Something between Pirates of the Caribbean and One Piece. A world of archipelagos, mysterious islands, and remote atolls. Using 5e and starting at 3rd level.
I am looking for 4-5 serious players for a campaign with a mature theme who are willing to do more then ghost a game and can and are able to reply at least twice a week. I have an NPC Captain, an young, elf noblewoman who wishes to explore the world; sail to exotic lands in search of fame and fortune. She has a personal quest, and seeks to see it through. While this will be an open sandbox, I do intend to use the NPC to keep things moving, with as little railroading as possible, but I will do that to keep things moving if necessary. I expect the world to unfold as we go, to grow and expand based upon you and your crewmates interactions.
A couple of things:
1. If you fail to respond in a reasonable time, you're character is likely to have a 'complication'
2. If you ghost (i.e., do the least amount of effort or, none at all) then your character will have a 'complication'
3. I am seriously asking for players willing to commit to the in-game world. To participate and to help make the campaign a rich and fun setting. If this is an problem, please look somewhere else.
4. When I say mature, I mean this. There will be mature themes; situations; issues; and language at times. If that isn't for you, please don't bother.
5. When I say it's loosely based on One Piece, I do mean this. I am not making a mirror or replica One Piece setting, but if you are familiar with the anime or the live action Netflix series, then you'll understand. If not, just keep an open mind.
6. I'm not a rich person; I don't have lots of DnD's expensive add-ons, nor do I have the skill, time, or inclination to master, flashy VTT like stuff. I just don't. I'm old; thus I do 'old crap' such as hand drawn hex maps, and whatever A.I. generated art that my limited, free generators can make. Mostly for flavor, but I'm sure you get the drift.
7. We are not 'waiting' for you to post, either. Not past 3 days. Others post, I'm replying by that 3rd day, it'll be up to you, via your character, to catch up. Lag behind too long and you'll be left behind. This could mean finding yourself forced to act via a private thread until you catch up with the group. Fall off the ship, and it could mean anything (that, my friends, is what I mean by a 'complication'). If the real world gets in the way, we'll work it out or we won't. I've had players find excuse after excuse to stretch the game into weeks of waiting which is BS, both to your fellow crewmates and yourself, and for me. That said, I do understand real world things get in the way. If, for example, you simply 'must' go on vacation once a month, please choose someone else's campaign.
While my gaming experience stretches back to the original, basic D&D from the 70's and I am a big fan of 'crunch', I am old enough (and mature enough) to know that we don't have to bury ourselves with it. If I ask for a check, then please roll. Combat (i.e. attacks, etc,) do require a dice roll. I also intend to use some hit charts that I have, meaning that your attack and hit may deal even more or less damage then the D&D rules say they would. i.e., Stab someone and I'll roll on a location chart, showing where that stab landed. So, 1 point of damage could be very damaging, if it lands somewhere vital. Also, items, armor, weapons, etc., are subject to possible damage. Things break; stuff burns; melts, etc. Natural 1's and Natural 20's have their own charts. A natural 1 may mean your weapon not only missed, but perhaps, becomes tangled, damaged, dropped, etc, just as a Nat 20 might mean your slash managed to take the head off your foe or shatters their mast, etc.
Because DnD Beyond allows more than one thread, It's possible for your character, or several characters, to interact outside the group thread or storyline. So, perhaps you go below deck to get or do something, you leave the group thread, and deal with the private thread. Thus you don't necessary know what's going on and your crewmates likewise, would not know what your doing. Go on an errand in port, you might find yourself in your own mini-adventure until you rejoin the larger thread. This creates many, many, MANY opportunities that you won't find on an open tabletop. This is also how 'crap can happen' to ghost players. The party goes on, with or without you.
Before you seek to join the crew, give some serious thoughts to what I'm saying here, okay?
GM's Note: So, like One Piece, muskets, cannons, 'magic' i.e. powers, exist, as dose what I call Dragonpunk options. "Franky" in One Piece, for example, is a hell of a lot like a Warforged character.
