A Bonnie Wee Battle

Angus MacKay : AC 5; MV 12; F10; hp 63; #AT 3/2; Dmg by weapon (longsword (4-11), wheel lock pistol (1-4), dagger (2-5)) or magic (see below); Str 18/25, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 13; AL CG; THAC0 10.

He wears leather armor and carries a shield, a dagger +1 , a wheel lock pistol (which he rarely uses), and his longsword, called the Blade of Bannockburn. It is a longsword +3 which can cause everyone within the air envelope of a ship to hear an inspiring song played on bagpipes, usable 3 times a day. This song increases the morale of all allies by 2 for 1-4 hours.

Angus was born on a planet much like medieval Scotland which, four years ago, was devastated by a great fire that burned down his home, along with his master, a wizard named Ian McGregor. Angus had no place to turn until he was picked up by a neogi slaver, which he soon escaped from by way of an easily-duped captain. He wasted no time learning all about his new surroundings, and eventually won a decrepit man-o-war from an overconfident pirate who thought he could outfight Angus. He fixed it up and hired a crew that included an eager young wizard named Garadon, a mage who reminded him of a young version of his former master. Ever since then, Angus has traveled throughout the spheres aboard the Brigadoon , searching for adventure.

Garadon of Bral

AC 8; MV 12; W6; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg by dagger (1-4) or spell; Str 11, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 13; spells: comprehend languages, light, mending, shield, locate portal, wizard lock, chill fire, enhance rating; AL NG; THAC0 19. He wears dark, somber robes and carries a dagger.

Garadon is a young man of 20 years, but he has a lot of potential. He was always told to concentrate on his studies, and thus he never developed much of a personality or a sense of humor. That is, until he met Angus. In the past few months aboard the Brigadoon , he has learned to have fun, to laugh, and to enjoy life. Garadon is grateful to Angus, and would never betray him.

Camaris the Timid

AC 8; MV 12; W(I)4; hp 15; #AT 1; Dmg by dagger (1-4) or spell; Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 16; spells: change self, phantasmal force, color spray, ventriloquism, phantasmal force, hypnotic pattern, mirror image, improved phantasmal force; AL CE; THAC0 20. He wears bright robes which conceal a dagger, and wears a golden amulet on a chain around his neck (an amulet of ESP .)

Camaris (not his real name) is posing as a neophyte illusionist, learning about spelljamming from Garadon. In reality, he is a spy for the unfortunate pirate who lost his ship to Angus. Camaris intends to incite mutiny in the crew and take over as captain. He has no intention of handing the ship over to his employer, however. He is thoroughly evil.

The Crew (45): AC 9; MV 12; F1; hp 1-10; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon (short sword (1-6), light crossbow (1-4), or net (0)); AL CG; THAC0 20. Each carries a shortsword and a light crossbow. All are average in experience.

Most of these men enjoy a good fight, and almost all admire and respect Angus. Consequently, they have very high morale (16). Three of them are conspiring with Camaris to overthrow Angus as captain.

The Brigadoon

Angus's ship is a standard man-o-war except for a few things. Angus had changed the weapon configuration, so an additional medium catapult is mounted on a turret on the forward deck, and a greek fire projector (with turret) has been affixed to the top of the cargo hold. It has been given the modifications of Increased Thickness and Rigging. The flag of Scotland flies over the deck as well. A search of the ship reveals a cargo of various items taking up 8 tons of cargo space and worth about 15,000 gp. Crew possessions are worth a total of 1500 gp. Angus's personal treasure consists of a locked box of diamonds worth 3500 gp. He trades all his booty for diamonds.

Read the following paragraph to the players:

After a few days of clear sailing, your ship stops in a remote section of the sphere. Straight ahead, you can make out the shape of a large green ship. It is moving toward you slowly.

Soon the PCs can identify the ship as a man-o-war, all weapons unloaded. If the PCs fight, go to The Big Fight (Option #2) . If the PCs let the ship approach, it comes alongside and Angus comes aboard. He talks chattily for a while, then returns to his ship. Before he leaves (if he thinks they have a good sense of humor) he issues a warning: "By the way, ye had better get yerselves ready for a bit of a skirmish." The Brigadoon pulls away quickly, full speed ahead for two rounds. Angus then turns and starts The Big Fight (Option #1) .

The Big Fight (Option #1)

Angus has peculiar sense of humor which manifests itself in combat. He first activates his singing sword, with which his crew sings along. All his ship mounted weapons are loaded with paint bombs, hollow paint-filled bolts, or, in the case of the GFC, paint instead of greek fire. He fires these at the crew, not the ship. When he runs out of ammunition (3 shots per weapon) he closes and boards, using nets. When all opponents are incapacitated or covered in paint, Angus asks for the surrender of the ship, smiling broadly and winking conspicuously. If the captain agrees, all remaining crew members are tied up, and Angus takes 20 percent of the ship's cargo. He then unties the captain and heads off into the sunset. Or the solar eclipse. Or something. If Angus' men are all incapacitated, he allows the captain twenty minutes of use with his "big secret", a crystal ball with ESP and clairaudience (his master's only surviving possession) and a souvenir paint bomb. The End.

The Big Fight (Option #2)

In this case, Angus is merciless, using real weapons and real force. He uses basically the same tactics outlined above, but much less politely. When all opponents are dead (yes, dead; Angus takes no prisoners), he takes all cargo, weapons, personal possessions, etc., and burns the ship. See previous ending. If he loses over a dozen men, he makes a fighting retreat, never surrendering. If Angus is killed his men retreat, with a sizable dent in their morale.

Note:

Paint (multicolored): Anyone hit by any paint-weapon must make a saving throw vs. breath weapons or be incapacitated for 1-10 rounds and blinded for 2-20 rounds. Ballistas affect a 5' radius, all others affect a 20' radius.