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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Orc in the Playground
     
    SolithKnightGuy

    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Gender
    Male

    Default Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Heyya, guys,

    is anyone here familiar with marshes?



    I have a campaign coming up, where players will spend some time in a marsh, ruled by a black dragon. And I've realized over the years, small things really make up an ambient. When in grasslands, wind blowing, grass rustling, perhaps clouds on the horizon, a large flock of birds flying over the PCs. Mundane things, simple things, that, however, flesh out the experience immensely.

    How do I do that for a marsh? I'd like it to be as nasty as possible. We may even add some adittional nastyness due to black ones' presence (magical deformation of the swamp).

    So: Mundane events in a marsh. (no combat encounters, only "ambient" things!) Nasty events in a marsh. Bugs? Muddy water? Log, that looks like a reptile?

    It's Tun marshes BTW, so it's not Chult or something super-tropical.

    thank you :)
    Last edited by HoboKnight; 2020-09-22 at 02:06 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    DwarfClericGuy

    Join Date
    Jul 2017

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Interesting

    Off the top of my head

    Insects buzzing & biting (get them concerned about disease)

    Sound of frogs/unseen animals - especially the sound of them 'plopping' into water or strange calls.

    Water rippling/moving in corner of eye

    Corner of eye catch the movement of a snake disappearing.

    Birds such as waders hunting for fish.

    Smell - standing water and foliage smells strong but natural, or an abandoned larder for the dragon - standing water with a partially digested/pickled corpse in it.

    During night and early morning - fog/mist reduces vision - have shadows seems to shift and move just out of range.

    Can have small islands with same plant on it - potential of sentient inhabitants 'farming'

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Orc in the Playground
     
    GnomeWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Closest analog IRL is probably a "cypress swamp" going by your description and picture. They smell really fresh and earthy, not bad at all, so maybe describe that until they start to get closer to the black dragon and maybe the air and water get a bit sour from the acid.

    It should feel incredibly humid and there will be tons of bugs buzzing around all the time. With lots of bugs, you get lots of frogs, fish, and birds too. I suggest having the natural animals indicate zones of safety, and the lack of them maybe signal that monsters are nearby.

    Swamp water is usually really muddy because it's from groundwater flooding, so the soil is pretty much never given a chance to settle and breaks down into muck all the time. That's also why you need boats and bridges in swamps, whereas you might be able to tromp through parts of a bog or marsh fairly easily with just some boots since those usually are characterized by river/tidal flooding or larger stable deposits of peat soil, respectively. Swamps always have that layer of water just sitting on top. In cool weather they feel kind of nice, and in hot weather they are pretty dang awful.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Planetar

    Join Date
    Jul 2020

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    I wrote a little 10 page setting module for dungeon world called Shellback Swamp. I don't want to break any rules, but it's pay what you want (including free!) on drivethrurpg.

    The "impressions" section might give you some ideas for descriptions. There's also all kinds of other stuff in there you can steal and modify for your needs.

    If you check it out, please let me know what you think.
    Last edited by Mercureality; 2020-09-22 at 01:49 PM.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Orc in the Playground
     
    BardGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2015

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Here are a few ideas for you to consider.

    Quicksand/bog traps: Sinking into quicksand or breaking through a supporting layer of vegetable matter could be a real threat.

    Bubbling swamp gas: You could have areas filled with either toxic, nauseous, or flammable gas from decaying plants.

    Bugs: As everyone has said, bugs bug bugs. Swarms might attack looking for a blood meal, or just because bugs suck. (Ha!)

    Birds, turtles, frogs, fish, or the strange lack of these. Depending on the marsh, they probably should either be packed with life, or creepily devoid of it...

    Strong smells: Rot, plant odors, bad water. Maybe sweet smells from flowers, to make the mix unusual.

    Carnivorous plants, giant or normal: Marshes are a great place to put these. Even if not meant to be a threat, they are great for color.
    Awaken an animal and you make them smart for the rest of their life; Teach your Awakened animal to be a druid and they will create a new race and take over the world.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Imp

    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Personal Dempiplane

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Alright, umm... that picture you're showing is actually not a marsh. Marshes have very few trees, mostly reeds and long grasses. That pic is more of a swamp, which have trees.

