[Pirate] Gufi the Dreadful

[Goff]

Synopsis

This is my first competition entry, so be kind. It's actually a concept I've been working on for a little while for the next campaign I'm going to run. Interestingly, I had the idea before I saw Pirate of the Carribean II, but in some ways it's a little similar. Basically the party will hunt down the ship, having many adventures along the way.

This crew pirates around the Goblin Isles, an area the campaign setting that Serpentine and I are creating. The Goblin Isles are inhabited mostly by gnomes and stretch from calm waters out to the edge of the world. This crew spends most of its time on the extremity, hunting spice ships, warships and anything else that comes along.
[hr]
Welcome to the Goblin Isles! A place of riches, a place of political intrigue and most of all a place of adventure. To the west the islands are close to the mainland where the gnomes who call these islands home trade valuable spices and alchemical substances with the big folk. To the east the Isles are untamed, stretching out to the icy waters at edge of the world, gnomes mine these islands for gems and collect exotic spices. This is a place where the line between privateer and pirate is easily blurred, especially with the ever-shifting alliances of the small gnomish nations. Indeed there are many men who have made their fortune from a life of piracy in the Goblin Isles. Many more who have met their doom trying.
A dark force stalks the Isles, something that is muttered and mumbled about in dark shore-side taverns. Folk say that a ship possessed by demons roams the sea, hunting down any vessel that strays into its waters. They say that the weather turns foul, fogs burn, clouds turn into locusts, storms whip up out of nowhere and whirlpools appear in the calmest of waters. This is the accursed omen of the demon ship. Be wary, lest ye come face to face with its captain, a terrible pallid ghost of a fearsome human; his icy blue eyes seems to see through your soul. He be more beast than man, calling on his demon allies to turn him into fearsome animals to ravage hapless crews. His diminutive first mate revels in the chaos of an attack; the halfling sings songs of bloodshed and booty in the thick of battle, bolstering the dreaded crew’s spirits. On the decks all manner of outcast deals with the rigging and hungrily wait to murder for some booty. Worse still, below deck manning the oars, are the cursed souls of crew and enemy alike, drowned by the treacherous captain, damned to row for an eternity. Be ye wary on the seas, lest ye become hunted.
[hr]

The Captain: Gufi the Dreadful
Gufi is a sadistic druid who revels in the destructive side of nature. He enjoys sinking a ship as much as collect its booty. He enjoys sending ships over the edge of the world to be dashed into oblivion. Gufi also seems to have a vendetta against gnomes.

The Sidekick: First Mate Keslar
Keslar is a larcenous halfling who spreads the tales of the crew’s terrible antics throughout the Goblin Isles. Keslar’s job is to keep the crew happy and liaise between them and Gufi due to Gufi's less than personable nature. He loves his daggers and prefers more underhand tactics to win a fight.

The Ship: Krazdak
Krazdak is a sentient construct that has the mind of a demon bound to it. Essentially Krazdak loves to hunt other ships for the hunt alone, not for any other reason. Krazdak revels in ramming and sinking other ships.

The Crew: The Desperate and the Drowned
The crew consists of two parts, the regular crew and the dead crew. The regular crew is simply eight men running the gamut races who are desperate to make a fortune; they rarely stay part of the crew for more than one year because of the Drowned. The Drowned are the other half of the crew, poor souls drowned by the cruel captain and cursed to row in the ships bowels for eternity.

The Treasure: Gufi's Horde
In the ship’s cargo hold lies all manner of riches and curiosities ranging from rum to items of untold arcane power.

[Goff]

This has been done in the new monster format because I intend to use it and find it a more usable method, so a pre-emptive shutup to any pedants.
Just been converted to old format.
Also, I used the Shapeshifting varient from PH2 and several Spell Compendium (SC) spells creating this character. Also, I have used a version of the geomancer's drift as a varient for druids, gaining a drift at 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th levels.
[hr]
Gufi the Dreadful
GU(pronnounced like the 'oo' in 'cook' ) FI (as in fee)
Fog swirls up about your ship, after one of the worst series of storms you have ever encountered in all of your years of sailing. A mere skeleton remains of the healthy crew you had hours ago; countless drowned, and others battered and unconscious. A ship with a fearsome demonic figurehead glides silently beside yours. Several various humanoids glower as their captain wades through their still ranks. The man wears only a pair of torn, dirty pants, with a scimitar at the waist and a gnome’s skull dangling from his belt. The man grins at you as he approaches; his skin is pallid white, marked with brilliant blue ring patterns. He pulls his dirty long blonde hair out of his face, revealing his piercing icy blue eyes, on each side of his bare chest there are three slits like fish gills, gaping as though gasping for air.
“A survivor? And captain no less,” he says as he walks down the boarding plank to your ship. “We can’t be having any of that now, can we?” Suddenly water pours from your nostrils and your chest feels heavy and cold and you begin to choke. You cough and splutter falling to the ground as your vision fades to black. The last thing you see is that pair of piercing blue eyes staring down at you.

