[Pirate] Blind Draega's Crew

[The Demented One]

It is said that, in the farthest of the seven seas, their sails a ship with sails of human flesh, and with a hull built from the shell of the largest turtle to ever swim the depths of the Plane of Water. This wretched ship is said to be captained by the legendary medusa Blind Draega, and crewed by the direst band of monsters to ever walk the earth, from the half-mad bugbear Baruch to the genteel worg Pax. Exactly why this band of monsters terrorizes the seas is unknown–eating human flesh and perverse lust for gold are common theories of drunken sailors, as is the fact that, in the words of one salty dog “Them’s bloody monsters, ya bastards! They don’t need no stinkin’ reason to be pirates!”

Meanwhile, Blind Draega and her crew are content to raid the seas. Draega seeks to make her ship, the House of Leaves, a haven for all who society labels monsters. While the tales of her and her crew's bloodlust and ferocity are not entirely untrue, a hero who paid his proper respects to Draega might find himself with a powerful ally.

[The Demented One]

Blind Draega
Medusa Ranger 2/Fighter 6
Size/Type: Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 8d8+6d10+42 (111 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 28 (+7 Dex, +6 armor, +4 natural, +1 deflection), touch 18, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +14/+14
Attack: +2 Longbow +23 ranged (1d10+2/x3) or +1 Keen Longsword +22 melee (1d8+1/17-20) Snakes +21 melee (1d4 plus poison)
Full Attack: +2 Longbow +23/+18/+13 ranged (1d10/x3) or +1 Keen Longsword +22/+17/+12 melee (1d8+1/17-20) and Snakes +16 melee (1d4 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Favored enemy (humans), petrifying gaze, poison
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., wild empathy
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +16, Will +7
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 24 (Base 22), Con 16, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 20 (Base 18)
Skills: Hide +9, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (Geography) +2, Listen +4, Move Silently +15, Spot +10, Survival +4
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Finesse, TrackB, Rapid ShotB, Ability Focus (Petrifying Gaze), DodgeB, MobilityB Manyshot, Shot on the RunB, Improved Precise ShotB
Challenge Rating: 15
Possessions: +2 longbow, +1 keen longsword, +2 mithral chain shirt, amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, gloves of dexterity +2, cloak of charisma +2
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Blind Draega is captain of the House of Leaves, a masterful archer and a staunch idealist. Blind Draega is a very maternal beast, and is well-loved by her crew. Draega is not actually blind–her left eye was stabbed long ago, leaving it intact but removing its ability to petrify. As Draega has since trained her right eye to compensate, this has no effect on her gaze attack. Draega refuses to disguise or veil herself, taking great pride in herself and her race. She does, however, wear an eyepatch over her good eye while on board, to symbolize her self-restraint. Draega has been described as the most beautiful of medusas even by humans–her scales are a glittering emerald green, and her face is almost nymph-like. While she has no training in the arts, she considers herself something of a poet, and off recites her own poetry before executing a captain. "I'm not the monster here--you are" is a line she would seem to be particularly fond of. In combat, Draega prefers to begin by using her petrifying gaze, finishing off those who resist it by sniping them off from afar. However, she has no aversion to going into melee, using her serpentine hair and enchanted blade to great effect.

Favored Enemy (Ex)
Blind Draega gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against humanoids with the human subtype. Likewise, she gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against humans.

Petrifying Gaze (Su)
Turn to stone permanently, 30 feet, Fortitude DC 24 negates. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Poison (Ex)
Injury, Fortitude DC 20, initial damage 1d6 Str, secondary damage 2d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Wild Empathy (Ex)
Blind Draega can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. Draega has a +7 bonus on Wild Empathy rolls. For more information, see the Ranger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/ranger.htm) class.

[The Demented One]

Sargon of the Undertide
Awakened Octopus Druid 11
Size/Type: Medium Magical Beast (Augmented Animal, Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 15d8+45 (112 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +2 armor, +3 natural, +1 deflection), touch 14, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+13
Attack: Arms +13 melee (0)
Full Attack: Arms +13 melee (0) and bite +8 melee (1d3+1)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Immune to poison, ink cloud, jet, nature sense, low-light vision, oceanic stride, resist nature’s lure trackless step, wild empathy, wild shape
Saves: Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +14
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 23 (Base 19), Cha 9
Skills: Hide +4, Knowledge (Nature) +2, Escape Artist +10, Survival, Swim +8
Feats: Surrogate Spellcasting (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Surrogate_Spellcasting,SS), Storm Magic (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Storm_Magic,Sto), Eschew Materials, Extend, Natural Spell
Challenge Rating: 12
Possessions: Circlet of wisdom +4, bracers of armor +2, ring of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, wand of cure serious wounds (50/50)
Alignment: True Neutral
Spells per Day: 6/7/5/5/4/3/1
Spells Prepared: 0th–detect magic (2), guidance (2), know direction, light; 1st–endure elements, entangle (2), faerie fire, magic fang, quickswim*, speak with animals; 2nd–barkskin, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, fog cloud (2); 3rd–air breathing*, extended resist energy, greater magic fang, poison, water breathing; 4th–air walk, control water, dispel magic, extended sleet storm; 5th–call lightning storm, extended freedom of movement, control winds; 6th–extended call lightning storm
*From Stormwrack.

