D&D 5E Simple rules for sea travel (feedback wanted)

[xoth.publishing]

Hi all,

I wrote up some simple rules for sea travel for 5E.

The purpose of these rules is to create a little mini-game when going from A to B, somewhere between just stating “you travel for X days and arrive at your destination” and having to play out every random encounter in detail. The problem with the former is that travel feels too easy (and does not carry any cost or risk), and the problem with the latter is that it takes a lot of time away from the main adventure.

The rules are here on my blog:

The World of Xoth » Blog Archive » Simple 5E Rules for Sea Travel

xoth.net

Feedback wanted, please let me know what you think!

 

[ECMO3]

I think they are really good mostly, however I think you have to allow long rests. Maybe some of the calamities prevent long rest (most notably storms), but if you dissallow long rests completely PCs will be pretty weak after 3 days at sea and unlikely to be able to adventure once you get to your destination and you will start losing PCs (and crewmembers) to death after 6 days at sea.

 

[J.Quondam]

Looks like number of crew is tracked, but it's not clear to me how that crew is actually relevant. (Maybe I'm missing it on a quick read-through?)
Since you're going to the trouble of tracking crew count, I'd think it should somehow impact the result. Not exactly sure how to do that, though... fewer crew make the voyage longer? fewer crew causes a negative modifier on the roll? or something?

Other than that, it looks like it could be a pretty decent, simple way to handle sea voyages procedurally, with a little playtesting to smooth out the wrinkles.

 

[SkidAce]

Hi all,

I wrote up some simple rules for sea travel for 5E.

The purpose of these rules is to create a little mini-game when going from A to B, somewhere between just stating “you travel for X days and arrive at your destination” and having to play out every random encounter in detail. The problem with the former is that travel feels too easy (and does not carry any cost or risk), and the problem with the latter is that it takes a lot of time away from the main adventure.

The rules are here on my blog:

The World of Xoth » Blog Archive » Simple 5E Rules for Sea Travel

xoth.net

Feedback wanted, please let me know what you think!

I would use 2d10 instead of 1d20 for the results chart, "assuming" you want the center results to be more prevalent.

But since you have a group of numbers (11-15) that seems to serve a similar purpose (I am not a statistician).

 

[xoth.publishing]

I think they are really good mostly, however I think you have to allow long rests. Maybe some of the calamities prevent long rest (most notably storms), but if you dissallow long rests completely PCs will be pretty weak after 3 days at sea and unlikely to be able to adventure once you get to your destination and you will start losing PCs (and crewmembers) to death after 6 days at sea.

Long rests are the problem with "normal" travel rules, where one would just roll for (usually just one) random encounter per day, the PCs will blow all their powers because they know they will be able to long rest and recover everything. By restricting long rests to safe havens (literally in the case of sea travel!) long voyages become more of a resource management mini-game. Do I use my healing spells now, or save them for later? Do I use my Hit Dice to recover now, or save them for later (ie so I can be ready and healthy when we reach our destination) ?

 

[xoth.publishing]

Looks like number of crew is tracked, but it's not clear to me how that crew is actually relevant. (Maybe I'm missing it on a quick read-through?)
Since you're going to the trouble of tracking crew count, I'd think it should somehow impact the result. Not exactly sure how to do that, though... fewer crew make the voyage longer? fewer crew causes a negative modifier on the roll? or something?

Other than that, it looks like it could be a pretty decent, simple way to handle sea voyages procedurally, with a little playtesting to smooth out the wrinkles.

Basically each type of ship would have a minimum crew requirement, and if you go below that number, you are in trouble because you will not be able to use the ship anymore (possibly adrift on the high seas, depending on where it happens).

Also, crew numbers could be significant if you want to run ship-to-ship combat, or "use my crew as henchmen when we go onshore", like Belit and her Corsairs did in "Queen of the Black Coast" when they explore the ruined city upriver.

 

[xoth.publishing]

I would use 2d10 instead of 1d20 for the results chart, "assuming" you want the center results to be more prevalent.

But since you have a group of numbers (11-15) that seems to serve a similar purpose (I am not a statistician).

I did consider to use a bell curve (3d6) for the results table, but in the end decided it would be more fun with more randomness. Note the table has 10 bad outcomes, 5 neutral (nothing happens), and 5 good outcomes. The skill checks will drag the outcome slightly in one direction or the other (successful checks will make sure the most disastrous results are avoided).

 

[J.Quondam]

Basically each type of ship would have a minimum crew requirement, and if you go below that number, you are in trouble because you will not be able to use the ship anymore (possibly adrift on the high seas, depending on where it happens).

Also, crew numbers could be significant if you want to run ship-to-ship combat, or "use my crew as henchmen when we go onshore", like Belit and her Corsairs did in "Queen of the Black Coast" when they explore the ruined city upriver.

Ah, yes, that makes a lot of sense. I just didn't see anything mentioned explicitly in your blog post, and wanted to point it out.

 

[NotAYakk]

When I tried to make ship rules, one thing I ended up doing was adding the character level of the officer to a lot of checks.

This ensures that high-level PCs are useless just because they lack skills. And a level 10 barbarian can help a lot as a gunnery officer, even if they don't know guns.

1 – Disaster (maelstrom, violent storm, iceberg, kraken) – Roll 1d20, on a 1-5 the vessel sinks (all PCs take 4d10 damage, half the crew drowns), on a 6-20 the vessel is severely damaged (2d6 days to repair, all PCs take 3d10 damage, and 1d6 crew killed)

That is too much for a table entry.

...

Do consider week-long long rests, and only long rests when it is safe. Any kind of extended travel campaign instantly becomes better if you do it.

It does mean you have to adapt threats. With week long rests, the power of a PC party isn't nearly as high as with nightly ones, because retreat and regroup to do a long rest means "surrender" when you give the opposing side a full weak off.

...

SEA TRAVEL DAILY EVENTS (1d20)

I'd do two things.

First, I'd add in some "supplies" and "crew", "morale" and "speed" stats for my ship. And have most events consume supplies, lose crew, gain/lose morale, reduce/increase speed.

The destination is "distance" units away, where a "typical" day you move "speed".

Next, get a HUGE table of random ocean events. Most of them are innocuous. Like 100+.

Also, consider having checks be triggered by events, instead of "everyone does a check, then we determine events".

Like, you don't make a captain check until there is a potential mutiny. It makes the check have higher stakes. The officer checks act sort of like saving throws, instead of busy-rolls.

 

[ECMO3]

Long rests are the problem with "normal" travel rules, where one would just roll for (usually just one) random encounter per day, the PCs will blow all their powers because they know they will be able to long rest and recover everything. By restricting long rests to safe havens (literally in the case of sea travel!) long voyages become more of a resource management mini-game. Do I use my healing spells now, or save them for later? Do I use my Hit Dice to recover now, or save them for later (ie so I can be ready and healthy when we reach our destination) ?

Then I would suggest a homebrew that gives some benefits of long rests but not the others. The problem is RAW going days without long rests will cause multiple levels of exhaustion and will kill the characters in a week or so at sea.