This sounds like fun and it's nice to see a fellow old timer on the forum.
I know it's a trope, and it's straight down the middle, but if I get to join I'd like to be a swashbuckler rogue. Most likely an elf or half elf, but I've been known to grab an off the wall species before.
I don't have access to much on DNDbeyond, but I can make the basic rules content work just as well
Corvan is impossible to miss. His skin shimmers green-blue, like sunlight refracted through clear water, and his bright orange hair explodes from his head like coral aflame. A massive, curling mustache — oiled, perfumed, and occasionally bejeweled with tiny shells — dominates his face.
He dresses as though the ocean itself vomited up a nobleman’s wardrobe: a seafoam-green frock coat trimmed in gold filigree, an open shirt of flowing silk (revealing a chest covered in tattoos of krakens, maps, and nonsensical runes), and high black boots polished with shark oil. Rings glitter on every finger. He wears a tricorne hat, adorned with an enormous feather that may once have belonged to something that screamed.
At his hip:a flintlock pistol of exquisite, ridiculous craftsmanship: all brass filigree, coral inlays, and a handle carved from driftwood shaped like a mermaid. The weapon’s barrel is clogged with barnacles, and the firing mechanism doesn’t actually function — but he treats it like the crown jewel of his arsenal. Around his neck: a strange pendant made from a shark’s tooth wrapped in silver tentacles, pulsing occasionally with eldritch light — a gift from his fathomless patron.
Mannerisms and Presence
Corvan never enters a room — he arrives. He gestures big, laughs louder, and never speaks when he can declare. His movements are fluid and theatrical, like a stage actor playing to the back of the ship. He’s fond of clapping his shipmates on the back hard enough to knock the wind out of them and of referring to everyone — from strangers to sea monsters — as “my dear, delightful creature.”
When thinking, he stares dramatically into the distance, as though communing with the horizon. When angry, his voice dips into a low rumble, like a coming storm. And when he casts spells, the air around him smells faintly of ozone and deep-sea brine.
Catchphrase
“The sea provides, my friend — and she’s got a flair for the dramatic!” Alternate favorites include:
“Fortune favors the flamboyant!”
“Hold fast, you magnificent barnacles!”
“If the tide’s against us, then we’ll just teach it to dance!”
Personality
Corvan is infectiously charismatic and boisterously gregarious — the sort of man who could sell seawater to a fish and make it sound like an adventure. Beneath his unending bravado, though, lies the obsessive curiosity of a man who’s seen the abyss wink back at him. He’s always chasing the next impossible horizon, the next “song of the deep.”
He’s a romantic, not in the sense of love, but of ideals — freedom, glory, discovery. He believes every sailor has a destiny written in the waves, and his is to become the greatest pirate to ever live — the one who finds the “Heart of the Sea,” a mythical place where the ocean itself is said to dream.
Motivations and Inner Conflict
Goal: Corvan seeks the “Heart of the Sea,” which he believes to be both a literal treasure and a metaphorical key to ultimate freedom — a place where no king rules, no god meddles, and the sea herself crowns him her champion. His fathomless patron encourages this, whispering that the Heart lies deep below, where only the brave and the mad dare swim.
Conflict: Despite his endless charm and confidence, Corvan’s flamboyance is a mask. His constant laughter and theatrics hide the growing madness of his bond with the Leviathan. Every time he draws on his power, the whispers get louder, and sometimes, he can’t tell if his grandiose dreams are his own — or the will of something ancient stirring in the depths.
He claims to serve no master, but his very magic betrays him — his freedom is chained to the fathomless depths he pretends to command. The louder he laughs, the more desperately he’s trying to drown out the sound of the waves calling him home.
In Summary
Captain Corvan Tidecaller is:
A walking storm of charm, chaos, and charisma.
A pirate who treats life like a stage and the ocean like his audience.
A dreamer who believes destiny is his to seize — but may already be ensnared in something ancient and hungry.
He’s the kind of man who can toast you with rum one moment and call a kraken from the deep the next — and he’ll do both with a grin, a bow, and a flourish of that ridiculous mustache.
