The Drowning Tide

Gothic · Coastal · Investigation

Generated 2026-04-16 · seed 3071905723 · 295 rule firings.

Session Zero

This campaign's tone (Gothic) and themes warrant a short session-zero conversation before play. Use the tools and prompts below.

Recommended safety tools

• X-Card — An index card on the table; any player can tap or lift it at any moment to signal "edit this out" without explanation. · When: Running the whole campaign, always available.
• Lines and Veils — Before the campaign: each player names lines (content that will not appear at all) and veils (content that fades to black if it arises). Collect privately if sensitive. · When: Session zero. Revisit if the campaign's direction shifts.
• Open Door — Any player can leave the table for any reason, any time, without explanation. Return when ready. The game pauses or continues as the group prefers. · When: Standing policy, stated at session zero.

Tone-specific prompts (Gothic)

• Family secrets / intergenerational guilt — comfortable as a plot motor?
• Religious imagery or cult dynamics — any faiths or traditions to handle with care?
• Drowning, dark water, suffocation — any specific fears to veil?

Theme prompts

• Conspiracy: gaslighting dynamics and distrust of institutions — worth naming as a theme up front.
• Inheritance: family-secret tension can echo personal history for some players. Safe to flag as veiled if needed.
• Isolation: extended scenes of helplessness may need pacing checks.

Tools cited: X-Card (John Stavropoulos); Lines & Veils (Ron Edwards); Script Change (Beau Jágr Sheldon); Open Door (community).

Campaign Arc

Title: The Drowning Tide System: D&D 5e Tone: Gothic — dread, isolation, crumbling order Setting: Coastal Arc shape: Investigation Party: 4 × level 3 Sessions: 6 Themes: conspiracy, inheritance, isolation

⚠ gothic tone benefits from safety tools

Structural note. This is a mystery-family arc. Apply the 3-clue rule (Alexandrian): every crucial fact must be discoverable by at least three independent paths. Where you plant one clue, plan two backups.

Tone palette

• fog rolls in at dusk
• distant bells at odd hours
• locals refuse to speak of the thing
• a house/ship/place that remembers
• the watcher at the window

Climax cues: - the thing turns its face toward the party for the first time - the hidden name is spoken aloud - an ancestor's voice, not calling for help, now - the weather breaks; a stillness the house has not known in years - the last candle blows out; someone laughs softly from the hall - a mirror cracks from side to side when the party enters

Emphasis: harbor-cult-atmosphere

Setting flavor

• fog off the harbor at dawn
• a ship that came in empty
• the lighthouse keeper's logbook
• a cult that worships what lives below
• the bell-buoy tolling in the wrong rhythm
• a child's shoe found on the tide-line — too small, wrong year
• salt crusts on windowsills a mile from the sea
• a seabird dead on a windowsill with its eyes gone

Sessions

Session 1 — Establish

Focus: Social · Target difficulty: Easy

Beat. a long-quiet scandal resurfaces in a private letter the party is asked to verify

Tone notes: - the innkeeper is nowhere to be found; breakfast is already laid out - the family crest defaced on one side, and no one saying who did it - a cult that worships what lives below

Plot advance. The inciting question surfaces; the party is drawn in.

Recurring NPC slot. A major recurring character should appear this session.

Session 2 — Investigate

Focus: Social · Target difficulty: Easy

Beat. a meeting with the official investigator reveals the case has been quietly downgraded

Tone notes: - a mirror in an unused room that shows the garden from a long time ago - salt crusts on windowsills a mile from the sea

Plot advance. New information clarifies or complicates.

Session 3 — Travel

Focus: Exploration · Target difficulty: Easy

Beat. the road (or the waiting) between revelations — a place to let what was learned settle, and what was chosen harden

Tone notes: - a portrait in the hall that the subject's descendants refuse to look at - the bell-buoy tolling in the wrong rhythm

Plot advance. A breather for character work; pressure briefly off.

Recurring NPC slot. A major recurring character should appear this session.

Session 4 — Investigate

Focus: Exploration · Target difficulty: Medium

Beat. a trip into less comfortable parts of the city yields a name

Tone notes: - a tune hummed by someone walking past the window at night - fog off the harbor at dawn

Plot advance. New information clarifies or complicates.

