Tales From

Dead Men
A Scenario for
Basic Roleplaying’s

Blood Tide Setting

Dedicated to my son, Kenji
 Find Blood Tide at
www.chaosium.com

By Simon Yee
@CHAOSIUM_INC Interior Art by Mark Helwig
Cover Art by Mark Helwig
Copy Editing by Christopher Smith Adair, Meghan
McLean, and Danielle Yee.
Layout by Meghan McLean
Acquisitions: Meghan McLean

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First Edition 2014
ISBN-10: 1568824130
Product Number 2035
 I n troduction

The Island of Castonegro is part of a chain of un- A Typical Able Seaman

charted islands called the Devil’s Hammer. Many
pirates escape to this island when evading the
Experienced Sailor
Spanish fleet because it has a hidden cove, called
the Bed of the Black Cat. This is where pirates can STR 14 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 11
rest and resupply their ships for future conquests. POW 10 DEX 14 APP 13 EDU 7
A pirate’s haven of sorts, but it comes with a price. Move: 10
Every now and then there are tales of ships that
Hit Points: 14
stray from the normal safe sea lanes within the
Damage Bonus: +1D6
island chain and encounter things worse than the
Spanish fleet. Those ships are never seen again. Armor: none
But then how can those tales be true if there are Attacks: Pistol 50%, 1D6+1) (impaling)
never any survivors and, as we know, dead men Musket 40%, 1D60+4 (impaling)
tell no tales. Grenadoe 50%, 2D6/4 meters (knockback)
Boarding Pike 55%, 1D8+1+db (impaling)
Knife 45%, 1D6+2+db (impaling)

Character Creation
Cutlass 55%, 1D8+1+db (bleeding)
Fist 50%, 1D6+sb (crushing)
Skills: Artillery 30%, Brawl 50%, Climb 80%, Craft
Tales From Dead Men is for beginners. The
(Carpentry) 55%, Dodge 40%, Fine Manipula-
scenario provides pre-generated characters at tion 45%, Gaming 35%, Grapple 50%, Jump 45%,
the back for ease of play, though the players may Knowledge (Region: Caribbean) 40%, Language
wish to create their own characters and ship, (Native) 50%, Language (Other) 40%, Listen 45%,
especially if they have a copy of Blood Tide. If Navigate 50%, Perform (Sea Shanties) 45%, Pilot
players choose to create their own characters (Ship) 35%, Sense 30%, Sleight of Hand 35%, Spot
then have them pick their roles on the ship and 50%, Swim 45%, Throw 50%.
let them know the player characters are part of a Equipment: All are armed with a knife and a cutlass.
crew that has been together for some time. Also, Some have muskets, braces of pistol, boarding pikes
they will need to select the type of pirate ship or grenadoes.
they will be using. The players have a crew of 250
NPCs to fill in the rest of the positions not taken
by their own characters. Make sure that the ship
they choose fits the amount of crew members
Players’ Information
250 + the PCs. For NPCs use the generic Expe- Your ship has evaded the Spanish armada, but
rienced Sailor statistic. The sample ship sheet you know there are still a few ships pursuing your
at the end of this book is a good reference to vessel. There is a chain of islands called the Devil’s
organize the characters. Hammer, about a day or two away, that can pro-
vide you shelter from the pursuing Spanish fleet.
The Spanish avoid the islands because the treach-
erous water is known to ground ships unwary of

5
Tales From Dead Men

Duels are common in life at sea

the sudden changes of depths along the seafar- first encounter for the PCs. The second event is
ing lanes. Your crew calls these islands home and the sighting of the smoking ruins of another ship
everyone on the ship knows the routes that avoid from the same Dutch merchant company, the
ripping your hull on the jagged rocks lying a few Oceaan van Geluk .
feet under the surface of the water. The one island The story revolves around a mermaid who has
your crew calls home is the Island of Castonegro. fallen in love with a handsome Dutch sailor named
There, on the south side of the island, in the Bed Espen Ring and who boarded one of the ships dis-
of the Black Cat cove, is a small town waiting for guised as a crew member to be with him. This mer-
your return. maid is a rebel against her queen, and is part of the
The sea is open, but do you head to the Dev- Ondine, who actively seek to fall in love and bear
il’s Hammer, or keep going till you cross a ship- children, thereby becoming mortal humans. Her
ping lane to find ships to plunder for gold? The true nature is unknown to Espen and the crew. The
crew’s choice will guide the ship and the ensuing Dutch ships were forced off course along the Devil’s
adventure. The only thing the crew knows for sure Hammer shipping lanes by a storm caused by the
is that there are still a couple ships from the Span- Queen of the Mermaids, Queen Nari’th, angry at
ish navy still giving you chase and letting them her favored mermaid for falling in love with a mor-
catch up is foolhardy. tal. A ship of corrupt pirates loyal to Queen Nari’th
intercepted the Dutch merchant ships and chased
them down one by one. The pirates killed every-
Gamemaster’s one on the two ships they caught, except two sailors
they captured. One is Espen Ring, whom the On-
Background dine has fallen in love with, and another which they
intend to use as a decoy (they unintentionally left
The scenario starts off as a series of events, and one more clinging to life on his scuttled ship). The
the choice the players to make, create the flow one ship that escaped the catastrophe holds the On-
for their adventure. The first is the sighting of a dine. Now the corrupt pirates of Queen Nari’th wait
ship along their path, the Xandra, whether they for the Ondine to return for her captured love. As
choose to go towards the Devil’s Hammer or find an Ondine, she is bound by her love and must re-
a shipping lane to pirate. The ship is readily identi- turn to save him or forsake her love only to return
fied as part of the Dutch merchant line and is the back to the sea as a traitor, under threat of death.

6
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting

The Xandra Hit Locations

1-3 AFT RIGGING 4-7 MID RIGGING 8-10 FORE
The Xandra is a Dutch Treasure Galleon that was RIGGING
returning back from the Americas with two other 1-5 Rigging Points 1-5 Rigging Points 1-5 Rigging Points
ships when it was blown off course by terrible
6-9 Rigging Section 6-9 Rigging Section 6-9 Rigging Section
winds and then attacked by the Pirate Captain
‘Wild Anne’ Blanchard. The Xandra was the only 10 Damage Control 10 Damage Control 10 Damage Control
ship to escape the ravages of Wild Anne’s pirate Section Section Section
ship to open sea. The ship’s crew has been through 1-3 AFT HULL 4-7 MID HULL 8-10 FORE HULL
a lot and is wary of more trouble. The captain 1-3 hull Points 1-3 Hull Points 1-5 Hull Points
of The Xandra is a seasoned old sailor, named 4-8 Quarterdeck 4-6 Gun Deck 6-10 Hold
Captain Smid Blood, and he is trying to protect
the ship and its cargo. The players spot the ship 9 Damage Control 7-8 Main Deck
Section
on the horizon moving at half speed and as they 9 Damage Control
approach they see that one of the masts has been 10 Hold Section
shattered and a few of the sails are torn. Captain 10 Hold
Blood will take defensive measures and have his
cannons fire once a ship has gotten too close for CAPTAIN SMID BLOOD
his comfort, even if the other ship flies a flag that
denotes no threat. Captain Blood is a tall man with corn pipe pro-
truding from his mouth. As a result of recent
events, he appears haggard and rough around
THE XANDRA-
the edges but is otherwise a formally dressed of-
DUTCH TREASURE GALLEON ficer of the Dutch shipping company. He is NOT
Daft: 16’ aware that one of his crew members is a mermaid
Beam: 20’ disguised as a man, or that the recent attack on
his three ships was a vengeful act of her fellow
Length: 40yds
mermaids who disapproved of her falling in love.
Tonnage: 1,000 tons He is a bit paranoid about the other vessels in the
Cargo: 550 tons of tobacco sea as a result of his encounter with Captain Wild
Crew: 90 (treat as rabble with 1 Anne and will not trust the player characters if
wound; morale 40%) they are able to parlay their way on board. Captain
Hull Points: 25 Blood knows he cannot outrun another ship and
Rigging Points: 30 will order his cannons to fire on any ship that ap-
proaches. If a battle ensues then he will fight to the
Flotation Points: 35
ship’s best capability, but if the morale of his crew
Base Speed: 3 knots
becomes too low and the fight seems against him,
Bow: 1 he will try to save his crew and offer to surrender
Bow Quarter: 1 his cargo.
Amidships: 2 Captain Blood’s story: He lead his three
Aft Quarter: 3 ships down the Devil’s Hammer because of
stormy weather, but the waters became too
Aft: 3
treacherous to travel so they anchored in a bay
Armament: 16x18pdrs canons in (the Wolves’ Pivot) to wait out the storm. While
two broadsides (Gun
some of the crew were ashore looking for sup-
Deck), 12x10pdrs in two
broadsides (Main Deck),
plies, a pirate ship came into the bay and captured
6x6pdrs in two broadsides one of the ships. The Xandra and the Oceaan van
(Quarter Deck), 1x14pdrs Geluk escaped out of the bay. Captain Blood was
Stern chasers, 6x3pdrs able to disable the captured ship, the Koning van
Swivel guns. The listed de Zee, as he was exiting the bay. While he out
composition of armaments numbered Captain Wild Anne’s pirate ship, two
includes only those that are to one, he was fearful of a sea monster under her
functioning and not lost in control. “A large monstrous beast that pulled my
the previous battles. men to a watery death with long horrible tentacles.

