A pirates life for me.....
- Thread starter redwing
- Start date
G'day
I have been Googling around a bit. This page (http://www.geocities.com/politasau/gurps/hornblower.html) looks useful: particularly note the bibliography.
I also found an on-line nautical glossary that you might find useful:
<http://www.kaomag.com/terms.html>
Regards,
Agback
I have been Googling around a bit. This page (http://www.geocities.com/politasau/gurps/hornblower.html) looks useful: particularly note the bibliography.
I also found an on-line nautical glossary that you might find useful:
<http://www.kaomag.com/terms.html>
Regards,
Agback
Azure Trance
First Post
FCWesel said:
But that would make it unpossible to play a swashbuckling D20 game ...
Larry Fitz
First Post
Hey look a barrel of fish!
For the things you are looking for, let me make an unabashed plug for two books, Broadsides! and Pirates!. Broadsides! is Living Imagination's book on seafaring rules, inclluding ship logs, tactical combat and boarding actions. It includes rules on how to deal with characters underwater as well. Pirates! is our new book being released in two days at GenCon dealing with pirates for D20 campaigns, detailing both real and fictional pirates and a detailed look at "life on account."
The code Kiera mentioned is sort of real. Almost every pirate ship had a list of rules that outlined how things were on the ship, and how different issues would be dealt with. Pirate ships were usually very democratic with each man having an equal vote (as long as they signed the ship's article) Captains were not quite as powerful onboard their ship as you might think, they could be "unelected" anytime the crew deemed it necessary (except while in pursuit of a prize or actually in combat). More details of all of this can be found in the books.
For the things you are looking for, let me make an unabashed plug for two books, Broadsides! and Pirates!. Broadsides! is Living Imagination's book on seafaring rules, inclluding ship logs, tactical combat and boarding actions. It includes rules on how to deal with characters underwater as well. Pirates! is our new book being released in two days at GenCon dealing with pirates for D20 campaigns, detailing both real and fictional pirates and a detailed look at "life on account."
The code Kiera mentioned is sort of real. Almost every pirate ship had a list of rules that outlined how things were on the ship, and how different issues would be dealt with. Pirate ships were usually very democratic with each man having an equal vote (as long as they signed the ship's article) Captains were not quite as powerful onboard their ship as you might think, they could be "unelected" anytime the crew deemed it necessary (except while in pursuit of a prize or actually in combat). More details of all of this can be found in the books.
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On the subject of seafaring goodness, does anyone know of good PrCs for the spellcasters who want to go to sea?
In the normal stuff, the best I can find is the Arcane Trickster. I can think of all sorts of shipboard uses for Ranged Legerdemain and they have all the skills you would want for a sailor. The loss of 4 spellcasting levels is pretty harsh, especially since I wouldn't be interested in the Sneak Attack abilities.
It is easy to make a skilled fighter/rogue for a seafaring campaign, many of the other classes have it a bit more difficult.
In the normal stuff, the best I can find is the Arcane Trickster. I can think of all sorts of shipboard uses for Ranged Legerdemain and they have all the skills you would want for a sailor. The loss of 4 spellcasting levels is pretty harsh, especially since I wouldn't be interested in the Sneak Attack abilities.
It is easy to make a skilled fighter/rogue for a seafaring campaign, many of the other classes have it a bit more difficult.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
The rutter is a great adventure hook. People will steal them, bargain for them, kill for them...
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Azure Trance said:
They were really more like guidelines....
