[5e] Spell & Crossbones

[Shayuri]

I freely admit I stole from Pirates. Nia's whole Carribean/island/french patois is definitely shades of Tia Dalma, even if the specifics of her character are not.

The Age of Sail is a time period you don't see often in RPGs, so it's hard to form touchstones to sometimes. I had the same problem when trying to come up with ideas for 1920's era Call of Cthulhu type games. I just...don't consume media that depicts that era, so I only know about it as a list of dates and events.

For more media to consider, give Swiss Family Robinson a look. It's the right era, even if piracy isn't the focus of the story. The Age of Sail is also the age of European Empires...so it's useful to think in terms of colonial powers, and the people they ran roughshod over. There's room for example, for a Chinese mystic, or a mysterious man of India. The Far East was still mysterious in these times...European powers traded with them, and in the case of India eventually conquered and colonized, but China and Japan remained closed to incursions and always retained a kind of mysticism in the public estimation.

That also means you don't need to roleplay a lot of familiarity with the dominant European and colonial powers, as your character would be from another kind of society...and likely would consider the rest of us to be uncivil barbarians.

Not entirely without cause.

 

[tuxgeo]

Yeah, "Swiss Family Robinson" is another one I have not seen but should. Thanks for the recommendation. The 1960 Disney version came out during my childhood, so perhaps I should have seen it in theaters then, but I don't remember it, so likely didn't.

On another tack: Rechecking the "Ship Mage" archetype, it gives different subclass features at different levels depending on the class of which it is an archetype:
Bard: 3, 3, 6, 14; Druid: 2, 2, 6, 10, 10, 14; Sorcerer: 1, 1, 6, 14, 14, 18; etc.
Well, Phooey! If I try for main-class Warlock with only one level of Sorcerer, that gives a weak Ship Mage: only 1st-level features.
Maybe it should be Sorcerer main class with Warlock multiclassing, instead? Hmm. (I thought this was going to be hard, but I've been missing more angles than I expected.)

 

[Shayuri]

Is the multiclass vital to the concept? Multiclassing as a spellcaster inevitably weakens the spellcasting, even if you're going from one magic class to another.

For example, if you like the Warlock's tie to a supernatural patron...a Sorcerer has something potentially similar in the Bloodline. Perhaps with a little reflavoring, that would suffice?

 

[Queenie]

I was about to come and write something similar to Matthan. The only way to get better is to try! We're not all on the same page when it comes to roleplaying, rules knowing, writing, whatever. But we all pick each other up. The goal is fun, and you'll find everyone in this group is helpful in whatever way you need.

Ultimately, [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION] makes the decisions about who gets to play in his game. But this is probably a decent starter game. It's not too high of a level, we're not super far into complicated story, it's not a very fast pace of posting.

We can definitely help you with backgrounds and character building, a lot of people enjoy that type of thing. I'm always willing to develop ties and story with others, it makes the game more rich.

 

[Matthan]

People in this thread have had great concepts: Katarina, Gunner Teague, Barrington, Old Zef, Hugo van Haan, Caillou, Nia Steeleyes, and maybe even Kid were distinctly memorable concepts. I did get confused between Blaise and Etienne, but that's my own fault for having referred to each of them in turn as "the French guy" in my head.

Just throwing this out there. I don't think peterka or myself are easily offended, but as you look at other games, it's worth the time to not inadvertently insult the other players or their characters. Everyone works hard on their characters and tries to give them a good concept. I know the targeted ads on my computer were weird for weeks after all the voodoo research that I did for Blaise.

So I started with the idea of the Ship Mage archetype, which nobody had bothered with; and there was talk in the IC thread about being able to Detect Magic, which a Warlock can do at will with the right Invocation; and I noticed that QL had broken the Dwarves into mostly Dutch and Scottish, speaking different languages; and the Elves were the Irish and Welsh, the (what?) Mayans, and some others. That led me to considering an Irish Druid; but the party already has a Druid in Nia. Further research showed me the island of Montserrat, which in the 17th and 18th centuries had a large Irish population; but QL said the Irish were marginalized in the British holdings in the Caribbean, and Montserrat was one of those holding (except for a year when France took over, then gave it back in the peace agreement); and Montserrat is a lovely conundrum for prophecy: if the Irish Warlock could have to live there for some reason, and was very long-lived, he might have to face the dilemma of "When Ireland gets her freedom, boy, you can come on home again," coupled with another prophecy saying that half the island would be wiped out or made uninhabitable by a volcanic eruption in the 20th century (including the capital, Plymouth) -- leaving him to wonder: will Ireland get her freedom first, or will the volcano blow first? (With the benefit of hindsight, we know these days that Irish Freedom came about 1922 (treaty), 1937 (status of dominion), and 1948 (republic of ireland act); while the volcano didn't blow until 18th July 1995. No Irish Warlock without the power of Foresight could have known that exact sequence in 1702 - 1713.)

