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Post by Kelly on Apr 14, 2004 12:16:31 GMT -5
This thread will be for information on the ship, equipment, officers and crew. I will post what information I currently have and what items I suggest we get.
Everyone should please post any additions and corrections to this information. Also, post your ideas as well. I assume that all officers will want to participate in these discusssions.
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Post by Kelly on Apr 14, 2004 14:06:34 GMT -5
1. SHIP - "The Tally Whacker"
Large Carrack Size: Length 100E Keel 70E Beam 33E Depth 20E br>Crew: Optimal 56, Adequate 42, Skeleton 30 Minimum Sailor Ranks: 4 Rigging/Sails: Square Rigged Speed: 7 Acceleration/Deceleration: 1/3 Maneuverability: E (1* 30 degree turn/ round) Seaworthiness: Good +5 Cargo: 250 Tons Transport: 100 Armaments: Maximum E6 broadside large catapults (12 total), 2 fore and aft ballista (4 total). (Note, light catapults are 1/2 width of heavy catapults and ballista are equal to heavy catapults.)
2. SHIP'S OFFICERS Kelly - Captain Palai - First Mate Evelyn - Marine commander Turjan - Navigator Apoctus - Pilot
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Post by Kelly on Apr 14, 2004 14:09:35 GMT -5
1. EQUIPMENT ON THE SHIP
A. MAGIC: Magic wand of extended fireballs (charges = 50); 19 torches with continual flame made by Kelly;
B. ARMAMENTS: 12 heavy catapults; 4 ballistae (2 fore and 2 aft); 200 ballistae bolts; 240 catapult shots; Silver Dagger; Backpack; Bedroll; Grappling Hook; MW Carpentry Tools; 18 MW Arrows; 50ft Silk Rope; Belt Pouch;
C. MUNDANE EQUIPMENT: equipped kitchen; miscellaneous furniture; buckets; ropes; rigging; sails; water barrels; life boats; empty barrels; sacks; candles; map case; chalk; fishhooks; balls of string; flint and steel; vial of ink; ink pens; paper or parchment; soap; sealing wax; signet ring of the ship's captain; scraps of cloth; firewood; miscellaneous tinder;
2. MAGIC ITEMS WHICH CAN BE SOLD TO SUPPLY THE SHIP IF NO ONE CLAIMS THEM
Ring of Sustenance
Broach of blinding lightMagic Scarab Beetle Broach (When charged 4 hours in the sun - 2 hours daylight/day or sunlight (ranged touch attack) 360' 4d4 (reflex save for 1/2) - KELLY IS INTERESTED IN GETTING THIS ITEM
+1 MW Rapier
Arcane Scrolls Minor Image (l2, cl3) Levitate (l2, cl3) Identify (l1, cl1) Ray of Enfeeblement (l1, cl1) Unseen Servant (l1, cl1) Minor Image (l2, cl3) Detect Thoughts (l2, cl3) Mirror Image (l2, cl3) Change Self (l1, cl1)
Spell Book - There is also a silver bound tome of strange black leather. Inside is covered with spidery magical writing. It will take an arcane caster some time to decifer what is written there.
Sapphire pendant is a +3 amulet of natural armor - KELLY IS INTERESTED IN GETTING THIS ITEM, BUT LIKELY IT SHOULD GO TO A PC WHO CANNOT WEAR ARMOR
120 Crystal tipped arrows (adds +d4 damage to each hit)
2 evilly aligned crimson bladed scimitars that bestow a negative level on anyone picks them up - the level returns when dropped - SHOULD SELL THESE ITEMS, BUT DISCLOSE THE NATURE OF THEM TO BUYER
+2 spiked chain of wounding - SHOULD SELL THIS ITEM
3. SHIP FUND
We have 5503 GP in the ships fund, as well as some magic equipment from the party's treasure and Endil that can be sold also.
Our last voyage cost 15,740 GP to hire the crew and outfit the ship. So at a minimum, we will each need to contribute about 2,000 GP each to this next trip (or more). I do not believe that this will not give us any money to buy equipment; that cost will be separate.
4. LETTER OF MARQUE
We received a Letter of Marque from Champion Barconius. We are entitled to board vessels flying a Calastian flag or Pirate vessels, searching them and taking any and all materials that rightfully belong to Mithril. Most privateers board, make their search and seizure and then set the ship and crew free. Mithril will give us 25 CP for every 1 GP of value of goods returned. Mithril will allow us to berth our ship here and to shop in the Mithril Armory.
