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So I'm a gm and running a pirate themed game. Recently the players were off to a spot on a treasure map that lead into a storm. During the storm a whale attacked the ship and used it's capsize ability to flip the ship. The players managed to kill the whale but their ship flipped over and their crew is in the water about 40 miles from shore in a raging hail storm. Is there anything my players can do at this point to flip their ship, should I have an act of God come save them in one form or another, or should they be lost at sea forever and roll new characters?
Point of GMing advice: don't do things like destroying the PC's transportation and life support unless you have some plan for how they're going to get out of this. Think beforehand, not after. That said:
It may be possible to use one or more of the ship's boats to reach land. But is there enough capacity for all the survivors?
It may be possible to survive for a while on the drifting wreckage. (Use the ship as an underwater dungeon for a bit, PCs or crew will have to dive to get tools & things to work with).
As long as some cloth for sails and timber for masts can be used, a jury-rig can get the PCs going _somewhere_ again, albeit at great difficulty. Profession (sailor) and Craft (carpentry, ropemaker, etc.) to jury-rig something.
Some sea elves, merfolk, etc., could show up and offer to tow people to shore ... for a price. Or take them to their realm below the sea ... which might have future adventures waiting for it. Or maybe sahuagin slavers show up ... or a kraken looking for adventurers to go where it cannot.
Hail storms should end fairly quickly without doing much damage to whatever waits. (A hurricane would probably be dead PCs...)
Swimming 40 miles is not impossible but is likely to be pretty superhuman (people have regularly swum the Channel).
Encounters with sharks, etc., are likely to be interesting, as is the provision of food and water if they don't have a divine caster with the right spells along.
Are your PCs able to polymorph into something aquatic and at least huge to pur back the ship on its keel ?
If no, they can use the wreck to stay afloat until the end of the storm and then they will have to craft a raft to sail to the nearest port.
Do they have 40 miles of rope or chain they can use to drag the ship to shore and flip it there? It'd be hell on the ship, but repairs are cheaper than buying a new ship.
You could let them tie everything heavy they have to the anchor and drop it sharply from one side. A little convenient suspension of disbelief, and bang, your ship it upright again.
It might be possible to patch holes in the ship (hatches, portholes, windows) and pump it out.
Probably about a DC25 Profession/sailor check, and the masts will likely have to be cut away, but it's not impossible to right a capsized ship.
The players managed to kill the whale
Anyone in the party have access to Animate Dead?
We kinda need more information about the party's composition, so that we know what the party's resources are.
Anyone in the party have access to Animate Dead?
We kinda need more information about the party's composition, so that we know what the party's resources are.
Undead Whale Boat!
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Anyone in the party have access to Animate Dead?
We kinda need more information about the party's composition, so that we know what the party's resources are.
CG dwarf cleric
CN undine inquisitor, fighter uses pistolsCN half orc savage technology barbarian
CN human starsoul sorcerer (mostly combat spells but has conjure carriage)
CN android magus (all combat or buff spells)
What level?
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What kind of ship is this anyway? Monst real sailing ships would have the masts sap when flipped and the keel would flip the ship back up again, then you have a distasted ship with a massive sea anchor. The way the sea anchor is fastened to the ship would decide how the ship acts in the storm.
it's a brig. 3 deck sailing ship.
Could there possibly be an abandoned/dilapidated (but easily salvageable) ship of comparable size waiting for them amid the ruins of this treasure isle they're heading toward?
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At 8th level a Cleric can use 4th level spells. Which means they can use Control Water to flip the ship, and Make Whole/Greater Make Whole to fix it.
They may not be able to fix all of it, like the masts and stuff, but they can definitely get it flipped and jury-rigged enough to limp to land where they can effect full repairs.
At 8th level a Cleric can use 4th level spells. Which means they can use Control Water to flip the ship, and Make Whole/Greater Make Whole to fix it.
They may not be able to fix all of it, like the masts and stuff, but they can definitely get it flipped and jury-rigged enough to limp to land where they can effect full repairs.
