Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Ships of the Inner Sea (PFRPG)

4.70/5 (based on 3 ratings)
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Ships of the Inner Sea (PFRPG)
Show Description For:
Non-Mint

Add Print Edition $19.99 $9.99

Add PDF $15.99

Non-Mint Unavailable

Facebook Twitter Email

High Seas, High Adventure!

Not all adventures take place on land—the ships that sail the waters of the Inner Sea and surrounding oceans provide countless sources of excitement, plunder, and naval exploits. Whether the adventurers are simple passengers attacked by pirates or intrepid sailors running an enemy blockade, the ships presented in this book give Game Masters the tools they need to run fantastic adventures on the open sea.

Inside you’ll find seven unique ships, each with a captivating history, a detailed map with deck-by-deck descriptions, and backgrounds and statistics for the ship’s captain and crew. Whether they’re part of the Skulls & Shackles Adventure Path or a seaworthy campaign of your very own, the following vessels are sure to spice up any nautical adventure:

  • The Burnt  Saffron, a slave galley said to have strange powers granted by Asmodeus in exchange for spreading slavery throughout the Inner Sea.
  • The  Cetaceal, an Andoren ship serving the Gray Corsairs­, the naval branch of the abolitionist Eagle Knights.
  • The  Hu-Hazhong, a Tian junk from the distant Dragon Empires, traversing the waters of the Inner Sea with ambitions of lucrative trading.
  • The  Impervious, a Chelish man-o’-war carrying a contingent of merciless Hellknights and part of the blockade against Pezzack.
  • The  Kraken’s  Spite, a viking longship built from the wreckage of a doomed invasion fleet, now serving no king and calling no port home.
  • The  Mark  of  Yunnarius, a ghost ship captained by a vengeful banshee, haunting the edge of the Eye of Abendego.
  • The  Ravishing  Ruby, a pirate ship with a ruthless captain intent on retrieving her stolen magical treasure map, no matter the cost.
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Ships of the Inner Sea is intended for use with the Pathfinder campaign setting, but can be easily adapted to any fantasy world.

Written by Benjamin Bruck, Paris Crenshaw, Chris A. Jackson, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Philip A. Lee, John Mangrum
Cover Art by Alex Aparin

ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-702-4

Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:

Hero Lab Online
Archives of Nethys

Note: This product is part of the Pathfinder Lost Omens Subscription.

Product Availability

Print Edition:

Available now

Ships from our warehouse in 11 to 20 business days.

PDF:

Fulfilled immediately.

Non-Mint:

Unavailable

This product is non-mint. Refunds are not available for non-mint products. The standard version of this product can be found here.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

PZO9274


See Also:

Average product rating:

4.70/5 (based on 3 ratings)

Sign in to create or edit a product review.

Perfect for Nautical Fantasy Stories

5/5

Though I've been running and playing Pathfinder for years, I've still never managed to do much in the area of pirates or naval combat. I read Ships of the Inner Sea more "just because" than because I was actively planning on using it anytime soon. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's a great full of interesting NPCs and adventure ideas. Someday, I'll get around to some naval adventure, and when I do, I'll definitely pull this one out.

Ships of the Inner Sea is a 64-page, full-colour, softcover. The front cover features the Iconic Skald fighting a "fjord linnorm"--it's okay in my opinion, but nothing memorable. After some important front matter, the book then provides detailed coverage of seven different ships--including full deck plans, an overview of crew, custom NPCs, a full stat block for naval combat, a discussion of tactics, some new magic items, and some adventure hook ideas on why the PCs might encounter the ship.. Here's what's inside:

* Introduction (2 pages): This section provides a brief overview of the seven ships that are covered, noting that all of them have been built in accordance with the ship-to-ship combat rules in the Skull and Shackles AP--I always appreciate coordination like that. There's also a little pointer to some other resources GMs could use if running nautical adventures--it's incomplete, but it's a start.

* Sailing the Inner Sea (4 pages): Written by Chris A. Jackson (a Pathfinder Tales author who has extensive real-life sailing knowledge), this is an excellent primer on nautical terms, different types of ships one might encounter in the Inner Sea, trade routes, and dangerous regions. There's a useful full-page map showing the trade routes and trade winds, which would be useful for GMs who really want to add detail and "realism" to their games.

* Burnt Saffron (8 pages): The first ship we get detailed is the Burnt Saffron, an Okeno slave galley. It has a really cool backstory, and is definitely a ship to fear! It'd be perfect for a random encounter, but there are also some good adventure hooks if the GM wants to use it in a more involved storyline. The ship also has a (supernaturally?) mysterious aura around it--for example, freed slaves often try to return to it, and it's been reliably reported sunk on numerous occasions!

