Campaign Prep: Ghosts of Saltmarsh

The following is a look into what it looks like behind the scenes as I prep for running a campaign. This example is taken from my notes on Ghosts of Saltmarsh, The notes are assembled as I read through the material and convert the information into a table-ready usable format. I then use my campaign prep notes to prep for each session.

External Research

The first thing I need to do is expand my knowledge of the setting. I'm sure I could run the game without any context whatsoever, but I'd be stunting myself to do that. The more I know, the more ideas I can draw from to motivate and justify in-game content.

I feel it's rather important that the clerics and paladins know their faiths, even if the deity in the campaign book doesn't exist on this table.

Some larger geographic context is also nice for a better sense of scale. Saltmarsh is a tiny bite of Keoland; itself a tiny bite of the Flaneass.

And, of course, a wikipedia page that summarizes the whole region and gives wider info about the setting.

And of course, I'm always a fan of tracking time in a tangible way- even without the motivation of overland travel.

Saltmarsh Demographics

It is often very difficult to discern what a town is really like from descriptions. I take as much info as I can and turn it into statistical data that gives an idea of the town's true nature.

• 5000 Citizens
• 5 of them are council members
• 200 of them are dwarven miners
• 100 of them are guards
• Stationed guards wear studded leather and wield clubs
• Patrol guards are on horseback, wear chainmail, and wield longswords and heavy crossbows
• Operate in pairs
• 500 civilians are part of the militia
• Small force? of them are marines (veterans)
• Main industry is fishermen
• 12 are Solmor guards
• 4 are Solmor veterans
• 7 are priests of Procan
• 1 is a gravedigger

Halflings and Elves draw no special attention, as they have local communities in nearby lands.
They react to other visitors, especially dragonborn and tieflings, with fear and curiosity.

FACTIONS

Generally, factions as concepts are easy to remember. The hard part of implementing a faction is remembering the character dynamics that control its behavior. As such, this section is a bunch of notes on the major NPCs.

Eda Oweland - Traditionalist (Leader)

• CG Female Human Noble
• Elderly, worn, short grey hair
• Owns 3 fishing boats (Sailing Ships)
• Reelected to council thrice
• Gruff, Pragmatic
• Wants to expand fishing industry by building new docks on wild coastline
• Suspicious of dwarves and doubts the mine will ammount to much.
• Curses when angry
• Towfolk appreciate her standing up for them
• Respects those with a spine; those who flatter are contemptible
• When people need help, she volunteers first
• Bond is Saltmarsh
• Suspicious of outsiders, and too quick to trust familliar faces

Gellan Primewater - Traditionalist

• NE Male Human Noble
• Well spoken, dapper, neatly trimmed beard
• Has positioned family to be most powerful in saltmarsh
• Smuggles illicit goods and slaves via textiles and lumber exports to the Sea Princes
• Recent attention on Satlmarsh is bad for his smuggling ring
• If people found out who his customers, he'd get lynched
• His popularity is second only to Eda
• Funds many feasts, festivals, entertainments, etc.
• Pretends to care little for the operations of the council
• Loves to play the role of a foppish dandy
• Loves beauty and genuinely likes seeing people enjoying his entertainments
• Values his reputation above all else
• Greed taints everything Gellan does
• He secretly believes he can buy his way out of guilt

Eliander Fireborn - Loyalist

• LN Male Human Gladiator
• Fought in the royal army clearing the wild things of the dreadwood
• Lost his leg to an owlbear, now has peg leg
• Captain of town guard
• Knows many languages (Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Gnomish, Halfling, Orcish, Draconic)
• Has a royal writ that allows him to impose martial law, but fears the lashback if he used it
• Extremely cautious
• Sees how the town is on the edge of renaissance, but also sees the Sea Kings influence every misfortune
• Faithful servant to the crown, believes in law at all costs
• His word is his honor; his honor his life
• Incredibly stubborn

