Going out to sea....

General topics, including off-topic discussion, goes here.
Post Reply
Kelthrax
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2018 7:44 pm

Going out to sea....

Post by Kelthrax »

I've got LOTS of ideas tumbling around in my head about an extensive seafaring campaign; involving island hopping and ocean voyaging. But I'm only seeing a teeny bit of information on waterborne travel (pg. 38 of the core rules).

So I got some questions:
1) How do you handle swimming and/or drowning? (Factor armor, encumbrance, etc.)
2) How about when performing tasks or combat on a ship during severe rough seas?
3) What do you do about shallows, sand-bars, reefs, rocky shoals, etc.?
4) What about determining surprise encounters at sea?

Also, I'm looking at generating some classes and/or races specifically for this island setting. Any ideas for a Mariner/Pirate/Sailor class? How about a Viking-type class? Or a race of Jellyfish-men, Shark-men, or Crab-men?

Thanks!
User avatar
SmootRK
Posts: 4230
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:03 am
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Going out to sea....

Post by SmootRK »

A few ideas that you might use for the base:
Crabmen - https://sites.google.com/site/d20swlsrd ... n-calamari

Shark Men should be Sahuagin. There is a BFRPG monster for this in the Field Guide.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monste ... /sahuagin/

Perhaps consider some sort of Quasi-Class creation to cover Mariner/Seafarer ideas if you think there are enough special qualities that need attention... which can then be applied to whatever base class a player might take. Unfortunately nothing currently exists that cover such characters that I am aware of.

For Vikings, you might also consider Barbaric Quasi-class with a couple tweaks... seems pretty similar other than the boating aspect of vikings. Just rename the quasi-class to Northman, Njordic, or something else and you pretty much have it.
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?
User avatar
Dimirag
Posts: 3613
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:24 pm
Location: Buenos Aires (C.A.B.A.), Argentina
Contact:

Re: Going out to sea....

Post by Dimirag »

Kelthrax wrote: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:28 pm 1) How do you handle swimming and/or drowning? (Factor armor, encumbrance, etc.)
I would probably use a rule similar to opening doors, starting at 1 in 6 chances, adding maybe STR bonus, and moving up the die based on carried weight (not encumbrance) and armor.
Another way is a Paralyzation ST to being able to move
For drowning... maybe 3 consecutive failed test needs a ST vs Death to avoid start drowning?
Kelthrax wrote: 2) How about when performing tasks or combat on a ship during severe rough seas?
Doing it at a penalty, and a chance of needing a ST against a "bad effect"
Sorry for any misspelling or writing error, I am not a native English speaker
Drawing portfolio: https://www.instagram.com/m.serena_dimirag/
User avatar
Hywaywolf
Posts: 5271
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:30 pm
Location: Wilmington, NC

Re: Going out to sea....

Post by Hywaywolf »

drowning would have a lot to do with type armor and depth of water. It takes a certain amount of time to discard armor and if you don't hit bottom before you get it all off you will have a long swim back to the surface. Maybe too long to survive it.
Kelthrax
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Feb 11, 2018 7:44 pm

Re: Going out to sea....

Post by Kelthrax »

So I did a little bit of research on swimming/drowning in B/X D&D and found someone's blog (https://www.paulsgameblog.com/2015/01/0 ... -the-ages/) and he says this may be from the 1st edition DMG:
Swimming will be impossible in any type of metal armor with the exception of magic armor. Any character wearing magic armor will be encumbered and the only stroke possible will be the dog paddle. It is possible to swim in leather and padded armor, but it is awkward and there is a 5% chance of drowning per hour. All heavy possessions must be discarded or the chance of drowning increases by 2% for every 5 pounds on the character’s person other than his or her leather or padded armor. This includes weapons, purses filled with gold and/or gems, backpacks and hard boots. One unsheathed dagger may be carried by the adventurer between his or her teeth.

… movement (either swimming or walking) is the same as the speeds used in dungeons, even though underwater movement is “outdoors”. Average movement is a function of encumbrance in exactly the same ratios as in dungeon movement.
And then a comment from someone on that same post mentioning the Holmes basic rulebook in its included dungeon sample:
The channel is 10 feet deep and the current is swift. Anyone falling in will be swept away unless he has a strength of 15 or better. Men in metal armor will sink to the bottom if they fall in. They may be able to shed their armor (50% chance) in one turn and get to the surface. The current will deposit anyone swept away in room K at the end of a turn. Being dragged under the rock wall between rooms is dangerous. Anyone with a constitution of 12 or better will survive unhurt, others run a 50% chance of taking a die of damage from drowning.”

Later, the text for room M mentions an octopus that will attack people in boats; it does no damage if it hits, instead it pulls victims overboard in an attempt to drown them. The writeup concludes, “See [room] H for more information about drowning; assume that all characters know how to swim.
Are there any other "official" swimming/drowning rules for old D&D?
User avatar
Hywaywolf
Posts: 5271
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:30 pm
Location: Wilmington, NC

Re: Going out to sea....

Post by Hywaywolf »

I played in a game once that was pretty much all water with a bunch of islands. We kept getting our asses kicked trying to get through an opening between the rocks into a protected bay both by the current and guards protecting the entry. I solved the problem by using the swimming rules (similar to the ones mentioned above) and donning all my armor and when we got close to the breach jumped in with one end of a rope tied to the boat. I walked through the breach under water and up a slope onto a shallow area protected from the guards arrows. Then I pulled the boat past the breach while everyone inside ducked down under shields.
User avatar
Haronniin
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Jun 22, 2013 3:17 pm
Location: Kansas City, MO
Contact:

Re: Going out to sea....

Post by Haronniin »

Kelthrax wrote: Wed Apr 04, 2018 5:26 pm Are there any other "official" swimming/drowning rules for old D&D?
I'm not certain about the original brown books, but in B/X, yes, there are. The first quote you used is indeed from the 1E AD&D DM Guide (pp 55 & 56).

The first thing I asked myself was if the BFRPG core rules addressed the matter. I was surprised they don't. It's never come up in my games, so I didn't notice the lack.

The D&D Expert Rulebook (1983) says the following on p. 27:
In D&D games, all characters may swim (unless the DM decides otherwise). Movement rate while swimming is normal. The DM should decide on the chances of drowning in rough water, swimming while carrying heavy or encumbering equipment or treasure, swimming while wearing heavy armor, or while fighting in the water. The chances of drowning usually depend on the circumstances. For example, a fighter trying to swim in rough choppy seas while wearing plate armor and carrying 3,000 cn of treasure might have a 99% chance of drowning. The same fighter in leather armor and carrying no treasure might have only a 10% chance of drowning.
And again on p. 43:
Swimming movement is equal to one-half the distance that character may normally travel. Characters in any type of metal armor may easily drown.
That resource also provides some rules around waterborne adventures (weather, encounters at sea, combat at sea, etc.).

Smoot provided some excellent advice regarding races and classes.

I'd be interested in what you come up with that works well with BFRPG. I've been tinkering with a campaign setting in an archipelago. Obviously sea travel would be a key element.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests