Ship to Ship Combat

Ship to Ship Combat
One  of  the  elements  that  is  featured  in  many
swashbuckling stories is daring exploits at sea. H+I
allows the heroes to engage in sea battles,
and gives each hero an important role to play in these
conflicts.

Ship Qualities
Just  like  heroes,  each  ship  has  a  name.  Each  ship
also has its own Ship Qualities, which are crucial for
making  various  rolls.  There  are  five  Ship  Qualities
which may be ranked as high as 5. They are:
Sails: Representing the ship’s mobility, both in speed
and  maneuverability.  You  add  Sails  to  a  roll  when
you need to avoid an obstacle, or try to flee or chase
down an enemy vessel. The bigger a ship is, the less
maneuverable it will be. Size is subtracted from rolls
that use Sails.
Guns:  Represents  how  many  cannons  the  ship  is
carrying. The more cannons, the greater the odds of
inflicting  serious  damage  on  an  enemy  vessel.  The
bigger the ship, the more Guns it can carry. A ship’s
maximum Guns rating is equal to its Size. Guns is
added to a roll when making a volley.
Crew:  Represents not how many crewmen you have,
but how well trained and disciplined they are. The higher
the  Crew  Quality,  the  higher  the  morale  of  the  ship.
Crew is added to a roll for a boarding action, or to repel
boarders. Crew is also used for damage control. (While
Crew represents the quality of seamen you have aboard,
the quantity is referred to as the Complement).
Hull: Represents how sturdy the ship is. Hull isn’t usually
added to a roll, but instead adds to the base Timber of a
ship. Each point of Hull adds +5 Timber. Hull is added
to rolls when making a ramming action, however!
Size: Represents how large a ship is, which has an
impact on a number of other things. The bigger the
ship, the slower and less maneuverable it will be; but
it will likewise be able to carry more guns and sailors
(as well as cargo). Size also affects the damage that
ships dish out to one another, and how much they can
take before sinking.


Ship Combat Abilities & Careers
Unlike  heroes,  ships  do  not  have  Combat  Abilities
or  Careers  of  their  own.  Instead,  they  rely  on  the
officer  in  charge  of  a  particular  task.  So  when  a
ship  fires  its  guns,  the  Master  Gunner  will  add  his
Sailor Career (or Pirate) to the ship’s Guns roll. If the
ship  is  maneuvering,  the  Helmsman  would  add  his
Career rank to the ship’s Sails roll, etc. While most
jobs use their Sailor Career, the ship’s Surgeon uses
the  Physician  Career,  and  the  ship’s  Carpenter  (or
Sailmaker) uses the Craftsman Career to make rolls.
Ship Characteristics
Timber: Timber is essentially the Lifeblood of a ship.
Ships begin with 10 Timber +10 Timber per point of
Size, and +5 Timber per point in Hull.
Complement: The number of crewmen aboard your
ship, represented as a percentage. The exact figures are
deliberately left vague as they vary based on types of ship,
etc. As the ship loses its Complement of crew, it begins
to affect the performance of the ship in all things.

Ship Boons & Flaws
Ships do not automatically have a Boon for free. For
each Boon a ship has, it must also have one Flaw, up
to a maximum of 3 of each.

