[5e] Spell & Crossbones

[Shayuri]

Interesting notions here. I had some thoughts:

1) Redemption - What if, instead of being on one of the failed attempts to find the Gloriosa, he was actually one of the original sailors on it? One of the ones who pillaged and ransacked and made off with the treasures? Somehow...perhaps by dark pacts or sincere promises to higher powers...he survived its sinking, and now seeks the wreckage so he can try to make amends by returning some object of special value to its rightful owner.

Which might put him at odds with a greedy crew at some point, but that'll be interesting.

2) I wouldn't worry much about the Resistance cantrip; I'm fairly sure the curse that overtook the Coral Curse was stronger than that. But it is worth wondering why he was spared that fate. Perhaps he was NOT...and he only is holding at bay for now? The cure may be in the Gloriosa. Or perhaps he appealed to some loa for protection, and that protection was granted in exchange for some item or service related to the Gloriosa?

 

[Queenie]

Not that -anyone- can't guess the Ghost... but I think [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] and [MENTION=20005]Matthan[/MENTION] might have the best uses for an Inspiration Point.

Katerina will probably need plenty of inspiration at different points but I may forget I have it. :/


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[Quickleaf]

Quick character-building (story?) thoughts of a Sunday morning:

(1) New Bond: "Redemption": Was a member of one of the failed expeditions to find La Gloriosa del Mar, and is Notorious or potentially even Disgraced (or not?) because of this prior failure. Desires to convert that failure into an eventual success by trying again, not only for the sake of the money (a chance to loot a spanish treasure galleon without having to face the galleon's guns) but also because of the chance to redeem reputation, plus give others the news they crave about what happened, who is to blame, what's in the "alleged ledger" of privateers who were french agents, etc.

(2) Char. intro.: served on the Coral Curse, so is a one of the few survivors to be interviewed during or after the questioning of its dying captain. That would need a reason, or several, for surviving the Yellow Fever long enough to get recruited, so here are three potential reasons: high (heroic) CON score, CON proficiency as a Sorc., and the "Scurvy Sea Dog" Seafarer's Trick (Adv. on saves vs. disease, resistance to disease damage).
(Probably not worth pursuing in that connection: taking the Spell Sniper feat to get the "Resistance" cantrip to gain +1d4 on saves if cast within a minute of the need for the save. With that cantrip, he could have given most of the crew of the Coral Curse the same bonus to Yellow Fever, so why didn't he if he had that? That's a can of worms, and should not be needed if his high CON with Proficiency and the SSD Trick would get him back alive from the hospital ship's voyage.)

(3) If it works out for him to be a former crew member aboard the Curse, that gives an automatic Ill Fortune of "Enemy" in the person of the french captain who attacked the Coral Curse enroute.

I actually think (3) is a pretty compelling backstory, and would definitely fill a niche no other PC in the party has filled, whether current PCs or retired PCs. And the timing would work well, because it seems likely the party will speak to some of Van Djik's former crew soon-ish...and you can follow the recent posts which will deal with revealing the mystery of what befell The Coral Curse, which would be info. your PC knows (at least in part) having been a crew member.

Currently the party includes:
Katerina del Corazon (Rogue 3, Fighter 1)
Old Zef (Wizard 4)
Nia Steeleyes (Ranger 1, Druid 3)
Etienne Rougeau (Bard 4)
Blaise Arceneau (Paladin 4)

So it's well balanced, and your sorcerer or warlock concept would fit just fine.

No need to worry about "what if I had spell X handy" because (a) The Coral Curse has been beached for several years, so it's possible your PC was lower experience level or even un-classed then, and (b) there's a "big curse" involved, so surviving might not just have been a matter of making good saving throws (though that certainly could be one route to survival).

 

[Shayuri]

I'll put this here, so as not to let the OOC arrangements clutter up the IC thread. I have a history of being kind of bad with that sort of thing.

Insight: 1D20+6 = [15]+6 = 21


So!

