Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Amphisbaena

Found in Danger at Dunwater, these strange reptiles have a head at either end of their serpentine bodies, each one equipped with venomous fangs. To move, an amphisbaena uses one head to grip the neck of its other head, forming a hoop that rolls over the ground.

Assassin Vine

An assassin vine is an ambulatory plant that collects its fertilizer by grabbing and crushing prey and depositing the carcasses near its roots. It usually stays put unless it needs to seek out prey. A mature plant consists of a main vine, about 20 feet long. Smaller vines up to 5 feet long branch from the main vine every 6 inches. In late summer, the secondary vines produce bunches of small fruits that resemble wild grapes. The fruit is tough and has a hearty but bitter flavor.

A subterranean variant grows near hot springs, volcanic vents, and other sources of heat. An assassin vine growing underground usually generates enough offal to support a thriving colony of mushrooms and other fungi, which spring up around the plant and help conceal it.

Bard

Bards are gifted poets, storytellers, and entertainers who travel far and wide, but are commonly found in taverns or in the company of jolly bands of adventurers, rough-and-tumble mercenaries, and wealthy patrons.

Bodak

A bodak numbers among the numerous undead guardians in Isle of the Abbey. These soulless terrors, each one risen from the remains of someone who revered Orcus, Lord of the Undead, exist only to spread further suffering and death.

Bullywug Croaker

Some bullywugs are born with the ability to weave magic into their songs. These rare specimens are raised in protected enclaves where they are taught to use their magic to both heal and harm. As demonstrated in Danger at Dunwater, they are among the most pompous of bullywugs.

Bullywug Royal

The largest and most intelligent bullywugs invariably end up leading their kind. These sneering specimens dress in robes made from leather, rough cloth, and bits of marsh plants. As seen in Danger at Dunwater, a bullywug royal is often accompanied by and mounted astride a giant toad.

Deep Scion

Deep scions began life as people who were stolen from shore or saved from sinking ships and offered a terrible bargain by an undersea power: surrender, body and soul, or drown. Those who submit are subjected to an ancient ritual widespread among evil aquatic creatures. Its methods are painful and the result never certain, but when it works, the magic transforms an air-breathing person into a shapechanger that can take a form that is fully at home beneath the waves.

Drowned Ascetic

Dressed in tattered robes, its fists wrapped in long ribbons of rotting cloth, the drowned ascetic moves with alarming speed for an undead creature. This martial artist, rising from the ocean in Tammeraut's Fate, retains its fighting reflexes despite its rotting flesh.

Drowned Assassin

The drowned assassin stalks and kills in a grim pantomime of its former occupation. Sneaking from shadow to shadow, and appearing in the undead assault of Tammeraut's Fate, it aims its barnacle-encrusted hand crossbow with deadly precision. Hidden behind a simple driftwood mask, this creature's face causes terror in mortal hearts when exposed.

Drowned Blade

Assaulting the hermitage in Tammeraut's Fate, this barnacle-encrusted undead warrior fights with surprising cunning. Starfish cling to its wispy beard, and its evil rage is visible the drowned blade's bloated gray eyes.

Drowned Master

This waterlogged undead, bound to the Pit of Hatred in Tammeraut's Fate, hovers menacingly over the bones of its victims. Its torso, arms, and head retain their former shapes, but its legs have split into shadowy tentacles. The drowned master is tethered to a source of powerful magic that prevents it from traveling far. It commands other drowned ones, compelling them to serve as agents in its dark plots.

Fathomer

Fathomers are cultists who have sealed a pact with Olhydra, elemental Princess of Evil Water. In addition to their spellcasting abilities, fathomers have the ability to transform their bodies into water, taking serpent-like shapes. In their water serpent forms, fathomers gain many of the resistances that elemental creatures possess, as well as the ability to grapple and crush their enemies with their watery bodies.

Giant Coral Snake

Comfortable on land or in water, these brilliantly colored snakes are renowned for their potent and hallucinogenic venom. They are most often found in coastal caves. In the abandoned chambers of the hermitage in Tammeraut's Fate, these giant serpents feed on any creature that crosses their path.

