Ghosts of Saltmarsh

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

l/b


manticores roam freely through the warehouse at night.
They spend their days in the loft but respond quickJy to
any disturbance in the main warehouse below.
Treasure. The crates in this area and their contents
are similar to those in area Dl. The chief difference is
that no one in town is likely to notice or care if these
items are pawned or fenced. Much of what's here
has spoiled or lost its potency, but 1,700 gp worth of
still-valuable equipment and supplies can be collected
with a thorough search.


  1. UPPER WALKWAY
    A walkway surrounds the highest level of the ware-
    house. which is now used only as an approach to area
    OS. The door to area 05 is made of iron and is kept
    locked. Dory and all his guards carry a key for the door.
    which can otherwise be opened with a successful DC
    15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The door can
    also be smashed open by making a successful DC 18
    Strength (Athletics) check and a lot of noise.


D5.CRANE

' A narrow, rotting walkway with missing boards and no
railing surrounds the rusting bulk of this ancient crane.
The hull of the ship dangles from the crane's arm. fifty
feet above the broad mud pool below. A wooden trough
connects the ship to a nearby water tower, and a crude
bridge suspended between the crane and the ship's deck
promises a treacherous climb. Steam rises from the hulk,
and rivulets of water spill out from between the planks of
the hull, raining down to the mud below. l

The walkway around the crane is rickety but is more
solid than it looks. The real danger on the walkway
and the bridge comes from their uneven surface and
the lack of a railing. A character who moves no more
than 10 feet per turn and devotes all their attention to
watching where they place their feet is in no danger
while moving through this area. But a character who
moves more quickly or who performs any other action in
addition to moving must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity
saving throw or fall prone. If the saving throw fails by
more than 5, the character slips and falls 60 feet. The
fall deals only 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage because of
the soft, deep mud below, but the mud is contaminated.
Anyone who falls in must also succeed on a DC 11
Constitution saving throw or contract sewer plague (see

''Diseases" in chapter (^8) of the Dungeon Master's Guide).
The crane's gears and controls are heavily rusted and
frozen in place.
Three skum (see appendix C and the "Skum" sidebar)
hidden inside the crane's shed stand guard over this
area. They confront anyone who tries to cross the foot-
bridge to the ship. simultaneously calling out to alert the
ship's occupants. These skum are intimately familiar
with the walkway and the precarious bridge, so they
can move and act normally with no risk of falling. If they
can, they try to push intruders off the walkway rather
than fight them.
<.HAl'J t k 11 I r11u snts



  1. UPPER DECK


The decrepit-looking hull of a ship is suspended from
the crane by massive chains, all of which creak and groan
ominously as the ship shifts in the wind. The only appar-
ent access to the vessel's interior is near the bow on the
port side. A grate in the hull there belches smoke, while
water flowing along a wooden trough pours through the

l grate into the hull.


Many of the compartments of this decommissioned hull
have been Aooded with water so that its aquatic occu-
pants can move about more easily. The skum that lurk
in area D7 patrol the upper deck once every 30 minutes,
but they mostly rely on the guards in area DS to warn
them of intruders.


  • I


As the characters move around on the hulk, stress the
ominous creaking and groaning from the chains holding
it aloft. These chains are so lidly attached and there's no
danger of the ship crashing to the ground, but it should
feel like a dangerous environment. The grate through
which water Aows into area D7 isn't locked or trapped,
but lifting it open creates a lot of noise unless someone

makes a successful DC (^15) Dexterity (Stealth) check
while doing so. Once the grate is open, characters can
drop down into area 07.
The chains holding the ship aloft are too sturdy to
be broken by any quick or simple method. Severing
one would take a successful DC 30 Strength check,
prolonged heating, or half a dozen shatter spells. Such
attempts also likely attract the attention of nearby skum.
D7. BowPooL
The air in this compartment is oppressively hot and hu·
mid. Clouds of smoke rise and escape through the grate
above, billowing from a pair of roaring boilers near the
bow, bolted to the deck and walls on either side of a large
pool of steaming water. The walls, floor, and ceiling of
the compartment are thick and shiny with condensation
and mildew.
This area is difficult terrain because of the moisture and
slime everywhere.
The bottom of the pool is open to the ship"s Hooded
bilge, allowing all the water in the ship to be heated
from this area. That opening can't be seen from above
through the smoke, steam, and dirty water. A creature
can swim from this pool through the bilge directly into
areas DB and D9. and vice versa.
The cloudy water conceals three skum (see appendix
C and the "Skum" sidebar). 1 f they were alerted by the
skum guarding the crane or by a noisy opening of the
grate above, they"re prepared for trouble and can't be
surprised. Otherwise. they're napping or loafing in the
water, so they're automatically surprised by enemies
who approach stealthily.

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