GMDQ's Skull and Shackles (Inactive)

Game Master tumbler

The flow proves almost impossible to avoid. Every attempt to sail into the eddies beside the currents leads you to a dead end. The ship must turn into a veritable river within the sea and is pushed sideways, carried in the wrong direction, once even tipped so far that you worry the ship might capsize.

Sal guides you through a particularly hairy encounter with two currents that come together with such force that they slap into each other, sending spray a hundred feet into the air.

Lee...isn't a great deal of help at the moment. Still getting his sea legs, perhaps.

Overall, Thren makes the best of a bad situation. With the course that Gales has planned, you can't truly avoid the Flow, you just have to cope with it as best you can.

Race Score increases by 3 to a total of 6.

As you come into clear water out of the harsh currents, the weather clears enough for your lookouts to gain some perspective, [b]"Ship, ho! She's Pharasma's Price.

The Price is a fast and maneuverable caravel, and is obviously fairing well despite its smallness. It will certainly get to the next obstacle before you.

Two jagged shafts of rock called Iris's Splinters rise out of the ocean only 100 feet apart, likely part of some volcano that blew itself to Hell.

As directed by the Master of Gales, you will have to sail between them. And it looks like the Price will beat you to it.

As the two of you approach, a gigantic turtlelike behemoth surfaces between the Splinters, smashing into the caravel with a bellow and a blast of steam. The smaller ship is both crushed and burning, quickly capsizing as its hold fills with ocean water. The massive monster gulps up crew as quickly as it can, though it is ponderous in its movement.

Lots of ways this can go, so I won't ask for any checks yet.

"Sea monster! Because why not? I'm going to use the Price as a distraction, put it between us and it if I can, and then thread the needle!"

Assuming there's enough room for such a move, of course.

Maintaining your speed, using the Price as a distraction, make 3 DC 25 Sailing checks. Others can assist, of course. And I'd also allow other clever checks to count as those checks or contribute to the situation. Knowledge (Arcana) to know about Dragon Turtles, for example. But lots of possibilities.

Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

"May Besmara take you all as crew," Thren murmurs as she sees the monster gulp down another mouthful of pirates. She speeds the Fearsome Tide along as fast as possible, very glad that she spent the coin to redo the rigging and replace the sails.

Little help with that last one team?

Sal's eyes widen as the great beast crushes the ship before them. Almost reflexively she loosens the strap holding her ranseur to her back and drops the pole-haft into a hand. "Is... is that some kinda sea dragon? I... I haven't fought anything like that before... yet..." her eyes widen. "Let me at'em! Let me at'em, cap'n!"

Sal runs up the fo'c'sle, shouting at the creature as though it could hear her through the wind and the waves. "You think you're so tough! If I get my way, today's the day you eat your last mariner, you hear me, you great shellhead!?"

I don't have Prof Sailor trained. I'd get aid from a helpful shipmate or one of your followers, Thren. This is the time to use that Leadership feat!

I don't have Prof Sailor trained. I'd get aid from a helpful shipmate or one of your followers, Thren. This is the time to use that Leadership feat!

Letting Lee also get involved if he desires. I admire your gusto though!

Profession (sailor), aid another: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Sandara takes up a position and gives Thren clear, concise directions for moving past the monster and past the flotsam that was the Pharasma's Price.

Lee keeps an eye on the monster. Most of his spells could possibly attract/enrage the creature so he'll hold until we are thru Iris's Splinters and past the creature.

If we get noticed, Lee will cast a Fireball spell into the water in an effort to distract the monster. Like magically-created steam as chaff.

Perception (monster spotting): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

The dragon turtle submerges near the Price and reappears to your starboard just as Thren orders a hard turn to port.

Lee launches a pea sized ball of fire from his outstretched hand, which explodes against the creature's head. It roars and super hot steam pours out, not quite reaching the ship.

For today, Sal will be disappointed, unable to lock horns with the massive foe.

Lee, don't take that spell off of your spells cast for the day. Thren and Sandara managed the checks to avoid having to fight the dragon turtle, but this description seemed more fun.

1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28
1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33

Race Score total now 8

The sails fill and the ship leaps away from the dragon turtle, flying between Iris's Splinters. Lightning cracks overhead.

The wall of the hurricane is now close on your starboard, pushing against you. The next leg will be a difficult tack against the wind, and who knows what horrors will be thrown at you by the hurricane.

Based on your study of your charts and planning, this is likely to be the most difficult part of the journey. Not that something crazy couldn't come up later. I wanted to give you a chance to cast any spells or make any preparations you might want to. It is about 50 miles, so it will take some time. Also, I need to know what speed you hope to maintain in this section.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but 50 miles is just over the 48 miles per day a sailing ship can do in 24 hours. Mind, the Tide is 10% faster in overland speeds, but that still means pretty much a full 24 hours. Presuming the weather doesn't hit us and slow us down a lot, which is a big 'if'.

