Swashbuckling

[WombleHunter]

I glanced over the Lighthearted Campaign Ideas thread and it got me thinking - what rules would you use for the standard swashbuckling fare of swinging from ropes, chandeliers, bellropes etc, for rooftop fencing and fighting while riding a horse when your opponent is dricing a carriage, and for all those other things which make swashbuckling great. Like seducing people, and lying through your teeth to evade the gatekeeper, or taunting the baron with your razor-sharp wit so that you can defeat him in a duel rather than him hiding behind his guards.

Can these things be covered entirely by applying the D&D rules already in place? Would a few adjustments need to be made? What do you think?

I thought about putting this in the homebrew section, but it's not a post of rules, but rather one looking for rules ideas.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Like seducing people, and lying through your teeth to evade the gatekeeper, or taunting the baron with your razor-sharp wit so that you can defeat him in a duel rather than him hiding behind his guards.

Can these things be covered entirely by applying the D&D rules already in place? Would a few adjustments need to be made? What do you think?

I think the D&D rules can be used to cover almost all social interaction. You just need "new uses for old skills". For example:

seduce = innuendo (or diplomacy?)
lying = bluff (opposed by the gatekeeper's sense motive)
taunt = diplomacy with results inverted (you want to piss him off)

I would try to adapt the existing skills rather than introduce a bunch of new skills.

The D&D combat system is already quit cinematic. You can feint (see the PH writeup on bluff), fight defensively, move around the battlefield (mobility and combat reflexes are must-have feats for swashbucklers, I'd say), jump, trip people... for stuff that isn't explicity covered in the rules, like swinging from the chandelier, I'd just assign a DC to do it and have the character make a Dex check (or Str or whatever you think is appropriate). Again, I would try to avoid adding new rules when the old ones will do.

Finally, I would be generous with circumstance bonuses for players who describe cool swashbuckling actions. I would want the PCs to have a good shot at succeeding.

 

[Robbert Raets]

I'd definately use Dragon #301, if I were you. And probably Song & Silence. The Duelist class from Sword & Fist is a must.

I've been doing some research into this m'self.
I'd recommend the sites www.scummbar.com, www.7thsea.com, www.extraweb.com/pirates and www.insults.net

You might want to search the web for fencing. And be sure to watch the Princess Bride or play the Secret of Monkey Island.

Good luck, me buckoo!

 

[Robbert Raets]

(shameless plug)

Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Expertise and Ambidexterity are your favourite feats in this setting.

Take a level of Rogue or Aristocrat and max out on your Balance, Jump and Tumble skills.

Get a masterwork rapier. Get friends with masterwork rapiers

 

[kenjib]

How about d20 Swashbuckling Adventures? It's got some interesting stuff to support this style of play.

 

[jmucchiello]

Re: Re: Swashbuckling

seduce = innuendo (or diplomacy?)
lying = bluff (opposed by the gatekeeper's sense motive)
taunt = diplomacy with results inverted (you want to piss him off)

Actually they are all Bluff. Diplomacy is the "like me" skill. Bluff is the "do what I want" skill. (Intimidate is the "do what I want or else" skill.) Most importantly, Bluff has that great chart of modifiers based on the target's predisposition toward your attempt.

Also, Diplomacy is a longer effect skill. "Like me" and because you do let's discuss the distribution of the loot later. Bluff (and Intimidate) are immediate skills. 5 minutes after the person does what you want them to do, you don't care if they have regrets about it because it's too late to undo whatever happened. Diplomacy usually requires a longer time before regret is an exceptable response from the target.

 

[Piratecat]

I just ran a fun Musketeer one-shot. The PCs are returning to their country after a month away; during that time, they learned that their beloved Queen has died, the Princess has disappeared, and the reviled Count Massacrent has seized control of the country. Supported by his elite Ebon Guard and the sinister Cardinal Belloq, the Count has had the Queen's Musketeers either imprisoned or chained as galley slaves on the Count's ship. All remaining Musketeers are in hiding, and the people live in fear.

Enter the four Musketeer PCs and the one old manservant. Three of the musketeers are old friends, a womanizer, a middling holy man, and a depressed and bitter drunkard. The 4th is a man that they met at their last port, another of the Queen's guards that claims to know something incredibly important about the Queen's death.

The 4th PC is actually the Princess in disguise, of course, using a hat of disguise. She fled from the Count's imprisonment, and has received a message from a former handmaiden that the Queen may be alive.

So the adventure works well for four hours. The PCs arrive in town, run into the Ebon Guard, get into swordfights and a running musket battle on horseback, sneak into a classy mansion for a party, and finally sail to a deserted pirate isle in order to barely stop the Cardinal from marrying the Queen (actually alive!) to the evil Count, thus legitimizing his claim to the throne.

It was a blast. I used rules from Dragon 301, adding the Parry feat for free and making everything swashbucklery easier than normal. The PCs stole coaches, trashed a market square at high speed, insulted villains, and swept off their hats at every opportunity. I'm not sure I'd want to do this every week, but it was a fun break.

 

[Sanackranib]

Re: Re: Swashbuckling

I think the D&D rules can be used to cover almost all social interaction. You just need "new uses for old skills". For example:

seduce = innuendo (or diplomacy?)
lying = bluff (opposed by the gatekeeper's sense motive)
taunt = diplomacy with results inverted (you want to piss him off)

I would try to adapt the existing skills rather than introduce a bunch of new skills.

The D&D combat system is already quit cinematic. You can feint (see the PH writeup on bluff), fight defensively, move around the battlefield (mobility and combat reflexes are must-have feats for swashbucklers, I'd say), jump, trip people... for stuff that isn't explicity covered in the rules, like swinging from the chandelier, I'd just assign a DC to do it and have the character make a Dex check (or Str or whatever you think is appropriate). Again, I would try to avoid adding new rules when the old ones will do.

Finally, I would be generous with circumstance bonuses for players who describe cool swashbuckling actions. I would want the PCs to have a good shot at succeeding.

don't forget "rope use" and the throw any object feat