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IF YOU ARE PLAYERS IN MY GAME STAY OUT OF THIS THREAD.
A few other threads have suggested that this AP is a little lackluster whether due to an abundance of dungeons or some weak story. My group is very much enjoying this AP, but I, like most GM's, will be meddling a bit with it. Particularly I'm trying to tie some of the plot elements together a bit tighter. This will hopefully make the PC's motivations clearer and make the conclusion more satisfying.
I will explain my plot thread through the stories of some infamous pirate captains. These stories replace the versions in the AP though they are often very close. I encourage you to read them in order.
Kerdak Krupt was the bastard son of an itinerant pirate navigator who sailed with any captain who would have her, sired by some nameless blackguard in a drunken haze in Port Peril's lowest taverns. He took to the pirate's life like a fish to water.
As soon as he was old enough, Kerdak took service as a cabin boy on the pirate vessel Rock Bottom under Captain "Keelhaul" Thurl, eventually working his way up the ranks to first mate. During this time he became fast friends with a young swab named Benedict Blood. The two bore more than a passing resemblance and they swore to Besmara that they would make their fortune together as Free Captains.
The Rock Bottom had the misfortune of running into the galleon Naiegoul captained by the lich sorceress Raugsmada. Captain Thurl was slain in the battle, along with many of the Rock Bottom's crew, but when all seemed lost Kerdak took the helm and guided his ship through Dagon's Jaws escaping Raugsmada and becoming captain.
As captain, Kerdak married iron discipline and ruthless efficiency to piratical boldness, and his growing wealth and infamy attracted many pirates to his banner of a clenched fist over crossed blades. Kerdak's cunning leadership allowed independence in many areas, but required precise coordination and teamwork in his allies. Benedict Blood remained Kerdak's loyal first mate, but Captain Cyrus Wolfe and Captain Tevenida Aiger became his closest allies among the free captains. As their victories on the sea mounted, so too did his prestige.
His theft of the sun orchid elixir from Ezaliah Thrune - not just once, but twice over - allowed Kerdak the time to secretly amass enough allies and power that when the previous Hurricane King, Skavender Pitch, was poisoned by his lover, Kerdak was poised to seize the Hurricane Crown for himself with the support of Wolfe and Aiger.
The alliance between Kerdak and Wolfe had already begun to falter as they had became rivals for Tevenida Aiger's affection. Captain Aiger shamelessly played the two captains against each other as they sought to out do each other in acquiring plunder and infamy. Kerdak's ascension to Hurricane King finally ended the rivalry as Aiger chose a king over a Free Captain and the two of them conceived a child who would one day become Valerande "Barracuda" Aiger.
While Aiger was still pregnant an old enemy of Kerdak's returned to the Shackles. The lich sorceress Raugsmada on her galleon . Stronger and wiser, on his infamous flagship the Filthy Lucre with its devastating cannonade, Kerdak sailed out to meet the lich. During the battle Kerdak and Benedict Blood went into Naiegoul's captain's cabin to confront Raugsmada. Kerdak never came out. The attack had been a setup. He was murdered by his first mate Benedict Blood and never saw his son born.
Benedict Blood hated being in Kerdak's shadow. When Kerdak had first arrived on the Rock Bottom he had been a mere gutter rat and it was the slightly older boy Blood who had taught him the ropes. They'd been fast friends. Kerdak had even trimmed his beard and styled himself after Blood in nearly everything. But fortune favored Kerdak. He rose in ranks quickly. He won fame and fortune and though he made Blood rich he never made Blood his equal. Only one head can wear the Hurricane Crown.
The worst insult had been when Blood spotted Tevenida Aiger and confessed his feelings for the cleric of Norgober to Kerdak only to have Kerdak begin wooing Aiger himself. Benedict Blood swore to himself then that he would one day get vengeance on his captain.
He secretly joined the Blackfingers, the mysterious group of Norgorber's assassins hoping to get closer to Tevenida. He trained in their ways. He became a master of keeping secrets, even from his closest friend and companion Kerdak. He met and mentored a young acolyte of Norgober named Dwali Kepu, who went by the pirate name Barnabus Harrigan. He even arranged the murder of Captain Alaster Flint of the Wormwood handing Harrigan his first command.
Early in Kerdak's reign as Hurricane King a young woman named Hyapatia tried to seduce the King without success. Blood however caught up with her in private and exposed her secret - she is a Lamia matriach. He promised to keep her secret if she helped him arrange to replace Kerdak as Hurricane King. The two of them contacted the lich sorceress Raugsmada and baited her into returning to the Shackles.
While they were in the captain's cabin of the Naiegoul Benedict turned on Kerdak and helped the lich Raugsmada get her revenge. Raugsmada turned on Blood flaying the skin and muscle from his hand and part of his face with her necromancy before Hyapatia managed to break in and help Blood destroy the lich. Blood donned the clothes and crown of the Hurricane King and emerged calling himself Kerdak Bonefist and claiming that Benedict died fighting Raugsmada. He had the Naiegoul sunk with her entire crew aboard in the deepest part of Jeopardy Bay.
He has maintained this facade for 26 years now. His first order of business was to arrange the deaths of anyone close enough to Kerdak to perhaps see through his deception: Tevenida Aiger and Cyrus Wolfe foremost among them. Having exchanged his previous infatuation with Aiger for the Lamia Hyapatia he sent Tevenida on a suicide mission to the Black Tower. He sent Blackfingers after Wolfe which proved unnecessary because Wolfe was captured and hanged by some of his own enemies. Only Harrigan remains as a loose end. A loose end he has been eager to tie up for some time, but the upstart seems to have found some new powerful allies which have complicated things.
Since that treachery he has reveled in his wealth and fame, but he lacks the true piratical genius of the real Kerdak. As such his reign has slowly lost its luster and many are now saying that it is time for a new Hurricane King an eventuality Benedict Blood will do anything to prevent.
It only took Barnabus Harrigan a little while to discover Benedict Blood had stolen the Hurricane Crown and assumed the name Kerdak Bonefist. After Blood had helped him take over the Wormwood he began paying a former orc gladiator by the name of Tsadok Goldtooth to spy on Blood. As a fellow devotee of Norgober he knew that secrets were his best defense (and offense) against a potential future betrayal by Blood.
Kerdak Bonefist (Blood) promoted Tsadok Goldtooth to first mate of the Filthy Lucre after the showdown with Raugsmada. Goldtooth became very loyal to the new Kerdak having no knowledge of the deception, and so when Harrigan asked him to spy on Bonefist now that Blood was dead he agreed but started mixing deliberate misinformation in his reports hoping to fool Harrigan. Unfortunately, amid the true information Goldtooth passed along was a personal habit of the supposedly dead Benedict Blood which Harrigan recognized and from there inferred what must have taken place.
