So after much thought, the ol' Cap'n has a thought. A very sneaky one, that would require another intelligent, willing participant. The first game of S&S I was in had a rotating DM (going between one and the other, between each "chapter" as it were). Are there any among this ragtag bunch that would want to take up the mantle of the second half of this team?
To be clear, if someone were to be interested in this option, they would still keep their character. It would simply take a less active role while they were DM-ing. For examples of this in play, you can view the completed S&S campaign entitled "We Be Pirates, You Be Bootie."
Ok, folks, because of some real life issues, I am not capable of running a Skull & Shackles game that I have begun. For those interested in taking up this role, here is....
Ok, all you lads and lasses, I'm going to have to make a bit of a sad announcement that's been a long time coming.
I'm going to be giving up the reins of this campaign because of real life issues. Sadly, I'm about to go through a divorce and some major health issues, and to be honest, it's not fair for you all to have to wait for all this. So I'm going to start recruiting you all a proper DM, and you all will be able to choose who you feel is the best one for the job of whoever applies.
I am planning to do this because I don't want any of you to lose such a fan bunch to play with. And truly, it is with a sad, sad heart I do this.
We're about to head to them. Just gotta tie together a few loose ends. I apologize for the slowdown. I'm just running into a few personal issues, with a divorce now on the horizon, so...yeah, it hit me a bit harder than expected.
lol Well, good to know your action in advance, Thorn, but we've got something between now and then. And since I get some clarification on Doc's action....This'll be the last post of the night, and probably the last post until Sunday, what with a late work shift.
Doc:
You manage to get free from work without anyone initially seeing you, and since you really have more time on your hands, what with having completely forgone the job, you seem to find the store with no problems. Well, minus one major one. The door seems to be locked and despite any knocking, no one seems to answer. So the question is...what will you do?
There are day job checks and night job checks. The nighttime ones are more entertainment than anything else. And there are games at night, that Sunny might be good at.
Ok, Doc, I have no problem with you going to find the quartermaster but which of those options are you doing? I'm assuming shop? Or shirk? Because your rolls don't seem to match up with any of them.
You seem to have really gotten some good attention by how effortlessly you climb, especially by the other barefoot among the riggers. That certainly can be the only explanation for your great success. Or maybe the lady just has a thing for folks who make the officers look like idiots in their overly complex tests.
Regardless, though, you do get answers from Samms. "Pa and Gran always said I shouldn't, but back home, you ruin too many shoes and boots in the Sodden mud, so I just started goin' without. Now, I probably couldn't even stand proper in anythin' other than me bare feet."
Her grin widens as she looks at the monkey's feets, as they grip the rope. "M'name's Samms, by the by. What's your's?"
Yay! Ajani made his first friend. Samms is now friendly, and Ajani? Add 200 xp to your sheet.
Pari:
Your frustration at being overlooked for the job that you wanted is only made worse by the heckling in the bilges of a haggard looking man shackled to the bulkhead. "Ooh?! Did they send me a lass to make me last few hours worth it?" His comments get more risque until he sees the peg leg and then it truly becomes true heckling. "A gimp?! They sent me a damned gimp! Oh, now they're just being sadistic little s!++s! Well you can go tell ol' Harrigan he can shove that warped piece of driftwood you got right up his s!%%ter!" And this goes on the rest of your shift.
The haggard sailor seems to have been beaten and bruised a series of time and is in quite rough shape. Because of the beard he is currently sporting, it is hard to tell his current age, beyond the obvious "past puberty".
It certainly doesn't help that you are having to fight through brackish water which smells like all manner of salt, death, and bodily fluids, as well as a horrendously large cobwebs.
Either the heckling or the unexpected amount of hard work or both seem to leave you quite tired and distracted, and you can't seem to make heads or tails of where you might find your missing gear.
1d100 ⇒ 50
Thorn:
Your talents at your profession seem to be quite obvious to those around you, getting you some eye-daggers for your effort, but in the same token, you are extremely tired. You could easily attribute it to taggit oil or maybe just them making the task overly hard on you and your...cohorts?
Sadly, you suffer a similar fate to Pari, in that your tiredness gets in the way of your search, as hunger and thirst tear at you.
Eloise:
All of your cleaning and talking seems to be doing a great deal of good. Kroop begins to tell a great tale, beginning in his youth, where he was apprenticed to a great Varisian chef much farther north, though where you can't quite tell, thanks to his drunkenness. It seems that, once his apprenticeship was over, Kroop wanted to make his own place in the world, and so came to the Shackles. Shortly after setting up a small restaurant of his own, Kroop met a similar fate to you and your fellow "recruits", though years prior.