Session 5 — Complicate

Focus: Combat · Target difficulty: Hard

Beat. hired blades come for the party

Tone notes: - the old room that is kept locked, and the key is no longer where it was - a ship that came in empty

Plot advance. Stakes escalate; easy paths close.

Recurring NPC slot. A major recurring character should appear this session.

Session 6 — Climax: Climax

Focus: Combat · Target difficulty: Deadly

Beat. a public reckoning — evidence brought before the only authority still trustworthy

Tone notes: - a servant who has been in the house longer than anyone can remember - a seabird dead on a windowsill with its eyes gone

Plot advance. The final truth is revealed. Costs are paid. The arc closes.

Rule trace

Top rule firings that shaped this arc:

• mystery-three-clue-rule → campaign|require-three-clue-rule|yes (cf 0.95)
• arc-select-investigation → campaign|arc-template|investigation (cf 0.95)
• tone-emphasis-gothic-investigation-coastal → campaign|tone-notes-emphasis|harbor-cult-atmosphere (cf 0.95)
• mystery-three-clue-rule → campaign|require-three-clue-rule|yes (cf 1.00)
• investigation-three-clue-direct → campaign|require-three-clue-rule|yes (cf 1.00)
• difficulty-climax-default → campaign|climax-difficulty|deadly (cf 0.95)
• recurring-npc-every-two → campaign|recurring-npc-cadence|2 (cf 0.85)
• tone-emphasis-gothic-investigation-coastal → campaign|tone-notes-emphasis|harbor-cult-atmosphere (cf 1.00)
• tone-palette-match → campaign|tone-palette|gothic (cf 0.95)
• flavor-coastal-gothic → campaign|setting-flavor|coastal|gothic (cf 0.90)
• warn-gothic-needs-safety-tools → campaign|warning|gothic-tone-benefits-from-safety-tools (cf 0.85)
• pace-slow-burn → campaign|pace-profile|slow-burn (cf 0.90)

Cast

4 named recurring characters. DM expands as needed; players learn names through play.

Ferris Netherly

Ally · ★ major · first appears session 1

Motivation. Ferris did something terrible once; trying quietly to balance the books.

Hook. knows a safer path, or a hidden way.

Spells (Cleric, CL 5): - Cantrips: mending, sacred flame, spare the dying, guidance - Prepared: cure wounds (L1), healing word (L1), inflict wounds (L1), command (L1), shield of faith (L1), spiritual weapon (L2), blindness/deafness (L2), calm emotions (L2), revivify (L3)

Stat-block note: full temple servant; cure wounds, guiding bolt.

Veshen Longboat

Villain · ★ major · first appears session 2

Motivation. Veshen fixated on an idea or object beyond reason; no longer weighs costs.

Hook. has a secret whose reveal would flip their faction.

Multiclass flavor — Hedge-Knight Arcanist. old warrior who picked up minor magic the hard way.

Secret (DM only). knows a piece of the truth the party needs.

Stat-block note: plate armor, leadership aura, multiattack.

Ortha Ashen

Informant · ★ major · first appears session 2

Motivation. Ortha acts to protect or reach someone they love — that person may not know.

Hook. knows a piece of the truth the party needs.

Spells (Cleric, CL 1): - Cantrips: sacred flame, spare the dying, light - Prepared: healing word (L1), command (L1), bless (L1), inflict wounds (L1)

Stat-block note: junior priest; a few spells.

Isolt Pelton

Witness · minor · first appears session 1

Motivation. Isolt sworn to a cause, code, or person; acts for the oath, not themselves.

Hook. has been watching the party; wants to warn them of something.

Stat-block note: any humble person; default for minor NPCs.

Party

4 player characters. The DM provided backstories; the hooks below are drafted from them.

Personal Hooks

One drafted hook per PC. Each ties the PC to a specific NPC, names a session to land the beat in, and gives the DM a one-line prompt to improvise from.

Lirael of the Long Road (Ranger)

• Tied to: Ortha Ashen (informant · kin)
• Drop in session: 4
• Personal beat: Ortha Ashen reaches for her sister's locket without asking, as if it had always been theirs to touch.

Rook Vale (Rogue)

• Tied to: Ferris Netherly (ally · holds the debt)
• Drop in session: 4
• Personal beat: A figure in Ferris Netherly's employ confronts Rook Vale about the old obligation.

