Native People of the American Frontier

Presented here are stats for native characters, for use with The Sixth Gun RPG.

Native People PDF

-Nate

Archetypes

Presented here are sets of stat blocks for various roles in the tribe, such as hunter/scout and medicine man. For each, that archetype is presented at different levels of experience all the way from Novice to Legendary.

Hunter/Scout (Novice)

This youngster, having grown up in the wilderness, is skilled in the ways of woodcraft, but has yet to hone those abilities in the pursuit of truly dangerous prey, or in battle against the enemy.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d4, Riding d4, Shooting d4, Stealth d4, Survival d6, Tracking d4

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 4, Toughness: 5

Edges: Alertness

Hindrances: Outsider

Gear: Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1), knife (Damage d6+d4).

Hunter/Scout (Seasoned)

After spending countless hours prowling through the wilderness and going to war, this warrior's skills are sharply honed.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Riding d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6, Tracking d6

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 4, Toughness: 5

Edges: Alertness, No Mercy

Hindrances: Outsider

Gear: Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1), knife (Damage d6+d4).

Hunter/Scout (Veteran)

This veteran has developed a reputation not only in his own tribe, but even among other tribes and back east, where the Whites have even heard of him.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 5, Toughness: 5

Edges: Alertness, First Strike, No Mercy, Quick

Hindrances: Outsider

Gear: Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1), knife (Damage d6+d4).

Warrior Chieftain (Heroic)

As warriors grow older, some of them take on leadership roles among their fellows, riding at the head of hunting and war parties.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 5, Toughness: 5

Edges: Alertness, Command, Command Presence, First Strike, Inspire, No Mercy, Quick

Hindrances: Outsider

Gear: Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1), knife (Damage d6+d4).

Warrior Chieftain (Legendary)

Only those warriors who survive through countless trials can live to become legendary chieftains, ones whose names will be recorded in stories told for years to come.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Riding d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 5, Toughness: 5

Edges: Alertness, Command, Command Presence, First Strike, Followers, Inspire, Leader of Men, No Mercy, Quick

Hindrances: Outsider

Gear: Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6, RoF 1), knife (Damage d6+d4).

Medicine Man (Novice)

Some Indians have a special, mystical connection with the world around them. Through certain techniques they can even influence that world and those in it.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Healing d4, Knowledge (local) d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Survival d4, Tribal Medicine d6

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5

Edges: Arcane Background (Shamanism)

Hindrances: Outsider

Powers: Boost/lower Trait, deflection; Power Points: 10

Gear: Trappings, staff (Damage d6+d4, Parry +1, Reach 1, requires 2 hands).

Medicine Man (Seasoned)

The stronger one's connection to the spirit world, the more influence a medicine man has over other people and things.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Healing d4, Knowledge (local) d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d6, Survival d4, Tribal Medicine d8

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5

Edges: Arcane Background (Shamanism), New Power, Power Points, Rapid Recharge

Hindrances: Outsider

Powers: Armor, beast friend, boost/lower Trait, deflection; Power Points: 15

Gear: Trappings, staff (Damage d6+d4, Parry +1, Reach 1, requires 2 hands).

Medicine Man (Veteran)

More powerful medicine men can even begin to explore the world beyond this one.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Healing d4, Knowledge (local) d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d6, Survival d4, Tribal Medicine d10

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5

Edges: Arcane Background (Shamanism), Improved Rapid Recharge, New Power x2, Power Points x2, Rapid Recharge

Hindrances: Outsider

Powers: Armor, beast friend, boost/lower Trait, deflection, dispel, spirit walk; Power Points: 15

Gear: Trappings, staff (Damage d6+d4, Parry +1, Reach 1, requires 2 hands).