Here would be my first note to you. As you're developing your background, you want to create a character that has a reason to be with the party and has a narrative arc that can be fulfilled within the game. Your exile until Ireland is free as motivation is going to fall a little short of that. It is a good reason for your character to be in the area, but, on its own, doesn't give a reason to join up with the crew or an opportunity for the character to have any resolution (since that resolution doesn't happen until the 20th century and this game has been played for years while only covering two or three days in the 18th century.

You could keep the exile bit with a slight tweak. If your character was exiled for a particular sin, perhaps failing to protect a precious artifact from being stolen. If we say that you have to retrieve that artifact to go home and then say that the artifact is on La Gloriosa then you have motivation and potential resolution.

You don't have to go that route, but you need to ask yourself those two questions. Why is my character going after La Gloriosa and what does his resolution look like? When you start to answer those two questions then ask yourself follow up questions to help flesh it out.

Who set you on the path to La Gloriosa? Who opposed you? Who helped you? What is at stake if you fail? Questions like that will not always give you something worthwhile, but it'll help you build something compelling and give Quickleaf plenty to work with to involve you in the story.

If you stick with Warlock, where does his patron come into the story? What relationship does he have with the patron? What are the patron's goals?

Edit to add: Ooh. Patron. That was going to be The Archfey until I saw that the Ship Mage archetype replaces the Otherworldly Patron in the Warlock; and that gave impetus to the idea of multiclassing into Sorcerer to get Ship Mage at 1st level of Sorcerer, so the Warlock levels could still be devoted to The Archfey. (Since Sorcerers have origin troubles in this game, with Dragonblooded not allowed and Wild Mages having a different Wild Surge table, it's likely just as well to replace the Sorcerous Origin with the Ship Mage thing, and keep the Warlock patron intact.)

I think we would need [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION] to weigh in on this, but I think his intention wasn't to remove the Patron but to replace the powers that he gives you. So a Warlock Ship Mage could still serve an Archfey, but it would be an Archfey of the Sea who gives him the sea powers outlined in QL's doc instead of the Archfey powers outlined in the PHB.

 

[tuxgeo]

Just throwing this out there. I don't think peterka or myself are easily offended, but as you look at other games, it's worth the time to not inadvertently insult the other players or their characters. Everyone works hard on their characters and tries to give them a good concept. I know the targeted ads on my computer were weird for weeks after all the voodoo research that I did for Blaise.

Yes, I see that. And I agree: any insult that may have been included in what I posted was inadvertent, as you said. I'm going to need to discipline myself to post mostly in the mornings, so I don't express things such as that into the thread while my mind is tired.

Here would be my first note to you. As you're developing your background, you want to create a character that has a reason to be with the party and has a narrative arc that can be fulfilled within the game. . . .

You could keep the exile bit with a slight tweak. If your character was exiled for a particular sin, perhaps failing to protect a precious artifact from being stolen. If we say that you have to retrieve that artifact to go home and then say that the artifact is on La Gloriosa then you have motivation and potential resolution.

This is a fine idea, and exile is still a potential bit of motivation.

You don't have to go that route, but you need to ask yourself those two questions. Why is my character going after La Gloriosa and what does his resolution look like? When you start to answer those two questions then ask yourself follow up questions to help flesh it out.

Who set you on the path to La Gloriosa? Who opposed you? Who helped you? What is at stake if you fail? Questions like that will not always give you something worthwhile, but it'll help you build something compelling and give Quickleaf plenty to work with to involve you in the story.

If you stick with Warlock, where does his patron come into the story? What relationship does he have with the patron? What are the patron's goals?

All those questions do give me a lot to work with.

I think we would need [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION] to weigh in on this, but I think his intention wasn't to remove the Patron but to replace the powers that he gives you. So a Warlock Ship Mage could still serve an Archfey, but it would be an Archfey of the Sea who gives him the sea powers outlined in QL's doc instead of the Archfey powers outlined in the PHB.

That may very well be. I'll have to reread the description more closely. (rereads)
OK, so if this guy is a Warlock of The Archfey, then he gets the listed features under Warlock instead of the combination of The Archfey's Expanded Spell List, Fey Presence, Misty Escape, Beguiling Defenses, and Dark Delirium. That makes more sense.
I still don't have anything like a good character until I address the character arc and motivation questions, both for PC and patron, though. . . .

