Naval Economic Reference

Hybrid Naval System — Economic Reference

This document is the accounting reference for the hybrid naval system. Use it for crew pay, stores, maintenance, docking, repairs, construction, purchase, resale, passenger fares, cargo work, and prize distribution.

Companion Documents

• Naval Armory
• Naval Economic Reference

Table of Contents

• Monthly Operating Cost
• Crew Pay
• Food, Drink, and Stores
• Maintenance and Docking
• Damage and Repairs
• Purchase, Construction, and Resale
• Passenger and Cargo Income
• Fast Monthly Worksheets
• Economic Defaults and Optional Abstraction

Monthly Operating Cost

At the end of each 30-day operating month, calculate:

Monthly Cost = salaries + food and drink + maintenance + upgrade upkeep + replenished stores and ammunition + docking used

Food and drink are purchased in blocks sufficient for 10 creatures for one month. Always round the number of creatures aboard up to the next block of 10.

The listed base operating costs below assume:

• the ship carries only its Sailing Crew;
• all crew are ordinary sailors paid 30 gp per month;
• player characters fill any skilled officer positions without drawing salary;
• the vessel purchases one month of normal food and drink;
• routine maintenance is paid using the greater-of formula below;
• no weapon crew, guards, passengers, upgrade upkeep, replacement stores, or docking fees are included.

Ship	Sailing Crew	Base Monthly Cost
Cutter	5	340 gp
Sloop	10	505 gp
Brigantine	20	1,008 gp
War Galley	40	2,003 gp
Corvette	25	1,430 gp
Galleon	40	2,690 gp
Ship of the Line	60	4,635 gp

A ship carrying additional gunners, guards, passengers, specialists, or mounts must also feed and pay them.

Crew Pay

Hireling	Monthly Pay	Notes
Ordinary sailor or ship’s guard	30 gp	General deckhand, rigger, loader, marine, or guard
Skilled officer or specialist	150 gp	Navigator, surgeon, master gunner, bosun, artificer, or equivalent NPC
Mounted unit with rider	40 gp	Does not include unusual feed or replacement equipment
Player character	By agreement	A PC may waive pay, take an officer’s share, or receive a negotiated salary

Weapon Crews

Weapon crew requirements are in addition to the Sailing Crew unless a ship’s listed package explicitly says otherwise. Crew assigned to a weapon cannot simultaneously perform another crew task during that naval round.

A ship may carry more people than its listed Berths by converting cargo space:

10 additional Medium creatures consume 1 ton of cargo capacity, before their food and drink are counted.

Unpaid Crew

At the end of each unpaid month:

1. Crew Quality decreases by 1, to a minimum of 0.
2. The captain makes a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) check.
3. On a failure, the crew refuses dangerous orders, deserts at the next safe port, or attempts mutiny as appropriate.

Paying all arrears restores 1 lost Crew Quality after one week of normal operation. Other CQ losses require roleplay, shore leave, prize money, or another meaningful remedy.

Food, Drink, and Stores

Monthly Provisions

Store	Cost	Capacity or Use
Food store	150 gp	Feeds 10 creatures for one month; 1 ton
Drink store	10 gp	Waters 10 creatures for one month; 1 ton
Medical store	10 gp	Expended by major treatment, casualty recovery, or specified upgrades
Supply store	75 gp	1 ton of wood, canvas, rope, nails, tar, and repair material
10 ballista bolts, harpoons, or stone shot	10 gp	100 ordinary shots occupy 1 ton
10 standard cannon charges	10 gp	Includes shot, powder, wadding, fuse, and routine wastage
10 special trebuchet shots	20 gp	10 shots occupy 1 ton

The ship’s listed price includes:

• one month of food and drink for its Sailing Crew;
• one Medical store;
• one Supply store.

A newly purchased weapon includes 10 ordinary shots of the appropriate type.

Provision Capacity

The first month of food and drink for the listed Sailing Crew is assumed to fit in the ship’s normal service spaces and does not reduce listed Cargo Capacity. Extra months, provisions for additional people, ammunition, and Supply stores use cargo space normally.

At more than 80% Cargo Capacity, reduce combat Speed by 10 feet and daily travel by 24 miles for a sailing ship, or by 25% for another propulsion type.

Half and Double Rations

• Half rations: provisions last twice as long; CQ decreases by 1 after the first week and by another 1 after the first month.
• Double rations: provisions are consumed twice as quickly; after one week, the captain has advantage on the next check made to Rally or prevent mutiny.

Maintenance and Docking

Routine maintenance represents ordinary replacement of rope, canvas, spars, fasteners, pitch, pumps, and worn fittings.