7
Tales From Dead Men
I was fear struck…and so were my men. We did not
know what to do against such hellspawn. We had to
flee!”
As he guided his two ships through a wa-
tery passage between two tall sheer cliffs (Banshee
Point) the pirate ship caught up to the the Oceaan
van Geluk and destroyed it with cannon fire. Cap-
tain Blood escaped onto the Xandra and led her
into open water, eventually, meeting the player
characters.
STR 12 CON 10 SIZ 17 INT 14
POW 12 DEX 15 APP13 EDU 12
Move: 10
Hit Points: 14
SAN: 48 (He witnessed Wild Anne’s sea monster)
Reputation: 50%
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Armor: none
Attacks: Pistol 55%, 1D6+1 (impaling), Small Sword
75%, 1D6+1+db (impaling), Pocket Pistol 55%,
1D4+2 (impaling).
Skills: Bargain 40%, Command 50%, Dodge 30%,
Etiquette (Cultured) 35%, Fast Talk 45%, Gaming
35%, Hide 55%, Language (English) 55%, Language
(Dutch) 89%, Language (Spanish) 35%, Pilot (Ship)
43%, Spot 50%, Status 46%, Strategy 35%.

POWERS:
Stunts: Brilliant Plan, Lucky Jack, Pistol Proof, Stop Hit
Equipment: Merchant officer’s (captain) uniform,
small sword, and a concealed pocket pistol.
Wealth: Affluent. Joos
Skills: Artillery 35%, Brawl 35%, Climb 50%, Craft
(Carpentry) 50%, Dodge 50%, Fine Manipulation
The Rabble 50%, Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (Dutch
There are 90 men on the ship performing vari- Mercantile) 50%, Language (Creole) 31%, Language
ous duties, and they are treated as rabble during (Dutch) 67%, Sense 55%, Spot 55%, Swim 50%,
combat with only 1 wound capacity. Their current Throw 50%.
morale is 40%.
STR 14 CON 11 SIZ 12 INT 11 Joos (The Ondine)
POW 10 DEX 12 APP13 EDU 7
Dressed in young man’s clothes, this Ondine
Move: 10 pretends to be a young servant boy and the ship’s
Hit Points: 12 musician. Some of the rabble on the ship suspect
SAN: 50 he is a girl, but not one of them truly knows she is
Damage Bonus: +1D4 a mermaid. Joos, as she is called by the crew, had
Armor: none met Espen off the shores of America and joined
the crew, in disguise, to be with him when the fleet
Attacks: Musket 45%, 1D10+4,
Grenadoe 55%, Boarding landed in Holland. She has not consummated her
Pike 30%, 1D10+1 love for him, and she is fighting off the hunger for
Boarding Axe 35%, 1D8+2 human flesh. Joos is being pursued by her sister
mermaids and they have used the corrupt pirates

8
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
of Queen Nari’th to capture her love, Espen.
The mermaids know that she needs to save him
or return back to the sea in despair, likely after M e r m a id s in
killing and devouring the crew on her ship. Joos
has been trying to convince Captain Blood to Human Form
go back to rescue the other ships, but without capable of
Mermaids are
luck. Maybe the PCs would be willing to aid Joos man form.
assuming a hu
if they are able to take over the ship or come in n split their
A mermaid ca
contact with her (she may abandon the ship). She appear fully
tail in order to
will tell them of the gold and priceless treasure
human.
on the Koning van de Zee. A Spot Hidden roll
gives clues to her feminine nature and a Psychol-
ogy Roll suggests she is hiding another motive.
If the PCs figure out her true nature as a woman
then they can press her to explain her true intent
to rescue her love. Joos will give clues to her On-
dine identity by explaining too much about the
lusca, facts mortal men would never know, and Siren’s Song: The Ondine can spend 3PP, and target
that her love, Espen, had enraged the supernatural one male creature within hearing distance, engag-
world of the sea by some act he had committed ing in a POW vs. POW contest. If the target fails,
(fall in love with her). then he is Enchanted by the Ondine. Enchanted
targets try to reach the Ondine, diving into the
STR 10 CON 10 SIZ 9 INT 15
water and fighting friends if necessary. Once in the
POW 15 DEX 13 APP18 EDU 7
Ondine’s presence the enchanted victim serves the
Move: 10, Swim 10 (15 in mermaid form) Ondine as he would his best friend or true love. The
Hit Points: 10 enchanted victim can make a POW vs. POW roll if
the Ondine attacks him or assumes her mermaid
SAN: 75
form in his presence, and every full dawn following
Damage Bonus: none his enchantment.
Armor: none (2 in mermaid form) Equipment: Young sailors clothes. She is armed with a
Attacks: Small Sword 75%, 1D6+1+db (impaling). small sword tucked under her waist sash.
Mermaid form:
Claw 75%, 1D6 (bleeding), THE CRUX OF THE ADVENTURE:
Bite 85%; 1D4 (bleeding)
Skills: Art (Scrimshaw) 55%, Bargain 40%, Disguise The encounter with the Xandra hopefully leads to
57%, Dodge 60%, Etiquette (Cultured) 45%, Fast the player characters meeting Joos, the Ondine. If
Talk 45%, Fine Manipulation 32%, Hide 55%, the PCs decide not to engage the ship and make
Language (Creole) 75%, Language (Dutch) 69%, their way down the shipping lane or to the island
Language (Spanish) 55%, Language (English) 50%, of Castonegro to the Bed of the Black Cat, then
Listen 43%, Perform (Fiddle) 62%, Seamanship Joos will steal a dinghy boat or swim—but using
17%, Spot 40%, Status 46%, Stealth 65% this won’t reveal her nature. In order to meet up
with the ship in hopes she can convince the player
POWERS: characters to go against the corrupt pirates and
Stunts: Florentine, Handsomely Now!, I Had that Right save her love, Espen Ring. If for some reason the
Here, Living Hercules, Ratline Runner players move away from Devil’s Hammer, then
Aquatic: natural swim and breathe water. their path will be intercepted by the Spanish Fleet
Mermaid Transformation: An Ondine can spend Ship of the Line, 3rd Rate, called the Maribel del
1PP to turn into a mermaid feeding form. While Mar. This is one of the ships from the Spanish
in this form she grows claws and fangs, and a thick fleet hunting the PCs’ pirate ship. If the PCs are
scaly skin. For an additional 1 PP she grows a long not deterred by the encounter after a few rounds
fish-like tail, granting her Swim 15. Witnessing this of engagement, then have two more Spanish ships
transformation causes 1D6 SAN loss to mortals.
with the same stats appear on the horizon. Obvi-
In this form she gains Armor 2 to all locations and
the following attacks: Claw 1D6 (bleeding) and Bite ously this is a deus ex machina for the gamemater
1D4 (bleeding). to corral the PCs into the area around Devil’s
Hammer.

