Monster Manual 5E. Your own hooks may work better than any others, of course. Here's the blurb: Nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. I did something very similar albeit focused entirely on being a pre-campaign requirement for players to read as well as a reference during play. Tal'Dorei Campaign Guide. He is being fed information and advice from his family's longtime advisor, Skerrin Wavechaser, a secret agent of the Scarlet Brotherhood. We need not introduce Skerrin to the characters (players have a nose for secret villains like a bloodhound) but he is working in the background none the less. I would share it but I'm not sure on the legality of publicly posting it given that it's at least an 85% direct rip-off of GoS text, and even then, all I've really done is rewrite a few bits here and there for clarity and edit out DM-specific information. Keep up the awesome work! This is a ruse, however. Like Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh—a revelation when it was originally published in 1981, it’s been faithfully updated for fifth edition D&D, and it’s just as chilling as it was then. They're a dynamic bunch. What plots should you include? There is a sinister secret in Saltmarsh that we can begin to put into play with this hook. Do we think they can realistically row up and challenge the whole crew at once? They may provoke opportunity attacks. Let them attack in waves and don't be afraid to tweak their hit points for the flow of the story. So the big thing to know about Ghosts of Saltmarsh is that it isn't just one singular adventure, it's actually a combination of several adventures into one. In particular, when running downtime sessions you'll want to do the following: Once their downtime activities have concluded, it's time to jump to the next part of this adventure. Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 2: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 3, Danger at Dunwater, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 4: Salvage Operation, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 5: Isle of the Abbey, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 6: The Final Enemy, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 8: The Styes, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 7: Tammeraut's Fate, Running Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 5, Isle of the Abbey, Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot. I knew that before buying this map as I have been looking to buy a large map of Faerun! The masked man had a strange affectation, however. Cruel sahuagin gather beneath the waves, plotting to sweep away coastal cities. Beyond clarifying their goals, we can also help guide the conversations the players are having about their approach towards the Sea Ghost by steering it towards realistic options. Dungeon Master's Guide 5E. Ned was sent from a nearby city and met his contact in Saltmarsh who appeared cloaked and masked. Since she likes to “adorn” a ship with paintings and amulets of dubious effectivity and communication with her tends to be cryptic – she speaks Common well enough, but speaks in riddles and uses flowery descriptions for the simplest things – her time on a ship … Guildmasters Guide To Ravnica. This can lead to a lot of frustration if the quests aren't clarified. Flip through the pages of the new Ghosts of Saltmarsh book and you’ll find adventure around every corner. For example, the body of a woman can wash up on shore. This article is one of a series of articles covering the hardback D&D adventure book, Ghosts of Saltmarsh. During the session ask the players to describe what they want to do within the week-long period while the council figures out what they want to do about the smuggling ship. Nice. To make things a little easier on the characters, consider leveling them to 3rd once they have cleared out the smugglers under the house so they have more resources to take on the crew of the Sea Ghost. Will it be possible that they sneak on disguised as the smugglers from the haunted mansion? Summary. Smugglers guide their ships to hidden coves, willing to slit the throat of any … Wayfinder's Guide To Eberron. Most of the upper two floors of the mansion in chapter 2 of Ghosts of Saltmarsh runs smoothly and requires little modification from the book. Here smugglers guide their ships to hidden coves, willing to slit the throat of any who cross their path. Glad you like it. They may have less than average hit points. Write down a handful of possible downtime activities given their location, the current point in the story, and the backgrounds of the characters. Thank you for sharing! Recruitment . This adventure is full of dynamic situations, intrigue, and potential downtime activities. Our adventure begins with the characters traveling to a supposedly haunted mansion. The two Waterdavian defense ships were sunk and many villagers and guards died. Elemental Evil Player's Companion. This can be a really hard fight at 2nd level so be nice to the characters. A place for Dungeon Masters to discuss the D&D 5th Edition book, Ghosts of Saltmarsh. A session zero is vital to a healthy campaign but we would all rather be playing than going over rules, expectations, and character creation so these sessions rarely materialize. Rodalas relays the information to all of you. Eberron Rising From The Last War. Nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. When the characters return to Saltmarsh, the council asks them to go back out to the mansion and infiltrate the Sea Ghost to learn where the pirates on the Sea Ghost are bringing those weapons. With the Sea Ghost taken down, our characters return to Saltmarsh with the information they need to head into Ghosts of Saltmarsh Chapter 3: The Danger in Dunwater. https://slyflourish_content.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ghosts_of_saltmarsh_players_guide.pdf, https://slyflourish.com/ghosts_of_saltmarsh_session_zero.html. The smugglers enjoying dinner in area 21 are likely to grab Sanbalet in area 22 and they all go back down into the tunnels in areas 25 through 29. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Ghosts of Saltmarsh is a 5th-edition Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook that updates and adapts seven sea-themed adventures from earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons. If the characters already learned that the weapons are going to the lizardfolk, the council wants them to learn where exactly these lizardfolk are. How they split up, group up, and face the characters will depend on how the characters act. Offer clear goals and leave the approaches open. Ghosts of Saltmarsh. When they run well, however, such adventures can feel like magic. Ghosts of Saltmarsh Player’s Guide The people of Saltmarsh generally find Nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. This adds a potential conspiracy theory that somehow the King's forces are behind the arming of the lizardfolk against Saltmarsh. It has the party ventur I mainly used 5etools to cut and paste info over, asking with a short description of the main NPC's. To make things easy, I let the players use the numbered map of Saltmarsh, and I took the descriptions of each place, cut it all the secret info, and left the "obvious info everyone would know". These are simple bandits. The adventure itself, however, doesn't offer very strong hooks to get there. For a fun twist, we can add a secret and clue to our game that the smuggled weapons found by the characters are actual weapons of King Skotti's armies. Instead, he never returned and she washes up on shore drowned and wearing prisoner's garb with binding markings on her wrists and ankles. The traditionalists believe it has something to do with the recent rise of the king's forces in the area while the loyalists believe it is a clear sign of the return of the Sea Princes. Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an anthology of updated modules and adventures from previous editions, including three adventures from the classic ‘U’ series. His goal is to destabilize the council of Saltmarsh and take it over with members he can control, just as he controls Anders. 1 Contents 2 Index 2.1 Characters 2.2 Creatures 2.3 Magic 2.4 Miscellaneous 3 Appendix 3.1 References 3.2 Connections Ghosts of Saltmarsh includes the following adventures: The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh Danger at Dunwater … Salvage Operation (4th level) – The party recovers a l… Luckily, as hard as the situations can be in the caves and on the Sea Ghost, capture is a realistic option and escape is a fun approach to get out of it. This particular agent, however, will end up dead if the council (and thus Skerrin) finds out that the characters know who it is. Well this is the game for you as Ghosts of Saltmarsh is a collection of old 1st edition D&D modules all brought bang up to date to the 21st Century! This woman was last seen with her brother, both of whom were adventurers that planned to go to the haunted mansion and recover the alchemist's gold. The Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure book releases May 21st and it is full of adventures and possible plots. ... Elemental Evil Player's Companion. D&D: A Player’s Guide To The Ghosts Of Saltmarsh J.R. Zambrano 4 Minute Read May 22 Ghosts of Saltmarsh has a lot of new content–new adventures, dozens of new areas to explore, but today, we’re taking a look at what it offers players. Hopefully it's a fun epic battle in which the characters struggle but prevail. Gameplay. This works right into the hands of the Scarlet Brotherhood and adds pressure in the opposite direction from the rumor that the dead woman shows that the Sea Princes are returning. And the characters in Ghosts of Saltmarsh are a huge part of why it’s so much fun to read through and where all those sparky, let’s-go-run-a-game feelings come from. He often told jokes and, after doing so, would clear his throat as though punctuating the joke. Four 16th level characters facing an ancient blue dragon archmage and her simulacrum isn't nearly as deadly as four 1st level characters facing four giant centipedes. 1st level characters are really squishy. When it comes to the infiltration of the Sea Ghost, the council of Saltmarsh gives the characters the following quests: These quests are important otherwise the characters will be floundering around on the ship itself, unsure how to deal with it and unsure why they're there in the first place. They're not very bright, not that easy to control, and prone to either acting stupidly or running away. New to Sly Flourish? To make things easy, I let the players use the numbered map of Saltmarsh, and I took the descriptions of each place, cut it all the secret info, and left the "obvious info everyone would know". The body causes great concern among the council members. When we're setting up a big scene like the infiltration of the Sea Ghost, we want to keep potential approaches open but also focus the required quests so the players know what they're supposed to do and can choose how they want to do it. Guildmasters Guide To Ravnica. Good luck with your campaign. 1st level D&D adventures are their own special game and these games should be treated differently than every other D&D game we run. Skerrin sent Ned to find out what the smugglers are doing there so Skerrin can figure out how to use it to the advantage of the Brotherhood. If the characters triggered the screaming magic mouths, the smugglers know they're coming. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Start here, subscribe to the weekly newsletter, join the Sly Flourish Discord server, or support Sly Flourish on Patreon! The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is a wonderful adventure that helps us stretch a lot of DM muscles that we often talk about on this website and in Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master. Ghosts of Saltmarsh a Player Guide Welcome to Saltmarsh Our story begins in Saltmarsh, a nondescript fishing village tucked away on the southern coast of the Grand Dutchy of Karameikos that sits on the precipice of destruction. Heroes of Saltmarsh I is the first installment in a series of player compendiums tailor-made for groups playing through Ghosts of Saltmarsh. In fact, more than one NPC has a goal to ensure the characters don't to go the mansion. The players printed it out and update it with what they discover. Review the downtime activities in the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, and the downtime activities listed in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh adventure book. 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