Book 2 - Act 2: Piracy on the Fever Sea

The shipping lanes of Golarion's seas and oceans are filled with fat merchant vessels laden with trade goods both mundane and exotic, as well as the pirates and freebooters who prey on them. Under the banner of their Hurricane King, these buccaneers sally forth from that archipelago of lawless pirate ports and anchorages known as the Shackles, plundering the shipping of countless countries and trade consortiums, then vanishing back into the maze of islands and reefs they call home. The nations of the Inner Sea would like nothing more than to end the pirate menace once and for all, but the eternal hurricane known as the Eye of Abendego has thus far shielded the Free Captains of the Shackles from the threat of retaliation.


In the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path, the PCs take on the role of pirates, but they must make a name for themselves in piracy, plunder, and disrepute to truly become infamous Free Captains of the Shackles.

A Paizo Adventure Path

Run by the Pirate King Vardaen
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The Deathknell: Round 1

Post by Vardaen » Tue Mar 22, 2016 4:17 pm

Round 1 Rod 21, Captain Pilk 18, Tourk 17, Gragol 14, Aya 11, Zombies 9, Maggie 7
Roderick is a daring and dashing Swashbuckler, and apparently no fan of chime music. He clicks his heels together, and darts down the length of the ship. Then scrambling over one of the ship's boats he leaps into the air off it, tumbles on the deck of the Deathknell and side steps a few swings as he heads for the Captain. At the last moment, about to slide in under Pilk's reach, the undead captain surprisingly slams his harpoon into the side of Roderick opening up deep gash down Roderick's torso. The harpoon's barbs however don't lodge into his flesh, which presents Roderick from being stuck on the weapon. Bleeding he lifts his Tidewater Cutlass into the air to strike at Pilk, then at the last second it attacks the bell. The bell itself is mounted directly to the mast, bolted on with a brass plate, (it doesn't dangle on a rope). His blow is not only strong, but perfectly aimed at a rusty patch on the bell. Steel strikes brass and the brass cracks wide open! The bell is critically damaged from the blow, but not completely broken or destroyed yet, another blow like that would surely do it.

As he slams his weapon into the bell Captain Whalebone Pilk howls in utter shock, anger, fury and contempt at Rod. "What do ye think ye be doing you scurvy son of a bitch!" Pilk reaches out and touches Rod with a ghostly form of his own hand that seems to hover just beyond his actual rotting limb. The hand pushes into Rod's chest, and he can feel it gripping his lungs and steeling the air from them. He gasps for breath, unable to cry out as his body suffers under the mystical touch of the captain. He gasps for air over and over again hardly able to stand the pain.

Toruk Gragol and Aya, with zombies in the way...
Rod: Boots, Shirt, Move Move [3 Accro Checks: 33 Success, 34 Success, 22 vs Captain Fail: Attacks: 30 vs Parry: 18, Attack Hits 10 Dmg] Rod Attacks' Bell: "17" (Critical Hit: 14) Critical Hit for 32 Dmg! - 9 Hardnes = 23 Dmg
Pilk: Steal Air: Incorporeal Attack (no parry) 30 hit, Fort Save: 7 FAIL!, -4 CON + Fatigued (-2 STR, CON, can not Run or Charge)
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J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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The Deathknell: Round 1

Post by AdamDaBomb11 » Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:30 pm

Gragol just gives Rod an odd look as the man darts onto the ship full of undead, without a care in the world. He was planning on letting the rotting corpses come to him, but like in any battle, things change. Gragol vaults the railing with one hand pushing off and his feet swinging first onto the Deathknell. With his Urgrosh in his hand, he swings the axe blade down toward the first zombie he sets eyes on.
I am going to assume a 5ft step isn't allowed here. ;)

Move Nx1, Attack Zombie #2 with axe blade (using combat expertise)
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The Deathknell: Round 1

Post by Vardaen » Wed Mar 23, 2016 2:23 pm

Round 1 Rod 21, Captain Pilk 18, Tourk 17, Gragol 14, Aya 11, Zombies 9, Maggie 7

Correct no 5ft up over the railings, try and use the map as best you can.
Gragol watches Rod go and smack the bell, he isn't sure about the man, but turns his focus on the zombie before him. He leaps on the railings, one foot on the Deathknel the other on the Banshee. He brings his axe down, and lops a big gash down the chest of the brine zombie causing it to spray out sea water and Gragol swears a tiny starfish falls out of the thing as well.