Knowing that the Blackfingers would not permit a secret this serious to become public knowledge Harrigan quickly sought out an ally powerful enough to protect himself from Blood's eventual reprisal. He went to none other than the Hurricane King's greatest enemy, and perhaps the most dangerous enemy to the entire Shackles: Druvalia Thrune.
He offered to sell Druvalia information about the Shackles, even help her make the charts she would need to safely guide her fleet there in exchange for the personal power to protect himself and to claim the Hurricane Crown after the Chelish Navy had dealt with Kerdak Bonefist. She had a Contract Devil, Phistophilus, draw up the arrangement. Harrigan would have his soul bound into an artifact - the clock on his own Wormwood (h/t Dudemeister) granting him near invulnerability and even should he be killed, but the clock left undestroyed he will be resurrected in a short time.
Deals with the devil never go well. Harrigan now finds himself far more under the thumb of Druvalia Thrune than he had intended. He can only hope that she and Kerdak destroy each other, freeing him to pick up the pieces.
After Kerdak's confrontation with Raugsmada, Tevenida felt something was wrong. The Kerdak who came back was not the same. Benedict didn't give her a chance to get close enough to discover his secret. He manipulated the Pirate Council into appointing her to lead the expedition against the Black Tower from which she never returned.
However, in the meantime she had secretly given birth to Kerdak's son Valerande "Barracuda" Aiger. As a member of the Blackfingers she knew the value of a secret. She never told anyone of her son's parentage. Indeed her son is ignorant of it to this day. But she gave him an amulet, which he still wears. If the wearer of the amulet ever holds Aiger's Kiss then it reveals in a vision the identity and current whereabouts of the Barracuda's true father. The real Kerdak's body was long ago swallowed by the sea. The amulet reveals that Kerdak's soul is still trapped within the signet ring (via a Trap the Soul effect) of Raugsmada in the wreckage of the Naiegoul at the bottom of Jeopardy Bay.
Cyrus Wolfe knew something was wrong when he watched Kerdak Bonefist manipulate the Pirate Council into sending Tevenida Aiger on a suicide mission. He sailed out of Port Peril that very night and began making arrangements for his "death". He sunk what remained of his loot in Mancatcher Cove along with the only person beside him who knew the location of this hoard, his navigator Preston Spar (he is the Ancient Mariner found at D16 Mancatcher Cove).
After narrowly escaping a few assassination attempts Cyrus arranged to be captured by a flotilla of ships commissioned by the Queen of Aspenthar and the Pactmasters of Katapesh. Even under torture, he refused to divulge the location of his ill-gotten treasure. At night he bribed his way free of prison. Unwilling to admit they'd lost their prisoner and lose face a look-a-like beggar was hung from a gibbet over the harbor of Aspenthar and word spread that Cyrus Wolfe was dead.
In truth, he retired to Bloodcove where he assumed the identity of Tom Swick, Expert Scrimshander. In the intervening years his fears and regrets have piled up driving him to drink and a touch of madness. He has a shop full of scrimshaw that depicts his exploits from his days of piracy, though he carefully keeps the characters in his art anonymous. He no longer really practices his scrimshaw, or keeps regular shop hours. He mostly frequents the taverns by the waterside listening for rumors, drinking, and telling half-coherent tales about supposedly infamous buccaneers he once knew.
The only piece of his former life he couldn't bear to let go of was a ring made of deep platinum given to him by Tevenida Aiger. Unbeknownst to Cyrus having come from the same nugget of deep platinum as the amulet which was around Preston Spar's neck when he chained him to an anchor and walled him into an watery tomb, this ring makes him findable. The Amulet may be used to cast Locate Object once a day for the purposes of finding the ring only, but with an unlimited range.
This provides a plot which ties all the books together quite nicely. I've already started planting breadcrumbs for my players to follow. You can read our campaign journal to see how it plays out.
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Here's how I plan to lead my PC's down the path of learning this backstory:
Due to dreams and interpretation of those dreams by the River Mother (a very old Water Naga I planted at Rickety's) the players already believe their fate is tied up with both the captains of both the Wormwood and the Filthy Lucre. They know that something mysterious is going on with Harrigan as well. From here I plant breadcrumbs that lead them to slowly uncover the past piece by piece.
Right now they know that the Hurricane King was one of the last people before the current owners to "crack" Tidewater Rock. They want to duplicate his feats, so that's where they're headed.
The second breadcrumb is Isabella "Inkskin" Locke. She's no pawn of the Sahuagin. Nor was she a mere victim of the captain who tattoed the map on her back. She joined that crew and she lurks with the Sahuagin now because she is obsessed with Mancatcher Cove. She believes a man who was once her mother's lover and perhaps her own father, Preston Spar, may be buried down there. She seeks proof of his fate. Inkskin can be made into an ally if the party agrees to help her discover the fate of Preston Spar.
If they find Preston Spar they'll find his amulet. At first it's power won't mean much to the party though. If activated it jerks in the direction of Wolfe's ring for a few minutes before falling limp. It will take many days of repeated use for it to lead them to Wolfe. Without more information at this stage they'll likely give up.
They're already being harrassed by an accuser devil name Melchorax who is a spy for Druvalia Thrune and who I intend to have keep popping up wherever there is Chelish involvement.
When the party is in Port Peril before they meet Tsadok Goldtooth they will hear rumors that Kerdak Bonefist once had a first mate who was practically his brother named Benedict Blood. They will hear that Blood died saving Kerdak from a lich sorceress named Raugsmada. They will also hear the Kerdak just isn't the terror he was earlier in his career.
While hunting down the Chelish spies they will run into Melchorax some more and they will learn the backstory of Kerdak stealing the sun orchid elixir from Ezaliah Thrune, and therefore of the particular hatred the Thrune's have for the Hurricane King.
During the Free Captain's Regatta they will witness Barnabus Harrigan suffer what should be a mortal injury and survive. Letting them know that he has some form of supernatural protection.
After the Regatta Tessa Fairwind will tell the party that they've earned some enemies. That the Pirate Council is full of people who would sell you for a bag of silver and they should be on the lookout. She will give them each rings made of Deep Platinum explaining that they all came from the same nugget which means that they will help each other find one another if ever separated. This will serve as a clue as to what Preston Spar's Amulet does - she is willing to bet it leads to another officer of Cyrus Wolfe's crew. She suggests they find out anything they can.