    As to what it's like to walk through a wetland:
    • If you're not on a raised, dry walkway, you're going to be walking through mud, water, plants that tangle your feet. Walking through water is hard work, and it's worse the deeper the water is. Also, wet boots.
    • Movement through the murky water - something brushes against a character's leg - plants, fish, or a monster? Great way to build tension, or start an encounter.
    • Water means life, and wetlands are generally full of living things - the buzzing of walking through a cloud of midges or mosquitoes, constant chirping of frogs, the singing of birds. If all the noise suddenly stops, that's a sign something may be very wrong.
    • Sudden changes in elevation! It's very hard to judge depth from just looking, and a raft might have to steer around shallow points, or an adventurer could step forwards into water and suddenly go under.
    • Smells wet, all the time - wet plants, wet dirt, wet adventuring party (no, seriously, wet clothing, especially footwear, absolutely reeks very quickly, and gets uncomfortable)
    • Snags - branches or stones concealed beneath the water, perfect to trip on.


    Hope some of this helps!

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    PaladinGuy

    Join Date
    Nov 2018

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    I'm not sure of your group and party, but you can play up the physical unpleasantness of it. Anyone in medium armour or heavier is going to have a bad time. It will be hot, heavy, and waterlogged, and the risk of damage to gear could be a real issue if you want it to be. Also spoiled rations, mouldy bed rolls etc. could be an issue.
    A boat/raft, tensers disc or unseen servant would be super useful.

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

    Join Date
    Jan 2016

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    In my experience, the loudest sound is the grumbling of the dwarves about being up to there chest in stinking water and the laughter of the elves. 🤣

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    RogueGuy

    Join Date
    Oct 2019

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Leeches - lots of them
    Boot rot - you can never get your feel dry
    floating mats of stuff that look like solid ground but isn't
    Bugs, Bugs, more bugs
    no high ground, so you can only see so far (height of eye)
    difficult to find dry ground - how do you sleep?
    How do you keep your gear in good shape - always dirty, muddy, wet
    very hard to start a fire
    it rains often, fog and mist too
    depending on your setting, some marshes are salt / brackish and may be tidal
    mud that sucks you in
    deep spots that look just like the shallow ones
    lots of critters - rats, muskrats, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, ... many venomous or poisonous

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsh

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GreenSorcererElf

    Join Date
    Feb 2019

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Bugs buzzing a whiney sound as they fly into a PC's ear.
    Bugs biting PCs' faces
    Loud background noise of cicadas.
    Bugs flying into PCs' eyes.
    Crickets chirping.
    Bugs biting PCs' exposed skin and parts that are covered by one layer of cloth.
    Sweat from humidity, that attracts more bugs.
    Biting bugs carrying disease that shows up a day or two after bites.
    Bugs and leeches under clothes and armor attaching to PCs.
    Constant itching from bug bites.
    Last edited by TyGuy; 2020-09-23 at 08:40 AM.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Tawmis's Avatar

    Join Date
    Mar 2004

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    I can not recommend tabletopaudio.com - specifically for you: Swamp Planet
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  12. - Top - End - #12
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    MindFlayer

    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Not really anything productive to add, just saying I absolutely love that picture. Just beautiful.

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    PaladinGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2014

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    Agree with the above posters that you need to decide whether you're talking about a marsh, or a swamp.
    There's a marsh in the park near my apartment...let's see...
    Wading birds swimming, standing on one leg, long skimming takeoffs, and landings in a flurry of wings stirring up the water.
    Long grasses rustling in the wind. Bullrushes.
    Frogs, ducks, beavers, loons, geese.
    Maybe the occasional half-submerged tree.
    Lillypads covering large portions.
    Open water, gradually changing to lilypad-covered water, becoming long grass poking out of the water, becoming very soggy ground covered in grass, becoming shrubs, becoming more solid ground with short trees.
    Last edited by NecessaryWeevil; 2020-09-24 at 09:43 PM.
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  14. - Top - End - #14
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    Lizardfolk

