Coastal Adventure crafts!

[sgtslag]

That is... Gorgeous!!! Amazing results!

I am longing to run an underwater D&D campaign, using aquatic races for characters, and the occasional Human priest of the Sea god, who is able to breathe water, automatically, as well as shape-shift into a few aquatic forms, based on levels. I have so many ideas for such a campaign. I also have a vertical stick system for showing/rendering 3D combat, swimming in the depths (commercial product I bought years ago, works fantastically well). Your water mat is tugging on my heart to run the aquatic campaign...

Wish I'd had the resources/models a few years ago. Ran an adventure where the PC's had to visit a floating seaweed marsh island, which was a ship graveyard. They could walk on the seaweed using snow shoes, otherwise, they tended to sink in, up to their knees, moving very slowly. It was a blast of an adventure! While they were slogging across the marsh island, some Hobgoblins, who came out of another ship, walking along the marsh island to attack, were mysteriously grabbed, from underneath, pulled down into the water, then spat up in a geyser, as if they had been through a wood chipper! In reality, some Sea Lion monsters were pulling them down, through the marsh island, and spitting them back up, mostly chewed.

The PC's ran like scared little girls, to their long boats! Then they had to race to get away from the Sea Lions. "Row, Damn YOU!", cried their Ship's Captain, "Put your backs into it! Row! Row, Damn You ALL! ROW!!!" Curiously, the Captain never touched an oar... It is a running joke among us to this day. It was one of the most memorable game sessions I've had in 30+ years.

Your project is tugging at my heart strings for more aquatic adventures... "Row, Damn You! ROW!!!  They're gaining on us! By the gods, ROW!!!"


  Cheers!  

[tauster]

The DM in me LOVES that report, sgtslag ! I have a giant underdark sea looming in one of our campaign's next sessions, and you just gave me a brilliant idea how to instill fear in the party: With unseen monsters that chew up the party's enemies. Brilliant!

[sgtslag]

I read an article in Dragon Magazine, I believe, years ago, which discussed how a DM had a party holed up in an inn, at night. They were surrounded by Werewolves, who scratched the door, and made other sinister sounds -- the party could easily defeat the monsters in a fair fight, so the DM amped up the tension, by not letting them see what the creatures were, immediately...

The tension built to a deafening level, immediately! When the Werewolves finally broke through the door, and windows, the PC's were already freaking out! It was a terrorizing experience for the players, even though the threat level was not that dangerous.

I adapted his technique to my situation. I slaughtered off the relatively innocuous Hobgoblins, for the sole purpose of terrifying the PC's... And it worked, perfectly! It made me laugh, so hard, inside -- had to keep my game face on, of course.

If you ever need a swim chase situation, try having the PC's roll some dice (a single d20 will work), and add that to their movement rate; roll a similar die for the monster chasing them. Whomever rolls higher, gains on their prey, or moves further away from their predator behind them. Never thought of how to do it, until long after the game. This approach should build some tension, as the distance between quarry, and prey, fluctuates... Your players will likely thank you for making the encounter so stressful, and fun.   Cheers!  

[erho]

Post game update!

Welp, the party did what only I thought noobs did.   Split the party twice with the same results;  one PC isolated and ended with less than 10 hp!


"Ive made a huge mistake"


I set up a random encounter while on the coast, a small boat adrift in the deep waters, full of cargo.
The party didnt know that the boat was a lure with sahuaguin and sharks waiting just beneath.

The thief swam out to inspect, but the boat stayed behind?  My inner DM was delighted!

The party has no seaworthy skills, they opted to stay onboard as the captain and most crew went ashore for business(I hoped they would follow, but no!) 

They didnt want to pull anchor and attempt to move the boat closer, for fear of tearing it up on the reefs.

Once he was attacked we had a long range attack session and a warlock (with magical item) change into a sea elf and swim half way out to fire off Eldritch Blast which helped.

The second time was right after this, when they chose to camp onshore that night further down coast.

2 PCs camped ashore while the other 2 remained oboard the ship, now paranoid the crew will leave them stranded.  

Enter the Draugr from a shipwreck just offshore in the reef. 

You ever try to fire a cannon at youre friends on shore when youve only seen it fired once before?  Just to have it take out a tree that falls on your buddies?  Thank you random scatter dice for this boon!!!! LOL  The ever selfish Teifling warlock made it back to the boat leaving the same Thief ashore.

The Anti-paladin of the group was furious and blamed it all on the captain of the ship, breaking two fingers in attempt to force a confession.  All it will get them is getting ditched at the next port for being too violent for the capt and crew of the SS. Friendship.   

It was a short night, but we will play again this friday.  

[sgtslag]

Torturing the Captain of the ship?!?!?!? Wow. That would lead to an unhappy ending for the party, IMC... At sea, a Captain is The Law. Their crews were fearful of them, for good reasons.

This sounds like typical evil characters.  They can't help but get themselves into trouble.  Looking forward to seeing how it plays out for them.  Should be interesting...  Cheers!

[erho]

I gave a heavy sigh when they all expressed interest in a criminal path. They aren't Murder hobos as such, this came close though!

Paladin went Anti by 4th level, Tiefling warlock, Red Dragonborn ranger, Elf Thief, and Half Orc berserk(missing for a few sessions)

In a small nutshell the campaign is 5 kingdoms ran by 5 metallic dragon types. The chromatics aren't around anymore, except in Dragonborns. These have regularly become allies with the group, as with Druids and fae seeking desperately for some kind of opposition to gain a balance.

The metallic kingdoms are heavily oppressive and corrupt, giving the party opportunity to be "bad guys" in a robin hood style resistance movement. Kill the soldiers and dragon vassals all day, so far they have been playing it that way.

Next session I'll drop the hammer on them with the coastal Privateers. I have a 6th level Bronze Dragonborn Sea Druid thats been after them since they left port a few sessions ago. It will not be pretty.