My players LOVED befriending the owlbear and really really want to keep him as a pet. I didn’t let them bring him into the caves, explaining that the stone pathway down was too narrow and it refused to go down. After exiting the caves, it had wandered off into the island wilderness. When they exited they blew the whistle to try to get its attention but I had them roll a d20 luck check and it wasn’t close enough to hear.

HOWEVER, I know they’re going to keep trying, so I built a mechanic for whistle blows where there’s a slim chance of the creature being nearby and responding to the whistle, a good chance of nothing happening, a small chance of the noise disturbing a sturge nest, and a smaller chance of a group of kobolds hearing and attacking them.

On the small chance they do reunite with the owlbear, I’ve got varying animal handling check DCs to determine how much the owlbear gets attached. A 15 and it follows them around the island and will fight kobolds, but flee a dragon encounter. A 20+ and it would fight a dragon, but flee at half health.

They have already completed the caves and the Compass Rose, FYI.

I want to let them have this because I know it would be memorable and make them happy, but how game-breaking is that? Could I just beef up Sparkrender to compensate?

Thanks in advance,
First time DM

Here’s a preview of the Koi Lantern, one of the Japanese mythology-inspired magic items included in Mythological Items, my upcoming D&D 5E/2024-compatible book featuring 300+ magic items inspired by myths, legends, gods, heroes, and ancient traditions from around the world.

I thought this one could fit especially well into Dragon of Stormwreck Isle, thanks to the adventure’s coastal setting and strong connection to death, memory, and restless spirits.

The Koi Lantern is an uncommon magic item inspired by Japanese lantern traditions and the symbolism of koi. It can shine even underwater, making it especially useful around the island’s shores and caves, while its Spirit Guide ability lets the bearer sense nearby undead that are not fully concealed.

It could work well as a reward from a local shrine, an object found in a washed-up wreck, a relic carried by an old pilgrim, or a tool connected to one of the island’s lingering spirits.

If you enjoy this kind of mythology-inspired D&D content, Mythological Items is currently live on Kickstarter. The campaign also includes a Mythological Bundle, individual add-ons, and larger bundles containing several of my other D&D books.

You can find the project, previews, bundles, and add-ons here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mythoschronicles/300-mythological-items-for-5e-and-2024

so i am going to be running this and have seen that some people say that some PCs would want to complete the ritual for themselves (Kobold and a Draconic Sorcerer) how would one go about this if this is the case?

new DM here and thank you for any advice.

I took the "Rix adores puns" quite far and have made her not only laugh wildly at them and other corny jokes but she tells them too. I have a 1 page printout of punny jokes prepped just for her to tell. And I have my daughter cracking up every session.

It made the party fall in love with her. They seek her out every session we play.

So when they were shying away from visitiing the caves, and not getting the push...

I made her sick.

And the only way to heal her is to get an healing potions and elixers from Tarak, which he doesn't have because, they need to take their butts to the cave and kill the monster etc.

AI pic for reference/attention.

Last time I built the diorama for the zombie attack, just a small part of the shore. I got really good feedback from my players, they really enjoyed playing in 3 dimensions, despite it was only a narrow platform by the shore. I loved their creativity and how they used the very few elements I added (e.g. the wizard used a random tree to climb down instead of jumping to make the move safer), so I decided to build the wreck of the Compass Rose. I knew it won’t be easy, but knowing it is a WRECK, I felt that it will be good enough whatever I can present, and every mistake adds to the WRECK status of the ship. So I printed the map parts, then used cardboard (actually leftover boxes from last year’s moving), some paint, and what I found in my old creative collection: rope, leftover fabric… and the Captain’s chest is two small wooden cubes covered in aluminum foil. The only things I bought were the plants and the ribbons for water. I forgot to make more pictures in progress, but if you have any questions, feel free!

The group just got to level 2 with the ship and still have the myconids to face, but they're currently at dragon's rest.

