Your ship is hit by enemy cannons. They inflict 20 superficial damage. What does trait does your ship roll for the "hit check" to see if it soaks the superficial hits or takes critical damage? Surely it isn't brawn? Brawn makes sense for an individual, it's their physical strength and robustness. For a ship, brawn is the power of your cannons. We are a few weeks into a sailing campaign and its only come up a couple of times and it never feels right.

I’ve been getting into 7th sea and been watching videos on YouTube.

To get a feel for the system as I plan on running it I’ve watched a short actual play on Geek and Sundry which was only like a 6 part mini series.

Does anyone know of actual full scale let’s plays of this game? I’ve only been able to find like 3 actual gameplay videos.

Thanks in advance

Hi all. I'm looking at running the 2e quickstart for a group of friends in the new year. Whilst reading through it I can see that there are a lot of things that I'm going to need to keep track of, are there some pre printed sheets for GMs to keep track of bonuses and things?

I search up the module through Google. GitHub is there, but when I’m in foundry and search for the system nothing comes up. Anyone have an idea what I’m doing wrong?

To be clear to start, this is about the first edition of the setting, not the second.

I was, ironically enough, introduced to the 7th Sea setting by the Cathay sourcebook, as a result of looking for a rules set for Feng Shui geomancy. Despite this, I feel like the Cathay book does a complete disservice to all the other books in the series. Frankly, I feel like whoever wrote it didn't even read the other books preceding it, including ones that were fairly recent. It almost feels like someone just plopped their own homebrew D&D setting into the continent with little regard for how it would actually fit.

​

Off the top of my head, the Cathay sourcebook contains bits of lore that contradict lore established in the following sourcebooks: the Nation books for Vodacce, Ussura, the Crescent Empire, as well as Waves of Blood.

Regarding the Vodacce sourcebook, it is established within the first couple paragraphs that Vodacce is the cradle of human life itself, and it is heavily implied that humanity originated there when either the Thalusians or the Setine altered their own genetics to become human, possibly to hide from the Rahzdost. the Cathay sourcebook states that humanity instead started in Cathay, starting with an entirely different, snake-like species who they insist aren't Syrneth or Sidhe. Both of these cannot be true, unless humanity is in fact two different species, which is a problem for obvious reasons.

The Ussuran sourcebook states that Cathayans are capable of passing through the firewall whenever they want, or at least that there is an exiting gap in the wall through which they trade with Ussura. The Cathay sourcebook states that the wall was created by the Emperor to keep Cathayans IN, and they claim that there is a conspiracy to bring the wall down precisely so they can move through it. No mention is made of the city of Breslau, which is supposed to have some kind of significance to them.

Both the Ussuran and Crescent books claim that the religion of Sud'ya originated from Cathay. No mention of Sud'ya is made in the Cathay sourcebook. Additionally, the Crescent sourcebook claims that the Crescent Empire was the ancient hub of Syrneth civilization (hence Cabora), which would suggest that there should be Syrneth tech in the area, all along the Cathayan coast, but the Cathay sourcebook again insists that there are no such ruins.

Waves of Blood establishes that the first trigger that Kheired-Din triggers to raise Cabora was in Cathay, but the Cathay sourcebook is quite insistent that there have never been Syrneth in the area. To be fair, this discrepancy is addressed, but it shouldn't have been introduced in the first place.

​

There are other issues. The sourcebook claims that Cathay doesn't have a Barrier. What does that even mean? The Barrier is supposed to cover the planet, how can there be a place without it without producing tears in reality everywhere?

Fu Sorcery is also poorly explained; it's clearly one of the weakest sorceries ever introduced, with hyper-specific capabilities, none of which are capable of creating large-scale effects, yet it made the GIGANTIC WALL OF FIRE. The description of the ritual used to make the wall makes very little sense either, especially regarding the importance of the charms used to make it, since it seems like you would only need one to make it work. It's power source is also unclear; it was apparently developed based on the symbols seen on a Primordial Dragon, which implies that the power source is similar to Laerdom, but there is no equivalent to the Living Runes that we know of.

The gods of Cathay clearly exist in some capacity, but their explanations of what they are or how they interact with the people are completely lacking, along with most of their names. They seem to wield powers on par with or exceeding those of the Rahzdost or Sidhe, yet we rarely see them use it.

If this were, say, a D&D setting, these wouldn't really be problems, since D&D tends to just kind of accept the gods as existing with no explanation, but this isn't D&D, it's 7th Sea.

​

Finally, the book is just formatted terribly. There are missing rules, incorrectly named tables, and even one table with completely wrong information in it, copied from a previous table. It's a mess.

​

To my knowledge, it is the only sourcebook in the entire series with so many strange contradictions. I don't understand why they included it.

​

Sorry for the wall of text, I had to rant.

I'm trying to wrap my head around how magic works in 1st edition. It seems there's no such thing as a "spell" (I cannot find it mentioned in the players' guide, but apologies if I am incorrect). Is it feasible to have magical scrolls as loot? Eg, a scroll to heal for a small amount. How do other DMs handle this?