Mystic Chieftain (Heroic)

Not all Indian chieftains build their reputations by succeeding at the hunt or in battle; some of them make their names as medicine men and are given positions of power because of their wisdom and magical power.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Healing d4, Knowledge (local) d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Survival d4, Tribal Medicine d10

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5

Edges: Arcane Background (Shamanism), Command, Improved Rapid Recharge, Inspire, New Power x2, Power Points x2, Rapid Recharge

Hindrances: Outsider

Powers: Armor, beast friend, boost/lower Trait, deflection, dispel, spirit walk; Power Points: 15

Gear: Trappings, staff (Damage d6+d4, Parry +1, Reach 1, requires 2 hands).

Mystic Chieftain (Legendary)

Just like with their warrior counterparts, these mystical leaders are personalities that go down in history, and are believed to interact with the spirits as much as they do with mortal men and women.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Healing d4, Knowledge (local) d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Survival d4, Tribal Medicine d10

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5

Edges: Arcane Background (Shamanism), Command, Command Presence, Fervor, Followers, Improved Rapid Recharge, Inspire, Leader of Men, New Power x2, Power Points x2, Rapid Recharge

Hindrances: Outsider

Powers: Armor, beast friend, boost/lower Trait, deflection, dispel, spirit walk; Power Points: 15

Gear: Trappings, staff (Damage d6+d4, Parry +1, Reach 1, requires 2 hands).

Godsharp Saga Campaign Guide

Here's a campaign guide for the adventures of the Godsharp Saga.

-Nate

Godsharp Saga Campaign Guide PDF

Campaign Overview

Presented here are summaries of the six scenarios that make up the Godsharp Saga. GMs can use this as a guideline, but should keep in mind that no story survives unscathed an encounter with the players.

Part 1: Out of the Blue

While relaxing one evening in a town on Homeworld, the PCs witness an attempted robbery. The victim is a local wizard named Thaddeus, who has recently observed and plotted the course of what he thinks is a meteorite falling from the sky; he wishes to recover its metal for use in crafting magical items. Impressed by the PCs' abilities, he recruits them to join an expedition with that purpose. 

During their voyage by sea the party encounters a storm that causes numerous hazards aboard the ship, including the risk of being swept overboard and the eruption of rat swarms from the ship's bilge. The PCs also have a chance to begin discovering their roles as part of a ship's crew, something that will become important in the future.

Upon arriving at the island, the PCs can explore a number of different areas to learn more about the situation. There's a mysterious shipwreck in the nearby waters, with a dead elf tied to the helm; a small sahuagin outpost; a trading fort that has been overrun by strange monsters; a village of alarmed lizardfolk; and a curious stone pyramid deep in the island's interior.

That pyramid contains numerous surprises, including the tomb of a lizard man who has traveled beyond the limits of Homeworld. There are also a few traps and puzzles, along with a variety of monsters, to protect its secrets. Most notable of all, however, is the fully functional aethership dhow that waits in the pyramid's uppermost level.

In the end, the thieves try once more to steal those hard-won prizes, and only through quick thinking and fast action can the PCs keep what they have claimed.

Part 2: Among the Stars

Having acquired their own aethership, the PCs can take whatever steps they deem necessary to outfit it. This includes laying in necessary supplies, along with cargo and maybe even passengers. It's also a chance to settle any business on Homeworld before heading out into the Void.

Then, armed with details from the elven captain's logbook, they can set out to deliver news of the elf Captain Quinariel's fate to his people at Starfort Station. Once in space they can encounter many of the Void's denizens, including natives and other travelers. Eventually they should reach Starfort Station on a moon of the planet Kronos, where the Elven Navy has its headquarters. There, while reporting what they know, and learning what they can, they also hear about the disappearance of a visiting arborling naturalist.

Provided that they choose to investigate, the PCs can learn more about the appearance of fiendish monsters in the waters beneath the moon's icy crust, and can go in search of the missing arborling. The search leads them into battle with a group of skum that have set up a stronghold, worshipers of Lamashtu who have been working to create an evil infestation and who seem to be connected to an even larger plot.

Reference Texts This campaign uses two important supplements for reference, both of which are available online. The Aethernaut's Hanbook: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-aethernauts-handbook.html A Gazetteer of the Sol System: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-gazetteer-of-sol-system.html.

