The Buccaneers Bestiary

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The Buccaneer ’s BestiaryA GUIDE TO MONSTERS OF THE DARK CARIBBEAN

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s

Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names,

and their respecive logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is

used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

Original material in this work is copyright 2016 by Aaron Infante-Levy and published under the

Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

by Aaron “Quickleaf” Infante-Levy


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Art CreditsDesign and Layout: Aaron “Quickleaf” Infante-Levy

Cover Art: Orc Pirate Shou ing Orders, by Jeshields, purchased thru drivethrurpg.com. Modified by adding Pirate Flag, by wesd440,created on 6-16-2015, openclipart.org.

All interior illustraions used in THE BUCCANEER’S BESTIARY are within the Public Domain.

Parchment Background: Chris Fiedler,pixabay.com, CC-0 Public Domain.Pirates with a Box (p. 4): by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 5-12-2015.

The Merry Monarch: (p. 5): The comic history of England, Gilbert Beckett, 1897. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, 2015-07-29.

King of Death: Humorous Poems, Thomas Hood, 1893. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, 7-20-2015.

Port Saint Louis (p. 7): Rambles on the Riviera by Francis Miltoun, 1906. Posted by johnny_automaic, openclipart.org, 2-27-2008.Dutch Ship (p. 13): The Romance of Naviga ion, by Henry Frith, 1893. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, 7-18-2015.Splat (p. 14 & 44): by li tarn, openclipart.org, 9-92014.

Octopus Anchor (p. 16): by Rejon, openclipart.org, 2015-04-01.

Jolly Tars (p. 17): Lily’s scrapbook, by Mrs. Barker Sale, 1877. Posted by johnny_automaic, openclipart.org, 9-29-2007.Compass (p. 18): A black and white 3-D compass, Posted by ipurush, openclipart.org, 4-10-2008.Island of Neverland (p. 20): Posted by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 2-8-2016.

Rock Skull (p. 23): Posted by johnny_automaic, openclipart.org, 12-10-2006.

Old Map (p. 23): Posted by conte magnus, openclipart.org, 1-27-2013.

Anchor (p. 26): Posted by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 2-8-2016.

Sleeping Mermaid (p. 28): Songs for Little People, Norman Gale, 1896. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, 1-1-2016.Treasure Chest (p. 29): Posted by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 1-10-2015.

Old Man with a Corncob Pipe (p. 34): Bisbee Daily Review, Nov. 26, 1914, Posted by johnny_automaic, openclipart.org, 7-16-2014.Ship’s Wheel (p. 37): Posted by johnny_automaic, openclipart.org, 10-30-2007.

Blemmyae (p. 41): Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartman Schedel, 1493.Thingtacles (p. 42): by jpneaok, openclipart.org, 10-18-2014.

Scallop Shell (p. 44): Line and Form, by Walter Crane, 1914. Posted by johnn_automaic, openclipart.org, 10-26-2007.Fucoid (p. 44): Our Earth and its Story, by Robert Brown, 1893. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, 11-4-2015.Wastrilith (p. 45): Destruc ion of Leviathan, engraving by Gustave Doré, 1865.Squid Silhouette (p.46): Narrative of an Expedition to explore the river Zaire, James Tuckey, 1818. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, 10-22-2015.Spooky Frame (p.47): by li tarn, openclipart.org, 8-7-2013.

Zombie (p. 48): by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 6-2-2015.

Painted Skull (p. 48): The Pygmies, by Frederick Starr, 1895.Giant Anemone (p. 50): donated by Pearson Scott Foresman to Wikimedia Commons.

Giant Anglerfish (p. 50): Popular Science Monthly, vol. 8, 1875. Giant Eel (p. 50): donated by Pearson Scott Foresman to Wikimedia Commons.

Giant Nau ilus (p. 52): donated by Pearson Scott Foresman to Wikimedia Commons.

GiantStarfish(p.53):The Half Hour Library of Travel, Nature and Science for young readers, by James Nisbet & Co, 1896. Posted by Firkin, openclipart.org, on 11-29-2015.Whale Upends Whalers (p. 54):The Story of Our Merchant Marine, by Willis J. Abbot, 1919. Posted by johnny_automatic, openclipart.org, on 1-12-2008.The deep sea fish eurypharynx pelecanoides (p. 55): Popular Science Monthly, vol. 23, 1883.Jenny Hanniver (p. 55): Feejee Mermaid, by P.T. Barnums, 1842.Kelpie (p. 56): Dic ionnaire classique d’histoire naturelle (Vol. 5), 1822.Incan Dog (p. 56): by OpenClipartVectors, CC0 Public Domain, from pixabay.com.

The Scaly Fishman (p. 59): The Animal Book, by Pietro Candido Decembrio, 1460.Seal (p. 63): Posted by yves_guillou, openclipart.org, 10-24-2014.

Woman’s Eyes (p. 63): Posted by molumen, openclipart.org, 10-19-2006.

The Laughing Gull (p. 64): US Fish and Wildlife Service, by Bob Hines. Posted by ryanlerch, openclipart.org, 12-14-2006.The Siren (p. 65):

The Siren, oil on canvas, by Edward Armitage, 1888.

Transparent Mermaid Silhouette (p. 65): by GDJ, openclipart.org, 2-16-2016.

Dancing Skeletons (p. 66): by johnny_automatic, openclipart.org, 10-29-2007.

Fiddler Crabs (p. 66): When Life is Young, by Mary Dodge, 1894.Skum (p. 67): Krewe of Proteus Costume, New Orleans Mardi Gras, by Bror Anders Wikstrom, 1907.Monkey Rides a Jellyfish (p. 68): Posted by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 6-22-2015.

Glitch Frog (p. 69): Posted by Lazur URH, openclipart.org, 7-24-2015.

Castle (p. 70): Old French Fairy Tales, by Comtesse De Segur, 1920. Posted by johnny_automatic, openclipart.org, 9-26-2007.Real Sea Monster (p. 71): by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 3-18-2012.

Grim Reaper Waits for No One (p. 72): by j4p4n, openclipart.org, 9-4-2011.

Dr. Death (p. 73): by liftarn, traced from old Dr. Death comic, openclipart.org, 12-25-2015. Skull & Crossbones (p. 74): from the Pieces of Eight free font, by Steve Ferrera.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 2

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Table of Contents

THE D ARK CARI BBEAN . . . . . . . . . 4

THE E NCOUNTER TABLES . . . . . . . . . 6Port Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Port Encounter Table 6Pirate Ports 7

Neutral Ports 7

Hosile Ports 7

Port Beasies 9

Sea Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Sea Encounter Table 12

Ship Tables 13

Sea Beasies 15

Crew Con licts 18

Navigaion Hazards 19

Special Encounter 20

Island Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Island Features 21Island Beasies 24

Undersea Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Undersea Encounter Table 28

Kelp Beds 29

Sunken Shipwrecks 29

Special Encounters 29

Abyss Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Abyssal Features

Abyssal Beasies

N P

CS (C

REW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Sailor (CR 1/8) 34

Old Salt (CR 1/4) 34

Buccaneer (CR 1/2) 35

Midshipman (CR 1/2) 35

Pirate (CR 1/2) 36

Royal Marine (CR 1/2) 36

N PCS (OFFICERS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Warrant O ficer (CR 1/2) 37

Lieutenant (CR 1) 38

Naval Captain (CR 2) 38

Pirate Captain (CR 2) 39

Commodore (CR 3) 39

N PCS (S PELLCASTERS) . . . . . . . . . . 40Bokor (CR 2) 40

Houngan/Mambo (CR 2) 40

Shantyman (CR 2) 41

Ship Mage (CR 2) 41

BEASTIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Blemmyae (CR 1/2) 42

Caller from the Deeps (CR 8) 43

Carnivorous Scallop (CR 1) 44

Coelenite (CR 1/2) 44Deepspawn (CR 8) 45

Demon, Wastrilith (CR 14) 46

Dire Squid (CR 6) 47

Douen (CR 1) 48

Dread Zombie (CR 1) 49

Giant Anglerfish (CR 4) 50

Giant Anemone (CR 5) 50

Giant Eel (CR 3) 52

Giant Nauilus (CR 13) 52

Giant Sea Urchin (CR 1) 53

Giant Starfish, Sunstar (CR 3) 53Giant Whale, Leviathan (CR 9) 54Gulper (CR 1) 55

Jenny Hanniver (CR 1/8) 55

Kelpie — hazard 56

Lycanthrope, Seawolf (CR 3 & CR 7) 57

Morkoth (CR 4) 58

Seaclaimed Creature — template 59

Seaclaimed Warrior (CR 3) 63

Selkie (CR 1/2) 63

Sinister Seagull (CR 1/8) 64

Siren (CR 3) 65Skeleton, Dry Bones — template 66

Skull Crab (CR 1/8) 66

Skum (CR 1/2) 67

Su-Monkey, Signifying Monkey (CR 1/2) 67Swarm of Jellyfish (CR 2) 68

Swarm of Leeches (CR 1/4) 68

Tona (CR 3) 69

Triton (CR 1) 70

Viperfish (CR 6) 71

Wyste (CR 3) 71

Yugoloth, Marraenoloth (CR 7) 72

Zombie Lord, Le Grand Zombi (CR 5) 73

I NDEX OF MONSTERS & NPCS BY CR 74



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THE D ARK CARI BBEAN The “Dark Caribbean” is a fantasy seting during

the Golden Age of Piracy, blending real-world

history, popular concepions of legendary

pirates, and a reinterpreted D&D mythos. Whileswashbuckling adventures and whimsical

scallawags abound, there are also ruthless

corsairs, frightening spells, and poliical

intrigues aplenty. Most of the magic has a

disinct Voodoo feel to it, with the caveat there

there exist no reliable spells to raise the dead (i.e.

raise dead, resurrec ion, and true resurrec ion donot exist). The acion is centered in the Caribbean

(also called the Spanish Main or the West Indies),

though there may be opportuniies to visit the

Americas, Europe, or even otherworldly realmslike the Shores of Death or the watery Abyss.

