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Those sailing under the fearsome f lag of a pirate
vessel live by different guidelines than those
protected by the laws of the Inner Sea’s nations. A
pirate’s life, for the most part, depends upon a foundation of
respect and reputation, a scallywag’s propensity for daring
raids or f laming ruin having aftershocks extending far
beyond the decks of his own ship. In the Skull & Shackles
Adventure Path, characters find themselves thrust into the
cutthroat lives of pirates. Their success, and potentially
their survival, will depend on reputations garnered from
their decisions, outrages, and panache. The following
presents details and subsystems allowing GMs to track
their PCs’ increasing reputation, which has ramifications
throughout the Adventure Path, as well as several other
systems and side games to help simulate the day-to-day
responsibilities and dangers of being Shackles pirates.
== Plunder & Infamy ==
The acquisition of wealth and the spread of grim
The acquisition of wealth and the spread of grim
reputations motivate pirates to deeds of daring and
reputations motivate pirates to deeds of daring and
depravity. The following two subsystems present GMs
depravity. This is a supplement and modification to the "Pirate's Life" rules from Pathfinder #54.
with ways to gauge and track their PCs’ success at achieving
what all pirates desire most. Although the PCs’ situation
in “The Wormwood Mutiny” prevents them from gaining
much in the way of plunder or infamy in this adventure,
their fortunes rise considerably in future adventures.


=== Plunder ===
== Community Table ==
There’s a difference between plunder and the gold pieces in
This table is used to see how much plunder can be sold, how hard it is to sell, what maximum infamy value can be gained in the community, and how many able bodies can be mustered in the community at any one time.
a pirate’s pocket. While gold doubloons and fabulous jewelry
{|
can be plunder, pirates are rarely lucky enough to encounter
|valign=top width="15%"|Community Size || valign=top width="15%"| Max # Sales|| valign=top width="15%"| Sale DC || valign=top  width="15%"| Maximum Infamy || valign=top width="15%"|Maximum Muster
a ship with a hold full of such treasures. Typically, there
|-
are trade goods, foodstuffs, spices, and valuables of a more
||Thorp ||| 1 |||25  ||| 10 ||| 1d6
mundane sort. Such takes can fetch significant prices, but
|-
for scallywags more interested in looting than the specifics
||Hamlet ||| 2 |||20  ||| 20 ||| 2d6
of what they loot, this system provides a way for parties to
|-
track their plunder without getting bogged down by lists
||Village ||| 4 |||15  ||| 30 ||| 4d6
of commonplace cargo and their values down to the copper
|-
piece. Aside from streamlining the collection of riches,
||Small town ||| 8 |||10  ||| 40 ||| 8d6
this system also allows characters to increase their infamy,
|-
paying off crew members and spreading their wealth with
||Large town ||| 15 |||5  ||| 50 ||| 16d6
more appealing dispensations of loot than what was aboard
|-
the last merchant ship they robbed.
||Small city ||| 30 (lots of 5)|||10 ||| 60||| 32d6
|-
||Large city ||| 60 (lots of 5|||5 ||| 70 ||| 64d6
|-
||Metropolis ||| 120 (lots of 10|||10 ||| 80 ||| 128d6
|}


'''Winning Plunder:''' What gains a group plunder is largely
decided by the GM or is noted at the relevant points
throughout the Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Typically,
at any point the PCs claim a ship’s cargo, conquer an enemy’s
hideout, or find a significant treasure, there’s the potential
for a portion (sometimes a significant portion) of that
wealth to translate into plunder. Plunder means more than
five wicker baskets, a barrel of pickled herring, three short
swords, and a noble’s outfit; it’s a generalization of a much
larger assortment of valuable but generally useless goods
(and serves to help avoid bookkeeping on lists of random
goods). Rather, a cargo ship carrying construction timber,
dyed linens, crates of sugar, animal furs, and various other
goods might equate to 4 points of plunder. Just as when
awarding more standard forms of treasure, a GM doling
out plunder should consider the challenge of winning the
plunder and the actual value of the plunder if the PCs cash
it in (see below). As a rule of thumb, GMs seeking to give
the characters a minor reward might give them 1 point of
plunder, while a major reward would be 5 points of plunder.
Plunder is not meant to serve as a replacement for
more standard forms of treasure. GMs should still award
characters gold and magic items to keep them prepared
to face new challenges, whereas plunder serves as a
useful shorthand for what varied mundane treasures are
discovered and can be sold for values in gold. Characters
can also buy plunder if they wish, though those who do
so risk becoming known as merchants rather than pirates.


