I am recruiting for a Skull and Shackles game. Only we’ll be using D&D 5th Edition rather than Pathfinder. I’m looking for 4 to 6 players, posting once or more per day, save weekends. Those who are interested will need to submit a character concept and a brief back story. One to three paragraphs is fine, so long as I get a gist for your style and the kind of character you want to play. Please don’t build a profile unless I choose you for the game. If you want to recycle an old profile, that’s fine, but ultimately that won’t sway my decision.
There isn’t a catch-all profession (sailor) check in D&D 5E. Checks will be made a little more naturally in that regard and will ultimately be at my discretion. But so you’re not caught completely unaware, try to keep the following in mind:
Strength (athletics) will cover running, jumping, climbing and most importantly swimming. For those who want to cast spells unnoticed, you’ll need to succeed at a Dexterity (sleight of hand) check or find a place to hide first with Dexterity (stealth). Characters do not find traps with Wisdom (perception). Instead they’ll need to take time to search for them with an Intelligence (investigation) check. After a hard day’s work, characters onboard the ship will need to make Constitution checks or risk exhaustion – which would be bad.
And the following proficiencies can also be very helpful onboard – which isn’t to say that other tools won’t be:
• Cook’s utensils
• Navigator’s tools
• Vehicles (water)
• Musical Instruments (any)
Characters will begin press-ganged into service, and so can come from anywhere. But thinking in long terms, your character should be the type of person who could someday embrace life as a pirate, even if only secretly. In other words, a Lawful Good Oath of Devotion Paladin of Iomedae might not be the best fit here. But a Chaotic Neutral Oath of Vengeance Paladin of Calistria certainly could work.
Evil characters can work in this campaign, although I’m hesitant to recommend it. It just brings a little too much baggage. That being said, if you can convince me that a character can play well with others, I’ll certainly consider it. A little party conflict can be fun. But be forewarned that I ultimately reserve judgment, and if things get too disruptive, I will step in. Fun for all is my ultimate goal here.
At 1st level, Clerics are proficient in the favored weapon of their deity. Characters that multiclass into Cleric do not receive this proficiency.
You will begin with 1st level characters. Only the races in the PHB are available, with the Aasimar being the sole exception. They can be found in the DMG. Drow are allowed. Most folks in Golarian don’t even know what a Drow is anyway. Although, considering how brutal light sensitivity is, I’m not sure why you’d want to play one really. The variant Human is allowed.
For ability scores, roll 4d6 and drop the low. If you roll badly, you can instead take the Standard Array: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8. Bear in mind that having an 18 in your main stat isn’t nearly as important in 5E as it was in 3.5 or Pathfinder. A 16 is actually considered very good to start off with.
Protip: Heavy Armor on a ship is probably not the best idea. So you might want to lean more on Dexterity than Strength when it comes to combat – unless you’re a barbarian. That being said, there’s no reason your character could only have one kind of armor available to them.
Take the equipment provided in the class and background. But don’t bother with money. You’re not going to start out with any. Backgrounds from sources other than the PHB are allowed with my approval. I’m also generally okay with customizing backgrounds. But again, I reserve final approval.
Classes will only be from the PHB. But I might be willing to allow a class archetype from another source, including a third party one. This will be on a case by case basis.
The opening of Skulls and Shackles is much more RP heavy than one might expect a game about pirates to be. In fact, it’s a crucial part of the game. The ship is essentially a small sandbox. So be prepared to interact with NPCs as well as your own party, too. Murder hobos need not apply.
Hi all, this is Ragar, and I am going to go with this Eldritch Knight build, Dieredon. However, I am going to roll now too see if I can do better than the standard array for stats in his current profile.
LOL - I will stick to the standard array! I will also tweak his background a bit to get him where he needs to be for the start of the AP. Please provide any necessary feedback.
Super interested. This is Zat. Can we mine the PF Players guide for background and come up with one from there? (Two Skills, one Tool proficiency?)
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Not bad, I'll take it.
I'm thinking of either Monk/Rogue OR Water Based Sorceror.
