Quiddity Damage Tables

Introduction

The following tables explain how to interpret and narrate structural damage done to the Quiddity and her whaleboats. These tables are not meant to produce ironclad outcomes—the Keeper should always exercise discretion and agency when consulting a random table. Some results may not be suitable for the situation, while others may be too extreme. In the end, it’s always the Keeper’s decision!

Table 1: Quiddity Damage
Table 2: Whaleboat Damage

Table 1: Quiddity Damage

The Quiddity possesses 75 hit points of structural integrity. Normal weapons are incapable of inflicting serious harm to the ship—an axe gouge or a gunshot can be quickly repaired. The only things that reduce her hit points are foul weather and heavy seas; foundering against rocks and ice; being attacked by a large whale; fire, explosives, and artillery; or Cthulhu. The following chart helps the Keeper to translate HP totals and “Damage Ratings” into narrative scenarios. After 75 HP of structural damage have been absorbed, the ship sinks!

01–10 HP. Light Damage
Light damage includes scorched decks, fouled or torn rigging, loose sails, broken windows, cracked planks, a broken windlass, etc. This can easily be repaired, and does not impede the operation of the ship.

11-25 HP. Moderate Damage
Moderate damage includes fire damage, torn sails, splintered yards, a bent rudder, etc. The ship can still function, but until the Damage Rating is reduced to Light, relevant Seamanship and Pilot (Boat) rolls suffer a –1D10 penalty die.

26-40 HP. Heavy Damage
Heavy damage includes considerable fire damage, lost sails, tumbled spars, and/or the partial incapacitation of essential equipment: the helm, tiller, rudder, windlass, bilge pump, etc. There’s also a 25% chance one of the topgallant masts has come down. (Roll 1D3 for which mast.) The ship can still function, but relevant Seamanship and Pilot (Boat) rolls suffer –2D10 penalty dice. Additionally, the Damage Rating cannot be reduced to Moderate until a Specialized Repair is performed (see below).

41-50 HP. Severe Damage
Severe damage includes major fire damage, fallen spars, a stove hull, and/or the total incapacitation of essential equipment. There’s also a 50% chance one of the masts has come down. (Roll 1D3 for which mast, and 1D2 to determine whether it’s the topgallant or the topmast. Note that the latter takes the former with it!) The ship cannot function until the Damage Rating is reduced to Heavy, which requires reducing the appropriate number of HPs and performing a Specialized Repair.

51–75 HP. Critical Damage
Critical damage involves a significant degradation of the ship and/or the loss of major structural elements: the rudder has been destroyed, a mast has gone “by the board,” or water is pouring through a tear in the hull. The ship cannot function, and all hands should be working to lower the Damage Rating to Severe, which requires reducing the appropriate number of HPs and performing a Specialized Repair. Furthermore, once a ship has suffered Critical damage, the crew may only reduce the structural damage to 15 HPs. The ship is considered “jury-rigged,” and retains a Moderate Damage Rating until it can be property repaired in port.

Special Damage
Some types of damage require elucidation.

Fallen Masts
Just because a mast goes “by the board” doesn’t mean it vanishes into the sea! The broken mast may be restrained by the rigging and stays. This is a perilous situation, especially in rough weather. Not only does the flailing wreckage endanger the ship and crew, but if the collapsed mast is dragging through the water, the ship cannot be steered. In many cases the crew must free the ship from this unwanted “sea anchor” by cutting through the mast and hacking at the rigging with axes. This takes 20 successful Strength rolls, with one seaman getting a roll every round. A failed roll requires a Dodge roll to avoid suffering 1D6 HP of battering damage. If it’s a topmast trapped in rigging, these Strength rolls may be preceded by Climb rolls! If the winds are particularly violent, a fallen mast may damage the ship at the rate of 1 HP/round.

Leaking
All ships leak. This water is collected in the bilge and pumped out regularly. But if the hull is well and truly cracked, the interior of a ship can fill with water faster than the pump can remove it. Nineteenth-century pumps are operated by manual labor, so a pump must be attended by four-men crews working in shifts. These men cannot contribute to the general repair of a leaking ship. If the Keeper is feeling sadistic, she may ask the pumpers for Strength or Constitution rolls when the Damage Rating is Severe or higher, with each failure adding +1 HP of water damage during the shift!

Repairing the Ship
Repairing a ship involves two factors: General Repairs to mend the structural damage expressed in HPs, and Specialized Repairs to reduce the Damage Rating to the next lower category. Repairs are performed in 4-hour “watches.” Failed repair rolls cannot be pushed.

General Repairs
An individual sailor may repair damage at the rate of 1 HP/watch by making a successful roll against one of these random skills, selected by rolling 1D3:

01 Mechanical Repair
02 Operate Heavy Machinery
03 Strength

Leadership Bonus
Officers and boatsteerers may participate in General Repairs as described above, or they may direct repairs by making Leadership rolls. A successful Leadership roll adds a +1D10 bonus die to every repair roll made by the men on his watch. This cannot exceed ten men.

