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[5e] Spell & Crossbones
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6420784" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p><a href="http://asnailpace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sea-monster-vs-boats2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://asnailpace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sea-monster-vs-boats2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p><p></p><p>[h2]Encounter Tables[/h2]</p><p>[SBLOCK=Port Encounter Tables]</p><p>[h2]Port Encounter Table (d20)[/h2]</p><p>When determining a port encounter, roll d20 on this table and d8 on the NPC table. For "port-specific encounters", a <strong>pirate port</strong> welcomes pirates or is otherwise lawless, a <strong>neutral port </strong>is one where the PCs don't have a Letter of Marque and haven't attacked, and a <strong>hostile port </strong>is one where the PCs have attacked vessels of the nation controlling the port.</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Port Beastie (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Port Beastie (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Brawl; belligerents at tavern get into fight with PCs, (d6) 1-Sailors and Ship Officer, 2-Buccaneers or Pirates, 3-Royal Marines, 4-Spy (MM) using PCs as distraction, 5-Veterans (MM) who fought on different side of war, 6-drunken Mage (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Challenger; one of the PCs is challenged to a (d6) 1-traditional fencing duel (see Skull & Bones pg. 74), 2-anything goes pirate-style duel, 3-bout of fisticuffs, 4-match of "insult _____" (e.g. arm wrestling, sword fighting, expectorating), 5-drinking contest, 6-contest of something truly ridiculous or outlandish (e.g. crocodile wrestling).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Contact or Ally; PCs encounter one of their contacts/allies (d6) 1-doing their job, 2-enjoying time with family, loved ones, or the bottle, 3-engaging in an embarrassing hobby, 4-in an argument with another NPC, 5-puzzling over a dilemma, 6-in danger!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Contest; port governor or other noble is hosting a contest, (d6) 1-bounty on a specific pirate, 2-present most fabulous treasure in one month, 3-sailing or horseback race around island, 4-kill the most of a particular aquatic animal or beastie, 5-help noble win someone's affections, 6-devise a contraption according to noble's wild specifications.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Corpse; PCs find a dead body, (d6) 1-unidentifiable sea monster, 2-corpse whose circumstance of death implicates one of the PCs, 3-prominent murder victim, 4-pirate with clue tattooed on body, 5-one of the PC's contacts, 6-dramatically killed with carved or pinned message on chest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Criminal Intent; the PCs are targeted by (d6) 1-Gang of Thugs (MM) who intend to mug them, 2-Bandits (MM) who try to pickpocket or steal from them, possibly with a trained Baboon (MM), 3-Spy (MM) fleeing who tries to plant something on them, 4-NPC who tries to con them, 5-NPC working with authorities who plans to entrap them, 6-NPC who intends to blackmail them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Enemy; PCs encounter one of their enemies (d6) 1-doing their job, 2-enjoying time with family, loved ones, or the bottle, 3-engaging in an embarrassing hobby, 4-in an argument with another NPC, 5-after the PCs, 6-in danger!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Fire; a building or ship catches fire, threatening the PC's ship, lodging, or their allies (see "Fire Fighting" Skull & Bones pg. 119).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Found Item; PCs find a valuable item, map, letter, etc. Make it up or roll on one of the Trinkets tables. Who is looking for it?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Harrassment from Authorities; Guards (MM) or the equivalent throw their weight around and harass PCs, (d4) 1-extortion, 2-making fun of one or more PCs, 3-giving grief to one of their Contacts, 4-writing PCs up for a minor offense or otherwise being unhelpful.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hiring; either a captain is hiring, or new crew seek out the PCs to be hired aboard.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Gathering; (d6) 1-busy market with shipment of exotic goods just arrived, 2-angry mob (protesting against ruler, chasing someone out of town, or committing hate crimes), 3-procession of monks, 4-wedding, 5-funeral, 6-firefly catching, grunion run, clam bake, etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Mistaken Identity; one or more of the PCs is mistaken for someone else. Roll on NPC Table to determine who they've been mistaken as, and add some personal element to it, such as the mistaken identity is in debt or a scorned lover.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Prisoner; (d6) 1-escaped prisoner who they can help or turn in, 2-a dog carrying prison keys in its mouth, 3-chain gang being led to dungeon or execution, 4-message from a prisoner who tries to recruit PCs via blackmail, 5-an ally or contact is taken prisoner, 6-person with information PCs need is in prison.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Prominent Personage; PCs encounter an important/historical political, religious, military, or mercantile NPC.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Slice of Life; (d6) 1-lost child caterwauling, 2-children playing at "pirates and commodores", 3-herd animals blocking the street amidst much yelling, 4-singing pirates who just don't stop, 5-chatty and flirtatious women, 6-crazy old coot with wild fish tales.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Spectacle; (d8) 1-shantyman, 2-puppet show, 3-carnival, 4-hanging, 5-monster menagerie, 6-miracle worker or preacher, 7-snake oil salesman, 8-two NPCs engaged in a brawl or duel.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Port-specific encounter (d6).</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]NPC Table (d8)[/h3]</p><p>Refer to<em> Buccaneers & Bokor issue 5</em> for NPC Contact tables for each of the following categories.</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Colonist (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Upper Class (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Indentured Servant (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Tribal (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sailor (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Underworld (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Pirate (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Slave (d20).</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Pirate Port Encounters (d6)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Murder; PCs witness a murder in progress, (d6) 1-prostitute/client, 2-murderer is clearly trying to implicate one of the PCs, 3-prominent personage/mysterious assassin, 4-pirate/pirate, 5-one of the PC's contacts attacked by agent of one of their enemies, 6-Port Beastie/innocent (or are they?).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hijack; Buccaneers led by Bandit Captain (MM) attempt to take the PCs' ship.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Seller's Market; all sale prices are 20% higher than normal, rare trade goods can be found, and more regulation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Buyer's Market; all sale prices are 20% lower than normal, bulk discounts can be found, and more smuggling.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Parley; PCs summoned to meeting with Captain and Officers of another pirate ship to discuss offers of partnership, resolution of disputes, etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Attack! The pirate port is raided by naval Warships of the colonial power that claims the port.</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Neutral Port Encounters (d6)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Press Gang; large group of Sailors and Royal Marines attempt to force PCs into service of the crown.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Marque Offer; PCs summoned to meeting with island's Governor to discuss terms of being granted a Letter of Marque.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Seller's Market; all sale prices are 20% higher than normal, rare trade goods can be found, and more regulation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Buyer's Market; all sale prices are 20% lower than normal, bulk discounts can be found, and more smuggling.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Recognized; an NPC recognizes PCs, what do they do? (d6) 1-seeks revenge on one of PCs who killed their loved one, 2-reports PCs to authorities, 3-spies on PCs, 4-blackmails PCs, 5-tries to seduce a PC or win their favor, 6-offers to hire PCs.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Attack! The port is attacked by the opposing side during Queen Anne's War; the English and Dutch are aligned against the French and Spanish.</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Hostile Port Encounters (d6)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Recognized; an NPC recognizes PCs, what do they do? (d6) 1-seeks revenge on one of PCs who killed their loved one, 2-reports PCs to authorities, 3-spies on PCs, 4-blackmails PCs, 5-tries to seduce a PC or win their favor, 6-offers to hire PCs.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Arrest; a large number of Guards (MM) led by Constable attempt to arrest the PCs, so they can be convicted and hung.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Execution; a scheduled execution involves one of the PCs, a contact, or an ally.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Secret Meeting; PCs summoned to a secret meeting with Constable, Commodore, or Naval Commander to discuss a discrete offer of employment for shady business.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Navy; naval Warships of the port's colonial power arrive, trapping the PCs in port until they find a sneaky way out.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Attack! The port is attacked by the opposing side during Queen Anne's War; the English and Dutch are aligned against the French and Spanish.</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Port Beasties (d20)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Apparitions; called duppies (Jamaica) or jumbies (Monseratt), (d4) 1-Banshee (MM), 2-Ghost (MM), 3-Specter (MM), 4-Wraith (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Constructs; (d4) 1-Animated Objects (MM) re-skinned with nautical theme, possibly with a Shantyman or gnomish inventor responsible for the strangeness, 2-Flesh Golem (MM) on the loose from a mad Bokor, 3-Gargoyle (MM) on church animate to go on a killing spree due to the light of an eclipse, a curse come to fruition, or awakened by a wicked cleric to retrieve something stolen, 4-Scarecrow (MM) as voodoo effigies given sinister life.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Critters; (d4) 1-Giant Rats (MM) fouling provisions, eating pets, and spreading disease, 2-Mastiff (MM) pack on the trail of a wounded beastie, 3-Sinister Seagull on the lookout for ships to vex, 4-Succarath (Su-Monkey) playing a dangerous game of charades with dock workers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Creepy Beasties; (d6) 1-Douen, souls of unbaptised dead children or fey who appear naked with backwards facing feet and a straw hat that always covers their eyes, they play pranks and lure children away from home, 2-Duergar (MM) as cursed or foreign dwarves in league with powers of Hell or the Abyss, 3-Flumph (MM) as floating jellyfish that appear at night to warn of danger posed by aberrations, however their eerie psychic insights (or the promise of capturing a live flumph) may turn folk against them, 4-Marraenoloth come to ferry a soul whose time is past due to the Shores of Death, but willing to "negotiate" with the living for the doomed soul, 5-Nothic (MM), cloaked fortune-tellers twisted by pacts made with Abyss, they often foretell hangings or drownings, and cannot resist being hidden in the crowd during a public execution, macabre voyeurs that they are, 6-Will-o-Wisp (MM) floating at outskirts at night whispering of lost hopes and ancient despair.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Devils (MM); (d6) 1-Barbed Devil covered in fish hooks colloquially called "gunpowder devils" because they act as gun smugglers to the desperate, often accompanied by Spined Devils, 2-Bearded Devil disguised as old salt in heavy coat luring sailors to commit violence at any slight and mutiny against weak captains, 3-Bone Devil as incarnation of pirate skull & bones, whispers into captain's ear at night, turning him or her into an increasingly cruel taskmaster, 4-Chain Devil disguised as slave luring slave-owners to commit atrocities and slaves to seek bloody revenge, 5-Erinyes who can polymorph into a ship's figurehead luring captains and officers to conquer the weak, 6-Imp acting as wizard's ingratiating familiar luring seekers of forbidden lore with hints of secret treasure...at a price.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Djab (dark spirits); (d8) 1-Azagon La Croix, 2-Carisona, 3-Lel-Za-Bol, 4-Rataron the Bold, 5-Six Thousand Men, 6-Shimerack the Chitterer, 7-Signifying Monkey, 8-Zape Totec.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Doppelgänger (MM); assumes the role of a prominent personage who has been (d6) 1-killed, 2-held for ransom, 3-press-ganged, 3-turned over to enemy faction, 5-hired doppelgänger to replace them, 6-died of natural causes a while ago and doppelgänger honors their driend's memory.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Goblinoids (MM); (d4) 1-Goblins raiding port for supplies, with penchant for rum, 2-3-Hobgoblin slavers who indiscriminately abduct freemen, known for wearing shrunken heads of their foes, 4-Bugbear mercenary press-gang for the Crown, terrifying tales told of "dragging daddy away in the dead of the night."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hag (MM); (d4) 1-green hag disguised at tavern or trading house hinting at hopeless ventures and reveling in despairing sailors, or perhaps luring a loves truck noblewoman to her doom, 2-3-night hag known as La Diablesse corrupting mortals or leading evil witches, though her disguise always has a single flaw - a cloven hoof or backward facing feet - that reveals her true nature, 4-sea hag disguised as hideous crone whispered to be a witch.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Kenku (MM); called "keeteels", have a varied colorful appearance much like tropical birds, (d6) 1-bright green parrot-esque bookies for gambling ring which may involve Cockatrice (MM) fighting, 2-sleek dark metallic purple smugglers of firearms, drugs, and arcane contraband with lair in shipwreck turned roost for Swarm of Ravens (MM), 3-white with colorful crests entertainers running a scam on the crowd, 4-brown conduct ritualized punishment wherein one of their fellows is forced to wear heavy wooden wings as others jeer at him, 5-rare black-feathered "crows" often tied to the crow's nest by superstitious pirates to grant them luck spotting treasure ships, 6-red and grey with flamboyant crests part of a demon cult led by a Vrock (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Lycanthropes; (d6) 1-Jackalwere (MM) disguised as beggar or down-on-his-luck sailor, seeking to lure victims to Lamia (MM) master, 2-Seawolves disguised as whalers prey on innocents, press-gang sailors, and sabotage ships, 3-Wereboar (MM) as vengeful spirit hunting down buccaneers feasting on roasted pig, 4-Wererats (MM) disguised as smugglers operate from sewers and abandoned ships, 5-Weretiger (MM) disguised as hunter/trapper visiting port, 6-Werewolf (MM) as loup garou who gained their lycanthropy thru a deal with the Devil and are required to spill so much blood each night.