Alfgeir Thorsson |
While I understand the difference between Profession (Siege Engineer) and Knowledge (Engineering), is there any advantage to taking the Profession skill? While I suppose you could use the profession to earn money, I don't see any other advantage other than for 'flavor'. And Engineering as a skill has far more applications than the narrow profession.
They are interchangeable in terms of prereqs for the Siege Engineer feat. Does having ranks in the profession increase your chances to hit with a siege engine? Increase range? Do anything?
I'm pressed for a reason as to why I'd take the profession as opposed to the knowledge skill.
Tem |
I'm pressed for a reason as to why I'd take the profession as opposed to the knowledge skill.
Siege Gunner require the profession skill if you want to eventually take that feat. Of course, Master Siege Engineer requires 10 ranks of the knowledge skill, so it depends on your goals.
Alfgeir Thorsson |
Alfgeir Thorsson wrote:I'm pressed for a reason as to why I'd take the profession as opposed to the knowledge skill.Siege Gunner require the profession skill if you want to eventually take that feat. Of course, Master Siege Engineer requires 10 ranks of the knowledge skill, so it depends on your goals.
Thanks, Tem. I'd missed that while going over the feats. Much appreciated.
Timothy Hanson |
I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for Rob, but could you confirm that the two ballistae on the Man's Promise are taken by the Wormwood? Whether or not the ship has those siege weapons would probably make a difference for my group. Thanks.
Obviously I am not Rob, but they are listed in the Description of the Man's Promise which is written from the context that Mr Plugg and Master Scourge have taken over, so from context it is safe to assume that they are still on the ship.
Tormad |
So I was looking over "inkskins" moral and what not and it says if she is captured alive she has a poison in her mouth hidden away and eats it. I think this could be a waste of an interesting npc, do you guys think there would be any fallout from letting her live and possibly joining the PC's (my group will more than likely at least try and take her alive, if for no other reason but the Captain PC will think she's hot... ya thats what i have to live with ha ha).
If no horrible fallout (might have to play fighting her first mate a bit different), how would you guys go about having her interact with the party?
Tem |
So I was looking over "inkskins" moral and what not and it says if she is captured alive she has a poison in her mouth hidden away and eats it. I think this could be a waste of an interesting npc, do you guys think there would be any fallout from letting her live and possibly joining the PC's (my group will more than likely at least try and take her alive, if for no other reason but the Captain PC will think she's hot... ya thats what i have to live with ha ha).
If no horrible fallout (might have to play fighting her first mate a bit different), how would you guys go about having her interact with the party?
Well, I don't see how she's going to be too happy about the PCs going to murder her "family" in Mancatcher Cove. I think she'd need a complete re-write of her background and motivations before she'd ever think to work with the PCs.
In particular:
Isabella cares nothing about the PCs or their motivations and seeks only their deaths and the recovery of the necklace. If she somehow survives, she gathers a new crew or rallies her sahuagin allies to hunt down the PCs and viciously murder them at the first opportunity.
RoninUsagi |
I've been giving the "Locke Conundrum" thought, and it seems to me that you could make it so that the "real" Issabella is actually a captive/slave of the Sahaugin for her unique tattoos, while the one the PCs encounter is a shape shifting Sahaugin carrying out it's evil plans. Rescuing the real Issabella would make her more helpful to the PCs,while maybe you could give the PCs a chance to make a perception or sense motive check to notice the fake one.
mbauers |
Interesting, and certainly doable if you give the sahaugin sorceror alter self, but what is her/its reasoning for putting the actual map and riddle on her shapechanged body? Why leave a map to her family's lair for the PCs to find?
And Alter Self doesn't last long. What if the sahaugin reverts back to her natural form before they get a chance to interpret the map?
RoninUsagi |
Well, the "real" Locke would be the one with the Maps, while the Shapechanging Sauhagin would just be a pain in the arse. I was just providing a possible way to keep Locke for those DMs that wish to. How it works would really be up to them and their game...
Personally, the fewer references to Lost in my game the better. I loved that show, but my players... not so much. The one reference I made already while on Bonewrack Isle did not go over the way I thought it would.
Robert G. McCreary |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I don't suppose it would be too much to ask for Rob, but could you confirm that the two ballistae on the Man's Promise are taken by the Wormwood? Whether or not the ship has those siege weapons would probably make a difference for my group. Thanks.