European powers like Britain, France, the

Netherlands, and Spain struggle to maintain

control of their colonies amidst rampant

privateering and piracy, slave uprisings, and dark

magic. Characters spend equal ime aboard ships

as they do breaking into Spanish garrisons,

exploring cursed islands, and infiltraing

masquerade balls. The tradiional dungeon-

delving of D&D takes a backseat to

swashbuckling adventure and intrigue.

Recommended ResourcesBirds of Prey by Wilbur Smith.Captain Blood by Rafael Sabaini. Master and Commander series by Patrick O’Brien. On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. The Pirate Hunter by Richard Zachs. Pirate Spirit by Je fery Williams.Seawolf by Jack London.Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly.Skull & Crossbones d20 game from Green Ronin.Buccaneers and Bokor: Treasure Chest supplements

from Adamant Entertainment. Black Sails TV series from Starz.Crossbones TV series from NBC.Pirates of the Caribbean films from Walt Disney. Monkey Island video games from LucasArts.

The monsters and NPCs presented in THE

BUCCANEER’S BESTIARY are designed with the

Dark Caribbean seting in mind, but can be

readily adapted to suit any fantasy seting wherepirates, cannons, colonial powers, and soul-

devouring horrors might fit in.



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Monsters in the Dark CaribbeanMonster types in the Dark Caribbean have

slightly di ferent connotaions from a standard

D&D game. In paricular, there is a class of

monster known as djab (dark spirits) in Voodoothat typically only responds to summoning. The

djab may appear as celesials, elementals, fey,fiends, undead or even possessing a mortal. They

are not as strictly bound to one form as most

ordinary monsters. When creaing a djab, give ita clear place in the story and consider giving it

legendary acions and/or lair acions.

Some monsters like constructs, giants,

monstrosiies, and plants have no substanive

changes. However, even with these monsters you

can give them a mariime-themed appearance,

like an iron golem attached to a rusty anchor

chain or a minotaur with a bull shark’s head.

AberrationsAboleth, beholder, mind layers, and their

servitors like chuul and skum, hail from cursed

waters and the terrible marine Abyss. They are

the “horrors man was not meant to know” and

seek to supplant humanity, herald a great deluge,

or other mad schemes.

BeastsSome beasts, like the leviathan, occupy an

ambiguous ground between beast and monstrosity,

depending whose story a sailor believes.

CelestialsAlmost unheard of in the Dark Caribbean, the

rare celesial that did make an appearance would

almost certainly be a mysterious djab in mortal

guise, or a Loa forced to take on mortal lesh.

ElementalsAir elementals tend to be associated with the

djab called Badessy the Wind, and many can usecontrol weather . Water elementals, on the otherhand, are associated with a djab known as

Ailusiraad, and many can use control water .

DragonsDragons are unheard of, save for the jungles of

South America where flightless dragons are

believed to have once ruled over man.

Fey

Local nature spirits often don’t fit neatly into onecategory. Thus, some fey have a second type (e.g. the

douen are undead fey) reflecting differing views of

natives and colonists about their origins.

FiendsDevils are the adversaries and tempters of

mankind as defined by missionaries, and most

can use disguise self or alter self at will. Demonsare creatures spawned by the watery Abyss and

all demons are amphibious or water breathing.

HumanoidsGoblinoids form marauding pirate ships of their

own, with hobgoblins as o ficers, goblins as crew

and powder crews, and bugbears sent ashore at

night to murder and press-gang. Orcs are

devolved island cannibals or savage corsairs

revering the eye-patch wearing Grumsh. Trolls

are usually amphibious saltwater scrags.

OozesOozes, like aberraions and demons, originate in

the Abyss and are amphibious.

UndeadUndead are disinguished by two types. First,

those missing their gros-bon-ange (big soul or lifeforce) lack morality but have traces of their past

personality. This includes dread zombies, zombie

lords, ghosts and most intelligent undead.

Second, those missing their i-bon-ange (littlesoul) and are devoid of personality with only the

barest glimmer of senience. This includes

skeletons, regular zombies, and most non-

intelligent undead.



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10. Fire. A building or ship catches fire,

threatening the PCs’ ship, lodging, or allies.

11. Found Item (d6)

(1) Trinket.

(2) Art object or gem.(3) Murder weapon.(4) Document or letter of significance.(5) Map or navigaion chart.

(6) Treasure or heirloom sought by an NPC.

12. Harassment from Authori ies (d4)

(1) A group of 1d4 royal marines* attempt to

extort the PCs with trumped up charges.(2) A group of 2d4 royal marines* making

fun of one or more PCs.

(3) A group of 2d4 thugs acing as hired

enforcers for a port governor who needs a

dirty deed handled discretely.(4) A group of 1d4 pirates* disguised as royal

marines with a hidden agenda.13. Gathering (1d6)

(1) Busy market with shipment of exoic

goods that just arrived.

(2) Angry mob chasing someone out of town,

protesing against the governor, or

commiting a hate crime.

(3) Procession of monks.

(4) A raucous wedding.

(5) A more raucous funeral.

(6) Something unique to the community likea clam bake, grunion run, sack race, etc.14. Mistaken Iden ity. One or more PCs are

mistaken for an NPC, and there is a personal

element to the confusion (e.g. the mistaken

idenity is in debt or a scorned lover).

15. Prisoner (d6)(1) Escaped prisoner who the PCs can either

help or turn in.

(2) Dog carrying prison keys in its mouth.

(3) Chain gang being led to dungeon or to

their execuion at the gallows.(4) Message from a prisoner who tries to

recruit the PCs in some venture, either

with honest appeal or blackmail.

(5) An ally or contact taken prisoner.

(6) Prisoner has informaion the PCs need.

16. Prominent Personage. An important or

historical NPC from the Golden Age of Piracy.

17. Slice of Life (d6)(1) Lost child caterwauling.

(2) Children playing at “pirates and

commodores.”

(3) Herd animals blocking the street amid

much yelling.(4) Singing pirates who just won’t stop.(5) Chatty and lirtaious washer women.

(6) Crazy old coot with wild fish tales.

18. Spectacle (d8)

(1) Shantyman.(2) Puppet show.(3) Carnival.(4) Hanging.

(5) Monster menagerie.

(6) Miracle worker or preacher.

(7) Snake oil salesman.(8) Two NPCs engaging in a brawl, duel, or

battle of wits.19. Underworld (d8)

(1) Fixer dealing in stolen and illegal goods.

(2) Underground boxing match with high-

profile NPCs in attendance.(3) Opium den.(4) Counterfeiters and coin-cutters.

(5) Cockatrice or death dog fighing ring.

(6) Gambling den operaing behind a front.

(7) Smugglers and rum-runners.

(8) Shady bokor* with gruesome spellcomponents for sale.20. Port-specific encounter. Roll a d6 on the

appropriate table below. A “PIRATE PORT”

welcomes pirates or is otherwise lawless. A

“NEUTRAL PORT” is one where the PCs don’t

have a Letter of Marque and haven’t attacked.

A “HOSTILE PORT” is one where the PCs have

attacked vessels of the naion controlling the

port (or is overseen by a governor obsessed

with eradicaing piracy).



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NPC Table (d8)1. Colonist2. Criminal

3. Indentured Servant

4. Na ive

5. Pirate

6. Sailor7. Slave8. Upper Class

Pirate Port (d6)1. Murder (d6) the PCs witness a murder-in-

progress…(1) Prositute and client.(2) Murderer clearly trying to implicate one

of the PCs.

(3) Prominent NPC and mysterious assassin.

(4) Pirate* vs. pirate* or royal marine*.(5) One of the PCs’ allies or contacts is

attacked by agents of their enemy.(6) A PORT BEASTIE attacking an innocent

person…or are they?

2. Hijack. 3d4 buccaneers* led by a bandit

captain attempt to take the PCs’ ship.

3. Seller’s Market. All sale prices are 20%

higher than normal, rare trade goods are

available, and smuggling increases due to a

limited supply.

4. Buyer’s Market. All sale prices are 20% lower

than normal, bulk discounts are available,

and greater regulaion of transacions may

be enforced.5. Parlay. The PCs are summoned to meet the

the captain and o ficers of another pirate

ship to discuss o fers of partnership or

resoluion of disputes.

6. Attack! The port is attacked by the opposing

side during Queen Anne’s War.

Neutral Port (d6)1. Press Gang. 3d4 sailors* and 2d4 royal

marines* attempt to force the PCs into

service of whatever crown they serve.2. Marque O fer. The PCs are summoned to a

meeing with the island’s Governor to discuss

terms of being granted a Letter of Marque

against the Governor’s enemies.

3. Seller’s Market. All sale prices are 20%

higher than normal, rare trade goods are

available, and smuggling increases due to a

limited supply.

4. Buyer’s Market. All sale prices are 20% lower

than normal, bulk discounts are available,

and greater regulaion of transacions may

be enforced.

5. Recognized. (d6) An NPC recognizes the PCs,

but what do they do?

(1) Seeks revenge on one of the PCs who

killed their loved one.(2) Reports the PCs to the authoriies.(3) Spies on the PCs.

(4) Blackmails the PCs.

(5) Tries to seduce a PC or win their favor.

(6) O fers to hire the PCs.6. Attack! The port is attacked by the opposing

side during Queen Anne’s War.

