Pirate & Naval Reference - Swashbuckling

⛵ Ship Types (d20)

d20	Ship Type	Description	Guns	Crew
1	Sloop	Fast single-masted vessel, pirate favorite	10-12	75
2	Schooner	Quick two-master, coastal raider	8-14	80
3	Brigantine	Two-masted square-rigger	12-16	100
4	Frigate	Fast naval warship, powerful	32-44	250
5	Galleon	Spanish treasure ship, heavy	30-40	200
6	Man-of-War	Massive warship, devastating	60-100	500+
7	Merchant Brig	Cargo vessel, lightly armed	6-10	60
8	Bark	Three-masted trader	10-16	90
9	Corvette	Small fast warship	16-24	150
10	Cutter	Single-mast patrol vessel	8-12	50
11	Xebec	Mediterranean raider, oars + sails	16-24	120
12	Junk	Chinese trading vessel	12-20	100
13	Caravel	Small exploration ship	6-8	40
14	Longboat	Fast rowing vessel, raiders	0-2	30
15	Pinnace	Ship's boat, can operate independently	2-4	20
16	Dutch Fluyt	Cargo hauler, profitable target	6-12	50
17	Snow	Two-masted brig variant	14-18	110
18	Ketch	Small two-masted fishing/trading	4-8	30
19	East Indiaman	Massive armed merchant ship	36-44	300
20	Ghost Ship	Abandoned derelict or cursed vessel	Varies	0 (Dead)

d20	Treasure	Description	Value
1	Spanish Doubloons	Gold coins, pirate currency	High
2	Pieces of Eight	Silver reales, common payment	Moderate
3	Jeweled Crown	Stolen royalty treasure	Very High
4	Pearl Necklace	South Seas treasure	High
5	Spice Cargo	Nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon	Moderate-High
6	Silk Bolts	Fine Chinese silk	Moderate
7	Rum Barrels	Caribbean spirits	Low-Moderate
8	Navigation Charts	Secret routes and locations	Variable
9	Aztec Gold	Cursed treasure (literal)	Priceless/Worthless
10	Ivory Tusks	African elephant ivory	High
11	Tobacco Crates	Virginia tobacco	Moderate
12	Platinum Bars	Rare metal ingots	Very High
13	Emeralds (Raw)	Colombian gems	High
14	Naval Documents	Fleet movements, valuable intel	Variable
15	Fine Wines	French vintages	Moderate
16	Brass Telescope	Naval equipment	Moderate
17	Powder & Shot	Military supplies	High (if needed)
18	Treasure Map	Leads to buried fortune	Unknown
19	Religious Artifacts	Church treasures	High
20	Dead Man's Chest	Legendary hoard, possibly cursed	Priceless

d12	Maneuver	Description & Effect
1	Broadside	Turn ship sideways, unleash full gun battery
2	Raking Fire	Shoot down length of enemy ship, maximum damage
3	Boarding Action	Grapple and send crew to fight hand-to-hand
4	Chain Shot	Destroy enemy rigging and sails, immobilize
5	False Colors	Fly friendly flag, approach close, then attack
6	Running Battle	Chase while exchanging fire, test endurance
7	Crossing the T	Position ship perpendicular to enemy, maximum advantage
8	Tacking into Wind	Sail against wind using zigzag pattern
9	Fire Ship	Set abandoned vessel ablaze, ram into enemy fleet
10	Stern Chase	Pursue from behind, harass rear guns
11	Kedging	Drop anchor ahead, winch ship forward (calm waters)
12	Scuttle & Surrender	Sink own ship rather than let enemy take it

d20	Role	Responsibilities
1	Captain	Commands ship, makes battle decisions, elected by crew
2	Quartermaster	Represents crew, divides plunder, disciplines crew
3	First Mate	Second in command, manages daily operations
4	Sailing Master	Navigation and piloting expert
5	Boatswain (Bosun)	Maintains ship, supervises rigging and sails
6	Gunner	Responsible for cannons, powder, shot
7	Master Gunner	Trains gun crews, coordinates broadsides
8	Carpenter	Repairs ship damage, plugs leaks during battle
9	Surgeon/Sawbones	Treats wounded (often drunk, little training)
10	Cook	Prepares meals (often one-legged veteran)
11	Powder Monkey	Young boy who runs powder to guns
12	Rigger	Climbs masts, repairs sails aloft
13	Cooper	Maintains barrels for water, rum, supplies
14	Swabbie/Deckhand	Lowest rank, cleans and assists
15	Lookout	Crow's nest watch, spots sails and land
16	Helmsman	Steers the ship, handles wheel
17	Sailmaker	Repairs and creates new sails
18	Cabin Boy	Servant to officers, messenger
19	Musician	Fiddle or drum for morale and signals
20	Shanghaied Prisoner	Forced to work against will

d20	Activity	Description
1	Tavern Brawl	Drunken fight over insults or dice
2	Recruiting Crew	Find desperate or foolish sailors
3	Selling Plunder	Fence stolen goods for coin
4	Gambling Den	Dice, cards, lose/win fortune
5	Courting Danger	Romance with governor's daughter
6	Ship Repairs	Dry dock, careening, supplies
7	Brothel Visit	Sailors spend coin on company
8	Gathering Intel	Learn of treasure ships, routes
9	Naval Press Gang	Avoid/confront Royal Navy recruiters
10	Market Shopping	Buy provisions, weapons, luxuries
11	Duel at Dawn	Settle honor dispute with swords
12	Bounty Hunter Encounter	Someone hunting your crew
13	Treasure Map Purchase	Buy questionable map from drunk
14	Shore Leave Chaos	Crew runs wild, causes trouble
15	Pirate Council	Meeting of captains, politics
16	Smuggling Run	Move illegal goods for profit
17	Festival/Celebration	Town holiday, perfect cover
18	Jail Break	Rescue captured crew member
19	Naval Blockade	Warships controlling harbor
20	Mutiny Brewing	Dissatisfied crew planning takeover

d20	Hazard	Description & Danger
1	Hurricane/Storm	Violent weather, shipwreck danger, crew overboard
2	Doldrums	No wind for days, rations run low, crew restless
3	Reef/Shoals	Hidden rocks tear hull, rapid sinking
4	Kraken/Sea Monster	Tentacles attack ship, drag sailors down
5	Waterspout	Tornado at sea, deadly if crosses path
6	Rogue Wave	Massive wall of water, capsizing risk
7	Sargasso Sea	Thick seaweed traps ship, strange creatures
8	Fog Bank	Zero visibility, collisions, ghost ships
9	Siren Song	Enchanted voices lure sailors to rocks
10	Becalmed	No wind for week+, water shortage, madness
11	Ice Floes	Frozen waters, ship trapped or crushed
12	Hostile Natives	Island warriors attack with poison arrows
13	Disease Outbreak	Scurvy, fever, or plague spreads through crew
14	Shark Feeding Frenzy	Blood in water attracts hundreds
15	Pirate Ambush	Rival pirates attack from hidden cove
16	Naval Patrol	Warship hunting pirates, overwhelming force
17	Derelict Ship	Abandoned vessel, treasure or curse aboard
18	Bermuda Triangle	Ships vanish, compasses fail, reality warps
19	Mermaid Encounter	Beautiful but dangerous, lure or help
20	Flying Dutchman	Ghost ship appears, death omen