I have been thinking lately that a one shot/campaign that has sea travel as a big part of it and was wondering what some good ideas might be for encounters and such. So feel free to share your opinion.
A floating island that isn’t a dragon turtle, it just floats randomly. They start exploring it, and by the time they leave they notice that the sun is rising in the wrong direction. If anyone has Navigator’s tools and knows how to use them they’re several days travel from where they thought they were. Otherwise they’re lost.
A skill challenge where a storm blows up and they need to prepare the ship to weather the storm in the first phase and then face the storm in the second phase. I stole this idea from James Haeck and it was a great change of pace.
Nothing beats a ship to ship battle with ballista, catapults, and magic!
A group of monsters is chasing a beautiful woman who is screaming for help. She’s one of them and she’s the bait to draw the PCs into an ambush. When I did this I had 2 Nerieds being chased through a patch of seaweed by a Sea Hag. Some of the seaweed was a Kelpie that was wearing a Headband of Intellect.
I have been thinking lately that a one shot/campaign that has sea travel as a big part of it and was wondering what some good ideas might be for encounters and such. So feel free to share your opinion.
A small island, that turns out to be an ancient dragon turtle.
A ghost ship, abandoned or haunted.
A storm.
A large, huge or giant octopus.
Pirats
A ship full of people with a deadly disease.
Attack by Sahuagin Wave Shaper
A covent of sea hags.
Attack: [roll]3d20dl2+6[/roll] Damage: [roll](if([roll:-1:critical], =0, 1d8, 2{1d8}.expand()))+4[/roll] Sneakattack: [roll](if([roll:-2:critical], =0, 2d6, 2{2d6}.expand()))[/roll]Whirlpool
Song summoning crew to ?
No wind and running out of water.
Mutiny!
Strange deaths onboard ship. Werewolf? Vampire? Jack the Ripper?
Must get past the Straights of certain death
Purchase meat and other supplies on island that turns out to be cannibals. What exactly was that meat we put on board this morning....
A floating island that isn’t a dragon turtle, it just floats randomly. They start exploring it, and by the time they leave they notice that the sun is rising in the wrong direction. If anyone has Navigator’s tools and knows how to use them they’re several days travel from where they thought they were. Otherwise they’re lost.
A skill challenge where a storm blows up and they need to prepare the ship to weather the storm in the first phase and then face the storm in the second phase. I stole this idea from James Haeck and it was a great change of pace.
Nothing beats a ship to ship battle with ballista, catapults, and magic!
A group of monsters is chasing a beautiful woman who is screaming for help. She’s one of them and she’s the bait to draw the PCs into an ambush. When I did this I had 2 Nerieds being chased through a patch of seaweed by a Sea Hag. Some of the seaweed was a Kelpie that was wearing a Headband of Intellect.
Professional computer geek
A roc that's out hunting whales.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Escaping from a Kraken.
Watch me on twitch
Woman on a small rocky island waving for help as they approach she starts to sing, she is a siren.
A drowned city that rises from the waves. Turns out it's infested with star spawn.
A fool pulls the leaves. A brute chops the trunk. A sage digs the roots.
My Improved Lineage System
An underwater kingdom ruled by an aboleth and enforced by its chuul servants
A storm giant walking across the floor of a shallow reef
A black or green dragon silently stalking your ship from beneath the waves
There is no dawn after eternal night.
Homebrew: Magic items, Subclasses
The ship is leaking (due to damage from an attack by a sea monster, for example) and the adventurers have to prevent it sinking.