Treasure Islands

Interest/Recruitment thread

IC/OOC thread

Characters

Ix'balam

The daughter of an eastern sailor and a woman of the Silver People, born and raised among her mother's people and trained from an early age in their mystic arts. Always a precocious and secretive child, her mixed heritage and strange behavior endeared her neither to the natives of the islands nor to the foreign settlers, even before she grew up and somehow learned the taboo skill of skinwalking, seemingly all on her own. She eventually left home with the hope that it would make things easier for her mother and joined the treasure hunters, finding that the community of outcasts and ne'er-do-wells seemed the only people she wasn't unwelcome among.

Though generally very calm and pleasant once you get past her creepier quirks - like the skeletal body paint she always wears - she can sometimes show a bit of a manic edge and carries personal grudges with downright frightening patience and restraint.

Her name is pronounced ish-bah-lum and means "Jaguar Woman", which is fitting, though not necessarily a compliment...

Attributes

Agility d6

Smarts d8 (+2 for Test of Wills)

Spirit d8 (+2 for Test of Wills)

Strength d6

Vigor d6

Charisma -2 (0 among the treasure hunters)

Pace 6" (12yrds)

Parry 4

Toughness 5

Skills

Fighting d4

Healing d4

Intimidation d6+2

Notice d6

Psionics d8

Shooting d4

Stealth d6

Survival d4

Taunt d6+2

Edges

Arcane Background (Psionics)

Strong-Willed

Hindrances

Curious (major; in it more for the fun and secrets than the treasure)

Outsider (minor; daughter of two peoples, and neither know what to think of her)

Vengeful (minor; she keeps a List and you don't want to be on it)

Powers

Boost/Lower Trait

Shape Change

Summon Ally

Possessions

Fluffy shirt, baggy breeches, goat hide sandals, feathered belt

Bunch of gold jewelery and piercings

Bone dice

Dozen pieces of eight

Cutlass (Str+d6)

Obsidian knife (Str+d4)

Pistol (2d6+1, 5/10/20) and 6 "apostles"

Experience

XP: 5

Rank: Novice

1st Advance: raised Spirit to d8

Kane Dredmore

Kane does not remember much of his childhood other than hunger and always fighting or running from bigger kids. His quick hands saved him on more than one encounter. Kane grew up with the street kids of a large city. Spent several stints in orphanages but always escaped or was thrown out for fighting. At the age of 13 he joined up with a gang of hoodlums that controlled the docks. He learned a lot about ships and also became an enforcer due to his natural fighting ability.

At the age of 16 Kane was pressed into the crew of a Cornish Sloop that headed to the Caribbean. Things went bad from the first day, when the ships Sergeant at Arms tried to wake Kane up. Kane knocked the Sergeant out with one punch. Things just got worse from there. It was determined that Kane would join the ships marines instead of becoming a sailor. The next 4 years was pure hell. Kane did not fit into navy life. After several floggings and uncountable disciplinary actions Kane lead the mutiny on the sloop. With his own hands he killed the Captain and took his hat. Unfortunately shortly after mutiny succeeded the ship was lost in a storm and only a few survived.

Kane ended up in Blue Bay with nothing other than his uniform (that had seen better days) the Sergeant's musket, Captain's hat and a few coins in his pouch.

Attributes

Agility - d10

Smarts - d6

Spirit - d4

Strength - d6

Vigor - d6

Charisma - 0

Pace - 6"

Parry - 7

Toughness - 5

Skills

Boating - d6

Fighting - d10

Notice - d6

Shooting - d10 (+1 with his musket)

Stealth - d6

Swimming - d6

Throwing - d4

Edges

Musketeer (Reload in 1 round)

Trademark Weapon (Cornish Marine Musket - "Retribution")

Hindrances

Wanted (Major - Cornish Navy - Murder, Mutiny, and Desertion)

Illiterate (Minor)

Squanderous (Minor)

Equipment

Cornish Marine Musket with Bayonet

Tattered and faded Cornish Marine Uniform

Well used Cornish Marine crossbelt and backpack

Cornish Ship Captain's Tricorn Hat with Feather Plume

Cash: 12 PoE

Experience

XP: 5

Rank: Novice

1st Advance: +1 Shooting, +1 Fighting

Woody

Woody doesn't even have a wooden leg but the name has stuck and no one really knows why. Lord Guv'na Mayberry, monkey companion in cobbled together tiny naval officer regalia, sits ever vigilant in his naval uniform on Woody's shoulder keeping the old man's thin grey hair lice free. He can be a cantankerous old coot unless you afford the Lord Guv'na the proper respect. Usually found at his 'farm' on the beach he often comes into the dockside village to gamble and restock his rum.