'''Value of Plunder:''' Plunder is valuable for three reasons: It
== Plunder ==
=== Value of Plunder ===
Plunder is valuable for three reasons: It
can be sold for gold pieces, it can be used to modify your ship and pay other expenses associated with pirating, and it helps you increase your
can be sold for gold pieces, it can be used to modify your ship and pay other expenses associated with pirating, and it helps you increase your
Infamy (Infamy is further detailed below). In general, 1
Infamy (Infamy is further detailed below). In general, 1
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the same PC to make the skill check to influence the trade.
the same PC to make the skill check to influence the trade.
The larger the port and the higher the skill check, the
The larger the port and the higher the skill check, the
better price the PCs can get for their plunder. At smaller
better price the PCs can get for their plunder.  
ports there’s little chance of getting more than half value for
 
plunder, unless a PC can employ a skill to make a better deal.
The normal sell price of plunder is 50% of the nominal value, that is 500 gp per point of plunder. To sell a point of plunder, the PCs must make a skill check matching the sale DC of the community. The number of skill checks that can be made in a given community is also given by the size of the community. Skill check attempts count against this limit whether successful or not. For every 5 points above the minimum roll required, the price increases by 5% (25 gp).
At larger ports, the chances of finding a buyer willing to
 
pay a reasonable price for cargo increases, and PCs can still
employ skill checks to make even more lucrative bargains.
PCs seeking to win a higher price for their plunder can make
PCs seeking to win a higher price for their plunder can make
one of the following skill checks and apply the results to the
one of the following skill checks and apply the results to the
table below: Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or any applicable
table below: Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate.
Profession skill, like Profession (merchant). A poor result
on a skill check can reduce the value of plunder. If the PCs
are not satisfied with the price they are offered for their
plunder, they need not take it, but a day’s worth of effort is
still expended. They can try for a better result the next day.
 
The table below explains how much PCs can expect
to get for their plunder in communities of various sizes,
the skill check DC required to increase this amount by
a set percentage, and the maximum amount buyers in a
community can be convinced to buy plunder for. Each
column is explained in brief here.
 
'''Community Size:''' The size of a community is determined
by its population, noted in every community stat block and
further detailed in the Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide.
Base Sale %: Every community is willing to buy plunder
from the PCs, but not necessarily at its full value. This
column lists the percentage at which a community is willing
to buy 1 point of plunder (along with that percentage’s
expression in gold pieces).
 
'''DC to Increase Sale:''' This is the skill check DC required
to increase the sale percentage a community offers for
plunder. Every community can be convinced to offer more
for plunder (to a maximum sale percentage listed in the final
column of the table below), but this requires the PCs to make
a skill check. The DC of this skill check is 10 + an amount
determined by how much the PCs are trying to increase
the sale percentage. For example, if a PC is unwilling to
accept a mere 20% of the value of his group’s plunder when
attempting to sell it in a hamlet, he can attempt to increase
this percentage by 5% by making a DC 15 skill check. If he
wants to attempt to increase the percentage to 30% (the
maximum amount the hamlet can possibly pay), he must
make a DC 20 skill check. Failure results in no increase, and
this skill check can only be made once per day. In larger
communities, the DC to increase these percentages rises,
but the percentage also increases, as does the maximum
percentage buyers can be talked up to.