I have nothing that can last all day or even close, the only thing coming to mind is to invoke the imposition 'Yes Sir!' to halve the time for all work on the ship by the crew. Anyone got any ideas?

Indeed, I suspect that the design of the challenges is intended to get you to probe the infamy and disrepute rules. You have well established night and day shifts, so you aren't likely to experience too much trouble with fatigue. Of course, if the (PC) officers intend to stay on duty for the whole time, you would need to start making checks against fatigue eventually.

Not much we can do, necessarily, as many of the abilities aren't useful just this second. I intend for us to keep to shifts. Thren doesn't need to be at the wheel when not at her best.

Sal grumbles at not being able to fight the great beast, but the ship remaining intact is a fair consolation prize.

We have night and day shifts, indeed, so I don't see an issue with moving forward. Whoever is in charge of nightwatch (Yamtisy, perhaps?) can wake us if needed

Yamtisy would take the nightwatch, yes.

Moving forward with a night watch is the best plan. We know Muffin will be prowling around all night.

Lee has spells like Haste to lift us past "intense activity" kinds of issues but nothing that lasts hours (Other than Mage Armor, right?). Does something need to be Mend-ed?

Mend is likely useful in the background, keeping ropes from fraying, managing tears in sails, etc. Message is useful for helping communicate over gale force winds. I expect your Knowledge: Arcana may come in handy if we run into the dragon turtle again. I could see some creative use of web along the edge of the ship to catch falling crew, even if sticking to the webs isn't the most fun for them.

Sal's Endurance feat does not help her avoid sleeping, but it does let her sleep in her armor without issue so she can respond swiftly if she goes to sleep but then has to rise to action. And I need to look over the ranger list to consider prepping some alternatives. ETA: Would Communal Endure Elements be a good idea? In storm waters even in the tropics it could get cold. Summon Nature's Ally could have its uses as well.

I thought about using Web earlier, but it seemed like a shortcut to drowning once someone is in the water.

If Lee sees a deck-clearing wave approaching Web could stop crew from being washed overboard.

Yeah, I was thinking as a preemptive measure around the rail, not after someone fell in. I've swapped Aspect of the Falcon for Glide (which is kind of ike feather fall, in case Sal needs to climb the rigging) and Summon Nature's Ally 2, which could provide some assistance on various things

Sal checks the ship's barometer if it has one (the needle is likely pointing to "you've got to be f@*&ing kidding me") and does her best to determine what to expect regarding the weather. While she knows no matter what it will be awful, if she can get a good handle on when, say, there might be a thunderstorm versus simple lashings of rain, that can be useful.

Knowledge Nature: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

She also suggests to the officers that they ask Beryl the cook to bring extra rations to those pumping the bilges.

Ok, then. Rolls will look like this overall for this leg. You need a DC 25 Sailor or Survival check. Since it specifies either of those skills, I'm going to say you can use our Aid another roll and take the best roll of the two. If you have 5 ranks in either Kn: Local or Kn: Geography, you can add +2 to your roll. This is a check up front to plan your route.

Sal's weather eye predicts intense thunderstorms in the next 24 hours.

You can make 5 Profession (Sailor) checks during this section. Let's say one every 5 hours. So Yamitsy needs to make two of those. There are some other events that happen during this section. I'll get to those after we get these base rolls.

Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 14 + 2 = 32

Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 14 + 2 = 19
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 14 + 2 = 20

Oh boy, gonna need some aid on those two. I'll make one of the rolls for Sandara, to take over from Thren. Sal, Lee, why don't one of you try your luck with Yamtisy? Thren does have the Knowledge (geography) ranks to get a synergy bonus.

Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Thren, if I read GM ST's post right, the DC 25 applies only to the first route planning check, which I am pretty sure Sal can do on her own.

Route Planning

Survival, Aquatic Mastery, Geography Synergy: 1d20 + 14 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 14 + 6 + 2 = 38

Yep, Sal's got this

The separate 5 Sailor checks are for handling the next five shifts, and we did not get a known DC for that. This said of course if you want to sub Sandara's check for your lowest, that's fine, but I don't think you failed your checks per se. So if you use your three checks for the three day shifts and sub Sandara's for your lowest, that's a result of 32, 30, and 20

Yamtisy's Ship Management
Profession Sailor: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
Profession Sailor: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

and while there is no set DC, can we use two Helpful NPC's +2 for those so we get at least a 20?

For some reason, my brain interpreted the die rolls as the first was for some event and the five were meant for improving our score in the race. Chalk it up to a busy week.

Lee will aid another for the two iffy rolls.

Survival (aiding another): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
&
Survival (aiding another): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Nailed it.

"Uh, Lee? I think yer readin' the compass upside down..."

"Oh! So, that's a compass! I've heard of those! What does it do?"
Lee mutters something about Sal not being able to bake biscuits in weather like this before he re-focuses on staying out of the way, keeping an eye out for trouble and getting ready to Fireball the dickens out of something.

Here, right at the edge of the storm, the wind and waves threaten to tear the ship apart.

A cable snaps and lashes across the deck tearing the flesh of several of the crew.

A wave swamps the deck, and one of the ballista comes unmoored, crushing legs.

The damage isn't so bad, Sandara can patch it up easily enough.

5d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 4, 6, 4) = 21So 21 damage is the highest amount done in total, with 11 being the highest in a single blow. Just have Sandara cure that.

10d8 ⇒ (7, 8, 6, 7, 6, 4, 2, 3, 8, 3) = 54

This close to the storm, lightning comes in sheets, curtains, walls, ceilings. It crawls across the clouds above like a wave of army ants. It makes the waves glow in unnatural ways.

As the day watch sleeps, a waterfall of lightning washes over the sails, burning holes in canvas.

54 points of damage to the sails. If this is more than half of the sails' hit points, they gain the broken condition, reducing your speed to half. Likely the night watch would awaken you if this were a problem.

Sandara can use channel energy to deal with the injuries hopefully. As for the sails, they normally have a whopping 300+ hp, so the holes aren't pretty and don't help, but we're still good enough not to go all the way to the broken condition. Thren will likely be upset that her brand new sails got blasted :-)

channel energy: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 6, 1) = 16

"Biscuits, that's a good idea, Lee, that'd keep up crew morale! Long as it's not the kind with weevils in. Though those can put a pep in your step!"

Sal spends her day shifts moving up and down the ship, from the helm to aid with the constantly needed shifts in course, to the forecastle to keep an eye on deck level of the goings-on, trusting Conchobhar in the crow's nest to shout out anything he sees from on high. She scans in particular for unexpected reefs and sandbars. She's less concerned about the other ships in the race at the moment, as the Eye is the far bigger threat, and the weather their greatest rival at the moment.

As master-at-arms, she also double checks to be sure everyone is doing their duty fully and not slacking off--but anyone who seems to be flagging from genuine strain or exhaustion she orders to go straight to Quinn for evaluation.

As the ship gets damaged, she offers assistance to Doc Imogene as a pair of hands--unskilled ones, but one ready to fetch, carry, and pass tools.

Race Score currently 3

After a full day at the edge of the storm, with the light brightening from black-as-pitch-with-rain-flying-like-crossbow-bolts to only-as-black-as-well-dyed-silk. Before you turn, according to the charts, you must sail through two concentric rings of coral known as Sharkskin Reef and around a towering spire of rock known as Pinnacle Atoll.

You have a choice to make here, and I think it is worth discussing the ramifications in rules terms. You don't have to sail through these challenges. You can choose to go around them. The fastest way is through, but the easier way is around. If you go all in, you need 4 DC 30 Sailing checks. Failure means you strike reefs and damage the ship. You can pass through only the outer ring of reefs with 2 DC 30 Sailing checks, but the extra distance subtracts 2 from your Race Score. Or you can avoid the whole shebang and subtract 6 from your Race Score. You can make two sailing checks to improve your race score during this leg of the race regardless of what route you choose.

The DCs are high, but I'm willing to take some damage to the ship to avoid losing all those race points. Other thoughts?

Knowledge Geography, what do I know about Sharkskin Reef?: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Knowledge Geography, what do I know about Pinnacle Atoll?: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

I agree we do not take the -6 race score safe route.

Most balanced option: pick the outer ring that requires only two checks with a loss of -2 race score. BUT then we can still make additional checks to try to improve our score so we might be able to get it back at least to 3, if not increase it.

Most ballsy, PCs causing chaos option: choose the fast route, requiring the 4 checks. You (Thren, as the only PC with Profession Sailor) will need to spend hero points (and should be at maximum) to boost rolls if need be, and we should also be ready to pull from NPC assistance here. We can risk damaging the ship, but we don't want to sink it.

The safe route is for chumps.

Hopefully (if the weather's not like it is currently) we can use the Fly spell + spotting mechanism to get thru?

Do we have any weather forecasting skills?

I'm currently favoring Sal's thought. Not entirely safe, gives us a chance to get some race points. I think weather forecasting comes from Sal's Survival skill at this point and I predict 'stormy'.

Lee, this isn't from the sound of it a weather challenge, it's a piloting challenge to go past the reefs and thread the needle of a rock formation in the atoll. We might still need your ideas before we're out of the storm.

I'd say let's go for outer ring only. I've got 2 Hero points and I will spend them on those DC 30 checks to pass through.

