Behind the Scenes at Swashbuckling in Freeport

If you're playing in this game you don't belong here. You know who you are. Go play somewhere else.

Okay, this is going to be a behind the scenes look at Swashbuckling in Freeport. We'll have stats for the cast, secrets about the game that the player's don't know yet (or won't ever get to know), some notes about where I got the material I used, and a place for me to ask for help and advice. So, let's get on with it.

Morrow

Bronson

Bronson, male human cleric of Aster 3: Medium humanoid; HD 3d8+9; hp 24; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 8, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +2; Grp +2; Atk +3 melee (1d6 masterwork shortspear); SA rebuke undead, spontaneous casting inflict spells; SQ spells, Undeath and Travel domains; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref -1, Will +6; Str 10, Dex 6, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 17.
Skills (ranks only): Concentration 2, Diplomacy 3, Heal 2, Knowledge (religion) 3, Profession (sailor) 1, Spellcraft 6, Survival 1.
Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, Extra Turning, Improved Initiative, Improved Turning.
Languages: Common
Possessions: wand of animate dead (3 charges), pearl of power (1st level), masterwork shortspear, masterwork chain shirt, large wooden shield, jade pendant, other miscellaneous equipment.

As you can tell, Bronson is somewhat at a disadvantage in a swashbuckling campaign. Luckily for him, thus far in the game there hasn't been an unavoidable need for jumping, climbing, and tumbling. On the other hand, there has been plenty of chance to do what he does best- rebuking undead.

Expect a background for Bronson in the story hour as soon as it is ready.

Dead Man's Quest: Sessions 1 - 3

The first three sessions of the campaign, which get the party to Freeport are taken directly from two sources- Maiden Voyage, by Chad Brouillard, published by Atlas Games and the first half of "Dead Man's Quest" by Graeme Davis, published in issue 107 of Dungeon.

I dropped quite a bit from the two sources, including the whole second half of "Dead Man's Quest" and the elements related to the murderer Vincenz and the god Krakas from Maiden Voyage.

I really didn't play fair with the party in this one. As you'll see as soon as we get the session 3 recap posted, they succeeded in surviving their encounter with the Sea Maiden and made it to Freeport, but they don't really know what the Eye of the Sea Dragon is or why it is cursed. Part of that is because they missed a few clues, but mostly it is because I fed them some red herrings and didn't give them enough information.

This is where we deviate considerably from the source material. The Eyes of the Sea Dragon are objects sacred to Yarash, of Black Sails Over Freeport fame. They are necessary for summoning Yarash's son, the Sea Dragon (who replaces the Kraken in Black Sails). After Yarash's imprisonment the Eyes were safeguarded in the Temple of Harrimast in Freeport. However, one of them was subsequently stolen.

However, once the Eyes were seperated an effect that the clerics of Harrimast weren't aware of kicked in. On land the Eyes are pretty safe. On the ocean the curse that Yarash placed on them becomes active. So, when the Eye was recovered on the mainland 50 or so years ago and sent back to Freeport for safekeeping in the hands of Captain Orlando of the Sea Maiden, he was pretty much screwed. The last vessel to carry the Eye, now a ghost ship, hunted him down. They passed along the curse, turning Orlando and his crew into sea scourges (think zombies without the slow-moving-and-stupid problem) and turning the Sea Maiden into the new ghost ship. The Eye then moved on using whatever means malevolent artifacts use.

Fifty years later the Eye was retrieved again and the clerics of Harrimast, none the wiser, gave it to Captain Fletcher of the Stingray to carry to Freeport. The Stingray was promptly hunted down by the Sea Maiden. It all would have worked too, except that the entire crew was killed by Sahuagin before the Sea Maiden could reach them. And that's our first red herring; the Eye didn't get a chance to kill the crew of the Stingray.

That would have been that except that Captain Fletcher, haunted by the failure of his mission and maybe, just maybe, helped by the Eye came back as a ghost. He went looking for help and found the Albers. Fletcher convinced Captain Fenn (and our heroes) to recover the Eye and return it to Freeport. Our heroes journeyed to the island lair of the Sahuagin and retrieved the Eye. The curse promptly kicked in. The Sea Maiden showed up and Orlando killed Fenn, turning him into a sea scourge. Fenn lead the Sea Maiden on an attack on the Albers, intending to turn it into the new ghost ship with his old crew as it's undead sailors. And it all would have worked too, except for those lousy heroes.