'''Maximum Sale %:''' This is the highest percentage at which
=== Spending Plunder ===
a community can be talked into buying 1 point of plunder.
In addition to its value in gold pieces,
Merchants in a community will never buy plunder for a
plunder is vital to increasing a pirate crew’s Infamy. Plunder is also spent, at the basic rate of 1,000 gp per point of plunder, to build and furnish ships, purchase supplies and crew weapons, and so on. See the Infamy subsystem for more details.
higher price than this. Additionally, this column lists the skill
check DC required to haggle buyers up to this percentage,
and how much the percentage is worth in gold pieces.


'''Spending Plunder:''' In addition to its value in gold pieces,
=== Buying Plunder ===
plunder is vital to increasing a pirate crew’s Infamy. Plunder is also spent, at the basic rate of 1,000 gp per oint of plunder, to build and furnish ships, purchase supplies and crew weapons, and so on. See
Although gold typically proves more
the Infamy subsystem for more details.
 
'''Buying Plunder:''' Although gold typically proves more
valuable and versatile than plunder, some parties might
valuable and versatile than plunder, some parties might
wish to exchange their traditional wealth for plunder.
wish to exchange their traditional wealth for plunder.
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determined by the GM.
determined by the GM.


=== Community Table ===
== Infamy and Disrepute ==
{|
||Community Size |||Base Gp per plunder ||| Sale DC & Price hike |||Maximum sale
|-
||Thorp |||10% (100 gp) |||10 + 5 per 5% |||20% (DC 20; 200 gp)
|-
||Hamlet |||20% (200 gp) |||10 + 5 per 5% |||30% (DC 20; 300 gp)
|-
||Village |||30% (300 gp) |||10 + 5 per 5% |||40% (DC 20; 400 gp)
|-
||Small town |||40% (400 gp) |||10 + 5 per 5% |||60% (DC 30; 600 gp)
|-
||Large town |||60% (600 gp) |||10 + 5 per 5% |||80% (DC 30; 800 gp)
|-
||Small city |||80% (800 gp) |||10 + 10 per 5% |||90% (DC 30; 900 gp)
|-
||Large city |||90% (900 gp) |||10 + 10 per 10% |||120% (DC 40; 1,200 gp)
|-
||Metropolis |||100% (1,000 gp) |||10 + 10 per 10% |||140% (DC 50; 1,400 gp)
|}
 
=== Infamy and Disrepute ===
Some pirates only do what they do for the promise of wealth,
Some pirates only do what they do for the promise of wealth,
being little more than brigands of the waves. Others do it
being little more than brigands of the waves. Others do it
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tales of their outrages. All of this has the potential to win
tales of their outrages. All of this has the potential to win
the PCs Infamy, but that alone isn’t the goal. At the most
the PCs Infamy, but that alone isn’t the goal. At the most
basic level, infamous pirates have the potential to pressgang
basic level, infamous pirates have the potential to press-gang
unfortunates into their crews, get repairs to their
unfortunates into their crews, get repairs to their
ships in nearly any port, and win discounts from merchants
ships in nearly any port, and win discounts from merchants
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allowing it to garner support from other pirate lords, win
allowing it to garner support from other pirate lords, win
more favorable vessels, and even rally whole pirate armadas
more favorable vessels, and even rally whole pirate armadas
under its f lag. This system allows characters to track how
under its flag. This system allows characters to track how
their legend is growing over the course of the campaign,
their legend is growing over the course of the campaign,
along with providing them tangible rewards for building
along with providing them tangible rewards for building
appropriately piratical reputations.
appropriately piratical reputations.