Hostile Port (d6)1. Arrest. 3d4 royal marines* led by an NPC

constable attempt to arrest the PCs so they

can be tried and convicted.2. Secret Mee ing. The PCs are summoned to a

secret meeing with a commodore* or naval

captain* or other powerful NPC to discuss a

discrete o fer of employment involving shady

dealings the NPC can’t be ied to.3. Execu ion. A scheduled execuion involves

on the PCs or one of their allies or contacts.4. Navy. Naval warships of the port’s colonial

power arrive, trapping the PCs in port unil

they can find a sneaky way out.

5. Recognized. (d6) An NPC recognizes the PCs,

but what do they do?(1) Seeks revenge on one of the PCs who

killed their loved one.

(2) Reports the PCs to the authoriies.

(3) Spies on the PCs.(4) Blackmails the PCs.

(5) Tries to seduce a PC or win their favor.(6) O fers to hire the PCs.

6. Attack! The port is either raided by pirates or

attacked by the opposing side during Queen

Anne’s War.



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Port Beasties (d20)1. Animals (d6)

(1) 4d6 giant rats fouling provisions, eaing

pets, and spreading disease.

(2) A pack of mas i fs on the trail of a

wounded beasie.

(3) A trained baboon chittering excitedly oversomething it recently stole.

(4) A parrot heckling passersby.

(5) Flock of seagulls with a sinister seagull*

among them looking for ships to vex.(6) A trio of succarath (su-monkeys)* playing

a dangerous game of charades with dock

workers.

2. Appari ions (d4) known as duppies (Jamaica)or jumbos (Monseratt).(1) A banshee mourning her love’s betrayal.

(2) A ghost that only appears in the light ofan oil lamp hung o f an old ship’s prow.

(3) A specter hauning the governor’s manor.

(4) A wraith who comes each night to collect

the souls of debtors from prison.

3. Constructs (d4)(1) Animated objects with a nauical theme,

possibly with a shantyman* or gnomish

inventor responsible for the strangeness.

(2) A lesh golem leeing a mad bokor*.

(3) 2d4 gargoyles on a church or voodoo hut

animate to go on a killing spree due to the

light of an eclipse, a curse come to

fruiion, or awakened by a wicked priest

to retrieve something stolen.

(4) 2d4 scarecrows as voodoo e figies given

sinister life to take a mambo’s* revenge.4. Cursed Men (d4)

(1) 2d4 seaclaimed berserkers* attacking the

port led by their mind layer captain.

(2) A group of sailors* or pirates* with the

shadow dragon template (minus bite and

shadow breath) as men who ventured too

close to the Shores of Death and are

sworn to deliver souls to a marraenoloth*.(3) A naval captain* who doesn’t realize he

has been cursed by Aztec gold and turns

into a quaggoth at the sight of blood.

(4) A group of commoners transformed into

some sort of animals like dire wolves, but

retaining their ability to speak.

5. Creepy Beas ies (d6)(1) 2d4 douen* playing pranks and luring

children away from home into the jungle.

(2) A group of duergar as cursed or foreign

dwarves in league with the powers of Hell.(3) A lumph as a loaing jellyfish that

appears at night to warn of danger posed

by aberraions. However its eerie insights

(or the promise of capturing a live lumph)

turn folk against it.

(4) A marraenoloth come to ferry a soul

whose ime is overdue to the Shores of

Death, but willing to negoiate.(5) 2d6 nothics as cloaked fortune-tellers

twisted by Abyssal pacts into macabre

voyeurs. They o ten foretell hangings or

drownings, and are unable to resist hiding

in the crowd during a public execuion.(6) 2d6 will-o’-wisps loaing at the outskirts

at night whispering of lost hopes and

ancient despair.

6. Devils (d6)

(1) A barbed devil covered in fish hooks

colloquially known as “the gunpowder

devil” because it acts as a gun smuggler to

the desperate. It may be accompanied by

2d4 spined devils.

(2) A bearded devil disguised as an old

whaler in a heavy coat coaxing sailors tocommit violence at any slight and muiny

against weak captains.

(3) A bone devil as an incarnaion of the Jolly

Roger able to merge with a black lag to

hide itself and feast on the crew.

(4) A chain devil disguised as a slave,

provoking slave-owners to commit

atrociies and slaves to seek bloody

revenge.

(5) An erinyes who can polymorph herself

into a ship’s figurehead, luring captainsand o ficers to conquer the weak.(6) An imp acing as a warlock or bokor’s*

ingraiaing familiar, urging seekers of

forbidden lore with hints of secret

treasure… at a price.



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7. Djab (dark spirits) (d4)(1) A shadow demon huning down those

who slew its original form and prevented

it from returning to the Abyss

(2) A shadow summoned by power-hungry

bokor* to kill a specific target.(3) 2d6 shadows attemping to drive out

colonial powers from the Caribbean by

the foulest of means.

(4) A water weird.

8. Doppelgänger (d6) assumes the role of a

prominent NPC who has been…(1) Killed.(2) Held for ransom.

(3) Press-ganged.

(4) Turned over to an enemy facion.

(5) The NPC hired the doppelgänger as his or

her replacement.(6) The NPC died of natural causes a while

ago and the doppelgänger honors their

dead friend’s memory.

9. Goblinoids (d4)

(1) A gang of 4d6 goblins raid the port for

supplies, and rum in paricular.(2) A ship full of hobgoblin slavers who

indiscriminately abduct freemen attempt

to disguise their presence at port. They are

led by a cruel hobgoblin captain known

as a scourge of the seas.(3) 2d6 hobgoblin headhunters, known for

wearing the shrunken heads of their foes.

(4) A bugbear mercenary press-gang working

loosely for a colonial power. Terrifying

tales are told of them “dragging daddyaway in the dead of night.”

10. Hag (d4)(1) A green hag disguised at a tavern or

trading house hining at hopeless

ventures and revealing in despairing

sailors or luring a lovestruck noblewomanto her doom.(2) A night hag known as La Diablesse

corruping mortals or leading a coven of

evil witches. However, her disguise always

has a single law like a cloven hoof or

backwards facing feet that reveals her

true nature.

(3) A sea hag disguised as a hideous crone

rumored to be a man-eaing witch comes

to port looking to buy some roses.

(4) A sea hag haunts the port at night,

drowning drunken sailors whose bodies

are hung garishly in the rigging the next

morning. Strangely, the governor isn’t

doing anything about her.

11. Kenku (d6) called “keeteels” in the DarkCaribbean, they come in varied colorful

plumage much like tropical birds.(1) A bright green parrot-like bookie for a

gambling ring which involves cockatrice

fighing.

(2) A sleek dark metallic purple smuggler of

firearms, drugs, and arcane contraband

with a shipwreck lair turned roost for a

swarm of ravens.(3) White and colorfully crested entertainers

running a scam on the crowd.

(4) Brown keeteels conduct a ritualizedpunishment wherein one of their fellows

is forced to wear heavy wooden wings as

others jeer at him.(5) Rare black-feathered “crows”, o ten

sought by pirates to be ied to the crow’s

nest as supersiion maintains they grant

luck spoting treasure ships.

(6) Red and grey lamboyantly crested keeteelsand cul ists belong to a demon cult led by

a vrock.

12. Lycanthropes (d6)

(1) A jackalwere disguised as a beggar or

down-on-his-luck sailor seeking to lure

vicims to his lamia master on an island.(2) 2d4 seawolves* disguised as whalers prey

on innocents, press-gang sailors, and

sabotage ships.

(3) A seawolf provocateur attemping to use

the PCs for a distracion so it can breakinto the armory and signal its fellows

o fshore.(4) 2d6 wererats disguised as smugglers

operate from sewers and abandoned ships.

(5) A weretiger disguised as a trapper or

fisherman visiting port.



11/74

(6) A werewolf as a Loup Garou who gainedits lycanthropy thru a deal with the Devil

and is required to spill blood each night.

13. Ogre (d4)

(1) An ogre gang led by a half-ogre trying to

make them a better class of criminal.(2) Brought to port as part of a civilizing

e fort by a missionary or scienist.

(3) Working as a longshoreman and fighing

in ring at night to make ends meet.

(4) An oni disguised as a traveler or colonist

seeking ship’s passage, planning to

slaughter the crew one by one.14. Revenant (d4)

(1) A pirate driven by a Voodoo spell to kill the

commodore* who sentenced him to hang.

(2) Mysteriously huning down one of the

PCs’ allies or contacts for an old grievance.(3) A dwarven revenant who died drinking

Rumfausian has it in for the bartender

who served him bad liquor.

(4) A lady revenant seeking the pirate* who

press-ganged her husband and led him to

death and her to suicide.15. Squicky Beas ies (d4)

(1) A carrion crawler feeds on detritus from

ships being careened and bilges empies.

(2) An otyugh in mounds of o fal, heaps of

composing sugar cane, or a rot

ingcarcass of a beached whale.

(3) 2d6 rust monsters colloquially called “rustlobsters.” They’re parasites eainggrommets from sails, nails from planks,

and triggers from muskets. The governor’s

o fice o fers a reward for each carcass.(4) A grick straying from its seaside caves

following some powerful scent.

16. Succubus (d4) disguised as…

(1) A high-class courtesan weaving a web of

blackmail around her clients.(2) An o ficial in the governor’s o fice

exacerbaing corrupion.(3) An agent of a secret society renewing the

Inquisiion inspiring dark desires in the

priests she works alongside.

(4) The spouse of a prominent NPC who is

under her sway. They may have a

cambion o fspring.

17. Vampire (d4) The vampire of the Dark

Caribbean is called a Soucoyant; it sheds itsskin like clothes when assuming mist form,

and is vulnerable to salt which a fects it like

holy water.(1) Along with 2d6 wolves, swarms of bats

and swarm of rats plague the port.(2) Physician can’t treat a woman who,

unbeknownst to the physician, is soon to

arise as a vampire spawn.