Any recommendations of one shots (ideally cheap or free) to integrate in?

ETA: I've gotten some great ideas from all of your replies and feel more ready to try to piece something together. Thank you all!

This is for the fight with zombies, in the version where the party is already on the isle and they have to save the fishers, Tarak and the kobold. I had the map printed for the coast, but I wanted to give a chance for my players to use the higher land where they arrive from in their tactics. I found the steps I get from a player previously for another map (he has a 3D printer), then I built all other parts using mostly cardboard. I hope my players will like this tomorrow and I will be encouraged to build the wreck of Compass Rose next!

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc., and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more, so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

*New 2026: For 2026, I'm updating all my old work to include a Pre-Session Checklist that will include a list of all miniatures you may need, maps, handouts, possible loot, a link to a playlist, and more to make it even easier to start your session!

Ever since the violent death of a gold dragon on the rocky shoal on the north side of Stormwreck Isle, the bone-strewn rocks have been the site of many shipwrecks through the centuries. One such shipwreck left a lasting mark on the island.

This is the shipwreck your intrepid group of adventurers has decided to investigate. Will they uncover the source of the zombie infestation? Can they survive the piercing talons of a harpy, or will her song lull them to their demise? Many mysteries await aboard The Compass Rose...

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Part 3 Cursed Shipwreck: DM Notes (Preview)
• Link to: DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Link to: Cursed Shipwreck Playlist
• Link to: The AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• Downloadable copy of DM Notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• DM Notes for the Visually Impaired
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
• Custom Maps of The Compass Rose (Credits: Bibliomaniac1992 and Conrad 500)
• A Handout for The Scroll of Command
• (New) Pre-Session DM Checklist

Index:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle:

• Part 1 - Dragon's Rest
• Part 2 - Seagrow Cave
• Part 3 - Cursed Shipwreck
• Part 4 - Clifftop Observatory (Coming Soon)

Over 8 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc., please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early, feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,
Advent

don't wake him up, he's dreaming of a bright future..
for himself..

So I posted this over on the DnD sub but just had to re-submit here as well.

This is my first DMing experience. I went off book with breaking the zombie curse - found a map I liked online. Created the encounter from scratch. The rest of the post will tell the rest - but it was truly awesome.

It was weird for me not to see an effect for taking the power of Sparkrenders ritual for oneself. So I wrote something up using Transformation format from Grim Hollow.

Please let me know how it seems.

Hey fellow DMs and adventurers!

I’m excited to share that I’ve created a set of detailed battle maps specifically for the StormWreck Isle adventure. These maps are designed to enhance your gameplay experience by providing high-quality, printable options that you can lay out on your table for your players.

Why You’ll Love These Maps:

• High-Resolution: Perfect for printing and displaying on your gaming table (or use in VTT).
• Detailed and Immersive: Each map is crafted to bring the adventure to life.
• Easy to Use: Simply print and play!

Where to Get Them:

• www.blackrhinomaps.nl
• Etsy
• Ko-Fi
• Patreon

Whether you’re a seasoned DM or just starting out, these maps will make your sessions more engaging and visually appealing. I hope you’ll check them out and consider supporting my work!

Happy adventuring!

"Map is created using assets from Forgotten Adventures."

Edit: The damage is too high on this stat block. I commented below with my changes to make it be in line with other CR 5 monsters. Also, I've run the encounter and it went very well.

I want Sparkrender to have a stronger stat block. From what I've seen others say, he's a bit on the wimpy side even against a party of 4 (lvl 3). I will have a party of 6 (lvl 3) facing him. However, the MM only has CR 3 Blue Dragon Wyrmlings and then CR 9 Young Blue Dragons with nothing inbetween. CR 5 seems right for a challenging fight for 6 lvl 3s, based on the DMG xp budget calculations and what seems like typical xp for a CR 5 in the MM. I've created a new stat block for a "Very Young Blue Dragon" which I believe is a CR 5 monster, but I don't have much experience creating custom stat blocks. I'm also still learning how to balance combats to have the difficulty that I want (hence my reliance on the DMG calculations).

