For a Sip o' Chelish Wine - Skull and Shackles PBP

Game Master Rafael Bronzatti

Map of the Wormwood


Upper Decks

Lower Decks

The Wormwood:

A1. Foredeck:This raised deck stands some 10 feet above the main deck (area A3), immediately behind the bowsprit, which is shaped like a rearing dragon. The foremast rises 30 feet above this deck.

A2. Poop Deck:

A3. Main Deck: The ship’s main deck runs between the foredeck and poop deck. The mainmast rises from the center of the deck, extending 60 feet into the air and topped by a crow’s nest. Rigging connects the mainmast to the ship’s other masts and can be crossed with DC 10 Acrobatics or Climb checks. Several strands of thick rope are secured to the foot of the mainmast, likely for use as a whipping post. The ship’s clock, a macabre brass and copper object depicting worms writhing through whale corpses, hangs from the mast above the whipping post. Not only does the clock keep time, but its bell strikes at dawn and dusk to signal the beginning and the end of the workday.
Two 10-foot-square hatches sit in the deck fore and aft of the mainmast. These hatches are thick wooden grilles and open onto the middle hold (area A6) 15 feet below. At the fore of the ship, two doors lead into the officers’ quarters (area A4), while two doors aft lead to the captain’s quarters (area A5).
A large wooden box bound in iron sits just beneath the bridge.
A small jolly boat sits on the deck next to the port rail. It has two sets of oars but no mast. It looks like it would be able to carry four, maybe six at most, Medium passengers.

A4. Officers’ Quarters:

A4a. Armory:

A4b. Laboratory

A5. Captain’s Cabin:

A5a. Cabin Girl’s Quarters:

A5b. Captain’s Storage:

A6. Middle Hold:

A7. Quartermaster and Cook’s Cabin:

A8. Galley: The galley is the domain of Ambrose “Fishguts” Kroop, the drunken ship’s cook. The cramped and chaotic kitchen holds two wooden worktables, several wooden cupboards, and two small stoves against the port wall, as well as virtually every cooking utensil imaginable and a frightening array of meat cleavers. A score of chickens and three goats wander freely throughout the chamber; the goats are meant to be caged, but have a distressing tendency to escape their bonds. The kitchen is a madness of dirt, food, and knives, and finding anything in here requires a Perception check. The stoves are perpetually lit, and large cauldrons bubble away atop them all times. A huge array of spices mingle with barrels of rainwater, two tuns of rum, cupboards full of ship’s biscuit and salted beef, barrels of sauerkraut, and a small supply of fresh vegetables picked up in Port Peril. Despite the chaos, the entire galley functions as a set of masterwork tools for Profession (cook) checks.

A9. Quartermaster’s Store:

A10. Lower Hold and Crew Berths: Sixteen pillars support the deck above this spacious hold. At night, the Wormwood’s common pirates tie their hammocks between the walls and pillars and sleep until dawn. A trap door just behind the mainmast opens onto the bilges below (area A11). The hold is currently empty of cargo, but several footlockers line the walls. Each member of the crew has a locker, equivalent to a small chest.

A11. Bilges: The lowest deck of the ship, the bilges are a foul, damp place with thick cobwebs above and 1–2 feet of dark, brackish water that stinks abominably below. A ladder leads up to a trap door that opens in the lower hold (area A10), and a single bilge pump rests near the stern. The bilges also double as the ship’s brig, and six sets of masterwork manacles with average locks are fixed to the bulkheads in the forward portion of the deck.

The Crew:

Sandara Quinn (female human): a fiery redheaded cleric of Besmara; job: swab; attitude: helpful.

Giffer Tibbs (female gnome): a bedraggled gnome with one eye; job: swab; attitude: helpful.

Rosie Cusswell (female halfling): a foul-mouthed halfling who threatened to cut off the hand of anyone touching her beloved handaxe; job: swab; attitude: indifferent.

Crimson "Cog" Cogward (male human): a violent loner named for the color his neck gets when angry; job: swab; attitude: indifferent.