Gufi the Dreadful
Male, Human, Druid 18
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 18 (161hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30ft.
Armor Class: 25, touch 12, flatfooted 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+13
Attack: +4 Gnome Bane Scimitar +17 (1d6+4/18-20x2) or +19 (1d6+6+2d6/18-20x2) vs. gnomes, Ink Cloud 1/minute as free action; 10ft concealment underwater.
Full Attack: +4 Gnome Bane Scimitar +17/+12/+7 (1d6+4/18-20x2) or +19/+14/+9 (1d6+6+2d6/18-20x2) vs. gnomes
Space/Reach: 5ft./ 5ft.
Special Abilities: Shapeshift, Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, Woodland Stride, Trackless Step, Resist Nature’s Lure, A Thousand Faces, Timeless Body,
Special Qualities: Immune to Poison, Water Breathing, Octopus Skin (+4 hide), Ink cloud
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +11, Will +22; +4 bonus vs. fey
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 22, Cha 8
Skills: Concentration +25, Knowledge (Nature) +25, Listen +17, Profession (Sailor) +21, Spellcraft +8, Spot +16, Survival +29, Swim +15
Feats: Combat Casting, Augment Summoning, Endurance, Diehard, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Multiattack
Challenge Rating: 18
Possessions:
+4 Gnome Bane Scimitar
+5 Dragonhide Breastplate
Amulet of Natural Armour +1
Ring of Protection +2
Cloak of Resistance +3
Gloves of Dexterity +2
One unremarkable copper key on a string hanging from his neck
Alignment: NE
Spells per Day: 6/7/7/6/6/5/5/3/3/2
SPELLS PREPARED
9th; Storm of Vengeance, Tsunami (SC)
8th; Whirlwind, Stormrage (SC), Maelstrom (SC)
7th; Control Weather, Mass Cure Moderate Wounds x2
6th; Extract Water Elemental (SC), Repel Wood, Antilife Shell, Greater Dispel Magic, Drown (SC)
5th; Baleful Polymorph, Control Winds, Commune with Nature, Insect Plague x2
4th; Mass Swim x2 (SC), Control Water, Murderous Mist (SC), Dispel Magic x2
3rd; Water Breathing x2, Wind Wall, Standing Wave (SC), Sink x2 (SC)
2nd; Warp Wood, Fog Cloud, Hold Animal x2, Kelpstrand x2 (SC), Master Air (SC)
1st; Clam Animals x2, Thunderhead x2 (SC), Entangle, Faerie Fire x2
0; Purify Food and Drink, Dawn (SC), Mending, Resistance x2, Virtue

Shapeshift (Su) As a swift action Gufi can switch into any of these alternate forms, he can no longer cast spells or wield weapons in his alternate forms, unless otherwise noted, his capabilities remain the same:
Predator Form – this form is that of a wolf
AC 15, touch 11, flat footed 15; mobility (+4 natural)
Speed 50ft.
Str 14
AttackBite +15 (1d6+2)
Full Attack Bite +15/+10/+5 (1d6+2)

Ariel Form – this form is that of a sea-eagle
Size Small
AC 14, touch 14, flat footed 12 (+1 size, +2 natural)
Ref +13
Speed fly 40ft. (good manoeuvrability)
Str 12
Attack Talon +14 (1d6+1); Flyby Attack
Full Attack Talon +14/+9/+4

Ferocious Slayer Form – this form is that of a polar bear
Size Large
AC 18, touch 11, flat footed 18 (-1 size, +8 natural)
Fort 24
Speed 40ft.
Str 18
Attack Bite +21 (1d8+4/19-20x2), Claw x2 +21 (1d6+4/19-20x2)
Full Attack Bite +21 1d8+4/19-20x2) and Claw x2 +19 (1d6+4/19-20x2)

Kelp Avenger Form – this form is like a shambling mound of kelp
Size Large
AC 22, touch 11, flat footed 22 (-1 size, +12 natural)
DR 5/slashing
Fort 24, Will 26
Speed 20ft.
Str 22
Attack Slam x2 +23 (1d8x6), Improved Overrun

Elemental Fury Form – this form is a roughly humanoid shape made of water
Size Huge
AC 25, touch 9, flat footed 24 (-2 size, +16 natural)
Immune critical hits, cold
Fort 24, Ref 15, Will 26
Str 26
Attack Slam x2 (1d8+8), Great Cleave

Drift Through becoming closer to nature, Gufi has attained the following qualities; brilliant blue rings on his skin, octupus-like ability to change skin colour (+4 hide), Gills (water breathing), and the ability to emit an Ink Cloud (see above).
Nature Sense (Ex) A druid gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.
Wild Empathy (Ex) A druid can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The druid rolls 1d20 and adds her druid level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the druid and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A druid can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.
Woodland Stride (Ex) Starting at 2nd level, a druid may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.
Trackless Step (Ex) Starting at 3rd level, a druid leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.
Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex) Starting at 4th level, a druid gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.
Venom Immunity (Ex) At 9th level, a druid gains immunity to all poisons.
A Thousand Faces (Su) At 13th level, a druid gains the ability to change her appearance at will, as if using the disguise self spell, but only while in her normal form. This affects the druid’s body but not her possessions. It is not an illusory effect, but a minor physical alteration of the druid’s appearance, within the limits described for the spell.
Timeless Body (Ex) After attaining 15th level, a druid no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the druid still dies of old age when her time is up.
[hr]
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
Pirating
When looking out for his men by getting some booty Gufi casts commune with nature to find out about the surrounding area. If a likely crew size number of people and good water conditions are present he has Krazdak stalk the other ship by night until in range of his spells, he then uses one of the following strategies (named by First-mate Keslar).

Misty Murder:
This tactic is mostly for smaller ships whose crews can be easily wiped out; it is also the most used tactic in his arsenal.
Initially he will cast fog cloud to obscure his ship’s form and lower visibility. Next he will cast murderous mist to scald the crew and rend many harmless from blinding. Once the mist has run its course he sends in an insect plague, to cover the terrified and blind crew’s ship with biting locusts (if the crew is too large to be covered by 6 swarms then he casts it twice). Afterwards he simply boards the ship with his men, murders the remainder of the demoralised crew loots and leaves. Sometimes some of the crew takes the captured ship to a free-port to sell.

Cyclonic Chaos:
This strategy is used when the other ship is a real threat, and losing the booty is acceptable. As soon as he is in range to Gufi casts Whirlwind, flinging many of the hapless crew off the deck. The next step is to cast maelstrom, creating a whirlpool to suck both crew and ship down, dealing horrendous damage. Following this comes storm of vengeance, deafening the crew whilst raining down acid, hail and lightning. While these three spells are in effect Gufi casts sink and control water to drown sailors and lower the water around them to keep them away from their ships. It is rare that anyone poses a threat after this tactic.

Distraction and Destruction:
Once again, this tactic uses the element of surprise. Gufi casts water breathing and mass swim on his living crew, who then swim underwater to the target ship. Gufi will wait several rounds, then cast stormrage and fly over the target, striking anyone wearing metal armour with lightning attacks. Meanwhile the crew climbs aboard and engages the enemy. In the confusion, Gufi casts kelpstrand, grappling several of the enemy crew. Gufi will cast extract water elemental on a likely illusionist (hopefully gnomish), then send the elemental in to engage the best warrior. As the battle goes on Gufi will cast mass cure moderate wounds to keep his crew alive, and continue to strike the enemy with lightning, he will also cast drown on a tough looking warrior and sink on people thrown overboard to drown them. Continue in like fashion until all enemy crew are dead. Other times, instead of casting stormrage and flying in, Gufi will swim in with the crew, casting kelpstrand as soon as he gets on deck, then antilife shell, extract water elemental, thunderhead on 2 likely warriors and then stormrage.
Obliteration (named by Gufi):
This is the tactic Gufi employs if he simply wants to utterly destroy another ship and crew. Step 1: cast tsunami. Step 2: gloat.


"Any man who crosses me will be sent swiftly to the waiting arms of Hel, doubly so a gnome."
-- Gufi the Dreadful, human druid and pirate.
[hr]
ECOLOGY
History: Gufi began his life on the coastal nation of Kyrike, and as a young man was to go viking several times. He always had a mean streak, and when on one viking expedition his ship was dashed on the rocks, instead of saving his comrades, he swam to shore by himself. He found himself stranded on an unfamiliar island, but was saved by the pity of an orc hermit. As time passed the orc began to show Gufi the ways of the druid, explaining how one can bend nature to one’s will and make animals act as your minions. After time, Gufi expressed his desire to spread their own vision of nature as the destroyer; to this end the orc helped him. The old druid helped craft a new ship that was to be the vessel of the trapped demonic spirit that was bound to be his line’s guardian since the Exile Wars. After two years the ship was finished, the old orc bound the spirit to the ship with a long and vile ritual, then bid Gufi farewell and good luck spreading his vision. Gufi never learned the orc’s name. Since Gufi has rallied a crew and wreaked havoc across the Goblin Isles.

