Sup all,
I am brand spanking new to the D&D community, as I recently stumbled across some Chris Perkins games while looking up stuff for the old Baldurs Gate PC game (I've always loved the difficulty of D&D based games since I was like 6 and played the D&D game on Sega, "something of the sun or something". Anyways, I got insanely addicted to acquisitions incorporated and have watched every single Chris Perkins game on YouTube until I ran out, then I says to meself, "I really want to play that game!" So I pried a bit into my coworkers and friends and managed to get a group of about 7 people who want to play (after much nerd talking about the videos I watched 
). Anyways to the point, I have them on the hook, I am a first timer myself, and I have been digging and digging and ordered all the books and starter set and everything to get a game going and I even thought of this scenario, (we are all sailors in the U.S. Navy): everyone is working onboard a ship and they get attacked by pirates, after a lengthy fight against uneven odds, just as soon as the last party member is about to die a giant sea monster plows through both ships and seemingly kills everyone onboard. All the members wake up on a desert island in a daze, to find they are stranded without any hope of rescue (kicker one party member is not present). They search the island and find a few random weak encounters, and eventually stumble across the remaining pirates with their lost member in a cage.
i am brand new so I know nothing of the rules or anything so please help me fill in any gaps and major things a DM should consider! All my 5th edition books should be in tomorrow so I can start reading.
thanks so much
-Evo
Evosnipe wrote:
The NPC in a cage is a way better idea! I'm still trying to think of how to plot out the random battles and story to get them to the other side of the island where the stranded pirates are. What would be some good level one trash mobs to get people excited and warmed up for the big pirate boss battle?? We are all first timers except for one second timer I think. Maybe if I add some plot like they initially took over the ship with overwhelming force and we were onboard their ship in the hold for perhaps a few days, the lovable and hardy Captain of your ship giving words of encouragement and planning of escape. Soon your party overhears the crew members talk about "the price this slave lot will catch pales to the treasure the isle of ***** holds, at least that's what Cap'n ****** says". (This briefly introduces the players to the final encounters main "boss"). Shortly after, the monster destroys it, then they wake up stranded on a desert island and they party up to find the surviving crew, whereupon they encounter local inhabitant monsters? X, after thinking about it a little, I think the island should be quite rocky with caves and a short beach that seems impassable should they want to follow the beach down, this should lead them to either climb the rocky outcropping or enter the seaside caves that are present. I think if they enter the caves or climb the rocks I can spin the story to make it to where they happen upon the caged captain (who will tragically die unless they are awesome) and the remaining pirates and Cap'n X who are busy excavating what seems to be large holes looking for treasure. Then the party will be able to choose from there, (I'm not sure on the gunpowder laws of D&D) there will be a cannon about and perhaps to add a magical sense I could add a type of overseer who is a Magelike woman or man Elf who is seen arguing with the CAPN X about what is taking so long and how once he/she gets the magical artifact they want the CAPN can have the rest of treasure.
Evosnipe wrote:
I think I might be able to swing it, I really like the poisonous snakes in the fruit tree idea because I think I will add in a narrative when they wake up on how they are exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. Present some fruit trees to them and it would be a great introduction to a reflex action or maybe perception check or something. Also what kind of minor obstacles would you recommend to make some kind of "check"? I really want everyone to be really interactive with everything but not be too overbearing myself, since we are all new to the game
Evosnipe wrote:
Send in the Pygmies (Goblins)! Crazy sea birds, maybe? Blood Hawks are pretty gnarly. They could try to swim out to some reckage to salvage what they can find.
Another thing you might want to check out is the D&D official site. They have an article with some cool water adventure options like a Storm Sorcerer and Swashbuckler Rogue sub-class.
If you are all brand new players then you could run your ship battle at the start as a sort of tutorial, so that the players can get the basics down. But I would be really open about it and tell them upfront that it's a tutorial fight and the ship is going to get wrecked.
I would probably actually say, "Once everyone has the hang of it, the sea monster will show up and we can get started with the island adventure. Okay?"
I did something very similar in my home game, also with all new players. The only difference was that they were onboard an airship and the pirates were hobgoblins.
The 'fight' only lasted a few rounds, just long enough for the players to wrap their heads around 'D20 plus modifer versus target number' and get used to where things were on their character sheets.
I think as long as you're not teasing them with having a ship and then yanking it out from under them, it's all good.
Practice run for Skill checks:
"In the distance, a fellow appears who looks like one of the pirates who attacked you. He sees you, is startled, drops whatever he was carrying and runs back into the jungle."
- If the PCs chase, he can Stealth to hide and they can try to Perception where he went: an opposed skill check.
- Somebody can use Survival to follow his tracks - an unopposed check, where the higher the number the better the narrated result.
- If the PCs check out what he dropped, you can ask for an INT check to find anyting interesting; if they all roll low, it's just some palm fronds (for a hut); if they roll high, make up something interesting like a sword or fruit / nuts or a Classic Treasure Map.
- If somebody rolls a '20' to follow tracks, they notice a good place to set up an ambush later. OTOH, if they roll a '1' they walk into an ambush.
Also give them a chance to do some role-playing: A mermaid swims up to the beach where they are fishing. She offers to herd some fish their way if they tell her a good story first. What do they say?