I just finished reading Watery Graves and completely fell in love with the “Intrepid”. Don’t worry, I will not spoil anything about the book here – aside from the “Intrepid” being the submarine from the cover… steampunk submarines… awesome :)! I had to homebrew it.
And this is what I did: Following the vehicle rules from Bitter Medicine, I came up with a new type of Vehicle:
Description: Midget submarines are small watercrafts capable of extended periods of diving with a crew of three to seven. Only few prototypes of these innovative underwater vehicles are currently employed by the Cygnaran Navy for reconnaissance and covert operations. However, work is underway by several military and private organizations throughout Western Immoren to built their own prototypes with varying degrees of success.
Every midget submarine has an outer hull and an inner hull. The space in between is filled with high air pressure chambers, water ballast tanks, and a diverse selection of mechanical apparatus necessary to control, steer, and otherwise operate the watercraft. The boat is accessed through a conning tower in the middle that also houses a periscope and a fresh air snorkel. Sealable portholes are located on several locations in the hull, most prominent in the conning tower and on the prow.
The back of the boat is completely taken by a steam engine that can only be operated by the board engineer while the submarine is surfaced, otherwise the crew risks asphyxiation in minutes. The middle part of the boat is taken by the captain operating the telescope and the pilot on the rudder. The front part of the submarine is taken by the crew and the pedals of the hand propulsion system that speed the sub underwater.
The captain observes the sub’s surroundings using either the conning tower at the surface, the periscope at periscope depth or the portholes when diving. The pilot steers the submarine and the mechanic either operates the steam engine while at the surface or at air snorkel depth, or helps out on the hand propulsion system when underwater or if the boat is running silent.
Special Rules: The cost of the midget submarine includes the watercraft’s hull, rudder, a high air pressure chamber, water ballast tanks, a hand propulsion system, and a steam engine. Additional gear and weaponry can be added by vehicle upgrades.
On the surface and at fresh air snorkel depth, the midget submarine can be powered by its steam engine without risking asphyxiation with a SPD of 10. Due to the impacts of waves and weather on these depths, the pilot makes Sailing skill checks using the INT stat. Maintaining control of a midget submarine requires a full action. It burns 5 gc of coal per hour of travel.
Underwater and at silent running, the sub is propelled by the crew on the hand propulsion system with five pedal seats. Each manned seat provides an additional SPD to the sub to a total of SPD 5 with a full crew (assuming the mechanic helps out). Waves and weather have less of an impact when submerged, but other obstacles like poor sight prevail. The pilot makes Driving skill rolls and spends a full action.
Midget Submarine System Table
1–2
Hull – No specific system is damaged
3
Upgrade – Determine at random, which of the vessel upgrades is damaged. The upgrade can only be used with a skill modifier of -2. If the same upgrade is damaged again, it is destroyed and cannot be used further.
4
Engine – Roll a d3. On a 1 the steam engine, on a 2 the periscope, and on a 3 the fresh air snorkel is damaged. Reduce the DEF and SPD by 1. If this location is damaged again with the same number, the respective system is destroyed.
5
Rudder – The steering mechanism is damaged. Apply a –1 penalty to all attempts to control the vehicle. If this location is damaged again, the steering mechanism is destroyed.
6
Portholes – Portholes have been damaged and water is flooding the interior. Roll a d3. The result is the number of broken portholes. The crew has 4 turns to fix all portholes. Subtract 1 for each broken porthole. If the crew fails to fix the portholes in the given time, the weight of the added water is too much. The sub sinks and buries the crew on the ocean floor.
Vehicle Upgrades
Grasping Arm
Type
Cost
Submarine
160 gc
Effect: The grasping arm is usually mounted at the prow beneath the prow porthole and is operated with levers from the inside of the submarine. It is used in salvage operations and is especially popular with maritime treasure hunters.
Explosive Prow Lance
Type
Cost
Submarine
25 gc
Effect: A simple yet effective weapon, the explosive prow lance is attached to a submarines prow. It is a long lance with an explosive load fixed to its tip. If the submarine rams a target, the explosives go off and may cause horrendous damage. Usually, explosive prow lances are used to blow holes in ships, but it may also be used to fight underwater creatures, albeit with an attack penalty due to its cumbersome application.
To attack with an explosive prow lance, a submarine pilot makes a Lance attack roll. If he fights a very agile target like a sea creature, the weapon gains the Inaccurate ability (Inaccurate – This weapon has a -4 attack roll modifier). If it hits, the explosion deals POW 20 damage. Add an additional die to the damage roll if attacking a structure (like e.g. a ship). A submarine may charge with this weapon. After the explosion, roll on the submarine’s system table to determine damage cause by the recoil. The weapon can be used only once and is spend after a successful attack.