Sargon of the Undertide may be the strangest member of Blind Draega’s crew. Awakened years before she found him by a sahuagin druid, Sargon took well to Draega’s message. Due to his prodigous spellcasting power and keen insights, he has since become her second in command, serving as the ship’s healer and ensuring its sails are filled with wind. He spends most of his time in the water alongside the ship, scouting out underwater threats, though he occasionally comes on board, especially during combat, either using the air breathing spell or wild shaping into a terrestrial or winged form. Sargon’s mindset is very alien, which, coupled with his strange appearance, have given him a nasty reputation amongst sailors who have encountered the House of Leaves. Sargon once kept a giant shark as an animal companion, but after its death, he chose not to put any more of his aquatic brethren at risk.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, Sargon must hit an opponent of any size with its arms attack. He can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If he wins the grapple check, he establishes a hold and automatically deals bite damage.

Ink Cloud (Ex)
Sargon can, while underwater, emit a cloud of jet-black ink 10 feet high by 10 feet wide by 10 feet long once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment. All vision within the cloud is obscured.

Jet (Ex)
Sargon can, while underwater, jet backward once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of 200 feet. He must move in a straight line, but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting.

Oceanic Stride (Ex)
Sargon can swim through any sort of difficult natural aquatic terrain (such as shallow coral, kelp beds, ice-choked water) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. This in an alternate class feature presented in Stormwrack.

Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex)
Sargon gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.

Trackless Step (Ex)
Sargon leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. He may choose to leave a trail if so desired.

Wild Empathy (Ex)
Sargon can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. Sargon has a +10 bonus on Wild Empathy rolls. For more information, see the Druid (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm) class.

Wild Shape (Su)
Four times a day, Sargon may change his shape, taking on the form of an animal of tiny to large size. For more information, see the Druid (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm) class.

Skills
Sargon’s nature sense ability gives him a +2 bonus on Knowledge (Nature) and Survival checks. Sargon can change colors, giving him a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks. Hecan squeeze and contort his body, giving him a +10 racial bonus on Escape Artist checks. He has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. He can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. He can use the run action while swimming, provided he swims in a straight line.

[The Demented One]

Other Crew
In addition to Blind Draega and Sargon, the House of Leaves is crewed by many monsters of fierce reputation and great skill. Though they are wildy diverse and often come to blows with each other, a mutual respect for Draega's ideal prevents any real conflicts, as does the medusa pirate's petrifying gaze, which she occasionally uses for disciplinary purposes.

Of all the warriors onboard the House of Leaves, the greatest, second only to Draega, is Baruch, a chaotic evil Bugbear Barbarian 6/Frenzied Berserker 1. Baruch is a raging alcoholic, and often disagrees with Draega's decisions, though the mariner's talisman he wears keeps him from going completely out of control. If you do not have access to Complete Warrior, replace Baruch's Frenzied Berserker level with another Barbarian level.

Backing up Baruch in combat is Atah, a lawful evil Hobgoblin Fighter 2/Swordsage 6 who has mastered the spiked chain. The crew knows to keep away from him in combat, as his whirling chain is rarely ever under total control. He has knowledge of a array of powerful martial maneuvers, mostly of the Shadow Hand discipline. If you do not have access to Tome of Battle, replace Atah's Swordsage levels with Fighter levels.

Captain Draega has a strong personality, but she is no diplomat. That designation goes to Pax, a chaotic neutral Worg Bard 10. Though few non-monsters take the notion of listening to a Worg seriously, her eloquence and skill at words are undeniable, and many have reconsidered their actions at her behest.

Foul-tempered and bitter-tongued, the self-proclaimed Queen Anne, a chaotic evil Harpy Rogue 4/Assassin 1, serves as the ship's elite scout. She is almost universally disliked by the ship's crew, but she is one of the longest-serving crew members, being a close personal friend of Draega's even before she began life as a pirate.

