Thunderstorm Skill Challenge

The party awakens to a sky that is almost no brighter than when they went to rest. Above deck, winds howl and thrash against the sails, and the oarsmen have been reassigned to ensure everything is tied down and safe. The party’s assistance is needed to help the ship navigate the storm.

This is a skill challenge with a Base DC of 16, in which the party must accumulate successes before they rack up three failures. Example skills include: Athletics to help handle the rigging aboard the ship, Survival to assist with navigating to the least violent parts of the storm, or Arcana to cast spells to protect the ship. The players should select a

Floating Tree

A few hours into the morning, the barrelman in the crow’s nest lets out a yell to alert the captain of unexpected land ahead. The captain, checking their charts, begins to shout back to the barrelman that he must be mistaken - there is no land around here - before the barrelman follows up with a confused declaration: “Wait…not land. It’s...a tree?”

A massive tree, with pink cherry-blossom leaves and light grey, almost white bark floats in the waves ahead. Its trunk is at least 30 feet across, with roots that protrude out into the water another 100 feet and fruit-bearing branches overhead. In the water are a variety of bobbing, spherical shapes: fruits, mostly reds and pinks, but about one in ten is a deep shade of purple. The red and pink fruits are about an inch or two across, while the purple fruits are closer to grapefruit sized.

If the boat comes within 60 feet of the root structure, the roots lash out with a life of their own and grapple the boat. The roots have an AC of 18 and a cumulative 80 hit points. They must be broken in order for the ship to escape. As the party attacks the roots, rabid apes begin to swing down from the treetops and attack the party.

Kraken Sacrifice

Towards the middle of the afternoon, another ship appears on the horizon. It appears to be moving in the same direction as the party’s ship, but it is a larger cargo vessel and is moving a little more slowly. Over the course of the next hour, the party’s ship gets closer and closer...once the party’s ship is about a half mile away, they see a flurry of motion from the other ship, as massive tentacles erupt from the surface of the water and slowly begin winding their way around the hull of the faraway vessel. Over the next ten minutes, the ship is slowly dragged beneath the surface of the waves.

Another ten minutes later, the water to the port side of the ship gurgles and bubbles, and a kraken priest is lifted out of the water by a control water spell, floating equal to the level of the ship deck. It demands tribute from the party’s ship, else the ship will suffer the same fate as those it saw moments ago.

The reaction of the kraken and kraken priests depends on how much the party offers. Whatever the party offers, the ship captain matches. If the party does not offer enough, or angers the kraken priest, a skill challenge begins as the waters darken around the ship and tentacles emerge from the water, grabbing the boat and swinging at crewmembers - the Base DC is 18, and the party must accumulate 6 successes to get away. For each failure in this skill challenge, a crew member is taken overboard by the kraken’s tentacles.

• 0-249gp: Kraken priest demands more, once, and leaves if the party refuses. A skill challenge begins 2d6 minutes later, in which fewer than 6 successes before 3 failures results in the destruction of the ship, and the party is washed ashore at a point on land equivalent to how far they’ve traveled.

• 250-499gp: Kraken priest says this might be enough to satisfy its master; but the ship will suffer the consequences if it isn’t. Roll a d20 and add a modifier according to the cost of the tribute (250-299: +1; 300-349: +2; 350-399: +3; 400-449: +4; 450-499: +5) - on a 12 or above, the ship is fine. Otherwise, within 2d6 minutes, a skill challenge begins.

• 500gp+: Kraken priest says their tribute is sufficient, and the ship is left alone.

If the party offers a magical item, this interests the kraken priest more than gold. Magical items count for 150% of their market value for the purposes of the tribute.

If the party attacks the kraken priest, 1d4 additional kraken priests immediately board the boat, and combat begins. Within 1d6+2 rounds, the kraken’s tentacles begin to wrap around the ship - the kraken joins the fight on initiative count 20, but only uses two tentacle attacks each round, devoting the rest of its efforts to destroying the ship. If the kraken priests are defeated, the kraken decides to cut its losses and leave the ship alone. The ship can attempt to flee at any time, beginning a skill challenge as in the 0-249gp range above.