Giant Sea Eel

Snaking predators lurking in the dark waters of the ocean, these kelp-colored beasts serve as guards and mounts for the locathah (including those found in Danger at Dunwater).

Harpy Matriarch

Happy to watch its flock squabble over carrion in Tammeraut's Fate, this gray-feathered matron of the harpies is surrounded by a cloud of magical spirits resembling skeletal seabirds.

Juvenile Kraken

Hidden in a deep, dark underwater pit near the Styes, this creature bears the mark of the dark god Tharizdun's madness. Becoming more independent every day, it dreams of freeing itself from its aboleth tenders and wreaking its own foul will upon the seas.

Koalinth

The koalinth, found in Danger at Dunwater, are martial and aggressive aquatic hobgoblins, with brightly colored faces and functional gills. They are known for their ferocity, and for their hatred of elves.

Koalinth Sergeant

These fierce koalinths lead special missions for their people, such as the diplomatic envoy encountered in Danger at Dunwater. A koalinth sergeant focuses its ire on the most significant threats on the battlefield, then eliminates those threats one by one.

Kraken Priest

A kraken can seem godlike to folk who have witnessed its fury. Those who believe that its might comes from being a divine entity and those who seek to appease the monster through its veneration sometimes find themselves infused with special abilities, to serve thereafter as kraken priests.

Kysh (Triton)

A prisoner of the sahuagin in The Final Enemy, Kysh is a defender of the deep sea realms who is ready to join the party in their struggle. Tritons are folk of the Elemental Plane of Water who journeyed to the Material Plane to watch over the dark places of the ocean depths. They stand guard over portals, deep sea chasms, and other places where foul monsters might emerge. When such threats appear, the tritons take up arms to drive them from the world.

Living Iron Statue

This squat, solid-looking statue, currently guarding the evil cult's treasure in Isle of the Abbey, is made from pure iron. Its hands are shaped into deadly weapons.

Lizardfolk Commoner

These lizardfolk, found wandering the halls in Danger at Dunwater, are just as fierce as their armed kin, and can equip themselves with weapons and shields if such are available.

Lizardfolk Render

Filled with the primal magic of Semuanya, the lizardfolk render undergoes terrifying changes during a days-long ritual performed by a shaman. As seen in Danger at Dunwater, the render's claws grow long and hard as steel, its frame enlarges, and its temperament becomes even more ferocious.

Lizardfolk Scaleshield

Serving as the elite warriors and officers of a lizardfolk clan, these robust creatures wear thick armor made from crocodile scales and metal. Trained in martial weapons and advanced combat tactics, they are found protecting lizardfolk lairs such as the one in Danger at Dunwater.

Lizardfolk Subchief

The lizardfolk subchief (seen in Danger at Dunwater) is a devout priest of Semuanya, pursuing the worship of its god in a manner similar to a cleric. It wields a dagger crafted of a massive crocodile tooth blessed by Semuanya, representing the subchief's prowess in both battle and piety.

Locathah

These resilient and proud fish-folk (found in Danger at Dunwater) have endured war, slavery, and mistreatment at the hands of other aquatic creatures. They dwell in submerged tribal communities along seacoasts, and hunt both above and below the water.

Locathah Hunter

The far-ranging locathah hunter is trained in tracking and stalking prey on land and in water. They often serve as leaders to small bands of locathah or emissaries for their people (such as the hunter found in Danger at Dunwater). Their colorful, poisoned, and fast-loading crossbows rarely miss a target.

Maw Demon

A quartet of squat fiends—all mouth and malice—turn their bottomless hunger to Lolth's servants in Salvage Operation. Infamous for their ceaseless hunger for carnage and mortal flesh, these fiends devour all in their paths. After a maw demon rests for 8 hours, anything it has devoured is transported to the Abyss for further digestion of a different sort.

Maw of Sekolah

Summoned from the shadowy depths of the ocean through ritual and tidal magic, the Maw of Sekolah appears in The Final Enemy as the avatar of the hungry sahuagin god. This huge, two-headed shark is fed a steady diet of sentient creatures, captured by the sahuagin and offered up as tribute. Sahuagin priestesses adorn the fins of the maw of Sekolah with gemmed bands and polished skulls.

