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ArtAndor
2018-07-29, 09:14 AM
Hello, I am about to DM my first aquatic campaign and I already stumbled upon a pickle.

While there are a plethora of combat encounters at sea, I have a problem figuring out non-combat type of encounters (Either skill based or roleplay encounters that will make players doosy and make them rack their brains).

Originally I did not think there would be this many encounters and boy, was I wrong. This post now has been reformatted for ease of access.



1) Hirelings' unrest - Something is troubling hirelings and it may even end up in hostile takeover. (A social encounter where players need to talk and reach a compromise... or buy their way out)
2) Stowaway - Rations disappear and nobody knows what to do. (Good for detective-type skills and roleplay)
3) Bad Weather/Storm - Kind of obvious, but still worth mentioning.
4) Disease - An illness breaks out among the crew and players need to figure out how to treat their hirelings as well as keeping the boat afloat. (Priesty characters will have a blast with it)
5) Dead Marine life - Water seems unnatural and dead fish starts floating. (Perfect for a druid who may wants to find out what is wrong with the water and may be even able to fix it)
1) coming across an abandoned ship, trying to figure out what happened, was it a mutiny, disease, ghosts? The boat is actuality a mimic? Probably worth salvaging some things at least.

2) the aquatic empire of the marrow has declared that all ships crossing their territory must be searched for materials illegal for nautical transport the captain allows the search in accordance with the ancient treaties. A decent way to showcase shipboard personalities and introduce a nautical race.

3) the lookout signals that he sees a ship flying a "no approach" flag and the captain orders his ship to take a detour to give a wide birth to the distant vessel. The detour is an unwelcome delay but the captain explains that the vessel is likely to be plagued or haunted or in the middle of baiting and hunting some deep terror

4) a gnomish submarine surfaces and tries to trade with the ship (maybe the party wants to buy a mostly functional apparatus of kwalsh on the cheep? Or maybe something slightly more or less practical.
Uncharted Islands - Personal Note: Lots of opportunities that I was thinking about personally, but I wanted more things to do on a ship itself. That said, it is too good to pass up.
Examples:
1) Small Islands with a single survivor.
2) A bigger island with food, water and local inhabitants.
3) A legendary "Moving Island" that everyone knows exists and has treasure, but no one can find reliably because it's on the back of a giant sea monster.
- Additional possibility on being off-course.
4) Addition by Palanan - Floating Island of Algae (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?279702-Floating-Algae-Island-of-Death-and-Meerkats-3-5-Encounter-Life-of-Pi-spoilers)
1) A rich man and a charming youth vie for the attentions of a pretty girl, while the captain pilots the ship recklessly through dangerous waters, leading to disaster for nearly everyone.

2) Gyre or Sargasso Sea or Icepack traps the ship. Possibly threatening to crush it. Maybe an underwater civilization is mad about all the trash the dryfeet throw over the side. Or their magically-enhanced seaweed farm just got a little out of control and they need help.

3) Mast breaks. Threatening to capsize the ship until it (and the rigging) are cut away, and then greatly slowing progress (boy, wouldn't a Feather Token:Tree be handy about now).

4) Missing persons. Fell overboard? Pushed? Murdered and hidden in the cargo? Eaten by a monster among the crew? Eaten by a monster hiding in the bilges? Sacrificed by the crew in a dark ritual to bring good weather?
1) Strange oceanic bounty: flying fish are having an aerial mating Frenzy and some are just landing on the deck in convenient clubbing range. Ability check or survival check to get free rations.

2) Giant phosphorescent algae bloom (and two mermaids on a date?)

3) A bunch of male crabs that can stride on top of the water surface swarm over top of the deck in their pursuit of whatever it is they're going after. I don't know, maybe a school of expensive silk eel? They then adorn themselves in their silky skins and trot as a group towards a swarm of what you presume are female ocean striding crabs.

4) Water mephit teenagers armed with water blunderbusses ambush the the crew and spray them harmlessly and declare how many points they got based on how soaked the hapless crew gets.

5) Seahorsicorns are triaging hundreds of wounded sentient dolphins wounded in their shark wars campaign.
Second Post
1) Sea Hermit - A lonely traveler in a boat obviously not made for the high seas.
Addition by Calthropu and Kelb_Panthera
- An odd person is walking across the ocean. By himself. Wtf?
- Literally any incarnate (MoI) can shape the cerulean sandal, as can anyone who takes a feat for the same, and negating food needs is utterly trivial. Any sort of fairly modest healing can negate the penalty of an extended forced march. All you have to account for is going without sleep and the mind-boggling boredom of walking across what is essentially hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of utterly featureless expanse.

Doesn't have to be a trap or a powerful caster. Might just be a zealot on a pilgrimage who didn't want to wait for/got kicked off of a boat.