It’s poison, this ship, but don’t let anyone hear you say it
aloud. The hull listens, see, and the cap’n hears it all. Poison
the Wormwood is, though, rotten to the core. You’ll not meet a
more nasty, sour piece of work than Cap’n Harrigan in all your
days at sea, and his crew’s the same, ’specially the first mate,
Mr. Plugg. Vicious little sod, he is. He’d take his own mother’s
liver to the butcher to make pies with, he would. But they
leave me alone, mostly. They know I can’t ’arm ’em.”
Figuring that, if you were sent to him, you'd have met Harrigan, Scourge, and Plugg, he moves on to the other members of the crew. "And then there's Habbly, he's our s-surgeon...*hic*; and Pepp'ry, a salty lass with magic in her blood and more tie to Harrigan th'n his own skin." He laughs and grins, going through the bootlickers of Kipper & Patch, gunnery mate & boatswain's mate, as well as Riaris the gunner, and Caulky, Harrigan's personal playtoy.
He is about to continue, when a rough, croaking voice of a woman booms into the room, and Kroop attempts to stand. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! ....Thas, thas meh friend Grok! She helps me drink the rum!" And all the while, the slob of a cook falls back into the chair after pointing in the direction of Grok.
At which point, she just laughs. "Don't listen to him, lass. He's sauced, like most days. I drink that s#@~ only because we don't have proper booze. I'm the quartermaster, during the day, at least. At night...I DRINK!" And it seems, today, that Grok has spent too much time below deck, because she seems to start drinking: it must be night time.
And now Kroop is friendly too, so Eloise...400 XP for you! Secondly, you did one Diplomacy roll. Did you want to take your second action? Possibly another Diplomacy roll for another appropriately placed NPC?
Doc:
You still with us?
Sunny:
You seem to have been staring too hard at the sun for too long, because the whole experience of being on the ship and working seems to overwhelm you, and you fail quite horribly. So bad that others are required to pick up the slack and actually work HARDER because of your failure.
So just updating everyone. I had to spend the entire day at the hospital for a friend's surgery (which is why my posting was limited), SO I'm delaying my response to posts until I'm not running on less than 5 hours of sleep.
But I haven't given up, and I hope you all haven't either. I'm definitely fiddling with the rum ration, so bear with me on that, as I've seen it do a number on many a PC.
Oh, I figured what the intention was, Eloise, but I want to actually have dialogue to respond to, from your character. Ajani, I'm actually at the hospital, so don't have full access to my spreadsheet. But I believe it's Conchobar to Tam on the list I posted. Pari, I'm gonna be posting up all the responses shortly, so expect to see what was found.
Ok, then Pari and Thorn, I think there might be a bit of confusion. Since you two hose the sneak option, I would suggest Perception rolls from you two (since you only need the stealth if you're shirking), but also, post your job rolls as well (see the campaign tab for the specifics). I'm assuming Sunny is going the working diligently route? And Eloise, what sort of skill are you using and how are you influencing? :) I want to see some roleplay so I can respond with more than rollplay. And to think, I thought the rum ration was the deadliest part.
I'm gonna say that I apologize for the confusing nature of the crew jobs. It's my first time running this game and explaining this particular aspect, so it's a bit confusing, even for me. I'd suggest taking a look at the front campaign page, so that it all comes together a bit better.
I'll see if I can give a simple enough example.
Bob is a rigger, so each day, we roll 1d6 to get his job assignment.
Job:1d6 ⇒ 2Line Work
So ol' Bob has to do line work. So Bob can either
work hard and focus on his job (getting a +4 to his Profession or Dexterity check);
he can try and talk shop & make friends with his other riggers (make his normal check & get a chance to influence an NPC);
he can do his job and then go exploring (use his normal bonuses for the check & then get to make a Perception check or other skill check with no chance of detection);
he can go shopping (take a -2 to his job roll & go down to the quartermaster);
or he can shirk his job (which is basically the sneaking option, except he takes a -2 on the job check & can take 10 on the Perception or other skill check but has a chance of being detected).
So, ol' Bob decides he's gonna shirk his job and try to find his lost gear. He has a +1 Dex modifier.
He has a +4 modifier on Perception, so he ends up with a total of 14 on his Perception. He manages to get some clues on where his gear is, and manages to NOT get caught AND to get his job done properly.
Pari, you'll need to make a DC 15 Stealth check, if you choose shirk. Also, make sure you decide whether you're going the job choice of sneak or shirk. :) I'm liking the resourcefulness of this group today!
