Shipmage (Character Kit)

The shipmage is a new Wizard kit for the AD&D® game. Examples of shipmages in popular fiction include the mages in Ursula K. LeGuin’s A Wizard of Earthsea and the Seafolk Windfinders in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. The ship- mage is a valuable component of a ship’s crew, and those ships that have one count themselves fortunate.
The idea for the shipmage kit was conceived and developed during a long-running seagoing campaign. While seagoing campaigns are not as common as land-based campaigns, they occur fairly often. TSR publishes several products useful in a seagoing campaign, such as Pirates of the Fallen Stars, the RED STEEL® setting, and the “Volkrad” adventures published in DUNGEON®  Adventures.
A ship mage must meet the minimum ability requirements for a mage, and have a Dexterity of 14 or better. A shipmage with an Intelligence and Dexterity of 16 or better gains a 10% bonus to earned XP. There are no racial restrictions on becoming a shipmage, other than the normal restrictions on mage eligibility. While most shipmages are single-class humans, there are a few elven and half-elven fighter-shipmages.
Role of the Shipmage
Circumstances force shipmages to be largely self-sufficient, independent-minded people. A ship usually only
has one shipmage, possibly with one or two apprentices. Sailing vessels are at sea for
long periods of time, so shipmages rarely meet and converse with their own kind. They take every opportunity to do so, however, when the chance arises. When two or more ships carrying ship- mages meet, the sea-mages go to great lengths to visit and compare notes, spells, and stories. If the ships meet while in harbor, the mages shuttle back and forth between each other’s ships constantly.
If five or more shipmages meet and at least one of them is a master ship- mage, they may declare a shipmeet by unanimous consent. Shipmages declare truce during a shipmeet, and none of them raise a hand against any of the others. They also do everything they can to prevent their ships from coming into conflict. The seamages use the ship- meet to discuss spells, swap stories, and make decisions about apprentices and shipmage candidates.
New apprentices are sometimes liter- ally bullied into the job. A shipmage in need of an apprentice oftens grab a promising member of the crew and makes him an offer he cannot refuse. Shipmages typically serve as apprentices under the tutelage of an older and more experienced shipmage until 3rd level. It is here that the shipmage learns the duties and responsibilities of a proper ship- mage. Shipmages usually find their own ships when they reach 4th level. At this point, they are known as journeymen. Shipmages of 9th level or higher are known as master shipmages.
Shipmages are busy and detail- oriented. No shipmage can afford the luxury of being distracted or absent- minded. Consequently, the shipmage is an ideal role for a conscientious player who likes to keep track of numerous details. The shipmage needs to know exactly what is aboard the ship at any time, from lanterns to navigation tools to the nature of the cargo the ship is currently carrying.
The player of a shipmage should be prepared to make lists of crew-member information (level, skills, rank, etc.), food- stuffs, supplies, equipment, weapons, and anything else onboard the ship. That way, if the DM says you need a shovel, you have probably got one, and you have the list to prove it. “Polka-dot paint? Sure. Third sea-chest on the left hand side of the secondary hold, underneath the flea-infested camel-hair rugs.” Although the player will probably have to make lists, it is entirely possible that the shipmage would carry all of this
detailed information in memory, without need to commit it to paper.
One of the shipmage’s prime responsibilities is to keep the ship in good working order. The shipmage uses a combination of spells and NWPs such as engineering, seamanship, navigation, and ship repair (new NWP) to help maintain the ship. Practically the first spells an apprentice seamage learns is mending. And the apprentice uses it every day, without fail. Similar spells include defect structural flaw (see below), renewal (DUNGEON Adventures #58, “Caveat Emptor”), robust construction (see below), minor creation, and major creation.
A journeyman or better shipmage is expected to be able to navigate competently. The shipmage also has several spells that help with navigation and piloting, including absolute location (see below), depthsounder (see below) and
fisheye (see below). Other spells of this type include: locate object, clairvoyance, and infravision.
A sailing ship suitable for a seagoing campaign can have a crew of anywhere from five to fifty sailors. Members of the crew are usually 0-level or 1st-level fighters. Some of these may be hench- men or followers, in which case they might be slightly higher level. The mem- bers of the crew do the tedious but nec- essary grunt work required to operate the ship: swabbing decks, hauling sails, making sail repairs, handling cargo, etc. They also usually perform such duties as standing watch, carrying the heavy stuff, digging holes, chopping trees, etc. When a sea-serpent attacks, or a fierce storm hits, or the sahuagin stage a raid, or any of the other numerous things that can go wrong on an adventuring ship, the members of the crew are usually the most vulnerable and must be protected.
