Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Degausser 06-02-07, 12:20 AM	Okay, really cheesy. After I saw Pirates III, I decided that I needed to make a DnD Pirate/seafaring campaign, and I wanted help. I've never been good at setting up a complete campaign setting, so I'd like your help. Please note: I will not be directly ripping off Pirates of the Carabian. That's just the inspiration. Here is what I have so far: The race for domonance over the great sea is on! The humans in the northeast, the Elven empire in the Northwest, the Halflings to the Southwest, and the Gnomish/Dwarven Alliance to the South. Previously, all were in an economic scramble to control the seas, and thus, all trading. Until 100 years ago. A large island in the center of the sea (which was constantly fought over) suddenly erupted in the most violent destruction ever seen. The eruption not only killed everyone, but was so massive that this tore the island into three parts. Many attribute this act to the "Birth" of the newest of the gods, the godess of volcanos. Breakdown: Humans: Much like Europe of the old days, it is devided into several large countries, each with it's own government and powerbase. Possibally the largest force on the seas . . . if they would quit infighting and actually pull togeather. Each country has a sizable armada, and so they are a military force to be reconed with. Elves: To the West,the Elves have formed two independent empires, similar to that of China and Japan, though the "Chinese" elves are much more sea-bound. They have a very strict (and some might say unfair) social ladder, and many elves live in abject poverty while some live in the lap of luxury. Some say that the Elves were once humans who discovered an elixer that lengthened their lifespans conciderably. Halflings: Directly south of the Elves, on a small desert island, live the halflings. Resembling somewhat Arabic culture, the halflings have little in the way of agriculture, and also dislike fighting. Because of this, they were the least influanced when the central island blew (because they commited so few troops) and thus, they were the quickest to recover. They are now the most prominant traders in the great sea. Dwarf/Gnome Alliance: The pinicle of technological achievement, the Dwarven hard-working attitude combined with Gnomish ingenuity make their inventions in high-demand with the rest of the world. The only ones to have discovered "steam drive" ships as well as Iron-sided hulls, They are extreamly powerful, but slow to act and slower to decide on a course of action. Information on Gods to come. But I welcome any advice you may have.
TwinStorms 06-02-07, 01:36 AM	The only advice I have is that you should work on the halflings more. If they are one of the major forces in this world, they will need more than a small desert island without agriculture to prosper. If they were the type of nation to grow to the point that they could spawn a major fleet, they should have the resources (agriculture being one of the most essential and basic ones to any major civilization) to get to that point. I like what you have so far, keep going!
Degausser 06-02-07, 01:54 AM	Sorry, forgot to include that the halflings are now the major traders in the world because of their ships. They are the only race to have clippers (fast, light ships, great for costal running) letting them become unparalleled traders among the different races. Addtionally, the way the maps are drawn, they are very close to both the Dwarves/Gnomes and the Elves, meaning they can get their food really quick. Plus, they have a lot of fishing, just not much in the way of crops. They make most of their money as traders (transporting good from one race to another) but they also have some unique fabrics, pottery, and gems that they sell. They are not "fighting for domonance of the seas" so much as the rest of the races. Instead they are content with where they are right now. They have a lot of trading ships all over the great sea, and they know that if any nation attacks them, they could blacklist them from most other halfling traders and provide a strike against trading in that area for some time.
taradusis 06-02-07, 11:34 AM	A peice of shameless self-promotion 771660.I reccomend an exploration campaign,sort of like the voyages of the starship Enterprise,with the Pcs meeting and causing havok with ancient cultures.For this you need an unexplored Archipellago of Wonder.Is there a blank space on your map of the great sea?
Darth Sephiroth 06-02-07, 03:03 PM	Make sure you have Stormwrack, lots of goodies there for a seafaring game. Also make sure you remember that in a seafaring game as much goes on under the waves as above.
