Exemplars of Evil

CHAPTER 4
CAPTAIN
GNASH
is a pile of identical drawings, each depicting a huge black
disc with smudged edges.
Gnash spends much of his time here, leaving the day-today
operation of the ship to his first and second mates. He
writes nonsense on the walls or hunches over his desk, wildly
sketching new pictures of the Eater of Worlds. If the Much
Kill comes under attack, he bursts out of his quarters to direct
the crew’s response.
6. Wardroom: This room serves as the officer’s mess.
Captain Gnash, Pog, and the other officers take their meals
here, and except for Gnash, they all spend time here when
not on duty. The room holds little more than a large table and
six chairs. At any given time, the table holds the remains of
the last meal or two.
7. Galley: The galley is a chamber of horrors. Arms,
legs, and torsos hang from hooks set in the ceiling. A
butcher block stands in the center; a huge, stained knife
is stuck into it. The floor is sticky with gore, and bold
dire rats snatch morsels as they slough off the bones. The
ship’s cooks, a pair of pseudonatural hobgoblins (see page
75), pass time arguing over the finer points of roasting
human flesh.
Dire Rats (2d4): hp 5 each (1 HD); MM 64.
8. Pog’s Quarters: When he is not navigating on the
stern castle or taking meals in the wardroom, Pog stays in
his quarters. He tolerates the crew well enough, but has no
affection for them or their deformities. The room is sparsely
furnished with a bunk, a small chest of spare clothes, and a
padded chair. Aside from the possessions mentioned in his
statistics block, Pog owns nothing of value.
9. Fecar’s Quarters: This appalling room makes the galley
seem pleasant by comparison. It is stripped of everything
but a darkly stained mattress on the floor. The walls, floor,
and ceiling are splashed with gore, on which maggots dine
and flies drop their eggs. Fecar sleeps here when he must,
but otherwise spends most of his time elsewhere.
10. Brig: This filthy chamber holds prisoners until Gnash
is ready to sacrifice them to the thing in the hold. The
floor is covered with old straw and excrement, and a sludgecaked
bucket sits next to the door. Captives are never fed,
since Gnash does not waste food on something he intends
to kill anyway.
11. Crunglutch’s Quarters: A simple cabin equipped
with a bunk, desk, lamp, and chair, these quarters hold little
of interest. As with the first mate, Crunglutch is frequently
busy and rarely in his quarters.
12. Chain Locker: This room holds a long coil of heavy
chain, which passes up through the ceiling and onto the forecastle,
where it is attached to the anchor. Additionally, spare
sails, coils of rope, and other supplies clutter the floor.
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SHIP STATISTICS
The Much Kill is a beefed-up version of the caravel—a relatively
advanced type of sailing ship. The statistics block presented
here summarizes the most important characteristics of the
ship for use in a combat situation. The Stormwrack supplement
contains much more information on waterborne vessels.
Much Kill
Colossal caravel
Seaworthiness +4
AC section 3, rigging 1
Hull Sections 48 (sink 12)
Section hp 120 (hardness 8); Rigging hp 80 (hardness 0)
Speed wind × 30 ft. (average)
Melee ram (6d6)
Ranged 4 +1 ballistae (3d8/19–20)
Mounts 4 light
Space 120 ft. by 20 ft.; Height 20 ft. (draft 20 ft.)
Complement 60; Watch 14
Cargo 240 tons
Rigging hp: The number of hit points and the hardness of
each rigging section.
Melee: The damage dealt by the vehicle per 10 feet of speed
it currently possesses if it rams another object. For example, a
ship with a base ram damage of 6d6 deals 6d6 points of damage
if moving at a speed of 10 feet, 12d6 at a speed of 20 feet, and
so on.
Ranged: The damage dealt by any projectile weapons the ship
possesses. The attack bonus for a ranged attack is based on the
creature operating the weapon, modifier for the difference in size
between the weapon and the creature. In the case of a ballista (see
DMG 100), which is a Huge weapon, a Medium creature takes
a –4 penalty on its attack roll when operating the weapon.
Mounts: The number of weapons the ship can mount. A light
mount is suitable for a ballista. (The Much Kill has four ballistae,
two on the forecastle and two on the sterncastle.)
Space: The length and width of the area taken up by the ship.
Height: The height of the main deck above the waterline. Most
vessels of Huge or larger size have deckhouses, forecastles, or
sterncastles that are above this level.
Draft: The amount of the ship’s overall height that lies below
the waterline.
Complement: The number of crewmembers, passengers, and
soldiers who can be carried by the vessel for extended voyaging.
For a short voyage (a day or less) a ship might be able to cram
two or three times this number of individuals on board.
Watch: The number of crew members necessary to make
course changes, adjust for wind changes, and generally handle
the ship. Usually the watch consists of a helmsman, a lookout
or two, and a small number of deck hands who can go aloft to
change the set of the sails as necessary.
Cargo: The capacity of the vehicle’s hold, in tons (1 ton =
2,000 pounds). Most ships are slowed to 3/4 normal speed if
carrying half this load or more.
Seaworthiness: The ship’s overall sturdiness. This modifier is
applied to any Profession (sailor) checks the captain or master
makes in order to avoid foundering, sinking, and hazards that large,
well-built vessels avoid more easily than small and frail ones.
AC: The AC of each hull section (see below) and the AC of
the rigging (which comes into play when attackers are trying to
eliminate or reduce a ship’s mobility).
Hull Sections: The number of hull sections the ship
possesses.
Sink: The number of destroyed hull sections necessary to sink
the ship outright.
Section hp: The number of hit points and the hardness of each
hull section.
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