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Given how Vodacce society works, I feel like needing to kiss somebody to do pretty much anything is a pretty serious weakness in the system.
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Jun 25, 2018 14:04
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JcDent posted:Can I do Spirit Magic by just simply suing ghosts? Doing the thing from KODP would probably be a Custom check with a Death or Law rune augment. That said, spirit magic sources and focuses are pretty vague so you can just say a spirit spell was won from a dispute with ghosts. The cult of Daka Fal, judge of the Dead and main channel for Ancestor worship is designed for shamans and would be a good fit. The usual law god gives Sorcery and not much spirit magic so it wouldn’t work.
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Jun 25, 2018 14:30
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Given how abstract spirit combat is (Basically an opposed skill check of your spirit combat vs. the spirits as you do a will to will, mind to mind fight) you can absolutely have it represented as a mental legal case and if you win the spirit agrees to teach you a spirit spell as damages.
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Jun 25, 2018 15:10
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I thought Orlanthi spirit stuff was Kolat?
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Jun 25, 2018 15:20
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I meant to ask because I didn't see it come up, but does 7th Sea just not have an Africa analogue? An India? Are those all assumed part of the Crescent Empire?
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Jun 25, 2018 17:16
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The Africa analogue is called Ifri and it's not really discussed in the corebook. There's a book just for it though. India...I don't know.
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Jun 25, 2018 17:25
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marshmallow creep posted:I meant to ask because I didn't see it come up, but does 7th Sea just not have an Africa analogue? An India? Are those all assumed part of the Crescent Empire? 1e didn’t have an Africa, or at least didn’t really have any info about it defined. 2e has Ifri, which is getting its own book. I want to say 1e’s Cathay book had an India analogue maybe? I’d expect 2e’s to be part of the Khitai line probably.
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Jun 25, 2018 17:27
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Not-India is called Agnivarsha, and is getting its own sourcebook as part of the Khitai sub-line.
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Jun 25, 2018 17:49
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Berkshire Hunts posted:1e didn’t have an Africa, or at least didn’t really have any info about it defined. 2e has Ifri, which is getting its own book. I want to say 1e’s Cathay book had an India analogue maybe? I’d expect 2e’s to be part of the Khitai line probably. It's already out. Lands of Gold and Fire, I think it's called.
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Jun 25, 2018 17:55
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7th Sea 2: SWORDS The Duelist's Guild consists of Duelists. Theah defines a Duelist as someone that has attended a Duelist Academy or otherwise studied under a swordmaster to learn the secrets of a dueling style. (Not that all of them use swords, mind you, it's just a title.) On graduating, the student is inducted into the Duelist's Guild and given a small steel pin with the image of a triskelion on it as proof of membership. Only a Duelist is permitted to initiate duels - and that's key wording. Only a Duelist can start a duel, but anyone can defend themselves. Duelists are expected to wear their pin at all times, but they need not do so openly. Many prefer to keep it on the underside of their lapel, so it can easily be flashed to an opponent but avoids attention. When you take the Duelist Academy advantage, you get access to all Duelist Maneuvers and a Dueling Style. Thus, picking it up in play usually means finding a swordmaster to teach you and convincing them. You can repurchase the advantage multiple times to get access to new styles...in this book. In later books they realized this was actually, like, completely awful and not worth it, so a cheaper advantage was brought in for 'you have an extra Style'. This is because the main benefit of being a Duelist is the Maneuvers, not the Style. All Duelists have access to every basic Maneuver, and while the names are based around swords, they aren't literal - you can use Slash with a club just as easily, it's your main damage maneuver. To perform a Maneuver, you need to spend a Raise, just like any other action. You can perform only one Maneuver per action - you can't spend two Raises to both Slash and Parry. However, you can spend multiple Raises over different actions to perform different Maneuvers in the same sequence. However, you may not perform the same Maneuver twice in a row. You can't Slash, Slash, Slash - you have to Slash, then do a different thing, like Parry or Bash or an unrelated action, before you can Slash again. Duelist Maneuvers Slash - Deal (Weaponry) Wounds. Parry - Prevent (Weaponry) Wounds. This can only be used on your action, and only immediately after whatever action dealt you Wounds. Feint - Deal 1 Wound. The next time your target is injured this round, they take an additional Wound. Lunge - Spend all your Raises. You deal (Weaponry+Raises spent) Wounds, which cannot be prevented or avoided in any way. Bash - Deal 1 Wound. The next time your target would cause Wounds this round, they deal (Weaponry) fewer Wounds. Riposte - Prevent (Weaponry) Wounds, then deal (Weaponry) Wounds. This can only be used on your action, and only immediately after whatever action dealt you Wounds. You may only do this once per round. You may have noticed that all of these are much more powerful than the generic combat maneuvers, which are 'spend X Raises to deal X damage' and 'spend X Raises to prevent X damage, immediately, off-turn'. Duelists are much better fighters than normal people! So much so, in fact, that they had to patch the game with the Student of Combat advantage. What Student of Combat does is it costs 3 points, it gives you Slash, Parry and one Maneuver of your choice, and it lets you buy the full Duelist Academy advantage for 3 points instead of 5. It's a decent patch, IMO, but your mileage may vary. On top of the Maneuvers, a full Duelist also gets a Style. At the start of each Round, a Duelist selects which of their Styles, if they have multiple, to be in and get the bonus from. As long as the weapon requirements are fulfilled, they get that bonus all round. You can change Styles at the start of any round but can only be in one Style at a time. Anyone that knows a Style can immediately identify an opponent using that Style the moment they take any action. Aldana is the favorite fighting style of most Castillian Duelists, and it is one of the few in all of Theah that entirely forgoes the off-hand. Rather, it tucks the off-hand behind the back and narrows the fighting profile. It is meant for use with fencing weapons. It combined dancing and combat to produce unpredictable movements, as the Duelist moves to the rhythm of a song in their head, counting time in a way the opponent cannot know. The bonus is the Aldana Ruse. When an Aldana fencer wields a fencing weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, they can perform the Aldana Ruse Maneuver, causing the target to take (Panche) extra Wounds the next time they take damage this round. This can only be done once per round. Ambrogia is a very popular Vodacce style that wields a sword in the left hand and a main-gauche in the right. It was invented by famous courtesan Veronica Ambrogia, and its focus on the left hand makes it hard for many to deal with. It emphasizes practical combat over high style - use whatever you need to win. It's the winner that tells the tale. Its special bonus is Veronica's Guile. While you have a dagger in your right hand and a fencing sword in your left, you may use either Finesse or Wits as the Trait for any Weaponry Risk, no matter what - and if you spend a Hero Point, you can use both at once. Boucher is a Montaigne street fencing style, and it isn't seen as a style for