Hey all,

I'm running a series of encounters on Weik and the PCs are about to embark on a wooden sailing ship across the sea. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for handling at sea encounters in old style wooden sailing vessels.

I'm assuming that low tech sailing would be covered under piloting (planetary) but I was thinking of basing the dice pool on Cunning rather than agility (to indicate that it has more to do with thinking and reading the environment than reflexes). Setback dice would be acquired for how rough the seas are, lack of wind, etc. Boost die for strong wind or a favorable current.

Astrogation would still be used for Navigation. Non-success positive results can yield favorable winds or currents or negatives can add poor winds and rough seas.

Survival for predicting the weather and acquiring food (fishing, etc) if needed.

Gunnery for any cannon fire or ballista exchanges, etc.

I'm open to any suggestions including encounter ideas!

Thanks,

Finarin

I would use Athletics and Survival very heavily. Coordination to handle the ropes and some Resilience for sea sickness, just for fun.

Could use discipline as an alternative to resilience and to add to the effect of a not calm sea.

Do you want them to get from A to B in a rustic way, that still fits the "space fantasy not sci-fi" vibe of a space opera? Because cunning would be fine in my view if so.

If you want challenges etc, then add more checks. But the point is - cool visual, or skill challenge setpiece?

5 hours ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

Hey all,

I'm running a series of encounters on Weik and the PCs are about to embark on a wooden sailing ship across the sea. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for handling at sea encounters in old style wooden sailing vessels.

I'm assuming that low tech sailing would be covered under piloting (planetary) but I was thinking of basing the dice pool on Cunning rather than agility (to indicate that it has more to do with thinking and reading the environment than reflexes). Setback dice would be acquired for how rough the seas are, lack of wind, etc. Boost die for strong wind or a favorable current.

Astrogation would still be used for Navigation. Non-success positive results can yield favorable winds or currents or negatives can add poor winds and rough seas.

Survival for predicting the weather and acquiring food (fishing, etc) if needed.

Gunnery for any cannon fire or ballista exchanges, etc.

I'm open to any suggestions including encounter ideas!

Thanks,

Finarin

IF you have ever seen Sailing yacht racing, you would know that operating traditional sailing vessels requires a lot of manual dexterity and physical agility. It's a very physically demanding operation for the crew. So, Agility is absolutely the proper attribute to use.

All good suggestions thank you! I hadn't considered sea-sickness, but that could add some great comedy! Thanks Lukey84

Endersai, more towards skill challenge setpiece.

Tramp Graphics, I agree if they're the crew (though that sounds like it might be Brawn), but in this case I'm talking about the captain who is commanding the crew. That's why I'm thinking Piloting (planetary) as the skill and Cunning as the Attribute, though a case could be made for Presence as well (if I'm looking at it as knowledgeably coordinating a crew).

I would expect Leadership to be the most applicable skill for leading a crew.

I thought about that (and this particular character has a high leadership as well) but essentially on a sailing vessel the crew are doing what the engines, control surfaces, thrusters, etc are doing on space ship. The crew are providing the mechanical energy to allow the vessel to move and maneuver.

I'm also planning to allow piloting talents to apply to the vessel where appropriate so it seemed like piloting skill should apply in some fashion. I suppose that could be the helmsman, but then I've just shifted it from the Captain to the Helmsman and still have the same question.

Maybe it should be Leadership paired with Agility! (sort of kidding there). I would see Leadership as used for non-maneuver commands (like repairing damage- mechanics seems wrong, bailing water, overcoming fear, organizing efforts in chaotic situations, etc)

19 hours ago, FinarinPanjoro said:

All good suggestions thank you! I hadn't considered sea-sickness, but that could add some great comedy! Thanks Lukey84

Endersai, more towards skill challenge setpiece.

