WHAT IS THIS?

SYNOPSIS HOW TO RUN IT

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1. Create characters. The first section is intentionally deadly to set players’ expectations, so
Buried in the Bahamas is an introductory ·The PCs are novice sailors aboard the pirate
consider providing your players with pregenerated characters.
adventure for Pirate Borg and The Dark frigate The Tarantula, run by the tyrannical
Captain Bloodwhip. »Or point them to limithron.com/randompirate.
Caribbean campaign setting.
·They have been sailing around the Bahamas
2. Set the scene. (see Opening Sequence, pg. 6), and skip any PC introductions for now.
for 3 weeks, following a map the captain

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It was designed with first time players and Describe the ship they are on, their location in the Dark Caribbean, the crew, the weather, where
keeps to himself.
new game masters in mind, and while it starts
·They have been told to look out for a they are headed, their current objective, etc.
with a railroad style introduction, it quickly peninsula with three rock columns that lean »Try to be exciting and succinct: no one likes 10 minutes of monologue from the GM.
transitions to a sandbox, where you and your to the west.
players will make your own decisions on how ·Briefly explain The Dark Caribbean: 3. Kick into action as if it was the opening scene of a war movie. After a dramatic event, “pan the
the adventure will unfold. » It’s Earth, just not ours. camera” to the player to your left, and have them describe their character, what they are doing,
» Magic is real and dangerous. then let them take their first turn. Rinse and repeat with the player to their left until everyone
It is optimized for one-shots, convention play, » When Europeans settled the Caribbean has had their first turn. Intersperse introductions with cinematic descriptions like new skeletons
and for use as the first session in a long term there were no living natives, but there were boarding or cannon balls smashing against the hull (or through the crew).
campaign. hundreds of ruins filled with treasure and

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magical artifacts. 4. Time travel. After running through the first combat, hand wave forward in time to the next
» After the masses had immigrated and built day where they wash up on the beach of a small island. Describe the setting, but from here on out,
»Notes and sug gestions for you, the GM, are
huge settlements, undead—known as “The don’t hold their hand or lead them. If they want to try something that seems foolish to you, explain
formatted like this. The most important thing to
Scourge”—appeared. Millions died. Now to them the potential consequences, but let them learn from their mistakes!
note is that everything in this adventure is only a the sea is polluted with derelict ships filled

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sug gestion. Change anything you want. There are no with cargo. 5. Keep things moving. If the pace slows to a crawl, the players appear bored, or they don’t know
rules... only guidelines. » ASH, the ectoplasmic remains of what to do next, alter the circumstances. The weather turns foul, a crew member picks a fight, an
destroyed undead, was discovered to have NPC has a revelation about a plot point, or a monster appears. Improvise!
extremely valuable propertiespb10 .
6. Mind the time. Note that depending on your desired session length, the PCs probably won’t
have time to visit both Rum Cay and the Isle of Yuma, but both contain plenty of things to keep
them entertained. You can also move elements like the Caves of Seven Skulls to whichever island
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they choose to visit, even placing them on Conception Island if you are pressed for time.
Note: References to the core Pirate Borg book are
7. Reward them. Let them level up after surviving their first combat encounter or getting off
displayed like this: pb123
Conception Island. Throw treasure at them. Let their characters succeed when the players have
good ideas. It's not always about dice rolls: save those for when the tension is high.

8. End on a high note. Strive to end your sessions after a climatic moment or after a natural
stopping point, especially if it’s a one-shot. Your players won’t know that they didn’t find the
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final treasure or meet the boss monster, and ending early on a cliff hanger or after a big battle is
better than stopping the session in the middle of something boring.

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THE OPENING SEQUENCE

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Black Skeleton Marauder Scaggs
Jet black bones, tattered rags, glows A weathered old sailor. The first mate
blue from within, maniacal & horrific. of The Tarantula.
HP 4 Morale - No Armor HP 5 Morale 9 No Armor
d scimitar d6 d Cutlass d6

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d Flintlock Pistol 2d6
»Use Scaggs as a sounding board
for lore and hints when the
·The PC are on board The Tarantula, sailing the Bahamas. ·After two rounds of combat, Scaggs calls out “LAND!” The players need it.
·Foul weather moves in, and the ship is caught in a