There are a lot of sentient sea creatures. Any or all of them could want to trade, demand tolls, extort loot/tribute, invite strangers to a religious festival (bonus points if you don't make it the festival of sacrificing gullible strangers to Dagon), warn of other dangers, ask you to take on passengers, deliver mail, or just want to gossip.

1) Superstitious sailors - Sailors have always been a highly superstitious lot, and in a fantasy campaign where magic really does exist coupled with the generally low education level of common sailors I think this would be magnified quite a bit. One of the concepts they had was that of a Jonah (so named due to the biblical story, but lots of examples exist in other traditions), which was a cursed individual who would doom the entire ship if they weren't removed. When a ship starts encountering a large amount of misfortune, the sailors are likely to assume it is not just coincidence and start looking for a cause. They might lay blame on a particular person, or some action the ship/crew/captain took, or even an unlucky object that was brought on board. In a fantasy setting there might actually be something unlucky, or the captain might just need to convince them that he is able to change their luck.

2) Unknown Vessels - Since wars could be declared while a ship was at sea without the knowledge of the captain and crew, and piracy existed, they were always tense even when the two vessels turned out not to be enemies. Trade would frequently take place between friendly ships even if they weren't merchants - one was often running low on something that the other had in greater abundance. Communication about events ahead of one and behind the other would also be normal, a way to get the 'lay of the land' at sea by asking the other vessel.

Second Post:

1) Volcanic eruption - the destruction of Krakatoa blew apart the island and also left much of the sea around it devoid of life for a time - it was something that many of the ships in the area didn't understand at first and it really created some confusion as to what was happening to the sea in the area.

2) Whaling was a common maritime pursuit during the age of sail, but in a fantasy setting they might also encounter ships hunting other prey. Look at some of the huge and larger sea creatures from the monster manuals and see if any of them have any economic value if harvested. Coming across one of these ships at work could be an intriguing encounter even if the PCs don't participate in the hunt itself.

3) A variety of penal colonies existed where prisoners were transported as punishment for their crimes and access to these lands was restricted to prevent these individuals from simply hopping another vessel home. The convicts were not kept in chains or anything once they got the the colony - helping to build a new colony was their punishment.

4) Many ports had quarantine islands - arriving ships had to spend time quarantined and their crews could only go ashore to these islands during the quarantine period before eventually being given access to the port.

5) Mystery Message - It could be a letter that comes out of order and because of the lack of context creates a mystery for the party. You could just as easily put a note in a bottle at sea that way, or have them explore an island to find a mysterious message scrawled somewhere. Just about any time you give them a mysterious piece of information out of context it can create an effective encounter as they investigate this apparent clue to something ominous.
1) Pursuing Vessel: a vessel is pursuing your PCs’ ship, intentions and crew unknown. It always maintains a separation of several miles, just far enough to be hull-up on the horizon but not near enough to make out exactly who or what is onboard. Are they waiting for some signal to strike? Holding off until another ship joins them? Or do they have some other objective?

2) Trade Fleet: Your PCs might also encounter a trade fleet, something along the lines of Zheng He, so rich and powerful they have absolutely no need to plunder the PCs’ vessel—but they could serve as a handy source of resupply, including magical items, during an otherwise lengthy sea voyage across a featureless ocean.

More to come

1) Damaged vessel - Party ome across some people whose ship is damaged, or have run out of supplies or whose ship sank or were attacked... Long story short, they need help and throw themselves at the mercy of your captain.
Addition by Bucky
A smaller ship, still afloat but unsteerable, requests aid. The party can try to repair it in place, or (with difficulty) tow it to a nearby island, or abandon it and take the survivors on board.


1) A lesser version of the "snapped main mast" idea. Ropes holding one of the secondary masts snap sending a crew-member overboard. Can any of the PCs save him?

2) How about a Klabautermann? Essentially, a fey that inhabits the ship. It somehow gets "wronged" and it's up to the PCs to figure out how to placate it.

Deep Sea Angler Fish by Mephibosheth (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?270859-The-deep-sea-angler-fish-has-no-reason-to-be-happy-3-5-Monsters). Also worth checking out other homebrew stuff by Mephibosheth. Thanks to Palanan.

Weather was the single most significant factor in the life of a sailor. You should pull out all of the types of weather dealt with in all of the books and use them all to some extent. Written by BowStreetRunner. I personally do not think it should be an encounter itself, but still deserves a mention.

Splinterwaif - "dryad which survived its tree being cut down and turned into ships, fences, houses, etc" MM III, thanks to Palanan and hamishspence.

