A Sunless Sea style adventure

[Aldrius]

If anyone has ever heard of the Indie game Sunless Sea, they know about a vast, underground ocean full of riches, sea monsters, and eldritch locations that defy the laws of reality as we know it. So, imagine my giddiness upon reading up o, the similarly named Sightless Sea in Pathfinder. The wheels in my head have been turninf about the potential for a pirate or merchant trader style campaign, where the goal is quite simple: wealth, power, and adventure. No world destroying plots (maybe), no apocalyptic cult (or an excessive number of them), and aome easygoing sailing (with the occassional sea monster attack). And plenty of black humor... With an accompaniment of expendable red shirt mooks to go along with it for shiggles.

Seem interesting? If so, what mechanics would be recommended for it?

[Purple Overkill]

Hah! Fun game, yes.

As basics, I´d make it an Hexploration game, using the Wilderness Exploration rules from Ultimate Campaign/Kingmaker.

It´s a naval game, so I´d use the ships and naval combat rules from Skulls & Shackles.

You´re dealing with a lot of different factions and can build up a reputation, so Faction Guide and Influence rules from Ultimate Intrigue is in, also covering interaction with NPC.

No need to talk about Sanity and Corruption, that´s a must after you´ve just eaten your last crew member. So Ultimate Horror.

Last element: A Harrow Deck.

[MannyGoblin]

There is plenty of food to be had at the Shining Cathedral.

[kadance]

Gather up the corpses.
They are succulent with stolen blood. Into the pot!
Those little bones are troublesome, and the flesh a little gamy, but salt them well enough and they're quite edible.
An unorthodox diet.

-The Zee-captain.

[Aldrius]

Actually, in another campaign (a horror one involving a powerful occultist who knows a lot about the universe) I adapted the Neathbow into powerful colors that are actually distilled planar quintessence. They have powerful properties based on the plane (or planes, as they can be a mix) they are from. I tweaked the names and the lore a bit to fit, though. They are:

THE COSMOSPECTRA

Drimic: greenish color from the Dimension of Dreams. Grants a +1 to caster level and DC of sleep based spells as a component. Tastes like every experience had since your last sleep cycle.

Inviolant: Bloody red color tied to Hell. Almost impossible to erase. +1 to evil and lawful spells. Tastes like frozen sulfur and blood. Used often in important contracts.

Memocyan: Silvery teal color tied to the Astral Plane, where psychic memories lie. Grants a +1 CL and DC to scrying and augury divination spells. Tastes like the last thing you experienced.

Lavigo: Spectral violet ink from the Astral Plane tied to forgotten memories. +1 to memory altering spells. Tastes of what?

Phant: Indescribable color from the edges of the Maelstrom, where the breaking of the laws of reality permit it to be created. "The color that remains when all others are gone". +1 to chaos and figment spells. Tastes like nothing you have ever had.

Neregin: Unreflective black from the Negative Energy plane. +1 to negative level and negative energy spells. Tastes of your own painfully rotting mouth.

Solagone: Bright amber gold color from the sunlight of Nirvana and the positive energy plane. +1 to healing and fire spells. Tastes of burning and joy.