Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an adventure module anthology for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . 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. Following this, it provides recommendations for where within the region of Saltmarsh you could drop in adventures from Tales of the Yawning Portal! The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The mysterious island section of this appendix describes and provides tables for generating a variety of uncharted isles ripe for adventure. Any kraken is a catastrophe in physical form, but one touched by Tharizduns destructive madness could become a threat of apocalyptic proportion in the fullness of time. I want to take this opportunity to talk about them for a little bit, because I dont think they work. 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 sahuagin are indeed a threat to Saltmarsh and it would be in the towns interest to help, but the lizardfolk hadnt previously considered them a useful ally against a primarily underwater foe. Each also has a collection of ready made encounters that use the map, and each of these encounters has a hook that you can use to tie it into the. It begins with suggestions for how the DM can tie the standalone adventures in the book together into a cohesive campaign. 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. The final section of this appendix describes and provides a map for three generic underwater locations that you might find useful for insertion into an underwater adventure: a reef, a shipwreck, and a ruin. The first, Avernus, fell apart. Their own victories and achievements add points to a tally. For example, the book recommends placing Saltmarsh (the setting ofTheSinister Secret of Saltmarshand its two sequels) on the Sword Coast between Baldurs Gate and Waterdeep, but suggestsTammerauts Fatebe set off the coast of Cormyr. These include crew conflicts, fires, fogs, infestations, and storms. Each episode ends on a dramatic cliffhanger for the next episode to follow. To give you some idea, its perfectly possible to get results like Drizzly Patches, Silky Angel, and Pretty Charm. The monks have become victims of a crew of undead pirates who serve the demon lord Orcus. There are also several tables for generating jobs that various NPCs might want help with. Likewise, you should enjoy playing them! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Since chapters 2, 3, and 6 are the trilogy that form the through line of the larger campaign, this is the first of what we might call side quests. . Fortunately, its completely disconnected from the main arc and is easily replaced. 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. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. Thousand Teeth a legendary giant crocodile. Guildmaster Tabeth of the mariners guild is aware of the town councils alliance with the lizardfolk, and their fears of sahuagin attack (as a lead figure in the mariners guild, he certainly should be in the loop). The final stage of the adventure involves finding and exploring a sunken temple known as Landgraves Folly, where the aboleth keeps and protects a juvenile kraken touched with madness. If given the opportunity to do so, they will flee the stronghold, but theyre really in no condition to be wandering the corridors alone without an escort. 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). 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. 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. They can be run individually or together. But the means of their death makes it unlikely we can provide any further context to our players: we might think about adding a letter on their persons, but how would such a document have survived water damage when the thieves drowned? 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. The only adventure Im less than keen on is Salvage Operation. . The characters will have to explore the Firewatch Island Hermitage, while avoiding or overcoming a particularly nasty peryton that hunts in the area. It does not store any personal data. 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. Otherwise, the attack comes out of nowhere and feels contrived. Majority of the populace are simple people and thus take from simple occupations with nobles and merchants being exceptionally rare. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The fact that there is no overarching story (three out of eight adventures aside) may be considered a weakness by some. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. For DMs intending to run the whole sequence of adventures as a full campaign, there may be some extra work to be done here to tie things together more cohesively and bring about a satisfactorily epic conclusion. Whether Saltmarsh is invited to join the alliance depends on the players actions throughout the adventure, and is resolved by way of a point system. it appears that the actual print of the cover looks flatter and duller, Monstrous Monograph: Monstrosities Volume 1. There's a haunted house outside Saltmarsh. This is the first campaign book Ive read through properly, but I understand these rosters also appeared in previous campaign books. Ghosts of Saltmarsh guide book. The abbey has seemingly been left empty after the clerics quarreled violently with local pirates, but there are undead present. Maybe they worship Orcus, like the undead pirates in, Alternatively, or perhaps in addition, the evil clerics here once belonged to the same order of monks that occupy Firewatch Island in, Another option is to make them cultists of Tharizdun. We are given the background to this: these werea group of thieves who stowed away on the ship before its last voyage and drowned in the storm. They do really well, managing to map out a lot of the levels and freeing Borgas and Kysh. Spanning levels one to 11, this module is a masterpiece. This provides the backdrop we need for the following parts of the adventure, which kicks off with a murder mystery. While Saltmarsh slumbers, the evils that seek to plunder it grow stronger. The region around Saltmarsh is described, and is fully laden with adventure hooks which you can use to expand your GoS campaign beyond the adventures already fleshed out in subsequent chapters. The D&D Beyond