Curse of the Goblin's Luck

Summary

A game wiki loosely set in Green Ronin’s Freeport and using Evil Hat’s Fate Freeport Companion for use with Fate Core. This Wiki page is for storage and journaling of game material for “Curse of the Goblin’s Luck”.

The recruitment thread is found here.

Players

GloriousDeath playing “Ulrich” Noxus Darque

Glyptodont playing Geneviève Madeleine de la Mer

roryb serving as GM

Sharon MacGuire playing Captain Daniella “Dani” Danger

TheophilusCarter playing Ace

Vektunaxa playing Tuhm Nearam, Able Seaman

Setup

Tasked with finding the Goblin’s Luck, a merchant freighter, five intrepid misfits take off aboard the Invidian Fortune.

Last night, in the fog around Freeport, a fast packet dropped off a package with a note to only open it at sea. Of course, it was only realized at sea that the package was not meant for the Fortune at all. The Goblin’s Luck was part of a series of nine ships built in the same shipyard to the same specifications. And guess who is on another one?

Any sailor recognizes the sister ships to their own; the Goblin’s Luck left port only a few hours before the Fortune. Hopefully, the packet was the only ship to mistake their identity!

Unfortunately, many others seek the Goblin’s Luck as well. Most notable of these are the vile minions of Nava, the Turtle Queen. Whatever the Luck bears, Her Majesty will stop at nothing to get them.

The gods have not graced the world with their direct involvement since time immemorial. However, talk is that the mythic truce weakens because of their lust and ambition…and how this bears upon the Luck, none know. But there are rumors…

Even now, the god of mischief has plagued all attempts to capture or sink the Goblin’s Luck.

As if capturing the Luck was not already hard enough due to her fleet seaworthiness and great command, the ship’s name comes from the expression, “A goblin’s luck is a man’s misfortune”. The superstitious (and defamers of goblins) believe that goblins only profit at the expense of other races. The Goblin’s Luck has been very fortunate indeed the past years. Her captain and owners have earned a small fortune in trade and have managed to defeat any and all pirate attacks against her.

But rival merchants grumble that they’ve been cheated by Goblin’s Luck in unspecified (and unnatural) ways. Pirates tell tales of mysterious disasters befalling any ship who dared to take Goblin’s Luck. Coincidence? Sour grapes? Maybe. But the Goblin’s Luck has a reputation. And unless you are the type who is rich enough or powerful enough to ignore popular opinion, you don’t want it known that you are working to help that cursed ship. You’ll find yourself losing friends around the docks and gaining enemies in town.

Goblin’s Luck indeed!

Player Characters

Ace

High Concept. Merchant with the Halfling Benevolent Association

Trouble. The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign Isn’t Fond of Me …

Good (+3). Charisma

Fair (+2). Intelligence, Wisdom

Average (+1). Dexterity, Constitution

Mediocre (+0). Strength

• I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Intelligence). +2 to create an advantage when attempting to leverage obscure information, rumors, etc.
• I’m Skeptical (Wisdom). +2 when overcome actions are made to discern lies, whether directed at you or someone else.
• Not True, but Truthy (Charisma). +2 to overcome actions to bluff, lie, impersonate, etc.

Mental Stress. 3 boxes

Physical Stress. 3 boxes

Consequences. the usual

Refresh. 3

Description. Like most halflings in Freeport, Ace just sort of showed up one day and never left. It wasn’t long before he fell in with the Syndicate … er, that is, the “Halfling Benevolent Association.” During his five years as a member, Ace moved up quickly from mere apprentice to the rank of journeyman, focusing his studies on rhetoric and logic, especially as applied to economics and politics.

He is now at the part of his studies when he must take a “Pilgrimage,” an adventure in which he must gain notable wealth or reputation to prove his worthiness for higher advancement. Conveniently, this also gives him an excuse to move around and vary his associations, which in turn makes it harder for the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign to lay hands on him — it seems they want a word …

Captain Daniella “Dani” Danger

nèe Dangeravelli

ASPECTS

• High Concept. Captain of the Invidian Fortune
• Trouble. Curse of the Invidian Fortune
• Others. And I Only Am Escaped Alone To Tell Thee; Raised in the Rigging; The Ship That Made The Kraken Run In Less Than Twelve Fathoms

SKILLS

• Good (+3). Wisdom
• Fair (+2). Dexterity, Charisma
• Average (+1). Constitution, Intelligence
• Mediocre (+0). Strength

