Seafaring

Red Age > Rules > Exploration > Seafaring

Ships & Crew

Hulls

• Pinnace (500 gp, small hull)
• Cog (5000 gp, medium hull)
  • Crew (4 / 30), Grace +2, 45 hp, defense 15, 25 tons cargo, 10 slots weaponry
• Frigate (10,000 gp, medium hull)

- half minimum crew allows limping along at half speed for half the day, min crew allows sailing half the day, and double min crew allows continuous sailing - add Grace to sailing checks for maneuverability and handling

- upkeep: 200 gp / season; 1 week of maintenance per season - crew costs - repair

Weapons

• Ballista (250 gp, 2 weapon slots, 2 crew, small ship)
  • Near range, 3d4
    • With only 1 crew, a firing opportunity must be taken to load the weapon. With two, loading is part of firing.
  • Hullbreaker Shot: 3d6 damage
  • Cannister: 1d6 vs crew

• Archers (200 gp, 5 crew, 1 weapon slot, small ship)
  • Near range, 1d4 vs crew
• Arquebusiers (1000 gp, 5 crew, 1 weapon slot, small ship)
  • Near range, 1d6 vs crew

• Ram (1000 gp, 2 weapon slots, medium ship)
  • Rowed ships only, Abreast, 3d10)

- fittings

Naval Combat

Crew Strength

• Each crewman to the ship's Crew Strength according to their level and level of martial skill.
  • Combat Dice (d6s) = Crew Strength / 10, rounding up.
• Skill Multiplier
  • Civilian: 0
  • Common Sailor: (level / 2)
    • Merchantman, pirate rabble
  • Martial: (level)
    • Hardened pirates / privateers, marines,
  • Skilled: (level x 2)
    • veteran marines, non-combat focused PCs and villains
  • Warrior: (level x 3)
    • combat focused PCs and villains (warriors, brutes, martial theurges / rogues / abhumans, etc)

• Crew Combat
  • Roll each side's Combat Dice.
    • 1s cancel out 6s. For each extra 6, roll an additional 6 (this can explode; fresh 1s can prevent explosion of these extra 6s). Once all dice are rolled, sum the highest (Combat Dice) of the dice rolled.
  • Each side loses Crew Strength equal to the enemy's (Combat Dice).
    • The loser also loses Crew Strength = (winner's total - loser's total).
  • Loses are applied to NPCs according to the DM's judgement and the player's actions. They may try to shield their crew, leading from the front and taking hits.
    • Every 1 point of lost Crew Strength absorbed by a PC deals 4 hp.
  • After combat, 1d10 x 5% of lost Crew Strength represents actual deaths ("incomplete casualties" never die, such as a 3rd level marine who absorbed 2 only Crew Strength of damage)
    • Reduce the loses by 5% for each Skilled Healer and 10% for each Expert Healer. Every 2 Power worth of healing spells expended reduces the losses 5%.
    • The rest return to duty after a Long Rest.

Ranges

• Sighted: visible but beyond range of almost anything. If a ship moves beyond this range, it leaves combat.
• Far: beyond reach of anything except powerful siege weapons or line-of-sight spells.
• Near: close enough to be hit with ballistas and arrows and spells with at least 100' range.
• Abreast: adjacent or almost so. Able to be grappled or rammed. Attacks with at least 30' range can reach.

Naval Combat Round

• Initiative
  • 1d8 + captain's WIT + ship's Grace

• Each Ship's Round
  • Reset Command Points
  • Plain Ship Actions
  • Resolve Ship Actions
  • Resolve PC Actions

• End of Turn
  • Resolve Crew Combat
  • Check Morale
    • If a ship's crew is at half Crew Strength or lower, they must make a Morale check. If they fail, they seek to disengage and save themselves. Other dramatic events may provoke a check as well.
  • Sink or Sail
    • If a ship has been reduced to 0 hp, roll d6. On a 1-3, it begins sinking. On a 4-5, if wallows uselessly for the rest of the combat, but stays mostly afloat.

- abstracted time, longer than a normal combat round

- spells - sea creatures

- quick battle resolution