Backstory: Harper had spent her entire life beneath the boom of a mainsail, but her true home was not the rolling deck, but the hidden, arcane library she carried in her head. Raised on a tough fishing boat out of [insert campaign city], she learned the trade of the sea before she could properly read. What set Harper apart was not her skill at the helm, but the unusual objects she salvaged from wrecks and faraway ports: barnacle-encrusted compasses that spun without metal nearby, strange, polished pieces of driftwood that hummed faintly in the dark, and tattered maps depicting islands that cartographers swore were phantoms. These were not mere curiosities; they were artifacts of a hidden reality.
Hey, I have some experience with Play-by-post, am a One Piece fan and also will always have the availibilty to post, would it be okay if I joined?
I should note my character isn't likely to be as interesting as other players (Human Fighter LOL), but i'll wait for confirmation or additional information about the world such as landmarks, organizations, and deities to make a backstory.
Nothing's started just yet. Some ask about Discord but I'm not a fan of it, so won't be using it. Currently I have one player, so nothing's posted for the game yet. That said, I'm interested in your possible character.
Something between Pirates of the Caribbean and One Piece. A world of archipelagos, mysterious islands, and remote atolls. Using 5e and starting at 3rd level.
I am looking for 4-5 serious players for a campaign with a mature theme who are willing to do more then ghost a game and can and are able to reply at least twice a week. I have an NPC Captain, an young, elf noblewoman who wishes to explore the world; sail to exotic lands in search of fame and fortune. She has a personal quest, and seeks to see it through. While this will be an open sandbox, I do intend to use the NPC to keep things moving, with as little railroading as possible, but I will do that to keep things moving if necessary. I expect the world to unfold as we go, to grow and expand based upon you and your crewmates interactions.
A couple of things:
1. If you fail to respond in a reasonable time, you're character is likely to have a 'complication'
2. If you ghost (i.e., do the least amount of effort or, none at all) then your character will have a 'complication'
3. I am seriously asking for players willing to commit to the in-game world. To participate and to help make the campaign a rich and fun setting. If this is an problem, please look somewhere else.
4. When I say mature, I mean this. There will be mature themes; situations; issues; and language at times. If that isn't for you, please don't bother.
5. When I say it's loosely based on One Piece, I do mean this. I am not making a mirror or replica One Piece setting, but if you are familiar with the anime or the live action Netflix series, then you'll understand. If not, just keep an open mind.
6. I'm not a rich person; I don't have lots of DnD's expensive add-ons, nor do I have the skill, time, or inclination to master, flashy VTT like stuff. I just don't. I'm old; thus I do 'old crap' such as hand drawn hex maps, and whatever A.I. generated art that my limited, free generators can make. Mostly for flavor, but I'm sure you get the drift.
7. We are not 'waiting' for you to post, either. Not past 3 days. Others post, I'm replying by that 3rd day, it'll be up to you, via your character, to catch up. Lag behind too long and you'll be left behind. This could mean finding yourself forced to act via a private thread until you catch up with the group. Fall off the ship, and it could mean anything (that, my friends, is what I mean by a 'complication'). If the real world gets in the way, we'll work it out or we won't. I've had players find excuse after excuse to stretch the game into weeks of waiting which is BS, both to your fellow crewmates and yourself, and for me. That said, I do understand real world things get in the way. If, for example, you simply 'must' go on vacation once a month, please choose someone else's campaign.
While my gaming experience stretches back to the original, basic D&D from the 70's and I am a big fan of 'crunch', I am old enough (and mature enough) to know that we don't have to bury ourselves with it. If I ask for a check, then please roll. Combat (i.e. attacks, etc,) do require a dice roll. I also intend to use some hit charts that I have, meaning that your attack and hit may deal even more or less damage then the D&D rules say they would. i.e., Stab someone and I'll roll on a location chart, showing where that stab landed. So, 1 point of damage could be very damaging, if it lands somewhere vital. Also, items, armor, weapons, etc., are subject to possible damage. Things break; stuff burns; melts, etc. Natural 1's and Natural 20's have their own charts. A natural 1 may mean your weapon not only missed, but perhaps, becomes tangled, damaged, dropped, etc, just as a Nat 20 might mean your slash managed to take the head off your foe or shatters their mast, etc.