Environment: Gufi and his crew hunt ships near the edge of the world, in icy seas that are home to some of the richest islands of spice and gems in the world. Gufi sustains his crew mostly on the supplies of ships they attack, and supplements this with fish and other sea creatures he catches. Sometimes, just for fun, Gufi lets Krazdak hunt to its heart’s content, pushing ships to the point of having to either go into the rushing waters at the edge of the world, or stand and fight. One way or another, Krazdak gets to indulge it’s desire for brutality. Occasionally Gufi will move into the temperate areas of the Isles, going on a month-long spree of watery mayhem.

Physical Characteristics: Gufi stands tall at 6’3”; his skin is pallid white most of the time, marked with blue rings (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_ring_octopus) for reference). His platinum blonde hair stretches mid way down his back, it is tangled and knotted, and several dreadlocks have formed in it. His beard is in much the same condition, some pieces of seaweed are tangled amongst the mess. Amongst this mass of hair two piercing blue eyes coldly stare with utter detachment, even in the face of death. His tongue is stained black due to the ink-sack that stretches from the top of his mouth down his gullet. Gufi is wiry, and unless he has to, goes without wearing his breastplate, as it chafes the three gills on either side of his chest. Usually, he goes about the deck wearing a pair of nearly disintegrated pants, held up with a sturdy belt. On his left hip his scimitar hangs, on his right his divine focus: a gnome’s skull. He wears no shoes. When he goes swimming, Gufi’s skin changes shade, matching the blue colour of the rings that mark his skin.
[hr]

LORE
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local)/Bardic Knowledge can learn more about Gufi the Dreadful. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Local)/Bardic Knowledge
DC Result
18 Foul weather always precedes an attack by this mysterious pirate, many say that the ship steers itself when the captain is busy attacking others. The crew are said to be the souls of drowned sailors, cursed to a half-life of labour.
23 The captain is known as Gufi the Dreadful, he somehow manipulates the weather before attacking with ferocity. Only half of his crew ever is on deck fighting, the rest is below, manning the oars, even when the ship isn't moving. His ship has a mind of its own, rumoured to be possessed by a demon-spirit.
28 Gufi is one of the most powerful druids in Gensia, he is as likely to destroy a ship and its crew as he is to take its booty. The souls of sailors drowned near the ship return to it, manning the oars in mindless servitude. Some wizard scholars attribute some of the great tidal waves over the past decade to Gufi's activity. He seems to have a pathological hatred of gnomes.

[Goff]

Your crew is decimated, that storm seemed to come out of nowhere. Then there was the ship! The figurehead came in a actually grabbed your ship. Confused and fearful, you can only watch as a halfling strides down the boarding plank and amongst your crew.
“Step aside! Step ye ASIDE! Gufi the Dreadful is coming aboard! Any of ye who aint a-feared, you're a braver man than I. The only prisoners we be takin’ are dead.”

First Mate Keslar
Male, Halfling, Bard 15
Size/Type: Small Humanoid
Hit Dice: 15 (90hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20ft.
Armor Class: 19, touch 16, flatfooted 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +13/+9
Attack: +2 Returning Dagger +19 (1d4+1/17-20x2), +2 Flaming Burst Dagger +19 (1d4+1[+1d6 fire]/17-20x2)
Full Attack: +2 Returning Daggers +19/+14/+9 (1d4+1/17-20x2)
Space/Reach: 5ft./ 5ft.
Special Abilities: Inspire Heroics, Inspire courage +3, Song of Freedom, Inspire Greatness, Suggestion, Inspire Competence, Bardic Knowledge, Bardic Song, Countersong, Fascinate,
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +19, Will +12; +2 vs. fear
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 19
Skills: Appraise +6, Bluff +22, Climb +15, Concentration +14, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (Arcana, Geography, History, Local) +5, Perform (Oratory) +22, Profession (Sailor) +16, Sleight of Hand +11, Swim +9, Use Magic Device +9
Feats: Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (Dagger), Improved Critical (Dagger), Quick Draw, Spell Focus (Illusion), Spell Penetration,
Challenge Rating: 15
Possessions:
Daggers: His Four Ladies
3 +2 Returning Daggers – Annie, Seldi, Kedi. Keslar often talks about how these ladies of his are faithful, and no matter what keep coming back.
+2 Flaming Burst Dagger – Ruby. This is Keslar’s favourite dagger, despite the fact that she keeps running off, he loves her for her fiery temperament.
Lucky Red Shirt: This grubby little red shirt is cut to look stylish and slightly jaunty; Keslar has worn it ever since he filched it off of a gnome he killed in Port Ahlue. This shirt provides +5 to all reflex saves.