Always a Bigger Fish

In the bright noonday sun, a pod of 2d12 dolphins begins to follow the boat, leaping through the glittering ocean surface and scattering saltwater across the deck. The crew is delighted at the display - at this point, the party member with the highest PASSIVE PERCEPTION (DC 12) notices that the pod of dolphins is slowly getting smaller. At this point, the entire ship notices blood beginning to spread in the water, and sees darker shapes beneath the water, larger than the dolphins. One dolphin flings itself out of the water, soaked in blood, with a hunter shark’s jaws wrapped around its body, before crashing back down below the surface.

The group of 1d6+1 hunter sharks begins to attack the dolphins, and one dolphin begins to be dragged below the water again by another shark - but just before it succumbs, an even larger shadow begins to appear beneath them, as a giant shark bursts through the surface of the water and swallows shark and dolphin whole.

The party can choose to attempt to save the dolphins by attacking the sharks. If they do, the hunter sharks attack anyone who enters the water, and the giant shark can use its action to leap up and make a bite attack against anyone standing on the side of the boat. Underwater combat rules apply to attacks made against the sharks when they are more than 5 feet underwater.

Gambling Genie

Around midday, the ship passes by a small island - no more than 50 feet across - whose trees seem to sway in a breeze that belies the otherwise calm day. As the party approaches, the wind forms into a stately figure, 15 feet tall, dressed in haughty, flowing robes and a dazzling captain's hat, with pale eyes and skin the color of violent, stormy waters. The figure sits at a wooden table, set with a few finely crafted but massive chairs. This creature is a marid, and it motions to the party, directing their attention to the chest of gold at its feet.

Whether the party chooses to stop or not, the waters around their boat begin to draw the craft to shore. They can sail away if they choose, but the marid calls out, offering to gamble, and places some gold on the table. The marid plays a dice game called 38s - the buy-in is 10gp, and participants roll a d20, a d12, and a d6 in order, keeping the results secret. After each roll, the participants have the opportunity to stay, raise the bet, or fold. The highest total wins, unless someone rolls a total below 10, in which case the lowest number wins. (e.g. - 32 beats 16, 2 beats 4, and 3 beats 38).

Despite its arrogant and blustery facade, the marid is trying to lose - once the captain of a magnificent vessel that journeyed across oceans and planes, the genie was cursed when it attempted to cheat at dice with an archmage, and was trapped in an astrolabe and stranded on this island.

The marid cannot speak of its plight to anyone, lest it be drawn back into the astrolabe for an entire year; it must only offer to gamble, and must willingly lose everything to be freed. Losing, however, does not come easily to the prideful marid. At times it may cheat to lose, which preserves its pride, and which the party can spot if they think to look. Or it may occasionally find a good roll too tempting to waste, and try to win against its better interest. The marid has 250 gp to bet, and when it loses that, it bets its planar astrolabe - a gorgeously crafted navigational tool worth 500 gp. If the party wins the astrolabe, the marid appears to fade away with the wind. A keen-eyed party member spots the marid's shape fly from the island, free again to explore and conquer the seas, as they depart.

Pirate Attack

A large, mysterious fog emerges unnaturally from the horizon, moving in the direction of the ship. The captain warns against an ambush, and the party can choose to help with pushing through, or with going around. If the party pushes through, a combat encounter begins.

If the party goes around, the fog gives chase. It moves more quickly than the party's boat, and slowly closes the distance. Without a target to aim at, spells or attacks launched into the fog automatically miss. Eventually, however, the silhouette of a sleek, fast-moving pirate ship becomes visible. At this point, a challenge begins. Use initiative order - the pirates' ship and the crew of the party's boat each act on their own initiative.

Over the course of this challenge, the party can attempt to attack the pirates' ship, causing it to stall or sink, or they can attempt to aid their own boat in fleeing. The pirates' ship is faster than the party's boat, so the pirates will spend their turns exclusively trying to stall or sink the party's boat.

The party’s boat has the statistics of a Keelboat - it has a hull with an AC of 15 and 100 hp, and sails and oars each with an AC of 12 and 100 hp total. If its sails and oars reach 0 hp, the party's boat is dead in the water and cannot move. If its hull reaches 0hp, it begins sinking. The party's boat has a ballista, manned by a member of the crew, which makes one attack against the pirate ship on the crew's turn. Any other members of the crew with appropriate combat abilities can also make an attack on the crew's turn.

Siren Song

The day’s travel takes the ship fairly close to the shoreline, and the captain spends a tense day navigating coral reefs that emerge from the water and threaten to run the ship aground.

