Siege, Seafaring, and Spelljamming Weapons

I don't think it's exactly a hot take to say that the rules in 5e D&D for firing vehicular weapons, whether we're talking conventional seafaring vessels from Ghosts of Saltmarsh or the spelljammers from the Astral Adventurer's Guide, are serviceable but not particularly exciting or dynamic. One thing that bothers me is that these weapons work the same way no matter who happens to be firing them. Individual skill isn't taken into account by the rules at all.

A side effect of that is that it's often better for a character to use their regular attacks, spells, and abilities than it is to use shipboard weapons. That's lame; the shipboard weapons are there to be used, so they should be more attractive options. 

The rules below aim to take the talent and experience of the people manning the weaponry into account. This gives the players a chance to show off the expertise of their characters, but it also gives you a reason to have enemy and allied vessels with crack teams of seasoned mariners and spacefarers that are better than any standard-issue crew.

Siege Weapon Attack Rolls and Vehicular Weapon Attack Rolls

Each weapon, such as a ballista, canon, or catapult, has a ranged attack bonus in its stat block. If the person who fires the weapon has a higher ranged attack bonus than the weapon's standard bonus, use their personal attack bonus instead.

Additionally, if the creature who fires the weapon has a Dexterity bonus, add it to the damage dealt by the weapon.

Note: You may wish to restrict the ability to substitute a character's ranged attack bonus for the weapon's ranged attack bonus to characters who are either proficient in martial weapons or who possess the relevant Vehicles proficiency.

Extra Attacks

If a creature operating a siege or vehicular weapon and have the Extra Attack feature, each of their allowed attacks counts as an action toward loading, aiming and firing the weapon. For example, a fighter with three attacks per round from the Extra Attack can use their three attacks to load, aim, and fire a ballista on their turn.

Crashing

The attack roll to crash a spelljammer or other vehicle into another object is a d20 + the pilot's Dexterity modifier and their proficiency bonus if they possess the appropriate Vehicles proficiency.

Note: I could probably be talked into using Intelligence or Wisdom modifiers in place of Dexterity.

Ramming and Other Melee Attacks

If the creature who uses a ram, such as the hammerhead ship's blunt ram, or a similar weapon, such as the scorpion ship's claws, has a higher melee attack bonus than the weapon's standard bonus, use their personal attack bonus instead.

Note: You may wish to restrict the ability to substitute a character's melee attack bonus for the ram's melee attack bonus to characters who possess the relevant Vehicles proficiency.

Ship Repairs

I would allow ships to be repaired when not berthed. Furthermore, I would remove the "repairing 1 hit point of damage to a ship takes 1 day" stipulation: you can restore 1 hit point per 20 gp spent per day, providing that laborers capable of performing the repairs are available to do the work. 

I'd rule that anyone proficient in carpentry or smithing would be capable of performing repairs, depending on what the ship is made of. I might even expand that to anyone proficient with the kind of Vehicle in question.

I imagine that docks would might offer spellcasters capable of casting mending to help speed alone the process, so determining what they charge for that service would be helpful here. 50 gp a casting seems about right to me.

If nothing else, keeping a ship repaired might be a decent way to keep characters hungry and in search of loot.

* * *

The items below are things I'd like to continue to think about and work on:

Piloting

I'd like to work more on positioning rules to give the pilot at the spelljammer helm more to do.

Canons

I don't know why, but there aren't a lot of canons on spelljamming ships. I'd probably replace a lot of the mangonels with canons when I run a Spelljammer campaign.

Magical Weapon Options

The lack of magical shipboard weapons in the Spelljammer book feels like a real missed opportunity. This is D&D we're talking about, why wouldn't there be lightning canons or acid hurlers or eldritch machine guns?

If I were running a Spelljammer game, I'd definitely invent some bespoke magical spelljammer weapons. Adapting some of the weapons from the infernal war machines in Descent into Avernus would be a start.

My gut instinct is that magical shipboard weapons could use ranged attack bonuses as above, but also might be able to substitute ranged spell attack bonuses as well to give spellcasting characters more to do during ship combat.