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ship smashes into huge rocks and immediately starts sinking. Roleplaying suggestion:
cataclysmic hurricane: »You can extend or shorten this combat as desired. It should be Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse:
» Torrential rain, violent winds, thunder & lighting, and exciting enough for the players to try out their new characters, and “Hark! Cast ye gaze upon its tail! It
50' ocean swells. show how dangerous combat is, but avoid drag ging it out or killing hath already been wounded!”
·Lightning silhouettes a wicked galleon: everyone in their first fight.
» Hull made from thousands of bones, torn black sails,
flames spewing from the eye sockets of three 10’ wide ·PCs must make Agility DR12 tests to escape disaster safely.
skulls mounted on its aftercastle. Those that fail risk drowning under debris: each must test
·The galleon rams into The Tarantula and Black Skeleton
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Toughness DR12 test or die.
Black Skeleton Ogre Marauders and a Black Skeleton Ogre throw »This is a great time to explain how Devil’s Luckpb54 works.
Jet black bones, slow, hulking, gorilla- grappling hooks and swing aboard.
like build, wood splits under its feet »Describe this as much like a horror movie as possible. These ·As the ship sinks, have one of the PCs encounter the captain.
as it walks, glows blue from within, skeletons are terrifying. He is impaled on a 3’ wood sliver. As he screams his dying
roars like a demon. ·Explain to your players that in this combat, and in future breath, he extends a rolled up map in his hand.
hp 20 Morale - Thick Bones -d2 combats, there are often NPCs and enemies fighting in the Give the player the treasure map handout (pg. 12).
d nail-spiked Club d12 background, but combat just focuses on the main characters.
Billy “Knives”
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Big DR8 to hit. »This give you a pool of NPCs that you can convert into PC if ·After the opening sequence, hand wave forward in time to
needed, and it keeps the focus on your players, even when they are the next morning, where the PCs and a few surviving crew A young, tall, cocky cabin boy.
involved in large scale battles. (including Scaggs & Billy “Knives”) wash up on the shores HP 4 Morale 7 No Armor
·There should be at least two enemies per PC, and one of of Conception Island. d Two Knives d4, attacks with
them should be the Black Skeleton Ogre. »If there are any PC deaths, replacement characters can come from both each round
»Whether you use ship models and miniatures, a VTT battle the ranks of these background extras. »A crew member the PCs can boss
map, or theater of the mind, keep it fast paced and cinematic. »Use the RE-CREW-TOR on the back cover for NPC ideas. around, though he might snap.
Roleplaying suggestion:
A whiny version of Billy Bones
from Black Sails: “Cap’n! Why do I
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have to do it?! I cleaned it last time!”
CONCEPTION ISLAND

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Size
Diamond shaped, 3 sq mi.
explore
Atmosphere · One hour to reach the
Serene, calm, and beautiful. summit, three hours to
Terrain circumnavigate the coast.

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White sand beaches. One hill.
Flora
· Covered with sea birds, sea
Thick grass and bushes. No trees. turtles, and silver boas.
Fauna » All three have edible eggs
Seabirds, green turtles, silver boas.
Lots of nests. Shoal spiders. hidden in the brush, see
Points of Interest Hunt/Scavenge.
One hill, abandoned camp site. · There is an abandoned build a shelter after sunset
Nearby campsite on the north shore.
1 hex = 6 miles
Ilse of Yuma, ~15 mi SW
It contains:
· Can be completed in half a A Shoal Spider kills a
Rum Cay, ~14 mi SE
day by the whole crew, or in crew member (or, if you
» a thick trail of dried

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a full day by half the crew. prefer, it attacks a PC) as
blood that terminates at
Status Quo Actions the beach’s waterline.
· Does not protect them from they sleep. It will drag the
Shoal Spiders. body back into the ocean,
· The surviors know they are » a collapsed tent & bed roll.
somewhere in the Bahamas, salvage the wreck summit the hill » a musket (on the ground,
leaving a bloody trail.

