Suggested Party Composition: 5 level-5 PCs (haven't run this yet, will update afterwards)
Difficulty: TBD
Summary: The party is aboard The Siren's Call, captained by Isabella. They are attacked by The Black Plunder, a mysterious ship captained by the abomination Rottbeard and his crew of Corpse Pirates.
Pre-requisite: Using Isabella and The Siren's Call is completely optional, but the party does have to be on a ship. Extra hilarity if one of the PCs is sleeping with Isabella at the time of the attack.
The lookout cries out from the crow’s nest, “Captain! Captain!”
After a moment, Isabella bursts from below deck, in the process of putting on a shirt. “This better be good! I was inspecting the new baggywrinkles!”
The lookout shouts back, “A ship is approaching from the starboard stern. They’re gaining on us, ser.”
“What? Dimmit!” She turns to the party, “Should we have expected to be followed?” She gives them a moment to reply, then shouts back to the lookout. “How fast do they approach?”
“Fast, Ser, they’ll be on us in minutes! I can’t make out the men, but I can make out the glint of their blades!” “Andraste’s granny panties! Prepare to be boarded, men. And not in the good Llomerryn way!” The crew rushes about, and most of them draw their swords or daggers and stand ready to fight.
If one of the PCs was sleeping with Isabella, she has actually run out with
their clothes. So their options are to put her clothes on, run out in their smallclothes, or just stay in hiding and hope nobody notices they're gone. If they choose this last option, let them play the part of the ship's crew.
The rest of the party has enough time to run to their cabins and grab their gear or do other preparations (like casting spells) but not both. Everyone was already above deck except whoever Isabella was sleeping with.
As the ship approaches, it appears black as soot. Even the sails are black, and the PCs can see that not only are they torn, but the ship itself seems full of holes. Though they may not know much about sailing, they can’t imagine how this ship is still afloat.
Whoever rolls the best
Perception (Seeing) is the first to notice that the men on the approaching ship are not men at all… they are corpses.
The closer the black ship gets, the more the winds pick up, rocking The Siren’s Call violently. The approaching ship slams into The Siren's Call. Living corpses brandishing short swords and wearing rotting leather clamber over the bulwark as others with daggers in their teeth swing across on ropes before the two ships are separated by the wind.
Roll Initiative. Corpses spend their first turn getting onto the ship, so the PCs can have a full round to act before they do. Everyone at -1 to attack rolls due to rain.
Setup: Isabella, Casavir, and 12 Fereldan Brigands representing the ship's crew. 12 Pirate Corpses (6 with swords, 6 with daggers).
At the top of each round: Everyone is moved 1D6 spaces in random direction (roll a D4 to determine North, South, East, or West)
If this movement would push them off the ship, in order to prevent falling off, they must pass a
TN 11 Dexterity (Acrobatics) test with a penalty equal to how many “extra” spaces they were pushed beyond the edge.
Each turn in the water, they must pass a
TN 11 Constitution (Swimming) or take 1D6 penetrating from drowning. To get back aboard, they must pass a
TN 11 Strength (Climbing) test.
When either is side more than half dead, the two ships slam together. More pirate corpses rush aboard, replenishing their numbers corpses back to 6 with daggers and 6 with short swords. A voice shouts from the enemy ship. The party looks to see another corpse, this one more well-dressed but still in tatters. He wields a wickedly jagged rapier and wears and fancy but ragged hat. Maggots squirm through his thick beard.
“Avast ye salty bilge-rats, ye cargo now belongs to Captain Rottbeard. Surrender half ye crew to the Black Plunder, and the rest may sail away. Elsewise, well… I’d hate to sink such a fine looking ship, but we do what we must, aye?”
On Rottbeard's turn, he will come aboard and go straight for Isabella. (He already has Dual Weapon Style activated.)
On Isabella's turn, she activates Dual Weapon Style and shouts, “Don’t surrender, boys! When we get to port, the first girl is on me! And I’ll buy you each one too!”
On Isabella's next turn, she cries, “Stinkybeard is mine, take out his crew!” To which Rottbeard replies, “The name is Rottbeard, wench.” And Isabella replies, “Okay, Rottbeard Wench is mine, either way, drown these carcasses!”
Rottbeard and Isabella use any stunt points they generate to try to disarm each other.
If she disarms him, she says, “I’ll take that, thanks!” picks up his rapier, then says “You keep this one!” leaving her own rapier impaled in his chest.
If he disarms her, she shouts, “Okay, I’m a woman who can admit when she’s wrong. It doesn’t happen often, but… Help!”
Additional combat dialog for Isabella
- “If we kill them, we get their stuff!”
- To whoever’s clothes she's wearing: “Bullocks. Are these clothes yours? Tell you what, if you can dispatch more of these buggers than me, you get ‘em back. Otherwise, you go without for at least a day… and you stay topside.”