Just as the ship seems to be past the worst of it, the ship rounds a bend and sees another ship laying wrecked along the shoreline a few hundred yards away. It seems like a recent crash, with bits of wood and cloth still floating out of the small bay where the ship went aground - and, the barrelman reports seeing that ship’s flag on the horizon earlier that day. The captain suggests checking for survivors.

If the party accompanies the first mate and four crew members who row ashore in a rowboat, they discover that the ship has been abandoned - there is no sign of survivors or dead bodies. A few minutes into investigating, the resonant song of a half-dozen sirens begins washing over the party, as the creatures begin to emerge from the water. Each siren has the Luring Song ability of a harpy. The party has to make a saving throw against each of the siren’s songs,

or else fall prey to their charm. The sirens are smart enough to know which of their prey is dangerous and which are not - they will attempt to charm and make off with crewmembers before the party can reach them. If engaged in combat, they run away after taking more than one or two hits. Once the sirens are scattered or killed, the party can continue to search the wrecked boat for treasure. They find 171 gold pieces and a few days’ worth of salvageable supplies, which the captain will pay the party for by refunding half of their boarding fee.

Ghost Ship Bait

In the early morning hours, just before sunrise, the barrelman shouts a warning which rouses the ship to action even earlier than usual. As the bustle of activity begins to move above deck, the party sees a ghostly visage of another ship - the Daisy Buchanan, massive in size but translucent and faintly shimmering green - on the horizon a half a mile away in the direction of the ship’s travel. A beacon of green light shines from somewhere atop the boat’s deck.

The party can ask the captain to steer clear of the ship, which adds a day to the journey, or can risk going near. If the ship goes near, the ghostly vessel begins to pull alongside the party’s boat, and they can see ghostly crew members at their post, and a captain at the helm of an old-fashioned vessel that must have perished over a century ago.

In the center of the ghostly vessel's steering wheel is a shining green gem - a successful PERCEPTION CHECK (DC 16) alerts a character that the gem is translucent, and likely illusory. The gem cannot be pushed away or blocked by physical means, but magical means of force can keep it away.

The ghost ship slowly begins to get closer to the party’s ship, until the two begin to merge, the deck of the ghost ship overlapping with the deck of the regular ship, and the ghostly crew members - none of whom respond to or see the living crew members - walk around the deck of the regular ship. A few moments pass, and if the ghostly ship aligns with the regular ship, the shining gem disappears, and the swirling heads of a hydra burst out of the water and attack.

Potential Pirate Rescue

Around midday, the barrelman sights two ships on the horizon, moving in parallel. The smaller ship is closing quickly on the larger. Before long, the sounds of explosions and cracks of splintering wood echo across the water, as the smaller ship begins to slowly sink into the ocean. The larger vessel, having withstood the attack, promptly sails away.

The ship that is now sinking bears no flag, and is presumed to be a pirate’s vessel. About ten minutes later, the wreckage of the pirate ship comes into view, as do the survivors. There is a single, damaged lifeboat that manages to stay afloat, but most of the dozen or so survivors are clinging firmly to planks and crying for assistance. They offer payment and servitude in exchange for rescue.

Floating Merchant Village

The boat passes by - and can stop at - a curiously colorful set of floating huts, connected by bridges that seem somehow anchored in place on the surface of the water. This is the surface outpost of a village of sea elves who live deep beneath the ocean. They sell goods to passing ships, and offer their wares to the party.

The party can purchase rations, potions of healing, most basic weapons and armor, and the following magical items:

Horror Show

The day passes without incident, but in the dead of night the party’s boat comes across another ship, seemingly stalled in the water during a pouring rainstorm. Shouts rouse crew members to prepare for a rescue, boarding, ambush, or some other incident. As the party approaches, they see a man on the deck of the ship, hands bloody, eyes red and bloodshot, face pale. He moves in a small circle - as the party nears it becomes clear that he is writing something on the ground. He reaches into a deep wound in his side, using his own blood for ink. His circle is the only portion of this deck not covered in gore and blood. If approached, he cannot say anything, but he begins breathing heavily and tears stream down his face. If pulled away from the circle, he screams in terror and fights back like a vicious animal (CR 0 - Commoner).

Moving below deck, the stairs take the party into a large common area with chairs, tables, and a dining area set for four with still-warm food and drink. A cookfire still burns over the nearby stove with a kettle for tea about to boil over. A half-consumed candle is on an end table, and the room is spotlessly clean.

