A review copy of “Sea Shanties: A Bardic Guide” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
Designed by: Elise Cretel, with Aaryan Balu, Caveat Lector, Diane Laser, H.H. Carlan, Joe Raso, Micah Watt, Peter Harris, Sarah Loesch
If you can’t already tell by the subtitle, Sea Shanties: A Bardic Guide is a supplement built for bards, providing new spells in the form of those catchy call-and-answer ditties of the Age of Sail. But more than that, it’s also designed specifically for nautical campaigns, with some spiffy new locations, magic items, and trinkets.
The nearly 20 new sea shanties are based on real-world shanties, which I mostly know from Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag (here’s a link to a good sea shanty playlist). The lyrics have been updated and replaced with more D&D-friendly verses.
For example, one of the most recognizable songs, “Drunken Sailor,” is now “Drunken Fighter:”
What do we do we with a drunken fighter?
What do we do we with a drunken fighter?
What do we do we with a drunken fighter?
When we fight the dragon.
It’s cute and fun, though some of the new lyrics fit better than others.
Each shanty is also a magic spell that can be cast by bards, ranging from 1st to 6th level. Most of the spells provide buffs and require concentration, such as bestowing AC bonuses, damage resistances, or an AOE haste effect.
I found them mostly underwhelming, with a few exceptions. Inspiring shanty‘s ability to grant everyone inspiration, as well as advantage for an entire adventuring day, is straight-up crazy, even for 4th level.
On the flip side, Umberlee’s release has an interesting and unique method of raising the dead, which involves a group Performance check, sacrificing treasure to the sea, and targeting someone who has recently died. Nice!
The songs all feature nice little details and stories, and a few of them even build on their stories in the Locations section.
The eight included locations all feature exotic areas with magical effects or treasure (or both!). Some could be plopped into a dungeon, but most are more suited to fill out an adventure map.
By eschewing traditional combat encounters, these locations are hugely useful for travel pacing, while still creating interactive elements for the party, such as thawing treasure from an ice volcano, dipping your toes into the magical waters of Moonrise Cove, or steering your ship into the permanent maelstrom of a skeletal brass dragon.
The supplement also features over a dozen new magic items. They’re technically labeled Bardic Treasures, but they’re more specifically themed to the ocean, such as the water-breathing Iron Cutlass, Interrupting Mechanical Parrot, and intensely creepy driftwood Sea Legs.
Many of the magic items feature beautiful original artwork. In fact, the entire supplement is a gorgeous feast of amazing art throughout, much more than what I was expecting from such a niche supplement. Sea Shanties is nothing short of a joy to flip through, thanks to the artwork and presentation.
Pros:
- Playful new D&D-themed lyrics to classic sea shanties
- Over a dozen new bard spells with optional group effects, dressed as sea shanties.
- New coastal and sea mini-locations with magical effects.
- Over a dozen sea-themed magic items
- Fantastic original artwork
Cons:
- Some shanty spell effects are underwhelming.
The Verdict: Awesome artwork, detailed songs, and fun new locations and magic items elevate this playfully silly concept into a must-have supplement for nautical campaigns (with bards!).
A review copy of “Sea Shanties: A Bardic Guide” was provided by the publisher. Find more DMs Guild Reviews on my website and YouTube channel.
Support my work by using my affiliate links and pledging via Patreon.
RogueWatson 