Ships of the Spanish Main
Savage WorldsTM House Rules by Jordan Peacock
for use with Pirates of the Spanish MainTM RPG
Up to 3 Masts. 1/2 Crew (round down)
10-Mast Ship
Even More Ships
when under oar power. -1 Cargo Space and +10
Acceleration: 2 Toughness: 28(8)
The Pirates RPG covers most of the
Passengers per Mast. 10 oarsmen per Mast are
Top Speed: 5 Wounds: 10
basic ship types found in the Pirates universe.
required to man the oars. Top Speed 4, Travel
Crew: 30 + 80 Travel Speed: 3
However, various expansions to the Pirates of
Speed 2, Acceleration 2, and +2 to Handling
the Spanish Main (or Pirates of the Cursed Seas) Cargo Space: 16 Handling: -6
when moving under oar.
PocketModel game introduce even more ship
Guns: 40 Cost: $400,000
Longship, Viking: In addition to tales of
types than are covered in Savage Worlds rules.
Notes: Heavy Armor, Solid
ersatz Vikings, there are
Until official rules should appear for such
wild rumors of ancient
ships, here are some fan-made additional ship
New Ship Types longships that appear on
types, plus assorted ship-related house rules I
moonless nights, crewed
In these descriptions,  Masts is used as
use in my campaign. (Special thanks to Jack Ace
by drunken warriors on
a measure of ship size. For instance, a Viking
from the Pinnacle forums for inspiration for the
leave from Valhalla ... or
Longship is listed as  1 Mast, so this ship type
Ship Edges house rules.)
escaped from Hel s
can only be applied to the basic  1-Masted Ship
domain.
Larger Ships template (p. 116, Pirates RPG). This is used as a
measure rather than  Wounds, since some ships 1 Mast. Has statistics as
Certain ships - so far, only junks - may have
have additional Wounds. the Longship, but with 0 Guns, +1
more than the normal limit of 5 masts. These
Cargo Space, and Cost of $9,000. The Shallow
are suggested statistics for such craft. (Note Galley, Barbary: These lateen-rigged ships
Draft Edge does not count against this ship s
that these are theoretical  standard 6-Mast and use banks of oars
limit.
10-Mast ships, before the  Junk type is applied.) when the waters of
the Mediterranean Schooner (1700s, house rule version): From
are becalmed, the 18th century
making them ideal onward, this ship
for Barbary Coast design sees much use,
corsairs raiding merchant ships. as its sails are designed
to be repositioned to
Up to 4 Masts. 1/2 Crew when under oar
make best use of the wind, even when sailing
power. -1 Cargo Space and +10 Passengers per
close into it.
Mast. 10 oarsmen per Mast are required in order
to man the oars; Top Speed 4, Travel Speed 2, Up to 4 Masts. +2 Handling, -2 Toughness,
Acceleration 2 when under oars. Taking the 1/2 Guns. The Shallow Draft Edge does not
Ram Edge does not count toward a barbary count toward this ship s limit.
galley s Edge limit.
6-Mast Ship
Turtle Ship: Also known as  kobuk-son,
Junk: These well-designed oriental ships are hese rare Korean ships
Acceleration: 2 Toughness: 24(4)
designed with shallow drafts and protect the crew with a shell
Top Speed: 5 Wounds: 6
adjustable rudders that can of overlapping metal
Crew: 26 + 52 Travel Speed: 3
be dropped to act as a keel, shields on a sturdy wooden
Cargo Space: 12 Handling: -4
allowing them to be frame.
Guns: 24 Cost: $150,000
equally at home on rivers
1 or 2 Masts. 1/2
Notes: Heavy Armor, Solid
or on the high seas.
Crew when under oar
Some have reached
power. -1 Cargo Space
immense size, such as the
and +10 Passengers per
10-masted Chinese treasure ship, the Baochuan.
Mast. 10 oarsmen per
Up to 10 Masts. +2 Handling, -2 Armor, -1 Mast required to man oars. Top Speed 4, Travel
Acceleration (minimum 1). The Shallow Draft Speed 2, Acceleration 2 when under oars. +2
and Storm Worthy Edges do not count toward Wounds (due to armor), double Cost. These
this ship s limit. extra Wounds do not increase the number of
Edges this ship may have.
Longship: In the Frozen North,
Scandinavian pirates sail Until these extra Wounds are lost, the ship s
ships designed to hearken crew and passengers are immune to crew hits
back to the days of their via grape ammunition, and any enemy boarding
Viking ancestors. Unlike attempts are at -2 (to the group Throwing roll)
their Viking ancestors, per Wound of shielding remaining.
however, they use cannons.
