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I've always loved the idea of a ghost ship in fictional settings - like a haunted house, except if you try to leave, you better have another boat, or be able to swim. Plus, they always carried a bit of that pirate flare, even if the crew weren't pirates. The For Whom the Bell Tolls event in Book 2 is...OK. There's a lot of cool, spooky pomp and circumstance leading up to the encounter, but once it happens, it's just another ship battle with an extra step of destroying a bell.
Maybe Haunts weren't a thing at this point in Paizo history? I'm not sure. At any rate, I decided to do a proper ghost ship encounter while slightly changing the captain's history and makeup to breath some new "life" into the old salt. The ghost ship itself may still feel a bit "bare-bones"; I didn't want to turn it into an actual dungeon crawl, so I kept it relatively simple - though maybe too simple. I'm open to suggestions and feedback.
CE Medium Undead
Init +2; Senses: Darkvision 60’; Perception +16
Aura: Mental Static (30’; Concentration DC 15)
Phrenic Pool: 7/day (Gain 1 point if Painful Reminder deals 5 or more damage; 5/day)
AC 19 Touch 15 Flat-footed 17 (+4 Armor, +2 Dex, +3 Def)
HP 50 Fort +6 Ref +3 Will +4 (+8 vs. Channel)
Immune: Undead Traits
Defensive Abilities: Corrupt Intent, Mental Schism (Su; Immune to Alignment-based effects)
Fly 30’ (Perfect)
Melee: +1 Ghost Touch Whip +5 (1d3)
Animus Insinuation (Comp (Mind-affecting); Sp): +4 Touch (ID Insinuation II (DC 15 Will negates); 5 rounds, doesn’t require Concentration)
Rend Psyche (Su): +4 30’ Ranged Touch (6d4 plus 1d6 Cha; DC 15 Will halves damage and negates Cha)
Special Attacks: Painful Reminder (+1d6 Nonlethal to damage dealt; Swift action; 6/day)
SLA (CL 5th; Concentration +8; Defensive +12)
1/Day – Detect Thoughts (or sacrifice a spell known (spell level), Lay on Hands (1d6; Swift)
Psychic Spells Known (CL 5th; Concentration +9; Defensive +13)
0 (At Will) – Bleed, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Message, Open/Close,
1st (7/day) – Déjà Vu, Mage Armor, Mind Thrust I (DC 15), Murderous Command (DC 15), Persuasive Goad (DC 15)
2nd (5/day) – Inflict Pain (DC 16), Pain Strike (DC 16), Steal Breath (DC 16)
Before Combat: Cast Mage Armor on yourself and ring the ship’s bell
During Combat: Your whip manifests as a length of viscous, unnatural material with barbed protrusions, which twitch and click like the legs of a centipede with their own perverted consciousness. Use Dazzling Display on round 1 and let your Brine Zombies attack the PC’s. After the Brine Zombies are defeated, use Dazzling Display if it’s worn off, and attack the group at range with Murderous Command (followed up with Déjà vu), or a damaging spell paired with Painful Reminder. Target any obvious divine casters with Rend Psyche and Steal Breath.
Str - Dex 14 (+2) Con - Int 18 (+4) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 20 (+5)
BAB +2; CMB +2; CMD 14
Skills: Fly +14 (1), Intimidate +19 (5), Knowledge (Arcana) +11 (4), (Local) +12 (5), Perception +16 (5), Profession +8 (5), Sense Motive +8 (5), Spellcraft +12 (5)
Feats: Combat Casting, Dazzling Display, Weapon Focus (Whip), Weapon Proficiency (Whip)
Languages: Aklo, Aquan, Common, Giant, Tengu
SQ: Incorporeal
Corrupt Intent (Su): Anytime a creature strikes you, they must make a DC 15 Will save or take a -1 penalty on all further attacks against you for 1d4 rounds. Each subsequent failed Will increases the penalty and duration by 1.
Phrenic Amplifications:
Defensive Prognostication (Su): Spend 1 Phrenic Point when casting a Div spell to gain a +2 Insight bonus to AC for a number of rounds equal to the spell’s level. Spend 2 points to instead gain a +4 Insight bonus.
Intense Focus (Ex): Spend 1 Phrenic Point while casting a spell to gain a +2 bonus on any Concentration checks related to the spell. Spend 2 points to instead gain a +4 bonus.
History
Whalebone Pilk was a whaler on the Fever Sea who was famous for his harsh punishments. He looked forward to, and would find any excuse to order a sailor to be tied to the whipping post. During a flogging, Pilk would ring his bell with a fervor.
On a fateful trip out to sea, Pilk’s ship got caught in dead air that endured for weeks, leaving the ship drifting on the currents. As each day passed, Pilk grew more furious at his crew’s inability to sail, leading to increasingly frivolous punishments. When the ship’s stores ran out, the crew was forced to survive by eating the whale blubber they had acquired on their voyage.