I'm thinking the option that makes the most sense would be for Nia to suss out some details on the nature and origin of his various charms strewn around the room. Seems most in 'tune' with Nia's area of expertise.

I'm glad I rolled well. I was going to go with the 'djab sees us' result if I messed it up.

As for the ghost story...is there more? That ghost story seemed very devoid of...ghost? Am I being too literal in my reading? There were a few tidbits in there that give me an inkling perhaps, but before I take a guess I need to know if there's more ghost story to come or if he's done talking for now.

Edit - Oh, right...I see it now. The DC drops if I wait for the next part. So there is a next part. Hah! Well, that's fine...still made the roll by enough. That'll teach me to just dive in the instant I see a DC pop up.

I will say this, I really like how you craft these skill challenges. I want to try to use it for a game I'm running, but since it's not PBP it's tricky!

 

[Queenie]

Quickleaf has the best PBP story mechanic set up, and the most amazing creative imagination to come up with multiple, multiple options at every turn. For realz. [emoji7]


....and what???? Blaise is a Paladin????? *faint*


Sent from my iPad using EN World

 

[Quickleaf]

I'll put this here, so as not to let the OOC arrangements clutter up the IC thread. I have a history of being kind of bad with that sort of thing.

Insight: 1D20+6 = [15]+6 = 21


So!

I'm thinking the option that makes the most sense would be for Nia to suss out some details on the nature and origin of his various charms strewn around the room. Seems most in 'tune' with Nia's area of expertise.

I'm glad I rolled well. I was going to go with the 'djab sees us' result if I messed it up.

As for the ghost story...is there more? That ghost story seemed very devoid of...ghost? Am I being too literal in my reading? There were a few tidbits in there that give me an inkling perhaps, but before I take a guess I need to know if there's more ghost story to come or if he's done talking for now.

Edit - Oh, right...I see it now. The DC drops if I wait for the next part. So there is a next part. Hah! Well, that's fine...still made the roll by enough. That'll teach me to just dive in the instant I see a DC pop up.

There is a next part! Awesome, I'll incorporate the charm stuff in my next post. Yeah, I wanted to break it up because, well, it's a lot of text to read in one go... and give folks a chance to digest, make some conversation if you want... and the backstory helps set up the "ghostly" part.

I will say this, I really like how you craft these skill challenges. I want to try to use it for a game I'm running, but since it's not PBP it's tricky!

I actually started doing it in face-to-face games! Well, a rougher earlier form.

Basically, I quietly implemented a blanket rule to all skill checks: DC+5 or more, something really good happens. DC-5 or less, something extra bad (but interesting) complicates matters.

I wouldn't always present a choice. For quicker checks I'd often just have that principle operating in the back of my mind. For more involved checks – those with more player buy-in, more foreshadowing, more suspense built up – that's when I would declare stakes prior to the roll being made. Maybe once or twice a session I'd do that. For the really critical story-altering checks.

When I did it, I'd quickly determine where the most options for player choice lay – that is, whether for the particular check my imagination flourished on the +5 or -5 side. Given that I have (secret) rat bastard DM tendencies (which I keep in control), my imagination usually flourishes on the -5 side. I actually think, from a story-telling & player psychology standpoint, that it's more important to provide options for failure...but that's a more involved topic. So then I'd verbally say:

OK, Carl, you're using Arcana to try to control your mage hand against the kobold sorcerer's mage hand. Who will wrest control of the staff? If you succeed, you will. And I don't mention that if he succeeds by 5+ he'll also be able to thwack the kobold sorcerer or mess with him in some way, like throw him off balance. The first time (or first few times) I did this, I might mention it, but after a while it becomes second nature, and, if a player really wants to know, they'll ask. If you fail, the kobold gets the staff, but if you fail really bad, you'll have to pick one of three complications, ok?

