Dungeons & Dragons Supplements Turn the High Seas Into a Exciting and Dangerous Place

Dungeons & Dragons has a new adventure book ripe for exploration. Last month, Dungeons & Dragons released Ghosts of Saltmarsh, a new adventure book that updates seven classic nautically-themed adventures for Fifth Edition play. The book also contains updated rules on naval exploration and ship combat and generally serves as a cornerstone for building your own naval campaign.

If you’re looking for ways to customize your Saltmarsh campaign, the creators of the DMs Guild have been hard at work pumping out tons of supplements with naval themes. From new races and subclasses to encounters that can be used in between Ghosts of Saltmarsh chapters, there are a ton of great supplements that can be used when playing a campaign set on the high seas.

New Sea Subclasses

Several new supplements have emerged in recent weeks with specialized subclasses perfect for adventure on the seas. Aquatic Archetypes by Bryan Holmes adds three new subclasses for players to use – a Corsair subclass for Fighters, a Fathomer subclass for Wizards, and a Storm Sentinel subclass for Rangers. Corsairs have the ability to reduce a target’s AC during combat, the Fathomer is an expert of ice and water spells, and the Storm Sentinel becomes the living embodiment of Thor, able to use a warhammer and call down lightning upon their foes. Aquatic Archetypes is a Pay What You Want title. 

Tides of Blood by Darren Kenny and Conor Higgins (available for $4.95) includes 30 different subclasses, including a Path of the Kraken for Barbarians, a Captain subclass for Fighters, a Sea Goddess Patron Pact for Warlocks, and a Navigator subclass for Wizards. Tides of Blood also contains 8 new backgrounds and 22 new spells for players to try out.  

Finally, players can also play as a full Pirate, thanks to a new class created by Harry Crabb. The Pirate is based around firearms combat and high maneuverability on the battlefield and comes with four different subclasses and a new race called the seafallen that acts undead cursed to sail on the sea for all time. The Pirate class supplement is available for $3.78.

New Races

There’s also a variety of new races that players can try out, many of which have origins in or around the water. The Crawfolk race by Chad Lensch (available for $1.00) is a lobster-like race with a hard chitinous shell that provides them with natural armor and the ability to use an oversized claw to attack. Lensch also created an Octopod race (available for $2.99) that has the ability to wield up to four light weapons with its tentacle-like arms and has the ability to make a unique face-hugging attack that leaves an opponent blinded and unable to speak. 

There’s also the Dragontortleborn race, a new race created by Benjamin Huffman that was inspired by the dragon turtle. Part Dragonborn, part Tortle, the dragontortleborn is meant to be an unusual and rare race that carves out a home on the seas. The Dragontortleborn race supplement is available for $0.95.

Heroes of the Waves by Kevin Thomas Schlüter contains a ton of new nautical content, including four new races like the Malenti (a race of mutant sahuagin) and fey skinchangers. The supplement also contains a host of new spells, new weapons, and just about everything else you need to expand on your Saltmarsh campaign. Heroes of the Waves is available for $5.99.

ComicBook.com also previously covered the Lutrinian race, a race of otterfolk that live on the coasts and on the high seas. The Lutrinians were created by Nathaniel Roux and is available for $1.00.

Extra Encounters

There’s also a ton of different sea encounters that can be used in Saltmarsh or in any sea campaign. The Bog of Enoren Titchwillow by Jennifer Povey (available for $3.95) is an encounter for Level 8-10 adventures that pits players against a dangerous night hag. The adventure can easily be adapted for the Hool Marshes outside of Saltmarsh and can fill the gap between Saltmarsh adventures.

For players that are looking for a good “Level 0” adventure prior to beginning Ghosts of Saltmarsh, The Curse of Skull Island by Anthony Joyce serves as introductory adventure that guides a player through creating a new character and contains several new subclasses and a new race. The Curse of Skull Island is available for $2.95.

RP Davis also produced several adventures that sync up nicely with Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Dread Shelan & the Sahuagin (available for $2.95) is another hag adventure, albeit with a deliberately old school feel. Shelan can serve as a great sidequest or a corrupting force that takes advantage of the chaos that arises after the Sahuagin make their presence known in Saltmarsh. Davis also wrote Blacktide Cove (available for $2.95), another coastal adventure that involves a treasure map, a lost shrine, and plenty of hidden danger. Blacktide Cove is a great “classic” D&D adventure, one that feels right at home with adventurers exploring the dangerous coasts along the Azure Sea. 

For DMs looking for a bit of extra inspiration, Saltmarsh’s Notice Boards by Christian Eichhorn (available for $4.99) contains 30 different “quest seeds” that are posted on notice boards across town. Each of these quests are geared for Saltmarsh, but can easily be modified to the DM’s liking. 

ComicBook.com also previously covered Encounters on the Savage Seas, a two-volume collection of encounters that can serve as side-quests, one-shots, or building blocks for an entire extended adventure. The first volume of Encounters on the Savage Seas is available for $9.95, which Volume 2 is available for $6.95. 

New Ships

Ghosts of Saltmarsh also introduced new rules for ships, including full statblocks for several kinds of boats and naval vessels. Blood, Salt, & Bones contains 25 different statblocks for specific ships, each of which comes with their own unique crews, plot hooks, and even equipment used by these vessels. Some of the ships found in Blood, Salt, & Bones are traditional naval ships, but others are captained by mad wizards, crews from a previous age, or even modrons on the hunt for their home plane of Primus. Written by an all-star team of DMs Guild writers, Blood, Salt, & Bones is available for $14.95 (with a discounted price of $12.95 to celebrate the release of Ghosts of Saltmarsh.)

New Monsters and Magic Items

Of course, no campaign is complete without a smattering of magic items, and there are plenty of nautical treasures for players to find on the DMs Guild. Dungeons Rollers (the makers of the fantastic Ancestral Weapons supplement) released Treasures of Saltmarsh, which contains 50 different new magic items. Items include a magical conch that can teleport willing creatures when blown and storms captured within a small vial. There’s also magic weapons like the Captain’s Blade that can cast Suggestion at will, or the Staff of the Seas, which controls the seas themselves. Treasures of Saltmarsh is available for $3.95. 

JVC Perry is also developing a full campaign called Call from the Deep. While the campaign isn’t available yet, Perry has made available the monsters and magic items from the campaign in a separate supplement that’s available for just $0.95. The supplement contains 25 different monsters and 10 new magic items, all of which are compatible with any nautical campaign.