gentlemen. However, it gets results. It wields paired long knives, mixing them in a series of confusing attacks to disorient the foe. It's one of the fastest styles in the Guild, and once it can get past a sword's superior reach, it becomes nearly impossible to stop. The bonus is the Boucher Step. While wielding a dagger or knife in each hand, once per round, you can perform two Maneuvers at the same time. You must still spend Raises as normal for both, you can't do the same Maneuver twice, but you do both Maneuvers before anyone else can act. Donovan was invented by the most famous bodyguard in the world, Donovan Durant, and it was designed for protection. Durant only ever took jobs from those he believed needed his aid, and before his retirement, it was said that only one of his wards had ever died under his guard - the first. He swore never to lose another, and he never did. On retirement, he founded a dueling academy in Avalon, and the requirements to get in are very rigid. Every student must be personally approved by Durant himself after a rigorous interview, and he takes only those who he feels share his commitment to protection. The bonus is Donovan's Bulwark. When you wield a heavy weapon (such as a longsword or axe) in one hand and nothing in the other, your Parry is replaced with the Donovan's Bulwark Maneuver, which functions as Parry except that it can also prevent Wounds dealt to an ally within your reach. Also, when you use Donovan's Bulwark, you can spend a Hero Point to lock weapons with the attacker, causing you both to lose all remaining Raises for the round. (In 1e, this style also used a shield. It doesn't any more! I have no idea why.) Drexel is an Eisen style developed by mercenary Kristoff Drexel, leader of the Blood Spirits. It is meant to adapt to unpredictable conditions and be flexible. It utilizes the Eisen zweihander (or similar weapons) and is very popular with mercenaries, as it has three different stances that each have different methods of attack and defense. The Drexel Stances are the style bonus. When you wield a heavy weapon in two hands, you may choose a stance each round. If you want to swap stances mid-round, you must spend a Raise to do it. The three stances are Bittner (Forward), Metzger (Back) and Gerbeck (High). While in Bittner, any Maneuvers that prevent Wounds prevent (Resolve) additional Wounds, but you can't use Slash. While in Metzger, you take all actions as if you had (Wits) extra Raises for the sole purpose of calculating when you act - you can't spend them. However, you can't use Parry. While in Gerbeck, all Maneuvers that would deal Wounds deal 1 additional Wound, but you take all actions as if you had 1 fewer Raise than you actually do for the purpose of calculating when you act, to a minimum of 1. Eisenfaust is another Eisen style, wielding a broadsword in the main hand with an iron glove called a panzerhand on the off-hand. You deflect or grab incoming attacks, exploiting the openings you create that way to counter. It is primarily a defensive style, waiting for the foe to make a mistake before it goes in. Typically, enemies facing it grow impatient or angry as the defense is maintained. The style bonus is Iron Reply. While you wield a heavy weapon in one hand and a panzerhand in the other, your Riposte is replaced with the Iron Reply Maneuver, which functions identically, but prevents (Resolve+Weaponry) Wounds and deals (Brawn+Weaponry) Wounds. You still can only use it once per round. Leegstra is a Vestenmennavenjar style, practiced for centuries before the Duelist's Guild was founded. It is an extremely aggressive style that wields two weapons at once, encouraging reckless offense. While the style is very old, it was only formalized around 20 years ago by Leegstra Eldsdottir, a woman who claimed never to have lost in single combat, and who has founded her own academy in Thorshofn. The style bonus is Leegstra's Crash. When you wield a heavy weapon in each hand - usually but not always axes or hammers - you may perform the Leegstra's Crash Maneuver. Leegstra's Crash is identical to Slash, but is not Slash. You may only use it once per round. Mantovani is a Vodacce style popularized by a number of serial novels. It doesn't use a sword - it uses a whip, based on the tales of Vito Montovani. It favors misdirection and adaptability, manipulating the foe with whip movements and environmental trickery over direct attacks. Its bonus is the Mantovani Flay. While you wield a whip, you can use the Mantovani Flay Maneuver. When you do, you choose a Maneuver you know your opponent can use (such as Slash, Parry or a style Maneuver you know they have). They cannot perform that Maneuver on their next action due to you binding their weapon, stinging their wrist or otherwise controlling how they can act. You may use this only once per round. Mireli is an Ussuran style invented by the dancer Katya Mireli, who traveled with various circuses. Her most famous skill was a captivating sword dance using a curved blade in each hand, and it became so famous that nobles and merchants would travel a hundred miles to see the famed Mireli Sword Dance. Her 'academy' is unique - it has no campus. Instead, you must find Mireli or one of her various students as they travel the world, generally with performers or circuses. They've maintained this tradition for 30 years so far. The style bonus is Mireli's Revision. When you use a heavy weapon in each hand - usually a saber, cutlass or hatchet - you may perform the Mireli's Revision Maneuver. This functions identically to either Bash or Parry, chosen when you use it. Sabat is style developed by Mirek Sabat, a chessmaster who found the idea of transferring chess strategy to combat fascinating - along with just about every other part of his life. By 20, he was a grandmaster fencer and chess player, though his experimentation with unorthodox strategies means he doesn't win all the time even against inferior foes. His fencing style is defensive, allowing foes to exhaust themselves before ending things with a decisive stroke. The style bonus is the Sabat Gambit. When you wield a heavy weapon in one hand - typically a heavy saber - your Lunge is replaced with the Sabat Gambit Maneuver. It is identical to Lunge, but deals (Weaponry+Finesse+Raises Spent) Wounds instead. Torres is a Castillian style originally developed for bullfights, using a rapier in one hand and a cloak in the other. It draws the foe in, then blindsides them. It's an extremely good defensive style, using cloak and sword as a wall against the foe, and its masters are some of the fastest and quickest-witted fighters in the world. The bonus is Matador's Flourish. While you wield a fencing sword in one hand and nothing in the other, and you're wearing a long cloak, you may perform the Matador's Flourish Maneuver. This prevents (Athletics) Wounds. You may use it only once per round. Valroux is the favored style of many Montaigne, wielding a fencing sword and a main-gauche. It is technically a defensive style, in that the dagger is used only for parrying. However, its real focus is on calling attention to openings the fencer could've exploited, humiliating the foe and weakening them over time. It is meant to demoralize enemies, dizzying and dancing around them while hurling insults. The style bonus is the Valroux Press. While you wield a fencing sword in your right hand and a dagger in your left, you may perform the Valroux Cross Maneuver. It functions like Parry, but you may also choose a Maneuver you know your enemy can perform. If they attempt any other Maneuver as their next action, they must spend an additional Raise. You may use this Maneuver only once per round. Next time: Sailing
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Jun 25, 2018 18:32
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Do you still need to be from a specific country to learn its style without penalties?
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Jun 25, 2018 18:38
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Night10194 posted:Do you still need to be from a specific country to learn its style without penalties? Nope!
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Jun 25, 2018 19:04
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Did I miss the Runes write up?
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Jun 25, 2018 19:18
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For 7th Sea, no. Rune magic is not in the core book.
