Need Advice on Watery Encounter Design

[Palanan]

First, a reminder to my players: turn back, spoilers below.



For everyone else, I could use some advice on spicing up an encounter I'm planning for a session or two ahead. I have the creatures in mind, but I could use suggestions on how to make the incident both tense and memorable.

This is a seafaring campaign, and the encounter involves an abandoned ship sighted on the horizon, sails in shreds and trailing a grey sheen in its wake. The PCs will be sent to investigate, and will be lured down into the lowest deck...and then the horde of lacedons, who had been clinging to the keel underwater, will climb over the sides and come pouring down at the PCs.

It's...basic, and should be a good hack, but I'd like to add some other element to ramp up the tension. The fight will begin with the PCs below the waterline, so a slowly sinking ship is obvious...but maybe a little too obvious. What else can I throw in here to elevate it beyond an exercise in cleaving?

[Flickerdart]

Vampires that had a swim speed in life have no weakness to water, so a couple of vampires filtering in through cracks in the hull using gaseous form would be a fun twist. Any incorporeal undead would work too - an abandoned ship should have a few ghosts around.

In terms of environmental conditions, the ship's rotted planks make natural traps. The PCs will probably fall through one on the way down, and by the time the fight happens, know that they should move carefully if they don't want to get stuck in the floor.

In combination with the sinking ship, you could also use a treasure chest. The PCs will be more than happy to grab it once they've defeated the lacedons and leg it, but gold is really heavy. 50gp weighs a pound, so even a modest 1000gp reward can take most characters from a light load to a medium one, which means a -6 on Swim checks.

[Slipperychicken]

Even just two feet of water would definitely be considered difficult terrain. Remember the last time you tried walking through water? Now try doing that while maintaining your footing and fighting for your life.

Normal wet spots should force Acrobatics checks to move across them, being slippery and all. Maybe if they fall it deals a little damage to the floor. If the floor takes enough damage, it gives way and becomes a hole, making the ship sink even faster, and providing a hazard of falling through it.

There could be 1-3 survivors holed up in a place barricaded from the inside, like behind a door, or up in the crow's nest. They've been able to fend off the ghouls (who attack in waves) for a few nights, but the'yre getting exhausted, hungry, and increasingly desperate. They will definitely be able to give more information on the Lacedon attack. Saving them can be a nice objective. Maybe the PCs will have to push through a dangerous number of ghouls to reach/evacuate the survivors.

There's got to be something you can do with the ship's cargo. Maybe it was something gray which the Lacedons were attracted to (or despise), prompting them to attack the ship and spill it everywhere. That's probably what the gray sheen was made of. Some of the Lacedons might be throwing random boxes and other miscellany (bottles, chairs, human heads) at the PCs from a vantage point.

[Feralventas]

After the PC's arrive and have been making some noise, the Skin Kites (Libris Mortis, p119) that have been resting dormant awake. There aren't actually any sails, just a large colony of Skin Kites that were next to one another, thus appearing to be ratty, torn sails.

Stormy Weather can always make someone's day at sea more interesting.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Flickerdart
In terms of environmental conditions, the ship's rotted planks make natural traps.

Awesome. Done.


Originally Posted by Slipperychicken
Even just two feet of water would definitely be considered difficult terrain.

Good point, yes. I'm thinking the ship has been adrift for weeks or months, long enough for a lot of structure to decay...unpredictably.

I like the idea of forcing balance checks to move across the structure, or at least parts of it. What else could I do to make the ship itself more difficult?

[TheifofZ]

Running with the basic premise, it makes sense that the ship is trapped in a Dead Calm (See the Stormwrack book for details), drifting listlessly in eternally calm seas that add an eery quiet to the surroundings, and might trap the PCs as well if they don't take note and make sure to have precautions. (While also strengthening the Lacedons that swarm the party.)

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by ThiefofZ
...While also strengthening the Lacedons that swarm the party.

Huh. Are you saying the calm would strengthen the lacedons? How would that work, design-wise?


Originally Posted by Feralventas
There aren't actually any sails, just a large colony of Skin Kites that were next to one another...

Not familiar with these, but they sound creepy.

I was thinking the lacedons might have a pet...possibly a sea serpent, something with tentacles. The hold will be partially flooded, maybe with something trapped in the water. Or something lurking below the keel, with the lacedons, ready to punch up through the hull?

