Ship Combat
Ship combat works best when the vessel is part battlefield, part objective, and part countdown. The point is not only to reduce hulls or hit points; it is to decide who controls movement, range, boarding, cargo, and escape.
- Define the scene's goal: escape, board, capture, protect cargo, break pursuit, survive weather, or reach shore.
- Choose the important ship zones: helm, rigging, deck, hold, weapons, engine, lifeboats, or ritual focus.
- Give every player a useful job: steering, repairs, ranged pressure, boarding defense, lookout, magic support, or rescue.
- Track threats that change the battle: fire, leaks, broken sails, falling masts, reefs, storms, waves, monsters, or panic.
- End with consequences: prize taken, ship damaged, prisoner captured, route delayed, supplies lost, or reputation changed.
Use decks, railings, rigging, cargo, ladders, smoke, slick planks, and elevation to make movement choices matter. Boarding actions should feel different from a fight in a square room.
Unless individual crew matter as NPCs, treat them as scene pressure: they keep the ship moving, suffer casualties, panic, repair damage, or open opportunities for the characters.
Naval scenes improve when something changes every round or two: distance closes, fire spreads, a storm worsens, a reef approaches, reinforcements arrive, or a monster resurfaces.
Damage the route. A failed ship scene can cost time, cargo, secrecy, crew, supplies, or reputation without ending the voyage.
Change the next scene. A limping ship, captured prisoner, damaged sail, or stolen chart gives the next encounter immediate context.