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The recent interest check of 5e showed me the opportunity of running a game which has been turning in my head for months. As per the title, I plan to run Ghosts of Saltmarsh starting at first level.
CHARACTER CREATION
Ability Scores: Point Buy
Race: Only Player's Handbook
Class: Only official. No Artificer. Yes Revised Ranger.
Background: Only Player's Handbook, plus Ghosts of Saltmarsh. I'll provide options to connect your backstory to Saltmarsh based on your background, unless you've access to the Saltmarsh book.
I've put maps and information about Saltmarsh and its region in the link.
Deadline: Targeting to select characters on Sunday, January 9.
cheers
Awesome. Is this the world of Greyhawk for pantheon/lore purposes?
Dotting. Definitely interested.
Awesome. Is this the world of Greyhawk for pantheon/lore purposes?
Yes, sir. The only Temple in Saltmarsh is to Procan who provides the Tempest or Nature domain. But there are options for clerics of other gods.
cheers
Are subclasses from sources other than the corebook allowed?
Are subclasses from sources other than the corebook allowed?
Any official = SCAG, XGE, Tasha's, etc.
cheers
Hey there!
How much knowledge and/or familiarity with the setting (Greyhawk) is needed to apply?
Hey! None at all. Read the material behind the link, and I can give you more details based on your background.
cheers
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In a Nutshell: Hot-headed Streetfighter
(human monk, Way of the Open Hand)
Channeling funny old kung-fu movies and anime cliches
★Reputation reflects that he has had his ass kicked publicly more times than anyone can remember, typically by dockhands or non-local sailors 3x his size
★Eats fish tacos exclusively (stubbornly refuses other fare)
★Talks loftily about 'technique' but it all sounds more like BS
★Hardcore gambling addict (cards), cheats often but not on locals (such activities are reserved for sailors on their last night in port, or drunken caravan drivers)
★Rarely seen without a black eye or busted lip, constantly training for the next underground brawl
★Associates/crashes with an exotic ex-pirate tribal woman that treats him like a son, named Rummy. Claims certain infused teas enhance his fighting abilities, which Blacklock stupidly believes
Blacklock
CG human (variant) monk (Way of the Open Hand)
13.16.12.8.16.8
hp: 9 (d8+1)
ac: 16
pp: 15
ki: -
move: 40 ft (long jump: 13, high jump: 4)
body: 150 lbs, 6 ft (reach 13)
Languages:
Common, Halfling
Feats:
Mobile
Proficiencies:
race: Perception
class: Str, Dex, Insight, Acrobatics, pan flute
bground: Stealth, Athletics, gaming set(cards), Vehicles(water)
Feature (Gladiator):
You can always find a place to perform in any place that features combat for entertainment — perhaps a gladiatorial arena or secret pit fighting club. At such a place, you receive free lodging and food of a modest or comfortable standard (depending on the quality of the establishment), as long as you perform each night. In addition, your performance makes you something of a local figure. When strangers recognize you in a town where you have performed, they typically take a liking to you.
Inventory:
Everything ready here but inventory. Would you be alright with rolled gold instead of the packages? If so...
Also I guess I assumed customized Backgrounds were ok.
Question, the rules say Core Only, but we're talking subclasses from other, Official sources. Does that mean options like Booming Blade are open? Or Echo Knights from Wildemount? Just curious for later development ...
@Mishima. Saltmarsh is too small to have a regular fight club for entertainment. Lots of tavern brawls, especially at the Empty Net. So, would you please reconsider your background to one in the Player's Handbook or Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Rolled gold is fine.
@Zen Gypsy. Races are PHB only; Backgrounds are mostly PHB. Everything else is from official sources. Echo Knight is possible, but I'll need to think about how to root in Greyhawk.
cheers
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How about this?
The Patron complies and the PC survives and returns home now a Warlock, however some pirates may still be looking for the "treasure" that is the Genie vessel the PC has, not to mention that the PC has to comply with it's contract with the Genie which happens to be annoying.
Not sure what kind of Genie pick, Marid is thematic but since the smuggled goods came from far away it may just as well be an efreeti, neither sure about the gender and race of the PC yet, build wise it would be a straight Eldritch Blaster Tomelock, not sure if MCing at some point would fit thematically but getting medium Armor would be good.
While it's a ways off, could it be flavored as some spirit, haunt, or revenant? I'm kind of thinking, Talion and Celebrimbor, from Shadow of Mordor.
Maybe some sort of lingering evil, killed,tainted, or corrupted a community of aquatic elves in the past. Having stumbled across some relic of this elven community he became attuned to it, and could hear the spirit. Having learned martial prowess from the apparition he began his path towards Echo Knight.