Alignment: CE
Spells per Day: 4/5/4/4/4/2
SPELLS KNOWN
5th: Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Heroism, Shadow Evocation
4th: Greater Invisibility, Dimension Door, Freedom of Movement, Hallucinatory Terrain
3rd: Haste, Magic Circle Against Law, Scrying, Slow
2nd: Cure Moderate Wounds, Silence, Summon Swarm, Tongues
1st: Cure Light Wounds, Disguise Self, Identify, Feather Fall
0: Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Know Direction, Light, Mending, Prestidigitation
[hr]
Tactics
Keslar tends to cast spells like heroism and hast on crew members when closing in on their prey. Once the battle starts Keslar uses his skill at oratory to aid his allies. As the battle progresses Keslar relies on his mobility spells like greater invisibility, dimension door and freedom of movement to both heal his allies and get an advantage when throwing his daggers.
[hr]

ECOLOGY
History: Keslar grew up on the Goblin Isles, he has no tragedy to his story, he simply likes being bad. After spending several years on gnomish trading vessels, Keslar jumped ship when attacked by pirates, offering his services to the captain. Through this period of around seven years Keslar learned the art of rallying a crew and manipulating his captain to his own ends. Eventually, Keslar mutinied, swaying the crew over with promise of a greater share of the plunder. This didn’t last long, mere weeks later Keslar found his ship wreathed in a fog that seared his crew, then a swarm of murderous locusts that ravaged his crew. Alone, the only of his crew left, Keslar called for parley with Gufi, negotiating himself a position on Gufi’s ship in exchange for his own ship. Gufi, mildly amused agreed to take him aboard.

Environment: Keslar’s favourite environment is in the shore-side taverns that litter the Isles, where he can tell tales of Gufi’s demon ship and the hapless victims.

Physical Characteristics: Keslar stands a tall 3’2”, just over half his captain’s height. He’s a pretty rough looking fellow, his hair is long and tied back, and he has grown his mutton-chops long. Keslar usually looks a little grubby, his tanned skin usually caked with salt after a long voyage. A long scar runs from Keslar’s left cheek to his nostril; the result of a broken line in a storm back in his trading vessel days. He looks like he is approaching middle age, but has a tough-as-nails kind of look about him. Keslar is never seen without his lucky red shirt or his ‘ladies’ – four daggers that he carries at all times.

[Goff]

This ship is based on the Guardian Ships from Dragon 333.

Krazdak
Gargantuan Construct
Hit Dice: 24d10 + 60 size (192hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: Swim 40ft.* (50ft. rowing)
Armour Class: 18 (-4 size, -1 Dex, +13 natural), touch 5, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +18/+41
Attack: Slam +25/+20/+15/+10 melee (2d8 + 16)
Space/Reach: 20ft./15ft.
Special Attacks: Sneak attack +2d6
Special Qualities: Construct traits, telepathy 100ft., blindsense, immunity to electricity and poison, protective slime, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10
Saves: Fort +10, Will +7, Ref +10
Abilities: Str 32, Dex 8, Con -, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 16
Skills: Intimidate +16, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (the planes +7), Knowledge (nature) +20, Sense Motive +5, Survival +22, Swim +29
Feats: Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Iron Will, Power Attack, Track
Environment: Any aquatic
Organisation: Solitary
CR: 14
Treasure: See below
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

A slick caravel sidles up quietly beside the ravaged ship followed by a whiff of rot. Its hull gleams with a red slime, as it closes in oars lift out of the water and retract into the ship’s sides. Its figurehead is a demonic effigy, the figure has wicked claws, a horn atop its skull and wears malevolent grin. It too is slick with this red slime. For a moment you could swear that it is watching you.