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Jun 25, 2018 19:22
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7th Sea 2: BOTES So this entire chapter is basically John Wick going 'actually, ships are extremely important, high seas piracy matters, the entire ocean matters.' Shipping is almost entirely by sea, and that means there's a whole lot of wealth on the seas for pirates to grab, and that means there's basically open war on the ocean between pirates and the naval forces of most nations. Sailing is now one of the most profitable and most dangerous professions in the world. You need to be strong, healthy and brave to be a good sailor, able to tie dozens of knots, repair canvas, have good balance and work even during cannonfire and storms. Any skills there that you lack when you sign on, you better pick up quick. Many apprentice sailors begin their voyages with essentially no knowledge of anything outside their village, and after months at sea, they are entirely changed. Most sailors become literate, for lack of anything else to do when the winds are dead, see wildlife they never dreamed of, like whales or sea monsters, visit foreign lands, learn new languages, suffer disease or starvation, learn math, become strong, and lose all their money to jennys. (That's Thean for prostitutes.) Unfortunately, all the romantic life of sailors but has some issues. No ship's crew returns home whole. Some are lost to disease, to thirst, to accidents. All sailors' lives are divided into three watches of 8 hours each. On the sailor's first watch, they're on active duty, doing their job. On their second watch, they're eating meals, repairing sailcloth or clothes, doing carpentry or smithwork, or otherwise doing light work around the ship, perhaps learning a new position under the master's mates, such as learning to bandage wounds or peel potatoes. If there's time left over after all that, you can read or study or whatever. On the third watch, you sleep. A sailor's work is hard. They must handle rigging 50 feet in the air during 40-mile winds, to say nothing of the waves and rain. The food is usually rotten, the water filthy and the officers unforgiving. You want to avoid fights with the other sailors so you don't get knifed or shoved overboard, too. And if your ship has a fight? Well, your odds of survival drop significantly, depending on who the enemy is. If the surgeon aboard hasn't the tools to deal with your wounds, either, then you're likely to bleed to death. So why do it? Because at the end of the voyage, you're going to see more money than you've ever dreamed of. The pay from a single voyage is enough to set up a sailor with a comfortable retirement if they choose. Most don't - they tend to spend the lot on drink and whores, and have to sign on again to replace the fortune they just lost. There are four broad kinds of sailor. Merchants are those who use their ships for trade and commercial activity. They're businessmen, fishermen, whalers and explorers...and also smugglers and bootleggers. There's more of them than any other kind. Naval recruits are those that belong to a national navy, serving as seamen or officers aboard a ship. They patrol waters, protect convoys, hunt pirates and fight other navies. Naval vessels are notoriously nasty to be aboard, though under a competent captain, there are notable exceptions. Privateers are essentially oceanic mercenaries. They hunt the foes of their employers, steal from rival nations and do the work that formal navies can't acknowledge. They also can be hired for missions or escort services. The most notorious privateers these days are the Sea Dogs of Avalon. Pirates, well. They're the wolves, the outlaws. They answer to no one but themselves, and are obligated to none but the profits they steal. Their lives are extremely dangerous, but freer than any other people in Theah. Because they're usually after cargo, they rarely sink ships, preferring instead to close with them and board them. They have few friends - pretty much all military vessels have orders to sink pirate ships on sight, and captured pirates are often hanged without trial. Despite this, not all pirates are evil. Famously, Captain "Gentleman" Gosse was renowned for his kind and gentle behavior, and the Brotherhood of the Coast has brought a kind of rough code of honor to pirates, as well as a sense of democracy. Your ship's crew is led by a Captain, whose role differs depending on the kind of ship. On a naval vessel, the captain has total authority. On most pirate vessels, though, the captain's power is limited by the ship's charter, with some allowing them to act only as a general in battle, while others grant fuller authority. Often, the captain isn't the most experienced hand aboard, but usually is the best commander. He may have any number of lieutenants depending on a ship's size, often called mates, under his command. They assist the captain and carry out various duties on the ship. Under them is the Ship's Master, who answers only to the captain and lieutenants. The captain tells the master what he wants, and the master sees it gets done. The real duty of the master, though, is to navigate, and the ship's master is usually the most experienced and respected sailor aboard. Under the master, you have the Master's Mate (a sailor training to be a master), the Quartermaster (who organizes the steering of the ship), the Helmsmen (who are in charge of the ship's watches), the Purser (who manages ship finances, cargo and supplies and has command over anyone who handles supplies, even the cook), the Steward (assistant to the purser) and the Cook (who cooks). Under the master is the Boatswain ('bosun'), the sergeant aboard ships. When the captain decides, he orders the master, who tells the boatswain, who organizes a mess of men to fulfill the order. The boatswain is the highest rank aboard that deals with non-officers, and is commonly in charge of discipline. When the men get out of line, the boatswain typically whips them with a cat-of-nine-tails. Under the boatswain are the Boatswain's Mate (who helps call out orders and gain attention via whistles), the Sailmaker (who repairs and makes new sails with canvas from the purser), the Master of the Tops (who is in charge of setting sails and working rigging and leads the topsmen who work in the rigging), the Master of the Forecastle (who is in charge of the front of the ship, the mooring and handling the anchor), the Master-at-Arms (who controls all small arms aboard the ship and has the key to the arms locker), the Gunsmith (who repairs the small arms) and the Carpenter (who is responsible for care and maintenance of all wooden parts of the ship, and usually has command over a carpenter's mate and a cooper to handle the barrels). Then you have the Master Gunner, often just the gunner, who maintains and fires the cannons and commands the key to the powder room. The gunner must be a skilled mathematician to handle the aiming, and typically only commands the gunner's mate (a master gunner in training who is learning algebra and how to mix gunpowder) and the powder monkeys (untrained boys who ferry the powder about while learning other jobs aboard ships). Then there's the Surgeon, who handles general health and welfare. He commands the Surgeon's Mate (a surgeon in training) and the Loblolly Boy (a nurse and errand-runner who watches over the injured or sick). Then you've got the Midshipmen, who are officers-in-training and spend their time learning various positions on the ship. Then you have the Master Mariners, sailors who are widely experienced but not yet officers. They're the most valuable non-specialists aboard, and usually advise the boatswain. Below them are the Able Seamen, those with a handful of voyages done, and the Seamen, who can tie knots and not fall overboard. Pirate ships, of coruse, have far smaller crews than most others. This list is a full complement, and few pirate ships can fill that out. They make do with what they've got. However, they also tend to have more master mariners than, say, any given naval ship, and the crew are generally more experienced and ready for combat. Next time: Superstitions and Ship Rules
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Jun 25, 2018 21:59
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I think what bugs me about 7th Sea is it doesn't really do anything with the places it differs from actual history and ends up a weird pop-history uncanny valley of the 17th century. Like having a desperate end-run around the Sjem turn into an experimental mess of a direct democracy, that's good. More of that kind of thing would help. Also it feels like it has a lot less international conflict than actual 17th century Europe in the name of trying to make sure you can easily have an international party. E: That said, 2e fixes a lot of the worst of the setting from what you've shown so far. Being rid of the giant space bees out of nowhere and the thousand and one unkillable/unbeatable wank enemies and actually having reasons to be on boats are all big improvements. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Jun 25, 2018 |
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Jun 25, 2018 22:06
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I think you’ll enjoy the supplements.
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Jun 25, 2018 22:37
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Mors Rattus posted:I think you’ll enjoy the supplements. I'm really digging the Pirate Nations book. It's not the 1E 'here are the characters from the CCG' book.
