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Anyone else out there have Natalya survive? Any ideas of what to do with her? Stories or recommendations?

My players where hard and quick, knocked her out, and took her and her shard to Sheila, who identified the item. Basically we ended the session after part one, and I'm kicking around ideas for Natalya.

I was actually thinking of making her a triple-agent who also works for (Magnimar Guard?Korvosa? Some other party?).

This is more of an effort to keep her from eventually disappearing like a Bond Girl between films.

So this thread is to explore the possibilities of customization and postulation regarding "that trap."

For instance; what if the trap kills all the players and everyone awakens in a Sorshen clone of their own? Aside from setting everyone back 2 levels and the stats, what could happen when multiple Sorshens are wandering around?

So I like this AP a lot and plan to run this one soon.

However while reading Sheila's descriptions in her write up an intro to the PCs, for some reason the comments about her low, husky voice stuck out in my head.

I realize this is supposed to come off as a voice like Ertha Kitt or Kathleen Turner; but does anyone else giggle and imagine Dr. Girlfriend / Dr. Mrs. The Monarch? I'm absolutely positive my players will...

So we finished our Skull & Shackles Campaign this evening - Here's our group's significant experiences through the campaign. There will definitely be spoilers. I'm only putting a synopsis for now, but I'll try to add more specific anecdotes over the next few days.

Main Cast:

East Clintwood (Half-Orc Gunslinger)
Eretria Seaborn (Half-Elf Rogue/Ranger)
Theoric Starhelm (Human[Taldan] Fighter)
Alric Fray (Human[Ulfen] Barbarian)

Supporting Crew (Guest Players):

Jacky Calico (Human[Chelaxian] Rogue)
Davis Howell (Human[Chelaxian] Sorcerer[Starsoul])
Bethany "Bombshell" Bellamy (Dwarf Alchemist/Gunslinger)
Sandara Quinn (Human[Varisian] Cleric of Besmara)
Rosie Cusswell (Halfling Bard/Fighter)

Book 1: The Wormwood Mutiny

The crew is whipped into a group of real pirates aboard the Wormwood. After taking the Man's Promise, and just as Mr. Plugg is putting his plans into motion, he's forced to kill Scourge as a distraction to allow his escape from a mutiny of his own.

Both Plugg and the PCs land on Bonewrack Isle at separate locations and times, but collide at Aaron Ivy's place and are forced to work together to eventually defeat the Brinebrood Queen and her Whale. During this encounter, Plugg is swallowed by the Whale and then rescued by East Clintwood, leaving Plugg an acid-burned shell of a man, as well as the group's prisoner.

They are able to make successful repairs and head for Rickety's Squibbs.

Book 2: Raiders of the Fever Seas

After trying to pry the broken and now insane Mr. Plugg for information about Harrigan's plans and getting nowhere, Captain Eastwood executes Mr. Plugg and stuffs the body in a large barrel with 'BARNABUS HARRIGAN' written on the side in Pugg's blood. Many view members leave the ship at Rickety's because of this.

While there, however, they manage to win some back, as well as some new ones after saving Rickety's workers several times. They also manage to impress Free Captain Merrill Pegsworthy during their encounter with him. His words at the christening of the "new" ship Blarneycock lead the to seek an win Tidewater Rock through the Marriage of Theoric Starhelm to the Lady of the Rock.

A marriage that proved quite profitable for all and eventually lead to the birth of several smaller Starhelms. During their time operating out of the Rock, they made quite the name for themselves and eventually captured Isabella Locke - which eventually lead to the conquering of Mancatcher Cove.

Later, they rescued a sea-stranded sailor whose last words where, "The Bell... We came to fear that Bell... You will too..." Soon, Whalebone Pilk came calling, and the crew faced him down, with Eretria destroying the cursed captain's Bell and sending him to his final end.

Book 3: Tempest Rising

The Players are eventually given a Shackles Letter of Marque placing them under Tessa Fairwind's command after proving themselves to Goldtooth Tsadok and the Hurricane King.

After following dead trail after dead trail, they eventually track down the information they need to prove a spy is leaking information and bring it to Tessa. As a reward, she pays the entry fee into the Free Captains' Regatta.