Krazdak loosely resembles a 65 foot caravel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravel). What makes it unusual is that it has five oars that project from each side to propel it along at astounding speed. The figurehead of the ship is the animated image of an oversized babau, with the hull acting as the body.
The figurehead can control the ship; however it needs a crew of 8 above deck and 10 below in order to act at its full potential. This intelligent creature can mentally command an accompaniment of 10 drowned (MM3, p. 46), the oarsmen, which carry out its orders and fuel the ship on at great speed. While the ship has full control of the hull and oarsmen, it needs living crew to manipulate the sails and rigging, and cannot control any part not of the hull. Krazdak has a strong grasp of the way water works and naval manoeuvres, and likes to use tactics to gain the upper hand.
This ship bears a curse that anyone who drowns within 50ft of Krazdak, at the hands of the captain is reanimated as a drowned one hour later under the control of Krazdak. If there are already ten drowned on board, they are reanimated but not under control of the ship, they act normally, but do not attack the ship or its crew.
Krazdak is absolutely loyal to Gufi and respects Keslar’s sly and larcenous nature. The rest of the crew he has little regard for, they are merely equipment to make his sails work.
Krazdak can support the crew, cargo and amendments of a normal keelboat (Arms and Equipment guide). Of course, creatures are not considered mounted when aboard.
[hr]
Combat
Krazdak likes to initiate combat by silently sneaking up on another ship, ramming it with a sneak attack and grapping it so it cannot get away. After the initial attack Krazdak warps his hull to slam nearby opponents without hurting his own crew.
Blindsense (Ex): The ship can sense tiny vibrations in both air and water within 60 feet. Opponents Krazdak can’t see still get total concealment.
Sneak Attack (Ex): Krazdak can make a sneak attack like a rogue, dealing an extra 2d6 points of damage whenever a foe is denied his or her Dexterity bonus, or when the figurehead is flanking.
Protective Slime (Su): A slimy red jelly coats the ships hull and figurehead. Any weapon that touches it takes 1d8 points of acid damage from the corrosive goo, and the weapon’s hardness does not reduce this damage. A magic weapon may attempt a DC 16 Reflex save to avoid taking this damage. A creature who strikes the hull or figurehead with an unarmed attack, unarmed strike, touch spell, or natural weapon takes this damage as well but can negate the damage with a DC 16 Reflex save. The save DCs are Charisma-based.
Skills: Krazdak has a +8 racial bonus to swim checks to perform special actions or to avoid hazards. He can choose to take 10 on a swim check, even when distracted or endangered. He can use the run action while swimming, as long as it is in a straight line.
Swim Speed*: Although the ship has a swim speed, it cannot move underwater, its swim speed is on the water surface.
Carrying Capacity: Krazdak can carry 50 tons of cargo, just as a keelboat.
[hr]
History
Krazdak was a lowly babau, snatched up by a maralith to serve in the Blood Wars. Krazdak’s unit was wiped out when a Pit Fiend entered the fray, destroying most of the group in one swing. Just as the hellish general loomed over Krazdak, a balor’s flaming blade thrust through its belly, initiating a great battle between the two. As the sole survivor, Krazdak was promoted to major and was soon leading his own squad into battle. On the dawn of this momentous occasion, Krazdak found himself standing on a windswept plain confronted by a group of green skinned humanoids. He had been summoned to fight in the Exile Wars of dry Groddoth on the Material Plane. What’s worse, he had been bound to serve this orc’s family as a guardian until released. Krazdak’s thirst for bloodshed was sated for a time. But soon the wars were over, and he was commanded into his holding stone – a small flat rock that contained and sustained the demon until summoned. There he stayed, occasionally called upon to butcher an opposing chieftain or irksome adventurer, but soon he seemed to be forgotten. Krazdak itched more and more to be released; over a thousand years had passed since the war. Finally it came; once more he was confronted with an orcish master from the line to which he was bound. The orc however didn’t worry about chieftains or adventurers; instead he bound the demon into a ship – to be the ship. Another humanoid now boarded him, one that was cold, calculating and evil, just like him. He was free, and now he had a master that would indulge his needs.
[hr]
The Crew

