Come Helsoynes or High Water

This one-shot is incomplete. I've pre-published it since I'm uncertain as to when/how far I will take it in the near future. However, if the mechanics/concept appeals to you, feel free to flesh it out and make it your own. Feedback at anytime is welcome!

Content Advisory:
As written, this adventure contains mature themes including slavery, racism, classism, abuse, brutality, and includes references to drugs, alcohol, and smoking. It does not contain any sexually suggestive or sexually explicit content.

OVERVIEW

Come Helsoynes or High Water is a system-agnostic, setting-agnostic, single-session, one shot "jail break" adventure lasting approximately X-X hours. The adventure is biased to 5e, the author's world (Olutanri), and best fits Dark Fantasy genres. However, a Game Master ("GM") should be able to adapt it other settings and genres with some effort.

For those playing with the 5e ruleset, I've included guidelines for the GM to adapt the adventure based on the preferences and TTRPG experience of their players - primarily by adjusting character level, threat levels or difficulty for the threats and obstacles that the party will face, and highlighting which segments of the adventure are focused on social interactions, combat, or discovery.

In this adventure, the Player Characters ("PCs") starts out as a galley slave on Le Chien Salé after being purchased by Captain Leone Auch in Dverghjem. Protected only by mildew ridden and oft-soiled rags, the party rows themselves along Tjenerenssjøvei toward their uncertain futures.

Will the PCs be re-sold upon arrival at Helsoynes, or will they be worked to death in the belly of Le Chien Salé? Perhaps they won't even survive long enough to reach their destination?

So go grab your dice and your friends. Challenge fate and force the world to respect your desire for freedom as you play Come Helsoynes or High Water!

CHARACTER CREATION

Players are encouraged to create their own PC with guidance from their GM. If you want to play in Olutanri, the following considerations should be made:

• Seclora is controlled by the Barnema Trade Company. The settled portion of the continent is "racist" based on height due to the propagation of stereotypes as the Barnema Trade Company rose to power.
• Magic users are persecuted and killed, or captured, controlled, and sold. A magic user would typically have lived a life in isolation and practiced their craft in secret.
• There are no significant religious institutions or gods present in the world. Any faith/religion-based characters/classes function normally, but society holds no regard for their beliefs or station. A religious characters are driven by intense beliefs but have not met or interacted with a (legitimate) god(s). Furthermore, any significant experience, event, or being(s) that granted a faith-based character their powers is misunderstood by the character. In truth, their abilities simply are.

Each PC's "backstory" must include:

• a shared history working or adventuring with the other PCs (minimum 2-3 years),
• the commission of a crime against the Barnema Trade Company (as an individual or jointly with the other PCs) that caused them to be hunted and captured by Slavefangers, and subsequently enslaved by the Company, and
• being sold as a lot to Leone Auch, Captain of Le Chien Salé, in Dverghjem .

FOR THE GAMEMASTER

If you are a Player - QUIT READING HERE! Your curiousity will only ruin your enjoyment of the adventure. Trust your GM to guide you. Wreak havoc and roll well!

Adventure Synopsis

As previously stated, the party starts off as galley slaves on Le Chien Salé. The slave ship is attacked by revolutionists who oppose the Barnema Trade Company. The attack offers the party a diversion that may permit them to escape. However, the revolutionist's opening volley deals major damage to the hull of Le Chien Salé and it begins to sink.

This mechanic (gimmick) forces the Players to think and act quickly in an ever-shrinking space that also affects the moral dilemas facing the PCs.

Game Setup

The adventure assumes that the PCs start with no armour, weapons, or equipment. Everything they use has to either be found or improvised from the contents of the ship.

It is intended for the adventure to end when the surviving PCs "escape" Le Chien Salé.

Most importantly, the GM should familiarize themselves with the entire one-shot, and then choose the TTRPG system and setting for the adventure. The amount of effort needed to tune the one-shot is heavily affected by these choices.

Secondly, the GM should familiarize themselves with the "GM Info" layer of the adventure map (Le Chien Salé), altering it as necessary . The Players should be able to find spell components, weapons (or weapon substitutes), armour, tools, food, water, and anything else the GM desires to tempt/aide the Players as they hastily explore the sinking vessel. The available items/materials should align to the PC designs specific to the GM's Players. As such, it is highly recommended that the GM collaborates with their Players during character creation. One key decision for the GM is too determine the time

Finally, the GM should assess how challenging they want to make the adventure for their Players. Some suggestions on 'adjustments' areas are listed throughout the adventure, but it ultimately depends on the preferences and experience of the GM and Players.