(3) A vampire spawncarrying out the

instrucions of its master.(4) The vampire disguised as a noble friend

of the governor’s, property owner, or head

of a trading company.

18. Yuan- i purebloods* (1d4) disguised as

foreign merchants on a mission to…(1) Assassinate a cartographer or explorer

asking too many quesions.(2) Spy on a naval captain* with magic charts,

and sabotage the expedition if necessary.

(3) Steal back an arifact a pirate captain*

stole from their islands.(4) Abduct slaves for their island masters.

19. Zombies & Skeletons (d6)

(1) 1d4 dread zombies* under the command

of a bokor*.

(2) 3d6 zombies under the command of a

zombie lord* leading a macabre carnivaland masking their true natures with

perfumes and masks.

(3) 3d6 uncontrolled zombies and 3d6

crawling claws mysteriously emerge from

the ocean, drawn to a specific person,

place, or object.(4) 3d6 skeletons with the dry bones*

template making music in the graveyard

or otherwise causing mischief.

(5) A cavalcade of skeletons astride warhorse

skeletons raid the port and drag o fvicims to the Shores of Death.

(6) A Voodoo celebraion goes awry when the

e figy animates as a minotaur skeleton.

20. Roll d20 on the SEA BEASTIES table; it may be

injured and beached, captured by an NPC, or

an amphibian come to port to trade or raid.



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Sea EncountersThe frequency of sea encounters is governed by

the following rules. There are 3 watch periods

aboard a ship: morning watch, a ternoon watch,

and night watch. There is a cumulaive % change

of an encounter during each watch according to

the type of waters the PCs are sailing in.

In open ocean more than 50 miles from shore

(3%), in coastal waters less than 50 miles from

shore (10%), and in well-traveled waters about 20

miles from settlements and plied by merchant

ships (16%). For example, a ship that disembarked

early in the morning to travel coast waters has

not had an encounter for the last five watch

periods; thus, the ship would have a 60% chance

of an encounter during the night watch of the

second day.

Sea Encounter Table (D10)1. Storm. See the DUNGEON M ASTER’ S GUIDE page

110 and 117-119 for details on weather.

2. Aqua ic Animals (d12)

(1) A dire squid*.

(2) Dolphins or grey/right whales.(3) A school of giant seahorses (possibly re-

skinned as hippocampi).

(4) A giant whale (leviathan)*.

(5) Killer whales.

(6) Octopi.

(7) A swarm of ravens re-skinned as seagulls,

possibly with a sinister seagull* in their

midst.

(8) Sea turtles.

(9) 2d4 reef sharks, or 1d4 hunter sharks, or

a giant shark.

(10)A swarm of jellyfish*.(11) A swarm of quippers as barracuda.(12)An aquaic unicorn re-skinned as a wise

gentle narwhal.

3. Tiny/Small Vessel. (1d4) 1-rowboat, 2-ship’s

boat, 3-fishing boats, 4-barge. Roll a d6 to

determine what the vessel(s) is/are doing…(1) Going about their business.(2) Fleeing a SEA BEASTIE, battle, or sunken ship.

(3) Looking for a treasure they’re circumspect

about sharing.

(4) Transporing an NPC of importance.

(5) Dead or empty under mysterious

circumstances.

(6) In a state of distress.

4. Merchantman.1d3 ships, and if there are

muliple ships there is a 50% chance that a

corvette or frigate escorts them. Roll 1d4 on

the SHIPS’ FLAG table to determine their

naion, and a d12 on the CARGO HOLD table for

each ship. Roll a d6 to determine what the

merchant ship(s) is/are doing…

(1) Underway.(2) Anchored, fishing, or celebraing.(3) Engaged in naval combat.(4) Forcing prisoners to walk the plank or

otherwise tormening them.

(5) Divvying up soils of a recent capture.

(6) In a state of distress.5. Warship. 80% solitary, 15% squadron of 3

corvettes, 5% flotilla of 1d4+2 ships. Roll 1d4 on

the SHIPS’ FLAG table to determine their nation.

Roll d10 on the WARSHIP SIZE table, and a d12 on

the CARGO HOLD table for each ship. Roll a d6 to

determine what the warship(s) is/are doing…(1) Underway.(2) Anchored, fishing, or celebraing.

(3) Engaged in naval combat.

(4) Engaged in naval drills.

(5) Sending out messenger doves, using

semaphore (light signals), or magic tocommunicate with colonial authoriies.(6) In a state of distress.

6. Pirate/Privateer. 1d3 ships led by a pirate

captain* who lies under a lag determined by

rolling 1d8 on the BLACK FLAG table. Pirate

crews are o ten made up of mixed races and

ethniciies. Roll a d6 to determine what the

pirate ship is doing…

(1) Underway.

(2) Anchored, fishing, or celebraing.

(3) Engaged in naval combat.(4) Forcing prisoners to walk the plank or

otherwise tormening them.(5) Divvying up soils of a recent capture.

(6) In a state of distress.

7. Sea Beastie. Roll d20 on the SEA BEASTIES table.

8. Crew Con lict. Roll d12 on the table.

9. Navigation Hazard. Roll d10 on the table below. 10. Special Encounter. Roll d10 on the table below.



13/74

Ship Tables

Ship’s Flag (d4)1. English

2. French

3. Dutch4. Spanish

Warship Size (d10)1-4. Medium (corvette/frigate)

5-7. Large (brigan ine/pinnace)

8-9. Gargantuan (second rate)

10. Colossal (first rate)

Black Flag (d8)

1. Bartholemew Roberts “Black Bart”2. Edward “Blackbeard” Teach

3. “Calico” Jack Rackham

4. Emanuel Wynne

5. Henry Every6. Stede Bonnet7. Thomas Tew8. Jolly Roger

Cargo Hold (d12)1. A PORT BEASTIE locked in the hold!2. Pirate hunters! It’s a trap!

3. Empty, recently pirated or freshly embarked.

4. Slaves from West Africa.

5. 3d6 x 1,000 sp worth of bulk commodiies.

6. 3d6 x 1,000 sp worth of bulk commodiiesused as cover for smuggling an important

NPC, state documents, or illicit substances.

7. 1d4 x 1,000 gp worth of sugar.

8. 2d4 x 1,000 gp worth of tobacco and cacao.

9. 2d4 x 1,000 gp worth of rum and molasses.10. 3d4 x 1,000 gp worth of gunpowder.11. A strange and wondrous device.12. Treasure galleon from New Spain! Roll twice

on the treasure hoard table table in the DMG

best suiing the challenge of the encounter.

Cursed Aztec gold at the DM’s discreion.


Blackbeard

Emanuel Wynne

Henry Every

Calico Jack

Stede Bonnet Thomas Tew

Black Bart

Jolly Roger


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Random Pirate Ship Names (d100)1. The Albatross

2. Assassin

3. Bachelor’s Delight

4. Bastard Execuioner

5. Bedlam

6. The Bitter Dregs

7. Black Charlatan

8. The Black Dagger

9. Blind Return

10. The Bloody Mary

11. The Bloody Shame

12. The Bonnie Lass

13. Brezza Salmastra (Blackish Breeze)

14. Broken Bones

15. The Butcher of the Caribbean

16. Calypso’s Groom

17. Captain’s Due

18. Charon’s Wake19. Cry of the Seven Seas

20. The Coral Curse

21. The Cursed Cutlass

22. The Damned Slave

23. La Danza Macabra

24. Davy Jone’s Execuioner

25. Dead Man’s Chest

26. Dead Reckoning

27. Devil’s Doom

28. Devil’s Grog

29. The Devil’s Maw

30. Dra t of Damnaion31. The Drowned Witch

32. Eel Wind

33. The Epithet

34. The First Resort

35. The Fall of Atlanis

36. Fighing Seacat

37. The Florida Queen

38. Ghostly Seadog

39. The God Help Us

40. Golden Ruinaion

41. Governor’s Disgrace

42. Hades’ Doom43. The Hail Mary

44. Hangman

45. Hell Hound

46. Howling Knave

47. The Ill Omen

48. The Kraken

49. Kiss of Death

50. Lady Strumpet

51. The Last Argument

52. Last Rights

53. The Lustful Corsair

54. Maelstrom

55. Maiden’s Blood

56. The Manicore

57. Midnight Rose

58. Monkeebutt

59. Mourning Star60. Murderer’s Knave

61. The Murderous Sea

62. The Narwhal

63. The Naughty Nixie

64. Neptune’s Whore

65. Night’s Cry

66. Night’s Dirty Lightning

67. Poseidon’s Saber

68. Privateer’s Death

69. Privateer’s Sinful Gold

70. Profit and Loss

71. Pyrrhic Victory72. The Ravager

73. The Red Grail

74. The Robber’s Hood

75. Rogue’s Revenge

76. Rogue Wave

77. Rumfausian

78. The Salamander

79. The Scimitar

80. Sargasso Sea

81. The Savage Love

82. Scourge of the Depths

83. The Sea Hag

84. Sea’s Hellish Plague

85. Sea Nymph

86. The Seawolf

87. Selkie’s Bane

88. The Specter

89. The Silent Mermaid

90. Sins of my Father

91. Storm of the Century

92. Tainted Minnow

93. Evil Tide

94. The Vile Galley95. Virgin’s Scourge

96. Vulgar Unicorn

97. Wave Dancer

98. The Wicked Wench

99. Widowmaker

100.Woe of Europe


H E R MA J E S T

Y ’ S S H I P S

T H E E N G L I S H R O YA

L NA V Y U S E S

T H E NA M I N G C O N V E

N T I O N O F

“ H M S ” ( H E R MA

J E S T Y ’ S S H I P

B E F O R E T H E S H I P ’ S NA M E. F O

E XA M P L E : H M S A

L B I O N, H M

B U L WA R K , H M S D

A U N T L E S S

H M S E N D EA V O R, H

M S

I N T E R C E P T O R, H M

S N E W C

H M S R O V E R, H M

S

S PA R R O W HA W K , H M

S T R

H M S VA N G UA R D

, H M S


15/74

Sea Beasties (d20)1. The Kraken! Say your prayers!