'''Infamy and Disrepute Scores:''' In a method similar to the
=== Infamy and Disrepute Scores ===
In a method similar to the
tracking system for Fame and Prestige Points detailed in
tracking system for Fame and Prestige Points detailed in
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, a
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, a
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for the group, but that they perform either to curry the
for the group, but that they perform either to curry the
group’s favor or to avoid its disfavor. This score will
group’s favor or to avoid its disfavor. This score will
likely f luctuate over the course of a pirate crew’s career
likely fluctuate over the course of a pirate crew’s career
and can go as high as the group’s Infamy (but never higher),
and can go as high as the group’s Infamy (but never higher),
and at times might even drop to zero. This isn’t something
and at times might even drop to zero. This isn’t something
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must make either a Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform check to
must make either a Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform check to
gauge the effectiveness of her recounting or embellishing.
gauge the effectiveness of her recounting or embellishing.
The DC of this check is equal to 15 + twice the group’s average
The DC of this check is equal to 15 + half the group's Infamy score, and the check is referred to as an Infamy
party level (APL), and the check is referred to as an Infamy
check. Other characters can assist in this. If the character succeeds at this check, the group’s
check. If the character succeeds at this check, the group’s
Infamy and Disrepute both increase by +1 (so long as neither
Infamy and Disrepute both increase by +1 (so long as neither
score is already at its maximum amount). If the result exceeds
score is already at its maximum amount). If the result exceeds
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crew can travel to another port and gain more Infamy by
crew can travel to another port and gain more Infamy by
boasting to a new audience.
boasting to a new audience.
There is also a limitation based on the size of the port. No matter how infamous their deeds, telling of them in a thorp will never win more than local recognition. If an infamy increase would place the players infamy score above the allowed maximum, there is no increase.


'''Plunder and Infamy:''' Plunder can modify a PC’s attempt to
'''Plunder and Infamy:''' Plunder can modify a PC’s attempt to
gain Infamy in two ways. Before making an Infamy check for
gain Infamy in two ways. Before making an Infamy check for
the day, the party can choose to spend plunder to inf luence
the day, the party can choose to spend plunder to influence
the result—any tale is more believable when it comes from
the result—any tale is more believable when it comes from
someone throwing around her wealth and buying drinks
someone throwing around her wealth and buying drinks
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+2 bonus to the character’s skill check to earn Infamy. The
+2 bonus to the character’s skill check to earn Infamy. The
party can choose to spend as much plunder as it wants to
party can choose to spend as much plunder as it wants to
inf luence this check—even the most leaden-tongued pirate
influence this check—even the most leaden-tongued pirate
might win fabulous renown by spending enough booty.
might win fabulous renown by spending enough booty.
Additionally, if a PC fails an Infamy check, the party can
Additionally, if a PC fails an Infamy check, the party can
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much loot you throw at them.
much loot you throw at them.


'''Spending Disrepute:''' A group’s Disrepute can be spent
== Recruiting ==
to buy beneficial effects called impositions, though some
A pirate ship needs a crew, and nothing helps influence potential recruits like infamy. To recruit, make a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check, and add half the crew's Infamy to the result. The DC is 20 and lets you recruit 1d6 potential crewmen. Every 5 points of margin on the roll recruits an additional d6 crew. The maximum number of crew that can be recruited in any one port is given in the community table, above.
impositions might only be available in certain places—
such as at port—or might have additional costs—like
forcing a prisoner to walk the plank. Spending Disrepute
to purchase an imposition requires 1 full day unless
otherwise noted. When Disrepute is spent, the group’s
Disrepute score decreases by the price of the imposition,
but its Infamy (and, thus, the group’s Infamy threshold)
remains the same. The prices of impositions and the
Infamy threshold required to make those impositions
available are detailed below.


'''Infamy Threshold'''
There are numerous other modifiers to the recruiting roll, depending on the captain's requirement.
The following benefits are available to groups that
achieve the listed amount of Infamy.