I am planning to use Duc Auguste Danceny du Rosemonde in my game (dipping a toe into blood alchemy/Arciniega/NOM plots). I know he's described in the Invisible College sourcebook, and that he's the one who tipped off Dominique about her father's plot to kill Montegue (the players will go into The Lady's Favor soon after this current adventure). He's referenced again at least once in the NOM pdf. Does anyone remember him being mentioned again in any other sourcebooks, and if he had any other developments in the main meta plot?

Also, I remember reading something once about a religious movement in Avalon that was clearly modeled on the Quakers. Did I make that up in my head? Or does anyone else remember such a group, or know where I might have read about them?

Just so I have a certainty I am about to apply the whole thing correctly in the campaign.

Dieva can't refuse minor favour that is part of the larger deal, but the losejas still pays the price each time. The price for agreed minor favours is something pretty petty and minor, though I am not sure if it is always the same as agreed for the deal or something dieva asks every time. But that seems like something that's up to the specific contract, so might play it both ways depending on circumstances.

Hi guys, i'm new to 7th sea 2ED and i'm about to start my first campaign with it, but i didn't understand precisely how guns work agains big evil guys. The manual says that after 4 dramatic wounds a bad guy is defeated but it also says that guns cause a dramatic wound and it's undodgeable. So...it's possible for a 4 members party to all shoot the bad guy on the first turn and kill it? Even a level 20 bad guy?!? Cause that would suck

How I understood quickstarts are best for learning both for players and gms. I have both Khitai quick start and Long Live the Prince! Quickstart. Which should i start from?

I have picked the Humble Bundle pack of 7th Sea books, since the vague theme of a swashbuckling adventure on high seas always appealed to me and now I am in early stages of preparing campaign for my group. But I find myself beset by doubts about certain aspects of the system as presented by the rulebook and thought I might just as well ask people who have more experience.

See, the systems we played so far are definitely crunchier than 7h Sea - The Witcher RPG and Cyberpunk Red by Talsorian games and Mutant Chronicles by Modiphius. They all had suggestions about the way a scenario or campaign should be structured, but non had systems in place the tied story progression to mechanics in the same way it seems 7th Sea does.

I can fit player stories within a framework of the way I tend to plot out my scenarios. Discuss the story idea and goal with the player, jot down their declared end point and the next step with agreed upon, then include it at some point during a session in a way that'll suggest the next step. Keep doing that until the story, effectively a personal side-quest is complete.

But implementing GM Stories the way they are described in GM Rules chapter (page 199 of Core Rulebook) seems somewhat antitethical to the way I usually plan scenarios for my group. I am pretty free-form about it, I tend to just drop an inciting incident and see where it goes. Sometimes there is an obvious end goal but often it is just a vague notion way down the line. I didn't try it so I can't be sure, but I am afraid it'll come down as artificial if I just drop an announcment to the tune of "This story is Heiress in Disguise, your end goal is to get Anna Anonymous back to her Castle safe and sound."

This goes double for larger story arcs that are part of a campaign. They tend to spiral out and not be obvious. For example the Mutant Chronicles campaign we played started with players investigating a murder at an auction of a Gallagher clan Claymore (think Dracheneisen weapons equivalent in the setting) that ended up, through a very circuitous and convoluted series of events, leading to an expedition to a forgotten habitat of clan Gallagher. It would be pretty non-sequitur and spoiler if I dropped the latter as the end goal of the campaign on day 1. And that is assuming I knew it would be a possible end point (I did in that specific case, but lot of my stories are way more meandering and malleable).

I am suspecting that I am missing something about the whole system or thinking about it in a completely wrong way, but it is giving me a bit of GM anxiety and I would certainly appreciate help. Especially some explanation how you guts implemented it in practice, on basic, technical level. I know that the book mentions the Golden Rule is to have fun and I am not bound to use the rules. But given that they are tied with player rewards and that I have deep personal dislike for cutting or ommiting rules unless I understand the reason to do so and full implications of doing so, I'd like to avoid spilling the baby away with the bathwater by house ruling pre-emptively.

I'm reading the Core Rulebook and I cannot find much about the sidhe. I know they gave the Grial to King Elilodd and thus appeared Glamour magic in Ávalon. But there are some anotations about a "Dark and Light Court" (I'm sorry if those are not the exact terms, I'm Spaniard and I'm reading the Spanish version) and I cannot find more information about that...

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/7th-sea-rpg-collection-chaosium-books

I have some 1st edition books. 35 items for $18 looks like a great deal. Read many have misgivings about the 2nd edition but if I’m mainly getting these for the setting is it worth it? Thanks!

One of my game groups played 7th Sea a few times when it first came out. We're getting back into it. I'm making a Castillian Noble with Sorcery and a Swordman aschool. My question is having both parents be from different noble families. I'd use Gallegos for the sorcery, but one of the other families for the swords school.

So, GMs, would you allow it? Then, everyone, which family Swordsman school would you pick?

