Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Greetings from Djanet



Greetings good sirs of Tara,

We bring you solemn tidings from the city of Djanet, capital of the lands of Badar. I trust that the tome the vizier has sent, detailing the secrets of pyramid construction, have reached your head wizard safely and promptly. As agreed between us and Azmelqart, this text must remain a Badaran state secret and must be returned on your projects completion, which I trust will occur soon.

Perhaps on returning the sacred tome, you would like to engage in additional trade with our people. We have a steady supply of top quality paper products, such as Phoenician papyrus we've tailored for spell books and scrolls. Also, our Kapet and Ihmut incenses are perfect for religious rituals and we offer a rich variety of incenses that match the worship of just about any god.

Finally, our once great empire is only now recovering from dark times. We are in need of experienced explorers to uncover the riches of the past. Taxes on discovered treasure is reasonable and there is state sponsorship to help find lost sites of wonder and riches.

May the holy triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu smile upon you,

Sekhmet, Advisor to Vizier Nebmarenakht





Monday, March 11, 2013

Ships of Crannog

The Heroes of Tara liberated six dryads with the help of clever magic, a friendly elephant and an old druid. In the process, they learned much about Crannog's plans. "Dozens" of dryads had been captured in their trees, turned into "dryad poles" against their will for use in creating "live ships." A sentient ship allows a sea captain to harness the dryad to do his bidding.

In rare cases, a dryad may be convinced to give her life towards creating a live ship, but it would be rare, requiring a dryad with a sense of adventure and desire to experience everything the world offers. Dryads, by nature, don't travel far from their home oak, so such a one would be very rare indeed. That ship would be as unique and amazing as the dryad within it.


Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, the "dryad poles" were meant to be used as main masts, turning a newly built ship without memories, into a living ship. The elven silk and rope were also destined for a ship, providing fire resistant "masterwork" sails ready for enchantment. But why all the iron? Wooden boats use some iron, but not in the quantities Crannog was stealing from Tara's iron mine. The plans uncovered in the lair of The Beastmaster, where the dryads were liberated, tells the story.


As many as 600 slaves are to be stored in the hold of one of Crannog's ships, the iron used as shackles after another ritual that creates a permanent "Cure Disease" to those "wearing" the item. With a couple dozen ships, Crannog could enslave a city of 14,000 inhabitants. Tara, with it's 5,000 people would be a short stop along the way.





Humanity, according to Crannog and his followers, is simply too dangerous to let run loose on the surface of the earth. They have shown themselves to be irresponsible with magic, amoral when it comes to war, and unable to learn from their mistakes. Killing them all is drastic. One does not kill chickens or cattle, one controls them and uses them for the benefit of all. Yes, proper stewardship of humanity, according to Crannog's philosophy, requires control.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Typical Ships Crew

Hero Lab Portfolio Captain Morgan    CR 8
XP 4800
Male Human Expert 4 Fighter 6
LN Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +10

Defense

AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+7 armor, +1 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 85 (6d10+4d8+30)
Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +6 (+2 vs. fear)
Defensive Abilities bravery +2

Offense

Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 Trident +15/+10 (1d8+8/x2)
Ranged Masterwork Composite longbow (Str +4) +9/+4 (1d8+3/x3)
Special Attacks weapon training abilities (thrown +1)

Statistics

Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +9; CMB +12; CMD 24
Feats Blind-Fight, Dodge, Master Craftsman (Profession [sailor]), Persuasive, Quick Draw, Rugged Northerner, Skill Focus (Profession [sailor]), Toughness +10, Weapon Focus (Trident), Weapon Specialization (Trident)
Skills Acrobatics +3, Climb +15, Craft (ships) +5, Diplomacy +12, Escape Artist -1, Fly -1, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (engineering) +5, Knowledge (geography) +10, Knowledge (history) +5, Knowledge (local) +5, Knowledge (nature) +10, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Linguistics +5, Perception +10 (only -1/20' while using a spyglass, instead of -1/10'), Profession (merchant) +5, Profession (sailor) +21, Ride -1, Stealth -1, Survival +10, Swim +10
Languages Auran, Common, Northman
Other Gear +1 Breastplate, +1 Trident, Arrows (20), Masterwork Composite longbow (Str +4), Gloves of swimming and climbing, Spyglass, You have no money!

Special Abilities

Blind-Fight Re-roll misses because of concealment, other benefits.
Bravery +2 (Ex) +2 to Will save vs. Fear
Master Craftsman (Profession [sailor]) +2 to chosen craft skill, its ranks count as CL for Craft Magic Arms and Armor and Craft Wondrous Item.
Quick Draw Draw weapon as a free action (or move if hidden weapon). Throw at full rate of attacks.
Rugged Northerner Frostbite, hypothermia, and extreme cold effects lessened
Weapon Training (Thrown) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Thrown weapons

Crewmen    CR 1/2
XP 200
Male Human Expert 1 Warrior 1
N Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +1; Senses Perception +6

Defense

AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 12 (1d10+1d8+2)
Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +2

Offense

Speed 30 ft.
Melee Dagger +2 (1d4+1/19-20/x2)
Ranged Longbow, Comp. (Str +1) +2 (1d8+1/x3)

Statistics

Str 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Profession [sailor])
Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +5, Craft (ships) +3, Knowledge (nature) +3, Perception +6, Profession (sailor) +8, Sense Motive +2, Survival +4, Swim +5
Languages Common
Other Gear Masterwork Studded leather armor, Arrows (20), Dagger, Longbow, Comp. (Str +1), You have no money!

