Large Vehicle Control Roll modifiers

Vethano · 07-21-2019, 11:23 PM

So I'm having a little difficulty parsing how to apply Control Roll modifiers (B466) when the vehicle in question is a large vehicle that requires rolls against both Shiphandling and average Crewman.

For background, I ask because I'm specifically going to be running an adventure aboard a tallship (a Cog, B464), but I'd like to understand the rules in general before applying them to my particular case. I'm specifically asking about the Basic Set rules--I don't have Spaceships or Age of Sail Pirate Crew, and the PCs will only be aboard the ship for a session or two so it doesn't really justify purchasing a new book.

I assume that vehicle Handling modifies both rolls, given the emphasis on 'all', but it seems odd to me that the handling of, say, a tallship out at sea affects the crew's ability to manage the sails. Is Handling in this case supposed to be a sort of stand in for a bad footing penalty, indicating how rough (or smooth) the ride is? Or should Handling only apply to Shiphandling after all?

If handling does apply to both rolls, the result seems fairly harsh. On a Cog with Handling -3, the captain and crew would need to have skill 15 or higher just to get to a relatively reliable effective skill of 12. Is there something I'm missing here?

Visibility penalties are another odd example. As I understand the RAW, Crewman would suffer from visibility penalties to manage sails, but only if there's a risk of collision, which doesn't really add up. Is this just a case where the GM has to apply common sense and ignore the RAW? Ignoring the RAW, I could see an argument for Visibility modifiers applying to all DX-based Crewman rolls when it's dark (e.g. on a tallship's unlit deck at night, or in a spaceship's engine room while the lights are out.)

This is probably simpler than I'm making it out to be, and at the table I'll just rule by common sense to keep the game going, but I'd like to understand the rules all the same.

07-21-2019, 11:23 PM	#1
Vethano Join Date: Jul 2019	Large Vehicle Control Roll modifiers So I'm having a little difficulty parsing how to apply Control Roll modifiers (B466) when the vehicle in question is a large vehicle that requires rolls against both Shiphandling and average Crewman. For background, I ask because I'm specifically going to be running an adventure aboard a tallship (a Cog, B464), but I'd like to understand the rules in general before applying them to my particular case. I'm specifically asking about the Basic Set rules--I don't have Spaceships or Age of Sail Pirate Crew, and the PCs will only be aboard the ship for a session or two so it doesn't really justify purchasing a new book. I assume that vehicle Handling modifies both rolls, given the emphasis on 'all', but it seems odd to me that the handling of, say, a tallship out at sea affects the crew's ability to manage the sails. Is Handling in this case supposed to be a sort of stand in for a bad footing penalty, indicating how rough (or smooth) the ride is? Or should Handling only apply to Shiphandling after all? If handling does apply to both rolls, the result seems fairly harsh. On a Cog with Handling -3, the captain and crew would need to have skill 15 or higher just to get to a relatively reliable effective skill of 12. Is there something I'm missing here? Visibility penalties are another odd example. As I understand the RAW, Crewman would suffer from visibility penalties to manage sails, but only if there's a risk of collision, which doesn't really add up. Is this just a case where the GM has to apply common sense and ignore the RAW? Ignoring the RAW, I could see an argument for Visibility modifiers applying to all DX-based Crewman rolls when it's dark (e.g. on a tallship's unlit deck at night, or in a spaceship's engine room while the lights are out.) This is probably simpler than I'm making it out to be, and at the table I'll just rule by common sense to keep the game going, but I'd like to understand the rules all the same.