9
Tales From Dead Men
Maribel del Mar HIT LOCATIONS
1-3 AFT RIGGING 4-7 MID RIGGING 8-10 FORE
Ship of the Line, 3rd Rate RIGGING
Daft: 18’ 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging
Beam: 47’ Points Points Points
Length: 57yds 6-8 Rigging 6-8 Rigging 6-8 Rigging
Tonnage: 1,632 tons Section Section Section

Cargo: 285 tons 9 Boarding 9 Boarding 9 Boarding

section section section
Crew: 550 (treat as rabble with 1
wound; morale 80%) 10 Damage 10 Damage 10 Damage
Control Section Control Section Control Section
Hull Points: 200
1-3 AFT HULL 4-7 MID HULL 8-10 FORE HULL
Rigging Points 130
1-3 Hull Points 1-3 Hull Points 1-3 Hull Points
Flotation Points: 200
4 Quarter deck 4 Upper Deck 4 Upper Deck
Base Speed: 6 knots
gun section Gun Section Section
Bow: 3
5 Quarter deck 5 Middle deck 5 Middle deck
Bow Quarter: 4 gun section gun section gun section
Amidships: 4 6 Middle deck 6 Lower deck 6 Lower deck
Aft Quarter: 6 gun section gun section gun section
Aft: 5 7 Lower deck 7-8 Boarders 7 Bow chaser
Armament: 28x32pdrs in two broadsides gun section Section section
(Lower Gun Deck), 8 Stern Chaser 9 Damage 8 Boarders
28x24pdrs in two broadsides Section Control Section section
(Upper Gun Deck), 14 x
9pdrs in two broadsides 9 Boarders 10 Hold 9 Damage
section Control Section
(Quarter Deck), 4x9pdrs
(Bow Chasers). 10 Quarterdeck 10 Hold
11 Damage
Control Section
12 Hold

Captain Octavio Rios

STR 12 CON 12 SIZ 14 INT 14
POW 12 DEX 13 APP15 EDU 13
Move: 10
Hit Points: 13
SAN: 60
Reputation: 70%
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Armor: 6 Cuirass (chest, abdomen), 6 Metal Helmet
(head).
Attacks: Pistol 63%, 1D6+1 (impaling),
Small Sword 85%, 1D6+1+db (impaling)
Skills: Bargain 40%, Command 70%, Dodge 40%,
Etiquette (Cultured) 35%, Fast Talk 45%, Hide 55%,
Language (English) 55%, Language (Spanish) 85%,
Language (Creole) 34%, Pilot (Ship) 63%, Spot
50%, Status 66%, Strategy 55%.

Captain Octavio Rios

10
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
POWERS: Island of Castonegro
Stunts: Countenance like the Devil, Florentine, Initial An active volcano spews lava on the far side of the
Carving, Pistol Proof, Taunt, Unquenchable Thirst. island, with a lush green tropical forest blanketing
Equipment: Naval Officer’s (captain) uniform, cuirass, the rest of the island. The hidden cove, called the
helmet and small sword. Bed of the Black Cat, sits near the base of the vol-
cano with lava streaming close to the ridge of the
Spanish Fleet Rabble area. Cascading cliffs surround the bay and a small
ship dock juts from one of the cliff faces. There is
The rabble are Spanish navel soldiers and take 2 currently a ship docked here called the Harbinger.
wound to bring down. Dex 12. They are armed The captain is Jackson Picus. Most of his men
with Boarding Axe 25%, 1D8+2 and pistol flint- are in the local village on the shores of the bay
lock 30%, 1D6+1 enjoying common pirate revelry and debauchery.
STR 14 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 11 Captain Picus and his men are open to helping the
POW 10 DEX 12 APP13 EDU 7 PCs if they are willing to give them equal share of
Move: 10 the loot described by Joos. This can also be a place
Hit Points: 14 where PCs meet Joos if they have avoided both her
SAN: 50
ship and her attempts to contact them. She might
be in the process of trying to convince Captain
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Picus, but the story of Captain Wild Anne and the
Armor: none corrupted pirates is giving him pause since he has
Attacks: Musket 45%, 1D10+4, heard of her merciless ways and knows she does
Grenadoe 55%, not abide to the brotherhood of pirates.
Boarding Pike 30%, 1D10+1
Boarding Axe 35%, 1D8+2
The Harbinger - East Indiaman
Skills: Artillery 80%, Brawl 40%, Climb 50%, Craft
(Carpentry) 50%, Dodge 40%, Fine Manipulation
50%, Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (Span- Daft: 20’
ish Naval Rules and Regulation) 50%, Language Beam: 43’
(Creole) 50%, Language (Spanish) 80%, Sense 50%, Length: 59yds
Spot 50%, Swim 50%, Throw 65%.
Tonnage: 1,400 tons
Cargo: 1000 tons

Devil’s Hammer Crew: 150 (treat as rabble with

1 wound; morale 70%)
The Devil’s Hammer is a small chain of islands Hull Points: 150
and active volcanoes that, on a map, have some Rigging Points 100
resemblance to a hammer. The area is fictional
Flotation Points: 115
and the actual location is left open to allow
Base Speed: 6 knots
gamemasters to place it anywhere they may wish
for their own purposes. Also the name and mys- Bow: 3
terious location allude to its association with the Bow Quarter: 4
world of the unseen. Amidships: 4
The Devil’s Hammer is very treacherous to Aft Quarter: 6
approach if the PCs are unaware of where the
Aft: 5
ocean bottom rises to the surface. A Pilot (Ship) Armament: 52x12pdrs in two
roll is required to negotiate the waters between broadsides.
the islands every half hour. Failure results in
temporarily beaching the ship for 1D10 rounds
with 1D10 points of damage to the hull of the
ship. Critical failure will cause 5D50 points of
damage to the hull as the bottom of the ship cuts
across sharp coral and jagged rocks. Characters
with Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Hammer) can
roll and add +25% to their Pilot rolls.

11
Tales From Dead Men

Map of Devil’s Hammer

12
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
HIT LOCATIONS If there is a weakness about him it would be his taste
for gambling. If PCs gamble with him they might
1-3 AFT RIGGING 4-7 MID RIGGING 8-10 FORE
be able to win his help through a simple game of
RIGGING
chance (PCs’ choice). Captain Picus and his crew are
1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging familiar with the Devil’s Hammer and do not have
Points Points Points
to roll Piloting (Ship) when navigating the waters.
6-9 Rigging 6-9 Rigging 6-9 Rigging STR 11 CON 16 SIZ 14 INT 15
Section Section Section POW 14 DEX 12 APP16 EDU 12
10 Damage 10 Damage 10 Damage Move: 10
Control Section Control Section Control
Hit Points: 15
Section
SAN: 70
1-3 AFT HULL 4-7 MID HULL 8-10 FORE
HULL Reputation: 71%
1-3 hull Points 1-3 Hull Points 1-5 Hull Damage Bonus: +1D4
Points Armor: none
4-8 Quarterdeck 4-5 Gun Deck
6-10 Hold Attacks: Boarding pistol 47%, 1D8+1 (impaling),
9 Damage 6-8 Main Deck Cutlass 75%, 1D8+1+db (bleeding).
Control Section
9 Damage Skills: Bargain 40%, Command 50%, Dodge 30%,
10 Hold Control Section Etiquette (Cultured) 35%, Fast Talk 45%, Gambling
10 Hold 52%, Hide 55%, Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Hammer
86%, Language (English) 55%, Language (Creole)
89%, Language (Spanish) 33%, Pilot (Ship) 53%,
Captain Jackson Picus Spot 50%, Status 52%, Stealth 67%, Strategy 44%.

Captain Picus appears as a man in his late 30’s,

POWERS:
wearing a long red aristocrat coat and flamboyant
buccaneer hat. A large cutlass almost drags on the Stunts: Deadly Aim, Follow Me Lads!, Keep Going,
Natural Athlete, Sail Riding.
floor as it hangs from his waist. Dark long curly
hair and a robust beard drape over his chest. He is a Equipment: Aristocrat coat, cutlass, and a boarding
gregarious and gay man with an eye for excitement. pistol.

The Rabble
There are 150 men on the ship performing vari-
ous duties, and they are treated as rabble during
combat with only 1 wound capacity. Their current
morale is 70%. Dex 14. Armed with Boarding Pike
20%, 1D10+1 or Boarding Axe 35%, 1D8+2.
STR 14 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 11
POW 10 DEX 14 APP13 EDU 7
Move: 10
Hit Points: 14
SAN: 50
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Armor: none
Attacks: Musket 65%, 1D10+4,
Grenadoe 75%,
Boarding Pike 40%, 1D10+1
Boarding Axe 55%, 1D8+2
Skills: Artillery 75%, Brawl 45%, Climb 60%, Craft
(Carpentry) 45%, Dodge 65%, Fine Manipulation
50%, Grapple 55%, Jump 60%, Knowledge (Region:
Devil’s Hammer) 55%, Language (Creole) 70%,
Captain Jackson Picus Sense 60%, Spot 60%, Swim 55%, Throw 60%.