As long as it makes a narrative sense, I'll likely be okay with it, Zat. A street urchin probably wouldn't have navigator's tools, for example. But yeah, go for it, see what you come up with.
I could see for example a soldier background with vehicles (water) rather than land because they were in the navy.
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Because if everyone takes the Sailor background then the game might suffer from a lack of diversity.
I'm thinking that I'll play a Monk/Rogue (multiclass eventually) that is from Tien Xia and is on his way to Varisia via boat when he is press ganged in Port Peril.
If a foreign character isn't ok, then I'll make a Water Based Storm Sorceror (if UA stuff is ok) that is from the area.
The Shackles is kind of a melting pot. You can find a little bit of everything. And even if that wasn't the case, I'd still be okay with it.
Skull & Shackles is great! The first part is practically tailor-made for PbP too since it's so roleplay-heavy.
I haven't had the chance to play 5e yet, so I'll need to look it over some. For the time being, I'll tentatively present Ambrose Jeggare, tiefling wizard and former navigator for the private Korvosan merchant ship Imp's Purse.
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Yes, that stat array will do just fine I think.
Upon re-reading in some more detail, this appears to be a private game. I apologize for the intrusion. If you do decide to open the game to the public I'd be happy to apply, but for now I'll respectfully withdraw.
I am officially opening this thread to the public.
This could be fun. Never made it far into this adventure in PbP. I'm thinking about a Dragonborn Bard, who has billed himself as a master magician for his performance. Strange being from a strange land... watch what we can do...
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Yeah... Looks like standard array...
I'm assuming that this is being run in Golorian? Where might the Dragonborn race fit in here?
Ooooh, a wicked_raygun pirates game? Yes please.
- 1 = 7
- 2 = 11
- 3 = 13
- 1 = 17
- 1 = 10
So, 17, 14, 13, 11, 10, 7.
I'm not positive exactly yet how the build will work, but I'm thinking of going with a Tiefling that was kidnapped and sold into slavery (because no one cares about Tieflings). I am thinking of starting with my first level in Fighter and then going into Warlock - the idea that some god/demon saw a usefulness in him and then began offering him power, something he has never had.
Since it's open to the public, I'm definitely submitting interest!
scranford, if the DM is okay with the Dragonborn race, there's a great hook in the Shackles for one. There's a cult of Dahak, a dragon god, living in a group of islands ruled over by their priestess, a red dragon. You could be from the town of Dragonsthrall.
I'm okay with a little AU-ness for the game. So you can set the Dragonborn wherever you think appropriate. Although, when in doubt say you're from Tien Xia. Although I guess the Land of the Linnorm Kings could also work.
This is the submission from The Dread Pirate Hurley. The character has successfully (as near as I can tell) been converted to 5e, stats are in the first spoiler in the profile. I'm still trying to figure out some of the finer details (like what the heck happened to familiars).
I used a custom background. I took Insight and Persuasion as skills, Navigator's Tools and Elven language as proficiencies, and cobbled together a personality, ideal, bond, and flaw from the various lists as felt appropriate. I have no idea what to do about the Background Feature.
Backstory is in the profile as well, but the short version is that he's a disinherited noble from Korvosa. He graduated from the Acadamae, got himself disinherited for scandalizing the family, was pressed into the family's merchant fleet as a sailor until he learned some discipline, and was shipwrecked by pirates just as he was approaching the end of his term of service.
EDIT: So I figured out what happened to familiars. And I'm disturbed by the dearth of summoning spells. Oh well.
This is GM Niles' character.
Background: Shikyo is a Tien man who was on his way from Minkai to Sandpoint via Korvosa at the behest of Lonjiku Kaijitsu. He wasn't fully told the nature of his mission, but he suspected the elder Kaijitsu wanted someone disposed of and his Master sent him to accomplish this task. During a stop in Port Peril he was admiring the sea and appreciating the calmness of the tide when he was accosted and press ganged into service.