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ogre (MM); (d4) 1-ogre gang led by Half-Ogre (MM) trying to make them a better class of criminal, 2-brought to port as part of civilizing effort by enlightened man, 3-working as longshoreman and fighting in ring at night to make ends meet, 4-Oni (MM) disguised as traveler or colonist seeking passage, planning to slaughter crew one by one.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Revenant (MM); (d4) 1-pirate driven by Voodoo spell to kill Commodore who sentenced him to hang, 2-mysterious revenant hunting down one of the PCs' contacts or allies, 3-dwarven revenant who died drinking Rumfaustian has it in for the bartender who served him, 4-lady revenant seeking pirate who press-ganged her husband and led him to death and her to suicide.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Shadows; (d4) 1-Shadow Demon (MM) hunting down those who slew its original form and prevented it from returning to the Abyss, 2-Shadow (MM) summoned by vengeful Bokor to kill a particular individual, 3-Sailors or Pirates with the Shadow Dragon template (MM) (minus bite and shadow breath) as men who ventured too close to the Shores of Death and are sworn to deliver souls to a Marraenoloth, 4-Naval Captain with Shadow Dragon template (MM) (minus bite and shadow breath) who doesn't realize he has been cursed by Aztec or Mayan treasure he recovered.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Squicky Beasties; (d4) 1-Carrion Crawler (MM) feasting on detritus from ships being careened and bilges emptied, 2-Otyugh (MM) buried in mounds of offal, heaps of composting sugar cane, or rotting carcass of a beached whale, 3-4-Rust Monster (MM) colloquially called "rust lobsters", they are parasites eating grommets from sails, nails from planks, and triggers from muskets, often the Governor's Office offers a reward for their carcasses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Succubus (MM); (d4) 1-disguised as high-class courtesan weaving web of blackmail, 2-disguised as official in Governor's Office exacerbating corruption, 3-disguised as agent of Inquisition inspiring dark desires in clergy, 4-disguised as spouse of prominent personage who is under her sway, possibly with or looking for Cambion (MM) offspring.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Vampire (MM); as Soucoyants, vampires that shed their skin like clothes when assuming mist form and are vulnerable to salt; (d4) 1-Bat Swarms, Rat Swarms, and Wolves (MM) plague the port, 2-physician can't treat woman who, unbeknown to the physician, is soon to arise as a Vampire Spawn (MM), 3-Vampire Spawn (MM) carrying out instructions of their master, 4-Vampire (MM) in disguise.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Yuan-ti Pureblood (MM); disguised as foreign merchants on a mission for their island masters, (d4) 1-assassination, 2-espionage, 3-sabotage, 4-theft or abduction.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Zombies & Skeletons; (d6) 1-Zombies (MM) under the command of a Bokor, possibly Dread Zombies instead, 2-Zombies (MM) under the command of a Zombie Lord, possibly accompanied by Crawling Claws (MM), 3-uncontrolled Zombies (MM) mysteriously emerge from ocean drawn to a specific place, object, or person, 4-Skeletons (MM) with Dry Bones template making music in graveyard or otherwise causing mischief, 5-cavalcade of Skeletons (MM) on Warhorse Skeletons (MM) raid the port and drag off victims, 6-Voodoo celebration goes awry when effigy animates as Minotaur Skeleton (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Roll on Sea Beasties Table; it may be injured and beached, captured by an NPC, or an amphibian come to port to trade or raid.</li> </ol><p>[/SBLOCK]</p><p></p><p>[SBLOCK=Sea Encounter Tables]</p><p>[h2]Sea Encounter Table (d10)[/h2]</p><p>Ships are (d4): 1-Dutch, 2-English, 3-French, 4-Spanish. 40% full cargo hold, otherwise roll d100 to determine % of cargo. What is the ship doing? 70% underway, 10% anchored, fishing, or celebrating, 10% naval combat, 10% other state of distress.</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Storm (see Skull & Bones pg. 111).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Aquatic Animals: (d12) 1-Dire Squid, 2-Dolphins as a good omen (+1 crew morale for rest of the day), 3-Giant Sea Horses (MM) (possibly re-skinned as hippocampus), 4-Giant Whale (Leviathan), 5-Killer Whales (MM) or Grey/Right Whales, 6-Octopi (MM) latched to treasure or sailor, 7-Swarm of Ravens (MM) (re-skinned as seagulls, possibly with a Sinister Seagull) or Flying Snakes (MM), 8-Sea Turtles (25% with elder that speaks), 9-Sharks (MM) (Giant Shark, Hunter Shark, or Reef Shark), 10-Swarm of Jellyfish, 11-Swarm of Quippers (MM) (barracuda), 12-Unicorn (MM) (re-skinned as wise gentle narwhal).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Tiny/Small Vessel: rowboat, ship's boat, fishing boat, or barge.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Merchantman (1d3 ships); if two or three ships 50% Corvette/Frigate escort. (d6) 1-3 Medium (Sloop/Schooner), 4-5 Large (Brigantine/Pinnace), 6 Huge (West Indiaman).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Warship; 80% solitary, 15% squadron (3 Corvettes), 5% flotilla (1d4+2 ships). (d10) 1-4 Medium (Corvette/Frigate), 5-7 Large/Huge (Fourth Rate/Third Rate), 8-9 Gargantuan (Second Rate), 10 Colossal (First Rate).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Pirate/Privateer (1d3 ships); (d6) 1-3 Medium, 4-5 Large, 6 Huge.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sea Beastie (d20).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Crew Conflict (d12).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Navigation Hazard (d10).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Special Encounter (d10).</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Sea Beasties (d20)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Kraken (MM); say your prayers!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Aboleth servitors; 1-Skum boarding party sent to retrieve captives, 2-Skum beginning to develop telepathy with other races is found gasping on deck, crew want to kill it, and a Chuul (MM) is in pursuit of the renegade, 3-all water on ship becomes supernaturally fouled, Skum and Chuul (MM) clinging to underside of hull wait for crew to weaken from dehydration before attacking, 4-waterproof scroll case floats by, within an ancient treasure map to nearby tiny rocky islands, though map doesn't mention Chuul guarding it (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Coelenite; coral/calcite hive mind creatures (from AL-QADIM Golden Voyages); (d4) 1-sailor showing off dead piece of Coelenite suddenly notices coral creatures slipping over the side of the deck to reclaim piece of itself, 2-grow over Skeletons (MM) or Zombies (MM) controlling their actions, 3-while ship rests near coral Coelenite forms around hull trying to trap it in place, bits of ship parts imbedded in coral warn of the danger, 4-crew member spots Coelenite colony and tries to talk captain into attacking for the Coelenite husks which will fetch a great price at market.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Cloaker (MM); as Ixitxachitl; (d4) 1-hide in shallows waiting for sailors to come ashore before attacking, 2-coral reef devoid of life but swimming with "manta rays" and filled with strange totems, 3-attack leaping across bow to drag crew off the ship, 4-vampiric ixitxachitl attempts to drain the life of one crew member, turning him into a Vampire Spawn (MM) who will then try to sabotage ship.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Dragon Turtle (MM); sometimes called Aspidochelone or Zaratan; (d4) 1- halfling village on shell appearing as floating island, 2-only head emerges to demand tribute, but otherwise is sociable, relating tales of pirates throughout history, 3-dragon turtle is sick and regurgitating treasure it last swallowed, 4-viciously attacks ship, potentially with Sahuagin (MM) followers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Elemental; (d4) 1-2-Caller From The Deeps, 3-Water Elemental (MM); as Ailusairad djab with ability to create whirlwind (see Skull & Bones pg. 153), 4-Air Elemental (MM) as Badessy the Wind djab with ability to create vortex (see Skull & Bones pg. 153).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hydra (MM); Lusca as shark/octopus-like amphibious hydra with tentacle grab attacks; (d4) 1-floats asleep or in torpor, with only one head barely awake eyeing ship groggily, 2-"blue hole" of opaque cobalt blue water caused by underwater sinkhole, providing perfect medium for Lusca to swim up under the ship, 3-feasts on floating fatty carcass of a whale, 4-swimming fast preparing to dive, has multiple harpoons stuck in it, one with a line a dwarven whaler hangs onto tenaciously.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Jenny Hanniver (S&B); small voracious semi-intelligent ape-like merfolk; (d4) 1-gnaw on rope ladders, sounding lines, and/or fishing nets, 2-attack a man overboard, 3-swarm around chum that fishing crew threw overboard, growing increasingly aggressive and numerous, 4-having a stare-off with one of the animals aboard.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Marid (MM); as huge non-flying Reef Giant; (d4) 1-keenly interested in making trade agreement that hedges out merfolk and sea elves, meanwhile asking of any islands or reef habitat the crew sighted, 2-mansion of reef emerges from coral where giant resides within served by Coelenite colony, 3-two suitors of the same female reef giant ask crew to devise a competition and judge them, 4-challenges any aboard to a pearl diving contest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Merfolk (MM); (d6) 1-Onijegi (S&B) who have a beautiful Carib human appearance flirting with sailors and offering seashell necklaces for kisses, if pleased by offerings they give good weather, but if not bad weather, 2-Sea Monks (S&B) who enjoy discussing Christian theology and Fish symbolism, 3-wounded and exhausted clinging to side of ship, 4-shyly watch crew from afar before one ventures closer to inquire of her missing human husband, 5-attempt to sabotage any harpoons aboard, steal fishing nets, or play tricks, 6-sing sea shanties and play "starfish catch" with crew while swimming alongside ship (increase crew quality one rank while merfolk accompany ship).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Merrow (MM); (d4) 1-territory marked by bloody water and kelp strands tied about dead sailors, 2-attach sea detritus to bottom of hull with spikes, the drag slowing the ship by several knots, time for a large group to attack, 3-small group attacks to yank crew into water and take them under, 4-hunting aquatic animals or merfolk.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Mind Flayer (MM); amphibious captains of Abyssal ships manned by Skum and/or doomed human thralls; (d4) 1-on a mission to ensure a sailor who made a deal with one of the Abyssal Lords pays up (or to recover a deserter), in either case the sailor/deserter proclaims innocence to the PCs, 2-arcanist captain with Intellect Devourer (MM) familiar feigns civility and invites PCs to negotiate truce in captain's cabin, later serves monkey brain while making a request for "half your crew as slaves" as if it were a completely reasonable request, 3-ship appears to be normal vessel and PCs invited aboard for a concert, when in reality only a few frightened crew were left alive while the rest have had brains extracted and been enthralled, the "concert" turns out to be the enthralled singing madness-inducing dirge, 4-strange braille-like markings (Quallith) found alongside hull, comprehend languages reveals they are the ship's heading...someone aboard is a mind flyer thrall! And their master isn't far behind...soon to burst forth from under the sea, all cannons blazing! Some even fire Intellect Devourers (MM) onto the deck!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Plesiosaurus (MM); as sea serpent: (d4) 1-emerges near bow of ship to watch crew curiously and appraise food, 2-in process of taking down another small or medium ship, 3-rams the ship several times in territorial aggression before swimming off, 4-attacks ship and crew mercilessly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sahuagin (MM); (d4) 1-debris of ship soon followed by ominous drone of a sahuagin hunting horn and single swimmer coming toward the ship pursued by waves of sahuagin, 2-sahuagin baron riding Giant Shark (MM) demands tribute for passing thru his demenses...and any elves aboard, 3-sahuagin fill the water, watching with predatory eyes, but won't attack unless they s ell fresh blood, 4-one of the crew has been making offering superstitious offerings of meat to the ocean, and now a sahuagin priestess and scores of hunter sharks circle the ship.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sea elves; (d2) 1-Drow (MM) (as amphibious evil sea elves) raiding party accompanied by aquatic Cave Fishers and Giant Eels waiting till night to ambush, 2-barrels of smoking oil surface around ship creating smoke cloud which Drow use to sneak aboard to poison and sabotage, 3-Triton (as good sea elf) chained to massive floating crabshell with Drow hidden nearby, 4-Triton procession accompanied by a variety of aquatic animals and Merfolk (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sea Hag (MM); (d4) 1-exacting revenge on something beautiful, 2-has unrequited love for an ugly sailor, 3-in disguise leading ship to doom and/or captain to evil, 4-three sisters emerge from ocean to prophesy doom for the ship.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Seaweed monsters; (d4) 1-Kelpie appearing as a green-clad woman, green horse, or hippocampus to lure sailors, 2-Kelpie trailing ship, telepathically filling crew's dreams with sacrificial offering to one of the sea gods, 3-Gibbering Mouther (MM) as amphibious Shoggoth crudely disguised as seaweed and faintly exposed coral, 4-Black Pudding (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Seawolf / Selkie; (d4) 1-Seawolves, lycanthropic wolf-headed seals, hunt sailors and sabotage ships; 2-Seawolves as crew of especially aggressive and cruel pirates, captained by Francois L'Olonnais, a vicious French pirate believed dead, 3-Seawolves hunt down Selkies, 4-Selkies in seal form simply curious or interested in trade.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Siren (S&B); Ciguapas of Hispaniola sometimes accompanied by charmed men or amphibious Harpy (MM) re-skinned as immature sirens; (d4) 1-calling to sailors from rocks surrounded by shallow waters, 2-flirting up close with sailors and offering songs for gifts, 3-Mama Dglo, also called maman du l'eau, a man-eating siren with spellcasting who can assume form of a woman on land, 4-undead sirens with appearance disguised by illusion unless me joins them under water.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Troll (MM) as amphibious Scrags proficient in stealth and only able to regenerate in saltwater; (d4) 1-crates and barrels float in water, each containing loathsome limbs of severed trolls, 2-trail ship until nightfall then sneak aboard and attack, 3-lone troll lured over by smells of what's cooking and persistently whines for food, 4-sent by a Sea Hag (MM), Giant (MM), or Bokor to steal something from the ship.</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Crew Conflict (d12)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Crew are shirking duties either due to fatigue, superstition, disagreement, or laziness (re-roll for a well disciplined crew).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Crew have singled out one crew member as a Jonah and pile abuse on him.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Stowaway from last port the ship was at.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Crew member revealed to have secret identity, like a spy, a woman in disguise, or a criminal with bounty on their head.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Crew member agitating against the Captain.