- If they suggest she take the same wager: “Don’t wanna give the crew the wrong idea. But I tell ya what, if you win, I’ll let you be on top. Once.”
- If they're a dick about it: “I'm sorry, I don't speak never-gets-sex-again.”
- “You hit like an Orlesian dandy!”
- “When this fight is over, I’m gonna need a stiff one… and a drink.”
- "I really should have gone to the privy before coming out here."
Additional combat dialog for Rottbeard
- “I’ll cut ye, ye lice-infested privateer… Ye’ll meet the rope’s end for that!”
- “I’ll reduce yer ship to rubble, ye salty parrot!”
- “Enough with yer bilge, ye grog-snarfing swabbie… Prepare for yer doom!”
If Isabella lands the killing blow against Rottbeard, she shoves him overboard, taking his rapier for her own.
If anyone else lands the killing blow, wave crashes over the side of the ship, throwing Rottbeard’s body overboard, (but leaving his rapier plunged into the deck).
Rottbeard cackles as he falls to the water and the storm picks up even more strongly than before.
The Black Plunder sails away in the direction it came as waves crash over the sides of the Siren’s Call.
“Passengers, below deck!” Isabella shouts, “Casavir, go with them and make sure they’re safe. The rest of you men, batten down the hatches, reef the fore sail, haul aft the fore sheet, turn the helm hard a weather, belay the fore down haul, then haul down the yard, get the sail into the ship and unbound all the things clear of it. And for **** sake, hold on to something!”
Isabella (Level 9 Rogue Duelist... with one extra Talent cause why not)
Com 4 (Bargaining, Deception, Seduction)
Con 4 (Drinking, Stamina)
Cun 3 (Evaluation, Navigation)
Dex 4 (Dueling, Stealth)
Mag 0
Per 3 (Empathy)
Str 2
Wil 0
HP 84, Speed 14, Defense 14, AR 4
Talents: Thievery (Novice), Thrown Style (Journeyman), Dual Weapons (Journeyman), Duelist (Journeyman)
Class Powers: Backstab, Bluff, Dirty Fighting, Lethality
Preferred Stunts: Pierce Armor (1 SP), Lightning Attack (2 SP with offhand), Disarm, That Makes Me Wonder (2 SP)
Rapier +6, 1D6+5
Main Gauche +6, 1D6+3
Throwing Knife (x6) +5, 1D6+5
Casavir (Level 5 Rogue)
Com 3 (Leadership)
Con 2
Cun 1 (Cartography, Navigation)
Dex 3 (Light Blades)
Mag 0
Per 2 (Seeing)
Str 3
Wil 2 (Self-Discipline)
HP 66, Speed 13, Defense 13, AR 4
Talents: Scouting (Master)
Class Powers: Backstab, Bluff
Preferred Stunts: Pierce Armor (1 SP), Sieze the Initiative (2 SP)
Short Sword +5, 1D6+5
Dagger +5, 1D6+4
Rottbeard (Epic Pirate Corpse)
Com 2 (Etiquette, Leadership)
Con 4 (Stamina)
Cun 2 (Military Lore)
Dex 4 (Dueling)
Mag 2
Per 2 (Seeing)
Str 4 (Claws, Intimidation)
Wil 3
HP 60, Speed 14, Defense 14, AR 7
Talents: Dual Weapon (Master), Duelist (Master)
Preferred Stunts: Pierce Armor (1 SP), Disarm (2 SP), Lightning Attack (2 SP with offhand), Strangle (see Enranged Corpse, only if disarmed), Drain Life (see Devouring Corpse)
Rottbeard's Rapier +7, 3D6+1
Main Gauche +6, 1D6+5
Claws (if disarmed) +6, 1D6+6
Pirate Corpse (a merger of Enraged Corpse and Devouring Corpse)
Com -2
Con 4 (Stamina)
Cun 1
Dex 2
Mag 2
Per 0
Str 4 (Claws, Intimidation)
Wil 2
HP 40, Speed 10, Defense 12, AR 4
Talents: Dual Weapon (Master), Duelist (Master)
Class Powers: Howling Madness (see Enraged Corpse)
Preferred Stunts: Pierce Armor, Disarm (2 SP), Strangle (see Enranged Corpse, only if disarmed), Drain Life (see Devouring Corpse)
Short Sword +2, 1D6+6
Dagger +2, 1D6+5
Claws (if disarmed) +6, 1D6+4
Pirate Corpses will madly attempt to disarm their opponents whenever they have the stunt points for it, but because they are slow and clumsy, any time they fail to disarm an opponent, they themselves are disarmed. Unfortunately for their opponents, this means they'll start attacking with their claws and using the Strangle stunt.
Rottbeard's Rapier is a magical Rapier with a wicked blade and a hilt made of human bone. It has an attack bonus of +1 and does 3D6-3 damage (which on average is only 1 damage higher than a standard Rapier).