Hello,

please have any ideas about war between Montaigne and Ussura? Little information is in Nations of Teah vol.1. But after that I haven't find anything. Or the war is still in preparation phase and I missed it?

Thankfully my players have been really chill about trying out new RPGs. Im just starting part 2 of The Grand Designs but I feel Im still missing alot mechanically.

I saw someone on here already make a great point about scene building and less about encounters. Ive defiantly been more focused on encounters.
I struggle alot with knowing how to use raises and having consequences. 9/10 I just have wounds of consequences. Can I get some tips for how to use raises please?
Im also unsure on for lack of a better word "initiative." Like one raise completes a action, some times spend more then one. Then the next person with the next highest amount of raises. I think Im talking about action sequances. Like if Person A has 6 and Person B has 4. Like If person A spends 3 raises then its person B. However does Person A go again till they are out of raises? Like Turn order can change alot! Wouldn't someone wanna save some to negate moves later. Am I over thinking it? Where do Villians go into this order? I know Brute Squads are at the end.
Thank you for your time reading this. Looking forward to hearing from you guys. Coming from DnD 7th Sea is so different way of doing things

Before you say anything, yes I read the section on the book about names but I still don't get it. That's because there's the names of some sword stile creator(Ambrogia and Mantovani) who have surnames! A thing meant for the princes! So, is there lesser nobles (like cousins/nephews of the princes) or is this just an error they made when writing?

Episode Three: A Little Drop of Poison

Our heroes arrived in La Motte as the sun went down. They needed to find the Cliffside Markets, and Killian knew just what they needed to do. They spoke to Captain Kira, and they hoisted an odd looking flag. Shortly after, a couple of kids ran by on the dock playing tag. They ran back and said "oh! You want Inez! We can take you to her!"

Audra, our Sarmatian priestess, stayed behind on the boat. The rest followed Killian to find this Inez. They were brought along the docks to a brown haired woman wearing a long coat, her hands in the pockets.

"Going Cliffside?"

She took them to two dinghies, and using them lead our crew through a dark tunnel that opened up onto a waterfall, on the other side of which were the Cliffside Markets.

Built high into the cliffs was a maze of walkways, gantries, and pully operated elevators, with caves peppered throughout the cliffs used as storefronts.

Inez dropped them off with some advice, that two places may interest them; Aleggra's Curios, and Nancy's Spores, Molds, & Fungus. The first was described as a junk shop filled with all manner of weirdness, and the purveyor is a point of contact for Sophia's Daughters. The second place is a bar, where those who work for The Bishop are known to frequent.

She also advised to take care, as members of the same pirate crew they encountered in Pourisse were in town. She said her kids would be about should they need her help.

Sigrid and Vera went to Aleggra's, while Killian, Penne, and Felix hit up Nancy's.

Aleggra's was built in to a deep cave, filled with all manner of junk and oddness. A few sailors milled about, as well as a few pirates that wore the same colours(red & blue) as those they've encountered before.

Our two heroes kept some furniture between them and the pirates, while getting the attention of a couple of Inez's kids. One of the kids grabbed one of the pirates coin purses and rolled under the table. Meanwhile Sigrid yelled "he went that way!" and the pirates ran out chasing the supposed thief.

From there they were able to talk to Aleggra, and learned that The Bishop had taken someone who was a major member of Sophia's Daughters to Monte du Flambeau, and that's who Sigrid needs. Vera was advised that deep within the catacombs below the cathedral was a secret library with books she would need. Sigrid was also able to obtain some of the euphoric plant Magie Rouge.

At Nancy's, things were getting a little more interesting. The bar lived up to it's name, the walls and even the ceiling were covered in plantlife.

They found three men drinking, upset with The Bishop. Through them they learned of a captain named Leon, who ferries missionaries to Mont du Flambeau, and for the right price he'll take them too. They learned as well that The Bishop has been kidnapping people, including Felix's siblings. Finally, they were told of the secret library, filled with tomes of arcane knowledge, and a strange suit of armour.

Meanwhile, some of those same pirates were drinking in Nancy's. Killian kept themselves on the other side of some plants, out of their sight.

The others made no attempts to hide themselves. It wasn't long before the pirates saw who was frequenting their bar.

In the ensuing fight, Felix inspired his compatriots to fight harder. The other patrons ran out, and Penne locked the door, as an attempt to Intimidate the pirates.

Killian realized they recognized one of the pirates as an old friend, Aoife(pronounced EE-fuh). Through this friend they learned the pirates work for The Everlasting Pirate Queen, who is after our heroes for some reason.

A couple of pirates were left and ready to strike back, when Penne shot out a window and dove through, using his knowledge of mathematics to know which counterweight was needed to release the elevator just outside of the bar.

Penne, Killian, and Aoife rode the elevator down and landed at the meeting place they'd all agreed on when they parted.

Felix jumped out before the elevator descended, and had his fall broken by a hapless pirate below.

They all agreed from there to find the Captain Leon and make their way to Mont du Flambeau.

Next, Episode 4: Two Coins For The Ferryman

Onward to Mont du Flambeau, where their intertwined destinies have lead them all.