Pages From The Upcoming Nautical D&D Book!

These screencaps were posted by GM Leigh (of Mage Productions) on Twitter after being showed on WotC's Twitch stream, presented by Kate Welch and Nathan Stewart. Note the old Saltmarsh trilogy references!

 

[Staffan]

This seems like it's related to a remake/reimagining of the Saltmarsh series (the leather harnesses with silver buckles are all over U3). I'm hoping it will be more Tomb of Annihilation (new adventure with similar theme and some callbacks) than Tales from the Yawning Portal (straight-up remake updated to 5e).

 

[Zarithar]

I support this. I loved the Saltmarsh series... my favorite aside from the Desert of Desolation series as far as oldschool adventures go.

 

[Aiden_Keller_]

This is exactly what I was hoping it would include! A Sahuagin CITY!

 

[Retreater]

Having 20+ enemies in an area indicates this is some bad encounter design.

 

[dave2008]

So it is at least partly an adventure - good to know. Also, what is that monster in 2nd image? I recognize (part lion part fish if I remember), but can't remember what it is called.

EDIT: It's a "Sea Lion" I guess I answered my own question in my description!

 

[vpuigdoller]

Maybe is a water themed Tales from the Yawning Portal.

 

[MarkB]

Having 20+ enemies in an area indicates this is some bad encounter design.

It's a barracks. What should it contain, 20+ apple turnovers?

 

[dave2008]

Having 20+ enemies in an area indicates this is some bad encounter design.

Why do you say that? I see nothing inherently wrong with having a large number of foes. I usually do it in waves, but we have had severally encounters of that size or larger without any issue. In fact, they tend to be the more exciting ones!

 

[Prakriti]

Looks neat, but having already run The Maelstrom in Storm King's Thunder (a big underwater area), I feel kinda been-there-done-that about the whole aquatic theme.

Having 20+ enemies in an area indicates this is some bad encounter design.

20 small enemies is nothing a fireball or two can't clean up. We call that fireball fodder at my table. In one session, the sorcerer pretty much cleaned out a whole grimlock village that way.

Also, dungeon design and encounter design are two different things. They do not always intersect. For example, if a level-5 party picks a fight with 100 fire giants, that's not a design failure, that's a player failure.