Encounters on the Savage Seas I is a supplement by the one and only, Jeff C. Stevens, in his “Savage Encounters” series. In fact, there are two more Savage Seas supplements – which will be the subjects of next’s weeks review.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

As you can probably guess from the title, all these encounters take place in the sea, and Jeff has a few suggestions for other supplements that might pair nicely with them – for example, Captains and Cannons: A Ship Combat Guide in D&D 5e for more in-depth naval combat mechanics, Treasures of the Sea for appropriate loot, or additional aquatic Races and Feats from the Call of the Deep campaign – which we have previously reviewed.

As a supplement, it’s pretty hefty – 100 pages split into 19 chapters, each containing an encounter – in the general sense of the word, not in the D&D “combat encounter”. These range from one-off, well, encounters (this review is going to be absolutely saturated with this word, I can feel it), to short adventures, to locations and factions. In addition, each is written by a different author – there are 18 different contributors to just the written content, including other well-known names such as JVC Parry, Tony Petrecca, and Mike Shea (a.k.a. Sly Flourish), not to mention just as many for art and cartography.

Even though the total length of the book is substantial, I’d say the density is even more so – every page is absolutely packed with stuff to use. Every chapter includes maps, or at least some form of art when it comes to just NPCs, and there are also some instructions on how to scale the difficulty up or down if needed for all encounters that might end in combat. When it comes to adventures, most of them can be finished in under two hours – perfect for a one-shot or a short break in a nautical campaign. There’s also several magic items and trinkets, as well as a few creatures.

There’s a wide array of encounters for the players. A lot will result in combat of course, but there’s plenty of exploration, investigation, and negotiation going on, as well as a bit of horror sprinkled here and there. Some of my favorites include Badu, a small town traveling on the back of the eponymous dragon turtle, complete with a map and several NPCs as well as plot hooks for possible adventures, the Loan Sharks, a gang of assorted aquatic creatures such as tritons, sahuagin, and weresharks – included are a laundry list of possible crimes they are eager to commit, along with their lair – and finally the GFS (standing for Goblin Floaty Ship) Bad-Stingy, a “barely-buoyant amalgamation of flotsam from wrecked vessels lashed to lost cargo and left adrift on the open water” – but crewed by a cunning group of goblins, with some unconventional weapons.

Overall, Encounters in the Savage Seas I has a bit of something for everyone – if you’re running a Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign, or any type of sea-themed campaign in general, it’s worth giving it a look. There’s also a Fantasy Grounds version!

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