Mail was a tricky thing at sea. Often a letter would be copied multiple times and sent with different ships in order to attempt to reach its recipient at sea. This could lead to not only multiple copies of the letter eventually being received, but also serial letters arriving out of order or even missing a letter in the chain. Trying to chase a recipient around the ocean to deliver his mail might result in the letter being handed off to ship after ship after ship before it ever reached them. Written by BowStreetRunner. I fail to see how to make this an interesting encounter. It can, however, become an interesting addition to other encounters or a sidequest.



d
Name
Description


1
Troubled Crew
Crew frowns upon decisions that PC party makes and start showing signs of rebellion.


2
Stowaway
Rations keep disappearing and nobody knows why


3
Storm/Bad Weather
Weather changed drastically and unpredicably (There is a chart for weather in Stormwrack, so I do not see any point of making a separate table for this).


4
Disease
An illness breaks out among the crew.


5
Dead Marine Life
Ship is drifting over unnatural water and dead fish rises to the surface of the water.


6
Abandoned Ship
The Ship comes across a derelict ship and has an option to investigate it.


7
Marine Empire
Players encounter either a solitary ship or patrol belonging to a vast Marine Empire.


8
Forboding Ship
The Lookout tells captain of a ship with a 'No Approach' Flag.


9
A technological marvel.
A submarine surfaces in proximity of the ship.


10
Uncharted Island
A small, uncharted body of land is seen on horizon. There are plenty of suggestions and ideas for islands. So many, in fact, that I might end up making another table just for that.


11
Romance on board
There is alot of love tension going on among the passengers, which may escalate into unsavory results.


12
Paranormal Entanglement.
A spell traps the ship.


13
Unnatural Mishap
Mast Breaks and threatens to strand the ship in the sea.


14
Missing People
Passengers and Crew members start disappearing.


15
Free Dinner
Flying fish are in aerial mating frenzy and plenty are landing on the deck of the ship.


16
Wondrous Date
Phophorescent algae blooms in an enormous field of green lights, some creatures may be attracted by such a romantic sight.


17
Crab Invasion
Crabs are swarming the ship and try to salvage trade goods for unknown reason.


18
Unfriendly Games
Water mephits surface from the water and play pranks on the crew and the captain.


19
Sealife Warfare
Hundreds of santient creatures are wounded and are being carried away by their allies.


20
Civilised sealife
Ship encounters an intelligent sea creature.


21
Superstitious Sailors
Something bad has happened and sailors quickly jump to conclusions - blaming the last thing to come aboard.


22
Unkown Vessel
Ship encounters vessel of unkown country/origin.


23
Hunted
PC ship is being tailed by unkown ship with no clue of what it wants.


24
Mercantile Fleet
Ship encounters a large caravan of ships which may be willing to trade.


25
Infernal Cloud
A dark cloud of ash can be seen in the distance that stains water with dark and filth.


26
Big Game Hunters
Party encounters a ship that is on a hunt after a colossal beast.


27
Denied Entry
Party ship is quarantined for unknown reasons and must wait to be allowed to dock in the port.


28
Penal Colony
Party encounters a number of convincts who are trying to build a settlement.


29
Sea Hermit
Party encounters a solitary individual, either on an inadequate boat or by foot.


30
Mystery Message
Party recieves a mysterious message (can be magical in nature) with out context.


31
Unsightly Vessel
Party encounters a damaged vessel.


32
A spirit wronged
A diety, nature or ship spirit has been wrong and is now punishing the party for their deeds.


33
Man Aboard
One of the crew members fell aboard.









Any additions are welcome, thank you in advance!

iTreeby
2018-07-29, 09:56 AM
1) coming across an abandoned ship, trying to figure out what happened, was it a mutiny, disease, ghosts? The boat is actuality a mimic? Probably worth salvaging some things at least.

2) the aquatic empire of the marrow has declared that all ships crossing their territory must be searched for materials illegal for nautical transport the captain allows the search in accordance with the ancient treaties. A decent way to showcase shipboard personalities and introduce a nautical race.

3) the lookout signals that he sees a ship flying a "no approach" flag and the captain orders his ship to take a detour to give a wide birth to the distant vessel. The detour is an unwelcome delay but the captain explains that the vessel is likely to be plagued or haunted or in the middle of baiting and hunting some deep terror

4) a gnomish submarine surfaces and tries to trade with the ship (maybe the party wants to buy a mostly functional apparatus of kwalsh on the cheep? Or maybe something slightly more or less practical.

PunBlake
2018-07-29, 10:22 AM
Think about uncharted islands.
- Maybe a tiny one, with an abandoned or shipwrecked man there. Do you rescue him? Is he a criminal or just unlucky?
- Maybe a moderate-sized island with food and fresh water the ship can use, but also with local inhabitants to deal with somehow.
- Maybe a legendary "moving island" that everyone knows exists and has treasure, but no one can find reliably because it's on the back of a giant sea monster.

Also, why do you see these islands now? Are we off course? The captain must check with the astrolabe at night, so it might be best to wait / check out the island.