5. MAP OF AREA
Joharus Kend of the Bejurian Vigil is the representative for naval issues. His headquarters are located in the Titanslayer citadel. When we met with him, he reviewed a Map with us revealing the following information:
The neighbouring city states to the south are friendly to Mithril. Hedrada, Vesh and Mullis town are all allied.
Now, the closest problem to Mithril is the Toe Islands. Or Kadum's Toes as they are known. The Toe pirates lurk here, waiting to prey on ships bound south. The main islands are fairly well known, but there are numerous uncharted islands and reefs, which make sailing treacherous. The approximate distance of these islands from Mithril is about 300 miles or so.
Thalien is known for its Marble, from which the Temple city was constructed. Algos, is the home to numerous known Pirate bands and is perpetually covered in a bank of mist. The second largest island is Roh Anon and is home to the Empire of the Sea. A particularly nasty bunch of pirates led by Kariosa Nephantaros. She's trying to unite the pirates into a sort of country under her rule. The other two islands are jungle. Also note that the League of Hydros is stationed on the southern tip of Thalien. Their sky ships are a constant danger.
From Ghelspad to Termana is a voyage of some 2500 miles in a straight line. Although most ships skirt the southern edge of the Blood Sea despite unfavorable currents. Here, on the southern shore of Ghelspad is the Calastian Hegemony. This is probably the richest waters in Ghelspad. But, it is also patrolled by the Calastian Navy. The Calastian Navy is by far the largest. The Archipelago is home to pirates who claim no country as home.
Also, note, the Piceans claim the northern and western Blood sea and Queen Ran claims the area around Termana. Generally, the Piceans will leave you alone so long as you pay the tribute. Typically a few hundred gold in goods or gems. Nothing perishable or damaged by water.
Your ship is capable of open ocean travel which is to your advantage, but you have a deep draft which makes pirate hunting around the islands difficult.
6. ITEMS TO PURCHASE
Trade 6 of the 12 heavy catapults for 6 ballistae. We should gain 1,800 gp for the trade allowing us to purchase 1,200 extra ballistae bolts. In the alternative, we can upgrade to 6 MW Ballistae (gain +1 to attacks) for the same cost of 1,800 GP or 10 MW Ballistae for an extra cost of 1,200 GP + 1,800 GP from the trade. Opinion seemed to be that the +1 gained from MW Ballistae is not worth the cost.
We should buy a Ramming Prow. If we ram, our ship only takes 50% damage from the ram attack instead of 100%. Cost = 500 GP (Large Ship)
We should buy a MW Rudder. Provides a +2 bonus on Profession Checks made by the Pilot. Cost = 600 GP (Large Ship)
We should buy 2 Firing Castles (one fore and one aft). 4 defenders get 90% cover from archery slits and 4 defenders get 50% cover from castle crenellations. Cost = 2,000 GP
We should buy 4 Armor Piercing Magic Ballistae Bolts. Cost = 4,800 GP
Explosive Bolt - antipersonel weapon - painted red - equal to an 8d6 fireball ref save dc 17 - Cost 1750 gp each; Anti Shipping bolt - painted blue - 6d6 additional piercing damage. Living targets get ref save DC 15 for half - Cost 675 each; Armor-piercing bolt - painted white - ignores hardness when determining damage (3d6) Cost: 1200 gp each.
We might want to buy rotating platforms for the fore and aft ballistae (sails and rigging should not interfere with these shots?). Cost = 4 x 500 GP = 2,000 GP
We might want to buy a fishing net to catch alot of fish.
We need to buy rations/food (preserved so they won't spoil) for us and the crew for emergencies.
