Page 197 - ghosts-of-saltmarsh

First Mate. This specialist keeps the crew's morale crew can be cowed into obedience through violence,
high by providing supervision, encouragement. and combat, or offers of treasure or other rewards.
discipline. A first mate benefits from a high Charisma When the DM ends tbe mutiny, the crew's quaHty
score, as well as proficiency with the Intimidation and score increases by ld4.
Persuasion skills.
Bosun. The bosun (or boatswain) provides technical SHORE LEAVE
advice to the captain and crew and leads repair Life aboard a ship is a constant wear on the crew.
and maintenance efforts. A good bosun has a high Spending time in port allows the crew to relax and re-
Strength score, as well as proficiency with carpenter's gain its composure.
tools and the Athletics skill. If a crew's quality score is 3 or lower, the score
Quartermaster. The quartermaster plots the ship's increases by 1 for each day the crew spends in port
course, relying on knowledge of nautical charts and or ashore.
a study of weather and sea conditions. A reliable
quartermaster tends to have a high Wisdom score, SU PERIOR SHIP UPGRADES
as well as proficiency with navigator's tools and the
Some vessels possess extraordinary abilities, whether
Nature skill.
due to magic or superior artisanship. The upgrades be-
Surgeon. The ship's surgeon tends to injuries. keeps
low can replace a ship's existing components or provide
illnesses from spreading throughout the ship, and
a new element to augment a ship's abilities.
oversees sanitation. A capable surgeon benefits from
Adding an upgrade costs 15,000 gp and requires ld4
a high Intelligence score, as well as proficiency with
weeks of work. During that time. the ship must remain
herbalism kits and the Medicine skill.
in port. If the ship leaves, the work must start over, but
Cook. A ship's cook works with the limited ingredients
you don't need to pay the gold piece cost a second time.
aboard a ship to make meals. A skilled cook keeps the
crew's morale in top shape. while a poor one drags HULL U PGRADES
down the entire crew's performance. A talented cook
Any ship with a hull can gain one of the following up-
has a high Constitution score. as well as proficiency
grades. In some cases. an upgrade also provides a bene-
with brewer's supplies and cook's utensils.
fit to the ship's other components.
C REW MEMBERS
CHURNING HULL
A ship requires a number of able-bodied sailors to crew A tempest rages within these rune-etched, iron chains.
it, as specified in its stat block. A crew's skill, experi- Raiders and pirates who operate under the blessings of
ence, morale. and health are defined by its quality score. a storm god sometimes make use of th is upgrade.
This score can affect a number of general ship activities, By draping the chains over a ship's hull, the storm's
like the crew's ability to notice threats or contend with fury thrashes into the water around it. The water within
hazards. A crew starts with a quality score of +4. but 210 feet of the ship is difficult terrain for everything
that score varies over time, going as low as - 10 and as other than this ship.
high as +10. It decreases as a crew takes casualties.
suffers hardship, or endures poor health. It increases if DEATH VESSEL
the crew enjoys high morale, has good health care, and Crafted with materials harvested from the Shadowfell,
receives fair leadership. this upgrade grams a ship an aura of dread. As an ac-
A typical crew member uses the commoner stat block tion, the ship can create a pulse of horrific energy. Every
in the Monster Manual. creature that is an enemy of the ship who is on board or
within 210 feet of it must make DC 14 Wisdom saving
OPTIONAL RULE: LOYALTY AND QUALITY
throw. On a failed save, a creature is frightened of the
When dealing with an individual member of the crew, ship for J minute. On a successful save, the creature is
you might find it useful to use the optional loyalty rule immune to this ability for 24 hours. Once this ability is
from chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. To con- used. it can't be used again until ld4 hours have passed.
vert a quality score into an individual's loyalty score. add
JO to the crew's quality score. FROST-LOCKED HULL
This upgrade replaces a ship's hull with supernatural
MUTINY
ice drawn from the elemental planes. The hull and the
A poorly led or mistreated crew might turn against other components of the ship are immune to cold dam-
its officers. Once per day, if a crew's quality score is age but vulnerable to fire damage. The ship can also
lower than 0, the captain must make a Charisma (In- move at its normal speed over ice of any thickness, float-
timidation or Persuasion) check modified by the crew's ing on the ice at the same depth as it would in water.
quality score.
If the check total is between J and 9. the crew's qual- L IVING VESSEL
ity score decreases by 1. This vessel's hull was crafted in the Feywild under the
If the check total is 0 or lower, the crew mutinies. direction of master eladrin shipwrights. It is a living
They become hostile to the officers and might attempt to plant. drawing sustenance from water and sunlight.
kill them. imprison them, or throw them overboard. The Vines covered in thick leaves hang over its side, and

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