Brother Callun (Cleric)

• Tied to: Ferris Netherly (ally · oath-bound)
• Drop in session: 2
• Plot fact echo: Motive — What drives Veshen Longboat, once the layers are stripped away, is that they have fixated past reason.
• Personal beat: A witness to Brother Callun's original oath appears — in service to Ferris Netherly.

Velvet Ashborne (Wizard)

• Tied to: Ortha Ashen (informant · former mentor)
• Drop in session: 3
• Personal beat: Ortha Ashen recognizes Velvet Ashborne — their old mentor, or their mentor's old colleague — and what passed between them remains unresolved.

Relationships

6 named relationships derived from the cast. These are the hidden wires the DM can pull at the table.

Edge list

Plot Facts

The narrative spine. Each crucial fact should reach the party by the session listed. The reveal paths column names every handout, NPC beat, or encounter that can convey it; the 3-clue rule requires 3 paths per crucial fact.

Stakes presentation: Creeping Dread.

✓ All crucial facts have the required reveal paths.

Contingencies

If the party misses a crucial reveal, the DM has a plan. One entry per crucial fact, 5 in total.

Villain Identity · fact-villain-identity · High severity

Primary reveal by session 5. Fact: "The hand that has moved every piece is Veshen Longboat's."

If missed. Fog thickens over the town for an extra evening; a second small disappearance occurs. The old-timers start speaking of Veshen Longboat.

Stakes escalation. The mourning-bells begin to ring at hours no one scheduled.

Fallback reveal — session 6. A party member has the same dream three nights running: a face behind a mask; the mask slips on the third night.

If still unknown at climax. The villain reveals themselves at the climax. The surprise is dramatic, but the party did not prepare counters. Encounter runs one difficulty step higher.

Motive · fact-motive · Medium severity

Primary reveal by session 3. Fact: "What drives Veshen Longboat, once the layers are stripped away, is that they have fixated past reason."

If missed. The villain's collection of tokens grows by one — the party could have prevented this with understanding.

Stakes escalation. The fog extends further inland each dusk; the edge of the town is now a place people do not go at night.

Fallback reveal — session 4. A party member overhears the villain praying (or cursing, or bargaining) — the reason is in the words they choose.

If still unknown at climax. The villain's motive lands at the climax as context, not leverage. The party cannot weaponize what they do not understand.

Method · fact-method · Medium severity

Primary reveal by session 3. Fact: "The harm is done through a ritual worked piecemeal over years."

If missed. The thing the villain does next is not the thing the party prepared for.

Stakes escalation. The old priest ceases morning services and will not say why. His keys turn up in a stranger's pocket.

Fallback reveal — session 4. A scholar, reading the party's report, interrupts them to describe exactly what is being done, in detail.

If still unknown at climax. The party faces the method at full strength, unprepared. A surprise round may open the fight.

Accomplice · fact-accomplice · Medium severity

Primary reveal by session 5. Fact: "Ortha Ashen has been moving in the same circles as Veshen Longboat — and by design."

If missed. A note in a hand the party knows is given to the wrong hand — the accomplice gets it.

Stakes escalation. A familiar face is seen in the wrong place — looking unchanged, decades after they should have aged.

Fallback reveal — session 6. An anonymous note, delivered to the inn, lists names — the accomplice's is one of three.

If still unknown at climax. The accomplice sides with the villain visibly; a second combatant joins the fight.

Ally Compromise · fact-ally-compromise · High severity

Primary reveal by session 5. Fact: "Ferris Netherly has been turned, or was never with the party in the first place."

If missed. The ally's betrayal lands on the stair; the party must fight the rescue plan they thought they had.

Stakes escalation. A child sleeps and does not wake for a full day; the family is afraid to say it happened.

Fallback reveal — session 6. The party finds a secret second payment in the ally's room — made to the wrong side.

If still unknown at climax. The compromised ally acts in the climax itself. Expect a dramatic betrayal mid-combat.

Handouts

7 physical artifacts the players can hold, passed across the table. Print or copy the text blocks below.