The Blarneycock finishes neck-a-neck with the Wormwood, the later of which being disqualified for violations of race rules. This leaves the group with an Island to claim, and the chance for a seat on the Pirate Council.

Book 4: The Island of Empty Eyes

After being tasked with the taming of their Isle, the Blarneycock sails forth, delivering them to the Cyclopian Isle.

They eventually put Captain Otangu's soul to rest and make arrangements to begin bringing a population to the Isle.

They quickly decimate the local populations of monsters and rebuild the isle, just in time to protect it from the Eel and his machinations as well as impress the visiting Pirate Dignitaries to become members of the pirate council.

Eventually the Island of Empty Eyes becomes a major Pirate Port and the cyclopean ruins house a bustling town.

Book 5: The Price of Infamy / Book 6: From Hell's Heart (Extreme modifications to story and adventures)

After defeating the fleet sent by Harrigan and Thrune against their Isle, the PCs find a way to Harrigan's lair in the records of the Wormwood, captured in a pitched sea battle.

The players eventually face Harrigan on a stormwracked rooftop as a demonic portal is being opened. Players defeat Harrigan, whose body is sucked through the Portal. It's determined that the only way to close the portal is from the otherside - Someone must sacrifice themselves.

Without time for anyone to react, Theoric Starhelm jumped through the portal, and was last seen fighting devils as the portal collapsed.

Sailing back to Port Peril, the captains are able to intercept the Cheliax Fleet and sink it.

However, the Hurricane King has been missing since the word of an incoming fleet - leaving Tessa Fairwind to try to get the other Free Captains to work together.

Eventually, a showdown with Thrune and several demon lords on the Port Peril Docks leads to the return of Kerdak Bonefist - as Thrune's ally, and with it the revelation that He was the true spy, and that a "cleansing" of the lesser pirates from the Shackles is a good and needed thing.

Once defeated, The council eventually decide that Captain Eastwood would become the next Hurricane King. A crown he held for many years, on a troubled brow. (But that is a tale for another time...)

Captains Eretria Seaborn and Alric Fray traveled north in search of a ship that tales said could "fly across the sky to distant realms." It is generally known they where successful, if only after many more years.

And finally, when all the credits have rolled, fade back to the top of that doomed keep of Harrigan's. A pile of rubble lies where a Portal once was. A few small rocks tumble away, and Starhelm's tattooed arm pushed through the rubble...

-Fin-

This is an open request for advice (And also, maybe a sticky if this takes off...), not just from players of the Anniversary Edition, but from all readers of this section of the Paizo-verse, for advice on running Rise of the Runelords as it pertains to the Anniversary Edition.

Well, maybe especially from others using this Tome instead of the AP Books or PDFs. Or have the AE and one of the other.

This is mainly because it can be hard to sort some of the Old Reign's rules conversations from the New King's system. (I know I could work from the later pages, and I enjoy many anecdotes along the way, but really, it can still be a mixed bag looking for Crunch sometimes.) Particularly in the AP Specific, already stickied posts that have 150+ posts already.

I plan to, as I find them, try to add or link relevant suggestions (New or Old) I find in other posts along the way, and I'm sure there are others doing the same thing, and all perspectives are welcome to add.

Obviously, certain NPCs (Plugg, Harrigan, etc.) are intended to be the focus of player ire.

But what about those NPCs that could have been allies, but instead your group ended up despising them. From what I've seen on other posts, there are a few of these...

For instance, in our S&S game Plugg survives his mutinous encounter w/my players, becoming a recurring villain - and although his ultimate fate is 50% creepy/50% hilariously awesome (I'll be posting a campaign recap after our next and final session), it isn't quite what we want here.

No, we're looking for those NPCs your group loved to hate (I'm looking at you, Choncobar...) or hated to love (Old ManRickety).The ones they set up, double crossed, or straight out Shang-haied.

Example, in book 3, I totally set up the good Doctor to become the Doc McCoy for my players. I even got to use "I'm a doctor, not a necromancer." Instead, they tricked him into a watery grave by convincing him to play a drinking game on deck at night. In a storm. On purpose.

