Non-standard races for S&S


Skull & Shackles


We're getting ready to start our S&S campaign after Carrion Crown ends, and we took a break from one of our weeks when everyone couldn't make it and ended up with the following party:

Goblin Alchemist (maybe the fire bomber)
Tiefling Magus
Half-Elf Barbarian (Sea Reaver)
Undine Cleric of Gozreh
Grippli Ranger (Freebooter)

I'm playing the Grippli Ranger and I'm trying to figure out what combat style I want to use. I had thought about using the Archery style, but using thrown weapons instead (working on that with my GM). We are a bit short on front-line combat folks, so I'd thought about going two-weapon fighting and going Net/something, since Grippli get Net as a racial proficiency.

Any other suggestions/ideas?

Dark Archive

We have a Grippli Ranger in our Skull and Shackles, He is going with Archery and being the master of the Ship's Seige weapon.

You also might want to wait for the Advanced Race Guide there are a few good options in there for Gripplis, Including a Favored Class option for rangers that involves Swimming.

Your group sounds almost as diverse as the one I am playing in.
Tengu Magus(Blade Bound)
Orc Barbarian
Grippli Ranger
Human Fighter
Vanaras Monk
Aasimar Cleric


I'll be using the Advanced Race Guide for my S&S game. 20 racial points, 20 point buy for attributes. Should be a good time. :D


Hey LackofFocus,

Seems like you have some advanced knowledge of the Advanced Race Guide. Not wanting you to break NDA or anything such but maybe you could answer a questions for me (sorry for the hijack.)

One of my players is dead set on playing a Merfolk in this campaign and I'm really dreading it. A 5ft land speed is killer and the visual of a fish out of water breaks my idea of verisimilitude. Also being able to breath water and have a swim speed looks like it could be a game changer in the first two adventures released so far.

I hear there is info on Merfolk in the ARG. In a simple yes/no answer if you know, is there anything in there that might help be come to grips with a Merfolk PC?

Thanks,

Shade325

Dark Archive

Hey Shade,

Being Former pathfinder role playing game Subscriber, I just got my PDF copy. Yes there is merfolk info, there is a alternate racial trait that lowers swim speed and increases land. but does not allow them any real breathing benefit.

But in my S&S I did not Merfolk I thought they might be a game changer.

Lack of Focus

Liberty's Edge

I'm currently playing a gillman sorcerer (aberrant bloodline) in a PBP here on the boards. So far, it's been fun.


I looked at Gillman also, but the penalties for going too long without immersion in water had me worried if we had to go inland for a few days. :(

Any fixes or ideas on that?


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Create Water is the easiest solution but a Decanter of Endless Water would cover your troubles too.


d@ncingNumfar wrote:
Create Water is the easiest solution but a Decanter of Endless Water would cover your troubles too.

Because 1) you're likely to have a DoEW at that level </sarcasm>, and 2) if you had one

Spoiler:
it probably would have been taken away + plot stuff /fetch quest later on...
Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
TechLee wrote:

I looked at Gillman also, but the penalties for going too long without immersion in water had me worried if we had to go inland for a few days. :(

Any fixes or ideas on that?

I've read up to the 3rd adventure now, and I can confidently tell you that the Gillman is a STRONG choice for this AP. So discuss with your GM if he's willing to allow it (I've added it to the players guide I built for my players).


You could go with undine because it's alternate traits, the only problem is that their favored Classes but besides that it is cool.

Scarab Sages

I have a drow character playing in my campaign.

I decided that because he was raised by elves who didn't really know any different, and that it was far enough away from the events in Second Darkness, he could play the Drow.

I ruled that the drow wouldn't know the normal drow proficiencies, and would have the elven proficiencies, but keeps his inherent spells.

He still has his inherent evil-ness, but he doesn't realise it yet.

He finds himself trying to "do good", but accidentally "doing evil".

For example, pushing a burning character off the side of the ship and into shark infested waters to put them out.


TechLee wrote:

I looked at Gillman also, but the penalties for going too long without immersion in water had me worried if we had to go inland for a few days. :(

Any fixes or ideas on that?

Even inland would be relatively close to the water in pretty much ever case. Going to port still means you have to be relatively close to the docks I would assume. I think you are either on an island or near the coast for the most part, so if I was your GM I would not give you any trouble over it. It is not like you will end up in the middle of Varisia at some point or anything. I would assume you are always close enough to the ocean that it should never become an issue.