Part 3: At a Crossroads

At some point the PCs' business likely leads them to Crossroads, a settlement in the asteroid belt. There they can mix with the locals, including Governor Reda of the Royal Interplanetary Company and the Order of the Lion's soldiers. It's also a good place for buying or selling cargo, provisions and other supplies, as well as to rest and relax between business. Before long they can become embroiled in some of the conflicts on the asteroid, including run-ins with mimics posing as cargo, rowdy orc sailors, and a ship infected with the plague. They might even venture into the tunnels beneath the settlement, which have become infested other dangerous creatures.

The most important event taking place on Crossroads, however, is the Festival of the Comet, named for the heavenly body that passes every few years. This includes all kinds of competitions, including archery, wrestling, fencing, and even artistic performance, with awards for the winners presented by Governor Reda himself. The culmination of it all is an aethership race through the asteroid belt, with numerous local and visiting crews participating.

During the race, in addition to any competitive shenanigans, the PCs can find an old ship, the Constant, trapped in the ice of the passing comet. It is an old cog belonging to the R.I.C., and aboard it is evidence of an expedition that went horribly wrong—along with a nabasu demon that breaks free as the ice begins to melt. If the PCs can defeat it and recover the goods from the wreck, they can learn of important and dangerous discoveries on the planet Tyr.

Part 4: Beneath the Sands

One way or another, the PCs can learn about the Constant and its failed exploratory mission to Tyr. Whether they decide to pursue potential adventure and wealth on their own, or are recruited by Governor Reda to do so, they can outfit their vessel and head for the cold red desert planet. En route to their destination they have more run-ins with the hazards of space, including a mi-go attack on an oma, a group of undead, and a ship overrun by a black pudding. They also find another clue to the larger plot happening in the Sol System, when their old associate Captain Axelrod—under some kind of mental influence, and accompanied by a medusa—ambushes them.

On the red planet itself the PCs encounter some of the locals, including a burrowing remorhaz and a group of jann. They can learn a little more about the expedition, too, which made landfall and sent explorers into a network of underground passages. Venturing in the tunnels, the PCs run into more native monsters, including cytillipedes, a chaugrak, a hive of shriezyxes and a chuul. They also find more evidence of the lost explorers, and clues to the tunnels' other inhabitants, a tribe of troglodytes.

At the center of this all is the troglodytes' ziggurat temple. Through stealth, trickery and the use of force, the PCs can explore the temple, discover the cult of Lamashtu's activities and face off against the high priest and other clerics. They can also learn about a planet that once orbited where the asteroid belt now lies, and about the magical artifact which caused that world's destruction—a weapon that the followers of Lamashtu seek for themselves.

Scenarios Out of the Blue: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/07/adventure-out-of-blue.html Among the Stars: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/07/adventure-among-stars.html At a Crossroads: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/07/adventure-at-crossroads.html Beneath the Sands: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/07/adventure-beneath-sands.html Beyond the Pale: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/07/adventure-beyond-pale.html Into the Eye of the Storm: http://d20pirates.blogspot.com/2018/07/adventure-into-eye-of-storm.html

Part 5: Beyond the Pale

Armed with what they've learned during their journey to Tyr, the PCs by now should recognize the threat that the Sol System faces, and should have some ideas of how to investigate further. Pursuing those options can lead in a variety of directions.

The most direct option is to confront Governor Reda and, more importantly, his alluring mistress. She is in fact a succubus, and dealing with her can lead to mental domination as well as conflict with those who unwittingly support her. At Crossorads the PCs can also meet a dryad stowaway named Phigalia, one who hails from a sylvan world beyond the Sol System. She is being pursued by the orcs on whose ship she was hidden, and can reveal their smuggling activity between Crossroads and the Island of the Minotaurs on Homeworld. 

Paying a visit to that island leads the PCs into the heart of the matter, where they can find and raid the minotaurs' labyrinth and stronghold. There they face up against more worshipers of Lamashtu and more demons, and can seal a portal that provides a gateway to the Abyss. They also find evidence of a planned attack on the Temple of Ptah, in the nearby Holy City. Things are complicated when the dryad succumbs to a strange illness and turns into a spectre that attacks the PCs.

By acting quickly the PCs can catch the attackers in the act of a daring subterranean burglary, and thus learn more about the destruction of Hiveworld and how the weapon that the demons seek. That information, then, can lead them back to Kronos, where the elves maintain insterstellar portals leading to planets around other stars. The demons what they can to sabotage the PCs efforts, including the possession of the elven admiral, who tries to arrest them. As long as the truth is revealed, however—including the fact that a shadow demon has been letting the orcs and their allies use the portal—the PCs can gain access to the portal that leads to Arborea, the world from which Phigalia came.

On that world, after dealing with some of the natural hazards, the PCs find a place where wicked magic has been used to create a ship of the dead from the bodies of slain arborlings. They also meet the lillend Harmony, who can tell them that the ship and its crew have gone to seek the Godsharp. They also face one more ambush, this time by a group of vrocks.

Part 6: Into the Eye of the Storm

In a race against the necromancer and demons, the PCs can venture into the asteroid belt, to the point where Hiveworld would still be, and seek the spirit of the long-lost formian queen. As long as they can convince her to reveal what she knows, they can learn that the Godsharp is hidden in a shrine inside the never-ending storm on the planet Thunar. Heading there, they find the necromancer and his allies working to acquire the artifact, and a vital confrontation occurs. Win or lose, the fate of Homeworld hangs in the balance.

As long as they can acquire the device, the PCs still face the task of destroying it. To do so they must head back to Kronos and use another of the elves' portals, this one leading to an abandoned arkship that drifts in orbit around a black hole and its feeder star. There they face off against a colour out of space, the entity that overran the arkship's crew, along with the bronze dragon that has fallen under its sway. There are also the last of the demons and their cloud giant ally who do everything in their power to reclaim the artifact. If the PCs can succeed, however, by throwing the device into the black hole, then they can end the threat to Homeworld once and for all.

Incorporating the PCs' Individual Stories

The summaries presented above assume that, for the most part, the PCs take on jobs when offered and follow up on clues as they find them. Most GMs know, of course, that players don't usually follow such linear storylines. What is more, the players' own inventions can and should be woven into the tapestry of the campaign, making for a richer and more personally engaging story. Presented here, then, are some suggestions for making that happen.

Before the Campaign

As mentioned above, the background stories that players create for their characters can add NPCs and potential plot hooks for the GM to use later. These can include, but of course are not limited to, the following.

• Family ties and potential romantic interests can help the PCs be connected to people and places back on Homeworld. This is especially important when the threat that the Godsharp presents becomes known, since it gives the PCs more reason to care about saving the world from destruction.
• Organizational membership is also important. This is especially the case for clerics who are connected to a religious hierarchy; they might have to report back to their superiors, and could even be tasked with working to spread their faith through the planets of the Sol System. The same could be said for fighter or paladins who belong to a particular military force, wizards who study at a school of arcane learning, or thieves who are part of a guild.
• Homeworld and its neighboring planets numerous such factions of its own, which are presented in A Gazetteer of the Sol System.

The Ultimate Campaign supplement, Chapter 1, has lots of information and suggestions for helping to develop characters' backgrounds.

During the Adventures

Once the action has started, there are many more ways one can add to the tapestry of the story, such as the following.

• Revisiting locations is a good means of making the setting feel like a real place. This is especially true for places like a common port of call or a favorite tavern, allowing the NPCs there to become familiar personalities.
• The ship(s) that the PCs own can work in a similar way. First, this creates specific roles for characters to fulfill, particularly that of captain. Second, by developing personalities for NPC crew members, the GM can make large-scale battles more dramatic. Third, the possibility for buying and selling cargo, and thus turning a nice profit, creates opportunity for additional interactions.
• As mentioned above, NPCs and plot hooks related to the PCs' background stories can be used to create supplemental adventures, or to add complications to existing ones.
• Ongoing activity for the organizations to which the PCs belong can work in the same way, with side missions occurring at opportune times or even being woven into other business.

