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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 8018441" data-attributes="member: 7635">I recommend treating ship logistics using the combination of reoccurring expenses and running a business.A typical sailing ship has a crew of 20*. Per the DMG, each of them earns 2 gp a day for being skilled sailors. That means it costs 40 gp per day you are sailing. Of course, some of that covers feeding them and shelter on the ship at a moderate lifestyle, so most actually earn 1 gp in spending cash per day. Also, if the PCs take on the role of crew, they also only cost their lifestyle cost per day.So let's say a group of five PCs decide to run a modest sailing ship. Four of the PCs are willing to act as captain, botsun, surgeon, and navigator, while the fifth is content study magic in his quarters rather than run the ship. This means, you need to hire 16 additional crew to run the ship. 16*2 is 32 gp per day for the crew, plus the lifestyle costs of the PCs (if the captain demands wealthy accommodations, that will raise the price) You could always attempt to run at a lower lifestyle/hiring cost, but the greater your chance of mutiny is.Now, to see if you want to know if piracy pays, go to the running a business chart. Decide how long your ship will be at sea for. (I did it be week, but a 30 day voyage is certainly possible). Roll on the table. If you roll well, you actually made enough to not only pay your crew, but get a tidy sum of riches. Roll poorly and you own your crew a lot, plus you probably had an expensive mishap (storm, rival pirates, giant squid) that cost you more than you expect. Piracy is a crime, and crime doesn't always pay.Of course, feel free to jump from these norms when you want to make an encounter special. This is just the "downtime/travel" version of piracy you do between adventures. However, it does force your PCs to understand the value of gold for a good while.* Ghosts of Saltmarsh puts the crew needed at 30. If you're using that books sailing rules, you want to decide if the DMG or GoS is correct.</blockquote>

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