"Because he wasn't 'Piratey' enough." -Cpt. East Clintwood.

I'm not putting a spoiler on this because I put one in the title.

The Story So Far:

Lead by the half-orc gunslinger East Clintwood, the PCs one-upped and embarrassed Plugg through the first half of book one. They immediately staged a mutiny as soon as the Wormwood was over the horizon. Plugg stabbed Scourge in the back to escape...

...Only to wash ashore of Bonewrack Isle before the storm wrecked PCs. And be captured by Grindylowss. Then be rescued from the belly of the Whale by East himself. "For Questioning."

So while Squibbing come the torture for Information, breaking his mind completely. Plugg is now an acid scarred wreck, missing both pinky fingers, with assorted other torture wounds, and his psyche is destroyed.

Meanwhile, the PCs manage to subdue one of the giant wasps that attacks Rickety's, and under instruction from Captain Clintwood, "Stuff it in a big Barrel."

Okay...

Fast forward to a couple sessions into book 2, where we find Cpt. Clintwood and the rest of the crew from the Blarneycock investigating a cannibal village after night, stealing their best loot, and making back to the ship to lay waste to said village from sea.

As Sandara Identifies the items brought back, a look of horror and fear crosses her face when she comes to the JuJu Talisman they brought back. "Get it off the ship! It's more evil than you can comprehend. Please get it off the ship."

The wise Captain then tells the crew to, "Put it in that barrel with the wasp."

Alright, I'll bite. "What's with the Barrel, anyways?'

"We're going to fire it at Harrigan's ship when we see it again."

Fair Enough. "And you really are going to ignore the Cleric's warnings that the JuJu Talisman is super evil?"

"[Pretty Much]*" (*Edited by me for use of F-Bomb)

A Little bit later, they check on Plugg in his cell (closet), only to discover the redshirt guarding the cell dead. When they open the door, Plugg leaps out to attack, but not before Captain Clintwood puts a bullet between his eyes in reaction. (Critical hit when he was "just trying to wing him.") This lead to an investigation of who poisoned the redshirt (Slippery Syl), and approriate punishment being meted out.

"So what do you want to do with Plugg's Corpse?"

"The captain orders his crew to stuff it in The Barrel."

"With the husk of a starved giant wasp and an evil JuJu totem?"

"Yeah. Harrigan's going to [Pretty Much] get it, dude."

"And you don't see how this can go wrong or endanger the rest of the crew in anyway."

"[Pretty Much] No!"

Must resist Maniacal Laughter. "I'm going to allow it for now."

...So I guess the point of this post is, What should come out of The Barrel when it's opened again?

This was just a fun story I thought was worth sharing...

This evening almost started with there not being a game, even though everyone had agreed to meet tonight last week.

See, where I live there's a music festival happening and most of my group is musicians who play together. Somehow they all managed to forget they where playing tonight last week, and I was going to be down to 2 players. Doable in our current Skull & Shackles game, but better off leaving it for the night.

Then the third person who finally confirmed called ahead to make sure his visiting brother and said brother's girlfriend could join. Awesome. Just enough for some good piracy. The only Kicker - Neither had played before. I can handle that though because my players aren't all exactly into it as much as I am, and explaining the rules (or making them up...) is pretty much a good part my game. Usually I try to make it fun and easy as possible.

Since I didn't have my "normal" crew, and the Captain and several officers where "at a gig," I decided that the First Mate, who was present, would lead an excursion into a dungeon on Bonewrack Isle that isn't, technically, there as writ.

Using some dungeon tiles, my dry erase board, and some really good improv skills on my part, they descended into an ancient crypt put there by an ancient, crazy Cyclops cult obsessed with the end of the world from "a giant, everlasting storm." (The Eye of Abendego.)

All along the way, as my friend's brother and the girlfriend got into it more and more, my "regulars" also got some good stuff for themselves and the ship as rewards primarily for showing up when they would.

The dungeon went like this:

The fought a Sea Cat that the brother (an extra pirate themed monk I had) and our First mate (the group's regular monk [drunken master]) from the Bestiary in Raiders of the Fever seas, then on to a trapped door that the girlfriend spotted the poisoned trap, disarmed it and the lock, and let the group into the next room. This had several sarcophagi my regular players found some treasure and weapons/armor - as well as a secret door the girlfriend found.

