The PCs in my Scourge of the Sword Coast campaign are going to be traveling up a river next session. We looked at the available ships outlined in the 5e core books and settled on the keelboat. There's no real description (other than that it is a "rowed vessel" usually used on lakes and rivers), but the DMG states that it only requires a crew of one and can carry six passengers and up to half a ton of cargo. That's perfect for the party, since there are 5 of them, which is too many for a rowboat.
However, both the PHB and the DMG state that a keelboat costs 3,000 gp! Despite the fact that it seems like it would only be slightly larger than a rowboat, which only costs 50 gp.
So I looked at some of the older editions.
In the D&D 3.5 book, Stormwrack, it has a keelboat that costs 3,000 gp, but it's significantly larger, requiring 8+ crew and able to carry more passengers and cargo.
In the AD&D 2e book, Of Ships & the Sea, there is a keelboat that fits the 5e boat's description much better (it can carry 500 lbs of cargo and six passengers, and it requires only one crewman to operate) but it only costs 250 gp!
It would seem, to me at least, that something in the 5e books is in error - either the price of the keelboat in the PHB or the crew/passenger complements listed for it in the DMG.
What do you guys think?
It's just a flat bottomed boat. While it may have a sail, it's not required. Could crew with 1-4. And they're easy enough to build so Id just have two models and let them buy or build at their discretion. They're typically not seaworthy (at least for long stretches. Coast hopping should be ok).
I found the ship/boat selection to be a little sparse myself. There's actually a pretty large gap between crew sizes for the listed ships. My players have a Folding Boat that takes the shape of a cog trade ship. Using the DMG, the ship would probably require 20 people or something, but that's ridiculous. I guess this is one of those cases where you use the rules as a suggestion, but go with your gut instinct in the end. (actually, that's ALWAYS the case and this is a good example)
Ramzour wrote:
I was going to suggest selecting a singular source, or as few sources as possible, that cover all the things you want on the topic of ships - such as just using Of Ships and the Sea.
I find that it is usually the supplement dedicated to the specific topic that has the better put together interpretation, rather than the "let's toss in some of that" section from a larger book like the DMG.
My personal preference on vehicles is probably a bit odd, though, since I prefer to entirely retool the costs and sizes and what not in order to match them to how I want to use them (which usually means tripling the real-world size of any vehicle I intend there to ever possibly be a fight while onboard) and how much I want them to cost relative to other expensive items (which usually means lowering costs significantly so that more people in the world can afford a decent sized fishing boat than can afford plate mail).
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
The keelboat seems to be a bit larger and has living space. D&D prices always have been BS anyways.
The solution I came up with for my "pirate-esque" game a few months ago was to have them rent the boat from an NPC, gave them more to consider and it made a little bit of sense that if things were this expensive but neccesary, that someone would make a killing in loans and insurance.
Of course the NPC was a Drow in disguise becuase I'm a jerk 
Gnarl wrote:
Huck Finn (and a friend) drifted down the Mississippi River on a home-made raft, about 10x10 feet. Cost almost nothing if you cut down a few trees and already have your own tent. Almost unsteerable in event of an emergency, though. And NOT ocean-storm-worthy.
Canalboat: 40 feet long, 6 feet high, 6 feet wide, holds a schoolroom's worth of kids or a few tons of cargo. Pulled by one or two mules at about 3 mph / 5 kph. Can be poled by men at 1 mph against the current. Cost should be about the same as a log cabin type house (family can live on board and still have room for paying freight). Look up "Erie Canal" for more details.
** I rode one for a quarter-mile in a historical park, as chaperone for an elementary-school class trip. **
Chaosmancer wrote:
5,000 gp seems a little high, given that
Everytime I see this thread, I think it's the aquatic version of the killdozer
"I'll KEEL YOU! Till you die from it!"
Noon,
At MY first glance, I thought it was a - cursed? - boat guaranteed to capsize (keel over).