=== Title & Infamy ===
{| class="wikitable"
==== Disgraceful ====
|-
* Disgraceful Characters may purchase disgraceful (10+ Infamy) impositions.
|| '''Condition'''|||'''Modifier'''
* The PCs may choose one favored port. They gain a +2 bonus on all Infamy checks made at that port.
|-
 
||Special requirement, such as race (Other than human), gender, religion, and so on|||-5
==== Disgraceful ====
|-
Despicable Characters may purchase despicable
||PC class crew|||-5
(20+ Infamy) impositions.
|-
Once per week, the PCs can sacrifice a
|| Trained crew (level 2)|||-5
prisoner or crew member to immediately
|-
gain 1d3 points of Disrepute. This
|| Veteran crew (level 5)|||-10
sacrifice is always fatal, and returning
|-
the victim to life results in the loss of
|| Elite Crew (level 10)||| -20
1d6 points of Disrepute.
|}
Notorious Characters may purchase notorious
(30+ Infamy) impositions.
Disgraceful impositions can be
purchased for half price (rounded down).
The PCs may choose a second favored
port. They gain a +2 bonus on all Infamy
checks made at this new favored port
and a +4 bonus on Infamy checks made
at their first favored port.
 
==== Disgraceful ====
Loathsome Characters may purchase loathsome
(40+ Infamy) impositions.
Despicable impositions can be purchased
for half price (rounded down).
PCs gain a +5 bonus on skill checks
made to sell plunder.
 
==== Disgraceful ====
Vile Characters may purchase vile
(55+ Infamy) impositions.
Notorious impositions can be purchased
for half price (rounded down). Disgraceful
impositions are free.
The PCs may choose a third favored port.
They gain a +2 bonus on all Infamy checks
made at the new favored port, a +4 bonus
on Infamy checks made at their second
favored port, and a +6 bonus on Infamy
checks made at their first favored port.
 
Impositions
The following benefits can be purchased by groups that
spend the listed amount of Disrepute and have achieved the
requisite amount of Infamy. Over the course of the Skull &
Shackles Adventure Path, characters might find other ways
to spend their Disrepute. GMs are also encouraged to create
their own impositions using the following as guidelines.
Infamy Cost Imposition Benefit
Disgraceful Impositions
2 Yes, Sir!: For the next hour, the PCs’ crew
completes any mundane tasks they’re assigned
in half the expected time. This typically relates
to Craft and Profession (sailor) checks made
to prepare, maintain, or repair the ship, and
cannot be applied to combat or more complex
deeds like crafting magic items.
5 Captain’s Orders!: As a standard action, a PC
on board her ship can cast fog cloud, heroism,
make whole, quench, or whispering wind with a
caster level equal to her character level.
5 Walk the Plank!: The PCs may sacrifice one crew
member or prisoner to grant themselves and
their crew one of two bonuses: either a +2 bonus
on all skill checks or a +2 bonus on attack rolls.
These bonuses only apply while on board the
PCs’ ship and last until either the next day or
when the captain leaves the ship. If a sacrificed
character is returned to life, the PCs and their
crew members take a –2 penalty on both skill
checks and attack rolls for 1 day.
10 Get Up, You Dogs!: Every PC and allied character
on the deck of the PCs’ ship is affected as per
the spell cure light wounds, as if cast by a cleric of
the PCs’ average party level. This imposition can
only be used once per week.
Despicable Impositions
5 Lashings!: The speed of the PCs’ ship doubles
for 1 day.
5 Shiver Me Timbers!: While on board their ship,
the PCs and their entire crew can reroll initiative
or roll initiative in what would otherwise be a
surprise round. The benefit of this imposition can
be used immediately, but only once per week.
10 Besmara’s Blessings!: As a standard action, a
PC on board her ship can cast animate rope,
control water, remove curse, remove disease, or
water breathing with a caster level equal to her
character level.
10 Dead Men Tell No Tales!: While on board
their ship, the PCs can use this imposition to
automatically confirm a threatened critical hit.
Notorious Impositions
5 You’ll Take It!: The PCs can spend up to 5 points
of plunder in 1 day at 50% of its value (regardless
of a community’s maximum sale %). This
amount cannot be adjusted by skill checks.
5 Honor the Code!: The PCs and their crew gain
a +4 bonus on all Charisma-based skill checks
made against other pirates for the next 24 hours.
10 Master the Winds!: As a standard action, a PC
on board her ship can cast call lightning storm,
control winds, mirage arcana, or telekinesis with
a caster level equal to her character level.
15 Chum the Waters!: For every Infamy threshold
they possess, the PCs summon 1d4 sharks into
the waters surrounding their ship. These sharks
are not under the PCs’ control and viciously
attack any creature in the water.
Loathsome Impositions
5 Evade!: Teleport your ship 100 feet in any direction.
This imposition can be used once per day.
10 You’ll Take It and Like It!: The PCs can spend up to
5 points of plunder in 1 day at 100% of its value
(regardless of a community’s maximum sale %).
This amount cannot be adjusted by skill checks.
10 Master the Waves!: As a standard action, a PC on
board her ship can cast control weather, discern
location, hero’s feast, or waves of exhaustion with
a caster level equal to her character level.
20 The Widow’s Scar!: Choose one enemy to curse.
You and your crew gain a +2 bonus on attack and
damage rolls against that NPC for 1 week. The
enemy is aware of the curse and who cursed her,
and can end the effect with a remove curse spell.
Vile Impositions
10 More Lashings!: The speed of the PCs’ ship
quadruples for 1 day.
15 The Hungry Sea!: A PC aboard her ship may
cast elemental swarm, storm of vengeance, or
whirlwind as an 17th-level caster.
20 Dive! Dive! Dive!: The PCs’ ship submerges and
can travel underwater at its normal speed for
up to 1 hour. During this time, the vessel is
encompassed by a bubble of breathable air and
takes no ill effects from the water—even most
sea creatures keep their distance. The ship
leaves no visible wake upon the waters above,
but might be visible in particularly clear water.
25 Summon the Serpent!: One sea serpent comes
to the aid of the PCs’ ship. This sea monster is
under the control of the PCs and serves for 10
minutes before disappearing back into the deep.


