Wed Jul 16, 2025 12:48 am
Salted Legacy - Level 1 Intro to Saltmarsh (from Reddit)
|
REPLY
QUOTE
TOP
|
|
Post on Reddit by SphinxAltair worth sharing on here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GhostsofSaltmarsh/s/XPXTMfQxKM
Salted Legacy - Level 1 Intro to Saltmarsh
It’s commonly agreed that jumping into a Saltmarsh campaign with Sinister Secret can pose challenges. The old-school style of it can be deadly to low-level adventurers. The house itself is located well outside the town, providing little orientation and less opportunity to dig into all the juicy factionalism and cool locations introduced in Chapter 1.
Many people have offered alternatives, I’d like to make one more: Salted Legacy, the level 1 adventure in Journeys from the Radiant Citadel. With a little reskinning, it can serve as an incident at the Weekly Market (GoS p 16), with Gellan Primewater sponsoring market games for some extra festivities.
With Salted Legacy we can encourage the party to have local ties, orient the party to Saltmarsh’s factions and important locations. The Tyenmo-Xungoon rivalry (secretly stoked by a third party) maps neatly onto the Traditionalist v Loyalist divide (secretly stoked by a third party). The mystery and market games provide a fun opportunity for skill checks and creativity, and the combat is carefully non-lethal for level 1 characters. In my experience, the adventure works well as a tutorial to new players, while still being enjoyable for veterans.
**The Conversion:**
*Optional Hook:* Anders Solmor is concerned that the rising tensions mean that people will not bring problems to the Guard to solve (and that the Guard is not actually solving them). He decides the council should create a troubleshooting team, and with the input of the other council members assembles the party. (Each party member can indicate which council member suggested them). He directs the party to go “team build” by participating in Primewater’s festivities at the Weekly Market, and to keep an eye out for any opportunities to build trust with the townsfolk.
*Salted Legacy NPC Conversions:*
Lamai Tyenmo - In Saltmarsh she is a human commoner, a traditionalist, otherwise her information is the same.
Kusa Xungoon - A dwarf commoner, a loyalist. Her husband died in a mining accident and she has pioneered a dwarf-seafood fusion cuisine that she sells primarily to miners but also from her market stall.
*Note*: This conversion does lose the emphasis on the lengthy family feud. We can keep some of it by having Lamai be young, and having there be a history between Kusa and Lamai’s father. Or you might think of other ways to keep this element in play.
Vi Aroon - a halfling pepper farmer from the area around Saltmarsh. He is planning on getting married, and recently bought out his brother’s share in the family business.
Kasem Aroon - a halfling pepper farmer from the area around Saltmarsh. He recently over invested in a shipping opportunity through contacts of Kreb Shenker (GoS p 14). It went poorly and he is now in debt and concerned about his place in the family business with his brother’s looming marriage.
Sid Squid - In Saltmarsh, can be replaced with Feliza (GoS p 16), Gellan Primewater’s cook.
Wynling - a creature from the outskirts of the Dreadwood.
*Additional Market Games:*
Arm Wrestling at the Snapping Line (GoS p 13) Hannah Rist provides a bottle of her specialty wine to the winners. Arm Wrestling can showcase a guard and a fisherman going first, highlighting tensions. It also provides opportunities to seed rumours for future adventures. Perhaps a pair of siblings has recently disappeared from the inn, leaving their belongings. They were last seen the night before, listening to an old poacher tell tales of the Haunted House up the way.
Cup Game with Captain Xendros (GoS p 19)
Darts at Mafera and Jasker’s temporary market stall (GoS p 16)
*Running the Mystery:*
My players needed no encouragement to participate in the Market Games, and were happy to explore the Market. After we’d done two games, I ran “Caught in the Middle” (JTtRC p 20) essentially as written. My players dived into investigating. I opted not to gate the investigation behind Market Reputation, and instead just followed how the players wanted to pursue things.
Characters can discover:
1. Persimmons are associated with the mystery sites.
1. Kasem purchased some recently imported persimmons, claiming to want them for the wedding. (This could be something Feliza knows)
2. Vi knows that his future bride actually dislikes persimmons.
2. There’s some sort of invisible blue flying monkey.
1. Catching or tracking the monkey leads back to Kasem.
The Alexandrian has some further advice about this [here](https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/48798/roleplaying-games/review-radiant-citadel-part-3).
Conclusion: My players felt sorry for Kasem and ended up giving him a job as Ship’s Cook once they had captured the Sea Ghost. Having Kasem get arrested, or having him escape to be a future villain are also viable options.
I told someone I'd put this together a very very long time ago, but here it finally is. Happy to answer any questions/make edits!
|
