Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Of Ships and The Sea

Interesting. There's an old AD&D 2e "blue book" with that title: Of Ships and the Sea

 

[Parmandur]

Between this, the Ship mini coming early next year, and the D&D comic set in Mintarn coming in February I definitely think the Spring book (that Kate Welch was the lead designer on) is a High Seas book of some kind. I do not believe it is an adventure book (because they have gone away from doing two separate Adventure paths in a year unless they are connected like DH and DotMM).

What I think we get is a second Tales from the Yawning Portal but for High Seas adventures. Something like "Tales from the Sea of Swords" that has a chapter on High Seas ships and rules, then a bunch of smaller Adventures for folks to use with the rules. No big story or anything, just a supplement to enhance adventures to give folks some High Seas feels.

Interesting idea, could be so. I think the next AP will be sea based, based on the hooks Perkins has left around, and the media synergy like the comics has focused exclusively on the APs so far. But that doesn't mean they can't do multiple nautical books in a year.

 

[Parmandur]

or maybe is a random choice and we try to find a sense on it.
I don't consider them as rational as they seem to be, neither I don't think they have a really detailed plan for the future, but you know, it's just only me as usual

They have five year plans, that they keep close to their chest so they can change them. Their decisions so far have been very rational, and careful.

 

[Ath'kethin]

Either it wasn't ready or they needed to get feedback for this right away...

I also don't think an effective Artificer class can work without basic item crafting rules. So I hope that the crafting rules are forthcoming and the Artificer will build upon those.

Making the Artificer a full caster is a cop-out (at best!) and it seems they are realizing that. The class needs to work and feel differently, and the crafting angle is a huge part of what it requires.

 

[DQDesign]

They have five year plans, that they keep close to their chest so they can change them. Their decisions so far have been very rational, and careful.

five years? like the good ol' soviet union? XD
If changes, it is not a plan.
And I don't see rationality in seeing eberron realesed in batches at random intervals and prices, apart from "we are terribly late, but let's give something out anyway".

 

[Parmandur]

five years? like the good ol' soviet union? XD
If changes, it is not a plan.
And I don't see rationality in seeing eberron realesed in batches at random intervals and prices, apart from "we are terribly late, but let's give something out anyway".

They released playtest rules, and packaged them with fluff for sale (the fluff is really what is for sale). They have proceeded with playtesting the playtest rules, and gathering playtest feedback. This is for the purpose of testing the rules in play, to see how they work in reality rather than theory.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I miss stats for a land sailing.

Other question is about vehicles charging against monsters. In the famous Loveart's story, the "Call of Kuchikuchi" a brainstealer dragon (yes, a very ugly creature) wakes up from the deep sea when it is summoned by a group of cultists but it stays KO when a drunk sailor runs over it with his fisher ship. (sorry, do accept my most hypocrite apologies for this spoiler).

And we can't forget ships and other vehicles carrying siege weapons, giant crossbows or catapults, could kill easier some monsters. With an airship PCs could hunt dinosaurs, and that is a lot of XPs too easy to be got.

* Would you bet we can see a 3rd Party sourcebook about arcanotech-biopunk ships? The ships as living nPC with levels of monster class, something like a transgenic zaratan (kaiju-like turtle).

* Do you remember Meridian, by Crossgen comics?

 

[DQDesign]

They released playtest rules, and packaged them with fluff for sale (the fluff is really what is for sale).

why didn't they do that for SCAG? maybe because there a sub-contractor like Green Ronin managed the schedule better than them? yes, I think.

ps: I assume here anyone knows about what playtest is and it is not so useful explain it again, and again and again.

 

[Parmandur]

why didn't they do that for SCAG? maybe because there a sub-contractor like Green Ronin managed the schedule better than them? yes, I think.

ps: I assume here anyone knows about what playtest is and it is not so useful explain it again, and again and again.

They did it partially with SCAG, and interestingly the parts they playtested have been better received in the long run. I think it is no accident that it is post-SCAG that they changed their methodology, and stopped outsourcing these books for that matter.

You asked, so I answered.

 

[lkj]

I am a little sad the artificer was delayed again....

In one of their twitch casts (Mearls in Happy Fun Hour I think), he mentioned that Artificer got delayed because of some issues that came up in their internal playtesting. He didn't project a date but they are definitely working on it behind the scenes.

AD

 

[pukunui]

Giving ships Str, Dex and Con is a great idea -- but they should not have Int, Wis or Cha of 0. This is the first place in 5E where an ability score is listed as 0; for example, sentient magic items don't have Str, Dex, and Con of 0, they simply lack those scores. But I think the concept of giving character-like abilities to vehicles works very well.

I reckon they’re leaving the door open for sentient / living ships.