Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, off to a good start

77IM · May 23, 2019

Totally real, non-rhetorical question from my players: Why don't we just burn the haunted house to the ground?

Mistwell · May 23, 2019

There is treasure inside. Respectable murder hobos need to fulfill the "and take their stuff" part of this pact

mach1.9pants · May 23, 2019

Sounds like a great idea, run with it

Prakriti · May 23, 2019

Do you want Fiery Ghosts? Because that's how you get Fiery Ghosts*.

* Like ghosts, except they're on fire.

jayoungr · May 23, 2019

I blush to say we actually did that in a con game I played several years ago.

Mistwell · May 23, 2019

I should mention it's near a swamp, right? So it's gonna be pretty damp wood.

Paul Farquhar · May 23, 2019

77IM said:
Totally real, non-rhetorical question from my players: Why don't we just burn the haunted house to the ground?

Sure, let them do that if they want. It's a sandbox. They won't get treasure, xp, or a good reputation in the town, but it is their choice.

Shiroiken · May 23, 2019

I've had similar things happen before; a friend's group refers to it as "volcanoing" the adventure, because the first time it happened they used a wish spell to cause the villain's inactive volcano lair to erupt. You just have to adapt (sometimes taking a 15 minute break in game) and figure out what the consequences would be. Obviously the PCs aren't going to get any XP or treasure. The "secret" within the house will remain undiscovered, and might actually benefit those involved. It will most likely upset the villagers, because unless the party convinces them otherwise, the ghosts will be free from the site possibly coming to the village!

iserith · May 23, 2019

Wow, you jumped on that adventure fast! I just got my book a couple days ago and haven't even cracked it open.

Umbran · May 23, 2019

Paul Farquhar said:
Sure, let them do that if they want. It's a sandbox. They won't get treasure, xp, or a good reputation in the town, but it is their choice.

If it is structured like the original U series, if you burn the house, you may deal with the immediate thing, but you probably miss on the actual issue going forward.