So I give my future Savage Tide players a few hints about what types of characters to eventually make for the campaign, letting them know that pirates and adventures on the high seas may play a significant part in it. Well, guess what has come of it?
One of them has decided upon (naturally) the Dread Pirate prestige class(from Complete Adventurer), while the other one has set his sights on the Legendary Captain prestige class (from Stormwrack). Both of which would be absolutely perfect for the campaign, on its own... Yet together, they bring up a funny dilemma. Namely, that both prestige classes have for prerequisite that the character own and captain their own ship!
So now I'm envisioning all kinds of fun that can come of this... beginning with initial squabbles and mutiny over who will gain control of the first major ship they come across. Since one or the other would technically lose all of the abilities of their prestige class when he loses the ship, I can see some fun back and forth for a while, as each makes attempts to regain what is rightfully theirs. And knowing my players, they will indeed do it in a "Fun" way - not through annoying and campaign-spoiling backstabbing, but in a fun game of one-upsmanship to see who can outsmart the other in the funniest and most unexpected way.
Then, after letting them have their fun with this for a while, I plan on making not one but two ships available to them, as they each get to captain their own vessel, with rival crews and constant competition to see who is the better man, better crew, and better ship. Yet at the same time, they realize that they need each other, in order to get all the riches and treasure that is at stake... so they allow the other to be "tolerated" until the mission is complete.
And then, after the world has nearly come to an end and Demogorgon has been defeated by the two rival pirates and their respective crews... the REAL battle will begin. Probably in the form of a race around the world, without magical intervention, with "winner-takes-all" stipulations - for a total fortune likely worth millions in gold.
This campaign is shaping up nicely indeed :)
The one downside? Little do my players know, but I am in the midst of constructing Worldworks' "Maiden of the High Seas", to be the party's ship! So now I will be forced to make TWO of them... hehehe. Oh well, I think it's more than worth the payoff!
Markus the Mad, this may be a very real possibility depending on how your players do on the Isle of Dread. Of course, this would also mean you shouldn't expect this to happen until somewhere in the mid levels (8th - 12th), but that should work out pretty well for you since your players may be a bit sidetracked by other concerns that would make a powerstruggle over their ship somewhat unimportant (for a while, at least).
A few new twists to add into the mix, after further consideration from my players...
The two rival captains (or captain-wannabes, more accurately) are apparently now brothers, at the decision of the players in question. So the struggle for control of the ship will emerge out of a lifelong sibling rivalry between the two.
Also, my third player has decided to play a manipulative swashbuckler, who will do his best to fuel the fires of the rivalry, and use both captains to his own monetary advantage.
Ironically enow, pirate ships were commonly democracies, and a captain was voted on. Whomever could deliver the swag was Captain.
I will definitely make use of this info, and ensure that it becomes one of the dirtiest mud-slinging political campaigns ever :)
Markus the Mad, this may be a very real possibility depending on how your players do on the Isle of Dread. Of course, this would also mean you shouldn't expect this to happen until somewhere in the mid levels (8th - 12th), but that should work out pretty well for you since your players may be a bit sidetracked by other concerns that would make a powerstruggle over their ship somewhat unimportant (for a while, at least).
Glad to hear from one of the writers, that this scenario would fit in well with what's to come. And since both prestige classes require at least six or seven levels to meet the prerequisites, in the first place - I'm sure my players wouldn't expect to be captaining a ship until mid-campaign, anyway.
Can't wait to get this one started!!
After doing some homework and reading up a bit more on the two classes my players are looking at, I got to wondering - which do you think is the better "captain" class: Dread Pirate or Legendary Captain?
Does anyone have any actual in-game experience running or playing either of these? Or is there another cool captain class printed in some other book that is worth checking out or recommending to my players?
After doing some homework and reading up a bit more on the two classes my players are looking at, I got to wondering - which do you think is the better "captain" class: Dread Pirate or Legendary Captain?
Each of them have their own values, I think. I think Dread Pirate is more suited to a chaotic character, while I can see Legendary Captain as being tied to a navy or more ordered group.
hmm, why not have both?
Scarlet corsairs looks best to me tho..
In Fritz Leiber's Swords and Ice Magic Farfred (sp?) acquires a Viking Drakar and crews it with tall Northern Barbarians while the Grey Mouser acquires a sloop and crews it with short thieves (each shorter than himself so that he, the captain, is the tallest). Though it's not exactly as you describe, there is a bit in the beginning where what begins as a mock battle between the two turns serious, and then through the rest of the first half of the story there's some rivalry between the two crews. You might want to check it out.
In Fritz Leiber's Swords and Ice Magic Farfred (sp?) acquires a Viking Drakar and crews it with tall Northern Barbarians while the Grey Mouser acquires a sloop and crews it with short thieves (each shorter than himself so that he, the captain, is the tallest). Though it's not exactly as you describe, there is a bit in the beginning where what begins as a mock battle between the two turns serious, and then through the rest of the first half of the story there's some rivalry between the two crews. You might want to check it out.
Hmm, very interesting. I've meant to check out some of Fritz Leiber's work for a while now, too. I guess this is the best time to start, then.
Thanks for the suggestion!
BTW, checked out the legendary captain.. yopu dont ahve to be captain, master of the ship does too.
So the conflict is avoided, as master and captain do not need to be the same person.. off to check out the position on ships now will ya? ;)