Ajani, yes, you can opt for that instead. You won't need to reroll, since it was my fault you didn't know the action was an option.
Oops. I forgot to add the specifics of those options. They're in the description portion of the campaing. So, for working diligently, you get a +4 to one roll on whatever you have to roll for your job and won't get another option till evening. So, folks, get to workin! lol
Ok, so...for those familiar with this AP, it's now time for crew jobs. For those not familiar, I'll give you all your first day's job, but from now on, you'll roll 1d6 to determine your day job. Once that's assigned, you're welcome to choose the option of A) working diligently, B)Sneak around the ship after doing your job & avoid detection C) shirk your duties and explore the ship (with a chance of getting caught), or D) take a penalty to your job roll & go visit the quartermaster.
Eloise: Bull Session
Ajani: Rigging Repair
Sunny: Hauling Rope and Knot Work
Pari: {Wo)Man the Bilges
Doc: Hauling Rope and Knot Work
Thorn: Hauling Rope and Knot Work
Indeed, I would be meaning Profession (cook). Sunny, you and anyone else making that check will be easily able to tell it's about 8 or so in the morning. Early enough to get work done, but a bit later than those familiar with sailing (DC 10 Profession (sailor)) would be getting up.
Sense Motive vs Eloise:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 Sense Motive vs Doc:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
It looks as though Scourge is a bit thrown off, just momentarily by the audacity of the Doctor's lack of even attempting the first test.
"Finally! Someone who is actually useful at this task. You, wench, will be "assisting" ol' Fishguts in the galley."
He then turns to the old man. He draws his cat o' nine back, looking like he's about to strike, when the old man speaks about how easily he would probably die. He shakes his head and grimaces just briefly. "Damn waste of space, ya ol' bag of bones. Maybe the ol' Sea Queen will take you in your sleep and spare me your laziness."
Bluff:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
DC 10 Sense Motive:
Even with all of his big words, the taskmaster seems to be a bit unsettled by something about the old man.
Snapping the whip against the deck to calm a series of snickers and murmurs from the crew, he grins darkly.
"Alright, you bilge rats. Those of you not assigned to rigging or cookin'...yer now swabs! Congratulations! As your reward...you get to start work before the Cap'n changes his mind and let's me chum the water with you lot!" And with that, the taskmaster walks off.
Apparently in my haze from before, I missed a bit of the climbing rules. In this case, there is no taking 10, since it's a bit of a rough situation (except for our climbing Ajani, since he's special). If you fail by 4 or less, you just make no progress. If you fail by 5 or more, you fall. Also, those rolls would have probably been closer to 6 rolls each, unless you wanted to take the accelerated climb option and take the penalty. Considering that someone *ahem* has a climb speed, I'm going to handwave any more rolls, because I know a certain someone can definitely make it. :P Just for future reference for us all.
Plugg and the rest of the crew look briefly dumbfounded at the climbing monkey, before Plugg yells at the rest to get back to work, before turning to the newest batch of pirates. "You lot! Down from the rigging. What's your name, Monkey Boy?" He points to Ajani, looking over the rest. "Well, whatever it is, you're now our newest rigger, and 'll report to me for your jobs."
He shakes his head at the rest of the lot. "And as far as the rest of you lot, I'm surprised you even survived the night, considering how poorly you all climb." His eyes seem to be especially harsh on Pari and Doc, although Doc is the target of his hatred at the moment.
Doc, if you would, roll a Bluff check for me.
If He Fails:
"And YOU! Nobody shirks their duties on the ship. I don't care if you're the father of the sea itself. You do as I say."
And as he speaks the last part, he strikes out with the quite nasty end of his whip several times, to emphasize the point.
He steps right up to the strange, aged Mwangi. "You are a waste of space on this ship, old man, but I'll find a use for you yet, even if I have to use you as shark bait."
After addressing the old man, he smirks. "Now that we've found the real talent, can any of the rest of you cook? We've got ol' Kroop below deck, but the officers would rather have food than the s#+& that drunk puts together."
Ok, so I'm going to let everyone know. I have a bit of a medical condition that sometimes flares and leaves me unable to do much, if anything, for hours (or sometimes days) at a time. Right now it's flared, and I have a 9 to 7 shift tomorrow, so probably this'll be the last post of the night for me.
I want to let you all know in advance that sometimes posts might go slow, but I will certainly tell you all exactly what is going on, if I have one of those days, or have a long shift to do.
I disclose this fully, in advance of the game really getting going, because I know some of you may have high expectations for a game like this, and I definitely don't want to lose folks over perceived loss of interest.
With that said, if you all have questions or concerns, you can definitely always PM me or ask here. But, for now, I'm heading to sleep!