Ship Boons
Oars: The ship is able to move by rowing even when
there is no wind, or when sailing against it. This can
be  hugely  advantageous  in  certain  situations.  You
ignore  penalties  for  bad  wind  conditions.  However
you  have  to  carry  twice  as  many  men  aboard  your
ship  (but  only  half  that  number  count  towards  the
“crew”), causing your food to deplete at double the
rate. In addition, rowers are usually galley slaves and
prone to mutiny.
Large Hold: Your ship can hold extra Tons of Cargo
or Supplies equal to its Size.
Smuggler’s  Hold:  Your  ship  has  hidden
compartments to help get by nosy customs officials.
Up to 1 Ton of cargo can be totally hidden per point
of Size. Anyone searching for it would literally have to
tear the ship apart to find it.
Sailmaker: Most ships have to go into port to repair
their sails. Your ship has a sailmaker aboard who can
repair  damaged  sails,  as  well  as  the  extra  sails  and
rigging stowed to make the repairs necessary.
Extra Complement: The ship carries a redundancy
of crewmen. This allows the ship to start with 150%
instead of 100% Complement, making the toll of crew
loss less severe.  However the extra men require extra
food, depleting an extra 50% of Supplies.
Shallow Draft: When you’ve got a light load aboard
(no more than 20 Tons) you get a Bonus Die to rolls to
avoid the dangers of shallows such as reefs or shoals,
which can prove invaluable in a chase.
Fast  to  About:  The  ship  is  great  at  turning.  The
Helmsman  gets  +1  to  all  Sails  rolls  that  involve
turning the ship.
Swift  Sails:  The  ship  is  built  for  speed.  The
Helmsman gets +1 to all Sails rolls that involve pure
speed without turning, such as in a chase.
Extra Gunports: The ship has more than the usual
number  of  gunports  for  its  class.  The  ship’s  Guns
rating  is  not  limited  by  its  Size.  In  addition,  when
figuring the damage caused by a volley and penalties
for maneuvering, treat the ship as if its Size were 1
greater.  Lastly  the  ship’s  guns  use  up  a  number  of
Tons equal to the Guns rating squared. So a ship with
Size 2, Guns 3 would take up 9 Tons with its guns, not
6 Tons.
Hated Foe: There is someone out there your crew
hates, whether it is the British, Corsairs, Pirates, etc.
Whenever facing this foe, you get a Bonus Die to all
rolls using the Crew Quality.
Extra  Swivel  Guns:  Your  ship  is  equipped  with
extra  swivel  guns  (small  cannon  used  for  boarding
actions). You do an extra 1d6% damage to the enemy
Complement  when  making  or  repelling  a  Boarding
Action.
Fearsome  Reputation:  Your  ship  is  legendary
(whether by actual deeds or gossip), and inspires fear
in those who see it. You get a Bonus Die when trying
to convince merchants to surrender their cargos to
you.
Unsinkable: Your ship is as sturdy as they come. It
has +10 to its maximum Timber.
Ramming Prow: A ship with a ramming prow has
+1 to attack and does an extra +1d6 Timber damage
to an enemy ship when it rams them.
Long Guns: Your cannon have especially long reach.
Treat any target as if they were one range increment
closer.

Ship Flaws
Unhappy Crew: The crew hates the captain and will
betray him at the first opportunity. They are unlikely
to fight very well if boarded, and may even join the
other side after the battle. You get a Penalty Die when
rolling to make or repel boarding actions.
Bad  Food:  Whether  it  is  spoilage,  vermin,  or  a
terrible cook, the Ship wastes 1 Ton of Supplies per
month at sea.
Small Complement: You have difficulty recruiting
and supplying a full Complement of crew. You begin
with  only  75%  Complement;  meaning  that  the  ship
has -1 to all rolls and your Crew rating of the ship is
1 lower as well.
Cursed  Reputation:  Sailors  are  a  superstitious
lot. Whether the ship really is cursed or not, you have
great  difficulty  recruiting  new  crewmen  to  sign  on.
You get a Penalty Die when rolling to recruit new crew
Complement.
Jinxed: The ship seems to attract trouble. When the
GM rolls for random Hazards, he rolls twice and takes
the result that is most “interesting”.
Cramped  Quarters:  While  things  are  always
tightly packed on a ship, yours is packed to the gills.
Whenever the ship loses some of its Complement, it
loses an extra 1d6%.
Small Hold: Your ship can carry a maximum of 8
Tons per point of Size, or be overburdened by carrying
as much as 10 Tons per point of Size.
Lightly Armed: The ship carries much lighter guns
than typical for its class. Treat the ship as if its Size
were  1  less  for  purposes  of  damage  when  it  fires  a
volley and also when determining how many Tons the
guns are taking up. So a Size 3, Guns 3 ship would use
only 6 Tons for its guns instead of 9 Tons.
Unarmed:  Your  ship  carries  no  guns  at  all.  Your
ship’s Guns Quality is non-existent (just put an “X”
for the value), and it cannot fire any volleys. This does
leave more room for cargo, at least.
Fragile: Your ship cannot withstand a broadside very
well. It has -10 Timber from its maximum, or half the
maximum, whichever would be more. So a Size 0 ship
would have 5 Timber instead of 10, while a Size 4 ship
would have 40 Timber instead of 50.
Deep Draft: Your ship cuts deep underwater and is
prone to wrecks in shallow water. Your helmsman gets
a Penalty Die whenever rolling to avoid shoals, rocks,
sandbars, reefs, etc.
Slow to About: Your ship does not turn very quickly.
The Helmsman gets -1 to Sails rolls to maneuver the
ship by turning.
Leaky  Tub:  Your  ship  is  beset  by  problems.  It
requires  twice  as  much  maintenance  as  a  standard
ship of its class. If it goes without this, it begins to fall
apart, losing 1 point from one of its Qualities each
month that the extra maintenance is put off.
Popular Target: Whether it is for a rich cargo, or a
bounty on the captain, this ship is targeted by hostile
ships. Most ships encountered at sea will be hostile.
Short Guns: Your cannon have a short range. Treat
any target as if they were 1 range increment further
away when firing upon them (except at Point-Blank).

