Failing their Job

[LankyOgre]

I am wanting to make sure that my players aren't the only ones getting lashed during the bloody hour, so I am prepping by rolling tasks for the NPCs and skill checks. That way I know if they will succeed or fail without taking up too much in game time. As the adventure continues, some of the tasks may get modified based on PC actions, but overall I want to have an idea of who is doing what on the ship. For most of the tasks, failure is pretty obvious; dinner isn't that good, the rigging isn't fixed, you tripped running errands, etc. For Lookout though, failure may be less obvious. How does anybody know you didn't spot something unless there was something there to spot. Therefore, I am trying to think of some excuses and encounters to run when a perception check is failed. Here are a few ideas I have:

1) Jack Scrimshaw is carving scrimshaw. Either Mr. Plugg is watching or somebody tattles on him.

2) Ship sails too far away to catch. If the lookout had spotted them earlier, the Wormwood would have been able to give chase.

3) Locathah traders climb onto the ship without being noticed.

4) Triton guards warning the Wormwood away from somewhere.

5) Adaros attack.

6) driftwood or a raft floating in the water. May have zombies onboard.

Anybody have any other ideas. I was also trying to think of things that somebody else on the ship might see, but too late to respond to.

[BigNorseWolf]

7) a squid puts a tentacle up on the deck and takes a random object, or a whale breeches next to the ship, splashes everyone and rocks the boat.

8) Pirates get pretty damn close

9) Guy in the crows nest is sleeping when relieved of duty.

[vikingson]

10) Spilled tar : ship repairs go wrong with running/working NPC spilling sealant tar over the deck (Perc on deck)

11) Reefs ahead : lookout is asleep missing the row of breakers in the ship's path. Someone on deck notices just in time.

12) Drifting wreck : parts of a storm wrecked vessel drift lazily in the sea, Wormwood may catch up in rotten ropes or bump heavily into the sodden planks.

other stuff

10a) Bolt/tackle/marlinspike falls from the rigging. Misses... just by few inches. for the crows next.. drop the spyglass (possibly just carried aloft )