* Cetaceal (8 pages): Our second ship is the complete opposite: the Cetaceal is an Andoren slave-raider operated by the Gray Corsairs. It's a hit-and-run skirmisher that can be easily disguised so it can dock at hostile ports, and is commanded by a Paladin. It'd be a good ship to make a "timely" rescue if the PCs ever find themselves over their heads in a naval battle (or taken prisoner).

* Hu-Hazhong (8 pages): The Hu-Hazhong is a merchant ship from Tian Xia. It has a fantastic backstory, with some beautifully-written NPCs and accompanying flavour. It's the sort of ship PCs could book passage on for some excellent role-playing opportunities. It's also the sort of ship the PCs could rescue from pirates (or attack themselves, if they're being pirates!).

* Impervious (8 pages): Impervious is a classic Chelish man-o'-war, the sort of ship that shows up to make it clear that the Empire is not to be trifled with! Packed with Hellknights and a captain who's a level 16 magus, this is the sort of ship that PCs should run away from unless they're also nearing the end of their adventuring careers. There's an adventure hook involving the blockade of Pezzack, which could be of interest to GMs running a certain adventure path.

* Kraken's Spite (8 pages): I could see a whole campaign modelled on the premise of the Kraken's Spite. This Ulfen longship is crewed by former raiders who have decided to turn to exploring the Inner Sea. Along with the great backstory, I have to recognise the opening flavour-quote--it's the kind of dialogue every player wishes they could improvise during an encounter.

* Mark of Yunnarius (8 pages): Ghost ships are a staple of the fantasy genre, and the Mark of Yunnarius is likely the most fearsome that Pathfinder PCs will ever encounter. Full of banshees, baykoks, and drauger, this ghost ship haunts the Eye of Abendego. It features a classic backstory of treachery, love , and mortal. With a CR18 Captain, this may unfortunately be too high-level for anything other than an end-of-campaign big bad.

* Ravishing Ruby (8 pages): A more traditional pirate ship, the Ravishing Ruby has a bit of a twist in that the captain is obsessed with retrieving a lost bauble that she thinks holds a treasure map to immortality. It'd be fine as a random encounter, but could certainly be woven into a larger storyline.

Overall, Ships of the Inner Sea is an impressive, well-written, and detailed book. For GMs interested in this corner of Pathfinder gaming, it's definitely one to seek out.


High seas adventure!

4/5

Read my full review on Of Dice and Pen.

I generally like these kinds of sourcebooks as they provide material that GMs can draw on when they need something last-minute, while also being supplements they can build entire campaigns around. For the most part, Ships of the Inner Sea doesn't disappoint. There's a good variety in the types of ships presented and all of them contain enough ideas and adventure seeds to keep any group occupied for some time. It's certainly a resource I will turn to if I run a seafaring campaign at some point in the future.


A must have for the Skulls & Shackles Adventure Path!!!

5/5

This book is simply amazing! with careful pruning of your PC's equipment with a thieving encounter or two while your PCs are off the ship, you can insert these ship encounters seamlessly and without increasing PC wealth too much.

The ship themselves are beautifully detailed and I see the dilemma of my players as they wonder "should we sell this ship or keep it? it's SOOOOOOO coooooooooooool!"

:)


51 to 100 of 111 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | next > last >>

Liz Courts wrote:
It is a mockup cover.

From the old Absalom book, right? I'm pretty sure that's a picture of Absalom's harbor with the Starstone Cathedral in the background.

Webstore Gninja Minion

Evil Midnight Lurker wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:
It is a mockup cover.
From the old Absalom book, right? I'm pretty sure that's a picture of Absalom's harbor with the Starstone Cathedral in the background.

Correct!

Liberty's Edge Contributor

That picture has been the wallpaper on my iPhone for years.


Mockup or official, it's still a good sign that those that bring us Pathfinder do their homework. :)

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Ed Reppert wrote:
There were pirates long before there were "17th-century ships".

And long after. I was trying to refer to the 'Golden Age of Piracy', though.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Caedwyr wrote:
As Ross aluded to above, the lower grade B-movies tend to ignore it and tend to get ridiculed for it by the audience.

I don't see how I alluded to this. If you mean the MST3K mantra, that's "If you wonder how they eat and breathe, and other science facts, repeat to yourself, 'it's just a show, I should really just relax.'"

It's about the suspension of disbelief, re: the deliberately campy skits of the framing narrative, not the bad movies themselves.


Ross Byers wrote:
Caedwyr wrote:
As Ross aluded to above, the lower grade B-movies tend to ignore it and tend to get ridiculed for it by the audience.

I don't see how I alluded to this. If you mean the MST3K mantra, that's "If you wonder how they eat and breathe, and other science facts, repeat to yourself, 'it's just a show, I should really just relax.'"