The amulet leads them to Cyrus Wolfe, living as Tom Swick in Bloodcove who they've met several times before. Recognizing the amulet he tells them what he knows. He says that Kerdak was in love with Tevenida Aiger and never would have sent her to die in the Black Tower like that. He suggests they find out what happened to Aiger if they want to know more.
The Eel in my game will be the leader of a group of Blackfingers assassins. If captured he will blame Harrigan, but he was really sent by Kerdak Bonefist who knows the party is poking around too much.
The Barracuda meets them after they've recovered Aiger's Kiss. If they give it to him or if he steals it he has a vision. He then comes to them to ask them for help in finding his father's soul and putting it to rest.
Before they can, however, they're attacked by Harrigan's fleet led by Harrigan himself. Harrigan and his crew will board their ship and they will get to "kill" him, but Peppery Longfarthing will sail the Wormwood away before they can destroy the clock - so he returns later. As they try to give chase the Filthy Lucre will make a dramatic appearance and blast their ship to smithereens, sinking it, before disappearing in the smoke without witnesses.
Kerdak's soul is in the signet ring of the lich sorceress Raugsmada who was temporarily defeated by Benedict Blood and Hyapatia 26 years ago, but her phylactery was left intact so she has slowly reformed and has been creating an undead crew in her galleon the at the bottom of Jeopardy Bay. If they defeat her and take her signet ring they can speak with Kerdak Krupt and learn the whole story of Benedict Blood's betrayal. Raugsmada had just completed an artifact which would have allowed her to completely repair her ship and take it back to the surface, allowing the party to take the Naiegoul as their new flagship if they want.
Peppery Longfarthing, Grok, and other friends the party made on the Wormwood will come to the party and explain Harrigan's plans saying that he's gone mad and they can't serve him any longer. They show the party Harrigan's maps of the caves under Lucrehold and encourage the party to grab the Hurricane Crown before Harrigan can. The party will fight their way through the caves only to find that the Filthy Lucre has already sailed.
Kerdak Bonefist did not sit in his fort like a jerk. Believing the PC's dead he will lead a fleet into the Eye against the Chelish navy, but he doesn't know that Harrigan intends to betray the other free captains during the battle. Since Tessa and a bunch of other characters which the players care about are also in that fight it seems up to our heroes to sail into the hurricane and fight not only the Chelish Navy but also their old nemesis Harrigan, and even the treacherous Hurricane King himself in a pitched battle moving from ship to ship.
Marvelous stuff.
One question (which is the primarly reason I haven't used DM's idea about the ship's clock in my game yet) :
Not trying to nitpick, but genuinely curious. I think Sabedoria and DM have made some wonderful suggestions for expanding and tightening the AP, and I suspect I'll be using most or all of them in my game.
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Marvelous stuff.
One question (which is the primarly reason I haven't used DM's idea about the ship's clock in my game yet) :
I hope they'll figure the clock stuff out through hints in dreams and such on their own. If not I'll basically have Peppery Longfarthing explain it when she goes over to their side before the final battle.
Then: Kerdak Bonefist, like a fool, calls on Dagon during the battle in the Eye to summon a Thalassic Behemoth to his aid against the Chelish Navy. The Behemoth sets about wrecking ships willy-nilly and the PC's either figure out or are told that they could stop it's rampage and end Harrigan's invulnerability in one fell swoop by feeding the clock to the beast. It might even provide an opportunity to redeem Harrigan depending how their relationship with him has developed. Maybe Harrigan realizes that he's doomed everyone and even if he survives this he'll always be a pawn of the Thrunes so he jumps into the Behemoth's mouth holding his ship's clock!
** spoiler omitted **Marvelous stuff.
One question (which is the primarly reason I haven't used DM's idea about the ship's clock in my game yet) :
You are a truly devious person.
I like it!! ;D
Harrigan's attack on the pre-Plugg first mate at Dagon's Gullet has to fit in there too, but that's more or less just a chronology tweak. (It's unclear if Harrigan attacked his former Mate before or after the Man's Promise events: the module says the survivors have been there a few weeks, but the story of the attack and escape have circulated enough for a lot of people to be aware of it.
I've found the biggest problem in the written timeline to be the variances bewteen the modules, but I suppose that's to be expected with a different author wroting each of the six....
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Saberdoria's explanation for Harrigan's demise is pretty close to what I planned. In my game Besmara and Dagon play bigger roles being patrons of sea monsters. I am definitely swiping this stuff.
In my game the PCs will basically end up in a turf war with Bonefist in the streets of Port Peril. Each day they can lead or stage a number of attacks to control Port Peril eventually defeating the Hurricane King. Of course each day the PCs spend in-fighting with pirates is another day for Cheliax to get a foothold. The PCs will then need to travel from Port to Port, freeing pirate fleets to attack the mother fleet sheltered in the eye.
The PCs will be able to call the Thalassic Behemoth as a Superweapon. A weapon they'll need against Cheliax's devil-possessed ships. A once in a lifetime power of the Hurricane Crown.
Harrigan shows up in the final battle, wearing a Chelish Admiral's uniform. The PCs will have a hell of a fight ahead of them. Especially as they battle Harrigan on the Wormwood's Revenge, the PCs might be able to turn Harrigan (who never wanted to be anyone's servant). It'll be a big, wet battle worthy of big damn pirates.
Bit unsure about Harrigan atm...players are following some sidequeste (chasing a treasure ship bound for Varisia ) right now, while I am rewriting AP-IV and V, but the way it looks (and the party being setup at the moment) they will in all likelihood go for some entrapment (Witchy entrapping + some sort of Trap the soul or similar effect... they really liked the ship-in-a-bottle ) or "poetic justice" against Harrigan, so actually "slaying" is not really what I am looking at, atm... Plus... DRAMA !
I do like the idea of the uncontrollable Thalassian Behemoth (or some similar nasty), but would storywise go along the lines of "weapon you cannot control", wild maelstrom and all and make the "Big Nasty" trash ships and crews left and right.... although I like the idea of feeding it Harrigan's heart or some such. This might also make looking for a new ruler of the Shackles more interesting, if some of the more courageous allies have suffered badly in the recent battle.
Dotting this for future reference. I'll be starting up Skull & Shackles soon and I'd really like to borrow some of these ideas.
Dotting this for future reference. I'll be starting up Skull & Shackles soon and I'd really like to borrow some of these ideas.
Yeah, I'm gonna borrow some of this too - "borrow" as in "grab with both hands and run off cackling down the street". ;D
Finally got the sixth module, and after a quick read I have to agree that as a big dramatic finish to the AP it's a bit "meh".
I foresee a lot of rewriting in my future, courtesy of DM and Sabedoria's great ideas....
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Hiding my question behind a spoiler just in case players come in here.
Let me know what you think.
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Hiding my question behind a spoiler just in case players come in here.
** spoiler omitted **
Let me know what you think.
Excellent!
I intend to have the Naiegoul sunk in a trench deep under Jeopardy Bay. So they have to deal with depth as well as darkness and water-breathing - all simple by that level. But then I'll throw in some black vents (the kind that are described as creating Deep Platinum), some narrow spaces in the trench that constrict movement and block line of sight etc... and of course a ship full of aquatic undead. Should be fun!
Thanks for sharing your work.
Thanks for sharing your work.
No problem.
- Raugsmada would most likely be fought in the depths of the ocean, where she's spent the last 26 or so years, as such many of her abilities/spells reflect the icy and exhausting depths where she's stewed in torment.
- Raugsmada was a ship's captain as well as being a Lich, so she needed a way to crew her unholy vessel, thus she has animate/command undead. Woe be to those her attempt to invade her home and fail, they will forevermore serve Raugsmada as part of her crew of the damned.
- To become a Lich is an extensive, time consuming, soul crushing process. Thus Raugsmada has Undead as her bloodline to reflect that even at the beginning of her career she was pursuing such a destiny.
- Knowing that invaders to her domain would need magic to face her on even footing she has Spontaneous Metafocus(Dispel Magic) this allows her to make greater use of her Dispel Magic spell and Echoing Spell feat, essentially 22+ Dispel Magics per day if she decides to do nothing but Dispel Magic.
- Normally Raugsmada would be a CR13 creature but since I built her on a 20 point-buy and she has WBL of a PC I bumped her CR by 1. Not listed in her equipment is a Extend Metamagic Rod but it's assumed she uses that every day for Greater False Life, Mage Armor and Overland Flight (all three, as well as Haste, are already included in her stats).
- Don't argue about the Overland Flight, it's a thematic choice because who knows when she'd need to get to somewhere/terrorize someone above her icy domain at the ocean's depths.
- Raugsmada herself is only CR14, at the bridge point I imagine the PCs facing her they'll be level 13, so by herself she's not much of a threat but she's intended to have members of her "crew" assist her in the fight, dependent on what she calls upon it can be a CR15-16 encounter, but if the PCs have been diligent about clearing out her "crew" then rewarding them with "only" a CR14 Lich is acceptable.
- I've updated Raugsmada to include some "scrolls" she'd likely have. Since she's underwater I imagine them to be more akin to runestones that she snaps for the effect but they operate as scrolls for all intents and purposes.
Raugsmada waits in her cabin for the party to arrive, as she senses them approaching she casts Invisibility on herself as well as Haste (already included in her stats). She then proceeds to use her Greater Heroism Scroll, followed by Magic Circle Against Good and Cat's Grace, casting all three takes her three rounds to complete, if the party has entered the room as she is casting from the scrolls she moves around every round to ensure they have trouble finding her (remember that Invisibility does not prevent people from hearing her cast but they will have a hard time finding her exact location, with Invisibility her Stealth is a +51 if not moving and +31 if moving). After finishing casting those spells Raugsmada uses her Major Image scroll to "appear," as she won't actually be concentrating on the illusion created the phantom Raugsmada vanishes after 3 rounds. Raugsmada will use this time to confuse the party, especially because the round after she casts Mirror Image (she gets 1d4+4 images), using the Mirror Images and the illusion to throw the party completely off guard. As she is immune to cold damage she has no problem dropping Ice Storms in the center of where she is standing, especially if she combines it with her Spontaneous Metafocus(Ice Storm) & Rime Spell feats, this combination makes it such that anyone that takes cold damage from Ice Storm is also entangled for 4 rounds. She can Quicken Spell any spell of 2nd level or lower so if she starts having troubles she can cast Invisibility as a swift action, put up False Life, or refresh her Mirror Images without losing action economy. Finally her weapon is only a +1 dagger but it's a Conductive dagger allowing her to deliver touch effects through it, which includes her Negative Energy Lich Touch but also her Grave Touch ability, letting her go Invisible one round (with Mirror Images and possibly a Major Image still dancing around) and then Paralyze/Frighten a flat-footed opponent on her next action. All in all, she can be quite brutal if played to her strengths, and that doesn't even take into account any undead she might bring to her side.
I should note that Raugsmada does not have any of her buffs from scrolls included in her stats but the changes to her stats are:
AC becomes 29/18 touch/23 flatfooted
Initiative becomes +5
CMD becomes 25/19 flatfooted
Saves become +18 Fort, +17 Reflex, +17 Will
Melee Touch becomes +12
Ranged Touch becomes +16
Attacks with the dagger become +13/+13/+8
All skill checks gain +4 and Dex based skills get another +2
Summoned creatures (including Eidolons) need to make a DC14 Will save to touch/attack her, any undead with her get a +2 Deflection bonus to AC and a +2 Resistance Bonus to saves.
Love the icy theme for Raugsmada. The choices you made and her tactics are excellent. The only concern I have is she probably needs some sort of freedom of movement effect given that she is deep underwater.
This is true, but you can easily just say she can act freely underwater in her own domain.
I offer the suggestion above because, at least in my imagination, Raugsmada's ship is her phylactery. The reason it's taken 26 years to come back and enact her revenge is due to the damage to the ship, it wasn't destroyed but it made it harder for her to reform. As we already bumped her CR by 1 due to higher point buy and slightly higher wealth I think it's fair to give her Underwater Movement on her ship.
An alternate way to do it is to put her slightly over WBL and give her a Pearl of the Sirines. If you don't want to put her over WBL you drop the Caster's Tattoo, give her the Pearl and another 5k in other gear, my suggestions for which would a Phantasmal Gem (Advanced Race Guide) that lets her Major Image last for 13 rounds instead of just 3.
Bumping this back up to see what other happy/fun (read: insidious/devious) things sabedoriaclark has rigged up for us!
