Ultimate Campaign Organizations in Skull & Shackles


Skull & Shackles


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My PCs, after clearing out the Jasperleaf Apothecary, have decided to convert the building into an inn. Using Ultimate Campaign, I was able to make their wish come true and so far, so good. They have now recovered a ship and would like to do something with it other than just sell it. I have decided to use the Ultimate Campaign rules here so that the ship does something and is worth having, but won't imbalance the game which seems to assume one group of PCs on one ship taking on the challenges. I am interested in hearing feedback.

First, the PCs provide a ship. Second, they name a friendly NPC on their ship (i.e. Sandara Quinn etc.)to act as the manager (i.e. captain). I will use that NPC's stats to make the rolls as a manager would. They will also assign the ship a home port. As long as they are in the port, they can make the rolls as if they were running the ship themselves, otherwise the manager acts in their stead. Next they hire a pirate crew (stats are below). The crew acts as an organization which is what actually generates commodities. Finally, there was no info for events for a pirate crew, so I made my own from the existing options, although I renamed a few.
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PIRATE SHIP CREW
Create 6 Goods, 5 Influence, 11 Labor (490 gp); Time 2 days
Teams 3 Sailors, 1 Soldiers
The pirate crew of an outlaw sailing vessel.
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Pirate Crew Events
d% Event
01—15 Impressive results
16—25 Windfall
26—50 Good Weather
51—70 Duel
71—80 Bad Weather
81—85 Naval Engagement
86—95 Infestation
96—100 Mutiny
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Bad Weather: A particularly bad patch of weather plagues the pirate crew. There's a 10% chance the weather is devastating. Attempt a DC 20 Survival check. If you succeed, you've anticipated the weather and your crew is unaffected. If you fail, the bad weather damages some of your supplies, and you lose 1d4 points of Goods. If the bad weather is devastating, your ship gains the broken condition.

Duel: Two shipmates have a dispute that must be settled with a duel. You can prevent the duel by spending 1d4 points of Influence or succeeding at a DC 20 Diplomacy or Intimidate check. Otherwise, you lose 1 point of Labor and 1d2 points of Influence.

Good Weather: The beautiful sailing weather boosts morale and productivity. The pirate crew gets a +10 bonus on its next check to generate capital.

Impressive Results: Your pirate crew performs admirably, eliminating a problem quickly or defeating a more powerful opponent with ease. You gain 1d4 points of Influence and 1d2 points of Labor, and for 1d6 days the organization gains a +10 bonus on its first check to generate capital each day.

Infestation: You have uninvited guests—spiders in the bilges, rats in the hold, or something similarly unpleasant. As long as your ship is infested, the crew takes a -10 penalty on checks to generate capital. Each day the infestation continues, you lose 1 point of Goods, Labor, or Magic (chosen randomly, reroll if it's a type of capital you don't have). To end an infestation, you must succeed at a DC 20 Handle Animal or Survival check; the DC increases by 1 for each day the infestation persists (maximum DC 30). Alternatively, the GM may allow you to resolve the infestation with a combat encounter.

Mutiny: A member tries to take over the pirate crew, either by challenging you to a fight or by an underhanded method like attacking you while you sleep. You may handle this as a combat encounter or attempt a DC 20 Bluff, Intimidate, or Profession (sailor) check. If you succeed, the instigator leaves and you lose 1 point of Labor but gain 1d2 points of Influence. If you fail, you lose control of the Pirate Crew as if from business attrition. Without at least 20 crew members, the pirate crew takes -10 penalty on checks to generate capital.

Naval Engagement: A foreign vessel or a hostile pirate crew are attacking your ship and sparring with your crew. You must succeed at a DC 20 Profession: Sailor check or lose 1d6 points of Goods because of their activities. If you succeed by 10 or more, you gain 1d3 points of Influence for trouncing the foes. If you fail by 10 or more, one of your teams is captured. You must spend 5 points of Influence or 1d10 × 5 gp to ransom the team; if you don't, the team members are executed 1d10 days later. This costs you the entire team and 1d6 points of Influence for letting it happen. Alternatively, you can attempt to break the team out of jail—the GM should create a combat encounter or short adventure if you try this solution. Without at least 20 crew members, the pirate crew takes -10 penalty on checks to generate capital.

Windfall: Your pirate crew is rewarded handsomely for its recent efforts, either by uncovering hidden treasure or rich spoils from looting an enemy. You gain 1d10 × 10 gp, 1d6 points of Goods, and 1 point of Magic.


I think in the S&S book, you can hire crew for free with a diplomacy, bluff, or intimidate check. You only have to pay them 1 plunder (~1000 gp) when you pull into port. My group is at the same story point as yours and they have three other ships at Tidewater Rock. I give them 1d4 plunder per week per ship.


What my group did was build up enough to crew 2 ships Currently they run around with about 60 on board their main vessel, which they'll be shifting off about 20-30 to their new vessel. At every port they can recruit 1d6 pirates and after every successful ship raid or village raid they can also recruit 1d6 to their pirate crew. This is the mechanics in the book for building crew, and the book completely accepts that they may have 2 ships by Tidewater, depending on your players. What I do with their other ships is random encounter chart that I built with another random chart for the outcome with modifiers depending on how dangerous the random encounter for the ship was. My guys have lost 2 ships sending them out with NPCs from the Wormwood as captains. They have recovered 1, and the rebelling crew met their fate.

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