Ship Combat Rounds
Unlike  hand  to  hand  combat,  a  round  of  Ship  to
Ship combat lasts several minutes, rather than a few
seconds. In this way, Ship to Ship battles last much
longer in “game time” while taking about the same
time to resolve in “play time”.
Each  round,  ships  only  have  a  single  action,  in
addition to movement. There are no “Minor Actions”
in Ship to Ship combat. The Captain of each ship rolls
1d6+Career  to  determine  initiative,  with  the  ship’s
Crew Quality used to break ties.

Ship to Ship Combat Actions
Maneuvering
When you are trying to gain on or evade an enemy
vessel,  or  trying  to  avoid  an  obstacle,  it  is  time  for
some  maneuvering.  Roll  Sails-Size  +Helmsman’s
Career vs. Sails-Size of the opposing ship. If the wind
is favorable, you get +1, and unfavorable wind can give
a penalty from -1 to -6, depending on the situation as
the GM sees it. Additional difficulties can be added
by “terrain” such as shoals, reefs, etc (or these can
be stand-alone obstacles). If you successfully gain on
an enemy vessel, you move 100 Yards closer (200 on
a Mighty Success). Likewise, if you successfully evade
them, you move 100 Yards further away.
Volley
Firing cannon is the main offensive power of ships.
The attacking ship rolls Guns + Gunner’s Career vs. a
Moderate (+0) Difficulty and adds Range modifiers. In
addition, the size of the target is taken into account.
If the target is within 1 Size of the attacking vessel,
there is no modifier. If the target is 2 or more Sizes
larger, the attacking vessel gets +1 to hit. If the target
is 2 or more Sizes smaller, the vessel gets -1 to hit. The
range increment of a volley of cannon is 100 Yards.
So modifiers to hit vary from Point Blank (+1) at 50
Yards to Extreme (-6) at 500 Yards. Success indicates
that  the  cannonballs  hit  her  square,  and  have  torn
holes in the enemy hull! The ship loses Timber based
on the size differences between the two ships:
Attacking ship has Size that is 2 or more higher - 3d6 Timber
Attacking ship Size is within 1 of the target - 2d6 Timber
Attacking ship has Size that is 2 or more lower - 1d6 Timber