Degausser 06-03-07, 02:21 AM	What I am looking for is help with ideas. I really want to include the following: pirate-ey goodness, Exotic ports of call (with corrisponding adventures) and something again to the East India Trading Company (That is, some sort of group tied with the government that is just as evil, if not more so, than the pirates. Sans the blackmailing of Davy Jones.) As promised: The gods All Father(TN) (Club) Domains: (Fire, Earth, Air, Water) The creator of all things, All father was the one who created the world. Initially, he only created his daughter, Calilo, and his son, Kaziman (overseers of the ocean and the air, respectivly) The two siblings fought over who had the most power, so All-Father punished them by creating Tierin, the god of land, and took power away from both of them to give it to Tierin, when he made land. Kaziman (CN) Sickle Domains (Chaos, Air, Travel) A very chaotic and whimsical god, he is the twin brother of Calilo. Though both are chaotic, Kaziman is almost the personification of Chaos, as he has little need for laws. He is, however, suseptable to flattery, and those who warship him can expect great boons in the way of travel. Calilo: (CN) Spear/Harpoon Domains: (Chaos, Water, Trickery) Also Chaotic, she constantly fights with her twin brother over who has more power. She also lothes Tierin for taking away some of her power, and constantly tries to erode away his abilities. She is deceptive, calm one minute and destructive the next. Walan (NG) Net Domains: (Water, Animals, Plants) The god of aquatic life, Walan was actually created in a strange fasion. Aquatic life had started growing within Calilo's domain even before Tierin had made his appearance. No one knows if Calilo created it herself, or if it was randomly created because it needed to be there. The god Walan came into existance shortly thereafter, no one knows how. Tierin (LN) Pick Domains: (Earth, protection, Law) The god of land, Tierin is eternal, slow to move, slow to act, and ridged as he can be. When he does act he moves with swift, devistating force. He cares not for the trivial fights between his older siblings. Oran-ur (NG) Quarterstaff Domains: (Earth, Plants, Animals, Healing) The creation of Land by All-father (and Tierin) created animals in the same wat that the creation of water created aquatic life. Oran-ur came into existance as the caretaker of all land animals, forests, and jungles. Enuldo (TN) Scythe Domains: (Death, Travel, Protection) All-father realised that life was unique, as they had a spirit of some sort, like a small shard of the devine spark. But he also noticed that the 'shell' could die, and the spark had nowhere to go. So he created the afterlife for all living things (the creations of the 'positive' afterlife and the 'negative' afterlife came later). In order to shepard 'lost sparks of the divine' All-father created a son, Enuldo, to help those cross over from life to death. The Jaoa: (LN) Elven Longsword* Domains: (Law, Knowledge, Protection) It is unclear what happened after the creation of Enuldo, but eventually sentient beings came into existance. It is widely regarded that the aquatic sentient life came first (Troglodites, Merfolk) but many are confused as to who came after that. Elves believe they came first, as do the Dwarves, Gnomes, etc. Several Gods arose when these new sentient races solidified however. The Jaoa is an entity representing the ability to become one with the universe, and many regard him as a humble elf who achieved this feat. He is the god of meditation and unity, as well as the elves' patron god. Valuvial (LG) Longsword Domains: (Strength, Good, Healing) Valuvial is the patron god of Dwarves, as well as the personification of honor, valor, and righiousness He is constantly battling his 'brother' (though the family tree is somewhat questionable) Clarivul. Valuvial, according to his followers, was actually created by the spirits of all living things to stop Clarivul's great war over five thousand years ago. Clarivul(NE) Great Axe Domains: (Strength, Evil, War, Destruction) Often warshiped by those seeking power and destruction, Clarivul is interested only in doing evil, and thus, he cares not for anything else. He achieves this through senseless destruction and violence, claiming to grow more powerful from all acts of senseless violence Klistinal Goldspun (CG) Warhammer Domains: (Knowledge, Magic, Luck) The god of technological and Magical progress, is the patron god of the Gnomes. She is known as the mistress of inspiration, and many 'accidental' discoveries about both science and magic are attributed to her. Valonsa (CE) Whip Domains: (Death, Evil, Destruction, Fire) Many believe that the destruction of the central island herolded the birth of this god, the female incarnation of corruption, volcanoes, and endless rage. Though no one knows why or how she was created, many clerics do attest that there is a new player in the heavens, a fact that is backed up by the recent appearance of cults warshipping her, and the have some incredable powers . . . *new weapon
