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.

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