combat system for a pirate campaign help? [Archive] - Wizards Community

combat system for a pirate campaign help? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
GibsonPwnz0rd
03-18-08, 07:12 PM I'm making a Pirate campaign (or at least I hope it'll last long enough to turn into a campaign) and I'm having a little trouble. I've played D&D for a while casually, never hardcore, so I have a moderate knowledge of the rules and such, but it's just getting very confusing with what I'm trying to do, because I can handle the writing and encounters and all that stuff, but I really would like to include boat combat, because what self respecting pirate doesn't sink a few salty sea dogs into the drink once in a while? So I'm not entirely sure how to go about this, but I've started working out the types of damage and HP and all that and ships and w.e. Here's what I've got so far, any suggestions to improve this or a completely new idea is welcome:

I'm undecided about the type of grid to use, but I think I'll just use a smaller 5 sq. foot per square grid, so I can see where each individual crew member is.

boat type---crew needed-cannons on deck-cannons below deck---------storage
light sloop--------3--------------2------------------3------------------300 lb.
light galleon------6--------------4-------------------5------------------700 lb.
light frigate------8---------------8------------------5------------------550 lb.
sloop------------6---------------4------------------5-------------------650 lb.
galleon----------8---------------8------------------9------------------1100 lb.
frigate----------10--------------10-----------------7------------------900 lb.
war sloop--------9---------------8------------------7-------------------950 lb.
war galleon------10-------------10-----------------12-----------------1600 lb.
war frigate-------12-------------14-----------------10------------------1200 lb.

I'll probably roll HP with the d90, getting more rolls of them the larger the boat.
I haven't figured out how to determine AC or speed thought the smaller the ship, the harder to hit and the faster. In concerns of stopping and starting, I figured you must move every turn cus you can't suddenly stop a ship. If you want to stop, the turn before you move only half your speed (slowing down) and the next turn you stop, and vice versa for starting to move again.

here's the different weapons:

shot type-----8 lb.-------10 lb.--------12 lb.---------14 lb.----------16 lb.-----18 lb.----------20 lb.
roundshot---1d20------1d20/1d6------1d20/1d12----1d20/2d12-------2d20----2d20/1d6----2d20/1d12
grapeshot---1d4----------1d6----------------------------------------------------------------------

Grapeshot shoots out shrapnel and does splash damage to the crew,
whereas roundshot does damage to the ship-
8 lb. grapeshot does 1d4 in a 15 ft. circle
10 lb shot does 1d6 in a 25 ft. circle

Then there'es chain shot which is a chain with one cannonball on either end, it is shot at a ship's mast in an attempt to have the two cannonballs go on either side, pulling the chain through the mast, toppling it and rendering the ship immobile. I'm not sure how to have this as part of combat, but it would only take 1 or two chain shots to topple a mast, with a good cannon crew, just 1, so i dunno, that might be too easy. I haven;t figured out how to have this done
And one last thing I need to figure out is boarding a ship, you shoot several grappling hooks with your cannon onto the side of the other ship and tow it in close and swing over so you can plunder the ship. I'm at a loss for how to do this.

Also I was thinking there might be something to navigating, like it would be a skill and there's a risk of doing it wrong, like having the players use a map i give them and they acually have to say like, ok, 5 degrees due north and w.e.
I apologise that this is so long, but anyone who bothers to read all this, your help is very much appreciated!
Bleeding_Eyes
03-18-08, 09:10 PM well I don't know about the combat stuff, but the dread pirate prestige class requires 8 ranks in profession: sailor, so you could make a profession check to sail your boat
kamronshepard
03-18-08, 10:28 PM I'd check the d20 Modern SRD for movement rules for slowing down and speeding up. Other than that, it looks like you already have a lot of this figured out. Good luck and happy gaming.
angelus_truelove
03-18-08, 10:36 PM Stormwrack is the book for you my friend. That and Arms and Equipment. A&E has the stats on many a boat. Stormwrack has stats on more boats, as well as a full chapter dedicated to fighting at sea, weather conditions, and everything else you could need to take out your enemies' ships. There are also some new races, feats, spells, prestige classes, variants of current classes...a whole slew of info right at your fingertips...all in one good book.

Do I sound like a commercial or what?
GibsonPwnz0rd
03-18-08, 11:04 PM Stormwrack is the book for you my friend. That and Arms and Equipment. A&E has the stats on many a boat. Stormwrack has stats on more boats, as well as a full chapter dedicated to fighting at sea, weather conditions, and everything else you could need to take out your enemies' ships.
Yeah, I actually discovered Stormwrack's existence a few minutes after posting this, so thanks for the confirmation that it is what I need, now all I need is some gp...I mean some money to buy it. I didn't know A&E also had boat stats though, definitely checking that out.
I foresee a trip to Border's in my future...
thnx again!
Also, any tips just in general on how to make a successful Pirate campaign are certainly welcome...yargh!
annoyinglizardvoice
03-19-08, 04:41 PM There's a suppliment for the Conan d+d game called Pirate Isles, that includes ship to ship combat and boarding actions. It also has a variety of ship types and how to customise them. You'd need to add stats for black powder weapons though.
DoveArrow
03-19-08, 05:43 PM My favorite system for ship-to-ship combat is the Seas of Blood supplement produced by Mongoose Publishing. It's simple, it's easy to understand, and best of all, it works really well in game. Seriously, if you haven't already looked at it, I highly recommend that you check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Seas-Blood-Dungeons-Dragons-Accessory/dp/1903980089

