Comments on: NAVAL COMBAT for D&D 5e Preview https://www.tribality.com/2018/02/01/naval-combat-dd-5e-preview/ D&D / Role Playing Thu, 09 Apr 2020 14:44:15 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Patrick https://www.tribality.com/2018/02/01/naval-combat-dd-5e-preview/#comment-4792 Sun, 25 Feb 2018 21:54:00 +0000 https://www.tribality.com/?p=23108#comment-4792 Is the pdf based on your 2014 naval combat rules? If so, I have a suggestion regarding piloting the ship: namely that it should be a Wisdom check and not a Dexterity check. I’m a merchant marine officer by trade, and I can tell you that there is nothing quick about steering a ship. The rudder obeys whatever helm command you give it, and it is much more important to observe how the wind and current are affecting your ship so as to fine tune your steering. Most of the time, you make a helm change, observe the effect, then make a correction; there’s not much quickness or fine manual dexterity needed.

To put it another way, an agile character isn’t going to be able to go 20° right rudder any better than a less agile one. In fact, in most cases the pilot doesn’t even have hands on the helm but instead issues orders to a helmsman.

An untrained pilot should still be allowed to make WIS checks without proficiency bonus, and anyone proficient in sea vehicles would add their proficiency bonus as normal.

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