The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (SW)

Game Master Branding Opportunity

Another idea that I've played with for initiative is to break the players into groups separated by the bad guys in initiative order. So if A, B, C, etc. are players, and BG are the bad guys, and the initiative order is :

F A C BG B D

I'd ask players A, C, and F to post their actions (in any order), then I post my actions for the bad guys, then I ask players B and D to post their actions (in any order). If B and D post before the bad guys, they may succeed at rolls that they otherwise wouldn't due to wounds or other effects that the bad guys would have had on them.

That's how I do things myself.

Sorry about not posting lately. Lot's of travel last week, and didn't get a chance to upgrade Abraham. I will this weekend. Did have time to review the SWADE rules however.

1. I missed the free human edge somehow. I'll move things around, and give AS the d8 in STR for the armor. BTW how do the house ruled carrying capacity rules affect minimum STR scores if at all.

I like the initiative rules as well. I've ran a couple of SW games on here, and used 1d13 plus 1d4 for suit, but that didn't allow for easy joker implementation. Finally just made a chart of 1d54, but I like the DM doing it better.

Just FYI, the first time I ran a SW game on Paizo I rolled a d1000 for every character, and just ranked them in decreasing order. The idea was that it's equivalent to the random order of a deck of cards, and with 1000 possible numbers, the chance of two players getting the same value were very small. To implement the Joker, any value under 37 was considered a Joker (the odds of getting a Joker are 3.7%). The only flaw was that *eventually* getting a Joker was not *guaranteed*.

Here is a sample output from the Sidekick bot on Discord when I ask it to deal me 5 cards from a fresh deck: A:diamonds:, 4:spades:, j:large_blue_circle:, 5:clubs:, J:hearts:

I'll probably deal this way, with each card going to the PCs in alphabetical order and the final card or cards going to your opponents.

Just piping up to let you know I'm still here and interested. Totally fine with the GM drawing for initiative.

Just piping up to let you know I'm still here and interested. Totally fine with the GM drawing for initiative.

Thanks for letting us know, although I assume that everyone who submitted a character is still interested in playing. The deadline remains this coming Monday (my time, which is GMT + 10).

Hi all, Decimus Observet here.

I'm hoping to get Lord Belros Sunwalker ready in time.

An elven noble dispossessed by war, and on the road found service in the divine. He seeks to apply his new-found talents in the service of light.

Not certain about nation or god, but thinking a holy warrior/paladin.

How does this look?

Lord Belros Sunwalker
Male Elf
Rank: Novice (0 advancements)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 5
Skills: Athletics: d6, Battle: d6, Common Knowledge: d4, Faith: d6, Fighting: d6, Healing: d4, Intimidation: d4, Notice: d4, Persuasion: d6, Riding: d4, Stealth: d4, Survival: d4
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Code of Honor, Vow (major, Serve as a holy warrior)
Edges: Agile, Arcane Background, Aristocrat
Armor: Leather Cap, Leather Jacket, Leather Leggings, Medium Shield
Gear: Backpack, Bedroll (sleeping bag; winterized), Canteen (waterskin), Clothing, Casual, Flask (ceramic), Flint and Steel, Soap, Whetstone, Whistle
Weapons: Knife/Dagger (Str+d4), Short Sword (Str+d6, Includes cavalry sabers), Unarmed (Natural Attack, Str)
Wealth: $19
Language: Native Language (Native)
Arcane Background: Miracles (SWADE p148)
Total Powers: 3
Power Points: 10 / 10
Powers: Healing (SWADE p162), Smite (SWADE p168), Detect/Conceal Arcana (SWADE p158)
Special Abilities

Low Light Vision: Elven eyes amplify light. Other races often claim they can see stars in the elves’ eyes. They ignore penalties for Dim and Dark Illumination.

How does this look?

Looks good except for two small things: Elves in my campaign don't get the All-thumbs hindrance because there is not enough technology and they also get the "Mean" hindrance instead.

MEAN: Due to their advanced age, elves see other races as children, and can therefore come across as aloof and mean. They receive a -1 on all Persuasion rolls when interacting with races other than their own.

They also get the Linguist Edge for free.

Ah I missed that. I'll correct that tomorrow.

Thinking he's a newly sworn servant of Pelor.

Anywhere it would especially make sense for him to be from?

Anywhere it would especially make sense for him to be from?

There are elves who live in the local Dreadwood to the north, but you could also be from farther afield. It's up to you. If you're local you would know more about "local" stuff (at least as far as that stuff concerns the elves).

Hello everyone who submitted a character!

As it is likely that we will lose a PCs within the first few months of play (I'm not looking at anyone in particular) I am letting everyone who submitted a character to join the game.

Congratulations everyone!

I will shortly be posting the first IC post, so stay tuned!

The first IC post is up. Everyone, please head to the Gameplay Thread.

To be clear, I intend Lord Belros to be from relatively nearby.