Manistrad Copperlocks - Loyalist

• LN Female Dwarf Veteran
• Leader of the dwarven mining operation
• Runs operation from small office on town outskirts
• Competent leader, savvy miner, has a knack for doing the impossible
• Believes the silver veins indicate precious gemstones deeper underground
• A formidable warrior, and not above using volence to keep her orders obeyed
• Was placed on the council forsibly by the king
• Very very bad at politics
• Sees the non-loyalists as rustic dullards
• Woman of few words; curt and quick; fair; nobody's fool
• Curious and relentless
• Intensely loyal to her folk, and threats to her kin earn her wrath
• Impatient, pushes for quick results

Anders Solmor - Traditionalist? (Scarlet Brotherhood)

• LG Male Human Noble
• Slight man, sharp features, toothy smile
• Recently inherited a fleet of fishing boats
• Youngest person ever elected to council
• Brash, inexperienced
• Recent forays into trade made him a local celebrity
• Owns both trading and fishing ships, allowing him to be massively competitive
• Everyone in fishing supports Anders
• But he hates the Sea Princes and smugglers
• His buttler, Skerrin Wavechaser, is a scarlet brotherhood operative who assassinated his mother Petra
• Several of his captains are scarlet brotherhood operatives
• Sunny and optimistic
• Too idealistic and too young to be realistic
• He believes freedom is the root of all happiness
• He is mourning the loss of his mother, and Skerrin is using this to fan his hate for the Sea Princes
• Deeply naive from youth and slight sheltering

Skerrin Wavechaser

• LE Male Human Assassin
• Tall, lean, tan, short silver hair
• Speaks in measured tones, keen eye for detail
• Dispassionate, takes a protective stance toward Anders
• Secretly renwoned for his patience as an assassin
• Split personality: Fatherly and loyal; cold calculating killer
• Those with experience should cultivate the young; the strong survive by culling the weak
• Actually shares a strong bond with Anders that almost rivals his brotherhood loyalty
• He believes he could kill the entire council and take charge overnight if he wanted

Projected Play Flow

My plan is to run the adventure in chapters, sort of. Basically, it'll start with me giving the players 7 days of downtime. The players choose their downtime activities for the coming week and pay the lifestyle expenses up front. Then we play out the week. I use the adventure content to set off events in the town and lay adventure hooks appropriate to each week. In total, the players could go on up to 7 adventures per chapter. Their "downtime" is the time spent back in town after the action. With no significant travel distances, literally all of the game's adventure material can be done in single days. To save prep time and table time, I will pre-roll as much game content as I can. If the players do EVERYTHING, this campaign should last at least 2 years worth of play.

I'm also mixing in the adventures from Tales of the Yawning portal, and placing the YP tavern in the town of Burle, since the game's content actually kind of tends to push people out to Burle from time-to-time. This gives the players some non-nautical adventures that happen off-scale from the GoS progression, allowing them to gain any levels missed out in the mainline and side quests. Since a lot of those adventures are positioned on the sea by GoS, it pushes them back to Saltmarsh repeatedly, giving them opportunities to reconnect with the mainline AP. I'll also put the Dungeon of the Mad Mage under the YP. Just because.

Session 0 and Chargen Plan

I would like to use the background options made available in GoS. They make sure the characters have some kind of connection to the region. Since the options give players more implicit power, they're quite beneficial. (At least 2 of them let the players own land in or around Saltmarsh! Score!) I'd only let players use non-GoS options if they want to write their story as being newcomers to the region. I'll be more lenient on this for non-local races as well, since they make more sense to be foreigners. As always, I plan to make as many character options available to my players. SCAG, XGtE, GGtR, even WGtE. All valid. The SCAG content will have to be significantly reskinned to suit the Greyhawk setting, of course.

I also plan to use the Fate system of backstory writing.

1. Write a 3 sentence story based on your race
2. Pass your backstory to the right
3. Write one sentence about how you were involved in that person's event
4. Hand it back
5. Repeat for background, passing to the left this time
6. Repeat for class, passing to a random person this time

This ensures that the characters have connections at least to each other, even if they're foreigners of a sort with no direct connection to the region.

UNIVERSAL SIDEQUESTS & ACTIVITIES

This is stuff that players could potentially do at any point in the campaign that are unique to this adventure.

TftYP: Tomb of Horrors, located in the Marshes of Hool. While players of any level could go here and brave the evils, it shouldn't be promoted until the players have completed the mainline AP, and anyone going there before that time should be openly named suicidal idiots. It should be famous for being an impossibly deadly place.

W:DotMM: Starting at level 6, players can convince Durnan in the Yawning Portal in Burle to allow them to delve the dungeons at any time.

Market sells any PHB goods up to 150gp.

Wrecks to plunder:
Sinker: under 15ft of water. 200gp silver fishing rod. Giant crab. (Trivial @ L 1)
Escape: Under 30ft of water. Waterproof chest with 500gp. 2 swarms of quippers. (Hard @ L 2)
Curiosity: Uner 100ft of water. Apparatus of Kwalish. Marilith. (Hard @ L 12)
I'll just have rumors about the treasures they had slip out when the players are high enough level to attempt them.

Kiorna Kester: Will pay 100*CR for the intact hide of any monster of CR3+.

Attend Gellan's weekly feast? Maybe?

Break into the Dwarven Anvil, steal the tools, and deliver them to disgruntled dwarven miners who believe the tools were acquired illegitimately.

Kiara Shadowbreaker at Burle: Hires adventurers to spy on Duke Feldren of Seaton for evidence of his being compromised by the Crimson Brotherhood. (He's not, by the way. This is just a good way to get arrested and hanged. He's already doing what the Brotherhood wants without their influence.) She offers 5gp per hit die of any aberration, elemental, or outlaw killed in Burle region.

Keledek: If the players earn his good graces, he might hire them to plunder the dungeons under the tower of Zenopus.

Here's the original tower of Zenopus; the sample dungeon in the J Eric Holmes basic set. To run the tower, simply modernize the sample dungeon into 5th edition terms!

Xendros: Will pay theoretically any non-legendary magic item in return for an apparatus of kwalish. Will hire the players to sabotage the mining operation. At a cost of 1d4*7 downtime days, Xendros can make any magic item from table F or G available for purchase. Purchasing any available magic item from Xendros costs 50gp and 7 downtime days. Any item purchased from Xendros has a curse which allows her to spy on its owner at will. A week of downtime can be used to sell a magic item to Xendros for half its value.

A week of carousing costs 2d10 GP and 7 downtime days. At the end of it, you can make a new NPC contact of a sort associated with the tavern of your choice. This NPC could be created by the DM and player working together, or an existing NPC of the according type can be made the contact.
Snapping Line: Fisher, Sailer, or Laborer
Empty Net: Smuggler, or Criminal
Wicker Goat: Dwarf, or Guard

You may spend a week of downtime helping Krag the gravedigger with his work in return for modest wages and access to Eliander's library for the research downtime activity.

A character may spend a week working for one of the following employers for modest wages. At the end of the week, make a DC15 CHA check to gain one meeting with the associated employer, to be used at the owner's discretion.
Oweland fishing boat hand
Eliander patrol guard
Smuggling for Gellan
Mining for Manistrad
Dock hand for Anders

A character can spend a week working as a mercenary for Ingo the Drover, earning modest wages +2d10gp. On a DC of 19 on a nothing check, you earn a bonus 3d20gp due to unexpected dangers that appeared during the work done.

TRAVEL: It takes the following time to get from Saltmarsh to the following destinations.
Haunted House 5min
Dwarven Mine 10min
Seaton 30min
Abbey Isle 5min
Tower of Zenopus 3min
Lizardfolk Lair 10min
Burle 30min
Sahuagin Fortress 1hr
Dreadwood 40min
Silverstand 35min
Hool Marshes 15min
Drowned Forest 50min

TRAVEL NOTES:
* Each hex is specified as a league.
* A league is 3.5 miles.
* In D&D we always round down, so each hex is 3 miles.
* PHB states adventurers travel 3 miles per hour.
* Everything on the region map is within 2 hours walking distance of Saltmarsh.
* Only the edge of the dreadwood is shown here.
* The middle reaches of the dreadwood are 2.5 more hexes off-map.