PLUNDER & INFAMY
Crew can never be higher level than half the captain's level, or the captain's level -5, whichever is higher.
QUICK REFERENCE
<!-- OGL -->
The following terms feature prominently in the plunder and
<noinclude>{{OGL}}</noinclude>
Infamy subsystems, and are called out for ease of reference.
Disrepute: The amount of Infamy the PCs have accrued
through successful Infamy checks, which can be spent on
impositions. Costs measured in Disrepute are marked
with a price.
Infamy Check: A Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform check
made to gain Infamy and Disrepute. The DC of this check
equals 15 + twice the group’s average character level.
Spending plunder grants bonuses on this check.
Impositions: Incredible deeds and outrageous acts that
grant the PCs a variety of benefits or impose crippling
consequences on their victims. Higher tier impositions
become available as PCs reach higher Infamy thresholds.
Infamy Threshold: Ranges measured in Infamy. Upon
achieving new Infamy thresholds, additional impositions
become available for purchase.
Plunder: An approximation of valuable but non-useful
cargo. One point of plunder is worth about 1,000 gp, and
takes up 10 tons of cargo capacity, unless otherwise noted.
Infamy: The highest total number of points of Disrepute
achieved by making successful Infamy checks, representing
the PCs’ total reputation. This number cannot exceed the
PCs’ average party level × 4 but rarely, if ever, decreases.

Latest revision as of 10:57, 4 August 2014

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Unofficial rules compendium

The acquisition of wealth and the spread of grim reputations motivate pirates to deeds of daring and depravity. This is a supplement and modification to the "Pirate's Life" rules from Pathfinder #54.

Community Table

This table is used to see how much plunder can be sold, how hard it is to sell, what maximum infamy value can be gained in the community, and how many able bodies can be mustered in the community at any one time.