It's up to you, but they are included in the description for area B4, so I would say they stay with the ship. And it might be nice for the PCs to have a couple of siege weapons to start out with. (Note that the two ballistae depicted on the map in area B8 are not mentioned in the text - Harrigan does strip the armory, and takes those two at least). That said, if it makes more sense to you to have Harrigan completely strip the ship, that's fine too - the PCs will have plenty of opportunity to salvage new weapons from the ships they fight.
RoninUsagi |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Maybe the"real" Locke (Rocke) is a prisoner aboard the Fake Locke (Flocke)'s ship, Thresher? After defeating Flocke, the PC's could find her tied up either in the hold or the "Captain's" cabin. You Could imply that Flocke has been using Rocke (and her maps) to sail safely from Mancatcher Cove out to harass the trade lanes.
It seems to me that if this is what a DM wants from this adventure, they could find a way to make it happen. Rule Of Cool beats out the actual rules at my table a lot of the time. It's like Sex Panther cologne - 60% of the time, it works every time.
Belle Mythix |
Rule Of Cool beats out the actual rules at my table a lot of the time. It's like Sex Panther cologne - 60% of the time, it works every time.
Depends, for some DM/GM, Rule Of Cool means a Spotlight Stealing Mary Sue GMPC.
And DMs/GMs can have a very different definition of Cool than their Players (and it can vary a lot between players as well).
Tem |
I've got to say - it seems a little too convoluted and messes with other plot elements in the book. I kind of like her as an NPC - so dehumanized as to be completely unredeemable. Her tattoos and such make her interesting but I don't really see the need to expand her role any in the AP. Despite the fact that my PCs will end up with a NE captain, I'm sure he'll feel sorry for her and want to help if they ever find out any of her back story, but that'll probably not come to pass.
Arnwyn |
Threadjack
And DMs/GMs can have a very different definition of Cool than their Players (and it can vary a lot between players as well).
This needs to be said more often.
"Rule of Cool" is one of the worst rules ever created, because it has a high probability of failure. (I see it fail 99% of the time, because out of 6 people sitting around the table, at least one won't see whatever happened as "cool".)
I hate when the Rule of Cool is referenced on the messageboards, because generally it's just not... :D
/threadjack. Glad I got that out of my system. Carry on!
Mort the Cleverly Named |
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My players are just about to set off on the high seas... I have the book on the shackles which gives info on the Port sizes there but my players are off to Bloodcove [and Smugglers Shiv]...where is the Port info for those locations?
Besides the bits in the Inner Sea World Guide, I believe some information on Bloodcove can be found in Gamemastery Module: River into Darkness. Though I don't own it, so couldn't tell you how much there is. (EDIT) Totally forgot, there is also Heart of the Jungle, which has a nice write-up on the city.
Smuggler's Shiv isn't a port, but a deserted island filled with nasty things of various sorts. It is featured in the first volume of the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path, Souls for Smuggler's Shiv. But again, not a port, and not really some place you want to go if you can help it, so you might want to steer your players away from there.
RoninUsagi |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Threadjack
Belle Mythix wrote:And DMs/GMs can have a very different definition of Cool than their Players (and it can vary a lot between players as well).This needs to be said more often.
"Rule of Cool" is one of the worst rules ever created, because it has a high probability of failure. (I see it fail 99% of the time, because out of 6 people sitting around the table, at least one won't see whatever happened as "cool".)
I hate when the Rule of Cool is referenced on the messageboards, because generally it's just not... :D
/threadjack. Glad I got that out of my system. Carry on!
While I agree everyone has different definitions of what is cool and what isn't, I've found that if I didn't say, "F*** the rules, that sounds downright awesome," once in a while, I probably (read: DEFINITELY) wouldn't have a group. And I'll tell you this, by the time I've said that, everyone at my table has had their say on it as well. (I usually throw in an arbitrary skill check associated with the action to make them earn it as well. Failed checks = no go.)
I'll give an Example:
Now while I'm sure there are rule for this somewhere, I didn't have time to be flipping through books for specificity, and the group thought that it was bloody genius, so I said, "Alright. Barbarian makes a ranged strength attack w/a -4 penalty for improvised weaponry, while the Halfling makes an acrobatics check to be "in position" to make an attack roll himself. I'd imagine the Rahadoumi is pretty Unnerved by this, so sneak attack damage will apply." I'll also state that over the course of that session, that wasn't even the "Coolest" thing that happened. The gunslinger straight blowing off the head of the sailor sneaking up on Harrigan and earning the Captain's grudging respect several rounds later was maybe the coolest. And that attack was 100% rules abiding.