TM TM
Savage
Savage WorldsWorlds , Pinnacle Entertainment GroupTM, Great White GamesTM, and all related , and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2007-2008 by Great White Games (http://
, Pinnacle Entertainment GroupTM, Great White GamesTMmarks and logos are copyright © 2007-2008 by Great White Games (http://www.peginc.com). All Rights Reserved.
Pirates of the Spanish MainTM, Pirates of the Mysterious IslandsTM, Pirates at Ocean s EdgeTM, Pirates of the Cursed SeasTM, PocketmodelTM, and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2002-2008 WizKids
www.peginc.com). All Rights Reserved. Pirates of the Spanish MainTM, Pirates of the Mysterious IslandsTM, Pirates at Ocean s EdgeTM, Pirates of the Cursed SeasTM,
Games (http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates). This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and
1
PocketmodelTM, and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2002-2008 WizKids Games (http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates).
trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
for this purpose. These Edges may only be acquired by a
New Ship House Rules
ship during its construction (by spending of
Conversely, desperate captains can lighten
Maximum Ship Edges
Advances or offsetting with Hindrances), and
their load to better their speed across the
Ships with more than 6 Wounds are
they stay with the ship. They cannot be added
water. A ship with empty capacity equal to its
nonetheless limited to a maximum of 6 Edges.
later through Advances.
total number of Cargo Spaces gains +2 to Top
Edges gained as offsets to Hindrances do
Speed, +1 to Travel Speed, and +2 to Handling
Crew Edges
not count toward this total, nor do Edges listed
when avoiding reefs and shallow waters.
The following Edges are considered Crew
as not counting toward the ship s limit.
Edges: Artillery, Disciplined Crew, Hated Foe,
This can be accomplished either by having
and Rapid Fire. The only Crew Hindrance is
Solid
a completely empty Cargo Hold, or by tossing
Poor Crew (minor).
Solid ships benefit and suffer from inertia.
cannons overboard so that precious provisions
That is, it s hard to steer them quickly, but it s
don t have to be sacrificed. Every 2 Guns
These Edges may only be attained by
also very hard to knock them off course.
removed count as one empty Cargo Space
spending Advances, and are possessed by the
for purposes of gaining this bonus. Hence, a
Crew as a whole - not by individual characters,
If a ship with the Solid characteristic is hit
1-mast sloop could discard 2 8-pdr cannons (or
or by the ship. If the crew should move to a
by damage that equals or exceeds its Toughness,
4 4-pdr cannons) in order to keep one Cargo
new ship, the Edge goes along with the crew.
and the captain is forced to make a Boating roll
Space full of provisions. As long as the rest of
Crew Edges do not count toward the maximum
to avoid going out of control, he gains a bonus
its hold is empty, it still
number of Edges a ship
to Handling equal to the maximum number of
gains the bonus to Speed
can have - since these
Wounds the ship has.
for having an  empty
Edges don t belong to
For example, if an enemy ship hits the
hold.
the ship anymore under
Grand Path (a 6-Masted Junk) with an 8-pdr
this house rule.
Transporting Cannons
cannon shot that deals 20 points of damage (AP
Cannons consist If 20% or more of
4), the captain gains a +6 bonus to the Handling
of two parts: the barrel the crew are lost, this
of his ship (normally -2 for a 6-mast junk), for a
and the wooden  truck. Edge is temporarily
total of +4 to his roll.
4 cannons may be lost as well. It takes
Passenger/Gun/Cargo Conversion
transported per Cargo approximately 1 week
Space for Passengers, Guns and Cargo may
Space. Alternatively, you per 20% of the crew that
be converted from one to the other, at a rate of
may transport 8 cannon has been replaced for the
1 Cargo Space = 2 Guns = 10 Passengers. Thus,
barrels or 8 wooden new hands to get up to
1 Cargo Space could be converted into room for
trucks in a Cargo Space. speed.
10 more Passengers, 2 Guns could be converted
(If a wooden truck is
Equipment Edges
into 1 more Cargo Space, etc.
destroyed or discarded, it
The following
Lightening the Load costs $50 to replace the
Edges are considered
Light pirate sloops with empty holds should truck.)
Equipment Edges: Long Range Guns, Oars,
be able to overtake Spanish galleons laden
Overgunned, Powerful Guns, Ram, Swift
Ship Edge Types
with gold and riding low in the water, even if a
Topsails, and Windcatcher.
sloop s normal Top Speed is less than that of a As an optional house rule, Ship Edges are
These Edges may be acquired by a ship at
5-masted galleon. divided into three types: Ship, Equipment, and
its construction, or added on later via Advances.