Exiting the room leads to a long, well lit hallway - too long a hallway to fit on the ship. An individual is hurrying down the hallway in their direction: A well-dressed man in an old-fashioned overcoat, cloak, and nice trousers, with a well-groomed mustache and greased hair. He says: “Oh good, you’ve arrived! Come now, we must make haste or we’ll be late!” He attempts to shuffle the party down the hallway past a number of locked doors. If the party asks what happened here, he shrugs them off, saying: “Oh, there’ll be time for that later.” He grows increasingly anxious if they continue to ask, and if forced to talk he will begin to open his mouth with a look of worry when the lights flash. He disappears, and re-appears in the center of the hallway, nailed to the ceiling with his throat slashed and his lips sewn shut. The lights are now out. If the party goes with him, he takes them to the end of the hallway, urges them to go along, and the party sees a vision of this flash before the door closes in front of them.

It’s a Beautiful Day

The skies are clear and cloudless, and the water is calm and sparkling through to the horizon. A stream of colorful fish go by the deck around midday, and near sunset a family of whales crests just a few hundred yards from the boat. Shooting stars are visible in the clear skies until around midnight.

Everything’s a Mimic

A derelict ship on the horizon comes into view around sunset. As the party's boat approaches, the barrelman shouts “It’s changing course,” and the captain notes that their boat will pass right by, and to be alert. As they approach, the party sees the ship's surface is smeared with blood, gore, and bodies - two lifeboats remain unused and the ship appears unmanned despite its change of course. If the party chooses to board the ship and explore, they find a stairway that leads down to a large below-deck area. Bodies are scattered around a dining room table set with still-steaming food. A chandelier sits overhead, and bookshelves line one wall, though most of the books are scattered across the ground. This was clearly the site of a horrific trap or ambush, centered on a small hallway across the room that leads past doors with tattered beds inside, turned over on their sides, some of which have fallen into the hallway. A ladder sticks up from the floor at the end of the hallway, leading down into the hull, where a single treasure chest sits bolted to the ground.

The treasure chest is the only thing on this ship that isn’t a mimic. The two lifeboats, the dining room table, the food, the chandelier, the beds, the books, the ladder, and the ship itself are all mimics.

Prior to heading down the ladder to the hull area, everyone in the party must make a WISDOM SAVING THROW (DC 14) or be frightened of entering, as their primal instincts kick in, telling them that something is wrong.

If the party attempts to attack the treasure chest, it spills out its contents - 1,000gp, and an enormous diamond worth 1,000gp that can be spotted or found with a PERCEPTION/ INVESTIGATION CHECK (DC 14/10). Coins scatter across the room as the crumbling chest falls apart at the slightest attack. Once the party opens or attacks the chest, a brief, tense moment passes before the mimics launch their attack. They begin by using their adhesive ability to attach to anyone they are currently touching:

• The ladder tumbles to the ground, slamming whoever it is attached to onto the ground, knocking them prone.

• The books stick in the hands of whoever is holding them, making it impossible to hold a weapon or spellcast.

• The beds in the hallway seemingly offer cover to anyone who sees the table mimic ahead, but are secretly waiting for someone to touch them or climb over them.

• The table and chandelier mimics loom in the dining area, guarding the stairs to the top deck against all comers.

• The food mimics fly around the lower room, and attack with advantage from the inside of anyone who consumed any food, until the party member regurgitates them.

• The lifeboats above deck remain lifeless, hoping the party will attempt to board one of them, at which point they will attack.

Airship Wreck

Characters standing on the deck of the ship begin to notice small bits of wood and metal floating in the water around the ship. A few minutes later, a larger wreck appears within a few hundred yards of the boat - not a shipwreck, but based on the amount of twisted metal and the odd designs, an airship wreck. A portion of its hull juts out of the water, clearly destroyed.

The wrecked airship left no discernible survivors, but there is plenty of scavenging to be had. The water in this area of the ocean is deep - if the players are able to find a way to survive below the surface of the ocean, they have an opportunity to come away with treasure.

The treasure sits in the wrecked, open portion of the hull at the bottom of the ocean, approximately 250 feet below the surface. The party can attempt to dive directly down to the bottom, if they can breathe, see, and survive the pressure, or they can try to climb partially down the inside of the hull to minimize their time beneath the water.

As the water gets deeper, the stress of being underwater increases: