Saturday, December 24, 2011

An Interlude and a Feat

Today's post is another interlude, this time involving a press gang, along with a feat that can help the villains subdue the heroes--all for the sake of the story, of course.

To those who celebrate them, whatever they may be, happy holidays.

-Nate


Interlude: The Press
Many a former landlubber has had his first taste of seafaring against his will, when a chance encounter one evening led to waking up the next morning as part of a ship's crew. Those unfortunates fell prey to a press gang, and through trickery or force found themselves living the life of a sailor.

This encounter is most likely to occur during a night in port. It could occur for any number of reasons, including the following.

*The PC's might just be in the wrong place at the wrong time, victims of circumstance. This could serve as the start of a new campaign, or perhaps as a major complication for an existing one.
In this way, the encounter could serve as the introduction to any number of sea voyages, including, possibly, some of the adventures detailed previously.
*On the other hand, they could be specifically targeted because of their abilities or because of past activities. This might happen based on their reputations alone, or perhaps because an old enemy seeks revenge by hiring someone to shanghai them.
*This might lead into other adventures, including the opportunity for the PC's to become familiar with their new fellow crew members, and perhaps to win the loyalty of these erstwhile associates and thus turn the tables on those who pressed them into service.
*In these ways, this situation could easily be woven into the events of an existing campaign, or could serve as the launching point for a new one.

The encounter itself, of course, requires that certain NPC's stage an attack against the PC's. Detailed below are a number of different characters from which the GM could choose, depending on circumstances.

The Lieutenant
This person is the chief representative of the captain in whose crew the newly impressed sailors will serve. For that reason, the lieutenant's appearance and personality could vary a great deal, from an imperious Royal Navy type to an unpredictable pirate, a privateer somewhere in between the two, or something else entirely.

Sea Dog 4/Sea Officer 1; CR 5; Size medium; HD 5d10-5; hp 27; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+2 Dex, +1 dueling jacket); Atk +5 (1d6+1, cutlass) or +6 (2d4, pistol); SQ Superstitious, Close Quarters +1, Favored Ship (varies), Mobility, Skill Expert +1 (Sense Motive); AL Varies; SV: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +6; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 13.
Background: Pressed Man.
Skills: Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (navigation) +8, Knowledge (sea lore) +8, Listen +5, Profession (gunner) +5, Profession (sailor) +11, Sense Motive +12, Spot +11.
Feats: Dodge, Far Shot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot.
Fortunes: None.
Equipment: Dueling jacket, cutlass, pistol.

The Crimp(s)
This individual is a fast-talking soul, quick to win a person's confidence before betraying the unfortunate.

Rogue 1; CR 1; Size medium; HD 1d6; hp 6; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+2 Dex, +1 dueling jacket); Atk -1 (1d6-1, club) or +2 (2d4, pistol); SQ Sneak Attack +1d6, Trapfinding; AL CN; SV: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 15.
Background: Pressed Man.
Skills: Bluff +9, Disable Device +5, Disguise +8, Forgery +8, Gather Information +6, Hide +6, Knowledge (local) +6, Move Silently +6, Profession (gunner) +3, Profession (sailor) +3, Search +5, Sleight of Hand +6.
Feats: Deceitful, Skill Focus (Bluff).
Fortunes: None.
Equipment: Dueling jacket, club, pistol.

Rogue 3; CR 3; Size medium; HD 3d6; hp 13; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+2 Dex, +1 dueling jacket); Atk +1 (1d6-1, club) or +4 (2d4, pistol); SQ Sneak Attack +2d6, Trapfinding, Evasion, Trap Sense +1; AL CN; SV: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +2; Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 15.
Background: Pressed Man.
Skills: Bluff +11, Disable Device +7, Disguise +9, Forgery +9, Gather Information +8, Hide +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Move Silently +8, Profession (gunner) +3, Profession (sailor) +3, Search +7, Sleight of Hand +8.
Feats: Deceitful, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Bluff).
Fortunes: None.
Equipment: Dueling jacket, club, pistol.

The Thugs
These toughs are hired for their combat prowess—the ability to beat those who resist into submission. As such, they don't feel too strongly about the cause behind the ambush, and clever characters could exploit this lack of loyalty. In combat, the thugs tend to be nasty, brutish, and short of cleverness.

Fighter 1; CR 1; Size medium; HD 1d10+2; hp 12; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 buff coat); Atk +4 (1d6+2, club) or +2 ranged; AL CN; SV: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Background: Pressed Man.
Skills: Climb +6, Jump +6, Profession (gunner) +3, Profession (sailor) +3, Swim +6.
Feats: Power Attack, Versatile, Weapon Focus (Club).
Fortunes: None.
Equipment: Buff coat, club.

Fighter 3; CR 3; Size medium; HD 3d10+6; hp 27; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 buff coat); Atk +6 (1d6+2, club) or +4 ranged; AL CN; SV: Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +2; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.
Background: Pressed Man.
Skills: Climb +8, Jump +8, Profession (gunner) +3, Profession (sailor) +3, Swim +8.
Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Power Attack, Versatile, Weapon Focus (Club).
Fortunes: None.
Equipment: Buff coat, club.