Hi everyone! I'm the old gaming buddy Isagoras recruited. Yes, I'm new to SW but I've got a good head for these things. Anyway, here's my character draft:

Wolfram Argyle
Male Human
Rank: Novice (0 advancements)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics: d6, Common Knowledge: d4, Faith: d10, Fighting: d6, Intimidation: d8, Notice: d4, Persuasion: d8, Stealth: d4
Pace: 5, Parry: 5, Toughness: 6, Size: 1
Hindrances: Anemic, Curious, Obese
Edges: Arcane Background, Power Points
Weapons: Unarmed (Natural Attack, Str)
Wealth: $500
Language: Native Language (Native)
Arcane Background: Miracles (SWADE p148)
Total Powers: 3
Power Points: 15 / 15
Powers: Healing, Bolt, Boost/Lower Trait

Will fill in Equipment and tweak out over the next week or so. I'm traveling for work and then vacation, but normally that does not interfere with my posting at least once a day.

Cheers!

Hi everyone! I'm the old gaming buddy Isagoras recruited. Yes, I'm new to SW but I've got a good head for these things. Anyway, here's my character draft

Thanks for submitting, Mr. Argyle. There may be a few more submissions in the next few weeks. If so, I will base my decision on who to include on a completed character with a good backstory that fits it with the rest of the party. Best of luck (if needed)!

Just a suggestion, Wolfram - you might want to consider a weapon, maybe like a staff. It's low cost, low weight, can be used for non-lethal damage, and it *doubles* your hands-only damage!

Hello Wolfram!

And having a weapon is also useful in combat when power points run out.

Added equipment and personal history to Wolfram's profile.

GM BrOp - It appears we are drawing from two completely different working versions of Saltmarsh. My names and locations can be switched out for yours without affecting Wolfram's theme in any way.

GM BrOp - It appears we are drawing from two completely different working versions of Saltmarsh. My names and locations can be switched out for yours without affecting Wolfram's theme in any way.

Which version are you using?

This free online resource

This free online resource

Yeah, that's all WotC IP from the new 5e scenario. This adventure is based on the 1st edition AD&D module, but most of the information on the village of Saltmarsh comes from a different 1e source since the original module had very little information on the settlement itself. In addition, I make up a lot of stuff.

Hi, all. I was invited to join the game by GM BrOp. they said that I should post my character here, so... meet Katherine Sunnymeadow.

Katherine Sunnymeadow
Female Half-Folk

Description
Katherine stands about 2 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs a slight 42 lbs. She is trim and svelte and favors subdued colors such as browns and reds. She has auburn hair and brown eyes. She tends to be very opinionated and can be quite stubborn, but is also intensely curious. She seeks an answer to everything and is never satisfied to leave a mystery unsolved.

Background
Katherine had always been good at sneaking about and getting into places she shouldn't be, but she was just 15 years old when she discovered her ability to manipulate the natural forces. She turned her eye towards honing those talents and soon became proficient at some basic magics.

Rank: Novice (1 advancements)
Attributes: Agility d8-4, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics: d4-4, Common Knowledge: d6, Focus: d10, Language (Elvish): d4, Notice: d6, Persuasion: d4, Stealth: d8-4, Thievery: d6-3
Pace: 4, Parry: 2, Toughness: 6(2), Size: -1
Hindrances: Curious, Quirk (Always offers her opinion, even when not necessary), Short, Stubborn
Edges: Arcane Background, Fortunate, New Powers, Spirited, Thief
Armor: Leather Jacket, Leather Leggings
Weapons: 3x Knife/Dagger (Str+d4), Unarmed (Natural Attack, Str)
Gear: Backpack (Contains: Oil (for lantern; one pint), Bedroll (sleeping bag; winterized), Flint and Steel, Canteen (waterskin), Whetstone, 1 week’s rations, Soap), Lantern (four hours, 4” radius)
Wealth: 128 sp
Languages: Common (Native), Elvish (d4)
Arcane Background: Gifted (SWADE p148)
Total Powers: 1
Power Points: 15 / 15
Powers: Spark Bolt (Bolt; SWADE p156), Detect Magic (Detect/Conceal Arcana; SWADE p158), Alter Shape (Shape Change; SWADE p167)
Advancements

• Edge: New Powers

Created with Savaged.us

EDIT: Made a few adjustments. had forgotten that Focus was a spellcasting stat for Gifted.

Hello there!

Welcome to the grop Whtknt. I figure we can always use some new blood, especially since we lost a number of folks early on. You might want to up your Str to a d6 instead of getting a new power, as your equipment seems to be dragging down your Agility-related skills, which are quite important to you.

I'll be adding you in soon. In the meantime, do you think you developed your powers on your own, or did you have help or was there a triggering event?

I thought about that (the Strength problem), but she carries almost everything in her backpack and can just drop it when necessary (like combat or sneaky time). Her powers developed spontaneously when she was about 15 years old.

I am planning on going up a notch in Strength for my next advance. I would do it now, but that would leave me with a single power, which would cut me short there.

Hello! Finally Allysen's no longer the shortest one in the party! :P

Nice to have a chance to play with you WhtKnt. I've seen ya about, but never been in a game with you. This should be fun. :)

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I look forward to experiencing this classic adventure in a new format!