Game: D&D 5e, Ghosts of Saltmarsh homebrew
Group type: Online
Experience: Any
Location/Timezone: Central/GMT-5
Schedule: Thursdays from 630-10:00 central
Roles sought: Players, 5-6
Game style: Game will be narrative-driven, focusing on player actions (or inactions). RP to Combat will be about 65-35.
Cost: $10 session, session 0 free (where we will get you all to Saltmarsh).

Saltmarsh-

A quiet, pirate island to the west of Waterdeep in the Sea of Swords stood unbothered for centuries. A small hub of trade, mostly for within itself and for other sailors, remains an island free of the politics from the outside world. Running the small town is the Council, consisting of five members—three from the folk of Saltmarsh itself. Two outsiders elected through captains casting their votes. A mystery surrounds the two of them, but it pales into comparison of the mystery of the Brethern Court. Rumor reaches your ears that there is a seat amongst them, waiting to be claimed. Four members sitting the Court are rumored to be associated with the Scarlet Brotherhood, pirates who’ve claimed their fame and fortune through smuggling and magical misdeeds. Some say they only trade in slaves. Others think experiments take place on their ships. Who really knows without further exploring the Brotherhood or Court? Everyone on the Sea of Swords knows, in four, ten-days time, they will reconvene on Saltmarsh, for what purpose, no one knows. Each laying claim to being the master of the seas, but who rules over them? One Lord makes their presence known, Captain Enna Yaeldrin of the Miss Fortune sails into Saltmarsh at the high tide each month with new goods. Rumor has it that she is friendly with members of the Council of Saltmarsh, mainly their High Councilwoman, Monica Oweland.

Outside of Court, the Brotherhood, and the Council, a Waterdavian ship named the Lima de Urca crashed five, ten-days ago, with her cargo filled with precious jewels that none of found…yet. Or, maybe the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is the haunted home on the cliff, where an alchemist was said to have walled himself in, dying in his sleep.


This is a pirate/seafaring-themed adventure, with ship combat, ship roles, and exploration of islands in the Sea of Swords. I have an overarching story connecting the adventures in Ghosts of Saltmarsh that deals with the Pirate Lords, each more suspenseful and intriguing than the last.

As players, each of you will have Individual or joint character arcs exploring your PC’s backstory, with notable NPCs from their past popping up. This will be collaborative between you and me, to make sure you’re getting a story that evokes emotion. Morally grey decisions that impact the great living, breathing world. Decisions you make or do not make, will have an impact for better or worse.

As a group we will settle on one of four story hooks:

  • Each of you are searching for an alchemist by the name of Ector Moore.
  • Driven to some ideas of piracy, you’re searching for a crew or ship to join. A Pirate’s trust is earned, not bought. And you’re here for tryouts.
  • A mysterious artifact that people believe is a Piece of 8 remains unclaimed. It’s a race to claim one and become a Pirate Lord.
  • A sunken ship, the Lima de Urca and her treasure remain unclaimed. The Council of Saltmarsh wants to lead an expedition to claim the treasure and turn the tides of what could be annexation by Waterdeep.


As a DM, I will provide you with the following:

  • a living, breathing world. Your actions have consequences. Your inactions lead to effects. Troll an NPC and they might not like you. Save the town? You might open up a Council seat for yourself.
  • Character-tailored story hooks. As we go through character creation, we will discuss what you want out of our individual story and the overall game. There will be tailored items, spells, abilities, downtime, and quests for you to pick up.
  • Feel emotions. There are tools I have to build relationships with party members (70/30 or 65/35 RP to combat). Those relationships extend to NPCs as well. They all have their own stories to tell that you can aid in exploration. But you will cry, laugh, and be pissed off with me, which is the goal.
  • An overarching narrative in the small shanty town of Saltmarsh (I base mine off of more Nassau during the golden age of piracy).
  • Sailing Mechanics, ship-to-ship combat, and ship to creature combat. If you've ever wanted to board a ship or be a smuggler, here is the game for you.
  • A safe table for anyone from all walks of life.




Also, please reply here or DM me on Discord at UTX_Shadow#4933.