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Jun 26, 2018 01:17
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7th Sea 2: BORTS Sailors have plenty of superstitions. Some are bullshit, others are useful mnemonics, and others are true as hell. Your mnemonics are easy. Ring around the moon, rain or snow soon. - Because a halo around the sun or moon indicates high altitude ice cryswtals, and typically means harsh weather within three days or so. Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning. - Because in the middle latitudes, weather travels west to east most times, and a rainbow appearing when your back is to the sun means you're looking at a rainstorm. So a sun in the east and a rainbow in the west means a storm is coming in the middle latitudes. Clear moon, frost soon. If the sky is clear and the moon is visible, then the atmosphere is clear and Terra is cooling. If there's no wind and the temperature gets low enough, you're going to get frost on the yards and masts. Red sky in morning, sailor take warning. A red sun means that there's dust and moisture in the air - which means rain. Then there's the dead. Almost no ship will carry a corpse across the water - that's bad luck. When a man dies at sea, you wash him, dress him cleanly, wrap him in cloth and tie irons to his legs, then throw him overboard with a prayer. If a sailor's lost at sea, you should never dig a grave, erect a headstone or even speak of him as dead until seven years pass - digging a grave for the living asks for trouble. Sailors almost never speak of the dead, and when they do, the word 'poor' usually gets put in front of the name. Sailors respect the dead deeply - there's too many tales of ghosts and ghost ships not to. The water is Mother Ocean, always. It's like Ussurans using the word 'Matushka'. The ocean is a jealous but protective mother, and she doesn't like her children to spend their time with those of low virtue...which is why taverns are never in sight of the sea. Sailors also know never to tell their families how long they'll be gone, where they go or when they'll return. A sailor's life is at Mother Ocean's whim, and none of those questions are his to answer. Likewise, everyone knows that those who fall overboard are claimed by the ocean, and those who try to save them probably will be as well. Thus, many sailors believe reaching over the side of a ship to save someone is bad luck. Of course, others don't and will do all they can to save a fallen sailor - but the risk of saving one is not worth saving two, is the point. Now, let's talk ships. Your ship comes in one of several classes. Ship class does not affect mechanics, it's just about how your ship looks and feels. Brigs are quite popular - two-mastered, square-rigged ships that are smaller than most but also faster. They tend to be good in a fight still, with anywhere from 10 to 20 cannons. Brigantines are favored by pirates for their speed and maneuverability, and most are fitted with oars for when the wind dies. Carracks are large, square-rigged ships originating with the Vodacce. They're cargo haulers - four masters, huge hull, long voyages. They have very few cannons, though, so they need protection. Fluyts are similar to carracks, but of Vesten design. They have no cannons whatsoever, in favor of more cargo space and less need for crew. They're specially designed for a shallow draft so they can go up rivers or dock at ports rather than needing to anchor and send rowboats - a great advantage when loading and unloading cargo. Frigates are small, well-armed hsips meant to take on larger vessels with their maneuverability and speed. They have ittle cargo space or room for crew, though, and the men are packed in like sardines. Galleons are a Castillian mainstay, and the largest ships out there. They're three-decked, square-rigged triple-masters meant for long sea voyages, often relying on the protection of smaller vessels. Man-of-Wars are battleship, heavily armed, not cargo haulers. A heavy frigate could be considered a light man-of-war, but most man-of-wars are much larger than that. While most ships are given feminine names, the man-of-war is traditionally given a masculine one. Schooners are very small but very fast, able to travel in more shallow water than most ships and well able to run from a fight. Your ship also has an Origin - the nation, region or area that it hailed from on its maiden voyage. This gives it various bonuses, which tend to be somewhat vague about when they apply. The GM has final say, but should be generous. When a bonus applies, however, it can only be used by a single Hero at any given time. Avalon: Your ship is smaller and faster. It gets 2 Bonus Dice for any Risks involving speed and maneuverability, and is probably a brig, brigantine or schooner. Castille: Your ship is slow but very tough. It can take an additional Hit at each tier before it takes a Critical Hit. It's probably a galleon or man-of-war. Eisen: Your ship isn't notable - its crew is. The best marines in the world. You have 5 additional Crew, and your Crew can divide into up to 3 Squads rather than 2. Montaigne: Your ship is beautifully made, and probably well-armed. When making a social Risk, such as negotiating with another ship, you get two Bonus Dice. Your ship is probably a frigate or schooner. The Sarmatian Commonwealth: Your ship was "acquired" from some other nation, rather than made in Sarmatia, which has a small fleet indeed. You gain a bonus Background for the ship. Ussura: Your ship was made for cold, icy water, and is quite tough. You get two Bonus Dice in extremely choppy waters, storms, dangerous waters such as reef-infested or icy seas, or when otherwise under environmental threat. Vodacce: Your ship is meant for the long haul - lots of masts, big hull. You can carry 3 Cargo, rather than 2. Vestenmennavenjar: Your ship is almost certainly a fluyt. When you raid another vessel for Wealth, you gain all the Wealth, not half. Exotic: Your ship was made somewhere outside Theah - perhaps the Crescent Empire, Khitai or Ifri. You earn 1 more Wealth than normal when you sell foreign goods in Theah or Thean goods in a foreign port. Backgrounds are like Advantages for a ship, but all have equal point value. They give your ship a history, aqs well, a reputation that makes more than just some boat. You may only have a given Background once. Every Hero with the Married to the Sea advantage grants one Background to the ship. Beyond the Horizon: Your ship has been to the New World, Ifri or Cathay. You can spend a Raise or Hero Point when speaking about the cultures, customs or people of far-away land to be automatically believed, no matter what. Broke the Mirror: Your ship has sailed the frozen waters of the Mirror, a feat matched only by the bravest Vesten, and so is known as isabrot, Icebreaker. You may spend a Raise or Hero Point when meeting a Vesten NPC to automatically have you, your ship and your crew be respected. Captured by Pirates: Your ship was taken by pirates and sold. It has smuggling compartments to hold things of value. When you hide something in the smuggling compartments during a scene, what you hide cannot be found unless the person knows exactly where to look - such as being former crew. Just knowing you have smuggling compartments isn't enough. You can hide up to 1 Cargo this way; this doesn't mean additional Cargo space, just that you can protect it from detection. Friend of Iskandar: Your ship has docked in Iskandar and is known in the city as a friend - a Sadiq Iskandar. You can spend a Raise or Hero Point when encountering a Crescent Empire NPC. They will be friendly until given a reason not to be. Heroic Captain: One of the captains of your ship was known across Theah - and loved. Their reputation lingers. You can spend a Raise or Hero Point when you encounter an NPC sailor, old salt, retired naval captain or similar. They had a favorable run-in with your ship's captain and look favorably upon your ship and its crew. Pirate Hunter: Your ship was used to hunt pirates. When your crew rolls dice against pirates, their 10s explode. Prominent Battle: Your ship survived a horrific fight and has a rep for not going down. It can take 5 Critical Hits instead of 4. Round the Horn: Your ship has a small, strange mascot from IFri - a monkey, parrot, runic totem, customized wheel or some other good luck charm. Once per game, one Hero on the ship can spend a Hero Point to reroll any number of dice in a Risk they just made, so long as they're aboard the ship. Swallowed by the Triangle: Your ship has traveled the Triangle and landed at the strange shores of Kammerra. It may have been thought lost. You may spend a Raise when you encounter a strange magic, artifact or creature, such as a sea monster, giant bird or Kammerran shaman. You may ask the GM a yes/no question about the thing, and they must answer honestly. Ships do not gain new Backgrounds, and neither do they advance like Heroes do. Rather, they gain Adventures, which are kind of like Achievements. The first time you and your crew accomplish the criteria for an Adventure in play during a session, the ship gains the ability associated with that Adventure. You only get it the first time - so if you get raided by pirates once, you get Your Gold Or Your Life!, but nothing if you get raided a second time. These bonuses, as a note, are on top of whatever is gained or lost just by the course of story events, and the GM can invent and design their own Adventures - this is hardly an exhaustive list. The general rule is that an Adventure should either be difficult, interesting and unusual, or evocative and fun. A Jenny In Every Port: Make port in every Nation in Theah. When you make port in a Thean city, any Hero may spend a Raise or Hero Point. Whatever authority exists in the point knows of your ship and crew, and will treat you relatively well until given reason not to. They won't let you break the law, but may let you bend it slightly. A Short and Merry Life: Convince a hostile ship's crew to join you, through negiation, coercion or intimidation. Your crew gains 5 Strength. Adventurer: Accomplish 5 Adventures. Every Hero