Now wether or not the rules support this matters because at the end of the night, and over the next week, everyone who plays at my table has something to say about how awesome the latest game was. Sounds pretty "Cool" to me.
Not trying to de-thread or start a flame war, but I did feel the need to respond to this.
And as for the "Locke Conundrum," I plan on playing her as writ, but figured I'd at least help other DMs that had expressed interest in "turning" her to a helpful PC. As opposed to saying, "You can't do that because it's not written that way." IMO That's one of the worst things any DM can say, and defeats the purpose of any game, not just RPing.
Once again, not trollin', just sayin'.
(Also: It's a PIRATE AP. Pirates that play by the rules aren't pirates, they're lawyers. And no one likes a rules lawyer.)
Fitzwalrus |
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I have a question regarding elapsed time and the apparent spread of information about the PCs' actions. This isn't a particularly big deal to me personally, but knowing my players someone is going to tally up elapsed time between various events and start asking embarassing questions.
"Squibbing" at Rickety's takes a maximum of eight days (1d4+4). During this time Merrill Pegworthy and his lads arrive at Rickety's and recognize the Promise "by her distinct Rahadoumi lines and the recent tales of her theft from Captain Barnabas Harrigan".
What recent tales, exactly? Even if Pegsworth arrives on the last day the PCs are at Rickety's, it has only been a maximum of 16 days since the Promise and the Wormwood last saw each other. Even with a full crew (let alone an undermanned one) the Promise began a good six or seven days' sail from Port Peril. No one there knows she's coming or when to expect her, or what might have delayed her if she's late. No one (presumably) has survived the mutiny and taking of the Promise to tell that's she's been stolen, or by who. So where does the information come from this early on that she is even missing, let alone that she's been stolen from Harrigan.... and where and how did Pegsworthy (and presumably others) hear of it so quickly?
As I say, I'm happy with RAW but I know my group... ;D
Gluttony |
Presumably the high-levelled Harriagan found out somehow.
Best answer to give the players is probably along the lines of "he's strong, he has better access to divination than is available to you (the PCs).
As for how work got around, you can pretty easily assume that someone on the Wormwood was talking about it in port.
Fitzwalrus |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Presumably the high-levelled Harriagan found out somehow.
Best answer to give the players is probably along the lines of "he's strong, he has better access to divination than is available to you (the PCs).
As for how work got around, you can pretty easily assume that someone on the Wormwood was talking about it in port.
Not dismissing your ideas by any means (some occured to me as well) but consider this - which I can guarantee my players will think of:
Belle Mythix |
I have a question regarding elapsed time and the apparent spread of information about the PCs' actions. This isn't a particularly big deal to me personally, but knowing my players someone is going to tally up elapsed time between various events and start asking embarassing questions.
** spoiler omitted **
As I say, I'm happy with RAW but I know my group... ;D
Gluttony wrote:Presumably the high-levelled Harriagan found out somehow.
Best answer to give the players is probably along the lines of "he's strong, he has better access to divination than is available to you (the PCs).
As for how work got around, you can pretty easily assume that someone on the Wormwood was talking about it in port.
Not dismissing your ideas by any means (some occured to me as well) but consider this - which I can guarantee my players will think of:
** spoiler omitted **
It is possible he didn't see them as a danger at that point, and someone wanted to harass the newbies...
Biobeast |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
stuart haffenden wrote:My players are just about to set off on the high seas... I have the book on the shackles which gives info on the Port sizes there but my players are off to Bloodcove [and Smugglers Shiv]...where is the Port info for those locations?
Besides the bits in the Inner Sea World Guide, I believe some information on Bloodcove can be found in Gamemastery Module: River into Darkness. Though I don't own it, so couldn't tell you how much there is. (EDIT) Totally forgot, there is also Heart of the Jungle, which has a nice write-up on the city.
Smuggler's Shiv isn't a port, but a deserted island filled with nasty things of various sorts. It is featured in the first volume of the Serpent's Skull Adventure Path, Souls for Smuggler's Shiv. But again, not a port, and not really some place you want to go if you can help it, so you might want to steer your players away from there.
I have everything mentioned above. River into Darkness has a different city map for Bloodcove then found elsewhere. But I do find the adventure really nice and I am going to input it into my campaign the first time the party goes to Bloodcove. I'll tie it in by having the party owe a debt to the Apsis C. and to get them off their back and make an alliance with them they will ask the party to go on this trip described in the adventure.