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A crew member is missing; (d6) 1-murder, 2-desertion, 3-locked in chest as a prank, 4-lured away by pretty Sea Beastie, 5-passed out drunk in the hold, 6-vanished without a trace...maybe they were a ghost?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Precious cargo, navigation charts, or other important item missing, stolen by one or more of the crew.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Fight breaks out between crew; (d6) 1-ethnic/religious, 2-cheating at gambling, 3-how to divvy booty, 4-who messed up rigging, 5-opinions of the captain, 6-some stupid petty macho reason.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Some supplies have spoiled; d100 to determine % gone bad and % crew sick with food poisoning, unable to attend posts until taking a long rest.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Fire breaks out (20 fire damage) on the galley (see "Fire Fighting" Skull & Bones pg. 119).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sickness spreading thru the crew; (d6) 1-Dysentery, 2-Malaria, 3-Scurvy, 4-Typhus, 5-Yellow Fever, 6-Magical disease like lycanthropy or mummy rot.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Erratic behavior from one or more crew members from too much time at sea. Could be comical superstition or sinister sabotage. (see "Mental Afflictions" Buccaneers & Bokor issue 2).</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Navigation Hazard (d10)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Doldrums; whether a naturally occurring stretch of ocean untouched by winds, or a region of "dead calm" cursed by an evil sea god, no breeze stirs to catch the sails and no current flows to offer escape for 10d10 miles, sargasso mats and undead are common, the weather is hot and dry, and sailors must make a Constitution save (10 + 1/day trapped) each day to avoid becoming sun-touched (suffer a level of exhaustion, 1d6 Wisdom damage, when reduced to 0 Wisdom compelled to swim off or drink saltwater).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Lost; the ship has gone woefully off course, possibly due to magic (e.g. Bermuda Triangle), bad charts, a landmark that shifted, or strange winds/tides.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Marine Minefield; first watch to determine if mines spotted, otherwise helmsman must steer around them, striking one has 75% chance triggering explosion equivalent to 1d4 barrels of gunpowder (20 fire damage each).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Rogue Waves; gargantuan waves several stories tall (some even exceeding 100 ft!) come at the ship, threatening to capsize it, can be navigated with a DC 25 Dexterity (watercraft) check if moving at least 12 knots, a 10th+ level cleric's Divine Intervention, a pact sworn with an Abyssal Lord, or player ingenuity; otherwise the ship must "Roll the Bones", a result of 2-5 meaning it is capsized and potentially destroyed.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sargasso; gigantic thick matted clump of seaweed that slows any ship entering it into a standstill, can be walked on as difficult terrain but Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks may be required at some points to avoid falling thru, often the site of derelict slim-covered ships, rotting carcasses, and monstrous scavengers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sea of Stars; blue bioluminescent phytoplankton glimmers in the astoundingly reflective waters at night, Sway checks are required to get crew members to barely follow commands or else they simply stare amazed, looking too long at reflected images in the water requires a DC 12 Wisdom save or the character jumps overboard, in some cases the night sky might seem to descend into the sea and the entire crew have the sensation of flying and experience strange visions, sirens or Abyssal beasties may be encountered.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Shoal, Reef, Sandbar, or Tidal Marsh (see "Running Aground" Skull & Bones pg. 109).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Saint Elmo's Fire; named after the patron saint of sailors, St. Elmo's Fire manifests as blue-green flame or sphere of light at the top of the masts and dancing along the yardarms, though sailors often regard it as good luck (increasing their quality one rank for several hours thereafter), it signals great atmospheric electricity which interferes with the functioning of compasses, also if there hasn't been a storm recently St. Elmo's Fire signals an impending lightning storm.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Shores of Death; a strange fog covers 1d6 square nautical miles, reducing visibility to 300 feet, chill runs thru the bones of the crew (reducing their quality by one rank while in the fog), Will o' Wisps (MM) can be seen in the distance, voices of dead relatives whisper to crew, and numerous skiffs bearing the recently dead to their judgement crawl thru the fog piloted by Maerrenoloths.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Waterspouts; short lived (10-30 minute) convective winds creating 1d6 mini-tornadoes over the water with potential to carry unsecured creatures and gear aloft, avoided by adopting 90-degree course away from their direction of travel.</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Special Encounter (d10)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Land Ho! (Uncharted Island).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Mare Tenebrarum (see Buccaneers & Bokor issue 1) / Maelstrom; as hurricane plus waterspouts, lightning, and vortex spiraling down into the Abyss.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Shipwreck; sinking ship with 30% chance of 5d10-5 survivors and ~20% of cargo salvageable, may also include Beasties of some kind.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ghost Ship; roll under Pirates for ship size; crew are (d6) 1-zombies, 2-shadows, 3-lacedon ghouls, 4-specters, 5-wights, 6-vampire spawn; captain is (d8) 1-dread zombie (see Skull & Bones pg. 151), 2-ghast, 3-ghost, 4-revenant, 5-wraith, 6-vampire, 7-death knight, 8-lich.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Thing in the Hold; what monster lurks in the ship's hold? (d6) 1-roll on Port Beasties or Island Beasties (depending where PCs last made berth), 2-roll on Abyssal Beasties, 3-Mimic (MM), 4-crew member's nightmare made manifest as Shadow Demon (MM), 5-Stirges (MM), Giant Centipedes (MM), and Swarms of Insects (MM) hatched from dire weevils, 6-stowaway of monstrous humanoid race.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Enemy; one of the PCs' enemies has located their ship and devised a cunning strategy to deal with them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Castaway; single castaway marooned on a sandbar or floating on a piece of flotsam.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Legend of Piracy; an encounter with (d6) 1-Bengamin Hornigold of the Mary Anne, 2-Henry Jennings, 3-Edward "Blackbeard" Teach of Queen Anne's Revenge, 4-"Calico Jack" Rackham, Anne Bonny, and Mary Reade, 5-Bartholemew "Black Bart" Roberts of the Royal Rover, 6-Charles Vane of the Ranger.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Loa / Sea God(ess); an encounter with (d6) 1-Agwé, 2-Damballah, 3-Simbi, 4-Neptune/Poseidon, 5-Calypso, 6-Lord of the Abyss.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Spanish Treasure Fleet; fleet of ships carrying South American treasures back to Spain (see Skull & Bones pg. 137).</li> </ol><p>[/SBLOCK]</p><p></p><p>[SBLOCK=Island Encounter Tables]</p><p>When rolling encounters for an island, roll both 1d3 times on the Island Features table and 1d3 times on the Island Beasties table, and combine the results.</p><p></p><p>[h3]Island Features (d20)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Active Volcano; periodically belches forth ash or causes tremors, and lava flows can be found on one side of island. Fire Beasties at the DM's discretion.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Beach; (d6) 1-strange colored scintillating sands, potentially with quicksand or sinkholes, 2-debris including ship parts, bones, sea glass, mollusk shells, messages in bottles, etc., 3-hundreds of Crabs (MM) and Giant Crabs (MM), 4-hundreds of shore birds nesting aalongside seals and turtles, 5-mirthful faces form in the surf and anyone going for a swim removes an exhaustion level, 6-blowholes send ocean spray dozens of feet into the air and sucking currents form riptides.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Buried Treasure; (d6) 1-waxy dead hands placed in trees will point way toward treasure when fingers lit on fire, but also animate undead when lit, 2-treasure buried in a cave protected by a gauntlet of traps, 3-cache of food, water, sails, pistols, and powder in a makeshift cellar, 4-complex treasure map worked into landscape and only visible from lookout point above, 5-treasure chest that was already dug up, may or may not be opened, 6-a sunken shipwreck just off the island's shores holds the treasure.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Carcass; (d4) 1-massive skeleton covered with canvas and turned into ramshackle dwelling, 2-feasted on by gulls with malign red eyes, 3-small ship was swallowed by whale and could be restored to working order, 4-despite grievous wounds the animal still clings to life.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Chasms and Rope Bridges; 40-100 ft tropical chasms spanned by crude rope bridges entwined with vines (DC 10 Acrobatics to cross without incident), if there are multiple islands the bridges connect them.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Cove; (d6) 1-Buccaneers or Pirates hiding out, 2-enchanting waters lure creatures to swim (DC 15 Wisdom to resist charm) but waters are treacherous and immediately begin drowning, 3-peaceful with tropical birds on cliffs and seals on sandy beach, 4-numerous forested islets and sea stack makes the cove a bit of a maze, 5-perfectly clear diving hole with abundant fish and lobster, 6-stone arch at entrance to cove with small waterfalls pouring over cliffs into the ocean.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Cursed; (d6) 1-leaving the island is next to impossible, treacherous reef, pounding waves, storms, sabotage, and unbelievable circumstances conspire to keep creatures on the island, 2-inanimate objects taken from the island are cursed, either causing shipwrecks or turning into Animated Objects (MM) or Mimics (MM), 3-anyone who leaves the island is plagued by dreams of its beauty and longs to return (gain the Haunted fortune), 4-any humanoid dying on the island animates as undead, 5-the island curses anyone who eats its fruit with bad luck (gain the Accursed fortune), 6-the island gradually drives insane anyone staying there for several days (see "Mental Afflictions" Buccaneers & Bokor issue 2).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Graves; (d6) 1-mass grave of dead colonists or tribesmen, 2-crow's cages with corpses hanging over a chasm, 3-elevated platforms in trees or mountaintops with bundled corpses left for vultures, 4-neatly dug graves marked with white wooden crosses, though several are disturbed, 5-crude pirate's grave with makeshift headstone bearing humorous epitaph, 6-tomb consisting of stepped pyramid or burial mound.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hazards; (d6) 1-booby traps, 2-quicksand or sinkholes, 3-fire swamp, 4-earthquake and/or avalanche, 5-scalding rain and/or fog, 6-disease.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Isle of the Dead; eerie fogs surround the island, dead NPCs and PCs may be encountered, hungering shades periodically swarm areas but can be deterred with spilled blood or wine, periodically small ships piloted by Maerrenoloths come bearing souls of the freshly dead, governed by a Loa, Djab (dark spirit), or extremely powerful undead monster.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Jungle; (d6) 1-"viper trees" are hidden among normal trees, animating as Giant Snakes (MM) when blood is spilled nearby, 2-cacophony of insects and mosquitos makes sleep virtually impossible, 3-incredibly dense difficult terrain that must be hacked thru with machetes, 4-brooding dark presence, dozens of glowing eyes watch campfires at night, barely audible voices calling out during day from various directions, 5-many medicinal plants grow under the canopy, components for antidotes and potions of healing, 6-poisonous tropical trees irritate exposed skin, ooze poisonous sap, and yield poisonous fruit.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Magic; (d6) 1-areas of the island are wild magic or dead magic zones, 2-time distorted, every day on island equals a week in the world, 3-tracks vanish entirely within an hour, compasses spin like crazy, and divination magic gives inconclusive results, 4-living island communicates telepathically with spellcasters, demanding sacrifices and driving them mad, 5-Crabs (MM) and/or Baboons (MM) are exceedingly curious of sailors and steal stuff when they aren't looking, 6-music filters thru the air and anyone finding the source gains some kind of blessing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Phantom Island; (d6) 1-island is actually slowly drifting, a problem when returning to where you weighed anchor, 2-island is actually the back of a gargantuan Dragon Turtle (MM) or other sea monster, 3-island shifts between this world an another world, 4-island may never be rediscovered by the same sailors twice, wind and tide conspiring against being found again, 5-island has been improperly named on charts and is actually another island altogether, 6-bizarre tectonic activity causes island to sink beneath the waves every hundred years only to rise up again.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ruins; (d6) 1-South American dwarven megaliths that once created a summoning circle, 2-Mayan elven stepped pyramid with stylized animal carvings, 3-partially submerged pier foundations of triton origin depicting scenes of the splintering of race into elves, triton, and drow, 4-massive stone heads with Arawak or Carib likeness, 5-partially collapsed subterranean ruins sized for Halflings or gnomes, 6-ruined colonial military fort or church.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sea Caves; accessible (d4) 1-only thru underwater tunnels, 2-at low tide, 3-by small ship or swimming, 4-via step ascent down cliff; the caves contain (d6) 1-dead pirates or sailors hanging from makeshift gallows, 2-several treasure chests glittering in the depths, possibly lure set by a Sea Beastie, 3-large population of Albatross, Cormorants, or other shorebirds, 4-creepy calcite formations vaguely looking like tortured faces, 5-flotsam with a few salvageable items, 6-paintings on the walls with cryptic message.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Settlement: (d6) 1-dwarven fishing village with exquisite stonework, 2-mist shrouded elven pilgrimage site with white ships at berth, 3-gnomish Pygmy village afraid of outsiders, 4-halfling village with lengthy trade rituals replete with storytelling, offers of marriage, and copious pipe smoking, 5-native human village (Arawak or Carib), 6-colonial human outpost and "tent town" on the beach.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Shipwreck; (d4) 1-Dutch, 2-English, 3-French, 4-Spanish; (d4) 1-Auxiliary, 2-3-Merchantman, 4-Warship; what happened? (d6) 1-ship utterly smashed to pieces as if thrown thru the air, 2-ship's hull was crushed by giant squid, 3-ship smashed upon rocks or reef, 4-ship inexplicably wrecked near the center of the island, 5-ship damaged in a naval battle and ran aground, 6-ship very old and buried in sand but otherwise seems undamaged; 20% chance that some (1d6x10%) of cargo is salvageable.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Totem; (d10) 1-wooden pole carved in likeness of predators hunting prey, 2-stone carved with South American jaguar, serpent, and eagle trifecta, 3-primitive bloodstained altar on slab of stone, 4-feather and bone fetishes hanging from the trees, 5-human skulls mounted on pikes, 6-masthead of ship lost at sea adorned with paints, garlands, and surrounded by candles, 7-statue of the Madonna and child, 8-large rough-hewn wooden cross, 9-altar made in likeness of sea monster overlooking cliff, 10-eternally burning intelligent brazier/torch at center of island with spellcasting abilities of 10th level cleric which it loses if removed from island.