13
Tales From Dead Men

Bed of the Black Cat 89%, Language (French) 33%, Pilot (Ship) 50%,
Spot 62%, Status 55%, Strategy 34%.
There is only one tavern in the village and it is
named the Bed of the Black Cat. There are rooms POWERS:
above the tavern but most of those are used by the Stunts: Charmed, I’m sure, Friends in High Places and
female and male prostitutes that service the secret Low, I Had That Right Here, I’m Not Here, Un-
cove. The locals in the village are a motley collection quenchable Thirst.
of retired pirates and indigenous people from the Equipment: Day clothes, carafe of grog and a boarding
nearby islands. The tavern and some of the nearby pistol.
village homes are made from the hull of an unlucky
merchant ship called the Sun Lion. Some pieces of
wood and brass fittings have the markings of the
Sun Lion still on them as old reminders of whence
The Village People
they came. The captain of the ill-fated ship, Jacques The village people consist of a mix of pirates and
Lehman, owns the tavern and named it the Bed of islanders that have come to appreciate the cove’s
the Black Cat because the Sun Lion was unlucky simple life of constant debauchery. Some of the
and laid to rest here. villagers are part of Jacques Lehman’s original
Jacques has become very comfortable here in crew and consider themselves the founding mem-
the Bed of the Black Cat, despite his initial yearn- bers of the villagers. If there is a fight for some rea-
ing to get off the island, and has no desire to leave. son, then consider the villagers as rabble, needing
He has come to appreciate the simple life and feels 2 wounds to drop them, and armed with knives or
a bit of shame for crashing his ship into the rocks makeshift clubs: 30%, 1D3+1 or 1D3 respectively.
of the Devil’s Hammer. After a decade of living on Dex12.
the island he has come to know the waters around STR 10 CON 12 SIZ 12 INT 11
the chain of islands like the back of his hand and POW 10 DEX 12 APP13 EDU 7
will be open to helping inexperienced pirates learn Move: 10
the best path through the waters. If he gets infor-
Hit Points: 12
mation from Joos about the attack on the Dutch
merchant ships he can pretty much guess that the SAN: 50
attack took place at Banshee Point, and that the pi- Damage Bonus: 0
rates would hide out at the Wolves’ Pivot. He won’t Armor: none
go with player characters to the area, but he will Attacks: knives or makeshift clubs, 30%, 1D3+1 or 1D3
give directions to the locations and helpful advice respectively
to negotiate the waters, giving a +20 to any Pilot Skills: Artillery 30%, Brawl 56%, Climb 65%, Craft
(Ship) rolls. (Carpentry) 50%, Dodge 50%, Fine Manipulation
45%, Grapple 60%, Jump 50%, Language (Creole)
65%.
Jacques Lehman-
Bed of the Black Cat owner
STR 15 CON 12 SIZ 11 INT 15 Banshee Point
POW 13 DEX 13 APP13 EDU 14
The ocean water cuts through two islands creating
Move: 10 a treacherous waterway. On both sides of the pas-
Hit Points: 12 sage are 400-foot-high cliff faces. Banshee Point
SAN: 65 gets its name from the acoustics of the cliffs. The
Reputation: 64% wind in this area howls and echoes in a deafen-
Damage Bonus: +1D4 ing tone as it passes through. In the middle of the
waterway is the port bow of the second Dutch
Armor: none
ship, The Oceaan van Geluk, protruding above
Attacks: Boarding pistol 47%, 1D8+1 (impaling). the water surface. There are several dead bodies
Skills: Bargain 40%, Craft (Beer, Ale, Grog and Wine) drifting through the water and against the rocky
63%, Command 37%, Dodge 43%, Etiquette cliffs. A man resting on the port bow can be heard
(Pirate) 55%, Fast Talk 65%, Gambling 67%, Hide
moaning. His left leg is hanging by a tether of flesh
35%, Language (English) 55%, Language (Creole)
from his thigh. SAN Roll for 0/1 for viewing the

14
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
wreckage and devastation. Also a Spot Hidden roll Lusca
notices a shark fin in the water and that some of
the drifting corpses are getting pulled under the STR 65 CON 35 SIZ 55 INT 4
POW 10 DEX 14 APP- EDU -
water in a jerky fashion. The corpses are the rem-
nants of the Dutch sailors and the man on the port Move: swim at 30
bow is Adlar, the coxswain. Adlar is too weak to Hit Points: 45
move himself and requires PCs to physically pull Damage Bonus: +6D6
him into the boat from the port bow. Adlar regains Armor: 3 points of scaly hide
his senses once players try to pick him up or are
Attacks: Tentacle 65%, 1D6 + db
in touching distance. He softly informs characters
Skills: Dodge 25%, Grapple 75%, Sense 65%, Spot
that the pirate Wild Anne killed everyone and took
55%.
the gold from the cargo hold. He will then correct
himself and say she kept one of the Dutch sailors
alive and tied to her mast pole. He believes it was
POWERS:
a sailor named Espen from the Koning van de Zee Whirlpool: creates a whirlpool of STR 24 and 15 yards
(the third ship). Adlar then looks past the PCs and in diameter. Any caught in the pool must contest
their STR vs. the whirlpool’s STR. Those who fail
at the water saying, “Hurry, hurry! It’s coming!”
are sucked under and begin drowning as per page
At that moment a Lusca, left behind (by 218 of the BRP core book, and can be attacked by
Wild Anne) to feed on the corpses of the sail- the Lusca’s bite.
ors, will come out of the water and attack Adlar SAN Loss: 1D4/1D6.
ONLY. After Adlar is taken the Lusca will attack
Ship Damage from Attacks:
the characters that were trying to save Adlar. The
Tentacles 1D6 (may only attack crew or rigging)
Lusca has the front body of a shark and the bot- Bite 4D6 (may only attack hull).
tom half of a giant octopus. The water level is un-
Speed Factor: 2/6/9.
even in the area and the Lusca will not be able to
use its whirlpool power.

The lusca attacks!

15
Tales From Dead Men

Banshee Point

The Wolves’ Pivot identity, because Ambrosius’s hair is blond and

Espen’s is jet black (aside from obvious differenc-
The Wolves’ Pivot is the bay area at the rim of El es in facial features). A map to find Espen and the
Lobo Ciego Island. A Knowledge (Pirate Lore or Dutch gold treasure has been imprinted as a tat-
anything similar) roll reveals that El Lobo Ciego too on Ambrosius’s back. Wild Anne is using Am-
Island is believed to be haunted and pirates that brosius as a decoy to get Joos to come to the ship.
go there never return (Jacques Lehman is aware Once Joos sees the man tied to the mast, she does
of this tale). There are two ships in the bay. One anything to save him, telling the PCs that he is the
of the ships is the badly damaged Dutch merchant man who knows where the gold is hidden (despite
ship, the Koning van de Zee, and the other is Hell’s the fact she doesn’t really know. She is only saying
Trident, Wild Anne’s pirate ship. it to get the PCs to save him, at all cost).
Wild Anne fires a warning shot as the PCs’ Wild Anne’s first mate, Blue Thomas, is on
ship approaches the bay. She is willing to negotiate the Koning van de Zee to direct the rabble to cap-
on the Koning van de Zee only to see if Joos is on ture Joos, and to handle any combat directions
board and then will attempt to capture or kill her. when Wild Anne is not around. Blue Thomas is
She will keep the Hell’s Trident close to the Koning instructed to kill Ambrosius on the mast before
van de Zee, as it provides cover since it is immo- Joos can reach him (conveniently leaving the body
bile yet has working cannons. If the PCs have help for the PCs to find the clue on his back no mat-
such as the Harbinger or the Xandra, then she will ter the possible outcome). Blue Thomas and the
try to maneuver to have one ship block the other rabble are under the spell of the Queen Nari’th to
ship’s firing arc while keeping the opponent’s ship follow Wild Anne’s direction.
in range of the Koning van de Zee. If Wild Anne captures Joos and any of the
A man with a burlap sack over his head is PCs, she takes them to the mermaid Aeoa (aye-
bound to the mast of Koning van de Zee. He is oh-ahh), who is hiding in an old temple ruin
dressed in the same attire that Espen Ring, Joos’s within a watery cavern on El Lobo Ciego Island.
true love, was wearing before he was captured.
The man tied to the mast is actually another
Dutch sailor, Ambrosius, who is meant to look
like Espen. The burlap bag is required to hide his

16
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
Koning van de Zee
Dutch Treasure Galleon
Daft: 16’
Beam: 20’
Length: 40yds
Tonnage: 1,000 tons
Cargo: 550 tons of tobacco
Crew: 110 (treat as rabble with 1
wound; morale 80%)
Hull Points: 32
Rigging Points 41
Flotation Points: 15
Base Speed: 0 knots
Bow: 0
Bow Quarter: 0
Amidships: 0
Aft Quarter: 0
Aft: 0
Armament: 10x18pdrs in two broadsides
(Gun Deck), 9x10pdrs in two
broadsides (Main Deck), 6
What be th’ fate o’ this pirate? x 6pdrs in two broadsides
(Quarter Deck), 1x14pdrs
Stern chasers, 6x3pdrs Swivel
guns. The listed composition
of armaments is for those that
are functioning and not lost
in the previous battles.
*Ship is stranded on rocks and cannot move.

