Naval Combat Reference

Hybrid Naval System — Combat Reference

This system resolves ship combat quickly toward one of four outcomes:

1. one ship escapes or disengages;
2. one ship surrenders or becomes unable to continue fighting;
3. one ship founders because of uncontrolled flooding or fire;
4. the ships grapple and play returns to ordinary 5e boarding combat.

Exact facing, squares, and turn-by-turn sailing distances are not tracked. Ships use three range bands, a short Integrity track representing combat effectiveness, a separate Flooding track, one roll per battery, and a limited number of crew Orders.

Companion Documents

• Naval Economic Reference
• Naval Armory

Table of Contents

• Core Ship Statistics
• Range Bands
• Checks and Crew Quality
• Starting Combat
• Round Sequence
• Helm Maneuvers
• Orders and Support Actions
• Officer Stations
• Deck Hazards
• Weapon Attacks and Salvo
• Damage, Integrity, and Flooding
• Critical Hits
• Ramming
• Grappling and Boarding
• Undercrewed Ships
• Spells and Character Actions
• NPC Break Conditions
• One-Page Flow of Combat

Core Ship Statistics

Integrity

Integrity is the ship’s short combat-effectiveness track. It abstracts cumulative hull damage, casualties, disrupted gun crews, damaged rigging, shaken command, and the crew’s ability to keep fighting. Ordinary ship attacks reduce Integrity rather than hundreds of Hull HP.

Reaching 0 Integrity means the ship is Defeated, not automatically sunk. Its specific fate follows from its critical damage, Flooding, Fire, crew morale, and the surrounding fiction.

Hull HP remains relevant after combat for repair costs. Each stat block lists a Hull Segment value that converts Integrity loss into postcombat repair liability.

Armor Integrity

Magical shields and similar effects may grant Armor Integrity. Lose Armor Integrity before normal Integrity. A ship enters the Battered or Crippled state only when damage reduces its normal Integrity to the relevant threshold; losing Armor Integrity alone does not trigger either state. Armor Integrity normally recovers according to its upgrade.

If one hit inflicts more Integrity damage than the remaining Armor Integrity, apply the excess to normal Integrity.

Damage Threshold

If a battery’s total Salvo is below the target’s Damage Threshold, the Hull takes no Integrity damage.

Orders

Orders are the number of crew-intensive ship actions available each round. The Helm maneuver does not cost an Order.

Typical Orders include:

• fire one battery;
• Aim one battery;
• clear one Reload box;
• Brace;
• Damage Control;
• Emergency Repair;
• Prepare Grapples;
• raise or lower Deck Nets;
• activate Bilge Pumps or another crew-intensive upgrade.

A character’s independent action—casting a spell, firing a personal weapon, moving on deck, or treating one creature—does not cost an Order unless it directs a crew task.

Orders are a ship-level action budget, not a replacement for player turns. During each naval round, every player character may take one normal action, one bonus action, movement, and reactions at the phase where they make sense. The group also allocates the ship’s Orders, representing commands carried out by officers and crew. Routine NPC specialists are abstracted; do not roll separate initiatives for them.

Each player character should normally occupy one Officer Station. A station gives that player recurring responsibility for part of the ship and access to station-specific Officer Actions. An Officer Action normally uses the character’s action for the naval round but does not cost an Order unless it explicitly directs a crew task.

Maneuverability and Handling

Class	Handling
A	+4
B	+3
C	+2
D	+1
E	+0
F	−1

A critical effect or damaged rigging can worsen Maneuverability.

Range Bands

Every hostile ship is at one of three ranges relative to the player ship.

Extreme

The vessel has just become visible or is nearly gone.

• Only weapons with Extreme range can attack.
• Battery attacks have disadvantage.
• A successful Flee maneuver escapes the encounter during the End Phase, after that round’s attacks.

Long

Most artillery can engage.

• Weapons with Long or Extreme range can attack.
• Battery attacks have disadvantage.
• One successful Close or Flee maneuver changes the range by one band during the End Phase, after that round’s attacks.

Short

The ships are close enough for direct fire, spells, ramming, grappling, and boarding.

• Short-range battery attacks are normal unless another effect changes them.
• Ranged attack spells and character-scale attacks can affect the other ship.
• Ram and Grapple maneuvers are available.

This system is intended for one player ship against one or two important enemy ships. Resolve allied fleets and distant background ships narratively.