I actually found the pathfinder socitey scenario the Bloodcove disguise much more helpful:
http://paizo.com/products/btpy8g1n?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-201-Before-t he-Dawn-Part-I-The-Bloodcove-Disguise
I'm going to change the plot completly but use most of the encounter areas and stat blocks listed in the adventure.
Gluttony |
3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Gluttony wrote:Presumably the high-levelled Harriagan found out somehow.
Best answer to give the players is probably along the lines of "he's strong, he has better access to divination than is available to you (the PCs).
As for how work got around, you can pretty easily assume that someone on the Wormwood was talking about it in port.
Not dismissing your ideas by any means (some occured to me as well) but consider this - which I can guarantee my players will think of:
** spoiler omitted **
The catch-all GM answer:
"Yes, that is mysterious isn't it?"
(And then say no more, leaving the answer a mystery)
Fitzwalrus |
Fitzwalrus wrote:Gluttony wrote:Presumably the high-levelled Harriagan found out somehow.
Best answer to give the players is probably along the lines of "he's strong, he has better access to divination than is available to you (the PCs).
As for how work got around, you can pretty easily assume that someone on the Wormwood was talking about it in port.
Not dismissing your ideas by any means (some occured to me as well) but consider this - which I can guarantee my players will think of:
** spoiler omitted **
The catch-all GM answer:
"Yes, that is mysterious isn't it?"
(And then say no more, leaving the answer a mystery)
LOL!
I do believe I'll write that down...... :D ;D
RoninUsagi |
Gluttony wrote:Fitzwalrus wrote:Gluttony wrote:Presumably the high-levelled Harriagan found out somehow.
Best answer to give the players is probably along the lines of "he's strong, he has better access to divination than is available to you (the PCs).
As for how work got around, you can pretty easily assume that someone on the Wormwood was talking about it in port.
Not dismissing your ideas by any means (some occured to me as well) but consider this - which I can guarantee my players will think of:
** spoiler omitted **
The catch-all GM answer:
"Yes, that is mysterious isn't it?"
(And then say no more, leaving the answer a mystery)
LOL!
I do believe I'll write that down...... :D ;D
Or My favorite GM answer: [handwave] "A wizard/Jedi did it."
vikingson |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
@fitzwalrus
Everything about Harrigan is a big mystery. Not much of a surprise though, given his religious preferences.
And I didn't really like the "meet at the squib scene", which basically is an excuse to draw up a two pags portrayal of a pirate the players would be unlucky to fight and likely will never meet again.
I'd have prefered two more pages of interesting encounters, or a map of the Rock's Isle or a myriad of other info. Say, like stats on the monster the group is actually supposed to fight *shrug*
ferrinwulf |
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I'm thinking of using the Shiv island from Serpent Skull I don't want to use all the island though just the North bit with the vegepygmies and Pezrok. Using the Toucan treasure from book 1 I was thinking of giving the players a goal for the first part of book 2. Rather than just wander amelessley around the Shackles finding ships and settlements i thought it would be easier to give them a place to get too. Then I can add the encounters along the way there and back with settlements and ports along the way as needed It gives them a reason to travel rather than just say off you go. I think my players may struggle with the sandbox element and it makes my life a bit easier. My idea is that Pezroc makes a great NPC (I will replace him for Sandara as I have a druid in the party and no-one seems that taken with her yet, Rosie and Conch are grabbing the limelight in our game) and the Toucan would be good mascots for the ship. I plan to use the plant element of the vegepygmies and Mould and add in the ship from Grave Undertakings maybe have it grounded or something. The Toucan will probably be the prize hidden on the ship.
Then once Tiderock is in their hands I plan to use the island adventure from Dead Man’s Chest for a nice bit of treasure hunting. It seems like a really good fit for a trip to the Cannibal Islands and the Kuru, I may throw in a tribe of charau-ka as well as this also seems a good fit. Again adding the encounters along the way. This also gives me a great plan for the Death Knell. Im thinking this will be the Dead pirates chasing them for stealing their treasure.
It might make the adventure longer but I don’t think my players would mind. We don’t use the XP system anyway, they just level up as and when the AP suggests.
What does everyone think?
Shuriken Nekogami |
we mutinied plug and scourge and got the man's promise squibbed. making "The Reaper." we have 4 ballistae that we had to capture. the master gunner had to build the infamy. we are about to capture a junk tomorrow. and Miss Conflitta is going to spread more infamy, even if people focus too much on her heterochromia.