Tramp Graphics, I agree if they're the crew (though that sounds like it might be Brawn), but in this case I'm talking about the captain who is commanding the crew. That's why I'm thinking Piloting (planetary) as the skill and Cunning as the Attribute, though a case could be made for Presence as well (if I'm looking at it as knowledgeably coordinating a crew).

18 hours ago, kaosoe said:

I would expect Leadership to be the most applicable skill for leading a crew.

Kaosoe is correct there. Typically, the captain doesn't man the helm himself. He gives the orders and coordinates the crew. So he uses Leadership. It's the helmsman that actually pilots the ship.

So the main thing in sailing in simple terms is - angling enough sail into the wind to maintain course without tearing a mainsail etc. Deploying additional sails, repositioning them, tacking if the wind isn't favourable - these all should be under leadership checks. The leadership check for each unit of movement or challenge (wind, currents, shoals etc) should then flow to coordination checks for the crew. So if the skipper stuffs up reading the weather gauge, the crew get setbacks trying to execute those orders and the time taken to get from A to B is increased?

Another thought, Navigating on a planetary surface would be a Piloting (Planetary) skill check. (As I assume an interstellar navigation check would employ a Piloting(space) skill check).

Astrogation is specifically the skill of navigating hyperspace .

Also expect one of the players to blurt out, "Move that thing! . . . And that other THING!"

2 hours ago, Mark Caliber said:

Another thought, Navigating on a planetary surface would be a Piloting (Planetary) skill check. (As I assume an interstellar navigation check would employ a Piloting(space) skill check).

Astrogation is specifically the skill of navigating hyperspace .

Also expect one of the players to blurt out, "Move that thing! . . . And that other THING!"

Astrogation covers all forms of space navigation, not just hyperspace calculations. The second bullet point under the full description of the skill states:

Quote

Astrogation governs a character's basic knowledge of galactic geography. It may be checked any time a character wonders what other systems are nearby.

The fourth bullet point also states:

Quote

Astrogation also covers familiarity with the galaxy's hyperspace routes and the type of craft and commerce most common along those routes.

Star Wars Sea serpents, Dragon Turtles, Merfolk, Mega (Sith) Sharks etc etc.... on top of all the reworked SW aquatic species anyway

On 12/10/2017 at 1:01 AM, Mark Caliber said:

Another thought, Navigating on a planetary surface would be a Piloting (Planetary) skill check. (As I assume an interstellar navigation check would employ a Piloting(space) skill check).

Astrogation is specifically the skill of navigating hyperspace .

I would probably use Survival for actual navigation. Partly just because in our games survival doesn't have very much usage. Partially because in Savage Spirits the Navigator talent Studious Plotting says: "When making a Streetwise or Survival check to navigate on a world..." Though, I don't think Piloting Planetary is wrong. Different skills dor different situations.

If the players are using the stars and night sky to navigate, then I think they absolutely should use Astrogation. Reading the weather, catching fish, noticing a change of current that indicates a shallow bank, those all would fall under Survival.

I interpret the Navigator's "Studious Plotting" talent as relating to navigating land environments - urban, wilderness, etc.

On ‎10‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 11:02 AM, Lukey84 said:

I would use Athletics and Survival very heavily. Coordination to handle the ropes and some Resilience for sea sickness, just for fun.

This was also my first thought when reading the OP. Athletics for sailing (with Agility) and rowing (with Brawn). I could also see Coordination instead for sailing, but it wasn't my first thought. Survival (with Cunning?0 for navigating by the stars.

I ended up using Piloting (Planetary) with Cunning as the attribute for determining success at maneuvering the ship (for example they hit a major storm). Leadership checks were used to influence the crew and keep them from panicking. Survival was used to spot specific details to help mitigate the storm (moving into less turbulent waters and away from the most intense area of the storm). Astrogation was used for navigation.

Fun result, some rough die rolls lead to the ship hitting a reef and being holed. One of the force users on board made an amazing move check (double white pips on all force die) and pulled the entire ship out of the water long enough to make repairs. It was a fun moment!