gains their choice of one of of the Able Drinker, Cast-Iron Stomach or Sea Legs advantages. Drag Them to Their Doom!: Perform a successful boarding action. The first time each round that any of your Crew Squads would inflict Wounds on an enemy while at sea, that enemy takes an additional Wound. Feed the Sea with Ghosts: Defeat 5 ships in naval combat. The first time each round your ship fires her cannons at an enemy, the enemy ship takes an additional Hit. Gold Drives a Man to Dream: Earn 10 Wealth from selling Cargo in a single Voyage. You may carry 1 additional Cargo. Hot Pursuit: Escape a city with the authorities at your heels. Your ship's crew may return to full complement after only 12 hours in port rather than 24. "How Long Can You Hold Your Breath?": Dive a shipwreck, reef or underwater cave and bring back something valuable. You gain 1 Bonus Die for any Risks involving swimming, underwater navigation or holding your breath. Off the Map: Make port in a city outside Theah. You get one Bonus Die in any social Risk against an NPC whose native tongue is from outside Theah. Saved from the Deep: Rescue a marooned NPC. Your Ship's total Crew gets +1 Strength. Shore Leave: Lead your crew in the singing of a sea shanty during shore leave at a seedy port tavern. Any Hero may spend a Hero Point to return one of your Crew Squads back to full Strength immediately. nly one Hero may activate this per session, and only once per session. Tempting Fate: Transport an NPC Fate Witch from one port to another. At the start of each session, each Hero rolls one die. The highest roll gets an extra Hero Point. If the highest roll is tied, no one gets any extra Hero Point. Fate is fickle. Thanks for the Backup: Save the crew of a sinking ship, when things look their bleakest. The captain and crew of that ship are now allies and can be relied on when needed for help. All Heroes gain the Connection advantage with that ship and her crew. The Only Good Pirate...: Render a pirate ship Crippled. The first time each round you spend a Raise to reduce the Strength of a Pirate Brute Squad, you reduce their Strength by 1 more than you normally would. Well Excuse Me, Princess: Transport a Thean royal from one port to another. You get one Bonus Die for any social Risks involving nobles. X Marks the Spot: Find a buried treasure. Add 10 additional Wealth to your ship's treasury. Your Gold or Your Life!: Surrender to, be Crippled by, or be succesfully robbed by pirates. The first time any Hero rolls a Risk against a pirate in a session, all Heroes gain one Hero Point. Now, stats. Ships have a Death Spiral like anyone else. However, by default, a ship can take 5 Hits before it takes a Critical Hit. AFter 4 Critical Hits, it is Crippled. A Crippled ship cannot fire cannons or avoid attacks - it's a sitting duck, and may be freely plundered, have its Cargo stolen and its Treasury looted. The Crew must usually either row or swim ashore and hope for the best, take a place aboard the attacker's crew, or be executed. A Crippled ship that takes another Hit has been sunk. It can only be abandoned. If your ship is sunk, however, and you retrieve a meaningful memento from it, such as a distinct figurehead or custom wheel, you may put this on a new ship and transfer over its old Backgrounds and Adventures. This can only be done on a newly built ship, with no Backgrounds or Adventures of its own. A ship has 10 Crew, which can divide up freely into 2 Squads, however you like. Two Squads of 5 Strength, one of 8 and one of 2, one squad of Strength 10. Whatever. Any Hero can direct the crew to act, but a Squad can only take a single action each Round, devoting all its Raises to that task. If the action is a Risk, they roll dice equal to their Squad Strength. Every Wound taken by a Squad reduces its Strength by 1 due to crew injury, death or otherwise inability to act. Whenever you make port for at least 24 hours, you can restore any lost Crew to full complement and reorganize your Squads. A ship may carry 2 Cargo. Each Cargo transported from one port to another earns 1 Wealth. If the Cargo is taken an especially long distance, such as from Theah to the Crescent Empire, it earns an additional Wealth per Cargo. If the Cargo is particularly valuable to the people you're bringing it to, such as Khitai spices in Vodacce, each Cargo earns an additional Wealth. These do stack. Whenever you make port for at least 24 hours, you may sell off or acquire new Cargo. When a crew earns Wealth, it is placed in the ship Treasury. The Captain typically decides how it will be divided, but a wise captain avoids mutiny by ensuring the crew gets paid. At the end of each session, the Wealth in the Treasury is halved, rounding down, to represent upkeep, repairs and pay. If the captain chooses not to pay the crew at the end of the session, whether because they don't want to halve the Treasury or because it's empty, the crew becomes Mutinous. A ship with a Mutinous crew causes a -2 dice penalty to all Risks taken aboard, and loses any die bonuses from Origins, Backgrounds or Adventures. The available Crew is reduced by half due to desertion and poor morale. A Mutinous crew paid at the end of a session returns to normal at the start of the next. A Mutinous crew that is not paid causes a Mutiny. The entire crew abandons the ship - so she can't sail and has no Squads. They also steal any Cargo and may even abduct people or other drastic action. Extreme circumstances may, rarely, delay or prevent a crew from becoming Mutinous, at the GM's discretion, but this should never reward greed or neglect. A ship that is successfully raided by pirates, whether by being Crippled, having its crew defeated, or surrendering, loses all Cargo and half its Wealth. A captain may sometimes negotiate a surrender or tribute, in which case, the amount lost in Wealth and Cargo is a matter of negotiation instead. Your Crew matters - the game is very clear on this. Being aboard ship means you're all in close quarters, on the same boat, for a long-rear end time. You're kin, and sailors will make incredible sacrifices for their crew. A ship is more than wood and sails and cannon - its heart and soul is the crew, and all of them have a name. Ship Battles function exactly as any other Action Sequence - the players choose Approaches, there are Consequences, Opportunities happen. The game gives some suggested things Heroes can choose as Approaches if they don't know much about naval combat, such as firing the cannons (usually a Brawn or Wits job, but sometimes Panache or Resolve to command crew or keep cool under fire, or even Finesse to reload quickly), manning the sailts to keep the shp out of range of cannon and grapple (usually Finesse or Resolve), manning the bilge crew to ensure the ship doesn't sink (usually Resolve, as it involves going into dangerous parts of the ship), running a boarding party (usually Brawn to pull a ship in or Finesse to leap across, sometimes Panache to command a Crew Squad) or assisting the ship's doctor (usually Wits). Consequences will usually be either Wounds to a Hero or Hits to the ship, and are avoided as normal. The enemy ship may also try to target key parts of yours as a Consequence, which could reduce maneuverability, speed or Crew Strength. Opportunities will exist to do similar to the enemy ship. Rolls are done as normal, Raises spent. Sometimes, you'll face down a sea Monster. These things tend to be large enough to take on a entire ship if it matters enough for ship combat to happen, and this is treated as any Action Sequence. The monster may have any combination of Monsstrous Qualities and traits of being a ship - such as Crew Squads in the form of smaller spawn that cling to its skin. Like ships, sea Monsters tend to ignore normal-scale Wounds in favor of Hits and Critical Hits. Next time: Secret Societies
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Jun 26, 2018 02:21
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Mors Rattus posted:7th Sea 2: BOTES Does Thea use serpentine rather than corned powder? quote:Pirate ships, of coruse, have far smaller crews than most others. This list is a full complement, and few pirate ships can fill that out. They make do with what they've got. However, they also tend to have more master mariners than, say, any given naval ship, and the crew are generally more experienced and ready for combat. Don't pirates usually have much larger crews than normal for a ship of their size? For boarding actions?
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Jun 26, 2018 03:39
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The Lone Badger posted:Don't pirates usually have much larger crews than normal for a ship of their size? For boarding actions? That's actually not historically true; pirates did indeed tend to be undermanned (and there was no guarantee that they lucked into a crew that had actual training in every role, especially after they'd taken any deaths), which is why they didn't fight the navies. Even a small crew is OK for boarding actions if they all have weapons and are willing to use them, and the merchant crew doesn't. Skilled combatant crewmen cost more. When Blackbeard was hanged with his crew, there were ...13 pirates hanged, plus eight to twelve more killed in action. Even a rather small ship fielded by a navy of the time would have had forty or more, and a ship the size of Blackbeard's a couple hundred - it could hold 44 cannons! (Blackbeard had less in operation.) The official report claims he had 'no more than 25' but only lists 13 white and 6 black crewmembers. Edit: fixed numbers. Prism fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Jun 26, 2018 |
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Jun 26, 2018 03:46
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Even pirates like Black Bart - who at his height had 4 ships and a crew total of 500, it's still undermanned compare to a naval fleet of the same size, and guys like him are rare.
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Jun 26, 2018 04:02
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7th Sea seems to have a surfeit of dual wielding styles.
Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Jun 26, 2018 |
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Jun 26, 2018 04:17
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 RUNES Before getting to the spells, the game gives an overview of Cults and Gods in Glorantha. Gods are self-explanatory, covering people like capital G-Gods like Orlanth and Yelm to prominent ancestors, local spirits and subsidiary gods normally treated as an aspect of another Cult. The word Cult doesn’t imply it’s all Charles Manson, it’s used to refer to all God-focused religions. Cults are organised in a hierarchy of the God, who provides power, a caste of priests who act as intermediaries and lay members who don’t get any magic or secrets. Every character starts as an Initiate, focusing their worship towards a single god. As well as Rune Magic, being an initiate has 3 major features. Members of a cult are expected to Worship the god, which involves getting to know a bunch of cool rituals and secrets and is used to recover Rune points and possibly advance POW. More interestingly, you get access to Divination, letting you magically ask your God about something. The information they give you can be very limited: They can’t read minds, they only really know about things related to their realm, and they don’t understand human motivations. The information you get can be very useful, and the constraints are fair for a mostly free ability. The weirdest ability is Divine Intervention, where you ask for your God to help you not die, overcome a foe or increase a stat. It’s high-risk and high reward, although it’s a terrible proposition for initiates. It must be something under the god’s domain, can’t be used against worshippers of the same god and might not help non-members of the cult, but aside from that it’s quite broad. It probably won’t work as an initiate, and smacks of the designers not wanting you to do this. You roll under your POW on a d100. If it’s over, you get nothing and probably die. If you get under, you lose that many points of POW until the effect is over. There are 3 higher positions within a cult you can aspire to. Rune-Priests are the heads of churches, with a stronger connection to the Gods. The requirements are steep but not unobtainable. You need to have a POW of at least 18 and 5 rune points in the cult, a Rune associated with your God at 90% and a Passion dedicated to the god or temple, 50% in the related Worship skill and 4 other cult skills and having to roleplay a job interview with the GM or make an overly complicated random roll of ‘(POW+CHA+(1/100 dollars donated to the church))x (5/3). The POW is the biggest gatekeeper. It’s not difficult to get close to most of the other requirements, but you effectively need 20 POW, and that’s determined by a random roll. It does come with some useful benefits: +20% to POW gain rolls, getting all your Rune Points back each successful worship, adding unspent Rune points to Divine Intervention rolls, free spirit magic and training in cult skills, access to church resources, ability to do enchantments and teach spells and potential access to allied spirits of the cult. You do need to tithe 9/10 of your money and time to the cult, but since you get access to their resources it’s more about the game ditching money as a mechanic. There are also God-Talkers, which are similar but without the resources and responsibilities in exchange for less tithes, which is a good setup for adventurers who don’t care about a temple.  Ernalda worshippers love to get they titties out Rune Lords are the Paladins to Rune-Priest Clerics. They act more as martial representatives of the god rather than an authority focused on magic and spirituality. To become one, you need a CHA of 18 for some reason, 90% in 5 cult skills, a shared Rune with the god and a Passion about them or the temple. Some cults have special requirements, although they’re mostly ‘Have a weapon skill’. In older editions, people thought being a Rune Lord wasn’t an option for players since the requirements were so high. There’s no requirement about being a Rune-Priest already but it helps a lot since you can be both and you get free training in Cult Skills. The best one is getting Divine intervention rolls on a d10, rather than a d100. You also get a few benefits of being a Rune-priest again, some free magic gear you probably already have and always defend against spells with your maximum POW for your species. Not every cult has Rune Priests or Lords, but since there’s a baseline I’d always let people have that. There’s a bit about Wyters, which are a special guardian spirit of a community people in positions of authority can use rune magic a connected priest knows and relies on the community’s worship for support. I don’t know if this is going to come up in game as a mechanical thing, although ‘The Wyter’s dead, go heroquest to get it back’ is a classic adventure. There’s an overview of the 20 cults listed in the game that give you access to spells, skills and other resources in exchange for worship. I don’t really want to go over them all, but some have unusual features that are worth discussing.
Rune Magic spells work like spirit magic spells with a few differences. You cast them with rune points instead of magic points, roll on a Rune score that you share with the spell and you get an extra point and learn another spell by sacrificing a point of POW. The spells are a lot cooler than the fundamentals you find with spirit magic. There’s a list of basics that most cults get, like an upgraded Heal, counter magic, some anti-spirit stuff and summoning cult-associated spirits. There are a lot of spells so I’ll cover fundamentals again.
There’s a short bit about creating your own rune spells. The main things to keep in mind is not to step on other god’s toes, stick to theme and focus on temporary effects with a limited target. It’s good advice and people customising Glorantha is almost always a good thing ask me about a Pythagorean math cult I spent 30 seconds conceptualising  Bad News for Broos Next Time: Shamans are weirdos and excellent art Wrestlepig fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Jun 26, 2018 |
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Jun 26, 2018 04:36
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Huh, I've learned something. How do those numbers compare to a merchantman of comparable tonnage?
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Jun 26, 2018 04:54
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The Lone Badger posted:Huh, I've learned something. How do those numbers compare to a merchantman of comparable tonnage? I honestly don't know. I can point at the fluyt, which was a very popular long-range ship design of the era; it's Dutch, but was copied by other nations. It was designed to be operated with a minimum of crew, and the numbers I find online range from 35 to about 50 crewmembers. The average fluyt is noticably bigger than the Queen Anne's Revenge though, like at least half again as big - the length was comparable but the fluyt was much wider. Generally military ships require more crew as they are expected to take more injuries and also have cannons to operate; the fluyt was often operated unarmed.
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Jun 26, 2018 05:23
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So they'd be outnumbered by the crew of even the merchants they attacked. Did pirates rarely fire their cannon then with such small crews?
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Jun 26, 2018 05:50