Guiding Character Creation

The GM should decide the starting condition of the PCs for the one-shot, and then inform the Players prior to character creation. Noteably, melee-based and non-magic characters are easiest to setup/play in the adventure and are correspondingly the most likely to survive.

The adventure's challenge can be adjusted by altering:

• Playable races (species), classes, features/abilities/skills,
• The starting resources for the PCs,
• Any desired starting penalty/condition to the PCs,
• Character ability/option rules related to "possessed" materials .
• Rules related to character setup/preparation , and
• Inherent limitations to PC options through the materials found on the ship.

The suggested 5e modifications (visible after subscribing to 5e - OGL content at the top of this page) can guide the GM for non-5e TTRPG systems.

5e Adjustments

Playable Races (Species)
If the GM chooses to use Olutanri as the adventure's setting, it is recommended that the Players be restricted to choosing races (species) listed under The "Civilized" Species. If the GM desires, the in-game language for each race (species) and its reference real-world language/script are tabulated at the bottom of the preceding article.

Playable Classes
The GM is free to suggest or restrict playable classes considering the suggested alterations to the magic system below.

Starting Condition/Equipment One of the key factors in the adventure design is that PCs start with nothing other than the ragged slave garb they were given. However, this isn't mandatory and could easily be circumvented by finding their "old equipment" somewhere on the ship.

If the GM really wants to increase the difficulty, the party should start with one or more points of exhaustion inflicted by a lack of rest, food, and water. The GM can elect to remove the point(s) of exhaustion at any time if the PCs choose to eat food and drink fresh water.

Magic System Changes Another critical design decision for this one-shot is requiring that all spell components (even the ones without a cost) must be in possession of a PC attempting to cast a spell . To facilitate this change:

• All spell casting foci (including bardic instruments, druidic foci, holy symbols, and wizard spellbooks) and component pouches are unavailable / do not function as normal during this adventure.
1. All characters know/can cast/has preparedthe spells listed as available spells for their class. However, a character can only cast the spell if they could have learned it based on their level (i.e. all spells within their class at or below their maximum spell slot level).
   • Rules for expending spell slots, using wild magic, retaining concentration, and casting a ritual spell, and specific spell mechanics are not affected.
   • If a character can access a specific number of spells from another class' spell list (read: Bards), the GM and Player should agree to the specific spells for the character to know (for the GM to stock requisite components in the adventure).
   • Characters with the ability to cast a specific spell without any material components are not affected by these rule alterations.

   Sinking Ship Mechanics

   The GM should understand how they want to manage the 'flooding' mechanics based on the intensity/skill level of their Players. I believe 1-2 minutes of play time per 5 foot (3 metre) increment of flooding should be reasonable.
   
   The breach occurs at the ships "stern" on the (B2) Galley Level (within the "Mess Hall"). Once the breach is "triggered", another column of (B2) Galley Level floods (progressing left or "forward" toward the "bow") every few minutes of play time.
   
   Once all columns of a stairwell are "flooded", the water moves up one level - from (B2) Galley Level to (B1) Hold Level, then (B1) Hold Level to (G) Deck Level. Again flooding starts at the "stern" and progresses "forward" toward the "bow". For ease of reference, I've included the number of time intervals (each interval being a consistent 1-2 minutes as determined by the GM) to flood each room and detailed subsequent effects. Any area that is completely submerged is completely dark such that characters in the area are blind. If an NPC is trapped in a submerged room, they drown after 1 time interval.
   

