[5e] Spell & Crossbones
- Thread starter Quickleaf
- Start date
pathfinderq1
First Post
1. Question for the GM: How much leeway do we have in using NPCs associated with 'departed' PCs? (in particular Sir D'Arcy, who seems like a fine fellow to hate)
2. Question for the GM and/or Queenie: How long ago did Kat's father Blackheart meet his end? (It seems fairly recent, from reading the background, but that depends on how long Kat has been pirating on her own- are we talking a year or less? 2 years?) The secondary question here would be- would it be okay to have someone who had served on Blackheart's ship, albeit years ago?
2. Question for the GM and/or Queenie: How long ago did Kat's father Blackheart meet his end? (It seems fairly recent, from reading the background, but that depends on how long Kat has been pirating on her own- are we talking a year or less? 2 years?) The secondary question here would be- would it be okay to have someone who had served on Blackheart's ship, albeit years ago?
Quickleaf
Legend
You have all the leeway in the world in that regard!
I'll let [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] field the first part of the question. My impression was "a couple years" since Katarina is 22.
As for the second part, absolutely! I think that's a great way to tie your character to the party. Blackheart being a renowned pirate with a legendary love of booty (specifically, but not exclusively, the golden kind), loyal to his crew and they to him, believed to be dead...
Artwork: http://sharandula.deviantart.com/
Blaise Arceneau
[SBLOCK=Stat Block and Details]Height 6’; Weight 185lbs ; Hair: Dark Brown; Age 23; Patron Deity: Libète
Sex: Male Race: Human (variant), (French) Class: Paladin (Vengeance) Level:4
Alignment: Chaotic Good Size: Medium Type: Humanoid
Init +5; Passive Perception 13
Languages : English, French, Creole
AC 19 (Studded Leather [12] + Dex [5] + Buckler [1] + Heavy Armor Bonus [1]
HP 32 (11+7+7+7)
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Wisdom, Charisma
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Combat gear:
Studded Leather Armor (AC 12+5 Dex+1 Heavy Armor Prof.)
Buckler +1 AC
Rapier (ATK: +7; Damage 1d8+7 Piercing [Dex+Dueling])
Pistol (ATK: +7; Damage 1d10+5)
Abilities:http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/38411/
Str 13
Dex 20 (Racial, ASI)
Con 13
Int 8
Wis 10
Cha 16 (Racial)
Racial Traits: Variant Human: +1 to two Stats, One Skill Proficiency (Perception), One Feat.[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Backgrounds and Fortunes]
Background:
Abolitionist
Skill Proficiencies: Stealth, Acrobatics
Tool Proficiencies: Smith tools
Additional Language: Creole
Equipment:
Feature: Oppressed Hospitality (as per Folk Hero’s Rustic Hospitality-exchange common folks with slaves) Due to your history of opposition to slavery, you fit in among the oppressed with ease. You can find a place to hide, rest, or recuperate among slaves or other downtrodden people, unless you have shown yourself to be a danger to them. They will shield you from the law or anyone else searching for you, though they will not risk their lives for you.
Personality Trait:
Bond: Sacred Relic (twin diamond necklaces related to Libète)
Ideal: Freedom: No man has the right to oppress or enslave another.
Flaw: Shameful Past: I come from a family of slave traders and will do anything to keep that past from coming out.