Because DnD Beyond allows more than one thread, It's possible for your character, or several characters, to interact outside the group thread or storyline. So, perhaps you go below deck to get or do something, you leave the group thread, and deal with the private thread. Thus you don't necessary know what's going on and your crewmates likewise, would not know what your doing. Go on an errand in port, you might find yourself in your own mini-adventure until you rejoin the larger thread. This creates many, many, MANY opportunities that you won't find on an open tabletop. This is also how 'crap can happen' to ghost players. The party goes on, with or without you.
Before you seek to join the crew, give some serious thoughts to what I'm saying here, okay?
GM's Note: So, like One Piece, muskets, cannons, 'magic' i.e. powers, exist, as dose what I call Dragonpunk options. "Franky" in One Piece, for example, is a hell of a lot like a Warforged character.
This sounds like a fun game! Are you open to using a platform like Discord to play versus this forum?
I’ll come up with a character concept.
Middle Grade Author
I’m down to clown as long as we don’t use discord
Roll 20? Rpol? I’m open to beyond it’s just not the best as a forum, imo.
I’m thinking about a flamboyant and borderline insane warlock of the deep. Maybe a water genasi.
Middle Grade Author
Sounds interesting. What are the rules for character creation? I was thinking of a Fairy sorcerer.
This sounds like fun and it's nice to see a fellow old timer on the forum.
I know it's a trope, and it's straight down the middle, but if I get to join I'd like to be a swashbuckler rogue. Most likely an elf or half elf, but I've been known to grab an off the wall species before.
I don't have access to much on DNDbeyond, but I can make the basic rules content work just as well
Also, is homebrew allowed?
I submit to you Corvan Tidecaller
Appearance and Dress
Corvan is impossible to miss. His skin shimmers green-blue, like sunlight refracted through clear water, and his bright orange hair explodes from his head like coral aflame. A massive, curling mustache — oiled, perfumed, and occasionally bejeweled with tiny shells — dominates his face.
He dresses as though the ocean itself vomited up a nobleman’s wardrobe: a seafoam-green frock coat trimmed in gold filigree, an open shirt of flowing silk (revealing a chest covered in tattoos of krakens, maps, and nonsensical runes), and high black boots polished with shark oil. Rings glitter on every finger. He wears a tricorne hat, adorned with an enormous feather that may once have belonged to something that screamed.
At his hip:a flintlock pistol of exquisite, ridiculous craftsmanship: all brass filigree, coral inlays, and a handle carved from driftwood shaped like a mermaid. The weapon’s barrel is clogged with barnacles, and the firing mechanism doesn’t actually function — but he treats it like the crown jewel of his arsenal. Around his neck: a strange pendant made from a shark’s tooth wrapped in silver tentacles, pulsing occasionally with eldritch light — a gift from his fathomless patron.
Mannerisms and Presence
Corvan never enters a room — he arrives.
He gestures big, laughs louder, and never speaks when he can declare. His movements are fluid and theatrical, like a stage actor playing to the back of the ship. He’s fond of clapping his shipmates on the back hard enough to knock the wind out of them and of referring to everyone — from strangers to sea monsters — as “my dear, delightful creature.”
When thinking, he stares dramatically into the distance, as though communing with the horizon. When angry, his voice dips into a low rumble, like a coming storm. And when he casts spells, the air around him smells faintly of ozone and deep-sea brine.
Catchphrase
“Fortune favors the flamboyant!”
“Hold fast, you magnificent barnacles!”
“If the tide’s against us, then we’ll just teach it to dance!”