Frankly, options to customize your ship is a huge part of the fantasy of owning one in the first place so it's a tremendous dropping of the ball that they couldn't find space or the inspiration to add the options to the Spelljammer set. 

(Note: I've largely abandoned this tangent as I probably won't be running a Spelljammer game anytime soon, but I'm posting them anyway in hopes that they are useful to someone, somewhere.)

The Inspiration Zine

Zine Quest 2 is currently underway. I admit, I haven't really been paying attention to what's on offer. I did get a preview of A Visitor's Guide to the Rainy City, and I can definitely recommend checking it out.

I don't have anything of my own to promote for Zine Quest 2 as I don't really feel comfortable with Kickstarter for my projects, but in the old spirit of free content I do want to offer you a free zine: The Inspiration Zine. 

The Inspiration Zine presents four different ways to use the inspiration mechanics in 5e D&D:

• Blood Opera Inspiration. Rules for using inspiration to add bloody interpersonal drama to your game.
• Flashback Inspiration. Rules for using inspiration to account for prior actions, experiences, and preparations.
• Momentous Events Inspiration. Rules for using inspiration to establish a deeper connection between character development and the momentous events that unfold as you play.
• Tarot Storytelling Inspiration. Rules for using inspiration to reveal more about their characters’ pasts.

The Inspiration Zine is available in two formats:
Screen format pdf
Print format pdf 

To print your own physical copy of the zine, print the second pdf as double-sided (duplex), set to flip on the short edge. This will give you two double-sided pages to fold in half, for eight total pages that flow in order when assembled.

Momentous Events Inspiration

These variant rules for awarding and using inspiration in 5e D&D can be implemented to establish a deeper connection between character development and the events that unfold as you play. When these rules are adopted, inspiration can be granted and used in the following ways:

EVENTS

• Make room on your character sheet to record events that happen to your character as you play them.
• After each session of play, you may record a noteworthy event that occurred during that session for your character. Try to write that event as a single descriptive line. (See below for examples.)
• An event can be invoked to grant your character inspiration if you can relate how that past experience is helping them in the current situation.
• A character can only have five events from past sessions recorded on their character sheet at a time.
• After accumulating five events, you can choose to replace one with a new event your character has just experienced after a session concludes—you get to decide which events are shaping your character’s personality, outlook, or growing infamy.
• The Game Master may wish to set a limit on the number of events a character can invoke per game session.

EVENT EXAMPLES

• Fought against overwhelming odds in a desperate melee.
• Convinced the invaders not to execute an ally.
• Nearly died from a poisoned arrow.
• Impressed a great warlord with my balalaika playing.
• Contracted the plague but survived.

Tarot Inspiration for 5e D&D

Tarot Inspiration 
As one commentator noted in a reply to this post about using playing cards as an inspiration mechanic, this would also work with more image-based cards. Here's how I would do it with a deck of tarot cards.

The system below gives a mechanical incentive for players to roleplay scenes that reveal more about their characters:

During a period of downtime, a player may nominate themselves to roleplay a tale-telling scene.

That player draws a single card from a standard tarot deck. The card drawn determines the content of the tale, as per the tables below.

The player will then tell a story based on that theme in the voice of their character to the other characters present. The story should reveal something about the character’s backstory or give the other players a greater sense of that character’s past.

After a player completes a tale-telling scene, their character gains inspiration.

Examples

• A player draws the Six of Wands and tells a tale about their character running into their estranged father in a busy market.
• A player draws the Hanged Man and tells a tale of how their character was forced to surrender to the opposing side when they were employed as a mercenary soldier.
• A player draws the Star and tells a tale about the example set by their character’s mentor—whose sacrifice for a great cause gave them hope for the future.
• A player draws the Two of Pentacles and tells a tale about how their character learned to adapt to a life of poverty on the streets after their noble family’s downfall.
• A player draws the Ace of Pentacles and tells the tale of why they gave up being a baker to pursue a life of reckless adventure as a picaro.

Major Arcana

The Fool. Innocence	Justice. Truth
The Magician. Power	The Hanged Man. Surrender
The High Priestess. Intuition	Death. Endings
The Empress. Abundance	Temperance. Balance
The Emperor. Authority	The Devil. Addiction
The Heirophant. Spirituality	The Tower. Upheaval
The Lovers. Harmony	The Star. Hope
The Chariot. Determination	The Moon. Fear
Strength. Courage	The Sun. Success
The Hermit. Introspection	Judgment. Rebirth
Wheel of Fortune. Luck	The World. Travel

Minor Arcana

	Cups	Pentacles	Swords	Wands
Ace	Love	New career	New ideas	Inspiration
Two	Partnership	Adaptation	Impasse	Planning
Three	Celebration	Teamwork	Heartbreak	Progress
Four	Mediation	Scarcity	Rest	Homecoming
Five	Regret	Financial loss	Conflict	Disagreement
Six	Childhood	Generosity	Transition	Recognition
Seven	Opportunity	Investment	Betrayal	Challenge
Eight	Withdrawal	Mastery	Confinement	Change
Nine	Content	Luxury	Nightmares	Resilience
Ten	Bliss	Wealth	Wounds	Burdens
Page	Curiosity	Development	Knowledge	Discovery
Knight	Creativity	Hard work	Ambition	Passion
Queen	Compassion	Nurture	Freedom	Confidence
King	Diplomacy	Security	Clarity	Leadership

Fellowship, Love Ties, and Blood Feuds

Art by Giorgio Baroni

FELLOWSHIP, LOVE TIES, AND BLOOD FEUDS

These variant rules for awarding and using inspiration can be implemented to further the bloody drama of The Liberation of Wormwood. When these rules are adopted, inspiration can be granted and used in the following ways:

BOND OF FELLOWSHIP

When a player character protects another player character or a friendly nonplayer character from harm, their player can declare that they have a bond of fellowship with that character. When a player character has a bond of fellowship, they can invoke that amity to gain inspiration when they act to defend the character they are bonded to or when they act to further that character’s interests. Inspiration can be invoked by calling on a bond of fellowship once per session.

LOVE TIE

A player can declare that their character is in love with another player character or a nonplayer character. If the attachment is between two player characters, it is a good idea to discuss this at the table to make sure everyone is comfortable with it. Keep in mind that this love is not necessarily reciprocated. When a player character has a love tie, they can invoke that intimacy to gain inspiration when they place their trust in the person they love or sacrifice themselves for the loved one’s benefit. Inspiration can be invoked by calling on a love tie once per session.

BLOOD FEUD

When a player character is harmed by a nonplayer character, their player can declare that they have a blood feud against that character. When a player character has a blood feud, they can invoke that vendetta to gain inspiration when they act to injure the object of their hate or to frustrate their goals. Inspiration can be invoked by calling on a blood feud once per session.

If you like the content above consider checking out The Liberation of Wormwood, a supplement for generating characters facing the invasion of their hometown by a usurping force, now available in print and pdf from DriveThruRPG.

Interludes for 5e Dungeons and Dragons

Art by Max Gibson

Interludes

It isn’t unusual for the characters in heroic fiction to engage in dialog or acts of storytelling that reveals something important about their pasts or gives the reader further access to their personalities. The system below gives a mechanical incentive for scenes of revelatory characterization:

• During a period of natural downtime, a player may nominate themselves to roleplay an interlude scene.
• That player must draw a single card from a standard deck. The value and suit of the card drawn determines the essential content of the interlude, as per the Interlude Table.
• The player will then tell a story based on that theme in the voice of their character. The story should reveal something about the character’s backstory or give the other players a greater sense of who that character is, their motivations, their hopes and fears, etc.
• After a player completes an interlude scene, their character immediately gains inspiration.
• The next time an interlude scene is invoked, a different player must nominate themselves.