Fortunes:
Good: Cause (abolition), Loa Patron (Libète), Magic Trinkets
Ill: Enemy (Knights of Malta – Anton Fontaine), Wanted (English), Obligation (Forced Marriage-fled)[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Class Features]Class Features:
Divine Sense
Lay on Hands - (20 hp)
Fighting Style - (Dueling +2 damage when wielding a single one-handed weapon)
Spellcasting - (Spell Save DC: 13; Spell Attack Modifier: +5)
Divine Smite
Divine Health
Channel Divinity: Abjure Enemy and Vow of Enmity; Libeté’s Touch (see magic items)
Proficiencies:
Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple and Martial
Tools: None from class
Saving throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Proficient Skills from class: Athletics and Persuasion[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Skills and Feats]All Proficient Skills
+7 Acrobatics *
+3 Athletics *
+2 Perception *
+5 Persuasion *
+7 Stealth *
+2 +stat Smith's Tools
Feats: Defensive Duelist[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Magic]Prepared Spells: Bless, Cure Wounds, Thunderous Smite, Command, Protection from Evil and Good
Oath Spells: Bane, Hunter's Mark[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Equipment]Equipment: 14 gp
Studded Leather Armor
Libeté’s Votive Buckler (see Magic Items)
Rapier
Pistol
Bullets (12)
Smith's Tools
Explorer's Pack (backpack, bedroll, mess kit, tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 days of rations, waterskin, 50ft of hempen rope)
Common Clothes
Holy Symbol – Amulet (image of broken chain)[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Magic Items]Libeté’s Votive Buckler
Armor (buckler shield), uncommon
Emblazoned with the symbol of Libeté, this metal buckler shield sports a flared edge and the inner face is engraved with Blaise’s oath to Libeté. It can be worn either on the sword hand or the free hand. When worn on the freehand it grants +1 AC and can be used to attack for 1d6 bludgeoning damage as an action. When worn on the sword hand it grants you advantage on checks to avoid being disarmed (or disadvantage on checks to disarm you).
In addition, when wielding the votive buckler, a cleric or paladin can use Channel Divinity thus:
Libeté’s Touch: As an action, you can strike shackles, manacles, or other metal bindings, and those bindings - along with any that are attached or of the same construction within 30 feet - are sundered and fall free.[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Background]Anton Fontaine was a fresh faced initiate in the Knights of Malta. Not content to slowly work his way up to the power and prestige he dreamed of, he made a deal with the Devil for financial fortune. The Devil never makes a deal that he doesn't twist in some way. Instead of fulfilling the deal directly, he took the opportunity to poke at distant Bondye through his servants and provide a temptation of further corruption to spread from Anton to others. He gave him a ritual that allowed him to bind two loas into two humans and in a profane act forced the loas to procreate. The new born loa would be a source of great power, but still be weak due to its age, and able to be permanently bound and subdued. The trapped Loa's power could then be used to bring success to the Fontaine and the Knights of Malta with him while also bringing ruin to their enemies.
Anton gathered his allies and went through the process and using the power of the newborn and trapped Loa, they hid themselves from the reprisal of the two Loas they abused and set up a sugar cane plantation in Saint-Domingue roughly 20 years ago. They abused the power of the loa to take the free will of their slaves making them function as automatons. The fact this also allowed the Knights to use their slaves in increasingly perverse and wicked ways without any resistance meant that their appetite for evil only grew.
The loa's power made their crop more bountiful than normal and brought ruin to the neighboring plantations. Every few seasons, another neighbor had been so progressively ruined that he was forced to sell his land to Anton who, of course, was able to bring its production in line with theirs.
This scheme was well known in the area after the first few plantations failed and were bought out. People gave reports of seeing slaves who worked like zombies and rumors of black magic being behind the success of the Knight's plantation were a well known rumor, but any time that someone tried to find proof or bring an accusation, they disappeared and their family fell into ruin.
5 years ago, another plantation was bought and a new neighbor knew what was awaiting him. He found a brash and reckless young man who boasted far more than his skills could back up. Blaise Arceneau talked a big talk, but it was all a lie. In reality, he was a spoiled child from a family that had grown rich off the slave trade. In the foolishness of youth, he ran away into a world that he was not prepared for to escape an arranged marriage that would bring his family the respectability that their money couldn't buy. The plantation owner either believed Blaise or was desperate enough to not care and hired the young man to sneak into the cult's home and discover what gave them their fortune and steal it or destroy it.
Luck was with Blaise as he snuck onto the plantation under the cover of night. The cult members had drank deep of their perversions and were deeply unconscious. Blaise managed to do what no other had done before and found an egg shaped diamond as large as a man's fist hovering in the basement of the cult. The diamond was the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen. It seemed to pulse with an internal light. In a daze, Blaise reached out to grab it. His fingers only brushed the surface as an unseen cult member discovered him and clubbed him into unconsciousness.