When a ship loses Timber from a volley, some of the
Complement is lost! Even if a cannon ball doesn’t hit
crewmen directly, it splinters timbers that turn into
deadly shrapnel. The Complement is depleted 1% for
every 2 Timber of damage the ship took (round down).
So  if  a  ship  took  13  Timber  of  damage,  6%  of  the
Complement would be lost. As a greater percentage
of the Complement is lost, it takes its toll on the ship
and its morale (the Crew Quality).
A Volley also has a chance of injuring PCs and major
NPCs  if  the  GM  declares  the  shot  passed  near  them.
Fortunately, these injuries are small and often heroes
make it through unscathed (for some reason). For every
“6” that comes up on damage roll against a ship, the
PCs and major NPCs aboard lose 1d3 Lifeblood. Heroes
can avoid all the damage by making a Tricky (-1) Sailor
+ Savvy Career roll or spending a Fortune Point.
Special Shots
Special shots are used to target a specific part
of  the  enemy  ship,  rather  than  simply
sinking it. Size difference applies to
these rolls as well.
Grapeshot:  Grapeshot  is
an  anti-personnel  weapon,
meant to kill enemy crew on
deck and is usually fired at
close range. It has a range
increment of only 20 Yards.
When firing grapeshot, roll
Guns + Gunner’s Career vs.
Crew  and  range  Modifiers.
A  successful  grapeshot
volley  doesn’t  damage  the
ship’s  Timber.  Instead,  the
enemy  ship  loses  2d6%  of  its
Complement  if  the  ships  are
within 1 Size of each other, 3d6% if
the attacking ship is 2 or more bigger, or 1d6% if the
attacking ship is 2 or more smaller.
For every 5 or 6 that is rolled on the dice, the PCs and
major NPCs lose 1d3 Lifeblood; which can be avoided
just like a Volley (see above).
Chain Shot: Instead of firing a single ball, this fires
two solid balls out of a cannon connected by a chain.
They spin in midair, like a buzz-saw, with the intent of
cutting an enemy ship’s masts and rigging. Chain Shot
has a range increment of 50 Yards. The attack is made by
rolling Guns + Gunner’s Career vs. a Hard (-2) difficulty,
modified by Range. Success does no damage to the ship.
Instead, the ship loses 1pt from Sails (to a minimum of
-2, leaving it completely adrift).

Boarding
Boarding  is  used  when  the  attackers  want  to  take
the opposing ship or its cargo as a prize, rather than
simply sink her. The crews swing over grappling hooks
and pull the ships together as they swing across to
attack. Boarding parties are led by the First Mate, who
rolls Crew + Career vs. the enemy Captain’s Career.
Success means that they have managed to board the
enemy vessel and the boarded ship loses 1d6% of its
Complement per point of Size the attacker has (1d3%
for  Size  0).  So  if  a  Size  3  Ship  boarded  another,  it
would do 3d6% Complement loss to the enemy ship.
If a boarding party can stay aboard an enemy vessel
for 3 rounds, the boarded ship must make a morale
roll by rolling Crew + Captain’s Career vs. a moderate
(-0) difficulty. Failure indicates the crew surrenders;
success means the fight on, but must roll again each
round at an increasing difficulty.
Instead  of  using  these  rules  for  a
Boarding  Action,  the  GM  may  feel
free  to  instead  switch  from  Ship
to Ship combat rules to regular
combat  rules.  Alternatively,
the  GM  might  alternate
between  a  Boarding  Round
and a regular combat round
to  give  individual  heroes  a
chance to shine (and maybe
let their actions give a Bonus
Die  to  the  next  Boarding
Action roll).
Repel Boarders
A ship that has been boarded will want to repel the
boarders.  This  is  done  by  rolling  Crew  +  Captain’s
Career vs. First Mate’s Career of the boarding party.
Success indicates the enemy Complement loses 1d6%
per point of Size the defending ship has (1d3% for a
Size 0 ship). In addition to damaging the enemy crew,
the boarders are repelled off the ship.
Ramming
Usually employed by the desperate, ramming consists
of  crashing  your  vessel  into  the  enemy.  Ramming
actions are made by rolling Hull + Captain’s Career vs.
Hull. Unlike a Volley, both ships take damage during a
ramming action. If the ships are within 1 Size of each
other, they lose 2d6 Timber, a ship that is 2 or more
Sizes smaller loses 3d6 Timber, and a ship that is 2 or
more Sizes large loses 1d6 Timber. Complement, PCs,
and major NPCs are injured by Ramming actions the
same as if they were hit by a Volley.
Ship’s Timber Loss
A ship down to half its Timber or less is low in the
water. This makes it less maneuverable (-1 to Sails). A
ship that loses all its Timber begins to sink. Sinking
usually takes a few minutes; enough time for heroes
and  major  NPCs  to  get  to  lifeboats,  or  find  some
floating debris to keep from drowning.
Ship Repairs
Repairing  a  ship  is  the  job  of  the  ship’s  carpenter.
After  a  ship  takes  damage,  when  there  is  sufficient
time  and  materials,  the  ship’s  Carpenter  may  roll
Crew + Career (Craftsman) vs. a difficulty based on
how severe the damage was. For every 10 Timber the
ship has lost, there is a -1 Difficulty to the roll. So a
ship that had taken 23 Timber damage would require
a -2 (Hard) roll. Success indicates that the ship has
repaired 5 Timber; a Mighty success repairs 10 Timber
lost. How often a carpenter can make a roll for repairs
is once in a number of weeks equal to the ship’s Size.
So a Size 4 ship would take 4 weeks between repair
rolls.  In  a  port,  repairs  are  much  easier  (no  roll  is
necessary) and faster (double speed). If the ship has a
Sailmaker, they can also repair the Sails in a similar
manner, with a -1 penalty for every 1 point of Sails
below maximum the ship is. The time frame between
rolls is in a matter of days equal to Size rather than
weeks,  however.  Success  indicates  1  point  of  Sails
recovered, Mighty Success recovers 2 points.

