Environs
Travel
It’s not just pirates and sea monsters that make journeys on the sea so treacherous. Foul weather, accidents, infested food, illness, and worse all conspire to send even the most capable crews to early graves. The following rules help adjudicate travel by ship, specifically voyages of an hour or more. This material builds on the travel rules in the Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Travel Pace
Ships travel at a speed given in their stat blocks. Unlike with land travel, ships can’t choose to move at a faster pace, though they can choose to go slower.
If a ship’s mode of movement takes damage, it might be slowed. For every decrease of 10 feet in speed, reduce the ship’s travel pace by 1 mile per hour and 24 miles per day.
Activity While Traveling
The activities available to a ship’s crew and passengers are a bit different from the options available to a group traveling by land. Refer to “Activity While Traveling” in chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook for more information on some of the topics discussed below.
A number of activities are restricted to certain officers, unless the DM rules otherwise. For example, a DM might allow a bard to engage in the Raise Morale activity by playing bawdy songs on deck to lift the crew’s spirits.
The party’s pace has no effect on the activities they can engage in while traveling by ship.
Draw a Map
A ship’s captain often undertakes this activity, producing a map of the ship’s progress and helps the crew get back on course if they get lost. No ability check is required.
Forage
The character casts fishing lines, keeping an eye out for sources of food, making a Wisdom (Survival) check when the DM calls for it.
Raise Morale (First Mate Only)
The first mate can manage the crew’s time to grant extended breaks, provide instruction, and generally improve the quality of life on the ship. Once every 24 hours, if the crew’s quality score is 3 or lower, the first mate can make a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. On a successful check, the crew’s quality score increases by 1.
Navigate (Quartermaster Only)
The quartermaster can try to prevent the ship from becoming lost, making a Wisdom (Survival) check when the DM calls for it. (See “Becoming Lost” in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for more information.)
Noticing Threats
Use the passive Wisdom (Perception) score of the player characters or the crew to determine whether anyone on the ship notices a hidden threat. The crew has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score equal to 10 + the crew’s quality score. The DM might decide that a threat can be noticed only by characters in a specific area of the ship. For example, only characters below deck might have a chance to hear or spot a creature hiding on board.
Repair (Bosun Only)
At the end of the day, the ship’s bosun can make a Strength check using carpenter's tools. On a 15 or higher, each damaged component regains hit points equal to 1d6 + the crew’s quality score (minimum of 1 hit point). A component other than the hull that had 0 hit points becomes functional again.
Stealth (Captain Only)
The ship’s captain can engage in this activity only if the weather conditions restrict visibility, such as in heavy fog. The ship makes a Dexterity check with a bonus equal to the crew’s quality score to determine if it can hide.
Hazards
Sea travel is an innately dangerous proposition. A storm on land might bog down a caravan, delaying its trip by a few days, while at sea a storm can split a ship in two and send everyone aboard to their doom. The close quarters of life aboard a ship leads to short tempers and brawls, while a few rats that sneak aboard can spread disease and spoil supplies. This section presents a variety of common hazards sailors might face on the sea.
Group Checks
To determine how a ship fares against these hazards, each threat requires the ship’s officers and crew to make a special group check (see chapter 7 of the Player’s Handbook for how group checks work). The description of a hazard specifies which officers can roll to contribute to the group check. That description also states what ability check an officer makes. Even if the officers make different ability checks, their successes and failures contribute to the one group check.
Additionally, all the non-officer members of the crew make a single check, a d20 roll modified by the crew’s quality. The success or failure of all these checks — both the officers and the crew — determines the result of the group check.
While each hazard lists the officers assigned to participate in a group check, anyone can attempt an officer’s check in a pinch, with two exceptions: First, only the captain can make checks associated with the captain’s role; no one else can take the captain’s place. Second, only one character can attempt an officer’s check; they can’t receive help.
Once all the checks related to the group check have been rolled, the ship’s success or failure is determined. Hazards offer four levels of success or failure determined by the results of the ship’s group check. A total success or a total failure occurs when every roll in the group check is a success or a failure, respectively.
Determining Hazards
Traveling by sea is an innately dangerous proposition. When running an ocean adventure, you can select hazards based on the needs of your campaign or generate them randomly.
To determine hazards at random, roll a d20 at the start of each day of an ocean voyage. On a 20, the ship faces a hazard that day. Use the following two tables to determine the nature of the hazard and the DC of the threat it presents. Specifics corresponding to each of these DC levels are detailed along with each of the following hazards.