Interlude Table

	Clubs	Diamonds	Hearts	Spades
Ace	Realization	First day on the job	Blossoming romance	New insight
Two	Cunning plan	Patience rewarded	Dangerous attraction	False impression
Three	Skilled leadership	Teamwork leading to success	Celebration	Failure to express an idea
Four	Goal achieved	Victim of greed	Solitude	Recovery from injury
Five	Competition	Victim of theft	Tragic loss	Hollow victory
Six	Glorious victory	Spending a vast sum	Childhood nostalgia	Long journey
Seven	Last-ditch defense	Changing your path	Treasured daydream	Practiced deceit
Eight	Short journey	The devil in the details	Leaving someone behind	Feeling trapped
Nine	Prolonged battle	Self-reliance	Sexual satisfaction	Guilty nightmare
Ten	Burden of duty	Inheritance	Familial happiness	Martyrdom
Jack	Quick temper	Hard work	Falling in love	Fiery rebellion
Queen	Utter chaos	Maternal instinct	Emotional dependence	Sharp intellect
King	Artistry	Rags to riches	Wise diplomacy	Self-reflection

***

NOTE: This system is an adaptation of the interludes from Savage Worlds Deluxe, but I have significantly expanded the table found in those rules.

Worldbuilding Through Backgrounds

Backgrounds and Worldbuilding
Selecting a background for your character in 5e D&D is a way of making an assertion about your character’s history. But what if it was also a way of making an assertion about the campaign setting as a whole? 

Dungeon Masters who are interested in shared worldbuilding with the other players could use the background system as a place to open-up some of the more important worldbuilding details to player input. When a player selects their character’s background, they get to answer questions about the world connected to that background. Those answers become facts in regards to the invented campaign setting; the Dungeon Master is then obligated to include the players' answers to those questions in the evolving campaign in play—those answers must be given weight and they must matter.

Note: this assumes that only one player can select a particular background for their character. Each background is essentially unique.

Examples:

Background	Worldbuilding Questions
Acolyte	There is one god who is never spoken of: what is their name and why are they reviled by the faithful?
Charlatan	You know the name of the alchemist who has discovered the true panacea: who are they and why are they in danger?
Criminal	What is the name of the most powerful crime syndicate? Why are they justly feared?
Entertainer	Who is the most famed entertainer in the land? What secret lurks in their past?
Folk Hero	Who is raising an army of the dead? To what end are they assembling this unholy horde?
Guild Artisan	Which guild is the wealthiest and most powerful? What corrupt dealings are they involved in?
Hermit	An otherworldly threat has entered the Material Plane: what is it and what does it want?
Noble	Which family possesses a valid claim on the crown? What are they doing to place their scion on the throne?
Outlander	What legendary beast still prowls the wilderness? What is the beast’s vulnerability?
Sage	Where is the greatest library in the known world located? What unique tomes are safeguarded there?
Sailor	What mythical land beyond the seas actually exists? Who are its people, and why do they wish to remain hidden?
Soldier	What war rages beyond the boundaries of the kingdom? What caused the conflict to ignite?
Urchin	Where do the tunnels in the sewers lead to? What creatures live in seclusion beneath the streets?

SPEARMANIA

Players seems to love spears, but D&D has never really given spears much love. 

In 5e, the spear is a simple weapon. (Literally.) There's not much to recommend it over martial weapons if you have access to them.

This is a problem we can fix for the spear-lovers out there by creating a spear for all seasons, like so:

Name	Cost	Damage	Weight	Properties
Battlespear (1)	10 gp	1d8 piercing	3 lb.	Versatile (1d10)
Greatspear (2)	30 gp	1d12 piercing	6 lb.	Heavy, two-handed
Longspear (3)	20 gp	1d10 piercing	6 lb.	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Quickspear (4)	25 gp.	1d8 piercing	3 lb.	Finesse

What I've done here should be obvious: I've really just re-skinned existing weapons from the game as spears:

(1) - It's a longsword.
(2) - It's a greataxe. Could also be a 2d6 damage weapon, as per the greatsword. Whatever you like.
(3) - It's a glaive. Actually, it's already in the game as a pike but people get scared off by pikes when they have a spear fetish. Don't ask me why. But hey, maybe renaming it a "longspear" will convince your DM to let you use it with the Polearm Master feat. I'd allow it.
(4) - It's a rapier. Now your swashbuckling rogue can be that spear guy from Game of Thrones who got his face crushed.