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Cults: Spitalians, pt. 5 Degenesis Rebirth Primal Punk Chapter 3: Cults RANKS SPITALIANS Having described the classes of Spitalians before describing the plan of the Spital, the book now presents us the the ranks (levels) of the organization. Ain't this kind of organization grand?  1 – Recruit These are the people who have just joined. When they're not knee deep in menial labour, they're studying Bygone books – especially spelling books. Spitalians want all of them to be literate. Recruit posted:Those who are not fluent in it after two semesters are dishonorably discharged. “Stupidity is a disease that even we cannot cure.” Pressure is high, bloodshot eyes tell of long nights of studying, diseases mark the exhausted bodies. Many cannot bear it and collapse. This weakness is often seen as “apraxia”, the truant laziness – a severe accusation that can only be punished by exile. Only the hardcore survive the four semesters. You'd think the Spitalians would have more luck with maintaining personel numbers if they didn't have such strenuous entry phase. 2 – Orderly These dudes (and dudettes) are literate and semi-skilled in medicine: they can be trusted to know triage, work on blisters, set broken limbs, etc. They're not likely to visit Cor anytime soon, but they're on their way there. 3 – Famulancer Now you're one of the cool people in gasmasks and neoprene suits! A famulancer can walk around in the Spital willy nilly. Hopefully, he'll stumble into a department that suits him. However, if he's adventurous, he'll bet given a Splayer and a Fungice rifle, and sent to the platoons. 4a – Field Medic The book gives all of the “4” specializations the same number, so I'm adding letter to differentiate. Field Medics have broad medical skills, and they're the ones working with Famulancers, being the first contact with the sick and outside world. For some reason, they're not well liked in the Spital. 4b – Hygienist Very much the hygiene officers from Paranoia. They check people entering the spital, they look over disincetion pools in Justitian, they're checking your table for Spore infestation. If something has to be cleaned, there are three Hygienists sneaking up on said thing with cleaning fluid. Sometimes, this means treating Spore fields and Leperos with a flamethrower! 4c – Surgeon They're surgeons. 4d – Epigeneticist Epigeneticist posted:Epigenetics is the study of trigger molecules within human genes and the specific molecules the Primer modifies. You're a huge nerd who needs to work with Bygone procedures and tech to carry out those tests. However, since you need tissue samples and even entire Psychonauts, you sometimes have to go out into the field... Dunno why Hygienists and Preservists can do that instead of risking your precious nerd head. 4e – Pharmacist You make and distribute drugs. 4f – Hippocrat Hippocrat posted:They are the Spital’s conscience; its moral and ethic foundation who follow up on complaints about doctors. 4g – Anaesthesiologist They put you under and they care for you after the operation. They also kill folks via the poison gases they develop. If you need a Leperos village destroyed, but your Anabaptist friend isn't the mood to burn anything, you get one of these hard-to-spell dudes. 5 – Registrar Apparently there's only one? He works for several Consultants and watches over the ethical integrity of the other doctors. And if a Consultant dies, he takes the post, while the remaining Consultatns elect the new Registrar. 6 – Consultant These are the top dogs, and they're the ones laying down the law. They're accountable to nobody but themselves, basically. 4alpha – Preservist Preservist posted:On black stallions with gas masks, they lead platoons of Spitalians into battle against the Sepsis. With their Preservalis sword, they cut through the Aberrants’ ranks or destroy Leperos villages with mustard gas cartridges.  Those black stalions also get gas masks, it's like a cyberpunk party up this bitch As I mentioned before, Preservists are a caste apart. The Preservits Corps doesn't give a poo poo about Hippocrats, Consultants or Elders. They're trained at fortress Arnsberg, and go into the field specifically to gently caress poo poo up. 4beta – Commando Prime Representative Kranzler is the one leading the Preservirsts Corps. He had been doing it for years, Hippocrats be damned. Kranzler is supported by Commando Primes, intelligent individuals he employs to hurt the enemy (Psychonauts) bad. 6 – Provost Provost posted:The Provost officially does as the body of Consultants says – but what do these old farts know of the war? Representative Kranzler has long since severed the ties once intended to bind him. And that's all the book says. That bodes well! I guess Kranzler is supposed to be the Provost, but why is he never refered to like that? 0 – Village Doctor Believe it or not, but the payments from the patients cover the running costs of the Spital. However, that does not generate the profit needed to mount expeditions to Franka and Pollen. That's where the Village Docs come in – they're rented out to villages, towns and cities in exchange for food, oil, craftsmen, mercenaries... Nobody wants to be a Village Doctor – to stay with the illiterate moon-worshipping savages – so that's why Spitalians work extra hard to stay ahear of their competing peers. On the other hand, dudes with strange opinions or failing grades will get sent out post haste. X – Elder This rank is based on age: you get it if you spent 60 years as a Spitalian. You get to offload field work on proxies, which is a boon when you're pushing 90 in the world of Degenesis. On the other hand, five out of eight Consultants are Elders, so surviving that long isn't that hard, I guess. Next time: SPITALIAN: This man is your friend, probably. He fights for HUMANITY.
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Jun 26, 2018 06:00
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The Lone Badger posted:So they'd be outnumbered by the crew of even the merchants they attacked. Did pirates rarely fire their cannon then with such small crews? Merchants were less likely to fight back in general. Since pirates often didn't have enough crew to split it and take a prize ship, there were good odds they would get out of it with at least their ship (and their lives) if they cooperated... rather like how most muggers won't actually kill you. Plus, as mentioned, having a battle-ready crew costs extra money. Pirates did fire cannons, but since pirates were not usually trying to actually sink ships and didn't want a protracted naval battle, they were often fired for intimidation or, if they expected to actually fight, with antipersonnel rounds - for instance, canister shot, which is basically metal canisters filled with scrap like nails or musket balls - before boarding and not reloaded during a battle. It's okay if your gun crew is a little slow if you only load up before you fight, and one gun crew can handle more guns that way if they don't have to do it simultaneously. Edit: The exceptions were swivel guns. Pirates really liked swivel guns - lighter cannons on a stand with a wide range of fire. They were less likely to badly damage ships but still superb at dealing with people, they're easier to move around and operate with a small crew or on a small ship, and you can get them out of the way when you're not using them. Prism fucked around with this message at 06:27 on Jun 26, 2018 |
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Jun 26, 2018 06:18
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Halloween Jack posted:7th Sea seems to have a surfeit of dual wielding styles. Most of them seem to use the off-hand weapon in a defensive role, which is what real-life dual wielding was mostly about IIRC. That, an you're playing a Duelist, who is a rather more skilled fellow than Some Douchebag With A Rapier. The Lone Badger posted:So they'd be outnumbered by the crew of even the merchants they attacked. Did pirates rarely fire their cannon then with such small crews? They might be outnumbered, but they're probably more battle hardened and more willing to resort to violence, which helps. Prism posted:Edit: The exceptions were swivel guns. Pirates really liked swivel guns - lighter cannons on a stand with a wide range of fire. They were less likely to badly damage ships but still superb at dealing with people, they're easier to move around and operate with a small crew or on a small ship, and you can get them out of the way when you're not using them. Did they have any of those fancy breechloaders that were like early modern machineguns?
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Jun 26, 2018 06:58
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Prism posted:Merchants were less likely to fight back in general. Since pirates often didn't have enough crew to split it and take a prize ship, there were good odds they would get out of it with at least their ship (and their lives) if they cooperated... rather like how most muggers won't actually kill you. Plus, as mentioned, having a battle-ready crew costs extra money. Also, keep in mind that this poo poo was going on simultaneously with the rise of naval insurance. You can get your money back, but you can't get your life back.
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Jun 26, 2018 07:22
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The large crews thing. You were probably thinking of Privateers. They often had very large crews because they were needed to man the (hopefully) large number of captured prizes that needed sailing home.
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Jun 26, 2018 09:46
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Ratoslov posted:Also, keep in mind that this poo poo was going on simultaneously with the rise of naval insurance. You can get your money back, but you can't get your life back. For a lot of historical periods, piracy could be as much an economic problem as a security one.