@Ms. Bloodrive. The class concept is fine. What kind of Background do you think best fits how the character grew up?
Players, Backgrounds will root the characters in the community (or not, because there are newcomers, too). There are political undercurrents in Saltmarsh, and Backgrounds connect characters to those undercurrents/NPCs. These undercurrents provide characters particular perspectives of how to look at what has happened in Saltmarsh and what will happen. Hope those comments aren't too cryptic.
@Zen Gyosy. Yes, I'm sure we can figure something out.
cheers
Tarn was once just another miner who worked the new miens of Saltmarsh. For three years he toiled away, digging ever deeper in search of gold, to bring wealth to himself and his clan. This changed, however, when he found something most unforeseen. It was a golden ring with a small compartment...he picked it up and opened it, wondering how such a thing could have ended up buried so far under the earth. It was only when he opened it that he discovered how different a find it truly was.
It felt like a dream, for he suddenly found himself in a room that was twenty feet wide and twenty feet high. The room had cushions, a table, and...a creature. It was large, muscular, was adorned with flowing silk clothing and had eyes which when he looked into them made him feel like he was descending down a deep tunnel. The creature, whatever it was, explained that it's name was "Dao" and that it had been summoned from the plane of earth as a slave to dig away. And that his former 'master', a word which dripped with venom, had imprisoned him far beneath the earth so that none but he could make use of the abilities. He asked for but one thing: freedom. Now, Tarn was not a particularly clever dwarf. Far from it. If he saw someone in need then he generally tried to help. So he offered on the spot to free the genie if it was in his power to do so. The genie smiled at that 'the pact has been made.'
Tarn woke up in the tunnel that he had been digging, the strange ring on his finger. Try as he might, he could not replicate the process, for he opened and closed the ring repeatedly. In the end, he decided that he must have been hit on the head by debris, and returned to his work.
But as the weeks have gone by, he has been plagued by strange dreams. For little does he know, Tarn, a simple miner, has become a warlock. He has inadvertently made a pact with the Dao in the ring, having agreed to free it if it is within his ability. And while he has asked for nothing in return, Dao genies are generally known for rewarding kindness shown to them, and this one is no different. Already it has begun giving it's power to the dwarf, to see if it is really in Tarn's ability to free it. And in doing so, it is guiding him to do what he would normally never do: to leave behind his comfortable life digging through the earth and to seek out adventure when it comes. For how else can Tarn grow, and how else can he be judged?
Race: Mountain Dwarf
Background: Earthspur Miner
Class: Warlock: The Genie Patron (Dao) Pact of the Blade (at lvl 3)
* Cantrips: Booming Blade, Prestidigitation
* Lvl 1 Spells: Armor of Agathys, Protection from Good and Evil, Detect Good and Evil, Sanctuary
The idea here is that Tarn will not take Eldritch Blast. Focusing on melee spells and abilities. He will play closer to a fighter than anything else.
As a question...can I roll for gold or have starting gold to choose from? I'd really like for him to start with some proper medium armor and a decent melee weapon.
As a question...can I roll for gold or have starting gold to choose from? I'd really like for him to start with some proper medium armor and a decent melee weapon.
Yes. You can roll for gold.
The Background is not PHB nor Saltmarsh, but it fits well.
A dwarven former miner would hang out at the Wicker Goat in Saltmarsh. Bearing the dubious honor of being the oldest tavern in town, the Wicker Goat is owned by Lankus Kurrid (male human), a retired officer of the Keoish army who caters to the dwarven miners and town guard. The two-story building has sleeping quarters for rent on the upper floor, usually sufficient to accommodate the slow stream of travelers making their way through Saltmarsh on the way to somewhere else. Those who seek an audience with Manistrad can find her here when she's not working at the mine. She sometimes has need for adventurers to help keep the mining operation secure.
Manistrad Copperlocks is the leader of the newly established mining operation in Saltmarsh is an iron-willed dwarven woman. She runs the mining outfit from a small office near the edge of town. Manistrad is a competent leader, as well as a savvy miner with a knack for pulling off impossible jobs. She's convinced that the veins of gold found in the cliffs near Saltmarsh are indicative of more valuable stones deeper in the rock. She was once a fearsome warrior, and she's not above delivering a few well-placed blows to ensure her orders are followed.