Chapter 0 Introduction

Mood: Poor Catch

Rumor: Drow traders posing as surface elves have been doing business in town.

Manistrad: Escort supply wagons moving to and from Saltmarsh.

Eliander: Recover stolen goods from bullywugs in the drowned forest.

Jilar: Collect a shard of treant's bark, given freely.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Spell Scroll (Cantrip)
Alchemy Jug
Bag of Beans
Potion of Speed
Spell Scroll (9th Level)
Ring of Water Walking
Gray Bag of Tricks

No execution

* A mass breakout allows a crew of smugglers to escape the dungeons, increasing tension in town.

* A small band of escaped slaves arrives in town. They claim that several sailors at the docks once worked as slave traders, prompting outraged calls for justice from Anders.

* Tainted grain delivered by a merchant in league with the Brotherhood leads to an outbreak of plague.

There's a rumor about the sinker, a Fischer's keelboat that sank just off shore near an island. The Fisher man lost his silver fishing rod in the accident. It's probably still out there!

Warthalkeel Ruins: Mephit Mischief (L1)

TftYP: The Sunless Citadel, located in the dreadwood.

Chapter 1 The Sinister Secret of Salmarsh (L1-3)

Hook: People talk loosely about the treasure supposed to be in the old haunted house.

Hook: Keledek is overheard talking about the rumor of a huge alchemical library full of secrets hidden in the house.

Hook: The local church sets forth a job seeking anyone brave enough to drive out the undead.

Mood: Poor Catch

Rumor: That tiefling who's looking to buy crocodile skulls can't be up to anything good.

Manistrad: Find a group of miners who went missing underground and may have been snatched by slavers.

Eliander: Apprehend a wanted criminal from the drowned forest. (Wild beasts complicate matters)

Jilar: Steal deck plans from a pirate ship.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Potion of Healing
Dust of Disappearance
Potion of Heroism
Spell Scroll (7th Level)
Spell Scroll (8th Level)
+1 Weapon
Cloak of Protection

No execution

* A fire breaks out in town, and Eda Oweland raises funds to support those who lost their homes.

* A bloody battle against pirates leaves a Keoish naval squadron undermanned. The squadron comes to town to press local sailors into service. Eliander secretly passes along the names of hotheaded traditionalists for the press gangs to target.

* Wavechaser blackmails lngo the Drover and Keledek the Unspoken, two people in town with dark pasts, into their service, turning them into useful agents.

Cove Reef: Tentacle Trap (L3)

Warthalkeel Ruins: Lizardfolk Games (L3)

Chapter 2 Danger at Dunwater (L3)

Hook: Completion of chapter 1 causes the council to come to the adventurers directly with this mission.

Mood: Bountiful Catch

Rumor: The crown dispatched a caravan with enough gold to commission six new warships. It went missing near the Hool Marshes.

Manistrad: Track down a thief who stole a shipment of expensive mining gear in Saltmarsh.

Eliander: Find a lost patrol in the dreadwood. (Captives of goblins)

Jilar: Collect the branch of a tree used to hang a murderer.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Potion of Healing
Ring of Swimming
Potion of Invulnerability
Potion of Flying
Spell Scroll (9th Level)
Eyes of Charming
Trident of Fish Command

Execution

* Gellan Primewater imports a variety of exotic flowers that he uses to decorate the town, while also distributing fresh tropical fruit free of charge to the townsfolk.

* Having found enough evidence to charge him, Eliander seizes Gellan and ships him to Seaton to face charges of smuggling. Riots break out in town.

* The Brotherhood slips evidence of smuggling to the guard, causing several popular fishing boat owners to be arrested.

TftYP: The Forge of Fury, located on an island in the Azure Sea. the dwarves want it reclaimed as a potential destination to sell mined ores.

Epilogue: Whoever the alliance is with, they send the adventurers to kill Thousand-Teeth.

Chapter 3 Salvage Operation (L4)

Hook: Aubrek sends out Vertheg to hire someone to salvage his ship. Vertheg finds the heroes and tries to hire them.

Mood: Bountiful Catch

Rumor: The king's agents have infiltrated town. It's only a matter of time before they remove the council and replace them with foppish nobles.

