Ship-based adventures

[Celebrim]

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.

I had very bad experiences with two different scales that don't interact well. Invariably, you can't keep apart scales like that. Players at character scale will want to fire off fireballs and lightning bolts at mega scale objects, only to find that by the rules they are unable to do even a single point of damage. Players will want to fire mega scale weapons at player scale objects. Large character scale objects are as big as small mega scale objects. You can't have a cannon that does 300-1200 damage in D&D. It just won't work. Even the rules suggest that you'll need to make mega scale variants of character scale monsters, but how is that going to work? How will the players know they can't shoot arrows at the red dragon, or can't shoot cannons at it? The dynamics of the encounter drastically change depending on the arbitrary artifact of scale the GM has chosen for the encounter, something that is external to the game universe.

The only thing that it gets right is that with vehicles facing and direction matter in a way that they don't in at smaller scales. And it does offer an easy solution to that. And the refreshing bulwark rather than DR does have some interesting features but it appears to have been borrowed from systems that have shields and while shields offer some tactical depth that armor doesn't necessarily, I'm not sure that it feels right. I feel like it's one of those systems that works only for a narrow set of assumptions. One of those assumptions appears to be that spell jamming ships are designed badly.

Aside from that, it doesn't run off the skill system. It layers a second class and skill system on top of the existing skill system.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I had very bad experiences with two different scales that don't interact well. Invariably, you can't keep apart scales like that. Players at character scale will want to fire off fireballs and lightning bolts at mega scale objects, only to find that by the rules they are unable to do even a single point of damage. Players will want to fire mega scale weapons at player scale objects. Large character scale objects are as big as small mega scale objects. You can't have a cannon that does 300-1200 damage in D&D. It just won't work. Even the rules suggest that you'll need to make mega scale variants of character scale monsters, but how is that going to work? How will the players know they can't shoot arrows at the red dragon, or can't shoot cannons at it? The dynamics of the encounter drastically change depending on the arbitrary artifact of scale the GM has chosen for the encounter, something that is external to the game universe.

The only thing that it gets right is that with vehicles facing and direction matter in a way that they don't in at smaller scales. And it does offer an easy solution to that. And the refreshing bulwark rather than DR does have some interesting features but it appears to have been borrowed from systems that have shields and while shields offer some tactical depth that armor doesn't necessarily, I'm not sure that it feels right. I feel like it's one of those systems that works only for a narrow set of assumptions. One of those assumptions appears to be that spell jamming ships are designed badly.

Aside from that, it doesn't run off the skill system. It layers a second class and skill system on top of the existing skill system.

I'm fond of subsystems, actually, provided that they model the situation better than the unified system. Wildjammer isn't perfect by any means; I have had many issues of my own with the scale problem. Really hoping Voidrunner's has a fix for it.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

I'm fond of subsystems, actually, provided that they model the situation better than the unified system. Wildjammer isn't perfect by any means; I have had many issues of my own with the scale problem. Really hoping Voidrunner's has a fix for it.

i mean, voidrunner seems to just use hp and regular damage for ships from what the previews suggest, so interacting with differing scales shouldn't be a problem, at least.

 

[jdrakeh]

Though designed for HarnMaster, Dead Weight (which can probably be found on the second hand market for less than they're asking for the PDF) is an excellent adventure that involves plague and hard choices on the high seas.

 

[Gilladian]

Hmmmm…Dead weight sounds interesting. Will see if we own it (got a bunch of Harn stuff long ago, but never ran it).

 

[Tonguez]

I had very bad experiences with two different scales that don't interact well. Invariably, you can't keep apart scales like that. Players at character scale will want to fire off fireballs and lightning bolts at mega scale objects, only to find that by the rules they are unable to do even a single point of damage. Players will want to fire mega scale weapons at player scale objects. Large character scale objects are as big as small mega scale objects. You can't have a cannon that does 300-1200 damage in D&D. It just won't work. Even the rules suggest that you'll need to make mega scale variants of character scale monsters, but how is that going to work? How will the players know they can't shoot arrows at the red dragon, or can't shoot cannons at it? The dynamics of the encounter drastically change depending on the arbitrary artifact of scale the GM has chosen for the encounter, something that is external to the game universe.

The only thing that it gets right is that with vehicles facing and direction matter in a way that they don't in at smaller scales. And it does offer an easy solution to that. And the refreshing bulwark rather than DR does have some interesting features but it appears to have been borrowed from systems that have shields and while shields offer some tactical depth that armor doesn't necessarily, I'm not sure that it feels right. I feel like it's one of those systems that works only for a narrow set of assumptions. One of those assumptions appears to be that spell jamming ships are designed badly.

Aside from that, it doesn't run off the skill system. It layers a second class and skill system on top of the existing skill system.