Toruk, Aya, seconds before the zombies...
Gragol: Move, Attack #2 w/Blade: CE: 19 hit for 13 dmg
Move Gragol 5ft North
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
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The Deathknell: Round 1

Post by Hayabusa » Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:58 pm

"Keep yer filthy hands off me crew!" Aya shouts across to the other ship and rushes down the sterncastle. "And ye might want to look away, Rod!" She adds as she storms over to the other ship. A moment before setting a foot on the other side she swipes her rapier in the air and the direction of Captain Pilk and his crew.
Standard: Glitterdust! (Center would be the bottom right corner of #5. Sorry, Rod... But you HAD to rush that far behind the enemy lines...)
Move: 3 x W, 3 x N.
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The Deathknell: Round 1

Post by Eilandor » Thu Mar 24, 2016 2:53 pm

Toruk moves to the ships rail and focuses on one of the undead pirates directly in front of him. With both hands together, the Undine sends a molten ray of fire towards his foe.
Move: N
Standard: Cast Scorching Ray at #5

Sheet updated.
Number Two: "You are number six."
Number Six: "I am not a number, I am a free man!"
Number Two: "Muh ha ha ha ha!"

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The Deathknell: Round 2

Post by Vardaen » Thu Mar 24, 2016 3:15 pm

Round 1 Rod 21, Captain Pilk 18, Tourk 17, Gragol 14, Aya 11, Zombies 9, Maggie 7

Round 2 Rod 21, Captain Pilk 18, Tourk 17, Gragol 14, Aya 11, Zombies 9, Maggie 7
Toruk steps up to the rail between ships and forms a ray of fire from his hands. The scorching ray slams into the chest of the brine zombie and begins to burn it, but the creature is so waterlogged that the fire has to first burn through its moisture layer before it does any harm. What would be a critical blast of flame to one of you is only a minor scorch to the zombie!

Aya shouts and gives Rod a warning when she summons a burst of glittering dust over some of the enemy ship. Her aim is not really that good, she catches two zombies in it, blinding one of them. She also catches Rod in the burst, but not the Captain Pilk. Rod luckily steels himself in time and while he lights up like a everburning torch with yellow glitter he's not blinded. Aya then moves, and climbs up over the ship's boat, it takes her extra time to scramble over the longboat that hangs there and that limits her distance covered.

The zombies then press in around you. Gragol finds himself attacked by two of the beasts and manages to parry one of their cutlasses but not the other and he takes a light wound on his arm. Aya and Toruk both have zombies near, but neither is harmed by the slow moving undead. Rod finds himself under attack also, but so focused on the bell he is stabbed in the back by the rusty blade of the brine zombie. The blinded one remains blinded and thrashes around wildly where it stands.

Maggie calls out to the rest of your crew that is under attack by zombies from all sides. "Behold the power of Besmara! She's the mistress of the sea, and she can send these zombie back to their watery graves!" Then a aura of light surrounds Maggie, and like a wave, it spreads out hitting all of the zombies. They sizzle and pop, their flesh falling off in great pieces as the wave of holy energy connects with them. One seems to resist somewhat, but they are all damaged fairly badly by the burst from Maggie.

Your crew fights on bravely against the zombies, hacking and slashes, some of your men however are already wounded and you can hear Davok shouting to rally them to hold off the boarders.

