Our Mother, the Sea: Rules for Ships
These rules were created for use with Violence. A version of these rules will be found in an upcoming hexcrawl, Our Mother, the Sea.
Here a few terms that are not defined elsewhere in this post:
- Handpounds: Many standards of measurement have come and gone, but the handpound (hlb) is accepted at every port. A unit of both volume and weight, it is the rough equivalent of 10 lbs or a gallon of liquid, describing what can be easily carried in one hand.
- Harm: A catch-all term for results of Injury/Downed.
- Hexes: Each hex is assumed to be 12-miles wide.
Ship Attributes
Class
A ship’s Class describes its purpose, and provides the basis for determining all other ship attributes. Roll a d6 on each row of the appropriate Class Table when needed (see Ship Classes section).
Tier
A ship’s Tier generally describes its size. Tier ranges from I-X.
Deadweight
A ship’s Deadweight describes the number of hlbs it can carry effectively, and is determined by its Tier:
|
Tier |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
IX |
X |
|
Deadweight |
100 hlbs |
250 hlbs |
500 hlbs |
750 hlbs |
1000 hlbs |
1500 hlbs |
2000 hlbs |
2500 hlbs |
3000 hlbs |
4000 hlbs |
Load
A ship’s Load is the number of hlbs currently carried onboard.
The Load can be categorized as Quarter, Half, or Full Capacity, for reference with other procedures. If the Load exceeds its Deadweight, then it is categorized as Overloaded. An Overloaded ship may capsize every hour.
A ship cannot carry more than twice its Deadweight without sinking.
Each person onboard, along with their possessions, counts as 10 hlbs towards the ship’s Load.
Speed
A ship’s Speed is equal to the number of nautical miles it can comfortably travel in an hour. Conveniently, this number also roughly equals the amount of hexes it can travel in a day or night at a steady pace.
All ships start with a base Speed determined by the ship’s Tier, as outlined in the table below. Additionally, subtract the ship’s Tier from the engine’s Tier, and add the result to the ship’s base Speed.
|
Tier |
Base Speed |
|
I - IV |
4 knots |
|
V - VII |
5 knots |
|
VIII - IX |
6 knots |
|
X |
8 knots |
The ship’s Load modifies travelling speed as detailed below:
|
Load |
Speed modifier |
|
Quarter Capacity |
+2 knots |
|
Half Capacity |
+1 knots |
|
Full Capacity |
None |
|
Overloaded |
-2 knots |
Increasing Speed
A ship can strain its engine to travel faster than its Speed temporarily, not exceeding by an amount equal to half its Speed.
Every hour, roll a d6. Add +1 for each additional knot after the first. On a 6+, the engine breaks. If it breaks, roll again with the same modifiers; on a 6+ the engine catches fire.
A ship uses twice as much fuel as normal while travelling this way.
Decreasing Speed
A ship can travel half its Speed to reduce its Fuel Use by -1 hlb.
Fuel Use
A ship’s Fuel Use describes the amount of fuel used per hex travelled. This amount is determined by the ship’s Tier:
|
Tier |
Fuel Use |
|
I - V |
1 hlb |
|
VI - VII |
2 hlbs |
|
VIII - IX |
3 hlbs |
|
X |
4 hlbs |
Overloaded ships use twice as much fuel as normal.
Fuel Use cannot be reduced below 1 hlb.
To-hit Modifier
A ship’s To-hit Modifier is equal to its Tier divided by 2. This modifier only applies to shots aimed at the ship’s hull.