Profession (sailor), Hero Point: 1d20 + 14 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 14 + 8 = 37
Profession (sailor), Hero Point: 1d20 + 14 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 14 + 8 = 28

Thren gauges the input she's gotten from her officers and decides that breaking the keel of her ship isn't a good idea, though she's not too keen on losing some time either. The bard pilots the ship through the outer reef, and then puts the Fearsome Tide on the main course.

These are the checks to improve our score.
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21
Profession (sailor): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32

Sandara, aid another for 2nd roll to thread the reefs: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25

Sharkskin Reef is composed of two rings of coral reefs that are rarely travelled and not well known. There really isn't any reason to sail through them under most circumstances, which is likely the very reason that the Master of Gales planned this course for the race.

Pinnacle Atoll is a towering spire of rock at the center of the rings. It is a curiosity, but not of much value, and again there isn't much reason to go there unless a druid race sponsor tells you to.

Reef damage: 8d8 ⇒ (8, 6, 7, 3, 8, 6, 4, 1) = 43Ship's hull takes 43 points of damage.

Race Score 3, -1 for the 21, +2 for the 32. New Race score is 4.

Thren sails the ship between the inner and outer ring of reefs, wind from the storm pushing the ship into the outer ring, where the hull grinds against coral with a gut wrenching sound.

The crew stays true and focused, skirting the reefs with the occasional crunch and shudder.

As you exit the reef, you turn away from the storm toward the distant finish line.

An unnatural electrical squall surrounds the ship, and a corona of baleful green lightning limns the ship's mainmast.

I don't suppose Lee has Knowledge (planes)?

I think no one has knowledge: planes. In light of that.

The green lightning seems to be coalescing into a vaguely humanoid form at the top of the main mast.

Thren Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Sal Initiative: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Lee Initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Lightning thing Initiative: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

You have one round before whatever it is gets itself together.

"Oh bloody hell," the pirate bard curses as something begins to form. "Belina, take the wheel!"

When freed of steering duty, Thren reaches into her everfull quiver and draws out her shortbow and an arrow, ready to let fly.

Sal doesn't need to study the planes to see the lightning gathering is weird and dangerous. She casts resist energy (electricity) on herself, figuring the effects of her eelskin armor may be inadequate to handle whatever is coming. She then unlooses her ranseur and fixes a sharp grin on her face as she positions herself to charge the thing if she can (no pun intended).

Lee doesn't have Knowledge (Planes), but he does have Knowledge (Arcana) and that could yield some info.

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
That should score the spell type for Lee, if not what it is...

"Something being Summoned! Great! I'll try to Dispell it."

Dispel Magic (targeted at thing appearing): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Not sure it is being summoned, Lee, as we're traveling near a giant magical permanent storm and this may be just this critter's habitat. But if I'm wrong we can hope that works...

I think I would have gone with the dispel, but the DC is higher than the 21. Sorry, Lee.

Ship Battle Map

DQ, I'm still using your Google draw. If you want me to move it to something else just let me know. This just saved me some time.

Link is also added to the short campaign description at the top of the page.

I put you on the map, but if you aren't where you meant to be, feel free to move yourselves for free.

The rest of the crew wisely moves away from the growing disturbance, which increasingly resembles a bloated humanoid storm cloud crackling with lightning.

The microstorm drops to the deck, air flowing out from it like a downdraft. Lightning arcs out from it, arcing along Sal's harpoon and into the dagger at Lee's belt.

Lightning vs Sal: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (16) + 23 = 39 Damage: 2d8 + 6 + 2d6 ⇒ (5, 7) + 6 + (6, 4) = 28

Lightning vs Lee: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (11) + 23 = 34 Damage: 2d8 + 6 + 2d6 ⇒ (8, 1) + 6 + (1, 6) = 22

Having a really hard time posting/previewing/editing. That's why so many posts.

Sal, 18 of that damage is physical, 10 is electricity.

Lee, 15 damage and 7 electrical.

Round 1. You can go in any order.

"Damn it."

Thren drops the arrow from the string and pulls free the One Reason to Live from her belt with her tail. It's in her hand in an instant and to her lips the next. She blows a loud call upon it before beginning to sing at the top of her lungs, singing loudly to all her crew to rally to the fight. But woven into the opening lines is a quick incantation. Crew and allies feel hope and courage burning through their veins even as she drops the horn to the deck and slides a little closer to the fight.

Free action: drop arrow, then drop horn
Swift action: grab the horn
Move action: inspire courage
Standard action: good hope

Inspire courage grants allies who can hear her performance a +3 morale bonus on saves vs. charm and fear, as well as a +3 competence bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls.

Good hope gives a +2 morale bonus on ability checks, skill checks, saves, attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls. This affects Sal, Lee, Rosie, and Sandara only.