Superior Ship Upgrades
Superior Ship Upgrades
Some vessels possess extraordinary abilities, whether due to magic or superior artisanship. The upgrades below can replace a ship’s existing components or provide a new element to augment a ship’s abilities.
Adding an upgrade costs 15,000 gp and requires 1d4 weeks of work. During that time, the ship must remain in port. If the ship leaves, the work must start over, but you don’t need to pay the gold piece cost a second time.
Hull Upgrades
Any ship with a hull can gain one of the following upgrades. In some cases, an upgrade also provides a benefit to the ship’s other components.
Churning Hull
A tempest rages within these rune-etched, iron chains. Raiders and pirates who operate under the blessings of a storm god sometimes make use of this upgrade.
By draping the chains over a ship’s hull, the storm’s fury thrashes into the water around it. The water within 210 feet of the ship is difficult terrain for everything other than this ship.
Death Vessel
Crafted with materials harvested from the Shadowfell, this upgrade grants a ship an aura of dread. As an action, the ship can create a pulse of horrific energy. Every creature that is an enemy of the ship who is on board or within 210 feet of it must make DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is frightened of the ship for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this ability for 24 hours. Once this ability is used, it can’t be used again until 1d4 hours have passed.
Frost-Locked Hull
This upgrade replaces a ship’s hull with supernatural ice drawn from the elemental planes. The hull and the other components of the ship are immune to cold damage but vulnerable to fire damage. The ship can also move at its normal speed over ice of any thickness, floating on the ice at the same depth as it would in water.
Living Vessel
This vessel’s hull was crafted in the Feywild under the direction of master eladrin shipwrights. It is a living plant, drawing sustenance from water and sunlight. Vines covered in thick leaves hang over its side, and the wood runs with fresh sap when damaged. The ship gains a +2 bonus to all Constitution checks or saving throws. As long as the ship has at least 1 hit point, it regains 10 hit points every minute.
Reinforced Hull
A master shipwright can use superior materials and clever design to make a ship’s hull more resilient. Such reinforcement doubles the hull’s hit point maximum.
Vigilant Watch
A row of crystal orbs, each filled with viscous liquid and a beholder’s eyeball, is mounted along this ship’s hull. Invisible creatures are visible while on the ship or within 120 feet of it.
Movement Upgrades
Each movement upgrade applies to a specific movement type. A component can gain the benefits of one upgrade.
Clockwork Oars
Using a combination of magic and clockwork, the oars on this ship require only one crew member to use them, pushing the button or lever that activates them.
Ever-Full Sails
These billowing sails are woven from cloud-stuff drawn from the Elemental Plane of Air. Wind whips and whistles around them, allowing a ship to move with a speed of 60 feet regardless of direction relative to the wind.
Defiant Sails
These sails glitter with a fine coat of mithral treated with abjuration magic. While the sails are unfurled, ranged weapon attacks made against the ship and anyone aboard it are made with disadvantage, as a result of the sails’ protective magic. This drawback doesn’t apply if the attacker is aboard the ship.
Dragon Sails
Dragon scales woven into these sails make them more resistant to damage. The sails gain a +3 bonus to AC, and they have resistance to a damage type based on the type of scales used to craft them, as shown on the Dragon Sails table.
Dragon Sails
Screaming Sails
Woven from the energy of captured wraiths and bound with the spirit of a banshee, these sails groan mournfully when they catch the wind. As an action, while within 5 feet of the sails, the ship’s captain can cause the sails to unleash a howl. Every creature hostile to the ship who is on board or within 300 feet of it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw, or the creature takes 4d6 psychic damage and is then frightened for 1 minute. Once this ability has been used, it can’t be used again until 2d6 hours have passed.
Scything Oars
Sharpened, magically reinforced oars make a vessel dangerous to approach. When the ship takes an action that moves it with these oars, any creature or object in the water within 10 feet of it at any point of the move must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 slashing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.
Weapon Upgrades
The following upgrades can apply to any weapon mounted aboard a ship. A component can gain the benefits of one upgrade, or two upgrades if one of the upgrades is Arcane Artillery.
Arcane Artillery
Using methods similar to those used to produce magic weapons, a skilled spellcaster imbues a ship’s weapon with destructive energy. This weapon gains a +2 bonus to its attack and damage rolls, and its attacks count as magical.
Concussive Rounds
Enhanced by abjuration magic, this weapon’s attacks burst with raucous noise capable of momentarily distracting and disorienting enemy crews. If this weapon hits a vehicle’s hull, that vehicle’s speed decreases by 2d10 feet until the start of the attacker’s next turn.
Explosive Rounds
Drawing on powerful evocation magic, this weapon’s attacks are imbued with unstable energy that explodes in a fiery blast. When this weapon hits, it deals an extra 2d6 fire damage.
Grasping Rounds
This weapon creates spectral chains that trail after its shots, restraining enemy vessels in their grasp. When this weapon hits a ship, that vehicle must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or it can’t move away from the attacker. As an action, the attacking ship can end this effect, and the target can end it by taking an action and succeeding on a DC 14 Strength check.
Figurehead Upgrades
While figureheads are usually purely decorative, they might be magically treated to produce extraordinary effects. A ship can receive one figurehead upgrade.
Guardian Figurehead
This figurehead depicts an armored knight. As an action, the ship can activate this item, causing it to animate as an iron golem. The golem acts on the ship’s turn when the captain uses one of the ship’s actions. The golem remains animated for 1 minute. At the end of that time, it teleports back to its position as a figurehead. Once a ship uses this action, it can’t use it again for 24 hours.
Red Dragon Figurehead
This figurehead depicts a red dragon rearing to strike, its mouth open. As an action, the ship can activate this item to create a 60-foot cone of flame that originates from the figurehead. Each creature and object in the cone must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Once a ship uses this action, it can’t use it again for 1 minute.
Storm Giant Figurehead
This figurehead depicts a storm giant clutching a thunderbolt. As an action, the ship can activate this item to create a 60-foot cone that originates from the figurehead. Each creature in the cone must make DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails its saving throw is also pushed 10 feet away from the figurehead. Once a ship uses this action, it can’t use it again for 1 minute.
Miscellaneous Upgrades
The following upgrades don’t apply to a specific element of the ship. A ship can use any number of them, but it can gain a specific upgrade only once.
Bones of Endless Toil
The bones of ancient, mysterious creatures festoon the ship. Potent runes crawl across these remains, emitting a sickly green radiance. When a humanoid dies aboard the ship, that creature must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, it dies as normal. If it fails, it immediately rises as a zombie obedient to the ship’s captain. The zombie gains a working knowledge of the ship, allowing it to serve as a member of the crew. A number of creatures equal to the ship’s creature capacity can be animated in this manner at any given time.
Smuggler’s Banner
This flag is meant to be flown from a ship’s mast. Its powerful magic causes it to appear as a flag or banner displaying the symbol of a group, captain, or realm friendly to the viewer. Multiple viewers might see different flags or crests.
The banner’s true power is its ability to aid a ship in making rapid escapes. As an action, the ship and all friendly creatures aboard it teleport up to 3 miles to a known destination of the captain’s choice. Hostile creatures aboard the ship don’t move with the ship and fall into the water it once occupied. Once this item is used to teleport, it can’t teleport in this way again for 2d6 days.
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