Again, Chapter 2 of the Ultimate Campaign supplement presents extensive rules for what kinds of things the PCs can do during their downtime between adventures, and the GameMastery Guide details the boons that organizations and other NPCs can award to the PCs.

The Aftermath

Finally, the events at the conclusion of a campaign have important implications for future campaigns; some things to consider include the following.

• Even before the main story arc is resolved, it's important to know what each PC's “happily everafter” looks like. That is, after all, the ending toward which each character strives, setting up for retirement.
• Many PCs could find themselves in situations of power, either by rising up through their organizations, building their own power groups, or taking advantage of special situations (for example, the possibility for a change of leadership on Crossroads).
• The same goes for ships that run regular routes between the planets; future PCs might even find their starts as members of such crews.
• In this way, one campaign's PCs can become important NPCs for the next campaign that the GM runs.
• Similarly, the stories of the PCs' exploits become the legends of which bards sing to their audiences in marketplaces and taverns around the worlds.
• If the PCs should fail in their efforts—especially if the demons should be able to use the Godsharp to destroy Homeworld—then an entirely new campaign can rise from the ashes of the previous one.

Once more, Chapter 3 of Ultimate Campaign has extensive suggestions for character retirement, along with rules for game mechanics that can add layers of complexity to the PCs' activities.

The Train

The Train PDF

Presented here is a map for a train, including cars for a variety of purposes, along with descriptions of each location as well as stats for some of the characters who can be found aboard it.

Locomotive

The engine that draws the train relies on a big steam apparatus, fueled with wood, that drives its wheels and thus pulls the rest of the cars. It is operated from a small cabin filled with pressure gauges, levers and suchlike. A narrow platform leads along each side of the boiler, and a broad iron cow catcher extends outward from the front. Behind the locomotive is towed a tender filled with cut and split logs.

Passenger Car

This car is furnished with rows of seats for frugal passengers; it has a water closet at each end, and windows look out at the passing terrain.

Kitchen Car

Wood-fueled stoves, along with narrow counters, provide space for cooking food; there's also a well-stocked larder. All of the expected implements can be found here, too, including dishes, serving utensils and the like.

Baggage Car

Shelves line the walls of this car, with spaces for storing all manner of luggage and cargo. For that reason, this car is generally kept locked, and only a few members have copies of the key.

Sleeping Car

Those passengers who can afford such luxuries are assigned to these cars, having rooms with single or double beds and small water closets of their own. A narrow passage runs alongside, with doors letting into the various compartments.

Dining Car

On longer journeys, those passengers who've secured space in the sleeping cars can take their meals here. The car is furnished with numerous tables, along with chairs, tablecloths, and other such niceties. Stewards serve the meals that are prepared in the kitchen car.

Lounge Car

For shorter trips, those who wish to travel in greater comfort can ride here, where there are comfortable chairs instead of seats, along with side tables for the food and drinks that are served.

Crew, Passengers and Plots

Here are stat blocks and descriptions for the train's crew members and passengers.

Crew Members—Use stats for the Engineer, Roustabouts and Servants, as detailed in the Steamboat supplement, to represent these characters. https://www.dropbox.com/s/uck62dx6bt4b5ya/SW%20Steamboat.pdf?dl=0

Buffalo Hunters

Hezekiah Brown and his sons, Jeremiah and Jebediah, are employed by the railroad to kill buffalo. It's that simple. They enjoy the task, and are even paid for it. This is, of course, because the people who've invested in the railroad believe that, if the buffalo are gone, then the Indians will follow them. While the job is not difficult, these men have started to believe themselves to be great and mighty hunters, veritable trailblazers of the West.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d6, Shooting d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 4, Toughness: 5

Edges: Marksman, No Mercy

Hindrances: Mean

Gear: Clothing, loaded backpacks, Sharps Big 50 (Range 24/48/96, Damage 2d10, RoF 1).