Community Size Max # Sales Sale DC Maximum Infamy Maximum Muster
Thorp 1 25 10 1d6
Hamlet 2 20 20 2d6
Village 4 15 30 4d6
Small town 8 10 40 8d6
Large town 15 5 50 16d6
Small city 30 (lots of 5) 10 60 32d6
Large city 60 (lots of 5 5 70 64d6
Metropolis 120 (lots of 10 10 80 128d6


Plunder

Value of Plunder

Plunder is valuable for three reasons: It can be sold for gold pieces, it can be used to modify your ship and pay other expenses associated with pirating, and it helps you increase your Infamy (Infamy is further detailed below). In general, 1 point of plunder is worth approximately 1,000 gp, whether it be for a crate full of valuable ores or a whole cargo hold full of foodstuffs. Regardless of what the plunder represents, getting the best price for such goods is more the domain of merchants than pirates, and just because cargo might be worth a set amount doesn’t necessarily mean the PCs can get that much for it.

Exchanging 1 point of plunder for gold requires a PC to spend 1 full day at port and make an applicable skill check. Regardless of how much plunder the PCs have, one PC must spend a full day trading to exchange 1 point of plunder for gold. The PC trading also must be the same PC to make the skill check to influence the trade. The larger the port and the higher the skill check, the better price the PCs can get for their plunder.

The normal sell price of plunder is 50% of the nominal value, that is 500 gp per point of plunder. To sell a point of plunder, the PCs must make a skill check matching the sale DC of the community. The number of skill checks that can be made in a given community is also given by the size of the community. Skill check attempts count against this limit whether successful or not. For every 5 points above the minimum roll required, the price increases by 5% (25 gp).

PCs seeking to win a higher price for their plunder can make one of the following skill checks and apply the results to the table below: Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate.

Spending Plunder

In addition to its value in gold pieces, plunder is vital to increasing a pirate crew’s Infamy. Plunder is also spent, at the basic rate of 1,000 gp per point of plunder, to build and furnish ships, purchase supplies and crew weapons, and so on. See the Infamy subsystem for more details.

Buying Plunder

Although gold typically proves more valuable and versatile than plunder, some parties might wish to exchange their traditional wealth for plunder. In any community, a party can buy 1 point of plunder for 1,000 gp. What form of goods this plunder takes is determined by the GM.

Infamy and Disrepute

Some pirates only do what they do for the promise of wealth, being little more than brigands of the waves. Others do it for the reputation, fearsomeness, and power that comes with numbering among the most notorious scallywags on the seas. That’s where Infamy comes in. Numerous times over the course of their careers, the PCs—as members of a single pirate crew—will have the opportunity to recount their victories, boast of the treasures they’ve won, and spread tales of their outrages. All of this has the potential to win the PCs Infamy, but that alone isn’t the goal. At the most basic level, infamous pirates have the potential to press-gang unfortunates into their crews, get repairs to their ships in nearly any port, and win discounts from merchants they’d prefer not to rob. As a crew becomes more and more infamous, however, its legend stretches across the seas, allowing it to garner support from other pirate lords, win more favorable vessels, and even rally whole pirate armadas under its flag. This system allows characters to track how their legend is growing over the course of the campaign, along with providing them tangible rewards for building appropriately piratical reputations.

Infamy and Disrepute Scores

In a method similar to the tracking system for Fame and Prestige Points detailed in Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Pathfinder Society Field Guide, a party has two related scores, Infamy and Disrepute. Infamy tracks how many points of Infamy the crew has gained over its career—think of this as the sum of all the outlandish stories and rumors about the PCs being told throughout the Shackles. Infamy rarely, if ever, decreases, and reaching certain Infamy thresholds provides useful benefits and allows others to be purchased using points of Disrepute. Infamy is limited by actual skill, however, and a group’s Infamy score can never be more than 4 × the PCs’ average party level.

