Cursed Shipwreck DM Guide | How to Run Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

[@JNJTabletop]

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[@alarin612]

I have an alternate viewpoint to Josh's regarding the graveyard, but I'm going to combine them both to make up a whole new encounter for this module. Orcus, Demon Prince of Undeath, is about restless dead. Graveyards are about rest for the dead. The spiritual significance of a graveyard or cemetery is directly opposed to everything Orcus embodies. The graveyard of a nice place like Dragon's Rest probably has all manner of protective symbolism and wards against raising those interred there built into its construction and decoration. But Josh is right that a graveyard is a ripe "farming ground" for a necromancer, and something Orcus wants to defile. So I propose that destroying it involves risking exactly that - the heroes must take the talisman to a graveyard and run a ritual to purge its restless energy. Doing so, however, risks that the dead resting there will start to rise until the ritual is done. This is a perfect encounter for a skill challenge, and if there's no religious hero in the party, Runara can run the ritual but ask the heroes to protect her.* *This one works best if you go with the plan that Runara is no longer or never was a true dragon.

[@alarin612]

Love the idea of leading with the harpies. Leading sailors to their doom with an alluring song? Classic stuff. I'd recommend making the secondary shipwreck very small - a single deck affair, something that can be crewed by just a few people, so if the heroes do check it out it doesn't take long. But leave clues about the harpies eating the sailors - like one of those pods owls hark up but full of human bones.

[@JNJTabletop]

Classic tropes are classic for a reason! And the small ship idea… we can file that under things EVERYONE should do! Really wished we mentioned that in the video. Great idea here!

[@alarin612]

@@JNJTabletop Thanks, man!

[@bluedragonguild]

You ever eat salted seagull?

[@JNJTabletop]

Are either of our names, Tommy?

[@bluedragonguild]

@@JNJTabletop only if you’re really bad at pronunciation. 😂

[@stephenbateman9776]

Maybe you bury the talisman in a cemetery because cemeteries are hallowed ground, and the blessing of the hallowed ground negates the necrotic magic of Orcus?

[@JNJTabletop]

That would be a great move for the designers to have mentioned. It just would’ve been nice for them to explain why that’s a solution.