Crew. The reason for this distinction is that
Depending on the amount of the ship s
At the GM s discretion, it may be possible to
while it works just fine for NPCs to throw
Cargo Spaces that are full, its Top Speed, Travel
transfer these Edges to a new ship, so long as
 Disciplined Crew and  Extra Cargo Space
Speed, and its Handling may be affected.
this doesn t put the new ship past its maximum
into the same pile, this system falls apart as
Use the ship s base Cargo Space before
number of Edges.
soon as the PCs get involved. They may
conversions to other uses; if Cargo Spaces
capture a pirate ship, put the crew in irons, then
Buying and Selling Ships With Edges
have been converted to Guns, or are filled with
decide to keep the ship for themselves. Or
Passengers, those count as filled Cargo Spaces
Sometimes, ships with Edges get sold. The
maybe their own ship gets stolen or sunk while
Edges don t just go away - and this should be
they (and their entire crew) are off carousing.
reflected in the sale price of the ship.
Which Edges do they keep? Which ones go
Lightening the Load
away?
Ships with  Ship or  Equipment Edges
(not balanced out by Hindrances) have their
A bit of GM  hand-waving can be done
% Cargo
Cost increased by $1000 per Mast of the ship.
to rationalize just about anything (perhaps the
Filled Effect on Ship
crew is despondent about the loss of its ship
Ships with Hindrances not balanced
Empty +2 Top Speed, +1 Travel
and is therefore no longer Disciplined when
out by Edges have their Cost decreased. If
Speed, +2 Handling*
the PCs get a new frigate), but at a certain
the Hindrances can be repaired, the Cost is
Up to 25% +1 Top Speed, +1 Handling*
point, it can get silly ... and, more importantly,
decreased by the amount that would be required
Up to 75% No effect.
frustrating to the players.
to have them repaired. Otherwise, the Cost is
Over 75% -1 Top Speed, -1 Handling*
decreased by $1000 per Mast of the ship for a
100% Full -2 Top Speed, -1 Travel Speed,
Ship Edges
Major Hindrance, or $500 per Mast of the ship
-2 Handling*
The following Edges are considered Ship
for a Minor Hindrance.
Edges: Extra Cargo Space, Helmsman s Dream,
(* avoiding reefs and shallow waters only)
Fast, Passengers, Shallow Draft, Storm Worthy, It s up to the GM to determine what ship
Thick Hull, Unsinkable, and Well Built. types are available for sale. Generally speaking,
Savage WorldsTM, Pinnacle Entertainment GroupTM, Great White GamesTM, and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2007-2008 by Great White Games (http://www.peginc.com). All Rights Reserved.
Pirates of the Spanish MainTM, Pirates of the Mysterious IslandsTM, Pirates at Ocean s EdgeTM, Pirates of the Cursed SeasTM, PocketmodelTM, and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2002-2008 WizKids
Games (http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates). This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos
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and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
if a given ship type is widely available for sale in accordance with the Ship Edge Types house slam into it, and the captain gets a +4 bonus to
in a given port, then any Edges can be found rules presented earlier. any Boating rolls required to avoid going out of
that don t normally count against that ship s control as a result.
Boarders (Crew)
limit. In other words, if the heroes are shopping
Please note that this only applies when other
The crew of this ship has been trained to
in the Far East for a junk, then they can easily
ships slam into it - not when it slams into other
coordinate its boarding efforts, gaining a +2
find junks with the Shallow Draft and/or Storm
ships. For the latter, you need the Ram Edge.
bonus to group Throwing rolls for boarding (see
Worthy Edges.
p. 136, Pirates RPG).
Spotter (Crew)
Boats and Light Craft
The crew is trained to use this ship s second
Concentrated Fire (Crew)
perspective on the target to assist allied ships
The crew of this ship are trained to
The general difference between a boat and a
in their cannon fire. Allied ships within 10
coordinate their attacks with those of another
ship is that a boat can be carried on a ship.
of this ship gain a +1 bonus to Shooting rolls.
ship to devastating effect. If the crew of this
Boats are below the scale of even sloops;
Unfortunately, it provides no bonus to this ship s
ship fires cannons on the same action as an
they do not have Heavy Armor, so they can be
own cannoneers, though this ship can benefit
allied ship (by going on hold until the other ship
damaged by regular weapons fire. However, if
from Spotting performed by another ship s crew.
fires, or vice versa), and they target the same
targeted by a Heavy Weapon, such as a cannon,
ship, they gain a +2 bonus to Shooting rolls to
Waveskipper (Ship)
even a single wound sinks a boat, no matter how
hit.
When this ship carries no cargo, its Top
many Wounds it has left; the fact that a boat has
Speed is increased by +2, and its Travel Speed by
more Wounds than a sloop is simply a reflection Fireproof (Equipment)
+1. (If speed is of the essence, but there s cargo
of the difference in scale. Any time a Fire would start on this ship (due
that can t be sacrificed, cannons can be unloaded
to Critical Hit, spreading Fire, touching a Fire
Boats, despite having multiple Wounds, may
instead; every 2 Guns spaces left unoccupied are
Ship, etc.), roll 1d6. On a roll of 4+, the Fire
not be granted Edges.
the equivalent of one empty Cargo Space.
does not start or spread. Fire crews get a +4
Except as specified otherwise, boats cannot
bonus to rolls to put out Fires on this ship.