HERE ARE THE PRICES OF OTHER EQUIPMENT WE MAY WANT TO BUY (We may already have some of them)
Weapons and Ammunition
Alchemist Fire load 225 gp (3d6 fire damage, heavy catapults can load 2/shot) 1/10 ton Heavy Catapult Shot 20 gp 1/6 ton Heavy Catapult 800 gp 1/2 ton Light Catapult Shot 10 gp 1/12 ton Light Catapult 550 gp 1/4 ton Ballista Shot 15 gp 1/50 ton (40 lbs) Ballista 500 gp 1/2 ton Ram 5000 gp 2 tons Damage = 2d10*relative speed, all to hull
Nautical Equipment
Astrolabe (navigation tool) 85 gp 4 lbs Bilge Pump 1 man 200 gp 30 lbs Bilge Pump 2 man 300 gp 75 lbs Captains Log 20 gp 4 lbs Charting Tools 15 gp 1 lbs Charting Tools Masterwork 50 gp 1 lbs Compass 500 gp 12 lbs Log Line (tells ship speed) 8 gp 15 lbs Rations Sea (For 100 people/day) 30 gp 400 lbs Sextant 500 gp 3 lbs Ship Repair Material (/hp repaired) 10 gp 100 lbs Ships Bell 25 gp 12 lbs Spyglass 1000 gp 1 lbs Telescope 2000 gp 1 lbs Timepiece (Clockwork) 3000 gp 2 lbs
7. MISCELLANEOUS
Max Weapons Allowed on Ship
12 Heavy Catapults (6 broadside 800 gp @) 9600 gp 4 Ballista (2 fore and aft 500 gp @) 2000 gp 64 Artillerists Expt 1 Profession Siege Engineer 4, Profession Sailor 4, Balance 4, Spot 4, Alchemy 4, Use Rope 4 1280 gp
Troops from First Voyage 32 Veteran Marines Warrior 3, Cutlass, crossbow and leather armor 320 gp
We have about 5 months in Mithril to refit your ship and hire a new crew. It's currently about Christmas time, so another 3 months to go during which we can adventure.
Perhaps we should recruit a fisherman to save on food costs among the crew. I can cast purify food on the fish before it is eaten so it is safe.
A wand of dispel magic might be a good investment. Cost = 11,250 GP
A Rod of Flame Extinguishing might be a good investment. Cost = 15,000 GP
A Wand of Cure Light Wounds might be a good investment. Cost = 750 GP
DM - I assume that we have other mundane and nautical equipment aboard the ship from our first sailing adventure since we successfully crossed the ocean twice. Please let us know what else we have aboard the ship, and make any corrections that are needed for accuracy. Some of this is my best guess.
I assume we have these items at least??:
Astrolabe (navigation tool) 85 gp 4 lbs Bilge Pumps 2 man 300 gp 75 lbs - number unknown? Captains Log 20 gp 4 lbs Charting Tools Masterwork 50 gp 1 lbs Compass 500 gp 12 lbs Log Line (tells ship speed) 8 gp 15 lbs Sextant 500 gp 3 lbs Ship Repair Material (/hp repaired) 10 gp 100 lbs Ships Bell 25 gp 12 lbs
8. NEW CREW (Can someone help with these numbers?)
Sailors = 40 - 54 (plus the 2 that are crew/fishermen)
Marines = ??
Artillery Experts = 2 per ballistae and 4 per catapult (plus 1 Seige Engineer per catapult listed below) = 44
Siege Engineer for Catapult = 6
Cook = 1
Fisherman/Crew = 2
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aaronp
Peasant
I sense mischief and must blast it with my magic!
Posts: 39
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Post by aaronp on Apr 17, 2004 10:45:59 GMT -5
Those numbers all sound good Kelly. As far as marines I think 10 should be enough. And I think we should concentrate on catapult power so we can knock down masts over Ballista power.
Also lets skip the armor pericing bolts and get either a wand of polymorph or monster summoning II(5 dolphins or whatever could be quite handy) or lightning bolt. I dont think we need the special ballistae bolts.
Im actually not in favor of killing pirates. It sounds a little too violent for me. Lets concentrate on winning ship to ship battles and avoid too much resorting to boarding tactics. Weve got quite a large crew though-roughly 70 plus men it seems. The wand of fireballs will come in handy.
I also have spells to help the ship move faster and give us a small advantage at sea. But in general I agree with your post and go along with it. Thats just my 2 cents.
Turjan
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Post by Kelly on Apr 17, 2004 19:19:10 GMT -5
1. The number of marines on our last mission was 17 I think. Officers stated that they wanted more marines than last time to allow the boarding of other ships during our game as opposed to destroying opposing ships. The opinion then was to increase the number of marines.
Everyone should state their opinion on this.
2. Catapults vs. Ballistae = We already have the catapults. So if people have changed their minds and no longer want to trade in some catapults for ballistae that is fine. I only wrote that down b/c it was the consensus during the game.
