Shipboard Combat

Shipboard combat is an extension of the regular combat system that augments it and runs parallel to it. A shipboard combat is also a regular combat, and has many of the same rules: Initiative, attacking, etc. The primary difference is the addition of the nautical action, which the captain can take to make the ship act, and the resources bilge and tempo, which influence the course of the fight.

Join Battle and Initiative

At the start of combat, all participants roll Join Battle like usual. The ship is not an independent combatant; although it has its own resources, it doesn’t “act” or have its own position on the Initiative track.

The ship acts whenever the captain uses her nautical action to cause it to act. Other than the captain’s access to the nautical action, combat flow is mostly unchanged for the other participants.

Spacing and Movement

Ships usually begin at extreme range from one another, and can only move by order of the captain spending tempo.

Individual combatants are free to move as usual on the upper deck of the ships. They can move between levels using their reflexive move as long as there is an available staircase or ladder. The cramped conditions belowdecks often make the interiors of ships difficult terrain. The upper deck can also become difficult terrain during the crush of bodies in a boarding action, bad weather, or choppy water.

Captain’s Turn

While in command of the ship during combat operations, the captain can use her Sail during her turn to try and gather information: with Intelligence it can be used to identify ships and maneuvers, with Perception it can be used to gain information about the status of the target ship (including precise bilge and tempo), etc. The captain may generate tempo by using the Generate Tempo action.

Most actions that the captain can take to operate the ship use (Wits + Sail). Please make note of the following distinction: ordering your crew in using the ship is generally Sail, but using your crew as a battlegroup is generally War.

Nautical Action

At any time during her turn, the Captain may take a single reflexive nautical action to command the ship. Using her nautical action, she may do exactly one of the following:

• Spend Tempo to gain an effect; or
• Command the crew to perform a specific task using Sail; or
• Use a Simple-type Charm that specifies the nautical action.

Bilge

Bilge represents wear and tear on the ship as a result of combat. Your ship gains bilge from taking damage or from using an effect that accumulates bilge. In costs, bilge is represented by the symbol b.

At the beginning of the captain’s turn, the ship automatically gains (Weight + HLs penalty) bilge, as the battle wears down the ship. Bilge inflicts the following penalties:

• As long as you have at least 1 bilge, all characters aboard ship who have no dots of Sail take a -3 penalty on all actions as they must contend with the flurry of ship activity and get out of the way of essential actions.
• All actions on the ship take a penalty of (bilge/5).

You are not subject to bilge penalties on any ship other than your own.

The ship loses 1 health level for every 5 bilge it has, starting at (Weight * 5) bilge.

Tempo

Tempo is a counterresource to bilge, representing the captain’s command of the vessel and harmonious leadership of the crew. At the beginning of each turn, the captain gets (Crew Size + Crew Might + Crew Drill - Weight) tempo. She may also take the Generate Tempo action on her turn. In costs, tempo is represented by the symbol t.

The captain may spend tempo as her action or as her nautical action to gain any of the following benefits. She may only spend tempo on one benefit at a time.

Tempo Table

Tempo Effects

Move!

You may order the ship to move one range band in any direction it is capable of moving. You may not move away from a ship you have rammed or boarded unless you first take a Withdraw! effect.

Withdraw!

You disengage from your target, prying your ship out of a ramming position or retreating your men on the upper deck back onto your ship. You may Move! away from the ship you are engaged with when you Move!.

Ready Weapons!

You order the crew to ready weapons. They automatically ready the weapons and can launch an attack with the Fire Weapons! effect or the Fire action

Fire Weapons!

You order the crew to fire the ships’ weapons. Fire Weapons! guarantees a hit.

Launch a Boarding Action!

You tether the target ship with ropes and hooks, lower the corvus, or otherwise send your crew from your ship to theirs. You must have Ram!‘d the target ship or be alongside it in order to Launch a Boarding Action!.

While engaging in a boarding action, both crews are unable to flee or withdraw; your crew may return to your ship if you spend tempo to Withdraw!.

If you both Ram! and Launch a Boarding Action! in the same turn, your crew’s first attack against the enemy crew is unexpected.

Swerve!

You pull your ship in a sudden swerve. Enemy boarders on your ship must succeed at a roll to stay upright, or else they are knocked prone.

Ram!

You ram the enemy ship with your own. This opens the opportunity to Launch a Boarding Action! and grants your choise of one of the following:

• Inflict 10 bilge on the target ship,
• Inflict 3 health levels of damage on the target ship,
• Force all crewmen of the enemy ship to roll to remain upright.

Cause an Obstacle!

You scatter oil on the deck of the ship, cut the clew-garnet to bring the sail down, rip open a crate of rice to spill on the ground, or otherwise create an obstacle. This obstacle might be difficult terrain, might create an environmental hazard, blind an enemy boarding team, or anything else to make their lives miserable.

Full Speed!

You may move two range bands. This is subject to the same restrictions as Move!.

Prevent X Bilge!

You take proactive precaution to prevent further damage to the ship. The next X bilge inflicted on your ship just doesn’t happen.

Remove X Bilge!

You focus the crew on the tasks of repairing the ship and keeping her seaworthy. You immediately remove X bilge.