It's about the suspension of disbelief, re: the deliberately campy skits of the framing narrative, not the bad movies themselves.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I'd never seen from the show, and from the Wikipedia article it appears to have been about two people being forced to watch low quality b-grade movies and making fun of the inconsistencies and breakdown of verisimilitude.


2 questions: first will there possibly be a space ship of some sort with the iron gods starting soon; Second will there be new ship modifications?
Thank you for your time and great products.


We need a new ship flip mat to go with the new ship book and module. :)

Webstore Gninja Minion

-Steve Johnston- wrote:
We need a new ship flip mat to go with the new ship book and module. :)

Well, there's a Map Pack... :D

Liberty's Edge Contributor

Liz Courts wrote:
-Steve Johnston- wrote:
We need a new ship flip mat to go with the new ship book and module. :)
Well, there's a Map Pack... :D

Neat! Does the map pack match up with the ships in the Campaign Setting book?

Webstore Gninja Minion

Paris Crenshaw wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:
-Steve Johnston- wrote:
We need a new ship flip mat to go with the new ship book and module. :)
Well, there's a Map Pack... :D
Neat! Does the map pack match up with the ships in the Campaign Setting book?

No idea! That's a question to ask Wes Schneider. :D

Liberty's Edge Contributor

rummages through scroll collection for summon Paizo Editor-in-Chief I really should organize this thing one of these days. Oh, look! A scroll of e-mail sending! That'll do.

Paizo Employee Developer

The maps in the book are different than those in the map pack.

Liberty's Edge Contributor

Gah! Drowning devil! That is not what I summoned! Oh...hi, Mark. Sorry. Didn't recognize you, at first.

Ermmm...uhhh...thanks. ::sidesteps toward the door::

(Seriously, though, thanks for answering the question. :) )

Webstore Gninja Minion

Product image and description updated.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I was going to wait and purchase this after Christmas, but it looks so good. o.o

Must resist, must remember finances.....


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

And the first ACG iconic to get a cover cameo is Harkon, funny I thought it would be Jirelle.


Mark Moreland wrote:
The maps in the book are different than those in the map pack.

That is too bad, I know it would have caused me to buy the map pack.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

Woo! Front cover! :)


That list of ships sounds good, but I do hope we get at least a few words on what kinds of ships are used in more normal circumstances. Typically, unless it's pirates or exploration, seafaring and ships get short shrift in fantasy.

Contributor

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Justin Franklin wrote:
Alleran wrote:

I am both intrigued and wary.

Intrigued because this means more insight into naval elements and presumably the expansion on the ship combat rules in S&S.

Wary because as somebody who does have some interest in nautical stuff in reality, I worry that the authors won't and that the final rules (and representation of naval elements in PF) will come out looking like some unholy spawn of Davy Jones and a swarm of crabs. In which case I'd have to throw a lot of stuff out the window and create from scratch anyway.

Well I know for sure at least one of the authors is in the US Navy, so I expect he might know something. :)

I can vouch for the introduction as far as nautical authenticity goes. Thirty five years on the ocean. Can't say how honored I was to be included on this project, lowly novelist that I am... ;-)


Wow, how did I miss this products update, also nice cover.


WOO-HOO! any breakdown on what CRs we're talking here?


zergtitan wrote:
And the first ACG iconic to get a cover cameo is Harkon, funny I thought it would be Jirelle.

Jirelle and Oloch were on the cover of Risen from the Sands.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Cthulhudrew wrote:
zergtitan wrote:
And the first ACG iconic to get a cover cameo is Harkon, funny I thought it would be Jirelle.
Jirelle and Oloch were on the cover of Risen from the Sands.

True.


I really dig the cover and want to like it after Skulls and Shackles was such fun. But many of the vessel seem like themes already a little over done. I really wish instead of Grey Corsairs, Hell Knights and Asmodeus worshipers we could have gotten creative vessels from some of the less touched regions of the inner sea.


I want this me hearties!


John Mangrum wrote:

Disclaimer One: My entry in this book is about a ship which, historically, was edged out of use by certain other sailing vessels... for reasons about as weighty as a kobold's eyelash in a world with arcane fireballs and adventuring barbarians. So I had the advantage of, rather than swatting away history, simply scratching it behind the ear before gently setting it aside.

Disclaimer Two: I'm typing this right now from my bunk in the great cabin of a replica 17th-century Dutch jaght. There's a cannon roughly seven feet directly below me, and I know how to use it. :)

Congrats John! (where's that Contributor tag?) Good to see you back in Game Design. So any nods to Ravenloft in your entry? Is it a vessel from Ustalav?

Thanael (aka the Giamarga on the FoS boards)


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
Thanael wrote:
So any nods to Ravenloft in your entry? Is it a vessel from Ustalav?