The shipmage should have a different philosophy about spellcasting than the normal mage. Instead of using spells that affect only a few people, the ship- mage should concentrate on spells that improve the survivability of the ship and its crew. A shipmage rarely casts a com- bat-oriented, single-target spell such as magic missile. Instead, the shipmage uses spells such as affect normal fires, wail of
fog, fog cloud, levitate, rope trick, shield vessel (see below), and wind wail. Shipmages also make an effort to select long-duration spells with wide areas of effect. In addition, please refer to the excellent discussion in “Arcane Lore: Sea Magic” in DRAGON Magazine #220 regarding standard spells usable at sea.
DMs have used the “damaged ship” plot device to introduce new adventures so often that it has become a cliche. The wily player will work out many different ways to circumvent or minimize the effects of this plot device. Typical sources of ship damage in a fantasy campaign include monster attacks (sea dragons, sea serpents, sahuagin), storms (hurricanes, gales), pirates, and reefs. What good does a hurricane anchor (see below) do in a normal campaign situation? Very little. But at sea during a hurricane with the reefs looming ever closer and a sea-serpent growling at you from the deep water, a spell like this could save the ship. Look for mundane ways to improve the ship’s odds as well. Imagine everything that could go wrong, and make a plan for it. Develop a “broken mast” contingency plan before the ship breaks a mast.
A shipmage also provides the means to enhance temporarily the ship’s speed and maneuverability. Players should imagine everything that they would like the ship to be able to do, then design spells that make it so the ship can do it. More speed, tighter turns, and the ability to withstand more damage: these are all things that can make the difference between life and death on the high sea.
Experience for spellcasting
Played properly, the shipmage casts many spells practically every day, and not necessarily during encounters. The DM should award XP only when those spells make a difference. If the shipmage casts shield vessel (see below) when the crows nest spots an approaching ship, and the ship turns out to be friendly, the PC should receive no XP. On the other hand, if the precautionary shield vessel keeps the PCs’ ship from being captured by pirates, the shipmage should receive full XP.
Shipmage familiars
All seamage familiars must either live on the ship or be able to keep up with the ship. Typical familiars include: rat (night vision), cat (excellent night vision and superior hearing), parrot (superior sense of taste), ship-snake (extremely sensitive sense of smell), and seabirds such as seagulls, albatrosses, and terns (usually offer superior sight).
Weapon proficiencies
The shipmage uses the normal mage proficiencies, with the exception that the shipmage can become proficient with the net.
Nonweapon proficiencies Shipmages receive seamanship as a bonus NWP.
Shipmages must obtain Navigation by 4th level, but they must spend proficiency slots to do so.
Recommended NWPs include: carpentry, direction sense, fishing, languages, rope-use, seamstress/tailor, ship repair (see sidebar) swimming, weather sense, engineering, and navigation.
In general, most strictly land-based NWPs are forbidden or modified to reflect the seagoing setting. A shipmage would not learn how to ride a horse, for example, but might learn how to ride a dolphin or whale. Likewise, a shipmage would not learn mining, but might learn about pearl-farming.
Special benefits
Because of his close ties to the sea, the shipmage has a +1 bonus to all saving throws while at sea or aboard ship (even when docked). Conversely, the shipmage has a -1 penalty applied to all saving throws while on land. A shipmage who never sets foot on land (after becoming a shipmage) receives a +2 bonus to all saving throws while at sea. This bonus goes away once the shipmage touches land, reverting to the normal +1/-1 forever after. The DM should strictly enforce the restriction on the +2 bonus.
Shipmages are prone to conduct spell research to come up with specialty spells. The AD&D spell system is tremendously flexible, if the players take advantage of it by having their PCs con- duct spell research.
