Ship Edges and Hinderances

Still a work in progress but wanted to get something out so you know what I'm talking about. Thing may and most likely will change.

As with characters, ships have personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. In game terms, ships can have Ship Edges and Hindrances. Ships receive 1 free Ship Edge, chosen by the GM. He can then assign Ship Hindrances to buy more Edges. Just like character Hindrances, a Major Hindrance earns the ship 2 points and each Minor Hindrance earns a ship 1 point. A ship may have a maximum of one Major and two Minor Hindrances. Edges cost 2 points each. A ship may have a number of Edges equal to its Wound rating. Unless otherwise stated, an Edge or Hindrance may only be taken once per ship. Ships can be given Edges during game play without taking Hindrances (to the limit of the ship’s Wounds still). A character must forfeit one of his character’s advancements to buy his ship an Edge. The downside is that if the ship is sunk, the hero has lost an advancement. Some Hindrances, as noted in their description, can be bought off during play. The GM needn’t give every enemy ship Edges or Hindrances, though any captained by Wild Cards or recurring villains should have them. For ease, the GM can roll randomly for each Edge or Hindrance to determine which a ship has.

d20 Edge

• 1 Storm Worthy
• 2 Thick Hull
• 3 Shallow Draft
• 4
• 5 Extra Cargo
• 6 Long Range Guns
• 7 Unsinkable
• 8 Helmsman’s Dream
• 9 Windcatcher
• 10 Overgunned
• 11 Hated Foe
• 12 Oars
• 13 Fast
• 14 Disciplined Crew
• 15 Rapid Fire
• 16 Swift Topsails
• 17 Powerful Guns
• 18 Passengers
• 19 Well Built
• 20 Artillery

d20 Hinderances

• 1 Rats
• 2 Warped Rudder
• 3 Weak Frame
• 4 Poor Crew
• 5 Deep Keel
• 6
• 7 Thin Hull
• 8 Slow
• 9 Tinder Box
• 10 Damage Prone
• 11 Poor Rigging
• 12 Small Quarters
• 13 Small Hold
• 14 Leaky
• 15 Undergunned
• 16 Barnacles
• 17 Lack of Quarters
• 18 Exposed Decks
• 19 Fragile Rigging
• 20 Small Mounts

Edge Descriptions

A number of the following Edges are based on the Pirates CSG, and recreate some of the ship and crew abilities in RPG terms.

Artillery - The crew is trained to fire the guns at exceptionally long ranges. For each 10” over the maximum range of the guns, the crew suffers an additional –1 penalty to Shooting rolls. Guns cannot fire more than twice their maximum range. If the ship has both Long Guns and Artillery, increase the base Range by 50% before factoring the Artillery Edge.

Example: a standard 8-pdr cannon has a maximum range of 32”. The crew may extend this to a maximum of 64”. Shots at targets between 33” and 42” away are made at –5 instead of the usual –4. Between 43” and 52”, the penalty is –6, between 53” and 64”, the maximum range, the penalty is –7.

Example: an 8-pdr with the Long Range Edge has a Long Range of 48”. The crew can fire to a maximum range of 96” yards, suffering a –5 penalty at 49”-58”, –6 at 59”-68”, and so on up to a massive –9 at 89”-96”.

Disciplined Crew - The crew is well trained and disciplined. The Edge grants a benny to the ship’s company as a whole each session. The benny can be used on rolls made by any crew member, but only if the roll directly affects the ship in some way (firing a cannon is permissible, but firing a musket is not). The captain decides when to use the benny even if he is not making the roll. It cannot be used toward experience points for any crew member.

Extra Cargo Space - The hull of the ship has been designed for optimum space. The ship has 50% more Cargo Spaces (rounded down).

Hated Foe - The crew, for whatever reason, has a hatred of ships of a certain nation. Each time this Edge is taken, pick one nation (pirates count as a nation for the purposes of this Edge). The crew gains +2 to Shooting rolls against ships flying that nation’s flag.

Helmsman’s Dream - The ship responds easily to the helmsman’s touch. Increase the vessel’s Handling by +1.

Fast - The ship cuts through water like a hot knife through butter. Add +1 to the ship’s Travel Speed.

Long Range Guns - The cannons on the ship have a longer range than others their size. Increase the Range of all guns by 50%. So, an 8-pdr cannon would increase from 8/16/32 to 12/24/48. If the ship has both the Long Guns and Artillery Edges, increase the base Range by 50% before factoring the Artillery Edge.

Oars - The ship is equipped with oars (also called sweeps) and needs neither wind nor sails to move. The ship has an Acceleration of 1, a Top Speed of 3, and a Travel Speed of 2 when under oar. These ratings are lower than a galley, as the ship does not carry as many oars.

Overgunned - The ship can carry more guns than vessels of a similar size. This Edge can be taken more than once (but remember a ship has a maximum number of Edges equal to its number of wounds). The ship adds 2 to its Guns rating each time the Edge is taken. These additional guns do not take up any cargo space.

Passengers - The ship’s passenger quarters are quite roomy. Increase the number of Passengers by 50% (rounded down).

Powerful Guns - Although the cannons use regular balls, they propel them with greater force. They add +2 to damage rolls when firing regular cannonballs.