When deciding remember that the fire rate for a Ballistae is fast (3 rounds) compared to the ten minutes it takes to reload and fire a heavy catapult, also the number of crew is less (2 vs. 5), and ballistae does not require an expert to fire it accurately (engineer).
Everyone should state their opinion on this.
3. We can skip the magic Ballistae bolts if that is now the consensus.
A wand of polymorph is not the greatest unless you are going to become a flying creature; most won't go into the Blood Sea to swim. Perhaps that can be done with spells? A wand of monster summoning is likely unnecessary - the Horn of the Tritons can summon sharks and other ocean going creatures (if within range - not quite as reliable - but the Horn combined with our summon monster spells should do the job).
I guess we need to talk about whatever else could be handy. Remember we need the funds to pay for this stuff (in addition to the possible 2000 GP each person will have to kick in just to hire the crew and resupply the ship).
So we should try to get as much "bang for the buck" as we can while shopping. Perhaps we should concentrate on necessities first, items to improve the ship second, and luxuaries third.
4. Avoiding boarding is fine, but the thing to remember in ship to ship battles is that it is expected after we recover the "stolen" cargo, we are to set the enemy crew and ship free. If their ship is too damaged, then that is going to be hard to do.
5. Your spells sound cool. Looking forward to seeing them in action.
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Post by CosmicHorror on Apr 17, 2004 23:57:52 GMT -5
Wooo!! go bone-mage... err... nevermind, off topic anyway... too little sleep As for spells, my current ones consist of the staples, Magic Missile, an Acid orb spell thing for damaging objects, gust of wind to fill our sails or rip another's, and i'm debating weather water breathing will be of any use to us on the blood sea... if it isn't, i'll likly be getting dispel magic. as for equipment, i'm not really sure about the rules so do whatever. Magic ammo might help, though most of the ones listed are rather usless for keeping a ship intact, catapult stones of becalming would be better, they kill the wind in a very large radius of where they land, and then i can use gust of wind to fill our sails and board the enemy at our leasure, they're fairly expencive though, 2000+ gp ea. i think, palai has my A&E guide. anyway, sleep = good, double vision = bad...
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Post by Hussar on Apr 22, 2004 4:28:20 GMT -5
Way to go Kelly. Nice work!
Something to remember. Crewmen are simply level 1 commoners with no weapons and very low morale. They are NOT expected to fight. That's what marines are for. Also, if you pull crewmen away from their posts to go boarding, that means that you may have less crewmen to sail the ship afterwards. If something goes sideways and 20 crewmen get whacked, you might have a serious problem sailing your ship. Note the numbers for optimal, normal and skeleton crews in your Broadsides node.
Also remember that other ships may be carrying marines or pirates also. While the sailors will likely not fight, some ships will forgo artillery in the hopes that speed will bring them up close enough to grapple and mob over the side. Marines are prolly a good idea.
One final thing, does anyone have a good set of rules for doing a fairly large combat? What do you think would work best for say 100 combatants max?
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Post by Kelly on Apr 22, 2004 13:42:17 GMT -5
Based on the DM's post, I favor hiring marines. But we need to determine the number of marines to hire.
I know that the crew is not expected to fight, but I think it is a good idea to have extra weapons on board in case they have to fight or die. We should buy enough daggers to equip every crew man in an emergency. The cost of this would be very low.
Hopefully we can find enough other mundane equipment during our adventures to start an onboard armory (featuring simple weapons and crossbows which presumably the crew can use in an emergency).
DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY CHARGES THE WAND OF EXTENDED FIREBALLS ON THE SHIP HAS IN IT?
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Post by CosmicHorror on Apr 23, 2004 10:29:58 GMT -5
Yes, I would be in favor of the quick boarding tactic, but that's just me. Practicality wise, closing in while firing catapults/ballistea and then boarding would be better.
And for the wand, I would assume it would have 50 charges
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Post by Kelly on Apr 23, 2004 17:59:25 GMT -5
OOC
Thanks modified the wand of extended Fireballs above.
Hussar:
Can you please shed some light as to whether my equipment guess was correct from the above post?
"DM - I assume that we have other mundane and nautical equipment aboard the ship from our first sailing adventure since we successfully crossed the ocean twice. Please let us know what else we have aboard the ship, and make any corrections that are needed for accuracy. Some of this is my best guess.