Roderick...

Toruk: 5ft, Scorching Ray #3: 21 Hit for 20 Dmg - Resist Fire 10 = 10 Dmg Only

Aya: Glitterdust: Will Save DC 18: Rod Save "20" Success!, Zombie #5 9 Fail, Zombie #6 20 Success, Aya Move

Also remember the shape of bursts. Not the best placement of your spell. :(
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/c ... -templates

Charging you double cost to climb over the life boat that is hanging there.

Z1: 5ft, Attack Gragol 18 Hit for 5 Dmg
Z2: Attack Gragol 8 Miss
Z3: 5ft, Attak Aya 7 Miss
Z4: Move
Z5 Blind: Will Save 7 Fail
Z6 5ft, Attack Rod 22 [Parry 17 Fail to Parry] Hit for 6
Maggie: Move, Channel Energy to Harm Undead: All Zombies: Will Save DC 12: 12, "1", 13, "20", 12, 10: (1 Success): 10 Dmg (5 Dmg to #5)
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"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
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The Deathknell: Round 2

Post by Grimbold » Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:03 pm

"It will take a lot more to take me down, ya air sucking undead rotheap! Yer not even a real pirate, yer a whaler!" Again, he slashes at the bell, sensing the captain's anger and grinning about it.
Slash at bell. 5' step north.
Ready parry 5x on all attackers. Riposte (-1 panache) against the captain if he attacks. Use Charmed Life +3 if necessary vs Spells from the captain.

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The Deathknell: Its Final Ring

Post by Vardaen » Fri Mar 25, 2016 2:49 pm

Roderick shouts back at the captain and the zombie, his blade ready to parry further strikes. He then insults the Captain with the real one that hurts, he was a Whaler! With his blade in hand he slams it down hard into the bell a second time and shatters the already damaged bell. The final deathknell of the bell rings out louder than expected, and a burst of necrotic energy floods across the two ships. Where it makes contact with the brine zombies they explode into watery bursts of rotten flesh and bone. There is a final scream from Captain Whalebone Pilk as he explodes in a cacophonous burst.

There is a cheer from among your crew HUZZAH!

Then the ships rock against one another, and the Deathknell begins to sink -- with your ship securely grappling it!!!!
Can I say I hate you Grimbold! I hate hate hate you :P

Rod: Attack Bell: 25 Hit for 17 - 9 Hardness = 6 Dmg BROKE

Yep the bell was the key, other wise the zombies respawn over and over again, and even if you killed Pilk he would rise from the seas a few weeks later to terrorize someone else (or you).

You guys earn full XP from all that but also:

2 points of Disrepute and Infamy for triumphing over a legendary scourge of the Fever Sea.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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The Deathknell: Its Final Ring

Post by Eilandor » Fri Mar 25, 2016 3:05 pm

Toruk is cheering with all the rest when suddenly he sees the grappling ropes that tether the two ships are growing taught as the Deathknell begins to plummet into the sea. "Besmara's tits!" He calls out for others to help and he himself rushes over and tries to break the ties that bind the two ships together.
Number Two: "You are number six."
Number Six: "I am not a number, I am a free man!"
Number Two: "Muh ha ha ha ha!"

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The Deathknell: Its Final Ring

Post by Hayabusa » Fri Mar 25, 2016 3:18 pm

Yeah, that's sort of an anticlimactic ending... Then again, better alive than dead! :-D
"CUT THE ROPES!" Aya shouts, taking a step, jumping back the few feet onto her ship as the Deathknell begins to sink away. "Grab his harpoon and get back on the Banshee, Rod!"

She's glad to see those undead vanquished and the ghastly vessel that carried them vanishing beneath the waves. However, she does not want to see her own share that fate, neither today nor as long as the kitsune draws breath. Standing on the edge of one the Banshee's rowboats she jumps off of it to get to cutting the nearest rope with her rapier as well.
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