Elkad
2018-07-29, 10:26 AM
A rich man and a charming youth vie for the attentions of a pretty girl, while the captain pilots the ship recklessly through dangerous waters, leading to disaster for nearly everyone.

Gyre or Sargasso Sea or Icepack traps the ship. Possibly threatening to crush it. Maybe an underwater civilization is mad about all the trash the dryfeet throw over the side. Or their magically-enhanced seaweed farm just got a little out of control and they need help.

Mast breaks. Threatening to capsize the ship until it (and the rigging) are cut away, and then greatly slowing progress (boy, wouldn't a Feather Token:Tree be handy about now).

Missing persons. Fell overboard? Pushed? Murdered and hidden in the cargo? Eaten by a monster among the crew? Eaten by a monster hiding in the bilges? Sacrificed by the crew in a dark ritual to bring good weather?

daremetoidareyo
2018-07-29, 10:34 AM
Strange oceanic bounty: flying fish are having an aerial mating Frenzy and some are just landing on the deck in convenient clubbing range. Ability check or survival check to get free rations.

Giant phosphorescent algae bloom (and two mermaids on a date?)

A bunch of male crabs that can stride on top of the water surface swarm over top of the deck in their pursuit of whatever it is they're going after. I don't know, maybe a school of expensive silk eel? They then adorn themselves in their silky skins and trot as a group towards a swarm of what you presume are female ocean striding crabs.

Water mephit teenagers armed with water blunderbusses ambush the the crew and spray them harmlessly and declare how many points they got based on how soaked the hapless crew gets.

Seahorsicorns are triaging hundreds of wounded sentient dolphins wounded in their shark wars campaign.

Andor13
2018-07-29, 10:42 AM
There are a lot of sentient sea creatures. Any or all of them could want to trade, demand tolls, extort loot/tribute, invite strangers to a religious festival (bonus points if you don't make it the festival of sacrificing gullible strangers to Dagon), warn of other dangers, ask you to take on passengers, deliver mail, or just want to gossip.

ArtAndor
2018-07-29, 11:06 AM
Thank you for the additions. I put them in my first post for convenience if you do not mind!

BowStreetRunner
2018-07-29, 11:07 AM
I've always been a big fan of maritime fiction (I even have every book Patrick O'Brian ever wrote) and am trying to recall some of the best non-combat encounter ideas from the stories I've read.

Sailors have always been a highly superstitious lot, and in a fantasy campaign where magic really does exist coupled with the generally low education level of common sailors I think this would be magnified quite a bit. One of the concepts they had was that of a Jonah (so named due to the biblical story, but lots of examples exist in other traditions), which was a cursed individual who would doom the entire ship if they weren't removed. When a ship starts encountering a large amount of misfortune, the sailors are likely to assume it is not just coincidence and start looking for a cause. They might lay blame on a particular person, or some action the ship/crew/captain took, or even an unlucky object that was brought on board. In a fantasy setting there might actually be something unlucky, or the captain might just need to convince them that he is able to change their luck.

Encounters with unknown vessels were common - and since wars could be declared while a ship was at sea without the knowledge of the captain and crew, and piracy existed, they were always tense even when the two vessels turned out not to be enemies. Trade would frequently take place between friendly ships even if they weren't merchants - one was often running low on something that the other had in greater abundance. Communication about events ahead of one and behind the other would also be normal, a way to get the 'lay of the land' at sea by asking the other vessel.

I have a handful of other ideas but my time is short so I'll try to log on again and add some more things later.

Palanan
2018-07-29, 11:38 AM
Originally Posted by BowStreetRunner
I've always been a big fan of maritime fiction (I even have every book Patrick O'Brian ever wrote)….

You beat me to Patrick O’Brian. His books are a wealth of ideas, for characters as well as scenarios.


Originally Posted by BowStreetRunner
Trade would frequently take place between friendly ships even if they weren't merchants - one was often running low on something that the other had in greater abundance.

True--but there have been many times and places in which an encounter between two ships was likely to result in piracy by the larger one, even if they weren’t “pirates” in the modern sense, nor even privateers. Ships of competing nations, even those technically at peace, would always be sizing each other up, looking for some advantage, and not shy about plunder if one vessel was markedly superior.


Originally Posted by ArtAndor
Thank you for the additions. I put them in my first post for convenience if you do not mind!

Another couple ideas, the first drawing from Patrick O’Brian: a vessel is pursuing your PCs’ ship, intentions and crew unknown. It always maintains a separation of several miles, just far enough to be hull-up on the horizon but not near enough to make out exactly who or what is onboard. Are they waiting for some signal to strike? Holding off until another ship joins them? Or do they have some other objective?

