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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8282974" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/uIFqhRE.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Chapter VIII: Gamemaster ToolsThis chapter has a little bit of everything on the GM’s side that doesn’t fit anywhere else.Duels is a new set of rules and advice for those fancy one on one swashbuckling fights you see in things like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Three Musketeers. Dueling is legal in many places in Vodari and can be done for all manner of reasons. A Code Duello that is popular in Arushi sets precedent for the tradition in many other places (in public during daylight hours, use of witnesses to ensure obeying of rules, fighting with the same or similar styles of weapons, etc). While duels can be run as “reduce the enemy to 0 HP,” the book realizes this can drag on so alternatives are provided: Three Touches is for the first person who can successfully connect against the target 3 times,* while To the Blood is where the loser is the first person reduced to half their max HP.*the book notes that at higher levels with Extra Attack, this can be unsatisfactory.Furthermore, Duel Points are provided as an optional addition, where they can be spent to impose advantage/disadvantage on attacks and action and can be added pre-battle via an intimidating performance and are lost when hit. Participants don’t start to lose HP until they’re at 0 Duel Points.These are by no means detailed rules and aren’t really meant to be used for proper combat or in an otherwise traditionally hostile scenario. Duel Points seem more like padding to me in that they can’t be gained during mid-combat and the most they’re spent on is altering die rolls rather than doing new actions and maneuvers which I feel would be best for simulating duels. The outlines on proper dueling etiquette are useful as it helps set the tone for what is considered proper and reasonable in the setting.New Actions for Combat cover additional things characters can do while fighting. Some of them are attacks, and can replace a single attack in the case of Extra Attacks. Bind Weapon is an Attack, resolved as an attack roll vs a target’s Acrobatics or Athletics, binding an opponent and preventing them from attacking with said weapon or moving unless they drop it or succeed on the opposed roll again. Give Ground is a reaction where you move 5 feet onto non-difficult terrain when struck in melee, reducing the damage by 1d6 albeit the attacker can move into the space you left for free. Tackle is an Athletics or Acrobatics Attack opposed by one of those two rolls by the target. On a success the target is knocked prone (failure knocks the tackler prone) and deals 1 + STR/DEX modifier in bludgeoning damage. Tag is a fancy yet harmless display that demonstrates one’s martial acumen via an Attack with a finesse or ranged weapon. It is resolved as either a Dexterity (Performance) or attack roll contested by Athletics or Acrobatics, imposing disadvantage on saving throws vs the frightened condition if the target fails. Finally, Toss Debris is an improvised ranged weapon attack (can’t be used to replace an Extra Attack) that imposes disadvantage on a struck target’s next attack roll and can blind them on a failed CON save. Tag only affects a target once every 24 hours, while Toss Debris can only be used once per rest.Overall I like these new actions, although I feel that Tag is a bit weak in that it doesn’t impose damage or a condition so much as makes a target weak towards a specific future condition.Gambling provides rules for 4 new games of chance and skill. Fortana’s Wheel is a casino game similar to roulette where people place wagers on where a ship’s wheel will land based on 20 colored spokes. Sea Horse Racing is exactly what it sounds like save for the fact that it involves literal aquatic horses swimming around a massive pool. The odds of a certain sea horse winning apply relevant bonuses on a d8 roll that is rolled four times over the course of the race for each participating sea horse. Skulls is played with dice made of bones where the 1 value represents a skull, and players place a wager and win back their amount based on how many ‘skulls’ are rolled in a 3d6. Pirate’s Dice is pretty much Liar’s Dice. The gambling games make use of chance-based rules rather than the use of ability checks, so barring GM fiat or some other kind of manipulation there’s no clear advantage for what happens for a participating PC who is proficient with an appropriate gaming set.Code of the Sea is an informal set of rules abided by privateers and pirates of all stripes to ensure harmony among crews out at sea. There are some variations and the Code is malleable based on particular circumstances, but people are expected to adhere to the spirit of it nonetheless. There are 12 rules and they include culture-specific variations of Wil Wheaton’s Law (don’t cheat at gambling, don’t break a promise or agreement, don’t fight with crewmates, don’t drink or sleep on the job, etc), but also includes things such as not engaging in 1 on 1 combat with an unarmed foe,* not interfering in duels between honorable people, honor an honorable enemy’s surrender or offer for parley, and so on. Violations of the Code vary depending on circumstance, although keelhauling, marooning, and executions are common forms of punishment*I kind of wonder how this works in a setting with monks and fantasy races with natural weapons, but I take it that every pirate makes a judgment to their own advantage in such cases.<img src="https://i.imgur.com/mzoRLef.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Visiting Ports is a series of random tables for inns, shops, harbormaster’s offices, adventure hook notices on the harbormaster’s board, sights and sounds on the docks, and other nautical locations to make various port towns feel more alive. I can’t really surmise them without reading out every entry, but there’s a lot of good stuff here. Every inn/shp comes with a name (The Pit, Melindi’s Tearoom, etc) along with the proprietor’s name and race. Every entry that involves a person or people also has a bolded NPC stat block title found in the Monster Manual or this very book if stats are needed.Seafaring Adventures contains brief rules for weather, random encounters at sea, loot and monsters to be found in the hold of a ship or Captain’s Quarters, and Sea Chases. For the more rulesy entries Weather can alter the speed of a ship as well as visibility, and there are sidebars for various skill and water vehicle tool checks for common actions taken on a ship along with relevant ability scores. For example, sudden evasive maneuvers are water vehicles + Dexterity, while recognizing sea life and natural features is Arcana or Nature + Intelligence. Water Vehicles proficiency is very all-encompassing, and can apply to things beyond just piloting, but it can also add the pilot’s proficiency bonus to the ship’s AC and saving throws. This makes said vehicle tool nigh-essential in naval combat. This isn’t a bad thing mind you; said vehicle proficiency is very common among the new player options in Seas of Vodari, and an entire party lacking such a proficiency is at a clear disadvantage.Sea Chases are simple: the GM determines how many rounds it takes the pursuer to catch up with the pursued, utilizing the Chase rules found in the DMG. A 1d20 Complication table is provided to add random hazards during the chase, such as hard currents that can slow a ship’s speed, coral reefs which deal a lot of slashing damage if the pilot cannot find an alternate route, a gust of wind that can blow a ship off course, and so on.Sailing Encounters is a d100 table of 50 encounters, drawn exclusively from the Monster Manual and existing ships in this sourcebook. The scale of said encounters varies wildly. Some are low-level such as a swarm of seagulls with glowing red eyes that use a Swarm of Raven stats or an animated skeleton on a deserted island, while some of the most dangerous encounters can involve a mighty kraken or a mummy lord!Thoughts So Far: I like the new combat actions and tables for common sights at port. Dueling is a bit simplistic and could use a bit more pizzazz, and the lack of PC skill integration in gambling games is a bit of a letdown. The sample actions for water vehicles and appropriate ability scores is an appreciated addition, and adding one’s proficiency bonus to AC and saving throws helps give a sense of progression on top of Ship Upgrades which I also like.Join us next time as we check out a rogues’ gallery and bestiary in Chapter IX: Allies & Adversaries!</blockquote>

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