I'm running a PBEM where my PCs are talking about mutiny way too soon. They are talking of turning on the Wormwood crew as they attack the Man's Promise.
Maybe I overdid the hatred for Scourge and Plugg. I have tried to drop hints (NPCs talking) saying that they should wait for the right moment, the officers are real bad-asses, etc. to no avail.
Other than metagame and tell them they are going to get their ass handed to them by Harrigan and Co., I'm not sure what to do.
Suggestions?
Fabian
Skull and Shackles PBEM
https://sites.google.com/site/fabiansskullshackles/
Try to show them that Harrigan will kick their collective rears six ways from Tuesday. This will probably need to come up before the actual act of the party board, but you still have some options. An example is that an enemy sailor swings across to the Wormwood, and is cleft in twain at the waist by Harrigan before his boots even hit the deck, all while Harrigan lets out a monstrous laugh, grins, and leaps into the fog bank. Even if they think they can beat Plugg and Scourge, which they probably couldn't at level 2, make it clear that Harrigan is way beefier than they are.
Yep, just show Harrigan and maybe some of the other officers as too far out of their reach. You could have Pepepery fling off a few spells too to show its not just him who is out of reach. They will hopefully get the message.
Once they get stuck the Man's Promise under Plugg that's a whole other story, let them mutiny when they want then (my group did it on night 2 on the ship, a lot of others have done it around this time too, you don't have to wait until the end of the book). It's not that long to wait....
I'm pretty sure they will mutiny on Man's Promise as soon as they have half a chance and I'm OK with that. They will probably mutiny before they reach 3rd level but I think I can 'make them wait'.
If we ever get to the Man's Promise, I will have some sort of signalling system between the Wormwood and Man's Promise (flags?) so that if they mutiny before Harrigan is out of the picture, then there is the threat of Harrigan coming after them.
After the signaling system is no longer usable (too far away) and Harrigan is out of the picture (at least for a while), then I will hit them with the storm and the events detailed in the book (more or less). In order to avoid the group mutiny when Plugg orders them out, I will stack the odds such that it makes sense for them to wait to rescue their 'allies' and come back later for Plugg and Co.
I think that should work but I have to dissuade them from striking out now. I get the ideas of showcasing the power of the officers (which may be the only thing I have left) but I just fear that it may be too late by that time.
We'll see and thanks for the responses.
My opinion for what its worth, as soon as the wormwood is out of sight let them do what they want, just go with the flow. As long as you have the 2 crew members go missing once the ship hits the reef and the water barrels get broken it wil not make any difference at all. My group left the ship under Rosie and Kroop, leaving the crew to fix the ship, the Druid purified the sea water (just make sure there is only enough containers left to hold 1 or 2 days worth of freshish water and use the dehydration rules for the crew ie they only have a ceratin amount of time to find the missing crew before the rest of the crew start to die off from lack of water, there is a lot of crew and each member needs at least 2-3 gallons of water each per day to aviod dehyration in hot climates). This fixes a time limit and makes the rescue more thrilling. If they find a wayto circumvent the water just think of another time constarint.
Trust me it's much better than trying to stear them to mutiny after the rescue and makes no difference to the plot at all. If you try to stear it you may upset the players and they may just mutniny anyway as they will satrt to get fed up. Judge it by the way the players are looking..
My opinion for what its worth, as soon as the wormwood is out of sight let them do what they want, just go with the flow. As long as you have the 2 crew members go missing once the ship hits the reef and the water barrels get broken it wil not make any difference at all. My group left the ship under Rosie and Kroop, leaving the crew to fix the ship, the Druid purified the sea water (just make sure there is only enough containers left to hold 1 or 2 days worth of freshish water and use the dehydration rules for the crew ie they only have a ceratin amount of time to find the missing crew before the rest of the crew start to die off from lack of water, there is a lot of crew and each member needs at least 2-3 gallons of water each per day to aviod dehyration in hot climates). This fixes a time limit and makes the rescue more thrilling. If they find a wayto circumvent the water just think of another time constarint.
Also, make sure one of those missing crew members is Sandara Quinn - you know, the one who can cast Create Water many times daily if she so chose? Surprised the AP doesn't address that, though FWIW, they would have gone after her anyway since by then she was a favorite of the group and romantically involved with one of them.