Checks and Crew Quality

Player Helm Check

d20 + one relevant ability modifier + proficiency bonus if proficient with vehicles (water) + Handling

Dexterity is common for responsive steering, Intelligence for planned positioning, Wisdom for reading wind and waves, and Strength for forcing an oared vessel through a maneuver.

NPC Helm Check

d20 + Crew Quality + Handling

Speed Edge

During an opposed range-changing check, compare Speed.

For every full 10 feet by which one ship is faster, it gains +1, maximum +3.

A war galley ignores wind penalties but still uses its listed Speed.

Player Battery Attack

d20 + Dexterity or Intelligence modifier + proficiency bonus

Appropriate proficiency may be firearms, the relevant siege weapon, or vehicles (water), at the GM’s discretion.

NPC Battery Attack

d20 + Crew Quality

Crew Quality Check

When an action is performed by the crew as a whole:

d20 + Crew Quality

Typical crew DCs are 12 for routine danger, 15 for difficult combat work, and 18 for desperate work.

Starting Combat

1. Identify all participating ships.
2. Set the initial range: Extreme, Long, or Short.
3. Record each ship’s Integrity, Armor Integrity, Flooding, Hull Breaches, ready batteries, Reload boxes, Orders, Crew Quality, and active critical effects.
4. Assign each player character an Officer Station. With fewer than five characters, combine compatible stations; with more than five, duplicate Gunnery or assign additional characters as marines, surgeons, engineers, or spell officers using the closest station.
5. Each helmsperson rolls initiative using the Helm Check formula.
6. The highest result chooses whether to declare their Helm maneuver first or second. Keep this declaration order for the encounter unless command changes.

Do not reroll initiative every round.

Round Sequence

Each naval round follows five phases. The range at the beginning of the round is used for all attacks that round. Successful Close, Flee, Parting Shot, and Hold Range results are recorded during the Helm Phase but do not change range until the End Phase.

1. Helm Phase

Helmspersons declare and resolve maneuvers in the established declaration order. Record any pending range change. Evade and Hold Steady take effect immediately. Ram and Grapple resolve immediately because they require the ships to begin the round at Short range.

2. Orders Phase

If a Deck Hazard is active, present it before Orders are allocated. One character may spend their action responding to it; if no one responds, apply its listed consequence.

Captains, bosuns, gunners, and support crew then allocate Orders. Resolve Aim, Reload, Brace, Damage Control, repairs, boarding preparation, crew-dependent upgrades, and Officer Actions that belong in this phase.

3. Attack Phase

Resolve all battery and character attacks using the range at the beginning of the round. Attacks from opposing ships are simultaneous: record damage now, but do not remove a ship’s unfired attacks because it was hit earlier in this phase.

4. Consequences Phase

Apply:

• Armor Integrity and Integrity loss;
• Battered, Crippled, and Defeated states;
• critical effects;
• Fires, Hull Breaches, and Flooding saves;
• morale or Break Conditions;
• reload markers and temporary effects.

5. End Phase

Apply pending range changes, then check whether a ship:

• escaped;
• surrendered or broke off;
• became Defeated;
• began Foundering;
• grappled and transitioned to boarding.

Then begin the next naval round.

Helm Maneuvers

A maneuver that is not opposed normally requires a DC 12 Helm Check. When ships attempt incompatible range changes, make an opposed check instead.

A ship that wins an opposed maneuver by 5 or more may change range by two bands, where possible. Unless a maneuver says otherwise, a successful range change takes effect during the End Phase after attacks have resolved.

Close

On a success, record a pending move one band closer: Extreme → Long or Long → Short. Apply it during the End Phase.

If the target attempts Flee or Parting Shot, resolve an opposed Helm Check. A ship cannot Close and then Ram or Grapple during the same round because those maneuvers require the ships to begin the round at Short range.

Flee

On a success, record a pending move one band farther: Short → Long or Long → Extreme. If the ship begins the round at Extreme, a successful Flee causes it to escape during the End Phase after the round’s attacks.

If the enemy attempts Close, Grapple, Ram, or another range-contesting maneuver, resolve an opposed check.

Evade

On a successful DC 12 Helm Check, attacks against the ship have disadvantage until its next Helm Phase. Range does not change.

Hold Steady

On a successful DC 12 Helm Check, the ship’s battery attacks have advantage this round. Enemy battery attacks against it also have advantage.