Traits
Each ship has a 1-in-6 chance of a special Trait. If so, roll a random Trait from the table below.
|
d12 |
Trait |
Description |
|
1 |
Broad |
Increase Deadweight by 50%. |
|
2 |
Fireproof |
Reduce severity of all fires started onboard by 2. They spread at half the rate. 4-in-6 chance the ship is equipped with a firehose. |
|
3 |
Ironclad |
The ship is equipped with d6 units of armored plating. |
|
4 |
Limpy |
The ship lists to one side. Flip a coin to determine which. |
|
5 |
Nimble |
The ship handles well, allowing it to more easily perform risky maneuvers. |
|
6 |
Ram-bowed |
The ship is equipped with a ram. Roll a d20 instead of a d12 when determining whether damage occurs after ramming an object. |
|
7 |
Steady |
Add an Advantage when the ship may capsize. |
|
8 |
Strong |
The ship may pull weight equal to five times its Deadweight before it must increase its speed beyond normal means. |
|
9 |
Thrifty |
Subtract 1 hlb from the ship’s Fuel Use. |
|
10 |
Quick |
Add +2 knots to the ship’s base Speed. |
|
11 |
Quiet |
The ship’s engine purrs, not roars. |
|
12 |
Well-armed |
The ship is equipped with a random piece of heavy weaponry. |
Ship Classes
Class Table A: Dinghy |
||||||
|
d6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Tier |
I |
II |
||||
|
Additional Standard Equipment (2 hlbs): Oars. |
||||||
Class Table B: Motorboat |
||||||
|
d6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Tier |
I |
II |
III |
|||
|
Engine |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
|
Light |
Spotlight (Short-range) |
Floodlight (Short-range) |
Spotlight (Mid-range) |
|||
|
Radio |
Receiver |
Transceiver |
||||
|
Additional Standard Equipment (12 hlbs): Propeller. Rudder. Antenna. |
||||||
Class Table C: Fishing Trawler |
||||||
|
d6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Tier |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
||
|
Engine |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
||
|
Light |
Spotlight (Short-range) |
Floodlight (Short-range) |
Spotlight (Mid-range) |
|||
|
Radio |
Receiver |
Transceiver |
||||
|
Net |
I |
II |
III |
|||
|
Additional Standard Equipment (52 hlbs): Propeller. Rudder. Anchor. Winch. Antenna. |
||||||
Class Table D: Whaler |
||||||
|
d6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Tier |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
||
|
Engine |
VI |
VII |
IX |
X |
||
|
Light |
Spotlight (Mid-range) |
Spotlight (Far-range) |
||||
|
Radio |
Receiver |
Transceiver |
||||
|
Explosive Harpoons |
None |
d6 |
||||
|
Additional Standard Equipment (50 hlbs): Propeller. Rudder. Anchor. Antenna. Harpoon cannon. |
||||||
Class Table E: Freighter |
||||||
|
d6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Tier |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
IX |
X |
|
|
Engine |
VII |
VII |
VIII |
IX |
||
|
Light |
Floodlight (Short-range) |
Floodlight (Far-range) |
||||
|
Radio |
Receiver |
Transceiver |
||||
|
Additional Standard Equipment (142 hlbs): Propeller. Rudder. Anchor. Antenna. Crane. |
||||||
Class Table F: Warship |
||||||
|
d6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
Tier |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
IX |
X |
|
|
Engine |
VIII |
IX |
X |
|||
|
Light |
Spotlight (Mid-range) |
Spotlight (Far-range) |
Floodlight (Far-range) |
|||
|
Heavy Weapon |
Heavy Machine Gun |
Artillery Cannon |
||||
|
Radio |
Receiver |
Transceiver |
||||
|
Armored Plating |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
|
Additional Standard Equipment (42 hlbs): Propeller. Rudder. Anchor. Antenna. |
||||||
Ship Procedures
Ship Combat
Movement
Ships move simultaneously in two phases.
At the start of each round, each ship moves halfway along its route simultaneously, then declares the rest of their intended route.
After combatants who rolled 10+ on initiative have completed their turns, ships complete their movement. Before doing so, they may choose to secretly change their declared movement by making a Check with a DV equal to the ship’s Tier. On a failure, the ship’s change in movement is declared publicly. All other ships may rewrite their orders.