Manistrad occupies an awkward place on the Saltmarsh town council. She was placed in her position by royal decree; the crown decided that if Saltmarsh is to support a mining operation, the miners would need a political voice. A more diplomatic figure might have smoothed over the tension, but Manistrad has little patience and sees the rest of the council, save for Eliander, as rustic dullards.
cheers
+5 background = 95 gold
Scale Mail: 50 gold
Warhammer: 15 gold
Dungeoneer’s Pack: 15 gold
Sling with ammo: 1 gold
14 gold remaining
And thank you :)
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Huh... Not gonna lie, I now don't feel like playing a Genie Warlock since someone already build one even if mine is an eldritch blaster x.x
I'd like some time to brainstorm another concept if possible
Edit: Now considering an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, Tasha's Bladesinger or some sort of blaster wizard (War or Evocation)
x10=60
Thinking human barbarian. Still working on rest but basically was lost in a swamp (can't remember the name right off) as a young child when the boat capsized. Never able to find his parents but did find an exiled dwarf miner who was living in the swamps to avoid people especially other dwarves. He took care of the physical needs of the young child but provided little in the way of education or emotional needs. So the kid grew up wandering the swamps learning to survive.
@Herkymr. That sounds like the Outlander Background. I can give more details and options, when you develop more.
cheers
Why have you quit the mine? How did you leave employment? Why do you live in Saltmarsh instead of the Mine?
It is the pact made with the Dao. The way I see it, the Dao needs a strong connection outside of his prison to be free. He needs Tarn to use it’s power and to struggle in doing so, so that their connection can be strengthened. Eventually it will be enough for Tarn to make a wish for the Dao’s freedom, which the Dao can grant. So it is pushing him to leave the mines and adventure, subtly modifying his dreams and whispering to the dwarf, so the dwarf thinks that it is his idea. Tarn believes, because of the Dao, that his three years of toil haven’t paid off and he needs to find a new path. Be it striking into the deepest tunnels, or joining an adventurer group. He now spends more and more time in the Wicker Goat, keeping his ears open for opportunities.
That work? Gives him plenty of ties to the town, with an explanation on why he adventures and why his powers increase as he levels up.
Huh... Not gonna lie, I now don't feel like playing a Genie Warlock since someone already build one even if mine is an eldritch blaster x.x
I'd like some time to brainstorm another concept if possible
Edit: Now considering an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, Tasha's Bladesinger or some sort of blaster wizard (War or Evocation)
My apologies, I wasn’t thinking about anyone else when I came up with the idea. I didn’t mean to step on any toes.
LOL.
You go away for a few minutes.
Well I had started working on an Elven Bladesinger. I might have to rethink things.
Gladiator (By popular demand) is a variant of Entertainer (By popular demand), found on pg 131 of the PHB.
But switching to something else is not a problem, the Urchin (city secrets) could work.
@Grumbaki. Yes. That all would work. But, how does he make money to afford his lifestyle? Oh, so he's still a Miner! Remember that it's over a 3.5 hour walk from Saltmarsh to the Mine, just to calibrate your story.
@Mishima. Yes. A music Entertainer would have worked; it's just a gladiator needs a pool of opponents. An urchin could work. Smuggler and Criminal might work, too. Fisher could work, too, as the son of fishers, who doesn't want to fish.
cheers
It’s like the suggestion spell. It has to be reasonable for him to follow through with it. He is spending more and more time in the tavern, yes. But he is still working. Just enough to get by and not get in trouble. But no more than that, and he is ready to jump when opportunity comes.
Ill stick with Urchin then. Maybe once a season a certain unscrupulous ship comes into port, featuring wagers on hand to hand fights below deck (cargo hold rumble). So he could still be 'preparing' for a big match (even if it never happens in game).
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Ill stick with Urchin then. Maybe once a season a certain unscrupulous ship comes into port, featuring wagers on hand to hand fights below deck (cargo hold rumble). So he could still be 'preparing' for a big match (even if it never happens in game).
@Mishima. So, I've had second thoughts. Keep your Gladiator (Entertainer) Background. Your pool of opponents will be visiting sailors, smugglers and pirates. You'll "work" at the Empty Net. Maybe that's what you had in mind from the beginning, but I couldn't get my head around it.
cheers
BTW, how much can we expect to level up?
Well. The adventure goes to level 12, but let's see how far we can get.
cheers
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Sorry for changing my mind so much x.x
Will go Aberrant Mind Sorcerer and that's it, I prefer to play full casters in the long run.
Hello. This is Gnomezrule's submission. In game terms a ranger. Though he sees himself more as a follower of Baervan Wildwander. Saltmarsh is a common stop for him when he is not heading out into the swamp to hunt or as a guide.
Alright, mechanics to follow, but Jherethy Blackwater is a Human, Fighter, with the Marine background.