Your PCs might also encounter a trade fleet, something along the lines of Zheng He, so rich and powerful they have absolutely no need to plunder the PCs’ vessel—but they could serve as a handy source of resupply, including magical items, during an otherwise lengthy sea voyage across a featureless ocean.

As for islands, you might look into the zaratan, which has been featured in literature and legend from St. Brendan to Umberto Eco. Also consider the floating island from Life of Pi for extra menace; we have an excellent homebrewed version (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?279702-Floating-Algae-Island-of-Death-and-Meerkats-3-5-Encounter-Life-of-Pi-spoilers) here in the Playground by Mephibosheth. You might also check out his deep-sea anglerfish (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?270859-The-deep-sea-angler-fish-has-no-reason-to-be-happy-3-5-Monsters) and related creatures.

Like BowStreetRunner, I have a couple more ideas I’ll post later.

BowStreetRunner
2018-07-29, 06:39 PM
1) coming across an abandoned ship, trying to figure out what happened, was it a mutiny, disease, ghosts? The boat is actuality a mimic? Probably worth salvaging some things at least.A couple other reasons I've heard of crewless ships being found adrift at sea include a ship that ran ground during a storm and was abandoned but when the tide rose it floated clear again, a bunch that were moored in port when a tsunami or hurricane came in and were carried out to sea, and one that pirates looted and either killed or took prisoner everyone on board but the ship itself was just left adrift.


2) the aquatic empire of the marrow has declared that all ships crossing their territory must be searched for materials illegal for nautical transport the captain allows the search in accordance with the ancient treaties. A decent way to showcase shipboard personalities and introduce a nautical race.Military ships during the age of sail often would require other ships captains to come aboard and show their papers to prove their identity, and the idea of territorial waters during such times was not particularly relevant - it could happen anywhere on the high seas. Some would also impress civilian sailors into their crews or seize ships carrying certain contraband (such as slaves) even if they were from other countries. Piracy was a relative term and if the maritime courts would confirm the legality of the ship being seized, it was legal for that country's navy. So you could actually have the PC's ship seized and they have to hang out in the port while the courts decide if it was legal or if the ship should be released.


Think about uncharted islands.One of the best things about O'Brian's Aubry-Maturin series is that Maturin was a naturalist, so wanted to stop at every single uncharted island to explore it. Since the captain was big on updating nautical charts this meant that they really often did get a limited amount of time to check out the islands while the captain surveyed it for the charts.


The captain must check with the astrolabe at night, so it might be best to wait / check out the island.I should point out that noon sightings of the sun were almost more valuable than night-time sightings of the stars, so day or night didn't matter so much. However, since local time needed to be taken into account, an accurate chronometer was absolutely essential. Overcast skies were the biggest threat to accurate navigation.


[COLOR="#0000FF"]Gyre or Sargasso Sea or Icepack traps the ship.Lack of wind could becalm a ship for long periods of time - in some places known as the Doldrums this could last for weeks. Also there is a concept known as a Lee Shore, basically you are limited to which directions you can sail by the wind and if the only way out of a bay is directly into the wind you are stuck.


Strange oceanic bounty: flying fish are having an aerial mating Frenzy and some are just landing on the deck in convenient clubbing range. Ability check or survival check to get free rations.This would happen with birds that were blown too far out to sea by a storm too. The exhausted birds would all land on the ship and make easy pickings for the crew.

Some other ideas:

Volcanic eruption - the destruction of Krakatoa blew apart the island and also left much of the sea around it devoid of life for a time - it was something that many of the ships in the area didn't understand at first and it really created some confusion as to what was happening to the sea in the area.

Whaling was a common maritime pursuit during the age of sail, but in a fantasy setting they might also encounter ships hunting other prey. Look at some of the huge and larger sea creatures from the monster manuals and see if any of them have any economic value if harvested. Coming across one of these ships at work could be an intriguing encounter even if the PCs don't participate in the hunt itself.

Weather was the single most significant factor in the life of a sailor. You should pull out all of the types of weather dealt with in all of the books and use them all to some extent.

A variety of penal colonies existed where prisoners were transported as punishment for their crimes and access to these lands was restricted to prevent these individuals from simply hopping another vessel home. The convicts were not kept in chains or anything once they got the the colony - helping to build a new colony was their punishment.

Many ports had quarantine islands - arriving ships had to spend time quarantined and their crews could only go ashore to these islands during the quarantine period before eventually being given access to the port.

Mail was a tricky thing at sea. Often a letter would be copied multiple times and sent with different ships in order to attempt to reach its recipient at sea. This could lead to not only multiple copies of the letter eventually being received, but also serial letters arriving out of order or even missing a letter in the chain. Trying to chase a recipient around the ocean to deliver his mail might result in the letter being handed off to ship after ship after ship before it ever reached them.

daremetoidareyo
2018-07-29, 07:27 PM
I pitched this to my girlfriend and she suggested having someone alone in a boat not made for the high seas who is out on a quest for atonement who is going mad from drinking seawater

or they are alone and on the way to die away from their family...

