Rather than their exact attacks be specified, ships can now take a certain number of actions chosen from a list (this section of the statblock looks similar to a monsters legendary actions). These three adventures introduced Saltmarsh to Greyhawk and together form the backbone for the books optional campaign arc. Wild islands are those on which nature and wild magic reign. Check out Sly Flourish's Frequently Asked Questions. Hes concerned that the monks that live there havent been heard from in some time. If you enjoy this article, check out Sly Flourish's bestselling books, weekly newsletter, YouTube videos, twice-weekly podcast, and fan-supported Patreon, all offering tips to help you run awesome D&D games. This adventure is the first appearance within the book of an adventure site roster, which are brief summaries of what creatures are in which rooms and what might cause them to leave their current location. Both groups, through the council, want to send the characters to the haunted mansion to see if they can find her brother and uncover the woman's mysterious death. Hes a 3rd-level wizard, you could use his statblock as a template for other lower level mages. It takes a lot of work to mesh singular modules into a cohesive adventure, but [Mike] Mearls and Kate Welch (who served as the lead designers on this one) did a fantastic job. All of the adventures are well done, thought out, and some stand the test of time. The cult of a forbidden god extends its reach outward from a decaying port, hungry for fresh victims and willing recruits. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist/Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage), and can also be interspersed with the adventures from Tales from the Yawning Portal to build out a larger campaign. However, this isnt always the case (for example, in Danger at Dunwater creatures might move between room 10 and room 29). In some campaigns this doesn't matter too much but it's hard to figure out why a githyanki or yuan-ti might be involved in the issues surrounding a fishing village. And of course, the typical curse that you cant easily get rid of the item. An adventure for levels 5-8, the adventure is told in a series of short episodes requiring about 2-3 hours to play each. I initially liked the book, came up with a bunch of ideas, and then realized I didn't like the book. Its also a content pack for Roll20. GoS has some of the bones of one of those, but it isn't quite there. There are also a few less more mystical environs: eldritch mists, krakens graves, lure lights (the souls of dead aboleth! Flip through the pages of the new Ghosts of Saltmarsh book and you'll find adventure around every corner. TheCharm of Plant Command andHelm of Underwater Action in particular need no explanation. Kysh (Triton) though Kysh is a named NPC this statblock is useful because Kysh is typical triton warrior, and to date we only have a triton player race and not any monster stats). The number of actions that can be undertaken goes down as crew are slain or incapacitated. Empowering Warlocks: Alternatives to Eldritch Blast. I like that various significant failures are possible without automatically going to catastrophic failure. I can currently get that information from the roster but only by an unnecessarily convoluted process: First I need to check the map to see which other room numbers are nearby, then I have to check each individual entry for those rooms on the roster in order to be confident I know which creatures might move from their room to the current location, and what triggers that movement (noise, a messenger from this room, etc.). Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Sanbalet a named NPC smuggler. They find an aboleth at the temple (which is of course the Whisperer) recuperating after being attacked by its kin. Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an adventure module anthology for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . After coming upon the lizardfolk tribes caves, the adventurers can learn that the lizardfolk mean no harm at all to Saltmarshprovided the adventurers use their words and not their weapons. I recommend leveling characters to 2nd level when they have cleared the first and second floors of the mansion and 3rd level by the time they have cleared out the smugglers in the caves below the mansion. In case this game goes longer than an adventure or two, I'd like to try and build out a coherent campaign. We're getting to the point where there are quite a few books containing a wide assortment of races. I was a big fan of Yawning Portal as well, but this one feels like they took the lessons they learned from that book and refined them here. Drowned sailors stir to unnatural life, animated by dark magic and sent forth in search of revenge. There is a very loose connection between all the adventures that might be worth exploring: every single one pertains in some way to an evil deity/power. Ghosts of Saltmarsh makes no