Getting around on the high seas without ending up at the bottom them
Sailing is hard work, and unless you’re lucky enough to be able to pay a luxury fare, most people who set foot on a boat are expected to help get it to its destination, especially when it comes to sailing on the open ocean. There are many specialist jobs that require filling, including the Captain, 1st Mate, Engineer, Cook and Watch – but the Captain is the only mandatory role.
Each day, the DM rolls 2d6+8 on the following table to see what the weather is like – which affects the collective DC required of skill checks made by the crew. On and successful collective roll, the ship is able to travel at a base speed of 150kms (approximately 5cm on the map).
Result:
| Individual DC (3d6+2) | Group DC (result times 7) | Weather | Consequence of failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-7 | 35-55 | Perfect, favorable winds. | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±1d10°. |
| 8-9 | 56-69 | Choppy but navigable seas. | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±2d10°. |
| 10-11 | 70-83 | Moderately difficult winds, some large waves. | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±3d10°. |
| 12-13 | 84-97 | Rain and some gale winds for at least part of the day. | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±4d10°. |
| 14-15 | 98-111 | Rain and gale winds for most of the day, large waves. Base sailing speed reduced to 4.5cm | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±5d10°. |
| · Strain causes 1d6 bludgeoning damage to the vessel. | |||
| · Chance of Illness. | |||
| · No shorts rests are possible. | |||
| 16-17 | 112-125 | Thunderstorm, extreme winds, towering waves for at least part of the days. Base sailing speed reduced to 4cm | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±6d10°. |
| · Strain causes 3d6 bludgeoning damage to the vessel. | |||
| · 1d6 days of rations are spoiled or lost overboard. | |||
| · Chance of Illness/thrown overboard. | |||
| · No shorts rests are possible. | |||
| 18 | 126 | Thunderstorm, extreme winds, towering waves for most of the days. Base sailing speed reduced to 3cm | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±7d10°. |
| · Strain causes 6d6 bludgeoning damage to the vessel. | |||
| · 2d6 days of rations are spoiled or lost overboard. | |||
| · Chance of Illness/thrown overboard. | |||
| · No shorts rests are possible. | |||
| 19 | 133-139 | Hurricane level storm, strong winds and currents, debris or other hazards in the water. Base sailing speed reduced to 2cm. | · You lose your way and sail off course by ±8d10°. |
| · Strain causes 10d6 bludgeoning damage to the vessel. | |||
| · 4d6 days of rations are spoiled or lost overboard. | |||
| · Chance of Illness/thrown overboard. | |||
| · No shorts rests are possible. | |||
| 20 | 140 | Becalmed. There are no wind or waves. Guided travel is impossible except by rowing. Unseen currents drag the ship 2cm in a random direction. | · Chance of illness (sunstroke, +1 exhaustion). |
In order to pass the check, each person rolls according to their role on the ship. Each role is associated with a skill check, which may be aided with proficiency if they possess proficiency in a relevant skill or use of a tool. Only one person can fill each role, with the exception of Deck-hand.
Once a player rolls, they can choose to roll again to aim for a better result. If they do so they gain 1 point of exhaustion the next day. A person can roll multiple times per day with the caveat that they cannot re-roll if doing so would kill them.
A person may choose to rest on a day instead of work. In that case they are able to recover on points of exhaustion, and are immune to getting additional sicknesses, or thrown overboard.
| Role | Description | Base Skill | Relevant Proficiencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Solving problems and making decisions regarding the overall best course of action to tackle any problem. | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 of damage or lost rations that day. | INT/WIS | Waterborne Vehicle Proficiency | |
| 1st Mate | Manages the crew to make sure that the Captain’s orders are carried out. | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 of damage or lost rations that day. | CHA | Persuasion, Intimidation | |
| Engineer | Makes everyday repairs to the ship to keep things going. Can also repair damage to the vessel while it is anchored and appropriate resources are available. | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 of damage that day. | DEX/INT | Carpenters Tools, Smith’s Tools | |
| Navigator | Ensures that the ship is sailing on course. Requires Navigator’s Tools and Cartographer’s Tools (or a suitable map). | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d10 km of lost time that day. | INT | Navigator’s Tools, Cartographer’s Tools, Nature | |
| Cook | Keeps spirits high with good food and drink. Requires at least one of Cook’s utensils or Brewer’s supplies. | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 of illness or lost rations that day. | CON/WIS | Cook’s utensils, Brewer’s supplies | |
| Watch | Keeps on the lookout for danger and alerts the Captain. Use of a spyglass grants advantage on the roll. A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 of damage caused to the ship that day. | WIS | Perception, Survival |
| Doctor | Keeps a tab on everybody’s health, ensuring that any signs of illness are caught before they become an issue. | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 cases of illness that day. | WIS/INT | Medicine, Herbalism Kit, Alchemists Supplies | |
| Chaplain | Prays to the Vizest for safe passage on the seas. Requires primary faith in at least one of the Nature Gods. | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 of damage caused to the ship that day. | WIS/CHA | Survival, Nature, Religion. Add proficiency if Cleric or Druid. | |
| Deck-hand | Does the odd jobs. A tidy ship is a safe ship! | ||
| A successful check vs the Individua DC can prevent 1d6 instances of crew overboard that day. | STR/DEX | Acrobatics, Athletics |
If a failure occurs, and illness/overboard is possible. The DM rolls a 1d4. An odd result means that there is a risk of illness, an even result means there is a risk of somebody going overboard. The required DC is vs the Individual DC on the first table.
Illness can come from a variety of vectors on the high seas. If the crew have failed to manage their ship for the day. Everybody rolls a Constitution Saving throw vs the Individual save DC or be afflicted by a random illness, taking effect the next day:
| 1d4 | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | A lack of balance has caused seasickness. Wracked by stomach pains and vomiting. Automatically fail dexterity and charisma saves and checks. You have +1 point of exhaustion. Lasts 1d4 days. |
| 2 | A lack of proper nutrition has caused malnutrition. You are weak and lethargic. Automatically fail strength and intelligence saves and checks. You have +1 point of exhaustion. Lasts 1d4 days. |
| 3 | A lack of enough water has caused dehydration or sunstroke. You are weak and hallucinating. Automatically fail constitution and wisdom saves and checks. You have +1 point of exhaustion. Lasts 1d4 days. |
| 4 | A lack of proper sleep has made you particularly vulnerable to multiple illnesses. Roll twice. Re-rolling duplicates or further 4’s. |
Heavy seas may cause a person to go overboard. In cases such as this an immediate rescue operation has to be launched in order to bring the crew member back on board. Usually this means tying a rope to a rescuer and jumping in to swim out to them – or casting out a log of wood tied to a rope.
If swimming out to rescue somebody, both the rescuer and rescuee need to make an Athletics check to swim – meeting a combined DC of 2 times the individual DC.
If throwing out a piece of driftwood to rescue somebody, both the rescuer makes a dexterity check to throw (no proficiency bonus) and the rescuee makes an Athletics check to swim – meeting a combined DC of 2 times the individual DC.