Skull & Shackles (solo, complete) (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

The Armorist gains additional 'bound equipment' every 5 levels, so that's already baked into the class. XD

I was just wondering if there was a reason other bonded equipment couldn't specifically replace the harpoon hand when not using the cannon.

The question would lead to the use of the sawtooth sabre. if it's a pirate or duelist weapon, if it's a light weapon available for both using finesse and two weapon fighting...

It's a long shot, but worth asking.

Duel two weapon fighting with the sawtooth sabre using finesse training just feels like a bit of a stretch.

Sawtooth sabres are considered one-handed weapons unless you have proficiency with them. I think the only way to do so is with the Custom Training [discipline] talent. Finesse Fighting gives you a scaling damage boost with light weapons but doesn't change a weapon's classification. Therefore, dual wielding sawtooth sabres is fine due to the investment required. XD

Making bound equipment replace the harpoon hand is a fun idea. Since we were making it somewhat anachronistic, having it morph into whatever's required fits the flavor.

Making bound equipment replace the harpoon hand is a fun idea. Since we were making it somewhat anachronistic, having it morph into whatever's required fits the flavor.

since he's calling weapons from the ether anyway, why not be the one that is the cursed item. It just means he can't use a 'bound weapon' in his right hand. So there is pro's and cons. It makes the left hand 'functional' but removes the primary melee weapon from the list of bound items.

So the sawtooth sabre is a onehanded weapon, and will need Custom training to use for two weapon fighting. The dex bonus from finesse fighting kicks in at third level. Planning on doing tWF, anyway. It might be worth looking into Custom training for the sabre so after fifth if he could use the finesse training on both hands, but unless there is a cavoite, the sawtooth sabre isn't considered a light weapon for finesse use, only two weapon fighting, correct?

Not anything that I have to worry about right now.

Ok I have Elek's backstory reasonably close. I left the nature of the witches vague since it's not relative to the story. There were some mechanical changes.

First I Swapped the second First level Bonus Talents from Focused blast to Weather Sphere. The opportunity to control the wind is just too tempting. I picture when he walks, his prosthetic glowing darkly and the leaves and trash under feet swirling.

Second, I'm going to hate myself a little for this. After working on his back story I realize he is smarter than wiser. So I switched the two, wisdom is now ten and Intelligence is twelve. It will also let him learn the Tian language since he was dumped there.

I have his knowledge class skills as: arcane, civilization, engineering, martial and Lore (ancestor). Since he is raised at sea could one of these be switched for something like navigation, or maritime? I'm just worried that he may not actually be of any help on a boat.

Yes his 'occupation' is 'sailor' and he has Lore, but not sure now many actual rolls those will cover...

I've started Skull and Shackles twice, but never got off the first boat...

Knowing more languages and having more skill points is always a good thing. XD

Important sailing skills are Acrobatics (to avoid falling during a storm), Athletics (to climb the rigging and/or swim), Know:engineering (to use the ship's weaponry), and Profession:sailor (to steer the ship). Looking at your current skills, I think you'll be fine. XD

You're correct regarding the sawtooth sabre. It's an exotic one-handed weapon that counts as a light weapon for TWF if you have proficiency. Just like how a bastard sword is a two-handed weapon that can be wielded one-handed if you have the right proficiency. The Custom Training talent is pretty nice, by the way. It gives you proficiency with 3-5 weapons of your choice, so it's the perfect option for rounding out your combat repertoire.
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I'll open up the Gameplay thread in a few hours since it looks like we're almost done with character creation. XD

Very cool! The last character I created for S&S was a slayer using two sawtooth sabers. He was from Mediogalti Island and was built to be a frontliner, no communications skills. I like the image, but I don't think it's for Elek.

Speaking of Elek. I'm going through his sheet making sure I understand the mechanics.

The Fencing sphere says "When you gain the Fencing sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Bluff skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Fencing sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice)." do those five ranks apply to feint/demoralize? Does he add one per level till he reaches fifth level or can he take all +5 at first level?

I will need to read up on how the feint works, most of my characters are straight damage dealers or backstabbers.

You gain 1 free rank in Influence each level until Level 5. That's one of the things that makes Spheres so good: many give free skill ranks, which helps martial classes.

Feint is a psychological maneuver, so it's BAB + CHA. It lets you spend a standard action to make an opponent flat-footed against one attack. Not particularly useful unless you're TWF. If you delve into it, though, you can do some fun things.

Ok, so another + 1 to influence :)

I had assumed since it was related to fencing it would have gone to Feint like Legerdemain, but that's fine.

a standard action to make an opponent flat footed against one attack, Is that the round of the feint or the next round.

But TWF plus the dice for 'Feint' and the dice for 'sneak attack' would add up pretty quickly.