Disrepute is a spendable resource—a group’s actual ability to cash in on its reputation. This currency is used to purchase impositions, deeds others might not want to do for the group, but that they perform either to curry the group’s favor or to avoid its disfavor. This score will likely fluctuate over the course of a pirate crew’s career and can go as high as the group’s Infamy (but never higher), and at times might even drop to zero. This isn’t something to worry about, though, as a low Disrepute score has no bearing on a crew’s overall reputation—on the contrary, it merely means they’re making use of the benefits their status has won them. However, it does represent that even the PCs’ legend can only take them so far, and if a group’s Disrepute drops lower than the Disrepute price of a benefit, the crew must spend time building its Disrepute back up before it can purchase that benefit.

Winning Infamy and Disrepute: A few things are required to gain Infamy: an audience, a deed to tell about, and a f lair for storytelling. Proof of the group’s deed in the form of plunder doesn’t hurt either.

To gain Infamy, the PCs must moor their ship at a port for 1 full day, and the PC determined by the group to be its main storyteller must spend this time on shore carousing and boasting of infamous deeds. This PC must make either a Bluff, Intimidate, or Perform check to gauge the effectiveness of her recounting or embellishing. The DC of this check is equal to 15 + half the group's Infamy score, and the check is referred to as an Infamy check. Other characters can assist in this. If the character succeeds at this check, the group’s Infamy and Disrepute both increase by +1 (so long as neither score is already at its maximum amount). If the result exceeds the DC by +5, the group’s Infamy and Disrepute increase by +2; if the result exceeds the DC by +10, both scores increase by +3. The most a party’s Infamy and Disrepute scores can ever increase as a result of a single Infamy check is by 3 points. If the PC fails the Infamy check, there is no change in her group’s Infamy score and the day has been wasted. Occasionally, deeds of exceptional daring or depravity might win a party increases to its Disrepute. This sort of discretionary bonus to Disrepute is noted in the context of an adventure or determined by the GM.

'Infamy and Disrepute per Port: No matter how impressionable (or drunk) the crowd, no one wants to hear the same tales and boasts over and over again. Thus, a group can only gain a maximum of 5 points of Infamy and Disrepute from any particular port. However, this amount resets every time a group reaches a new Infamy threshold. Thus, once a group gains 5 points of Infamy and Disrepute in Quent, it can gain no further points of Infamy from that port until it reaches the next Infamy threshold, though the crew can travel to another port and gain more Infamy by boasting to a new audience.

There is also a limitation based on the size of the port. No matter how infamous their deeds, telling of them in a thorp will never win more than local recognition. If an infamy increase would place the players infamy score above the allowed maximum, there is no increase.

Plunder and Infamy: Plunder can modify a PC’s attempt to gain Infamy in two ways. Before making an Infamy check for the day, the party can choose to spend plunder to influence the result—any tale is more believable when it comes from someone throwing around her wealth and buying drinks for the listeners. Every point of plunder expended adds a +2 bonus to the character’s skill check to earn Infamy. The party can choose to spend as much plunder as it wants to influence this check—even the most leaden-tongued pirate might win fabulous renown by spending enough booty. Additionally, if a PC fails an Infamy check, the party can choose to spend 3 points of plunder to immediately reroll the check. The party may only make one reroll attempt per day, and spend the plunder even if the second attempt fails—some people just aren’t impressed no matter how much loot you throw at them.

Recruiting

A pirate ship needs a crew, and nothing helps influence potential recruits like infamy. To recruit, make a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check, and add half the crew's Infamy to the result. The DC is 20 and lets you recruit 1d6 potential crewmen. Every 5 points of margin on the roll recruits an additional d6 crew. The maximum number of crew that can be recruited in any one port is given in the community table, above.

There are numerous other modifiers to the recruiting roll, depending on the captain's requirement.

Condition Modifier
Special requirement, such as race (Other than human), gender, religion, and so on -5
PC class crew -5
Trained crew (level 2) -5
Veteran crew (level 5) -10
Elite Crew (level 10) -20

Crew can never be higher level than half the captain's level, or the captain's level -5, whichever is higher.

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