Parting Shot

Attempt Flee. On a success, record the pending range change and give the ship’s batteries advantage this round. Enemy attacks against it also have advantage until the next Helm Phase.

At Long or Extreme range, this advantage usually cancels the normal range disadvantage. The range change is applied during the End Phase after both ships complete their attacks.

Ram

Available only at Short range. Resolve an opposed Helm Check. On a success, use the Ramming rules.

Grapple

Available only at Short range. Resolve an opposed Helm Check. On a success, the ships are Grappled.

A Prepare Grapples Order or a connected harpoon adds its listed bonus.

Hold Range

Use when one ship attempts to maintain its current band against an enemy Close or Flee. Resolve an opposed Helm Check. On a win, cancel the opposing ship’s pending range change.

Orders and Support Actions

Fire Battery — 1 Order

Fire one ready battery at one target during the Attack Phase.

A battery with any Reload boxes cannot fire.

Aim Battery — 1 Order

The battery has advantage on its next attack this round. Aim also negates the Culverin’s Artillery penalty.

Aim cannot stack with itself.

Reload — 1 Order per Box

Clear one Reload box from one battery.

A battery gains Reload boxes equal to its Reload rating after it fires. An Efficient battery with twice its listed crew reduces the boxes gained by 1, minimum 0.

Brace — 1 Order

Until the next Orders Phase:

• reduce Ram damage suffered by half;
• crew have advantage on saves against being knocked prone, displaced, or thrown overboard.

Damage Control — 1 Order

Choose one:

• make a DC 15 Crew Quality or appropriate tool check to clear one Damaged critical effect;
• make a DC 15 Crew Quality or carpenter’s tools check to repair one Hull Breach;
• contain one Fire for this round, preventing its Integrity damage and preventing it from advancing toward escalation or causing a Hull Breach;
• grant advantage on the next Flooding save before the next Orders Phase.

A Disabled component cannot be restored during combat unless a specific magical effect says otherwise.

Emergency Repair — 1 Order; Once per Ship per Battle

Consume one Supply store and make a DC 15 Intelligence check with carpenter’s tools or a DC 15 CQ check.

On a success, restore 1 Integrity as Patched Integrity. It disappears after the encounter and still creates a normal repair liability.

Prepare Grapples — 1 Order

Gain +2 on a Grapple maneuver this round. This may represent hooks, chains, boarding poles, prepared marines, or a gangplank.

Bilge Pumps — 1 Order

Requires the upgrade. Gain advantage on Flooding saves until the next Orders Phase.

Rally — Captain Action, No Order

Once per battle, the captain makes a DC 13 Charisma check.

On a success, choose one:

• restore 1 lost CQ caused by combat;
• give one Helm Check, battery attack, or CQ check a d6 bonus;
• immediately test an NPC Break Condition with advantage.

Assess — Officer Action, No Order

Make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a success, grant advantage on the next attack or opposed Helm Check against the assessed ship.

Officer Stations

Officer Stations give each player a recurring decision during naval combat. A character may change stations during the End Phase or immediately when a station becomes vacant. Unless an action says otherwise:

• a character may use only one Officer Action per naval round;
• an Officer Action uses the character’s normal action but does not cost an Order;
• operating a station does not create additional battery attacks or direct Integrity damage;
• no more than one Officer Action may add advantage, a die bonus, or the removal of disadvantage to the same roll;
• a battery can benefit from only one Gunnery Officer Action per round;
• Orders remain the hard limit on crew tasks.

With fewer than five player characters, combine stations. A Captain may also act as Lookout, for example, or a Bosun may serve as Gunnery Officer. The character still receives only one Officer Action.

Helmsperson

The Helmsperson’s station action is the ship’s Helm maneuver. Unlike other Officer Actions, it does not use the character’s normal action and does not cost an Order. Their normal character action remains available for a spell, class feature, personal attack, or another action that makes sense while operating the helm. The Helmsperson does not also choose another Officer Action unless they are combining stations because the party has fewer than five characters.

Captain

The Captain sets the ship’s objective and normally has final authority over Order allocation. Choose one Officer Action:

Rally

Use the existing Rally action. Rally remains limited to once per battle.

Coordinate

Once during the Orders Phase, after at least one Order has been resolved, reassign one unresolved Order to a different legal task. Coordinate cannot recover a spent Order or interrupt an action already being resolved.

