Hi guys, I wanted to ask some advice from other people who had run the Skulls & Shackles Campaign.
I like to read up on stuff my players are going to encounter way early and came across the section on tidewater rock. The impression I had been given of this building, from it's story and the way that it was talked about, was that it was a grand defensible castle for the PC's to set up base in. Looking at the layout though, I'm skeptical. The building doesn't seem to hold up to what legend says and I can't really see my players making long term use of it with the way it is now.
I was wondering what the community thought on this and if changing it seems like a good idea? I don't want to change it if the later books don't expect it to be much but at the same time, I want my players to have a reliable base of operations. Thoughts?
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So far, my players are enjoying having a base of operations. At the very least, it provides a relatively safe harbor for the PCs. I imagine it will become less relevant later on, but it's useful for them now (5th level).
My players took the "Alliance" route to cracking the rock and it was hilarious. I highly recommend this one.
Since they didn't kill the inhabitants, there is a 'crew' there that's loyal and trustworthy that can keep the place guarded.
My players are excited to fortify the tower and are planning on buying some serious siege weaponry. I'll have to engineer an attack on TR or two so they can obliterate some enemies with their fancy new toys.
TR is providing some comic relief and more immersion in the campaign world for the characters, which I think is a really important way to use it. In our campaign, Captain Blackjack ended up marrying Lady Smythee, so every time they return she creates an overly dramatic scene. I reason that she was once a proper and respected lady, so she must be bored to tears sitting on that miserable rock for all this time. She relishes any chance to stir up drama or engage in histrionics with her new semi-pretend husband. This alone makes TR worthwhile in my book.
Practically speaking, Tidewater Rock is fairly important to the story because it is used to introduce act 3 of book 2. I don't know how important it will be later on, or if it will be included in the 'official' story at all.
My players have been using the harbor to hide their recently acquired ships until they are able to take them to be squibbed or sold. Captain Blackjack even 'commissioned' the overly-eager Mardus Siggs to command his new 'fleet at anchor.' He is not permitted to set sail.
Since the flavor suggests TR became unimportant after Sargava Rebelled against Cheliax, most free captains would probably have better things to do than invest the resources to capture it. As long as the players don't go nuts with it, TR will probably remain safely anonymous.
If you're interested, there's another recent thread around here that has lots of advice about how to run the TR encounter.
Hm, okay. I'm really just considering modifying the building that it all takes place in. It doesn't have the feel of a structure that was legendary and could host fleets of ships from it.
And I'm skeptical as to what my players will do. I feel that they're going to take the rock for themselves and leave diplomacy out of it but they have surprised me more times than one. So far, they've kind of shown to be a bit power hungry and have shifted more evil in alignment; lawful evil but evil nonetheless. They also have a bit of a problem trusting others to do things for them.
I do like the idea of how you've played Lady Smythee though. She doesn't have many people to keep her occupied and it might provide some comic relief.
Is there a layout for the island that the rock is on? I've only found the layout for the tower itself.
And I would be super interest in the tread if you could link it! c:
Having read through the entire AP I can say that Tidewater Rock sadly does not come up at all outside of book 2. Pity, but its not altogether unexpected, the page counts are strict and Paizo will almost always go in the direction of new material rather than visiting old locale. Another reason is the various options that the PC's can take in acquiring the fort and if they agree to the marriage they very well may lose control of the fort if they lose favor with Lady Smythee. They could always come back and take it by force but by that point their interests will likely lie elsewhere.
I've always interpreted that Tidewater Rock's true advantage was the commanding view that it casts, giving the defenders lots of time to rally and prep for virtually any attack that isn't coming from beneath the waves. It's also possible that the rock has simply become a product of poor upkeep and radical restructuring of entire islands is not an uncommon occurrence when you live just south of giant never ending hurricane.
My group has also taken the diplomatic route but only after heavy prodding from NPCs to "At least hear her out". I'm expecting them to break off relations once they get their own island at the start of book 4 and telling Lady Smythee to shove it when she asks for her dowry back, if not just outright killing her. Infidelity will no doubt play a role.
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Link to Tidewater Rock encounter thread.
The only description of Windward Isle (Tidewater Rock's island) is on page 31 of book 3.