Complement Loss
When a ship begins losing its Complement of crewmen,
it doesn’t immediately impact their Crew Quality, but
eventually it will take its toll in several ways. When a
ship is down to 75% Complement, it has -1 to all dice
rolls (including damage rolled per die) and -1 to Crew
Quality. When a ship is down to 50% Complement, it
has a Penalty Die on all actions (in addition to the -1 to
all rolls) and does half damage on all attacks (instead
of -1 point per die). When a ship is down to 25% or less
of its crew, all attacks do one-quarter normal damage,
and the Crew Quality is -2.
Surgeon
A  good  ship  will  have  a  surgeon  aboard.  When  the
ship  suffers  Complement  loss,  these  numbers  do
not necessarily reflect deaths—some may simply be
injuries—which  the  surgeon  can  help  crewmen  to
recover from. Following a battle or accident that has
caused crew loss, the ship’s surgeon can roll 1d6 per
rank in the physician/healer Career (1d3 for having it
at Rank 0). The result is the % of the Complement who
were able to be saved, up to a maximum of half the
damage  the  Complement  sustained.  Any  remaining
Complement lost after this was beyond the surgeon’s
help.  A  ship  can  have  more  than  one  surgeon,  and
the rolls are cumulative; but no more than half the
damage can be recovered (some injuries are just too
severe). Restoring these crew losses has to be done by
recruiting new crewmen in port.
For example Sister Mona is aboard a ship that was attacked
by pirates. They managed to drive them away, but not without
taking some damage. The ship lost 26% of its Complement. The
good sister did her best, with 2 ranks of Healer, she rolled 2d6
and got a 9. 9% of the Complement would recover from their
injuries with her help. All she could do was say a prayer for the
other 17%.