Handout fact-stakes · Cipher

Session 1 · Concerns: Ferris Netherly

Styling. A small card with a single column of letter-pairs; the cipher is a simple substitution

Reveal method. Folded inside a book's spine, palpable when the book is opened

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-stakes · Stakes

If the party does not act by the climax, the harbor falls to what waits below.

Text to pass to players:

(The card contains a cipher the party must decode. Key is hidden in plain sight; perhaps a line in a book mentioned nearby. The decoded message reads:)

"The locked room has been opened from the inside. Trust no one in the fishmongers' row after dark. The wrongs I set in motion years ago."

Styling note for DM: hand the players the cipher on a separate card; let them work it.

Handout fact-method · Journal

Session 2 · Authored by: Isolt Pelton · In-fiction addressee (NPC): Ferris

Styling. Numbered ledger, neat columns in the margins

Reveal method. Confiscated from the scene before the watch arrived

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-method · Method

The harm is done through a ritual worked piecemeal over years.

Text to pass to players:

Entry the morning after the wreck.

Confirmed: the Keeper was seen at the tide-line after midnight. Suspected: the house-staff have been dismissed quietly, one by one. To verify: the chapel bell was rung without anyone in the belfry.

If these three hold together, the conclusion forces itself: Watch the timing around Veshen; the same hour favours them every time

Meet with Ferris — do not write the name in this book again.

Handout fact-motive · Letter

Session 3 · Authored by: Ferris Netherly · In-fiction addressee (NPC): Ortha

Styling. Aged paper, dark water-stains, one corner burned

Reveal method. Tucked into the back of a bound ledger in the old chandlery

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-motive · Motive

What drives Veshen Longboat, once the layers are stripped away, is that they have fixated past reason.

Text to pass to players:

Ortha —

It has been a long tide of winters. The harbor is not the place you remember. The house remembers things it should not.

I write because there is no one else who would believe what I have finally put together: Veshen does not move for gold and not for power, but for the thing older than both

If I do not write again before the next full moon, end this before it ends me.

— F.

Handout fact-location · Sermon Fragment

Session 3 · Concerns: Ortha Ashen

Styling. A single page, water-stained; the margins annotated in a different hand

Reveal method. Slipped from inside a hymn-book in the abandoned chapel

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-location · Location

The harbor is where the threads converge.

Text to pass to players:

...and so we are warned, beloved, of the three signs.

The first: the mirror in the parlor has been turned to face the wall. The second: the logbook has pages torn from the back. The third, and the most terrible — that the candles in the upper hall were replaced the same night.

Let us not, in the hour of the signs, forget: a reason that needs no further naming if you know me at all.

Scrawled in the margin, different hand: The third sign is already upon us. The dogs will not go near the cellar door.

Handout fact-accomplice · Overheard

Session 4 · Concerns: Isolt Pelton

Styling. (DM: the first voice light and social; the second voice not quite wrong — but not quite right)

Reveal method. Through an open window the party passes just before curfew

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-accomplice · Accomplice

Ortha Ashen has been moving in the same circles as Veshen Longboat — and by design.

Text to pass to players:

Through an open window, a woman speaks easily, as to an old friend:

"And the children? They liked the new song?"

A reply the party cannot quite make out. Then, clearer:

"Good. Good. Keep teaching them. Someone has been moving the mirrors. They will not remember learning it, and that is perfectly all right."

Handout fact-villain-identity · Will And Contract

Session 5 · Authored by: Ortha Ashen · In-fiction addressee (NPC): Ferris

Styling. Dark paper, red-brown ink, the signature smudged as if the signer had been weeping

Reveal method. Hidden behind a loose stone in the cellar wall; still sealed in wax that the party must break

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-villain-identity · Villain Identity

The hand that has moved every piece is Veshen Longboat's.

Text to pass to players:

Let it be set down, that on the eve of the Drowning Vigil, the undersigned did freely bind themselves as follows:

In exchange for a person I cannot write here by name, I, Ortha Ashen, do agree to burn this and forget my face — without hesitation, without question, and without recourse.

I understand and accept that Ask who stood to gain by each misfortune — the answer, every time, is Veshen Longboat

(In a second hand below, smaller:) "The terms are met when the terms are met. Do not ask again."

The wax of the seal, where still intact, is impressed with a sigil the party has seen before.