sense, here's why. Theyre fun, and mostly useful. As mentioned, the adventures are mostly superb: theyre highly competent conversions of the older material, expanded and improved and tied together into what amounts to a pretty satisfactory campaign. This will KILL a newbie 3rd level party that is not optimized for combat. Ghosts of Saltmarsh for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons* Last modified: 9/4/2019 8:47:00 AM . If the characters can find signs of the single clear path, they can follow it safely through the dunes. On the Sea Ghost, the adventurers also meet a party of lizardfolk, and find other clues that suggest busting the smuggling ring isnt the end of Saltmarshs problems. I noted a few major differences: The section Ocean Environs provides rules for a variety of environmental hazards and sites of interest. This is a slightly surprising omission, as this downtime action specifically resolved finding a crew which many DMs would no doubt find helpful. For the majority of my Saltmarsh campaign I had 3 players, PHB beastmaster ranger with . Session zeros give us a chance to spend time with our players and watch the world come together. Tactics is the key to defeating Thousand Teeth. Completing both parts is expected to take 4-6 characters from 1st to 3rd level. Have a question or want to contact me? Related Papers. Personally Id not use the race tables very often (with perhaps a few exceptions Id rather crews be of mixed backgrounds) but your mileage, or nautical mileage in this case, may vary. The factions provide connective tissue between the adventures in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, but players can easily approach the chapters of the books as standalone adventures or pull Saltmarsh out of Greyhawk entirely without any significant issue". Most differences are ultimately cosmetic: some rules have been slightly reworded, and the appearance of some sections within the rules has even been reordered. Theres potential here, but its a shame there are holes that need patching by the DM. The Sea Princes, another Greyhawk faction, also play a role in the book. Likewise, you should enjoy playing them! Chapter 2 of Ghosts of Saltmarsh doesn't describe when to level characters. They may or may not be willing to entertain visitors. The expected level for this adventure is 11th, and its once again designed for 4-6 characters. With that of a mysterious. Youre unlikely to encounter a galleon which is intended for fishing, for example. The loyalists see the body as a sign that the town needs more protection and a heavier hand. I like this section a lot for what it is. InTammerauts Fate(along with the hooks for further connected adventures described in this chapter), undead hordes of Orcus are on the verge of being unleashed upon the world. The files were designed to be used with VTT apps such as Roll20, where you can assemble the ship in the way it best suits your campaign, being it placing . . Mr. Dorys connection a cult of Tharizdun and a being called The Whisperer, believed to be Tharizduns messenger, who gives the cult orders. If you like picking up new sources of monsters to help diversify your own adventures, theres good value in this appendix for you. There are also several tables for generating jobs that various NPCs might want help with. . Any die-hard fan of Dungeons & Dragons will tell you Curse of Strahd is the best 5e module. This appendix includes statblocks for a number of creatures. A far more logical and helpful approach would be to summarise who might arrive in a room and why in the roster, so that you only need to glance at one entry on the table: the one for the room the characters are currently in. Chapter 17 of Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master describes the value of running a "session zero" for a new campaign. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This appendix will be invaluable not just in running GoS, but other nautical adventures as well. We can describe the locations of Saltmarsh, letting players jump in when they hear of a place about which they want to know more. We also learn that the official setting for Ghosts of Saltmarsh is within the region of Keoland in the Greyhawk campaign setting, not in the Forgotten Realms. Start your Ghosts of Saltmarsh or nautical themed campaign with The Curse of Skull Island in this 2-4 hour level 1 adventure that walks players through the character creation process! [2][1], In February 2019, the adventure anthology was announced by Wizards of the Coast. When the characters arrive, diplomats from several groups of aquatic races are present for negotiations to join an alliance against the sahuagin. The tables below provide encounter options for open sea, aerial, ships, underwater and sahuagin encounters. Naturally these include the Forgotten Realms and Eberron. This article is one of a series of articles covering the hardback D&D adventure book, Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Purchasing