Has anyone fleshed out any additional information about the Sea Wyvern for when it is introduced at Kraken's Cove? TBG says next to nothing about the caravel, though I'm sure my players will want to board and search it right away.
Who owned the caravel? Was it one of Kigante's ships? Another pirate? Or was it Vanthus's ship? What sort of items might be found about her? Weapons? Personal gear? Food stores? Loot? Charts to safely pilot in and out of the cove?
I'd like to hear what other DMs have done here. I'm thinking of just making it one of Kigante's ships that has been at anchor for several weeks. Thus, it can be virtually empty.
According to the background info on Drevoraz on page 42 of The Bullywug Gambit, the Sea Wyvern appears to have been Captain Javell's ship.
No that was the one that broke free of it's mooring and crashes into the walkway (I forget it's name). Do you really think if the Captain would leave her ship behind?
Correct, the Slippery Eel was Harliss Javell's ship. I am sort of curious why she doesn't take the Sea Wyvern. I doubt the PC'c could stop her, if she wanted it. Perhaps she has another ship lined up somewhere.
She doesn't have the crew to be able to take it, it's more of a question as to why she doesn't come back.
Yeah I knew the Slippery Eel was Harliss's ship. And I also assumed she left the Sea Wyvern behind because she didn't have a crew for it. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming back to claim it, but I imagine she has quite a journey in front of her when she decides to head "east". Her main concern seems to get back to Scuttlecove asap.
So, to you DMs who have played TBG already, how did you detail the Sea Wyvern?
I don't think it would be there when she got back. Harliss (now called Heartless by my PC's becuase they thought that's what I said. The pygmy halfling druid wants to marry her. xD) has to hoof it to the Scarlet Brotherhood Fort and then make it back to the cove, which would take more than a week. Ideally, the PC's would have gotten back to Sasserine, killed some frogmen, and gotten back by then.
I was going to put some sea charts and minimal stores on the ship and make it Kigante's ship.
I described it as in the adventure's sidebar with all the wyvern motifs emphasized. But my group decided to rename the ship to the Huntress anyways, after a fallen comrade.
They basically scratched out the name on the plaque, and etched in the new one with a nail :P
But aside from that, I said there was nothing of notable value on it when they searched it. They kinda already knew it would end up as their ship when they saw it.
So, to you DMs who have played TBG already, how did you detail the Sea Wyvern?
I moved some of the Savage Pirates from the caves into it, and moved the ship outside of the reef so it was there first encounter. Played up the fact that it appeared to be the seen of a bloody battle and the damage from acid burning the wooden deck, it needed significant repairs before it could get going again.
They kinda already knew it would end up as their ship when they saw it.
I had the Captain of the Blue Nixie take it as a prize, and since he was in the employ of Lavinia it became hers by default, she was by naval law required to pay a finders fee to all involved in it's capture however (so the PC's got something).
I know my players well enough that if I'd actually let my PC's own it they would have sold it for as much of the 10,000gp cost they could and then spent the money on magic items as soon as they got back to port, thus causing problems later.
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I just sat down and worked through some Plot issues I had with Bullywug Gambit - and typed up both the questions and my eventual answers in a word doc. I don;t know if it will help, but I'll post the text here. Some of the questions are probably specific to our comapign, but you might be able to use some of the ideas...
Plot issues – Bullywug Gambit:
Questions -
• How did Vanthus and Brissa get to Kraken’s Cove? By Pinnace? Is that how Vanthus escapes? Where is Vanthus going, and how does he escape without being seen by the PC vessel if the timing is tight enough for the PCs to rescue Harliss (given that melee does not actually take very long in the grand scheme of things.)?
• How could Drevoraz make it to Sasserine before the PCs if not traveling by boat? Since he is setup in the manor when the PCs arrive, waiting to ambush Vanthus, he obviously beats them back by at least a day. Is there a vessel for him to take from the cove that could carry him and his entire party of Bullywugs to Sasserine? How would he sail it to the Bullywug village to pick up the rest of his attack team without other sailors. If enough sailors survived to pilot both his ship, and whatever ship Harliss is escaping with (see below), just exactly how many pirates were in Kraken’s Cove before the event?