Uri Meca |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I'm thinking of using the Shiv island from Serpent Skull
Yeah, I'll probably use that too. We're playing Serpent Skull now - pure awesomeness. We fixed the Shiv! So I think when I run Skull and Shackles, this will come up as a new port, perhaps one of the few the players can build their infamy prior to becoming Free Captains. I wonder if my players will respect the Sargavan deal or just pillage the fort.
We don’t use the XP system anyway, they just level up as and when the AP suggests.
I was considering exactly this. Why bother tracking xp if the paths are designed to level up at certain points anyway? If I insert side-quests or other modules, I would certainly consider rewarding with a level or 1/2 a level. How are you and your players finding it so far?
ferrinwulf |
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My players are loving it so far, the muntineed before getting to bonewrack in book 1 and the last time we left it they had been shipwrecked (on hold for a month due to holidays),
I'm also finding this book fairly easy to change around and keep the good bits. Rickety Squibs I kept, the piracy sandbox im keeping, tiderock is being kept (I'm having Pegsworthy and Kroop explain the background of it so it makes more sense for them to want it). The whole Shaughin subplot is going and I'm replacing the reason for the attack at Tiderock by Inkskin as a reprisal by Harrigan. I figure he is a bit miffed by having his new ship stolen which has thrown him into a rage (the start of his decline in to madness in book 5). He is lashing out at anyone and just wants the lady of the Rock dead and the rock finally his. Inkskin is his weapon as he is elsewhere (gives me a chance of having Harrigans presence in the book which I think is lacking, it seems a shame to not have him somewhere in it as his is a major villan).
This will also mean that I could have Inkskin change sides and become an NPC fairy easily. The map on her back Im using to get them to the Bonjo Tomo Isle adventure in Dead Mans Chest which is a really good jungle island with cannibals, apes a Giant Ape god and a really good cave/dungeon with good traps and puzzles to get to the treasure. I plan to finsh it with the Death Knell chasing the party being the dead crew claiming their treasure back and wanting them dead.
KidDangerous |
The whole Shaughin subplot is going and I'm replacing the reason for the attack at Tiderock by Inkskin as a reprisal by Harrigan..... The map on her back Im using to get them to the Bonjo Tomo Isle adventure in Dead Mans Chest which is a really good jungle island with cannibals, apes a Giant Ape god and a really good cave/dungeon with good traps and puzzles to get to the treasure. I plan to finsh it with the Death Knell chasing the party being the dead crew claiming their treasure back and wanting them dead.
Stolen :D
where and how did Pegsworthy (and presumably others) hear of it so quickly?
The squib scene happened on sunday in my game- I had Pegsworthy show up and recognise the Man's Promise in the dock as its an older ship which has travelled these parts many times. I didn't mention that he knew of the mutiny but he just assumed the PCs captured it. It wasn't until the new Captain bragged about taking it from under Harrigan's nose that Pegsworthy connected the dots. And thats how word got out (although Pegsworthy is keeping the squibbing bit a secret)
Fitzwalrus |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
ferrinwulf wrote:The whole Shaughin subplot is going and I'm replacing the reason for the attack at Tiderock by Inkskin as a reprisal by Harrigan..... The map on her back Im using to get them to the Bonjo Tomo Isle adventure in Dead Mans Chest which is a really good jungle island with cannibals, apes a Giant Ape god and a really good cave/dungeon with good traps and puzzles to get to the treasure. I plan to finsh it with the Death Knell chasing the party being the dead crew claiming their treasure back and wanting them dead.Stolen :D
fitzwalrus wrote:where and how did Pegsworthy (and presumably others) hear of it so quickly?The squib scene happened on sunday in my game- I had Pegsworthy show up and recognise the Man's Promise in the dock as its an older ship which has travelled these parts many times. I didn't mention that he knew of the mutiny but he just assumed the PCs captured it. It wasn't until the new Captain bragged about taking it from under Harrigan's nose that Pegsworthy connected the dots. And thats how word got out (although Pegsworthy is keeping the squibbing bit a secret)
That works. Personally I'm going to go with the idea of Harrigan having a Heartripper Blade, which gives him the ability to scrye on the Man's Promise and find out about the mutiny that way.... although my PCs won't be able to figure that out until much, much later in the AP.
