between continents...

[leegi0n]

Alright all you estute dice-chunkers,

I have the opportunity in a campaign I'm running to send the party from one continent to another (homebrew world). Now, in all the years I've been gaming/running games, I have yet to play, much less run a scenario on the open water. Frankly, it seems like it could easily become boring since the scenery wouldn't really change at all. I could easily fudge the intercontinental travel with a gate or portal but have an itch (for unknown reasons), to put them on the ocean. The great thing I have possibly going for me here is that none of them have ever been on the open sea either.

So, I present my challenge to you all and humbly ask you for any advice on setup, monsters, possible story arcs, etc. that would carry this game across the ocean for about 3 sessions of RP'ing. I have certain plans, obviously, like pirates or possibly a kraken or being marooned on an island or something. However, I feel I could also be on the verge of putting these guys out on a rather boring trip and hope you can steer me a bit.

they're headed for the coast now...

[Jair Barik]

Well sea terrain doesn't have to be bland.
You can have reefs, rock formations, shallows, small island chains etc. to break it up so that when they do reach combat and are ambushed by whatever sea monsters you throw at them it isn't simply a case of the boat and evrything else is water.

In addition ship to ship combat (which you mentioned) can spice things up but also aerial combatants from nearby islands that they pass (dragon attack on the ship or such like).

Next up if you really want to avoid the combat seeming to samy (after all they will likely always have the same boat as a central part of the combat) then mix the encounter up with weather. Weather always alters an encounter by restricting vision, influencing ranged attacks or forcing concentration checks but on a ship this is even more so as the floor is moving as well. Then there are greater extremes like the high level winds influencing the sails during combat or (everyones aquatic favourite) the maelstrom.

[Wyntonian]

+1 for having a Roc carry off their ship.

[Diefje]

A little Mystery mini adventure. Finding some clues that somehing is fishy (couldn't resist) going on. Have em go around and interview the crew. Final run in with some Dark Cultist, summoning XYZ onto the boat. You can draw this one out a bit longer, for in between encounters.

Have a large monster escape from its cage below deck.

Show up at an island with a settlement, that turns out to be a slavers colony, and you're the latest aquisition. Will probably give you bonus plot hooks too.

[DoctorGlock]

Have them land on a small island, rather odd, uncharted and nothing much there but some vegetation and seaweed, still a nice place to relax with legs on solid ground... it ain't an island, its a colossal sea turtle. Roll initiative.

[TurtleKing]

Ah I see no one has recommended the It's Wet Outside book. The actual name is Stormwrack that as all that you want to know about sea based campaigns or even just a stint such as a voyage from one continent to another.

[DoughGuy]

Shipwrecking the PCs boat and making them escort the survivors to safety never gets old.

[Seharvepernfan]

The first thing I would ask is, "Is travel across the ocean a normal thing?" or is this "here there be dragons" territory? If the oceans are the big wild unexplored edge of the map, you should make it one hell of an adventure to cross them.

Let's start with the mundane. First thing is psychological, are the sailors and other people on the boat sane through the whole ride? There could be a fear based mutiny. Is there enough food and water on the ship? The pc's might have to procure more. Are there any stowaways, dangerous or otherwise? Diplomacy or investigation plot points, right there. Does the boat know where the hell it's actually going? Does it know how to get there? Does the weather ever get stormy or maybe even too calm (like the sargasso sea)? Are there pirates or privateers to deal with (were-sharks? were-orcas?)? Do they ever come across landmasses that they don't intend do? Is it too hot for armored characters? Do any of them ever get knocked overboard? Something to think about, can the pcs teleport to and from the ship? Rogue waves? Sharks/Orca (wolves of the sea!)/Sperm whales/jellyfish swarms/man'o'war swarms? Maybe the captain or the pcs were sold intentionally false maps or navigation equipment designed to lead them into a trap?

Then we can get into the less mundane. Are there sea serpents (true dragons or otherwise)? Big rock-skipping, trident wield ocean giants? Sahuagin raiders (or even a nation the boat floats over)? A kraken who really wants to see the boat go down (and harasses the ship across its entire journey)? A skeleton crewed ghost ship? A ship that sank somewhere under the pc's boat's course that spews out ghosts that attack the ship? Winged monsters, like rocs, wyverns or dragons? Scry and fry enemy spellcasters (kinda hard to defend against that when stuck on a boat)? Sirines?

Then we get to where you start being creative and making up new stuff. Is there a jerkhead god of the sea (like poseidon or umberlee) who takes a special interest in the ship? Is there anything like Elmo's fire that has some magical effect (or maybe is some fey or incorporeal creature)? Is there any other strange phenomenon like glowing lights in the water or aurora's in the sky? Flying cloud castles/islands?

I'm out of ideas at the moment, but that should get you going.

[leegi0n]

Have a large monster escape from its cage below deck.



nice...

[leegi0n]

Have them land on a small island, rather odd, uncharted and nothing much there but some vegetation and seaweed, still a nice place to relax with legs on solid ground... it ain't an island, its a colossal sea turtle. Roll initiative.



LMAO!!!! good stuff.

[leegi0n]

Ah I see no one has recommended the It's Wet Outside book. The actual name is Stormwrack that as all that you want to know about sea based campaigns or even just a stint such as a voyage from one continent to another.



Stormwrack acquired. Thanks. It looks like an ideal book for this.

[leegi0n]

The first thing I would ask is, "Is travel across the ocean a normal thing?" or is this "here there be dragons" territory? If the oceans are the big wild unexplored edge of the map, you should make it one hell of an adventure to cross them.

Let's start with the mundane. First thing is psychological, are the sailors and other people on the boat sane through the whole ride? There could be a fear based mutiny. Is there enough food and water on the ship? The pc's might have to procure more. Are there any stowaways, dangerous or otherwise? Diplomacy or investigation plot points, right there. Does the boat know where the hell it's actually going? Does it know how to get there? Does the weather ever get stormy or maybe even too calm (like the sargasso sea)? Are there pirates or privateers to deal with (were-sharks? were-orcas?)? Do they ever come across landmasses that they don't intend do? Is it too hot for armored characters? Do any of them ever get knocked overboard? Something to think about, can the pcs teleport to and from the ship? Rogue waves? Sharks/Orca (wolves of the sea!)/Sperm whales/jellyfish swarms/man'o'war swarms? Maybe the captain or the pcs were sold intentionally false maps or navigation equipment designed to lead them into a trap?

Then we can get into the less mundane. Are there sea serpents (true dragons or otherwise)? Big rock-skipping, trident wield ocean giants? Sahuagin raiders (or even a nation the boat floats over)? A kraken who really wants to see the boat go down (and harasses the ship across its entire journey)? A skeleton crewed ghost ship? A ship that sank somewhere under the pc's boat's course that spews out ghosts that attack the ship? Winged monsters, like rocs, wyverns or dragons? Scry and fry enemy spellcasters (kinda hard to defend against that when stuck on a boat)? Sirines?

Then we get to where you start being creative and making up new stuff. Is there a jerkhead god of the sea (like poseidon or umberlee) who takes a special interest in the ship? Is there anything like Elmo's fire that has some magical effect (or maybe is some fey or incorporeal creature)? Is there any other strange phenomenon like glowing lights in the water or aurora's in the sky? Flying cloud castles/islands?

I'm out of ideas at the moment, but that should get you going.


all good stuff. Thank you.