2. Aboleth servitors (d4)

(1) Boarding party of skum* sent to retrieve

capives for their aboleth masters.(2) A lone skum* beginning to develop

telepathy with other races is found gaspingon deck. The crew want to kill it. while a

chuul is in pursuit of the renegade.

(3) All fresh water on the ship becomes

supernaturally fouled. Skum* and chuul

cling to the underside of the hull, waiting

for crew to weaken from dehydration

before attacking.

(4) A waterproof scroll case floats by,

containing a treasure map to nearby

rocky islands, though the map doesn’t

mention the chuul guarding the treasure.3. Coelenite*

(1) Sailor showing o f pieces of dead

coelenite* suddenly noices coral

creatures slipping over the side of the

deck to reclaim the piece of itself.(2) A coelenite* grown over skeletons or

zombies controls their acions.

(3) Coral with bits of ship parts imbedded in

it as warning. Any ships approaching are

slowly engulfed by coelenite*.

(4) Crew member spots a coelenite* colony

and tries to talk the captain into attacking

as the husks will fetch a handsome price.

4. Cloaker, aquaic (d4)

(1) Hides in shallows waiing for sailors to

come ashore before attacking.(2) Coral reef devoid of life but teeming with

“manta rays” and filled with strange totems.(3) 1d4 cloakers attack by leaping across the

bow to drag crew off the ship one-by-one.

(4) A vampiric cloaker attempts to drain the

life of one crew member, turning him into

a vampire spawn who then will attempt

to sabotage the ship.5. Dragon turtle (d4) known among Lain

scholars as an Aspidochelone.(1) Hal ling tribal village on the shell appears

to be a loaing island.(2) Only its head emerges to demand tribute,

though otherwise it is sociable, relaing

tales of pirates and sunken throughout

history.

(3) It is sick and regurgitaing any treasure it

last swallowed.

(4) Viciously attacks the ship, potenially

with sahuagin* followers, in wrath for the

death of its mate at the hands of evil

adventurers.

6. Elemental (d4)

(1) A caller from the deeps* entrances several

crew members.(2) 1d6 evil water weirds squirt fountains

playfully at crew before turning deadly.(3) A water elemental known as Ailusairad,

the Voodoo spirit of the ocean aligned

with the loa Agwé. It has the ability to

control water as per the spell.(4) An air elemental known as

Badessy theWind, the Voodoo spirit of the sky alignedwith the loa Damballa. It has the ability to

control weather as per the spell.7. Ghost (d4) known as “sea sprites” by sailors.

(1) Spectral lights move in the waters and the

winds drops to chill breeze, causing

freezing temperatures aboard. Crew

become terrified that they’ve entered

“haunted waters.”

(2) A member of the ship mysteriously lights

a lantern in the pale fog, summoning aghost who he appears to speak with for

hours, though observers do not hear the

ghost make any sound. Slowly, the NPC

exhibits increasingly erraic behavior.

(3) Crew are worried about one of their

members who is consumed with guilt for

throwing a man overboard and o fering

no blessing for his soul’s rest. If nothing is

done to assuage his guilt in three days, a

ghost comes to murder him.

(4) A specter (poltergeist) haunts thecaptain’s cabin, conjured by a vengeful

bokor*. Its conjuring bag, hidden

somewhere onboard must be destroyed.

8. Hydra (d4) known as a Lusca in the DarkCaribbean, appearing as a shark-octopus

hybrid with tentacle grab attacks.

(1) Floats asleep or in torpor, with only one

head barely awake eyeing the ship groggily.



16/74


17/74

13. Sahuagin (d4)(1) Debris of a ship is soon followed by the

ominous drone of sahuagin huning

horns and a single NPC swimmer appears

on the horizon leeing 5d4 sahuagin

pursuing him or her.(2) A sahuagin baron riding a giant shark

demands tribute for passing thru his

demesnes…and any elves aboard.

(3) 5d4 sahuagin fill the water, watching with

predatory eyes, but don’t attack unil they

smell fresh blood.(4) One of the crew has been making

supersiious o ferings of meat to the

ocean, and now a sahuagin priestess and

scores of hunter sharks circle the ship.

14. Sea Elves (d4)

(1) Drow, as amphibious sea elves, form araiding party accompanied by giant eels*,

waiing ill midnight to ambush the ship.

(2) Barrels of smoking oil surface around the

ship creaing a smoke cloud which drow,

as amphibious sea elves, use to sneak

aboard to poison and sabotage.(3) A triton* chained to a massive loaing

crab shell is used as a lure by drow, as

amphibious sea elves, hidden nearby.

(4) A procession of tritons* accompanied by a

variety of aquaic animals and merfolk.15. Sea Hag (d4)

(1) Exacing revenge on something beauiful.(2) She has unrequited love for an ugly sailor.

(3) In disguise, she leads the ship to its doom

or the captain on the path of evil.

(4) Three sea hag sisters emerge from the

ocean on a dark and stormy night to

prophesy doom for the ship.

16. Sea Serpent (d4)(1) A giant poisonous snake bit one of the

crew members hauling it up in his nets.

Unless the snake is caught and an

anidote concocted from its venom, the

poor sailor will surely perish.(2) Eerie screams echo from the water,

actually a maing call of 2d4 screeching

giant eels*.

(3) A plesiosaurus emerges near the bow of

the ship to watch the crew curiously and

appraise its next meal. If attacked, it rams

the ship several times in a display of

territorial aggression before swimming off.

(4) A giant crocodile - a “kronosaurus” -attacks the ship’s crew mercilessly, though

it might be distracted with a food decoy.17. Seaweed Monster (d4)

(1) A kelpie* appearing as a green-clad

woman, green horse, or hippocampus to

lure sailors into her deadly embrace.

(2) A kelpie* trails the ship, telepathically filling

the crew’s dreams with sacrificial offering

of one of their number to the sea gods.(3) A gibbering mouther or black pudding as

an amphibious Shoggoth crudelydisguised as a kelp bed.

(4) A group of blights are sea plants animated

by an old curse upon the waters.18. Seawolf / Selkie (d4)(1) 2d4 seawolves* hunt down sailors and

sabotage the ship.

(2) A ship of especially cruel pirates

captained by François L’Olonnais, a

vicious French pirate believed dead, are

actually seawolves* created by L’Olonnais.(3) A pack of seawolves* hunt down selkies*.

(4) A group of selkies* in seal form gather

around the ship curious. They can be

convinced to trade what they’ve foundscavenging sunken ships.19. Siren (d4) The Ciguapas of Hispañola are

someimes accompanied by charmed men or

amphibious harpies (immature sirens).

(1) The sirens call to sailors from rocks

surrounded by shallow water.


THE BLACK SPOT

THE DREADED “BLACK SPOT” IS

ENOUGH TO MAKE SAILORS TURN ON

THEIR OWN . SOME BEASTIES, LIKE THE

MIND FLAYERS, ARE ABLE TO PLACE

THEIR “BLACK SPOT” UPON A LIVING

CREATURE, TAKING THE FORM OF A

MYSTERIOUS TATTOO OR INDISTINCT

DARK BLEMISH THAT OTHER SAILORS IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE.


18/74

(2) The sirens lirt up close with sailors and

o fer their deadly songs as “gi ts” to the

ignorant crew members.

(3) Mama Dglo, also called maman du l’eau, isa man-eaing siren who can assume the

form of a woman on land and cast spells

as an 8th level bard.

(4) Undead sirens appear as beauiful womenunil one joins them in the water when

their true horrific faces are revealed. 20. Troll (d4) Amphibious “scrags” are proficient in

Stealth but can only regenerate in saltwater.(1) Crates and barrels float in the water, each

containing loathsome limbs of a troll that

was hacked into pieces.

(2) A group of 2d4 trolls trail the ship until

nightfall then sneak aboard to slaughter

sailors in their sleep.(3) A lone troll is lured over by the smell of

cooking. Though it is too cowardly to

attack, it whines persistently for food.

(4) Sent by a sea hag, storm giant , or bokor*,

a troll intends to steal something (or

someone) from the ship.

Crew Conflicts (d12)1. Crew are shirking their duies due to faigue,

supersiious, disagreement, or laziness.

2. Crew have singled out one crew member as a

cursed “Jonah” and pile abuse on him. Thepoor sailor may throw himself overboard or

suicide if a stop isn’t put to it.3. A stowaway from the last port or island the

ship was at is discovered in the hold.

4. A crew member is revealed to have a secret

idenity, like a spy, a woman-in-disguise, or a

criminal with a bounty on their head.5. A crew member is agitating against the captain.

6. A crew member is missing. What happened

to him? Roll a d6!

(1) Murdered.

(2) Deserted, either port or using the ship’s boat.

(3) Locked in a chest as a prank.(4) Lured away by a pretty SEA BEASTIE.(5) Passed out drunk in the hold.(6) Vanished without a trace… maybe they

were a ghost? Maybe they’ll show up later?

7. Precious cargo, navigaion charts, or some

other important item is missing, stolen by

one or more of the crew.8. A fight breaks out. What started? Roll a d6!

(1) Ethnic or religious con lict.

(2) Cheaing at gambling.

(3) How to divvy booty.

(4) Who messed up the bowline in the rigging.(5) Opinions on the captain are divided.(6) Some stupid petty macho reason.