STUNTS

• Indomitable (Wisdom). +2 to defend against social attacks specifically related to intimidation and fear.
• Right Place, Right Time. (Requires Indomitable) You seem to always be in a safe spot, without moving in any obvious way. You may use WIS to defend against physical attacks, and may also use it to move or take cover (so long as you merely saunter; no sprints allowed). To the outside world, it appears that you are simply staying put and unfazed as gunfire and other attacks miss you by scant inches, or are picking up your undisturbed martini as the werewolf rushes past. Circumstance conspires to leave you undisturbed so long as your defense is not beaten.
• Death Defiance. If you are taken out in a physical conflict, you may spend a fate point to concede instead. If you do, you collect none of the usual fate points associated with conceding. Coincidence conspires to keep you alive, and you pass from the view of the other combatants (such as by dropping off a cliff, apparently failing to escape from an exploding building, or the like). You may re-enter play in any subsequent scene in as dramatic a fashion as you see fit, explaining to everyone how you survived. You return with all of your physical stress cleared and a single additional situation aspect lasting at least one scene to reflect the dangers you defied.

STRESS

• Mental. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
• Physical. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]

CONSEQUENCES

• [ 2 ] Mild
• [ 4 ] Moderate
• [ 6 ] Severe

Refresh. 3

Description. Raised among the rigging from before she could walk, Dani ended up climbing the ranks of command structure by simply not dying. She is now the Captain of the Invidian Fortune.

Geneviève Madeleine de la Mer

Assistant Adjutant to the Consul Étranger in Freeport, aka “Jenny” to her friends, “Jenny-Mad” if they’re being cheeky

High Concept. Minor Diplomat-Spy in a Foreign Land

Trouble. Sworn Duty to the Consul and Prince, Above All Else

Good (+3). Intelligence

Fair (+2). Dexterity, Charisma

Average (+1). Constitution, Wisdom

Mediocre (+0). Strength

Mental Stress. 2 boxes

Physical Stress. 3 boxes

Consequences. the usual

Refresh. 3

Description. A foreigner to these lands, Geneviève arrived on a year-long sea voyage from her native principality of Libre-Ville de la Mer as a member of the Foreign Consulate’s staff. The Consulate was sent by her Prince to this mysterious shore to encourage trade with her homeland, to provide assistance to the infrequent Libre-Villese ships that may pass through, and to be the official representative of the Prince to the Sea Lord of Freeport.

…And of course to spy on this foreign land and send reports back to the Prince. Freeport may not seem a place to attract the interest of such a faraway nation, but in the lands of Libre-Ville de la Mer, magic is unknown. Part of the Consulate’s duty is to find out more about this so-called “magic” and discover if such powers can be possessed by the Libre-Villese.

Geneviève was a younger daughter of a noble family who joined this expedition for adventure and to broaden her education and diplomacy skills. (Though her parents would be shocked at the sort of “court graces” they practice in Freeport.) She was only one of three members of the Consulate, and the Vice-Consul returned to their home city on a ship months ago with the first report. Now the Consulate consists of just the Consul and Geneviève. She works as a clerk, spy, researcher, negotiator, occasional bodyguard for the Consul here in Freeport. So far she’s found this place far more interesting than the dull Prince’s court back home and is in no hurry to leave.

When not in disguise, she always wears the tricorn hat that is the custom of her city and carries a fencing sabre (a finesse weapon). Despite learning the local dialect, she still speaks with a Libre-Villese accent which people find charming-to-amusing.

As for why she’d be involved with necromancers and cursed ships, once the Consul hears of a rumor about literal skeletons crewing a ship, he’d exclaim, “Sacré bleu! You must find zat magic ship and file a report for zee Prince!”

Tuhm Nearam, Able Seaman

ASPECTS

• High Concept. Professional Castaway
• Trouble. This Place Is Under an Ancient Curse …
• Others. Spellbinding yarn-teller; Rides the Royal Horse in a Blow

SKILLS

• Good (+3). Constitution
• Fair (+2). Charisma, Wisdom
• Average (+1). Dexterity, Intelligence
• Mediocre (+0). Strength

STUNTS

• Castles Out of Coconuts. A lack of tools is no impediment as long as there are vines, driftwood, and rocks available.
• Trickster. From bards using spectacle to gain fame, to anonymous con men trying to stay that way, a wide variety of people benefit from the subtle magic of tricksters. You gain access to the “trickster” keyword, and may select three spells with that keyword.

SPELLS.

