Hello
Do you believe Saltmarsh is a good campaign for a first time DM to run?
I'm curious to hear why or why not.
I am still new to the game and this will be my first campaign to DM. thank you.
I've been running a two-year campaign that's half Saltmarsh, half homebrew, that is about to reach the finale, and I'm looking for advice on the final battle.
[I don't think any of my players are in this community, but if you're in my Piratehaven campaign, stop reading.]
The setup: An army of pirates is bearing down on the city. The pirate king is trying to complete a world-ending ritual by slaying the queen. (The rank-and-file members of the pirate army don't know about the ritual. They think they're conquering the nation to seize wealth and land for themselves.) The PCs (level 13) have gathered an army to defend the city, though the soldiers are poorly trained militia and way less effective fighters than the pirates.
I want this to be an epic final battle, playing out over multiple phases, but I'm struggling to figure out the specifics.
My plan so far is:
Phase 1: The pirates send ships rigged with explosives/firebombs, and the PCs pilot magical fighter-boats to keep these ships from reaching the harbor.
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: The pirate king (with some minions) makes it to the throne room through a secret tunnel. The PCs have to defend the queen and defeat him.
Phase 4: It turns out slaying the pirate king also completes his ritual, and he transforms into a kaiju-sized god, who the PCs have to defeat as the ultimate climax of the campaign.
But I'm not sure what to do about Phase 2. This would be the pirates attacking the city, while the PCs and the army they gathered defend it. I want it to feel like an epic Game of Thrones-style battle.
But how do I play this out? How do I keep the focus on the PCs and their abilities, without making them spectators to a clash between two armies, or interrupting our D&D game for a strategy wargame?
I feel like I need to translate "battle the army of pirates" into some sort of tangible goal or series of goals that the PCs can pursue using their abilities. But I'm not sure how to do that or what those goals should be.
Can anyone give me ideas?
Hi fellow adventurers,
Today we are excited to share the Trident of Poseidon’s Favored and Bracelet of the Naiad from our latest project, Mythological Items - now live on Kickstarter!
This is our new D&D 5E and 2024-compatible manual dedicated entirely to magic items inspired by myths, legends, and ancient stories from around the world.
Inside the book, you will find 300+ mythological magic items, including weapons, armor, wondrous items, and scaling items designed to grow alongside your characters and campaigns.
Our goal with Mythological Items is to create more than a simple collection of treasure. Each item is designed to feel like part of a myth: something that can serve as a reward, a quest hook, or even the center of an entire adventure.
The book includes items inspired by many different mythological traditions, including Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Asian, American, Roman, Mesopotamian, African, and other mythologies from across the world. Whether you want divine weapons, cursed artifacts, heroic relics, monster-themed treasures, or legendary items tied to ancient stories, this book is built to bring myth directly to your table.
The Kickstarter page includes a full presentation of the project, several previews, and a free 30-page PDF preview showing a sample of the content from the book.
You can also find many of our other manuals in PDF and high-quality print editions, with special prices currently available both for Mythological Items and for all our other releases.
You can visit the Kickstarter page here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mythoschronicles/300-mythological-items-for-5e-and-2024
Thank you again for your support. We hope to see you on our journey!