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One thing I feel this AP is missing is a bit more direct interaction with other pirates/adversaries. Harrigan is there, true, but he is untouchable when you're on the Wormwood with him and distant/absent most of the rest of the AP. I know it is tough to write that sort of stuff in because if you present a character as a potential adversary there's always the chance the players just attack and short-circuit that plotline. So here are some adversaries I'm presenting my party:
The captain of the Drekar Devil's Pallor was brought into our game as a competitor for a prize Pathfinder ship named the Ancient Rumor which the Aspis Consortium was looking to interfere with. He threatened my players while they were in Blood Cove and showed up at the same time as them to attack the Pathfinder ship in a big three-way, highly memorable, battle. Since he came out of that one disarmed and beaten unconscious in front of his crew he is unquestionably a mortal enemy of my players and is already plotting his revenge. I intend to have him show up in Port Peril when the PC's are there seeking their letter of Marque from the Hurricane King and lead to a massive street brawl and simultaneous sabotage attempt on their ship. I hope to have his final defeat occur in the Free Captain's Regatta.
I really didn't like how she was handled in the official version. Such an interesting character who is basically a lackey of the Sahuagin and who dies or kills herself in the first encounter just to deliver a treasure map? Nope.
Instead of this, my players are already being led on a hunt for the island where Mancatcher Cove is located. They think they are tracking down an ancient Gol Ghan shrine from artifacts on that Pathfinder ship they took, but Cyrus Wolfe looted that shrine and buried his loot on that island 30 years ago. Inkskin in my version is still looking for Mancatcher Cove herself since she believes her father, who was Wolfe's navigator, was murdered and buried there. She has the poem and map OF the island on her tattoo, but no map TO the island.
Inkskin is going to come on the PC's in the Thresher right after they've had another encounter and are weakened. She's going to give them a taste of what it's like to be the victim of piracy. She'll board, take some of their crew as volunteers, and of course take their plunder including those artifacts which lead to the Island of Mancatcher Cove. Since the PC's have rubbings of those artifacts it will become a race to get to the island and claim the treasure (and hopefully get revenge as well).
The island, rather than being a dungeon crawl will be a series of chained encounters: booby traps left by Wolfe, an ambush from Isabella's crew, a dinosaur stampede, leading up the hill to the shrine where they will confront Inkskin herself... only to have a huge Sahuagin raiding party show up mid-fight and attack both sides. Will they team up to fight off the Sahuagin? Keep fighting each other? I hope to take Inkskin and a PC hostage back into the Sahuagin lair and have her first mate "Knuckles" propose a truce to rescue the captives.
One thing I feel this AP is missing is a bit more direct interaction with other pirates/adversaries. Harrigan is there, true, but he is untouchable when you're on the Wormwood with him and distant/absent most of the rest of the AP. I know it is tough to write that sort of stuff in because if you present a character as a potential adversary there's always the chance the players just attack and short-circuit that plotline. So here are some adversaries I'm presenting my party:
The more I read about your changes, the more I'm inspired. I expect that I'll be taking bits and pieces from just about everything you're doing and use it in my game.
Of course, since my game is running online, I have lots of time to prepare things which is great. So far, we've been playing for about 4 months and should encounter the Man's Promise within the week. At this pace, it'll be 4+ years to finish, but we're having an awesome time.
Very cool changes, definitely going to use some or all of them. Re: Isabella--I like how she's looking for her father, and making her father the ancient mariner.
For my campaign I might make it that she had the original deep platinum necklace and was using that to find her dad (perhaps she had someone tattoo the route on the way? Not sure how I'll work in the tattoo yet).
When she got to Mancatcher cove, she started making her way to the mariner, only to get defeated by the sahuagin. They took the necklace, but she escaped.
Then the PCs get the necklace after they kill the sahuagin. So now the sahuagin are against the PCs and want the necklace back, but Isabella wants it too so she can go back to Mancatcher cove, defeat the sahuagin, and find out what happened to her father.
This way, instead of killing herself, she can ally with the PCs--she'll show them how to get to mancatcher cove in exchange for them giving her the necklace and helping her find the mariner.
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Very cool changes, definitely going to use some or all of them. Re: Isabella--I like how she's looking for her father, and making her father the ancient mariner.
Yeah, I'm glad Isabella is getting a bit more play in my story than the AP gave her. In their initial encounter she killed one of the PC's though, so they might not ever work together because there is some serious revenge planned. Either way it's satisfying.
Speaking of that character that was killed. She's coming back in a novel way...
Mistress Livdana Giedrence runs the Siren's Lash - the most famed brothel and shrine to Calistria in Port Peril. Her many attractive and attentive courtesans serve as excellent informants for a bit of extra coin, and are regular guests of the Hurricane King himself. The most beloved tradition of this temple however has nothing to do with lust and everything to do with vengeance.
Every pirate begins with visions of riches and infamy, but most die in poverty and ignominy. Assassins being the expensive breed they are, vengeance is usually a rich-man's game. The Servants of the Savored Sting try to throw a bone to the underdogs every so often. The harbor scum of the Shackles can come to Port Peril once a year to plea their case with Calistria's priestesses. They tell their stories of betrayal and suffering and try to convince them that theirs is the best claim on vengeance.
The Servants of the Savored Sting pick the ten best stories to put a happy, meaning bloody, end to. The priestesses then find a likely subject, recently murdered, and offer them a true resurrection if they will accept a Geas and take on the mantle of the Onyx Wasp.
The Onyx Wasp is contracted to fulfill the ten vengeance dreams chosen by the Servants of the Savored Sting. Each victim watches in horror as a subcutaneous black bruise spreads across their forehead marking them for death. This mark makes them traceable by the Onyx Wasp who sets out to fulfill their Geas and earn their freedom. Most of the previous Onyx Wasps have chosen to protect their identity both to preserve the mystique of the office and to prevent reprisals.
They are given some tools to make this easier, and more stylish:
Wings of Flying (black insectile wings),
+1 Dagger (Bane against "Black Spot" victim. At Will "Locate Person")
30 doses of Giant Wasp Venom
Onyx Wasp's Ring (Blur 3/day, 10 clear gems turn black as contracts fulfilled, once the last gem turns black ring teleports all the gear back to the Siren's Lash)
thanks people.
Very cool changes, definitely going to use some or all of them. Re: Isabella--I like how she's looking for her father, and making her father the ancient mariner.Yeah, I'm glad Isabella is getting a bit more play in my story than the AP gave her. In their initial encounter she killed one of the PC's though, so they might not ever work together because there is some serious revenge planned. Either way it's satisfying.
Speaking of that character that was killed. She's coming back in a novel way... ** spoiler omitted **...
That is amazing! Definitely stealing that if a character dies and they want to come back. I should have had a couple character deaths in Book 1, but the monk's strategic hero point usage prevented both.