• Call Mist (Transmutation, Nature, Trickster, Cost): You fill the zone you’re currently in with fog, applying the situation aspect Thick Fog to the zone. (Also, the temperature in the zone chills noticeably!) You & your allies gain two free invocations on the aspect.
• Living Line (Trickster, Persistent). You may control appropriate inanimate objects (line, coil, rigging) to ensnare individuals or things. When you create an appropriate aspect to ensnare a target in your zone given the availability of an appropriate material component, you may actively oppose attempts to break free with your Charisma +2 versus an opponent's Dexterity or Strength.
• Wall of Wind (Nature, Cost, Persistent): You can create a nearly solid wall of pure wind between two adjacent zones to protect you and your allies. The wall blocks most missile weapons, like arrows, bolts, gunfire, or sling stones, though very large missiles (swivel guns, cannon fire, etc.) or magical projectiles might still be able to make it through. In addition, anyone who tries to pass through the wind wall must overcome a Fair (+2) obstacle as an action to do so, unless you choose to let them through.

STRESS

• Mental. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]
• Physical. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]

CONSEQUENCES

• [ 2 ] Mild
• [ 4 ] Moderate
• [ 6 ] Severe

Refresh. 3

Description.

“Ulrich” Noxus Darque

High Concept. Necromancer Servant of the God of Death

Trouble. Will Do Almost Anything for Knowledge

Good (+3). Charisma

Fair (+2). Intelligence, Wisdom

Average (+1). Dexterity, Constitution

Mediocre (+0). Strength

Mental Stress. 3 boxes

Physical Stress. 3 boxes

Consequences. the usual

Refresh. 3

Description. Noxus Darque used to be a simple librarian in an ancient library in Freeport. Unfortunately for him, librarians don’t make good adventurers, so as fate would have it, he accidentally unveiled a secret chamber which housed an ancient necromancy spellbook. Desiring to learn the secrets of the forbidden arts, especially due to the fact that any information about necromancy is suppressed. Noxus was able to practice and learn necromancy for several years, but his quest had caught up with him. After finally being found out, he was killed in the battle that followed.

However, he was contacted by the god of death after his passing. The god offered Noxus a second chance at life if he agreed to become his servant. Noxus agreed and on that night his body rose as a revenant.

Now 50 years later Noxus, now going by “Ulrich”, has been given an order to find the Goblin’s Luck (the god still refuses to deliberate as to why). Ulrich joined the crew due to his incredibly rare skill-set.

House Rules

Dice Rolls

Most rolls will be player-facing passive rolls. Even those calling for active opposition will be conducting with a static difficulty representing the NPC’s skills and stunts. Sometimes the GM will front-load opposition with the preemptive cost of a GM fate point. In rarer instances, invocations may come after the player’s turn so long as the additional difficulty does not require an amendment to any posts.

Players will handle their own dice rolls. We can use [orokos.com orokos.com] or some other. 4d3-8 is the standard code to reproduce Fate/Fudge dice results.

Ship Rules

Ship Skills

• Canons — the guns. A higher score indicates more mounting positions, etc. A ship must have a stunt devoted to guns in order to make use of the skill. And an aspect must be created (Open Broadsides) to justify firing position. If only a bow-mounted swivel gun is used, this skill defaults to +0. Many guns requires more crew to man. The skill is capped by the number of unchecked crew stress boxes. Actions: attack
• Sea-worthiness — handling, maneuvering, overall ship-shapiness. Actions: overcome, create an advantage, defend
• Size — like a ship’s Constitution score, as well as overall largeness. Good for toughing out rough seas and taking a beating. Indicates general stowage and personnel capacity. Like constitution, it has a bearing upon the number of consequences a ship has. Actions: overcome, create an advantage, defend, & attack (ramming only — in which the attacking vessel takes equal damage)
• Rigging — the overall ratio of drag, rigging, masts, and sail to generate speed. Good for contests of speed and outdistancing enemies. This score is also capped at the number of unchecked crew boxes. Actions: overcome, create an advantage

Regarding crew capping for ship skills, active PCs can substitute or compliment crew at a rate of 2 trained seamen PCs (those identified as having sea experience through an aspect) for every one stress box, or 4 untrained PCs.

A typical ship will start with +0 in all categories. Scores can be raised and lowered point-for-point to a maximum of +2 or -2 without spending refresh. Each ship also has a name and two aspects. Each PC is granted a point of refresh to purchase stunts for the ship to upgrade her attributes. Provided a crew can be employed, at least one crew stress box is left unchecked. Crew may be complemented via stunts.