In face-to-face I don't mention those 3 complications unless a failure comes up. Why? Because it interrupts the flow of conversation to present those, right at the point when the player is REALLY eager to roll. Also, it gives me a few moments to brainstorm potential complications.

And that's my face-to-face process!

Quickleaf has the best PBP story mechanic set up, and the most amazing creative imagination to come up with multiple, multiple options at every turn. For realz.

Aww, thanks. But just wait until my imagination starts screwing over the party, you'll be wishing I was a bit less imaginative then. Hehehe.

....and what???? Blaise is a Paladin????? *faint*

She's either swooning or broken-hearted over his vow of chastity. I cannae tell.

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] Btw, you probably got it from my example, but if you wanted a face-to-face example of how I'd run one of the "skill challenges" (gotta come up with a better name...skill flurries? haha), we could always set up a Skype or GoogleHangouts call. Cheers

 

[Matthan]

Quickleaf has the best PBP story mechanic set up, and the most amazing creative imagination to come up with multiple, multiple options at every turn. For realz. [emoji7]


....and what???? Blaise is a Paladin????? *faint*

Quickleaf's +5/-5 result trees are genuinely amazing. I need to keep that rule of thumb in mind when I DM next.

Blaise is a paladin! But, he's a paladin of vengeance which means that he's very driven towards vengeance against slavers and towards freeing slaves. Drinking and carousing are still available. Everyone has a moral code. His is very loose in places and incredibly rigid in one area. He is just able to back up his code with smites.

 

[Matthan]

Quick comments and questions on the story:

I don't feel like I have a good guess on what kind of ghost we're dealing with yet. The arc of the story isn't looking good for Blaise making friends with Van Djik though. I'm guessing he took a slave or slaves and it went horribly wrong. He valued freedom and betrayed that possibly by taking on a slave who was also a vodoun that cursed him and the ship. I'm not sure how Blaise is going to react yet. I know that when he heard Van Djik mention his time as a slave that Blaise was immediately on his side. I don't know how Blaise will react to the foreshadowed turn.
[MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION] I would like for Blaise to be able to engage Van Djik if possible. Paladins have an ability to cure diseases by expending 5 HP from their Lay on Hands pool. I am under no illusion that Blaise could actually cure whatever is infecting the dwarf, but would you allow it to provide a brief respite or restoration of strength for his story. Maybe give him a flash of hope that fate can be cheated?

My thought is that Blaise wants this man's trust and definitely wants to hear the end of the story so he's willing to show some cards if it helps him stack the deck in his favor.

 

[tuxgeo]

So many useful ideas here:

Re: his having been a crew member aboard the Coral Curse, but having survived the Yellow Fever epidemic and now having the attacking french captain as an enemy:

I actually think (3) is a pretty compelling backstory, and would definitely fill a niche no other PC in the party has filled, whether current PCs or retired PCs. And the timing would work well, because it seems likely the party will speak to some of Van Djik's former crew soon-ish...and you can follow the recent posts which will deal with revealing the mystery of what befell The Coral Curse, which would be info. your PC knows (at least in part) having been a crew member.

Currently the party includes:
Katerina del Corazon (Rogue 3, Fighter 1)
Old Zef (Wizard 4)
Nia Steeleyes (Ranger 1, Druid 3)
Etienne Rougeau (Bard 4)
Blaise Arceneau (Paladin 4)

So it's well balanced, and your sorcerer or warlock concept would fit just fine.

No need to worry about "what if I had spell X handy" because (a) The Coral Curse has been beached for several years, so it's possible your PC was lower experience level or even un-classed then, and (b) there's a "big curse" involved, so surviving might not just have been a matter of making good saving throws (though that certainly could be one route to survival).