The Writer

Roy Williams is a writer from back east, a city slicker who's come to love tales of adventure and drama set in the Wild West. For that reason he has set out on a tour, hoping to hear more stories and record them—with suitable embellishments, of course—as part of his own future works. What he may lack in physical constitution, he makes up for with a keen mind and a noble spirit. He can become a fan of the heroes, following them from place to place and asking them to tell of their exploits.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d4

Skills: Investigation d8, Knowledge d8, Notice d8, Streetwise d8

Charisma: --, Pace: 6”, Parry: 2, Toughness: 4

Edges: Investigator

Hindrances: Curious

Gear: Fancy clothing, books, writing materials

Life aboard the Train

There's all manner of events that can happen aboard the train; detailed here are just a few of the possibilities.

• Building the railroad is a brutal, backbreaking business; those who have that task, and live in the frontier camps, face all manner of conflict.
• It could happen that the PCs are aboard the train when someone is transporting a valuable cargo and thieves come to steal it. Although they might be in the wrong place at the wrong time, they have a chance to do some good.
• The stakes in such a situation become even higher if the cargo in question has supernatural value, such as when one particular train carried the not-quite-dead body of General Oliander Bedford Hume.
• When a notorious criminal is finally captured, the PCs could be tasked with escorting him or her back to “civilization” to stand trial. Of course, the criminal's old associates have plans to thwart those efforts.
• Indian vengeance is always a danger, since the spread of the railroad cuts into the natural grazing ground of the buffalo, which is the lifeblood of the plains Indians. This can lead to acts of sabotage, such as derailing trains and then attacking the survivors.
• Weather could also lead to difficulties, such as if a train was unable to proceed because it was buried under a blizzard of snowfall.
• This is even more complicated if wild beasts—the notorious wendigo, for example—comes to prey on those who are trapped.

Kasatha Monastery

While some kasatha leave their clans to go in search of adventure, others find a sense of purpose in serving their goddess, honing their bodies, minds and spirits in order to be her agents in the world. Those who follow that path often gather in buildings dedicated to that purpose. 

The Monastery

Refer to the map above for the following location descriptions.

1. Entrance

Entry to the monastery comes via a broad chamber that is sealed with iron-bound wooden doors on both sides (hardness 5 and 20 hit points; DC 25 to break), providing a first line of defense should the monastery ever be attacked.

2. Courtyard

This area, open to the sky above, has two notable features. First is the monastery's well, which is almost ten feet in width and a hundred feet deep. That, of course, is the life's blood of the structure; the monks spend considerable time every day dropping buckets on ropes to haul up water. The other feature, the sparring platform, is described below.

3. Shrine

Dedicated to the Mother Goddess of the Kasatha, this room contains a statue of her, along with numerous small cushions for those who wish to meditate here.

The Mother Goddess of the Kasatha Embodying the duality of the universe, the Mother Goddess of the Kasatha incorporates aspects that people from the Sol System would associate with both Gaea and Lamashtu. In this way she represents both the creative possibility of new life, and the eventual death of all things. While some might see these two aspects as contradictory, for the Kasatha they reflect the way of their world.

4. Armory

The walls of this room are lined with shelves containing all manner of weapons. These include many variations of the ones allowed for monks on page 57 of the Core Rulebook. What is more, the monks use the open space in the middle of this room for training on those rare occasions when weather does not allow them to practice on the sparring platform.

5. Washrooms

Both of these areas—one for the males and one for the females—includes privies and washbasins for the monks to take care of their bodily needs and maintain cleanliness.

6. Monks' Cells

Each of these rooms is furnished with a small, functional bed along with a table and chair for reading, writing and other activities. Doorways to the rooms are covered by curtains, and open onto covered walkways that run along the sides of the courtyard.

