Water Vessels🔗
Vessel Dimensions🔗
A ship’s beam is its width, and its draft is the depth it extends beneath the water.
Historical Periods🔗
The vessels described in this section span various historical periods, from the ancient period to the medieval. Not all types of vessels may be available in a campaign setting.
Seaworthy Vessels🔗
| Vessel | Cost (gp) | Cargo Capacity (Coins) | Usage | Length | Beam | Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeboat | 1,000 | 15,000 | Any | 20’ | 4’–5’ | 1’–2’ |
| Longship | 15,000 | 40,000 | Any | 60’–80’ | 10’–15’ | 2’–3’ |
| Sailing ship (large) | 20,000 | 300,000 | Coastal waters, open seas | 100’–150’ | 25’–30’ | 10’–12’ |
| Sailing ship (small) | 5,000 | 100,000 | Coastal waters, open seas | 60’–80’ | 20’–30’ | 5’–8’ |
| Troop transport (large) | 26,600 | 300,000 | Coastal waters, open seas | 100’–150’ | 25’–30’ | 10’–12’ |
| Troop transport (small) | 6,600 | 100,000 | Coastal waters, open seas | 60’–80’ | 20’–30’ | 5’–8’ |
| Warship (large) | 26,600 | 300,000 | Coastal waters, open seas | 100’–150’ | 25’–30’ | 10’–12’ |
| Warship (small) | 6,600 | 100,000 | Coastal waters, open seas | 60’–80’ | 20’–30’ | 5’–8’ |
Descriptions🔗
Lifeboat: A small boat with a mast that folds down for storage. Small ships usually have 1–2 lifeboats, while larger ships may have 3–4. A lifeboat weighs 5,000 coins and reduces the ship's cargo capacity on which it is carried by this much. A lifeboat is usually equipped with rations to feed ten human-sized beings for one week.
Longship: A narrow ship that may be used in rivers, coastal waters, or the open seas. A longship may be rowed or sailed, depending on the conditions. The crew typically fills the role of oarsmen, sailors, and fighters as needed.
Sailing ship, large: A large, seaworthy vessel with up to three masts. Usually, it has multiple decks and raised “castles” at the bow and stern.
Sailing ship, small: A small, seaworthy vessel with a single mast.
Troop transport (large, small): These ships have similar dimensions and characteristics to normal sailing ships but are specially designed to carry troops, mounts, and equipment of war as their cargo.
Warship (large, small): These ships have similar dimensions and characteristics to normal sailing ships but are specially designed to carry mercenaries and war gear.
Unseaworthy Vessels🔗
| Vessel | Cost (gp) | Cargo Capacity (Coins) | Usage | Length | Beam | Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat (river) | 4,000 | 30,000 | Rivers, lakes | 20’–30’ | 10’ | 2’–3’ |
| Boat (sailing) | 2,000 | 20,000 | Lakes, coastal waters | 20’–40’ | 10’–15’ | 2’–3’ |
| Canoe | 50 | 6,000 | Rivers, swamps | 15’ | 3’ | 1’ |
| Galley (large) | 30,000 | 40,000 | Coastal waters | 120’–150’ | 15’–20’ | 3’ |
| Galley (small) | 10,000 | 20,000 | Coastal waters | 60’–100’ | 10’–15’ | 2’–3’ |
| Galley (war) | 60,000 | 60,000 | Coastal waters | 120’–150’ | 20’–30’ | 4’–6’ |
| Raft (makeshift) | — | 50 per square foot | Rivers, lakes | Varies | Varies | ½’ |
| Raft (professional) | 1gp per square foot | 100 per square foot | Rivers, lakes | Varies | Varies | ½’ |
Descriptions🔗
Boat, river: Riverboats are either rowed or pushed with poles. The cost of the boat increases by 1,000gp if it has a roof (to protect passengers or cargo).
Boat, sailing: A small boat typically used for fishing in lakes or coastal waters.
Canoe: A small boat made of hide or canvas stretched over a wooden frame. Because of its small size and lightweight construction, a canoe may be carried by two people (weighing 500 coins).
Galley, large: A long ship with a shallow draft and a single, square-sailed mast.
Galley, small: A ship with a shallow draft and a single, square-sailed mast.
Galley, war: A large, specially constructed galley that is generally a fleet’s flagship. War galleys are always fitted with a ram (comes with the basic cost) and have a full deck above the rowers. They have two masts and 10’–20’ wide wooden towers rising 15’–20’ above the bow and stern.
Raft, makeshift: Given sufficient wood, characters may build a makeshift raft in 1–3 days per 10’ square section (up to a maximum size of 20’ × 30’).
Raft, professional: A professionally built raft has raised sides, a basic steering oar, and some shelter for goods or passengers. Such a raft may be up to 30’ × 40’. Professionally built rafts are sometimes floated downstream with cargo and then broken down and sold for the value of their wood (25cp per square foot).