Sailors have a long tradition of making do in a pinch. To reflect this, the ship- mage can substitute material components when casting spells. In order to use a non-standard component, the player must first propose a reasonable substitute, along with the rationale for why the substitution should work. The substituted component must be at least somewhat related; attempting to use totally incompatible items causes spell failure. When a seamage uses a non-standard material component to cast a spell, there is a minimum 10% chance of spell failure. The DM then modifies the base chance of spell failure according to Table 1. For example, a shipmage who attempts to cast a water breathing spell using a bottle has a 35% chance of spell failure.
New nonweapon proficiency: ship repair (1 slot, Int +1)
This NWP allows the mage to assess the state of the ship and direct the crew to make any necessary repairs. Because of the higher level of maintenance, a ship under the constant care of a mage with this proficiency gains a +1 bonus vs. any damaging attacks. The bonus is +1 for every three levels of the mage. A 1st level mage pro- vides a +1 bonus, a 4th-level mage provides a +2 bonus, etc. The bonus increases by a further +1 if the mage also has the engineering NWP. The proficiency assumes that the mage uses magic such as mending, unseen servant, levitate, and similar spells to help make necessary repairs.
The shipmage receives the normal mage starting allowance for money and equipment.
Shipmages have the option of using their ship as their spellbook. Such “spell- ships” are covered with intricate carvings, lacquers, paintings, murals, strange arrangements of ropes, etc. The carvings and decorations make up the spell information that a mage would normally record in a spellbook. A normal mage cannot read spells recorded in this manner, nor can a shipmage who uses a spellship read spells recorded in spell- books. The cost of recording the spell is the same as if the shipmage had recorded it in a spellbook. The spellship is a very visible sign of shipmage’s presence and provides the shipmage with extreme motivation to protect the ship.
The advantage of this form of spell recording is that the spellship is more robust than a normal spellbook. The spells are damaged only if the ship is, and they can be “repaired” just as the ship can. The disadvantage is that it is difficult (but not impossible) for the shipmage to transfer to a new ship. Shipmages who do so lose 5-25% of their spells in the process. In addition, the transfer takes one week per level of the shipmage.
A shipmage counts as one level higher for purposes of determining range, area of effect, and other level-dependent parameters when casting an air or water based spell such as wall of fog, stinking cloud, or whispering wind. The shipmage receives a +15% bonus to learn such spells. A shipmage counts as one level lower when casting firebased spells and receives a -15% penalty to learn such spells. A shipmage can never cast earth- based spells (such as stoneskin, stoneshape, and transmute rock to mud). For example, a 5th-level shipmage casting a gust of wind counts as a 6th-level caster. The same shipmage attempting to cast a fireball counts as a 4th-level caster for purposes of determining damage dice, range, etc.
The shipmage also has the ability to conduct spell research aboard ship, which would normally be nearly impossible. The shipmage’s lab is not the traditional stark and isolated wizard’s tower. It is apt to be a corner of the cargo hold, a cabin, or perhaps even the deck of the ship. In a sense, the entire ship is part of the mage’s lab. To reflect this, 10% of the value of the ship counts toward the value of the shipmage’s lab. The shipmage should also be something of a scavenger. A shipmage should attempt to find at least half a dozen strange items at every new port. The DM should assign a monetary value to these items. The shipmage counts 30% of the value of the items toward the value of his lab. Typical exam- ples of strange items include: a spear from a cannibal tribe, white sand from a virgin beach, black sand taken from the slopes of an erupting volcano, and the vinegar-preserved hand of a sahuagin raider.
Special hindrances
The shipmage must be a “seafarer” at all times. To meet this criteria, he must either be an active member of a ship’s crew or be shipwrecked and actively seeking to return to the sea. Those who do not meet these criteria are allowed a one-month grace period to find a new ship. If this time expires, the shipmage permanently loses all special abilities connected with the kit. A former ship- mage is referred to as “beached,” and he is looked upon with pity and derision by active shipmages.
Wealth options
The starting resources for the ship mage are the same as for a normal mage. However, no other type of mage can bring along what is essentially a mobile laboratory. This can quickly become a significant advantage for the PC.
In a seagoing campaign, the resources available to the PCs are usually greater than those in a normal campaign. The PCs have a ship to carry their equipment, even if actual paying cargo takes up part of the ship’s space. At the same time, it’s easy to hare off to exotic locales. The PCs are free to “run away” from problems or seek out their own adventures. The DM should go with this. If the PCs want to sail through remote archipelagos in search of lost tribes, let them. You can bring them back around sooner or later.
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