· one water barrel with · 1 hour from the beach. hunt/scavenge More Shoal Spiders

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but not which island they empty barrel, fired). arrive until there is a light
are on. enough water for 4 days. · 360° view of the island (3 » a flintlock pistol (in a · There are eggs all around source like a fire or lantern.
· The island seems small and · one rum barrel with enough sq mi). crate, loaded). the island. Finding enough
eggs to feed one person »Use enough spiders to
has one hill in the center. rum for everyone to get · An abandoned campsite is » a small barrel of
takes two hours/person. make things interesting, but
There is thick brush all over wasted d2 times. gunpowder and 20 rounds
visible on the north shore.
of shot. · Hunting birds, turtles, and if the PCs set up torches or
the island, but no trees. »Remember: drinking rum
· If weather is clear they can » 1 medical kit. snakes takes half the time build a bonfire, consider the
· They are on the south end heals HP at the cost of Agility,
see two islands and deduce encounter solved.
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and they might get sick. See the » a hunting knife. but may require ammo and
of the island. their location.
front end papers of Pirate Borg. » a fishing net. DR8 Presence tests to be
· No other land can be seen » The Isle of Yuma (-15
from the beach.
· Enough wood and sail cloth » flint and steel. successful.
mi SW). Larger and
· Debris from The Tarantula
to make a raft or a shelter,
more likely to have the build a raft »You can hand wave hunting
but not both. Either can be Shoal Spider
is all over the coast and can peninsula described on · It will take the entire crew and just give them food as a Spider-like crustacean the size of a
constructed by nightfall if reward for allocating time to
be salvaged. the treasure map. until sunset if they all work jaguar. Semi-translucent carapace,
the PCs hurry (everyone the task, or you can make a
· They have no food (resting » Rum Cay (~14 mi SE).
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together, or two full days slender legs, and 17 eyes. Nocturnal

helps), or in two days if they combat or roleplaying encounter
recovers no HP) and will be Smoke rising from if they divide up (hunting, hunters; afraid of light, but will risk
take their time (hunting/ out of it. Shooting too many
cooking fires. Scaggs (or exploring, drinking, etc.). some exposure for a meal.
starving after 2 days. exploring/getting drunk). birds might provoke retaliation,
· PCs are in possession of any
one of the PCs) knows · The wreck has enough and hunting turtles in the
there is a small pirate HP 12 Morale 7 No Armor
weapons or items they were supplies for a raft with a water might attract sharks.
camp there called Port d Venom-pinchers d4 + test
carrying before the wreck, small sail, large enough to Follow your GM instincts. Toughness DR12 or lose d8 HP
Nelson where they might hold all the survivors.
but large items like sea (bypasses armor).
resupply and find a boat
chests and dinghies are lost.
and more crew.
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 d6 R AFT
RAFT ENCOUNTERS

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encounters for use while f
l oatin
g on t h e w ave s

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h a t y o ur g r o
A l w a y s p i c k i n s t e a d o f r o l l i n g if y o u k n o w w u p wi l l e n joy .

1. The Ghost of Krolligoth 4. Bloodlusting Sharks

After dark. The ghost of Krolligoth, a One shark fin appears. Then a second.

Undo the staple to use the next few pages as a raft battlemap and player handouts.

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krakenpb105 slain by fishermen, swims Soon the raft is surrounded by sharks
under the raft. Its white skeleton glows (2d4 in total, or at least one per PC).
indigo in the black seawater. It has one
Bloodlusting shark
cyclopean eye the size of a wine barrel

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HP 1 Morale 7 Shark skin -d2 d Bite d6.
and hundreds of jagged teeth. d6 fishing
spears protrude from its body. It will
leave after killing one of the passengers,
5. Carrion Gulls
but it can be set free from the corporeal d100 carrion gullspb87 kettle in the air.
world if all of the spears are removed.
6. Davy Jones
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2. Floating Body An enormous sea turtlepb106 smashes into
A body can be seen floating near the the raft: Agility dr12 or be thrown into
raft. It is a “new" zombiepb94 , but won't the water. PCs might notice that it seems
wake immediately. It has 3d6 silver in its to be in pain. Anyone swallowed by it
pockets. Over the next few rounds, d10 ends up in its belly and discovers a group
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zombies arrive and try to swarm the raft. of 2d4 Deep Onespb100 that have setup a
tavern in its stomach (roll reactionpb31).
3. Nyra of the Coral Palace Every few minutes Deep Ones arrive and depart
A young mermaid with glittering skin and via a water portal.
Exit strategies might include “climb the
a missing arm investigates the raft. She trachea," “go deeper," or “jump through the
had a dream that they would come, and portal next time it opens," which leads to a
might trade for her scalespb62 . city deep underwater.
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