Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Ghosts of Saltmarsh is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure sourcebook that combines classic sea-based adventures with new content. The book provides rules for ship combat, ocean exploration, and coastal settlements within the D&D 5th Edition framework. The collection features seven adventures that can be played individually or connected into a larger campaign. Set in and around the fishing town of Saltmarsh, these scenarios range from level 1 to level 12 and blend nautical exploration, smuggling mysteries, and supernatural encounters. The sourcebook includes detailed maps and descriptions of Saltmarsh itself, along with information about its various factions and notable inhabitants. Additional content covers aquatic monsters, magic items with maritime themes, and random encounter tables for ocean journeys. The nautical focus brings classic naval adventure tropes into the fantasy roleplaying genre, exploring themes of exploration, hidden dangers, and the complex relationship between civilization and the untamed sea. This combination creates opportunities for both traditional dungeon-crawling scenarios and open-ended maritime campaigns.

Readers appreciate the seven nautical adventures that can be played individually or linked together. The detailed ship combat rules and ocean encounter tables add depth to maritime campaigns. Many note the high-quality maps and artwork throughout. Common criticisms include the loose connection between adventures, requiring DM work to create a cohesive campaign. Some find the ship combat mechanics overly complex. Multiple readers mention that several adventures need significant modification to work well. Specific praise: "The salvage mission mechanics are excellent" - Goodreads reviewer "Perfect for dropping into coastal regions of any campaign" - Amazon review Specific complaints: "The adventures don't naturally flow together" - RPGGeek user "Ship combat takes too long to resolve" - DriveThruRPG review Ratings: Goodreads: 4.25/5 (200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (1,000+ ratings) RPGGeek: 7.8/10 (150+ ratings) DriveThruRPG: 4/5 (90+ ratings)

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🌊 The town of Saltmarsh was first introduced in 1981 through the module "The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh," making this book a revival of a beloved classic D&D setting. 🏴‍☠️ The adventures in this book were inspired by nautical fiction and maritime folklore, drawing from sources like "The Pirates of Penzance" and tales of haunted ships. ⚓ While published for D&D 5th Edition, this book combines and updates three classic AD&D modules (U1, U2, and U3) alongside new original adventures. 🗺️ The book includes detailed ship-to-ship combat rules and mechanics for owning and operating vessels, filling a long-standing gap in D&D's ruleset. 🌊 Saltmarsh's setting was intentionally designed to be placed in any coastal region of existing D&D worlds, including the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, or Eberron.