Calthropstu
2018-07-30, 05:03 AM
Come across some people whose ship is damaged, or have run out of supplies or whose ship sank or were attacked... Long story short, they need help and throw themselves at the mercy of your captain.

The party sees a defeated silver dragon fall into the sea. They have the option of aiding it... Gaining a powerful ally much later on.

An odd person is walking across the ocean. By himself. Wtf?

iTreeby
2018-07-30, 07:24 AM
An odd person is walking across the ocean. By himself. Wtf?

Man, I know he said non-combat incounter but I think this would be a great anglerfish style trap

Elkad
2018-07-30, 09:47 AM
Lack of wind could becalm a ship for long periods of time - in some places known as the Doldrums this could last for weeks. Also there is a concept known as a Lee Shore, basically you are limited to which directions you can sail by the wind and if the only way out of a bay is directly into the wind you are stuck.

I know about the doldrums personally. Luckily it wasn't quite ZERO wind in my case, but we made 40 miles in the wrong direction (90 degrees offset to our desired course) to every 10 miles we made the right way, thanks to a current.

Lee shore is a problem that was solved by keeled ships and their ability to run closer to the wind, but that's a tech level not presumed in D&D.
Or the terrible option of putting the anchor in a rowboat, rowing out and dropping it, and then hauling on the line to drag the ship out, and repeating until you got clear - if it's just a harbor problem.

ArtAndor
2018-07-30, 10:01 AM
Updated the compilation of suggestion and table.


Weather was the single most significant factor in the life of a sailor. You should pull out all of the types of weather dealt with in all of the books and use them all to some extent.

I have already suggested the use of weather in my original post. To be honest, I would much rather use weather as addition to an encounter, rather than having it to be the encounter itself.
Nonetheless, I have added it to "Other Noteworthy Things".


Mail thingie.

I was thinking about it myself for quiet a while. It pains me to admit, but I lack the creativity to make an encounter out of it. I can, however, see the potential sidequests and troubles that can be caused by it.
Added it to "Other Noteworthy Things" as well.


Come across some people whose ship is damaged, or have run out of supplies or whose ship sank or were attacked... Long story short, they need help and throw themselves at the mercy of your captain.

The party sees a defeated silver dragon fall into the sea. They have the option of aiding it... Gaining a powerful ally much later on.

An odd person is walking across the ocean. By himself. Wtf?

Thank you for your additions, but these encounters are either too similar to the ones I already have or do not seem like a good non-combat encounter.

"Unknown Vessel" and "Sentient Creatures" do not exclude vessels being broken or creatures being hurt.

And the odd person walking on the ocean would imply either a trap or a very strong spellcaster. It is also very similar to the Solitary person in the boat mentioned in the post before yours.

BowStreetRunner
2018-07-30, 01:24 PM
I was thinking about it myself for quiet a while. It pains me to admit, but I lack the creativity to make an encounter out of it. I can, however, see the potential sidequests and troubles that can be caused by it.As to that, I think it would fall into a category of 'mysterious message' received. It could be a letter that comes out of order and because of the lack of context creates a mystery for the party. You could just as easily put a note in a bottle at sea that way, or have them explore an island to find a mysterious message scrawled somewhere. Just about any time you give them a mysterious piece of information out of context it can create an effective encounter as they investigate this apparent clue to something ominous.

As for the weather, I'd agree that it shouldn't always be an encounter by itself - although strong enough weather often can be - but that it is a way to alter every other encounter in the game. Too many DMs just allow 99% of all encounters to take place in unremarkable weather conditions. There are so many lost opportunities that way.

ArtAndor
2018-07-30, 03:25 PM
As to that, I think it would fall into a category of 'mysterious message' received. It could be a letter that comes out of order and because of the lack of context creates a mystery for the party. You could just as easily put a note in a bottle at sea that way, or have them explore an island to find a mysterious message scrawled somewhere. Just about any time you give them a mysterious piece of information out of context it can create an effective encounter as they investigate this apparent clue to something ominous.

As for the weather, I'd agree that it shouldn't always be an encounter by itself - although strong enough weather often can be - but that it is a way to alter every other encounter in the game. Too many DMs just allow 99% of all encounters to take place in unremarkable weather conditions. There are so many lost opportunities that way.

Mystery message - Added. This could make an especially weird encounter if party should ever split up and need long distance messages to communicate. I mean, most players know its a bad idea and yet it happens anyway.

Weather - Yes. Just imagining different combos makes me shiver. A boat, sailing in rainy weather for days with no bearing. The crew is tired, the captain is worried and lookout shouts "LAND AHOY!". Yes, safety... except it is an island.. An island that was not supposed to be on course to the port that the ship was sailing to.
Even something as bland as a combat encounter can turn epic if there is heavy rain involved.