The second red herring was that Fenn's glass eye, missing since his death, showed up in First Mate Huxley's sea chest. No curse there. Fenn's lover Selene, crazy with grief and sure that Huxley had killed Fenn, planted it. Unfortunately our heroes talked to Selene once after Fenn's body was discovered and promptly forgot her paranoid ramblings about Huxley.

Anyway, the Eyes are back together in the vault under the temple of Harrimast in Freeport. There they will stay until the Cult of Yarrash comes looking for them in Black Sails to use them to summon the Sea Dragon. I wonder if the curse will effect them?

Open call for intelligent undead characters

Bronson, the undead lovin' cleric whose stats appear above is searching the pirate city of Freeport for undead to convert to the worship of his god. I've already provided some leads pointing him toward some ghouls, ghosts, and maybe a vampire. However, I haven't detailed any of the undead he might meet yet. Please post your ideas. Bonus points for undead who won't try to eat him as soon as they see him. Thanks.

Kenku Gang

While I like Finn's syndicate, the criminal organization that operates out of the Eastern District in Freeport, I was never really inspired by the other minor criminal gangs mentioned in the Freeport: City of Adventure hardback. As a replacement, and in order to emphasize the variety of weird folks that come through Freeport, I'm thinking of introducing a gang of kenku rogues operating out of an abandoned building in Drac's End. They steer well clear of the Eastern District and Finn's operations and are minor players in the city's underworld. They might provide either a source of information or a reoccurring nuisance for the party. Any ideas for fleshing them out?

Lastest Session

In the latest session they party took part in Swagfest, Freeport's annual festival commemorating the Great Raid. I used Holiday in the Sun the short adventure by Chris Pramas found in the Focus on Freeport section of the Green Ronin website. It was a bit of a surprise to me that when the assassin jumped off the dock into the water none of the characters (two of which have several ranks in the swim skill) chose to go after her. I was fully prepared for them to pursue and capture or kill her. It just goes to show that sometime players can be extremely persistant and other times... not so much.

Later the party chose to investigate a rumor about a haunted pier. Bronson the cleric hoped to find some undead, instead they encountered a Dead Man's Brain from Creatures of Freeport. Those things are a good deal tougher than their CR 2 would lead you to believe. It's that DC 15 will save every round. The party bard, with a wisdom of 7 and a will save of +1 failed something like a dozen will saves throughout the encounter. I used their search for someone to cure him to set up Death in Freeport (also by Chris Pramas) for next session.

Morrow

Here's an NPC for your fun and enjoyment. Cole is an ex-monk and soon to be drunken master who the party watched demonstrate his skills during a competition at Swagfest. He soundly defeated his opponent and then stumbled off in search of more wine. The party hasn't even spoken to him yet, but he'll turn up again soon.

Cole, male human ex-Monk 6: Medium humanoid; HD 6d8+6; hp 40; Init +4; Spd 50 ft.; AC 19, touch 18, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +4; Grp +6; Atk +6 melee (1d8+2 unarmed strike); SA flury of blows (-1), ki strike (magic); SQ evasion, still mind, slow fall 30 ft., purity of body; AL CG; SV Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +8; Str 14, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 11.
Skills (ranks only): Balance 5, Climb 6, Concentration 2, Escape Artist 5, Hide 4, Jump 7, Lisen 4, Move Silently 4, Sense Motive 2, Spot 4, Swim 2, Tumble 9.
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Great Throw, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Stunning Fist.
Languages: Common and Gnome
Possessions: +1 bracers of armor, jug of wine.

Cole is a swarthy middle-aged human who looks remarkably like the drunken master miniature from the Dragoneye set of D&D miniatures. His robes are always covered with food and wine stains.

He doesn't talk about the experience that lead him to reject his training (and incidentally shift from a Lawful alignment to a Chaotic one). Over the last few years he has become a regular at several taverns throughout Freeport. He is most often found at rough establishments in Scurvytown and the Docks. Some wonder how, with no apparent means of support, he can afford to live his profligate lifestyle. Only the most foolish would try to rob him, however, as he stumbles home in the early hours of the morning.

Several of Cole’s former students live in Freeport. At least one has followed him in rejecting the rigidity of their training, while others can only pity their fallen former master.