Press the Advantage

Choose one Battered NPC ship that can perceive the Captain’s signal, threat, or tactical dominance. Make a DC 15 Charisma check. On a success, immediately test that ship’s Break Condition with advantage. A given enemy ship can be affected by Press the Advantage only once per battle.

Gunnery Officer

When the ship spends an Order to Fire a battery, the Gunnery Officer assigned to that battery makes its attack roll and chooses its target and ammunition. Choose one Officer Action:

Spot the Fall

Choose one battery and make a DC 15 Intelligence or Wisdom check. On a success, its next attack before the next Orders Phase ignores one source of disadvantage other than range.

Range the Guns

Choose one battery. If the ship spends an Aim Order on that battery this round, Aim also removes the disadvantage imposed by a called shot rather than merely cancelling it. This may allow the attack to retain advantage if no other disadvantage applies.

Bosun or Shipwright

The Bosun normally makes checks for Damage Control and Emergency Repair when the ship spends the relevant Order. Choose one Officer Action:

Secure the Ship

If the ship uses Brace this round, make a DC 15 Strength, Dexterity, or appropriate tool check. On a success, choose one exposed component. The first result that would make that component Damaged before the next Orders Phase is ignored. Secure the Ship does not prevent Integrity damage, Fire, or Hull Breaches.

Drive the Crews

Make a DC 15 Charisma, Strength, or appropriate tool check. On a success, one Reload Order spent this round clears two Reload boxes from one battery instead of one. A ship can benefit from Drive the Crews only once per round.

Lookout, Navigator, or Marine Officer

Choose one Officer Action:

Assess

Use the existing Assess action.

Watch Their Helm

Choose one visible enemy ship and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a success, add 1d4 to the next opposed Helm Check against that ship before the next Orders Phase.

Prepare for Contact

Choose one allied character or boarding group. It has advantage on the first attack roll, ability check, or saving throw it makes during boarding before the next Helm Phase. If boarding does not begin before then, the benefit is lost.

Protect a Station

Choose the helm, one battery, or the damage-control station. Exposed creatures at that station have half cover until the next Orders Phase.

Deck Hazards

Deck Hazards give characters meaningful problems to solve when personal attacks and spells cannot yet reach the enemy. They are occasional complications, not an automatic extra punishment every round. Use a Deck Hazard when:

• a critical hit, Fire, ram, storm, or environmental effect creates one;
• a prior failed action leaves a dangerous condition unresolved;
• a character otherwise has no meaningful contribution during a long-range exchange;
• the GM wants to make existing ship damage tangible on deck.

Present no more than one active Deck Hazard per ship during an Orders Phase. State the danger, the likely consequence, and any obvious approaches. One character may spend their action and attempt an appropriate ability, tool, or spell check. Use DC 12 for routine danger, DC 15 for a serious combat hazard, and DC 18 for a desperate response.

On a success, prevent the consequence. Particularly effective or creative solutions may also grant advantage on one related crew check before the next Orders Phase. On a failure, apply the stated consequence. If no character responds, the hazard automatically takes effect. A Deck Hazard should normally cost position, Orders, Reload progress, CQ, or component readiness rather than directly inflicting Integrity damage. It causes Fire, a Hull Breach, or Integrity loss only when the fiction clearly supports that result.

d8	Hazard	Example Response	Failure or Neglect
1	Loose cannon	Strength (Athletics), vehicles (water), carpenter’s tools	Lose 1 Order next round
2	Burning wadding	Dexterity, Wisdom (Survival), water or cold magic	Mark Fire
3	Snapped or whipping line	Dexterity (Acrobatics), vehicles (water), navigator’s tools	Rigging Damaged until cleared
4	Wounded gun crew	Wisdom (Medicine), Charisma (Persuasion), healing magic	One battery cannot Aim or Reload next round
5	Crew member overboard	Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), rope or movement magic	CQ −1 until the creature is rescued or replaced
6	Jammed ammunition hoist	Intelligence (Investigation), Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), smith’s tools	Add 1 Reload box to one battery
7	Crew panic or conflicting orders	Charisma (Persuasion, Intimidation, or Performance)	Lose 1 Order next round
8	Falling spar or collapsed station	Strength, Dexterity, carpenter’s tools	One station is unusable until an Order clears it

A listed response is only an example. Accept any approach whose method and resources plausibly address the danger.

Weapon Attacks and Salvo

Batteries

A battery is every identical weapon assigned to fire at the same target.

