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RUNNING SEA ENCOUNTERS FOR SHIPS & MONSTERS
SHAWN ELLSWORTH
NAVAL COMBAT (5e)
B AT T E N D O W N T H E H AT C H E S !
Are you looking to run exciting, fast paced naval encounters where all your
players have something to do each turn? Do you want to run cinematic sea
battles between ships and terrify your players with sea monster attacks?
I wrote this guide after running a weekly seafaring campaign for Fifth Edition for
over a year. NAVAL ENCOUNTERS provides GMs with rules, ideas and examples
for running combat and other scenarios at sea for your Fifth Edition game.
Whether you are looking for rules to run an encounter between ships, naval
combat roles to give to each of your players, or ideas on how to handle a sea
monster attack, this guide is the answer.
N AVA L E N C O U N T E R S
• Running Lightweight Naval Encounters ..........................................................................................................page
3
• Example Encounters .........................................................................................................................................page
13
SHIPBOARD ROLES
• Captain ..............................................................................................................................................................page
15
• Quartermaster (First Mate) ...............................................................................................................................page
15
• Pilot ....................................................................................................................................................................page
16
• Boatswain ..........................................................................................................................................................page
16
• Master Gunner ..................................................................................................................................................page
17
• Ship’s Surgeon...................................................................................................................................................page
17
EQUIPMENT & VEHICLES
• Adventuring Gear .............................................................................................................................................page
18
• Weapons & Ammunition ..................................................................................................................................page
19
• Cannons ............................................................................................................................................................page
20
• Ships ..................................................................................................................................................................page
22
• Ship Modifications
............................................................................................................................................page
23
A P P E N D I X A : N A U T I C A L T E R M S & D E F I N I T I O N S
...................................................page
24
These materials were designed to be used with Fifth Edition rules.
page
2
Tribality Publishing
N AVA L E N C O U N T E R S
RUNNING LIGHTWEIGHT
N AVA L E N C O U N T E R S
Not all naval encounters need to end in combat, but
sometimes a sea battle is the only resolution. This
framework can be used whenever your players have
set sail and end up running into a variety of naval
encounters.
1) SET THE ENVIRONMENT
Those traveling the sea know a change in the weather
can be the difference between a smooth passage or
going to Davy Jones’ Locker. Tell your players what
they see, hear, smell or feel. Make sure the players
know the current weather, visibility and state of the
seas at the start of any encounter.
W E AT H E R
To save time at the table, you can determine the
weather yourself during prep time or randomly roll the
weather using the tables found in the Random Sea
Weather sidebar. Some other considerations:
• Low winds have a 25% chance of creating a dead
calm, halting movement and requiring rowing or
magic to move.
• High winds can increase the speed of a ship sailing
with the wind by 50% and reduce the speed of a
ship sailing against the wind by half.
• A storm is present when weather conditions see
both strong wind and heavy rain, with a 25% chance
of a destructive tropical storm resulting.
R A N D O M S E A W E AT H E R
D20
1-12
13-16
17-20
D20
1-12
13-16
17-20
1D8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
D20
1-14
15-17
18-20
TEMPERATURE
Normal for the season
1d10 x 2 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal
1d10 x 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal
WIND
Light
Low
Strong
WIND DIRECTION
North
Northwest
West
Southwest
South
Southeast
East
Northeast
PRECIPITATION
None
Light Rain
Heavy Rain
These charts are intended for typical sailing weather in sub-
tropical and tropical seas and lean towards producing favorable
sailing conditions. I would adjust the chart for cooler climates or
greater simulation.
Tribality Publishing
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VISIBILITY
For the visibility and state of the seas, make a
judgement call based on the weather.
• Strong wind creates high, rolling seas, reducing
visibility.
• A calm sea and clear sky offers great visibility from
the crow’s nest, with the ability to spot another ship
up to 10 miles away, overcast 5 miles, rain 1 mile,
and fog 100 to 300 feet.
S TAT E O F T H E S E A S
Don’t forget to describe things like the color, clarity,
depth or obstacles of the sea itself. Let them know if
they are sailing:
• over a clear, shallow sea full of wrecked ships
• through shallows with jagged rock or coral reefs
• through debris such as seaweed or floating
wreckage
• on a boiling sea of huge waves, crashing into their
ship
• on deep blue water with nothing but the wind at
their back
2 ) W H AT S H I P S / M O N S T E R S A R E
I N V O LV E D ?