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Voodoo; (d6) 1-Bokor or Mambo's hut filled with gris-gris, 2-signs of ritual feast with Veve symbols marking an old Voodoo site, 3-shrunken heads throughout island pose riddles and tell jokes, 4-"hot foot powder" traps scattered across island causes anyone coming into contact with it to attract ire of island's inhabitants, 5-corpses of white men in slave shackles killed by inexplicable means, 6-the veil is thin on the island and one or more Loa can appear in any reflective surface.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Water Feature; (d6) 1-swamp, 2-rice terrace, 3-tide pools, 4-creek, 5-waterfall, 6-sacred spring; shall we go for a swim? (d6) 1-yes the leeches would love you (reduce max HP by 5 until treated), 2-yes the guardian spirits would love to take 10 years from your life expectancy (-1 Life), 3-yes the bacteria will have a field day (DC 10 Constitution save or suffer exhaustion, if drinking water no save and sick until long rest), 4-yes it's perfectly safe, 5-yes the guardian spirits may grant those who observe proper bathing ritual with a blessing (+1 Life), 6-yes it's magic water that permanently grants +1 Charisma but charms all non-elves to spend 2d12 hours lost in reverie and to share an intimate secret.</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Island Beasties (d20)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Constructs; (d4) 1-Helmed Horror (MM) as cursed Spanish conquistadors, 2-Scarecrow (MM) as savage effigies coming to life, 3-Shield Guardian (MM) as Zulu-esque totems standing vigil, 4-Clay Golem (MM) or Stone Golem (MM) as ancient statue waiting to be awakened.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Dark Predator; (d6) 1-Lamia (MM) and Jackalwere (MM) hunters see island as personal hunting grounds, 2-Mind Flayer (MM) singling out one PC, dominating various beasts to stalk them, attempting to drive them to madness or death, 3-Oni (MM) dropping bits of treasure to divide and conquer, 4-Owlbear (MM) as stork-legged Chickcharney of the Bahamas with prehensile claws and stealth proficiency, believed to have powers of luck, 5-Panther (MM) with fearsome upgrades, hide resistance to weapons, and taste for man flesh, 6-Tyrannosaurus Rex (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Demon Cult; mask-wearing Barlgura (MM) leads savage cult with Dretch (MM), carnivorous Apes (MM), and Cultists (MM) filling out the ranks; what is their goal? (d4) 1-sacrifice enough souls to summon a Goristro (MM), 2-whip followers into fighting frenzy to seize a ship, 3-find suitably villainous soul to replace dying Barlgura, 4-prove to captive philosopher that man is merely a base animal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Djab (dark spirits); (d8) 1-Azagon La Croix, 2-Carisona, 3-Lel-Za-Bol, 4-Rataron the Bold, 5-Six Thousand Men, 6-Shimerack the Chitterer, 7-Tona, 8-Zape Totec.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Flying Critters; (d12) 1-Aarakocra (MM) rare bird people believed by pirates to hatch a golden nugget from their throats, 2-Chimera (MM), 3-Cockatrice (MM), 4-Couatl (MM), 5-Griffon (MM) / Hippogriff (MM), 6-Harpy (MM), 7-Manticore (MM), 8-Pegasus (MM), 9-Peryton (MM), 10-Pteranodon (MM), 11-Roc (MM), 12-Wyvern (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Giant Animals (MM); pick any from under "Miscellaneous Creatures."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Giants and Kin; (d8) 1-Cyclops (MM), 2-Hill Giant (MM), 3-Ettin (MM), 4-Fire Giant (on volcanic island) (MM), 5-Fomorian (MM), 6-Ogre (MM), 7-Stone Giant (MM), 8-Storm Giant (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Insectile Critters; (d6) 1-Ankheg (MM), 2-Cave Fisher, 3-Darkmantle (MM)/Piercer(MM), 4-Ettercap (MM) usually accompanied by Giant Spider (MM), 5-Rust Monster (MM), 6-Stirge (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Monstrous Humanoids; (d8) 1-Gnoll (MM) marauders, 2-Grimlock (MM) degenerated cave-dwellers, 3-Hobgoblin (MM) slavers and head-hunters, 4-Kobolds (MM) trained in stealth as Tasloi often accompanied by Giant Spiders (MM) or Giant Wasps (MM), 5-Minotaur (MM) cultists with trap-filled labyrinths, 6-Orc (MM) cannibals revering the djab Carisona, 7-Troglodytes (MM) as small-sized uncouth Troggies (S&B) with curious immunity to bludgeoning damage and hatred of magic-users and all things magical, 8-Troll (MM) as amphibious saltwater Scrag proficient in stealth and only able to regenerate in saltwater.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">NPCs; (d8) 1-Wood Gnome Tribal Warriors (PHB/MM) as Pygmies (S&B), 2-Tribal Warriors (MM) as Arawak or Carib natives, 3-Scouts (MM) as Amazons (S&B), 4-shipwrecked Sailors with mad Naval Captain, 5-Buccaneers led by Bandit Captain (MM) hunting Boar (MM), 6-Pirates fixing ship or searching for buried treasure, 7-Royal Marines on expeditionary mission, 8-marooned NPC who the players are familiar with.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Pack; (d6) 1-Allosaurus (MM), 2-Death Dog (MM), 3-Displacer Beast (MM), 4-Grick (MM), 5-Hell Hound (MM), 6-Wolf, Worg, or Dire Wolf (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Plant Critters; (d6) 1-Blight (MM), 2-Coelenite, coral/calcite hive mind creatures, 25% grown over skeletons or zombies, 3-Dryad (MM) as Mayan spirit or female pirate left tied to a silk cotton tree, 4-Fungi (MM) and Myconids (MM), 5-Shambling Mound (MM) comprised of seaweed and shore plants, 6-Treant (MM) as part of Mesoamerican World Tree.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Spooky Ladies; (d4) 1-Banshee (MM) calling out to spirits of the dead, 2-Hag (MM) disguised as mambo accompanied by Scarecrow (MM) voodoo dolls/poppets/nkisi with sympathetic connection to one creature, 3-Mama Dglo, also called maman du l'eau, a man-eating Siren (MM) with spellcasting who can assume form of a woman on land, 4-Medusa (MM) with jellyfish-like tendrils for hair whose gaze evokes the dreadful seas, calcifying those who draw her ire.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Tricksters; (d6) 1-Anansi, wise story-loving West African trickster, who appears as man, spider, or spellcasting Drider (MM), 2-Brer Rabbit or Coyote, Mayan trickster too smart for his own good, who appears as man, rabbit/coyote, or Arcanaloth (MM), 3-Druid (MM) with animal shapeshifting as Mesoamerican Nahual, 4-Kenku (MM) "keeteel" scavengers and smugglers, 5-Mud, Steam, or Smoke Mephit (MM) with an annoying riddle, 6-Will o' Wisp (MM) as malign jackalantans or guardian nimitas.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Undead; (d8) 1-Skeletons (MM), 2-Flameskull (MM), 3-Ghost (MM), 4-Ghoul (MM), 5-Mummy (MM), 6-Revenant (MM), 7-Shadow (MM), 8-Wight (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Water Critters; (d4) 1-Bullywugs (MM), 2-Lizardfolk (MM), 3-Water Weird (MM), 4-Giant Anemone and Giant Sea Urchin.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Wild Men; (d4) 1-Blemmyae (S&B) headless wild men with face on their torso, ravenously hungry, usually speak gibberish, 2-Centaur (MM) inspired burokeet (donkey-man) dances in Trinidad and Tobago, 3-Satyr (MM) with penchant for rum orgies and challenging shantymen to musical contests, 4-Yeti (MM) as Dominican Biembiens, Mayan Sisimité, or simply hairy wild men (S&B).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Wyrms; (d6) 1-Basilisk (MM), 2-Behir (MM), 3-Carrion Crawler (MM), 4-Couatl (MM), 5-Green Dragon (MM) as flightless double-headed amphisbaena serpent of Aztec myth, 6-Naga (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Yuan-ti (MM); masters of the island with their own serpentine cult parodying real-world religion, accompanied by Giant Snakes (MM) and Swarms of Poisonous Snakes (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Roll on Sea Beasties Table.</li> </ol><p>[/SBLOCK]</p><p></p><p>[SBLOCK=Abyss Encounter Tables]</p><p>In general, the Abyss is freezing cold, preturnaturally dark, and exerts crushing water pressure; magic and/or technology is required to reach and survive these depths. The Abyssal Plain between 9,000 ft and 18,000 ft is interrupted by oceanic trenches, volcanic islands, and submarine ridges creating microclimates that allow for strange flora. When rolling encounters in the Abyss, roll both on the Abyssal Features table and the Abyssal Beasties table, and combine the results.</p><p></p><p>[h3]Abyssal Features (d10)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Deep Sea Life; (d10) 1-Anglerfish, 2-Carnivorous Scallop, 3-Dire Squid, 4-Giant Anemone, 5-Giant Eel, 6-Giant Sea Urchin, 7-Giant Starfish, 8-Gulper, 9-Swarm of Lampreys, 10-Viperfish.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Microbial Bloom; mix of Gas Spores (MM), Shriekers (MM), and Violet Fungus (MM), all warm-blooded creatures breathing water must make DC 20 Constitution save or suffer psychological delusions and hallucinations until taking an extended rest (see "Mental Afflictions" Buccaneers & Bokor issue 2).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Oceanic Trench; enormous gap into infinite darkness with deafening vacuum current pulling toward it, escaping pull requires DC 25 Strength check, creative magic, or some kind of incredible anchor, otherwise creatures are pulled completely into trench in 4 rounds at which point they fall in, a fatal event (-1 Life), however they can only survive by making a deal with a Lord of the Abyss.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Volcanic Island; huge "mountain" rises above, magma flows come up thru Abyssal floor (10d6 fire damage if contacting magma), entire area is dangerously hot unlike rest of Abyss, dealing 5 fire damage per round from boiling water.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Shadow Gate; ancient ruined portal to the surface (or perhaps elsewhere?) ringed in Abyssal runes, and watched over by a Formorian (MM) or Storm Giant (MM) in lonely vigil.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sunken Shipwreck; treasure worth ~20% of the ship's cargo can be scavenged, but some complication: (d4) 1-roll again on Abyssal Beasties for what is inhabiting the shipwreck, 2-roll for a type of undead encountered under Ghost Ship for Sea Special Encounter, 3-the treasure is cursed, 4-ship is precariously perched on edge of an inactive (for now) oceanic trench.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Call of the Abyss; sibilant whispers and discordant sounds unnerve non-natives to the Abyss who can hear, they must make DC 20 Wisdom save or be affected as per the confusion spell until becoming deaf and taking a short rest away from sound, receiving healing magic, or leaving the Abyss.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Reality-Warping Bubbles; avoiding the 9 to 20-ft diameter bubbles requires an Athletics check to swim (DC 20 if speed 30-ft, DC 25 if less speed, DC 15 if more speed), any creature engulfed by a bubble is trapped within and suffers one or more of the following effects: (d6) 1-begin transforming into a Skum (which becomes permanent after eight hours), 2-suffer 3d4 Wisdom damage and gain a permanent form of insanity (if reduced to 0 Wisdom become catatonic), 3-develop a hideous mutation and/or deformity, 4-lose most of old memories (and end all spell effects) which are replaced by new set of memories borrowed from a dead person, 5-gain terrifying vision of the future and eyes turn to goo causing you to become blind, 6-stricken mute by horrors but gain telepathy 50 ft</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Reverse Maelstrom; enormous bright funnel of swirling currents descends from above carrying ships, sailors, flotsam, and Sea Beasties (roll on respective tables), simulates a storm underwater (see Skull & Bones pg. 111), creative trick might work to "ride" dying Maelstrom back up to surface.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Seismic Activity; quaking causes tumbling rocks to break off of submarine ridges (DC 15 Dexterity save or 10d6 bludgeoning damage and pinned on Abyssal floor), rapid pressure changes (take 10d6 pressure damage unless protected), and bursts of steam to vent out from the Abyssal floor (10d6 fire damage and tossed 100-ft, DC 20 Strength save for half both).</li> </ol><p></p><p>[h3]Abyssal Beasties (d20)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Aboleth (MM); with Chuul (MM) or Skum servitors.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Beholder (MM); as amphibious Eye of the Deep, one of its smaller eyestalks hangs in front of it like an anglerfish and glows slightly, granting the beholder the ability to use minor illusion at-will.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Carrion Crawler (MM); squicky worms that crawl along the Abyssal floor feasting on rotting corpses.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Cloaker (MM); as Ixitxachitl, with the vampiric shamans of their race in the Abyss.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Deepspawn; roll again on Sea Beasties or Abyssal Beasties to determine what it has recently spawned.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Demilich (MM); all that remains of a Lich that drowned at sea.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Demons (MM); (d10) 1-Balors scheme in their fortress-prisons carved into volcanic islands, 2-Chasme emerge from larval cocoons to torture damned souls, 3-Glabrezu have crab-like or eel-like faces but adopt more "relatable" faces when bargaining with summoners, 4-Hezrou serve as foot soldiers and appear as a variety of corrupted deep sea critters, 5-Manes are perpetually tormented damned souls, 6-Marilith marshal the forces of the Abyss for attacks on the surface, 7-Nalfeshnee hold obscene courts in shipwrecks trying souls in a mockery of maritime law, 8-Quasits serve as messengers and spies, 9-Vrock are appointed to guard duty, they appear as water-logged carrion vultures, 10-Yochlol weave intricate webs of deceit and betrayal using the Drow (MM) as game pieces.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Grell (MM); opportunistic aquatic predators that descend in great numbers like a jellyfish swarm.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Grick (MM); amphibious critters curled up in giant mollusk shells on Abyssal floor where they wait to ambush.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hydra (MM); Lusca as shark/octopus-like amphibious hydra, with tentacle grab attacks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Kuo-toa (MM); in perpetual state of delusion, seek out reality-warping bubbles as form of twisted pilgrimage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Merrow (MM); dwell in ruined undersea cave complex built around idol to Dagon.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Mind Flayer (MM); amphibious captains of Abyssal ships manned by Skum and doomed human thralls, often accompanied by Intellect Devourer (MM) pets.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Myconids (MM).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ooze; (d4) 1-Ochre Jelly (MM), 2-Black Pudding (MM), 3-Slithering Hoard, 4-Ghaunadan.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Purple Worm (MM); massive aquatic tunneling worm.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Remorhaz (MM); amphibious, occasionally surface near glaciers.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Roper (MM); hidden in alien kelp forests strewn with corpses or amidst towering submarine ridges.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Sea Elves; Drow (MM) in the Abyss are led by Yochlol (MM) demons and accompanied by Driders (MM) with lobster-esque lower torso, amphibious Cave Fishers, and Giant Eels, spider webs re-skinned as enormous macabre fishing nets.