{table="head"]Name|Title|Class|Race|Aignment|ECL
Gufi the Dreadful|Captain|Druid|Human|NE|18
Keslar|First Mate|Bard|Halfling|CE|15
Gruk Furrot|Hitting Man|Fighter|Gnoll|CE|8
Fral Dunrk|Blasting Man|Sorcerer|Orc|CN|6
Sendiss Lynweed|Lookout|Rogue|Elf|CN|5
Swein Tryk|Deckhand|Rogue|Human|NE|5
Dektar Slik|Deckhand|Fighter|Halfling|NE|5
Gromk Fraka|Deckhand|Fighter|Half-orc|LE|5
Kade Synk|Deckhand|Rogue|Human|CE|5
Sthsski|Cook|Rogue|Kobold|CN|4
Oarsmen x10|Oarsman|-|Drowned|NE|8[/table]
[hr]
Below Deck
There are two levels below deck, the cargo hold and living quarters, and the oar-room.
Cargo hold and Living Quarters
You are sent below deck after your first day of work, your hands are red and blistered from manipulating the rigging. As you go down below you first smell exotic spices and meat cooking. You can see the others are joking and gambling together until a half-orc takes a swing at a halfling that cheated him. Just as the fight is breaking out a wooden bowl is pushed into your hands by a scaly little lizard-like creature. The firstmate steps in and breaks up the fight. The slop you've been served smells bizzare and looks abominable. As you poke at the brown-green sludge, the firstmate approaches you and suggests you hed down and say hello to the oarsmen.
This level is actually one room, one end has the cargo hold, and adjacent kitchen, the other has hammocks and chests of personal items. The cargo hold is where supplies, gold, plunder and most importantly rum are held. It is barred off with metal grating, only the cook, Keslar and Gufi have keys to the room. Needless to say, if anything goes missing, the cook will be blamed, so he is very vigilant about gaurding the room. The cargo hold is lcked with an amazing lock (DC 40 to unlock or DC 32 to break).
The crew spend most of their time in the living quarters when not working, this is where they eat, sleep, gamble, play, joke and generally avoid Gufi.
The Oar-room
You whiff the familiar smell of the damp rot of drowned sailors as you head below to meet the other half of the crew. As you enter the oar-room the atmosphere becomes thick with icy humidity, as you try to inhale your suddenly you feel as though the air has become heavy like water. You can’t breathe. You see the bloated dripping corpses that make up the remainder of the crew, rowing like men damned for an eternity. As you turn on your heel to leave, one wretched oarsman looks up imploringly at you. Oh by the gods, why did you have to agree to join this damned crew?
The oar-room is where the cursed sailors that Gufi has drowned reside; under the sway of Krazdak’s instruction, these poor souls only wish for rest. The curse detailed above ensures Krazdak’s amazing speed.
The entire room is filled with the drowning aura of the drowned (MM3 p. 46), making it hazardous for any of the crew bar Gufi (who can breathe underwater) to enter. New members of the crew are often sent by others down to the oar-room as a rite of passage. Many desert soon after. If he is desperate, Gufi will instruct Krazdak to send the oarsmen into the fray of battle, although Krazdak is reluctant to lose his independent mode of movement.

[hr]
Gufi's Cabin
As you sneak into the captain's cabin you can see in the shuttered darkness that he doesn't live an opulent lifestyle. You can see a squalid looking bed, overrun by strange looking plants, some small creatures seem to be crawling amongst the vines. To your left it is dark, you see a wardrobe and... a coatstand? To your right there is a simple wooden chair at a desk. On the ink-stained desk you see an inkwell, quill, several pieces of blank parchment and a thick tome. As you try the tome, which you soon realise has a lock, you hear a clacking noise behind you...
Krazdak has travelled far and wide and Gufi has picked up several curiosites along the way.
Anyone who who sneaks into Gufi's cabin will likely be somewhat somewhat surprised by a specimen (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11540994 25;start=0#0) that Gufi collected on his journeys. Gufi has this specimen guard his cabin from nosy new recruits. On Gufi's bed ther lies a box of sweets (see treasure) that his pet rats crawl over. The tome on his desk is Gufi's most prized possession (see treasure). In the desk's drawer there is a small flat stone of some value, but of little interest to the druidic captain.

[Goff]

TREASURE
Unless otherwise noted, all treasure is kept in the cargo hold.
The Holding Stone
This is a flat oval shaped piece of obsidian is about three inches by two across and ½ an inch thick. The surface is dull and porous, seeming to absorb rather than reflect the light. On the top there is a barely visible orcish symbol, representing some ancient coat of arms.
This stone is the former prison of Krazdak the babau, created specifically for binding a demon into the service of the etched family’s line. Now empty, this vessel would be capable of capturing and binding another demon to the family line of the possessor.
This item functions as an iron flask, but only works on creatures with both the chaotic and evil descriptors. It has an additional effect of compelling the bound demon to work for its bound family as though under the effect of dominate monster, no save, unlimited duration. When a new creature is captured it is bound to the family line of the possessor at that point, changing the symbol on the stone’s surface to represent the new family. Gufi keeps this stone in the drawer of his desk in the captian's cabin.
Strong conjuration and enchantment; CL 20th; Craft Wondrous Item, trap the soul, dominate monster; Price 890,000gp, Weight 1lb.

