Coolest "ghost ship" encounter? [3.5/PF]

[OttoVonBigby]

The party I'm DMing is on an unprecedented voyage across the western ocean to try and reach the enemy continent from the opposite direction for the first time.

I want a "ghost ship" encounter of some kind to happen, but I'm not entirely happy with the "ship of the damned" monster in Alluria's Cerulean Seas setting. Something about the anchor and the rigging animating themselves to attack boarders seems dopey to me.

Anybody have knowledge of, or ideally experience with, similar types of ghost-ship encounters in any books, WOTC/Paizo or not? I know I could just literally go with a spooky-looking regular ship with a ragtag crew of undead, but I'd like to know what other options I might have.

[Saintheart]

No specific encounters, but a good old Event Horizon pastiche never hurt. Ye Olde Flying Dutchman doesn't just sail earthly seas, this sucker has seen the headwaters of the River Styx and brought back ... things.

[lylsyly]

A spooky regular ship with permanent fog cloud or two placed on the center so you can only see the tops of the masts and the prow crewed by a variety of undead probably be the easiest to set up. You can ease up on the sight restrictions of the fog cloud as you see fit. As long as it's a one off theres really no need to go to too great an effort.

YMMV, just 2 coppers worth ;-)

[Efrate]

pathfinder and I think fiend folio have several differing options of various CRs.

Alternately make the ship an intelligent magic item/legacy weapon with some form of create undead.

You could also build one with a bunch of features from.the stronghold builders handbook. Depends on what EL you looking at and op level of your party.

[Palanan]

I once ran an encounter with an abandoned ship, which the party explored down to the orlop—only to discover that the crew had been infected with ghoul fever and turned to lacedons, which were clustered beneath the ship along the keel. They attacked through the rotten planks of the lower hull, so the party was already in the lower decks when the fighting began.

That could be one component of a broader encounter, maybe starting with a couple of low-level ghosts on the quarterdeck to convince the party the ship is only lightly haunted, and then draw them below into the lacedon trap.