This lead them to some more sarcophagi, where they met a ghost. The first mate, playing his character as a "friendly drunk - for the moment" offered the ghost a drink. So the ghost took it, then lead them around a pit trap to a secret stairwell. Going down which, they found a large room holding an ancient cyclops tasked with guarding the room.

Whom the First Mate again offered a drink, since he speaks cyclops. To which the Cyclops welcomed news of the outside world. A few drinks later and he had the grandfatherly cyclops convinced to join the ship's crew until they reach Rickety's Squibs.

The best part was a few moments later, and this is the part I knew as soon as I had said it, that two new players were born. The cyclops, feeling the need to get out of his stuffy dungeon and see the world he's missed out on for untold centuries, decided he didn't need a job as a guard for a bunch of "old junk" any more and said, " A'right, I'll join yer crew... So... do you guys want some treasure, or what?!"

To which everyone, the two "newbs" the loudest, gave a resounding: "YES!!!"

So this AP has been a perfect fit for the group of friends I play with, and because I know my Players' familiarities with pirate/nautical themes, I've come up with a "Shares" system before it becomes an issue with them. I've also decided that it will be integral to preventing mutiny amongst their own crew(s), they are going to have to ensure the crew, even pressed ones, receive payment/compensation in some form.

I figured I'd share it here for others, as I hadn't seen anything concerning this yet. As with all things, adjustments may be need to compliment your game and players, and your mileage may vary.

So here it is:

-The Ship itself receives 50 shares. This represents supplies for ship and crew, Upgrades, and general treasury/payroll for crew.

-PC's (i.e, Captains and Senior Crew) get 5 share each.*

-NPC "officers" (If needed) get 2 shares each.

-NPC general crew get 1 share each.

-All treasure/Plunder/Magic Item values are determined before share are calculated. Some situations may require crew shares of plunder be calculated at another time.

-If an NPC or PC performs "above and beyond" may, on a consensus of the Captain and other Senior Crew (other PC's) be assigned additional shares.

-Shares awarded to NPC's remove that value of gold from the PC's access. Wether or not the GM keeps track of NPC gold is up to them.

-Magic Items found are first put into the ship's stores and may be bought from the quartermaster. PC's may then buy the items at face value from the quartermaster with their own money once they have their share of booty and can afford the item.

*I know it's not "historically accurate," but it's already going to be hard enough to get them to agree on a Captain. (I'm thinking I'll have to come up with a mini-game of some sort to sort it out for them until an extra ship or two comes along.)

Wether or not the PC's feel the need to give shares to crew who died (either to next of kin, or simply sent with the pirate overboard as their tribute to Besmara) is up to them. Simply leave these crew out of share calculations. [In my game, too much of this may change crew attitude.]

------------------------

Example: After having run down a fat merchant ship loaded with treasure, the total haul looks like this:

a total in coinage and magic items equal to 14,800 gold pieces;
a total in plunder (after sale & trade) equal to 5,000.

14,800 + 5,000 = 19,800 in GP value.

The PC's Ship gets 50 shares.
The 4 PC's get 5 shares each, so 20 shares here.
There are 25 general NPC crewman who get 1 share each, so 25 shares.
Additionally 3 of the NPC's went "Above & Beyond" and get an extra share each, so 3 shares.

50+20+25+3=98 shares

So 19,800 ÷ 98 = roughly 202 Gold (and 4 Copper) per share.

The Ship gets 10102 gold.
The PC's get 1010 gold and 2 Silver each, so 4040 gold and 4 Silver
and each NPC Crewman gets 202 gold and 4 copper each, so 5051 Gold
with 3 of those NPC's getting an extra 202 gold and 4 copper each, so 606 gold, 1 silver , and 2 copper.

This adds up roughly to 19,799 gold, 5 silver and 2 copper.

Which Means that the GM must be embezzling 4 silver and 8 copper...

Actually, that's just the placement of the decimal point. If you want to you can round up for your players, I round down.

...And Yes, I DO work with money for a living. Can you tell?