In-Game Conventions

'Make them walk the plank' rule
Pirate tropes are welcome if they are lampshaded. Your characters are encouraged to do things that real and fictional pirates did, and to come up with in-universe reasons why they make sense.

You will be rewarded with bennies and experience towards advances when you act like a pirate. This includes talking like a pirate.

EXAMPLE!

The pirate crew open the chest of treasure  to find it chock full of golden doubloons.  Although clearly a fortune , it would be difficult to spend this much
Espanian currency at their next destination, they also did not want to leave it on the ship in case it got burgled while they were in Port. They decided to bury it in some secret location that they might come back to it later. Seeking a nearby deserted atoll, they resolve to carry out their terrible plan.

'Ride the Cannonball'
AKA the Jack Sparrow rule
This game will allow you to play as a swashbuckling corsair. One of you will set the sails to gain the weather - gage while priming the cannons with chain-shot, then swing across  to the other deck and cross blades with the enemy captain.

Another will load an anchor into a cannon, attach the anchor chain to their belt, and launched themselves ask the enemy ship. Once aboard, they will get into a wrestling match with a monkey.

If you do straightforward heroic freebooting Adventurer things, expect to succeed or fail as the dice warrant. You might win the day or be run through.

If you do silly things that no sane Buccaneer would attempt, you will be met with equally bizarre reactions. If nothing else, the enemy will be so flustered by your tactics that they might not even think to Simply shoot you. However, you are just as likely to end up with a bizarre consequence as bewildering success.

If you bring a banana to a sword fight, you might end up with a fruit salad rather than a sucking chest wound.

The 'Flashing Blades' rule
When two people are engaged in a melee combat, anyone attempting to shoot either combatant has a two-point penalty on their roll. If two or more combatants our gang up on a single enemy, this penalty only applies to the single combatant. His allies suffer no penalties to shoot at the people ganging up on him. Melees with two or more people on each side do not invoke this rule.

'Keep your Powder Dry' rule
Old-fashioned firearms need to be primed with gunpowder and loaded with shot. You will need to keep track of how much shot you have in your inventory. However, if you have a container for powder, you will not need to keep track of that. We will assume you carry enough powder for your shot, and that you refill your powder at the same time you acquire more shot. There may be different types of shot, but generally powder is not a separate resource. The only exception is if you go through a situation where your powder might be damaged. If you fall overboard, or your gun becomes soaking wet, the powder you have on your person might become unusable.

The 'Weather-Gage' Rule

Sailing ships depend on the Wind and the waves for their motion. While a skilled crew with a good ship can benefit from almost all conditions, there are times when the elements are more favourable for one ship than another.

When two ships are in battle, the one that is upwind of the other is considered to have the Weather-Gage. This allows them to react quickly to any changes in their enemies' Course, and take advantage.

The two ships draw initiative as normal. If the ship with the Weather-gage wins, they gain +2 on Boating checks to increase, maintain, or close the distance. They gain +2 on Shooting checks to fire cannons or other ship-mounted weapons.
If the ship with the weather-gage loses initiative, they may choose to act first in the round. However, they gain no bonus to their rolls regardless.

One ship only has the Weather-gage if they are directly upwind of their target. If they must rotate forty-five degrees or more from the wind, they gain no bonus.

If there are multiple enemy ships in battle, it is only possible for one ship to have the Weather-gage against one enemy.
If two ships are upwind of their enemy, only one may have the Weather-gage. If one ship is upwind of two enemies, they only have the weather-gage against one.
If there are two or more ships on either side of the battle, then things are too chaotic for any ship to maintain the Weather-gage and no-one gets any benefit.

The 'Foc'sle Gossip' Rule

There are a number of cultures across the Canaddean, and every one of them has their own language. Some of them even have different dialects within the same language. Sea-faring voyagers pick up enough to get by, but it is harder to make yourself understood in a language not your native one.

We are using the Multiple Languages rules (pg. 140). Everyone starts with the benefit of the Linguist edge to begin with: You know a number of languages equal to half your Smarts die at D6. You may take the Linguist edge as well, which means you have a number of languages equal to your Smarts die at d6.

The Cursed Number

Unless the GM tells you otherwise, assume that the Target Number (TN) for any given check is 4. This applies to attacking enemies, unless the GM has already told you their defence value.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:00, Wed 27 Jan 2021.

Dice Roller

I've configured the dice roller to work according to Savage Worlds rules.

Enter the dice you need to roll in the Manual field, separated by commas.

1d6, 1d4

The dice roller will reroll max results and record each dice individually. Take the highest single dice result and compare it to the target number.

Tale-Spinner rolled 1,14, using 1d6,1d4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(4+4+4+2)14.
Result: 14.

Magic and Spells

Shanties are written about feelings, like happiness or fear. They're often about people in a big scary world, trying to make the best of it. They aren't flashy or aggressive, but good for boosting people and protecting them.

Some Novice powers:
Arcane protection , Beast Friend , Blind , Boost / lower trait , Confusion , Darksight , Deflection , Detect / conceal arcana , Empathy , Environmental Protection , Fear , Havoc , Healing , Illusion , Mind Link , Protection , Relief , Sound / Silence , Speak Language , Stun , Wall Walker

Some Seasoned powers:
Disguise , Dispel , Farsight , Sloth / Speed , Slumber , Warrior's Gift

Some Veteran powers:
Banish , Drain Power Points , Mind Wipe

Some Heroic powers:
Resurrection

Huptou is the magic of convincing spirits to do your bidding. A caster creates fetishes that endear the spirits and win their attention. Twists of string, bones, sticks, feathers, shining stones, and all manner of other junk goes into these. There is an art to winning over the spirits that few can predict. The spirits tend to provide power over the elements. They intervene briefly to help, then vanish again.

Some Novice powers:
Beast Friend , Blind , Bolt , Burrow , Burst , Confusion , Deflection , Detect / Conceal Arcana , Entangle , Elemental Manipulation , Havoc , Illusion , Light / Darkness , Shape Change , Smite , Stun , Summon Ally , Wall Walker

Some Seasoned powers:
Barrier , Blast , Damage Field , Dispel , Telekinesis , Teleport , Warrior's Gift

Some Veteran powers:
Banish , Drain Power Points , Fly , Puppet

Some Heroic powers:
Divination , Resurrection

The One True Faith, also called Truism, purports to bestow the blessing of a benevolent deity on the worthy. This power is rarely destructive. It serves to heal, to protect, and to guide. It can be subtle, seeming to be nothing more than luck. It can sometimes manipulate the elements.

Some Novice powers:
Arcane Protection , Beast Friend , Boost / Lower Trait , Confusion , Darksight , Detect / Conceal Arcana , Elemental Manipulation , Empathy , Environmental Protection , Fear , Healing , Light / Darkness , Mind Link , Mind Reading , Protection , Relief , Smite , Sound / Silence , Speak LAnguage , Stun , Summon Ally

Some Seasoned powers:
Barrier , Disguise , Dispel , Farsight , Invisibility , Object Reading , Sloth / Speed , Slumber , Telekinesis , Teleport , Warrior's Gift

Some Veteran powers:
Banish , Drain Power Points , Fly

Some Heroic powers:
Divination , Intangibility , Resurrection