Manistrad: Guard a mining shaft that was recently attacked by duergar from the Underdark.

Eliander: Apprehend a wanted criminal from a band of cultists in the hool marshes.

Jilar: Transport a log from the hool marshes; kept submerged in swampwater.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Spell Scroll (1st Level)
Saddle of the Cavalier
Potion of Stone Giant Strength
Spell Scroll (6th Level)
Spell Scroll (8th Level)
+1 Weapon
Weapon of Warning

Execution

* A bountiful catch leads to a day of feasting and reconciliation, giving the factions a chance to make amends.

* A tribe of marauders (gnolls, orcs, or goblins) moves into the area, putting the town on alert and forcing Eliander to call out the militia. The tradi tionalists chafe under his orders.

* The Brotherhood uses kidnapping, blackmail, or other sinister means to turn an important member of another faction into an ally.

Chapter 4 Isle of the Abbey (L5)

Hook: People flap their gabs about how there must be some kind of treasure in that old abbey on the island.

Hook: The Mariners guild puts out a job hiring people to clear the island to make way for a lighthouse that will greatly benefit the region.

Mood: Typical Catch

Rumor: Someone's sabotaging fishing boats. It's those dwarves- they want to take over!

Manistrad: Locate the source of zombies and skeletons that have been sighted in the mines recently.

Eliander: Scout a dangerous area infested with undead on the azure sea.

Jilar: Find a wooden stake that was used to impale a vampire.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Potion of Healing
Wand of Secrets
Potion of Stone Giant Strength
Spell Scroll (6th Level)
Universal Solvent
+1 Weapon
Gauntlet of Ogre Power

No execution

* A group of fishers accosts dwarves and other outsiders, demanding they leave town or else.

* The town guard cracks down on smuggling, going house to house in search of contraband.

* The Brotherhood's agents spread rumors that the mine is on the verge of failure and the crown plans to award the dwarves rulership of Saltmarsh as compensation.

Cove Reef: Worshipers of Koolooshidoop (L5)

Wreck of the Marshal: Vecna's Twist (L5)

TftYP: Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, located on a tropical island in the Azure sea. The Scarlet Brotherhood want the magic items and manipulate Solmor into recruiting the players to collect those things for some bad excuse he's too dumb to see through.

Chapter 5 The Final Enemy (L7-8)

Hook: The adventurers are called to the war council that kicks off this adventure.

Mood: Bountiful Catch

Rumor: A big critter's been going through everyone's trash at night. Something from the swamp, I'd reckon maybe a troll.

Manistrad: Explore a tunnel discovered in the mines that bears signs of troglodyte infestation.

Eliander: Apprehend a wanted criminal from a band of bullywugs in the hool marshes.

Jilar: Harvest tendrils from a shambling mound.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Spell Scroll (1st Level)
Elemental Gem
Bag of Beans
Portable Hole
Potion of Supreme Healing
Instrument of the Bards (Doss Lute)
Stone of Good Luck

No execution

* A fishing boat goes missing with its crew. They were smuggling a haul of black pearls, and Gellan wants his treasure back without risking his cover.

* The dwarves make a spectacular find in the mine, sparking plans to expand their presence and the docks.

* Pirate activity increases, bearing the unmistakable mark of the Sea Princes. The Brotherhood's ships adopt Sea Prince regalia to confuse the issue.

Cove Reef: Coven of Wet Rot (L7)

Wreck of the Marshal: Merrow Mayhem (L7)

TftYP: White Plume Mountain, a volcano island in the Azure Sea. The magic items were taken from across Keoland.

The Assault: The adventurers are invited to participate in and take a key role in the assault on the Sahuagin temple.

Chapter 6 Tammeraut's Fate (L9)

Hook: Someone hires the party to deliver a message to a town downcoast. When they pass through the village of Uskarn, they are approached about the hermitage.

Hook: Davus Raal hires the players to go to the hermitage and drag out a lout who owes him 8000gp.

Mood: Typical Catch

Rumor: It's only a matter ohime before the dwarves dig too deep and unleash something horrible.