Dodging
Ships may reactively dodge an imminent Explosion (i.e. ramming, artillery fire, thrown missile, leviathan attack, etc.) by attempting a risky maneuver. Roll a d12.
- Add +1 for each situational advantage.
- Add -1 for each situational disadvantage.
- Add -1 if the ship would be within range of the attack’s secondary zone.
- Add -2 if the ship would be within range of the attack’s lethal zone.
If the result meets or exceeds the ship’s Tier, the attack is successfully dodged.
On a failure, the ship pitches as the attack lands, and the crew onboard is thrown off balance. For the remainder of the round, they may take no action except to regain their composure.
Leviathans
Leviathans act as ships for the purposes of movement due to their colossal size.
After movement has occurred and been declared at the start of the round, leviathans declare attacks.
Attacks are resolved during the second phase of movement at the point they were declared to occur. Leviathans’ attacks are resolved as Explosions.
Leviathans add a +3 modifier to unarmed Melee Checks.
Harming Ships
The Hull
Whenever a ship’s hull would be Harmed, instead roll a d6 + the weapon’s modifier. The ship begins flooding, taking on a number of hlbs of water per hour equal to the result.
Additionally, when a ship’s hull is hit by an Explosion, roll a d20 instead of making a Shooting Check:
- Add the weapon’s modifier.
- Add +2 if the ship is the Explosion’s secondary zone.
- Add +5 if the ship is in the Explosion’s lethal zone.
- Subtract the ship’s Tier.
On a 20+, the ship is destroyed and immediately begins sinking.
Other Equipment
Other ship equipment is Harmed as normal, with results of Injury/Down applying to the equipment separately from the rest of the ship.
Flooding
When a ship takes on water, the unbalanced load can affect the ship’s stability.
Once the volume of water onboard is greater than one-tenth of the ship’s Deadweight, it may capsize every hour.
Once it exceeds one-quarter of the ship’s Deadweight, the ship begins listing. It may capsize every 10 minutes.
Once it exceeds half of the ship’s Deadweight, the ship immediately lists and begins sinking.
Running Aground
When a ship runs aground, roll a d12 under its travelling speed to avoid getting stuck. Add +3 if the seabed is sandy. Add +5 if the ship runs aground on wreckage or ruins.
If the underwater obstacle could cause damage to the ship, the ship rams into it when it runs aground, as well.
Ramming
When a ship rams into something, roll a d12 over its speed relative to the rammed object to avoid damage.
On a failure, the ship is hit by an Explosion (0/1/1 yd) with a modifier equal to the result
Capsizing
When a ship may capsize, the helmsman makes a DV 16 Check.
- Add the ship’s Tier.
- Add +1 if the ship Load is at Quarter Capacity.
- Add +2 if the ship’s Load is at Half Capacity.
- Add -4 if the ship is Overloaded.
On a failure, the ship capsizes and begins sinking.
Sinking
Unless the crew can save it, a sinking ship takes 3d6 minutes to submerge completely, plus a number of minutes equal to the ship’s Tier. If its Load is at Half Capacity or less, it takes twice as long to sink.
Fires
When a fire starts onboard, roll a d4 to determine its initial severity. Every minute, there is a 2-in-6 chance the flames spread – add +1 to the fire’s severity.
A number of crew members equal to the fire’s severity is needed to control it. Every minute, there is a 4-in-6 chance they can reduce its severity by 1. Efficient tactics and/or gear may reduce the number of crew members needed.
Once the fire’s severity exceeds the ship’s Tier, the flames grow out of control, swallowing the ship in 2d6 minutes.
Sailing in a Storm
While sailing storm-tossed seas, a ship may capsize every hex travelled, or every 6 hours spent in the same hex.
Sailing Along a Coastline
Every hex travelled within 1 mile of a coastline, there is a 1-in-6 chance of encountering an underwater hazard hiding in the shallow waters.