Been a long time, sort a did a couple 3.5 one shots back in the day. Thinking of doign 5th ed or maybe the new one depending on how that works out.
In any case, its Called Crime City: Think Post WW1 to pre Great Depression. A great war against a Litch and his undead army has ravaged the land, so plenty of people are fleeing to some of the only cities that managed to survive this. People range from nobles that no longer hand keeps and lands to rule, to peasants that lost almost everything they had.
The city is ruled by a long ruling royal family but the current King is a well meaning but weak ruler, a spare of a spar that ended up on the throne. While petty nobles picker for control, 5 main crime organizations will seek to fill the power vacume, while another secretive group pulls the strings with all of them.
Still need a name for the city, and would like to base it on a real life "Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy" so if anyone has any good ones from any point in history, that be great.
Will go into the main groups as I go into the districts, but generally this is what I have.
1. East Side Docks: A Cresent Moon shape harbor and dockyard, filled with ships, shipwrights, fish markets, taverns, and more. Its in a well protected bay with a singular, well guarded entrance that is wide enough to allow ships to go in and out without traffic.
Main Organizations:
Sea Crates: One of the Big 5 Crime Organizations, they are all former pirates and still run a smuggling ring. They make plenty of legal money off of genuine trade goods, but slaves, narcotics, monsters for arenas, and the prohibited alcoholic beverages are some of their biggest money makers. As such, if you have the coin they can bring it in. As slaves are not quite made illegal yet, they make sure it is still a flourishing trade. They have good ties with Thieves guild due to stolen goods, provide ingredients and rare poisons for the assassins, slaves for the pleasure guilds and opium dens, and more.
Leader: Gold Beard (Warlord old, with saber and shield instead of great sword, and four pistols). Is a human, and he wants to die richer than an Elder Dragon.
His organization is much like a ship's crew with a first mate that handles the day to day needs.
A Sacond mate that ensures everything is safe and the cargo is worth the risk of transporting it, and knowing what areas get the most coin for their trouble.
A Third mate that makes sure all the gear is up to snuff. Bad gear=less likley to survive the dangers of the sea=not coming back=wasted time and money.
Steerman and Conner: Tell where people go and look out for risks. Pilot: drives the ship, keeps the boat rowing. Surgeon: Keeps people alive. Unlike other captains, Gold Beard doesn't just have a the least drunk sailor with a saw on the job.
Master Gunner and Gunner Mates: In charge of the ordinance and the shooting.
Carpenter: Constantly keeps things repaired, and impromptu surgeon.
Botswain : In charge of ropes , sails, riggings, and their repairs.
Botswine Mate: Canchores, Longboats, and accoutns of stores.
Steward/cook: The do the meals.
Quartermaster: Fishing, supplies, and the watch.
Cooper: Makes sure everything is in good repair and when something is not, when they get on land they get the supplies to make it so.
Swabbies: CLean deck
Sailors and Yonkers: They work the decks and the riggings
Random other crew
Ship Boys: Kids between 10 and 14 that are there to learn the trade, be it as an young officer or a young sailor
Powder Monkies: Little kids that carry black powder.
In addition to the main organizational needs of the whole group, they have 12 ships that are also run likewise, with 6 out at any given time, with the others being repaired, quarantined, or retrofitted.
They also have a good workng relation with a small group of Sahagans that help get things past the inspectors and inquisitors.
Most of organization are human, hob goblin, half orcs, and kobolds, but any can join them.
Most other businesses around the docks are bullied into helping them, so unless the Sea Crates take a significant hit they may not be willing to help.
Dolfin Village: A village of sea elves, they fish and harves plants and animals they raise in underwater farms. They are partially how the city is fed, and are one of the main groups that helps man the fortresses and are anti slavery.
Dragers: A group of 20 Sahagans that are scouting the area for their own people's expansion. They consist of 2 Priestesses, 15 Sahagans, and 3 Merrows. They look for any and all weakness to exploit, and use the Sea Crates to aid in this.