About Shikyo: Shikyomaru Kuro was born into a clan of Ronin in Minkai. His Clan began to specialize in less than honorable means of combat and eventually gained a reputation as a band of thieves rogues and assassins. Shikyo is a calm, patient man who has a reputation among his own Clan as being especially contemplative. As a Tien Min, he is out of place in Port Peril and he understands his alien culture marks him as an outsider and a potential scapegoat.
Shikyo is a man who distrusts strangers at first but will prove fiercely loyal to anyone who he believes he "owes". Shikyo has his own twisted code of honor, he'll slit someone's throat while they sleep without a problem if his Master told him to, but allow someone to pick up a fallen weapon during a fight.
= 16
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= 10
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= 7
um....well then...I'll have to think about this
Alright, I have my crunch and plan done, I think.
Used a third party background and changed up my starting gear slightly, which are things that would need to be approved, of course.
The premise is that I'd have been a young Tiefling living in a ghetto with my parents. When they were unable to pay, the landlord would have taken me from them instead. So that I would "have value unlike the rest of [my] people who are liars and thieves", I was taught a trade - carpentry - which I would then be forced to use to make places nicer so that Tieflings could no longer afford to live there. Now that I'll be kidnapped on a boat, I think I'd find a decent spot in a position that fixes up the ship, while keeping me somewhat subservient.
All that will change when I discover an mystical grimoire and multiclass from Fighter into Warlock, and discover what power is. Longterm I'm imagining serving some ancient god of the sea, completely embracing the life of a pirate, and doing what I can to free slaves / murder slavers. (Starting neutral, eventually trending Chaotic Neutral, in the "screw the norms of society" kind of way)
Ok here is Daniel Stewart's submission for a Human Cleric...hope you like him!!
Dot. From an RP PoV a Paladin of Calistria could be really uh interesting. Likely have a thing for whips and cat'o nine tails.
The opening of Skulls and Shackles is much more RP heavy than one might expect a game about pirates to be
Sounds good I like that kind of thing.
I have zero 5e experience, but people keep on telling me it's easy to convert from pathfinder to 5e.
PS Hello Shikyo, do you need somebody to be your conscience again? ;)
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"Argh! Me hearties, I be known as Mad Jack Mcginty or sometimes just 'The Calistrian'. I love nothin' more than the swell o' the sea, tha glint o plundered gold and tha sound o' tha lash across a slackin' swab's back. What do I be doin' here ye say? Bad luck. I bet it all on game o' dice, double or nothin'. I'll give ye two guesses how that game went eh? Of course he cheated, those dice where loaded! What am I gonna do about it? Bide my time, vengeance is a dish best served cold.... 'Sides ye seen tha size o' tha first mate? I canne take him on me own! Ye hav' a grudge gainst' him too, I can see it in ya eyes. When tha time comes, can I count on ye? Good, good, together we're stronger and one day revenge shall be ours!"
Mad Jack is a third generation pirate and an ardent scourge wielding follower of Calistria who lusts after plundered gold. Despite this, Jack isn't a wanton murderer, there's no need to kill a man after you robbed him. Jack follows his own code and sense of honor, feeling that the laws of man don't apply to him. He's the kind of fellow who would jump into a mountainous sea to save a man's life, especially if the man owed him money. Tough as anything and rumored to be fearless, Jack loves nothing more than the camaraderie of his fellow sailors as they battle against the odds!
Mechanics: A CN variant human Paladin of Calistria, wielding a scourge and buckler. Naturally his background would be a pirate. He'd have the Resilient (constitution) racial feat, something that sounds really useful given the circumstances...
Ok, Dieredon is ready to go. I have tweaked the background slightly to get him press ganged into service.
Hey Fangdragon!
@Daniel Besides, Duncan is needed in another game...
Hurrah!! lol....Alder is a good fit anyway...a tempest cleric with mundane healing ability would be a bonus on any ship, I would think!!
Wait...I thought we weren't supposed to build profiles unless chosen? Why are people rolling stats? Did I miss something?
Different game friend =)
He's right the dm specifically said in the op....no profiles until picked...you can roll and present concepts
I had one in the can, so the GM got it. It was not a requirement.