HIT LOCATIONS
1-3 AFT RIGGING 4-7 MID RIGGING 8-10 FORE
RIGGING
1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging
Points Points Points
6-9 Rigging 6-9 Rigging 6-9 Rigging
Section Section Section
10 Damage 10 Damage 10 Damage
Control Section Control Section Control Section
1-3 AFT HULL 4-7 MID HULL 8-10 FORE HULL
1-3 hull Points 1-3 Hull Points 1-5 Hull Points
4-8 4-6 Gun Deck 6-10 Hold
Quarterdeck
7-8 Main Deck
9 Damage
9 Damage
Control Section
Control Section
10 Hold
10 Hold
Wild Anne

17
Tales From Dead Men

Wolves’ Pivot

Hell’s Trident HIT LOCATIONS

1-3 AFT RIGGING 4-7 MID RIGGING 8-10 FORE
Ship of the Line, 2rd Rate RIGGING
Daft: 20’
1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging
Beam: 50’ Points Points Points
Length: 59yds 6-8 Rigging 6-8 Rigging 6-8 Rigging
Tonnage: 1,930 tons Section Section Section
Cargo: 315 tons 9 Boarding 9 Boarding 9 Boarding
section section section
Crew: 250 (treat as rabble with 1
wound; morale 80%) 10 Damage 10 Damage 10 Damage
Control Section Control Section Control Section
Hull Points: 180
1-3 Aft Hull 4-7 Mid Hull 8-10 Fore Hull
Rigging Points 110
1-3 HULL POINTS 1-3 HULL POINTS 1-3 HULL POINTS
Flotation Points: 170
4 Quarter deck 4 Upper Deck 4 Upper Deck
Base Speed: 6 knots
gun section Gun Section Section
Bow: 3
5 Quarter deck 5 Middle deck 5 Middle deck
Bow Quarter: 4 gun section gun section gun section
Amidships: 4 6 Middle deck 6 Lower deck 6 Lower deck
Aft Quarter: 6 gun section gun section gun section
Aft: 5 7 Lower deck 7-8 Boarders 7 Bow chaser
gun section Section section
Armament: 28x32pdrs in two broadsides
(Lower Gun Deck), 30x12pdrs 8 Stern Chaser 9 Damage 8 Boarders
in two broadsides (Upper Section Control Section section
Gun Deck), 30 x 9pdrs in two 9 Boarders 10 Hold 9 Damage
broadsides (Middle Gun Deck), section Control Section
2x6pdrs (Bow Chasers).
10 Quarterdeck 10 Hold
11 Damage
Control Section

18
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
Pirate Captain Blue Thomas-
“Wild Anne” Blanchard Beguiled First Mate of
“Blue, bring her to me and kill the rest…no…except Hell’s Trident
that one over there. I wish to eat the flesh off that
one, alive, and drown my thoughts in blood. Oh, “As you wish.”
imagine the scream in falsetto to an
anguishing libretto.” Blue—like the rest of the crew—is beguiled to fol-
low Wild Anne’s orders to the letter as the result of
She is a bold woman in a suit of armor that gives meeting Queen Na’rith.
her a larger than life appearance, with her blonde- STR 12 CON 15 SIZ 15 INT 11
green hair draped over her like a regal coat. She POW 10 DEX 14 APP16 EDU 11
serves Queen Nari’th, but unlike her men who Move: 10
have become beguiled, corrupted minions, she is Hit Points: 15
free thinking and immune to the queen’s charms. SAN: 37 (He has met the mermaids, the Lusca, and
Instead Wild Anne does the queen’s bidding be- Queen Nari’th)
cause she believes she will be granted the immor- Reputation: 31%
tal life of a mermaid if she does enough favors. Damage Bonus: +1D4
She has started to kill and feed on men, like the
Armor: none
mermaids do. As a token, to string Anne along,
Queen Nari’th has granted her powers to breathe Attacks: Boarding Pistol 47%, 1D8+1 (impaling),
Cutlass 75%, 1D8+1+db (bleeding).
underwater and summon a pet Lusca, but has no
intentions of making her a mermaid. After all, Skills: Bargain 40%, Command 30%, Dodge 30%,
humans are disgusting. Etiquette (Pirate) 35%, Fast Talk 45%, Hide 65%,
Language (Creole) 89%, Language (Spanish) 33%,
STR 16 CON 15 SIZ 11 INT 16 Pilot (Ship) 42%, Spot 40%, Status 22%, Stealth
POW 14 DEX 10 APP15 EDU 13 60%, Strategy 24%.
Move: 10
Hit Points: 13 POWERS:
SAN: 70 Stunts: Deadly Aim, Follow Me Lads!, Keep Going,
Reputation: 78% Natural Athlete, Sail Riding.
Damage Bonus: +1D4 Equipment: Flashy black outfit, cutlass, and a boarding
pistol.
Armor: 8 Lobster Suit
Attacks: x2 Boarding Pistols 63%, 1D8+1 (impaling),
Cutlass 75%, 1D8+1+db (impaling). The Wild Anne’s Rabble (on Hell’s
Skills: Bargain 50%, Brawl 62%, Command 85%,
Dodge 50%, Etiquette (Pirate) 58%, Hide 55%, Trident and Koning van de Zee)
Knowledge (Region:Devil’s Hammer), Language There are 150 men on each ship performing vari-
(Creole) 55%, Language (English) 85%, Language ous duties and they are treated as rabble during
(French) 34%, Navigate 59%, Pilot (Ship) 63%, Sea- combat with only 1 wound capacity. Their current
manship 75%, Spot 50%, Status 66%, Strategy 55%. morale is 70%.
STR 14 CON 15 SIZ 13 INT 11
POWERS: POW 10 DEX 12 APP13 EDU 7
Stunts: Countenance like the Devil, Fleche, Hardy, Pis-
Move: 10
tol Proof, Riposte, With a Pistol in Each Hand.
Hit Points: 14
Summon Lusca: Once a day she may call for her pet
Lusca if the PCs have not killed it at Banshee Point. SAN: 30
Breathe Underwater: She has the ability to breathe Damage Bonus: +1D4
water like it was air. Armor: none
Equipment: Lobster Suit armor uniform, leather ban- Attacks: Musket 45%, 1D10+4,
dolier across chest to hold pistols and a cutlass. Grenadoe 55%,
Boarding Pike 30%, 1D10+1
Boarding Axe 35%, 1D8+2

19
Tales From Dead Men
a path through the forest but there are creatures
that lurk in the dark waiting to pick off stragglers
in the group: the Chupacabra. The Chupacabra
will look for individuals alone or in the back of a
group to pick off. There are three of them and they
are hungry. They are one of the reasons for the
stories about the island being haunted.

CHUPACABRA
STR 15 CON 14 SIZ 5 INT 6
POW 10 DEX 16 APP - EDU -
Move: 12
Hit Points: 10
Damage Bonus: none
Armor: 2-point scaly hide
Attacks: Claw 40%, 1D6 +1, Bite 45%, 1D6+1+blood
drain (see below)
Skills: Climb 65%, Dodge 45%, Hide 65%, Jump 75%,
Listen 75%, Sense 65%, Sleight of Hand 55%, Spot
90%, Stealth 55%, Swim 45%, Track 80%.

Unfortunate meeting with a chupacabra POWERS:

Blood Drain: If a Chupacabra gets a Special success on
Skills: Artillery 40%, Brawl 50%, Climb, Craft its bite attack, it drains blood from the target. The
(Carpentry) 50%, Dodge 50%, Fine Manipula- target loses an additional 1D6 HP and 1D6 CON.
tion 35%, Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge Wounds seep blood at a rate of 1 HP per round.
(Region:Devil’s Hammer) 50%, Language (Creole)
50%, Sense 50%, Spot 50%, Swim 50%, Throw 50%. SAN Loss: 1/1D4.

