Pirate Hunting

[goose1009]

Hey guys, looking for some help with some ideas.

I'm about to start running a pirate hunting game and ocean combat has never been my strong suit. I'm looking for some ideas about different kinds of combats/encounters that can be done at sea. They need to be different enough to keep people entertained.

I do have some ideas, but would love some tidbits of advice from some of the experts here. The PC's will be starting at level 4 and moving on from there. I have plans to take them off of the boats sometimes, but the main bulk is supposed to be related to the ocean.

Thank you all in advance for any tips or thoughts you offer.

[Lightlawbliss]

Stormwrack should help.

Weather can be a big change in a fight: a clear day is a very different fight from one where you can't see anyone else.

Don't let all the ships you attack/defend with (there should be plenty) survive, they are worth to much. Learn how to rig a ship so your players have to work fast to keep it afloat.

I find a ship of undead with somebody controlling them can make for an interesting challenge, especially if the guy controlling can attack from multiple angles.

[gorfnab]

A ship captain with all five levels of the Dungeon Lord (DS) prestige class would make for an interesting BBEG encounter. You would just have to declare his ship to be a dungeon, which it wouldn't be hard to do if you installed traps and other dungeon like accoutrements.