(First he caught the oracle who was dropped from the tree after the choker holding her was killed. She was, I think, 2 away from being at negative con score. She fell, monk caught her, she goes to one away from outright dead, cleric heals her).
(Then, during the mutiny, monk gets crit hit by Scourge and dropped into negatives. Plugg sneers, looks at the party, and coup de graces the monk. Monk has two hero points left, uses them to "cheat death", and his rum bottle slides out and deflects the sword thrust, hehe. )
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(Then, during the mutiny, monk gets crit hit by Scourge and dropped into negatives. Plugg sneers, looks at the party, and coup de graces the monk. Monk has two hero points left, uses them to "cheat death", and his rum bottle slides out and deflects the sword thrust, hehe. )
I love hero points for exactly crap like that.
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Very cool changes, definitely going to use some or all of them. Re: Isabella--I like how she's looking for her father, and making her father the ancient mariner.Yeah, I'm glad Isabella is getting a bit more play in my story than the AP gave her. In their initial encounter she killed one of the PC's though, so they might not ever work together because there is some serious revenge planned. Either way it's satisfying.
Speaking of that character that was killed. She's coming back in a novel way... ** spoiler omitted **...
Awesome. I think I'll be stealing that, too! I've already set up a tradition around Besmara being the avenger of unfaithful spouses (mostly to explain the use of marriage as an enforceable contract in Book 2), but this sounds like a really cool way to play up Calistria as a more generalized revenge goddess.
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Some more bits I put together for my game.
This one is all about set up. While exploring an island or some jungly terrain ensure the party winds up at the bottom of a narrow ravine. This is best with characters that don't have flight magic or other convenient ways to escape. Let them hear the stampede of parasauralophus coming, which works like this:
3 rounds to prepare. They can try climbing the cliffs (DC10), or taking cover (+2 on Reflex saves), cast spells to help themselves. They probably won't be able to get away entirely.
6 rounds to survive. The stampede does 2d8 damage to anyone caught in it (Reflex Save DC15 for half). Those climbing the cliff below 25' in elevation take 1d6 damage from debris and need to make a DC15 climb check or fall. Everyone is enveloped in a cloud of choking dust and noise that makes visibility 5' and makes communicating near impossible.
I encourage you to improvise events in the middle of the stampede such as a dinosaur falling on one of the characters and pinning them. Or part of the cliff face giving way in a rock slide caused by the stampede.
At the end, let your players discover the stampede was driven by an even worse danger they now have to deal with.
A sacrificial toothed dagger of Ancient Ghol Gan, which sized appropriately for a Cyclops makes it the size of a sword for a medium creature. This weapon is a vicious Terbutje based on the Fanged Falchion.
Slot none; Price 25,000 gp; Aura moderate transmutation [evil];
CL 11th; Weight 6 lbs.
A Fanged Terbutje is a +1 Wounding Terbutje and wounds caused by the weapon's serrated edge are horrifically ragged and bleed profusely. Whenever a fanged terbutje's wielder scores a successful critical hit with it, the sword's blade animates and “chews” at its victim. In addition to doing damage for the critical hit, this horrific chewing deals 2 points of Constitution damage and stuns the victim for 1 round (Fort DC 15 negates). Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to this Constitution damage and the stun effect. Once per day if a creature is dropped below 0 hit points by the terbutje it instantly kills the victim and provides the wielder with temporary hit points and a caster-level buff as the spell Death Knell.
A silver and jade squeeze box with a variety of magical powers based on the Harp of Storms.
Slot none; Price 22,000 gp; Aura moderate evocation;
CL 7th; Weight 2 lbs.
Up to three times per day as a standard action, you can use a Jester's Concertina to begin a rousing dance tune which thrums across the battlefield for up to 1 minute. During that time any ally of yours may make a DC12 Perform (Dance) check as a Move equivalent action to "get in step" with your song, granting them +1d6 sonic damage to their next attack. At any time during that minute, you may strike additional notes on the concertina in order to produce one of the following three effects.
Jester's Jaunt: You whirl about with the music and reappear in a spray of psychadelic music notes somewhere within 30' of your starting place as the spell Jester's Jaunt. Normally this requires a Move action but with a DC15 Perform(keyboard) check this can be done as a Swift action.
Wall of Sound: As a Move action You deliver a rousing series of rapid notes on the concertina an erect a wall of pure sonic energy in your vicnity as the spell Wall of Sound.
Sonic Strike: As a standard action, make a Perform (keyboards) check. You cause a wave of sonic energy to strike a single foe within 30 feet, dealing an amount of sonic damage equal to the result of your Perform (keyboards) check. The target gets a DC 15 Reflex save to halve the damage caused by this Sonic Strike.
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Wrote up my version of ship combat, hoping to make it a bit more exciting for all without overly complicating it. Just linking it here so that all my homebrew stuff is in one place.
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A couple more things that I have added to my game or tweaked from the AP:
The brute simpleton Owlbear was killed in Port Peril by the Blackfingers (also called Graymen - see below). The party wasn't ready to let go of him so they pooled some money and had the Druid cast Reincarnate. He came back as a purple-bearded Gnome. Since coming back he has been the subject of fresh ridicule by the rest of the crew, changing his name to Owlcub and beating him up since he is now small and vulnerable. I have decided to retool him a bit. I am adding a couple levels of Barbarian. Gonna play up his small size for humor and make him a fierce little bugger. Should be fun.
The Blackfingers are a cult of secret-keepers for Norgorber already part of the AP, but they don't really appear until part 5 when you go to the Black Tower and learn about Tevenida Aiger. If you've read my plot above you know that I'm using Norgorber much more than this. So Harrigan (who is a devotee of Norgorber) has hired the Blackfingers to go after the party since now that they are officially Free Captains there is supposed to be a truce between them.
The Blackfingers in my game are a creepy group of assassins that kill people who know too much, to prevent secrets from being revealed. The players have taken to calling them Graymen because before any mission they smear a magical Dust of Disguise over themselves that makes them all appear as identical human males with dreadlocked hair and beards in robes - entirely gray from head to toe as if they were filmed in Black & White. When not in their Grayman form they can be any race or gender.
These Graymen are usually 5th level monks. They like to try to poison their foe with Oil of Taggit before a fight, in a drink or meal. They use Blinding Bolts from Light Crossbows(DC 17 will save or Blind) to begin a conflict and then move in with Garrotes to grapple, pin, and then strangle their target. It is a devastating combo. Certain Graymen have demonstrated the ability to walk through walls and on air. They retreat from combat if they are overmatched, but try never to be captured alive. They will commit suicide or even kill one of their own if necessary to prevent their secrets from getting out. Even if captured they are highly resistant to normal means of coercion.