7. Superior's Quarters

In addition to the furniture provided for other monks, each of these rooms boasts bookshelves filled with scrolls, tablets and codices—the collected writings of previous order members. Those are, of course, passed down from each Superior Master to the next. Note that, while there are male and female Superior Masters at any given time, the female holds authority when necessary.

8. Sparring Platform

This platform, made from a wood frame filled with earth, is where the monks do most of their training. It stands three feet above the surrounding ground, and four short sets of stairs lead up to it.

9. Refectory

Three long tables, flanked by benches, fill this room; it is where the monks take their meals.

10. Kitchen

Cupboards line the walls of this room; it is also furnished with a broad table for food preparation, along with barrels of water and fuel. Most notable, however, is the hearth against the outside wall that is used for cooking along with warming braziers for heating the monks' cells during the cold winter months.

11. Storage

The shelves that line the walls of this room are stocked with all manner of foodstuffs, filling jars, boxes, sacks, baskets and crates, as well as hanging from hooks attached to the ceiling.

Ship Captain Prestige Class

I've been tinkering with ideas for this prestige class for a while; here goes.

-Nate

Ship Captain (Prestige Class)

While almost anyone can give orders and thus direct the activity aboard a ship, only a select few develop a closer bond with the vessel and those who serve aboard it. Those are the truly memorable captains—revered by their crews, feared by their enemies, and remembered (for better or for worse) in the annals of history. 

This prestige class attracts those characters who have a true love for sailing vessels, and who wish to make their names by commanding a ship and crew in some type of business—be it combat, exploration, trade, or something else. 

Role: The captain is a leader at all times aboard her chosen vessel. Although other characters play their particular roles, especially when the crew goes ashore, she is the one to whom they all turn when combat or other hazards make sailing difficult.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a ship captain, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Skills: Profession (sailor) 5 ranks.

Special: The character must own (by oneself or jointly with willing partners) some manner of sailing ship.

Class Skills

The ship captain's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft: carpentry (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge: local (Int), Knowledge: geography (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession: sailor (Wis), Survival (Wis).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the ship captain prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ship captain is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with siege weapons.

Inspire Courage (Su): A ship's captain can rally her sailors, granting them a +1 bonus to saves against fear and charm effects, along with a +1 bonus to attack rolls and weapon damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 5^th level, and to +3 at 9^th level.

Favored Vessel (Ex): The captain becomes accustomed to, and even comfortable on, the heaving deck of a ship, granting a +2 bonus on initiative checks, along with Craft (carpentry), Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perception and Profession (sailor) checks made while on her chosen vessel.

Evasion (Ex): As the captain's reputation begins to spread, she develops a seemingly preternatural ability to escape from certain types of attacks. Against those that cause only half damage on a successful Reflex save, she instead takes no damage. Should she be helpless, however, she suffers full damage.

Inspire Competence (Su): A ship's captain can grant a +2 competence bonus to skill checks made by crew members under her command. This increases to a +3 bonus at 8^th level.

Favored Enemy (Ex): From her experience working toward some kind of objective, the captain gains a favored enemy in the same manner as a ranger; refer to page 64 of the core rulebook for details.

Captain's Bond (Type): A ship's captain comes to rely on certain crew members—usually, other members of the adventuring party—when difficulties arise. This ability functions in the same manner as a ranger's bond with his companions, as detailed on page 66 of the core rulebook.

Improved Evasion (Ex): Just as with evasion, the captain suffers no damage from attacks that allow a saving throw for half damage; now, however, she only suffers half damage on a failed saving throw.

Inspire Greatness (Su): The captain can grant one ally (and two at 10^th level) temporary hit points and other bonuses, in the same manner as a bard; refer to pages 37-8 in the core rulebook for details.

Aura of Resolve (Su): Such is the nature of the captain's tenacity that she gains immunity to charm spells and spell-like abilities, and she grants a +4 bonus to her crew members' saving throws and other checks against similar effects.

Inspire Heroics (Su): This ability functions in the same manner as the bard ability of the same name; refer to page 38 in the core rulebook for details.