Tactics
The last thing the press gang wants is a fair fight. As such, they exploit any possible means for gaining the upper hand in a situation. Usually the crimp is the first to approach the PC's, hoping to win their trust before the inevitable betrayal. He might buy a round of drinks or two. Indeed, one option is for him to purchase a lot of alcohol, using this to soften up the PC's before the attack. Refer to the rules in the article “Of Rum and Drunkenness” in Buccaneers & Bokor, issue 5, for more details about the debilitating effects of alcohol. The crimp himself, of course, sticks with watered-down beverages so that he is not so impeded. If the PC's are particularly tough individuals, the crimp could even poison their drinks in order to soften them up before striking.

For a twist on the above, these introductions could lead into the kinds of friendly tavern competitions described in a previous Interlude. That could provide the opportunity for the thugs to move into position, surrounding the PC's before attacking.


New Feat—Versatile
You are adept at using ordinary weapons to inflict nonlethal damage on opponents.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus of +1 or higher.
Benefit: You suffer a -2 penalty when using normal weapons to inflict nonlethal damage.
Normal: You suffer a -4 penalty when using normal weapons to inflict nonlethal damage.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Yet Two More Treasures

Today's post details two more treasures, one magical and one not. The first is based on an old folktale, while the second is inspired by a story almost more fantastic than the legend.

-Nate


The Dead Man's Lantern
An old, old folktale tells of a man named Will, a very wicked fellow. The story has it he lived such a bad life that he was refused entrance to heaven upon his death. Because he had once tricked the devil himself, however, Will was also denied admittance to hell, and thus was forced to wander the earth as a spirit for all time. As a kind of recompense, however, the devil gave him a single coal from the fires of hell with which to light his way.

While this tale is usually dismissed as a fiction, those who have seen the dead man's lantern can wonder that it might be true. The lantern contains a single coal, one that has been burning for years without having anything added to fuel it. It functions with the effects of a continual flame spell, except that it gives off a steady supply of light and heat, just like an actual torch. The flame is enclosed in a bull's-eye lantern, however, making it more portable. This makes it a highly valuable asset, albeit one that must be handled with care—for at least two reasons. First of these is the risk of fire that is always a worry aboard a ship; second is the possibility that, if the folktale is true, one of the previous owners might come looking to reclaim the lantern.


The Sailing Charts of Zheng He
The Chinese admiral Zheng He was born in 1371 and lived during the Ming Dynasty. He was a skilled sailor and navigator, rising to the position of commanding a legendary treasure fleet. This group of ships, of unprecedented size—some of the vessels are described as having nine masts and four decks, capable of holding five hundred passengers or more—visited such places as southeast Asia, India, Arabia and eastern Africa. It carried out missions of trade and diplomacy, bringing many valuable cargoes back to China. Some even speculate that his ships travelled beyond the Cape of Good Hope, venturing into the Atlantic Ocean beyond it. Evidence for this assertion comes from a tablet he had inscribed with a cryptic clue:

“We have traversed more than 100,000 li (50,000 kilometers or 30,000 miles) of immense water spaces and have beheld in the ocean huge waves like mountains rising in the sky, and we have set eyes on barbarian regions far away hidden in a blue transparency of light vapors...”

Just what those locations might have been remains open to speculation. Some maintain that ships from the admiral's fleet might even have reached the New World, perhaps even places not yet discovered. The admiral did not survive his seventh and final voyage, and was buried at sea. Some of the information form his charts was depicted in a book called the Wubei Zhi, but rumors persist of other charts that were kept secret upon the captain's death, ones that depict even more far-flung locations.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Two More Nautical Treasures

Today's post details two more magical items, ones based on the sea witch class that I created for Buccaneers & Bokor issue 7. (As a cheap plug, those who are interested can find it for sale on www.rpgnow.com and similar websites.) The first of these items is an important tool, while the second could be the object of a series of adventures.

-Nate


Wind Cord
There are times when the career of a pirate can be made or broken based on just the capricious nature of the wind. The doldrums can leave a ship stranded; worse yet, a storm might trap a vessel in the harbor, or even send it to the bottom of the sea. This has raised all kinds of superstitions, especially those having to do with mysterious women who can command the winds themselves—the sea witches.

The first ritual learned by a seq witch is tying the wind cord, imbuing it with the power to conjure up a breeze or a gale. It is usually made from a piece of ribbon or rope, with three knots tied into it. In game terms, untying the knots unleashes winds of increasing power: first moderate, then severe, and finally with the force of a hurricane. Each ribbon can be used up to three times, once for each knot.

Ship Model
Amongst the sea witches, the second ritual learned is the crafting of a ship model, a crude representation of a specific vessel. Sometimes it is marked, painted or inscribed with the name of the ship in question; at other times, there is no indication of the one it represents. The person who controls the model can cast a control weather spell which affects only the depicted craft, to a radius (and with other effects) as indicated by the spell.

These items could of course be quite valuable; this is especially the case when it comes to models of renowned vessels. For example, a model depicting Captain Kidd's Adventure Galley, the Queen Anne's Revenge commanded by Blackbeard, or even the legendary Flying Dutchman could become a prize that many would go to great lengths to acquire.