This is a method that can get you where you want to go. And nothing will be broken because you're already using the tried-and-tested stats for weapons that already exist in the game. No need to add new properties, complex rule kludges, etc. 

Need a bunch of Castlevania-style chain whips? Change the damage type to bludgeoning. 

Think the idea of dual wielding two rapiers is goofy? (It is.) Write down "Parrying blade (rapier)" on your sheet and use the stats for the rapier anyway.

Want a bludgeon with the finesse and/or light properties so you can play a thuggish rogue who sneak attacks with a blackjack? Shouldn't be hard to figure out, amigo.

Sorted.

The Power of Yes

One of the great mentors I've had in life explained to me the Power of Yes. Before going into teaching full time, he had run an independent bookstore. He said that the most rewarding part of the job was the various ways he could say "Yes" to a customer to make their lives a litter easier, a little better.

"Do you have any books on...?"
"Yes."

"Can you recommend a book for my grandmother?"
"Yes."

"Can you point me to the history books?"
"Yes."

Of course, all of this presumes saying "Yes" only to reasonable questions and requests made by people asking in good faith. Saying "Yes," is accommodation and the affirmative of a comrade; it makes things easier, it fosters fellowship, and validates yearning. It satisfies both parties, where possible. Saying "Yes" is mostly good--by a wide margin.

It turns out that saying "Yes" to reasonable requests in my D&D games also feels nice. There are definitely things I'd say "No" to in terms of fairness and setting mood, but mostly you lose nothing by being accommodating. Here's some Things I’ve Said Yes To in 5e D&D:

Can I play a warlock that uses their Intelligence for all their class-based abilities instead of Charisma?

A warlock who uses their wits instead of their force of personality to bargain with an otherworldly horror for arcane power? Faust-as-lawyer? Dope, let's do it.

What do you say to a pact of the blade warlock who can manifest two finesse weapons to dual wield? Or, like, a pact crossbow?

People love their two-weapon fighting. Neither of those options is strictly better than manifesting a two-handed weapon, so nothing breaks there.

Would it be okay if I swap my eldritch knight’s access to evocation spells for access to necromantic spells?

You've got a cool concept for an eldritch knight experimenting with poisonous magic? Excellent.

Can I have a weapon like X that does damage type Y instead?

There are a couple holes in the combination of damage type and properties, though. It's not a big deal, but if we're going to add stuff to the game we might as well add stuff that's actually not there yet. Here are some armaments I've made available to purchase in my games:

New Martial Melee Weapons

Weapon	Cost	Damage	Weight	Properties
Greatspear	30 gp	2d6 piercing	7 lbs.	Heavy, two-handed
Polehammer	20 gp	1d10 bludgeoning	6 lbs.	Heavy, reach, two-handed
Saber	25 gp	1d8 slashing	3 lbs.	Finesse *

* If a character is proficient with rapiers, they are also proficient with sabers.

Can my character to suffer complications for the injuries they’ve sustained?

Wait, you want me to fuck your character up even more? Umm, sure, if that's how you get your rocks off.

I’d like to play as a plant person or an insect person, can we find a race for that?

Yes! I don't own these supplements with weird-ass races in them for no reason.

Can I use Deception or Sleight of Hand to make a sneak attack?

Yes, and I made a full house ruling about how I handle that sort of situation.

Can I use the playtest versions of the mystic, artificer, or revised ranger?

Yeah, let's see how those playtest versions shake out.

Will you tell me more about this facet of the setting for your game?

You actually want me to blather on about my dumb special snowflake setting? Settle in, for I will a tale unfold.

This polearm feat doesn’t apply to spears or pikes, can I use it with them too?

Yeah, it's dumb that it doesn't work with those weapons. I dunno what they were thinking.