Page 158 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

PREPARING FOR THE DEATH FROM THE DEEP

DROWNED O N ES As soon as the sun sets, the drowned ones begin their
underwater trek from the Pit of Hatred to the shores
The hermitage offers an abundance of tactical oppor-
of Firewatch Island. They arrive at the island about an
tunities to defend against the coming attack. Invite
hour after sundown. lf the characters are still on the
the players to concoct a plan to reinforce the old for-
island at sundown and are observing the shoreline, you
tress, and to decide on a course of action for when the
can foreshadow the undead assault:
drowned ones breach the defenses.
The survivors do not participate in combat against the
drowned ones. Even if they aid in the defensive prepara- i As the last rays of the evening sun slant across the dark
tions, come nightfall they retreat to area 25. waters of the bay, you catch movement from the corner
of your eye along the beach-a dark humanoid form
DEFENDING THE F ORTRESS
standing silently in the surf. You are positive it wasn't
Among the tactics the players might come up with, you
there a moment ago. With the next crashing breaker,
can help steer them toward the following options.
you lose sight of the intruder in the deepening dark-
ARROW SLITS ness. When the spray clears, the figure is gone. Night
The second level of the hermitage features numerous ar- has fallen.
I
row slits looking onto the exterior of the building. Char- •
acters who specialize in ranged attacks and magic can
use the arrow slits to launch arrows, bolts, and spells at The undead assault against the hermitage can be played
the drowned ones as they approach. out in two broad scenarios. Both offer roughly the same
challenge but provide different experiences for the play-
FLORAL ASSAULT ers and characters. Choose the experience you think
The assassin vines growing near area 15 can be moved your players will enjoy the most. or create your own,
elsewhere in their pots, as long as their murderous incorporating any of the following elements and infor-
nature is temporarily quelled. The charm of plant com- mation you desire.
mand found in area 11 can help in this effort. The drowned ascetics, drowned assassins, and
drowned blades that make up the ranks of the undead
RAT PACK are all described in appendix C.
If the characters did not kill all the rats in area 11, they
serve as excellent guards and alarms. The rats attack SCENARIO 1: U NDEAD HORDE
any drowned ones that enter through that area.
Use this scenario if the characters have prepared well
for the onslaught. 1f the undead arrive and are not
R EINFORCING THE DOORS
slowed by reinforced doors, traps. and attacks made
There are five entrances into the hermitage- the double
doors at the front (area 4). two doors at the back of the against them through arrow slits, the characters have
fortress (areas 11 and 12), the door leading in from the little chance of survival.
rampart (area 17), and the watchtower door (area 21). The drowned ones arrive as a single mass, trying to
Enough wood and nails can be found inside the her- overwhelm the defenders with sheer numbers. The in-
mitage to reinforce all the doors. The main obstacle is tention with this scenario is to make the players and the
characters feel as though the island teems with undead.
time.1t takes a character 1 hour to gather the required
An epic battle ensues, and if that battle is won. no fur-
materials and reinforce one door. The time is cut in
ther attacks come.
half if another character (including one of the survi-
vors) helps. When the undead arrive, they attempt to batter down
the doors of the hermitage, intent on entering and
A reinforced door cannot be broken through with a
slaying any mortal defenders. Have the drowned ones
Strength check, but must be battered down (AC 15, 30
assault the doors leading into the different areas of the
hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage).
fortress using the following guidelines.
This fact helps slow the undead. since they are forced to
fight their way through doors. Area Creatures
4 S zombies, 3 drowned blades, 1 drowned ascetic
RrGGING THE ROOF
11 5 zombies, 2 drowned blades, l drowned ascetic
The aging slate tiles on the roof can be easily rigged
12 l drowned ascetic
to collapse. This tactic is especially useful if the victim
falls some distance into an area where the characters 17 1 drowned assassin
have open space to make attacks (area 7, for example). 21 1 drowned blade
OlL OF SLIPPERINESS The zombies amble near the indicated doors but do
If the characters have discovered this magic oil in not attack them. They enter the hermitage only after the
area 12 or area 22, it can be applied in front of entry doors are breached by the drowned ones.
points. on stairs, or anywhere they want to slow the The drowned assassin that tries to enter through area
undead down. 17 climbs onto the battlements from area 14 first.

l'fl/\l'lfR 7 ·1 \\IMLK,\llT'S I \If