In the meantime, should anyone ask, I'm going with the Inscrutable DM "Yes, that is puzzling, isn't it?" ploy. ;Dmbauers |
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KidDangerous wrote:ferrinwulf wrote:The whole Shaughin subplot is going and I'm replacing the reason for the attack at Tiderock by Inkskin as a reprisal by Harrigan..... The map on her back Im using to get them to the Bonjo Tomo Isle adventure in Dead Mans Chest which is a really good jungle island with cannibals, apes a Giant Ape god and a really good cave/dungeon with good traps and puzzles to get to the treasure. I plan to finsh it with the Death Knell chasing the party being the dead crew claiming their treasure back and wanting them dead.Stolen :D
fitzwalrus wrote:where and how did Pegsworthy (and presumably others) hear of it so quickly?The squib scene happened on sunday in my game- I had Pegsworthy show up and recognise the Man's Promise in the dock as its an older ship which has travelled these parts many times. I didn't mention that he knew of the mutiny but he just assumed the PCs captured it. It wasn't until the new Captain bragged about taking it from under Harrigan's nose that Pegsworthy connected the dots. And thats how word got out (although Pegsworthy is keeping the squibbing bit a secret)That works. Personally I'm going to go with the idea of Harrigan having a Heartripper Blade, which gives him the ability to scrye on the Man's Promise and find out about the mutiny that way.... although my PCs won't be able to figure that out until much, much later in the AP.
In the meantime, should anyone ask, I'm going with the Inscrutable DM "Yes, that is puzzling, isn't it?" ploy. ;D
Gah, you ninjaed me! :-) Here's the link to my modified Harrigan:
Enhasa |
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I took it to mean that Pegsworthy heard from Harrigan that Harrigan himself stole the ship, and was probably in a nearby port getting supplies and selling the Man's Promise's loot and raising his own infamy by boasting about it. Pegsworthy could have overheard it in a tavern, left the city the next day, came upon the Strix the following day, then Rickety's a few days later.
As for Harrigan finding out about the PCs, Caulky can tell him if she gets away in book three. He could also just naturally hear tales of the PC's actions as their infamy grows, realize Plugg never reached Port Peril, and that he used to have some crew matching the names of these new upstarts.
Aldarionn |
My group has been running this Adventure Path for a few months now and we are just finishing with the second module, and I wanted to put up some of the more interesting things my players have pulled out of their asses.
First of all, a little bit about the crew:
Commodore Athis "Blackfire" -
The Old Man -
Captain Darynd Flynt -
Ship's Priest Salt -
The story so far -
Once the ship was theirs, however, and Flynt supported Athis Blackfire for the captain's chair, Captain Blackfire was not content to control just one ship. They spent the next few weeks raiding vessels and building a small squadron of three vessels before sailing to Tidewater Rock, and Captain Blackfire became "Commodore" Blackfire, while Flynt married the Lady of the Rock and sealed her to their cause. After capturing a Chelish agent aboard the Dowager Queen and learning of a Chelish plot for gathering reconnaissance against Sargava (I inserted this as a means of having them encounter the Dominator, because they seemed completely uninterested in raiding coastal towns and have magical means of resupplying their water), they were dispatched by the council of Senghor to cut off the Chelish presence in their country.
Learning that the Chelish forces would soon be receiving reinforcements from a large Man-O-War called the Dominator, Commodore Blackfire made the decision to infiltrate their crew, acting as a Chelish agent infiltrating their underground. He outed himself as a Thrune and used his forgery skills to give the Dominator crew new orders to sail south after dropping off their "Reinforcements." Most of the Chelish marines disembarked to cross the Sargavan border, and the remaining crew of the Dominator sailed alongside the squibbed Dowager Queen (now called The Infernal Bargain, which retained its Chelish appearance) until Blackfire's crew set fire to their own ship in order to board the Dominator as "refugees." Once the last of them were aboard, the party attacked, managing to slay Captain Paracountess Axia Lorvika with an ambush while their large crew bottle-necked most of the Dominator's crew below decks.
Having taken the Dominator, Commodore Blackfire marooned most of the crew on a small island with the surviving officers, and took the unconcious Paracountess captive, only to have her brutally murdered by an unknown assassin in the hold. Shortly after sailing back to Tidewater Rock, they were attacked by Isabella Locke, but managed to subdue her on the roof of the keep where she quickly swallowed her poisoned spine.
Following her map back to Mancatcher Cove, Commodore Blackfire's crew dispatched the Canopy Creaper protecting the cove when Blackfire himself climbed to the top of the rigging, jumping onto one of the vines harassing the crew below, and climbing on top of the creature itself in order to attack. From there, they quickly deciphered the clues to Isabella's map, and made their way into the Sahuagin tunnels where they met stiff resistance from the inhabitants.