I probably should have asked this before I had Elek totally done, and the answer isn't going to change anything. But I've been looking on Sphere's of power, and I can't find an answer. How close is 'close' for range on the arm cannon? The arm cannon doesn't have a range listed, just 'close'...

It isn't a +1 bonus to Influence, it's an actual skill rank. XD In other words, you actually have 11 skills per level, but one has to be Influence.

Feinting is a standard action. To feint, make a PSB check opposed by your opponent's PSD. If successful, the next melee attack you make against the target does not allow him to use his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any). This attack must be made on or before your next turn.

When feinting against a non-humanoid you take a –4 penalty. Against a creature of animal Intelligence (1 or 2), you take a –8 penalty. Against a creature lacking an Intelligence score, it’s impossible.

You'll probably want the Dual Wielding:Cunning Combo talent. Fencing:Expert Feint, Fencing:Fast Feint, and Fencing:Unlikely Feint are also useful.

Arm cannon range works exactly like spell range. Close: 25ft +5ft/2 caster levels, Medium: 100ft +10ft/caster level, Long: 400ft +40ft/caster level

So a free skill, sweet! gotta go look at that :)

And I will copy and paste that progression for later. And Cannon is 25 ft so close enough for sneak in a surprise round.

And we're live! Post in Gameplay whenever you're ready. If you have anything to finish up crunch-wise, that's fine; there's no dice-rolling for a bit unless your default behavior is "attack first, ask questions later." XD

The 'Crew' link will be updated regularly as you meet people. It'll be a good record of faces, names, and any useful information you want me to include.

cool, got caught up getting supper ready, will dot and delete and get a post up this evening.

OK, cloths on his back... so coat shirt pants boots, any armor? His sap and butterfly knife was stuck in the boots, any chance the didn't find the butterfly knife?

slight of hand: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 2 = 27

Your armor's been removed, but with that roll, the butterfly knife can stay hidden.

Wednesday after dinner are busy for me, I should have remembered this on the last question. I'm typing up a post now, were they kind enough to leave the prosthetic?

Unfortunately not. The harpoon is an obvious weapon, after all.

Unfortunately not. The harpoon is an obvious weapon, after all.

I intentionally left my post absent the prosthetic just in case, once he get's his bearings we'll sort it out.

I hope whoever took it from him has nightmares

Ok, with the quick posts, I'll assume your near your computer. I normally go to bed between 10 PM and 11PM and back on around between 7 am and 8 am. I'm very close to my computer most days until 4:30 or so, and check it occasionally between then and 9 PM or so.

I'll hang out tonight until 11 pm then head to bed. Sadly I have a dentist appointment at 8 am in the morning, getting two caps, so I will not be as active tomorrow morning as usual

No worries. I check in semi-randomly throughout the day, depending on my schedule. My activity will greatly decrease once school resumes in August.

yeah, going to work is a bummer :)

My playing schedule has totally shifted. When I started I was working on third shift at a treatment facility, so I need something quiet to keep my mind alert. But unless something went wrong, I could post pretty regular between midnight and 6 am. Then I would check the board when I got home before I went to bed. Then again when I got up around 4 pm and again before I left for work around 9 pm.

Now I stay home and take care of the house and my mom, So she watches tv and I check the computer...

But we will cross the work bridge in august :)

Worst case, my posting will drop to once-twice daily when work starts back up. Shouldn't be too bad. XD

The 'Crew' document has been updated to include everyone on the Wormwood. I'll add names as you meet people, and the text box color will hint at their attitude towards you.

cool! I will take a look.

edit:
Ok, 21 crem members, three 'officers' I've met four, looks like Breaker Bones and Artful Roger, still are not fans.

During the day, you'll have a job to do, and during the night, you'll be able to relax. During each time period, you'll have one 'ship action' and can also talk to one NPC of your choice.

So not enough time with Bonnie and Breaker and Roger, but used the one influence with 'Fishguts' so still doing the ship action which will be preparing the food.

Yes, that's correct. You used your free Daytime influence on 'Fishguts.' He's now maxed out, by the way, so feel free to chat up someone else when we move to Nighttime activities. XD

ok, didn't intend to type a novel, but when you said lunch and supper, I wasn't sure how much to do. If you think we should break it down into separate actions from now on that's fine. But I figured since it was one roll and you said saltpork and hard tack was fine I just went with it.

Again, happy to narrate his actions, or can do less, still getting a feel for it.

You're fine. XD I figure it'll take a couple in-game days to get into the swing of things. Book One is pretty formulaic, so roleplay will help keep things from getting too boring.

I'll update Gameplay after dinner.

cool, have a good dinner

Drinking the rum is required (unless you're sneaky, of course). It grants a +1d4 alchemical bonus to CHA for 1d8 hours. It also makes you fatigued for the duration and deals 1d3 CON damage. If you drink it, it's a Fort DC 5 to avoid becoming addicted.

