Crew complement (spoilers)

[expatriorc]

Clarification needed...

The AP says that the skeleton crew of the Man's Promise should include Plugg, Scourge, Owlbear, and all fo the surviving members of the Wormwood's original crew, PCs, Kroop, Shortstone, Cusswell, and Quinn.

So does that mean the only crew remaining aboard the Wormwood are the officers and the captured Rahadoumi?

Seems like this is closer to a full complement than just a skeleton crew of 20.

[Ravien]

That depends how many pirates died during the attack on the Promise. It's not written in the AP, but I know, that several pirates will die during the attack in my game.

Also remember that Plugg, Scourge, Owlbear, Kroop and the cooks mate do not count as crew. At max Plugg and Scourge would count as one for stearing the ship.

[Maruk]

Does anyone know if there is a good reason why Rosie, Conchobar, and Sandara are called out as moving to Man's Promise, but Cog is not? Does he show up later, and I just haven't found him yet?

[Ben Ehrets]

It certainly seems like it will be more of a skeleton crew situation (at best!) on the Wormwood than it will be on the Man's Promise.

If I follow correctly, the Wormwood is down to (assuming all these folks survived the attack) OFFICERS: Captain Harrigan, Peppery Longfarthering, Riaris Krine, Stitchman, Kipper, Patch, Caulky, Grok, and CREW Crimson Cogsward (for some reason singled out from most of the others) and however many taken on of the Rhadoumi.

It's a little odd - especially given how many of those remaining on the Wormwood probably don't do much of the crew labor. I'm leaning toward the captain or Peppery having some sort of item with limited use that will give them a number of phantom crew members. It will be magic that is difficult and expensive to maintain, but which will serve in a pinch just like this. It might be something Peppery has built specifically into the Wormwood to help explain why the actual crew is sent to the MP.

[Darth Krzysztof]

I ended up keeping most of the helpful and friendly NPC swabs and riggers on the Wormwood, and just sent Sandara, Rosie, Conchobar, and Kroop as allies to the PCs on the Man's Promise. Since I had a PC dive into the sea to save the Rahadoumi woman that Harrigan throws overboard, she also went along as his responsibility.

With Plugg, Scourge, 8 hostiles, and a few undecided, they now have exactly twenty characters on the ship. I figure that's skeletal enough to run the ship, AND to give Plugg and company another reason to not kill the PCs right away.

Now all I have to do is figure out what happens to the loyal folks who stayed aboard the Wormwood. I presume they'll make a break for it next time the ship's in a port.

[Pryllin]

Dunno why Cog is singled out.

He doesn't appear in the AP anywhere else, so I moved him across with the others.
It'll change from game to game for plot reasons.
My PC's befriended him, then one of them screwed him over so the rest are being really nice to get him onside again.

[Fitzwalrus]

Spoiler:

I don't know that anyone needs to get too hung up on exact numbers of crew involved. All the AP says about the Man's Promise is that she requires the usual minimum crew of 20 to sail her, but I don't think she's supposed to be running with minimum crew at the time of the attack. The PCs meet and defeat 12 sailors and one officer all by themselves, and I doubt there are only 8 other sailors and the rest of the officers holding off the remainder of the Wormwood crew all by themselves. As written the AP also makes it clear there should be casualties on both sides, and if both ships are at minimum crew and then lose more neither vessel is going to be sailed very effectively afterwards.
Handwave it - have enough Rahadoumi survivors to give both ships minimum crew (or slightly more in the Promise - there will be mutiny casualties too) and go from there. The important point is that there are enough NPCs (friendly and not) aboard her that when the mutiny comes it's a challenge and not a walkover, and that there are enough crew to get her to Rickety's afterwards.

Intriguing point about Crimson Cog. I'd assumed he was part of the "original" crew sent aboard the Promise, but it's interesting that he isn't mentioned when Rosie, Conchobar and Sandara are. It could be an oversight, or perhaps a thread intended for a later module that didn't get picked up by the subsequent authors. Remember that Crimson volunteered to serve with Harrigan,and is a rather bloodthirsty person in his own right. If he's still loyal to the captain and stays on the Wormwood Cog could be a good candidate for First Mate when Plugg doesn't come back.

One final bit about the Wormwood's crew after the ships separate. A later module makes clear that Caulky Taroon (at least) winds up getting her hands dirty as a regular crew member, so it's not unreasonable to assume other officers get the same treatment. Remember that Peppery, Grok and Habbly Quarne eventually wind up very much on the wrong side of Harrigan's violent temper - this could be where and how that begins, as well.