Ship Stress & Consequences

The crew serves as the only stress mechanic for ships. Note that PCs may always take some or all stress from a defending ship as long as it makes sense, and with 2 more shifts of physical damage added to any number of shifts he or she elects to absorb. Ships may add up to 4 boxes of crew stress through hiring (conducted as downtime social challenges or overcome actions, or the liquidation of loot aspects). Each box is with one stress each:

• 1 stress — skeleton crew (3-4 sailors)
• 2 stress — standard merchant crew (6-8 sailors)
• 3 stress — complimented military crew (10 sailors plus 4-8 musketeers or gunners)
• 4 stress — teaming with swords (40+ crewmen and fighting men)

Skilled mariners are assumed to be Nameless Apprentice Sailors:

• Aspects: Green Sailor
• Average (+1): Dexterity, Constitution
• Melee: Cutlass (+1)
• Physical Defense: Dodge (+1)
• Stress: None (any hit takes them out)

A typical ship has two consequences to absorb physical damage:

• Trivial [ 1 ]: simple makeshift repairs can be made by even unskilled passengers with common onboard tools and materials given an Average (+1) overcome action
• Mild [ 2 ]: common repairs can be made by skilled seamen with common onboard tools and materials given a Fair (+2) overcome given time at the end of the scene
• Moderate [ 4 ]: these repairs are lasting until the ship can be dry-docked and substantial effort made by experts, time, materials, and money. Recovery from these types of repairs requires a Great (+4) overcome and generally at least one session of time. Makeshift temporary repairs may be made by a worthy ship expert or officer at Good (+3), which may reduce the severity to Mild. The consequence should be renamed to reflect the alteration or temporary repair. Full recovery still requires the same effort as though it were a moderate consequence.

A ship’s size skill can grant additional consequences:

• +1 — one additional Trivial consequence
• +2 — one additional Mild consequence
• +3 — one additional Moderate consequence
• +4 — one additional Severe consequence
• +5 — one additional Extreme consequence

Actions

Every character on board can choose to take one overcome or create an advantage action. This can take the form of repairs, command, boarding, individual musket fire to enemy crew within range, or anything one can imagine. PCs may also lend teamwork bonuses to other acting characters. Each turn, every ship can perform one movement action (overcome, create an advantage, or attack, if ramming), and one attack action (using the Cannon skill, assuming a ship is in position). Boarding actions are conducted by individuals, most requiring a +2 Dexterity overcome, but require a movement advantage to justify. Ships can defend as many times as required.

Ship Stunts

Each PC gets one additional point of refresh to spend on ship stunts. They can also opt to spend their personal reserve of refresh.

Crew Compliment. Uncheck two additional crew checkboxes. (May only be taken once.)

Big Ship. (May only be taken once.)

Broadside Cannons. (May only be taken once.)

Extra Broadside Cannons. (Requires “Broadside Cannons”.)

Fully Stocked Magazine. You like guns, and have built up your stockpile of munitions. You do not need to spend a fate point to declare you have the right kind of shot for the right job.

Hidden Cargo Hold.

Jigger Mast. Your ship is fitted with an additional mast, providing a bonus of +1 to its rigging skill. (May only be taken once.)

Narrow Beam.

Pile on the Sheet. Your ship has been modified to take on more than its recommended load of sailcloth. Once per session, grant a +2 to rigging overcome rolls during one contest. Take a Stressed Line trivial consequence.

Really Big Ship! (Requires “Broadside Cannons”; may only be taken once.)

Swivel Deck Gun.

Sea Serpent Ram Mount. Upon successful ramming actions, reduce complimentary damage to the attacking vessel by 2 shifts.

Seasoned Crew. Upgrade your apprentice crew to journeyman level:

• Aspects: Old Salt; Ahoy There!
• Fair (+2): Dexterity
• Average (+1): Constitution, Wisdom
• Melee: Cutlass (+2)
• Ranged: Flintlock Pistol (+2)
• Physical Defense: Dodge (+1)
• Stress: [ 1 ]

Game Aspects and Notes

Curse of the Goblin’s Luck. (Current Issue) With a penchant for beleaguering enemies with misfortune, this foreign caravel is captained by the famous Kelvan Primbrand “the Loud”. Invoke for spreading misinformation and lies, and gathering rumors regarding her adventures. Compel to get doors slammed in face for the mention of her, other social unkindnesses and unwanted attention.

The Halfling Benevolent Association. The halfling branch of the underworld in Freeport.

Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. What do we know about these guys?

Sister Ships in All But Their Colors. Lots are looking out for the Luck. It's too bad the Invidian Fortune looks just like her!

Kelvan Primbrand “the Loud”. Captain of the Goblin’s Luck. Known for his clever seamanship, ruthlessness, and deception. Rumor has it he's feared among his crewman and makes them stay on not for love of gold, fear or reprisal, or anything other than the curse that will damn their bones to the bosom of the sea. Issue: "Damn Your Insolent Bones!"