Shore  Batteries
Batteries of shore guns can do incredible damage to
ships. To resolve exchanges with shore batteries, treat
a battery as if it were an unmoving ship. Batteries are
Size 3 to 6, with an equal Guns rating. Due to the
fortifications they are mounted on, a shore battery also
has a Hull rating of 3 (a timber fortress) to 6 (thick
stone walls). The Crew rating of the battery varies with
the discipline of the individual garrison, and batteries
have no Sails rating, of course. In addition, because
these  enormous  cannons  are  placed  high  on  walls,
they have a range increment of 200 yards. Because of
the discrepancy in range, and high fortified positions,
shore  batteries  are  difficult  to  attack  directly,  and
often  involve  sending  saboteurs  to  spike  the  guns
ahead of a big battle or attacking from land instead.

Battling Sea Monsters
There  are  times  when  a  ship  will  be  attacked  (or
choose to attack) a large creature in the sea, such as
a whale, or some type of sea monster in a campaign
using  supernatural  elements.  Anytime  a  creature
is large enough that it can do damage to a ship, its
description will explain what Size ship it is equivalent
to. While ordinarily an individual attack cannot hurt
a ship, this is not the case for large sea creatures.
Creature Attacking a Ship
Any  creature  with  a  “ship  size”  rating  can  attack  a
ship (treating it as if it had -1 Defense), but does half
the listed Lifeblood damage (round down) to the ship’s
Timber. The ship’s Complement % takes damage equal
to the lost Timber. Every 5-6 rolled (regardless of the
total amount after halving) indicates that all Major
PCs or NPCs take 1d3 damage, just like a Grapeshot
volley.
For example, a Size 5 creature attacks a Size 3 ship. The creature
rolls to hit, treating the ship’s Hull as its Defense. The attack hits
and the GM rolls 4d6 damage, coming to a total of 17 (6, 5, 3,
and 3). Halving this, the ship loses 8 Timber, and loses 8% of the
Complement. On top of that, there was a 5 and a 6 in the original
damage roll, meaning that all the major PCs and NPCs aboard
lose  2d3  Lifeblood  from  splintering  timbers  or  the  monster’s
attack. They can avoid this damage with a Fortune Point or by
making a Tricky (-1) Savvy + Sailor test.
Ship Attacking a Creature
When a Ship opens fire or rams a beast with a ship Size,
it attacks the creature’s Defense with an additional -4
Penalty  to  hit.  If  an  attack  hits,  it  does  double  the
listed  Timber  damage  (based  on  Size  difference)
in  Lifeblood  to  the  creature.  Any  Protection  the
creature has absorbs this damage as normal (with -2
to protection rolls against black powder weapons like
the Guns as usual).
For example, a Size 3 ship is attacking a Size 5 creature. The
ship’s  Master  Gunner  rolls  2d6+Career+Savvy  modified  by
range penalties against the beast’s Defense, and manages to score
a hit. Because of a Size difference of 2, normally the guns would
do only 1d6 Timber, but here they do 2d6 Lifeblood damage to the
creature, rolling 7. The creature rolls its Protection (1d6) getting
a 4, reduced by 2 because the cannons are black powder weapons,
resulting in 5 Lifeblood damage to the creature. Only another 80
to go…

