Refer to the Basic Fantasy RPG rule book for a discussion on vehicles.
- Crew counts are the minimum needed to operate at full speed rowing. Speed reduces proportionally. A smaller crew may be able to works the sails.
- Attacks on ships are made against AC 11. Reduce the damage by the hardness factor and then subtract the damage from the hull HP. Keep track of damage to either side. Bringing HP to zero on one side is a breach and movement is halved. Bringing HP to zero on both sides is required to sink the ship.
- Historic galleys are not able to go out to sea in big waves due to how low the oar holes are, except for Viking longships. Typical ships in our world all have this innovation.
- In combat movement, ships must transition from stopped-slow-cruising-fast speeds, which equal 0%-50%-75%-100% of maximum speed. It takes 3 rounds to increase speed. It takes one round to decrease speed by back-rowing.
- Rowing requires effort measured in effort units (EU). A fully-rested crew has 30 units. If EU drops to 0, the crew must stop rowing. Resting for a turn (10 minutes) gains 1 EU. Rowing at slow speed expends 2 EU. Cruising expends 3 EU. At the fastest speed, 10 EUs are expended per turn (10 minutes).
- Oared ships need 10 yards of forward movement to turn 45 degrees. Under sail, they need 12 yards.
- On a battle mat, use 1″ equals 10 yards.
- A ship with an armored bow may ram and only damage the target. Otherwise, both ships take damage. The ramming ship must lower its mast and move as fast speed. The rammed ship takes 10-60% of ramming ship max HP damage to the hull on that side and also inflicts the same damage to any oarsmen. The ramming ship without armor takes 10-40% of max rammed HP damage. Ramming ships do damage scaled to their max HP. Thus, a longship with 110 HP has can do 11 to 66 points of damage. If it rams a 30 HP riverboat, it will take 3 to 12 points of damage.
- A ship can run along side another and break oars, cutting movement.
- If two ships are within a yard of each other, grapples may be thrown with success DEX + 20%. Grapples may be cut as as stuck door and require a blade. At most, three grapples may be attempted or cut each round.
- Once grappled, people can jump from ship to ship.
- If a ship crew breaks morale, the ship is captured. The crew will usually surrender.
- If you fall in the water wearing armor, you might drown. In plate armor, you immediately sink underwater. In chain (or similar), you have an 80% each round in slipping under the waves. In leather armor, you have a 20% of going down. Magical armor is as light as leather. Round by round, you might sink and then swim back up. If you know how to swim, you can move around, otherwise you can only tread water for up to 2xCON rounds. Half of sailors know how to swim. Most adventurers know how to swim. Only half of all dwarves know how to swim.
- Unencumbered swimmers can move three yards a round. Only daggers and buoyant weapons may be carried while swimming (e.g. a club). Swimmers in leather move 2 yards/round. Swimmers in chain move 1 yard/round. Swimmers in plate cannot swim.
- Characters can hold their breath for as many rounds as 2xCON when not exerting. After starting a breath hold, the limit drops to CON if any round is spent exerting, such as fighting or swimming. After the limit is reach, they save vs. death each round or fall unconscious, losing 1 CON each round. When they reach 0 CON, they are dead.