Adventures in Naval Architecture: The Bregalad

[Job]

Spoiler: Ship Plan

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Spoiler: Record Sheet

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Wanna go fast?

Conceived in a skunkworks project by a rogue group of human and elven shipwrights, the Bregalad was designed to push the concept of the traditional Elven ‘Wingship’ as far as it could go, paring away all that did not serve the singular goal of going very, very fast.

The Bregalad is a 70-foot Bermuda-rigged schooner, which people find odd as no one has ever heard of a place called ‘Bermuda’. Its soarwood construction, in combination with a pair of Everfull Sails (Stormwrack), facilitates rapid travel in almost all conditions. The sails were custom-commissioned and made with leaf weave to ensure the ship’s only means of defense would be as resilient as possible.

If you want to draw up a contract with Ruth Ralil (NE half-elf woman), you too can acquire a ride aboard her “legitimate salvage.”

Bregalad
Masterwork Colossal Vehicle
Space: 70 ft x 10 ft; 10 ft (Height); 10 ft (Draft)
Seaworthiness: +2
Shiphandling: +6
Speed: Wind x 90ft (good)
Overall AC: -3
Hull Sections - 14 (Sink 3)

AC: 3
HP: 120
Hardness: 5 [Soarwood, Heavy Hull]

Rigging Sections - 2

AC: 1
HP: 200
Hardness: 2 [Leafweave]

Ram: 4d6
Mounts -

2 Light (2 free)
1 Heavy (1 free)
1 Ram (1 ram fitted)

Crew: 25/4
Cargo: 30 tons (Speed wind x 70ft if 15 tons or more)
Cost: 208,800gp

180,000gp [(40,000gp X 4) + 20,000gp Masterwork]
4,800gp [Masterwork Controls (colossal)]
24,000gp [Everfull Sails (X2)

[Morphic tide]

Conceived in a skunkworks project by a rogue group of human and elven shipwrights, the Bregalad was designed to push the concept of the traditional Elven ‘Wingship’ as far as it could go, paring away all that did not serve the singular goal of going very, very fast.

Maybe better to start with a Pinnace instead, partly for cost reasons and partly for the plausibility of "speed above all else" as the size of the Elven Wingship is definitely setting that back some.

Bermuda-rigged schooner, which people find odd as no one has ever heard of a place called ‘Bermuda’.

They're also referred to as "Marconi rigs" after the inventor of the telegraph due to the use of wire rigging, could hunt down an in-setting figure responsible for some relevant rope magic or cables. Which also ties into the Wingship being a bad baseline because their performance is definitely related to the fantastical sail shape that this throws out.

The sails were custom-commissioned and made with leaf weave to ensure the ship’s only means of defense would be as resilient as possible.

Leafweave is an alchemical replacement for leather losing about a third of the weight, which would still be rather heavy for a sail. I'd suggest Spidersilk from Underdark instead, some sort of treatment for Arenea or Drider silk with ridiculous strength-to-weight ratio in armor terms at half the weight of the next lightest +3 Armor bonus, which is fittingly Chitine Web from the same book.

Speed: Wing x 90ft (good)

Typo, should be "Speed: Wind x 90ft (good)

Cost: 208,800gp

Probably should be itemized as it may run into RAW weirdness for breeching the pre-Epic single-item limit. And also Craft check issues.

[Job]

Thank you for the reply.

I had considered a smaller vessel when choosing the base for this one, but as presented in Stormwrack the extra 10ft of movement per wind category was too attractive to pass up, especially considering that amounts to an additional 20ft thanks to the multiplicative nature of soarwood.

I imagined that this ship would maintain a large staysail in the shape of a singular wing instead of the square rig in Stormwrack, which I did not find evocative of a 'wing' at all.

Which book is the spider silk from?

[Morphic tide]

Thank you for the reply.

I had considered a smaller vessel when choosing the base for this one, but as presented in Stormwrack the extra 10ft of movement per wind category was too attractive to pass up, especially considering that amounts to an additional 20ft thanks to the multiplicative nature of soarwood.

You're writing it out as its own distinct statblock in the Homebrew forum, it's expected to breech the exact RAW.

I imagined that this ship would maintain a large staysail in the shape of a singular wing instead of the square rig in Stormwrack, which I did not find evocative of a 'wing' at all.

The "square" rig has cutouts that result in a non-trivial resemblance to a feather pattern as viewed from above or below.

Which book is the spider silk from?

The October 2003 "Underdark", not to be confused with the May 2007 "Drow of the Underdark" that lacks an update for it.

[VoxRationis]

Large size can actually be an asset for sailing vessels, actually. Clippers and windjammers were not small ships but were quite fleet, even while making accommodations for cargo.

The main issue I see is that the ship has comparatively large fore and aft castles but very little draft and a rig that is guaranteed to experience significant heeling forces. I'd worry about the ship capsizing. Real Bermuda-rigged ships optimized for speed have flush decks and tend to be proportionately longer than what you have pictured (though I commend your drawing skills).

[Maat Mons]

No Cloud Keel (Arms and Equipment Guide, p49)? That’s a pretty glaring oversight.

I also recommend a Decanter of Endless Water, an Everful Larder (Stronghold Builder’s Guide, p76), Fharlanghn’s Lines (Arms and Equipment Guide, p50), and Nondimenasional Trunks (Arms and Equipment Guide, p50).

The rigging method was invented by Juan de Bermúdez. It would have made him famous, if he hadn’t already been famous for inventing and popularizing dress shorts.

[Job]

Excellent! Thank you all for your continued input. I'm looking to make revisions.

No Cloud Keel (Arms and Equipment Guide, p49)? ThatÂ’s a pretty glaring oversight.

It's very powerful from the price, but it's not so much an oversight as an attempt to distinguish the Bregalad from airships in the first place. Soarwood mostly hails from Eberron where you already have an airship option.

I also recommend a Decanter of Endless Water, an Everful Larder... FharlanghnÂ’s Lines ... and Nondimenasional Trunks.

Noted, I'll consider adding them as recommended options.

The main issue I see is that the ship has comparatively large fore and aft castles but very little draft and a rig that is guaranteed to experience significant heeling forces. I'd worry about the ship capsizing. Real Bermuda-rigged ships optimized for speed have flush decks and tend to be proportionately longer than what you have pictured (though I commend your drawing skills).

I used the Orianda as a reference, which captured the functional and aesthetic qualities I was after. That ship is longer and wider than what I've designed. The Bregalad sits much differently in the water, and I've not done robust buoyancy simulations. However, on your recommendation, I think I'll make the 'optional' keel fin less optional and consider removing the fo'c'sle. This is a shame as I lose berthing, but maybe a smaller raised deck that holds the chain room would suffice.

You're writing it out as its own distinct statblock in the Homebrew forum, it's expected to breech the exact RAW.

Fair, I assumed that the hull and sail admixture was what got you that extra 10ft (for which you pay the premium) and it would have been a little cheesy to expect similar performance from another design.

The October 2003 "Underdark", not to be confused with the May 2007 "Drow of the Underdark" that lacks an update for it.

Perfect thankyou!

[Debihuman]

This is so cool! I love new vehicles (air, land, and sea) so this will be added to my collection of stuff.