Calthropstu
2018-07-30, 03:41 PM
Updated the compilation of suggestion and table.



I have already suggested the use of weather in my original post. To be honest, I would much rather use weather as addition to an encounter, rather than having it to be the encounter itself.
Nonetheless, I have added it to "Other Noteworthy Things".



I was thinking about it myself for quiet a while. It pains me to admit, but I lack the creativity to make an encounter out of it. I can, however, see the potential sidequests and troubles that can be caused by it.
Added it to "Other Noteworthy Things" as well.



Thank you for your additions, but these encounters are either too similar to the ones I already have or do not seem like a good non-combat encounter.

"Unknown Vessel" and "Sentient Creatures" do not exclude vessels being broken or creatures being hurt.

True, but it does put an otherwise different spun on things. An unknown vessel is very different from a life boat adrift at sea and is treated quite differently.

With an unknown vessel, you flash a bunch of signals to each other requesting identification and intention. If they refuse to answer (or can't) and move to match you prepare for combat.

Otherwise you just pass each other by.

A ship needing help will have someone on the deck wildly waving their arms. Maybe it has extensive visible damage. Maybe the drifting ship is later followed by seeing the life boat(s). Maybe it serves as a warning that pirates are in the area.

But regardless, the situation is treated quite differently under maritime law.



And the odd person walking on the ocean would imply either a trap or a very strong spellcaster. It is also very similar to the Solitary person in the boat mentioned in the post before yours.
Yes. Powerful spell casters exist. They don't really need boats. Or sleep. Or food.

ArtAndor
2018-07-31, 12:54 AM
True, but it does put an otherwise different spun on things. An unknown vessel is very different from a life boat adrift at sea and is treated quite differently.

With an unknown vessel, you flash a bunch of signals to each other requesting identification and intention. If they refuse to answer (or can't) and move to match you prepare for combat.

Otherwise you just pass each other by.

A ship needing help will have someone on the deck wildly waving their arms. Maybe it has extensive visible damage. Maybe the drifting ship is later followed by seeing the life boat(s). Maybe it serves as a warning that pirates are in the area.

A damaged vessel is still pretty much an unknown vessel. Thing such as ship condition I would personally adjust depending on situation and what would make a better encounter for the party and what they might expect.




Yes. Powerful spell casters exist. They don't really need boats. Or sleep. Or food.

Not necesarily. This is pretty much campaign dependent. I would treat it similarily to vessels' condition and let it play out depending on party and their level.

While it may sound fun for level 3-4 party to find a lich randomly walking around on water, or an Avatar of Mystra, or simply an epic wizard. Wether or not the encounter would be good narratively depends solely on parties survival and your implemination of said powerfull spellcaster later on in the game. Such encounter then would be a much better scripted one and served as a tease for later rather than random ones I am currently looking for.

Kelb_Panthera
2018-07-31, 12:57 AM
And the odd person walking on the ocean would imply either a trap or a very strong spellcaster. It is also very similar to the Solitary person in the boat mentioned in the post before yours.

Literally any incarnate (MoI) can shape the cerulean sandal, as can anyone who takes a feat for the same, and negating food needs is utterly trivial. Any sort of fairly modest healing can negate the penalty of an extended forced march. All you have to account for is going without sleep and the mind-boggling boredom of walking across what is essentially hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of utterly featureless expanse.

Doesn't have to be a trap or a powerful caster. Might just be a zealot on a pilgrimage who didn't want to wait for/got kicked off of a boat.

Bucky
2018-07-31, 01:09 AM
A smaller ship, still afloat but unsteerable, requests aid. The party can try to repair it in place, or (with difficulty) tow it to a nearby island, or abandon it and take the survivors on board.

Tipsy_Pooka
2018-07-31, 02:01 AM
A lesser version of the "snapped main mast" idea. Ropes holding one of the secondary masts snap sending a crew-member overboard. Can any of the PCs save him?

How about a Klabautermann? Essentially, a fey that inhabits the ship. It somehow gets "wronged" and it's up to the PCs to figure out how to placate it.

ArtAndor
2018-07-31, 10:05 AM
Doesn't have to be a trap or a powerful caster. Might just be a zealot on a pilgrimage who didn't want to wait for/got kicked off of a boat.

Wether it is the case or no, it is still way too similar to "Sea Hermit" suggested earlier. I edited it, nonetheless, to include the possibility of said hermit to be on foot.


A smaller ship, still afloat but unsteerable, requests aid. The party can try to repair it in place, or (with difficulty) tow it to a nearby island, or abandon it and take the survivors on board.

This is similar to previously suggested "Damaged Vessel". As such I added it as an addition rather than encounter.