He woke up as a slave without any control over his physical body, but completely and wholly aware of his actions and surroundings. For a year, his body was forced to work the plantation during the day. At night, he was subjected to the wicked desires of the cult who controlled him like a puppet. Over the course of the year, he began to hear a whisper in his mind. It took months before the whisper was loud enough to be understood in his thoughts. The diamond had contained the trapped loa, and it had formed a connection to him when he touched its prison. It had taken months for it to work its magic through the prison along the tether of their connection to speak with him and offer a proposal.
The loa could use its power and their connection to free the man, but he had to pledge to free the loa and bring vengeance to their captors. Every deal has a price. The loa knew that its nature had been stunted and altered by the ritual that birthed and imprisoned it. It knew that it would have to have a vessel to survive until it could find a way to be what it was meant to be. Blaise would have to serve as that vessel. Filled with rage, he readily agreed. That night, the agreement was carried out and
he snuck back into the basement. The diamond grew warm in his hands as he felt a surge of energy enter his body. His eyes closed to gather his senses. When he opened them a moment later, the diamond was gone and he was no longer alone in his mind and body.
The rest of the evening saw the pact fulfilled. Every cult member on the plantation was left dead. The loa realizing that it was finally free took on a name, Libète.
The plantation slaves came to their sense shortly thereafter. Gathering together, they knew they weren't truly free yet. Some of the slaves had been pirates who had crossed the cult in a deal and wound up ensorcelled as slaves. They presented a plan to truly free everyone. A group of the strongest and most capable among them would sneak to Port au Prince and obtain a ship. Fleeing along the coast, the team would send a runner to collect the ones who stayed behind and bring them to the ship. It was mutually agreed that the final group would put the plantation to the torch as they left so no one else could profit from their enslavement.
Blaise was among those selected to go. The pirates' captain was named Langdon Seth, and he had obviously done this before because the plan went perfectly. The ship's crew had been knocked unconscious and tied up without an alarm being raised. When they were a day away along the coast, they sent a runner to collect the others. The runner, Theresa Harrington, returned to a bloodbath. Every man, woman, and child that had stayed behind lay slaughtered in a monstrous and macbre pile. Theresa fled and set alight everything she could as she went. When she returned to the ship with her news, the crew set off as fast as it could.
Blaise did not know it, but Anton Fontaine had not been present during the prior few days events. He was alive and his rage over his loss threatened to eclipse the heat of the sun.
Blaise spent the next four years sailing and working with the crew. They christened their ship, the Bloody Corsair, and set out to raid and plunder every slaver they could find. Blaise worked many jobs around the ship before finding himself apprenticed to the gunner, Harwood 'Splinter' Barclay. Barclay was a mentor and friend that taught Blaise everything he knew including metal work as he helped Blaise make his holy symbol.
As they sailed, Blaise searched for information that could free Libète. She believes that her parents could restore her to what she was meant to be. After much searching, they found the place where Anton had first performed the ritual that created her. Libète's first memory is seeing her parents bound to two diamond amulets worn by the cult's performers. She knew that the amulets could not still be holding her parents, but believes that the event should have left enough of their essence to enable her to discover their identity and track them down. She also knew that the cult left everything but her diamond cage behind so that it could not be used to trace them. Knowing that this lead could free her, Blaise left the crew of the Bloody Corsair to run the lead down.
When they arrived at the location, they found it had already been looted. Asking around, they discovered that a band of fortune hunters had discovered and looted it years before. They kept following the rumors and reports trying to discover where the treasure might lie now. The final discovery pointed to a miserable truth. The twin diamond amulets had been a part of the treasure carried by La Gloriosa del Mar.
The search seemed hopeless until one evening, Blaise heard rumors of a crew talking about recovering the wreck. Blaise needed to be on that crew.[/SBLOCK]
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Quickleaf
Legend
[MENTION=20005]Matthan[/MENTION] Great write-up! Plenty of juicy background elements I can tie NPCs into, a really evil Enemy who will definitely be put to "good" use", and an immediate reason to be in Nassau wanting to join the crew going after La Gloriosa. All the rules look to be in order too. Awesome.
You begin with Fame 2. (Fame and Renown are basically the same, but Fame interacts with more house rules in this campaign, and applies throughout the Caribbean)
Only thing left for me to ask is which option did you decide for your Magic Trinkets fortune? 2 selected/created by GM or 1 uncommon selected by you?