He's lived in Saltmarsh his whole life, his father, a fisherman died at sea when Jherethy was a young lad, his vessel sunk by the Sea Princes. At his father's grave, his mother made him promise never to board a ship, lest the sea take away her son too.
However, as the Sea Princes grew more bold, Jherety couldn't forgive them so he traveled to Seaton to enlist in Keoland's navy. He broke his mother's heart,but he would see no more children fatherless due to the pirates of Azure Sea.
He visited his mother as often as duty allowed, though, those visits became rarer and rarer as time progressed. By the time he was 23 Jherethy was promoted to Warran Officer aboard His Majesty's Ship, the Elusive Promise. Tasked with capturing one of the Sea Princes themselves, the Promise set out from Seaton.
Within seven weeks they'd found their prey, however, were unprepared for the Ferocity of the Wormwood, Captain Harrigan's flagship. The Promise was lost at sea, all aboard her dead,or drowned.
However, Jherethy was fished from the wreckage, tortured for information on Seaton's defenses by Harrigan himself. For weeks he held out, until his torturers became lax, able to kill one, he eluded pursuit, and escaped overland. Traveling through the Dreadwood, he was discovered by a group of Silverstand rangers, used back to health, and returned to Burle.
On his return to Seaton, he was debriefed and hailed as hero. However, his greatest wish was to return home, gone now, near three months, and over a year since he'd last seen his mother.
When he returned to Saltmarsh he learned she'd thrown herself from the cliffs into the sea. Now lost, alone, he sustains himself living as a fisherman, dreading his nightmares and memories of the sea.
Basic premise is, his echo, at 3rd level, are his comrades in arms joining their surviving brother from beyond the grave.
Does that work as backstory? Or is it too much?
@Gnomezrule. That works.
@Critzible. You could take the Fisher Background.
@Zen Gypsy. With the Marine Background, you would not be alone returning to Saltmarsh. As a former member of Saltmarsh's elite marine contingent, you are friends of Tom and Will Stoutly and can turn to them and the other dozen marines in Saltmarsh for help and support. Eliander Fireborn, captain of the town guard, would also make time to listen to your concerns. The Backstory is a good start.
Players, my goal is to get your characters and Backgrounds sunk into the setting. After selection, we'll session zero to polish and finalize the character backstories.
Cheers
I added a bit of fluff to Badger.
KIvuli Ujumbe
KIvuli Ujumbe wasn’t a native to the marshes but became one because of the hand of fate or perhaps the gods. He remembers little but clinging to a piece of raft in a pool of the marsh. He remembers that the woman carrying him left him in terror as she tried to save her own life. He doesn’t know if the face that he remembers is his mothers or not but it definitely is that of a young woman.
An old grumpy dwarf exile miner found him at the edge of the pool almost dead. He was probably 4-5 years old at that time. He remembers little of “Tinhorn” as many called the dwarf. The only real memory he has is that food was always available and clothes were provided when they became to threadbare to cover much. No kind words, no education, and no physical attention was offered by the dwarf.
At first as he grew, he stayed within site of the shack where food was provided. He never thought of it as home. As he began to grow, he began to wander. It was then that he met the real mentor of his childhood, Grisnaa Firebiter. Grisnaa was a goblin shaman whose tribe had been decimated by the influx of hostiles in the marshes. She lived alone in the center of one of the largest known pools. He stumbled upon her after having a runaway match with a group of outlaws. He dove into the water with the intent to swim across and escape. During his swim, he ran into mud which turned into the “island” amidst the fog covering of the marshes. He collapsed enervated on the shores and promptly drifted off into an exhausted sleep. He awoke to being prodded with the sharp end of a spear and opened his eyes to a scarred and rough looking female goblin. She demanded that he leave her in seclusion. Then seeing him so weak, took some compassion on him and helped get him safely rested and restored. This took several weeks during which time she worked at instructing him in her language. Slowly they became friends over this time. She still was strict on him not exploring her “isle” amidst the fogs. She always claimed that it was too dangerous for a young boy.
He left her to return to the shack as it was the only true place that he could obtain food and clothing. To his surprise, the shack no longer stood and the body of Tinhorn was mangled and burnt and quiet dead. He tracked the foot prints to a small alcove in the hool marshes. There he saw an ogre and 2 humans. They carried the gear that had once adorned the shacks walls and the helmet of Tinhorn. KIvuli watched them for days, learning their mannerisms and memorizing their faces. He was careful not to approach for he understood that a 12-year-old boy would never be able to face the brute force they represented. When they left the marshes, he followed them in as far as Saltmarsh.