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As mentioned earlier, you can Influence an NPC of your choice and take a Nighttime action (including a second Influence if desired).

ok, a couple more questions. the fatigue caused by the rum. Is that the evening he is drinking it, or the next day.

So after 'work' can influence someone, so evening, then at night can influence someone. presently we are on deck, are they free to roam? After supper is there anything going on? Where are most of the pirates at I figure a little later I will do a post to influence bonnie, but then try and meet some other people. Just trying to figure out where they will be. Or should I just make something up :)

The fatigue lasts as long as the CHA bonus does, so 1d8 hours beginning as soon as the rum is consumed. The CON damage lasts until healed.
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Here's the chronology of each in-game day. XD

Daytime
Job check
Influence
Action from the list

Nighttime
Rum ration
Influence
Action from the list

Other than that, there's nothing going on unless I specifically mention it - today's keelhauling, for example. During the day, the crew is working around the ship. You'll learn their jobs as you interact with them. At night, the crew enjoys free time, so it'll be a mix of things. Feel free to make something up. XD

OK so the daytime action from the list is:
There are four possible jobs: cooking, fishing/turtle hunting, bull session, and special occasion.

What would be the "Nighttime" actions from the list?

All the information's in the Campaign Info tab. You've listed the job options. Those are randomly determined by me each morning. Daytime and Nighttime actions are the other two lists: Work Diligently, Sneak, Entertain, Steal, etc.

ahh I should have checked the campaign tab, thank you

edit: So it sounds like my night time activity was sneak...

You have the option of changing your Nighttime action if you'd like now that you know where your gear is. I've added a map of the Wormwood to the campaign header if you want to explore.

nice map! And the quartermasters store is right there by the galley. We need to get elek's perception higher, he didn't notice that door all day long while he was rolling noodles...

Headed to bed, have a good night!

To be fair, the galley's a colossal mess, and it's only Elek's first day. XD

Whenever we advance to the next day, hold off on actions beyond waking up until I can get your job assigned. Sometimes there'll be something scheduled to happen. XD

Cool, I didn't think about him doing anything other than reporting to Kroop. I will just have him wake up from here on out.

Can he try and influence the same person twice in one day?

Yes, once during the day and once in the evening.

I'm holding off advancing to the evening in case you wanted to make another RP post with Breaker or Sandara. No dice rolls, of course.

ok, so it looks like blue is helpful, green is friendly, light blue or grey is indifferent and red is hostile?

Man, bummed that the 22 + the medicine didn't bring breaker around. Maybe if he drinks the rumm one night he can get him.

So curious about sneaking, may I assume that everyplace with a designation on the map if fair game for sneaking? A1 - A11?

Headed to bed, have plans for the morning, so probably will not post until mid afternoon. Have a good weekend :)

Breaker's one of the more challenging NPCs to win over, unfortunately.

Yes, everything marked is fair game. Some areas are locked and/or trapped, though, so you'll want to be careful.

(You've discovered a new color on the Crew page!)

Fire-engine red, is that the 'we ain't never ever ever getting back together color?

I'm figuring this might be Elek's last shot at Breaker...

Headed to bed have a good night.

Wild Surge:
[WM] As a free action, you may gain a +2 competence bonus to caster level to the next sphere effect you cast before the start of your next turn by increasing your wild magic chance by 100% for the same period.

So does the + 2 to competency bonus also then add the bound equipment (+2) of 3rd level Armorist?

so damage is 1d6+2 and + 2 to attack?

Wild Surge affects your Destructive Blast and Control Weather abilities. The arm cannon is a weapon, not a sphere effect, so Wild Surge doesn't apply.

Currently, Wild Surge lets you increase the duration of Control Weather to 3min or add +1d6+1 damage to your Destructive Blast (plus another +1d6+1 if you spend a spell point).

Cool, so the cannon isn't a sphere effect.... ahhh I found what was causing me the confusion. Destructive blast gets +1d6 every odd level, where the 'cannon' get's +1d6 every four levels. so they don't progress the same.

and weather, I figure while at lower levels he will just need to concentrate, so rarely doing it while fighting.

Edit:
I've not looked into weather as much, where does it give the distance of the weather, is that on the weather page or under a spell effect page that gives general information?

Yes, the Blaster archetype specifies that the arm cannon is an exotic ranged weapon. It also states that the cannon isn't connected to your caster level.

As a standard action, you may control all weather within medium range, adjusting either the wind, temperature, or precipitation levels.

Shoot, both questions you had answered if I had read info and put two and two together. That's what I get for trying to think close to bed time.

Ok, looks like elek is going to have to fight off filth fever. So if he talks to Sandara about it, will he have to use one of his 'influence' slots, or can that be a different conversation?

That can be a different conversation. 'Influence' is specifically for trying to win over crewmates. XD