• What is Harliss supposed to do at the end of this adventure? Does she have any supporters left in the caves, or is she by herself? If by herself, is the party supposed to just strand her there after the fight by leaving and taking the Sea Wyvern with them? Would she allow this, or would she just whip the party’s asses when she realized what their intentions were? It’s stated in the adventure that she does not want to go to Sasserine herself.
• If not by herself, are there enough sailors remaining to pilot the Slippery Eel out of the cove (assuming I change the plot to allow that ship to survive)? If so, could they just overpower the PCs? What is the stalemate in the cove and what is the precise timeline of events?
• How will the party pilot the Sea Wyvern out of the cove? If a skeleton crew for that vessel is 7, how are 3 PCs supposed to get it out? If they leave the vessel, shouldn’t Harliss make off with it before the PCs can return? Is it possible to recruit survivors from the caves to fill out a skeleton crew for the Sea Wyvern? Why would survivors side with the PCs over remaining with Harliss?
Resolutions -
Timeline:
Start: Harliss’s squadron is anchored in Kraken’s cove. The squadron consists of:
The Slippery Eel – Harliss’s flagship, a fast brigantine that survives the Savage Tide and the fire. She leaves a skeleton crew on board when she enters the cave to retrieve her documents?? At the end of the Kraken’s Cove encounters, she will return to the Eel and contemplate her revenge on Vanthus and potentially the Crimson Fleet as well (for setting her up).
The Sea Wyvern – A caravel that is not caught in the fire because it is too close to the cove’s beach – originally anchored alongside the Eel. The crew of this ship mostly succumbed to the Savage Tide and ravaged those who did not – making the ship itself a bloody mess. The surviving Savage pirates went ashore – adding to the problems in the Cove. In their insanity, the crew of the Wyvern cut loose her anchor and she has drifted onto the shoals surrounding the cove entrance.
The Fletch – A sloop that was outside the cove when the Savage Tide was triggered, thus the tiny crew was spared. It sailed into the cove under Drevoraz’s command, then sailed out after the Eel was secured to try and catch Vanthus. This is the vessel that carries the Bullywug assault party to Sasserine.
Petra’s Pride – A frigate seized in an act of piracy against Amn. It took Harliss’s entire squadron to subdue this beast of a ship, and now it has burnt to the waterline and sunk to the bottom of the cove. What few members of the savage crew that survived the conflagration are now hunting Harliss and her men in the caves.
The Tina – A sloop that was formerly the Amnian consort of Petra’s Pride, and was taken in the same action. Like her larger sister, she has burnt to timbers.
The Wind’s Whim – A slow, fat-bellied merchantman filled with ill-gotten furs and spices that was supposed to sail for Luskan on the next tide. What is left of her hull now rests on the cove seafloor.
Vanthus and Brissa leave Sasserine for Kraken’s cove in the pinnace Stormrider, along with a crew of 12.
T – 16 hours: Vanthus and Brissa arrive at Kraken’s Cove and treat with Harliss.
T – 7 ½ hours: Vanthus sets fire to the cove, attempts to steal the shadow pearl, and accidentally triggers the Savage Tide.
T – 7 hours: Vanthus escapes to the waiting Stormrider. He and those that resisted the Tide gain control of the small vessel and sail it out of the cove. He chooses to sail east into Jeklea Bay rather than return to Sasserine? Why would he not attempt to return to Rowyn and the Lotus Dragons? One would assume that his crew has affiliations to them. Perhaps he is marooned by the survivors before they return, as a means of revenge for nearly leading them to their deaths?
T – 7 hours: Drevoraz witnesses Stormrider’s departure, but is more concerned with Harliss and saving the squadron than he is in investigating the departing pinnace. He sails into the cove and helps Harliss regain control of the Eel.