• Make one attack roll for the battery.
• Multiply the weapon’s Salvo by the number of weapons.
• Apply ammunition and upgrade modifiers per weapon.
• Compare the total Salvo with the target’s DT and damage table.

Splitting identical guns between targets creates separate batteries and separate attack rolls.

Range

• Short: normal attack
• Long: disadvantage
• Extreme: disadvantage and only Extreme-capable weapons may fire

Advantage and disadvantage cancel normally.

Integrity Damage

On a hit:

Total Battery Salvo	Integrity Damage
Below target DT	0
DT through 49	1
50–99	2
100 or more	3

A natural 20:

• increases Integrity damage by 1, maximum 3;
• causes a critical hit;
• doubles normal damage dice only when damage dice are being rolled against creatures, components, or fortifications.

Called Shots

At Short range, a battery may target a component instead of the Hull.

Target	AC	Effect on Hit
Rigging or propulsion	12	Inflict Rigging Damaged
Weapon battery	15	Inflict Weapon Damaged
Helm	18	Inflict Helm Shock
Exposed crew or officer	Creature AC	Resolve creature or casualty damage

Called shots have disadvantage unless appropriate ammunition or another effect removes it. Chain or bar shot may remove disadvantage against rigging or propulsion; grapeshot may remove it against exposed crew; other specialist ammunition applies when its description says so.

A component hit with a total Battery Salvo of 50 or more also inflicts 1 Integrity damage, representing the wider disruption caused by a heavy broadside. Called shots against exposed creatures never inflict Integrity damage.

Personal Weapons and Spells

At Short range, characters may attack normally.

For an effect directed at the Hull:

1. use actual damage as Salvo;
2. compare it with DT and the Integrity table;
3. one spell or character attack cannot inflict more than 1 Integrity unless it deals at least 50 damage;
4. ship immunities and resistances apply.

Ships are normally immune to poison and psychic damage and to conditions that require a living creature.

Damage, Integrity, and Flooding

Integrity States

Integrity measures whether the ship can continue fighting, not whether it remains afloat. Apply a state when damage reduces the ship’s normal Integrity to the listed threshold. A ship whose maximum Integrity is already equal to a threshold does not begin combat in that state.

Battered — Reduced to 2 Integrity

The vessel has suffered obvious serious damage but remains mechanically operational. Test or reconsider any relevant Break Condition. Battered by itself imposes no automatic penalty and does not cause Flooding.

Crippled — Reduced to 1 Integrity

The vessel’s maximum Orders are reduced by 1, minimum 1, and its Maneuverability worsens by one class, minimum F. Test or reconsider its Break Condition. These penalties end if the ship rises above 1 Integrity.

Defeated — 0 Integrity

The vessel can no longer continue effective naval combat. It cannot take Helm maneuvers, Fire or Aim batteries, or use Emergency Repair. Determine its immediate state from the fiction and accumulated damage:

• it strikes its colors or its crew abandons their stations;
• it is dismasted, without steering, or otherwise unable to maneuver;
• its batteries are silenced or its command structure collapses;
• it burns out of control;
• it is Foundering because of Flooding;
• another outcome clearly follows from the encounter.

A Defeated ship may still spend Orders on Damage Control, Bilge Pumps, evacuation, rescue, or other actions that do not resume the naval fight. Continue attacks against it only when the fiction clearly requires them.

Hull Breaches

A Hull Breach is an explicit opening below or near the waterline. A ship gains a Hull Breach when:

• it suffers the Hull Breach critical;
• one hit inflicts 3 Integrity damage after Armor Integrity;
• it loses 2 or more Integrity from a ram;
• an Escalated Fire survives one additional Consequences Phase;
• another effect explicitly penetrates the hull.

At the end of each Consequences Phase in which a ship has one or more unresolved Hull Breaches, it makes one Flooding save:

DC 15 Constitution save

On a failure, gain 1 Flooding. Use the ship’s Constitution modifier. Damage Control and Bilge Pumps may grant advantage. A second unresolved Hull Breach immediately adds 1 Flooding when it is created. Additional Breaches beyond the second do not add immediate Flooding, but remain separate repairs.

Flooding

Flooding	State	Effect
0	Secure	No significant uncontrolled flooding
1	Taking Water	Speed −10 ft.
2	Foundering	Reduce Integrity to 0 if higher; Speed 0; no Helm maneuvers; sinks or breaks apart in 1d4 + 2 rounds

Flooding cannot exceed 2. Repairing a Hull Breach stops future saves from that Breach but does not remove existing Flooding. Reducing Flooding requires a specific upgrade, spell, extended pumping effort, or postcombat repair.