AMBROSIUS-
MAN TIED TO THE MAST Temple of the
STR 14
POW 10
CON 11
DEX 12
SIZ 12
APP13
INT 11
EDU 7 Mermaid Queen
Move: 10 Deep in the forest is a cave that leads into a cavern
Hit Points: 12 of ocean water coming from old volcanic lava tube
SAN: 50 vents. At the center, where the water meets the
Damage Bonus: +1D4 cavernous floor, is a stone temple altar. This is the
Temple of the Mermaid Queen. Espen Ring lies,
Armor: none
bound prone by chains. On the water side is the
Attacks: Musket 45%, 1D10+4, mermaid Aeoa, waiting for Joos to arrive. If given
Grenadoe 55%,
a chance she will offer Joos the choice to return to
Boarding Pike 30%, 1D10+1,
Boarding Axe 35%, 1D8+2 the mermaid fold as a shamed disobedient child
or have her love drowned. To return to the wat-
Skills: Artillery 35%, Brawl 35%, Climb 50%, Craft
(Carpentry) 50%, Dodge 50%, Fine Manipulation
tery world, Joos needs to kill a mortal by drowning
50%, Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (Dutch him in the water and then eat him. If she rebukes
Mercantile) 50%, Language (Creole)31% (Dutch) the offer—or if a PC intercedes before the offer—
67%, Sense 55%, Spot 55%, Swim 50%, Throw 50%. then Aeoa will command a Giant Crab to attack.
The crab is fairly instinct-driven and will chase
after characters if they run. Aeoa will start to sing
El Lobo Ciego Island and lure men to die to protect her. The Giant Crab
The island is fairly rocky with a forest cover. A will recoil and retreat if it suffers more than 25
dormant volcano sits on the far horizon. There is hit points of damage. At the bottom of the cavern

20
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting

Espen Ring, captive of the mermaids

pool is the gold treasure from the Dutch Ships. Attacks: Fist 45%, 1D3 + db (crushing)
About 23,000 pieces of gold in 5 wooden chests. Skills: Bargain 45%, Brawl 45%, Dodge 55%, Fast
Talk 65%, Grapple 65%, Insight 45%, Knowledge
GIANT CRAB (Region:Devil’s Hammer) 55%, Knowledge (Occult)
35%, Language (Any Human) 55%, Listen 65%,
STR 25 CON 20 SIZ 50 INT 1
Navigate 55%, Perform (Song) 65%, Persuade 65%,
POW 10 DEX 10 APP - EDU -
Sense 35%, Spot 55%, Status 45%, Stealth 45%.
Move: swim at 8, crawl at 4
Hit Points: 35 POWERS:
Damage Bonus: +4D6 Call Lusca: Aeoa cannot use this power in the cavern
Armor: 15-point Hard Shell because the vent tunnel is too small. The Giant Crab
Attacks: Claw 55%, 1D8 + db (crushing) made its way to this location by land.
Skills: Dodge 25%, Listen 25%, Sense 65%, Spot 55%. Feed: A mermaid in feeding form can grapple a target.
Once the target is restrained, the mermaid begins
SAN Loss: 1/1D4 eating the target’s flesh. In addition to normal dam-
Ship Damage from attacks: Claw 2D6 (may attack hull, age from the mermaid’s bite, the target temporarily
rigging or crew) loses 1D6 CON and 1D6 PP. The mermaid adds the
Speed Factor: 1/4/8. CON and PP of her victim to her own. A mermaid
whose CON or PP is increased beyond normal level
by feeding loses the excess at a rate of one point
AEOA- MERMAID
from each per moonrise, until they return to their
STR 12 CON 12 SIZ 12 INT 15 normal maximums. Mermaids may recover spent
POW 15 DEX 14 APP 18 EDU 6 PP by feeding in this way.
Move: swim at 15 Siren’s Song: A mermaid can spend 3 PP to force all
Hit Points: 12 males within hearing to contest POW vs. POW.
Damage Bonus: none If the mermaid wins, the target is Enchanted by
the mermaid. Enchanted targets try to reach the
Armor: 1-point scaly-skinned abdomen and tail mermaid, diving into the water and fighting friends

21
Tales From Dead Men
if necessary. Once in the mermaid’s clutches, the while being fed upon, and wakes up with unex-
enchanted victim serves the mermaid as he would plained claw and bite marks (and the memory of a
his best friend or true love. The enchanted vic- very seductive dream). A mermaid whose CON or
tim may make another POW vs. POW roll if the PP total is increased beyond their normal level by
mermaid attacks him or assumes her feeding form feeding loses the excess at a rate of one point from
in his presence, or every full moon following this each per moonrise, until they return to their normal
enchantment. maximums. Mermaids can recover spent PP by
Sorcery: This mermaid does not know any spells. feeding in this form.
Transform (Feeding Form): The mermaid spends 1 Transform (Human Form): A small percentage of mer-
PP to switch from her normal form to her feeding maids (less than 25%) can spend 1 PP to alter their
form. In her feeding form her skin becomes tougher lower body into that of a human female. In appear-
and scalier, her hair shortens and stiffens into spines ance and beauty, the lower body matches the upper.
running from her forehead down her back, and she To assume the feeding form, the mermaid must first
grows sharp talons and long fangs. These changes transform into her normal half-fish form, costing
give the mermaid 2 points of armor to all locations an additional PP. Some rare mermaids who can as-
and the following attacks: Claw 55%, 1D6 (bleed- sume human form can also assume Haunt form.
ing) and Bite 45%, 1D4 (bleeding). She is unable to SAN Loss: 0/1D2 in normal form, 1D4/1D6 in feeding
perform a Siren’s Call, or Call Lusca. Her APP drops form.
to 7. Equipment: none, though some have been known to
Transform (Haunt Form): A few (25%) mermaids are fancy trinkets and jewelry.
capable of changing into a spectral human female.
In this form, their lower body splits into two legs, ESPEN RING- BOUND DUTCH SAILOR
allowing them to walk on land. The mermaid is
insubstantial in this form (though she might appear STR 14 CON 11 SIZ 12 INT 11
solid in poor lighting) and can pass through solid POW 10 DEX 12 APP18 EDU 7
objects. A mermaid in haunt form feeds by invading Move: 10
the dreams of sleeping men. With a successful POW Hit Points: 12
vs. POW contest, the mermaid drains 1D6 CON
SAN: 50
and 1D6 PP from the victim. A victim is paralyzed
Damage Bonus: +1D4

It be a dangerous life at sea

22
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
Armor: none HIT LOCATIONS
Attacks: Musket 45%, 1D10+4,
1-3 AFT RIGGING 4-7 MID RIGGING 8-10 FORE
Grenadoe 55%,
RIGGING
Boarding Pike 30%, 1D10+1,
Boarding Axe 35%, 1D8+2 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging 1-5 Rigging
Points Points Points
Skills: Artillery 35%, Brawl 35%, Climb 50%, Craft
(Carpentry) 50%, Dodge 50%, Fine Manipulation 6-8 Rigging 6-8 Rigging 6-8 Rigging
50%, Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (Dutch Section Section Section
Mercantile) 50%, Language (Creole) 31%, Language
9 Boarding 9 Boarding 9 Boarding
(Dutch) 67%, Sense 55%, Spot 55%, Swim 50%,
section section section
Throw 50%.
10 Damage 10 Damage 10 Damage
If the PCs get the upper hand in the situation then Control Section Control Control Section
Aeoa will flee down through the cavern vent and Section
into the ocean. She is a servant of Queen Nari’th
1-3 AFT HULL 4-7 MID HULL 8-10 FORE HULL
and will return to her with the bad news. Players
can be rewarded with 2D4 SAN for collecting the 1-3 hull Points 1-3 Hull Points 1-3 Hull Points
gold and saving Espen. . 4 Quarter deck 4 Upper Deck 4 Upper Deck
gun section Gun Section Section
5 Quarter deck 5 Middle deck 5 Middle deck
Pre-Generated gun section gun section gun section

Characters
6 Middle deck 6 Lower deck 6 Lower deck
gun section gun section gun section
7 Lower deck 7-8 Boarders 7 Bow chaser
gun section Section section
The Exquisite Entropy -
8 Stern Chaser 9 Damage 8 Boarders
Ship of the Line, 2rd Rate Section Control section
Daft 20’ Section
9 Boarders 9 Damage
Beam: 50’ section 10 Hold Control Section
Length 59yds 10 Quarterdeck 10 Hold
Tonnage 1,930 tons 11 Damage
Cargo: 315 tons Control Section
Crew 250 (treat as rabble with
2 wounds; morale 90%)
The Exquisite Entropy
Hull Points 180
Originally an English warship built twenty years
Rigging Points 110
ago for service with the royal navy. A notorious
Flotation Points 170 history of poor leadership led the crew to mutiny
Base Speed 6 knots and became pirates. The captain of the Exquisite
Bow 3 Entropy is named Captain Ophelia Lorry. She is
Bow Quarter 4 commonly referred to as the Dread Captain O by
Amidships 4 those who know her exploits. Captain O keeps the
ship in good working order and has proven the
Aft Quarter 6
ship to be potent enough to take on any vessel or
Aft 5 town for plunder. At the start of the adventure the
Armament 28x32pdrs in two Exquisite Entropy looted a small Spanish colony in
broadsides (Lower Gun South America and is being chased by the Spanish
Deck), 30x12pdrs in two fleet. The ship holds 250 of the best sailors to have
broadsides (Upper Gun
ever sailed the seven seas.
Deck), 30 x 12pdrs in two
broadsides (Middle Gun
Deck), 2x6pdrs (Bow
Chasers).

23
Tales From Dead Men
PIRATES OF THE EXQUISITE ENTROPY- now renegades from the British Empire and those
ELITE PIRATES that chose sides with the captain were stranded
STR 14 CON 14 SIZ 13 INT 11 on an island. The ship was left to drift, aimless,
POW 12 DEX 12 APP12 EDU 9 across the sea because none of the sailors knew of
friendly ports that would take them. It was during
Move: 10
this time that Ophelia began to gain the trust of
Hit Points: 14 the crew and guided them to the Bed of the Black
SAN: 60 Cat. She taught the sailors how to pirate the open
Damage Bonus: +1D4 waters and the rules of the Brethren of the Coast.
Armor: none When the ship reorganized and elected posi-
Attacks: Musket 75%, 1D10+4, tions for the ship it was only natural that Oph-
Grenadoe 75%, elia Lorry take the post of captain. From then on
Boarding Pike 50%, 1D10+1 she was known as Captain O. As tribute to her old
Boarding Axe 75%, 1D8+2; ship, and the chaos that came from the mutiny,
Cutlass 75%, 1D8+1+db (impaling) the ship was renamed The Exquisite Entropy.
Skills: Artillery 65%, Brawl 35%, Climb 50%, Craft
(Carpentry) 70%, Dodge 50%, Fine Manipulation CAPTAIN OPHELIA LORRY (CAPTAIN ‘O’) -
50%, Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (British
CAPTAIN OF THE EXQUISITE ENTROPY
Navy) 60%, Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Hammer)
55%, Language (Creole)41%, Language (English) “Arrgh, this ain’t a moral issue. It’s our life.
74%, Sense 55%, Spot 55%, Swim 50%, Throw 50%. A wicked life of gold, grog and guns.”

Captain Ophelia Lorry STR 14

POW 14
CON 16
DEX 11
SIZ 15
APP13
INT 18
EDU 11
Years ago she was the first mate on the pirate
Move: 10
ship, The Exquisite Entropy, when it was captured
Hit Points: 16
and destroyed by the British fleet. While she was
onboard one of the naval vessels there was a SAN: 70
mutiny. The sailors that took over the ship were Reputation: 70%
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Armor: none
Captain Ophelia Lorry
Attacks: Pistol 70%, 1D6+1 (impaling),
Musket 75%, 1D10+4,
Grenadoe 75%,
Boarding Pike 50%, 1D10+1,
Boarding Axe 55%, 1D8+2;
Cutlass 80%, 1D8+1+db (impaling)
Skills: Artillery 45%, Brawl 45%, Climb 77%, Craft
(Carpentry) 70%, Dodge 63%, Etiquette (Pirate)
58%, Fine Manipulation 52%, Gaming 56%,
Grapple 50%, Jump 50%, Knowledge (Region:
Caribbean) 52%, Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Ham-
mer) 90%, Knowledge (Pirate Lore) 35%, Language
(Creole)71%, Language (English) 44%, Listen 45%,
Navigate 74%, Pilot (Ship) 55%, Seamanship 90%,
Sense 35%, Sleight of Hand 30%, Spot 55%, Strat-
egy 63%.

POWERS:
Stunts: Brilliant Plan, Deadly Duelist, Follow Me Lads!,
For the Ship, It’s Just a Flesh Wound, That Wasn’t
So Bad.
Equipment: Fancy sailor’s clothes, cutlass, brace of
pistols, and a human skull dangling from her belt.
Wealth: Affluent.

24
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
Attacks: Pistol 55%, 1D6+1 (impaling);
Cutlass 60%, 1D8+1+db (impaling)
Skills: Climb 75%, Command 40%, Etiquette (Pi-
rate) 58%, Etiquette (Cultured) 55%, Knowledge
(Region: Devil’s Hammer) 40%, Language (Cre-
ole)36%, Language (English) 64%, Listen 55%, Nav-
igate 85%, Perform (Sea Shanties) 35%, Pilot (Ship)
65%, Seamanship 90%, Spot 95%, Status 25%.

POWERS:
Stunts: Corps a Corps, Flashing Blades, Florentine,
Riposte, With a Pistol in Each Hand.
Equipment: Fancy sailor’s clothes covered by a cuirass
and metal helmet, cutlass, brace of pistols, and a
parrot.
Wealth: Average.

Helen Borden-
The Exquisite Entropy Resident Bokor
Barnaby Ellis
“Constant Vigilance!”
Barnaby Ellis-
Helen is a woman with sharp facial features and
English Quartermaster long flowing black hair. She dresses in a nun’s
black habit but is far from being celibate. She
“Honor is a word spoken with conviction
stares into unseen worlds with devilish blue eyes
and defined by action.”
and drags a cutlass underneath her robe. She was
Barnaby appears as a short squat-looking man
with a keen sense of duty to the ship and to the
crew of The Exquisite Entropy. He comes from a
long line of officers who served the British Navy.
Growing up he understood the meaning of being
an officer and the honor that follows serving King
and Country. He was emotionally broken by the
unsavory disrespect that the previous captain had
for the all the things he cared about. He joined the
mutiny to bring a reckoning to the Captain. Now
as a pirate he still believes he serves the British
Empire by attacking and looting those that would
oppose the commonwealth, such as Spain.

BARNABY ELLIS
STR 13 CON 16 SIZ 10 INT 12
POW 15 DEX 15 APP10 EDU 15
Move: 10
Hit Points: 13
SAN: 75
Reputation: 55%
Damage Bonus: 0
Armor: 6 Cuirass (Chest, Abdomen), 6 Helmet (head
only). Helen Borden

25
Tales From Dead Men
originally from America but was washed ashore to Damage Bonus: 0
the Devil’s Hammer by a horrible storm that cap- Armor: none
sized her ship. She lived a mysterious life on the Attacks: Cutlass 53%, 1D8+1+db (impaling)
islands of the Devil’s Hammer before walking into Skills: Dodge 50%, Etiquette (Pirate) 40%, Etiquette
the Bed of the Black Cat covered in an arrange- (Cultured) 35%, Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Ham-
ment of flowers. Some say she is crazy. Some say mer) 80%, Knowledge (Pirate Lore ) 45%, Language
she communes with the island gods to stay alive. (Creole)46%, Language (English) 64%, Listen 45%,
Some say she is a ghost. If you ask her she will Perform (Agwe) 66%, Perform (Carrefour) 80%,
say it is all true and then laugh, snorting loudly Persuade 55%, Seamanship 70%, Spot 55%, Status
through her nose. 25%, Swim 70%, Sword 53%.
Helen rides with The Exquisite Entropy be- Powers: Can perform spells associated with Agwe and
cause her seashell conch had told her the path to Carrefour. Such as Call Fish to Net, Cast of Dice,
adventure was to be found there. Most of the crew Curse of Misfortune, Fair or Foul Winds and Frog
try to ignore her because she is very creepy to be Lungs.
around but they cannot deny the luck she brings Equipment: nun’s habit, cutlass, ritual tools, an assort-
to the ship. She remembers growing up in New ment of chicken bones and other strange things (in-
Orleans but cannot remember her time stranded cluding a fried monkey’s paw), and a seashell conch
on the Devil’s Hammer islands. She recalls being Wealth: Poor.
taught rituals by the trees and crabs on the beach
to survive but that just seems like a blurry dream. Gilbert Goody- Coxswain
HELEN BORDEN “Aye we may be pirates but I have faith that this
STR 11 CON 10 SIZ 9 INT 15 is the right path for me. The ship will guide me
POW 17 DEX 16 APP12 EDU 13 through the dark and into the light. I know Captain
O is the Lord’s angel sent to us from high above.”
Move: 10
Hit Points: 10
A devout religious sailor who had his understand-
SAN: 85 ing of faith rewritten by the events that resulted
Reputation: 15% in the mutiny. He sees the military structure of
the navy cultivating the evil in men who hold
power and sees the brotherhood of the pirates as a
kinship towards bringing that evil to a reckoning.
The debauchery, looting, and drinking that the
pirates do are minor evil to the abuses of power he
witnessed done by his previous captain and others
in the military. He believes any military or large
corporate/mercantile organizations are corrupt
and need to be humbled.
He lives by an oath of poverty and chastity.
He encourages others to read the Bible and pray
but is not overwhelming in his apostatizing.