First determine the base amount from ship length:

Ship Length	Base Monthly Maintenance	Docking per Day
10 feet or less	1 gp	1 sp
11–30 feet	10 gp	5 sp
31–75 feet	30 gp	2 gp
76–100 feet	50 gp	4 gp
101–200 feet	80 gp	8 gp
201–300 feet	100 gp	16 gp

Then calculate:

Monthly Maintenance = greater of the length-table amount or 0.25% of the ship’s current unarmed hull price

Round any fractional gold piece up. Upgrade upkeep is added to this amount.

For the standard ships, this produces:

Ship	Monthly Maintenance
Cutter	30 gp
Sloop	45 gp
Brigantine	88 gp
War Galley	163 gp
Corvette	200 gp
Galleon	850 gp
Ship of the Line	1,875 gp

Missed Maintenance

For each unpaid month, roll 2d10 Permanent Wear against the Hull, Helm, Propulsion, and every installed battery.

Permanent Wear reduces that component’s maximum HP. When Permanent Wear against the Hull equals or exceeds one Hull Segment, maximum Integrity decreases by 1.

Permanent Wear cannot be repaired at sea. Paying all maintenance arrears and remaining in a suitable port for 8 hours removes the wear. The GM may require a larger shipyard for a capital vessel.

Damage and Repairs

Naval combat uses Integrity as a combat-effectiveness track, while the repair economy uses Hull HP and component repair costs.

Converting Integrity Loss to Repair Liability

Each stat block lists a Hull Segment value.

Postcombat Hull HP repair liability = Integrity lost × Hull Segment value

This repair liability abstracts sprung framing, damaged planking, wrecked fittings, lost rigging, disabled gun carriages, and other cumulative combat damage. It does not mean every lost Integrity point represents a literal hole in the hull.

A Patched Integrity point restored by an Emergency Repair still counts as lost after combat. Patches keep the ship fighting; they do not erase the repair bill.

Separately marked Damaged or Disabled components, Hull Breaches, Fire damage, and Flooding consequences are recorded in addition to this general repair liability.

At-Sea Repairs

A crew with carpenter’s tools can spend 8 hours and consume one Supply store to restore:

2d10 + Crew Quality Hull HP

Apply the restoration to the Hull or one major component.

• The ship may travel at normal cruising speed while this work is performed.
• At-sea Hull repairs cannot restore more than one Hull Segment in total between visits to a suitable port.
• Completing a missing Hull Segment restores 1 missing Integrity after the work is finished.
• At-sea work can repair ordinary damage and one Damaged critical condition.
• A Disabled component requires a port, drydock, specialized magic, or a specific adventure solution.
• Repairing a Hull Breach at sea stops further Flooding saves from that Breach but does not remove existing Flooding.

The one-segment limit is cumulative. Additional Supply stores may be spent to reach that limit, but not to rebuild the entire vessel while underway.

Port Repairs

Ship Length	Cost per Hull HP	Repair Rate
75 feet or less	2 gp	50 HP per day
76–120 feet	3 gp	50 HP per day
121 feet or more	5 gp	50 HP per day

Round repair time up to a full day. Several qualified repair crews may work simultaneously if the port can support them.

Component Repair

Use the following replacement values:

• Helm: 5% of the unarmed ship price
• Propulsion and rigging: 10% of the unarmed ship price
• Weapon, shield, facility, or other installed component: its listed purchase price

Repair costs are:

Condition	Cost	Time
Damaged	10% of component value, minimum 50 gp	1 day
Disabled	25% of component value, minimum 100 gp	3 days
Destroyed	Full replacement price	Normal installation time

In-Combat Repairs

The combat rules permit one Emergency Repair per ship per battle:

• Spend 1 Order and 1 Supply store.
• Make a DC 15 Intelligence check using carpenter’s tools, or a DC 15 Crew Quality check.
• On a success, restore 1 Integrity as Patched Integrity.
• The patch disappears when the encounter ends and still creates normal postcombat repair liability.

Damage Control may clear a Damaged critical effect, repair a Hull Breach, contain a Fire, or support a Flooding save, but it does not restore ordinary Integrity.

Purchase, Construction, and Resale

Buying a Ship

The prices in the player menu are for a new, unarmed vessel with its standard rooms, listed propulsion, one month of provisions for its Sailing Crew, one Medical store, and one Supply store.

Weapons, special facilities, trained crew, guards, and magical upgrades are purchased separately.

Availability is a real limit:

• Cutters, sloops, and brigantines are available in many major ports.
• Galleys and corvettes require a naval or large commercial shipyard.
• Galleons require a major capital port.
• Ships of the line normally require state approval, a naval contract, or capture.

Construction Time

Ship	Normal Construction Time
Cutter	1 month in a major port
Sloop	2 months in a major port
Brigantine	3 months in a major port; 4 months in a small port
War Galley	4 months in a naval shipyard; 6 months in a large commercial shipyard
Corvette	6 months in a naval or major commercial shipyard
Galleon	9 months in a capital shipyard; 12 months in another major port capable of the work
Ship of the Line	18 months in a capital shipyard; 24 months in another major naval shipyard, normally with state approval

Each full month removed from the schedule adds 20% of the ship’s unarmed price. Construction cannot normally be rushed below half the listed time, and the port must have enough labor, timber, fittings, and drydock capacity to support the accelerated work.