T – 6 hours: Harliss gives Drevoraz an order to pursue and kill Vanthus, even if that means following him into Sasserine. She suggests making use of an allied tribe of Bullywugs for more muscle if necessary. When Drevoraz leaves the cove and is unable to spot Vanthus, he realizes that sneaking into the city to exact revenge will probably be necessary, and he diverts to the Bullywug village.
T – 6 hours: Harliss picks a small crew of men and lands on the cove’s beach with the intention of saving any smugglers trapped in the caves and recovering incriminating documents before fleeing the site. She has left strict orders for the remaining crew of the Eel to standoff from the cove and keep her flagship out of harm’s way. Savage pirates from the other ships in the cove witness this and swim to the beach in pursuit, adding to the chaos in the caves themselves.
T – 4 hours: Harliss battles her way to her offices, only to become trapped by the rampaging victims of the Savage Tide. She and her men barricade themselves in the offices while she gathers what she needs. They will be making a push to return to the beach when the party encounters them.
T: The party arrives in the area. There is no sign of either Stormrider or Fletch. In the cove, The Eel is standing off as ordered, anchored on the other side of the bay, and will not respond when the PC’s ship arrives. The Sea Wyvern was cut loose by her savage crew and has drifted onto one of the reefs where she is stuck fast. Harliss no longer possesses the manpower to pull her off the reef or repair the damage. The other three ships of the squadron have burned to the waterline, and are now nothing more than smoldering pieces. Two of the Eel’s ship’s boats are beached in the cove and footprints left by Harliss’s party lead into the caves. The deformed footprints of her Savage pursuers are apparent in the sand as well.
Wow, that's good stuff, Luke. Yoink!
Yeah, thanks Luke! That would've made an awesome side bar for the adventure. Good stuff!
I don't think there is any question (at least in my mind) that BWG has some plot holes (mainly with timings) you could drive a truck through, I solved mine another way, but I do like your solution.
I solved mine another way, but I do like your solution.
Really? What did you do?
My party decided to scout out the Wyvern once they had secured the beach in Kraken's Cove (they didn't want any surprises coming from behind). I described the ship as being unmanned, but in good order, and gave some of the text description as well, including the scar. One of the party members used to be a sailor on the Wyvern who had been cast off and left for dead, so the look on his face when he recognized his old ship was priceles! :)
The cargo hold door was open, but the holds were empty. I placed some treasure items in the captain's quarters, as well as the charts to successfully navigate Kraken's Cove.
The only other thing they found when they got to the lower hold was a young crested felldrake in one of the 'closets' (unique companion for the party ranger) that had resisted the effects of the Savage Tide.
The party was really tense as they descended further into the ship - they were expecting an ambush around every corner. The fact that there were none just creeped them out even more! ;P
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She doesn't have the crew to be able to take it, it's more of a question as to why she doesn't come back.
Before the PCs arrive on the scene, Harliss has been bitten by the savage pirates and is in the early stages of savage fever (as noted by her reduced Int). Within 2-4 days after the adventure, she will be a savage creature - at that point, her loss of sanity may strike knowledge of the Sea Wyvern from her mind.
Before the PCs arrive on the scene, Harliss has been bitten by the savage pirates and is in the early stages of savage fever (as noted by her reduced Int). Within 2-4 days after the adventure, she will be a savage creature - at that point, her loss of sanity may strike knowledge of the Sea Wyvern from her mind.
Good point! I'm going to assume it takes her about 3 days to reach the Scarlet Brotherhood outpost on foot. Once there, she can have the disease cured and then take a ship to Scuttlecove. I'm also thinking she has her mind so set on revenge against the Crimson Fleet that she doesn't think more than twice abut the Sea Wyvern. Besides, she might even have another ship stashed around somewhere...
Don't be so quick to have her cured... wait a month to see what's become of her in issue #146 - http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/savageTide/moreInfoOnHarlissJavell
Don't be so quick to have her cured... wait a month to see what's become of her in issue #146 - http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/savageTide/moreInfoOnHarlissJavell
Right. It won't matter too much, as the PCs won't know anything until they catch up with her again in SoS.