Hazard Type
Hazard DC
Crew Conflict
Sailors can be a rough-and-tumble bunch, and cramming them into a ship’s confined quarters leads to inevitable rivalries, feuds, and petty crimes. If resentments among the crew grow too strong, the officers must step in and set things right, lest they risk mutiny or worse.
Each day a ship spends dealing with a crew conflict requires those aboard to make a group check. The check’s DC is randomly determined or chosen from the Crew Conflicts DCs table. The captain, first mate, and cook each make an ability check, as shown on the Crew Conflict Checks table. This check takes the place of any other activities that the officer might undertake that day, representing their contribution to placating the crew. If no one makes the check for a particular officer, a failure is contributed toward the group check.
Even though the crew is causing trouble, some members help the officers, and thus the crew still contributes a roll to the group check. Roll a d20 for the crew, using its quality score as a modifier to the roll, and compare that check to the DC.
Determine how many of the group’s checks succeeded — the officers’ and the crew’s — then consult the Crew Conflict Check Results table.
Crew Conflict DCs
Crew Conflict Checks
Result Effect
Total Success The crew’s quality score increases by 1 for 1d4 days and the hazard ends. Success The hazard ends. Failure The crew’s quality score decreases by 1. Total Failure The crew’s quality score decreases by 1, and the crew immediately mutinies.
Fire
A fire at sea can turn a ship into a burned-out hulk, its crew slain or forced overboard.
If a fire erupts aboard a ship, its officers and crew must make a group check to coordinate efforts to extinguish it. The check’s DC is randomly determined or chosen from the Fire DCs table. The group check represents 5 minutes of work. The captain, first mate, bosun, and surgeon each make an ability check, as shown on the Fire Checks table. If no one makes the check for a particular officer, a failure is contributed toward the group check. Also, roll a d20 for the crew, using its quality score as a modifier to the roll, and compare that check to the DC.
Determine how many of the group’s checks succeeded — the officers’ and the crew’s — then consult the Fire Check Results table.
Fire DCs
Fire Checks
Fire Check Results
Fog
Fog on land is usually an inconvenience, but at sea it can prove disastrous. Decreased visibility makes navigation more difficult and can cause a vessel to crash.
A group check determines how the officers and crew manage through one day of fog. The check’s DC is randomly determined or chosen from the Fog DCs table. The captain and quartermaster each make an ability check, as shown on the Fog Checks table. If no one makes the check for a particular officer, a failure is contributed toward the group check. Also, roll a d20 for the crew, using its quality score as a modifier to the roll, and compare that check to the DC.
Determine how many of the group’s checks succeeded — the officers’ and the crew’s — then consult the Fog Check Results table.
Fog DCs
Fog Checks
Fog Check Results
Infestation
Provisioning a sea journey is challenging, particularly when allocating what to pack for the voyage. A rat infestation or an outbreak of even a minor illness can spell disaster at sea. This type of hazard covers illnesses, infestations, spoiled supplies, and other troubles that wear away a crew’s health.
Each day a ship spends dealing with an infestation requires those aboard to make a group check. The check’s DC is randomly determined or chosen from the Infestation DCs table. The captain, first mate, surgeon, and cook each make an ability check, as shown on the Infestation Checks table. This check takes the place of any other activities that the officer might undertake that day. If no one makes the check for a particular officer, a failure is contributed toward the group check. Also, roll a d20 for the crew, using its quality score as a modifier to the roll, and compare that check to the DC.
Determine how many of the group’s checks succeeded — the officers’ and the crew’s — then consult the Infestation Check Results table.
Infestation DCs
Infestation Checks
Infestation Check Results
Storm
Winds and towering waves toss ships like bath toys. Snowstorms batter vessels venturing too far north. Hurricanes consume whole armadas. More common and deadlier than most sea monsters, storms claim more ships than any other threat on the high seas.
Each day a ship spends involved in a storm requires those aboard to make a group check. The check’s DC is randomly determined or chosen from the Storm DCs table. The captain, first mate, bosun, and quartermaster each make an ability check, as shown on the Storm Checks table. This check takes the place of any other activities that the officer might undertake that day, representing their contribution to keeping the ship afloat. If no one makes the check for a particular officer, a failure is contributed toward the group check. Also, roll a d20 for the crew, using its quality score as a modifier to the roll, and compare that check to the DC.
Determine how many of the group’s checks succeeded — the officers’ and the crew’s — then consult the Storm Check Results table.
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