Handout fact-ally-compromise · Personal Note

Session 5 · Authored by: Ortha Ashen

Styling. A small slip, creased many times; hand unhurried

Reveal method. Passed to a party member in a press of people — they do not see who

Reveals plot fact (DM only): fact-ally-compromise · Ally Compromise

Ferris Netherly has been turned, or was never with the party in the first place.

Text to pass to players:

the feast of St. Laerten — the public gardens.

Come alone.

— O

Treasure Overview

Total across campaign: ~1317 gp · magic-item cap 6.

Trap Summary

Travel Summary

1 travel segment across the campaign.

Encounters by Session

Session 1 — Establish · Encounter

Session 1 encounter — Social · Easy · Coastal

Dramatic shape: Social Challenge. A structured social encounter. Skill checks replace sword swings; stakes replace hit points.

How to run: Run as a skill challenge: each PC makes one check per round against the DC ladder. Track successes vs failures. Complications trigger at round 2+.

No monsters. This is a social scene.

Objective. Talk, bargain, or intimidate to a working outcome.

Social challenge — stakes: Standard

• DC ladder: 12 → 13 → 14 → 15
• Successes needed: 3 before 3 failures
• NPCs involved: npc-ally, npc-witness

Stakes: - Success: Terms are agreed. The NPC shakes on it — resources, passage, or a name. - Partial: They agree to part of it, but the price is higher than expected. Take it or leave it. - Failure: Talks break down. The NPC walks out, and the offer won't come again.

Complications (introduce at round 2+): - A servant enters and whispers something alarming to the host; the room's mood shifts. - The lights gutter — when they return, someone is standing who was not there before.

Scene features: - crates of cover - slick boardwalk - low-tide mudflats - witnesses or eavesdroppers - a ticking clock or shifting allegiance

Treasure — Individual · Common

• Coin. 6 gp
• Total value. ~6 gp

Between sessions — downtime options

The following activities are available to the party during downtime:

• Craft a Trinket (Crafting)
• Create a small decorative or useful object — a locket, compass, carved totem, or similar item.
• Check: Artisan's Tools DC 10 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: A nonmagical trinket. May serve as a gift, key, or plot token at DM discretion.
• Consult a Sage (Research)
• Seek out a sage, scholar, or specialist and pay for their expertise.
• Check: Persuasion DC 13 · Cost: 25 gp
• Outcome: The sage provides a specific answer to one question about history, arcana, or nature.

Session 2 — Investigate · Encounter

Session 2 encounter — Social · Easy · Coastal

Dramatic shape: Social Challenge. A structured social encounter. Skill checks replace sword swings; stakes replace hit points.

How to run: Run as a skill challenge: each PC makes one check per round against the DC ladder. Track successes vs failures. Complications trigger at round 2+.

No monsters. This is a social scene.

Objective. Talk, bargain, or intimidate to a working outcome.

Social challenge — stakes: Standard

• DC ladder: 12 → 13 → 14 → 15
• Successes needed: 3 before 3 failures
• NPCs involved: npc-villain, npc-ally, npc-informant, npc-witness

Stakes: - Success: The subject breaks. The confession is detailed and verifiable. - Partial: They confess to some of it — enough to raise new questions, not enough to close the case. - Failure: They hold firm. The party's leverage is spent, and the subject knows it.

Complications (introduce at round 2+): - An unexpected guest arrives and openly contradicts a lie the party just told. - A sealed letter is delivered mid-conversation — its contents embarrass someone present.

Scene features: - docks - rope-lines - slick boardwalk - witnesses or eavesdroppers - a ticking clock or shifting allegiance

Treasure — Individual · Common

• Coin. 6 gp
• Total value. ~6 gp

Between sessions — downtime options

The following activities are available to the party during downtime:

• Forage and Hunt (Work)
• Spend a day in the wilds hunting game or gathering edible plants and useful herbs.
• Check: Survival DC 12 · Cost: 0 gp
• Outcome: Find 1d4 days of rations and one useful plant (antitoxin ingredient, spell component, or trade herb worth 5 gp).
• Oracular Consultation (Research)
• Visit a temple oracle, hedge-witch, or diviner for cryptic guidance.
• Check: Religion DC 14 · Cost: 20 gp
• Outcome: Receive a cryptic clue — the DM provides one true statement phrased as riddle or prophecy.
• Extended Rest (Recuperation)
• Spend downtime in complete rest — a warm bed, decent meals, no exertion.
• Check: Constitution DC 10 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: Remove one level of exhaustion or end one disease/poison effect.

Travel: Session 2 to Session 3 Coastal · 1 day

Random encounter: Sahuagin raiders emerge from the surf at low tide.

Travel obstacles: - a fishing net being hauled — Dexterity DC 13. On fail: caught in the net (restrained)

Session 3 — Travel · Encounter

Session 3 encounter — Exploration · Easy · Coastal

Objective. Reach the target location or uncover the hidden detail.

Creatures: - 1× Acolyte (50 XP each) - 3× Cultist (25 XP each)

Budget: party 300 XP · raw 125 · adjusted 250 · on-target

Tactics: - 1× Acolyte: Spells support melee allies. Sacred flame from the back line. - 3× Cultist: Chants distracting invocations. Dies before betraying the cult.

Terrain features: - crates of cover - slick boardwalk - low-tide mudflats

Hazards: - slippery decks (dex save or prone) - cold water exposure

Hazards — 1 trap

• Lightning Glyph (Magical · Minor)
• Trigger: Stepping on inscribed sigil
• Effect: Lightning arcs from sigil to nearest creature. (2d8 damage, DC 14 save)
• Detect: DC 14 · Disarm: DC 16
• Reset: none

Treasure — Individual · Common

• Coin. 48 gp
• Total value. ~48 gp

Between sessions — downtime options

The following activities are available to the party during downtime:

• Religious Observance (Recuperation)
• Spend time in prayer, meditation, or service at a temple, shrine, or sacred grove.
• Check: Religion DC 11 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: Gain inspiration (PHB). On a critical success, the DM offers a minor divine portent.
• Gather Rumors (Research)
• Spend time in public places — markets, docks, taverns — listening for useful gossip.
• Check: Perception DC 12 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: Learn one rumor about a local person, place, or recent event relevant to the campaign.

Session 4 — Investigate · Encounter

Session 4 encounter — Exploration · Medium · Coastal

Objective. Reach the target location or uncover the hidden detail.

Creatures: - 1× Sahuagin (450 XP each)

Budget: party 600 XP · raw 450 · adjusted 450 · on-target

Tactics: - 1× Sahuagin: Blood Frenzy: advantage against wounded targets. Swims fast.

Terrain features: - crates of cover - slick boardwalk - low-tide mudflats

Hazards: - slippery decks (dex save or prone) - cold water exposure

Treasure — Individual · Common

• Coin. 48 gp
• Total value. ~48 gp

Between sessions — downtime options

The following activities are available to the party during downtime:

• Case the Target (Research)
• Walk the approaches of the target — guard rotations, side doors, blind corners, the loose gossip of clerks who work nearby.
• Check: Investigation DC 13 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: Learn one specific security detail (patrol timing, hidden entrance, or posted DC for a check on the actual job).
• Tend the Wounded (Recuperation)
• Spend downtime caring for an injured companion, civilian, or NPC. Requires a healer's kit.
• Check: Medicine DC 12 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: The patient regains hit dice equal to half their level (min 1). Builds goodwill if the patient is an NPC.
• Tavern Carousing (Carousing)
• Spend an evening drinking, gambling, and swapping stories at a local tavern.
• Check: Persuasion DC 11 · Cost: 10 gp
• Outcome: Make 1d3 contacts among locals. On a critical success, learn a useful rumor.

Session 5 — Complicate · Encounter

Session 5 encounter — Combat · Hard · Coastal

Dramatic shape: Ambush. Enemies act first. The party is reacting, not planning.

How to run: Party rolls Perception passive/active; failure → surprise round (enemies free round). Initiative then proceeds normally.

Objective. Defeat every hostile creature.

Creatures: - 1× Sahuagin (450 XP each) - 3× Cultist (25 XP each)

Surprise round. Enemies hold initiative for round 1. Party PCs make Passive or active Perception (DC 14) to avoid the surprise.

Budget: party 900 XP · raw 525 · adjusted 1050 · on-target

Tactics: - 1× Sahuagin: Blood Frenzy: advantage against wounded targets. Swims fast. - 3× Cultist: Chants distracting invocations. Dies before betraying the cult.

