Ideas for events when large creatures rampage through a ship

[kennyboyraven]

Running a nautical campaign, and the players have found a tactic which works well is enlarge the fighter who has combat reflexes and sit them in the middle of the ship. Its only a caravel so he pretty much controls the deck.

This started me thinking how I can penalise him as it somewhat breaks the flow, however in thinking about it I've decided instead to create a table of events, and think about these from the perspective of any large creature onboard a ship designed for medium creatures, instead of going after the pc's specifically.

So I'm after fun and/or detrimental ideas for events effecting large creatures as they fight or move around a ship. Ideally I'd like a d20's worth. So far I've thought about rigging hampering movement and swings, and breaking through the deck due to size. Kinda stuck for others!

Any help greatly appreciated :smallamused:

[BowStreetRunner]

Page 19 of Stormwrack has a list of suggested conditions for just this sort of situation.

[kennyboyraven]

Cheers for the advice, but it doesn't help me, well not anymore than I already new the material there. It deals with regular events, I'm after ideas for things that a large creature might have to overcome by virtue of it being twice the size and 8 times the volume of a regular sailor. :)

[laeZ1]

If they try this tactic on a poorly-built ship, it's very feasible that the deck would crumble. I like your idea that it would be more difficult to swing his weapon without hitting the ship; maybe give his opponents partial concealment (20% miss chance). Maybe you could increase the DC of balance checks for larger-than-medium creatures, or make people take them more often. Also, since he's so large, he's a bit easier to flank, and therefore sneak attack.

I don't know what's on page 19 of stormwrack says, but think of what your players would do if their opponents would do this to them.

Mine would take their ship's cannons, and instead of aiming at the other ship, they'd aim it at that large guy standing in their midsts. (just a thought)

[kennyboyraven]

I like the cannon idea! My campaign is set without cannons, but there are Ballista! :smallbiggrin:

Concealment I've added already :smallsmile:

Like increasing the DC of balance checks that are due to the boat rocking too, thankyou :smallsmile:

[Anxe]

Fortitude save or he loses his lunch! Twice as much sea spray on his gear means twice as much corrosion! Seagulls and albatrosses land on his shoulders and squak in his ears!

[Feralventas]

The pirate's boarding party was a distraction; their mer-folk allies are trying to drill into the bottom of the hull with druidic wood-shape spells.

A fog-bank over-takes the ship, and no one can see more than 5 or 10 feet away from themselves clearly. This can be engineered by weather spells or a natural occurrence.

The continental shelf in the middle of the ocean has been shifting upwards for the last few milenia, and the resulting mountainous cliff-face, while not an island yet, creates a sort of water-fall in the middle of the ocean that the ships must navigate around or otherwise deal with. It's referred to as the scar of the sea, and is considered a place of much mystery and supernatural goings-on.

Flying foes with fly-by-attack, or the wits to use Ranged Attacks like bows or fire-arms.

Standard foes with Martial Study (Battle Leader's Charge) so that they don't provoke AOO's on their charge 1/encounter.

One of the player's Arch-Witch grand-mothers uses a Sending Spell to complain about how they never write anymore and that they should come visit (potential plot-hook for you to use later in that she's dealing with some troubling affairs that require an oceanic presence or transit.)