this bundle unlocks the Ghosts of Saltmarsh book in digital format in the game compendium with all the artwork and maps, cross-linking, and tooltips. The adventure ends with a dramatic timed scene in which the ship is torn apart during a sudden attack by a giant octopus. In play, Id suggest using these numbers as a baseline but introducing a small amount of variance to the price and construction time for upgrades slightly based on current market conditions, availability of materials and skilled workers, rarity of the technology, etc. In addition, there are optional rumours about the site you can use to encourage the characters to take the job. The first conflict of the adventure is a pretty creative encounter, or series of encounters as the case may be. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The roster would be far more effective a tool. No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming. With these ties in the area and other possible adventures to be had in the region, theyre hopefully in no hurry to leave. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The alliance forces sweep through the stronghold, and they will win no matter what, but the degree of success is determined by the characters. After successfully traversing the dunes and arriving at the abbey runs, the adventurers will discover that the clerics werent wiped out after all. All food in a 5'-radius sphere is purified and Cults and cultists are ready-made villains for almost any adventure in D&D, and Ghosts of Saltmarsh ensures that there are some perfectly suited for coastal adventures as well. It includes the Ghosts of Saltmarsh broken into individual booklets for each chapter, physical props (such as amulets and tea stained in-world letters), a custom Dungeon Master's screen for this book, thirty hanging encounter cards, laminated ship maps and other handouts (such as regional maps and setting art). Hostile islands are inhabited by intelligent creatures that actively want to harm visitors to their shores. Likewise, the adventures include a decent collection of new monsters that will add value to your DM whatever their campaign. what plots should yo. Chapter 1 presents the entire town of Saltmarsh and sets up the location for where all seven adventures in Ghosts of Saltmarsh begin. A number of others are converted, new to 5e but not new to D&D. After returning with their intelligence, the characters are rewarded, but of course there part in the plan isnt done: the alliance want them to join the attack on the fortress as a strike team so its back to the stronghold they go! A storm, fog, or sandbars might fit here. [11], For Bleeding Cool, Gavin Sheehan wrote that "Ghosts of Saltmarsh is one of the best put-together books in the entire run of 5th Edition. Their own victories and achievements add points to a tally. They then must defend it agaisnt a horde of drowned ones, before venturing underwater to face the drowned ones leader and seal the Pit of Hatred. The traditionalists see it as meddling by the outside iron gauntlet of the king. The adventurers only ought to end up in a fight if they fail to act diplomatically, or if they end up helping the lizardfolk with some local problems in order to earn goodwill. If not dealt with, it will soon emerge and begin a reign of terror in the area. The adventure briefly describes Uskarn. The section also provides ways for characters of old and new backgrounds alike to be tied to Saltmarsh these are tools intended for characters who are local to the region. Amphisbaena if you ever want a more deadly version of this CR 1/2 monster (which is CR 1/2), my own CR 5 take on the amphisbaena can be found in. You could also let the players know that anything in the Player's Handbook is fine but they should bring up any other options with you before they pick it so together you can decide if it fits what's going on. Point your DM in the direction of this review if theyd like further details! The first adventure in the book happens to be the first adventure of a classic trilogy which also includes Chapter 3:Danger at Dunwater and Chapter 6:The Final Enemy. Alien islands are ruled over by strange, eldritch creatures (aberrations) and inhabited by humanoids or cultists indoctrinated into their worship. Ghosts of Saltmarsh - The Premise. Part 1: Sigurd's Island. Theres very little to complain about in this book as everything in it is both versatile and succinct when it comes to adventure building and storytelling. Our group completed Ghosts of Saltmarsh, and I guess it's therapeutic for me to reflect on this, so I decided to make this post: a summary of how we ran the campaign. If they are challenged, one of the guards tries to escape to 3 for help. (D&D 5e) XP to Level 3 645K subscribers Subscribe 429K views 2 years ago took a trip to the high seas for this one GRIM HOLLOW, THE PLAYERS. Thousand Teeth a legendary giant crocodile. The Adventures in Saltmarsh section is very useful. Just arrived The Wasteland