Timothy Hanson wrote:
TechLee wrote:

I looked at Gillman also, but the penalties for going too long without immersion in water had me worried if we had to go inland for a few days. :(

Any fixes or ideas on that?

Even inland would be relatively close to the water in pretty much ever case. Going to port still means you have to be relatively close to the docks I would assume. I think you are either on an island or near the coast for the most part, so if I was your GM I would not give you any trouble over it. It is not like you will end up in the middle of Varisia at some point or anything. I would assume you are always close enough to the ocean that it should never become an issue.

Yeah, I'm more worried if there's an extended period we'll be away from the ship, a dungeon crawl that goes multi-day or something like that.


You could always fill a bag of holding up with water if you had too, but I think everything is pretty water-centric enough to not be an issue. Gillmen I think are perfect for this AP to be honest.


TechLee wrote:
Timothy Hanson wrote:
TechLee wrote:

I looked at Gillman also, but the penalties for going too long without immersion in water had me worried if we had to go inland for a few days. :(

Any fixes or ideas on that?

Even inland would be relatively close to the water in pretty much ever case. Going to port still means you have to be relatively close to the docks I would assume. I think you are either on an island or near the coast for the most part, so if I was your GM I would not give you any trouble over it. It is not like you will end up in the middle of Varisia at some point or anything. I would assume you are always close enough to the ocean that it should never become an issue.
Yeah, I'm more worried if there's an extended period we'll be away from the ship, a dungeon crawl that goes multi-day or something like that.

You should also worry about having to stay on a ship for long periods of time without being allowed to leave it.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Be aware though that if you're playing a race with a built in weakness being afraid of having it come up in game completely misses the point. If Superman NEVER encounters Kryptonite then what's the point of being weak to Kryptonite?
Embrace your fishiness!

Dark Archive

Which in the ARG you can switch out to something where you can survive without water but you lose all the water bonuses.

Liberty's Edge

We are still just into the first couple of days on ship in Part 1. So far, I have managed to sneak a midnight swim on the first night (hanging on a mooring line off the stern of the ship), and on day two, I was assigned deck-swabbing duties, so I made a point of sloshing every bucket of water I could on myself (feigning clumsiness/lack of sea legs). I even have a desperation plan in place of sneaking down to the icky water in the bilges, if I get truly, TRULY desperate.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Cuchulainn wrote:
We are still just into the first couple of days on ship in Part 1. So far, I have managed to sneak a midnight swim on the first night (hanging on a mooring line off the stern of the ship), and on day two, I was assigned deck-swabbing duties, so I made a point of sloshing every bucket of water I could on myself (feigning clumsiness/lack of sea legs). I even have a desperation plan in place of sneaking down to the icky water in the bilges, if I get truly, TRULY desperate.

That's the spirit!

The Exchange

My group is:
Half-Elf Sea-witch
Strix Alchemist
Ifrit Sorcerer
Suli Barbarian
Catfolk Rogue

I was debating on allowing the Strix as flight may be a game changer, but after reading some of the adventure the flight helps out in some instances (boarding), but in others is virtually useless (fighting creatures underwater) as those creatures have total concealment.

TechLee wrote:

We're getting ready to start our S&S campaign after Carrion Crown ends, and we took a break from one of our weeks when everyone couldn't make it and ended up with the following party:

Goblin Alchemist (maybe the fire bomber)
Tiefling Magus
Half-Elf Barbarian (Sea Reaver)
Undine Cleric of Gozreh
Grippli Ranger (Freebooter)

I'm playing the Grippli Ranger and I'm trying to figure out what combat style I want to use. I had thought about using the Archery style, but using thrown weapons instead (working on that with my GM). We are a bit short on front-line combat folks, so I'd thought about going two-weapon fighting and going Net/something, since Grippli get Net as a racial proficiency.

Any other suggestions/ideas?


I'm reading my GM's other SaS PbP and there is a merfolk PC named Sabinae in the group (with the 15 ft land speed and 30 ft swim speed alternate trait). The way my GM handled it was pretty ingenious, I think:

GM Faol Mhor wrote:

Not giving you any time to respond Mr. Plugg continues.

“Now, I don’t give a damn who you are or what you did in your past lives, what I need is a rigger and one of you lucky sods is going to fill that post. Up to the main mast with all of you, first one to the top gets the job, and it’s a better job than you’ll get else wise.”