I wrote the Kraken's Spite (thus my delight above in seeing it on the front cover). No Ravenloft nods, though there do happen to be undead and curses in the mix.

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

Dark Archive

As I asked for the NPC codex any good Iconic art in this book?


Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

The Burnt  Saffron tell us about it please?

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Kevin Mack wrote:
As I asked for the NPC codex any good Iconic art in this book?

Did a quick skim and didn't see many Iconics. Lots of NPCs though.

-Skeld


Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

any sea trade routes info

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
xavier c wrote:
Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

The Burnt  Saffron tell us about it please?

Spoiler:

It's a Katapeshi slave galley. It's crew is mostly human and a Gnoll. Is there anything you'd like to know specifically?

-Skeld


Skeld wrote:
xavier c wrote:
Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

The Burnt  Saffron tell us about it please?

** spoiler omitted **

-Skeld

What powers does it have?

and where do the slaves come from?

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
xavier c wrote:
Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

any sea trade routes info

There is a map of the Inner Sea with sailing routes listed on it.

-Skeld

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
xavier c wrote:
Skeld wrote:
xavier c wrote:
Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

The Burnt  Saffron tell us about it please?

** spoiler omitted **

-Skeld

What powers does it have?

and where do the slaves come from?

Spoiler:

There's a stat block full of information, but I don't see anything about magic or the like.

Edit: Without having read everything, it looks like they get their slaves by raiding/attacking other merchant ships, but they have a rep for killing more people than they take prisoner.

-Skeld


Skeld wrote:

I have my PDF and can take a few questions...

-Skeld

Thanks. I'm already wondering if I can use them in some of my games.

Are the ships listed by CR? what level encounters are there?

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

They're in alphabetical order, but approximate CRs are listed.

Spoiler:
The various ships are all listed as "appropriate challenges for parties of approximately" 9th, 8th, 4th, 13th, 6th, 15th, and 5th levels.


Outstanding!! Thanks, Kvantum.

Spoiler:
I am glad to see these are at an intermediate level that I can actually use. I very rarely play above 10th level so higher level stuff is of limited use. The Impervious and Yunnarius do sound like fun legends though that would warrant my crew giving them a wide berth if I might use a nautical term : )

I'm looking forward to it!


there goes more of my pay check

Sovereign Court

Running s&s right now; @ the first third if chapter 2 where they are capturing other ships and reselling for plunder points ...

Does this book provide a sidebar on how to insert these ships in the adventure path i.e. where to drop these in the campaign so as not unbalance things to much?

Also any new feats or siege weapon or nautical magic items in there?

Thank you!

Grand Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:

Running s&s right now; @ the first third if chapter 2 where they are capturing other ships and reselling for plunder points ...

Does this book provide a sidebar on how to insert these ships in the adventure path i.e. where to drop these in the campaign so as not unbalance things to much?

Also any new feats or siege weapon or nautical magic items in there?

Thank you!

Spoiler:

1) No, but each specific ship has a section on adventure hooks.

2) I didn't see any new feats. There are a couple items: Aviary of Spirits, Funerary Crown of the True King, Rimeheart Amulet

-Skeld

Sovereign Court

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Thank you Skeld

Sovereign Court

Skeld:
1) are some of these ships well balanced for level 4-5 PCs (i.e. 1/3 of the way into Chapter 2 where the PCs are doing lots of naval battles, increasing plunder points, etc.)
2) can you provide a general idea (no stats please) of what these items do?

Sovereign Court

oh, and I you can give me an idea of the enemy crews' CRs that would be great

Sovereign Court

Kvantum wrote:

They're in alphabetical order, but approximate CRs are listed.

** spoiler omitted **

Thanks Kvantum.

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Purple Dragon Knight wrote:

Skeld:

1) are some of these ships well balanced for level 4-5 PCs (i.e. 1/3 of the way into Chapter 2 where the PCs are doing lots of naval battles, increasing plunder points, etc.)
2) can you provide a general idea (no stats please) of what these items do?

Spoiler:

1) Based on the CRs Kvantum provided, I would say level 4-5 is probably a bit low for these ships. However, I'll caveat that by saying I don't have any experience with the naval combat rules or how ship CRs are affected.
2) Saffron Slave Collar - grants calm emotions to keep slaves docile.
Aviary of Spirits - Turns a bird into an animal messenger with clairaudience/clairvoyance.
Funerary Crown of the True king - This one is interesting; minor artifact. Grants a bunch of bonuses if you've slain a linnorm. Otherwise, you gain a curse.
Rimeheart Amulet - Grants bonuses against cold, but causes fatigue.

-Skeld

51 to 100 of 111 << first < prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | next > last >>
Community / Forums / Paizo / Product Discussion / Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Ships of the Inner Sea (PFRPG) All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.