Wanderer Character Record! Wasteland Wheels roars onto the scene! In short: this review is not spoiler free. This review is intended for DMs, who are the products intended audience (there is only a very little amount of player content). Session Zeros are a great time to relax with our friends before the adventure begins. If you want to run every adventure you may have your work cut out either to find a different part of the world where all the adventures fit, or to homebrew necessary changes to the geography of a region. Here are some ideas: The Final Enemy concludes the trilogy which began with The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. The Cursed Luckstone lets you roll with advantage, but then inflicts disadvantage on your next two rolls. The final adventure of the book describes events on a decaying port which can be established as a self-contained town or as a district of any large coastal town in your campaign world. Fortunately, its completely disconnected from the main arc and is easily replaced. If not dealt with, the drowned ones will spread to skarn, Saltmarsh, and beyond, continuing to seek new victims and build an undead army. The actions section of a ships statblock has changed. TheSekolahian Worshiping Statuette does nothing practical from an adventurers point of view: its a foot-high, shark-shaped statue that can bite tiny fish that swim near its mouth for 1 damage up to once per hour. . However, a sidebar does provide the necessary information to run a sahuagin attack on the way to the adventure site. Heroes must arise to keep the waves safe! DREAMS OF THE RED WIZARDS AN ADVENTURE FOR CHARACTERS OF 2 ND -4 TH LEVEL TITO LEATI MATT SERNETT CHRIS SIMS. Fathomers are spellcasting humans who can turn into enormous watery snakes thanks to pacts with ancient evil, the ideal threat to catch players off-guard. This second side quest takes the characters to the island abbey of an evil group of clerics. Thanks for your support! If the characters have been playing through the entire campaign, they have by now been awarded with citizenship and a free house in Saltmarsh. If I run a GoS campaign, Im not sure Ill include this one. They can pick up some rumors at the docks. The map of Saltmarsh is full colour, but the majority (including the hex map of the region) continue the trend of recent Waterdeep products to return to a more old school line art style. I have the DnDBeyond version of the content, which means I cant comment on the physical quality of the book or its interior design, but if you already own official fifth edition products in hardback you should already know what kind of quality to expect. The Ghosts of Saltmarsh consists of 7 adventures that take players from level 1 - 11 The first adventure - The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh - is 4-6 players of level 1 The second - Danger at Dunwater - is 4-6 players of level 3 The third - Salvage Operation - is 4-6 players of level 4 The fourth - Isle of the Abbey - is 4-6 players of level 5 It hints that some of the adventures in the book might make ideal side quests for campaign set in a port town (eg. [] While Ghosts of Saltmarsh contains plenty of nods to its Greyhawk roots, the book is still 'setting agnostic' as DMs and players don't need to know anything about Greyhawk before they sit down to play the adventure. Upon encountering the clerics, the adventure might branch from its original path: although it is very difficult to do so, the characters may be able to avoid fighting the clerics and might decide to help them to the mainland so they can get help to rebuild the abbey (if they agree to this and arent deceiving the clerics in order to deport them, they obviously cannot complete their original contract). Within this map pack you will find a bunch of maps representing different levels of The Sea Ghost, a smuggler's ship from the adventure The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, published in the 5e Dungeons and Dragons module Ghosts of Saltmarsh.. It has a unique and likely memorable opening encounter, and depending on how characters handle things events on the island could go very different ways. Its worth noting that if youre playing in a world other than Greyhawk and you intend to run the book as a campaign rather than pick stand-alone adventures from it, you might find it difficult to include some adventures in your campaign. Drizzly Patches must be an unfortunate character indeed, and the latter two sound more like magical girls than grizzled sailors! All in all, this is an excellent supplement that oozes potential and inspiration. Session 13: Chapter 6 from the book (conclusion/assault). They need humanoid corpses to feed the Pit of Hatred, a rift to the Abyss. The last thing you want is for the sahuagin to be a distant threat right up until the adventurers face them. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh feels like two short adventures, rather than one: its divided into two parts, The Haunted House and The Sea Ghost. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This means that the included adventure roster should be a helpful tool for determining whether the characters alert any nearby sahuagin as they move about the fortress. Players can fill in the blank regional map as they discover new locations throughout their adventure. As with other official titles, two covers exist: the limited edition cover (available for pre-orders and limited quantities in local game stores) and the regular cover. In addition, the DM is tracking the sahuagins alert level, the raising of which has consequences for the battle. What good would a supplement about sea-based adventuring be if it didnt include new rules governing sea-based adventures? Each episode ends on a dramatic cliffhanger for the next episode to follow. Included is a list of shipwrecks that characters might try to find for their lost treasures, and tables for random encounters. Summary [ edit] Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an anthology of updated modules and adventures from previous editions, including three adventures from the classic 'U' series. This is presented as optional but if you are intending to run the whole book through as a single campaign, my recommendation is to consider the attack extremely non-optional. Its also where the major NPCs of the town are described. If they have managed to talk to the druid, the characters will know that the octopus already attacked the ship once and can deduce that it is pursuing the vessel. As a fun way to get the story started, you might have a body wash up on the beach. Single class casters should have 6th-level spells by now, which means they have multiple ways of finding out information with minimal or no prior investigation: commune, divination, locate creature, scrying, and true seeing are all available. Today Ill be reviewing the recently released campaign book, Ghosts of Saltmarsh. This site uses affiliate links to Amazon and DriveThruRPG. In the events of the previous adventure, it was discovered that the smugglers were supplying weapons to a tribe of lizardfolk living in a colony near Saltmarsh. Its hard to know if theyre actually in the book, or whether theyve slipped in during the transfer of content to DnDBeyond. However if you want to keep them in Tier 1 (level 1-4) Do Salvage Operation instead of Final Enemy. This is one of the memorable encounters Ive seen, as it includes a decommissioned ship held aloft by a crane in the warehouse yard. Theres even a section dealing with how to determine the mood of the town on any given visit, depending on whether the towns fishing industry is doing well! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Thats good, because although the campaigns central story is now concluded, the book still has two higher level adventures for them to face! All sample ships come with a map (with the exception of the rowboat, which obviously doesnt need one). slot level above 1st used to cast it), and the next attack against the target before the end of the lizardfolk's next turn has advantage. The modules are modified to use the 5th edition rules, so that the adventures can be played in the order they are presented in the book, or dropped into a home campaign. Likewise, you might roll a mysterious island, which can also be generated using rules in this chapter. These include crew conflicts, fires, fogs, infestations, and storms. Someone might recognize her as one of two adventurers, brother and sister, who came to town with dreams of finding the alchemist's gold at the haunted mansion only to never be found again. And buy the first module. Their colourful crews are described immediately after the table. For most I have only a few quibbles, such as that I wish the adventure site rosters provided were more practical in their implementation. Heres how the adventure site roster currently works: its a numerically ordered list of rooms or areas. This one-page guide, influenced heavily by Matt Coleville's video on the value of player guides, is intended to give the players everything they need to understand where the campaign is going and how their character might fit into it. You might either select a specific list of allowed races that fit the theme of the campaign or allow certain books such as Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Volo's Guide to Monsters, and the Elemental Evil Player's Companion. Mr. Dory uses this ship as his lair. However, its the perfect place to add such links. If they are challenged, one of the guards tries to escape to 3 for help. However, it is almost certainly a sign that Greyhawk is about to be added to the list of supported settings on the DMsGuild, which would enable fans to update Greyhawk themselves. This may or may not be a sign of more official Greyhawk to come. comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment Shiroiken Additional comment actions.

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