   • 0 Intervals - (B2) Galley Level starts flooding in the Mess Hall.
   • 10 Intervals - (B2) Galley Level Mess Hall is completely flooded, and Le Chien Salé starts to flood.
   • 20 Intervals - (B2) Galley Level Mess Hall and Galley are completely flooded, and the Holding Cell starts to flood. Water now cascades up to (B1) Hold Level and starts to flood the Main Hold.
   • 30 Intervals - (B2) Galley Level Holding Cell is completely flooded, and all NPCs who did not escape from (B2) Galley Level have drown.
   • 35 Intervals - (B1) Hold Level Main Hold is completely flooded, and General Storage starts to flood. Water now cascades up to (G) Deck Level and starts to flood the Poop Deck. Note: The Lock Room does not flood and functions as an "air pocket" should characters sink with the ship so long as the door remains closed. The Lock Room floods from "port" to "starboard" (bottom to top) at a rate of one row per time interval its doors are open (assuming the corresponding columns of General Storage are already flooded).
   1. 45 Intervals - (G) Deck Level Poop Deck is now underwater and the Aftercastle starts to flood. The ship is now tilted at approximately 45 degrees so all movement should be appropriately impaired. Characters in the Poop Deck area are either being dragged down by the current or swimming at the surface. The ladder up to the Aftercastle no longer needs to be used to move from the Poop Deck to the Aftercastle. Note: the Storage Loft area does not flood and functions as an "air pocket" should characters sink with the ship.
      • 50 Intervals - (B1) Hold Level General Storage is completely flooded, and the Crew Quarters starts to flood.
      • 60 Intervals - (B1) Hold Level Crew Quarters is completely flooded, and all NPCs who did not escape from (B1) Hold Level have drown.
      • 67 Intervals - (G) Deck Level Aftercastle is now underwater and the Gun Deck starts to flood. Characters in the Aftercastle or Poop Deck areas are either being dragged down by the current or swimming at the surface. The ladder down to the Gun Deck from the Aftercastle no longer needs to be used to move from the Aftercastle to the Gun Deck.
   2. 75 Intervals - (G) Deck Level Gun Deck is flooded up to the midline of the rowboat. Note: The row boat will not flood along with the Gun Deck but detach and stay at the surface. The row boat is attached to the Gun Deck by one 60 foot (20 metre) long hempen rope. Unless the rope is severed or untied from the row boat, it will be dragged down by Le Chien Salé after the ship is completely submerged (see 93 Intervals).
      • 80 Intervals - (G) Deck Level Gun Deck is now underwater, and the Forecastle starts to flood. Characters in the Gun Deck, Aftercastle, or Poop Deck areas are either being dragged down by the current or swimming at the surface. The ladder up to the Forecastle no longer needs to be used to move from the Gun Deck to the Forecastle. Note: the Captain's Quarters area does not flood and functions as an "air pocket" should characters sink with the ship.
      • 88 Intervals - (G) Deck Level Forecastle is now underwater, and the bow of the ship starts to flood. Characters anywhere other than the bow of the ship are either being dragged down by the current or swimming at the surface. The ship is now vertical so movement should be appropriately impaired/changed.
   3. 93 Intervals - Le Chien Salé is now completely submerged. Characters anywhere other than the row boat are either being dragged down by the current or swimming at the surface. Unless the rope tethering the row boat to the ship have been disconnected or severed, the row boat starts to be dragged beneath the surface.
   4. 100 Intervals - Notwithstanding the previous conditions, the row boat is now beneath the waves. The ship/row boat continues to sink at a rate of 30 feet (10 metres) per subsequent time interval.
      • 150 Intervals - Le Chien Salé and, if applicable the row boat, now lies at the bottom of the sea at a total depth of 1,500 feet (500 metres). Upon impacting the ocean floor, the ship turns on its side and its hull fractures heavily. Any "air pockets" within the ship (i.e. the Lock Room, Storage Loft, or Captain's Quarters) are immediately compromised and the rooms start to flood.
   5. 160 Intervals - All air that was trapped within Le Chien Salé has been released. Any NPCs that found refuge in an air pocket have now drowned.

      SCENE BREAKDOWN

      
      

      SCENE 1: THE SHIP

      The PCs were hunted down by Barnema Trade Company Slavefangers within the past week and sold to Captain Leone Auch at the Dverghjem slave market. They were immediately moved onto the Captain's galley, Leone Auch, chained to their benches and instructed to row to Helsoynes, several days of back breaking exertion under the shouts and whips of the Captain's crew. Only precious morsels of maggot riled food and a few sweet cups of fresh water held down only through desperation sustains each PC in the fly-filled air of sweat, blood and human waste.
      
      It is the afternoon, the ship is near the southern coast of Seclora due south of Litenåsby.

      NPC Breakdown

      There are 16 benches on each side of the lower deck of the galley. Each bench seats three slaves. The vessel is currently at maximum capacity (36 slaves, including the party).
      
      The ship is captained by Leone Auch. The crew consists of the First Mate, Bosun, Quartermaster, Surgeon, Cook, two Engineers, and Six Guards.
      

Unlock 5e content while exploring my world, Olutanri, by checking the self-subscribe button below!

By checking this box, you confirm that you have read and agree to OGL - 5e.

If you see this you're subscribed - congrats!

Quick Links

Adventure Map: Le Chien Salé