Ghosts of Saltmarsh

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.

4. 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

6. 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.