    Join Date
    Jun 2018

    Default Re: Sights and sounds in a marsh

    I've guided canoe/kayak swamp trips for several years, and have worked there many times for other purposes. Here are a few ideas:

    Bugs: In some spots where vegetation is dense, insects make it extremely hard to do *anything* unless precautions are taken. This can be swarms of mosquitoes at night, dawn, or dusk; or deer flies in the day during warmer months. Not just causing some irritation, but completely blanketing your skin and clothing, and flying into your eyes and mouth. Consider including the following effects (or similar) in these conditions:
    - Attack rolls, concentration checks, and select other ability checks are made with disadvantage.
    - At the end of every hour, DC10 Con save or reduce maximum HP by 5 (restored by along rest).
    - Sleeping is impossible outside of a tent or other protection; characters gain no benefit from a long rest, and at the end of a night beset by insects make a DC 14 Con save or gain one level of exhaustion (in addition to checks caused by lack of sleep).
    - A constant stiff breeze can provide some respite, and being in the middle of areas of open water can also provide relief.

    Landscape: Very little truly dry land is available for travel or rest. Vegetation is extremely thick in both water and on land; dense stands of cutgrass, large cypress trees surrounded by protruding roots ("cypress knees"), thick brambles. Unless the water level is high, your boat can only navigate by normal means along bayous or established routes.
    - Attempting to travel straight through the swamp via alternating dragging and paddling your boat would count as difficult terrain and require very challenging navigation checks to avoid getting lost. The flat terrain and dense vegetation makes it extremely difficult to stay oriented outside of an established route.
    - If traveling on foot through dense vegetation as described above, consider a Perception check for each hour, on a failure roll a 1d4: 1) Step on a venomous snake, make a DC 14 Dex save to avoid being bitten, on a failure take 2d4 poison damage and are Poisoned for the next 48 hours; 2) Encounter a Constrictor Snake that gets a surprise round; 3) Stumble upon an alligator nest defended by an angry mom ("Crocodile" in MM), which will attack but withdraws if the offending character retreats from the nest; 4) Step in fire ants, take 1d4 poison damage.
    - There may be no place out of the water to rest other than in your boat, unless you have a hammock to stretch between trees. This issue can make you vulnerable to the insect challenges.
    - If you're in a lowland riverine system, natural "ridges" are sometimes present; "ridges" is in quotes because we're only talking a couple feet in elevation above the water, but enough to provide a small piece of dry land. A character skilled in swamp survival can identify these from a distance by the types of trees growing on them: often large oaks, as opposed to the cypress, typelo, water maple, black willow, etc growing in the wetter areas.
    - The wet and humid environment will definitely take a toll on clothes after several days of travel; natural fibers like cotton and hemp will soon grow mold and stink unless they can be dried, and eventually will fall apart.

    Encounters: There are surprisingly few truly dangerous animals in most real-life swamps, but of course you can populate yours with any number of monsters. (Ex: Most alligators rarely attempt to take Medium-sized creatures as prey, but a large one will in the right circumstances.) A few Random Encounter ideas drawn from real-life:
    - Water is often covered with a layer of vegetation, like salvinia or duckweed. A high Passive Perception may detect the eyes of a large alligator peering out of the vegetation. If a Small-sized creature comes within reach, the alligator will attempt to grab and pull it into the water.
    - Party passes into an area of especially dense insects as detailed above, which also contains 1d4 Insect Swarms and 1d4 Stirges.
    - A thunderstorm blows through for 2d4 hours, all Survival and Perception checks are made with disadvantage during this time.
    - Giant Spiders (exact type of your choice) have covered the bayou ahead with webs, party must fight their way through or navigate around them and face the Landscape challenges above.

    Just some ideas - there's much more you can do!
    Last edited by kraitmarais; 2020-09-25 at 03:59 PM.
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