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Lord of the Abyss; (d8) 1-Blidlipoolp, 2-Cthulu, 3-Dagon, 4-Davey Jones, 5-Jubilex, 6-Kraken (MM), 7-Lolth (as lobster/squid-torsoed "Ursula" type), 8-Zargon.</li> </ol><p>[/SBLOCK]</p><p>[SBLOCK=Antagonists Encounter Table]</p><p>The following table is customized for the PCs in this campaign, and may change to reflect the ongoing story or coming/going of PCs. When a result indicates an encounter with a PC's Enemy or that the authorities pursue a Wanted PC, either roll here or the DM should choose one of the following.</p><p></p><p>[h3]Antagonists Encounter Table (d10)[/h3]</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Academie Royale des Sciences: Mariette de Fontenelle, Agent Provocateur (CR 5) is after <strong>Barrington</strong>, possibly with charmed Pirates (CR 1/2) or Spies (CR 1). It may be that Barrington learned something critical from the Royal Astronomer but didn't realize it at the time. Alternately, this could entail a hit squad including an Assassin (CR 8), a Mage (CR 6), and/or an Invisible Stalker (CR 6).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Baron: Bernard Desjean, Baron de Pointis (CR 10) sends Veterans (CR 3) as mercenary "Dunkirkers", Ship Mages (CR 2), and Spies (CR 1) to do his dirty work. He can also command Perytons (CR 2) with his Red Right Hand. He pursues an agenda of domination, which is diametrically opposed to <strong>Caillou's</strong> mission of liberation and is likely to bring him into conflict with the other PCs.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Cult of Smiling Jack: François L'Ollonais, Seawolf Captain (CR 7), Seawolves (CR 3), Cult Fanatics (CR 2), Cultists (CR 1/8), and a variety of aberrations - particularly Mind Flayers (CR 7) - are pursuing a nefarious agenda. The destruction of <strong>Nia Steeleyes'</strong> tribe by Smiling Jack could involve her.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hudson's Bay Company: Crippled by French occupation of Hudson's Bay, but anticipating an end to the war soon, the HBC sent out an agent to the Caribbean to gain leverage for treaty negotiations that would ensure the Bay returned to British control. This agent is Thomas Paine (CR ?), an aging colonial American privateer, who the HBC somehow convinced out of retirement. He is served by Scouts (CR 1) loyal to the HBC as well as his own crew of Old Salts (CR 1/4). Paine's objectives put him squarely in opposition to <strong>Etienne.</strong></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">El Ministerio de Inteligencia de Los Indies: La Mosca Española (CR 7) is tracking down <strong>Old Zef</strong> and the Zeeland Bellows, or keeping tabs on treasure hunters after La Gloriosa. Though she prefers to work alone, she can call upon a network of Spies (CR 1) and even a few Doppelgangers (CR 3) when needed.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Governor: Governor Juan de Ribera (CR 16) sends disguised Wights (CR 3), Spanish conquistador Knights (CR 3) (half-plate AC 16 & musket), and Guards (CR 1/8) (breastplate AC 15 & musket) to bring <strong>Katarina</strong> to him out of his sick desire for a young wife to brainwash and compel to raise "his" child. He may also form alliances with the Viceroyalty of New Spain.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hobgoblin Slavers: Sivrad Kumsfrieg, Hobgoblin Warlord (CR 6), Vashkor Blaat, Hobgoblin Captain (CR 3), Bugbears (CR 1), and Hobgoblins (CR 1/2) attempt to take <strong>Caillou</strong> and/or other runaway slaves (or new slaves) in irons.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Naturalist: Sir D'Arcy, Outlaw Naturalist (CR 4) seeks <strong>Caillou's</strong> help finding kenku island colony and won't take no for an answer, utilizing his monster menagerie (see DMG Appendix A) only if leverage or trickery fails. He may also leverage inroads with the Academie Royale des Sciences.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Viceroyalty of New Spain: Captain Alvaro Díaz de Cartagena Hermoso de La Virgen y Madre, Naval Captain (CR 2) of La Sagrada, and his Warrant Officers (CR 1/2), Midshipmen (CR 1/2), and Sailors (CR 1/8) pursue <strong>Katarina</strong> to bring her into custody for piracy, smuggling, and treachery. <strong>Old Zef</strong> is wanted too, but considered a secondary target.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Wild Card: This entails an encounter with an ambiguous antagonist. For example, Jacques Cassard, Naval Captain (CR 2) of the Achéron and his Midshipmen (CR 1/2) and Buccaneers (CR 1/2) may pursue the PCs' ship on a French privateer contract, or become embroiled in an Academie plot. Read Wallace, Pirate Captain (CR 2) of the Winchelsea and his Pirates (CR 1/2) may engage in a bit of piratical rivalry, or work on behalf of the Van Schiedems. Bennett Rafferty, Commodore (CR 3) of the HMS Beacon, HMS Egret, and HMS Foxcatcher and his Lieutenants (CR 1) and Royal Marines (CR 1/2) may clash with the PCs over issues of British interest, or over evidence of what befell the HMS Rescue and his father Captain George Lightly Rafferty 30 years ago.</li> </ol><p>[/SBLOCK]</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?374269-Monster-conversions-for-Spell-amp-Crossbones&p=6425587#post6425587" target="_blank">Homebrew monsters & monster conversions</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 6420784, member: 20323"] [URL=http://asnailpace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sea-monster-vs-boats2.jpg][IMG]http://asnailpace.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sea-monster-vs-boats2.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [h2]Encounter Tables[/h2] [SBLOCK=Port Encounter Tables] [h2]Port Encounter Table (d20)[/h2] When determining a port encounter, roll d20 on this table and d8 on the NPC table. For "port-specific encounters", a [b]pirate port[/b] welcomes pirates or is otherwise lawless, a [b]neutral port [/b]is one where the PCs don't have a Letter of Marque and haven't attacked, and a [b]hostile port [/b]is one where the PCs have attacked vessels of the nation controlling the port. [list=1][*]Port Beastie (d20). [*]Port Beastie (d20). [*]Brawl; belligerents at tavern get into fight with PCs, (d6) 1-Sailors and Ship Officer, 2-Buccaneers or Pirates, 3-Royal Marines, 4-Spy (MM) using PCs as distraction, 5-Veterans (MM) who fought on different side of war, 6-drunken Mage (MM). [*]Challenger; one of the PCs is challenged to a (d6) 1-traditional fencing duel (see Skull & Bones pg. 74), 2-anything goes pirate-style duel, 3-bout of fisticuffs, 4-match of "insult _____" (e.g. arm wrestling, sword fighting, expectorating), 5-drinking contest, 6-contest of something truly ridiculous or outlandish (e.g. crocodile wrestling). [*]Contact or Ally; PCs encounter one of their contacts/allies (d6) 1-doing their job, 2-enjoying time with family, loved ones, or the bottle, 3-engaging in an embarrassing hobby, 4-in an argument with another NPC, 5-puzzling over a dilemma, 6-in danger! [*]Contest; port governor or other noble is hosting a contest, (d6) 1-bounty on a specific pirate, 2-present most fabulous treasure in one month, 3-sailing or horseback race around island, 4-kill the most of a particular aquatic animal or beastie, 5-help noble win someone's affections, 6-devise a contraption according to noble's wild specifications. [*]Corpse; PCs find a dead body, (d6) 1-unidentifiable sea monster, 2-corpse whose circumstance of death implicates one of the PCs, 3-prominent murder victim, 4-pirate with clue tattooed on body, 5-one of the PC's contacts, 6-dramatically killed with carved or pinned message on chest. [*]Criminal Intent; the PCs are targeted by (d6) 1-Gang of Thugs (MM) who intend to mug them, 2-Bandits (MM) who try to pickpocket or steal from them, possibly with a trained Baboon (MM), 3-Spy (MM) fleeing who tries to plant something on them, 4-NPC who tries to con them, 5-NPC working with authorities who plans to entrap them, 6-NPC who intends to blackmail them. [*]Enemy; PCs encounter one of their enemies (d6) 1-doing their job, 2-enjoying time with family, loved ones, or the bottle, 3-engaging in an embarrassing hobby, 4-in an argument with another NPC, 5-after the PCs, 6-in danger! [*]Fire; a building or ship catches fire, threatening the PC's ship, lodging, or their allies (see "Fire Fighting" Skull & Bones pg. 119). [*]Found Item; PCs find a valuable item, map, letter, etc. Make it up or roll on one of the Trinkets tables. Who is looking for it? [*]Harrassment from Authorities; Guards (MM) or the equivalent throw their weight around and harass PCs, (d4) 1-extortion, 2-making fun of one or more PCs, 3-giving grief to one of their Contacts, 4-writing PCs up for a minor offense or otherwise being unhelpful. [*]Hiring; either a captain is hiring, or new crew seek out the PCs to be hired aboard. [*]Gathering; (d6) 1-busy market with shipment of exotic goods just arrived, 2-angry mob (protesting against ruler, chasing someone out of town, or committing hate crimes), 3-procession of monks, 4-wedding, 5-funeral, 6-firefly catching, grunion run, clam bake, etc. [*]Mistaken Identity; one or more of the PCs is mistaken for someone else. Roll on NPC Table to determine who they've been mistaken as, and add some personal element to it, such as the mistaken identity is in debt or a scorned lover. [*]Prisoner; (d6) 1-escaped prisoner who they can help or turn in, 2-a dog carrying prison keys in its mouth, 3-chain gang being led to dungeon or execution, 4-message from a prisoner who tries to recruit PCs via blackmail, 5-an ally or contact is taken prisoner, 6-person with information PCs need is in prison. [*]Prominent Personage; PCs encounter an important/historical political, religious, military, or mercantile NPC. [*]Slice of Life; (d6) 1-lost child caterwauling, 2-children playing at "pirates and commodores", 3-herd animals blocking the street amidst much yelling, 4-singing pirates who just don't stop, 5-chatty and flirtatious women, 6-crazy old coot with wild fish tales. [*]Spectacle; (d8) 1-shantyman, 2-puppet show, 3-carnival, 4-hanging, 5-monster menagerie, 6-miracle worker or preacher, 7-snake oil salesman, 8-two NPCs engaged in a brawl or duel. [*]Port-specific encounter (d6).[/list] [h3]NPC Table (d8)[/h3] Refer to[i] Buccaneers & Bokor issue 5[/i] for NPC Contact tables for each of the following categories. [list=1][*]Colonist (d20). [*]Upper Class (d20). [*]Indentured Servant (d20). [*]Tribal (d20). [*]Sailor (d20). [*]Underworld (d20). [*]Pirate (d20). [*]Slave (d20).[/list] [h3]Pirate Port Encounters (d6)[/h3] [list=1][*]Murder; PCs witness a murder in progress, (d6) 1-prostitute/client, 2-murderer is clearly trying to implicate one of the PCs, 3-prominent personage/mysterious assassin, 4-pirate/pirate, 5-one of the PC's contacts attacked by agent of one of their enemies, 6-Port Beastie/innocent (or are they?). [*]Hijack; Buccaneers led by Bandit Captain (MM) attempt to take the PCs' ship. [*]Seller's Market; all sale prices are 20% higher than normal, rare trade goods can be found, and more regulation. [*]Buyer's Market; all sale prices are 20% lower than normal, bulk discounts can be found, and more smuggling. [*]Parley; PCs summoned to meeting with Captain and Officers of another pirate ship to discuss offers of partnership, resolution of disputes, etc. [*]Attack! The pirate port is raided by naval Warships of the colonial power that claims the port.[/list] [h3]Neutral Port Encounters (d6)[/h3] [list=1][*]Press Gang; large group of Sailors and Royal Marines attempt to force PCs into service of the crown. [*]Marque Offer; PCs summoned to meeting with island's Governor to discuss terms of being granted a Letter of Marque. [*]Seller's Market; all sale prices are 20% higher than normal, rare trade goods can be found, and more regulation. [*]Buyer's Market; all sale prices are 20% lower than normal, bulk discounts can be found, and more smuggling. [*]Recognized; an NPC recognizes PCs, what do they do? (d6) 1-seeks revenge on one of PCs who killed their loved one, 2-reports PCs to authorities, 3-spies on PCs, 4-blackmails PCs, 5-tries to seduce a PC or win their favor, 6-offers to hire PCs. [*]Attack! The port is attacked by the opposing side during Queen Anne's War; the English and Dutch are aligned against the French and Spanish.[/list] [h3]Hostile Port Encounters (d6)[/h3] [list=1][*]Recognized; an NPC recognizes PCs, what do they do? (d6) 1-seeks revenge on one of PCs who killed their loved one, 2-reports PCs to authorities, 3-spies on PCs, 4-blackmails PCs, 5-tries to seduce a PC or win their favor, 6-offers to hire PCs. [*]Arrest; a large number of Guards (MM) led by Constable attempt to arrest the PCs, so they can be convicted and hung. [*]Execution; a scheduled execution involves one of the PCs, a contact, or an ally. [*]Secret Meeting; PCs summoned to a secret meeting with Constable, Commodore, or Naval Commander to discuss a discrete offer of employment for shady business. [*]Navy; naval Warships of the port's colonial power arrive, trapping the PCs in port until they find a sneaky way out. [*]Attack! The port is attacked by the opposing side during Queen Anne's War; the English and Dutch are aligned against the French and Spanish.[/list] [h3]Port Beasties (d20)[/h3] [list=1][*]Apparitions; called duppies (Jamaica) or jumbies (Monseratt), (d4) 1-Banshee (MM), 2-Ghost (MM), 3-Specter (MM), 4-Wraith (MM). [*]Constructs; (d4) 1-Animated Objects (MM) re-skinned with nautical theme, possibly with a Shantyman or gnomish inventor responsible for the strangeness, 2-Flesh Golem (MM) on the loose from a mad Bokor, 3-Gargoyle (MM) on church animate to go on a killing spree due to the light of an eclipse, a curse come to fruition, or awakened by a wicked cleric to retrieve something stolen, 4-Scarecrow (MM) as voodoo effigies given sinister life. [*]Critters; (d4) 1-Giant Rats (MM) fouling provisions, eating pets, and spreading disease, 2-Mastiff (MM) pack on the trail of a wounded beastie, 3-Sinister Seagull on the lookout for ships to vex, 4-Succarath (Su-Monkey) playing a dangerous game of charades with dock workers. [*]Creepy Beasties; (d6) 1-Douen, souls of unbaptised dead children or fey who appear naked with backwards facing feet and a straw hat that always covers their eyes, they play pranks and lure children away from home, 2-Duergar (MM) as cursed or foreign dwarves in league with powers of Hell or the Abyss, 3-Flumph (MM) as floating jellyfish that appear at night to warn of danger posed by aberrations, however their eerie psychic insights (or the promise of capturing a live flumph) may turn folk against them, 4-Marraenoloth come to ferry a soul whose time is past due to the Shores of Death, but willing to "negotiate" with the living for the doomed soul, 5-Nothic (MM), cloaked fortune-tellers twisted by pacts made with Abyss, they often foretell hangings or drownings, and cannot resist being hidden in the crowd during a public execution, macabre voyeurs that they are, 6-Will-o-Wisp (MM) floating at outskirts at night whispering of lost hopes and ancient despair. [*]Devils (MM); (d6) 1-Barbed Devil covered in fish hooks colloquially called "gunpowder devils" because they act as gun smugglers to the desperate, often accompanied by Spined Devils, 2-Bearded Devil disguised as old salt in heavy coat luring sailors to commit violence at any slight and mutiny against weak captains, 3-Bone Devil as incarnation of pirate skull & bones, whispers into captain's ear at night, turning him or her into an increasingly cruel taskmaster, 4-Chain Devil disguised as slave luring slave-owners to commit atrocities and slaves to seek bloody revenge, 5-Erinyes who can polymorph into a ship's figurehead luring captains and officers to conquer the weak, 6-Imp acting as wizard's ingratiating familiar luring seekers of forbidden lore with hints of secret treasure...at a price. [*]Djab (dark spirits); (d8) 1-Azagon La Croix, 2-Carisona, 3-Lel-Za-Bol, 4-Rataron the Bold, 5-Six Thousand Men, 6-Shimerack the Chitterer, 7-Signifying Monkey, 8-Zape Totec. [*]Doppelgänger (MM); assumes the role of a prominent personage who has been (d6) 1-killed, 2-held for ransom, 3-press-ganged, 3-turned