Merfolk Salvager

Veterans of scouring the wrecks and ruins found in the deepest waters, these skilled warriors help defend their kin with rapier-like weapons of living coral. The salvagers escort other merfolk on scavenging missions, using their keen senses to detect danger. They are found allying with the lizardfolk in Danger at Dunwater.

Minotaur Living Crystal Statue

Given life through powerful magic, a large, crudely carved crystal minotaur guards the tunnels in Isle of the Abbey.

Monstrous Peryton

The terror of the coast and the recent scourge of Firewatch Island in Tammeraut's Fate, this large peryton preys on ships and coastal communities alike. It has built numerous nests to mark its territory.

Mr. Dory

One of the four councillors who rule the Styes, Mr. Dory hides his cursed nature in plain sight. His rare, liquid-sensitive "skin condition" is actually a form of the same aboleth affliction that creates skum, though Dory's condition is not as severe, and he has managed to retain his free will.

Oceanus (Sea Elf)

Before being captured, this sea elf had been tasked with investigating the Sea Ghost's movements in The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh. Oceanus is a smart and resourceful elf who is more than willing to join adventurers who have brave hearts and good intentions.

Pirate Bosun

The bosun (or boatswain) is tasked with organizing the cargo and crew aboard a ship. Bosuns are capable fighters whose experience with hauling cargo and delivering beatings make them tough opponents. Foul Frithoff in The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is the bosun who protects the cargo aboard the smugglers' ship. Ever since a bad accident, he has worn a hook at the end of one arm in place of a hand.

Pirate Captain

Pirate captains spend their lives at sea, earning and keeping command through blood and daring. A captain's impressive sword work and biting words inspire both confidence and fear in a ship's crew. Sigurd "Snake Eyes" is the pirate captain who leads a gang of smugglers in The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh.

Pirate Deck Wizard

These salt-encrusted practitioners of magic are at once learned and superstitious. The crews of pirate ships generally give their deck wizards a wide berth, as they magically step from place to place and unleash their briny magic against attackers. The ship Sea Ghost in The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh is home to a pirate deck wizard named Punketah.

Pirate First Mate

These no-nonsense sailors are the trusted allies of a pirate ship's captain. Ex-soldiers and trained mercenaries often find employment as mates aboard pirate ships. In The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, Bloody Bjorn serves as the first mate aboard Sea Ghost.

Rip Tide Priest

Priests of the Rip Tide cult gather in secret cabals to perform dark rituals that glorify Olhydra, the elemental Princess of Evil Water, as the embodiment of water's destructiveness. They believe that using water to kill their enemies, such as through ritual drowning, earns them Olhydra's favor.

Sahuagin Blademaster

A cunning veteran of countless campaigns, the sahuagin blademaster decorates its armor with the bones of its defeated foes. As demonstrated in The Final Enemy, sahuagin blademasters often serve as officers in the sahuagin army.

Sahuagin Champion

Those sahuagin warriors who prove themselves through heroic acts are given both title and status. Sahuagin champions often serve as lieutenants in the sahuagin army, as they do in The Final Enemy.

Sahuagin Coral Smasher

Employed as frontline brutes in The Final Enemy, coral smashers are drawn from the ranks of the strongest sahuagin warriors. Their physical strength overcomes the resistance of the water as they swing their hammers at structures and foes with equal zeal.

Sahuagin Deep Diver

These mighty sahuagin, found in The Final Enemy, are transformed by the divine magic of Sekolah to enable them to better explore the darkest depths of the ocean. Out of the water, they cling to shadows and serve as hunters and assassins. A long, scaly lure that can be illuminated extends from a deep diver's forehead.

Sahuagin Hatchling Swarm

Roiling through the waters in The Final Enemy, these swarms of sahuagin hatchlings are dangerous to any creatures they encounter. Other sahuagin avoid the swarms, while the individual members devour one another until only the strongest hatchlings are left alive to grow to maturity.

