⚓ Naval Combat
"Ships which remain continually in water will roll but once daily for encounters, with a result of 6 indicating such an encounter." — OD&D Book III
Ship Reference (Book III)
| Ship Type | Move | Capacity | Crew | Armament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowboat | 60" | — | 2 | None |
| Small Boat | 90" | — | 4 | None |
| Galley, small | 90" | — | 10 | 1 ram |
| Galley, large | 180" | — | 20 | 2 rams |
| Galley, war | 210" | — | 30 | 3 rams + catapult |
| Sailing Ship, sm. | 180" | 30 tons | 12 | None |
| Sailing Ship, lg. | 240" | 100 tons | 20 | 1 catapult |
| Pirate Ship | 240" | — | 125 | varies |
Waterborne Wandering Monsters
| d6 | River | Ocean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Men (boatmen) | Men (pirates) |
| 2 | Flyers | Flyers (Roc) |
| 3 | Giant | Sea Monster |
| 4 | Swimmer (croc) | Giant Octopus/Squid |
| 5 | Swimmer (nixie) | Mermen |
| 6 | Undead | Dragon (sea type) |
Engage Ships
Attacking Ship
Target Ship
Naval Rules Summary (Book III)
Movement: Scale in "inches" = tens of yards. Ships move in segments per turn.
Wind: Favorable wind gives sailing ships advantage over galleys. Calm favors galleys (oar power).
Ramming: Attacking ship must move at full speed into target. Both ships take damage. Galleys are best rammers.
Catapults: Fire once per turn. Rolling catapult missiles sink ships if hull points reach 0.
Boarding: Once ships grapple, normal melee combat is used on deck. Winning side captures the ship.
Underwater Monsters: Creatures like sea monsters attack ships' hulls from below for d6 damage/turn.