I’ve run two sessions as a DM so far — so I’m still quite new. I’m playing Dragons of Stormwreck Isle with some friends. In our next session, we’ll probably explore The Compass Rose.
The Compass Rose is a shipwreck haunted by drowned sailors. As the big finale, the party will face a harpy who has made her nest in the ship’s crow’s nest.
After our last session, I read up on action economy and would like to adjust the upcoming combat encounters to make them more dynamic. Here’s how the first fight is described in the adventure:
Battle in the Captain’s Cabin
After boarding the ship, the players can explore different parts of the deck. If they make too much noise, the undead in the captain’s cabin are disturbed and start pounding on the locked door. A player can break open the door, revealing three undead sailors.
I want to make this combat more exciting by dividing it into rounds with environmental effects and events. Here’s my current plan:
Round 0 – Environmental Effects
In some spots, the wood is rotten or slippery. When a character steps on such a spot, they must make a DEX save (DC 12). On a failure, they fall prone and take 1d4 bludgeoning damage. I’ll randomly choose two tiles where this can happen.
Round 1 – The Horde Charges
Three zombies burst out of the cabin. They shove and push their way through the doorway to reach the characters. Players can contest this with Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics). Roll: 1d20 + STR mod vs 1d20 + STR mod If the first zombie fails, the second gets advantage on the shove. If both fail, the third zombie bursts through the wall next to the door.
Round 2 – Chaos Erupts
The zombies spread out across the deck and engage the players in combat.
Round 3 – Reinforcements Arrive
1–2 more zombies emerge from another cabin or from below deck, flanking the players from the opposite side.
Round 4 – Danger from Above
Passive Perception (DC 14): A player may notice the rigging above starting to loosen. On success, they can warn others where it’s going to fall.
At the end of the round, a 2×2 section of the rigging collapses onto a random spot (roll 1d4–1d4). Anyone in that area must make a DEX save (DC 12) or take 1d4 bludgeoning damage and be pushed 5 feet.
The group consists of five level 2 characters:
Cleric, Wizard, Fighter, Rogue, Paladin
Are there any things I might have overlooked, or any improvements you would suggest? I’d love to hear your feedback!
Hello fellow Dungeon Masters,
I’ve run two sessions as a DM so far — so I’m still quite new. I’m playing Dragons of Stormwreck Isle with some friends.
In our next session, we’ll probably explore The Compass Rose.
The Compass Rose is a shipwreck haunted by drowned sailors.
As the big finale, the party will face a harpy who has made her nest in the ship’s crow’s nest.
After our last session, I read up on action economy and would like to adjust the upcoming combat encounters to make them more dynamic.
Here’s how the first fight is described in the adventure:
Battle in the Captain’s Cabin
After boarding the ship, the players can explore different parts of the deck.
If they make too much noise, the undead in the captain’s cabin are disturbed and start pounding on the locked door.
A player can break open the door, revealing three undead sailors.
I want to make this combat more exciting by dividing it into rounds with environmental effects and events.
Here’s my current plan:
Round 0 – Environmental Effects
In some spots, the wood is rotten or slippery. When a character steps on such a spot, they must make a DEX save (DC 12).
On a failure, they fall prone and take 1d4 bludgeoning damage.
I’ll randomly choose two tiles where this can happen.
Round 1 – The Horde Charges
Three zombies burst out of the cabin.
They shove and push their way through the doorway to reach the characters.
Players can contest this with Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics).
Roll: 1d20 + STR mod vs 1d20 + STR mod
If the first zombie fails, the second gets advantage on the shove.
If both fail, the third zombie bursts through the wall next to the door.
Round 2 – Chaos Erupts
The zombies spread out across the deck and engage the players in combat.
Round 3 – Reinforcements Arrive
1–2 more zombies emerge from another cabin or from below deck, flanking the players from the opposite side.
Round 4 – Danger from Above
Passive Perception (DC 14): A player may notice the rigging above starting to loosen.
On success, they can warn others where it’s going to fall.
At the end of the round, a 2×2 section of the rigging collapses onto a random spot (roll 1d4–1d4).
Anyone in that area must make a DEX save (DC 12) or take 1d4 bludgeoning damage and be pushed 5 feet.
The group consists of five level 2 characters:
Cleric, Wizard, Fighter, Rogue, Paladin
Are there any things I might have overlooked, or any improvements you would suggest?
I’d love to hear your feedback!
Cheers,