The boat is carrying two aristocratic families that paid heavily for protection. As much as they paid, however, danger still lingers. I have the major encounters and combat mechanics worked out, but I was wondering if anybody has some subtly details about the captain and his crew that would help flesh out the session. there is one gruffy captain and four or five zero level sailors, plus the party for protection.
Any stories or ideas for details to make it more immersive?
From a personal protection standpoint, putting two _families_ on a small boat seems to raise all sorts of security/safety concerns, especially if the families are inexperienced mariners. So if they paid really well, I'd expect some additional escort craft, including an advance craft that can signal hazards through something like flares or magical sending or what have you.
Whatever the party has for a healer, whether it was stipulated or not, that character is now expected to be the families' personal physician equivalent. One of the family members is perpetually seasick and that ailment distracts the healer character from what would otherwise be the character's expected duties.
That's all I got, not knowing the nature of the journey, the destination or what the contracting parties are leaving behind.
- One of the crewmembers is a thief. Only one of the other crewmembers knows it, and they keep a close eye on them at all times. The thief crewmember is kept very busy, perhaps enough to prompt the party to intervene, possibly freeing them up to do some thieving. - One of the crewmembers is an aspiring bard. They are often seen scribbling in a book - if read, the book contains poetry and verse, and is well written. - One of the crewmembers is a dwarf who speaks with such a strong dwarven accent that they are rendered unintelligable. They are extremely friendly and always cracking jokes, which no-one understands, and wiggling their eyebrows mischeviously for emphasis. - One of the crewmembers is extremely superstitious - dislikes having a tiefling aboard ship, dislikes it if a bird lands on the ship, dislikes if people whistle on the ship, sees everything as a sign. They are, bizarrely, almost always right (IE if they say "an owl just flew over, we'll have a fog tonight" then it becomes true.) has a huge amount of talismans which they always touch and kiss when they are nervous. - One of the crewmembers has a magical wooden leg which replaces their own. If asked, they always make up a new story of how they lost their leg, and how they got the new one. - One of the crewmembers is always making animal noises, trying to replicate everything they hear. They start imitating the party, and manage to get their voices down to a tee. - The first mate is a Kenku, who is extremely good at directly repeating the captains orders to the crewmates. - One of them gets violently ill when on land, akin to seasickness.
The boat is carrying two aristocratic families that paid heavily for protection. As much as they paid, however, danger still lingers. I have the major encounters and combat mechanics worked out, but I was wondering if anybody has some subtly details about the captain and his crew that would help flesh out the session. there is one gruffy captain and four or five zero level sailors, plus the party for protection.
Any stories or ideas for details to make it more immersive?
From a personal protection standpoint, putting two _families_ on a small boat seems to raise all sorts of security/safety concerns, especially if the families are inexperienced mariners. So if they paid really well, I'd expect some additional escort craft, including an advance craft that can signal hazards through something like flares or magical sending or what have you.
Whatever the party has for a healer, whether it was stipulated or not, that character is now expected to be the families' personal physician equivalent. One of the family members is perpetually seasick and that ailment distracts the healer character from what would otherwise be the character's expected duties.
That's all I got, not knowing the nature of the journey, the destination or what the contracting parties are leaving behind.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Subtle details about the captain and his crew:
- One of the crewmembers is a thief. Only one of the other crewmembers knows it, and they keep a close eye on them at all times. The thief crewmember is kept very busy, perhaps enough to prompt the party to intervene, possibly freeing them up to do some thieving.
- One of the crewmembers is an aspiring bard. They are often seen scribbling in a book - if read, the book contains poetry and verse, and is well written.
- One of the crewmembers is a dwarf who speaks with such a strong dwarven accent that they are rendered unintelligable. They are extremely friendly and always cracking jokes, which no-one understands, and wiggling their eyebrows mischeviously for emphasis.
- One of the crewmembers is extremely superstitious - dislikes having a tiefling aboard ship, dislikes it if a bird lands on the ship, dislikes if people whistle on the ship, sees everything as a sign. They are, bizarrely, almost always right (IE if they say "an owl just flew over, we'll have a fog tonight" then it becomes true.) has a huge amount of talismans which they always touch and kiss when they are nervous.
- One of the crewmembers has a magical wooden leg which replaces their own. If asked, they always make up a new story of how they lost their leg, and how they got the new one.
- One of the crewmembers is always making animal noises, trying to replicate everything they hear. They start imitating the party, and manage to get their voices down to a tee.
- The first mate is a Kenku, who is extremely good at directly repeating the captains orders to the crewmates.
- One of them gets violently ill when on land, akin to seasickness.
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