Ship-based adventures

[aco175]

@the Jester mentioned the Savage Tide AP from Dungeon Magazine. I still have the pullout ship map they provided with that one, not sure you can find a copy or image online. The first few issues had a town and a pirate cave and some ship travel and problems at sea before getting to the dinosaur Isle of Dread. My favorite part of this section was the sargasso undead monster. It was a giant sea of seaweed that trapped ships and had undead pirates and such and you had to traverse from ship to ship to get to the heart and free your boat.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Ship of Horror for Ravenloft (I used the ship map in that for so many things)

 

[Gilladian]

Depending on exactly what you mean by ship-based, I can think of several:

U1: Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (redux in Ghosts of Saltmarsh)
Salvage Operation (Dungeon Magazine, also in GoS)
The Styles (Dungeon Mag, also GoS; the ship is in dry dock)
Several of the early Savage Tide adventures from Dungeon
Can Seapoint Be Saved (from Dragon Magazine, before there was a Dungeon Magazine)

My players have all run through SSoS with me a few times! But I will look at the other adventures in GoS, thanks. I’m surprised I forgot Savage Tide!

 

[Gilladian]

No.

At some point I ought to actually do the work to write up a good ship to ship combat engine but I can tell you that you won't find one in an RPG.

For example Skull and Shackles has a great introductory adventure, but it's ship rules are bad to the point of being unusable.

But I will tell you that even if you can get to the point that you find some good rules, probably built off some specialized wargame rules, the fundamental problem with all vehicular combat is having the party work together in a way where it feels everyone involved is not only meaningfully contributing but actually making real and meaningful choices. That one I've never overcome.

I don’t actually INTEND any ship to ship combat. If it happens, I will probably just use narrative up to the point of grappling. But sea monster attacks on a ship, or maybe a living storm would be fun. Mostly I want “when you reach island x, this happens” style material. Thanks for confirming my suspicions on the naval combat rules.

 

[Gilladian]

A couple things come to mind.

En Route II By Land or Sea 3.0 D&D Short encounter anthology, some with nautical themes.

Maiden Voyage 3.0 D&D 40-pages levels 1-3.

Razor Coast Pathfinder pirate themed adventure path/mega-adventure.

Heart of the Razor Four pathfinder adventures that are pirate themed, same setting as the Razor Coast but not directly part of the AP.

Northlands Saga Complete Pathfinder mega adventure path that is Norse themed including ship adventures.

Ship of Horror AD&D Ravenloft involves a cursed ship a lot.

Corsairs of the Great Sea, AD&D Al Qadim pirate area sourcebook with a 64 page adventure.

I don't know if the AD&D Sahuagin Monstrous Arcana adventure trilogy involves boats or just the sea devils, but it starts off with Evil Tide.

Gazzetteer 9 Minrothad Guilds Basic D&D mercantile island guild run area sourcebook with some adventure hooks/short adventures.

X7 War Rafts of Kron Expert Set D&D investigating piracy.

In the Phantom's Wake Basic D&D whole adventure on a cursed ship.

Wow! Tons of possibilities here. Thanks!

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I would argue Spelljammer is in the indicated genre.

 

[Richards]

Some of the early issues of Dungeon Magazine had ship-based adventures.

• Issue #6: After the Storm - Involving a gold-laden shipwreck
• Issue #9: The Ghostship Gambit - Fight undead pirates on the high seas
• Issue #11: Wards of Witching Ways - PCs survive a shipwreck
• Issue #15: The Wreck of the Shining Star - Involving another shipwreck
• Issue #20: The Ship of Night - Ship is an "engineering marvel"
• Issue #20: Pride of the Sky - Involves an airship; may be convertible to your needs
• Issue #21: Jammin' - A crashed Spelljammer ship allows the PCs access to wildspace
• Issue #33: That Island Charm - An actual seagoing adventure
• Issue #34: The Lady Rose - Includes a full diagram of the ship
• Issue #41: Mammoth Problems - Exploring an ogre ghost ship
• Issue #43: Moving Day - The PCs guard an elemental-powered riverboat
• Issue #46: Floating Rock - Featuring ship in the loosest sense of the word
• Issue #49: North of Narborel - A sea-going adventure, featuring a ship diagram
• Issue #49: The Dark Place - Takes place on a ship
• Issue #50: The Vaka's Curse - Takes place on board a haunted ship
• Issue #55: The Sea Wolf - Takes place on a ship
• Issue #59: The Voyage of the Crimpshine - The PCs are attacked while on a riverboat
• Issue #63: Huzza's Goblin o' War - The PCs are attacked while on board a ship
• Issue #64: Grotto of the Queen - Involves a magical ship that can travel underwater
• Issue #65: Flotsam - The PCs rescue a mysterious couple from a derelict ship
• Issue #66: The Sunken Shadow - Involves a sunken pirate ship
• Issue #71: Wildspawn - Another Spelljammer adventure, complete with island-sized "ship"

Johnathan

 

[Micah Sweet]

No.

At some point I ought to actually do the work to write up a good ship to ship combat engine but I can tell you that you won't find one in an RPG.

For example Skull and Shackles has a great introductory adventure, but it's ship rules are bad to the point of being unusable.

But I will tell you that even if you can get to the point that you find some good rules, probably built off some specialized wargame rules, the fundamental problem with all vehicular combat is having the party work together in a way where it feels everyone involved is not only meaningfully contributing but actually making real and meaningful choices. That one I've never overcome.

If it were me, I would use the rules for Wildjammer, a free 3pp supplement for Spelljammer 5e. Sorry I don't have a link, but it should be easy enough to Google, and is effectively a netbook like the stuff from the UA Reddit (that may be where I found it, actually). It uses a modified version of the ship combat rules from Mage Hand Press's Dark Matter setting for 5e, which are great at giving everyone something to do in battle.

 

[Celebrim]

If it were me, I would use the rules for Wildjammer, a free 3pp supplement for Spelljammer 5e. Sorry I don't have a link, but it should be easy enough to Google, and is effectively a netbook like the stuff from the UA Reddit (that may be where I found it, actually). It uses a modified version of the ship combat rules from Mage Hand Press's Dark Matter setting for 5e, which are great at giving everyone something to do in battle.

Sounds worth at least looking at.

UPDATE: Reminds me of Palladium/RIFTS. This is not a good thing.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sounds worth at least looking at.

UPDATE: Reminds me of Palladium/RIFTS. This is not a good thing.

Well, to each their own. I'm still holding out for Voidrunner's Level Up version of ship rules, but I have no problem with Wildjammer/Dark Matter's take in principle. I do make my own adjustments, as I do with most things.