Once your eyes adjust to the bright ball of pain's illumination of the daytime sky, it’s quickly apparent that the group of you are on a sizable ship in the middle of the ocean, far from any land. Port Peril and the mainland of the Shackles, for those of you who look, are just an ochre haze many miles astern. Figures cluster around the ship’s mainmast, looking up at the higher deck on the stern, where two figures stand.
One of them is a broad, muscular Garundi man with a shaven head, a long beard bound with gold rings, and an eye patch — clearly the captain. The other is a younger, balding man with a long black ponytail, wearing a long black leather coat and carrying the well-used cat-o’-nine-tails you had the misfortune to see a few moments earlier.
As you look around, you motley recruits will notice that you are, by far, not the only new recruits—four others are standing along with you on the deck, set apart from the rest by relative cleanliness and their apparent unease with their newfound situation. A dozen or so other pirates, clearly existing members of the crew, stand about on the deck or in the ship’s rigging. Whether new recruit or established sea dog, the crew is clearly watching the lot of you.
There is quiet mumbling that goes along among those already assembled, but it is quickly quieted with a single throat clear from the captain. Once all of the newly acquired "recruits" are above deck, the captain speaks.
“Glad you could join us at last! Welcome to the Wormwood! My thanks for ‘volunteering’ to join my crew. I’m Barnabas Harrigan. That’s Captain Barnabas Harrigan to you, not that you’ll ever need to address me. I have only one rule—don’t speak to me. I like talk, but I don’t like your talk. Follow that rule and we’ll all get along fine."
There is a momentary pause in conversation, as the Captain starts to walk off. Looking over his shoulder, he grins darkly, the sadism clearly visible in his eyes, as he adds one last chilling piece of information.
"Oh, and one more thing. Even with you new recruits, we’re still short-handed, and I aim to keep what crew I have. There’ll be a keelhaulin’ for anyone caught killin’ anyone. Mr. Plugg! If you’d be so kind as to make pirates out of these landlubbers, it’ll save me having to put them in the sweatbox for a year and a day before I make pies out of ’em.”
And with that, the Captain is off to whatever duties it is he has intended for today.
With the Captain out of sight, the notorious Mr. Plugg smirks and begins to walk down the line of newly assembled "pirates", using the cat o' nine as a tool of cruel gesticulation.
"So, since we're a bit light on crew, we'll be putting you 'lubbers through yer paces. First, I want to see ya scale the rigging! We be in need of a new rigger, since the last ended up fallin' out of the nest. So be quick about it!" And thus, the first test begins.
This will be the first determination of getting your roles on the Wormwood. I will put the rules for climbing into a spoiler, to save space for us all.
Climbing Test:
You may attempt to fake a fall, or fake lack of skill in this area with a Bluff check, which will be opposed by Plugg's Sense Motive. Climbing the rigging requires a DC 10 Climb check to reach the crow’s nest, 60 feet above the deck. Remember that the PCs climb at one-quarter their normal speeds (or half speed with an accelerated climb) so each PC will need to make several Climb checks. The first PC to reach the crow’s nest is the winner. In the event of a tie, the PC with the highest final Climb check is the winner.
lol Well, then I guess the key and those indicated items can be wherever you can ironically think of putting them. So yes, indeed, you can use your imagination on where to find them.
For those successful on the following:
DC 10 Intelligence:
The man giving you a lantern-induced wake up call was at the Formidably Maid last night.
DC 10 Perception:
The taste of oily nutmeg is distinct on your tongue, even through the remnants of hangover breath.
DC 10 Knowledge (Nature)/ DC 15 Craft (Alchemy):
You know, with no doubt, that you've been subject to oil of taggit, one nasty bit of knockout poison.
Edit: That's a great idea, Peri. PM me with the one item you had in mind.
Darkness found our budding pirates when last we left. What will happen now?
------
A subtle odor wafts to the nostrils of those sprawled out below deck. Body odor, salt, and rum. Old, new, fresh, stale, but all three potent and aggressive. Subtle swaying and rocking by the waves in the darkness would leave most comfortable and sleeping soundly, were the situation slightly different.
The rough grained wood of the hold's floor and walls are illuminated by a bright, searing beam of light, which it becomes obviously connected to a gruff sea dog. Wearing dull colors, brown and black and sea-weathered broadcloth, the wielder of the instrument of pain cracks the more infamous cat-o-nine in his right.
"Still abed with the sun over the yardarm? On your feet, ye filthy swabs! Get up on deck and report for duty before Cap’n Harrigan flays your flesh into sausage skins and has Fishguts fry ye up for breakfast!"
