Formally Building a Raft now building a canoe

DonTadow · Aug 29, 2005

Last night in my campaign, the pcs found out a hometown of one of the pcs was going to be under attack. Their quickest route would be to sail down the river (as they have no chocoboo (horses) or other means of transportation. So now they want to build a raft and sail it down the river.

The highest craft is a craft metalology and alchemy however several pcs have high survival skills has a craft armormaking.

Several pcs have low to mid ranks in knowledge: engineering. Kwnoledge nature and high survival. "There's a scout (complete adventurer) in the party.

They have no tools other than their weapons and basic adventuring gear. Ther eis an abundance of Trees and one of the Pcs carries around 1200 pounds (in a bag of holding) of a metal construct they slayed.

As a DM, what would you tell your pcs to roll and how would you go about guiding them to build this raft. Would you even allow them to build a raft (considering that no one has craft carpentry).

What checks would you use and what material would you allow? The total weight of the party is about 2,500 pounds. Can a raft even be built to support this weight.?

What kind of guidelines do you set as their planning to build the raft?

Once/.if they build it, what type of skills are used to navigate it?

Hand of Evil · Aug 29, 2005

First comes the wood and just how well it floats, 25% above water line or only 5%, and let me tell you not all wood is the same! Once you got your wood you have to bind them together, rope use would be helpful because water does things to rope that may make the raft come apart. Now you have to think about the water, deep, shallow, rapids, etc, how are they going to steer it; poles, rudder? Now the time, it will take some time.

to me it would be better to travel down river and hope they come across a village, it would be better time used than building a raft without skill.

Rodrigo Istalindir · Aug 29, 2005

Objectively, I see little chance for success. They don't have the tools or the knowledge, are likely short on critical materials like rope, and are carrying a substantial amount of weight.

If the PCs have poor swim skills, I would discourage them from trying. If it's critical that they reach the town in time, then I'd arrange for some other option (not that I'd hand it to them on a silver platter, but there should be another route).

Plus, unless the river is (a) fairly fast flowing, and (b) on a more or less a straight line course to the town, it might not be anyfaster. Poling a heavy raft down a river with little current (or worse, against the current) is slow, tiring and difficult.

CarlZog · Aug 29, 2005

I think this kind of depends on how nitty gritty want to get. Keeping it simple, you could have each of them simply name his/her contribution to the project and role a relevant skill check. ("I design it." "I gather the wood." "I lash the logs together.", etc.)

Building a one-and-a-quarter-ton capacity raft is going to take them a while. Especially if they 're muddling together their skills to do it.

On the grittier side, you could start by having the players tell you exactly how they plan to build this fairly substantial vessel.

Designing the raft, gathering the materials, and then actually consturcting it is a job I'd figure on spending at least three days on -- depending on the distance of hte materials to the construction site.

Here's some guys who built a raft about the size you need,

http://www.acts.org/roland/mackenzie/3.construction/index.html

...although they used HIGHLY buoyant empty oil drums, and plywood. Your guys will have to replace the drums with a lot more wood, and replace the plywood with some kind of decking that they can reasonably stand on, if they want to be able to have any control over the raft 's motion.

As for navigation and piloting, if they're going down the river, I think survival checks or knowledge nature will let them gauge the flow of the river and choose the appropriate paddling maneuvers to keep moving safely and successfully. I think strength and dex checks will determine whether they can execute those paddling maneuvers successfully.

Carl

the Jester · Aug 29, 2005

Craft checks can be made untrained; seems like a simple solution to me!

WayneLigon · Aug 29, 2005

I'd say have a couple people make Engineering checks just to see if they make some rookie mistake that they have to correct later. Otherwise, take half a day and some rope, and they'd be ready to go. I'd put 'raft building' under the category of 'things even stupid people know how to do', like building a fire, so I'd even give them a low DC untrained Craft check, perhaps.

Unless they've all pampered nobles who have never left the big city. Then I'd make it a comedy of errors as they try to find the right trees, attempt to enlist wild beavers to fell them, whatever.

If they have good adventuring gear, they have some wood axes to fell the trees and handaxes to take off the bark. Depending on what spells they have, they could just blow a few trees down and strip them then. Alternately, there may be woodcutters about, or some small hamlet around that has better tools.

orangefruitbat · Aug 29, 2005

I'd have the players make Craft (Boats) check. In order to finish the boat, they need to make ten DC 15 checks, and each player gets 1 check a day. If anyone fails by more than 5, then they lose a day.

If they have some other useful skill, like Engineering, or Carpentry, then they can get syngy bonuses.

Hand of Evil · Aug 29, 2005

The journey will be interesting, I am thinking eaver raft created on Gilligan's Island.

Ideas: Rapids, gaint water snake, crocs/hippos, giant spider (water or web across river), mimic (look a log), etc...

Steverooo · Aug 29, 2005

DonTadow said:
As a DM, what would you tell your pcs to roll and how would you go about guiding them to build this raft. Would you even allow them to build a raft (considering that no one has craft carpentry).

What checks would you use and what material would you allow? The total weight of the party is about 2,500 pounds. Can a raft even be built to support this weight.?

What kind of guidelines do you set as their planning to build the raft?

Once/.if they build it, what type of skills are used to navigate it?

First of all, HOW HARD DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?!? Do YOU WANT them to get to the city? (It appears not, or you would have given them Chocoboos, or something!) If that's the case, then just tell them that, without axes, it will be too hard to cut down the trees... best to start walking! (Then you can deal with some Dwarf with Stonecunning telling you that he crafts a stone axe!)

If you don't really care, I'd tell them that they can rig up a raft that should survive the trip (no whitewater) in about a day, if they plan it, select the wood, all work together to cut the logs and float them downstream to where the raft will be assembled, and then tie them together with some rope... Building a raft really isn't all that hard (and how many people carrying what makes them 2,500#?!?)

Now make some tasks. I'd say to design a simple raft is DC:10 Knowledge (Engineering), DC:15 if they want a tiller. A successful plan adds a +2 Sybergy Bonus to building the raft. Every person gets to make an unskilled DC:10 Craft (Shipbuilding) or DC:15 Survival task, with each success adding another +2. Once all of the logs are assembled, five are laid parallel over two or three at right angles, and then everything must be tied down with DC:15 rope use. This latter step can be redone, if failed. Just untie the rope, and start again. Since there's no danger of combat, a few ranks of skill and "Take 10" should suffice (+2 for silk rope). The whole thing should waste a day, or so, with tools (more without). Set a "points cost", say maybe 15-30 points, and when they get there, the raft is done.

Once a raft is built, navigation is as easy as following the river. They pole along until they get to where they're going (unless the river forks). Getting lost is covered in the DMG, and is generally handled by the Survival skill.

How long it takes depends upon how far the town is, how hard they pole, and the speed of the current. In other words, it takes as long as you tell them that it does... Duh!

domino · Aug 29, 2005

I agree with Steve, mostly.

Simply give them an engineering check to design the thing, and a craft wood working/carpentry/ship building check to actually make it. If they're lacking something like rope, either ask them how they plan on fixing that problem, and if they can't, then up the DC by 5 or so for insufficient materials.