Terrain features: - crates of cover - slick boardwalk - low-tide mudflats - high ground the enemy holds - cover the party does not know about

Hazards: - falling into water (swim DC 10) - slippery decks (dex save or prone)

Hazards — 1 trap

• Silence Rune (Magical · Major)
• Trigger: Entering 20-ft radius
• Effect: Zone of silence; verbal spells fail, party cannot coordinate. (4d8 damage, DC 14 save)
• Detect: DC 16 · Disarm: DC 18
• Reset: permanent until dispelled

Treasure — Hoard · Uncommon

• Coin. 110 gp, 1500 sp, 3200 cp
• Art. Silver ewer (25 gp); Carved bone statuette (25 gp)
• Magic items:
• Potion of Greater Healing (Uncommon) — Regain 4d4 + 4 HP.
• Total value. ~542 gp

Between sessions — downtime options

The following activities are available to the party during downtime:

• Consult a Sage (Research)
• Seek out a sage, scholar, or specialist and pay for their expertise.
• Check: Persuasion DC 13 · Cost: 25 gp
• Outcome: The sage provides a specific answer to one question about history, arcana, or nature.
• Street Carousing (Carousing)
• Spend a night in the lower quarters — pit fights, dice games, and cheap ale.
• Check: Constitution DC 12 · Cost: 5 gp
• Outcome: Make 1d3 contacts among common folk or the underworld. Risk a brawl on failure.

Session 6 — Climax · Encounter

Session 6 encounter — Combat · Deadly · Coastal

Dramatic shape: Duel. A single antagonist takes the spotlight. Minions are backdrop.

How to run: The named antagonist acts twice per round (lair-style). Minions act in aggregate — roll once for the lot, deal damage by group. Victory condition: The antagonist yielding counts as victory; so does their death.

Objective. Bring down the leader. The minions may flee or stand.

Creatures: - 1× Sea Hag (450 XP each) - 2× Harpy (200 XP each)

Budget: party 1600 XP · raw 850 · adjusted 1700 · on-target

Tactics: - 1× Sea Hag: Death Glare frightens the weakened to death. Amphibious. - 2× Harpy: Luring Song charms at range. Attacks the charmed in melee.

Terrain features: - crates of cover - slick boardwalk - low-tide mudflats - a ring or boundary that frames the duel (balcony, dock, cliff)

Hazards: - falling into water (swim DC 10) - slippery decks (dex save or prone)

Treasure — Climax Reward · Rare

• Coin. 60 gp, 800 sp, 2700 cp
• Magic items:
• +1 Shield (Uncommon) — +1 to AC while wielded. (stacks with shield's base +2)
• Total value. ~667 gp

Quick Reference

Coherence Check

18 validators ran. 0 errors, 0 warnings, 0 notes.

✓ No coherence issues detected.

Source brief

{
  "system": "5e",
  "tone": "gothic",
  "arc-type": "investigation",
  "setting": "coastal",
  "pace": "slow-burn",
  "session-count": 6,
  "party-level": 3,
  "party-size": 4,
  "title": "The Drowning Tide",
  "brief": "A slow-burn gothic investigation in a coastal port city. Something old stirs beneath the harbor. 6 sessions, 4 level-3 characters. Tone: dread, isolation, hard choices. Themes of conspiracy and inheritance.",
  "themes": [
    "conspiracy",
    "inheritance",
    "isolation"
  ],
  "pcs": [
    {
      "name": "Lirael of the Long Road",
      "class": "ranger",
      "backstory": "Former caravan guard. Her younger sister was lost to a coastal cult years ago; she has chased whispers ever since. Carries her sister's locket."
    },
    {
      "name": "Rook Vale",
      "class": "rogue",
      "backstory": "Guild-trained thief working off a debt to a fixer in another city. The debt can be transferred but not forgiven."
    },
    {
      "name": "Brother Callun",
      "class": "cleric",
      "backstory": "Took an oath of the Tidewatch order after a storm he could not save his shipmates from. His faith is practical and bitter."
    },
    {
      "name": "Velvet Ashborne",
      "class": "wizard",
      "backstory": "Former apprentice whose mentor vanished into research neither of them should have attempted. Velvet dreams of the last conversation they had."
    }
  ]
}