Ship Class
Below  are  some  sample  ships.    You  can  feel  free  to
modify  a  ship  from  one  of  the  base  models  below;
after all many sea captains did exactly that. There are
many more types we couldn’t fit in here as well, so
feel free to create some more. Most ships have around
5 points spent on Ship Qualities (except the Galleon
and Man-o-War).
Launch
This is the largest boat carried by a ship, usually used as
a lifeboat. It has a single sail and can be rowed by oars as
well.
Size 0, Sails 2,
Guns 0, Crew 0,
Hull 0; 10 Timber
Ship Boons: Fast
to About, Oars,
Ship Flaws: Unarmed,
Cramped Quarters
Sloop
A  light  and  maneuverable  single  mast  ship,  it  is  favored  by
smugglers and pirates. It has two
or more triangular sails, fore
and aft of the mast.
Size 1, Sails 3, Guns 1, Crew
1, Hull 0; 20 Timber
Ship Boons: Shallow Draft
Ship Flaws: Cramped Quarters
Pinnace
A small two-mast vessel used to guide large merchant and
warships  through  treacherous  waters.  They  are  usually
unarmed, but very maneuverable.
Size 1, Sails 4, Guns X,
Crew 1, Hull 0; 20 Timber
Ship Boons: Shallow
Draft, Fast to About
Ship Flaws: Unarmed
Cargo Ship
This class of ship is actually a general name for numerous
ship classifications, such as a fluyt, freighter, etc. They are
lightly armed, made mostly to carry cargo. This makes them
popular targets for pirates.
Size 2, Sails 2, Guns
1, Crew 0, Hull
2; 40 Timber
Ship Boons: Large
Hold, Swift Sails
Ship Flaws: Lightly
Armed, Popular Target
Corvette
A corvette is a light ship built for war.
Size 2, Sails 1, Guns 3,
Crew 1, Hull 0; 30 Timber
Ship Boons: Extra
Gunports, Fast to About
Ship Flaws: Small
Hold, Bad Food
Brig
A ship with two square masts, both rigged square. They are
used both as cargo and light warships.
Size 2, Sails 2,
Guns 1, Crew 1,
Hull 1, 35 Timber
Brigantine
A  Brigantine  is  a  ship  of  two  masts,  the  foremast  rigged
square.  Originally  they  were  favored  by  Mediterranean
pirates, thus the name’s similarity to “Brigand.”
Size 2, Sails 1, Guns
2, Crew 1, Hull
1; 35 Timber
Ship Boons: Extra
Complement
Ship Flaws: Cramped
Quarters
Dhow
The  type  of  galley  preferred  by  the  Barbary  Corsairs,  a
Dhow has lateen sails but relies on its rowers when the wind
is not with them.
Size 2, Sails 2, Guns 1,
Crew 2, Hull 0, 30 Timber
Ship Boons: Oars,
Ramming Prow
Ship Flaws: Popular Target,
Cramped Quarters
Junk
This ship has unique sails, making it easily recognizable as the
type of ship preferred by Asian merchants… and pirates.
Size 2, Sails 1, Guns 1, Crew 2, Hull 1, 35 Timber
Ship Boons: Sailmaker
Ship Flaws: Short Guns
Barque
A ship with 3 masts, two rigged square, and one fore-and-aft.
Size 3, Sails 2, Guns 1, Crew
0, Hull 2; 50 Timber
Frigate
A warship built for speed, Frigates have three or more masts,
with square-rigged sails.
Size 3, Sails 2, Guns 2, Crew
0, Hull 1; 45 Timber
Ship Boons: Swift Sails
Ship Flaws: Bad Food
Merchantman
Also simply known as a “Ship” this is a vessel of 3 masts,
usually square-rigged. They can also be modified to serve as
warships.
Size 3, Sails 2, Guns 1,
Crew 1, Hull 1; 45 Timber
Ship Boons: Large
Hold, Smuggler’s
Hold, Swift Sails
Ship Flaws: Deep
Draft, Slow to About,
Popular Target
Schooner
A ship of three or possibly more masts that are fore-and-aft
rigged.
Size 3, Sails 3, Guns
1, Crew 1, Hull
0, 40 Timber
Ship Boons: Fast
to About
Ship Flaws: Deep Draft
Galleon
An enormous Spanish ship, it carried several decks of guns
and could easily hold two hundred men. They were used for
cargo, especially gold, silver, and Oriental spices. They were
also powerful warships, to discourage pirates.
Size 4, Sails 2, Guns 4,
Crew 0, Hull 2; 60 Timber
Ship Boons: Extra
Gunports, Swift Sails
Ship Flaws: Popular
Target, Deep Draft
Man-O-War
Also known as a “Ship of the Line” these vessels are built first
and foremost for battle. They are the biggest ships carrying
the most guns.
Size 5, Sails 3, Guns 5, Crew 1, Hull 1; 75 Timber
Ship Boons: Unsinkable,
Ramming Prow,
Hated Foe
Ship Flaws: Bad
Food, Deep Draft,
Slow to About