Once we figure that out, you're good to add Blaise to the Rogue's Gallery!
EDIT: Oh, about your "buckler shield"...if it's providing +2 AC, then it will follow the rules for standard shields, requiring an action to equip, etc. If you really want an ACTUAL buckler shield that is easily equipped without an action, then the AC bonus it provides should be reduced to +1.
You begin with Fame 2. (Fame and Renown are basically the same, but Fame interacts with more house rules in this campaign, and applies throughout the Caribbean)
Only thing left for me to ask is which option did you decide for your Magic Trinkets fortune? 2 selected/created by GM or 1 uncommon selected by you?
Once we figure that out, you're good to add Blaise to the Rogue's Gallery!
EDIT: Oh, about your "buckler shield"...if it's providing +2 AC, then it will follow the rules for standard shields, requiring an action to equip, etc. If you really want an ACTUAL buckler shield that is easily equipped without an action, then the AC bonus it provides should be reduced to +1.
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pathfinderq1
First Post
Had a bit of a breakthrough at work today- now I just need to get everything typed up to submit. For the time being, I'm going to run with Flynn O'Rourke, drunken surgeon and accursed swordsman, assuming that the background passes muster (in this case, on a couple of levels). I'm going to save Half-Dead John as a back-up idea (though if possible I would like to get him recruited into the crew so he is established aboard ship if Flynn gets eaten by undead sharks or something- could happen).
To work!
To work!
Queenie
Queen of Everything
[MENTION=20005]Matthan[/MENTION]
Sorry for the delay! My Mom had her hip replaced last week and is still in a rehab, so haven't had as much time at home as I would like. I have yet read your background but your build looks awesome. And great pic! I guess there are better options for guys, it took me forever to find a decent pic.
I take it to be two years ago that Blackheart was "murdered" - Kat believes he was and QL has mentioned it's been two years, or that her daughter would be 2 so 2 1/2 or 3 years? I'm not totally clear on that part and it doesn't matter much to me.
Our two Old Salt's - Old Zef and Gunner - I believe both sailed under her father's flag. It would be simple enough for them to spot you and offer a spot on the ship. Use and abuse that as you wish
If you wish to have meshed backstories that works, or if I'm too late, that work too. Kat's always on the lookout for fresh bodies 
Sorry for the delay! My Mom had her hip replaced last week and is still in a rehab, so haven't had as much time at home as I would like. I have yet read your background but your build looks awesome. And great pic! I guess there are better options for guys, it took me forever to find a decent pic.
I take it to be two years ago that Blackheart was "murdered" - Kat believes he was and QL has mentioned it's been two years, or that her daughter would be 2 so 2 1/2 or 3 years? I'm not totally clear on that part and it doesn't matter much to me.
Our two Old Salt's - Old Zef and Gunner - I believe both sailed under her father's flag. It would be simple enough for them to spot you and offer a spot on the ship. Use and abuse that as you wish
If you wish to have meshed backstories that works, or if I'm too late, that work too. Kat's always on the lookout for fresh bodies If I can give any advice DEFINITELY let the GM choose your magic trinkets!!
Argh! I knew I had read somewhere a list of reskinned weapons and such, but I couldn't find it again. I kept looking at the google doc and missed it. Then, after you mentioned it, I thought to check the community page and there it is. Yeah, I'll switch it to the buckler you outline. I was actually arguing with myself about carrying a shield at all (how many pirates do you see with a shield in the movies, you know?), but thought a buckler would be a good compromise.
*edit* Should be updated now.
As for the magic items, I'm going to go with two from the DM. A pirate should have a soft spot for a gamble, right?
[MENTION=48394]pathfinderq1[/MENTION]
You're probably already doing this, but check out Quickleaf's Fortune rules. It has the options to make an accursed immortal swordsman right out the gate (That's a good and an ill fortune pairing right there).
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I had a quick thought. I know you're working out your background, but would it be easier narratively if our characters already knew each other when we enter the story? Maybe something as simple as we both overheard the rumors at the tavern and decided to work together to get a piece of that treasure.
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