Ghosts of Saltmarsh

MARINERS' GUILD

You work with the mariners' guild, providing sailors

with rope, sails, tools. and other goods. You have a work-

shop attached to the guildhall and can draw support

from similar guilds found in ports across the world. You

have done a lot of business with Eda Oweland's family

and are on good terms with her.

DWARVEN ARTISANS

You arrived in town as part of a mercantile concern as-

sociated with the Copperlocks dwarves. Currently the

dwarves rely on your guild to provide supplies for their

work at the mine outside town. You are friends with

several of the miners, have access to their work site, and

are on good terms with the clan's leader, Manistrad.

HERMIT

The wilds around Saltmarsh might seem like the ideal

place to find peace and quiet, though the monsters that

lurk in the region can make isolation a dangerous prac-

tice. If your character has this background, the table be-

low gives you some options for the nature of the secret

that prompted you to return to civilization.

d4 Secret

1 You stumbled across a clandestine meeting outside

town. A wealthy· looking fellow named Skerrin met

with someone and discussed bringing slaves to

Saltmarsh. You suspect trouble is afoot and came to

town to investigate.

2 The anguished ghost of an elf haunts your dreams,

insisting that you tear down the standing stones just

outside Saltmarsh. The elf claims that dark magic is

behind the bountiful fishing in the region.

3 You have been plagued by visions of a massive wave,

carrying a swarm of toothy sharks, crashing over the

land and tearing apart everything in its path. Maybe

someone in town can help.

4 The land around town is too dangerous to remain out

in it alone. The lizardfolk of the swamps were once

your friends, but they disappeared not too long ago.

You came to Saltmarsh out of necessity.

MA RINE

You were trained for battle on sandy beaches and rocky

shores. You have launched midnight raids from swift

ships whose names evoke terror in the hearts of your ad-

versaries. The water is your second home, the rain your

shelter, and the crashing waves your battle cry.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (water, land)

Equipment: A dagger that belonged to a fallen comrade,

a folded Rag emblazoned with the symbol of your

ship or company, a set of traveler's clothes, and a belt

pouch containing 10 gp

FEATURE: STEADY
You can move twice the normal amount of time (up to
16 hours) each day before being subject to the effect of
a forced march (see "Travel Pace" in chapter 8 of the

Player's Handbook). Additionally, you can automatically

find a safe route to land a boat on shore, provided such a

route exists.

HA RDSHIP ENDURED

Hardship in your past has forged you into an unstoppa-

ble living weapon. This hardship is essential to you and

is at the heart of a personal philosophy or ethos that

often guides your actions. You can roll on the following

table to determine this hardship or choose one that best

fits your character.

d6 Hardship

2

3

Nearly Drowned. You hid underwater to avoid detec·

tion by enemies and held your breath for an extremely

long time. Just before you would have died, you had a

revelation about your existence.

Captured. You spent months enduring thirst, starva-

tion, and torture at the hands of your enemy, but you

never broke.

Sacrifice. You enabled the escape of your fellow sol-

diers, but at great cost to yourself. Some of your past

comrades may think you're dead.

4 Juggernaut. No reasonable explanation can explain

how you survived a particular battle. Every arrow and

bolt missed you. You slew scores of enemies sin-

gle-handedly and led your comrades to victory.

5 Stowaway. For days, you hid in the bilge of an enemy

ship, surviving on brackish water and foolhardy rats.

At the right moment, you crept up to the deck and

took over the ship on your own.

6 Leave None Behind. You carried an injured marine for

miles to avoid capture and death.

SUGGESTED CHARACTERISTICS

Marines are looked up to by other soldiers and re-

spected by their superiors. They are veteran warriors

who rarely lose composure on the battlefield. Marines

who leave the service tend to work as mercenaries, but

their combat experience also makes them excellent

adventurers. Though they a re self-reliant. marines tend

to operate best in groups, valuing camaraderie and the

companionship of like-minded individuals.

MARINE PERSONALITY TRAITS

d8 Personality Trait

l I speak rarely but mean every word I say.

2 I laugh loudly and see the humor in stressful situa-

tions.

3 4 5 6 7 8

I prefer to solve problems without violence, but I fin·

ish fights decisively.

I enjoy being out in nature; poor weather never sours

my mood.

I am dependable.

I am always working on some project or other.

I become cantankerous and quiet in the rain.

When the sea is within my sight, my mood is jovial

and optimistic.

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