Personality
Corvan is infectiously charismatic and boisterously gregarious — the sort of man who could sell seawater to a fish and make it sound like an adventure. Beneath his unending bravado, though, lies the obsessive curiosity of a man who’s seen the abyss wink back at him. He’s always chasing the next impossible horizon, the next “song of the deep.”
He’s a romantic, not in the sense of love, but of ideals — freedom, glory, discovery. He believes every sailor has a destiny written in the waves, and his is to become the greatest pirate to ever live — the one who finds the “Heart of the Sea,” a mythical place where the ocean itself is said to dream.
Motivations and Inner Conflict
Goal:
Corvan seeks the “Heart of the Sea,” which he believes to be both a literal treasure and a metaphorical key to ultimate freedom — a place where no king rules, no god meddles, and the sea herself crowns him her champion. His fathomless patron encourages this, whispering that the Heart lies deep below, where only the brave and the mad dare swim.
Conflict:
Despite his endless charm and confidence, Corvan’s flamboyance is a mask. His constant laughter and theatrics hide the growing madness of his bond with the Leviathan. Every time he draws on his power, the whispers get louder, and sometimes, he can’t tell if his grandiose dreams are his own — or the will of something ancient stirring in the depths.
He claims to serve no master, but his very magic betrays him — his freedom is chained to the fathomless depths he pretends to command. The louder he laughs, the more desperately he’s trying to drown out the sound of the waves calling him home.
In Summary
Captain Corvan Tidecaller is:
A walking storm of charm, chaos, and charisma.
A pirate who treats life like a stage and the ocean like his audience.
A dreamer who believes destiny is his to seize — but may already be ensnared in something ancient and hungry.
He’s the kind of man who can toast you with rum one moment and call a kraken from the deep the next — and he’ll do both with a grin, a bow, and a flourish of that ridiculous mustache.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/153753548/a2SBys
Middle Grade Author
What version of 5e old, new or both?
Is there way to start with firearm?
And can those interactions outside and 'complicatons' result in getting robbed, maimed or killed by PCs or NPCs of own crew?
Wow, ChatGPT has definitely gotten better at writing than what I last saw :3
Indeed. But it’s all about the prompt.
Middle Grade Author
My understanding is that 5e refers to the 2014 rules. But good to clarify because I don’t want to play 2024.
Middle Grade Author
“Ride the waves, own the horizon, take everything leave nothing behind!” Fjörn Rhimes (Goliath phantom rogue, sailor) LINK
This campaign sounds great, here’s a submission.
Hey umm DM, I don’t mean to alarm but people aren’t really appearing in the campaign
I expect to post several times per day, once in the morning and at least once in the evening. If that's acceptable.
What rules do we use? 2014 or 2024?
How do we obtain stats? Roll dice? Re-Roll ones?
If it's a mature game, what are alignment restrictions?
Placeholder Ability scores: 12 15 17 16 11 11
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Name: Harper
Species: Jerbeen
Class: Ranger 2/ Monk 1
Backstory: Harper had spent her entire life beneath the boom of a mainsail, but her true home was not the rolling deck, but the hidden, arcane library she carried in her head. Raised on a tough fishing boat out of [insert campaign city], she learned the trade of the sea before she could properly read. What set Harper apart was not her skill at the helm, but the unusual objects she salvaged from wrecks and faraway ports: barnacle-encrusted compasses that spun without metal nearby, strange, polished pieces of driftwood that hummed faintly in the dark, and tattered maps depicting islands that cartographers swore were phantoms. These were not mere curiosities; they were artifacts of a hidden reality.
www.dndbeyond.com/characters/151847204/RGPedn
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Hey, I have some experience with Play-by-post, am a One Piece fan and also will always have the availibilty to post, would it be okay if I joined?
I should note my character isn't likely to be as interesting as other players (Human Fighter LOL), but i'll wait for confirmation or additional information about the world such as landmarks, organizations, and deities to make a backstory.
Nothing's started just yet. Some ask about Discord but I'm not a fan of it, so won't be using it. Currently I have one player, so nothing's posted for the game yet. That said, I'm interested in your possible character.
Look's like an interesting character, no question.