Conchobar Shortstone (male gnome): a flamboyant gnome who thinks of nothing but himself; job: rigger; attitude: indifferent.

Barefoot Samms Toppin (female human): a former fisherwoman from the Sodden Lands who never wears shoes; job: rigger; attitude: indifferent.

Jack Scrimshaw (male human): a young lad talented at scrimshaw; job: swab; attitude: indifferent.

“Ratline” Rattsberger (male half ling): a rat-faced
half ling with long arms and three missing fingers; job: rigger; attitude: indifferent.

Tilly Brackett (female human): a tough joker who likes her rum; job: swab; attitude: indifferent.

“Badger” Medlar (female half-elf ): an older woman who shaves her gray hair into stripes; job: swab; attitude: unfriendly.

Aretta Bansion (female human): a bad tempered ex-harlot with big ears; job: swab; attitude: hostile.

Fipps Chumlett (male human): a fat, pushy bully with a shaved head; job: swab; attitude: hostile.

Jaundiced Jape (male half-orc): a humorless, greedy half-orc mute; job: swab; attitude: hostile.

Maheem (male human): a big Rahadoumi with a permanent scowl; job: rigger; attitude: hostile.

Slippery Syl Lonegan (female human): an unhinged murderer who fled to sea to escape the gallows; job: rigger; attitude: hostile.

Tam “Narwhal” Tate (male dwarf ): an old friend of Master Scourge with a large, ugly nose; job: rigger; attitude: hostile.

Shivikah (female human): a very tall Mwangi exslaver; job: swab; attitude: hostile.

Jakes Magpie (male human): a thief caught stealing from the quartermaster’s store and sentenced to keelhauling; DECEASED.

The Officers:

Ambrose "Fishguts" Kroop (male human): ship's cook and hard drinker; attitude: indifferent.

Cut-Throat Grok (female half-orc): quartermaster and longtime drinking buddy of Fishguts; attitude: indifferent.

*The following officers are not generally able to be influenced.*
Barnabas Harrigan (male human): captain of the Wormwood

Mister Plugg (male human): first mate

Master Scourge (male human: boatswain and master-at-arms

Peppery Longfarthing (female human): sailing master and old friend of the captain

Riaris Krine (female human): master gunner

Habbly Quarne, the “Stitchman” (male human): ship’s surgeon and carpenter

Kipper (male human): gunner’s mate and bootlicker for Plugg and Scourge

Patch Patchsalt (female gnome): boatswain’s mate and sycophant of Plugg and Scourge

“Caulky” Tarroon (female human): the captain’s cabin girl

Owlbear Hartshorn (male human): simpleton and “pet” of Mr. Plugg

Daytime Actions:

Work Diligently: Gain a +4 bonus on any one check for a job’s daily task.
Influence: Make normal checks for a job’s daily task and attempt to influence a single NPC.
Sneak: Make normal checks for a job’s daily task and briefly explore one area of the ship (you can make a single Perception check or other skill check with no chance of detection).
Shop: Take a –2 penalty on all checks for a job’s daily task and visit the quartermaster’s store (area A9).
Shirk: Take a –2 penalty on all checks for a job’s daily task and take time exploring one area of the ship. You can take 10 on a single Perception check or other skill check, but must make a check to avoid being discovered.
Other: Any action not listed here, subject to GM approval.

Nighttime Actions:

Sleep: Go to bed early and sleep through the night (automatically recover from fatigue, faster healing of ability score damage).
Gamble: Play or gamble on a game of chance or pirate entertainment.
Entertain: Make one Perform check to entertain the crew.
Influence*: Attempt to influence a single NPC.
Sneak*: Take time exploring one area of the ship. You can take 20 on a single Perception check or other skill check, but must make a check to avoid being discovered.
Steal*: Attempt to open a locked door or locker. You must make a check to avoid being discovered.
Other*: Any action not listed here, subject to GM approval.

You may also attempt to take up to two additional ship actions during the middle watch in the dead of night (any nighttime ship action marked with an asterisk), but to do so the you must make a successful Constitution check (DC 10, +4 per extra ship action taken) or be fatigued for the next day.