I’ve always thought that Galleon (and other Ships) ought to be statted up like Dragons giving them hp 200+ High AC (19) and a cannon/breath weapon. It means that a single PC can harm them but its not easy. Also the DMG cannon does 8d10 (44) damage on a flat +6 to hit.
That seems better than mega rules, use DR if you want to recognise a galleons sdc

 

[smetzger]

Surprised that the original pirate 3.0 adventures haven't been mentioned...
Green Ronin Freeport
The original trilogy is quite good
The Freeport city of adventure - campaign source book detailing the Freeport city is good

Unfortunately Black Sails over Freeport is not so good. If you use this I suggest the following changes...
Part 1 - This is decent and works fairly well (except ignore the racist orc stuff). Replace the goal to be finding the artifacts because Yaresh is def coming and the only way to defeat him is to have the artifacts.

Part 2 - Pretty much throw this out and replace with...
Party gets sucked into an alternate dimension/bermuda triangle (Bone Devil and whilrpool works well). Has one island, sailing anywhere results in losing site of the island only to see another island directly ahead and it is the same island.
I think replacing with a modified Isle of Dread would work well. The artifacts are scattered over the island and once recovered can be used all together to escape the alternate dimension and get back to Freeport.

Part 3 - the battle for freeport work relatively well.

Part 4 - final battle with Yaresh. Restat Yaresh to be an advanced garagantuan glabrezo with some extra SLAs and way out of the parties reach to kill. Has 5 tattoos. As a full round action each artifact can be used to remove one of the tattoos (which also renders the artifact a non-magical mastwork item)

1st Tattoo - 50 hp damage (can’t be healed, fear aura removed)
2nd Tattoo - Damage Reduction removed
3rd Tattoo - Regeneration removed
4th Tattoo - SR removed
5th Tattoo - SLAs removed

 

[Tonguez]

Surprised that the original pirate 3.0 adventures haven't been mentioned...
Green Ronin Freeport
The original trilogy is quite good
The Freeport city of adventure - campaign source book detailing the Freeport city is good

Unfortunately Black Sails over Freeport is not so good. If you use this I suggest the following changes...
Part 1 - This is decent and works fairly well (except ignore the racist orc stuff). Replace the goal to be finding the artifacts because Yaresh is def coming and the only way to defeat him is to have the artifacts.

Part 2 - Pretty much throw this out and replace with...
Party gets sucked into an alternate dimension/bermuda triangle (Bone Devil and whilrpool works well). Has one island, sailing anywhere results in losing site of the island only to see another island directly ahead and it is the same island.
I think replacing with a modified Isle of Dread would work well. The artifacts are scattered over the island and once recovered can be used all together to escape the alternate dimension and get back to Freeport.

Part 3 - the battle for freeport work relatively well.

Part 4 - final battle with Yaresh. Restat Yaresh to be an advanced garagantuan glabrezo with some extra SLAs and way out of the parties reach to kill. Has 5 tattoos. As a full round action each artifact can be used to remove one of the tattoos (which also renders the artifact a non-magical mastwork item)

1st Tattoo - 50 hp damage (can’t be healed, fear aura removed)
2nd Tattoo - Damage Reduction removed
3rd Tattoo - Regeneration removed
4th Tattoo - SR removed
5th Tattoo - SLAs removed

I think you probably answered your own question while Freeport is good as a city Shadows over Freeport gets a bit dodgy, thats what swayed me to not recommend it.

That said I agree the original trilogy (Terror, Madness and Death in Freeport) are good adventures and a great use of Old Ones in DnD fantasy

 

[Voadam]

Surprised that the original pirate 3.0 adventures haven't been mentioned...

The OP said they already had Freeport modules.

I would like to find any and all adventures, in most any system (I have Freeport and Goodman Games DCC modules) that involve ships, islands, pirates, etc…

 

[Gilladian]

Surprised that the original pirate 3.0 adventures haven't been mentioned...
Green Ronin Freeport
The original trilogy is quite good
The Freeport city of adventure - campaign source book detailing the Freeport city is good

Unfortunately Black Sails over Freeport is not so good. If you use this I suggest the following changes...
Part 1 - This is decent and works fairly well (except ignore the racist orc stuff). Replace the goal to be finding the artifacts because Yaresh is def coming and the only way to defeat him is to have the artifacts.

Part 2 - Pretty much throw this out and replace with...
Party gets sucked into an alternate dimension/bermuda triangle (Bone Devil and whilrpool works well). Has one island, sailing anywhere results in losing site of the island only to see another island directly ahead and it is the same island.
I think replacing with a modified Isle of Dread would work well. The artifacts are scattered over the island and once recovered can be used all together to escape the alternate dimension and get back to Freeport.

Part 3 - the battle for freeport work relatively well.

Part 4 - final battle with Yaresh. Restat Yaresh to be an advanced garagantuan glabrezo with some extra SLAs and way out of the parties reach to kill. Has 5 tattoos. As a full round action each artifact can be used to remove one of the tattoos (which also renders the artifact a non-magical mastwork item)

1st Tattoo - 50 hp damage (can’t be healed, fear aura removed)
2nd Tattoo - Damage Reduction removed
3rd Tattoo - Regeneration removed
4th Tattoo - SR removed
5th Tattoo - SLAs removed

Yup, have all of freeport and am melding it w/ other stuff. My Pcs will be experiencing the original trilogy, lightly modified for L3ish pcs to start.