Backgrounds

A character with this background might be a follower of Procan or a missionary of some other god sent to establish a new temple in town. Saltmarsh has never been an overly religious place, but its prospects for growth make it an ideal target for expansion.

Acolyte of Procan
If you are a follower of Procan, your Shelter of the Faithful feature applies to the temple of Procan in Saltmarsh. Wellgar Brinehanded is your friend and mentor. He expects you to represent the temple in all you do.

Missionary
If you revere a different deity, you own a small building in Saltmarsh and have been charged by the elders of your faith with establishing a shrine here. You live in the building and have a staff of 1d4 locals who have already been recruited to your faith. Your Shelter of the Faithful feature applies to a temple located in Seaton, the provincial capital east of Saltmarsh.

As Saltmarsh grows more prosperous, it becomes a more attractive place for grifters such as yourself. If you want to do business in town, you’re going to cross tracks with Winston, the eponymous owner of Winston’s Store. The halfling merchant is always looking for new wares to add to his offerings. He knows the people of Saltmarsh well and gives you advice on how to walk the line between making a profit and angering the locals.

Saltmarsh might be a sleepy town, but many see it as the ideal place to enter Keoland without drawing notice. As a criminal in town, you are likely involved in smuggling and have done business with Kreb Shenker at the Empty Net. He hires crews to manage pickups on the coast for the smuggling kingpins in town.

Bards and performers are always in demand in Saltmarsh. You can use your By Popular Demand feature to find work at the Wicker Goat or the Snapping Line. The Wicker Goat is popular with the town guard and the dwarves who work the mine outside town, while The Snapping Line is frequented by fishers, sailors, and laborers who work the docks. Choose one of those taverns as your preferred venue. The staff, owner, and regulars there treat you as a friend.

Saltmarsh has long relied on its local people to rise up and deal with threats to the village. Only recently has the king taken more than passing notice of the area. You are beloved by the local sailors and fishers for your heroics, though the newcomers to the region (primarily members of the town guard and the dwarves working the mine) know little about you.

Create an event that prompted your rise to heroic status or use the table below to tie your background to events in Saltmarsh. Use this table in place of the Defining Event table in the Player’s Handbook.

Saltmarsh Defining Event

1d4: Defining Event
1: You snuck aboard a Sea Princes raiding ship and freed a number of captured fishers doomed to slavery in that realm. Anders Solmor, a prominent person in town, has been a friend ever since.

2: A terrible accident almost caused a fire that would have destroyed the docks, if not for your heroics. You still bear a few scars from the incident and have yet to pay for a meal or drink in town since. Eda Oweland, owner of several fishing boats in town, held a feast in your honor.

3: When goblins emerged from the Dreadwood to raid the area, you distracted them long enough for the militia to prepare an ambush that sent them fleeing back to the forest. The captain of the guard, Eliander Fireborn, has given you a commission as an officer of the watch.

4: A pirate crew crept into town one night to raid the dockside warehouses. You raised the alarm and led the defense. Gellan Primewater, an important merchant in town, owes you a big favor for saving his business.

Because of its size and its focus on fishing, Saltmarsh has never had many artisans. If you have this background, you can choose one of the following options.

Mariners’ Guild
You work with the mariners’ guild, providing sailors with rope, sails, tools, and other goods. You have a workshop attached to the guildhall and can draw support from similar guilds found in ports across the world. You have done a lot of business with Eda Oweland’s family and are on good terms with her.

Dwarven Artisans
You arrived in town as part of a mercantile concern associated with the Copperlocks dwarves. Currently the dwarves rely on your guild to provide supplies for their work at the mine outside town. You are friends with several of the miners, have access to their work site, and are on good terms with the clan’s leader, Manistrad.

The wilds around Saltmarsh might seem like the ideal place to find peace and quiet, though the monsters that lurk in the region can make isolation a dangerous practice. If your character has this background, the table below gives you some options for the nature of the secret that prompted you to return to civilization.

1d4: Secret
1: You stumbled across a clandestine meeting outside town. A wealthy-looking fellow named Skerrin met with someone and discussed bringing slaves to Saltmarsh. You suspect trouble is afoot and came to town to investigate.

2: The anguished ghost of an elf haunts your dreams, insisting that you tear down the standing stones just outside Saltmarsh. The elf claims that dark magic is behind the bountiful fishing in the region.

3: You have been plagued by visions of a massive wave, carrying a swarm of toothy sharks, crashing over the land and tearing apart everything in its path. Maybe someone in town can help.

4: The land around town is too dangerous to remain out in it alone. The lizardfolk of the swamps were once your friends, but they disappeared not too long ago. You came to Saltmarsh out of necessity.