I don't think that doing any serious modifications to the building that the AP presents is worth it. You might have to make more room for guards' quarters if you want to expand their numbers, though. Making it much larger might not believably keep it in the 'who cares about that silly rock fortress' conventional wisdom. I suggest not making it too awesome.
@pipesdreamsam, Lady Smythee is going to ask for her dowry back in your campaign? Hah! She demanded dowry from her new husband in mine! Managed to convince the captain to give her the deep platinum/coral necklace and regular shares of plunder "for upkeep of the castle and servants/staff salaries."
We are just coming up to the Tidewater Rock scene in the next session. I am using cannons in our campaign and one of the reasons the PCs will take the Rock is to get the 'Long Nines' atop the tower. Most of the Free Captains already have cannons so aren't as bothered. The PCs will need to decide whether to keep the Rock guarded or strip the cannons for their own ship. I see TR as a bolt hole/safe haven that the PCs could retire back to if they need a safe place for a few weeks - not as a dominant force in the local area. As has already been mentioned the view is as useful as anything else.
The legend is more based on coincidence that two Hurrican Kings began their careers by cracking the Rock. I don't think it is because the tower is particularly strong.
@pipesdreamsam, Lady Smythee is going to ask for her dowry back in your campaign? Hah! She demanded dowry from her new husband in mine! Managed to convince the captain to give her the deep platinum/coral necklace and regular shares of plunder "for upkeep of the castle and servants/staff salaries."
Not a bad idea, but I had a feeling that if I had her ask for a dowry they would have actually just killed everyone. Though she is going to want some money to help with repairs for the keep since she was never able to properly repair it after Harrigan attacked. It'll be interesting to see how the story plays out with her.
As for Tidewater Rock's importance I think that its stated somewhere that the position of the isle became less important after Sargava started paying the Shackles protection money. Implying that The Rock's position was primarily in good standing to look Sargavan trading routes. A bunch of upstarts from Firegrass Isle might be able to get away looting a few Sargavan fishing vessels, but any attack from the legendary Tidewater Rock would be sure to stir up a few complaints back in Port Peril.
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In my face-face-to face campaign, the party has been steadily establishing Tidewater Rock as a small, but thriving trade port. They have decided that Cheliaxian ships are their preferred targets, but instead of selling any slaves, they transport them back to The Rock, where they offer them a chance to live there as free people, or they can hop the next ship that comes into port if they prefer, or they can join the crew of one of their ships (they currently have three).
They have been using druidic magic to encourage plant growth on the island and favorably influence the weather. They have built fortified towers at the entrance of the cove, and one of their three ships patrols the local waters while the other two go a'hunting.
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Hi guys, I wanted to ask some advice from other people who had run the Skulls & Shackles Campaign.
I like to read up on stuff my players are going to encounter way early and came across the section on tidewater rock. The impression I had been given of this building, from it's story and the way that it was talked about, was that it was a grand defensible castle for the PC's to set up base in. Looking at the layout though, I'm skeptical. The building doesn't seem to hold up to what legend says and I can't really see my players making long term use of it with the way it is now.
I was wondering what the community thought on this and if changing it seems like a good idea? I don't want to change it if the later books don't expect it to be much but at the same time, I want my players to have a reliable base of operations. Thoughts?
That's kind of an odd impression to get. The backstory for it has the first pirate to hole up there, Magna Stormeyes, set up there because she realized it would give her a vantage point to spot juicy targets and potential threats with plenty of time to respond. And once she started getting rich off picking off Sargavan ships, she started building her fleets and fortresses in other islands, meaning Windward Isle was just a very useful launching point for a career that culminated in becoming the Hurricane King (and then getting assassinated pretty much as soon as she left Tidewater Rock and moved to Port Peril).
Then her first mate, Gerta Frome, took over Tidewater Rock and became a successful Free Captain by basically mimicking her late boss, except for the "become Hurricane King and die" part.Every holder of Tidewater Rock after followed the same pattern: using Tidewater Rock as a safe harbor to scope out targets and threats alike, then expanding into other islands once they got enough money to build up a fleet. None of them ever tried to make Tidewater Rock some glorious stronghold or bustling port, because Windward Isle's only value is its strategic position. It lost some of that value once Sargava stopped being a viable target for the Free Captains (unless no one's looking, of course), but it's still a decent port to build up a respectable career as a Free Captain from, and that's all it really needs to be to gain a reputation as a place that assures good fortunes if you can crack it.