D&D General Things to Find in a Large River?

[Coroc]

Nobody got the old boot or empty can yet?

Or the rusted bicycle?

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Disease LOTS AND LOTS of disease

 

[Bohandas]

*bugs
*snakes
*discarded plastics floating out to sea
*people gathering water
*bathers

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Water
Nude people
Also nude people in clothing
Also nude water

Lots and lots of nude water. As a matter of fact water is known for having a thriving nude culture, rarely seen adorned at all. A very proud tribe the aqua are known only to frequent the use of clothes during the parasitic stage of their life cycle and generally only if they have the misfortune of spending said time in the many hairless humanoids that exist as the lack of fur and tendancies of their hosts to pollute their natural habitat is seen as embarrassing to the aqua. Aqua view the clothing of snowmen to dishonor their dead and as a result many aqua will come back from the grave to meet out righteous fury upon the defilers. Hense why there are so many horror stories of blood thirsty undead murderous snowmen. also this is the reason humans wear clothing so frequently. Its a mind affecting compulsion by their elemental symbiotic/parasitic population of aquans.

Also boats
Freshwater sharks
Caves
Aquatic dragons are a pretty cool option
Lizardfolk
Frogpeople (cant remember their name)
Assuming caves you can put an aboleth or two in there
Magical tomes with aquan writing
Lovecraftian stuff (actually aboleths are lovecraftian but you can go way further)

 

[Zardnaar]

The aracocra reflavoring gave me an idea.

Refluff a nosoi (bird type of psychopomp) as a shoe bill. Absoluteky this. May i please PM you some related images @Zardnaar ?

Yes.

I vetoed an Aaracokra request on a monk PC as the setting already has Ravenfolk. They don't fly.

Copy and pasted 23 suggestions for plot hooks, random encounters and red herrings.

Rolled child in reeds encounter didn't use it.

Tonight's encounters only two more RP and exploration. 3 or 4 encounter for the long rest.

Level 4 PCs.

1. Sunken barge, broken in half. PCs recovered disks used to open a sarcophagus underwater. 6 Lacedons. Recovered a blood Ruby.

2. Ruffians on the riverbank doing a shakedown. Monk figured out his spear that deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage and can fire a lightning bolt 1/long rest seems to have a will of it's own and doesn't fire lightning bolts at servents of Tiberish (DC15 wis save to override)

Bit of world building with "lady of the lake" who had bronze eyes matching last week's plesiosaur encounter. Described her with mist and leyline power dripping off her. The rivers a leyline.

They had a choice over keeping blood Ruby, bronze eyes sunk the barge. She's probably an adult bronze Dragon .

Some ancient history revealed, potential NPC contact they gave 3 factions who want the Blood Ruby.

Session ended with a wounded ratnan leading them to ancient temple if a Dragon Pharoah with Ruby eyes. Eyes exploded sending out a wave of necrotic energy.

A dessicated hand grabbed a PCs ankle as
desert zombie with glowing blue eyes crawled out if the sand.

 

[Ancalagon]

Yoon Suin is a setting that features an enormous river (the God River) and thus has all sort of river related stuff - including the Lamarakhi, a people that live on river boats with their own peculiar culture.

 

[Yaarel]

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Nile is,

its floods seasonally destroyed everything year after year.

Egyptian culture routinely rebuilt, disaster after disaster, which is mainly why Egyptians became so technologically advanced so early. Such as math and geometry, to recalculate lost property boundary markers.

These destructions are also the source of life, because the Nile floods deposited fertile soil for the rest of year.

 

[Ancalagon]

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Nile is,

its floods seasonally destroyed everything year after year.

Egyptian culture routinely rebuilt, disaster after disaster, which is mainly why Egyptians became so technologically advanced so early. Such as math and geometry, to recalculate lost property boundary markers.

These destructions are also the source of life, because the Nile floods deposited fertile soil for the rest of year.

I would disagree with the "destroyed everything" - it was very predictable and manageable. The Tigris and Euphrates were much more unreliable.

 

[cmad1977]

Very large poops.

What type of Beast could leave this in the river?

Cue dramatic music.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

Empty wine bottles!