Sea Rats: General Term for orphans and pick pockets that run wild on the docks. If caought, they my be forced into a work house or sold into slavery to pay for their crimes. Most are little kids, and a number of minor criminals use them as fodder in the same way a modern gang does.
Sea Serpent Banner: The main guard unit that patrolls the docks. They are honest cops, but over worked and undermanned. Its so bad their leader, a High Elf, a race that somehow does not need sleep in the conventional sense, is sleep deprived.
Bootleggers: a group of 25 strong kobolds that run most of the rum running. As most guards have bigger things to worry about, and s they specialize in getting the good stuff, as long as they take the odd request, the Sea Crates ignore them (they are sailors...they want gold, rum, and women and not nessisarily in that order).
Kelp Banner: Divided into two forts: One for seers and other casters that keep the bay safe from storms and enemies, and a group of soldiers that are usually sent there out of punishment. The half orc captain trains them hard and they withstand most of the enemies.
Hornet Banner: LArg fleet that patrols the bay and the surrounding area. They take their job seriously, and get their name from both the coloration of their sails and armor and the fact the half drow wanted a mascot of an animal that hunts spiders. When one of their ships are docked for resupply and repair, they lend their aid to the other guards, dropping crime sinificantly.
Wood Singer Shipwrights: Owned by a pair of elf sisters, one more wood elf and the other more high elf, that make most of the ships. They also have to put up with the Sea Crates as its safer to work with them than against them. If it were not for the families that rely on their buisness, they would have left years ago. If you can provide guarnetee they will be safe, they will help.
The Shanties: A group of taverns and inns owned by a motherly halfling woman. She secretly runs an underground railroad for slaves, and has a well trained members of her ogranization that help her for this. Her people are also better vetted, and so there are no chance of traitors.
Potential missions:
A Romeo and Juliiet situation, betweena Sea Elf and a Sahagan
Been a long time, sort a did a couple 3.5 one shots back in the day. Thinking of doign 5th ed or maybe the new one depending on how that works out.
In any case, its Called Crime City: Think Post WW1 to pre Great Depression. A great war against a Litch and his undead army has ravaged the land, so plenty of people are fleeing to some of the only cities that managed to survive this. People range from nobles that no longer hand keeps and lands to rule, to peasants that lost almost everything they had.
The city is ruled by a long ruling royal family but the current King is a well meaning but weak ruler, a spare of a spar that ended up on the throne. While petty nobles picker for control, 5 main crime organizations will seek to fill the power vacume, while another secretive group pulls the strings with all of them.
Still need a name for the city, and would like to base it on a real life "Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy" so if anyone has any good ones from any point in history, that be great.
Will go into the main groups as I go into the districts, but generally this is what I have.
1. East Side Docks: A Cresent Moon shape harbor and dockyard, filled with ships, shipwrights, fish markets, taverns, and more. Its in a well protected bay with a singular, well guarded entrance that is wide enough to allow ships to go in and out without traffic.
Main Organizations:
Sea Crates: One of the Big 5 Crime Organizations, they are all former pirates and still run a smuggling ring. They make plenty of legal money off of genuine trade goods, but slaves, narcotics, monsters for arenas, and the prohibited alcoholic beverages are some of their biggest money makers. As such, if you have the coin they can bring it in. As slaves are not quite made illegal yet, they make sure it is still a flourishing trade. They have good ties with Thieves guild due to stolen goods, provide ingredients and rare poisons for the assassins, slaves for the pleasure guilds and opium dens, and more.
Leader: Gold Beard (Warlord old, with saber and shield instead of great sword, and four pistols). Is a human, and he wants to die richer than an Elder Dragon.
His organization is much like a ship's crew with a first mate that handles the day to day needs.
A Sacond mate that ensures everything is safe and the cargo is worth the risk of transporting it, and knowing what areas get the most coin for their trouble.
A Third mate that makes sure all the gear is up to snuff. Bad gear=less likley to survive the dangers of the sea=not coming back=wasted time and money.