Then he returned to Grishnaa with his information. She instructed him to start visiting the town and getting to know the people. This would be away to gather more information on the trio and she said that humans couldn’t live alone for long without going as crazy as the local goblins. She laughed when she said this.
He began to venture into town occasionally bringing in hard to come by plants, meat, and the few odds and ends left amongst the many islands of the marshes. One day he, at about the age of 16, found one of the humans without the other two of his trio. He called him out and a fight ensued. Rage filled KIvuli, at the atrocities this human had committed to Tinhorn. Picking up a spear that was against the wall of a nearby building, he began to counter recklessly, the drunken swings of the human. With some sort of luck or a blessing from an unknown god, the human ended up skewered on the sharp blade of the spear. He died uttering the words “hroet… brigan..will find you…and you die.”
When KIvuli finally was able to explain himself to the guardsmen he was acquitted of guilt but told not to start a fight again but bring his grievances and accusations to the authorities to deal with. He returned to the marshes and sought out Grishnaa to tell her his news.
She was gone! He began to methodically search the island at the center for that is how he thought of her isle. While searching through the fogs and pools, he stumbled upon a secluded ruin. There were symbols there he didn’t understand and he made rubbings of these using charcoal and piece of birch bark.
He took it into Saltmarsh where he showed it a few times. It brought lots of attention of the kind he didn’t want. Every person who saw the markings was killed within the week mysteriously so he destroyed the rubbings vowing to never let anyone to see where he got them from. He is very reluctant to, if ever he will, discuss the writings or the location of said things. It is the secret that he keeps and one of the main reasons that he remains in the marshes, to protect the secret, stay safe, and avoid unwanted attention.
He takes to “cleaning out” the marshes of brigands by providing information to the city guard and the local dwarven miners when it appears that there are a lot about. This way Saltmarsh is given information to protect itself and often the bandits leave the area when they learn they are known about.
I think i have most of crunch done but am wanting to see what connections or tie in I have from DM JUBAL before I polish off the story or the crunch.
@Gnomezrule. The Revised Ranger is also available.
@Herkymr. That's fine. Hermit's know a secret. So, I'll give it to you after selection.
cheers
@Gnomezrule. The Revised Ranger is also available.
Huh. I have never played a vanilla ranger. I played with one and it seemed pretty solid. I heard folks complained hmm . . . it can't heart to give the revised a shot. I will have to do some conversion.
@DM Jubal, any input on my amnesiac aberrant mind? I think far traveler is the most fitting background
I was waiting for more solidity in the concept. IMHO the essence of the Far Traveler Background is that the character and people with whom they interact know that they are from very far away.
Essentially, the Background is how you've been living before the game starts. Hope that helps.
cheers
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Yeah my elf is 140, thinking 15 to 25 years as a fisher, as she was just an apprentice when her master died here near Salt marsh. Thinking some spell mishap or something. She has been working for a decade or two as a fisherman in town, and not really practicing much magic, having sold most of her gear save her spell book and component pouch.
Are Sub-race options from official sources allowed? Specifically the Chromatic/Metallic Dragonborn from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.
Hey Jubal, it's been a while, and I'd love to be in another of your games!
I'm starting on a Rogue (Swashbuckler), probably a half-elf. My rough thought is that she was raised by pirates, but started reading penny dreadfuls, and began to fancy herself more of a hero than a pirate...and began distancing herself from her family and shipmates. I'd imagine her sometimes being able to call in a favor...but also having entanglements (folks calling in favors from her, and/or her being held to task for what she--and her shipmates--did in the past). I know that's VERY loose, but thought I'd start there in case you want to suggest elements/alternatives that make sense with the setting.
@ElbowtotheFace. No. Sorry. Only PHB Races
@Gyrfalcon. Hey! Great to hear from you. You could go with the Sailor Background. The Feature is about favors. If you want to play a hero, you could play a Folk Hero Background. Then, the people of Saltmarsh would think well of you. I would give you a particular heroic event, if you settle on that one. In both cases, familial entanglements will be woven/connected into the story.
cheers
Thanks, Jubal, Sailor is perfect for me.
There's an aquatic half elf variant heritage that grants swimming in place of Skill Versatility. Do you have an opinion (yea or nay) as to whether you want there to be PCs with a swim speed? I don't know how much of an effect it would have on the game, and my approach for something like this is typically to see if you think it makes the game more or less interesting to have it. Depending on your thoughts, I may give her a sea elven parent.
@gyrfalcon. Thanks for asking. A swim speed will make a big deal in the game, which is one of the reasons I’m limiting to PHB Races.
Cheers