I'm collecting ideas and set pieces for a seafaring campaign centered on escorting a young dragon turtle to rejoin its migration. Essentially a sea voyage with the dragon turtle as the party's initial transport, plus whatever boats/rafts they scavenge as they go.
Most of my DnD knowledge is centered on Northern Faerûn and colder locations - does anyone have suggestions for more temperate locations that might suit? I'm happy to research them further, just looking for places to start!
Background (desert shore/fresh water source) - Treasure hunters and swarthy types have gathered to excavate a clutch of dragon turtles that has been discovered only days from hatching. Some want to take them alive, others plan to cull them, or harvest them for their shells, meat and materials. Other factions plan to defend the turtles.The hatching occurs over several weeks, spread out across an area of desert/dunes around a river delta.
Inciting incident (desert shore) - The party finds a straggler that has exhausted itself going the wrong way. It speaks very rudimentary draconic and is in desperate need of help. (Hopefully) the party concocts a way to sneak the turtle to safety, but it is weeks behind the others, lost and unlikely to survive the gauntlet of hunting ships in the area. The party must go with it, bringing whatever supplies they can gather before dawn.
BBEG - A Captain Ahab type with a grudge against the party's particular dragon turtle. His sails will darken the horizon more than once before they're through.
Early game (small islands) - survival, collecting supplies from less inhabited shores, hiding from the hunting ships, scavenging/building rafts or small ships to tow behinds the turtle.
Port locations (larger/inhabited islands) - disguise/hide the dragon turtle, mingle with the locals to collect supplies, maps, to lay false trails and anything else the party things of.
Sea encounters - skirmishes with ships and other sea hazards. I'm planning to use Ghosts of Saltmarsh as a starting point for the ships and some of the seaborne encounters.
Downtime - maintenance on whatever the party builds, fishing, collecting water, general sea survival.
Volcanic area - mistaking smoke plumes for the steam breath of the adult dragon turtles, the party sails into a hazardous area of fumeroles, scalding water and poor visibility.
Late game (colder locations) - I don't want to make things too cold and difficult until the party has had time to get supplied/get the hang of their systems, but the late game and finale could be somewhere with icebergs, rapids or other water hazards. Showdown with Ahab, and ideally, steal his ship for the journey home.
Dragon Turtle - will probably use the Young Dragon Turtle stat block from Fizban's (huge), rather than the Wyrmling (large), which is a little small for this purpose.
The Moonsea is a fun area with a lot of flavorful ports around it, but generally for classic seafaring vibes you can't really go wrong with the Sword Coast, Moonshae Isles, the like.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
In the Forgotten Realms, the expedition could leave from the Lake of Steam in the Border Kingdoms, by the Shining Sea and into the Trackless Sea to set of small islands near Lantan's Rest, north of the Chultan peninsula where dragon turtle lair together.
I'm collecting ideas and set pieces for a seafaring campaign centered on escorting a young dragon turtle to rejoin its migration. Essentially a sea voyage with the dragon turtle as the party's initial transport, plus whatever boats/rafts they scavenge as they go.
Most of my DnD knowledge is centered on Northern Faerûn and colder locations - does anyone have suggestions for more temperate locations that might suit? I'm happy to research them further, just looking for places to start!
Background (desert shore/fresh water source) - Treasure hunters and swarthy types have gathered to excavate a clutch of dragon turtles that has been discovered only days from hatching. Some want to take them alive, others plan to cull them, or harvest them for their shells, meat and materials. Other factions plan to defend the turtles.The hatching occurs over several weeks, spread out across an area of desert/dunes around a river delta.
Inciting incident (desert shore) - The party finds a straggler that has exhausted itself going the wrong way. It speaks very rudimentary draconic and is in desperate need of help. (Hopefully) the party concocts a way to sneak the turtle to safety, but it is weeks behind the others, lost and unlikely to survive the gauntlet of hunting ships in the area. The party must go with it, bringing whatever supplies they can gather before dawn.
BBEG - A Captain Ahab type with a grudge against the party's particular dragon turtle. His sails will darken the horizon more than once before they're through.
Early game (small islands) - survival, collecting supplies from less inhabited shores, hiding from the hunting ships, scavenging/building rafts or small ships to tow behinds the turtle.
Port locations (larger/inhabited islands) - disguise/hide the dragon turtle, mingle with the locals to collect supplies, maps, to lay false trails and anything else the party things of.
Sea encounters - skirmishes with ships and other sea hazards. I'm planning to use Ghosts of Saltmarsh as a starting point for the ships and some of the seaborne encounters.
Downtime - maintenance on whatever the party builds, fishing, collecting water, general sea survival.
Volcanic area - mistaking smoke plumes for the steam breath of the adult dragon turtles, the party sails into a hazardous area of fumeroles, scalding water and poor visibility.
Late game (colder locations) - I don't want to make things too cold and difficult until the party has had time to get supplied/get the hang of their systems, but the late game and finale could be somewhere with icebergs, rapids or other water hazards. Showdown with Ahab, and ideally, steal his ship for the journey home.
Dragon Turtle - will probably use the Young Dragon Turtle stat block from Fizban's (huge), rather than the Wyrmling (large), which is a little small for this purpose.
Currently homebrewing the Mistveil Rogue, an elusive infiltrator that can vanish into thin air.
The Moonsea is a fun area with a lot of flavorful ports around it, but generally for classic seafaring vibes you can't really go wrong with the Sword Coast, Moonshae Isles, the like.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
In the Forgotten Realms, the expedition could leave from the Lake of Steam in the Border Kingdoms, by the Shining Sea and into the Trackless Sea to set of small islands near Lantan's Rest, north of the Chultan peninsula where dragon turtle lair together.
Thanks, I'll check those locations out!
Currently homebrewing the Mistveil Rogue, an elusive infiltrator that can vanish into thin air.