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Message: <blockquote data-quote="roguerouge" data-source="post: 3711603" data-attributes="member: 13855">ships = floating flamable dungeons?It's from Stormwrack.The most accessible force spell, magic missile, can't target objects, unfortunately. So the use of force orb spells are the cheapest copy of cannon balls, right down to the to hit roll. What I'm trying to see is whether DnD has come up with a system that makes it worthwhile to sink the ship rather than target the crew. As far as a fireball starting fires, the way that stormwrack deals with that issue is to note, correctly, that ships were not floating tinderboxes until the advent of powder magazines, although fires can and do destroy ships without gunpowder. Ships faced with one of a complicated list of fire spells make a fire check vs. DC 10+spell level. Ships prepared for battle with buckets of sand and water on deck and decks wet down get a +4 bonus on this roll. So, a battle-ready ship hit by a fireball has got to get a 9 or better. If it did catch fire, half the squares exposed to fire ignite. A twenty foot radius spread, placed for maximum effect, would damage 12 sections, so six sections would be on fire. A burning square deals 2d6 damage per round to that hull section. A fire will typically spread to a new square every four rounds. That would decrease the time spent to sink a ship, certainly, as the sailors would have to be insane to go put out any fires started in that area, as that area's where you'd target with a fireball next round. As for your tactics, there are three rigging sections to a caravel with 80 hp each and no hardness score. Destroying one rigging section does not spread damage to other rigging sections, however. Destroying a rigging section impedes the ship, imposing a 10 foot speed penalty for each mast destroyed in this manner, slowing to zero with the last section destroyed. That's an enormous tactical advantage, but it's not holed.I suppose, if you were evil, you could then sail a decent distance away, watch them starve to death, and come back for their goods.</blockquote>

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