Dex 06-04-07, 12:18 AM	Ideas: Re: East India Trading Company bad guy: The Gnome/Dwarf alliance could easily be a major bad-guy, since they might have a monopoly on firearms and cannons (are these in your game?). They are forcing the halflings to trade for lower and lower prices, which are causing some of the previously benign smallfolk to turn to piracy to make a living. Alternatively, the halflings could be the 'bad guys' since they can hike the prices of their goods, forcing other traders out of business. Indeed, the halflings might buy out ships and crew of other races completely, and only have the captain as a smallfolk. Re: Other Races Seafolk: Perhaps in this campaign the underwater races are more like Davy Jones's crew - each of the underwater races is just one race with radically different appearance. Koa-toans, locanaths, merfolk, Aventi, and any and all others might just call themselves 'seafolk' and be done with it. Re: Other gods. I recommend using existing gods personally, but if you really want to stick with yours consider giving these themes to your current gods. These are just the themes for gods I thought a marine-based civilization would worship, or give offering to before setting sail: God of favourable winds God of shipwrecks God of marine predators (sharks, giant squid) God of storms God of piracy God of Icebergs, ice flows or polar waters. Or perhaps just create aspects or something. Loot! I just thought of something. If you have underwater races, they might practice a method of 'pearling' objects. The method is simple: put a miniature version of an item in a giant clam. Wait. Keep Waiting. When you're fed up, remove the item (now properly sized from the layers of pearl) from the clam. hey presto, an item that is now covered in a nice coating of mother-of-pearl. Simply finish fashioning the item and you're done. Aquatic cultures might even breed fast-pearling sub-species of clam, so they could coat glass container to make them more resistant, or this might be the method of creating special weapons or armour that work better underwater.
Degausser 06-04-07, 04:25 PM	Thanks for the ideas. I was toying around with the humans going on the rampage, trying to assert their dominance over the sea because they currently aren't that well forced (compared to the Dwarf/Gnomish alliance and the Halflings. LOOT! That reminds me, new items! Elven Longsword (Alias, Dao, Elven Broadsword, Willow-leaf sword) EXOTIC WEAPON The premire elven sword, this weapon is used by a vast majority of the elven nation. Though it is a Medium-sized weapon, the handle is only big enough for one hand to grasp, making it impossible to be weilded two-handed. The weapon does 1d8 Slashing damage, with a 19-20 critical chance, but one can use weapon finesse with this weapon. Flintlock Rifle Exotic Weapon Dmg 2d10, Range: 120ft, Size: L, Crit: 20/x2, Reload Time: 1 full round action Flintlock Pistol Exotic Weapon Dmg: 2d8 Range: 30 Ft, Size: S Crit:20x2, Reload Time, 1 Full round Action
Zousha_Omenohu 06-10-07, 07:03 PM	Where exactly do the orcish people fit in? I don't know if you're including them, but they would be perfect for a race of xenophobic islanders, even cannibals maybe. And also, while this may be ripping off the movies more, why not design a couple of artifacts, giving your PCs some supernatural treasure to seek, like the Aztec Gold of Isle de Muerta or the Dead Man's Chest?
Degausser 06-11-07, 02:21 PM	The orcish people will be exactly as you described, xenophobic small islander people. Barbarians and Shamans and the like. As for items of supernatural power: I was thinking on that. My idea for the East India Trading company-like enemies was to have a particular human kingdom (one surrounded by water) pull a sudden coup with the other human kingdoms to steal their ships, setting up blockades so the other human kingdoms couldn't trade. The other kingdoms would have to fold to the first one in order to get necessary supplies like ore and food. Then this primary kingdom would start seeking an item. I haven't figured out he spacifics of the item, but it would allow the bearer to make undead that were more intellegent than the standard skeletons. That way they could staff boats. They would be compleatly loyal to the crown, immune to pircing damage, they wouldn't need to eat, drink, recieve pay or even breathe, and they would be able to take over the seas very easily.