Entrusted with the House of Leaves's maintenance, Svent is a lawful evil Kobold Artificer 10. He repairs the ship after battles, crafts items for the crew (for a hefty cost), and maintains the network of traps the ship is rigged with. If you do not have access to the Eberron Campaign Setting, replace Svent's Artificer levels with Transmuter levels.

Though she seems to be a normal human, Marie is a valued member of the crew. A chaotic neutral Human Wereporpoise Rogue 5/Scarlet Corsair 2, Marie is one of the few members of the crew who can mingle with humanoid society. When the ship needs to make port, it is generally she that is sent into town to pick up supplies and such, often accompanied by Pax. When at sea, she tends to spend most of her time in porpoise form, swimming ahead. If you do not have access to Stormwrack, replace Marie's Scarlet Corsair levels with Rogue levels.

While rarely seen, Levia, as it is nicknamed, an advanced Cancer Engine (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=homebrew;action=display;num=11549778 25;start=0#0) with 15 HD, is an essential part of the crew. It remains, for the most part, deep within the hold of the House of Leaves, bound to a complex mechanism that uses the construct's strength to move the oars propelling the House of Leaves. Levia and the mechanism were designed and are maintained by Svent. Levia can be detatched from the mechanism, though not of its own volition, a process taking 10 minutes and generally done when a large, expendable combatant is needed. While Levia is not providing propulsion, the ship moves by means of its sails.

In addition to the more notable crew, there are plently of less-experienced crew. Kobolds, goblinoids, and troglodytes make up a fair percentage of the crew, most having three to six levels in Rogue or Fighter. Aquatic humanoids, such as locathah or sahuagins, also make a good showing, most having better training than their terrestial fellows.Taken all together, Draega's crew totals about sixty hands...and claws...and tentacles.

[The Demented One]

Basket of Cleaning
In addition to being an idealist, Draega is something of a neat freak, leading to the creation of this item. Any article of clothing placed in this basket has all dirt and other manners of filth cleaned from it, and is neatly folded.

Faint Transmutation, CL 5th. Craft Wondrous Item, mage hand, prestidigitation. Cost 100 gp + 8 xp. Price 200 gp.

Disc of Smoke
A common "getaway" item used by members of Draega's crew, this lead disc can be flung as a thrown weapon, with a maximum range of 30 ft. and no range increment. Upon striking a hard surface, it splits in half and releases a 20 ft. radius cloud of smoke. The smoke obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature within 5 feet has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker can’t use sight to locate the target). A moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the fog in 4 rounds; a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses the fog in 1 round. After 5 minutes, the cloud dissipates.

Faint Conjuration, CL 5th. Craft Wondrous Item, obscuring mist. Cost 125 gp + 10 xp. Price 250 gp.

Draega's Mercy
Draega's Mercy is a silver decanter, engraved with battle scenes prominently featuring the Medusa, and the mighty kobold archmage who faithfully serves as her second-in-command. (keep in mind it was made by Svent). When filled with seawater and splashed on a petrified creature, it restores him, as the stone to flesh spell. However, only creatures petrified by a medusa's gaze can be restored by Draega's Mercy. Thanks to this item, Draega can use her petrifying gaze as a means of kidnapping or discipline.

Strong Transmutation, CL 11th. Craft Wondrous Item, stone to flesh Cost 10,000 gp + 800 xp. Price 20,000 gp.

Eldritch Compass
The needle of this compass points to the spell effect or item with the most powerful magical aura within 60 ft of it. If multiple items are tied for the highest aura, the needle wavers between them. Each of the eldritch compasses made by Svent has been designed to ignore any loot onboard the House of Leaves.

Faint divination, CL 5th. Craft Wondrous Item, detect magic. Cost 500 gp + 40 xp. Price 1,000 gp.

Mariner's Talisman
Cheap and effective, Draega requires these talismans be worn by all crewmembers. Any wearer of such a talisman gains a +1 competence bonus on all Profession (Sailor) and Swim checks. In addition, whenever Draega gives the command word, all talismans within 30 ft. of her activate, using calm emotions on their wearers. Nothing prevents a wearer from simply removing the talisman, but Draega sternly disciplines any crew member who chooses to go without his via temporary petrification.

Faint Enchantment, CL 5th. Craft Wondrous Item, calm emotions. Cost 125 gp + 5 xp. Price 250 gp.