Vessel Movement and Crew🔗
| Rowing (Oarsmen) | Sailing (Sailors) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vessel | Requires Captain? | Req. Crew | Miles/Day | Movement Rate | Req. Crew | Miles/Day | Movement Rate |
| Boat (river) | No | 8 | 36 | 180’ (60’) | — | — | — |
| Boat (sailing) | No | — | — | — | 1 | 72 | 360’ (120’) |
| Canoe | No | 1** | 18 | 90’ (60’) | — | — | — |
| Galley (large) | Yes | 180 | 18 | 90’ (90’) | 20 | 72 | 360’ (120’) |
| Galley (small) | Yes | 60 | 18 | 90’ (90’) | 10 | 90 | 450’ (150’) |
| Galley (war) | Yes | 300 | 12 | 60’ (60’) | 30 | 72 | 360’ (120’) |
| Lifeboat | No | — | — | — | 1** | 18 | 90’ (30’) |
| Longship | Yes | 60* | 18 | 90’ (90’) | 75* | 90 | 450’ (150’) |
| Raft (makeshift) | No | 1** | 12 | 60’ (30’) | — | — | — |
| Raft (professional) | No | 1** | 12 | 60’ (30’) | — | — | — |
| Sailing ship (large) | Yes | — | — | — | 20 | 72 | 360’ (120’) |
| Sailing ship (small) | Yes | — | — | — | 10 | 90 | 450’ (150’) |
| Troop trans. (large) | Yes | — | — | — | 20 | 72 | 360’ (120’) |
| Troop trans. (small) | Yes | — | — | — | 10 | 90 | 450’ (150’) |
| Warship (large) | Yes | — | — | — | 20 | 72 | 360’ (120’) |
| Warship (small) | Yes | — | — | — | 10 | 90 | 450’ (150’) |
* Crew act as rowers, sailors, and fighters ** May be piloted by unskilled characters
Crew🔗
Vessels are propelled by rowing or sailing, with some able to use either means. The necessary crew and the resulting speeds are given in the table above. The pay rates for the crew are listed in Specialists.
Vessel Combat Stats🔗
| Vessel | Maximum Mercenaries | Armor Class | Hull Points | Ram? | Catapults? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat (river) | — | 8 [11] | 20–40 | — | — |
| Boat (sailing) | — | 8 [11] | 20–40 | — | — |
| Canoe | — | 9 [10] | 5–10 | — | — |
| Galley (large) | 50 | 7 [12] | 100–120 | Can be added | Up to 2 |
| Galley (small) | 20 | 8 [11] | 80–100 | Can be added | Up to 2 |
| Galley (war) | 75 | 7 [12] | 120–150 | Built in | Up to 3 |
| Lifeboat | — | 9 [10] | 10–20 | — | — |
| Longship | 75* | 8 [11] | 60–80 | — | Up to 1 |
| Raft (makeshift) | — | 9 [10] | 5 per 10’ sq | — | — |
| Raft (professional) | — | 9 [10] | 5 per 10’ sq | — | — |
| Sailing ship (large) | — | 7 [12] | 120–180 | — | — |
| Sailing ship (small) | — | 8 [11] | 60–90 | — | — |
| Troop trans. (large) | 100 | 7 [12] | 160–240 | — | — |
| Troop trans. (small) | 50 | 8 [11] | 80–120 | — | — |
| Warship (large) | 50 | 7 [12] | 120–180 | — | Up to 2 |
| Warship (small) | 25 | 8 [11] | 60–90 | — | Up to 1 |
* Crews act as rowers, sailors, and fighters.
Ship Modifications🔗
The following modifications may be made to an existing ship:
- Warship: A sailing ship may be converted into a warship or troop transport of the same size. The modification costs one-third of the ship’s original cost.
- Catapult: A catapult may be added to a galley, longship, or warship.
- Ram: A ram may be added to a large or small galley (a war galley already has a ram fitted).
Ship Weaponry🔗
| Item | Cost (gp) |
|---|---|
| Catapult | 100 |
| Catapult shot | 5 |
| Catapult shot, pitch | 25 |
| Ram, large galley | 10,000 |
| Ram, small galley | 3,000 |
Rams🔗
It can be used against ships or giant sea monsters. Small individuals cannot be targeted.
Attack rolls: These are made using a THAC0 of 19 [0], occurring simultaneously in the combat sequence as missile fire.
Attack modifiers: May be applied for weather conditions, maneuverability, etc.
Large or war galley: Deals 1d6+5 × 10 hull points damage against ships and 6d6 hit points damage against monsters.
Small galley: Deals 1d4+4 × 10 hull points damage against ships and 3d8 hit points damage against monsters.
Catapults🔗
Fire either large rocks or flaming pitch.
Weight: A catapult plus twenty shot rounds weighs 10,000 coins (subtracted from the ship’s cargo allowance).
Range: 150–300 yards.
Attack rolls and rate of fire: Depend on the number of crew manning the catapult:
- 2 crew (minimum): Attacks with THAC0 19 [0]. Fires every 10 rounds.
- 3 crew: Attacks with THAC0 19 [0]. Fires every 8 rounds.
- 4 crew (maximum): Attacks with THAC0 17 [+2]. Fires every 5 rounds.
Attack modifiers: May be applied for weather conditions, maneuverability, etc.
Catapult Shot🔗
Inflicts 3d6 hull damage against ships.
Catapult Shot, Pitch🔗
Sets a 10’×10’ area of a ship on fire. The burning does 1d6 hull points of damage per turn (for at least one turn) and will spread to other areas of the ship if not extinguished. A fire may be put out by five crew in 3 turns, ten in 2 turns, or fifteen in 1 turn.