9. Some supplied have spoiled. Roll a d100 to

determine the percentage (%) that have gone

bad as well as the amount of crew sick with

good poisoning. Unil healed or given a long

rest, the crew are unable to tend their posts.10. Fire breaks out on the galley, dealing 17 (5d6)

fire damage to the ship each round unil it is

exinguished or the ship burns.

11. Sickness spreads through the crew. If the

captain is an NPC he or she may implement aquaranine. What is the malady? Roll a d8!(1) Dysentery. It’s the craps!

(2) Malaria. Wouldn’t marry ya’!

(3) Scurvy. A lemon a day keeps the scurvy away!

(4) Yellow fever. Goodbye fever!

(5) Cackle fever. No laughing matter! (see

“Disease” in the DMG p. 257)(6) Sewer plague. Ah, rats! (see “Disease” in

the DMG p. 257)

(7) Sight rot. Didn’t see that coming! (see

“Disease” in the DMG p. 257)(8) A “magical” disease like lycanthropy or

mummy rot. Nothing magical about it!12. One or more members of the crew are

behaving erratically from too much time at

sea (see “Madness” in the DMG p. 258). This

could be comical superstition or sinister

sabotage. A few days in port ought to cure the

madness… or a good keelhauling.



19/74

Navigation Hazards (d10)1. Doldrums. Whether a naturally occurring

stretch of ocean untouched by winds, or a

region of “dead calm” cursed by an evil sea

god, no breeze sirs to catch the sails and no

current o fers escape for 10d10 nauical

miles. Sargasso mats and undead arecommon. The weather is hot and dry, and

sailors must make a Consituion saving

throw (DC 10 + 1 per day trapped) each day to

avoid becoming sun-touched. Sun-touched

sailors su fer a level of exhausion and 1d4

Wisdom damage. If a sailor’s Wisdom is

reduced to 0, they are compelled to drink

saltwater and/or swim o f.

2. Lost. The ship has gone woefully o f course,

possibly due to magic, the Bermuda Triangle,

bad charts, a landmark that shi ted, orstrange ides conjured by an evil sea god.

3. Marine Minefield. Marine mines were just

beginning to be used during Queen Anne’s

War, though they are jury-rigged

temperamental devices. During first watch,

the mines may be spotted with a passive

Percepion score of 15. If they are not spotted,

the helmsman must try to steer around them

with a DC 15 Dexterity (water vehicles) check.

Striking a mine has a 75% change of

triggering an explosion equivalent to 1d4

barrels of gunpowder (20 fire damage each). 4. Rogue Waves. Gargantuan waves several

stories tall (some even surpassing 100 feet!)

come at the ship, threatening to capsize it. If

the ship is moving at least 12 knots, a

helmsman can navigate the waves with a DC

25 Dexterity (water vehicles) check.

Alternately, a cleric of 10th level or higher

may attempt to call on Divine Intercession to

be saved, while a character with ies to the

Abyss might form a pact with an Abyssal Lord

to spare them. Otherwise, the players must

roll 2d6 for the ship. A result of 2-5 indicates

it has been capsized and destroyed, with crew

le t to fend for themselves in deadly waters. A

result of 6-11 indicates the ship is severely

damaged and several crew were lost, but they

survived. A roll of 12 indicates a miraculous

safe passage thru the rogue waves!

5. Sargasso. Sargasso consists of giganic thick

matted clumps of seaweed that slow any ship

entering it to a standsill. Sargasso mats can

be walked across as di ficult terrain, but a DC

15 Dexterity (Acrobaics) check may be

required at some points to avoid falling thru.

O ten, sargasso mats are the site of derelict

slime-covered ships, roting carcasses, and

scavenging SEA BEASTIES.

6. Sea of Stars. Blue bioluminescent

phytoplankton glimmers in the astoundingly

re lecive waters at night. Charisma checks

are required to get crew to follow the

simplest of commands, otherwise they

simply stare amazed. Looking too long at

images re lected in the water requires a DC 12

Wisdom saving throw or the character is

charmed by the sea of stars and tries to jump

overboard. In some cases, the night sky might

seem to descend into the sea and the enire

crew experience strange visions as per the

dream spell or a sensaion of lying. There is a50% change that sirens* or ABYSSAL BEASTIES

will be encountered. 7. Shallow Waters. A shoal, reef, sandbar, or

idal marsh presents a danger to ships with a

deep dra t.

8. Saint Elmo’s Fire. Named a ter the patron

saint of sailors, Saint Elmo’s Fire manifests asblue-green lames or spheres of light at the

top of the masts and dancing along the

yardarms. Though sailors regard it as good

luck - increasing crew quality by one rank for

several hours therea ter - it actually signals

great atmospheric electricity. This interferes

with the funcioning of compasses and

signals an impending lightning storm.

9. Shores of Death. A strange fog covers 1d6

square nauical miles, reducing visibility to

300 feet or less. It chills the bone and echoeswith voices of the dead. Reduce crew quality

by one rank while in the fog. Will-o’-wisps

can be seen in the distance and numerous

ski fs bearing the recently dead to their

judgment crawl thru the fog pilots by

marraenoloths*.

10. Waterspouts. Short-lived convective winds

(1d6 x 10 minutes) create 1d6 mini-tornadoes



20/74

over the water with the potential to carry

unsecured creatures and objects aloft. A

helmsman who recognizes the danger can

adopt a 90° course away from the waterspouts’

direction of travel to avoid them.

Special Sea Encounters (d10)1. Land Ho! An uncharted island is spotted.

Refer to the Island Encounters tables.

2. Maelstrom. A storm of vengeance spellcoupled with massive whirlpools.

3. Shipwreck. (d4)(1) Rapidly sinking ship with 5d10 survivors

and d100% of its cargo intact. Roll on the

CARGO HOLD table to determine what the

ship was carrying.

(2) Ship is smashed on rocks or beach with

no or few survivors.(3) Ship is wrecked on shoal or reef, half-

submerged, and overgrown with sea life.

(4) Shattered remnants of a demolished ship,

likely destroyed in naval combat.

4. Ghost Ship. A ghost ship haunts the waters.

Roll on the WARSHIP SIZE table. Roll a d6 to

determine the composiion of the crew:

(1) Zombies.

(2) Shadows.

(3) Amphibious ghouls called “lacedons.” (4) Specters.(5) Wights.(6) Vampire spawn.

Roll a d8 to determine the captain’s nature:

(1) Zombie lord*.

(2) Ghast .(3) Ghost .(4) Revenant .(5) Wraith.

(6) Vampire.

(7) Death knight.

(8) Lich.

Roll a d6 to determine their moivaion:(1) Li t a curse.(2) Take revenge on an enemy.

(3) Increase the size of their crew.

(4) Fulfill an oath the captain made in life.

(5) Reach the Shores of Death.(6) Destroy another ghost ship in a cycle they

are doomed to reenact for eternity.

5. Thing in the Hold. What monster lurks in

the ship’s hold? Roll a d6!

(1) Roll on the PORT BEASTIES table.

(2) Roll on the ABYSSAL BEASTIES table.

(3) A mimic.(4) A crew member’s nightmare made

manifest.(5) Creepy crawlies like s irges, giant

cen ipedes, and swarms of insects

hatched from dire weevils.

(6) A stowaway of a sniveling monstrous

humanoid race like a goblin or kobold.6. Enemy. One of the PC’s enemies has located

their ship and devised a cunning strategy to

take them down.

7. Castaway. A single castaway marooned on a

sandbar or loaing on a piece of lotsam.

What is their story? Roll a d6!(1) Led a failed muiny against their captain.(2) Refused to accept a new captain insilled

by muiny.

(3) Thrown overboard as a traitor, true or not.

(4) Knocked overboard during a storm.(5) Knocked overboard during a naval battle

and their captain abandoned them.

(6) Su fers severe amnesia.

8. Legend of Piracy. Roll a d6!

(1) Benjamin Hornigold of the Mary Anne.

(2) Henry Jennings.(3) Edward “Blackbeard” Teach of Queen Anne’s Revenge.

(4) “Calico Jack” Rackham, Anne Bonny, and

Mary Reade.

(5) Bartholemew “Black Bart” Roberts of the

Royal Rover .(6) Charles Vane of the Ranger .

9. Loa / Sea God(ess). Roll a d6!

(1) Agwé, Load of the Tides.

(2) Damballah.

(3) Simbi.(4) Neptune / Poseidon.(5) Calypso.(6) One of the Lords of the Abyss.

10. Spanish Treasure Fleet. Fleet of ships

carrying South American treasures back to

Spain. Treat this as muliple ships with a

result of “12” on the CARGO HOLD table.



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Island EncountersWhen rolling encounters for an island, roll 1d4

imes on the ISLAND FEATURES table and 1d4 imes

on the ISLAND BEASTIES table, then combine the

results.

Island Features (d20)1. Ac ive Volcano. Periodically the volcano

belches forth ash or causes tremors, and lava

lows can be found on one side of the island.

2. Beach (d6)

(1) Strange colored scinillaing sands,

potenially quicksand or sinkholes (see

the DMG pg. 110).(2) Debris including ship parts, bones, sea glass,

mollusk shells, messages in a bottle, etc.

(3) Hundreds of crabs and giant crabs.(4) Hundreds of shore birds nesing on blu fs

overlooking resing seals and turtles.(5) Mirthful faces form in the surf, and

anyone going for a swim removes a level

of exhausion but finds a trinket of their

gone missing.

(6) Blowholes send ocean spray dozens of feet in

the air and sucking currents form riptides.

3. Buried Treasure (d6)(1) The trees are adorned with the wax-

covered hands of corpses which point the

way to treasure when their fingers are lit

on fire, but also coninually cast animatedead every 10 minutes while lit.

