No Naval Rules?

[Diamond Cross]

So why has there been no rules for naval warfare in D&D?

I don't consider Spelljammer a source for Naval ships.

I have the Seafarer's Handbook but it isn't an official set of rules for D&D.

 

[Mark]

2E but they existed after a fashion -

Naval Battle Rules Seas of Cerilia box set supplement (AD&D 2nd Edition RPG) TSR3134 - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition - Dungeons & Dragons - Dungeons and Dragons RPGs

 

[jdrakeh]

It has always struck me as odd that naval combat (and rules for seafaring in general) tend to be poorly represented in D&D (as well as many other high fantasy RPGs). Maybe it's just because I'm the son of a marine and the grandson of a sailor, hence being raised on many yarns of seafaring adventure, but a lack of good rules for such things always seemed like an extreme oversight to me.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Check the D&D Expert set.

 

[Morrus]

I'm pretty sure there were quite a few 3E naval rulebooks by third parties. Mongoose did one, and at the same time two or three other companies did them (it must have been the flavour of the month of something).

Here are the Mongoose ones, but there are others:

Seas of Blood

Ships of the Goblinoids

Ships of War

 

[Saeviomagy]

I think the big thing about them is this:
The amount of detail that should be present in a vehicle-to-vehicle combat system is not something that's really defined by the basic D&D setting.

ie: it's something that will vary from group to group. For instance I'd much rather present a naval engagement as a skill challenge that modifies the upcoming boarding action, and not have more detail than that. Some might want a full wargame treatment of wind direction and the like.

 

[The Shaman]

1e AD&D DMG - I'm on my laptop, so I dont have a page reference for you.

 

[jdrakeh]

1e AD&D DMG - I'm on my laptop, so I dont have a page reference for you.

I had forgotten about the Waterborne Adventure rules (and those in the Expert Set), but I'd qualify both of those systems as providing the bare minimum necessary for naval adventures. I think that almost any concerted effort at designing new rules for naval combat would obscure both of those systems in terms of quality. YMMV, of course.

 

[the Jester]

2e saw the excellent product Of Ships and the Sea. It's one of those rare gems from 2e that blew me away with its quality. Lots of stuff for naval warfare, underwater campaigning, etc.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

My belly button doesn't need rules!

...

Wait... thats Navel...