Nate Black, male half-elf Bard 3: Medium humanoid; HD 3d6+3; hp 16; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +2; Grp +2; Atk +3 melee (1d6+1 19-20/x2 +1rapier); SA ; SQ half-elf traits, bardic lore, spells, countersong, fascinate, inspire courgage +1, inspire competence; AL CN; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +1; Str 11, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 7, Cha 17.
Skills (ranks only): Balance 1, Bluff 3, Climb 3, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 1, Jump 2, Knowledge (nature) 2, Perform (singing) 6, Perform (stringed instruments) 6, Profession (sailor) 4, Slight of Hand 1, Spellcraft 1, Swim 4, Tumble 1, Use Magical Device 6.
Feats: Dodge, Martial Weapon Proficiency- Cutlass.
Languages: Common, Elven, Orcish.
Spells Known: 0- Detect Magic, Know Direction, Lullaby, Message, Read Magic. 1- Cure Light Wounds, Sleep, Tasha's Hideous Laughter.
Possessions: +1 rapier, fiddle, leather armor, light crossbow, 30 bolts, 3 daggers, shark tooth necklace, other miscellaneous equipment.

Nate is well on his way to picking up the Freeport Pirate prestige class. As you can see he's got a wide range of bardic and swashbuckling skills. You can find his background here. He knows a couple more spells that I don't seem to have in my notes. I'll double-check his spell list and update the stat block later.

Sully, female human Fighter 3: Medium humanoid; HD 3d10; hp 27; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +3; Grp +6; Atk +6 melee (2d4+3 19-20/x2 falchion); SA ; SQ bonus feats; AL CN; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 13.
Skills (ranks only): Climb 4, Intimidate 1, Jump 4, Knowledge (nature) 2, Profession (sailor) 1, Swim 3, Tumble 2, Use Rope 1.
Feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Power Attack.
Languages: Common and Halfling.
Possessions: mithril chain shirt, falchion, braclet, other miscellaneous equipment.

Sully is also aiming for the Freeport Pirate prestige class.

The Competition

In the last session our heroes visited the Dented Helm, a tavern near the Docks, and met three members of a rival adventuring band. The group had been well known recently for wiping out a tribe of kobolds living at the northern end of A'Val. They were accompanied by Erky Timbers, a gnome they had rescued from the kobolds, and Meepo, the only surviving kobold who was now their much abused prisoner. Erky's enthusiastic retelling of his rescue and the subsequent slaying of the druid Belak and the entire tribe of kobolds in every inn, tavern, and public house in Freeport is primarily responsible for their recent high profile.

This as yet unnamed band was inspired by the Stormblades from the Shackled City Adventure Path in Dungeon and serve a similar purpose as potential allies or adversaries.

Elina Mere, female human Bard 2: Medium humanoid; HD 2d6; hp 9; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +1; Grp +1; Atk +1 melee (1d6/19-20, rapier); SA ; SQ bardic music, bardic knowledge, countersong, fascinate, inspire courage +1; AL CG; SV Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +3; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 17.
Skills: (ranks only) Balance 2, Bluff 5, Climb 2, Concentration 2, Jump 2, Knowledge (history) 5, Listen 2, Move Silently 2, Perform (sing) 5, Perform (stringed instruments) 4, Profession (sailor) 2, Slight of Hand 3, Spot 2, Tumble 2, Use Magical Device 5
Feats: Combat Expertise, Obscure Lore
Languages: Aquan, Common, Elven
Bard Spells Known: 0-daze, detect magic, mage hand, message, prestidigitation. 1-cure light wounds, charm person.
Possessions: wand of entangle (10 charges), masterwork rapier, masterwork whip, masterwork studded leather, lute.

Elina is a beautiful black woman with elaborately braided hair. Her level-headedness and charisma make her the leader of the party. She has a particular gift for operating at all levels of society.

Tessa Corwyn, female human Swashbuckler 2: Medium humanoid; HD 2d10+2; hp 17; Init +3; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +2; Grp +3; Atk +6 melee (1d6+1/19-20, rapier); SA ; SQ grace +1; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +4, Will -1; Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 13.
Skills: (ranks only) Balance 5, Bluff 5, Climb 4, Escape Artist 3, Jump 5, Perform (dance) 2, Profession (sailor) 2, Swim 2, Tumble 5.
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Finesse.
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Giant
Possessions: potion of cure light wounds, masterwork rapier, masterwork chain shirt

Tessa is a tall, muscular blonde woman. She is quite hot headed and is never happier than when she is in battle. Consequently her arms and body are covered with scars. If not for Elina's calming influence and diplomatic approach Tessa would spend every evening on the Field of Honor dueling one opponent or another over some perceived slight. She is irritated that the party was speaking to 'her kobold' and if she meets them again is sure to try to pick a fight.

As it turns out, the party's fopish elf sorcerer, Morgan Erendyl, may not last long enough to need a stat block.