Naval Combat

These rules are disgned to provide an easy to learn, adaptable rules set for ship to ship combat in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

The Basics

• Ships utilize a monster stat-block for stats and abilities. Player characters may use their turn to man Action Stations (Helmsman, Gunner, Lookout, Captain, etc.) in order to invoke naval effects.


• HP and damage are scaled by a factor of 1:5 when compared with a creature. a Ship with 10 HP and deals 1d6 damage would have 50 hp if attacked by a creature and it would deal 5d6 damage.


• Combat is played on a Hex Grid (1 Hex = 50 ft.).


• Ship orientation matters for utilizing cannons, and ships have a limited ability to turn each round.


• Wind Direction will be noted on the battle map and has an effect on movement.


• This campaign will exclusively utilize smaller sailing vessels. In most cases a ship will be completely manned by the player party.

Movement and Position

Ship combat is played on a 1” hex grid where each hex represents 50ft from center to center. Most ships will take up 1 to 3 hexes. They should be orientated with the center of the ship on the center of a hex with the bow and stern crossing perpendicular edges. Generally, a ship’s bow will only face one of 6 different hex directions, though the DM may allow “half-turns” in certain instances like boarding or navigating terrain. All turns are 60 degree rotations (one hex face) from the center of the ship.

Moving a Ship

• A ship may move up to its full movement each turn after adjusting for the wind.


• All ships must move at least 1 hex each turn (exceptions: In Irons, Anchored).


• A ship must move directly forward to the space in front of its bow.


• A ship may rotate (rotate one hex face or 60º ) twice at any point before, during, or after its movement, but no ship may rotate more than once per space.


• A ship In Irons may not move forward but may still rotate once.


• A ship that is Anchored may not move or turn.

Points of Sail

Ship sailing speeds depend on the angle of the wind. A ship's point of sail is determined at the start of its turn and does not change during its turn. If a ship starts its turn With the Wind and then turns Close to the Wind, it still gets its full movement that turn.

• With the Wind - Full speed. The wind is coming from behind the ship and the sails are full.


• Close to the Wind - Half speed rounded down (min of 1). The wind is only partially filling the sails.


• In Irons - No Movement. The wind is against your sails and you are at a stand still.

Example: If the wind is coming from 1 (North), this ship is In Irons and cannot move (but may still turn once). If the wind is coming from 2 or 6, it is sailing Close to the wind and may only move half of its normal speed; at 3, 4, and 5 it would be With the Wind and can move its full movement.

Order of Combat

Like creature combat, ship combat is organized into turns and rounds. Initiative is rolled for each ship, and the creatures on that ship all act on their ship’s turn.
Independent creatures like sea monsters or characters that are not on a ship roll their own initiative.
Sailing is slow, and weapons take time to reload, but these rules are designed to be fast and fun. For the purposes of rules and action economy, a round of combat represents 6 seconds in the game world, though 30 seconds to 1 minute is a more thematic representation.

Combat Round Step by Step

1. Captain Phase. The captain and crew discuss their plan for the turn. During this time a captain may declare to Push the Crew.
2. Initiative Phase. Declare any Lookouts. Lookouts (or Captains) roll initiatve at the start of each round.
3. Take Turns. Each ship takes a turn in initiative order.On a ship’s turn, characters may go in any order they see fit. Each may choose an Action Station, and they may choose a different station each turn. They may also choose another action like casting a spell. Ships and characters may Ready actions to trigger anytime before the ship’s next turn.
4. Begin the Next Round. repeat the steps until the combat is over.

Action Stations

Many of the Action Stations require that a skill check be overcome before they can be performed, by default the DC for these skill checks is DC 12. However, the current weather and sea conditions may increase this DC.

Captain

Limit 1/ship, required
Each ship must have a Captain. Unlike other stations, the Captain station cannot be switched during a voyage unless the current captain dies.
During the course of the voyage, both in and out of combat, the Captain has the final word on any of the crew's actions and is the deciding factor in any disputes between the party. During naval combat, the Captain also has two station actions which they can perform: Raise Morale and Push the Crew.
Raise Morale. Make an Intimidation or Persuasion skill check to grant a crew member a +1d8 bonus to their next roll.
Push the Crew. During a time of need the Captain may push the crew to their limits. As a bonus action, the Captaim grants all crew members advantage on their station rolls this turn. This action may only be used once per long rest.

Helmsman

Limit 1/ship
The Helmsman moves the ship's token, and makes a Water Vehicles (DEX) check to attempt to gain 1 additional Rotation this turn.
While the pilot station isn't required, being without a pilot during combat causes the ship to drift, moving 1 hex and 1 rotation in the direction of wind.

Lookout

Limit 1/ship
Before initiative is rolled each round, any character may spend their action to become the Lookout. The Lookout rolls initiative for the ship and they may add or subtract their perception bonus from the result. In addition, any ship with a lookout has a +1 bonus to AC.

Gunner

Limit 1/Weapon
The gunner chooses one of the ship's weapons to fire and chooses the weapon's target. The gunner makes a Dexterity attack roll, adding their proficiency if they are proficient with martial weapons. On a hit, deal the chosen weapon's damage to the target.

Carpenter

No Limit
The Carpenter makes a Carpenter's Tools check to repair the ship. On a success the ship recovers HP equal to 1d10 plus the Ship's CON bonus.

Rigger

Limit 1/ship
The Rigger makes their choice of an Atheletics or Slieght of hand check to align the ship's sails. On a success the ship's movement speed is increased by 1 hex.

Anchor Winch

Limit 1/ship
characters at this station may drop the anchor to halt the ship's movement or wiegh the anchor.
Drop Anchor. Set speed to 0, Ship cannot move or turn.
Weigh Anchor. Ship is no-longer anchored allowing it to move. On turns when this action is performed the ship moves at half speed, even when With the Wind.

Other Actions

No Limit
Characters may take other actions like casting a spell, attacking another creature, diving from the ship or performing the help action to aid another crew member's roll.

Weapon Directions

All of a ship's siege weaponry may only target enemies in one of 4 directions (bow, stern, port, or starboard). A weapon's direction is determined by where the weaponry is mounted upon on the ship and cannot be changed mid combat. In most cases the majority of a ship's arsenal lies along the side of the ship, pointed to either the port starboard sides. Due to these directional limitations, a ships orientation and rotation have a large impact a ships destructive capability.

Advanced Player Guide