this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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Help me flesh out my homebrew pirate world by asking me questions about it (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by jossbo@lemmy.ml to c/dnd@lemmy.world
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First off: Sawbones, Moonie, Reeva or Mygg, if you're reading this, DON'T!

I'm running a pirate-themed homebrew campaign set in a homebrewed place which I've plonked down in The Sea of Falling Stars. I call it The Southern Isles, and its rife with piracy. The de facto 'government' is The Southern Islands Company, who run the place for profit and starve the population with high taxes and tithes, and who brutally suppress any rebellion. I've used every pirate and maritime trope I can think of in planning the plot, creating encounters and filling it with characters.

I figured this will help me add flavour to the world, and could be a good resource for anyone planning a similar campaign, or one shot or whatever.

Edit: I should maybe note I already played quite a bit in this setting and after a long hiatus I am starting it back up for Season 2, so partly this is a way for me to get it all fresh in my head again.

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[–] Leneya@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

well, since its in the Forgotten Realms settings, access to cannons are rare and limited - and really expensive - where a small island of a weird gnome sect in the far south west of the continent hold the monopoly to guns and cannons. Mostly, mages and other magical users would be employed to either power the sails and/or defend from attacks.

as for the maneuvering part, one can roleplay a ship chase, running mages dry, and then the more powerful ship has the chance to get away or attack the remaining fighting crew as one would. And since a ship will fight for its very existence, unless the opponent are slavers, every man will fight, which shouldn't be fought out unless you group all combatants into one "group" and roll for them to see how they are doing.

More ideas:

  • Slavers are a topic in such games. One could think about the wealth distribution among the crew, among certain factions, regions, and flesh out the region accordingly.
  • Check the campaign guide for trades countries would ship overseas, what items could they want to smuggle?
  • What kind of taboos exist on land, which your crew might flee from and become Privateers?
  • How are Pirates supplied?
  • Where is their landing port, safe haven? How is it defended when the main part of the fleet is gone? Access to repairs? How do they recruit additional crew?
  • What enemies are there? What "Kingpins" of the Underworld (can also be intelligent Monsters) exist, what foes? (how a about a beholder "kraken"?)
  • How are the landlubbers acting towards the crew, what kind of people are there? Do you have primitives, voodoo shamans and a carribbean setting or do you prefer the privateer British setting, with more refinements and fortified towns - or something in between?

Source: FR Campaign Guide & Drizzt Books

notable mentions to check out:

  • (TSR/2nd ED): Pirates of the Fallen Stars
  • (D20): Corsair the definitive Guide to Ships / Gareth-Michael Skarka