Special Abilities



Lieutenant MacCorquodale    CR 7
XP 3200
Male Human Expert 4 Fighter 5
N Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +4; Senses Perception +10

Defense

AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor, +4 Dex)
hp 68 (5d10+4d8+18)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +6 (+1 vs. fear)
Defensive Abilities bravery +1

Offense

Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 Shortsword +13/+8 (1d6+6/17-20/x2) and
   +1 Shortsword +13/+8 (1d6+5/17-20/x2) and
   Whip +12/+7 (1d3+2/x2)
Ranged Heavy crossbow +12/+7 (1d10/19-20/x2)
Special Attacks weapon training abilities (light blades +1)

Statistics

Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +8; CMB +10; CMD 24
Feats Athletic, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip), Improved Critical (Shortsword), Improved Two-weapon Fighting, Quick Draw, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Shortsword), Weapon Specialization (Shortsword)
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +10, Craft (ships) +4, Diplomacy +5, Escape Artist +2, Fly +2, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (geography) +3, Knowledge (nature) +3, Linguistics +3, Perception +10, Profession (sailor) +12, Ride +2, Stealth +2, Survival +5, Swim +8
Languages Aquan, Common
Other Gear Masterwork Breastplate, +1 Shortsword, +1 Shortsword, Crossbow bolts (10), Heavy crossbow, Whip, Everburning torch, You have no money!

Special Abilities

Bravery +1 (Ex) +1 to Will save vs. Fear
Quick Draw Draw weapon as a free action (or move if hidden weapon). Throw at full rate of attacks.
Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades

Mate    CR 5
XP 1600
Male Human Fighter 5 Rogue 1
LN Medium Humanoid (human)
Init +5; Senses Perception +3

Defense

AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 44 (5d10+1d8+5)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +0 (+1 vs. fear)
Defensive Abilities bravery +1

Offense

Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 Rapier +9 (1d6+4/18-20/x2)
Ranged Masterwork Light crossbow +7 (1d8/19-20/x2)
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6, weapon training abilities (light blades +1)

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 15
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Combat Reflexes (2 AoO/round), Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Power Attack -2/+4, Weapon Focus (Shortsword), Weapon Specialization (Shortsword)
Skills Acrobatics +8, Appraise +6, Climb +10, Diplomacy +10, Intimidate +10, Perception +3 (+4 to locate traps), Profession (sailor) +8, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +5, Swim +10
Languages Common, Northman, Phoenician
SQ trapfinding +1
Combat Gear Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds, Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds; Other Gear Masterwork Chain shirt, +1 Rapier, Crossbow bolts (20), Masterwork Light crossbow, You have no money!

Special Abilities

Bravery +1 (Ex) +1 to Will save vs. Fear
Combat Reflexes (2 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Sneak Attack +1d6 +1d6 damage if you flank your target or your target is flat-footed.
Trapfinding +1 Gain a bonus to find or disable traps, including magical ones.
Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades

Ship Crew Costs

Your ship has a minimum crew of 20. There are penalties when you fall below 20 crewmen and severe penalties below 10. It would make sense to have a crew larger than 20 to account for illness, death or injury, and other eventualities.

A ship also needs a captain, and according to the 1E DMG, for every 20 men, the ship requires a captain, lieutenant and two mates (add additional mates for each 10 crewmen over this). I'll use generic stats for each officer position as a baseline that corresponds with the ocean going challenge ratings. We're assuming competency, non-evil, stable crew who can manage the entire operation.

I'm using a hybrid of 1E and Pathfinder when determining costs. You're paying 3sp per day for trained men (Pathfinder), multiplied by their level (1E would have been 10 times higher). It looks like this:


Minimal Crew Cost (20 crewmen, Captain, Lieutenant, 2 Mates)
Position Qty Rate/day/level/sp Level Total/Day/sp
Crewmen 20 3 1 60
Captain 1 3 8 24
Lietenant 1 3 7 21
Mates 2 3 6 36







Daily Total
141


Monthly Total
4230


Monthly/Gold
423


My recommended crew of 30 looks like this:


Recommended Crew Cost (30 crewmen, Captain, Lieutenant, 3 Mates)
Position Qty Rate/day/level/sp Level Total/Day/sp
Crewmen 30 3 1 90
Captain 1 3 8 24
Lietenant 1 3 7 21
Mates 3 3 6 54







Daily Total
189


Monthly Total
5670


Monthly/Gold
567

 


If you were to have some sort of "ship's share" of treasure, here's how it would work out with the crew, if you divided it by their station:


Minimal Crew Cost (20 crewmen, Captain, Lieutenant, 2 Mates)
Position Qty Share % Each %
Crewmen 20 43 2
Captain 1 17 17
Lietenant 1 15 15
Mates 2 26 13