My players are going to be on a ship in the next session and they will be attacked by a kraken. I have never run a kraken before, but I think that there is a good chance that the kraken will damage the ship to the point of being inoperable. I think that my players are resourceful enough to figure out how to solve the problem of being stranded on a broken ship, but it would be helpful to me to be able to present some options for them. My ideas are that the ship has a row boat that they can use to get to their destination, but it will take a long time. they can also try to fix the ship with only the materials available, or there is an island within rowing distance that is wooded where they can get materials to repair the ship. what skills should they roll for when making checks to repair a ship? As far as I know they don't have any proficiency with carpenters tools or anything like that.
any advice for this encounter would be appreciated
Without knowing the party makeup, including class, level, spells, tools, magic items etc. it’s impossible for us to say what they might be able to do. My first thought was carpenter’s tools, but you’re saying that’s not an option. Other tool proficiencies might also work in a pinch, if the player can give you a good enough reason. The mending cantrip can really go a long way here. Maybe they try to use Tiny Hit to plug the hole. Depending on the location and other items, the fabricate spell could be useful, or not at all useful. A conjuration wizard might be able to make some temporary materials, a forge cleric might be able to make nails or other fasteners. Artificers can do all kinds of crap. In situations like this I never try to decide what the players might do. I just throw them into the situation. They always figure something out.
Hm. Oceangoing sailing ships - to my limited knowledge - would carry materials for relatively major repairs.
Failing that, maybe they can summon, charm or befriend a large ocean creature, and have it pull them?
Water elementals could do the same.
I'm pretty sure they'll be able to figure something out, but what exactly is hard to say without knowing classes and level, spells available and so on.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
The thing to think about is whether it is important for the ship to break. Does it matter if the ship survives? Do they NEED to end up in the cutter?
Then how can they fight the kraken? Are the tentacles the main targets - can they be attacked and cut off? Do they just smash the PCs and the ship or can they pull the PCs off the ship also?
The party will figure out what they do about repairs.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
I've been running a Ghosts of Saltmarsh (+homebrew) for a couple years. If it were me, I'd give them an island they could reach and somehow get the main ship ashore for repairs. The island gives them adventures as well, old temples, beasties, sunken village nearby, stuff like that.
Skill and survival checks for hunting, gathering supplies, food and building shelters and so on. This also makes it possible for them to repair the ship.
You can even give them extra rewards for repairing the ship, give them stuff from the shipwright and sailor backgrounds.
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My players are going to be on a ship in the next session and they will be attacked by a kraken. I have never run a kraken before, but I think that there is a good chance that the kraken will damage the ship to the point of being inoperable. I think that my players are resourceful enough to figure out how to solve the problem of being stranded on a broken ship, but it would be helpful to me to be able to present some options for them. My ideas are that the ship has a row boat that they can use to get to their destination, but it will take a long time. they can also try to fix the ship with only the materials available, or there is an island within rowing distance that is wooded where they can get materials to repair the ship. what skills should they roll for when making checks to repair a ship? As far as I know they don't have any proficiency with carpenters tools or anything like that.
any advice for this encounter would be appreciated
Without knowing the party makeup, including class, level, spells, tools, magic items etc. it’s impossible for us to say what they might be able to do. My first thought was carpenter’s tools, but you’re saying that’s not an option. Other tool proficiencies might also work in a pinch, if the player can give you a good enough reason. The mending cantrip can really go a long way here. Maybe they try to use Tiny Hit to plug the hole. Depending on the location and other items, the fabricate spell could be useful, or not at all useful. A conjuration wizard might be able to make some temporary materials, a forge cleric might be able to make nails or other fasteners. Artificers can do all kinds of crap.
In situations like this I never try to decide what the players might do. I just throw them into the situation. They always figure something out.
Hm. Oceangoing sailing ships - to my limited knowledge - would carry materials for relatively major repairs.
Failing that, maybe they can summon, charm or befriend a large ocean creature, and have it pull them?
Water elementals could do the same.
I'm pretty sure they'll be able to figure something out, but what exactly is hard to say without knowing classes and level, spells available and so on.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Just throw them in the deep end.
The thing to think about is whether it is important for the ship to break. Does it matter if the ship survives? Do they NEED to end up in the cutter?
Then how can they fight the kraken? Are the tentacles the main targets - can they be attacked and cut off? Do they just smash the PCs and the ship or can they pull the PCs off the ship also?
The party will figure out what they do about repairs.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I've been running a Ghosts of Saltmarsh (+homebrew) for a couple years. If it were me, I'd give them an island they could reach and somehow get the main ship ashore for repairs. The island gives them adventures as well, old temples, beasties, sunken village nearby, stuff like that.
Skill and survival checks for hunting, gathering supplies, food and building shelters and so on. This also makes it possible for them to repair the ship.
You can even give them extra rewards for repairing the ship, give them stuff from the shipwright and sailor backgrounds.