The folk of Saltmarsh care little for nobles and their titles. Although the king technically rules the land, the south has long been left to its own devices. Are you a local noble turning to a life of adventure, or did you come here in search of fame and fortune? Regardless of your origin, your Position of Privilege feature allows you to request an audience with any official in town, including members of the town council. They typically take 1d6 + 1 days to fulfill such a request. The table below includes suggestions for how you came to arrive in Saltmarsh.

1d6: Origin
1–2: You were sent here by King Skotti himself. You are expected to keep your ties to the crown secret, the better to gain a clear insight into the region. If folk know that you represent the king, they’ll put their best faces forward and hide the issues you’ve been sent to uncover. Above all else, the king fears the emergence of a secretive group called the Scarlet Brotherhood. Learn about their dealings here if you can.

3–4: Your family owns a small manor outside town. Your siblings are in line to inherit your family’s land, leaving you with few prospects. Perhaps with several successful adventures under your belt, you can achieve fame in Saltmarsh.

5–6: Your family lost their holdings when Keoland’s enemies pushed back the realm’s borders. In compensation, you have been given a writ by the crown to found a new barony. The trouble is, the land you were ceded has been swallowed by the Drowned Forest.

Outlanders are a common sight in ports such as Saltmarsh. Even a small port attracts folk from across the world, though how they end up in a place like Saltmarsh varies greatly. The table below provides some ideas for how your character came to town.

1d6: Origin
1–2: You spent years shipwrecked on a deserted isle. Finally, you were recently picked up by a passing ship on its way to Saltmarsh. You were stranded after pirates attacked the ship you were aboard and killed everyone else. You survived by leaping overboard and swimming for hours.

3–4: For years your people survived in an isolated village in the Hool Marshes. Last year, lizardfolk fell upon your home. You escaped in the confusion, became lost, and ended up here. If anyone wants to go bash those scaly murderers, you’re ready to leap into action.

5–6: You were part of a tribe in a distant land, when one day red-sailed ships appeared off shore. The sailors were friendly at first and shared their food and drink. You woke up hours later in the hold of a Sea Princes slaving ship, having been drugged into a stupor. A Keoish ship ran down and boarded the vessel, saving you from a terrible fate. You owe your life to Eliander Fireborn and the marines Tom and Will Stoutly. They were the ones who received word of the ship and dispatched a squadron to intercept it.

Though Saltmarsh is by no means a center of learning, the lack of ongoing examination and investigation of its environs make it an ideal place to conduct research. The mystery of the Tower of Zenopus might also attract the attention of an academic. Consider the following options for your character.

Historical Researcher
The graveyard keeper, Krag, and the captain of the guard, Eliander, are both experts in local history. You might have arrived in town to conduct research and have made their acquaintance. Eliander grants you access to his personal library and uses his considerable knowledge of languages to translate documents you find, while Krag works with you to catalog the library’s contents.

Arcane Seeker
The wizard Keledek hired you to help him with a few of his projects. He was not a kind master, but he paid well enough. You helped him organize a set of ancient books, identify potions, and verify the authenticity of several alchemical recipes. He has since discharged you from his service. Keledek was always cool toward you, but he had some business dealings with the charismatic merchant Gellan Primewater. You have dined in Gellan’s mansion a few times, and he has mentioned that he sometimes needs help identifying some of the odds and ends his crews bring back to port.

Countless sailors have walked the streets of Saltmarsh. If you select this background, decide whether you are a local who took to the seafaring life or a foreigner who arrived here from a distant port.

Local Sea Dog
As a sailor native to town, you know plenty of people down by the docks. You have friends in the Oweland family who can get you access to Eda, a prominent local leader, as needed. You also have friends among the sailing crews and know the best and worst of the businesses that cater to them.

Traveler from Afar
You are new in town and are unfamiliar to most locals. You know the ways of the sea, however, and you blend in at the docks with ease. You can mingle with foreign crews, learn news from them, and strike up easy friendships. Some of them have contacts with local smugglers, and you have heard that there are hidden sea caves outside town where the wizard Keledek trades in arcane goods.

Many retired soldiers of the Keoish army make their home in the southern reaches, and you are no different. You might have served some time as a member of the town guard. Regardless of whether you did so, you have several friends among their ranks. The captain of the guard, Eliander Fireborn, is friendly toward fellow veterans and is willing to make time to meet with you if the need is urgent. At your option, you can also own a small plot of land and a farm outside town.

At a young age, you lost one or both of your parents to a tragedy at sea. Afterward, you grew up relying on the kindness of others. More important, the years you spent living on the streets have imparted to you the skill to sneak unobtrusively, overhearing gossip and witnessing scenes that others would prefer to keep secret. Pick one member of the Saltmarsh town council. The DM will share with you either a secret about that person or give you the option to create the details of a favor you did for them that leaves them in your debt. For instance, you might have overheard thieves making plans to steal from Gellan Primewater.