocked by ritual smoke, all vision-based actions have disadvantage unless you’re a Cannabard or Monk |
| Curewind | A healing wind that restores HP but may erase the last hour of memory |
4.3. Culture & Traditions
The Budlands are held together not by law, but by ritual, trust, and the Circle. These traditions serve as quest prompts, downtime activities, or player bonding moments.
The Circle
A universal ritual of peace. When characters enter a Circle, no violence may occur unless someone ashes early—considered the highest offense.
Circle Mechanics:
- All participants may make a Wisdom save for vision or insight
- Share a single strain for a combined magical effect
- Breaking the Circle causes long-term reputation penalties
The 420 Trials
Held each year in Sparkspire. An elite competition for Growcerers, Alchighmists, and Cannabards. Winning grants a wish at the Temple of the Great Blunt.
Trial Types:
- Strain Duel: Crossbreed battle in timed terrain
- Hotbox Arena: Survive 5 rounds against hallucinated fears
- Flameflow: Race to light an ancient joint through elemental gauntlets
4.4. Campaign Starter Hooks
- The Sacred Grinder is Missing: The tool used in all major rituals has vanished—replaced by plastic knock-offs spreading paranoia.
- Return of the Living Soil: A corrupted grove begins regrowing on its own, whispering ancient songs only certain PCs can hear.
- Banned in Trimmertown: A new mayor enacts Smokeless policies—players must save the culture from political weedwashing.
- The Clone Conspiracy: Legendary strains are being replicated and weaponized by the Blackglass Cartel, mutating local wildlife and warping minds.
- The Contact High Catastrophe: A ritual went wrong and now a mist of permanent euphoria threatens to make an entire region forget its purpose.