GM Guide: Ships & Vehicles
Use the stat line from the Seafarer page (Ships at a Glance): Hull, Evasion, Threshold, Armament, Crew. Pick vessels for your era.
Vessels by Era
| Era | Small | Medium | Large | Typical armament |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze Age / Classical | fishing boat, reed boat | penteconter, merchant round-ship | trireme, quinquereme | ram, archers, marines; later bolt-throwers |
| Viking / Early Medieval | færing (rowboat) | knarr (trader) | longship, dragon-ship | archers, spears, boarding |
| High Medieval | cog’s boat | cog, hulk | great cog with castles, galley | archers, crossbows, small catapults |
| Age of Sail | jolly boat, sloop | brig, caravel, schooner | galleon, ship of the line | cannons (swivel guns to gun decks) |
| Eastern seas | sampan | junk, dhow | treasure ship | fire arrows, bombards, rockets |
| Fantasy / Sky | skiff, skyboat | sky-cutter | sky-galleon, cloud-barge | ballistae, spell-engines, bombs |
Land and Other Vehicles
| Vehicle | Hull | Evasion | Threshold | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cart or wagon | 3 | 9 | 5 | 2 horses; difficult terrain halves speed |
| Chariot | 3 | 11 | 5 | driver + archer; Armament 1d8 (archer) |
| Siege tower | 7 | 6 | 12 | carries 20; can’t cross rough ground |
| Sand-ship / ice yacht | 4 | 11 | 6 | sails on dunes or ice |
Guidelines
- Ownership is optional. Most parties ride, crew, hire, borrow, or commandeer vessels. Seafarer Features work aboard any of them.
- Rams require movement into the target; archers hurt crews, not hulls (Sweep).
- Give each important vessel one quirk (leaky, fast in light airs, haunted figurehead).