version of Ghosts of Saltmarsh includes high resolution versions of both of these maps along with high-resolution maps of all of the locations in the whole book. The adventure is for 4-6 3rd level characters, but depending on their current XP the awards they gain may not level them, in which case youll want to run a shot side trek after this chapter to get them ready for chapter 4. During The Haunted House the adventures investigate the abandoned cliffside abode of a long dead alchemist, which seems to be haunted. Youll either love or hate the maps in GoS. The next time you're getting ready to start a new campaign, start it off with a session zero and watch the world come together. Its also a content pack for Roll20. No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming. The characters are once again asked for help by Saltmarshs town council on behalf of the alliance against the sahuagin. As things stand, I would probably wouldnt useSalvage Operation. Ghosts of Saltmarsh makes no sense, here's why. [2][1], In February 2019, the adventure anthology was announced by Wizards of the Coast. The section describes 6 island themes: The second appendix is a short one, containing just six magic items. Ghosts of Saltmarsh also introduced new rules for ships, including full statblocks for several kinds of boats and naval vessels. The second half of the adventure involves rowing out to the smugglers' ship and doing Under Siege all over it, and they discover that the smugglers are smuggling arms to lizardfolk. This process is slightly more efficient than reading each of the rooms full entries, granted. This is one of the memorable encounters Ive seen, as it includes a decommissioned ship held aloft by a crane in the warehouse yard. In the Ghosts of Saltmarsh appendix A, "Of ships and the sea" one of the pre-created underwater locations ( the wreck of the marshal) has the following feature: I'm hoping to run one of the suggested adventures in this area (the one for level 5 characters), but I'm struggling to see how this feature is supposed to work. The first conflict of the adventure is a pretty creative encounter, or series of encounters as the case may be. Its further broken down into the following sections: a brief introduction to the town, followed by Politics and Factions, Saltmarsh Overview, Downtime Activities, Saltmarsh Region, Adventures in Saltmarsh, and Saltmarsh Backgrounds. Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an anthology of updated modules and adventures from previous editions, including three adventures from the classic 'U' series. [6][7] Beadle & Grimm, a Wizards of the Coast licensee, released a special edition called the "Sinister Silver Edition of Ghosts of Saltmarsh". Well, first there's Saltmarsh. This appendix includes statblocks for a number of creatures. Session Zeros are a great time to relax with our friends before the adventure begins. However, as you know by now it also should be far more helpful than it actually is. If played in order as a seafaring campaign, it takes characters from level 1 through level 12. This is a slightly surprising omission, as this downtime action specifically resolved finding a crew which many DMs would no doubt find helpful. Drizzly Patches must be an unfortunate character indeed, and the latter two sound more like magical girls than grizzled sailors! Its designed for 4-6 characters of 7th level, so the characters may need to undertake another side quest after Chapter 5. The maps look as though they were taken straight out of a 2nd edition module and given that many of the adventures in the book are converted from older editions, this approach lends the product an additional feel of nostalgia. Props can help make the ethereal ghosts of our campaign begin to feel solid and real. 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 . I have yet to introduce them to their big bad (Syrgaul Tammeraut . Download Free PDF View PDF . Blood, Salt, & Bones contains 25 different statblocks for. One group is loyal to the king of Keoland and uses imperial authority to exert its influence, while another is connected to the sinister Scarlet Brotherhood, a classic group of Greyhawk antagonists. I initially liked the book, came up with a bunch of ideas, and then realized I didn't like the book. It hints that some of the adventures in the book might make ideal side quests for campaign set in a port town (eg. 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. Some of the encounters on the Open Water tables are ships, but the nature of the ships isnt specified: they should also be generated at random, which can be achieved using the guidelines in the subsequent Random Ships section. Campaign Setting Credits Lead Designer & Author . 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. And buy the first module. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Saltmarsh itself is not large enough to contain the Styes (and we see that it isnt included on the Saltmarsh map), meaning that this is another adventure that requires the characters to travel elsewhere. If you like picking up new sources of monsters to help diversify your own adventures, theres good value in this appendix for you. See Full PDF Download PDF. The expected level for this adventure is 11th, and its once again designed for 4-6 characters. Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an adventure module anthology for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. As with the last chapter this adventure first describes a new location The Styes, and provides potential hooks to get the characters to the town. Here they may defeat it, make a deal with it, or perhaps succumb to its psychic enslavement. Just arrived The Wasteland Wanderer Character Record! If the characters forge on and fight the clerics, the abbey ruins are essentially a straightforward dungeon crawl. This table is a fun idea but only moderately useful in my opinion. The adventure is for 4-6 level 4 characters. [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. This second side quest takes the characters to the island abbey of an evil group of clerics. Typical inhabitants include beasts, plants, and fey. In my case, I am combining Tales from the Yawning Portal with Ghosts of Saltmarsh (which is suggested as an option at the start of GoS) to give the players more choices and . It contains supplemental rules your DM is bound to find useful while running these adventurers or if your homebrew campaign ever goes near the sea. The kraken is fed kidnapped beggars and other folks no one would miss, while all the negative emotions of the people of the Styes feed dark magic that accelerates the krakens growth. [1][4][5] Ghosts of Saltmarsh was released on May 21, 2019. After successfully traversing the dunes and arriving at the abbey runs, the adventurers will discover that the clerics werent wiped out after all. Note that a similar sidebar gives localisation guidance for each adventure in this book. Ive noticed a meager handful of editorial errors in the form of minor typos. TheCharm of Plant Command andHelm of Underwater Action in particular need no explanation. Part 1: Sigurd's Island. 