Steerman and Conner: Tell where people go and look out for risks. Pilot: drives the ship, keeps the boat rowing. Surgeon: Keeps people alive. Unlike other captains, Gold Beard doesn't just have a the least drunk sailor with a saw on the job.
Master Gunner and Gunner Mates: In charge of the ordinance and the shooting.
Carpenter: Constantly keeps things repaired, and impromptu surgeon.
Botswain : In charge of ropes , sails, riggings, and their repairs.
Botswine Mate: Canchores, Longboats, and accoutns of stores.
Steward/cook: The do the meals.
Quartermaster: Fishing, supplies, and the watch.
Cooper: Makes sure everything is in good repair and when something is not, when they get on land they get the supplies to make it so.
Swabbies: CLean deck
Sailors and Yonkers: They work the decks and the riggings
Random other crew
Ship Boys: Kids between 10 and 14 that are there to learn the trade, be it as an young officer or a young sailor
Powder Monkies: Little kids that carry black powder.
In addition to the main organizational needs of the whole group, they have 12 ships that are also run likewise, with 6 out at any given time, with the others being repaired, quarantined, or retrofitted.
They also have a good workng relation with a small group of Sahagans that help get things past the inspectors and inquisitors.
Most of organization are human, hob goblin, half orcs, and kobolds, but any can join them.
Most other businesses around the docks are bullied into helping them, so unless the Sea Crates take a significant hit they may not be willing to help.
Dolfin Village: A village of sea elves, they fish and harves plants and animals they raise in underwater farms. They are partially how the city is fed, and are one of the main groups that helps man the fortresses and are anti slavery.
Dragers: A group of 20 Sahagans that are scouting the area for their own people's expansion. They consist of 2 Priestesses, 15 Sahagans, and 3 Merrows. They look for any and all weakness to exploit, and use the Sea Crates to aid in this.
Sea Rats: General Term for orphans and pick pockets that run wild on the docks. If caought, they my be forced into a work house or sold into slavery to pay for their crimes. Most are little kids, and a number of minor criminals use them as fodder in the same way a modern gang does.
Sea Serpent Banner: The main guard unit that patrolls the docks. They are honest cops, but over worked and undermanned. Its so bad their leader, a High Elf, a race that somehow does not need sleep in the conventional sense, is sleep deprived.
Bootleggers: a group of 25 strong kobolds that run most of the rum running. As most guards have bigger things to worry about, and s they specialize in getting the good stuff, as long as they take the odd request, the Sea Crates ignore them (they are sailors...they want gold, rum, and women and not nessisarily in that order).
Kelp Banner: Divided into two forts: One for seers and other casters that keep the bay safe from storms and enemies, and a group of soldiers that are usually sent there out of punishment. The half orc captain trains them hard and they withstand most of the enemies.
Hornet Banner: LArg fleet that patrols the bay and the surrounding area. They take their job seriously, and get their name from both the coloration of their sails and armor and the fact the half drow wanted a mascot of an animal that hunts spiders. When one of their ships are docked for resupply and repair, they lend their aid to the other guards, dropping crime sinificantly.
Wood Singer Shipwrights: Owned by a pair of elf sisters, one more wood elf and the other more high elf, that make most of the ships. They also have to put up with the Sea Crates as its safer to work with them than against them. If it were not for the families that rely on their buisness, they would have left years ago. If you can provide guarnetee they will be safe, they will help.
The Shanties: A group of taverns and inns owned by a motherly halfling woman. She secretly runs an underground railroad for slaves, and has a well trained members of her ogranization that help her for this. Her people are also better vetted, and so there are no chance of traitors.
Potential missions:
A Romeo and Juliiet situation, betweena Sea Elf and a Sahagan
Anti slave missions.
Bounties
Going through sunken recks,
FIshing
A Boat race
Defending the Kelp Fort from enemy attacks.
That's a lot to absorb. Are you looking for any specific feedback or help? Or just sharing?
Yes to all. And this one area.
What is the code i've been looking for campaigns to join and i have mutiplue campaigns with no playes
Nothing yet, its still planning phase. Also maybe in a potential move so want to wait a bit.