Note: The only thing I didn't like is that the ship diagrams were always too small. Usually I just used one of the bigger ships, but you may find that it's better or easier to simply draw them bigger.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
GibsonPwnz0rd 03-18-08, 07:12 PM	I'm making a Pirate campaign (or at least I hope it'll last long enough to turn into a campaign) and I'm having a little trouble. I've played D&D for a while casually, never hardcore, so I have a moderate knowledge of the rules and such, but it's just getting very confusing with what I'm trying to do, because I can handle the writing and encounters and all that stuff, but I really would like to include boat combat, because what self respecting pirate doesn't sink a few salty sea dogs into the drink once in a while? So I'm not entirely sure how to go about this, but I've started working out the types of damage and HP and all that and ships and w.e. Here's what I've got so far, any suggestions to improve this or a completely new idea is welcome: I'm undecided about the type of grid to use, but I think I'll just use a smaller 5 sq. foot per square grid, so I can see where each individual crew member is. boat type---crew needed-cannons on deck-cannons below deck---------storage light sloop--------3--------------2------------------3------------------300 lb. light galleon------6--------------4-------------------5------------------700 lb. light frigate------8---------------8------------------5------------------550 lb. sloop------------6---------------4------------------5-------------------650 lb. galleon----------8---------------8------------------9------------------1100 lb. frigate----------10--------------10-----------------7------------------900 lb. war sloop--------9---------------8------------------7-------------------950 lb. war galleon------10-------------10-----------------12-----------------1600 lb. war frigate-------12-------------14-----------------10------------------1200 lb. I'll probably roll HP with the d90, getting more rolls of them the larger the boat. I haven't figured out how to determine AC or speed thought the smaller the ship, the harder to hit and the faster. In concerns of stopping and starting, I figured you must move every turn cus you can't suddenly stop a ship. If you want to stop, the turn before you move only half your speed (slowing down) and the next turn you stop, and vice versa for starting to move again. here's the different weapons: shot type-----8 lb.-------10 lb.--------12 lb.---------14 lb.----------16 lb.-----18 lb.----------20 lb. roundshot---1d20------1d20/1d6------1d20/1d12----1d20/2d12-------2d20----2d20/1d6----2d20/1d12 grapeshot---1d4----------1d6---------------------------------------------------------------------- Grapeshot shoots out shrapnel and does splash damage to the crew, whereas roundshot does damage to the ship- 8 lb. grapeshot does 1d4 in a 15 ft. circle 10 lb shot does 1d6 in a 25 ft. circle Then there'es chain shot which is a chain with one cannonball on either end, it is shot at a ship's mast in an attempt to have the two cannonballs go on either side, pulling the chain through the mast, toppling it and rendering the ship immobile. I'm not sure how to have this as part of combat, but it would only take 1 or two chain shots to topple a mast, with a good cannon crew, just 1, so i dunno, that might be too easy. I haven;t figured out how to have this done And one last thing I need to figure out is boarding a ship, you shoot several grappling hooks with your cannon onto the side of the other ship and tow it in close and swing over so you can plunder the ship. I'm at a loss for how to do this. Also I was thinking there might be something to navigating, like it would be a skill and there's a risk of doing it wrong, like having the players use a map i give them and they acually have to say like, ok, 5 degrees due north and w.e. I apologise that this is so long, but anyone who bothers to read all this, your help is very much appreciated!
Bleeding_Eyes 03-18-08, 09:10 PM	well I don't know about the combat stuff, but the dread pirate prestige class requires 8 ranks in profession: sailor, so you could make a profession check to sail your boat
kamronshepard 03-18-08, 10:28 PM	I'd check the d20 Modern SRD for movement rules for slowing down and speeding up. Other than that, it looks like you already have a lot of this figured out. Good luck and happy gaming.
angelus_truelove 03-18-08, 10:36 PM	Stormwrack is the book for you my friend. That and Arms and Equipment. A&E has the stats on many a boat. Stormwrack has stats on more boats, as well as a full chapter dedicated to fighting at sea, weather conditions, and everything else you could need to take out your enemies' ships. There are also some new races, feats, spells, prestige classes, variants of current classes...a whole slew of info right at your fingertips...all in one good book. Do I sound like a commercial or what?
GibsonPwnz0rd 03-18-08, 11:04 PM	Stormwrack is the book for you my friend. That and Arms and Equipment. A&E has the stats on many a boat. Stormwrack has stats on more boats, as well as a full chapter dedicated to fighting at sea, weather conditions, and everything else you could need to take out your enemies' ships. Yeah, I actually discovered Stormwrack's existence a few minutes after posting this, so thanks for the confirmation that it is what I need, now all I need is some gp...I mean some money to buy it. I didn't know A&E also had boat stats though, definitely checking that out. I foresee a trip to Border's in my future... thnx again! Also, any tips just in general on how to make a successful Pirate campaign are certainly welcome...yargh!
annoyinglizardvoice 03-19-08, 04:41 PM	There's a suppliment for the Conan d+d game called Pirate Isles, that includes ship to ship combat and boarding actions. It also has a variety of ship types and how to customise them. You'd need to add stats for black powder weapons though.
DoveArrow 03-19-08, 05:43 PM	My favorite system for ship-to-ship combat is the Seas of Blood supplement produced by Mongoose Publishing. It's simple, it's easy to understand, and best of all, it works really well in game. Seriously, if you haven't already looked at it, I highly recommend that you check it out. http://www.amazon.com/Seas-Blood-Dungeons-Dragons-Accessory/dp/1903980089 Note: The only thing I didn't like is that the ship diagrams were always too small. Usually I just used one of the bigger ships, but you may find that it's better or easier to simply draw them bigger.