Hmm. Captain Van Djik survived this long, and apparently others did as well. The Capt. is a dwarf, having resistance to poison damage and Adv. on saves vs. poison; but not having the same for diseases. Now he's about to succumb after these years. . . .
I think I should work on other parts of the story for bonds and relationships and fortunes before circling back around to the question of how this guy survived the epidemic. If there were Divine/Spiritual intervention, that would seem to indicate that this character offers (or offered) sacrifices to spirits, or prayed really devoutly to Bondye ("Bon Dieu"). The retired Doctor Hawken Varlock had a loa patron, so other people in the region could easily do the same. "Reason for survival" may be a bridge to cross another day.

Interesting notions here. I had some thoughts:

1) Redemption - What if, instead of being on one of the failed attempts to find the Gloriosa, he was actually one of the original sailors on it? One of the ones who pillaged and ransacked and made off with the treasures? Somehow...perhaps by dark pacts or sincere promises to higher powers...he survived its sinking, and now seeks the wreckage so he can try to make amends by returning some object of special value to its rightful owner.

Which might put him at odds with a greedy crew at some point, but that'll be interesting.

That's certainly something I had not even considered. Were there any survivors of La Gloriosa? Did it reach some distant shore in extremis without sinking? Did The Kraken grab it whole and drag it down to the Abyss before anybody had a chance to jump off? Did the seas become strange while La Gloriosa was under cannon fire from pursuers, with parts of the poop deck blown clean off the superstructure, only to fall to the sea with the still-living bodies of sailors cast like puppets into the air to fly clear of the flotsam? Did the flotsam's fall to the water, and temporarily under it, extinguish any flames, so survivors could swim to and cling to (or mount) the wrack? Did the remains of La Gloriosa continue on from there through the "seas-became-strange" portal into the seas of another world, leaving pursuers behind?
Would any survivors who were blown clear be able to discern where the rest of the ship went after that? If the ship sank as they watched, could they find the spot again? If it was near land, there might have been visible landmarks; but then, why did they take this long to tell people what those landmarks were? (Temporary or magical amnesia?)

I think it's likely Quickleaf already has answers to most of those questions, and is saving them for the party to discover later. For now, I'll hold off on trying to overwrite that part of the setting with my character's attempted backstory; but those are really intriguing ideas all the same.

2) I wouldn't worry much about the Resistance cantrip; I'm fairly sure the curse that overtook the Coral Curse was stronger than that. But it is worth wondering why he was spared that fate. Perhaps he was NOT...and he only is holding at bay for now? The cure may be in the Gloriosa. Or perhaps he appealed to some loa for protection, and that protection was granted in exchange for some item or service related to the Gloriosa?

So he survived the epidemic but never fully recovered from it? That's a compelling concept in its own right.
Umm. I think that not deciding finally on a Bond is a good idea at the moment, with this proviso: for now, before the character gets built to match, he has three Bonds to La Gloriosa! They are: Vengeance/Justice, either to find the guilty french privateers who aided in the raid on Cartagena, or to clear his own family of suspicion and accusations of having been among those; Redemption because he failed to find La Gloriosa before; and Recovery, because the Yellow Fever isn't gone from his body, it's merely in abeyance.

---

Bonus stuff:
(0) Was Cartagena named after the historical Carthage? Might we expect Hannibal and elephants?
(1) The reason nobody can find La Gloriosa del Mar by scrying magic is that, while they were under pursuit, the people aboard her held a ceremony to re-christen the vessel, using a mixture of French and Spanish to throw off investigators, renaming it "La Furiosa del Gloire." Nobody would think to scry for its location under that name!
(2) I finally did watch Swiss Family Robinson on Sunday. There were pirates in the movie, but they were more the plot device and the villains than being main characters. That's to be expected for that story.
More connections: SWR featured James MacArthur as Fritz, the eldest son, and John Mills as the father, with Janet Munro as the girl who is first mistaken for a boy.
(a) What, Munro died at the tender age of 38, in 1971? (I had seen her before in Darby O'Gill and the Little People.)
(b) John Mills and James MacArthur teamed up again in "The Truth About Spring," featuring a maturing Hayley Mills as the girl (tomboy in her case) who is first mistaken for a boy.