Total departure from your question, but something I want to throw out there as it made for a great adjustment in our game: have Aron Ivey be alive. Have him locked away behind his wooden stockade, almost desperate and half-crazed but alive. The PC's might miss out on a battle, but he is a wonderful way to introduce the entire Infernus backstory. Him telling the PC's about its sunken wreck and the likelihood of potions of water breathing being stored there (that's the only place on the island I had them) made for a nice side adventure before heading down into the sea caves. He was also able to tell them about the Grindylows directly and warn them off about the botfly swarms if they haven't encountered them yet (too difficult a challenge for a low level group IMO).
I actually made him the ship's carpenter on the Infernus (hence his well-built hut and pallisade), a role he took on aboard the PC's ship as well. It was him rather than Kroop which offered much of the 'advice' suggested in the books and eventually he retired (after losing his leg) to oversee construction of the PC's flagship... it was just a great RP opportunity for the entire AP by keeping him alive and utterly loyal to the crew that saved him.
Thanks again for the responses.
@simon hacker:
I don't like the 'water fountain' spell anyways so I usually curtail that to a couple of times per day so that won't be an option.
The difference with them striking at Plugg too soon is really mechanical (only be 2nd level at that time) so their odds will be much better after but I will see how the group is feeling and will it make it a challenging fight nonetheless.
@Story Archer:
I hadn't thought of keeping Aron alive but I may do that, a half-starved, half-crazy survivor; it just may work.
With regards to the botfly swarm, I agree that it is way too difficult. I'll wait and see how they deal with it but I read a fix somewhere on the boards where the swarm just 'ate its fill' and then flew off. I may do that if they're having a tough time but only at the most dramatic moment. :)
Thanks again for the responses.
@Story Archer:
I hadn't thought of keeping Aron alive but I may do that, a half-starved, half-crazy survivor; it just may work.With regards to the botfly swarm, I agree that it is way too difficult. I'll wait and see how they deal with it but I read a fix somewhere on the boards where the swarm just 'ate its fill' and then flew off. I may do that if they're having a tough time but only at the most dramatic moment. :)
If they think to run away and jump into a body of water, let that work. It'll be enough to warn them off from future encounters and make for some comic relief as well.
Keeping Aron Ivey alive was one of many changes I made and was one of the best as well.
Nah they will be fine :) IF they have the majority of the crew on thier side that is.
My group consists of 3 players, a druid, wizard and swashie rouge. They had befriended Owlbear. They bascicaly waited until the evening shift when Plugg was in his cabin and got Owlbear very angry using spells such as ghost sound to make him think Plugg was going to kill him. He broke his chains (which were attached to the mast on the cabin, the pc's had weakened the mast from below deck). The mast crashed on to deck throwing the ship in to coonfusion. Owlbear had Plugg cornered as the PC's swang in to action, a lucky crit from the Driud (Sythe) finished off Scourge on deck and they crashed in to the cabin and killed Plugg. The rest of the crew were occupied with the broken mast so it was relitvley easy. The rogue then cut the head of Plugg and cam on deck brandishing it quelling any more reistence.
Of course then they had to deal with a broken ship and the storm. Oh well lol
Just saying it can be done IF they are resourceful and plan it out well.
Nah they will be fine :) IF they have the majority of the crew on thier side that is.
My group consists of 3 players, a druid, wizard and swashie rouge. They had befriended Owlbear. They bascicaly waited until the evening shift when Plugg was in his cabin and got Owlbear very angry using spells such as ghost sound to make him think Plugg was going to kill him. He broke his chains (which were attached to the mast on the cabin, the pc's had weakened the mast from below deck). The mast crashed on to deck throwing the ship in to coonfusion. Owlbear had Plugg cornered as the PC's swang in to action, a lucky crit from the Driud (Sythe) finished off Scourge on deck and they crashed in to the cabin and killed Plugg. The rest of the crew were occupied with the broken mast so it was relitvley easy. The rogue then cut the head of Plugg and cam on deck brandishing it quelling any more reistence.
Of course then they had to deal with a broken ship and the storm. Oh well lol
Just saying it can be done IF they are resourceful and plan it out well.
My players were made up of a Human Barb, a Human Knifemaster, a Human Sea Singer and a Half-Elven Master Summoner. Rosie and the Knifemaster bottled them up in the doorway while an absolute horde of dire rats was summoned to shred them and the Summoner spent the rest of his time Dazing whoever made it past them while the Barbarian, Sandara and Owlbear dealt with Plugg (they had murdered Scourge much earlier in the AP). Our Sea Singer stayed in between the two battles, using Inspire Courage and casting as needed.