over to enemy faction, 5-hired doppelgänger to replace them, 6-died of natural causes a while ago and doppelgänger honors their driend's memory. [*]Goblinoids (MM); (d4) 1-Goblins raiding port for supplies, with penchant for rum, 2-3-Hobgoblin slavers who indiscriminately abduct freemen, known for wearing shrunken heads of their foes, 4-Bugbear mercenary press-gang for the Crown, terrifying tales told of "dragging daddy away in the dead of the night." [*]Hag (MM); (d4) 1-green hag disguised at tavern or trading house hinting at hopeless ventures and reveling in despairing sailors, or perhaps luring a loves truck noblewoman to her doom, 2-3-night hag known as La Diablesse corrupting mortals or leading evil witches, though her disguise always has a single flaw - a cloven hoof or backward facing feet - that reveals her true nature, 4-sea hag disguised as hideous crone whispered to be a witch. [*]Kenku (MM); called "keeteels", have a varied colorful appearance much like tropical birds, (d6) 1-bright green parrot-esque bookies for gambling ring which may involve Cockatrice (MM) fighting, 2-sleek dark metallic purple smugglers of firearms, drugs, and arcane contraband with lair in shipwreck turned roost for Swarm of Ravens (MM), 3-white with colorful crests entertainers running a scam on the crowd, 4-brown conduct ritualized punishment wherein one of their fellows is forced to wear heavy wooden wings as others jeer at him, 5-rare black-feathered "crows" often tied to the crow's nest by superstitious pirates to grant them luck spotting treasure ships, 6-red and grey with flamboyant crests part of a demon cult led by a Vrock (MM). [*]Lycanthropes; (d6) 1-Jackalwere (MM) disguised as beggar or down-on-his-luck sailor, seeking to lure victims to Lamia (MM) master, 2-Seawolves disguised as whalers prey on innocents, press-gang sailors, and sabotage ships, 3-Wereboar (MM) as vengeful spirit hunting down buccaneers feasting on roasted pig, 4-Wererats (MM) disguised as smugglers operate from sewers and abandoned ships, 5-Weretiger (MM) disguised as hunter/trapper visiting port, 6-Werewolf (MM) as loup garou who gained their lycanthropy thru a deal with the Devil and are required to spill so much blood each night. [*]Ogre (MM); (d4) 1-ogre gang led by Half-Ogre (MM) trying to make them a better class of criminal, 2-brought to port as part of civilizing effort by enlightened man, 3-working as longshoreman and fighting in ring at night to make ends meet, 4-Oni (MM) disguised as traveler or colonist seeking passage, planning to slaughter crew one by one. [*]Revenant (MM); (d4) 1-pirate driven by Voodoo spell to kill Commodore who sentenced him to hang, 2-mysterious revenant hunting down one of the PCs' contacts or allies, 3-dwarven revenant who died drinking Rumfaustian has it in for the bartender who served him, 4-lady revenant seeking pirate who press-ganged her husband and led him to death and her to suicide. [*]Shadows; (d4) 1-Shadow Demon (MM) hunting down those who slew its original form and prevented it from returning to the Abyss, 2-Shadow (MM) summoned by vengeful Bokor to kill a particular individual, 3-Sailors or Pirates with the Shadow Dragon template (MM) (minus bite and shadow breath) as men who ventured too close to the Shores of Death and are sworn to deliver souls to a Marraenoloth, 4-Naval Captain with Shadow Dragon template (MM) (minus bite and shadow breath) who doesn't realize he has been cursed by Aztec or Mayan treasure he recovered. [*]Squicky Beasties; (d4) 1-Carrion Crawler (MM) feasting on detritus from ships being careened and bilges emptied, 2-Otyugh (MM) buried in mounds of offal, heaps of composting sugar cane, or rotting carcass of a beached whale, 3-4-Rust Monster (MM) colloquially called "rust lobsters", they are parasites eating grommets from sails, nails from planks, and triggers from muskets, often the Governor's Office offers a reward for their carcasses. [*]Succubus (MM); (d4) 1-disguised as high-class courtesan weaving web of blackmail, 2-disguised as official in Governor's Office exacerbating corruption, 3-disguised as agent of Inquisition inspiring dark desires in clergy, 4-disguised as spouse of prominent personage who is under her sway, possibly with or looking for Cambion (MM) offspring. [*]Vampire (MM); as Soucoyants, vampires that shed their skin like clothes when assuming mist form and are vulnerable to salt; (d4) 1-Bat Swarms, Rat Swarms, and Wolves (MM) plague the port, 2-physician can't treat woman who, unbeknown to the physician, is soon to arise as a Vampire Spawn (MM), 3-Vampire Spawn (MM) carrying out instructions of their master, 4-Vampire (MM) in disguise. [*]Yuan-ti Pureblood (MM); disguised as foreign merchants on a mission for their island masters, (d4) 1-assassination, 2-espionage, 3-sabotage, 4-theft or abduction. [*]Zombies & Skeletons; (d6) 1-Zombies (MM) under the command of a Bokor, possibly Dread Zombies instead, 2-Zombies (MM) under the command of a Zombie Lord, possibly accompanied by Crawling Claws (MM), 3-uncontrolled Zombies (MM) mysteriously emerge from ocean drawn to a specific place, object, or person, 4-Skeletons (MM) with Dry Bones template making music in graveyard or otherwise causing mischief, 5-cavalcade of Skeletons (MM) on Warhorse Skeletons (MM) raid the port and drag off victims, 6-Voodoo celebration goes awry when effigy animates as Minotaur Skeleton (MM). [*]Roll on Sea Beasties Table; it may be injured and beached, captured by an NPC, or an amphibian come to port to trade or raid.[/list] [/SBLOCK] [SBLOCK=Sea Encounter Tables] [h2]Sea Encounter Table (d10)[/h2] Ships are (d4): 1-Dutch, 2-English, 3-French, 4-Spanish. 40% full cargo hold, otherwise roll d100 to determine % of cargo. What is the ship doing? 70% underway, 10% anchored, fishing, or celebrating, 10% naval combat, 10% other state of distress. [list=1][*]Storm (see Skull & Bones pg. 111). [*]Aquatic Animals: (d12) 1-Dire Squid, 2-Dolphins as a good omen (+1 crew morale for rest of the day), 3-Giant Sea Horses (MM) (possibly re-skinned as hippocampus), 4-Giant Whale (Leviathan), 5-Killer Whales (MM) or Grey/Right Whales, 6-Octopi (MM) latched to treasure or sailor, 7-Swarm of Ravens (MM) (re-skinned as seagulls, possibly with a Sinister Seagull) or Flying Snakes (MM), 8-Sea Turtles (25% with elder that speaks), 9-Sharks (MM) (Giant Shark, Hunter Shark, or Reef Shark), 10-Swarm of Jellyfish, 11-Swarm of Quippers (MM) (barracuda), 12-Unicorn (MM) (re-skinned as wise gentle narwhal). [*]Tiny/Small Vessel: rowboat, ship's boat, fishing boat, or barge. [*]Merchantman (1d3 ships); if two or three ships 50% Corvette/Frigate escort. (d6) 1-3 Medium (Sloop/Schooner), 4-5 Large (Brigantine/Pinnace), 6 Huge (West Indiaman). [*]Warship; 80% solitary, 15% squadron (3 Corvettes), 5% flotilla (1d4+2 ships). (d10) 1-4 Medium (Corvette/Frigate), 5-7 Large/Huge (Fourth Rate/Third Rate), 8-9 Gargantuan (Second Rate), 10 Colossal (First Rate). [*]Pirate/Privateer (1d3 ships); (d6) 1-3 Medium, 4-5 Large, 6 Huge. [*]Sea Beastie (d20). [*]Crew Conflict (d12). [*]Navigation Hazard (d10). [*]Special Encounter (d10).[/list] [h3]Sea Beasties (d20)[/h3] [list=1][*]The Kraken (MM); say your prayers! [*]Aboleth servitors; 1-Skum boarding party sent to retrieve captives, 2-Skum beginning to develop telepathy with other races is found gasping on deck, crew want to kill it, and a Chuul (MM) is in pursuit of the renegade, 3-all water on ship becomes supernaturally fouled, Skum and Chuul (MM) clinging to underside of hull wait for crew to weaken from dehydration before attacking, 4-waterproof scroll case floats by, within an ancient treasure map to nearby tiny rocky islands, though map doesn't mention Chuul guarding it (MM). [*]Coelenite; coral/calcite hive mind creatures (from AL-QADIM Golden Voyages); (d4) 1-sailor showing off dead piece of Coelenite suddenly notices coral creatures slipping over the side of the deck to reclaim piece of itself, 2-grow over Skeletons (MM) or Zombies (MM) controlling their actions, 3-while ship rests near coral Coelenite forms around hull trying to trap it in place, bits of ship parts imbedded in coral warn of the danger, 4-crew member spots Coelenite colony and tries to talk captain into attacking for the Coelenite husks which will fetch a great price at market. [*]Cloaker (MM); as Ixitxachitl; (d4) 1-hide in shallows waiting for sailors to come ashore before attacking, 2-coral reef devoid of life but swimming with "manta rays" and filled with strange totems, 3-attack leaping across bow to drag crew off the ship, 4-vampiric ixitxachitl attempts to drain the life of one crew member, turning him into a Vampire Spawn (MM) who will then try to sabotage ship. [*]Dragon Turtle (MM); sometimes called Aspidochelone or Zaratan; (d4) 1- halfling village on shell appearing as floating island, 2-only head emerges to demand tribute, but otherwise is sociable, relating tales of pirates throughout history, 3-dragon turtle is sick and regurgitating treasure it last swallowed, 4-viciously attacks ship, potentially with Sahuagin (MM) followers. [*]Elemental; (d4) 1-2-Caller From The Deeps, 3-Water Elemental (MM); as Ailusairad djab with ability to create whirlwind (see Skull & Bones pg. 153), 4-Air Elemental (MM) as Badessy the Wind djab with ability to create vortex (see Skull & Bones pg. 153). [*]Hydra (MM); Lusca as shark/octopus-like amphibious hydra with tentacle grab attacks; (d4) 1-floats asleep or in torpor, with only one head barely awake eyeing ship groggily, 2-"blue hole" of opaque cobalt blue water caused by underwater sinkhole, providing perfect medium for Lusca to swim up under the ship, 3-feasts on floating fatty carcass of a whale, 4-swimming fast preparing to dive, has multiple harpoons stuck in it, one with a line a dwarven whaler hangs onto tenaciously. [*]Jenny Hanniver (S&B); small voracious semi-intelligent ape-like merfolk; (d4) 1-gnaw on rope ladders, sounding lines, and/or fishing nets, 2-attack a man overboard, 3-swarm around chum that fishing crew threw overboard, growing increasingly aggressive and numerous, 4-having a stare-off with one of the animals aboard. [*]Marid (MM); as huge non-flying Reef Giant; (d4) 1-keenly interested in making trade agreement that hedges out merfolk and sea elves, meanwhile asking of any islands or reef habitat the crew sighted, 2-mansion of reef emerges from coral where giant resides within served by Coelenite colony, 3-two suitors of the same female reef giant ask crew to devise a competition and judge them, 4-challenges any aboard to a pearl diving contest. [*]Merfolk (MM); (d6) 1-Onijegi (S&B) who have a beautiful Carib human appearance flirting with sailors and offering seashell necklaces for kisses, if pleased by offerings they give good weather, but if not bad weather, 2-Sea Monks (S&B) who enjoy discussing Christian theology and Fish symbolism, 3-wounded and exhausted clinging to side of ship, 4-shyly watch crew from afar before one ventures closer to inquire of her missing human husband, 5-attempt to sabotage any harpoons aboard, steal fishing nets, or play tricks, 6-sing sea shanties and play "starfish catch" with crew while swimming alongside ship (increase crew quality one rank while merfolk accompany ship). [*]Merrow (MM); (d4) 1-territory marked by bloody water and kelp strands tied about dead sailors, 2-attach sea detritus to bottom of hull with spikes, the drag slowing the ship by several knots, time for a large group to attack, 3-small group attacks to yank crew into water and take them under, 4-hunting aquatic animals or merfolk. [*]Mind Flayer (MM); amphibious captains of Abyssal ships manned by Skum and/or doomed human thralls; (d4) 1-on a mission to ensure a sailor who made a deal with one of the Abyssal Lords pays up (or to recover a deserter), in either case the sailor/deserter proclaims innocence to the PCs, 2-arcanist captain with Intellect Devourer (MM) familiar feigns civility and invites PCs to negotiate truce in captain's cabin, later serves monkey brain while making a request for "half your crew as slaves" as if it were a completely reasonable request, 3-ship appears to be normal vessel and PCs invited aboard for a concert, when in reality only a few frightened crew were left alive while the rest have had brains extracted and been enthralled, the "concert" turns out to be the enthralled singing madness-inducing dirge, 4-strange braille-like markings (Quallith) found alongside hull, comprehend languages reveals they are the ship's heading...someone aboard is a mind flyer thrall! And their master isn't far behind...soon to burst forth from under the sea, all cannons blazing! Some even fire Intellect Devourers (MM) onto the deck! [*]Plesiosaurus (MM); as sea serpent: (d4) 1-emerges near bow of ship to watch crew curiously and appraise food, 2-in process of taking down another small or medium ship, 3-rams the ship several times in territorial aggression before swimming off, 4-attacks ship and crew mercilessly. [*]Sahuagin (MM); (d4) 1-debris of ship soon followed by ominous drone of a sahuagin hunting horn and single swimmer coming toward the ship pursued by waves of sahuagin, 2-sahuagin baron riding Giant Shark (MM) demands tribute for passing thru his demenses...and any elves aboard, 3-sahuagin fill the water, watching with predatory eyes, but won't attack unless they s ell fresh blood, 4-one of the crew has been making offering superstitious offerings of meat to the ocean, and now a sahuagin priestess and scores of hunter sharks circle the ship. [*]Sea elves; (d2) 1-Drow (MM) (as amphibious evil sea elves) raiding party accompanied by aquatic Cave Fishers and Giant Eels waiting till night to ambush, 2-barrels of smoking oil surface around ship creating smoke cloud which Drow use to sneak aboard to poison and sabotage, 3-Triton (as good sea elf) chained to massive floating crabshell with Drow hidden nearby, 4-Triton procession accompanied by a variety of aquatic animals and Merfolk (MM). [*]Sea Hag (MM); (d4) 1-exacting revenge on something beautiful, 2-has unrequited love for an ugly sailor, 3-in disguise leading ship to doom and/or captain to evil, 4-three sisters emerge from ocean to prophesy doom for the ship. [*]Seaweed monsters; (d4) 1-Kelpie appearing as a green-clad woman, green horse, or hippocampus to lure sailors, 2-Kelpie trailing ship, telepathically filling crew's dreams with sacrificial offering to one of the sea gods, 3-Gibbering Mouther (MM) as amphibious Shoggoth crudely disguised as seaweed and faintly exposed coral, 4-Black Pudding (MM). [*]Seawolf / Selkie; (d4) 1-Seawolves, lycanthropic wolf-headed seals, hunt sailors and sabotage ships; 2-Seawolves as crew of especially aggressive and cruel pirates, captained by Francois L'Olonnais, a vicious French pirate believed dead, 3-Seawolves hunt down Selkies, 4-Selkies in seal form simply curious or interested in trade. [*]Siren (S&B); Ciguapas of Hispaniola sometimes accompanied by charmed men or amphibious Harpy (MM) re-skinned as immature sirens; (d4) 1-calling to sailors from rocks surrounded by shallow waters, 2-flirting up close with sailors and offering songs for gifts, 3-Mama Dglo, also called maman du l'eau, a man-eating siren with spellcasting who can assume form of a woman on land, 4-undead sirens with appearance disguised by illusion unless me joins them under water. [*]Troll (MM) as amphibious Scrags proficient in stealth and only able to regenerate in saltwater; (d4) 1-crates and barrels float in water, each containing loathsome limbs of severed trolls, 2-trail ship until nightfall then sneak aboard and attack, 3-lone troll lured over by smells of what's cooking and persistently whines for food, 4-sent by a Sea Hag (MM), Giant (MM), or Bokor to steal something from the ship.