The Setup
(Written for Level 6 Characters, easily adapted for all levels)
The entire Ship's hold is full of 20 barrels of Wildfire. The barrels
are mostly stable, but will detonate if exposed to fire. Each bar-
rel will deal 8d8 of damage in a radius of 20+1d20*5 feet.
There is a large ornate chest in the middle of the ship's hold with
a fist-sized gem inside of it visible through a pane of glass.
The interior of the box is lined with an anti-magic field, so spells
or physical objects cannot penetrate the interior of the box with-
out it being opened first, as the field hinges with the lid.
To defuse the bomb, the gang need to successfully defeat the
locks on the box, open it, then remove the blinking gem or cast
Dispel Magic on it.
Gently touching the window does nothing other than show it to be DEX Saves per the rules in Delayed Blast Fireball.
solid glass. Casting a spell on the box powers on the device.
If you're real mean, put a glyph of warning under the box (Investi- ocean, it will float and bounce along the hull of the ship. The impact
gation to find) that triggers the bomb to start ticking if its removed. of the water is enough to trigger the gem inside if it isn't already.
They've still got a minute to defuse it, so they're probably fine...
Players can attempt to carry the box to a safe distance. While Tiny Box:
holding it, if they take damage, they must make a CON save simi-
lar to Concentration, (Half damage taken, MIN DC 10) or they
drop the box.
DC for most saves and checks = 15 or 12+Proficiency unless
noted otherwise.
Opening the Box
Two Keys: This works like a Safe Deposit Box. Players need
two particular keys turned at the exact same time (One creature
readies an action to turn on the other's initiative). Players can find
one or both keys through RP Shenanigans. Alternatively, PC's
can cast Knock or Pick the Lock, but they must both succeed at
the same time or else the box starts ticking.
Disassemble the Hinges: PC's need to make three consecutive
Lockpick checks as three separate actions. There is only room
for one person in front of the locks, and they cannot stop and
restart the process, so one character must make three consecu-
tive lockpicks in a row. (Thief Rogues or Action Surging Fighters
can actually make 2 checks in a turn).
The first "tumbler" is DC 15, the next is DC 20, the last is DC 25.
Failure on any check means the picker has to start picking the
locks all over again. Again, Knock works here too, but it does
mean burning three spell slots as three actions on three separate
locks.
Failing any lockpick check by 5 or more triggers the bomb's acti-
vation. One creature may use Help to grant advantage, and it's a
great time to use boosting spells like Bless or Guidance.
Failure by 10 or more and the Thieves Tools break. Fail a DC 10
DEX save and they break in the lock. Mending can fix the tools,
but that's going to be a very long minute.
Defusing the Bomb
Once the box is open, any caster can foil the detonating bomb
with a DC 17 casting of Dispel Magic. Alternatively, players can
grab the gem (with DEX Saves per the spell) and throw the gem
sufficiently far away from the exploding barrels.
The Barbarian solution is actually more viable here. They can
reasonably carry the bomb somewhere safe, smash the crate to
pieces, which will activate the bomb on the first round or two of
it's activation, dealing a mostly survivable amount of damage.
....So long as they are far enough away from the Wildfire barrels.
Should be good for getting the palms sweaty. In the spirit of fair
play, roll for Initiative when they go to pick the bomb (or just let
players pick their turn order), setting the Bomb on Initiative 0.
Be extra explicit on where everyone is and isn't so there's no
surprises when someone is caught in the blast radius, or was so
far back that they needed a Dash Action to get there and can't
cast Dispel Magic this turn.
Box Details
The box has 10 STR/DEX/CON, and 0 INT/WIS/CHA, AC 20, HP 10.
The instant it is opened or "senses" distress, the box "casts" Delayed
Blast Fireball (DC 15) with Extended Metamagic and the gem starts
visibly blinking/ticking.
For extra flavor, quietly increase the radius by 1d6 ft every round it
doesn't detonate.
For all intents and purposes the Box is "Concentrating" on the spell,
and upon taking damage makes a concentration checks like any
other creature. Once concentration is dropped, the spell ends and
the gem detonates.
If it is destroyed, it loses concentration and the bomb goes off. If
PC's remove the blinking gem from the box, they must make DC 10
The box is airtight and watertight. Therefore, if it is thrown into the
Box Variations:
Each turn the carrying player must make a DC 15 Acrobatics or
Sleight of Hand check as their action to protect the fragile wires and
instruments. Failure means DC 20 DEX save to not drop it, triggering
the bomb.
They repeat these checks every turn they are carrying it and it is not
actively blinking.
Medium Box:
The box is 200+lbs and is clearly designed to be carried by two
medium sized creatures. Each carrying creature must use their ac-
tion to make Athletics checks that combined must total a DC 30 to
move the box their full movement.