(2) Treasure in a cave is protected by a

gauntlet of traps.

(3) A cache of food, water, sails, pistols, and

powder is in a makeshi t cellar.

(4) A complex treasure map is worked into

the landscape, but the whole picture is

only visible from a lookout point above.(5) A treasure chest that was already dug up,

but may or may not be opened.

(6) A sunken shipwreck just o f the island’s

coast holds the treasure.4. Carcass (d4)

(1) A massive skeleton covered with canvas

has been turned into a ramshackle

dwelling.

(2) A dire squid carcass is feasted on by gulls

with malign red eyes.(3) A small ship was swallowed by a whale

that has long since decayed, and the ship

could be restored to working order.

(4) Despite grievous wounds, a beached

whale sill clings to life by a thread.

5. Chasms and Rope Bridges. 40-100 foot longtropical chasms are spanned by crude rope

bridges entwined with vines. Crossing these

narrow bridges requires a DC 8 Dexterity

(Acrobaics) check or a character slips and

may fall. If there are muliple islands, the

bridges connect them. 6. Cove (d6)

(1) The hideout of a group of buccaneers* or

pirates*.

(2) Enchaning waters of the cove lure

creatures failing a DC 15 Wisdom savingthrow to swim. However, the waters are

treacherous and humanoids entering

immediately being drowning.

(3) The cove is peaceful with tropical birds on

the cli fs and a white sand beach.

(4) Numerous forested islets and sea stack

make the cove a maze to navigate.



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19. Voodoo (d6)(1) A bokor* or houngan/mambo’s* hut filled

with gris-gris.(2) Signs of a ritual feast with Veve symbols

marking an old Voodoo site.(3) Shrunken heads throughout the island

pose riddles and tell terrible jokes.(4) “Hot foot powder” traps are scattered

across the island, causing anyone coming

into contact with one to feel the urge to

leave the island as soon as possible.

Anyone a licted by this curse attracts the

ire of the naive inhabitants.(5) Corpses of white men in slave shackles,

their bodies arranged to spell the Lain

word Vindicta.(6) The veil is thin on the island and one or

more Load can appear in any re lecive

surface or in dreams of the faithful.20. Water Feature. Roll a d6 to determine the

basic form of the water feature:

(1) Creek

(2) Rice terrace.(3) Sacred spring.(4) Swamp.

(5) Tide pools.

(6) Sacred spring.

Shall we go for a swim? Roll a d6!

(1) Yes! The leeches would love you. Reducemaximum hit points by 5 unil treated.(2) Yes! The guardian spirits would love to

take 10 years from your delicious life.

(3) Yes! The bacteria will have a field day.

Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or

suffer a level of exhaustion. If drinking the

water, no save is allowed and the drinker is

poisoned until taking a long rest.

(4) Yes! It’s perfectly safe.

(5) Yes! The guardian spirits may grant those

who observe the proper bathing ritual ablessing or 10 years added to their life

expectancy.(6) Yes! It’s magic water that permanently

grants +1 Charisma to anyone bathing for

at least 1 hour. However, anyone bathing

must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw

or spend 2d12 hours lost in reverie they

share an inimate secret.

Island Beasties (d20)1. Constructs (d4)

(1) 1d6 helmed horrors as cursed Spanish

conquistadors.(2) 2d6 scarecrow as savage e figies come to

life at the behest of their bokor* master.(3) A shield guardian with a great African

shield stretched with leopard skin stands

lonely vigil, awaiting its long absent master.

(4) An ancient statue is actually a clay golem

that awaits acivaion with a magical keyor command word.

2. Dark Predator (d6)

(1) A lamia and her jackalwerehunters treat

the island as their personal hunting ground.

(2) A mind layer singles out a spellcaster PC,

dominaing various beasts to stalk them,

attemping to drive them to madness or

death.

(3) An oni drops bits of treasure, seeking to

divide and conquer the PCs.

(4) An owlbear as the stork-leggedChickcharney of the Bahamas has a speedof 50, prehensile claws, and Stealth

proficiency. Sailors believe it has the

power to bestow or steal luck.

(5) A panther with the shadow dragon

template, resistance to non-magical

weapons, and a taste for man- lesh.(6) A tyrannosaurus rex.


T R EA S U R E MA P S

A G R EA T WA Y T O E N C O U RA G E

C HA RA C T E R S T O E X P L O R E

A N

I S LA N D I S W I T H C L U E S L E F T O N

A C R Y P T I C T R EA S U R E MA P.

Y O U CA N S L I P A T R EA S U R E

MA P I N T O S O M E B O O T Y T H E Y

U N C O V E R, P U T I T O N T H E BA C K

O F A TA T T O O E D P I RA T E, O R

MA K E I T CA R V E D O N A C L I F F.


25/74

3. Demon Cult. A mask-wearing bar-lgura leads

a savage cult of dretches, carnivorous apes,

and cul ists. What is its goal? Roll a d6!

(1) Sacrifice enough souls to summon a

goristro.(2) Whip its followers into a fighing frenzy

to seize a ship and escape the island.(3) Find a suitably villainous soul to replace

the dying bar-lgura.

(4) Prove to a capive philosopher that man is

merely a base animal.4. Djab. The Dark Caribbean is filled with dark

spirits ranging from the wise to the horrible.

For example, a shadow demon might appear

as a diminished djab attemping to make a

deal with Voodoo praciioners to restore its

power, while a vengeful bokor* might

summon shadows against his enemy. True

djab, however, are beyond the physical world,

and are better thought of as the sorts of

eniies a warlock makes a pact with.

5. Flying Beas ies (d12)

(1) Aarakocra, rare bird-people believed by

pirates to hatch a golden nugget from

their throat.

(2) A chimera guarding a crown said to grant

immortality to the worthy. Its dragon-

head would have claimed the crown long

ago, but the other heads disagreed.(3) 2d6 wild cockatrices, possibly pursued by

kenku attemping to capture them for use

in cockatrice fighing rings in Nassau.

(4) A light of gri fons or hippogri fs dance

around the island amidst rainbows.

(5) 2d6 harpies (immature sirens) engage in a

cat-and-mouse hunt of the PCs,

attemping to prove themselves to their

siren* mother waiing o fshore.

(6) An excepionally lazy man icore

“worshipped” by any humanoids on theisland with gi ts of food and incense.(7) A lone black pegasus.(8) 2d6 perytons as all that remains of a

cursed Mayan elvish people.

(9) 2d6 pteranodons mercilessly hunt

anything and everything smaller than

them.

(10)A roc sleeps on the island’s peak, but

prefers to hunt at sea.

(11)3d10 s irges lurk near water or come out

at night, leeing at any sign of hosility

only to return again with double their

number.(12)1d4 wyverns tear apart any herd animals

present on the island.

6. Giant Animals. Islands of the Dark

Caribbean teem with wildlife. Any of the

giant beasts from the “Miscellaneous

Creatures” secion of the MONSTER MANUAL

could be encountered. 7. Giants and Kin (d8)

(1) A tusked cyclops always forgeting where

it put its herd of giant goats.

(2) 1d12 hill giants that treat the island as a

playground. Their favored sport is kicking

a human skull about like ball.(3) An et in that contemplates a way to

escape its island prison, but can never

settle on one course of acion.

(4) A fire giant (on a volcanic island).(5) A fomorian guarding a secret magical

chamber beneath the island’s heart. From

this chamber it can cast its evil eye

anywhere across the island on a clear day.

(6) 2d6 ogres dumber than bricks trying to

figure out what to make of some traces ofhuman explorers, like a compass or tents.(7) A wise stone giant unable to leave its

mountain throne due to a sea witch’s

curse slowly paralyzing it.

(8) A storm giant whose lover sacrificed him

or herself centuries ago and took the form

of the island. The giant acts as steward

and caretaker of the island.

8. Insec ile Beas ies (d4)

(1) 2d4 ankhegs.

(2) A darkmantle.(3) An ettercap accompanied by giant spiders.(4) 2d10 rust monsters known as “rust lobsters.”

9. Monstrous Humanoids (d8)

(1) Marauding band of gnolls.

(2) Degenerated cave-dwellers (grimlocks).

(3) Hobgoblins slavers and head-hunters.

(4) Kobolds proficient in Stealth called “tasloi” ,riding giant spiders or giant wasps.



26/74

(5) Minotaur culists with a trap-filled

labyrinth into which they send sacrifices

to their dark god.

(6) Orc cannibals revering Grumsh One-Eye.

(7) Troglodytes as small-sized uncouth

“troggies” with a curious immunity tobludgeoning damage and a hatred of

spellcasters and all things magical.

(8) A group of amphibious trolls known as

“scrags” with Stealth proficiency and onlyable to regenerate in saltwater.

10. NPCs (d8)(1) Pygmy (wood gnome) tribal warriors with

an inane noion about turning a “big one”

into a ship.

(2) Arawak or Carib tribal warriors.

(3) Amazons scouts try to avoid the PCs while

they send one spy to infiltrate the PCs

ranks, determining if any female PCs are

worth inviing to their fold, and if any

male PCs are worth taking capive as

husbands.

(4) Shipwrecked sailors* are led by a mad

naval captain* who destroys all attempts

to signal the outside world.

(5) A group of buccaneers* led by a bandit

captain huning a giant boar.

(6) A marooned NPC who the PCs are already

familiar with.11. Pack (d6)(1) 2d4 allosaurs.

(2) 2d10 death dogs.

(3) 1d4+1 displacer beasts.

(4) 2d6 gricks.

(5) 2d4 hell hounds.(6) 2d6 dire wolves or worgs.

12. Plant Beas ies (d6)

(1) A group of amphibious blights.

(2) A coelenite* grown over skeletons or

zombies that it controls.(3) A dryad as a Mayan spirit or female pirate

le t ied to a silk cotton tree.(4) A large bloom of fungi and myconids.