The man who would become Woody was born Clark Tarrinton V, and he had performed every job you could on a ship save for mate or captain but eventually became a navigator. He was always enamored with the tales of buried treasure and ruined temples which became his focus but he had never actually found any, despite his efforts. His quarters were laden with old scrolls, obtuse maps filled with riddle and metaphor featuring scribbled notes and coordinates in his own scrawling hand, bookcases loaded with all manner of myth, legend, and historical work.

As these things often go the ship capsized in a bad storm and he woke on this island. For reasons beyond him the island's population of monkeys took to him, especially one in particular. The monkeys cared for Clark and, already many years past his prime at the time of the shipwreck, over the following years marooned in relative solitude he slowly lost his mind.

In the intervening years before finding civilization he took up seashell farming, met the indigenous people of the island, and learned their ways and stories (which ended up restoring some of himself). More years have passed and now the man nicknamed 'Woody' by the residents of Blue Bay resides in a small hut along the shore spending his days 'farming' and chatting with monkeys. Those in the know though respect the old man for his incredible knowledge of languages, the stars, the sea, legends, and code breaking.

Woody charges in seashells and books and he's amassed quite a collection.

Known Languages: English (free), Spanish, French, Local Slang, indigenous people's common tongue, indig. people's next common dialect, Monkey, 2 more

Attributes

Agility d4

Smarts d8

Spirit d8

Strength d4

Vigor d4

Pace: 5"

Charisma: -1

Parry: 4

Toughness: 4

Skills

Boating (Agi): d6

Fighting (Agi): d4

Healing (Smarts): d6

Investigation (Smarts): d6

Know, Cyphers (Smarts): d8

Know, History (Smarts): d8

Notice (Smarts): d8

Shooting (Agi): d4

Streetwise (Smarts): d4

Swimming (Agi): d4

Survival (Smarts): d6 (situational +2)

Hindrances

Elderly (major)

Curious (major)

Habit (minor; demands that people give his dressed monkey companion, Lord Mayberry, the proper respect befitting an officer and noble of his station deserves)

Quirk (minor; loves his seashells, can be very distracted with adding to his farm)

Edges

Old Salt

Beast Master

Linguist

Equipment

Driftwood Cane (2d4)

Rusty flintlock pistol (2d6)

Old stained and tattered blue and white striped short pantaloons (shorts), loose sweaty yellowish/white undershirt, and a ratty vest covered in old tarnished stolen medals

Experience

XP: 5

Rank: Novice

1st Advance: gained Linguist edge

The Setting

The Treasure Islands are a jumble of jungle-clad isles that sprawl in the Big Brine, the world’s central ocean. They lie somewhat closer to the western continent of Suncatcher than the eastern homeland (named Sunthrower) of most of their new inhabitants.

In a tiny cove, Blue Bay, a bustling pirate town of ex-pirates and beachcombers seeks to prosper. Brawling, scheming, rum-soaked rascals, these sea scum don’t trust each other as far as they could throw a manatee. But many there, including its leaders, observe Captain M’s Twelve Point Code. They are as a result less inclined to senseless violence than the cutthroats of nearby Port Splendid, a larger rival pirate city ruled by the monstrous Mad Jake the Shark.

The islands are no longer the bustling hive of piracy that they once were. Treasure ships still run westward from the Golden Empire (=not Incas), but since its Emperor signed a treaty with Cornwall, Poitain and the Western Empire, far fewer and more heavily escorted fleets pass through the islands. Some of the pirates have packed up and gone home. Others, attached to the coves and jungle-clad hills, have turned to beach-combing, fishing and even (land-lubbers!) farming. A few brave souls have turned their attention to the weird, spookily empty ruins of the nearby jungles. Concealed by weird magic, guarded by ghost and monsters, defended with ingenious traps, most early treasure hunters perished in their clumsy expeditions. But now a class of delvers has emerged, treasure hunters, who are gaining some skill in broaching these places and prising treasures from their ingenious architects.

The world is a dangerous and even dark place but with less outright bleakness than the "real" Caribbean. The Golden Empire trades equably after a period of plunder. There are plantations, but most are farmed by settlers or impressed labour from the colonists’ own countries. The pirates are cutthroats and rogues who make their prisoners walk the plank. But there has been no smallpox, slavery or genocide.

Peoples

Cornish or Castillo (i.e. alt. Cornish, Welsh, Breton; or alt. Spanish, Portugese). Beachcombers, ex-pirates, or runaways from some dark past in their home nation. Carry hyper-Cornish or Iberian names like Barnaby Polbarrow, Jem Disney, Pedro da Silva, etc. Dress in the Jacobean fashion of Treasure Island era folk.

Natives. Low-tech tribal types who inhabit the nearby jungles. Silent empaths who tend shrines close to the Silver People (alt. Toltec, Mayan) ruins that dot the islands. More women are born than men. Many have non-violent Psionic powers.

Golden Empire folk. Fierce warriors, traders and priests of the Golden Empire (alt. Inca) to the west, which is now at peace with the newcomers after stemming their invasion. Few stray eastwards from their Empire, so those present in the islands tend to be mercenaries, heretics or criminals.

Froglins. These frog-like humanoids live in the deeper woods and marshes of the islands. Some tribes are friendly to outsiders, others hostile; all are naturally curious, leading to either eager trade or constant low key raids, can be quite elusive when they don't want to be disturbed, and will defend their homes with vicious guerrilla tactics when threatened.

Small: Froglins are the size of goblins or halflings, up to 4' tall, so have Size -1 and thus Toughness -1.

Amphibian: Can't drown, Swimming at d6 for free, swimming speed equal to Pace.

Arboreal: Climbing at d6 for free, climb speed equal to Pace; jump distance equal to Pace, or half Pace from a dead stop.

Monkeys and parrots are intelligent - almost humanly so - pets.

House Rules

One Benny start, regular refresh. Bennies can be won easily though, through role-playing (esp. to hindrances)

Common Knowledge only. The RAW Common Knowledge rule that characters use their smarts, at +2 when background is relevant, will serve universally for all knowledge rolls.

Natural skills. Most skills like climbing, stealth, throw, persuade can be attempted "unskilled" at d4 (NOT the RAW d4-2), provided the character has at least a d6 in the related attribute.

Starting gear. Adventurers start with their essential gear (clothes, simple weapons, etc.) and a dozen pieces of eight (silver pieces, 8 being worth one gold coin).

Arcane background. Local (Silver Folk) natives only can have Psionic powers.

No soak roll!

Three fails rule. Three fails earns a benny if at least one of these fails is portrayed amusingly.

New Edges

Digger (Novice, Sm d6, Ag d6) The character has tried their hand at exploring Toltec ruins and knows something of their lore, traps. +2 to notice, stealth and lockpicking rolls that represent interactions with ruin puzzles, traps, locks, etc.

Knows His/Her Beetles (Novice, Sm or Sp d6, Gambling d6) The character gets a free re-roll on gambling beetle races and fights, an important form of gambling among pirates and the local civilisations.

Old Salt (Novice, Sm d6, Boating d6, Survival d6; character cannot be youthful) The character has endured a hard long life on the ocean wave and become only too familiar with its reefs and islands. You get +2 for survival rolls made in sea, coastal or island environs. This roll can be used for instrument-less navigation and ropework involving devious knots. The usual +2 for Common Knowledge bonus applies regarding currents, stars, nautical howdeyedo, maritime and island fauna, plants, poisons, native cultures etc.

Sea Legs (Novice, Sm d6, Ag d6) This person may have lost some of their sea legs (or not quite yet gained them), but knows their way round a ship. Can use their Agility at -1 die, for Boating and Climbing rigging; and their Smarts -1 die for Notice and Repair when these skills are used for on-board activities like scanning the horizon, and tying ropes.

New Hindrances

Heroic, Code of Honour (major) not encouraged among pirates.

Dandy (minor) The character is obsessed by finery and spends at least a third of treasure on fine canes, hats, swords, etc. If a king’s ransom if taken, a pirate palace with liveried servants.

Pirates' Code (minor) This is not a complete moral code, rather it mitigates against the worst excesses of pirate behaviour. Share treasure fairly (a bit of sly pocketing aside), offer quarter but take full vengeance if refused, help a stranger once. Don’t shoot a fellow pirate in the back. Unless they are very annoying.

Rascal (minor or major) If major, the pirate cannot help but pickpocket, steal and betray whenever a good opportunity presents itself. As a lesser hindrance, they are more likely to refrain from most grievous forms of treachery if their regular allies are involved-but will still be unable to resist powerful temptations!

Spendthrift (minor) At least a third of monies disappears in the direction of grog, beetle racing, exotic dancers, and the like.

Superstitious (minor or major) The pirate has a superstitious fear of curses, ghost, omens and the like.

Treasure-Fever (minor or major) Not quite the same as greedy. The character is essentially Reckless and Curious when doubloons, jewels or other forms of riches appear to be at stake.