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". We're getting to the point where there are quite a few books containing a wide assortment of races. Theres definitely something here to build upon if you want a grander story. The adventure site can be reached by sea or land. In case this game goes longer than an adventure or two, I'd like to try and build out a coherent campaign. A number of others are converted, new to 5e but not new to D&D. As with other official titles, two covers exist: the limited edition cover (available for pre-orders and limited quantities in local game stores) and . As well as determining who is crewing the ship and whether theyre friendly, indifferent, or hostile, this section has tables to determine their disposition: whether theyre willing to trade, have an emergency, etc. Three of the converted adventures were already a trilogy, and the additional adventures can be slotted in among them to flesh out the characters adventures in and around Saltmarsh. The Adventures in Saltmarsh section is very useful. Attitude and Race. An adventure for levels 5-8, the adventure is told in a series of short episodes requiring about 2-3 hours to play each. The mayor of Saltmarsh was NOT happy about them burning down the house, so I sent them to the Isle of Dread instead. Slaves present in the fortress add an additional complication for moral characters, who may hate the idea of leaving the slaves even if they may be rescued in the subsequent attack. On the upside, theres a huge variety of stories available here, contained in various table and check results. Oceanus (Sea Elf) those who own Storm Kings Thunder already have stats for a sea elf warrior, but Oceanus is slightly stronger so you could use this statblock for leaders of sea elf patrols. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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. Whether you agree about Salvage Operation or not, whichever adventures you personally like or dislike, the designers have made it trivially easy to weave whichever parts youre prepared to use into a full-length campaign. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Nelson Nelson. 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. Check em out if you love boats". Id love to run GoS! However, this isnt always the case (for example, in Danger at Dunwater creatures might move between room 10 and room 29). Its also where the major NPCs of the town are described. Though it starts out simple, the adventures slowly get more complex and. Likewise, you might roll a mysterious island, which can also be generated using rules in this chapter. Production Values. Theres potential here, but its a shame there are holes that need patching by the DM. This is a very cool adventure with intensely high stakes and a whole raft of interesting encounter locations. In addition, there are optional rumours about the site you can use to encourage the characters to take the job. Session zeros are great times to let the characters explore Saltmarsh and learn what it has to offer before they go out with swords drawn into the dangers surrounding the seaside town. These arent given names, you could use other tables for that: theyre meant to be sailor nicknames. Alternatively, these locations can be used as a starting point to inspire adventures: each location has a section of guidance for generating adventures that might take place there. 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. [2], Christian Hoffer, for Comicbook, wrote that "the book contains a surprising amount of references and nods to its Greyhawk roots. [] Its not hard to imagine how a series of unlucky rolls could put the PCs on the wrong end of a mutiny. Its also true that rooms nearby on the map are mostly also nearby on the table. Danger at Dunwateris the second adventure in the through line trilogy that started withThe Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. Heres what Wizards of the Coast have to say about what this product offers: Ghosts of Saltmarsh (hereafter referred to as GoS) runs to 256 pages, which is the typical length of a Fifth Edition product by Wizards of the Coast. 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. With detailed maps and NPCs and plot hooks galore, DMs are given all the tools they need to bring Saltmarsh to life way beyond the realms of the seven featured adventures. The characters are contracted to clear the site of monsters so a lighthouse can be built at the location. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. $19.99. Adding in grid maps for each ship type (galley, keelboat, longship, rowboat, sailing ship, and warship) and area descriptions for average vessels of those types is awesome. Players can fill in the blank regional map as they discover new locations throughout their adventure. Although this quest isnt directly related he can negotiate using this information: he can talk about how the sahuagin are not the only menaces the people of Saltmarsh have to fear, and hint that the sahuagin may even make surface allies of their own. 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! Its a bit of a generic concept, and ends up being less exciting than some of the other islands for it. The appendix contains the following creatures: As you can see theres quite a lot here thats new to Fifth Edition at least! OR could wait to next Tuesday when the new season drops. 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