During each Foundering round, the GM may call for movement checks, falling debris saves, flooding hazards, or attempts to save cargo and trapped crew. The scene normally becomes an evacuation, surrender, salvage, rescue, or boarding scene.

Postcombat Repair Liability

After combat, each lost Integrity point creates Hull HP repair liability equal to the ship’s Hull Segment. This liability may represent hull damage, sprung framing, damaged fittings, lost rigging, disabled gun carriages, or other accumulated combat damage; it does not mean every Integrity point was a literal hull perforation.

Record separately marked component damage, Hull Breaches, Fire damage, and Flooding consequences in addition to this general liability.

Critical Hits

Roll 1d10 when a battery scores a critical hit.

d10	Critical	Effect
1	Ammunition Scattered	Choose one loaded or reloading battery. It cannot Reload or Fire until one Order is spent collecting and reorganizing ammunition.
2	Fire	Mark Fire. If not controlled during Orders, lose 1 Integrity in Consequences. After it deals damage in two Consequences Phases, it becomes Escalated and inflicts 2 Integrity each round. If an Escalated Fire survives one additional Consequences Phase, it also causes one Hull Breach.
3	Hull Breach	Mark one Hull Breach and reduce Handling by 1 until it is repaired. A second unresolved Hull Breach immediately adds 1 Flooding when created.
4	Knocked Off Course	Maneuverability becomes E until the end of the next Helm Phase.
5	Morale Shaken	CQ −1 until the captain succeeds on Rally or the ship scores a critical hit against an enemy.
6	Rigging Damaged	Speed −10 ft. and no Speed Edge bonus. A second unresolved result disables the rigging: Speed is halved and Helm Checks have disadvantage.
7	Rigging Tangled	Maneuverability worsens by two classes. A second unresolved result disables the rigging as above.
8	Ship Shaken	Crew and exposed characters make DC 15 Dexterity saves or fall prone. The ship loses 1 Order next round.
9	Helm Shock	Helmsperson makes DC 12 Constitution save or loses the next Helm action. A second unresolved result damages the helm: Handling −2.
10	Weapon Damaged	A randomly determined active battery cannot Fire. A second unresolved hit to that battery disables it until port repair.

Repairing Criticals

Damage Control can clear one Damaged result or repair one Hull Breach with a successful DC 15 check.

A second unresolved hit to the same component normally makes it Disabled, except Hull Breaches, which accumulate separately. Disabled systems require postcombat repair.

Magical repair may override this when its spell or item explicitly repairs a vehicle, structure, or ship component.

Ramming

On a successful Ram maneuver:

1. The target suffers the attacker’s listed Ram Salvo.
2. The ramming ship suffers half its own Ram Salvo.
3. Resolve both through the normal DT and Integrity table.
4. A ship that used Brace halves the Integrity damage it suffers, rounding down, minimum 0.
5. A Naval Ram adds +30 to outgoing Ram Salvo and absorbs the ramming ship’s first self-damage result by becoming Disabled.
6. Any ship that loses 2 or more Integrity from the ram gains one Hull Breach.

A successful ram leaves the ships at Short range. It does not automatically Grapple unless a specialized grappling ram or narrative effect says so.

Grappling and Boarding

Grappling

A successful Grapple maneuver joins the ships.

While Grappled:

• neither ship can change range;
• neither can Flee, Close, Ram, or Evade;
• batteries may still fire if their fiction and range permit;
• characters may cross using ropes, hooks, swings, gangplanks, flight, teleportation, or ordinary movement.

A grappled ship may escape by:

• cutting or removing all lines during standard combat;
• winning an opposed Helm Check after the lines are cleared;
• destroying the grappling component;
• forcing surrender or taking the enemy helm.

Transition to Standard 5e

Once the ships are Grappled, end the naval round and roll ordinary 5e initiative.

Use deck maps and normal character rules. Ship batteries and hazards can act on initiative count 20 or when operated by characters.

Background Crew Battle

Once each ordinary combat round, resolve the crews in the background:

Each side rolls d20 + CQ.

Apply:

• +1 CQ for every full 10 active crew by which one side outnumbers the other;
• +1 CQ for every 10 trained guards or marines;
• −1 CQ when a ranking officer is defeated;
• −3 CQ when the captain is defeated or captured.

