Complete naval combat rules for 4th edition - seeking feedback

[RangerWickett]

I plan to submit these rules to Dragon (Dungeon?) magazine as an Unearthed Arcana article, and I'd like to get some feedback. However, I'd prefer not to have the rules public online, so if you're willing to spare half an hour or so to help me out with your comments, please email me at ryanznock@gmail.com.

The document comes to 8000 words, and it covers skill challenges (to pursue enemies, or to engage them in combat while exchanging long-range attacks), ship-to-ship combat, guidelines for handling large crews without slowing down the flow of battle, and a quick system for building your own custom ships.

I know it's a lot to read, but I really really appreciate anyone who can help me out. I need all the help I can get if I'm gonna publish this with WotC.

 

[Morrus]

When I wrote SPACE FIGHT!, I was essentially writing space combat naval rules using 4E as a base (exception based stat blocks for ships, basic d20 mechanics). It's hex based, but we've playtested it a lot and it runs really well. Maybe a little too complex for simply a 4E rules addon that will only be used occasionally.

 

[RangerWickett]

Yeah, I looked at Space Fight! early on, but my needs were very different. I wanted to create something that let DMs easily integrate shipboard movement and combat with the existing character-based tactical combat of 4e. Pirates of the Caribbean works a lot differently than Battlestar Galactica.

I kept in mind how things work in your game (and Rogue Trader, and Star Wars, and a few others), and that led to some additions and revisions, but ultimately the two systems cover different topics, so there's not a ton of overlap.

By the way, if you're working on Space Fight!'s next edition and were thinking of integrating it with a party-based RPG, check out Rogue Trader. They have some good ideas for how to give a party of PCs ways to contribute to a battle. I imagine a Gamma World-Space Fight! crossover would be pretty cool.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Email sent!

What date are you looking to have the feedback done by?

 

[Reydragk]

E-mail sent!

 

[RangerWickett]

I was hoping for feedback by mid-month, which is when I plan to submit my query to Dragon. I've already gotten some great suggestions, which helped me work in fusillades and ballistae barrages during tactical combat. And now there are sinking rules -- once a ship is at 0 hp, each turn it makes a save, and if it fails it sinks 5 ft.

I imagine epic level combats where within one or two rounds both ships are shattered messes, slowly plummeting out of the sky.

 

[MarauderX]

Hey, I know you've done some good writing and I'd love to help you out with a review.
Our 4E campaign started in the sea and has returned there periodically (often with a revised set of rules for play). Having read a fair amount on ancient naval battles, I've tried to incorporate the many details that come with ships and such, including how engagement works.
Either way, I'm looking forward to anything produced for 4E on the subject, whether WotC or elsewhere.

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, I've gotten 5 different people checking this out, some of whom have already gotten me feedback. That should be enough for now, since I plan to send in my submission next week. Thanks again everybody.

 

[RangerWickett]

I wanted an epic-level capstone weapon, something of a ship killer, and I remembered that in my cyberpunk time travel romance novel, the demon commodore villain has a burning topsail that can fire a searing brand at enemy ships. Hence the Brand epic weapon.

What do you think? Over the top? It requires minimum total level 21, and adds 2 to the ship's level.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I think its a bit over the top....

If fired at your sample Sky Corsair and you get a solid hit {affect 3 squares}, it goes down with all hands. Having it deal multiples of damage to larger ships makes the numbers jump faster than the scaling hp table for ship size does.

Otherwise, I think it is a very interesting weapon and I like the strategic aspect of having to force an enemy to stop in the zone.