Oh yeah, well I had this one from a different game. I recycle aliases.
same here
If selected I'll be making a new profile for this, however it's pretty common for people to recyle aliases. Particularly if you like the name.
I've only been lurking here, but wanted to interject to say ...
...The weekend kinda got away from me while potty training my daughter.
Gods bless you, DaWay, and best of luck. It sure is an adventure unlike any other.
I probably should have been a bit more specific, that the adventure will have you at Port Peril where you are press-ganged. Specifically you were at a tavern called the Formidably Maid when you were drugged.
This is the player's guide. Even though we won't be using the Pathfinder system, there's still some great stuff in here.
I hope to have a final decision for a group by this Thursday Night (EST). So far everything looks okay to me. Nothing in particular jumping out.
I like the pathfinder modules, but I like 5e rules better, since they are easier and more simple, and so is character creation.
Also, what deities are you using? Pathfinders, or something else. Adventures league 5e uses Forgotten realms, but this is not that.
I played like the first week of S and S, but the DM quit on us, actually I don't think it got even that far. I also Dmed like the first two books, but I jumped around a bit, and skipped a lot of stuff, especially since I think book 1 is suppose to be 30 days long?
I enjoyed the first part of it, even though I didn't get all the way through it, although it is kind of intense, as you need to complete your tasks and get your stuff back without angrying the crew, while the captain is trying to poison the crew against you. And there is so much play depending upon who DMs it. And if a crew pirate it out to get you, it is a matter of what do you do? Secretly assassinate that one person and dispose of the body, try to convince that person you are not the enemy and that captain is, find a way to avoid contact with that person, etc. And with everything have consequences, that game can be rough. A little less exciting when you get to book 2 however, as there is so many different outcomes and ways to roleplay book 1 depending upon DM, roleplay ability, and player choices from everyone playing.
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Here's a list of current applications for anybody who's still thinking about it.
List of Applications
Dieredon D'atarisian, Elven Fighter (Eldritch Knight)
Lieutenant Ambrose Jeggare, Tiefling Wizard
Shikyomaru Kuro, Human Monk
Raijinn, Tiefling Warlock
Alder Tiller, Human Cleric of Gozreh
DaWay - - - Fencer
scranford - - - Dragonborn Bard
FangDragon - - - Paladin of Calistria
Spazmodeus
inxpitter
DoubleGold
GM, I ended up opting for a version of the Guild Artisan background feature. It could come in handy during the second book or for selling plunder at legitimate ports.
The game will be taking place in Golarion, and so I'll be using their deities.
And, yes, FangDragon, I noted your admission.
I have again updated Dieredon's background story to get him to Port Peril. Thanks!
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Not bad, not bad at all. Could I use the Monster Hunter from the Unearthed Arcana; Gothic Heroes? If yes, I'm debating an elf or a human, probably will use a trident or spear/shield, possibly a bow.
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Because aliases have not been called for yet, here are the bare bones of my idea.
Born with a silver spoon, the self entitled brat could do no wrong. At least in his own eyes, which left a string of broken hearts and cross associates. This would all change the day he was our with his older brothers who got caught up in a brawl.
Our party boy socialite passed off someone of higher station and he caning calling for his pound of flesh. Instead of outright killing the boy he was taken and trained by the noble.
It was the harshest trainings imaginable, knuckles cracked under wood for an improper grip, being whipped for wrong placement of footwork.
This caused him to become good, damn good. So good in fact that one day during a sparring match he killed the noble, or at least he thinks he did, and went on the lamb.
I'm gonna withdraw from this one. While I love the concept, I'm not sure I have the time to play such a socially interaction game. Best of luck, and I'll be watching.
Whoops, looks like this is a private game, sorry for the intrusion. But it looks good so I'll probably watch this one when you guys start up game play because who doesn't love pirates?
DaWay, no slight was intended. The list was just to give other people who are still thinking about concepts an idea of what others are working on.
haruhiko88, the GM has opened it to public application; feel free to submit a character.
When are you making final decisions?