I assume we have these items at least??:
Astrolabe (navigation tool) 85 gp 4 lbs Bilge Pumps 2 man 300 gp 75 lbs - number unknown? Captains Log 20 gp 4 lbs Charting Tools Masterwork 50 gp 1 lbs Compass 500 gp 12 lbs Log Line (tells ship speed) 8 gp 15 lbs Sextant 500 gp 3 lbs Ship Repair Material (/hp repaired) 10 gp 100 lbs Ships Bell 25 gp 12 lbs"
Thanks for the input so far guys. It helps alot.
TJJ
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Post by Hussar on Apr 24, 2004 23:01:32 GMT -5
This is from the Game Transcripts and, believe it or not, it's in the very first one. Heh. Those things actually proved handy in the last little while. Anyway, here's what you had before you sailed to the Island.
----------- (2) Elias: Astrolabe (navigation tool); Bilge Pump 2 man 300 gp 75 lbs; Captains Log 20 gp 4 lbs ; Charting Tools Masterwork 50 gp 1 lbs; Log Line (tells ship speed) 8 gp 15 lbs; Ships Bell 25 gp 12 lbs; Telescope 2000 gp 1 lbs; Timepiece (Clockwork) 3000 gp 2 lbs (2) Elias: is what we need, right? (2) Elias: since we already got a compas and sextant (1) Hussar: Tack in a couple of tons of repair materials and you're gold. (2) Elias: yeah (2) Elias: i was gonna ask about that (2) Elias: ok, let me add all that up (1) Hussar: I got 5488 gp (3) Grimnoor: we could hire an all female crew, trade them off to the nativesand that would give us more room on the return trip (2) Elias: 5488 gold before repair material (1) Hussar: [300+20+50+8+25+2000+3000+85] -> 5488 (2) Elias: right (2) Elias: how much repair material? (1) Hussar: Well it's 20 hp/ton and 200 gp/ton (1) Hussar: 10 tons?
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So, there's the equipment you had bought. I would assume that you prolly used a couple of tons of repair material just for daily use of the ship. So figure that you still have 8 tons. Not a terrible lot. You might want more. Of course, since Kelly can now cast Make Whole spells, that should be VERY useful. Note, however, Make Whole does not help with burned things.
Hope that helps Kelly.
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Post by Hussar on Apr 25, 2004 6:46:02 GMT -5
Heh, Kelly's godey sense begins tingling when he considers selling the evilly aligned blades. Taking them to the church however reveals a reward of 10 000 gp for the two of them. The spiked chain is worth another 18000 gp for a total of:
28 000 gp.
That should be enough to sort out your cash requirements.
BTW, ballista only require a crew of 1 and heavy catapults requre a crew of 5. ALL siege weapon crew MUST be artillerists. They must ALL be experts. Firing with normal crew is highly ineffective.
All sailors can be assumed to be capable of fishing. You do not need to hire fishermen.
See Prices of Ship Stuff for statistics and capabilities of ship's crew.
I would advise hiring an optimal sized crew, but that's just me.
Sailors can be assumed to have small weapons like daggers or knives. Anything more significant you will have to supply. Note, sailors are only commoners and will likely surrender if given the choice. It is EXTREMELY unlikely any crew will fight to the death against an opponent they can reasonably expect quarter.
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Post by Kelly on Apr 25, 2004 14:58:24 GMT -5
If we purchase rotating platforms for the two aft and two fore ballistae, then each ballistae requires a two man crew. If they are left stationary, then one man is enough.
The heavy catapults listed a crew of five (4 normal men and one siege engineer) as discussed in the DMG.
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Post by Hussar on Apr 25, 2004 22:21:18 GMT -5
Why would you want rotating platforms? You regularly have a 60 degree arc with a balista, the platform would give you a 180. But, you basically would only get 90 degrees to either the left or right since you couldn't swing past the other balista or the rigging.
Essentially, it's WAY easier to turn your ship than to turn the weapon.
Rotating platforms on a sailing ship are just not a good idea. The sails, masts and rigging get in the way too much. That, and adding extra crew cuts down on other crew that you can hire.
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Post by Hussar on Apr 25, 2004 22:28:06 GMT -5
Guys, this might give you a better idea of what the Tallywhacker looks like. Although it is not entirely accurate since the Tallywhacker also has a boneventure (fore) mast and a lateen rigged aft mast. This pic shows having lots of large catapults. As stated elsewhere, the facing of a balista is the same as a large catapult.
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