[TheifofZ]

To quote from Stormwrack (Pg 13): "The terrible dead calm is a horror that terrifies even the boldest of sailors. Some portions of the ocean are cursed by evil sea gods and remain forever still and unmoving. No breeze stirs the waters, no current flows to carry a trapped vessel out of the calm. Those who enter all too often die slow, miserable deaths of starvation and madness, unable to escape from the dead calm’s grip.[...]
Dead calms are also notorious for attracting undead such as ghosts, spectres, lacedons, and worse. Dead calms often have the same effect as a desecrate spell (and the worst dead calms have the same effect as a desecrate spell containing an evil altar or temple, even if no such structure actually exists in the area). [...]"
So now you have a good reason for a floating ghost ship, and also a good reason for Lacedons to be lurking about.

As for the above on skin kites. They're basically animated patches of skin that fly around, latch onto victims, and "absorb" the victims skin (cha damage). Once they've absorbed enough skin they split into two.

As an aside, if you're doing an aquatic themed campaign, I highly recommend you find the Stormwrack book. It specifically covered aquatic/semi-aquatic campaigns.

[Absol197]

As an aside, if you're doing an aquatic themed campaign, I highly recommend you find the Stormwrack book. It specifically covered aquatic/semi-aquatic campaigns.

I second this. I ran a seafaring campaign once, and it was widely hailed as one of my best campaigns ever, and I had a lot to thank Stormwrack for.


~Phoenix~

[Palanan]

I appreciate the explanation, and I'm glad that some folks are able to make good use of Stormwrack. I'll just say that I looked at it early on, when I was first developing my seafaring campaign, and I haven't since.

As for that particular quote: "The terrible dead calm is a horror that terrifies even the boldest of sailors.... No breeze stirs the waters, no current flows to carry a trapped vessel out of the calm."

Which is when you swing the ship's boats over the side and have the hands pull at the oars for a while.

:smalltongue:

[Absol197]

Which is when you swing the ship's boats over the side and have the hands pull at the oars for a while.

:smalltongue:

True, but that's much slower and requires much more exertion on the part of the crew than sailing or even riding the currents does. If the dead calm is large enough, the crew would die of exhaustion and starvation (not to mention thirst) before they got out. Not to say it's impossible, but it's not too hard to see why it would be scary, right?

Plus, if the crew is all in the boats, they're easier pickings for the lacedons that swim just beneath the surface...


~Phoenix~

[Palanan]

I hear you that it's very situational, and having foul hungry things lurking under the water is certainly a complication. The hands would be a fearful, worried lot, no doubt.

But even a moderately provisioned ship wouldn't be too concerned about food and water for a while, and some vessels would have sweeps as well as oarsmen in the ship's boats. Leaning on the sweeps alone will get you about two knots, more or less--which is creeping along, but still progress.

Long hard work, to be sure, but I think a sturdy crew would do better under these circumstances than Stormwrack might expect.



--So, unnatural calms aside, any other thoughts on how to make the ship itself more dangerous? Slippery decks, rotting planks, water in the hold, all good ideas. What else?

[Toy Killer]

Half way through the encounter, Flip the boat, The PC's were trying to get down, but now they Have to get to the top just to breathe. follow up with the keel being torn asunder by Lacedons when they get there.

[Palanan]

Thanks for the suggestion, although boat-flipping may be a little over-the-top for this encounter. :smalltongue:

I was thinking more along the lines of other structural issues in the ship, something else trap-like that could go wrong. Falling masts would be a little too Hollywood, but a couple of spars coming down through the deck would be as good as Piercers...
.
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[Vaz]

Isn't there a dungeon monster which has the appearance of a stalactite? Perhaps include those as "mast monsters", looking for all the world like said broken spars. I want to say Dungeonscape, but I cannot recall exactly, or if I even have the correct book.

Perhaps in the bilge, there is standing stagnant water (Diseased), and an otyugh or similar animal has taken residence in there; especially one built around tripping and grappling to try and force their heads under the water to swallow the diseased Seawater. There could be a last gasp, mutually assured destruction thing in the bilge in that there is a barrel of oil/other flammable liquid which floats on water and some form of ignition available to the Otyugh; perhaps even an exploding one when it hits negatives. If they haven't got Fire protection they have to dive under water and risk infection and possibly drowning if they haven't got water breathing, or risk burning and suffocation.

Include the typical bilges low roof, requiring Dwarfs or taller to stoop, and the typical detrtus like the pumps in a small room and much of the party strengths are wasted.