Lots of wet boating people.

[weby]

I just noticed for the first time that anyone who does not have boating skill is quite likely to fall into water even on a sunny and calm day when stepping onto a cabin cruiser or a house boat. As if you do not have the skill you roll on entering a boat...

[Imion]

See Task Difficulty, B345.

I'd peg the outlined, non-stressful situation at Automatic to Very Easy.

Much more likely, I'd simply not require the players (or anyone) to make a roll since that would be quite a bag of nonsense. If you do that you'd also have them roll to climb some stairs...

[weby]

Originally Posted by Imion

See Task Difficulty, B345.

I'd peg the outlined, non-stressful situation at Automatic to Very Easy.

Much more likely, I'd simply not require the players (or anyone) to make a roll since that would be quite a bag of nonsense. If you do that you'd also have them roll to climb some stairs...

Climbing the stairs is not listed as requiring a skill roll in the rules. A GM can of course impose one. The stepping on a boat is an actual stated rule:"If using this skill at default also roll when you first enter the boat – to avoid falling in the water!". Of course a GM is free to ignore rules, but I am talking about RAW now.

At very easy difficulty an average fit person with DX 10 IQ 10 person would need to roll against 12 or 13 and thus have 26% or 16% probability of ending in water.

[Ashtagon]

iirc, there is a rule that rolls only happen when it would be dramatically appropriate for the role to mean something. If it doesn't actually "matter", then you always board the boat without getting wet.

Boarding the 8:23 commuter ferry going upriver? No roll. Boarding it while carrying secret documents to be delivered to a contact and there's a spy on your tail? Roll.

[VariousRen]

The intent is clearly talking about boarding rowboats, rafts, and other small craft where it rocks about when you change the weight distribution. Even if you're carrying the crown jewels while being chased by alien ninjas, I wouldn't make you roll to hop into a speed boat safely docked.

If you would like a proper (completely made up) system: assign a bonus equal to the difference in size mod between the person boarding the boat and the boat itself. If the difference is +4, don't roll because it's as easy as boarding a small boat out of combat. Ignore this rule if people regularly falling off boats is in genre and entertains everyone.

[The Colonel]

I would offer you Patrick O'Brien's character Stephen Maturin - who was well known for falling out of boats, despite being a naval officer.
In terms of dramatic propriety, there was also his long term intelligence contact who did also managed to fall from a boat whilst boarding a ship ... and drowned due to the weight of his money-belt.

A lot of people who are unused to boats do indeed fall in the water when boarding - one of the reasons why everyone in the developed world insists you wear a lifejacket whilst on a boat. Boarding over a gangplank probably shouldn't need a roll, but stepping directly aboard should - with penalties where there's a major height change or similar problem.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

A lot of people who are unused to boats do indeed fall in the water when boarding - one of the reasons why everyone in the developed world insists you wear a lifejacket whilst on a boat. Boarding over a gangplank probably shouldn't need a roll, but stepping directly aboard should - with penalties where there's a major height change or similar problem.

I agree. Getting into a canoe, rowboat, or motorboat from a dock is tricky at the best of times (not so much if boarding from shore and pushing into the water). Houseboats, ferries, barges, and pontoon boats are built for stability, which should give a slight bonus to get onto, not to mention those are generally boarded by stepping across or up compared to stepping down like rowboats or speedboats, and generally across a gangplank.

What I take the "roll to board" to mean is going from the dock to the boat or when climbing aboard while in the water. (We capsized quite a number of canoes as a kid practicing getting in one from the water in controlled conditions, in a swimming pool.)

As for the naval officer who kept falling in the drink, are you sure he didn't have Klutz or an Incompetence? He seems like an extreme example.

[Bruno]

Pretty sure a gangplank with hand-rails is worth a good equipment bonus and perhaps a verification check - but I've seen someone fall off one of those anyways.

[phayman53]

You could also use bonuses for taking extra time. An experienced boater can get in and out of a boat very quickly without upsetting it, but most peope without any skill in boating need to go very slowly and deliberately.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

As for the naval officer who kept falling in the drink, are you sure he didn't have Klutz or an Incompetence? He seems like an extreme example.

It would have to be an Incompetence in boating - he was otherwise an extremely skilled surgeon, musician and duellist so Klutz would not be appropriate.