Ghosts of Saltmarsh

VICTORY POINTS

Defender

Sahuagin

Sahuagin champion

Sahuagin coral smasher

Blademaster Makaht

Point Value

l

3

5

10

Opening the gate at area l^15

Baron Kepmak^25

Raising no alert^25

THE DEFENSE

By the time the party returns to the fortress. the sa-

huagin have reinforced their numbers. Every area of

level 1 now holds sahuagin defenders preparing for

battle, acting as reserves, or otherwise planning the

fortress's defense. Areas 1, 5, and 19 have particular

encounters associated with them (see "Assault Encoun-

ters"). For every other area, consult the following table

to determine w hat sahuagin forces l inger there.

The sahuagin throughout the for tress fight to the

death. though the last surviving sahuagin of every group

will attempt to escape to raise the alert (see "On Alert).

SAHUAGIN DEFENDERS

Area Defende.rs

1-4 2d6 sahuagin

5-11 3d6 sahuagin and 1 sahuagin champion*

12-18 3d6 sahuagin, 2 sahuagin champions,'~ and

l sahuagin coral smasher*

·~See appendix C

TIMING

The party doesn't have forever to conduct their assault.

Saltmarsh and its allies only give the characters a brief

period to weaken the sahuagin forces. While you should

encourage the party to be hasty. keep the exact time be-

fore their allies' attack nebulous. This allows you to have

troops from Saltmarsh show up in the party's defense

should they get into trouble.

For you, though. the party has 30 rounds.

After the characters enter the fortress. start a tally

of how many rounds they've spent inside, encouraging

them to act fast before they're discovered. After set

periods of time the sahuagin begin to notice that some-

thing is not as it should be and raise their alert level (see

··on Alert').

At the end of this period. check the party's victory

points. If their number of victory points meets or ex-

ceeds 75, "The Baron's Counterattack" occurs (see

below). The party has unlimited time to face Baron

Kepmak, but at the end of this encounter, the characters'

allies appear and the assault draws to a close.

ON ALERT
Prepared for attack. the sahuagin forces readily charge
into battle once they know the assault has begun. The
fortress rings with the sounds of sahuagin preparing for
battle. echoing with clanging weapons and Sahuagin
shouting. If the party is wily. they might use the din to
their favor and catch their foes unaware.

l II,,., r N r. r rn H~Al F'\ un

The general combat readiness of the sahuagin is sum-

marized by whether or not they are on alert. When the

party reaches the fortress, rhe sahuagin are not alert.

This can change quickly. though. If any of the following

circumstances occur, the alert is raised- the sahuagin

know the enemy is among them!

• When noted i n an encounter area.


• A sahuagin Aees battle and reaches Blademaster
  Makaht in area^10 or Bar on Keprnak via area^1 9.


• The party makes any sort of noise greater than angry
  shouting and clashing arms-particularly noisy magi-
  cal effects like fireball or thunderous smite.
  Reinforcements. As soon as the fortress goes on
  alert. sahuagin reinforcements begin roaming the halls.
  These reinforcements only appear once the characters
  have already engaged with an area's defenders. Every
  2d4 rounds after combat begins in an area, 3d6 sa-
  huagin and I sahuagin champion (see appendix C)
  arrive. If the PCs manage to defeat all the sahuagin in a
  room (plus rei nforcements) no further defenders appear.
  During these encounters, it's possible that the party
  could be overwhelmed by foes. Consult the "Handling
  Mobs'' section in chapter^8 of the Dungeon Master's
  Guide to help deal with large numbers of enemies.

CONCLUDING THE ASSAULT

Ultimately. the assault ends with one of three possibil-

ities. lf the PCs retreat, they meet Saltmarsh's human

attackers as they launch their offensive. The attack

force thanks the characters for their efforts and charges

into battle.

If the PCs are defeated, Saltrnarsh's forces arrive j ust

in the nick of time. While some troops pull the charac-

ters to safety. the remainder overwhelm the remaining

sahuagin forces. The characters are ferried back LO Salt-

marsh. all the while being hailed as heroes willing to

sacrifice everything for the cause.

Alternatively, if the characters confront Baron Kep-

mak. they might decapitate the sahuagin forces. practi-

cally ending the offensive before it begins.

In any of these cases, refer to the Triumph or Failure

sections after ward.

ASSAULT ENCOUNTERS

Level I of the fortress teems with defenders. While most

sahuagin are clustered as described in '"The Defense:· a

few locations prove central to the fortress's security.

1. NORTH ENTRANCE AND GUARD POST
   The sahuagin have tightened their defenses at the north
   entrance. Expecting an attack, they no longer use the
   causeway and keep this gate scaled at all times of day.
   As the gate provides the only access lo level I of the for-
   tress. the party's fir st challenge will be getting in.
   How the character's infiltrate the fortress is up to
   them, but might include the following strategies:

• The party can sneak in magically by using the potions
  the Saltmarsh council provided.


• The party might try to talk their way in. but the chal-
  lenge of deceiving the sahuagin guards has increased,
  requiring a DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persua-