The difference between the totals is the number of casualties suffered by the lower side.

A crew normally surrenders when:

• it is outnumbered at least 3 to 1;
• its captain and ranking officers are defeated;
• escape is impossible and continued resistance has no objective.

The PCs fight important officers, secure objectives, cut lines, seize the helm, protect cargo, or compel surrender while the mass battle occurs around them.

Undercrewed Ships

Compare current able crew with the Sailing Crew requirement.

Able Sailing Crew	Effect
100% or more	Full Orders and normal operation
75–99%	Maximum Orders −1
50–74%	Maximum Orders −2; Helm Checks have disadvantage
Below 50%	Maximum 1 Order; Speed halved; cannot operate Heavy Cannon, Culverin, Trebuchet, or another 3-Mount weapon

Weapon crew are checked separately. A battery without its minimum crew cannot Reload, Aim, or Fire.

Automation reduces the Sailing Crew requirement but not weapon crew.

Spells and Character Actions

Range

• Ranged spells and personal attacks against another ship normally require Short range.
• A spell with a genuinely exceptional range may function at Long range at the GM’s discretion.
• Teleportation, flight, swimming, and planar movement follow their normal rules.

Area Effects

An area spell may target the deck, crew, rigging, or Hull.

• Against the Hull, use actual damage as Salvo.
• Against creatures, use standard 5e damage and saves.
• Against multiple ship targets, the GM may apply half damage to secondary components.
• Fire effects can trigger the Fire critical when the fiction warrants it.

Mending

The ordinary mending cantrip can repair rope, sailcloth, a broken line, or one simple Damaged rigging result. It cannot restore Integrity or rebuild a Disabled major component.

One-Page Flow of Combat

SETUP
1. Choose Extreme, Long, or Short range.
2. Record Integrity, Armor Integrity, Flooding, Hull Breaches, CQ, Orders, batteries, Reload, and criticals.
3. Assign each PC an Officer Station.
4. Roll Helm initiative once. Winner chooses declaration order.
 
EACH ROUND
 
1. HELM
   Close / Flee / Evade / Hold Steady / Parting Shot /
   Hold Range / Ram / Grapple
   Opposed when objectives conflict.
   Speed Edge: +1 per 10 ft. faster, maximum +3.
   Record Close/Flee range changes; apply them during End.
   Ram and Grapple require the ships to begin at Short range.
 
2. ORDERS
   Present at most one active Deck Hazard; one PC may spend an action to respond.
   Each non-helm PC may use one station Officer Action; the Helm maneuver is the helmsperson's station action.
   Fire battery (1)
   Aim battery (1)
   Reload one box (1)
   Brace (1)
   Damage Control (1)
   Emergency Repair (1, once per battle, costs 1 Supply)
   Prepare Grapples (1)
   Activate crew-dependent upgrade (1)
 
   OFFICER STATIONS
   Helmsperson: Helm maneuver
   Captain: Rally / Coordinate / Press the Advantage
   Gunnery: Spot the Fall / Range the Guns
   Bosun: Secure the Ship / Drive the Crews
   Lookout: Assess / Watch Their Helm / Prepare for Contact / Protect a Station
   One Officer Action per PC; no extra attacks; Orders remain the crew-action cap.
 
3. ATTACK
   Use the range at the beginning of the round.
   One roll per battery.
   Short normal; Long and Extreme disadvantage.
   Battery Salvo = weapon Salvo × number of weapons.
   Below DT = 0 Integrity
   DT–49 = 1
   50–99 = 2
   100+ = 3
   Natural 20: +1 Integrity damage, maximum 3, and critical.
   Called shot with Salvo 50+: component effect and 1 Integrity.
 
4. CONSEQUENCES
   Apply Armor Integrity, Integrity, criticals, Fire, and reload.
   Reduced to 2 Integrity: Battered; test Break Condition.
   Reduced to 1 Integrity: Crippled; maximum Orders −1 and Maneuverability −1 class.
   0 Integrity: Defeated; determine surrender, disability, fire, or foundering.
   Unresolved Hull Breach: DC 15 CON Flooding save.
   Flooding 1: Taking Water, Speed −10 ft.
   Flooding 2: Foundering, Integrity 0, sinks in 1d4+2 rounds.
 
5. END
   Apply pending range changes.
   Did a ship escape, surrender, become Defeated, founder, or Grapple?
   If Grappled, switch to standard 5e combat immediately.