[/list] [h3]Crew Conflict (d12)[/h3] [list=1][*]Crew are shirking duties either due to fatigue, superstition, disagreement, or laziness (re-roll for a well disciplined crew). [*]Crew have singled out one crew member as a Jonah and pile abuse on him. [*]Stowaway from last port the ship was at. [*]Crew member revealed to have secret identity, like a spy, a woman in disguise, or a criminal with bounty on their head. [*]Crew member agitating against the Captain. [*]A crew member is missing; (d6) 1-murder, 2-desertion, 3-locked in chest as a prank, 4-lured away by pretty Sea Beastie, 5-passed out drunk in the hold, 6-vanished without a trace...maybe they were a ghost? [*]Precious cargo, navigation charts, or other important item missing, stolen by one or more of the crew. [*]Fight breaks out between crew; (d6) 1-ethnic/religious, 2-cheating at gambling, 3-how to divvy booty, 4-who messed up rigging, 5-opinions of the captain, 6-some stupid petty macho reason. [*]Some supplies have spoiled; d100 to determine % gone bad and % crew sick with food poisoning, unable to attend posts until taking a long rest. [*]Fire breaks out (20 fire damage) on the galley (see "Fire Fighting" Skull & Bones pg. 119). [*]Sickness spreading thru the crew; (d6) 1-Dysentery, 2-Malaria, 3-Scurvy, 4-Typhus, 5-Yellow Fever, 6-Magical disease like lycanthropy or mummy rot. [*]Erratic behavior from one or more crew members from too much time at sea. Could be comical superstition or sinister sabotage. (see "Mental Afflictions" Buccaneers & Bokor issue 2).[/list] [h3]Navigation Hazard (d10)[/h3] [list=1][*]Doldrums; whether a naturally occurring stretch of ocean untouched by winds, or a region of "dead calm" cursed by an evil sea god, no breeze stirs to catch the sails and no current flows to offer escape for 10d10 miles, sargasso mats and undead are common, the weather is hot and dry, and sailors must make a Constitution save (10 + 1/day trapped) each day to avoid becoming sun-touched (suffer a level of exhaustion, 1d6 Wisdom damage, when reduced to 0 Wisdom compelled to swim off or drink saltwater). [*]Lost; the ship has gone woefully off course, possibly due to magic (e.g. Bermuda Triangle), bad charts, a landmark that shifted, or strange winds/tides. [*]Marine Minefield; first watch to determine if mines spotted, otherwise helmsman must steer around them, striking one has 75% chance triggering explosion equivalent to 1d4 barrels of gunpowder (20 fire damage each). [*]Rogue Waves; gargantuan waves several stories tall (some even exceeding 100 ft!) come at the ship, threatening to capsize it, can be navigated with a DC 25 Dexterity (watercraft) check if moving at least 12 knots, a 10th+ level cleric's Divine Intervention, a pact sworn with an Abyssal Lord, or player ingenuity; otherwise the ship must "Roll the Bones", a result of 2-5 meaning it is capsized and potentially destroyed. [*]Sargasso; gigantic thick matted clump of seaweed that slows any ship entering it into a standstill, can be walked on as difficult terrain but Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks may be required at some points to avoid falling thru, often the site of derelict slim-covered ships, rotting carcasses, and monstrous scavengers. [*]Sea of Stars; blue bioluminescent phytoplankton glimmers in the astoundingly reflective waters at night, Sway checks are required to get crew members to barely follow commands or else they simply stare amazed, looking too long at reflected images in the water requires a DC 12 Wisdom save or the character jumps overboard, in some cases the night sky might seem to descend into the sea and the entire crew have the sensation of flying and experience strange visions, sirens or Abyssal beasties may be encountered. [*]Shoal, Reef, Sandbar, or Tidal Marsh (see "Running Aground" Skull & Bones pg. 109). [*]Saint Elmo's Fire; named after the patron saint of sailors, St. Elmo's Fire manifests as blue-green flame or sphere of light at the top of the masts and dancing along the yardarms, though sailors often regard it as good luck (increasing their quality one rank for several hours thereafter), it signals great atmospheric electricity which interferes with the functioning of compasses, also if there hasn't been a storm recently St. Elmo's Fire signals an impending lightning storm. [*]Shores of Death; a strange fog covers 1d6 square nautical miles, reducing visibility to 300 feet, chill runs thru the bones of the crew (reducing their quality by one rank while in the fog), Will o' Wisps (MM) can be seen in the distance, voices of dead relatives whisper to crew, and numerous skiffs bearing the recently dead to their judgement crawl thru the fog piloted by Maerrenoloths. [*]Waterspouts; short lived (10-30 minute) convective winds creating 1d6 mini-tornadoes over the water with potential to carry unsecured creatures and gear aloft, avoided by adopting 90-degree course away from their direction of travel.[/list] [h3]Special Encounter (d10)[/h3] [list=1][*]Land Ho! (Uncharted Island). [*]Mare Tenebrarum (see Buccaneers & Bokor issue 1) / Maelstrom; as hurricane plus waterspouts, lightning, and vortex spiraling down into the Abyss. [*]Shipwreck; sinking ship with 30% chance of 5d10-5 survivors and ~20% of cargo salvageable, may also include Beasties of some kind. [*]Ghost Ship; roll under Pirates for ship size; crew are (d6) 1-zombies, 2-shadows, 3-lacedon ghouls, 4-specters, 5-wights, 6-vampire spawn; captain is (d8) 1-dread zombie (see Skull & Bones pg. 151), 2-ghast, 3-ghost, 4-revenant, 5-wraith, 6-vampire, 7-death knight, 8-lich. [*]Thing in the Hold; what monster lurks in the ship's hold? (d6) 1-roll on Port Beasties or Island Beasties (depending where PCs last made berth), 2-roll on Abyssal Beasties, 3-Mimic (MM), 4-crew member's nightmare made manifest as Shadow Demon (MM), 5-Stirges (MM), Giant Centipedes (MM), and Swarms of Insects (MM) hatched from dire weevils, 6-stowaway of monstrous humanoid race. [*]Enemy; one of the PCs' enemies has located their ship and devised a cunning strategy to deal with them. [*]Castaway; single castaway marooned on a sandbar or floating on a piece of flotsam. [*]Legend of Piracy; an encounter with (d6) 1-Bengamin Hornigold of the Mary Anne, 2-Henry Jennings, 3-Edward "Blackbeard" Teach of Queen Anne's Revenge, 4-"Calico Jack" Rackham, Anne Bonny, and Mary Reade, 5-Bartholemew "Black Bart" Roberts of the Royal Rover, 6-Charles Vane of the Ranger. [*]Loa / Sea God(ess); an encounter with (d6) 1-Agwé, 2-Damballah, 3-Simbi, 4-Neptune/Poseidon, 5-Calypso, 6-Lord of the Abyss. [*]Spanish Treasure Fleet; fleet of ships carrying South American treasures back to Spain (see Skull & Bones pg. 137).[/list] [/SBLOCK] [SBLOCK=Island Encounter Tables] When rolling encounters for an island, roll both 1d3 times on the Island Features table and 1d3 times on the Island Beasties table, and combine the results. [h3]Island Features (d20)[/h3] [list=1][*]Active Volcano; periodically belches forth ash or causes tremors, and lava flows can be found on one side of island. Fire Beasties at the DM's discretion. [*]Beach; (d6) 1-strange colored scintillating sands, potentially with quicksand or sinkholes, 2-debris including ship parts, bones, sea glass, mollusk shells, messages in bottles, etc., 3-hundreds of Crabs (MM) and Giant Crabs (MM), 4-hundreds of shore birds nesting aalongside seals and turtles, 5-mirthful faces form in the surf and anyone going for a swim removes an exhaustion level, 6-blowholes send ocean spray dozens of feet into the air and sucking currents form riptides. [*]Buried Treasure; (d6) 1-waxy dead hands placed in trees will point way toward treasure when fingers lit on fire, but also animate undead when lit, 2-treasure buried in a cave protected by a gauntlet of traps, 3-cache of food, water, sails, pistols, and powder in a makeshift cellar, 4-complex treasure map worked into landscape and only visible from lookout point above, 5-treasure chest that was already dug up, may or may not be opened, 6-a sunken shipwreck just off the island's shores holds the treasure. [*]Carcass; (d4) 1-massive skeleton covered with canvas and turned into ramshackle dwelling, 2-feasted on by gulls with malign red eyes, 3-small ship was swallowed by whale and could be restored to working order, 4-despite grievous wounds the animal still clings to life. [*]Chasms and Rope Bridges; 40-100 ft tropical chasms spanned by crude rope bridges entwined with vines (DC 10 Acrobatics to cross without incident), if there are multiple islands the bridges connect them. [*]Cove; (d6) 1-Buccaneers or Pirates hiding out, 2-enchanting waters lure creatures to swim (DC 15 Wisdom to resist charm) but waters are treacherous and immediately begin drowning, 3-peaceful with tropical birds on cliffs and seals on sandy beach, 4-numerous forested islets and sea stack makes the cove a bit of a maze, 5-perfectly clear diving hole with abundant fish and lobster, 6-stone arch at entrance to cove with small waterfalls pouring over cliffs into the ocean. [*]Cursed; (d6) 1-leaving the island is next to impossible, treacherous reef, pounding waves, storms, sabotage, and unbelievable circumstances conspire to keep creatures on the island, 2-inanimate objects taken from the island are cursed, either causing shipwrecks or turning into Animated Objects (MM) or Mimics (MM), 3-anyone who leaves the island is plagued by dreams of its beauty and longs to return (gain the Haunted fortune), 4-any humanoid dying on the island animates as undead, 5-the island curses anyone who eats its fruit with bad luck (gain the Accursed fortune), 6-the island gradually drives insane anyone staying there for several days (see "Mental Afflictions" Buccaneers & Bokor issue 2). [*]Graves; (d6) 1-mass grave of dead colonists or tribesmen, 2-crow's cages with corpses hanging over a chasm, 3-elevated platforms in trees or mountaintops with bundled corpses left for vultures, 4-neatly dug graves marked with white wooden crosses, though several are disturbed, 5-crude pirate's grave with makeshift headstone bearing humorous epitaph, 6-tomb consisting of stepped pyramid or burial mound. [*]Hazards; (d6) 1-booby traps, 2-quicksand or sinkholes, 3-fire swamp, 4-earthquake and/or avalanche, 5-scalding rain and/or fog, 6-disease. [*]Isle of the Dead; eerie fogs surround the island, dead NPCs and PCs may be encountered, hungering shades periodically swarm areas but can be deterred with spilled blood or wine, periodically small ships piloted by Maerrenoloths come bearing souls of the freshly dead, governed by a Loa, Djab (dark spirit), or extremely powerful undead monster. [*]Jungle; (d6) 1-"viper trees" are hidden among normal trees, animating as Giant Snakes (MM) when blood is spilled nearby, 2-cacophony of insects and mosquitos makes sleep virtually impossible, 3-incredibly dense difficult terrain that must be hacked thru with machetes, 4-brooding dark presence, dozens of glowing eyes watch campfires at night, barely audible voices calling out during day from various directions, 5-many medicinal plants grow under the canopy, components for antidotes and potions of healing, 6-poisonous tropical trees irritate exposed skin, ooze poisonous sap, and yield poisonous fruit. [*]Magic; (d6) 1-areas of the island are wild magic or dead magic zones, 2-time distorted, every day on island equals a week in the world, 3-tracks vanish entirely within an hour, compasses spin like crazy, and divination magic gives inconclusive results, 4-living island communicates telepathically with spellcasters, demanding sacrifices and driving them mad, 5-Crabs (MM) and/or Baboons (MM) are exceedingly curious of sailors and steal stuff when they aren't looking, 6-music filters thru the air and anyone finding the source gains some kind of blessing. [*]Phantom Island; (d6) 1-island is actually slowly drifting, a problem when returning to where you weighed anchor, 2-island is actually the back of a gargantuan Dragon Turtle (MM) or other sea monster, 3-island shifts between this world an another world, 4-island may never be rediscovered by the same sailors twice, wind and tide conspiring against being found again, 5-island has been improperly named on charts and is actually another island altogether, 6-bizarre tectonic activity causes island to sink beneath the waves every hundred years only to rise up again. [*]Ruins; (d6) 1-South American dwarven megaliths that once created a summoning circle, 2-Mayan elven stepped pyramid with stylized animal carvings, 3-partially submerged pier foundations of triton origin depicting scenes of the splintering of race into elves, triton, and drow, 4-massive stone heads with Arawak or Carib likeness, 5-partially collapsed subterranean ruins sized for Halflings or gnomes, 6-ruined colonial military fort or church. [*]Sea Caves; accessible (d4) 1-only thru underwater tunnels, 2-at low tide, 3-by small ship or swimming, 4-via step ascent down cliff; the caves contain (d6) 1-dead pirates or sailors hanging from makeshift gallows, 2-several treasure chests glittering in the depths, possibly lure set by a Sea Beastie, 3-large population of Albatross, Cormorants, or other shorebirds, 4-creepy calcite formations vaguely looking like tortured faces, 5-flotsam with a few salvageable items, 6-paintings on the walls with cryptic message. [*]Settlement: (d6) 1-dwarven fishing village with exquisite stonework, 2-mist shrouded elven pilgrimage site with white ships at berth, 3-gnomish Pygmy village afraid of outsiders, 4-halfling village with lengthy trade rituals replete with storytelling, offers of marriage, and copious pipe smoking, 5-native human village (Arawak or Carib), 6-colonial human outpost and "tent town" on the beach. [*]Shipwreck; (d4) 1-Dutch, 2-English, 3-French, 4-Spanish; (d4) 1-Auxiliary, 2-3-Merchantman, 4-Warship; what happened? (d6) 1-ship utterly smashed to pieces as if thrown thru the air, 2-ship's hull was crushed by giant squid, 3-ship smashed upon rocks or reef, 4-ship inexplicably wrecked near the center of the island, 5-ship damaged in a naval battle and ran aground, 6-ship very old and buried in sand but otherwise seems undamaged; 20% chance that some (1d6x10%) of cargo is salvageable. [*]Totem; (d10) 1-wooden pole carved in likeness of predators hunting prey, 2-stone carved with South American jaguar, serpent, and eagle trifecta, 3-primitive bloodstained altar on slab of stone, 4-feather and bone fetishes hanging from the trees, 5-human skulls mounted on pikes, 6-masthead of ship lost at sea adorned with paints, garlands, and surrounded by candles, 7-statue of the Madonna and child, 8-large rough-hewn wooden cross, 9-altar made in likeness of sea monster overlooking cliff, 10-eternally burning intelligent brazier/torch at center of island with spellcasting abilities of 10th level cleric which it loses if removed from island. [*]Voodoo; (d6) 1-Bokor or Mambo's hut filled with gris-gris, 2-signs of ritual feast with Veve symbols marking an old Voodoo site, 3-shrunken heads throughout island pose riddles and tell jokes, 4-"hot foot powder" traps scattered across island causes anyone coming into contact with it to attract ire of island's inhabitants, 5-corpses of white men in slave shackles killed by inexplicable means, 6-the veil is thin on the island and one or more Loa can appear in any reflective surface. [*]Water Feature; (d6) 1-swamp, 2-rice terrace, 3-tide pools, 4-creek, 5-waterfall, 6-sacred spring; shall we go for a swim? (d6) 1-yes the leeches would love you (reduce max HP by 5 until treated), 2-yes the guardian spirits would love to take 10 years from your life expectancy (-1 Life), 3-yes the bacteria will have a field day (DC 10 Constitution save or suffer exhaustion, if drinking water no save and sick until long rest), 4-yes it's perfectly safe, 5-yes the guardian spirits may grant those who observe proper bathing ritual with a blessing (+1 Life), 6-yes it's magic water that permanently grants +1 Charisma but charms all non-elves to spend 2d12 hours lost in reverie and to share an intimate secret.