Used Ships

A legally owned used ship normally sells for:

The vessel’s current Ship Charisma is listed or tracked on its ship stat block.

50% of the current new price of its hull, weapons, and permanent upgrades

Then apply:

• subtract the full estimated cost of all necessary repairs;
• subtract any unpaid wages, liens, taxes, or docking charges attached to the vessel;
• add 10% if the ship is famous, pristine, or has Charisma 15+;
• subtract 5% if Charisma is 6–9;
• subtract 15% if Charisma is 5 or lower.

A stolen prize normally has no legitimate market. A fence may offer 10–25% of new value, and the sale can create legal claims, bounties, or political consequences.

Captured Ships

A captured ship has value only if the party can:

• establish legal title or find a fence;
• provide a prize crew;
• reach a port able to purchase it;
• pay the repair and operating costs until sale.

A prize that cannot be crewed, docked, registered, or defended is a liability rather than liquid treasure.

Default Prize-Court Distribution

A charter, national law, or private contract may replace these shares. Otherwise, use this default procedure for a legally condemned prize:

1. Determine the ship’s sale price under the Used Ships rules.
2. Deduct repairs, towing, prize-crew wages, docking, legal fees, taxes, and other direct costs of bringing the prize to sale.
3. Divide the remaining net proceeds:

Recipient	Share of Net Proceeds
Licensing government or prize court	20%
Financial backer, insurer, or bondholder	10%
Crew prize pool	20%
Ship’s owners or player party	50%

The crew prize pool is divided according to the ship’s articles. Officers may receive multiple shares, but player characters who already receive the owners’ share do not also receive crew shares unless their agreement explicitly says otherwise.

This means a successful capture remains transformative without converting the full market value of a warship directly into party cash.

Passenger and Cargo Income

Passenger Fares

Accommodation	Ship Charisma	Fare per Passenger per Week
Standard nautical fare	0–5	12 gp
Standard nautical fare	6–10	16 gp
Standard nautical fare	11–15	20 gp
Standard nautical fare	16+	24 gp
Passenger-focused quarters	0–5	16 gp
Passenger-focused quarters	6–10	20 gp
Passenger-focused quarters	11–15	30 gp
Passenger-focused quarters	16+	45 gp

Passenger-focused quarters are an upgrade or a narrative refit. Passengers consume Berths first. Ten passengers placed in cargo space consume 1 ton.

Cargo Freight

The standard freight rate is:

20 gp per ton of cargo per month of travel

The captain may negotiate higher rates for dangerous routes, valuable cargo, blockades, war zones, refrigeration, secrecy, or guaranteed delivery.

This rate is intentionally modest. A ship becomes highly profitable through reliable volume, valuable trade, prizes, or state contracts rather than one ordinary cargo run.

Fast Monthly Worksheets

Minimal Worksheet

Ordinary crew:        number × 30 gp
Skilled NPCs:         number × 150 gp
Mounted units:        number × 40 gp
Food blocks:          ceil(total creatures ÷ 10) × 150 gp
Drink blocks:         ceil(total creatures ÷ 10) × 10 gp
Maintenance:          greater of length amount or 0.25% hull price
Upgrade upkeep:       listed amounts
Replacement stores:   as used
Replacement ammo:     as fired
Docking:              days × docking rate
TOTAL:

Voyage Profit Worksheet

Passenger income
+ Freight income
+ Trade profit
+ Contract income
+ Owner's share of net prize proceeds
− Monthly operating cost
− Ammunition and consumed stores
− Docking, tolls, and taxes
− Repair liabilities
= Net voyage profit

Prize Worksheet

Gross legal sale price
− Repairs, towing, docking, legal fees, and prize-crew costs
= Net prize proceeds
 
Net proceeds × 20% = government or prize court
Net proceeds × 10% = backer, insurer, or bondholder
Net proceeds × 20% = crew prize pool
Net proceeds × 50% = owners or player party

Economic Defaults and Optional Abstraction

For a campaign that does not want detailed bookkeeping, use one of these abstractions:

Operating Fund

Deposit one base monthly operating cost in advance. Ordinary provisions, salaries, and maintenance are assumed paid for that month. Track only:

• special ammunition;
• Supply and Medical stores;
• repairs;
• unusual hires;
• major docking, tolls, and upgrades.

Self-Funding Ship

A ship with regular background freight or passenger work may cover ordinary salaries, provisions, maintenance, and docking without generating profit. Adventures, prizes, special contracts, and trade speculation determine actual gain or loss.