”Best to get a move on.” Says Master Scourge from behind you as he unfurls his whip with anticipation.

"Not you" Plugg says to Sabinae. "Damn obvious you won't be of any use in the rigging. Besides don't really want you anywhere near the edge of the ship just yet. Wouldn't want to loose our prize mermaid on your first day aboard would we. I'm sure that would be bad luck.

Most of the crew appear to have never seen a real mermaid before and some of them haven't been able to take their eyes off you since you came up out of the hold. Some stair in wonder, other's with a sneer or a smile.

Mr. Plugg nods to two of the pirates who escorted you all on deck and and they pull up a round of chain shot. It's two cannonballs attached by a chain, usually used to take out the mast of an enemy ship. They go to wrap it around Sabinae's tail and one of them holds a lock.


Wow, lots of non-standard groups. Mine is too:

Half-elf sea witch
Tengu bird shaman druid
Catfolk fighter/bard
Kitsune sorcerer wordcaster
Ratfolk monk
Gnome synthesist summoner

We used a homebrew variant of the 20 point buy by declaring you could not buy stats down. So 20 points, spend as you like, but no 7 stats. The power level of the standard 20 point buy rules was a little too high with 6 PCs, but a 15 point buy was painful for the classes and builds with multiple stat requirements.


Ours is non-standard also:

Aasimar Cleric of Valani
Tengu Fighter (Weapon Master)
Sylph Rouge (Pirate)
Undine Druid (Undine Adept)
Tieflng Inquisitor
Catfolk Sorcerer

First session they did well. got as far as the storm on day 8. I am no liking the daily task and ship actions to much. I think I will do away with them for the next session and come up with another way of doing it.


We have a Sylph Witch, along with the more normal two humans and a half elf.


at current (Regatta of AP-3) :
Tiefling (demon-spawn): Fighter/Cleric (Besmara), 6/1
Tiefling (normal): Witch 7
Halfling Fighter Bard (Rosie) 1/6
Half-Elf Oracle(Lore)/Fighter 6/1
Half Elf Alchemist (Naturalist)/Fighter 6/1

Only the first three survived from the initial party

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

My party:

Half-Orc Juju Oracle; touched by the sea (Buttons)
Half Elf Buccaneer Bard; barroom tale spinner (Sally Dread-Morgan)
Tengu Corsair Fighter; Besmara's Blessing (Samrow Seaspirit)
Dwarf Witch; Archaeologist (Peter Backbeard)
Gillman Big Game Hunter; Peg Leg (Azaz Brinestalker)


I just have this vision of plugg and scourge finding a rat folk then slitting his throat and throwing him overboard saying " we have enough bilge rats on this boat we don't need any more."

It's why I'm discouraging rat folk as pc races this champaign.


ThunderMan wrote:

I just have this vision of plugg and scourge finding a rat folk then slitting his throat and throwing him overboard saying " we have enough bilge rats on this boat we don't need any more."

It's why I'm discouraging rat folk as pc races this champaign.

Makes you wonder why they'd actually press ganged him in the first place.

And how the captain is going to react to it *headshake*

Scarab Sages

Vanara Inquisitor of Besmara (current captain)
Full Orc Druid (shark shaman)
Samsaaran Wizard (focused on crafting)
Kitsune Sorc (only shows up 1/3 the time)
Catfolk Rogue
human freebooter ranger
Full Orc Samurai (I have NO idea how we picked him up)
Human (raised by changelings) sorcerer
Human life oracle.

We're a regular menagerie.


Funny thing is, I opened up all races other than Drow and Dreguar to my PCs, and it looks like I'm going to have a core race party anyways. Haven't gotten started yet, but the tentative PCs are

Human Driver Rogue (18 prof sailor at lvl1!)
Human Storm Druid
Dwarven Gunslinger or Human Duelist or Unknown Barbarian
Half-elf Alchemist
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown Spell Slinger

There was a bid in for a strix, but the player decided on the driver instead. Goes to show that sometimes the more choices you have, the less variability you get.

Sovereign Court

Our party consists of:
a human rogue(pirate),
a tiefling alchemist(internal alchemist),
a half-elf ranger(shapeshifter, skirmisher),
an undine druid(undine adept),
and a kitsune bard(seasinger).

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