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Jun 26, 2018 10:05
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JcDent posted:Did they have any of those fancy breechloaders that were like early modern machineguns? Breech-loading swivel guns were very common, though they're less like an early machine gun and more like a speedloader in the Age of Sail; the chamber was a removable segment that let you just shove in pre-packed canisters of powder and ammo. IIRC the really fast ones weren't around quite yet, but I could be wrong! Deptfordx posted:The large crews thing. Yeah, privateers would be pretty well loaded. Planning to take a ship and sail it home requires a lot of people. They would generally be better-supplied too, since they were (more) legal, which helps. Ghost Leviathan posted:For a lot of historical periods, piracy could be as much an economic problem as a security one. Pretty much all the periods, honestly. Most pirates were first and foremost thieves. We've got kind of a romantic, swashbuckling view of Age of Sail pirates now, which is also how 7th Sea treats them because it's way more fun, but IRL - well, I used that mugger example earlier for a reason. Good point on the insurance too from Ratoslov - marine insurance underwriters were forming big groups; this is the era Lloyd's (of London) moved up to the Royal Exchange. edit: un-hosed quotes Prism fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Jun 26, 2018 |
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Jun 26, 2018 13:23
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7th Sea 2: The Chicken Illuminati Secret societies exist all over the dang place. Joining them can often be beneficial, but also comes with responsibility. They seek to make the world a better place, by their lights, and they often disagree on what exactly that means, but for the heroic ones? It's usually something good. Something better. What a member is expected to do is to work towards that. In return, the society grants favors, information and aid when needed. A Hero may join any secret society they've made contact with, either in game or in backstory, at no cost. However, you can only belong to one society at a time. If you want to swap or leave, you lose all influence in your original secret society and are likely to be treated with suspicion, though probably not violence as long as you left on decent terms rather than treachery. The currency of secret societies is Favor, a representation of faith, trust and resources. You get Favor by helping the society and spend it on benefits. All societies have certain shared interests that will earn Favor. Selling information relevant to a society's interests to them is worth 2 Favor if it's not commonly known but isn't a huge secret - the history of failed businesses of a relevant merchant, say, or the name of a relevant privateer's wife. Aiding an agent of the society in their mission or saving them from danger gains 4 Favor. Selling a secret of extreme interest to a society is worth 6 Favor. This kind of information is closely guarded - the secret bastard son of an enemy count, the identity of an Inquisition assassin. All societies also have certain things you can always spend Favor on. Buying information that is not commonly known but isn't a closely guarded secret costs 1 Favor. Requesting the aid of a society agent to save you or help your mission costs 3 Favor. Agents dispatched this way have Strength 6; more skilled agents cost more Favor at the GM's discretion. Buying a secret that is closely guarded costs 5 Favor. You will note that selling gives more than buying costs in each case. That's intentional - secret societies try to build good relationships with their members and have a network of contacts going. The best way to do that is to treat them well, and it means that dealing with them on equal terms will pretty much always be in your favor. They are good faith information providers - they won't hand out small, useless chunks of info to you to jack up the price by repeated buys, and likewise they expect you to do the same for them. Obviously, the things above are also not an exhausting list of what gains Favor or what you can use Favor on. These, and the ones for specific societies, are examples - things the GM can use to gauge how much things should cost. The Brotherhood of the Coast is a society of ships, each with their own captain. The Pirate Queen Captain Bonaventura's own La Dama Roja is but one among the fleet that preys on ships sailing near Montaigne, Castille, Vodacce and the New World. Their organization is a bit of a paradox - they love freedom, but they are bound by a charter than none dare to break. The charter was written by the First Captains, and it is signed by every member of the Brotherhood, giving a very strict code of conduct. Sailors that see the Brotherhood flag flying know that if they surrender they won't be harmed, and often take the offer. Those who don't, after all, face some of the best sailors on the seas. The Charter posted:I. Every hand to have a vote in the affairs; equal title to the provisions and liquors, and may use them at pleasure, unless scarcity makes it necessary to vote to a rationing. The Brotherhood's primary interest is gold. They don't care for politics most of the time, except in the sense of wanting to know when large amounts of money are moving so they can steal it. Favor can be gained by the Brotherhood the normal ways. Selling information that leads to a ship they can plunder is worth an extra Favor, and they'll also pay 1 Wealth of the spoils to you. Aiding in the capture of a prize ship earns two shares of the prize, plus whatever Favor gains - generally, 2 or more Wealth. The Brotherhood can be called on to smuggle items into or out of a blockaded area for 4 Favor - though once the goods leave their ship, the Brotherhood declares it someone else's problem. They will drop anything or anyone smuggled out at the next reasonable safe port. For 7 Favor, they will blockade an area. That's not an absolute guarantee that nothing will get through, but it definitely makes things a lot harder and more dangerous. They'll spend about a week doing this by default, but may stay longer if there's good plunder. Die Kreuzritter formed over five centuries ago, a small band of brave men and women at the age of the Walder. The forest was known to birth terrible monsters and dark powers, and the small fort eventually grew into a village. The Vaticine and the Knightly Order of Rose & Cross worked together to establish a guild there to protect Eisen from the forest monsters. The guild had no name at that point, but it would become die Kreuzritter, the Crusaders. At this point, they were known only by their symbol - a white star on a field of black. The locals came to know their village as Stern, the Star. The guild grew and expanded, and eventually its ties to the Vaticine became strained. In 1128, the Imperator of the guild, a devout Vaticine, convinced the group to march south, saying that the Church claimed the demons came to the Walder from the Crescent Empire. They found no demons - just people. The Imperator said that clearly, the demons lay further south, in Ifri. Again, they found only people. The Imperator said to turn east, towards Cathay, and this time, they rebelled. The monster hunters turned on their leader and went home with new, foreign allies...only to find that Stern have been overrun in their absence, and what was left was taken over by the Inquisition. These crusaders had been banded traitors by the Inquisitors for marching on an unsanctioned Crusade and abandoning Eisen. The Imperator had never intended any of them to return, and had betrayed them all to the Inquisition. Knowing that they couldn't survive open war with the Church, die Kreuzritter vanished into the shadows, armed with their new experiences and knowledge. They decided to live in the dark and hunt monsters that lived there with them. They may be called traitors and heretics, they may be reviled, but they know the truth: there are real monsters out there, creatures that must be stopped. They have sworn to never again be used as a tool of politics or religion, but only to protect the innocent from what lies in darkness. Die Kreuzritter are primarily concerned with inhuman monsters and evil magic. They want information on monstrous weaknesses, secret necromancers or weapons that can destroy the walking dead, among other things. Information on monsters, dark sorcerers or cursed/evil artifacts is worth 2 additional Favor after the creature or sorcerer is defeated or the artifact is claimed or destroyed. Getting ahold of dracheneisen is worth 10 Favor - it is easily the greatest weapon against monsters. Getting temporary access to a relic, magical artifact or dracheneisen weapon for a single mission (no longer than a session) costs 4 Favor. Refusal to return it is cause for being branded a traitor. Being given the location of a dracheneisen weapon you can keep costs 9 Favor...and you're still going to have to seek it out as part of a special Dracheneisen Seeker story, which must have at least ten Steps and be quite dangerous. As long as you are a member of the order, the weapon is yours to keep. So what exactly is dracheneisen good for? Well, it is one of the rarest materials in all of existence. The means to make more of it has largely been lost in the War of the Cross, and almost all of it is either in private collections or the hands of die Kreuzritter. The material is, after all, the best there is for fighting monsters. Dracheneisen is usually made into melee weapons - mostly swords, but not always - and never into guns or ammunition. Jewelry, usually rings or pendants, also exist. Armor does not - there simply was never a time when that much dracheneisen was more useful as one piece of armor over multiple weapons. All dracheneisen items function as normal for an item of their type, but are almost indestructible, short of a volcano or other level of extreme destruction. A dracheneisen weapon can cut stone with the same time and effort that steel weapons can cut wood. Dracheneisen glows white if a monster gets within thirty feet of it. If a dracheneisen item is presented strongly in a Monster's presence, the Monster must spend two Danger Points to get the benefits of spending one until the item somehow leaves the scene. Weapons made from dracheneisen also deal 1 additional Wound with each strike if they hit something with a Monstrous Quality or the Sorcery advantage. (In 1e, dracheneisen armor was actually very huge and important and honestly kind of OP and annoying, given it let you ignore the swashbuckling themes. So it's gone now.) Next time: Explorers, Collegians and Knights
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Jun 26, 2018 13:31
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Mors Rattus posted:Most sailors become literate, for lack of anything else to do when the winds are dead, see wildlife they never dreamed of, like whales or sea monsters, visit foreign lands, learn new languages, suffer disease or starvation, learn math, become strong, and lose all their money to jennys. (That's Thean for prostitutes.) Prostitutes are still named after John Wick’s ex-wife. Lovely.
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Jun 26, 2018 13:42
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echopapa posted:Prostitutes are still named after John Wick’s ex-wife. Lovely. That's... a real slang term?
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Jun 26, 2018 13:52
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Prism posted:
Privateering was generally way more popular than crewing a warship or merchant. All the potential gain of piracy, but with the advantage of it being *mafioso voice* 'Nice and legal'. A captain with a previous reputation for sucess might have to turn away experienced men, which was basically unheard of for any other cruise.
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Jun 26, 2018 14:04
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Didn't a lot of privateers end up going rogue and becoming pirates in turn, especially if the money and/or protection runs out at an inconvenient time?
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Jun 26, 2018 14:06
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Didn't a lot of privateers end up going rogue and becoming pirates in turn, especially if the money and/or protection runs out at an inconvenient time? yeah and like in Captain Kidd's cause, he ends up raiding the "wrong" ships because he wasn't aware of changes in alliances and ended up going 'gently caress it, I'm going all the way'.
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Jun 26, 2018 14:37
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