- If they beat a 20, they get it there safely, but only half their move-
ment. (This lets the Barbarian rage and solo carry the thing too).
- Less than 20 and they need to make a DEX save to not trigger the
detonation process right there.
- Less than 15 (combined still) and the the bomb is activated.
The Ship
The Bomb
Driving
The bomb was created by an artificer who has modified the magic of
a Delayed Blast Fireball. It is wired to detonate in 2 minutes, (or 20 The Ship's Captain has been specifically trained to handle the ship alone with a zombie crew.
rounds) when it maxes out at 24d6 to all creatures within 40ft. DC 15 I've chosen an upgraded Azer, but the intention is for a creature of at least 1 CR higher than the party's current level.
DEX Save for half.
If the captain is distracted or incapacitated, the ship will begin to list towards the fleet as there is no pilot. It will be fine for awhile, but at each Initiative 0, roll a progressive
If detonated in the same round it activates, the damage is only 12d6. 1d20 to see if the ship stays on course. For the first round, it begins to lose control on a 1. The second, it loses control on a 2 or lower, third a 3 or lower and so on.
If the case is properly unlock, it can be removed using DC 15 Sleight The fleet is sailing in close order. Once the ship is out of control, it will hit another ship in the fleet in 3 points towards Failure. Should they crash into a ship, everyone
of Hand checks to put it somewhere safe. must make a DC 15 STR save vs prone after each crash. Failure by 5 or more and they are also moved 5ft towards the nearest edge.
However, the first round it is blinking, it will only deal 4d6 damage to After three crashes, the bomb will begin to blink. After 5 crashes, the ship will begin to sink and begin to fill with water. At initiative 0, the ship gains 1d6 feet of water, start-
all creatures within 20ft. Still enough to instantly trigger the Wildfire if ing in the hold.
nearby.
To prevent this, each round the team needs to make a combined Ship Handling check of DC (6 Players x DC 10=) 60 to not crash. No points towards failure or success.
Each round the bomb grows it adds 2d6 to its damage, and 5ft to it's On failure, the ship will drift 1 point towards the nearest ship.
explosion radius.
If they can beat a combined DC 90 on the group check, they can direct the ship one point away from the fleet. Once the ship is 10 points away from the fleet, it can be
Handling the blinking activated crystal follows the same procedure as locked into "autopilot" on a course away from the fleet.
the normal spell.
Any NPC's or Familiars the crew has with them that can perform an action may assist with these checks on their own initiative.
Arcana identifies several things at varying DC's:
To help the ship with an action PC's have to physically move their character to the appropriate station.
10 Spots the gem as an evocation spell that can be dispelled.
12 Spots the anti-magic field protecting it. DC 20 to dispel the field. - STR = Pull ropes on deck anywhere within 5ft of the edge.
15 Spots that casting anything on the box triggers it. - DEX = Align the sails. Dance around ropes up top. CON Save vs half damage (Min 10) to not fall if they take damage or the boat crashes.
17 Clocks the Spell as a modified Delayed Blast Fireball. - CON = Bail water. Must be in the lowest point of the boat. Not athletics because it's cold/gross down there. Does not change the water's elevation.
20 Clocks the Spell's range modification, and it's starting size. - INT = Drive the boat, must be holding the wheel.
25 and the PC's will know the exact size and damage every round. - WIS = Navigate. Must be up in the crow's nest. CON Save vs half damage (Min 10) to not fall if they take damage or the boat crashes.
- CHA = Inspire (not advantage) a crewmate. Must stand next to anyone else making a Ship Handling Check.
Bomb Counter:
Anyone proficient in water vehicles can add their proficiency bonus as well. Otherwise, it's a straight ability check. They're still free to use their movement and bonus ac-
OOOOOOOOOO tions, but if they're not in the right spot to use their action at the end of their turn, they don't add anything to the Ship Handling check.
OOOOOOOOOO Players feeding actions into the Ship Handling check do not roll the check until Initiative Zero, resolving all the checks and total at once. That way everyone has to choose
between "Ship Action" or "Attack" without knowing how the score is going. This also has the convenient advantage of splitting the party all over the ship, making it hard to
support each other in combat.
The Zombie Crew: The Azer is leading a crew of 16 Zombies corrupted at a nearby port. They are scattered throughout the ship, but there are at least 8 trapped in the
hold, as they lack the manual dexterity to climb the rope ladder in the back.
The Wildfire: There are 4 barrels of wildfire in the Lower Deck and 16 barrels in the cargo hold. The barrels are relatively stable, but if exposed to any amount of Fire
damage, they catch fire. At the next Initiative Zero, the barrel will explode, taking 1d20 other barrels with it. Each barrel that explodes deals 8d8 damage. Any remaining
barrels will be ignited and explode the following Initiative Zero. The explosion radius for each blast is 20+20*(Barrels Detonated).