Control Water only raises or lowers the water's depth in an area of (for this Cleric's level) 80x80x16'. I'm confused how this would flip the ship back over. Maybe if the change was instantaneous, the resulting rush of water from the surrounding ocean could cause a chain reaction, but I don't think that's anything the Cleric would have control over, and the spell's description doesn't mention if that's the case either way.
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a key point here is to not tell the players how to solve the problem. they should have a firmer grasp on their characters abilities then you do and how to use them in this situation. They know were they are needing to go and have materials around to use to get there. If they dont figure it out in a timely manner or seem stuck, then throw the merfolks at them and either capture them or help them with the aquatic races, but they would "lose" their ship. its the way of life and adventure.
Last time i played a pirate game i lost over a dozen ships over the course of the campaign and at one point ever single item and gold piece i owned. yea it sucked and was annoying but its a game and the story progressed and it makes for a fun tale now of how i recovered and what i learned from the situation.
Row the longboats to the nearest island. The could right the ship (Profession: Sailor), it the effort is probably not worth it. A whale is also several weeks worth of food and fresh water for a full crew, so the PCs could hook the corpse and drift to land in a month (or sooner--you have control over how far away any island is).
Then it looks like you planned it all along. ;)
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Control Water only raises or lowers the water's depth in an area of (for this Cleric's level) 80x80x16'. I'm confused how this would flip the ship back over. Maybe if the change was instantaneous, the resulting rush of water from the surrounding ocean could cause a chain reaction, but I don't think that's anything the Cleric would have control over, and the spell's description doesn't mention if that's the case either way.At 8th level a Cleric can use 4th level spells. Which means they can use Control Water to flip the ship, and Make Whole/Greater Make Whole to fix it.
They may not be able to fix all of it, like the masts and stuff, but they can definitely get it flipped and jury-rigged enough to limp to land where they can effect full repairs.
Maybe control water with the help of tying heavy stuff to one side. Use the water to row back and forth to flip it.
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a key point here is to not tell the players how to solve the problem. they should have a firmer grasp on their characters abilities then you do and how to use them in this situation. They know were they are needing to go and have materials around to use to get there. If they dont figure it out in a timely manner or seem stuck, then throw the merfolks at them and either capture them or help them with the aquatic races, but they would "lose" their ship. its the way of life and adventure.
Last time i played a pirate game i lost over a dozen ships over the course of the campaign and at one point ever single item and gold piece i owned. yea it sucked and was annoying but its a game and the story progressed and it makes for a fun tale now of how i recovered and what i learned from the situation.
Some of them are new players and I don't want their first experience to be lost your ship sucks to be you. Normally I would agree. Also they have an NPC cohort who is pretty smart so she may be able to help them (CE level 6 gnome bard)
Maybe control water with the help of tying heavy stuff to one side. Use the water to row back and forth to flip it.Control Water only raises or lowers the water's depth in an area of (for this Cleric's level) 80x80x16'. I'm confused how this would flip the ship back over. Maybe if the change was instantaneous, the resulting rush of water from the surrounding ocean could cause a chain reaction, but I don't think that's anything the Cleric would have control over, and the spell's description doesn't mention if that's the case either way.At 8th level a Cleric can use 4th level spells. Which means they can use Control Water to flip the ship, and Make Whole/Greater Make Whole to fix it.
They may not be able to fix all of it, like the masts and stuff, but they can definitely get it flipped and jury-rigged enough to limp to land where they can effect full repairs.
This, combined with raising the water on one side while lowering it on the other. The spells says you can raise and lower at the same time in different spots.
Add in having enough knowledge:sailor or :shipwright to know how to do what Thunderrstar above mentioned, and you could have the ship upright and barely functional in no time.
Some of them are new players and I don't want their first experience to be lost your ship sucks to be you. Normally I would agree. Also they have an NPC cohort who is pretty smart so she may be able to help them (CE level 6 gnome bard)a key point here is to not tell the players how to solve the problem. they should have a firmer grasp on their characters abilities then you do and how to use them in this situation. They know were they are needing to go and have materials around to use to get there. If they dont figure it out in a timely manner or seem stuck, then throw the merfolks at them and either capture them or help them with the aquatic races, but they would "lose" their ship. its the way of life and adventure.
