Author Topic: Optimizing a Ship?  (Read 2864 times)

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Operation Shoestring

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Optimizing a Ship?
« on: June 24, 2008, 06:57:26 AM »
I've played around with a lot of charcter optimization, but my current project is to create a ship of awesome... I blame Snizor and his "Flying Box" idea.

The core idea I am working with is a mix of the atmosphere of the TV show Firefly, the mechanics of a freelance space sim (like Escape Velocity, Freelancer, Privateer, Elite or Hardwar), and a setting reminiscent of Sid Meir's Pirates or Disney's Pirates of the Carribean.

Okay, fluff done, on to the actuall D&D part. 

The plan is to run this in Eberron or a similar homebrew setting, as a Ship of free traders trying to make their way despite the power and broad reach of the pre-existing guilds/Dragonmarked Houses.  Said guilds have the advantage of bound elementals driving their ships and established monopolies or near-monopolies over many routes, commodities, and government contracts.  Our intrepid heroes are not without their own advantages however... Their ship is an expiremental model crafted before the advent of elemental-powered vehicles.  It is a living ship, created and still tended by (a) Druid(s).  It's still living hull shifts sublty to suit the water, and instead of canvas hanging from masts, (an) awakened tree(s) provide the "sail".  Arcane schemas are built into the very bulkheads, including at least one that submerges the ship....

So here is what I ask of you:

What means can be used to make this ship better?  Speed, Storage Space, Survivability, Maneuverability, Navigation, Firepower, etc. all need to be magically enhanced, though not at first... Players will be able to "upgrade" the ship as the story progresses.

What mechanics migh be used to represent the running of the ship?  Does anyone know a naval combat system compatible with D&D?

How might the players creat characters that are not only powerful in their own right but also usefull crewers?  Artificers are obviously in need, but what might a Martial Adept contribute?

Anything 3.5 and WOTC is good, but I'd like to avoid Dragon Mag.

so, any ideas?
« Last Edit: June 25, 2008, 03:14:55 AM by Operation Shoestring »

Callix

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2008, 07:49:00 AM »
Martial classes can do what they always do: guard the squishy types. Stopping enemies getting to the Druid and the Artificer is a very useful contribution. To add variety, occupy the "technicians" (Druids, Artificers) with a ship problem while the others have to repel boarders. For ship-to-ship combats, have them man the cannons, and let them use their BAB. As for using their abilities out of combat, get creative. Try to set fire to the "rigging", then watch the Swordsage in Flame's Blessing stance Shadow Jaunt up there and grab the nonmagical fire in his hands. Get people to put ranks in various Professions. Sailor leaps out, but Carpenter, Fisherman, Cook and Foreman all have their places on board ship.
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Akalsaris

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2008, 08:02:18 AM »
The Stronghold Builder's Guide has a list of various magic items and spells that help with strongholds, many of which might apply for the PC's "ship."

A lyre of building might make the ship invulnerable for 30 mins if you rule that it's close enough to a building to count for it. (DMG) 

Martial adepts will be quite useful in combat and as standard sailors I'd assume.  Moreso than standard martial classes from the PHB anyhow =P

Prime32

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2008, 10:21:19 AM »
See if you can research a version of animate city from races of Destiny that will affect the ship.

Use tree stride to teleport to any place on the ship at will.


You said you didn't want to use Dragon magazine, but the third adventure path in Dungeon magazine is a naval campaign ("Savage Tide") with plenty of resources on this.
My work
The tier system in a nutshell:
[spoiler]Tier 6: A cartographer.
Tier 5: An expert cartographer or a decent marksman.
Tier 4: An expert marksman.
Tier 3: An expert marksman, cartographer and chef who can tie strong knots and is trained in hostage negotiation or a marksman so good he can shoot down every bullet fired by a minigun while armed with a rusted single-shot pistol that veers to the left.
Tier 2: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything, or the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.
Tier 1: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything and the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.[/spoiler]

Smudgy

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2008, 11:51:56 AM »
IIRC, the Complete Scoundrel has some sort of hidden storage compartment table. Get a secret room on the boat to hide your booty, get some nondetection wards around, lock that thing up tight!

Operation Shoestring

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2008, 03:19:44 AM »
See if you can research a version of animate city from races of Destiny that will affect the ship.

Use tree stride to teleport to any place on the ship at will.