Rapid Fire - The crew has been trained to fire and reload in expert time. Each round, you may reroll one failed Shooting roll made with a ship’s cannon, as if you had spent a benny. This does not apply to cannons fired by Wild Cards, however.

Shallow Draft - A ship with this Edge draws less water than other vessels of her size. Add +1 to Handling to avoid running aground. The ship can also sail up rivers and into shallow harbors without difficulty.

Storm Worthy - The ship has sailed through hurricanes and emerged unscathed. During a storm (see page 229), the GM draws an extra card and the captain chooses whichever one he wishes. This stacks with the Storm Chaser and Wind Sense Edges.

Swift Topsails - The sails are designed in a way that maximizes the wind. The ship has +1 Top Speed.

Thick Hull - The ship is of the sturdiest construction and has +1 Armor. This Edge may be taken more than once.

Unsinkable - The ship has a remarkable ability to withstand hits. When your ship takes a Critical Hit, the captain may modify the result by 1 point (plus or minus) as he sees fit.

Well Built - The ship is solidly built with her ribs close together to withstand cannon blasts. Increase her base Toughness by 2.

Windcatcher - This ship is rigged for speed. With a combination of lateen sails, staysails and moonrakers, the crew catches every scrap of available wind. This adds +1 to the ship’s Acceleration.

Hindrance Descriptions

Some of the following Hindrances are based on the Pirates CSG, and so should also be familiar to fans of the game.

Barnacles (Major) - Maybe it’s the type of wood, or perhaps the ship is just unlucky, but it attracts more than its share of barnacles and worms. The ship must be careened every two months instead of every four or it suffers penalties to Handling (see page 129).

Damage Prone (Major) - Cannonballs seem to know exactly where to hit the ship. Whenever the ship suffers a Critical Hit, the firer may modify the result by 1 point higher or lower as it suits him.

Deep Keel (Minor) - The ship’s keel is particularly deep. The ships suffers a –1 penalty to Handling when attempting to avoid running aground. At the GM’s discretion, the ship may not be able to enter shallow harbors.

Exposed Decks (Major) - The decks of the ship leave the crew exposed. Grapeshot causes 2d6 crew hits with a success and 3d6 with a raise.

Fragile Rigging (Minor) - The rigging and masts are fragile and can easily be smashed by chain shot. Chain shot reduces the ship’s Top Speed by 1” with a success, and 2” for each raise. Replacing the rigging and buying off this Hindrance costs $400 per point of the ship’s base Toughness.

Communal Quarters (Minor) - The ship’s company share a single communal area barely adequate for the needs of the crew, let alone allow for passengers. Halve the number of passengers the ship can carry (rounded down).

Leaky (Minor) - No matter how much tar the crew uses, the ship leaks like a sieve, and takes an extra d6 damage in a storm. Tarring the ship costs $50 per point of base Toughness, and negates the bonus until the ship is next careened, at which point it starts leaking again.

Poor Crew (Minor) - Despite the captain’s best efforts, he cannot get the crew to work together. Even new crew members quickly fall out with their colleagues. When making a Group roll for the crew, they use a d4 Wild Die.

Poor Rigging (Minor) - The ship’s rigging needs replacing. All of it. The vessel suffers –1 to Top Speed until the rigging is replaced. Replacing the rigging removes the Hindrance, but costs $150 per point of the ship’s base Toughness.

Rats (Minor) - The ship has a rat infestation that simply won’t go away. A Cargo Space dedicated to provisions holds just 300 “points” of food, rather than 500 as normal (see page 129). The rats eat the rest during the voyage.

Slow (Major) - No amount of wind can make the ship move much above a crawl. Reduce Travel Speed by 1 (to a minimum of 1).

Small Hold (Major) - The ship’s hold is poorly designed and makes storing cargo a nightmare. The ship has half the listed Cargo Spaces (rounded down).

Small Mounts (Major) - The ship can only mount 4-pdr cannons, though it treats them as 8-pdrs for the space they require.

Small Quarters (Major) - Due to errors during construction, the crew quarters are inadequate. The crew suffer Cabin Fever every 15 days instead of every 30 (see page 130).

Thin Hull (Minor) - The ship’s outer hull is thin and easily shattered by cannonballs. The ship’s Armor is reduced by 2 (to a minimum of 2). Replacing the Armor and removing the Hindrance costs $300 per point of the ship’s base Toughness.

Tinder Box (Major) - The ship has an almost supernatural capacity for catching fire, even when all the lanterns are extinguished. The ship catches fire on any Critical Hit (see page 134).

Undergunned (Major) - The architect should have been strung up! His poor designs mean the ship cannot accommodate as many cannon as others of her class. Halve the number of guns the ship carries. She may still mount extra guns at the cost of reduced Cargo Space. Warped Rudder (Minor) - The ship’s rudder is warped and the ship has –1 Handling. This can be repaired, and the Hindrance removed, at a cost of $100 per point of the ship’s base Toughness.

Weak Frame (Major) - The ship’s ribs are few and far between, meaning she is prone to being holed by a well-placed shot. The ship’s base Toughness is lowered by 2 points.