Fighting their way through the underwater tunnels with magical breathing potions, the party attacked Krellroot, who very nearly overwhelmed them with his ferocity. Flynt himself was almost completely turned to coral from Zule's vicious attacks, and was forced to use his two remaining hero points to narrowly avoid death. If it had not been for the presence of Sandara Quinn and her healing, he surely would have perished. It was only due to a well placed cold-fire ball placed by the Old Man (Thematically I allowed the player to replace all fire spells with ice versions on his spell list, and he can't cast the fire versions at all, even from scrolls or wands without making Use Magic Device checks) and a follow up attack from Flynt after he regained consciousness that felled Krellroot and allowed the party to secure Cyrus Wolfe's fabled treasure.
Whew! That was a bit long winded. Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to other DM's to see how my group has been progressing, and I would definitely like to hear feedback on what people think of my crew's exploits.
I'm particularly amused that they came up with a viable plan for taking the Dominator (it impressed me so much that I allowed it) and that they begain fleet building almost immediately after securing their first ship. They have been spending time and plunder ensuring the loyalty of their crew, and they pay them VERY well which keeps them interested, so I see no reason not to reward their resourcefulness.
I was shocked at how difficult of an opponent Krellroot proved to be for them. Flynt ended up taking the brunt of Krellroot's attack and almost died as a result, and was only saved because they thought to actually bring Sandara into the tunnels with them.
Definitely an interesting turn of events.
ArdenNailo |
Question on the rumors at the back of the book.
Fellhope Fish Skull
The Oasis of Calm Winds
Ol’ Captain Mutiny
Snare of the Island Eater
Is there any info on these events or what the treasures actualy do? Or do I come up with an encounter to go with them and give the players a point or two of plunder?
Christopher Van Horn |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Quick question on ship stats. My pay had quickly realized how valuable ships are and are very specialized in trying to capture them. They easily outclass most other captains in profession sailor and have a relatively high armor class compared to other ships. Boarding actions are the most common method after taking out sails with ranged weapons and targeting opposing drivers with ranged attacks. How are HP's calculated for ships with sails. Are sail hp's calculated in addition to ship hp's or are they a part of ship hp's? Also why is a sailing ship's hp's almost twice that listed in Ultimate Combat? (Only 900 in comparison to the 1600+ in the adventure path)
Fitzwalrus |
Question on the rumors at the back of the book.
Fellhope Fish Skull
The Oasis of Calm Winds
Ol’ Captain Mutiny
Snare of the Island EaterIs there any info on these events or what the treasures actualy do? Or do I come up with an encounter to go with them and give the players a point or two of plunder?
Outside of the brief descriptions on the inside covers these items are pretty much left up to the GM to develop as plot hooks or side quests - or not - as you choose. There are more of them as the AP progresses, so you can work the reports of the ones you like into your game in the form of rumors (pirates are a gossipy lot ;D ), sailors' ballads of legendary treasures, treasure maps found here or there, or some other method that best fits your campaign.
Work up stats or values for them to fit the role you want them to be - items of magical treasure, stuff worth varying points of plunder, whatever.It's all your call.
Trinite |
Gah, you ninjaed me! :-) Here's the link to my modified Harrigan:
Yep! I'm using the modified Harrigan with the Heartripper Blade, so he can scry.
I'm also having the *real* reason that Harrigan was sending the ship back to Port Peril be so that he could relay a message to his Chelish handlers. Mr. Plugg will be carrying a scroll on his person, protected by some
Unfortunately for Harrigan and the Chels, Plugg is secretly a worshipper of Mammon, and decided that he'd rather go into the pirate business for himself rather than serve in the invasion plot.
I hope to have my players keep wondering, "What was in that exploding note?" for most of the rest of the AP. :)
Story Archer |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
A couple of interesting times when our Master Summoner was instrumental to our success in book #2:
Tidewater Rock
At dinner, after enjoying what hospitality they had to offer, our captain (me, a female Bard - Lotus Geisha) calmly and good-naturedly explained our intention to take the rock, citing the hands it had passed through in the past and promising to return the 'Rock' in a generation or so, perhaps sooner, once its usefulness to our cause had been played out.