A lesser version of the "snapped main mast" idea. Ropes holding one of the secondary masts snap sending a crew-member overboard. Can any of the PCs save him?

How about a Klabautermann? Essentially, a fey that inhabits the ship. It somehow gets "wronged" and it's up to the PCs to figure out how to placate it.

To be honest: crew member over board does not seem like a peculiar encounter for a mid-level or higher party, It is still worth adding it though (Albeit in a slightly more broader sense).

The ship fey, however, is amazing. I am punching myself (Figuratively) for not thinking about this earlier. Having wronged a diety, spirit or fey is a very possible thing and could make for a fun time.

Andor13
2018-07-31, 10:27 AM
I pitched this to my girlfriend and she suggested having someone alone in a boat not made for the high seas who is out on a quest for atonement who is going mad from drinking seawater

or they are alone and on the way to die away from their family...

This just brings to my mind the image of a dwarf standing in a rowboat in the middle of the sea in full armour. Just standing there, waiting.

daremetoidareyo
2018-07-31, 10:33 AM
This just brings to my mind the image of a dwarf standing in a rowboat in the middle of the sea in full armour. Just standing there, waiting.

That's just eerie.

TheBrassDuke
2018-07-31, 10:34 AM
This just brings to my mind the image of a dwarf standing in a rowboat in the middle of the sea in full armour. Just standing there, waiting.


That's just eerie.

I concur. *shudders*

Palanan
2018-07-31, 02:30 PM
Originally Posted by ArtAndor
The ship fey, however, is amazing…. Having wronged a diety, spirit or fey is a very possible thing and could make for a fun time.

I think one of the Monster Manuals has a sort of splinter-dryad, which is the result of a dryad’s tree being hewn apart and used as ribs and planks for a ship. I don’t remember the name, just a vague recollection that it can maybe fire splinters. I’ll try to check later.

hamishspence
2018-08-01, 12:58 AM
Yup - MMIII's splinterwaif shoots splinters.


Note that it says that the "dryad which survived its tree being cut down and turned into ships, fences, houses, etc" theory for the origin of splinterwaifs, is one that actually "begins to break down on close examination".

ArtAndor
2018-08-01, 09:13 AM
I think one of the Monster Manuals has a sort of splinter-dryad, which is the result of a dryad’s tree being hewn apart and used as ribs and planks for a ship. I don’t remember the name, just a vague recollection that it can maybe fire splinters. I’ll try to check later.


Yup - MMIII's splinterwaif shoots splinters..[/I]

Oooh. Never knew about splinterwaifus. This should be great. Adding it as an addition in "Other noteworthy things"

daremetoidareyo
2018-08-01, 09:56 AM
Splinterwaifus are a cautionary tale against sawdust filled hourglass shaped pillows. Makes sense to encounter them on ships...

Andor13
2018-08-01, 10:14 AM
Mermaid hookers. Read either way.

gorfnab
2018-08-01, 12:51 PM
The ship is under a strong wind, but it’s speed has slowed. An Apparatus of the Crab (Kwalish) has latched onto the hull.

D&D equivalent of the Mirror Universe from Star Trek. The ship sails into a strange magical weather annomoly and ends up in a mirror universe of some kind.

It’s the captain’s birthday, the crew wants to celebrate, and you’re tasked with planning the party.

The ship’s captain has taken levels in the Dungeon Lord prestige class. The crew is not amused with the “harmless pranks” he plays with his abilities. There is talk of mutiny.

The ship’s frail and aged mage’s spellcasting is failing him causing spectacular and unfortunate random spells to be released.

A depressed or lonely water/sea Deity tries to amuse itself with the ship and its crew (basically Q from ST: TNG).

Kelb_Panthera
2018-08-01, 05:07 PM
Oooh. Never knew about splinterwaifus. This should be great. Adding it as an addition in "Other noteworthy things"

That's one of the more interesting typos I've seen recently. :smallbiggrin:

Palanan
2018-08-01, 05:22 PM
Originally Posted by Kelb_Panthera
That's one of the more interesting typos I've seen recently.

I was puzzling over that one myself, especially since the f and the u aren't side-by-side on standard keyboards.

Calthropstu
2018-08-01, 06:01 PM
I was puzzling over that one myself, especially since the f and the u aren't side-by-side on standard keyboards.

Obviously they're masters of wai-fu.

Kelb_Panthera
2018-08-01, 06:14 PM
I was puzzling over that one myself, especially since the f and the u aren't side-by-side on standard keyboards.

I'm thinking Freudian slip. Maybe he's got a thing for dryads. Who am I to judge? :smalltongue:

Andor13
2018-08-01, 07:43 PM
I'm thinking Freudian slip. Maybe he's got a thing for dryads. Who am I to judge? :smalltongue:

I'm sure it will be fine, knock on wood.