Eliander: Find a lost patrol in the drowned forest. (Theyve turned into a band of cultists)

Jilar: Collect splinters from a tree that was struck by lightning.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Potion of Healing
Philter of Love
Potion of Superior Healing
Spell Scroll (7th Level)
Spell Scroll (8th Level)
+1 Weapon
Medallion of Thoughts

No execution

* A horrible sea creature has been sighted, keeping many crews at the docks until it disappears. Anyone who tracks it down and slays it would be a hero. Gellan pledges a magic weapon to its slayer.

* Eliander and the town guard are called away to help deal with a threat from the Dreadwood, leaving behind only a skeleton crew to keep the peace and watch the mine.

* A bungled smuggling operation lands a few respected people in jail, leading to near riots as fishers gather in a huge mob to effect a breakout.

Cove Reef: Elkahraal (L9)

TftYP: Dead in Thay, located in the Dreadwood, the Thayans become an Iuzian incursion; the foundation for a future invasion planned for the region.

Death Fleet: The adventurers find clues that indicate another priest of Orcus is forming a fleet of undead dominated pirates.

The Devouring Gyre: The adventurers must delve into the abyss and destroy the source of the portal Orcus is using to build another army.

Island of Bones: There is an island of undead, the port of call for the death fleet, where the church of Orcus is opening a gate to allow their god to walk the material plane. Go close it.

Chapter 7 The Styes (L11)

Hook: The adventurers meet Refrum by stepping in to defend him from a bunch of child bullies.

Hook: Eleanor, Jarme's sister, approaches the heroes and sends them to Refrum.

Hook: Thornwell approaches the party in disguise and offers them 5000gp to find the real murderer.

Mood: Typical Catch

Rumor: If you see someone at the docks wearing a red cloak after dark, slip them a copper piece and they'll connect you with smugglers from beyond this world who can sell you anything you've dreamed of.

Eliander: Rescue a captive from the dreadwood. (He is currently trapped by wild beasts)

Jilar: Collect wood from a shipwreck.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Potion of Healing
Potion of Resistance
Heward's Handy Haversack
Potion of Longevity
Universal Solvent
Hat of Disguise
+1 Weapon

No execution

* Several fishing crews have gone missing. The locals demand that Keoland dispatch a squadron of ships to track down the slavers from the Sea Princes who surely kidnapped them.

* A new wave of immigrants from the north arrives in town, tilting the population such that the loyalists might win a majority in the next town council election.

* Skerrin, growing bored and overconfident, assassinates a prominent member of a faction and tries to frame the Sea Princes for the deed.

Wreck of the Marshal: Golem Diver (L11)

Warthalkeel Ruins: Release the Kraken (L11)

TftYP: Against the Giants. This is a long one, featuring an expedition to the Totens mountains to the West to deal with giants who are causing great troubles in Western Keoland. King Skotti himself hires the heroes for this one after hearing of their accomplishments.

Chapter ????

There is content beyond the last main quest presented in the book.

Mood: Typical Catch

Rumor: Sometimes on a moonless night, you can meet the ghost of a drowned sailor trying to get home. Lead one to their home, and you'll get a wish. Fail, and they'll strangle you.

Eliander: Recover stolen goods from cultists in the drowned forest.

Xendros's Magic Items:
Potion of Healing
Dust of Disappearance
Potion of Superior Healing
Spell Scroll (6th Level)
Potion of Storm Giant Strength
Broom of Flying
Weapon of Warning

No execution

Warthalkeel Ruins: Extended Life (L13)

Chapter ????

Again, there is more content beyond level 11.

Mood: Poor Catch

Rumor: A couple of fishing boats have gone missing. If the sea devils aren't behind it, I'm a merman.

Eliander: Scout a dangerous area in the dreadwood. (Area is controlled by cultists)

Xendros's Magic Items:
Bag of Holding
Helm of Comprehending Languages
Potion of Fire Giant Strength
Nolzur's Marvellous Pigments
Arrow of Slaying
+1 Weapon
Gloves of Swimming and Climbing

No execution

Wreck of the Marshal: Dragon Turtle Bandit (L15)