Weather and Hazards

Weather

Weather at Sea

If weather conditions indicate both a strong wind and heavy rain, they combine to create a storm with high waves. A crew caught in a storm loses sight of all landmarks (unless there's a lighthouse or other bright feature), and ability checks made to navigate during the storm have disadvantage.Riders on the Storm (to be revised)

Severe weather can aid or hinder a ship seeking to make good time. Under the right circumstances, a highly experienced seaman can sometimes harness a storm’s power to propel a ship faster; inexperience, on the other hand, causes a ship to stall and potentially sink. The Captain or First Mate can make a DC 30 Profession (sailor) check when a storm is about to begin. A successful check allows the ship to move at double its overland movement speed for one hour, as the ship rides the crest of the storm. During this expedited movement, the ship’s maneuverability rating (see Table 6: Naval Tactics) is reduced by two steps — the storm’s winds propel the ship at a high rate of speed, but make it extremely difficult to alter course. If this check fails, the ship stalls and is unable to move for the next hour. If the crew fail to take proper precautions the storm batters the ship, causing 2d6 points of damage to each Location every 10 minutes. The crew is considered to have taken proper precautions when an officer on the ship or a PC succeeds on a DC 15 Profession (sailor) check, orders the crew to prepare for a storm, and no person or event prevents these preparations before the storm arrives.