Honestly, it was one of the easiest battles in the entire campaign for them due to good planning.
To scare them off with Harrigan/Peppery :
- Spellcasts which clearly denote level (Ice Storm, Stinking Cloud, Major Illusions etc... Peppery's spells are never much noted anywhere, neither is her bloodline.
- Sandara or Rosie might imply (wistfully note) that a mutiny uually works much better at night, where most humans don't really see all that far. And work better, too if the opposition is not armed to the gills, too. If theycannot even trust Rosie or Sandara (or Kroop or whoever ), they will be in dire straits, anyway.
- they should realize that mutinies work much better if their comrades in arms have an idea it is going to happen
- Once the ships part and are beyond the horizon, anything goes. Basically, I personally know of only one gropu who did not mutiny prior to Bonewrack.
Alright, the turn went out a few hours ago. Wish me luck. :)
You can read what I did here: https://sites.google.com/site/fabiansskullshackles/adventure-log
It's turn 028.
Comments are welcome.
My crew just took the Promise. They are already planning the mutiny when we finished last session. I am debating if I should have the storm hit before morning triggering working through the storm and Grindylowes taking a couple of crew members. Or let the morning bell ring when they are hoping to get thier conflict underway.
They are 2nd Level there are 6 of them.
Druid
Rogue
Bard
Barbarian/fighter
Sorceror
Cleric
They have divided the crew with just one or two more committed to Plugg than them. They intend on getting to deck securing Sandara (who Plugg has with the officers as leverage). And making a go for it.
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My crew just took the Promise. They are already planning the mutiny when we finished last session. I am debating if I should have the storm hit before morning triggering working through the storm and Grindylowes taking a couple of crew members. Or let the morning bell ring when they are hoping to get thier conflict underway.
They are 2nd Level there are 6 of them.
Druid
Rogue
Bard
Barbarian/fighter
Sorceror
ClericThey have divided the crew with just one or two more committed to Plugg than them. They intend on getting to deck securing Sandara (who Plugg has with the officers as leverage). And making a go for it.
With that number of PC's, be aware that they'll most likely rip Plugg and Scourge apart. Even with the Plugg and Scourge a few levels ahead, the sheer number of PC-actions against NPC-actions means the fight will be over soon.
A way to even the odds a bit would be to have a few of the friendly NPC's be taken by Grindylows. That way you'll have a few spare hostile NPC's to add to the fight.
Yeah its night 1 they intend to take over at the sound of the bell. I am debating letting them do it or never giving them the shot because the storm hits early.
Wait I already said that.
They have more enemies than friends. And literally no one indifferent.
Perhaps easing up a tad with the punishments. If Scourge is going mental with the whippings, things are just going to death spiral due to the rum poisoning and lowered saves. Make whipping into rope bashes if they just mess up their jobs.
Yeah its night 1 they intend to take over at the sound of the bell. I am debating letting them do it or never giving them the shot because the storm hits early.
Well, actually the storm is not a good stopgap.
My gang mutineed during the storm (and in fact I know of only one or two groups who did not mutiny prior to Bonewrack) , taking full advantage of limited sight (strong rainfall), a slippery deck, and hitting people with heavy objects Like a barrel they cut the ropes to a gnome (patch) overboard with a bullrushing barrel, which knocked her into the scupperwash and outside the ship.Nevermind that theproceedings on Bonewrack are harsh enough as they are, and become even more slaned against the characters if you both enforce the time-limit and have them assault the ship with limited means after rescuing their friends.
Yeah its night 1 they intend to take over at the sound of the bell. I am debating letting them do it or never giving them the shot because the storm hits early.
Well, actually the storm is not a good stopgap.
My gang mutineed during the storm (and in fact I know of only one or two groups who did not mutiny prior to Bonewrack) , taking full advantage of limited sight (strong rainfall), a slippery deck, and hitting people with heavy objects Like a barrel they cut the ropes to a gnome (patch) overboard with a bullrushing barrel, which knocked her into the scupperwash and outside the ship.Nevermind that the proceedings on Bonewrack are harsh enough as they are, and become even more slanted against the characters if you both enforce the time-limit and have them assault the ship with limited means after rescuing their friends.
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I agree deathbydice it deadly enough....which was why I didnt mind so much when mine muntineed as soon as possible which in their case was brought on by the monk attempted poisoning of Plugg which would have gone fine had he not got caught leaving the captains cabin on the first night after the night watch took over the ship and most of the crew was in bed. I think this will make the Bonewrack section go a little better.