The Blackfingers only exist in small numbers in well-hidden temples around the Shackles. These temples are often actually in their own demi-plane or some isolated corner of the plane of Shadow. Usually the High Priest possesses an artifact that is a key or gate to get into this temple. Often these temples have Daemon residents and guards loyal to Norgorber, as well as Graymen. The Temple of the Hidden Name in Beachcomber on Bag Island is one such.
In my game the party escaped the Dominator once the way the book describes. A second time they were nearly captured at Tidewater Rock by the crew of the Dominator and then chased into the Shackles before Merril Peggsworthy intervened to save them. They've been hiding out in the Shackles for a while and the Chelish Navy seems like a distant memory. That is going to change when they go looking for the wreck of the Brine Banshee. It takes them just far enough outside the boundaries of the Shackles for the Dominator to make its unwelcome reappearance. This time there will be some actual battle between them, interrupted by Hirgenzosk the Dragon Turtle, giving them a chance to get away again since they're still not quite ready.
In the Captain's Cabin of the Briarpatch Jack found a magical dagger in an elaborately carved box. The carvings on the box depicted intense sea battles between the Naiegoul the famous ship of the Lich Sorceress Raugsmada and another mysterious vessel. Raugsmada won and took two blades as plunder. She later gave them to her first mate as a gift. He was promoted to captain of his own ship in her fleet thereafter, but was eventually chased down and killed by Cyrus Wolfe and Tevenida Aiger. His daggers were separated.
Aiger took one (Tegnis) and gave it to the Blackfingers it eventually worked its way into the hands of Barnabas Harrigan, who put it in the armory at his fort on Gannet Island. The captain of the Briarpatch "borrowed" it from there.
Wolfe took the other dagger (Bursis) choosing to sell it to the Mwangi wizard Bikendi Otongu. Bikendi later went to the Isle of Empty Eyes to attempt to achieve his immortality in a plot that went very badly. The dagger is now in the possession of his apprentice, Ederleigh Baines, who would be happy to give it away for a chance to escape his nightmare.
When both daggers are wielded by the same person they are potent:
Tegnis: Alchemical Silver +2 Agile, Shocking Burst, Returning Dagger.
Bursis: Cold Iron +2 Agile, Icy Burst, Slowing Dagger.
When separated they lose their Agile & Burst abilities.
Inspired by this Reaper mini, I am adding another foe to this AP for my players to tangle with: a mindflayer pirate captain. I know that WotC has the rights on Mindflayers and Beholders and such so they aren't an official part of Pathfinder, but how can you pass this up?
B'Thul Brinemurk was the captain who Raugsmada defeated in the carvings (see above), and it was to him that Tegnis and Bursis originally belonged. Though he lost that day he has since grown into a formidable pirate himself and he has decided to come to the Shackles to retrieve what was once his. He doesn't care about Letters of Marque or Hurricane Crowns or other such niceties. He will show up when our party is around level 11-12 in dramatic fashion outright destroying a Pirate Lord or two, hopefully ones that party is friendly with. He will then commence harrassing the Shackles until someone gives up the daggers that belong to him.
I haven't statted him up yet, but he will be a bad dude. Stay tuned for more.
Marvelous stuff, as always. I believe the expression is "Yoinked"? ;D
I will be getting my campaign underway again this coming Monday after a general gaming hiatus in our group. One of my friends/players has that same Reaper mini (as do I) and for a long time we have both been trying to figure out a way to use it in a game as a PC. It's just too tough (and unbalancing) to actually allow it as a Mind Flayer PC, but in our S&S game I'm saying his character was cursed by an avatar of Besmara in Port Peril (picked the wrong wench to fondle, and wouldn't take "no" for an answer) and he now looks like the mini until he can figure out how to lift the curse. The change didn't manifest until he came on deck the first morning on the Wormwood, which led to some interesting initial reactions from the crew and the nickname "Squidface". He also was the one to take on Owlbear, knocking him out in two rounds. He and Owlbear are now great buddies, which makes for an unusual pair.
Having a real Mind Flayer show up later is a truly devilish idea... especially if Squidface is the one with the daggers. Hee, hee.
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We're still making our way through this path. We're in the middle of the Free-Captain's Regatta now. Here are a few more things I've added or changed in my game:
We have an Aasimar cleric of Besmara in our party and he has been researching rumors that Besmara (back when she sailed the seas of Golarion) scattered a few of her personal possessions around. These items became known as the Fetishes of Besmara and it's said that if they're worn/held by a Cleric of Besmara and said cleric Channels energy then they manifest unique powers. They've figured out so far that these items include a hat, a sash, an earring, a purse, a pair of boots, and necklace. They've also learned that pirates that get a hold of one of the fetishes tend to have impressive careers and tend to end up in conflict with other fetish-bearers. Supposedly if one person holds two or more fetishes it usually ends very badly for them. They're also convinced Tessa has one of them, perhaps the sash (though Tessa hasn't confirmed this). Lastly, they've tracked rumors that the earring might be on the Isle of Empty Eyes. I do indeed intend to allow them to recover the earring which works thusly:
Besmara's Earring (head slot): constant Resist Sonic Energy 10; 1/Day Clairaudience as the spell (hearing only); if Channel Positive Energy Lesser Restoration on all living creatures in 30'radius per use of channel energy; if Channel Negative Energy Deafness on all creatures in 30' radius per use of channel energy.
I think in the Brine Banshee loot there is a board and pieces for a game called "Wyvern's Race". I'm sure most parties just sell that, but not my players. They want to know the rules of this game and play it. So here are the rules I made up on the fly one night:
3-8 Players.
Tokens for each player.
An 8-sided die, called the "Wyvern Die".
Draw a track ten spaces long and eight lanes wide. Place the tokens in the first space, with the owner of the game getting the first lane. Alternately you can use a 10-sided die for each player and rotate it one higher for each "space" they move on the track.
Each round players choose between 3 possible actions by holding their hand behind their back and either making a "Turtle" (closed fist), a "Rabbit" (extend index and middle finger like a peace sign), or a "Sting" (extend pinky-finger only). The players all reveal their chosen action at the same time. Always resolve "Stings" first, then "Rabbits", then "Turtles". Resolve from left to right across the track if there are multiple actions of the same type.
Turtle: You move forward one space. You ignore any stings. Nothing can prevent you from this slow, but steady, advance.
Rabbit: You attempt to move forward two spaces, but you are vulnerable to stings and have to roll the Wyvern Die and get a 5 or higher to advance the second space.