Sahuagin High Priestess

A sahuagin high priestess is the most devout and ferocious of all Sekolah's worshipers. Armed with a staff studded with jagged shark's teeth, she can be seen leading dark rituals in The Final Enemy.

Sahuagin Wave Shaper

These hunched and twisted sahuagin sacrifice their bodies to the mutating magic of Sekolah. Wave shapers add elemental magic to sahuagin armed forces (as seen in The Final Enemy) and delight in creating destructive whirlpools.

Sanbalet

In The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, Sanbalet is the leader of the land-based half of a smuggling ring. He is a cunning narcissist with an interest in illusion and mind control. He defends the contraband stored in the caves under the haunted house.

Sea Lion

These large marine mammals live along coastal regions and around islands at sea. One sea lion is kept in a cell in the lowest reaches of the sahuagin fortress in The Final Enemy.

Shell Shark

These impressive creatures, swimming through the sahuagin stronghold in The Final Enemy, are chosen by priestesses of Sekolah to serve as protectors and messengers. The sharks are blessed in a ritual during which plates of shell and coral are permanently affixed to their bodies.

Skeletal Alchemist

This undead retains enough of its former self to continue its alchemical work, often on behalf of necromancers or other sinister patrons. It toils in a dark laboratory (such as the one found in The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh), often falling dormant for long periods of time.

Skeletal Juggernaut

As seen lumbering across the beaches in Isle of the Abbey, a skeletal juggernaut is an oversized, bipedal assembly of bones that loses a portion of its mass with each step. These skeletal guardians hold together for only a short time before disassembling into a gang of individual undead.

Skeletal Swarm

This swarm of bones found rising out of the sand in Isle of the Abbey is made from the remains of several animated skeletons. A skeletal swarm alternates its appearance between partially formed humanoid shapes and a chaotic, swirling mass.

Skum

Several poor souls around the Styes have succumbed to an aboleth's magic through its disease-bearing touch. Transformed into creatures called skum, they barely resemble their past forms, their skin turning slimy and translucent while their limbs warp to resemble those of deep-sea oddities. The change makes them dependent on water, which they must immerse themselves in regularly lest they experience painful—and potentially lethal—skin eruptions. Skum are bound to their aboleth master not just by their cursed state, but by a psychic bond that compels them to serve its every sinister whim.

Storm Giant Quintessent

Some storm giants approaching the end of their natural life spans seek an escape from death. They plumb the depths of their powerful connection to the elements and disperse themselves into nature, literally transforming into semiconscious storms.

Swarm of Rot Grubs

Rot grubs are finger-sized maggots that eat living or dead flesh, although they can subsist on plant matter. They infest corpses and piles of decaying matter and attack living creatures that disturb them. After burrowing into the flesh of a living creature, a rot grub instinctively chews its way toward the heart in order to kill its host.

Rot grubs pose a threat both singly and as a swarm. See the accompanying stat block for the mechanics of a swarm of rot grubs.

A single rot grub has no stat block. Any creature that comes into contact with one must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the rot grub burrows into the creature's flesh and deals 3 (1d6) piercing damage at the start of each of the host creature's turns. Applying fire to the wound before the end of the host creature's next turn deals 1 fire damage to the host and kills the infesting rot grub. After this time, the rot grub is too far under the host creature's skin to be burned. If a creature infested by one or more rot grubs ends its turn with 0 hit points, it dies as the grubs burrow into its heart and kill it. Any effect that cures disease kills all rot grubs infesting the target. Burning a body kills any rot grubs infesting it.

Thousand Teeth the Devourer

Thousand Teeth is an ancient crocodilian nightmare that has served as the apex predator in the swamps near Saltmarsh for as long as anyone can remember. This monster recently fought a number of lizardfolk and lost one of its teeth. Angered and hungry, it sulks in its lair, lost in primal dreams of rending and tearing. It is found in the deep marshes in Danger at Dunwater.

Vampiric Jade Statue

A large, exquisitely carved jade statue of a vampire guards the tunnels in Isle of the Abbey, having been brought to life by dark magic. Its stone fangs draw blood that it then uses to work a curse on its victims.