Ships

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Ships
Ship statblocks are pretty simple. Despite the wide variety of water-faring vessels, ships really only differ in a few crucial ways. Ships have different sizes, speeds, crew requirements, armor classes, hit points, damage reductions, and weaponry. Most ships also have some amount of cargo capacity. Generally a ship's cargo capacity can be estimated as a number of 5 foot cubes equal to its length divided by 5.

Ships can also be modified, either during construction or afterward. These modifications affect the ship's performance and capabilities.

Example Ship (the one you got from Amicard Bar-Festus):

Sloop (60' long and 15' wide), AC 12, HP 40, DR 7 (lighter wood), no ram, no cannons, 4 crew

Size
Ships come in a wide range of sizes, from small schooners to massive galleons. In general, ships are about three to four times as long as they are wide. Some sample ship sizes and my (almost completely arbitrary) ways of referring to them are below. These are not exact numbers, or precise categories. These are just to get an idea.

60' by 15' - Sloop

90' by 25' - Cutter

120' by 35' - Schooner

150' by 40' - Corvette

180' by 45' - Brig

210' by 55' - Galleon

240' by 65' - Frigate

300' by 90' - Ship of the Line

Speed
Ship speeds vary according to size, skill and number of crew, and winds, but in clear water with favorable wind, most ships can generally be expected to travel about 100 miles in a day. By comparison, a marching humanoid can travel about 25 miles per day, and on horseback one can expect about 50. Some modifications (see below) can increase or reduce a ship's speed.

Crew Requirements
Ship crew requirements are represented by three numbers: minimum crew, ideal crew, and maximum crew. In other words, how many crew are required for the ship to make any headway at all, how many crew are required for the ship to sail at full speed, and the number of crew that a ship can house before conditions become unbearably crowded (forcing crewmembers to take penalties). If a ship has at least minimum crew but the ideal crew requirement is not met, speed reduces by a percentage calculated by dividing current crew by ideal crew, rounded down to the nearest two percent. (Example: If a ship's ideal crew is 12 but it only has 10 currently, it goes 82% of normal speed, or 82 miles per day.) Some sample crew requirements are below. Again, these are not exact numbers, or precise categories. These are just to get an idea.

2 / 4 / 8 - Sloop

4 / 8 / 14 - Cutter

8 / 12 / 20 - Schooner

12 / 18 / 32 - Corvette

18 / 24 / 50 - Brig

24 / 40 / 90 - Galleon

32 / 60 / 120 - Frigate

50 / 80 / 180 - Ship of the Line

Armor Class, Hit Points, and Damage Reduction
Ship combat stats are based on the size and maneuverability of the ship, the type of wood used in its construction, the skill of its pilot, and certain modifications.

Armor Class (AC) is the number an attack roll needs to hit or exceed in order to deal damage. Base AC for sloops and cutters is 10; schooners and corvettes is 12; brigs and galleons is 14; frigates is 16; and ships of the line is 18.

Hit Points (HP) is the amount of damage the ship can take before beginning to sink. At half HP or less, a ship is considered "crippled." A crippled ship is only 80% as fast as normal, and its pilot has disadvantage on checks made to reposition it. Base HP for sloops and cutters is 50; schooners and corvettes is 75; brigs and galleons is 120; frigates is 150; and ships of the line is 200.

Damage Reduction (DR) is subtracted from damage rolls before they apply. (Example: Someone rolls 18 damage on a ship with a DR of 12. The total damage the ship takes is 6.) DR is based on the thickness and material of a ship's hull. Base DR for sloops and cutters is 8; schooners and corvettes is 10; brigs and galleons is 12; frigates is 14; and ships of the line is 16.

A ship's AC, HP, or DR may change as different modifications are applied to it. See "Modifications" below.

Weaponry
Ship weaponry comes in three categories: spellcasters, cannon, and rams.

Spellcasters
Spellcasters are crew members specializing in ranged combat spells, who target other ships and their crews. Spellcasting ranges vary, but are always shorter than the ranges of cannon. Specific stats are determined by the capabilities of the individual spellcaster.

Spellcasting attacks can be made regardless of the orientation of the ship, but spellcasters are vulnerable to attacks from enemy cannons and spellcasters, while the pilot and any crew manning cannons generally are not.

Cannon
Ships may carry any number of cannons from zero to their maximum, but each cannon increases the number of crew required for full speed sailing by one. A ship's maximum number of cannons is its maximum crew minus its ideal crew. (So a brig can carry a maximum of 24 cannons.) Cannons are assigned to a side of the ship (port or starboard) upon installation. They can only fire when positioned correctly.

To switch from firing cannons to using the ram, or from one broadside to another, the pilot must use an action to reposition the ship. Repositioning requires a skill roll by the pilot (using Water Vehicles proficiency) against the AC of the opposing ship. The ship is repositioned (and ready to ram or fire cannons next round) on a success, and on a failure the pilot fails to reposition the ship.

Each cannon gets a separate attack roll (rolled by the crewmember manning it). Once a cannon fires, the crewmember manning it must spend two rounds (actions) reloading the cannon before it can be fired again. As a ship takes damage, or as its crewmembers are killed, some of its cannons may become ineffective.

Modifications to cannons, and additional weaponry options, are listed below. "Ammunition" means that the cost of this modification is on a per-shot basis, and must be refilled if depleted.

Rams
Rams are attached to the prow of a ship, and are most effective when used directly perpendicular to the broad side of an enemy ship, which requires clever maneuvering. A ram attack is an attack roll by the pilot (using Water Vehicles proficiency) against the AC of the opposing ship. This roll is normally at disadvantage, and can never be at advantage. A success is a "solid hit," and a failed roll is a "glancing blow."

A ship cannot fire cannons at a ship it is making a ram attempt against this round. Once a ram attempt has been made, the pilot must use an action to reposition the ship. Repositioning requires a skill roll by the pilot (using Water Vehicles proficiency) against the AC of the opposing ship. The ship is repositioned (and ready to ram again next round) on a success, and on a failure the pilot fails to reposition the ship.

Modifications
Ship modifications come in two broad categories: those that must be applied during construction, and those that can be applied afterward. Usually the distinction is intuitive: a thicker hull is integral to the ship and must be added as part of its construction, while armor plating can be nailed to a ship at any point in its lifetime. Any modification that must be done during construction is marked with an asterisk below.

Modifications, and the stat penalties and bonuses thereof, stack with each other unless otherwise noted. Percentage stacking is additive, not multiplicative. Changes to ideal crew cannot extend past the minimum or maximum crew values for a ship's class. Any modifications that are represented as a percentage should be rounded down to the nearest 5. "Skilled" and "expert" pilots are ratings for NPCs. When a player pilots a ship, they use their own modifiers, rather than these, to determine the bonus for repositioning checks. Modification costs vary widely based on availability of materials, skill of the installer, and other factors, so shop around.