Zousha_Omenohu 06-11-07, 07:32 PM	And let me guess, the PCs are out to save the pirate way-of-life?;)
Degausser 06-11-07, 09:14 PM	Piracy, The other human nations, the elven empire, the halflings, the Dwarf/Gnome alliance, stop the evil bad guy, take your pick. Any ideas what the item should be? I was thinking of having it somehow related to the new god, Valonsa, but I hadn't come up with something more than that. Maybe it puts a spirit into a skeleton, but puts them under a geas so that they must obey him. Alternitivly, the item could just let Big bad make a bunch of undead and he just puts some sort of intellegent but loyal undead as the 'captain' of the ship. Or, I could just say it makes smarter Skeletons. Anyway, back to the item. I was thinking it should be related somehow to Valonsa and her creation a hundred years ago, but I'd really like some more ideas on the specifics. Maybe she's existed for a long time, dorment, and this item 'let her out' or maybe she was a god from another prime material plane and was brought lured to this plane by the item . . . . both of those ideas sound kinda weak to me, but they are what I have so far.
Zousha_Omenohu 06-12-07, 01:47 AM	Frankly, if we're talking undead sailors, I would reccomend something akin to the curse of the Flying Dutchman (the actual legend, not the one in the movies), or the souls of sailors that have drowned. That just makes more sense to me. If it's related to this goddess, we may need to turn up the heat.:D I could see undead in service to her if they were on fire, or if they were charred. As for the item itself, a few questions should be asked. Since this item has some connection to her, did she create it or is she bound to it in some way? Is it a potential weakness, like Davy Jones' heart in the Dead Man's Chest. If so, it could be that the corrupt company is using it or plans to use it as a bargaining chip to get Valonsa to do as they want. That would explain the undead crew pretty well, not coming from the item itself but the fact that the company is threatening it and through it Valonsa herself. It also raises the possibility that Valonsa might attempt to enlist the PCs to retrieve it for her. Being Chaotic Evil I'd assume that she loathes being commanded by anyone but her own cruel whims. As for the form of the item itself, if it's like my suggestion then it could very well be a carbon copy of the Dead Man's Chest. Since we're not looking for a film ripoff here though, we need to figure out something that would seem connected to her. First of all, I think that it would make sense for it to be made out of cooled lava, symbolizing her connection with volcanoes. It draws some interesting connections to the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele, who gets angry when her lava is stolen, giving bad luck to the thieves until they return what they took. Other than that, I don't really have any real innovative ideas.
Degausser 06-12-07, 02:38 AM	You bring up a few good points. What if she actually ISN'T a god, but rather, a demigod? Some mortal who, for some unknown reason, managed to get her hands on some massive amount of power, and has actually managed to evolve herself to demigod status? And the artifact that she used to 'acend' is either A) Tied directly to her power, so that if it is destroyed, she is destroyed, or reduced to being a 'mere' mortal. So she does evil dude's bidding B)The Item she used to assend has finally 'recharged' after 100 years and being used again by evil bad dude. C)The artifact is constantly supplying her with demigodhood energies. With it stolen, and energy being siphoned off for raising intelegent skeletons, she is deminished in power.
Dex 06-12-07, 02:49 AM	I personally like the idea that it raises anyone who has drowned or ships that have sunk. Therefore, waging a war just before the bad guys think they've got the artifact would make sense: You start with one army, and end up with two. Ideas on what the item could actually be: -A Ship's bell: when rung it calls up submerged crew and ships. -A horn or bugle: when blown, see above. -A pistol: When it kills someone and they are thrown into the ocean, the dead come (there's always a price for power). -An ancient obsidian dagger: When it draws blood and the drops are spilled into the sea, the dead come (same theme as above). In any case, any metal on the items might have been forged from ore taken from a volcano, or the blade of the dagger might have been taken from the violent eruption when she appeared.
MagicMouth 06-12-07, 08:26 AM	Cool, I´ve been thinking about a pirate campaign myself. Maybe I´ll come up with new ideas later, but until then I thought I could post something I made for another campaign thread. Of course, this would likely have to be modified as you see fit according to your own campaign. The Abomination Throughout history seafarers have been a superstitious bunch, passing on stories of the supernatural horrors that lurk in the dephts or on the dark waves. Although rational scholars dismiss most of these claims as pure fabrication, the fact remains that the seas hold secrets beyond humanoid comprehension. One legend, however, stand out amongst the others: that of the dreaded vessel known as The Abomination. The first documented sights were made centuries ago, and since then it has appeared more frequently with each passing decade. Not much else is known about the ship, seeing as most of its surviving victims have utterly lost their minds, but researchers have managed to put together small bits of information. The Abomination is indeed a ship, but unlike any other found on the seas of the world. Its vast size is the first thing you notice: it easily matches the largest battleships made by human hands. Despite its bulk the vessel moves with frightening speed and maneuverability, often catching its prey flat-footed. As it draws closer, observant viewers notice that the hull seems to be made of some sort of stone and is covered by bizarre hieroglyphs of unknown origin. All in all, The Abomination could be said to give the impression of a floating sea fortress rather than that of a ship. No crew has ever been spotted, save for a lonely and unmoving figure watching silently. After this, the memories of all the survivors seem to have been blocked out, so there are no further details. The truth, which is whispered only in twisted alleys at night, is that The Abomination has been sent out from the darkest abyss at the bottom of the sea, a place where the laws of space and time are very different indeed. The exact nature of its builders are unknown, but they are most likely some eldritch monstrosities serving the old creators. Now the vessel sails the endless oceans, spreading death and insanity in its wake. As more and more people fall before it, the antediluvian beasts below grow fatter and fatter on the souls of its victims, preparing for the time when the stars are right. The captain of The Abomination is a strange, middle-aged man who has human appearance at a first glance, but he has several distinctly monstrous trats hidden underneath his clothing: amorphous and near-transparent skin, revolting growths and boils, and a pair of long tentacles concealed by his cloak. The name of this captain, not uttered in many years, is Barnabas. Shunned throughout his childhood and young adult years for his abnormal looks, Barnabas gave up all hope of ever finding acceptance and instead surrendered himself to the powers he descends from. Mutating from abnormal to truly monstrous form, Barnabas gleefully pursued the goals set before him by the dark masters. The rest of the crew - who remain below deck most of the time - consists of scores of humanoid creatures who were overcome by The Abomination and, in the mists of insanity, chose to serve Barnabas rather than facing death and whatever fate waiting for the souls lost at sea. The longer they remain on the vessel, the more they become like their captain . Barnabas can also call upon several true aberrations of the dephts, such as Aboleths and Chuuls: they act as advisors and/or elite enforcers. Now, some time has passed since the last appearance of The Abomination, but old sailors remain wary and pray to their gods to be spared from its clutches. Perhaps it is preparing for one final excursion, after which its masters will be well fed and ready to make their move personally... Captain Barnabas Male Half-Farspawn Human Rogue 3 / Fighter 2 / Scarlet Corsair ( http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20050805b) 6 Medium Outsider (Native) Hit Dice: 3d6+12 plus 2d10+8 plus 6d8+24 plus 11 (106 hp) Initiative: +9 (+5 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 30 ft. AC: 27 (+5 Dex, +3 Natural, +5 Armor, +2 Dodge, +2 Deflection) Base Atk/Grapple: +10/+12 Attack: [I]+2 Rapier +18 melee (1d6+4/18-20), or Tentacle +17 melee (1d4+2) Full Attack: +2 Rapier +18/+13 melee (1d6+4/18-20) and 2 Tentacles +13 melee (1d4+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Spell-like Abilities, Sneak Attack +4d6, True Strike Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., Change Shape, DR 5/Magic, Evasion, Poison Immunity, Resistances (Acid 10, Electricity 10), SR 21, Trapfinding, Trap Sense +1 Saves: Fort +10, Ref +13, Will +9 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 20, Con 19, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18 Skills: Balance +15, Bluff +16, Climb +10 (+12 climbing ropes), Diplomacy +16, Disguise +7 (+9 in character), Escape Artist +5 (+7 escape rope bonds), Intimidate +18, Jump +12, Knowledge (Geography) +12, Listen +6, Profession (Sailor) +13, Sense Motive +5, Spot +6, Survival +8 (+10 avoid getting lost), Swim +12, Tumble +15, Use Rope +9 Feats: Alertness, Force of Personality [Cad], Improved Feint (B), Improved Initiative (B), Improved Toughness [MM3], Iron Will, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Rapier) (B). Environment: Any aquatic Organization: Unique Challenge Rating: 14 Treasure: +2 Rapier, +3 Leather, Cloak of Charisma +2, Gloves of Dexterity +2, Ring of Protection +2, 11,520 gp worth of jewelry. Alignment: Chaotic Evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +4 The man before you appears to be a middle-aged human of handsome demeanor, and he is dressed in clothing and armor appropriate for a life on the seas. However, you have a strange feeling that there is something fundamentally wrong with this man. Combat Skilled warrior as he may be, Captain Barnabas prefers to stand back and let the crew do the dirty work. If the opposition seems successfull, however, he personally joins the fray in order to switch the tide in his favor. He tries to get as many sneak attacks as possible using ambushes, feints and spell-like abilities such as Blink and Greater Invisibility. When he knows his enemies are well prepared, he calls upon as many aberrant minions he deems necessary, but usually only has a couple of them readied on beforehand. Spell-like Abilities: 3/day – Blink, Blur. 1/day – Greater Invisibility, Touch of Idiocy, Stinking Cloud (DC 17), Telekinesis (DC 19). Caster level 11th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. Change Shape (Su): As a standard action, Captain Barnabas can take the form of a grotesque, tentacled mass. In this form he gains the following benefits: 2 additional tentacle attacks when making a full attack. Amorphous form, and therefore cannot be flanked and is not subject to extra damage from critical hits. Creatures native to the Material Plane take a -1 morale penalty on attack rolls against him.True Strike (Su): Once per day, Captain Barnabas can gain a +20 insight bonus on a single attack roll. He suffers no miss chance against a target that has concealment or total concealment when making this attack. Corsair's Feint (Ex): Captain Barnabas can make a feint as a free action rather than as a move action. But once he´s surprised his enemies with such a feint, it takes time before he´s able to fool them again. He must wait 2d4 rounds before using corsair's feint again. Waiting requires no specific actions on his part; he can fight normally during this time. Sailor's Step (Ex): While aboard a ship and wearing nothing more than light armor Captain Barnabas gains a +2 dodge bonus to his Armor Class (included in the stats above; he rarely, if ever, leaves The Abomination). If he is caught flat-footed or otherwise denied his Dexterity bonus, he also loses this bonus. Scourge of the Seas (Ex): When Captain Barnabas uses Intimidate to demoralize foes, the attempt affects all enemies within 30 feet who can see and hear him, and the effect lasts for 4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting ability, and multiple uses of this ability don't stack.
Southernskies 06-12-07, 09:32 AM	If you can find any (they're occasionally available through their mail order) have a look at the miniatures for "Man'O'War" by Games Workshop. The game itself is 20 years old, and if you can get a copy, is easily adapted for both large and small scale ship combat (where you fight the boarding actions using D&D rules).
Degausser 06-12-07, 02:37 PM	I did some thinking, and came up with this idea for the item. The Obsidion Dagger: Forged by a power-mad cult over 150 years ago, this dagger was designed to give the weilder so much power as so they would become a god. Channeled with the souls of over 30 archmages, it was designed to catapult one person into the ranks of the all-powerful. The Obsidion Dagger, at first glance, looks like a crudely carved knife blade (made out of, guess what, obsidion) and radiates no magic whatsoever (the blade has surpassed magic, and is now in the realm of wholy divine energies.) It has a hilt made out of wood, wrapped with twine. The blade must be attuned to it's master, requiring a knowledge (Arcana) check DC30 (or instructions), 5,000 GP worth of materials, and over a week's worth of meditation. After this, the Dagger attunes itself to the creator's designs, along with becomming a +5 Dagger of Soul-drinking. Instead of the normal benifits of soul-drinking, the dagger actually puts the energies to use, attempting to empower the individual. Every soul increases the abilities of the user, and after 1,000 souls, the dagger will fully catapult the individual into demigodhood. If someone else finds the dagger, and re-attunes it, then the previous owner will start loosing power as the new owner gets it. After the ritual and a few souls, the previous owner will become a full-fledged mortal again.
Zousha_Omenohu 06-13-07, 12:54 AM	Not to quibble, but it's obsidian. Cool item! I can see why the volcano goddess wouldn't want it falling into the hands of another.