D&D 5E Who here saw Moana, and wants naval adventures in 5e?

[Lanliss]

The Flood option would be a wave, which is awesome but not devastating, since it basically just denies one 100-ft. area.

Part Water's wording is ambiguous. It says a trench extends across the area, which could mean a 100-ft. square pit that goes all the way to the seabed, or a narrow hallway that stretches 100 ft., whose depth is unclear. I feel like a 4th level spell displacing water down 10,000 feet in the middle of the ocean is a bit extreme. I'd favor the second interpretation - it's a narrow path, not a vast pit - so it'd be 'difficult terrain' for boats to cross that would require a piloting check or else the ship gets stuck for a round.

Redirect Flow lets you do nifty stuff like smash enemy ships into cliffs.

Whirlpool would work, I think, as a 100-ft. square area that if you enter is firstly 'difficult terrain,' and secondly requires you to make a Piloting check with disadvantage against the spell DC or else the ship is stopped and spun in a random direction. However, the ship would have cover against attacks that aren't from adjacent spaces, since most of its structure would be below the water level around the pit. The spell doesn't do enough damage to harm a ship that's much larger than a rowboat, though.

Personally, I would rule it as a spell that give them 10 10 foot cubes. Without getting too fiddly, they would still be able to dig a deep hole that can fit a ship or two, depending on the ship size.

EDIT: I meant 10 10 foot cubes, not 100.

 

[Zardnaar]

Naval games are best played as floating dungeons IMHO and sailing around exploring lands.

D&D doesn't do naval combat well and often the focus switches to the ship or the characters with the best ranged attacks as the spell casters and archers more or less function as arty. Just things I have noticed happen in 2E and 3E.

 

[Ristamar]

I prefer my ship-to-ship encounters to be a little less fantastical. If I were to run a naval campaign, I'd start with this homebrew supplement and tweak it to my liking.