How many crew members does a ship generally have?

[Draven]

in the current campaign i am running one of our charecters was a pirate captain who was mutinyed and left for dead and now that our current quest is over i she want's to get revenge. i would just like to get a rough estimate of how many people we now have to hunt down.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

It very much depends on the kind of ship. Anywhere from the low 20's to as many as 100 or more. In your position, I'd figure out what kind of ship you captained, and use that to gauge the number of crewmen, and then suggest that number to the DM.

 

[Starglim]

As many or few as you want, I'd say.

Pirate ships come in many sizes, from little sailing dhows that attack in swarms to vessels not far under the size of the warships of the region.

At the low end, even quite a large sailing vessel could be handled by maybe six people - helmsman, navigator, and as many bodies as are required physically to trim the mainsail or raise the anchor - if they were on a Treasure Island-style voyage to steal an unattended stash of loot.

edit: If there were 15 or 20 of them, a lot of those could have died in the meantime. Pirating and hanging around pirate towns are dangerous occupations.

At the high end, pirate ships traditionally crammed in as many boarders as they could carry, far more than their food supplies could sustain on a standard voyage, when they set off for a nearby spot where they knew (by spies) or expected to meet merchant ships.

 

[Jdvn1]

Well, from the book...

Galley

This three-masted ship has seventy oars on either side and requires a total crew of 200. A galley is 130 feet long and 20 feet wide, and it can carry 150 tons of cargo or 250 soldiers. For 8,000 gp more, it can be fitted with a ram and castles with firing platforms fore, aft, and amidships. This ship cannot make sea voyages and sticks to the coast. It moves about 4 miles per hour when being rowed or under sail.

Keelboat

This 50- to 75-foot-long ship is 15 to 20 feet wide and has a few oars to supplement its single mast with a square sail. It has a crew of eight to fifteen and can carry 40 to 50 tons of cargo or 100 soldiers. It can make sea voyages, as well as sail down rivers (thanks to its flat bottom). It moves about 1 mile per hour.

Longship

This 75-foot-long ship with forty oars requires a total crew of 50. It has a single mast and a square sail, and it can carry 50 tons of cargo or 120 soldiers. A longship can make sea voyages. It moves about 3 miles per hour when being rowed or under sail.

Sailing Ship

This larger, seaworthy ship is 75 to 90 feet long and 20 feet wide and has a crew of 20. It can carry 150 tons of cargo. It has square sails on its two masts and can make sea voyages. It moves about 2 miles per hour.

Warship

This 100-foot-long ship has a single mast, although oars can also propel it. It has a crew of 60 to 80 rowers. This ship can carry 160 soldiers, but not for long distances, since there isn’t room for supplies to support that many people. The warship cannot make sea voyages and sticks to the coast. It is not used for cargo. It moves about 2½ miles per hour when being rowed or under sail.

 

[Darkness]

Depends on the ship, though pirates will generally have more crew than other - especially non-war- - ships of the same type (for combat - and intimidation so they can get the loot without combat).

 

[Draven]

thanks everyone for the replies this will make one of our players very happy

 

[Three_Haligonians]

This kind of question came up once before and what I answered then agrees with what people are saying now. Mainly, that

Historically speaking,

Pirate ships often had twice or even three times the crew needed for the type of ship they were on for a number of reasons. The first was a "many hands, light work" mentality where they could get things done way faster, or worked in shifts that kept the men generally well rested. The second was so that during an attack, the pirate crew could simply overwhelm the opposing ship. Also, so that even if a number of their men died in the battle, they'd still have enough to not only sail their own ship but sail their newly aqquired ship as well.

As always, since the above is "historically spealking" and not "D&D speaking" there is no need to come even remotely close to that system but I think it gives a good starting point.

J from Three Haligonians

 

[S'mon]

Yeah, while a small merchant ship could be crewed by 10 men, if it was a pirate ship it might well hold 60, for the reasons given above. Pirates preferred to outnumber their victims by 3-6, overwhelming numbers often meant the prey would surrender rather than fight. Where a large merchant ship could be crewed by 30, you might see 150 pirates on one. Pirate ships didn't stay at sea long since they couldn't hold enough food for such a large crew, pirates kept their expeditions as brief as possible.

 

[Driddle]

Deux ex machina: The vast majority of the former crew went down together in a typhoon. The first survivor you find, Ol' Shady-Eye Jack, tells you that only he and five others survived that horrible night.

Ta-da! Instantly manageable numbers.

 

[Klaus]

Get the very nice and affordable PDF "Corsair", by Adamant. It offers bajillions (i.e., a couple dozen) types of ship, with details, a Prestige Class FOR SHIPS (!!!!) and a nautical battle system.