Page 95 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

THRASHING TENTAC LES The character with the higher initiative does not move
The octopus batters the ship, trying to smash boles and on their turn and uses an action to assist the other car-
tearing away at any creatures it touches. The tentacles rier. On the second character"s turn. both characters
strike quickly, spearing through sides of the ship. Only can move the box a distance equal to the lower of their
luck can save the characters from being hit by them. two speeds.
At the start of each character's turn, that player makes If the two carriers are ever separated by more than S
a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, that feet, or if one or both are knocked prone, both of them
character takes 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage from the drop the box. The size of the box prevents more than
tentacles' frantic thrashing. two characters from trying to carry it at the same time.
This effect also applies to the monsters aboard the
ship. To keep things simple, rather than roll saving SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
throws for them assume they take 3 (ld6) bludgeoning Following is a round-by-round summary of how events
damage at the start of their turns. progress as the octopus brings down the ship.

ATTACKING TH E O CTOPUS R OUN D l
A character can attempt to drive off the octopus by The octopus begins its attack, wrapping itself around
dealing damage to it A character can use an action to the ship and flailing away at the creatures inside with its
make a ranged attack or melee attack, or to cast a spell. tentacles, as described above in "Thrashing Tentacles.''
Assume that any attack rolls hit but arc not critical hits,
and disregard any effect of the attack or spell for this R OU ND 2
purpose other than the damage it deals. The octopus's weight and writing tentacles cause the
If the total damage from all the attacks or spells used ship to list 30 degrees to port. At the start of this round,
on the character's turn is 20 or higher, the octopus is every character must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving
momentarily slowed: each character docs not need to throw. falling prone and sliding 10 feet toward the port
make saving throws against the thrashing of the tenta- side on a failed save. Creatures climbing on the walls or
cles until the end of that character"s next turn. ceiling do not need to make this saving throw.
From this time on, a character who falls prone slides
0TH ER MONSTERS 10 feet toward the port side.
If the characters left any of the monsters aboard the ship
alive, those creatures try to escape the Emperor before ROUN D 3
it goes under. Krell and the ettcrcaps are intelligent As the octopus crushes the ship, water pours through
enough to seek safety. They rush to the top deck and the hull and fills area 12. Monsters found in areas 4
jump into the water; then, once the rowboat arrives. they through 11 have fled to area I by this time. unless
try to seize it and flee. stopped by the characters. If engaged in combat. they
The maw demons in area 6 break free on round 2 and attempt lo disengage and nee.
rush to the upper deck. They attack other creatures in- Any surviving ghasts in area 12 move to area 1. Unlike
discriminately, caring only about spreading chaos. Each the other creatures aboard the ship, they stop to fight
one assaults the closest creature that is not a demon. any characters they encounter but ignore spiders. Krell,
The vermin aboard ship flee to the upper decks. reach- and other creatures found aboard the ship.
ing area 1 by round 3. They attack the characters on Monsters in area 1 attempt to avoid the seawater. In
sight and fight to the death. their frenzy, they attack any characters who emerge
from below. If Krell is present, he spots the rowboat
MOVING AUBRECK'S TREASURE heading for the ship and attempts to seize it once it ar-
rives. He tries to swim beneath it, hide, and then emerge
The metal treasure box is bulky and hard to handle.
Once the elder octopus attacks, and the ship is pitching to ambush the sailors aboard it.
and flooding, the box becomes difficult to move. ROUND 4
One or two characters can try to carry the box. A Even if the characters have not yet signaled for the row-
character can use an action to pick up the box or pass boat to pick them up, the sailors start rowing toward the
it to someone else with a successful DC 12 Strength ship to stage a rescue. The rowboat approaches on the
(Athletics) check. On a failed check, the character starboard side of the ship, hoping to avoid the monsters
drops the box. that have gathered in area 1.
How fast someone moves with the box is based on
their Strength score, as shown on the table below. R OUN D 5
If two characters carry the box. the total of their Areas 4 through 11 fill with water as the ship begins to
Strength scores determines how fast they can move. slide under the waves. The port side of area 1 is level
with the water. while the tilted deck keeps the starboard
Strength (Total) Speed Penalty
edge l 0 feet above it.
18 or higher -10 ft.
12 to 17 - 20 ft. ROUNDS 6 T HROUGH 13
8 to 11 -30 ft. Starting on round 6. the waves begin to break over the
7 or lower Cannot move the box ship. The port half of area I is 3 feet below water, while
the starboard edge remains 5 feet above it.

CllAl'irR 4 ~Al\ \t.l lll'fR>\flUO,: