Bobcloclimar

I don't think there's much point in us pursuing overnight, especially since we will be at a disadvantage. It may be better to finish ransacking this place and see if there's any clues as to a possible destination, potential weaknesses, or magical effects to unravel.

Without further incident, the group arrives at the ship's berth. The Morning Passage is as Sven described, her well-endowed figurehead beckoning you enticingly as you pass by. The Bounding up the gangway, as if eager to get underway, Sven presents you all to the captain - an unsmiling, dark-haired man wearing a large black hat embroidered with a cyclopean skull. His fine clothing, as dark as his expression, tells volumes about how well he has done in his years at sea.... perhaps too well, if the dozen cannon protruding from her bows (far more than any honest merchant would need) are any indication. "Ye can call me Captain or Malachi, makes no difference to me, but know this—I’ll call ye what I damn well please. Ye’ve already met my mate, Pale Sven. Do as he tells ye, and he’ll see to it ye stay in one piece, ‘specially with the rough seas ahead. And if ye’re thinking of ignoring him, best ask Sven what befell poor Brummett on our last run. And mind ye, don’t go spewing on my deck. If ye feel the bile rising, take yerself up to the sterncastle and let the sea have it there. We sail within the hour. Now, tell us what ye can do, and Sven will see to yer assignments." He looks to Sven and adds, "Cookie's not been feeling himself recently, do ye think any of them can help 'im in the galley?" OOC

Corunda Cheeseroller Dwarf Knight HP: 14/14 || FP: 17/17 || DR: 5/4 || Speed: 6.25 || Move: 3 (current), 5 max Dodge: 8 || Block: 13 || Parry: 13U || Pick: 18 (sw 2d+1 imp) || Shield Bash: 16 (1d cr) || Pick to the faceTrademark Move (18 base, -5 location penalty, +1 TM): 14 (sw 2d+1 imp) "<more heavy Dwarven breathing sounds>" OOC: Full Move with a bonus +1 MP from sprinting, which puts her at D4.

I'm still here.

Pretty much. The defaults vary by skill: generally, the Easy skills default to attribute - 4, Average skills to attr - 5, and Hard to attr - 6. In the full GURPS rules, some skills can default with a lower penalty to related or similar skills, if it's higher than the attribute-based default (e.g. Broadsword defaults to the higher of DX-5 or Shortsword-2, while First Aid defaults to the higher of IQ-5 or Physician-0). Conditional modifiers to the skill level vary. A very easy condition (e.g. reefing a sail in calm weather) might be a +2 to +5, while something that makes the task much more difficult could be a -3 to -5 (e.g. piloting a ship's launch through rocky shoals during a storm). Equipment can also grant modifiers (such as a well-stocked physicians bag granting a bonus to First Aid). The exact modifiers are going to be the GM's call most of the time, but if you can provide justification for situational bonuses, I'll try to give you the benefit of the doubt. The threshold for criticals varies depending on your modified (effective) skill level, but generally it's 3-4 and 17-18 for success/failure, respectively. At effective skill 15, the critical success threshold increases to 3-5, and crit fail shrinks to just 18. A roll that is ≥ 10 more than the effective skill is also always a crit fail (so e.g. an effective skill of 6 would crit fail at 16). So the more positive modifiers you can stack onto a roll, the more likely a critical success will occur (and vice versa).

Jacquie can identify the runes on Sven's sash as being Nordic (or Nordic-inspired), but not what they say or their function. When he notices her staring at where the sash lies underneath his coat, he unbuttons it and exposes the garment, saying, "This sash marks the first mate of the Passage. Know that anyone who bears it speaks for the Captain." To her other question, he describes the Morning Passage as a double-masted, square-rigged brigantine, with roughly 30 crew ("well, more now, with you lot"). It plies the waters of the Caribbean carrying sensitive cargoes and performing odd jobs for the English governors, although he won't say more about the nature of said jobs. Among other details of the ship, he notes her distinct figurehead, a beautiful but cyclopean woman with puckered lips. Sven pointedly ignores Venetia's question and just glares at her instead. Once everyone is properly outfitted, he begins escorting the motley group towards the docks, answering more of your questions along the way.

Yeah, that's my general plan. In this particular instance, the governor has been hiring (or press-ganging when necessary) poor inhabitants of St. Kitts to assist in building the manor, so I'm counting it as general knowledge that doesn't need to be rolled for. Trying to avoid too much back-and-forth for knowledge checks 🙂.

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OK, I misunderstood your question. Yes, since she has no points in Pistol but does in Musket, she defaults at a -2 (the default modifier is skill-specific) from Musket. A cutlass uses Shortsword skill. She seems to have points in Broadsword as well, but no equipment matching that at this moment - I suspect it's so she can use things like clubs or gaffes efficiently (rather than defaulting to Shortsword at -2). First-aid can be used with whatever is at hand, with bonuses or penalties for having appropriate/inappropriate equipment. I would rule that torn-up clothing is sufficient to use without penalty for immediate wound treatment. Kicking is a fairly powerful melee attack (+1 damage compared to fisticuffs, longer range), so it's always at a -2 from the melee skill (whereas Bite has no modifier even though in reality it'd be more difficult). In the advanced rules, there are Techniques that can be bought to reduce the penalty.

No, no, you're just getting the bad rolls out now 😁 I'll just say that everyone has heard of the Whispering Cay, since it's not a secret. It's one of the numerous small islands owned by the English aristocracy; in this case, the Watts family, who are currently building a massive mansion there. Rumor is that the governor has been hiring lots of labor to expedite its construction in case the fortunes of war change, and he is forced to leave St. Kitts. Experienced sailors would estimate that it's about three days' sail away. @RoughtradeI'll let you trade the fusil for a pistol (and swap the Musket and Pistol skills), but I would recommend holding onto it in case there's a terrible sea monster French pirates or something (3d pi++ damage compared to 2d-1 pi+, which does x2 injury past DR vs 1.5x, and at a much longer range). There will be some pistols on the ship if you are on the shortlist to be duly armed in case of trouble (performing noteworthy service, impressing the captain, etc.). Let me know if I missed someone's question or interaction, since there's a lot of text to wade through.

The large Swede shrugs. "Always dangers at sea. Storms this time of year. French navy. Spanish privateers. Some say evil spirits. " He rubs his hand on his jacket, as if confirming that the sash underneath was still there, then makes the sign of the cross. He looks to Jacquie and adds, "Some say there are those who know how to placate them." He sees Amrrique and Venetia sizing him up and, giving them a once-over, says, "Don't get any ideas. I've been sailing since you were in knickers. Fifteen here, the last three under Captain Malachi. He is a talented man who has sailed these waters for over a decade." He turns to Venetia and adds, "I know of you, your ship, and what happened to your crew. The Governor may be willing to forgive your past, but you will find the crew does not share his benevolence. But we honor our contract. Do not stray while on the Passage and we will measure you as the others." If he did see Amrrique's furtive fingering of her figurine, he gives no sign. He similarly ignores the banter between the prisoners, seeming to only have an interest in getting them ready to be presented to the Captain and answering your questions, although he does quirk a small grin at Frutos's antics.

As befuddled as the rest, Toktok pokes around with the villagers outside.

Watts's gaze drifts to Jacquie's and holds it for a moment before he answers, as if he were weighing her worth. "You shall be free, pardoned by my writ and unencumbered by those past indiscretions that brought you here. It is up to you to decide whether you trust an English gentleman's word." Absent any further questions, he waves a hand to dismiss you and turns to stare moodily out the window. Pale Sven steps up and motions you all towards the door. Just before you all reach the portal, the governor snaps his fingers and says, "Ah, one more thing. I have a sealed letter here that needs to be delivered to my grandmother, Lady Ingeborg Watts. Please deliver it by hand, and be kind to the old lady, as the last time I saw her she was quite frail." He turns from the window and hands a sealed letter to Pale Sven. The first mate opens his jacket to secure the envelope inside, briefly exposing a strange, sickly-green reptile-leather sash stamped with strange runes. After rebuttoning his coat, Sven escorts you out of the mansion. A haphazard pile of tattered clothing and equipment sits just outside the door. Waving you into a rough line, Sven grates out in a thick Swedish accent, "I'm Captain Malachi's first mate. You answer to me, I answer to him. The governor had your personal items delivered here. They're outside the front door. You have five minutes to get in order, then we go down to the docks. Any questions?" OOC

* rolls dice behind GM screen * * raises eyebrows and hastily scribbles something * * whistles innocently * 😁 Yeah, I really wish there was a way to make certain subforums hidden (maybe there is and I'm just missing it?) so I can futz around in there without it showing up as recent activity in the game.

Watts glances at Sven before replying to Winnie's question. "You need not concern yourself with the contents of the cargo. Supplies and personnel for my family's estate on Whispering Cay. And as for why you have been selected, well... you are not the first group to whom I have made this offer, nor will you be the last," he offers with a thin smile. "My jails are getting crowded, and the good captain Malachi has been so very helpful in weeding out the unrepentant from those honest folk who have simply made a small mistake and found themselves on the wrong side of the King's law." Jacquie peers at the governor closely, but does not see anything more than what she observed on the way into his office: a haggard, yet haughty man eager to get this bit of business wrapped up before attending to whatever harrows him.