Last time i played a pirate game i lost over a dozen ships over the course of the campaign and at one point ever single item and gold piece i owned. yea it sucked and was annoying but its a game and the story progressed and it makes for a fun tale now of how i recovered and what i learned from the situation.
Why would a CE bard help the party? Why not just grab a lifeboat, murder anyone on board, and sail off to find her own way?
Maybe he likes these guys.
Maybe he likes these guys.Hey, I may be evil, and I may be chaotic, but I'm not a sociopath.
Spoken like a true sociopath.
If you kill literally everyone you come across without a second thought, you're not really that chaotic, because you're downright predictable. You've gotta keep them guessing.
If we're still looking for reasons of how the PCs survive, you could allow the ship to get caught in the current, bringing the PCs and a number of crew members to a *mostly* deserted island.
They're following a treasure map, right? Why not just add the 10k gold into the hoard to put them back at the proper wealth-by-level? One hand giveth, the other taketh away...
More seriously - if you let the ship sink, they'll be irritated but they'll also probably talk about it for years. It sounds like the broken ship isn't going to cripple your campaign (they can still reach the treasure island and you have all sorts of options from there to help them off it). So why not just leave it broken? Don't forget that getting stranded on a desert island is a very common pirate story trope, why not indulge a little? At level 8 they won't be able to trivialize it by teleporting away, but they do have all sorts of available options. Let them reach the island, spend some time with survival checks and let them botch a few profession (carpenter) checks to build huts and such. See what they can come up with.
You don't have to kill them off - you said they have lifeboats and can reach the island. But you don't have to deus ex machina them out of the situation, either.
I suppose if they get stuck and *totally* fail to come up with an option, you can have another ship full of treasure hunters show up.
I like this approach. Perhaps their way off the island ends up being tied to the arrival of a competing crew with their own copy of the map. Maybe the group can ambush them and take their ship, or sneak out to it and steal it while the bulk of the rival crew are on land. Or maybe the rival crew takes them prisoner and they either have to escape and take the ship, or perhaps even start a mutiny and install themselves as the new leaders of the crew.
So many possibilities!
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So i think i know what to do now. at the start of the next game im going to have them try to survive and flip the ship for a few rounds as their crew starts to drown and their fly spells run out. after that a huge wave comes and strikes the wreak killing 60% of their crew and causing them to wake up on the island. their ship will also wash up but completely damaged and beached. they search the island for stuff they need to repair the ship and find the treasure cave. whats more they find the bad guys who are also after the treasure are here. they fight the bad guys and take their ship as their own or for parts with enough crew to pilot it.
So i think i know what to do now.
Your plan is fine, but it works out to "God did it". You could consider having some neutral aquatic creatures that are in the area investigate. If the PCs can be diplomatic and perhaps negotiate a deal, they could earn their survival.
I mean this in the nicest possible way... but you got into this scenario with a "it just happens" moment. The ship rolled over... because. Typically that's when it'd sink. I absolutely respect that you're coming up with creating challenges for the players, but really, what you need are situations for them to interact with. This is a perfect opportunity to tone down the murderhobo mindset, and give them a chance to work with someone instead of just fighting. If they attack on site, well, then they're horrible and deserve to drown, yes?
I agree with Anguish. They should learn the harsh realities of sailing at sea... if they can work the ship upright they wont drown but will not be able to sail without enough supplies to repair the masts and rigging... provided they even have enough crew left to actually sail it. Maybe they are just adrift for days... requiring Constitution checks against starvation and thirst. Once they are Fatigued/Exhausted and almost dead they can drift towards an island and struggle to find food and survive local creatures, all while making their ship seaworthy again or hailing a passing ship for help (Let's hope they're friendly), or scavenging what's left of their ship and making a smaller vessel that requires less crew(stock up on provisions).