TheAntiSummit
First Post
Wow! I guess it wasn't just me who was inspired by the movie! After seeing it the first time I began comparing the actions to a DnD game and also began thinking about a Swashbuckler PrC. So heres is Point Number 1- a Swashbuckler PrC. I havent fully balanced it yey but some of the abilities I gave it were Uncanny Luck- each week the GM rolls 1d%, and the Swashbuckler begins with a 50 percent chance for something immensley good to happen and the chance increases as the swashbuckler increases in levels. An example would be the ship rescuing Jack from the island, both times, even though the second time was more a blessing in disguise. Other abilities include "always fight defensively", which allows the swashbuckler to always act as if fighting defensively with no penalty to his actions (this can't be used in conjunction with Expertise) and he can still take a partial action when executing the full defense action. The AC bonus increases as he progresses in levels. There were a few other abilities but since I don't have it in front of me the last one I remember was that he also gained "Style Points" each day depending on his level and his charisma modifier which could be added to attack rolls on a 2 for 1 basis, skill checks on a 1 for 1 basis, and saves on a 3 for 1 basis and initiative on a 1 for 2 basis. At later levels the Swashbuckler could use lots of style points to perform special actions (which might use all his SP for the day) such as gaining additional partial actions, finding an exit out of any situation, or even avoiding injury. <br><p>
Now onto Point #2- A seperate system. I wasn't really satisfied with the class since D20 really has a hard time of representing the skill and mobility involved in swashbuckling and pirate like scenes, so I have started creating my own system bearing the temporary name of Pirates of The Carribean D10. (I looked for the original 7th Sea and couldn't find it). I have gotten the combat system down and i am very proud of it. I would love help or feedback if anyone was interested, but aside from that, onto Point 3.<br><p>
More of a Question #3 really, about Agback's definition of Pilot. I am reading a book called Shogun, by James Clavell, about an English Pilot who finds himself and his battered crew in Japan in the year 1600. To my knowledge Clavell did research and strove to make the book correct, at least the Japanese part of it. Maybe he neglected to research the roles on a ship, but Blackthorne the Pilot, is a permanent member of the crew, and a revered one at that. His men look up to him and after the Captain dies he is put in charge. He was on board the ship for over two years before they reached Japan as they sailed down the Portugese-held coast of Africa. It was his duty to make sure they made their journey safely, not sinking or crashing onto rocks or reefs. This is far different than your definition of a Pilot. Would their be any circumstances in which a pilot would be permanetly attached to his crew, or is Clavell just wrong?
Now onto Point #2- A seperate system. I wasn't really satisfied with the class since D20 really has a hard time of representing the skill and mobility involved in swashbuckling and pirate like scenes, so I have started creating my own system bearing the temporary name of Pirates of The Carribean D10. (I looked for the original 7th Sea and couldn't find it). I have gotten the combat system down and i am very proud of it. I would love help or feedback if anyone was interested, but aside from that, onto Point 3.<br><p>
More of a Question #3 really, about Agback's definition of Pilot. I am reading a book called Shogun, by James Clavell, about an English Pilot who finds himself and his battered crew in Japan in the year 1600. To my knowledge Clavell did research and strove to make the book correct, at least the Japanese part of it. Maybe he neglected to research the roles on a ship, but Blackthorne the Pilot, is a permanent member of the crew, and a revered one at that. His men look up to him and after the Captain dies he is put in charge. He was on board the ship for over two years before they reached Japan as they sailed down the Portugese-held coast of Africa. It was his duty to make sure they made their journey safely, not sinking or crashing onto rocks or reefs. This is far different than your definition of a Pilot. Would their be any circumstances in which a pilot would be permanetly attached to his crew, or is Clavell just wrong?
ErichDragon
First Post
Might I recommend this book:
A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales
Although it is intended as source material for the books of Patrick O'Brian (very good tales in themselves) it has a wealth of information about wooden ship navies around the time of the Napoleonic wars. It will answer every question you have about shipboard life and some you would never have thought of on your own. The first part are essays on various things like ship classification, naval rank and the daily life of a sailor. The second is a dictionary of just about every nautical term you can think of.
Oh, and Agback; Commander was indeed a temporary rank for a while in the British Navy. It began as an unofficial way to refer to a Lieutenant in charge of a ship when he was not on that ship (on his ship he would be refered to as Captain). It eventually did become a fixed rank in later years.
A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales
Although it is intended as source material for the books of Patrick O'Brian (very good tales in themselves) it has a wealth of information about wooden ship navies around the time of the Napoleonic wars. It will answer every question you have about shipboard life and some you would never have thought of on your own. The first part are essays on various things like ship classification, naval rank and the daily life of a sailor. The second is a dictionary of just about every nautical term you can think of.
Oh, and Agback; Commander was indeed a temporary rank for a while in the British Navy. It began as an unofficial way to refer to a Lieutenant in charge of a ship when he was not on that ship (on his ship he would be refered to as Captain). It eventually did become a fixed rank in later years.
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