Naturally, whispers of mutiny began after the crew decided that Pilk was going to start flaying them alive if the wind didn’t pick up soon. Mutiny was ultimately abandoned when it was pointed out that they would still be drifting with or without their captain, and it was decided that their energy was better spent piling into the longboats and taking their chances on the open sea.
Pilk only saw the longboats as they were disappearing over the horizon at dawn. Insane with rage, Pilk rang his bell as hard as he could for the whole sea to hear as the claxon sailed over its waves. Pilk rang his bell for 3 days straight, his irrational frenzy climbing with each passing hour, until fatigue finally claimed him.
Pilk’s spirit wasted no time in tracking down his mutinous crew. His ghost ship, the Death Knell, cruised the Fever Sea until it found every one of them. They would get dragged onto the aft deck by the undead bodies of those he had already killed. While Pilk rang his bell with utmost ire, the new victims would be beheaded and their flash skinned from their bones and stored as blubber.
Today, Whalebone Pilk still haunts the Fever Sea, no longer hunting whales, but ships crewed by mutinous sailors.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
A ship is spotted sometime in the evening, not too far away. A DC 15 Perception or Profession (Sailor) check will spot that while its sails are drawn, it’s not moving. As the PC’s ship draws closer to the ship, the air grows dead. If their ship is propelled by wind, the ship can only take the uncontrolled action. If the PC’s decided to ignore the ship, you can instead simply begin the 3-day process as detailed in the AP.
The PC’s ship will most likely be dead in the water. Left to their own devices, they will probably be compelled to investigate the mysterious ship they’ve approached, which is notably devoid of any action above deck.
Shortly after their ship comes to a stop, a PC who makes a DC 10 Perception check will hear a soft, irregular clang coming from the other ship, which sounds like its bell.
The main deck has little to see, except for the bell on the aft deck, which lightly clangs in a non-existent breeze. Anyone who inspects the bell will see the inscription “The Belle Dame” in a faded emboss. A DC 20 Knowledge (History) knows that the Belle Dame was a renown whaling ship from many years ago, captained by Whalebone Pilk. A DC 25 check also knows Pilk’s history.
The hold below contains 4 points of Plunder worth of whale blubber and other fruits of whaling. Unfortunately, the goods in this hold degrade and rot 1d3 days after they’re taken from the hold, rendering them worthless. Anyone who comes close to the goods after they’ve rotted or handle them to remove them must make a DC 16 Fort save or be Sickened for 1d3 days.
The hold below the cargo hold is the crew’s quarters. A Demanding Dread Haunt awaits anyone who enters here, requiring a DC 13 Will save vs. the following Suggestion: “Next time the Captain gets angry, I’d rather jump ship than wait and see what’s in store.” This Suggestion will Trigger later.
The Captain’s Quarters are empty, save for a few very outdated nautical charts of the Fever Sea.
At the far end of the Crew’s Quarters is a secondary hold, containing a bunkbed and small table with 2 chairs. Captain Pilk sits in one chair, a bottle of rum and 2 filled glasses sit on the tabletop. A single lit lantern illuminates the small room. Pilk is clearly of another life, as his clothes are ravaged by time and his skin holds a ghastly white waterlogged hue, but he otherwise appears like a normal man, if a little drunk.
In an even, calm voice, Pilk invites the PC who looks the most like a captain in for a drink, or else the PC he sees as the leader. He urges the PC to have his crew wait outside, but doesn’t force the issue. Pilk will offer the PC a glass of rum (it’s not bad – a bit flat) and have a conversation about crew discipline. He will ask the PC what his opinion is on discipline and finally ask if he himself went too far.
There is little the PC can do to answer this last question without invoking Pilk’s ire. At this point, the lantern and any other mundane lightsources will go out and the PC will be plunged into supernatural darkness (as Deeper Darkness; a Dispel Magic (CL 5th) attempts to dispel any magical sources of light). This darkness will break with the introduction of any mundane or magical darkness, at which point, the real Pilk as seen in the AP will appear where the civilized version vanished. In addition, the entire ship now looks decrepit and festering. The sudden change is itself a Haunt that affects the entire ship, targeting any creatures on board with a Vision of Hell (DC 13 resists). He will shout “MUTINY!” and crack his whip at the PC. The whip passes harmlessly through the PC and Pilk will vanish. This will cause any PC’s who failed their saves vs. the Suggestion effect from the Demanding Dread Haunt to activate, making them leave the ship as quickly as possible. Once they’ve left the ship, the effect is removed.
Pilk is waiting for the PC’s on the aft deck. Treat this as the AP’s version of the encounter, except there’s only 4 Brine Zombies for the initial fight. The wind picks back up when Pilk is defeated. If his bell isn't destroyed in the combat, I'll design future ghost ship encounters to build off of this one.