 

[tuxgeo]

Is the multiclass vital to the concept? Multiclassing as a spellcaster inevitably weakens the spellcasting, even if you're going from one magic class to another.

For example, if you like the Warlock's tie to a supernatural patron...a Sorcerer has something potentially similar in the Bloodline. Perhaps with a little reflavoring, that would suffice?

The multiclass isn't vital to the concept; it was a simple matter of greed for more Cantrips! However, I now believe -- with Matthan's help -- that I don't have to choose Patron-OR-Ship-Mage for the Warlock's archetype, so it may be less necessary to have a level of Sorcerer in order to get the Ship Mage archetype in there. (I had been thinking that the flavor of specific spirits for specific islands or regions would be a good addition, and didn't want to jettison the Archfey -- who perhaps could be represented by a Loa in the setting -- merely in order to get the Ship Mage archetype.)

Not multiclassing would make the concept a Warlock 4, bringing in the chance of a feat; and Magic Initiate (Sorcerer) would garner a couple of spare cantrips; but even that wouldn't be needed, because such a PC could go Pact of the Tome for another three cantrips; hence MC is quite unneeded.

But that's subordinate to deciding on links and motivations and character arc: without those developed, it doesn't matter whether the concept would be a powerful caster, since it wouldn't see play.

 

[Shayuri]

Well, if you have connections to spirits and/or Loa, then perhaps you and Nia know of each other?

 

[Quickleaf]

Edit to add: Ooh. Patron. That was going to be The Archfey until I saw that the Ship Mage archetype replaces the Otherworldly Patron in the Warlock; and that gave impetus to the idea of multiclassing into Sorcerer to get Ship Mage at 1st level of Sorcerer, so the Warlock levels could still be devoted to The Archfey. (Since Sorcerers have origin troubles in this game, with Dragonblooded not allowed and Wild Mages having a different Wild Surge table, it's likely just as well to replace the Sorcerous Origin with the Ship Mage thing, and keep the Warlock patron intact.)

I think we would need @Quickleaf to weigh in on this, but I think his intention wasn't to remove the Patron but to replace the powers that he gives you. So a Warlock Ship Mage could still serve an Archfey, but it would be an Archfey of the Sea who gives him the sea powers outlined in QL's doc instead of the Archfey powers outlined in the PHB.

Ship Mage replaces Otherworldly Patron?

Technically, mechanically, the answer is "yes." You'd use either the Ship Mage subclass or the Otherworldly Patron (Archfey/Fiend/Great Old One) subclass.

Narratively – in terms of the story – you're free to interpret Ship Mage in whatever way makes sense for your character.

And ALL warlocks are considered to have some kind of a pact with an otherworldly patron – that's just part of the narrative definition of a warlock in D&D – regardless of whether you select an Otherworldly Patron as your subclass or Ship Mage as your subclass. Of course, you can interpret that in any number of ways. Really, it is a big ball of "it depends."

For example, you could be a Warlock bonded to an "Archfey" with the Ship Mage subclass, no problem. "Archfey" would need some creative reinterpretation in the setting, possibly something along the lines of a loa from Voodoo faith.

 

[tuxgeo]

QL, thanks for the clarification about the mechanics. ("does replace?" OK)

Re: For example, you could be a Warlock bonded to an "Archfey" with the Ship Mage subclass, no problem. "Archfey" would need some creative reinterpretation in the setting, possibly something along the lines of a loa from Voodoo faith. --

At this point, I'm going to have to do some research into the loa of the Voodoo faith, then.

I did purchse a copy of "Skull & Bones" in anticipation that there might be an opening here; but I haven't read it. However, just looking at it, the book seems not to go into Voodoo much. I seem to recall a mention many pages back to the effect that Cozumel (was it?) had an emphasis on devotion to the loa of the moon. That's the kind of intelligence that I'll need to acquire, I think, if I'm to create a character that fits the setting.

In the mean time, while I'm flailing about like this*, I hope other interested parties aren't waiting for me to get it together before submitting their own characters. I think the intention here was (yes, I'm guessing) that the early bird gets the first crack at getting a character approved; and that's supposed to be the one who gets a character done first, not started first. (Again: that is guesswork on my part.)

* Re: flailing -- Warlock 3 / Sorcerer 1? No, wait: Warlock 4? Maybe Sorcerer 4, so Ship Mage doesn't displace Patron? No, don't do it that way: start as Warlock but choose your Patron first, because that defines your mix of 'lock and 'tron motivations. That kind of flailing. . . .