(5) A shambling mound comprised of

seaweed and shore plants.

(6) A treant that is telepathically linked to the

Mesoamerican World Tree.

13. Spooky Ladies (d4)(1) A banshee calling out to the spirits of her

dead tribe or shipmates.

(2) A night hag disguised as a mambo

accompanied by scarecrow nkisi (voodoodolls / poppets) bearing a subtle

resemblance to the PCs. Each nkisi has asympatheic magical connecion to one of

the PCs, such that if anyone but that PC

damages the nkisi, then that PC takes anequal amount of damage.

(3) Mama Dglo, also called maman du l’eau, isa man-eaing siren who can assume the

form of a woman on land and cast spells

as an 8th level bard.

(4) A medusa with jellyfish-like tendrils forhair whose gazes evokes the dreadful seas,

calcifying those who draw her ire. 14. Tricksters (d6) Tricksters abound in the lore of

the Dark Caribbean, and generally they are

amoral entities more concerned with teaching

mortals hard lessons than good or evil.

(1) Anansi, a wise story-loving West African

trickster, who appears as a man, a spider,

a giant spider, or a spellcasing drider.

(2) Brier Rabbit or Coyote, a Mayan trickster

too smart for his own good, who appears

as a man, a rabbit or coyote, or an

arcanoloth.(3) A Mesoamerican Nahual - a druid withanimal shapeshiing powers.

(4) A kenku as a “keeteel” surviving as ascavenger and smuggler.

15. Undead (d8)

(1) A pile of bones with a golden box at the

center. The bones animate as skeletons

only if the box is disturbed.

(2) A lameskull guarding a secret door.

(3) The ghost of a pirate who died wandering

the island and was never able to solve thepuzzle of the treasure map still gripped in

the fingers of the pirate’s corpse somewhere.(4) 2d6 ghouls and a ghast as marooned

vicims who turned to cannibalism.

(5) Upright stone sarcophagi are worked into

the cli fside, serving as stairs above a

perilous drop into the ocean. The

sarcophagi-stairs lead up to a tomb



27/74

worked into the cli f. However, once PCs

are midway thru the “stairs”, mummies

lurking in the sarcophagi awaken.

(6) The revenant of a pirate hunter sworn to

bring an end to all pirates everywhere.(7) 3d6 shadows stalk the island at night, only

avoiding specific glades or magic circles

that are warded against them.

(8) 2d6 wights dressed in tribal headdresses.

They are Lawful Neutral, but are ruthless

in carrying out the wishes of their tribal

elders as they perished to disease.16. Water Beas ies (d4)

(1) A group of bullygwugs revering a frog

idol with emeralds for eyes.

(2) A tribe of lizardfolk whose prophecies

describe a group of characters like the

PCs… as the “great feast for Semuanya.”(3) A water weird guarding a secret falls.(4) Several giant anemones* or giant sea

urchins* in the ide pools.

17. Wild Men (d4)

(1) Ravenously hungry blemmyae*, speaking

what sounds like gibberish.(2) A centaur as the creature which inspired

the “burokeet” (donkey-man) dances inTrinidad and Tobago.

(3) A satyr with a penchant for rum orgies

and challenging bards to musical contests.(4) A group of ye is as Dominican biembiens ,Mayan sisimité , or simply hairy wild men.

18. Wyrms (d6)

(1) A narcissisic basilisk with an unhealthy

fascinaion for re lecive surfaces.

(2) A behir adapted for the jungle.(3) 2d4 carrion crawlers scavenging the

campsite of any intruders.

(4) A couatl bearing a prophecy from an

ancient Mesoamerican culture.

(5) A lightless green dragon as the double-headed serpent of Aztec myth.

(6) A spirit naga (50%) or a guardian naga (50%).19. Yuan-Ti. Masters of the island, the yuan-i

have their own serpenine cult parodying

real-world religion, and are accompanied by

giant poisonous snakes, giant constrictor

snakes, and swarms of poisonous snakes. 20. Roll a d20 on the SEA BEASTIES table.


TH E AR T O F CR EA T I N G A N

IS LA N D

T O MA K E A N IS LA N D F E E L D IS T I N C T,

C O NS I D E R H O W A L L T H ES E

C O M P O N E N TS I N T E RA C T W I T H O N E A

N O T H E R. W HA T D O ES T HA T S H I P 'S

MAS T H EA D T O T E M M EA N T O T H E O G

R ES P LA Y I N G A BA L L GA M E W I T H A

H U MA N S K U L L ? T O T H E B U C CA N E E RS S T RA

N D E D O N T H E IS LA N D ?

A D D I T I O NA L L Y, A N IS LA N D P R O V I D ES

A N EX C E L L E N T O P P O R T U N I T Y F O R

D O W N T I M E. N O T E V E R Y DA Y O N A N

IS LA N D IS S P E N T A V O I D I N G R O L L I N G

B O U L D E R T RA PS A N D O U T R U N N I N G A

N G R Y P Y G M I ES, A F T E R A L L!

C O NS I D E R W HA T I T TA K ES I N O R D E R F

O R T H E P CS T O GA I N A L O N G

R ES T O N T H E IS LA N D. D O T H E Y N E E D

T O R EA C H A C E R TA I N A R EA W I T H

D R Y F I R E W O O D A N D F R ES H WA T E R ?

D O T H E Y N E E D T O ES TA B L IS H A

D E F E NS I V E P E R I M E T E R A R O U N D T H E

I R CA M P A GA I NS T M O NS T E RS ?

T H ES E L I T T L E T O U C H ES H E L P T O B R

I N G A N IS LA N D T O L I F E!


28/74

Undersea EncountersWith the ability to cast water breathing at 5thlevel, and a variety of magic items o fering the

ability to breathe underwater, not to menion

blessing from merfolk, the dark waters beneath

the Caribbean Sea become an adventuring

locaion pirates are likely to visit. You can check

for encounters are frequently as you desire,

though a good rate during travel through benign

waters is once in the morning and once when the

PCs take a long rest. In more hosile waters,

making a check hourly is appropriate.

Undersea Encounter Table (d10)1. Ocean Currents. Powerful ocean currents

bu fet the area. Roll a d6 to determine which

direcion they move in:(1) Upwelling of frigid water (see DMG p. 110)

from the depths.(2) Lateral currents.

(3) Circulaing currents moving in a

clockwise or counterclockwise moion.

(4) Descending currents suck everything

down into frigid water.

How strong are the currents? Roll a d4!(1) Light current moving 10-15 feet per round

(1 knot).

(2) Moderate current moving 30 feet per

round (3 knots). A DC 15 Strength

(Athleics) check is necessary to swim

against the current or hold posiion.(3) Strong current moving 60 feet per round

(6 knots). A DC 20 Strength (Athleics)

check is required to swim against the

current or hold posiion. If pushed into a

solid obstacle a creature takes 1

bludgeoning damage per 10 feet the

current pushed it (maximum 20 damage).

(4) Undersea bore or jet moving 90+ feet per

round (9+ knots). A DC 20 Strength

(Athleics) check is required to hold

posiion. Swimming against it is

impossible. If pushed into a solid obstacle

a creature takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage

per 10 feet the current pushed it

(maximum 20d4 damage).

2. Aqua ic Animals (d12)(1) A carnivorous scallop*, giant anemone*,

or giant sea urchin*.

(2) Dolphins, grey/right whales, or killer

whales.(3) Giant eels*.(4) Giant seahorses (possibly re-skinned as

hippocampi).(5) A dire squid*.

(6) A giant whale (leviathan)*.

(7) Octopi.(8) Sea turtles.(9) A giant shark, hunter sharks, or reef

sharks.

(10)A swarm of jellyfish*.

(11)A swarm of quippers as barracuda.

(12)A unicorn re-skinned as a wise gentle

narwhal.3. Debris (d6)

(1) Mostly useless lotsam and jetsam which

acts as concealment and di ficult terrain.

(2) Sparse debris and trinkets may contain

clues pertaining to what happened.(3) A sea of corpses.(4) Several salvageable pieces of equipment

and minor clues amidst the debris.

(5) Remnants of a failed diving expediion,

including a diving bell worth 4,000 gp.

(6) A small treasure chest containing a fewrolls on the individual treasure tables in

the DMG Chapter 7.

4. Coral Reef. While mostly found in coastal

waters, some deepwater coral exists at up to

200 feet depth. They are unique ecologies

host to many aquaic animals (anemones,

crabs, eels, sea slugs, singrays, turtles,

urchins) and someimes are used as either

temporary or permanent shelter by SEA

BEASTIES. Any creature cut by coral will

develop a rash. 5. Undersea Cave (d6)(1) A “blue hole” of prisinely opaque blue

water with high salinity.

(2) Maze of coral.

(3) Dragon turtle’s hollowed out shell.

(4) Web of calcified stone and sand

(5) Spiky chamber inside a dead giant urchin.(6) Bottomless hole diving into the Abyss.



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Sunken Shipwreck (d10)1. Habitat. Overgrown with sea plants and

barnacles, the ship serves as habitat for a

variety of aquatic animals, sharks in particular.

2. Fragile. The ship is on the verge of falling

apart or falling over the edge of a sea trench.

3. Ancient. The ship is centuries old, from beforethe European powers came to the Caribbean.

Is it elvish? From another world?

4. Haunted. A ghost or specter haunts the ship,

bound to its fetter within a chest that contains

several rolls on individual treasure tables in

the DMG.

5. Political Secret. The fate of the ship was

covered up by the powers that be, but the truth

can be determined from the wreck.

6. Cargo Partially Intact. Roll on the CARGO HOLD

ta

Documents

The Buccaneers Bestiary