Gufi’s Tasty Treats
In a small mahogany box, lined with azure velvet sits 27 small foil-wrapped parcels and seven empty spaces. Each parcel contains a ball of sickly-sweet smelling brown goop.
Whilst rum is traditional for warming a pirate’s hearts, Gufi’s knowledge of sea creatures and plants lends him a more colourful escape. When ingested, these sweets provide an effect similar to hypnotic pattern viewable only in the mind of the party that consumed it. The effect lasts for 1d4 hours with a DC 16 frtitude save to negate the effects (which Gufi usually fails voluntarily). Gufi keeps this box on his bed in his cabin.
Price: 150 gp each (4050gp).

Gufi's Rutter
This thick tome looks unremarkable - a brown leather bound book with a simple lock and pieces of parchment stuck into it. The spine has obvioously been split several times in order to bind in new information. The book looks as though it is in constant use.
Unlike most of the treasure, this book is kept in Gufi's cabin. This logbook is perhaps the most valuable part of Gufi's treasure; a book that contains detailed sailing directions around the entire of the Goblin Isles. It lists all major, minor and hidden ports, currents, winds, hazards, landmarks, the hunting grounds of other pirates, speculation on buried treasures and much more. It also lists the environment in every area, including weather, animals, plants (both above and below water), monsters, all accompanied by detailed illustrations. The book bares many signs of being continually updated, many note (including pirates hunting grounds) are struck out, with revised notes in their places. This item lives at all times on Gufi's desk.
The lock is an average lock (DC 35), no doubt more to stop his crew from copying his notes rather than to stop would be thieves. Gufi keeps the key on his person at all times.
Price: Invaluable; one could retire on the proceeds of selling this book to one of the gnomish governments.

Spice
Crates and barrels of exotic smelling stuff make you eyes itch when you enter the cargo hold.
The cargo hold is dominated by many crates and barrels of spices, collected from the remote areas of the Goblin Isles to export to continental Gensia. In total the crew has managed to capture 17 tons of spice.
Price: 510 gp (approximately 30 gp per ton).

Shiny Gems
A small iron chest with three keyholes on its front stares at you. Whatever is in there, it must be awfully valuable.
Within this chest there are 53 gems of different sizes and quality. Although they are mostly sapphires, there are also some diamonds and one enormous emerald. They have been cut and polished at the isolated settlements where they were mined, ready for sale to Port Ahlue's finest jewellers.
Price: 27,531 gp.

The Silver Siren
Sitting on one of the crates of spice sits a shining foot long figure of a beautiful, scantily clad woman.
A DC 15 bardic knowledge check reveals that this is the figure of a siren – a creature that lures sailors into dangerous situations, even death. This is an item that was looted from a warship in some of the warmer waters of the Goblin Isles. By rubbing the figure from head to toe, the user activates the effect of mass suggestion centred on the user (DC 19 will save negates). After this use the figure crumbles away into silver dust, revealing a Pearl of the Sirines.
CL 12, Craft Wondrous Item, mass suggestion; 18,600 gp (3,300 for the figure, 15,300 for the pearl of sirines).

Gold
Under a canvas sits a cube shaped object, as you pull the material away you breath is taken away... oh, how it shines.
Under this canvas there are 30 bars of gold, each waighing 30lb.
Price: 45,000 gp (1500 gp each).

9½ Barrels of Rum
8 parts joy, 1 part regret, ½ part Arrr...
Pretty much what the title says; 9½ barrels of rum.
Price: dignity and a side of hangover.

[The Glyphstone]

This has been done in the new monster format because I intend to use it and find it a more usable method, so a pre-emptive shutup to any pedants.

Not to burst your bubble, but the mod running the contest specifically stated that stat blocks should be done in the "old" format, to make the entry eligible...

[Goff]

Adjustments made, I was intending to make this character before I heard about the contest and figured I should first and foremost make it easy for me to use. Converting back was relatively quick, apolagies for the rude tone of the other post, I was rather tired and I am a bit stressed of late.

EDIT: Changing words to make post actually make sense.

[Belkarseviltwin]

Doesn't his name sound a bit like "goofy"?

[Myatar_Panwar]

Very nice

[Goff]

Doesn't his name sound a bit like "goofy"?

It's meant to be a short, sharp "oo", kind of like in foot, not long as in "spoot".
It's meant to sound kind of Vikingesque, and he's not vein enough to be worried what people call him. He's got a few tricks up his sleeve.


Very nice
Thank you, keep watching, I'm (slowly) adding more. For example, the first mate now has stats.

[Goff]

Prepare to set sail, we now have a ship. Only the remainder of the crew, the treasure, some touch ups for Keslar and a polished synopsis and I'll be done. I'll have this finished in time to enter (I hope).