Page 139 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

VICTORY POINTS The general combat readiness of the sahuagin is sum-
Defender Point Value marized by whether or not they are on alert. When the
Sahuagin l party reaches the fortress, rhe sahuagin are not alert.
This can change quickly. though. If any of the following
Sahuagin champion 3
circumstances occur, the alert is raised- the sahuagin
Sahuagin coral smasher 5
know the enemy is among them!
Blademaster Makaht 10
Opening the gate at area l 15 • When noted in an encounter area.
• A sahuagin Aees battle and reaches Blademaster
Baron Kepmak 25
Makaht in area 10 or Baron Keprnak via area 19.
Raising no alert 25
• The party makes any sort of noise greater than angry
shouting and clashing arms- particularly noisy magi-
THE DEFENSE
cal effects like fireball or thunderous smite.
By the time the party returns to the fortress. the sa-
huagin have reinforced their numbers. Every area of Reinforcements. As soon as the fortress goes on
level 1 now holds sahuagin defenders preparing for alert. sahuagin reinforcements begin roaming the halls.
battle, acting as reserves, or otherwise planning the These reinforcements only appear once the characters
fortress's defense. Areas 1, 5, and 19 have particular have already engaged with an area's defenders. Every
encounters associated with them (see "Assault Encoun- 2d4 rounds after combat begins in an area, 3d6 sa-
ters"). For every other area, consult the following table huagin and I sahuagin champion (see appendix C)
to determine what sahuagin forces linger there. arrive. If the PCs manage to defeat all the sahuagin in a
The sahuagin throughout the fortress fight to the room (plus reinforcements) no further defenders appear.
death. though the last surviving sahuagin of every group During these encounters, it's possible that the party
will attempt to escape to raise the alert (see "On Alert). could be overwhelmed by foes. Consult the "Handling
Mobs'' section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's
SAHUAGIN DEFENDERS Guide to help deal with large numbers of enemies.
Area Defende. rs
CONCLUDING THE ASSAULT
1-4 2d6 sahuagin Ultimately. the assault ends with one of three possibil-
5-11 3d6 sahuagin and 1 sahuagin champion* ities. lf the PCs retreat, they meet Saltmarsh's human
12-18 3d6 sahuagin, 2 sahuagin champions,'~ and attackers as they launch their offensive. The attack
l sahuagin coral smasher* force thanks the characters for their efforts and charges
into battle.
·~See appendix C
If the PCs are defeated, Saltrnarsh's forces arrive j ust
in the nick of time. While some troops pull the charac-
TIMING
The party doesn't have forever to conduct their assault. ters to safety. the remainder overwhelm the remaining
Saltmarsh and its allies only give the characters a brief sahuagin forces. The characters are ferried back LO Salt-
period to weaken the sahuagin forces. While you should marsh. all the while being hailed as heroes willing to
encourage the party to be hasty. keep the exact time be- sacrifice everything for the cause.
fore their allies' attack nebulous. This allows you to have Alternatively, if the characters confront Baron Kep-
troops from Saltmarsh show up in the party's defense mak. they might decapitate the sahuagin forces. practi-
should they get into trouble. cally ending the offensive before it begins.
For you, though. the party has 30 rounds. In any of these cases, refer to the Triumph or Failure
After the characters enter the fortress. start a tally sections afterward.
of how many rounds they've spent inside, encouraging
them to act fast before they're discovered. After set ASSAULT ENCOUNTERS
periods of time the sahuagin begin to notice that some- Level I of the fortress teems with defenders. While most
thing is not as it should be and raise their alert level (see sahuagin are clustered as described in '"The Defense:· a
··on Alert'). few locations prove central to the fortress's security.
At the end of this period. check the party's victory
points. If their number of victory points meets or ex- 1. NORTH ENTRANCE AND GUARD POST
ceeds 75, "The Baron's Counterattack" occurs (see The sahuagin have tightened their defenses at the north
below). The party has unlimited time to face Baron entrance. Expecting an attack, they no longer use the
Kepmak, but at the end of this encounter, the characters' causeway and keep this gate scaled at all times of day.
allies appear and the assault draws to a close. As the gate provides the only access lo level I of the for-
tress. the party's first challenge will be getting in.
ON ALERT How the character's infiltrate the fortress is up to
Prepared for attack. the sahuagin forces readily charge them, but might include the following strategies:
into battle once they know the assault has begun. The
• The party can sneak in magically by using the potions
fortress rings with the sounds of sahuagin preparing for the Saltmarsh council provided.
battle. echoing with clanging weapons and Sahuagin
shouting. If the party is wily. they might use the din to • The party might try to talk their way in. but the chal-
lenge of deceiving the sahuagin guards has increased,
their favor and catch their foes unaware.
requiring a DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persua-
l II,,., r N r. r rn H~Al F'\ un