Pouches of Utility
Rather than purchasing a cargo bay's worth of mundane weapons and tools to equip the lackies, Draega instead chose to commission a few of these immensely useful items. Each one of these belt pouches seems to be a mundane item–no extradimensional spaces, or such–but as a move action, its owner may draw forth any one of the following items from it:
An everburning torch
A flask of any alcohol of the owner's choice
A set of lockpicks
A healing kit
A dose of antitoxin
A day's worth of trail rations
A compass
A masterwork dagger
Only five items may be drawn from the pouch per day. Items drawn from the pouch dissipate into nothingness one hour after being drawn.

Moderate Conjuration, CL 9th. Craft Wondrous Item, major creation. Cost 2,500 gp + 200 xp. Price 5,000 gp.

Sharkbait
Used to provide distractions, a piece of sharkbait looks like a fist-sized glob of red, organic material. When dropped into water, it begins attracting sharks. Within one minute of being placed in the water, 1d6 medium sharks arrive, followed by 1d4 large sharks 5 minutes later and 1 huge shark after five minutes more. However, the bait gives its user no control or protection over the sharks.

Faint Enchantment, CL 5th. Craft Wondrous Item, animal trance. Cost 150 gp + 12 xp. Price 300 gp.

Swag Compass
This compass's needle, rather than pointing north, instead points to the most valuable concentration of gems or rare metals within 60 ft. Each of the swag compasses made by Svent has been designed to ignore any loot onboard the House of Leaves.

Faint Divination, CL 5th. Craft Wondrous Item, locate object. Cost 500 gp + 40 xp. Price 1,000 gp.

[The Demented One]

The House of Leaves is a theurgeme, a great ship powered by magic and mechanism--namely, Levia. It was created, or so it is said, by a great god of artifice as a reward for his high priest, who subsequently had it comandeered by an ancestor of Draega. Draega insists that this is patent falsehood, and the ship itself, and not just the mechanisms power it, was crafted by Svent and a group of his artificer peers. For the most part, is has the same statistics as in theurgeme, on page 102 of Stormwrack. However, a few important modifications have been made.

While the ship is normally propelled by Levia, when the Cancer Engine is detatched from the internal mechanism, the ship can still go forward, thanks to its sails. However, when going by sails, its speed drops to wind x 15 feet, and it cannot go against the wind.

The shell of a giant turtle or turtle-like creature has been affixed to the hull of the ship as armor, increasing the hp of each section of the ship to 200 and increasing the hardness to 10.

A fine mesh cage is attached to the underside of the ship, accessable through a primitive water lock, which can house 20 aquatic crewmen.

The ship's interior has been heavily trapped, thanks to Svent, though the traps are rarely set. However, a single lever, located in Svent's chambers, arms them all, allowing an instant defense should the ship be boarded.

The ship is armed with four catapults, all of which are connected to the internal mechanism powering the ship, causing them to wind themselves (but not aim) automatically.

The ship is possed of a purpleheart kraken living figurehead (see Stormwrack), albeit a somewhat damaged one. Due to the result of Svent attempting to perform maintenance while blind drunk, the figurehead can no longer distinguish between friend and foe, attacking randomly when activated. In addition, there is a 15% chance every day that the figurehead will activate by itself for 1d10, and begin attacking all in its reach. This time is not counted against the maximum amount of time the figurehead can be used.

[Mike_Lemmer]

So, does the ship really have flesh sails or is that a myth?

[The Demented One]

So, does the ship really have flesh sails or is that a myth?
I'd say it's just a myth, but one that Draega likes to perpetuate.

[Rolaran]

Cool, I like the Draega's Mercy item, a really cool addition to a medusa. Good luck!

[Mike_Lemmer]

The other question is, how do they make a non-eventful stop at port with a ship carved from a giant turtle shell?

[The Demented One]

The other question is, how do they make a non-eventful stop at port with a ship carved from a giant turtle shell?
They find a nice secluded spot to anchor, and send Marie out to do the town-stuff.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Man but I love those items. Draega's Mercy is very inventive and useful, but my favorite is Sharkbait. Fantastic idea, and one of those things you look at and think 'Now how come I didn't think of that...'

Honestly, someone's going to have to do some pretty nifty stuff to beat my vote for those.

[The Demented One]

Man but I love those items. Draega's Mercy is very inventive and useful, but my favorite is Sharkbait. Fantastic idea, and one of those things you look at and think 'Now how come I didn't think of that...'

Honestly, someone's going to have to do some pretty nifty stuff to beat my vote for those.
Wow...pretty high praise.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Yeah, I have to agree with VT-er The Vorpal Pirate. I'm glad there's a first timer's prize, because there's no way I'm even getting close to any of this.