Sting: You move forward one space and attempt to sting up to 3 other racers, but you are vulnerable to being stung. Each racer you sting has to roll the Wyvern Die and get a 5 or higher or they fail to advance this turn (unless they Turtled).
It is possible to be stung multiple times in a round if multiple opponents choose to sting you. You must roll the Wyvern Die for every sting and for any second space you attempt if you chose to "Rabbit".
At the end of each round the player in the lead (or the player with a share of the lead who is closest to the first lane if there are multiple) rolls the Wyvern Die. The racer in the track corresponding to the number rolled gets one free space of movement (even if they were stung and failed to move that round).
The first racer to cross the finish line by exiting the tenth space on the track wins. It is customary to bet on Wyvern's Race.
The Regatta just wasn't brutal and piratey enough for me. So in my campaign I divided it into two days. Only the first 5 ships to cross the finish line on the first day get to compete on the second day. The winner of the second day is the winner of the regatta. Most of what is in the book I placed on the first day. The effect of this was to have the players realize that they have to go back into the eye a second time after having barely survived it the first day, with a heavily damaged ship, exhausted crew etc... It raised the stakes very nicely. Additionally I had the other captains all play very dirty. Much more mayhem overall.
I drew their vessel on the battlemat so that it would be available for combat. I also drew a chart from -10 to 30 to represent their overall race score and moved a token up and down as they gained/lost position. Finally I put a wind marker down and tracked the changing of the wind.
For each "stage" of the race the wind was rerolled, I rolled on the Hazards chart as well, and they were allowed a certain number of profession sailor checks to change their race position, but then I also had combat encounters and events planned for each stage. As they passed other vessels they also had to make opposed profession sailor checks as the other captains tried to block/ram them.
Day One
The route for day one involved going over the Shifting Sandbars, through Gozreh's Flow, Into the Storm, Threading the Iris, then over Raker's Shoals back to Cauldron Rock.
In the Sandbars several other ships tried to ram them and slow them down. One ship launched some alchemist's fire into their rigging and they had to put it out.
In Gozreh's Flow 3 Cacodaemons (recurring enemies in my game tied to the cult of Norgorber) attacked.
While going Into the Storm they were attacked by a Hydrodaemon.
While Threading the Iris they had to deal with Hirgenzosk of course.
In the Raker's Shoals they were once again set upon by other captains and an invisible Peppery Longfarthing launched Fireballs into their rigging killing a number of their crew.
Overnight
Making the race two days allowed me to put some hijinks in the night in-between. Tessa offered them help in the form of carpenters to do some repair to the ship (250 points of repair overnight which got them seaworthy, but far from perfect). They could negotiate with Peggsworthy to replace crew that died during the first day as well.
Meanwhile, a sorcerer and 2 sailors from an enemy ship swam under them and tried to use Warp Wood to ruin their rudder.
My players concocted a scheme to steal another vessel's wheel, and pulled it off.
Day Two
On the second day they had to sail back over Raker's Shoals, Into the Storm, around Pinnacle Attol, and out to Coam Point. A slightly shorter, but just as brutal race. Each opposing captain represented a significant challenge. The same rules about the wind and hazards applied, but I added 10 to each hazard roll making it more dangerous.
In Raker's Shoals the other ship tried to grapple and board them. They fought it off.
While headed into the storm they faced a Greater Lightning Elemental. They also witnessed the sinking of another opponent.
At Pinnacle Attol they were ambushed by the Wormwood and the other remaining competitor, barely escaping.
The Wormwood came roaring back behind them on the last leg of the race seeking vengeance, but it was too late.
Overall I felt this way of handling the race gave it more breathing room and made it much more climactic and fun.
Enjoy!
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I really can't leave things alone. Here is how I've modified the Isle of Empty Eyes so far...
The island was just too much exploration/combat and too little social/intrigue/puzzle for my group. An entire book of basically dungeon crawling wasn't going to suit their tastes. So to make the Island a bit more of a story to unravel I amplified some of the already present history into a full-blown ongoing conflict.
Basically, Bikendi Otongu stole the Lens of Revelation from the cyclopses of Sumitha and was crafting the Immortal Dreamstone when the hag Lodhotha went to Ishtoreth and the cyclopses and betrayed him. The cyclopses descended on the Fort killing almost everyone, while Lodhotha went after the Dreamstone. The disruption caused Bikendi to fail at the ritual and the resulting magical explosion killed both him and Lodhotha. Ishtoreth promptly took the Lens (now quasi-Dreamstone) back up to Sumitha.
Lodhotha had been part of a coven with the Dusk Hag Haetanga, and the Dawn Hag Perukha (two modified Night Hags of my own creation). Both Haetanga and Perukha mistakenly believe that the other plotted with Bikendi to slay their sister Lodhotha and steal the Heartstone he needed for his ritual. They have both come seeking revenge on Bikendi Otongu (who they don't know is dead) and to claim the Immortal Dreamstone. This has put them in a three-way conflict with Ishtoreth.
Ishtoreth is the leader of the cyclopses obviously. He is a monster, a sometimes cannibal and not willing to negotiate with tiny people. There is dissension in the ranks however as Shaija shows some wisdom. She'd like her tribe to thrive and Ishtoreth won't get them there. They might even make long-term allies and guardians for the settlement the PC's want to build. A wrinkle here is that I intend to have the druid return with the ships from the whaling expedition and he will think an alliance with tiny people is below his dignity.
Haetanga has taken over the South-Western peninsula and allied with the Daughters of Imerta. The Phase Spiders and Animate Dreams make up the rest of her army. She is implacably aggressive to anyone she suspects of dealing with her sister Perukha.
Perukha has taken over the South-Eastern peninsula and controls the Treants, some Gremlins, plant-monsters, Kelpie and other small-fey in that region. She is implacably aggressive to anyone she suspects of dealing with her sister Haetanga.
My players are sort of deciding whose side to take or if they can leverage multiple sides against the others and watch it all implode. I plan several skirmishes and hopefully a large-scale conflict between the three sides at some point.
Awesome job!
We just started Skull and Shackles few months ago, however I have the same feeling as about other APs:
Very detailed, high standard stuff, great base plot, and... a lot of things to rework..
Personnaly I also usually change the stories to fit it better to my team (and percieving of the current world) and its fantastic to read similar things in other point of view...
This is what I was looking for. I will skip the whole book about the cyclops and the island, also I was looking for some base element of intrigue, that can be used to build on and set a cool political background.
Thanks a lot for the missing piece!!