GILBERT GOODY
STR 11 CON 13 SIZ 14 INT 11
POW 13 DEX 15 APP 16 EDU 14
Move: 10
Hit Points: 14
SAN: 65
Reputation: 30%
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Armor: 0 none
Gilbert Goody

26
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting
Attacks: Pistol 75%, 1D6+1 (impaling); Nineteen years later she was recruited by Captain
Cutlass 50%, 1D8+1+db (impaling) Ophelia to be a pirate once again.
Skills: Dodge 50%, Etiquette (Pirate) 32%, Etiquette Sophia is the Captain’s most trusted confi-
(Cultured) 65%, Knowledge (Region: Devil’s dant and is the master gunner on the ship be-
Hammer) 45%, Language (Creole) 46%, Language cause, unlike the seasoned navy crew, she knows
(English) 70%, Listen 55%, Navigate 25%, Pilot more about how to disable a ship with her shots
(Small Boat) 56%, Spot 65%, Status 15%, Stealth than trying to sink one. She is very protective of
65%, Throw 70%, Track 35%.
her son Enoch.
POWERS:
SOPHIA “SOAPS” REYNOLDS
Stunts: Deadly Aim, I’m Not Here, Pistol Proof, Ratline
STR 18 CON 16 SIZ 18 INT 12
Runner, Sail Riding, Shoulder to Shoulder, Back to
POW 10 DEX 10 APP10 EDU 11
Back.
Equipment: Worn sailor’s clothes, cutlass, brace of Move: 10
pistols, Bible and cross necklace. Hit Points: 17
Wealth: Poor. SAN: 50
Reputation: 50%
Sophia “Soaps” Reynolds- Damage Bonus: +1D6
Armor: none
Master Gunner Attacks: Rifle 85%, 1D10+4 (impaling);
Cutlass 60%, 1D8+1+db (impaling)
“Fire on my count you scallywags! You are no good
to me if you jump the count.” Skills: Artillery (Naval) 86%, Artillery (Swivel Gun)
65%, Brawl 60%, Command 30%, Craft (Black-
smith) 60%, Dodge 42%, Etiquette (Pirate) 50%,
She is a big muscular woman with a scar over Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Hammer) 60%, Knowl-
where her left eye used to be. She used to sail with edge (Pirate Lore ) 63%, Language (Creole)52%,
Ophelia back when they were very young but got Language (English) 44%, Language (Dutch) 27%,
pregnant and had to raise her son on her own. Listen 35%, Repair (Artillery) 60%, Seamanship
50%, Spot 75%, Status 12%.

POWERS:
Stunts: Deadly Aim, Keep Going, Fist like Hams, I Left
Part O’ Me in Porto Bello, Living Hercules, Mighty
Blow.
Equipment: Fancy sailor’s clothes, dashing bandana,
jewelry, and cutlass.
Wealth: Average.

Enoch Reynolds-
Master Carpenter
“She is a good ship. The body bends but never
breaks. It sings in the west wind when I treat her
right…listen carefully, you can hear her now.”

The precocious son of Sophia “Soaps” Reynolds

has the gift of fixing ships. He grew up in Bed of
the Black Cat repairing the ships that came into
the dock and learning from other master carpen-
ters. Having limited resources to work with on the
island he became creative with what he had and
developed a keen insight into finding novel ways
“Soaps” to fix a problem.

27
Tales From Dead Men
Being the son of Sophia Reynolds has never
been easy for Enoch. She can be overprotective
and smothering. Enoch wants to be his own man
and prove to his mom that he can stand on his
own. He never had a father figure in his life and
looks to the former British naval officers as role
models, especially Barnaby Ellis.

ENOCH REYNOLDS
STR 13 CON 15 SIZ 16 INT 16
POW 14 DEX 13 APP14 EDU 9
Move: 10
Hit Points: 16
SAN: 60
Reputation: 30%
Damage Bonus: +1D4
Armor: none
Attacks: Pistol 55%, 1D6+1 (impaling);
Cutlass 60%, 1D8+1+db (impaling),
Musket 40%, 1D10+4 (impaling)
Skills: Artillery (Naval) 11%, Artillery (Swivel Gun),
Brawl 30%, Craft (Blacksmith) 70%, Craft (Car-
pentry) 80%, Dodge 37%, Etiquette (Pirate) 48%,
Knowledge (Region: Devil’s Hammer) 35%, Knowl-
edge (Pirate Lore ) 78%, Language (Creole)56%,
Language (English) 34%, Listen 25%, Literacy
(English) 20%, Pilot (Small Boat) 35%, Repair (Na-
val) 90%, Seamanship 60%, Spot 65%, Status 10%,
Swim 40%.
Enoch Reynolds
POWERS:
Stunts: Handsomely Now!, I Had that Right Here, Keep
Going, Living Hercules, That Wasn’t So Bad.
Equipment: Average sailor’s clothes, carpentry tools,
notebook of repairs and modifications, cutlass,
brace of pistols, and a musket.
Wealth: Average.

28
A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting

29
 Upper Deck
Quarter Deck

30
Tales From Dead Men

Chasers
Chasers
Middle Deck
Lower Deck
 A Scenario for BRP’s Blood Tide Setting

Sample Ship Sheet

Armament
Fore Mid Aft
Damage Crew per Crew C/H/R Crew per Crew Damage Crew per Crew
C/H/R Broadside per Broadside per C/H/R Broadside per
Gun Gun Gun
Quarterdeck
Upper Deck
Middle Deck
Lower Deck
Chasers

Speed
Wind Direction
Bow Bow Quarter Amidships Aft Quarter Aft
Knots/yds. Knots/yds. Knots/yds. Knots/yds. Knots/yds.
Light
Normal
Full
Reckless

Hit Locations
1-3 Aft Rigging 4-7 Mid Rigging 8-10 Fore
Rigging
1-5 Rigging Points 1-5 Rigging Points 1-5 Rigging Points
6-8 Rigging Section 6-8 Rigging Section 6-8 Rigging
9 Boarding Section 9 Boarding Section Section
10 Damage Control 10 Damage Control 9 Boarding Section
Section Section 10 Damage
Control
Section

1-3 Aft Hull 4-7 Mid Hull 8-10 Fore Hull

1-3 Hull Points 1-3 Hull Points 1-3 Hull Points

4 Quarter Deck Gun 4 Upper Deck Gun 4 Upper Deck Gun
Section Section Section
5 Upper Deck Gun 5 Middle Deck Gun 5 Middle Deck
Section Section Gun Section
6 Middle Deck Gun 6 Lower Deck Gun 6 Lower Deck Gun
Section Section Section
7 Lower Deck Gun 7-8 Boarders Section 7 Bow Chasers
Section 9 Damage Control Section
8 Stern Chasers Section 8 Boarders Section
Section 10 Hold 9 Damage Control
9 Boarders Section Section
10 Quarterdeck 10 Hold
Section
11 Damage Control
Section
12 Hold

31
Tales From Dead Men

Ship Modifications
Mod. Value PoE Effect
Add Stern or Expensive 500 + the cost of the Add one or two guns at the stern or bow, -5% handling penalty.
Bow Chasers guns

More Canvas Expensive 600 Increase sped by one knot, -5% handling.
Strip for Speed Expensive 35 Reduce hull points by 5, increase speed by 1 knot.
Reinforced Hull Expensive 1000 Increase hull points by 10, reduce speed by 1 knot.
Copper Bottoms Expensive 2000 Increase hull speed by 1 knot, reduce careening.
Smuggler’s space Expensive 300 Gain a hidden section of the hold.

Crew Section
Section Number Skills Morale Officer Skills
Total/25%/50%/75%

32