New Ship Hindrances
carry guns. Passenger Space may be converted
Fortification (Equipment)
into Cargo Space (at a rate of 10 to 1) but Cargo
Hunted (Minor)
This ship is constructed with fortified
and Passenger Space cannot be converted to
Your ship is infamous among sailors of a
positions and other measures to greatly aid its
Guns.
particular nation or faction, for some particularly
crew in repelling boarders. Attackers suffer a -4
Ships may carry one dinghy per Mast; one grievous transgression (real or imagined). Pick a
penalty to their group Throwing roll to board
longboat can be carried instead of two dinghies. major seafaring faction or nation (e.g., America,
this ship.
Barbary Corsairs, England, France, Spain)
Dinghy
Hard to Hit (Ship)
active in the campaign (the GM determines
Acceleration: 1 Toughness: 8 (2)
This ship presents a smaller silhouette
what constitutes  active enough). Any ship
Top Speed: 3 Wounds: 3*
that makes it harder to hit at long ranges. Any
of that nation or faction gains a +1 to attack
Crew: 1+4 Travel Speed: 1
cannon attacks made against this ship at long
rolls and boarding attempts against this ship.
Cargo Space: 0 Handling: +2 range (or longer) have double the normal range
This Hindrance may be taken twice, each time
penalty to hit. There is no effect upon cannon
Guns: 0 Cost: $500 associated with a different enemy.
fire within short or medium range.
Notes: Boat. Includes oars; may be
Luddites Revenge (Major)
rowed by 1 or more crewmen for Also, lookouts have a -2 penalty to spot this
The ship
ship at a distance with Notice checks.
statistics as listed. -2 to Shooting
seems to be
attempts to hit this boat with cannon cursed with bad
Hardy (Ship)
luck. Any time
fire.
This ship is blessed, lucky ... or its builder
a 1 is rolled on
just did a really good job at making it more
a Shooting roll
durable than it appears. Somehow, emerges
Longboat
(regardless of the
relatively unscathed from a number of scrapes.
Acceleration: 2 Toughness: 10(2)
Wild Die) when
If the ship would otherwise be damaged, once
Top Speed: 6 Wounds: 3*
firing this ship s cannons, a mishap renders the
per session the ship gets a Soak roll against the
Crew: 2+10 Travel Speed: 1
cannon inoperable until it can be repaired (a
remaining damage, using the regular crew s Spirit
Cargo Space: 0 Handling: +2
Repair check and an hour of work).
(a group roll) instead of a Vigor roll.
Guns: 0 Cost: $2,000
Sluggish (Minor)
Low in the Water (Ship)
Notes: Boat; may mount a bowchaser.
When this ship s cargo hold is over 50%
Enemy ranged attacks against this ship
Travel speed is for sail. Includes oars;
full, it suffers a -2 penalty to its Top Speed, and
suffer a minimum -2 penalty to hit due to range,
may be rowed by 6 or more crewmen
-1 to its Travel Speed (minimum Travel Speed
even when this ship is within Short range.
for Acceleration 1, Top Speed 3, Travel
of 1). E.g., a ship with 4 Cargo Spaces and this
Luxurious (Equipment)
Speed 1. -1 to Shooting attempts to hit Hindrance will suffer the penalty to movement
The interior is extravagantly appointed,
when it has 3 Cargo Spaces filled. Cargo Spaces
this boat with cannon fire.
with a spacious galley and entertainments for
converted to mount extra cannons count as
the crew and passengers. Fatigue due to Cabin
 full for purposes of this calculation (see
New Ship Edges
Fever happens half as quickly; one fatigue level
 Lightening the Load ).
per 60 days at sea for most ships.
The following are new Edges, most of
them inspired by special ship abilities from the
Shock Resistant (Ship)
Pirates PocketModel game. They are identified
This ship takes half damage from collisions
as either  Ship,  Crew, or  Equipment Edges,
when other ships (or similarly large objects)
Savage WorldsTM, Pinnacle Entertainment GroupTM, Great White GamesTM, and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2007-2008 by Great White Games (http://www.peginc.com). All Rights Reserved.
Pirates of the Spanish MainTM, Pirates of the Mysterious IslandsTM, Pirates at Ocean s EdgeTM, Pirates of the Cursed SeasTM, PocketmodelTM, and all related marks and logos are copyright © 2002-2008 WizKids
Games (http://www.wizkidsgames.com/pirates). This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and
3
trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.