[/list] [h3]Island Beasties (d20)[/h3] [list=1][*]Constructs; (d4) 1-Helmed Horror (MM) as cursed Spanish conquistadors, 2-Scarecrow (MM) as savage effigies coming to life, 3-Shield Guardian (MM) as Zulu-esque totems standing vigil, 4-Clay Golem (MM) or Stone Golem (MM) as ancient statue waiting to be awakened. [*]Dark Predator; (d6) 1-Lamia (MM) and Jackalwere (MM) hunters see island as personal hunting grounds, 2-Mind Flayer (MM) singling out one PC, dominating various beasts to stalk them, attempting to drive them to madness or death, 3-Oni (MM) dropping bits of treasure to divide and conquer, 4-Owlbear (MM) as stork-legged Chickcharney of the Bahamas with prehensile claws and stealth proficiency, believed to have powers of luck, 5-Panther (MM) with fearsome upgrades, hide resistance to weapons, and taste for man flesh, 6-Tyrannosaurus Rex (MM). [*]Demon Cult; mask-wearing Barlgura (MM) leads savage cult with Dretch (MM), carnivorous Apes (MM), and Cultists (MM) filling out the ranks; what is their goal? (d4) 1-sacrifice enough souls to summon a Goristro (MM), 2-whip followers into fighting frenzy to seize a ship, 3-find suitably villainous soul to replace dying Barlgura, 4-prove to captive philosopher that man is merely a base animal. [*]Djab (dark spirits); (d8) 1-Azagon La Croix, 2-Carisona, 3-Lel-Za-Bol, 4-Rataron the Bold, 5-Six Thousand Men, 6-Shimerack the Chitterer, 7-Tona, 8-Zape Totec. [*]Flying Critters; (d12) 1-Aarakocra (MM) rare bird people believed by pirates to hatch a golden nugget from their throats, 2-Chimera (MM), 3-Cockatrice (MM), 4-Couatl (MM), 5-Griffon (MM) / Hippogriff (MM), 6-Harpy (MM), 7-Manticore (MM), 8-Pegasus (MM), 9-Peryton (MM), 10-Pteranodon (MM), 11-Roc (MM), 12-Wyvern (MM). [*]Giant Animals (MM); pick any from under "Miscellaneous Creatures." [*]Giants and Kin; (d8) 1-Cyclops (MM), 2-Hill Giant (MM), 3-Ettin (MM), 4-Fire Giant (on volcanic island) (MM), 5-Fomorian (MM), 6-Ogre (MM), 7-Stone Giant (MM), 8-Storm Giant (MM). [*]Insectile Critters; (d6) 1-Ankheg (MM), 2-Cave Fisher, 3-Darkmantle (MM)/Piercer(MM), 4-Ettercap (MM) usually accompanied by Giant Spider (MM), 5-Rust Monster (MM), 6-Stirge (MM). [*]Monstrous Humanoids; (d8) 1-Gnoll (MM) marauders, 2-Grimlock (MM) degenerated cave-dwellers, 3-Hobgoblin (MM) slavers and head-hunters, 4-Kobolds (MM) trained in stealth as Tasloi often accompanied by Giant Spiders (MM) or Giant Wasps (MM), 5-Minotaur (MM) cultists with trap-filled labyrinths, 6-Orc (MM) cannibals revering the djab Carisona, 7-Troglodytes (MM) as small-sized uncouth Troggies (S&B) with curious immunity to bludgeoning damage and hatred of magic-users and all things magical, 8-Troll (MM) as amphibious saltwater Scrag proficient in stealth and only able to regenerate in saltwater. [*]NPCs; (d8) 1-Wood Gnome Tribal Warriors (PHB/MM) as Pygmies (S&B), 2-Tribal Warriors (MM) as Arawak or Carib natives, 3-Scouts (MM) as Amazons (S&B), 4-shipwrecked Sailors with mad Naval Captain, 5-Buccaneers led by Bandit Captain (MM) hunting Boar (MM), 6-Pirates fixing ship or searching for buried treasure, 7-Royal Marines on expeditionary mission, 8-marooned NPC who the players are familiar with. [*]Pack; (d6) 1-Allosaurus (MM), 2-Death Dog (MM), 3-Displacer Beast (MM), 4-Grick (MM), 5-Hell Hound (MM), 6-Wolf, Worg, or Dire Wolf (MM). [*]Plant Critters; (d6) 1-Blight (MM), 2-Coelenite, coral/calcite hive mind creatures, 25% grown over skeletons or zombies, 3-Dryad (MM) as Mayan spirit or female pirate left tied to a silk cotton tree, 4-Fungi (MM) and Myconids (MM), 5-Shambling Mound (MM) comprised of seaweed and shore plants, 6-Treant (MM) as part of Mesoamerican World Tree. [*]Spooky Ladies; (d4) 1-Banshee (MM) calling out to spirits of the dead, 2-Hag (MM) disguised as mambo accompanied by Scarecrow (MM) voodoo dolls/poppets/nkisi with sympathetic connection to one creature, 3-Mama Dglo, also called maman du l'eau, a man-eating Siren (MM) with spellcasting who can assume form of a woman on land, 4-Medusa (MM) with jellyfish-like tendrils for hair whose gaze evokes the dreadful seas, calcifying those who draw her ire. [*]Tricksters; (d6) 1-Anansi, wise story-loving West African trickster, who appears as man, spider, or spellcasting Drider (MM), 2-Brer Rabbit or Coyote, Mayan trickster too smart for his own good, who appears as man, rabbit/coyote, or Arcanaloth (MM), 3-Druid (MM) with animal shapeshifting as Mesoamerican Nahual, 4-Kenku (MM) "keeteel" scavengers and smugglers, 5-Mud, Steam, or Smoke Mephit (MM) with an annoying riddle, 6-Will o' Wisp (MM) as malign jackalantans or guardian nimitas. [*]Undead; (d8) 1-Skeletons (MM), 2-Flameskull (MM), 3-Ghost (MM), 4-Ghoul (MM), 5-Mummy (MM), 6-Revenant (MM), 7-Shadow (MM), 8-Wight (MM). [*]Water Critters; (d4) 1-Bullywugs (MM), 2-Lizardfolk (MM), 3-Water Weird (MM), 4-Giant Anemone and Giant Sea Urchin. [*]Wild Men; (d4) 1-Blemmyae (S&B) headless wild men with face on their torso, ravenously hungry, usually speak gibberish, 2-Centaur (MM) inspired burokeet (donkey-man) dances in Trinidad and Tobago, 3-Satyr (MM) with penchant for rum orgies and challenging shantymen to musical contests, 4-Yeti (MM) as Dominican Biembiens, Mayan Sisimité, or simply hairy wild men (S&B). [*]Wyrms; (d6) 1-Basilisk (MM), 2-Behir (MM), 3-Carrion Crawler (MM), 4-Couatl (MM), 5-Green Dragon (MM) as flightless double-headed amphisbaena serpent of Aztec myth, 6-Naga (MM). [*]Yuan-ti (MM); masters of the island with their own serpentine cult parodying real-world religion, accompanied by Giant Snakes (MM) and Swarms of Poisonous Snakes (MM). [*]Roll on Sea Beasties Table.[/list] [/SBLOCK] [SBLOCK=Abyss Encounter Tables] In general, the Abyss is freezing cold, preturnaturally dark, and exerts crushing water pressure; magic and/or technology is required to reach and survive these depths. The Abyssal Plain between 9,000 ft and 18,000 ft is interrupted by oceanic trenches, volcanic islands, and submarine ridges creating microclimates that allow for strange flora. When rolling encounters in the Abyss, roll both on the Abyssal Features table and the Abyssal Beasties table, and combine the results. [h3]Abyssal Features (d10)[/h3] [list=1][*]Deep Sea Life; (d10) 1-Anglerfish, 2-Carnivorous Scallop, 3-Dire Squid, 4-Giant Anemone, 5-Giant Eel, 6-Giant Sea Urchin, 7-Giant Starfish, 8-Gulper, 9-Swarm of Lampreys, 10-Viperfish. [*]Microbial Bloom; mix of Gas Spores (MM), Shriekers (MM), and Violet Fungus (MM), all warm-blooded creatures breathing water must make DC 20 Constitution save or suffer psychological delusions and hallucinations until taking an extended rest (see "Mental Afflictions" Buccaneers & Bokor issue 2). [*]Oceanic Trench; enormous gap into infinite darkness with deafening vacuum current pulling toward it, escaping pull requires DC 25 Strength check, creative magic, or some kind of incredible anchor, otherwise creatures are pulled completely into trench in 4 rounds at which point they fall in, a fatal event (-1 Life), however they can only survive by making a deal with a Lord of the Abyss. [*]Volcanic Island; huge "mountain" rises above, magma flows come up thru Abyssal floor (10d6 fire damage if contacting magma), entire area is dangerously hot unlike rest of Abyss, dealing 5 fire damage per round from boiling water. [*]Shadow Gate; ancient ruined portal to the surface (or perhaps elsewhere?) ringed in Abyssal runes, and watched over by a Formorian (MM) or Storm Giant (MM) in lonely vigil. [*]Sunken Shipwreck; treasure worth ~20% of the ship's cargo can be scavenged, but some complication: (d4) 1-roll again on Abyssal Beasties for what is inhabiting the shipwreck, 2-roll for a type of undead encountered under Ghost Ship for Sea Special Encounter, 3-the treasure is cursed, 4-ship is precariously perched on edge of an inactive (for now) oceanic trench. [*]Call of the Abyss; sibilant whispers and discordant sounds unnerve non-natives to the Abyss who can hear, they must make DC 20 Wisdom save or be affected as per the confusion spell until becoming deaf and taking a short rest away from sound, receiving healing magic, or leaving the Abyss. [*]Reality-Warping Bubbles; avoiding the 9 to 20-ft diameter bubbles requires an Athletics check to swim (DC 20 if speed 30-ft, DC 25 if less speed, DC 15 if more speed), any creature engulfed by a bubble is trapped within and suffers one or more of the following effects: (d6) 1-begin transforming into a Skum (which becomes permanent after eight hours), 2-suffer 3d4 Wisdom damage and gain a permanent form of insanity (if reduced to 0 Wisdom become catatonic), 3-develop a hideous mutation and/or deformity, 4-lose most of old memories (and end all spell effects) which are replaced by new set of memories borrowed from a dead person, 5-gain terrifying vision of the future and eyes turn to goo causing you to become blind, 6-stricken mute by horrors but gain telepathy 50 ft [*]Reverse Maelstrom; enormous bright funnel of swirling currents descends from above carrying ships, sailors, flotsam, and Sea Beasties (roll on respective tables), simulates a storm underwater (see Skull & Bones pg. 111), creative trick might work to "ride" dying Maelstrom back up to surface. [*]Seismic Activity; quaking causes tumbling rocks to break off of submarine ridges (DC 15 Dexterity save or 10d6 bludgeoning damage and pinned on Abyssal floor), rapid pressure changes (take 10d6 pressure damage unless protected), and bursts of steam to vent out from the Abyssal floor (10d6 fire damage and tossed 100-ft, DC 20 Strength save for half both).[/list] [h3]Abyssal Beasties (d20)[/h3] [list=1][*]Aboleth (MM); with Chuul (MM) or Skum servitors. [*]Beholder (MM); as amphibious Eye of the Deep, one of its smaller eyestalks hangs in front of it like an anglerfish and glows slightly, granting the beholder the ability to use minor illusion at-will. [*]Carrion Crawler (MM); squicky worms that crawl along the Abyssal floor feasting on rotting corpses. [*]Cloaker (MM); as Ixitxachitl, with the vampiric shamans of their race in the Abyss. [*]Deepspawn; roll again on Sea Beasties or Abyssal Beasties to determine what it has recently spawned. [*]Demilich (MM); all that remains of a Lich that drowned at sea. [*]Demons (MM); (d10) 1-Balors scheme in their fortress-prisons carved into volcanic islands, 2-Chasme emerge from larval cocoons to torture damned souls, 3-Glabrezu have crab-like or eel-like faces but adopt more "relatable" faces when bargaining with summoners, 4-Hezrou serve as foot soldiers and appear as a variety of corrupted deep sea critters, 5-Manes are perpetually tormented damned souls, 6-Marilith marshal the forces of the Abyss for attacks on the surface, 7-Nalfeshnee hold obscene courts in shipwrecks trying souls in a mockery of maritime law, 8-Quasits serve as messengers and spies, 9-Vrock are appointed to guard duty, they appear as water-logged carrion vultures, 10-Yochlol weave intricate webs of deceit and betrayal using the Drow (MM) as game pieces. [*]Grell (MM); opportunistic aquatic predators that descend in great numbers like a jellyfish swarm. [*]Grick (MM); amphibious critters curled up in giant mollusk shells on Abyssal floor where they wait to ambush. [*]Hydra (MM); Lusca as shark/octopus-like amphibious hydra, with tentacle grab attacks. [*]Kuo-toa (MM); in perpetual state of delusion, seek out reality-warping bubbles as form of twisted pilgrimage. [*]Merrow (MM); dwell in ruined undersea cave complex built around idol to Dagon. [*]Mind Flayer (MM); amphibious captains of Abyssal ships manned by Skum and doomed human thralls, often accompanied by Intellect Devourer (MM) pets. [*]Myconids (MM). [*]Ooze; (d4) 1-Ochre Jelly (MM), 2-Black Pudding (MM), 3-Slithering Hoard, 4-Ghaunadan. [*]Purple Worm (MM); massive aquatic tunneling worm. [*]Remorhaz (MM); amphibious, occasionally surface near glaciers. [*]Roper (MM); hidden in alien kelp forests strewn with corpses or amidst towering submarine ridges. [*]Sea Elves; Drow (MM) in the Abyss are led by Yochlol (MM) demons and accompanied by Driders (MM) with lobster-esque lower torso, amphibious Cave Fishers, and Giant Eels, spider webs re-skinned as enormous macabre fishing nets. [*]Lord of the Abyss; (d8) 1-Blidlipoolp, 2-Cthulu, 3-Dagon, 4-Davey Jones, 5-Jubilex, 6-Kraken (MM), 7-Lolth (as lobster/squid-torsoed "Ursula" type), 8-Zargon.[/list] [/SBLOCK] [SBLOCK=Antagonists Encounter Table] The following table is customized for the PCs in this campaign, and may change to reflect the ongoing story or coming/going of PCs. When a result indicates an encounter with a PC's Enemy or that the authorities pursue a Wanted PC, either roll here or the DM should choose one of the following. [h3]Antagonists Encounter Table (d10)[/h3] [list=1][*]Academie Royale des Sciences: Mariette de Fontenelle, Agent Provocateur (CR 5) is after [B]Barrington[/B], possibly with charmed Pirates (CR 1/2) or Spies (CR 1). It may be that Barrington learned something critical from the Royal Astronomer but didn't realize it at the time. Alternately, this could entail a hit squad including an Assassin (CR 8), a Mage (CR 6), and/or an Invisible Stalker (CR 6). [*]The Baron: Bernard Desjean, Baron de Pointis (CR 10) sends Veterans (CR 3) as mercenary "Dunkirkers", Ship Mages (CR 2), and Spies (CR 1) to do his dirty work. He can also command Perytons (CR 2) with his Red Right Hand. He pursues an agenda of domination, which is diametrically opposed to [B]Caillou's[/B] mission of liberation and is likely to bring him into conflict with the other PCs. [*]Cult of Smiling Jack: François L'Ollonais, Seawolf Captain (CR 7), Seawolves (CR 3), Cult Fanatics (CR 2), Cultists (CR 1/8), and a variety of aberrations - particularly Mind Flayers (CR 7) - are pursuing a nefarious agenda. The destruction of [B]Nia Steeleyes'[/B] tribe by Smiling Jack could involve her. [*]Hudson's Bay Company: Crippled by French occupation of Hudson's Bay, but anticipating an end to the war soon, the HBC sent out an agent to the Caribbean to gain leverage for treaty negotiations that would ensure the Bay returned to British control. This agent is Thomas Paine (CR ?), an aging colonial American privateer, who the HBC somehow convinced out of retirement. He is served by Scouts (CR 1) loyal to the HBC as well as his own crew of Old Salts (CR 1/4). Paine's objectives put him squarely in opposition to [B]Etienne.[/B] [*]El Ministerio de Inteligencia de Los Indies: La Mosca Española (CR 7) is tracking down [B]Old Zef[/B] and the Zeeland Bellows, or keeping tabs on treasure hunters after La Gloriosa. Though she prefers to work alone, she can call upon a network of Spies (CR 1) and even a few Doppelgangers (CR 3) when needed. [*]The Governor: Governor Juan de Ribera (CR 16) sends disguised Wights (CR 3), Spanish conquistador Knights (CR 3) (half-plate AC 16 & musket), and Guards (CR 1/8) (breastplate AC 15 & musket) to bring [B]Katarina[/B] to him out of his sick desire for a young wife to brainwash and compel to raise "his" child. He may also form alliances with the Viceroyalty of New Spain. [*]Hobgoblin Slavers: Sivrad Kumsfrieg, Hobgoblin Warlord (CR 6), Vashkor Blaat, Hobgoblin Captain (CR 3), Bugbears (CR 1), and Hobgoblins (CR 1/2) attempt to take [B]Caillou[/B] and/or other runaway slaves (or new slaves) in irons. [*]Naturalist: Sir D'Arcy, Outlaw Naturalist (CR 4) seeks [B]Caillou's[/B] help finding kenku island colony and won't take no for an answer, utilizing his monster menagerie (see DMG Appendix A) only if leverage or trickery fails. He may also leverage inroads with the Academie Royale des Sciences. [*]Viceroyalty of New Spain: Captain Alvaro Díaz de Cartagena Hermoso de La Virgen y Madre, Naval Captain (CR 2) of La Sagrada, and his Warrant Officers (CR 1/2), Midshipmen (CR 1/2), and Sailors (CR 1/8) pursue [B]Katarina[/B] to bring her into custody for piracy, smuggling, and treachery. [B]Old Zef[/B] is wanted too, but considered a secondary target. [*]Wild Card: This entails an encounter with an ambiguous antagonist. For example, Jacques Cassard, Naval Captain (CR 2) of the Achéron and his Midshipmen (CR 1/2) and Buccaneers (CR 1/2) may pursue the PCs' ship on a French privateer contract, or become embroiled in an Academie plot. Read Wallace, Pirate Captain (CR 2) of the Winchelsea and his Pirates (CR 1/2) may engage in a bit of piratical rivalry, or work on behalf of the Van Schiedems. Bennett Rafferty, Commodore (CR 3) of the HMS Beacon, HMS Egret, and HMS Foxcatcher and his Lieutenants (CR 1) and Royal Marines (CR 1/2) may clash with the PCs over issues of British interest, or over evidence of what befell the HMS Rescue and his father Captain George Lightly Rafferty 30 years ago.[/list][/SBLOCK] [url=http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?374269-Monster-conversions-for-Spell-amp-Crossbones&p=6425587#post6425587]Homebrew monsters & monster conversions[/url] [/QUOTE]
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