Seas of Blood, Fantasy on the High Seas A D20 System Supplement from Mongoose Publishing Rating: (5 out of 5 hearts)

This supplement for the d20 line provides rules for seafaring and material for adventures on the sea. It also introduces Mongoose's Open Mass Combat System. The Mass Combat System gives rules for large-scale battles and in this book provides the background for combat between crews of different ships.

The way Mongoose's sea battle system works is that each vessel is given stats similar to those of a regular creature. Ships have attacks and damage based on their weapons and the base attack bonus of the crew, an initiative score based on its maneuverability, an AC, a hardness score and Structural Dice instead of Hit Dice. A crew is also considered a single entity for purpose of crew combat, such as in the case of one crew boarding a ship and another defending it. The stats of a crew are derived from the average score of its members. The system is very well done and draws completely on existing d20 rules.

The rules for navigating on the sea require the use of Knowledge (seamanship) and Profession (navigator). A crew has an average seamanship score that is used when some situations require a check, such as surviving through a gale, repairing minor damage on a ship, putting out a fire during ship combat and catching up to or escaping from another ship. Rules for navigating on sailed or oared ships are given, as well as the effect of weather on sailing. The Profession (navigator) skill is used to plot courses across vast stretches of water without getting lost. Typical crew elements, from pressganged crewmen to veteran seadogs, are describe in terms of salary and contribution to the crew roster (the average of all crewmembers). A section on trade and commerce lets the players exercise their Profession (merchant) skills and try to turn a profit from their nautical endeavours. Keeping a ship afloat is a costly activity.

The stats for twenty-one different ships are given, from rowboats to barges to warships to gnomish submarines and dwarven floating fortresses. Ships can have templates applied to them and the book describes the Cursed Ship, Death Hulk, Ghost Ship and Sky Ship templates. Intelligent ships, a new form of magic items, are also detailed.

Some feats of significant use to seagoing individuals are listed, such as Inspire Loyalty (+4 bonus to avoid Mutiny checks), Steady Captain (crew gets +2 on its Seamanship tests), Strong Swimmer and Underwater Combat. The section on Sea Magic offers a panoply of interesting new spells such as enchant ram (gives a magical bonus to ramming attacks), protection from water (keep your spellbook dry) and tsunami (wreck that enemy ship). Some of the shipboard weapons described are veritable siege engines.

The book also contains the Sailor NPC class and three prestige classes. The Buccaneer is a fighting sailor, expert at fighting from the rigging. The Reaver is a specialist at boarding attacks, inspiring crews to charge into enemy vessels. The Navigator-Wizard is an expert of weather magic and orientation. The druid class is expended upon to include its sea counterpart. There is also a new potential character race of half-human, half-aquatic elves.

The section on underwater adventuring describes that environment and its effect on surface dwellers, such as reduced vision, different acoustic environment, effect of pressure, problems of communication and of course breathing. Battling underwater is discussed, as well as the effects of some magic, such as electricity or fire based spells. Of course, staples of underwater adventure such as water breathing and freedom of action are also discussed. The author's suggestion for underwater adventuring is to include a gnomish submarine in the game.

The new monsters are interesting and provide options for some unwonted encounters, from the Gnarled Eel at CR 1 to the Leviathan at CR 23. A few scenario hooks and ideas bring the book to a close.

There is a strong element of fantasy throughout the book, with ships of more than gargantuan proportions armed with catapults on every side and Wizard mercenaries casting fireballs at enemy ships. The book is valuable for brief but remarkable sea incursions that are more than interludes, as well as for full-blown seafaring campaigns of pirates, merchants or explorers. As is the case for most of Mongoose's books, this one includes tables summarizing the new rules that are introduced. This one even includes an index, which is a noteworthy rarity in d20 products, even in this day and age of easy word-processing.

Most campaigns eventually see the PCs crawling over the surface of the ocean at the mercy of the winds. When you want this to happen in your campaign, this book will help you make it a memorable event.

New Classes: Sailor (NPC), Buccaneer, Reaver, Navigator-Wizard.

New Spells: Control Currents, Curse Ship, Delay Sinking, Distil Water, Enchant Ram, Fastroke, Hold Ship, Murk & Gloom, Pacify Storm, Predict Weather, Protection from Water, Raise Death Hulk, Repair Ship, Repel Water, Resist Pressure, Seavision, Shellskin, Skyship, Teleport Ship, Tsunami, Whirlpool, Water Crush.

New Magic Items: Figurehead of Bravery, Figurehead of Luck, Figurehead of Protection, Figurehead of Safe Passage, Magic Shipboard Weapons, Spyglass of Farseeing, Staff of the Deep, Staff of the Fleet, Wyrdstone.

New Monsters: Fideal, Fisherman, Sea Giant, Gnarled Eel, Grey Lady, Jastra Root, Killer Wave, Leviathan, Sea Drake, Talorani.



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