The sea is a vast wilderness full of perils above and
below the waves. Sailing across the seas can get
boring without some encounters. You can decide on a
set encounter or run a random encounter. Check out
page 118 of the DMG for the
Random Encounters at
Sea
table.
Once you decide that an encounter will happen, ask
the following:
• Do the players see any of the ships/sea monsters?
• How far away are the ships or monsters?
• What direction are the ships or monsters heading
and at what speed?
MAKING KNOWLEDGE CHECKS
If players ask to learn more about an
approaching ship or sea monster, ask for a skill
check with a Difficulty Class (DC) based on
available clues they can sense. It might be a
good idea to combine a Wisdom (Perception)
check with one of the following:
• For a sea monster that is an animal, they
should roll a Wisdom (Nature) check
• For a sea monster that is elemental, magical
or planar, they should roll an Intelligence
(Arcana) check
• For ships, have your player roll an Intelligence
(History) check
Tribality Publishing
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3 ) D E T E R M I N E P L AY E R I N T E N T
Now that the players know the conditions of the seas
and what potential threat is in front of them, ask the
players what they want to do. Even though their PCs
are beyond attack range and out of combat, there are
plenty of actions available to your players.
When your players notice another ship at long range
(beyond the range of cannon and attack magic), they
could consider the following options.
Chase (or Flee).
If your encounter turns into a chase,
avoid having the encounter becoming long and drawn
out. Determine how many rounds it will take to close
in on the quarry, and fast forward to the excitement.
Convert rounds to minutes, or multiply travel distances
by 10 until you need to zoom in on the action. A chase
on the water is just a chase between ships (or a ship
and sea monster). The chase rules on page 253 of
the DMG can be used and work well. Try introducing
complications to sea chases, such as those found in
the
Sea Chase Complications table,
which provide
complications for a ship’s pilot.
Scan.
If your players glimpse a far off object, have
them make perception checks. If they attempt the
check with a spyglass, from the crow’s nest or while
flying above the ship, have them roll with advantage.
For a ship, they could find out its type, the flag it is
flying, or if it is damaged. For a monster, they could
determine its general shape or behavior. Any further
information should require additional checks (see
MAKING KNOWLEDGE CHECKS
sidebar).
SEA CHASE COMPLICATIONS
d20
COMPLICATION
Your ship finds itself in the path of a small whirlpool.
Make a DC 15 Wisdom (Vehicles - Water) check to navi-
gate the hazard. On a failed check you momentarily
lose control of the ship. The ship’s speed is reduced to
0 ft. and the ship rotates 90° (odd = clockwise, even =
counter-clockwise).
Your ship is hit hard by currents in all directions as
the sea suddenly swells around you. Make a DC 10
Wisdom (Vehicles - Water) check to navigate through
the swollen sea. On a failed save, your ship’s speed
slows by half.
Your ship finds itself traveling through thick seaweed.
Make a DC 10 Wisdom (Nature) check. On a failed check,
you are unable to find a clear path through the seaweed
and your ship’s speed slows by 30 ft.
A sea monster joins the chase. Roll a random en-
counter (see page 118 of the DMG) or pick your own
monster.
A coral reef blocks your path. Make a DC 10 Wisdom
(Nature) check to find an alternate route. On a failed
check, your ship’s speed slows by 30 ft., and your ship
takes 4d10 slashing damage.
Jagged rocks block the path of the ship. Make a DC 10
Wisdom (Perception) check to find an alternate route.
On failed check, you ship’s speed slows by 30 ft., and
your ship takes 4d10 piercing damage.
A large swell or wave is headed your way. Make a DC
10 Intelligence (Vehicles - Water) check to successfully
navigate the wave. On failed check, your ship’s speed
slows by 30 ft. and your ship takes 4d10 bludgeoning
damage.
A sudden, massive gust of wind blows against the ship,
regardless of the current wind direction. Make a DC 15
Wisdom (Vehicles - Water) check to maintain control
of the ship. On a failed check, you momentarily lose
control of the ship. The ship’s speed is reduced to 0
ft., and the ship rotates 90° (odd = clockwise, even =
counter-clockwise). The wind direction quickly returns
to normal.
The wind suddenly drops off, your speed is reduced by
half, and you find yourself entering a dead calm. Make
a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to find the wind. On a
failed check, your ship’s speed is reduced to 0 ft.
Patches of fog rise up out of the sea all around you.
Make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to find a clear
spot. On a failed check, your visibility is reduced to
200 ft.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11-20 No complication.
Tribality Publishing
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