We were refused of course and our captain reiterated in no uncertain terms that we would have the rock - we'd rather take it peacefully, and let them depart with their lives and whatever bits of precious they could carry, but we would take it by force if necessary. Our hostage was threatened and moments later a guardsman came rushing in to say that she had simply vanished.
We left without a fight, promising to give them til tomorrow to consider things. Come morning we stood outside the keep - just outside of bowshot - and reiterated our demand but was refused... so our Master Summoner summoned 30 small augmented earth elementals (Monster Summoning 3 x10, 1d3+1 per summoning), had them visibly earthglide into the ground and then through the floors and walls of the keep, inundating the Rock from within. The defenders gave up without a fight and we took the boy hostage, presumably so that he could in time inherit the keep when we were done. He was taken on as a cabin boy and promised a ship's share on any plunder and that he would remain as safe as possible so long as there was no future trouble with the Lady trying to reclaim her home.
We then left a small garrison of 1 PC and four sailors on the island to begin preparing the keep while the Lady of the Rock and her retainers were taken to the nearest port, and the rest of us returned with a couple of carpenters and stone masons, intending to set up a small warehouse and crew's barracks on the island apart from the keep itself.
The Dominator
His eidolon - who can both fly and breathe underwater - has also been an invaluable scout, searching out ships to attack, investigating threats beneath the waves and so on. Everyone on the ship has played a valuable role in our success but I daresay his has been the most dramatic.
Story Archer |
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I probably missed it some where, but what happens to the crew assigned to take "commandeered" ships to port to sell? Any ideas on how to get them back to the ship or are they released from service (and if that's the case, what happens to the money)?
We usually only take Chellish and slaver ships, the others having been given 'The Maiden's Promise', and usually only have one by the time we're ready to make port and sell plunder, so we escort it to port ourselves.
Incidentally, the 'Maiden's Promise' is both the name of our ship and the means by which we've been gaining infamy. Our female captain (who personally prefers female company) has had the story spread about her that she is a virgin (lie) and that she and her ship will only by captured by the man who tames her heart. The 'promise' is one given to every non-slaver, non-Chellish ship we take, that if they surrender without a fight we will only take their cargo and their captain for ransom, leaving all of the rest of ship's officers free to sail their ship home. It took a while for the tale to spread, but at this point we've already had three ships surrender to us without a fight and in two cases the ships mutinied against their captain to do so.
Our 'Maiden' captain has become something of a minor living legend already, and now that she has become the frequent if clandestine lover of Tessa Fairwind, the two have worked together to make that legend grow.
MetalPaladin |
My group is about to start part 4. While I understand how the combat mechanics of underwater fights work, I would appreciate any advice or tricks used to help. 3D combat is already bad enough with flying. Namely, my questions are:
How does speaking/communicating work, especially in conjunction with spells like Water Breathing or Air Bubble?
And do players sink if they don't make a successful swim check? If so, at what rate?
Cojonuda |
Hi all.
I have two questions:
1) The plunder is 1000 gp. It is suggested to spend 1 point of plunder to pay the crew. How often (is it per week or per month)?
2) It seems that after a few piracy events (Sea Wolves Event 7- Raiders of the Fever Sea), the PC's could end up w/ ~ 7 points of plunder in a 1 week period of pirating. After getting rid of crew payment that equates to 6000 gp!!!!!!! I am concerned that th PC's will get wealthy fast and start buying magical equipment/armor/weapons, etc. Does S&S took this into account? Could this be mitigated? Will this bring an inbalance to the game?
THX
Tem |
Hi all.
I have two questions:1) The plunder is 1000 gp. It is suggested to spend 1 point of plunder to pay the crew. How often (is it per week or per month)?
2) It seems that after a few piracy events (Sea Wolves Event 7- Raiders of the Fever Sea), the PC's could end up w/ ~ 7 points of plunder in a 1 week period of pirating. After getting rid of crew payment that equates to 6000 gp!!!!!!! I am concerned that th PC's will get wealthy fast and start buying magical equipment/armor/weapons, etc. Does S&S took this into account? Could this be mitigated? Will this bring an inbalance to the game?
THX
1. They're quite vague regarding paying the crew. I think the intent is that they aren't being paid regularly, but instead as a small percentage of each haul - which seems reasonable given the circumstances.
2. I don't really see this as being a problem. At this point in the AP, the PCs should be on their way to 5th level. Going from 4th (beginning of book 2) to 5th, they should earn 4500gp *each* according to the wealth by level chart. So, getting 6000gp (only 1500 each for 4 PCs) is certainly not unreasonable.