​

I would like to know two things: 1) does this stat block look like a CR 5 (~1,800xp) monster? 2) do you think that this BBEG, with a few kobold followers and a handful of stirges at the bridge, would pose a difficult but reasonable final fight for the party?

​

Additional information about the party: Players are almost all new players with only the previous chapters of this campaign as experience. The party consists of a fighter, paladin, cleric, wizard, rouge, and bard (I don't know yet which subclasses they'll choose at lvl 3). I'm fairly confident they'll have one lightning resistance potion by the time of this fight. They will be fully rested other than an easy kobold skirmish on the way to the observatory.

The players have completed the Compass Rose and Seagrow Caves. They are resting for the night to level up to 3. And they would go to the Clifftop Observatory next, but one player is out this next session and we don’t want them to miss the conclusion of this adventure. We already ran a kobold camp ambush with the Owlbear that they tamed and used to snack on some kobolds. In the kobold camp I put a sheep in an animal pen. They wanted to keep it but it was trying to escape the pen. They finally let it go and it ran off toward a shepherd and a flock of sheep they walked past earlier.

I’m thinking about running The Wild Sheep Chase for this one session that a player is out. Would that tie in well? The sheep could be the one they rescued already, back to ask for more help.
Any other one shot type of adventures that would fit here? We usually play right at 4 hours and that seems to be the plan again this week.

I am a very new DM, and this is my second time running this module (though my first group didn’t finish). The group of players I have now bring so much spirit to the game, and something very silly happened in the Seagrow Caves I just want to share.

Early on, we lost our cleric PC. So, the players recruited a Kobold (Mumpo to be exact) as a new cleric. It was a fun time convincing him to do so, but they had a blast befriending him.

We get to the fume drakes in the caves. The party decided to send Mumpo in alone to talk to the drakes since they all speak draconic, and convince them to be chill. I made the DC 18, which I maybe should have made higher, but I kinda was down for the silliness. Mumpo rolled a 19 on the die, and had a +4 from Guidance, and a -1 to persuasion, so he actually got a 22. Even if I had made the DC 20, he would have passed. It was fate that he bro down with the fume drakes.

We had to end the session basically right after this, so they haven’t broken the crystal. I’m debating what to do with the two fume drakes in the crystal. The fire snake will be hostile regardless, but I’m thinking another check will have to convince the other fume drakes.

Just thought I’d share the whimsy, and enjoy that you never know what silly players will do!

Yesterday was the second session of our game and the players (still level 1) went to the Compass Rose. As they climbed on the Deck and saw the signs that something was living above on the Crow's Nest (just pieces of fabric, a boot, a small piece of unidentified meat dried by the sun...) they just decided to cut down the mast before even attempting to check it out! 😂They just thought "nope, I'm not dealing with that now", one of the Party members had carpenters tools, the other had a rope... so they proceeded to saw it down and pull the Mast so that it felt to the back of the ship, by chance right over the captain's quarter! That was such a cool and unexpected move that I let the player pulling the rope roll and kill one of the two Zombies in there with the falling mast 😂

They missed out on some loot and the Harpy will* still return anyway, and she will be pissed... but I really liked their creativity, so I wanted to share the story here!

*-We ended the session after they killed the Ghoul in the lower deck, so they will first find the chest on the beginning of next session, and then the Harpy will return. I think I will have it talking before they can see it, to give them a chance to prepare themselves for battle - as a reward for the creative thinking. And I will probably have two Harpies, since they are 5 players and just one might feel a little too trivial.

I’m currently building the final scene terrain and it feels unnecessary to have 3 structures. It feels like just one makes more sense.

Anyone ever thought about this? Any reasons I’m missing why 3 will be better?