Ghosts of Saltmarsh

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
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-

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