Six rough and ready sailors slap padded saps into their palms to illustrate the point.
DC 10 Intelligence check & a DC 10 Perception check (success will allow a DC 15 Craft (Alchemy) check or DC 10 Knowledge (Nature) check), from those who wish.
Thorn:
You find that your favorite leather duster is no longer guarding your inners, nor are the majority of your weapons at your disposal. The only thing that seem to have missed their attention is the dagger you so smartly stuffed in your boot. And gods be damned if your treasure of a hat isn't gone too!
Sunny:
Apparently the alcohol must have hit you quite hard, because the only bits of the money and such you had from last night's vast session of drunken enlightenment are a dagger that somehow found itself awkwardly wedged under your clothing and a single gold coin that seems a bit wet and wedged in the toe of your shoe.
Pari:
Your holy symbol must have gotten some unexpected attention, because it is laying over top of the sleeveless shirt. Strangely lacking, though, are your arms and armor. The pink pearl earrings that drew so much praise and admiration must not have made you any friends, because they too are gone, and your ears are a bit tender as a result.
Ajani:
You must have survived this experience quite well because your seashell is not damaged, in the least, nor is it removed from where you usually keep it. These individuals must have thought nothing of a strange monkey with a seashell. Whether Besmara is with you or not, you have kept that wonderful item, but sadly your club, armor, and the rest of your carefully gathered gear are not so lucky.
Eloise:
Whether this group either tired your captors out, or someone kept you safe, you manage to survive the experience with your thieves kit not only undamaged but completely within your possession. What the rest of this trip will bring...well, who knows?
Doctor:
Well, we'll figure out what you managed to survive with, when the time comes.
The keep slams an empty mug on the table several times, trying to get the attention of the customers, that and his voice both drowned out by the drunken hordes. Seeing the option isn't quite working, he grips a nautical bell hanging from one of the columns that support the weathered ceiling. Much to the dismay and pain of many patrons, the fiend of a dwarf rings it until he gets everyone, singers, drinkers, and "special guests" of patrons alike, all quieted to a minor roar.
"Alright, you lot! Closin' time! Leave the booze, if'n you didn't buy the bottle! We'll see you lice-ridden lot tomorrow!"
It is with that, the bar is empted, except for a small smattering of gruff looking sailors...and a certain five unlucky individuals, who find that darkness quickly overwhelms their blurred vision, as the floor rushes to meet them.
A large coin bag lands on the dwarf's bar, followed by a low chuckle. "Pleasure doing business with ya. We'll see you next time at the Formidably Maid. Enjoy your newest purchase."
After much, much deliberation and thought, I have come to a decision. I appreciate everyone that has applied, and everyone who put in such hard work. I will be posting the list in just a moment, so I will preface the good news with the bad.
Bad news is that...one of the two players I mentioned in the recruitment info will not be joining us, so.....
5 OF YOU WILL BE CHOSEN!!!!
And now, the list!
drumroll
Sunny!
Ajani Ihejirika!
Pari!
Thorn Asures!
and....
.......
.......
ELOISE!
But in all seriousness, I'll be closing discussion down to the RP portion and thank you all again. If I happen to lose anyone, I will keep the rest of you in mind.
For the crew, please make sure you have your stats figured out WITHOUT gear, and have your gear in a separate part of your sheet, if possible. If you've not played before & know nothing of the AP, well...you'll see soon enough.
I'll post in discussion to close it out, and then start up the actual gameplay. Prepare to set sail!
I know, and I apologize for the wait. Should be decided in a couple of hours, at worst. Ran into a late day at work last night, and then a competency exam at work that pretty well ripped the whole few days from me. But I am narrowing it down, and we will get there! Look for the final decision before midnight eastern standard time!
Well, I didn't get a break at 8pm from work like I was expecting, but yes, it is definitely closed. I will try to decide by either tomorrow or Tuesday and post the choice. It's going to be very tough to choose.
So I will be beginning the decision making process tonight, and I definitely want to thank you all for getting into this, and I'm very much excited to see what comes of the decision.
It's going to be a tough decision, but I know it'll be worth it, and I know that we'll be a good group.
I won't be able to post right at 8:30 to close out recruitment, so make sure all submissions are in by that point. Tweaking is fine, but no major changes unless you get my approval. We're in the home stretch.
Should be 15th, since one of my already accepted players is still waffling on what to play, and the other I keep having to reign in. For those of you I do accept, if a piece of third party piece called "Horrifically Over-Powered Feats", expect me to not accept the majority of material.
In the future, I'll allow more 3pp on a case by case basis.
