RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Well, my party are well on their way through the Sea Wyvern's Wake. They've kicked Robyn's butt, kicked sahuagin butt, kicked mephit butt, decimated the pirates before they could fire a single ballista bolt, and prevented the Slaad from appearing.
When I mentioned stopping for fresh water at the end of the last session (setting up the hydra) there was a chorus of protest. Three party members can create the stuff (Cleric, Druid, Water Genasi) and see no need to stop.
How much water is realistically neded per day? In a magic-heavy campaign like my Forgotten Realms one is this realistic for ships full of adventurers? And has anyone another good reason to stop at the river mouth?
When I mentioned stopping for fresh water at the end of the last session (setting up the hydra) there was a chorus of protest. Three party members can create the stuff (Cleric, Druid, Water Genasi) and see no need to stop.
How much water is realistically neded per day? In a magic-heavy campaign like my Forgotten Realms one is this realistic for ships full of adventurers?
The "standard" figure that I've heard is one gallon per person per day. So yes, these three PCs can conjure up enough water for themselves and the passengers by expending a few 0-level spells.
However, the NPCs are going to want their own water stores for two reasons.
First, some of the more superstitious ones might be nervous about the "unnatural" conjured water (though this attitude would be much less common in D&D than it was in history).
Second, adventurers as a group are a rootless bunch, and they micht get the idea to abandon the ship if some more enticing adventure opportunity presents itself -- that is, if they don't get killed first in a fight that any sensible NPC would avoid. If either of these things happen, and the ship doesn't have water stored, the NPCs will die.
Personally, I'd go with the second one. Amella wouldn't object to the PCs' steady generation of "magic water," but she'd want to prepare for the worst.
And has anyone another good reason to stop at the river mouth?
If the ship was damaged, they might want to replenish their lumber supplies (the PCs aren't high enough level yet to conjure that out of thin air). I don't know how useful this would be in your case, though -- from the sound of things, the ship hasn't even been scratched, so you'd have to add a freak mast-snapping storm or something by DM fiat. And since your players probably suspect that you have an encounter set up on shore...
How much water is realistically neded per day? In a magic-heavy campaign like my Forgotten Realms one is this realistic for ships full of adventurers? And has anyone another good reason to stop at the river mouth?
If the party doesn't want to stop, why force them to?
Several good points here. Nothing says you have to do that encounter. However, I think the captain would want a “reserve” water supply. With the action they’ve seen so far, you never know when the druid or cleric or whatever could get sacked. Then where would everyone be? So you could make it a strong request by the captain, or simply that the Nixie is stopping, so you should, too.
By the by, seawater is perfectly acceptable for washing cloths. In fact, it contains similar quantities of salt as “softened” water. At the risk of sounding hokey, it really does get your whites whiter – though it does tend to fade colors faster than fresh water. (Don’t know what to tell you. I know some weird trivia. I also make the best steak and kidney pie this side of Hampshire, or so I’ve been told.)
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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I don't want to force them to stop, but they've so far had a firm tactical advantage by either being on deck with plenty of space, or being in the air. One player, the toughest fighter, is a Forsaker and cannot use magical items. So far he's had only benefits from his choice, so giving them a fight in the water will start him thinking.
I fancy a hard fight in a less friendly and forgiving environment, basically, and for all that it's a nautical themed campaign, there aren't that many times this can happen. Hence my quest for a non-flimsy excuse to stop :)
Wanting a sound reserve is a good one - thanks! I can basically have Amella say "You could be dead tomorrow" with a straight face, and have Avner deliver the punchline "Can I have your stuff/ cabin/ girlfriend..." straight after.
I also have a wicked Kraken toy which I want to drop on the table. It could do serious damage to the ship. They won't kill it, but I'll let them drive it away...
And I could always have the Hydra at Tamoachan to waste some resources...
As for cleaning, the wizard can summon up to 18 unseen servants with servant horde :)
Good to know! Thanks Khartan, live on the east coast most of my life and I didn't know that. What about other things like the ship, or dishes and such? Any ideas?
Well, "swabbing" the deck is usually done with sea water. You wouldn’t waste fresh water that way. Dishes can be washed with sea water if it's boiled. In fact, the final "rinse" should be in a pot of boiling sea water.
In all seriousness, I’ve actually done this stuff. That’s why I know. I’ve washed my cloths on the shore and washed and sanitized dishes using sea water. Not on a regular basis, mind you. I’m not homeless or anything. I mean when I’ve gone on sailing/hunting trips (which I don’t do near as often as I used to).
R&R?? It is the last land they will see for several weeks--my colonists especially wanted to stop and stretch their legs. Last chance of land before weeks and weeks and weeks of open sea was enticing more than the water for my party.
Force of habit? I had them stopping every few days for fresh water so this one was nothing of a surprise (railroad) to them.
Fresh meat?? Skav and Jade Ravens could go hunting.
Ruanaka (the island at the halfway point) might make a good setting for this. The cliffs are too steep for casual exploration so getting water from the water fall might be enough reason to stop.
I like the if you die tomorrow quite a bit too. O:)
Fresh meat, fresh fruit, minor ship repairs. All sorts of reasons for a brief stop other than water.
That being said, your players will feel that they've been made to stop and are going to object when attacked. They, rightfully, smell a trap. You're screwed. Make them stop since it's reasonable, but don't attack them. Chance to meet and talk with some NPCs.
Fresh meat, fresh fruit, minor ship repairs. All sorts of reasons for a brief stop other than water.
That being said, your players will feel that they've been made to stop and are going to object when attacked. They, rightfully, smell a trap. You're screwed. Make them stop since it's reasonable, but don't attack them. Chance to meet and talk with some NPCs.
I agree that the worst solution is for the NPCs to force the PCs to stop and get ambushed. If you do that too often, it rapidly becomes a case of "Why am I hanging around with these bozos, anyway?"
Another few reason
- Have a strom front loom off-shore, forecasting a severe blow of the next few days, which any mariner worth his salt would want to weather ina safe cove rather than off-shore in a flimsy pre-renaissance carrack or caravel. Or do the reverse, have them seriously becalmed just off-shore of the cove for a number of days, making them haul the ships to shore simply for the reliefprovided by the shore-side shadow....
- Fresh provisions, going ashore to hunt some local wildlife and collect forage should be uppermost in everybody's mind - ship provisions tend to get rather bland and boring after a week or two, and fresh supplies will be a welcome change.
- as for "stores" - no captain or mariner would set out on a deep-water journey of unknown length without an ample supply of fresh water as a safety. As pointed out, noone knows what might happen to the PCs. This is simply common sense, and simply because the characters have the ability to overcome the problem, it does not mean everyone actually might rely on it.
- speaking for our own campaign, we had 30 people aboard the ship, and since we took the tropical heat into account, we actually went wih 1.5 - 2 gallons/crew each day, to account for excessive heat (our GM really ramped up the temperatures, causing some considerable problems for the fighter types baking in their armour )
as for forcing them into an encounter - the art of GMing is not to have them actually realize they are being forced to do something. Heroic roleplaying (aka DnD) thrives of conflicts and dangerous situations to be overcome with the full knowledge of the danger looming. And the only way the players would actually know of the danger is by having read the plotline^^