You said you didn't want to use Dragon magazine, but the third adventure path in Dungeon magazine is a naval campaign ("Savage Tide") with plenty of resources on this.

Hmn, could you tell me a bit more about this "dungeon" magazine?

Nice idea about treestride... I'm now also thinking of that neat spell that lets you hid in a tree... perfect for pretending to be a porrly crewed merchantment, with the actual combat types hiding in the mast.

I will go take a look at Awaken City.

Thanks for the wonderful ideas, everyone. 

I suppose I could devise a system for letting martial types use their own BAB when aiming seige engines...  What is the official system for using seige engines anyway?  I'll have to go look at Heroes of Battle and Miniatures Handbook

And yeah, definately getting some Millenium Falcon -esque Smuggling Compartments.

Akalsaris

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2008, 08:04:24 AM »
Dungeon was a magazine published by Paizo with WOTC's permission (I think that's how it went) that held short, pre-made adventures for DMs to use, while Dragon was the PC's options magazine, and & is an ampersand undeserving of its own publication.


SorO_Lost

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2008, 07:25:29 PM »
Well, I recommend the NPC crew being enlarged swordsage goliaths so they can use Setting Sun maneuvers to toss people off the ship. Ship wise, hmm... +5 Necromantic Starbrust Weapons ftw.

Necromantic: +3,000 siege weapon, animates up to 20HD of zombies within 60ft. of the shot, they last for ten rounds and attack the nearest living creature.

Starbrust: +2 siege weapon, the ammo blows up dealing its damage to a 20ft. radius area, DC 15 reflex halves.

Both enchantments (and more) are found in the Heroes of Battle book.

Edit - ugh, glowing text is ugly.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2008, 01:04:41 AM by SorO_Lost »
Tiers explained in 8 sentences. With examples!
[spoiler]Tiers break down into who has spellcasting more than anything else due to spells being better than anything else in the game.
6: Skill based. Commoner, Expert, Samurai.
5: Mundane warrior. Barbarian, Fighter, Monk.
4: Partial casters. Adapt, Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spelltheif.
3: Focused casters. Bard, Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, Martial Adapts, Warmage.
2: Full casters. Favored Soul, Psion, Sorcerer, Wu Jen.
1: Elitists. Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.
0: Gods. StP Erudite, Illthid Savant, Pun-Pun, Rocks fall & you die.
[/spoiler]

Prime32

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2008, 08:15:52 PM »
And I reccomend putting a dryad on the ship - they can teleport around it too.
My work
The tier system in a nutshell:
[spoiler]Tier 6: A cartographer.
Tier 5: An expert cartographer or a decent marksman.
Tier 4: An expert marksman.
Tier 3: An expert marksman, cartographer and chef who can tie strong knots and is trained in hostage negotiation or a marksman so good he can shoot down every bullet fired by a minigun while armed with a rusted single-shot pistol that veers to the left.
Tier 2: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything, or the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.
Tier 1: Someone with teleportation, mind control, time manipulation, intangibility, the ability to turn into an exact duplicate of anything and the ability to see into the future with perfect accuracy.[/spoiler]

Straw_Man

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2008, 08:43:15 PM »

My ship was made of living wood, with a living tree complete with dryad as a mast. No idea if that helps, it was in a heavily house ruled 2E game, symbolically beautiful!
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The_Mad_Linguist

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2008, 01:13:40 AM »
Use decanters of endless water for both secondary propulsion and supplies. 

You'll also need some sort of protection from swarms, because a swarm of killer termites will be a pain to kill on a wooden ship.
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Smiles55

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Re: Optimizing a Ship?
« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2008, 04:05:59 AM »
Sword and Sorcery- Relics and Rituals book 1
Sea Witch - Bond with Ship allows personal spells to affect ship as well Shield...Globe of invulnerability...

Cooperative casting allows casters to share feats, metamagics...

Metamagic spell chain enlarge  (+1 lvl), grow  (+2), encompass area x 3(+1), enduring(+2)increase duration....

mag mansion allows you to create any space imagined....3 10 cubes per caster lvl (encompass) 9 10 cubes per caster lvl, lvl 14 = 126 10 cubes of storage space..no weight in the ship either as its extra dimensional.

Greater circle of Healing lvl 7 as Heal 1 r per lvl will heal any ally in 20 radius if damage is taken. crew and ship become immune to damage during spell....(nearly) buff the druid with long duration buffs..ship will get them too