Specialized Repairs
Ships that are suffering Heavy or worse damage cannot have their Damage Rating reduced unless a Specialized Repair is performed. After all, a sprung rudder or broken helm incapacitates the ship. Even if General Repairs have reduced structural damage to 0 HP, a rudderless ship retains a Severe Damage Rating and cannot sail! The crew may only attempt one Specialized Repair each 4-hour watch. A Specialized Repair requires three successful rolls: Art/Craft (Blacksmith), Art/Craft (Carpentry), and Leadership. A single sailor can only contribute one roll per watch, but multiple sailors may join the attempt. If the Specialized Repair is successful, the Damage Rating may be lowered by one degree—providing that General Repairs have reduced the appropriate amount of HPs.

Example of Gameplay
After surviving a terrible squall, the Quiddity has suffered 45 HPs—that’s Severe Damage. The Keeper has decided that the rudder was torn away, the fore t’gallant mast came down, and there’s significant structural damage to the afterhouse. A ship with Severe damage cannot maneuver until the Damage Rating is lowered to Heavy, so there’s no time to lose. Joab orders both the starboard and larboard watches to participate in repairs.

The Keeper assigns crews and asks the players to make rolls for the NPCs. Mr. Coffin makes a successful Leadership roll, so each man under his command adds a +1D10 bonus die to his General Repair roll. Mr. Whipple fails his roll, so his crew receives no bonuses. Harpooners participate as well, along with Natty Weeks and Thomas Plunkett. Some sailors fail their random skill roll, others succeed; the total is 13 HPs of General Repair for the first 4-hour watch. That reduces the damage to 32 HPs, but the Damage Rating cannot be reduced to Heavy until a Specialized Repair is made on the rudder. Morgan passes his Blacksmith roll, Stanley Ruch passes his Carpentry roll, and Mr. Pynchon passes his Leadership roll, so the Specialized Repair is successful. (Seph Lovecraft also made a Carpentry roll, but it was not needed.) The ship now has 32 HPs of damage, a Damage Rating of Heavy. It can sail, but at the appropriate –2D10 penalties.

Eager to escape the squally waters, Joab orders Whipple’s crew to sail the ship the best they can, while Coffin’s crew remains at General Repairs. The second watch of repairs begins. Coffin’s successful Leadership roll helps his men contribute 8 HP of General Repair. The harpooneers and idlers add another 4 HP. This reduces the damage to 32 – 12 = 20 HPs. Meanwhile, the craftsmen attempt a Specialized Repair on the broken mast. Pynchon passes his Leadership roll, Morgan passes his Blacksmith roll, but Ruch and Lovecraft both fail their Carpentry rolls. That’s not enough to make the Specialized Repair. Even though 20 HP is technically Moderate damage, the ship must labor under the sailing penalties associated with a Heavy Damage Rating.

Joab doesn’t like the weather, so he keeps pushing the men. Whipple’s crew remains at their posts, while Coffin’s crew begins their third consecutive watch of damage repair. Because the men are getting exhausted, the Keeper decides that Coffin’s Leadership roll will be hindered by a –1D10 penalty die. The second mate is successful nonetheless. Even Rachel Ward and Professor Lowell lend their hands, and 9 HPs is repaired, bringing the total to 20 – 9 = 11 HP. The mast still needs a Specialized Repair, but with the help of the four harpooneers, the team comes through with flying colors. The Quiddity now has a Moderate Damage Rating, removing one of the penalty dice from the sailing rolls. Joab heaves-to and allows the exhausted men to get some sleep. The next morning, Coffin takes over sailing while Whipple’s crew mops up the remaining repairs. Because the transition from Moderate to Light does not require a Specialized Repair, the shipkeepers are free to lend a hand with the mending and polishing.

Table 2: Whaleboat Damage

A whaleboat possesses 20 hit points of structural integrity. Unlike the Quiddity, a whaleboat may be damaged by small arms and melee weapons, but only at 1 HP per successful attack. After 20 HP of structural damage have been absorbed, the whaleboat sinks! An individual sailor may repair whaleboat damage at the rate of 1 HP/15 minutes by making a successful Mechanical Repair roll. This includes bailing out water.

01–05 HP. Light Damage
Light damage includes splintered planks, broken oarlocks, a dislodged cleat, etc. This can easily be repaired, and does not impede the operation of the boat.

05-10 HP. Moderate Damage
Moderate damage includes broken planks, minor leaks, shattered oars, smashed braces, and/or the partial incapacitation of essential equipment: the rudder, tiller, loggerhead, etc. The boat can still function, but until this damage is repaired, all Pilot (Boat) rolls suffer from a –1D10 penalty die.

11-15 HP. Heavy Damage
Heavy damage includes smashed planks, major leaks, and/or the incapacitation of essential equipment. The boat can still function, but until this damage is repaired, all Pilot (Boat) rolls suffer from –2D10 penalty dice. Additionally, the Keeper is free to impose penalty dice on any Whalecraft or combat-related rolls.

16-20 HP. Stove Boat
A stove boat cannot function; usually because of severe structural damage or critical leakage. The Damage Rating must be reduced to Heavy before the craft becomes seaworthy again. If the problem is severe leakage, the Keeper may continue to increase the damage by 1D6 HP each 15-minute period—sometimes bailing just can’t keep up! Furthermore, once a whaleboat has become a “stove boat,” its crew may only reduce the structural damage to 10 HPs. The boat retains a Moderate Damage Rating until it can be property repaired onboard the Quiddity.

White Leviathan > The Quiddity and Whaling
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 18 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
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