Only a character who begins the game with the Ironhead career can be a Copperhead. A character cannot have both the Copperhead and standard Ironhead careers.
Cost: Copperhead armor is constructed by the Copperhead who wears it and is not typically available for sale.
SPD Modifier: –3
DEF Modifier: –3
ARM Modifier: +8
Description: Copperhead armor is a heavy suit of mechanically augmented armor powered by a pressured air chamber mounted on its back. Like the armored diving suit, copperhead armor may be attached to a diving bellows (NQ#67, p. 110). Without a diving bellows, it will deplete a full load of pressured air in 8 hours of general operation or in 1.5 hours of combat operation. Its pressured air chamber can only be refilled using a specialized steam engine.
Special Rules: A character must have the Copperhead ability to use copperhead armor. Each suit of copperhead armor is customized to the body of its manufacturer and can only be worn by characters with similar proportions.
Putting on or removing copperhead armor takes five minutes. A character receiving assistance in taking off the armor can do so one minute faster for each character assisting him, to a minimum of two minutes to put on or remove the armor.
Copperhead armor is heavy and ponderous. A character wearing it cannot run or charge.
A character wearing copperhead armor gains +1 STR.
A character wearing copperhead armor gains the Amphibious ability and is immune to gas effects.
A character wearing copperhead armor gains six additional damage boxes that must be lost before the character starts losing vitality on his life spiral. These boxes represent additional protection granted by the armor. After these boxes are gone, the wearer suffers damage to his life spiral normally.
Copperhead Rules
A copperhead armor uses the ironhead armor rules for building, damaging, and destroying it. See No Quarter #52, pp. 35–36 for details. However, it gains a modified internal damage table.
Copperhead Armor Internal Damage Table
Despite being incredibly durable and resilient, copperhead armor houses a complex array of sophisticated machinery that is subject to potential damage. Whether damage is applied to the armor’s damage boxes or the wearer’s life spiral, when a character wearing copperhead armor suffers 5 or more damage as a result of a damage roll, a roll must be made on the armor’s internal damage table to determine if any internal systems are also damaged.
d6
Result
1
No Internal System Damaged – No additional penalty.
2
Upgrade Damaged – A random equipment upgrade is crippled and no longer functions.
3
Arm Damaged – One of the arms is crippled. Randomize which arm is damaged. Until the damage is repaired, the character suffers –3 to attack rolls made with the damaged arm.
4
Loss of Power – The air pressure has been compromised, resulting in a severe loss of power to the armor. But the character was lucky, the air is not leaking. Until repaired, the character loses the armor’s STR bonus.
5
Movement Damaged – The vessel’s movement systems have been damaged. Until repaired, the character suffers –1 SPD and DEF.
6
Air Leak – The armor’s pressured air chamber has been damaged, resulting in air dangerously venting out of the suit. The character has ten minutes or until no air is left to return to safety. After ten minutes or if no air is left, the character wearing the armor suffers d3 damage points at the end of each of his turns. Outside of combat he suffers this damage once per minute.
Copperhead Upgrades
A copperhead armor can be customized with all ironhead upgrades (see No Quarter #52, pp. 36–38) except the Amphibious Construction upgrade (copperhead armors are specifically tailored with this in mind) and the Heavy Boiler upgrade (which is replaced by the Heavy Pressured Air Chamber upgrade). Additionally, it may be customized with all copperhead armor upgrades. Of course, powder-based light artillery cannot be fired on a submerged copperhead armor. Have a look at the Heavy Harpoon Gun instead.
Copperhead Armor on Land
Due to its less effective power source, the copperhead armor is not as effective as ironhead armor on land. It has a SPD Modifier of -4 and a DEF Modifier of -4 on land and its wearer does not gain +1 STR.
Abilities
Amphibious
The character treats water as open terrain and gains concealment while within water. Amphibious characters never make Swimming skill rolls and can always advance their full SPD while swimming.
Copperhead
The character knows how to use and control mechanically enhanced submersible air-pressure-powered armor, such as copperhead armor.
Copperhead Armor Upgrades
Note: In addition to the upgrades below, a copperhead armor can be customized with all ironhead upgrades except the Amphibious Construction upgrade and the Heavy Boiler upgrade.
Heavy Pressured Air Chamber
Cost: 400 gc
Effect: The armor gains a heavy pressured air chamber. The armor’s air consumption increases by 25 percent. The target number of rolls to integrate subsequent upgrades is reduced by 1, and the character can run or charge normally.
Adding a heavy pressured air chamber requires six hours of labor followed by a successful INT + Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 14.
Ranged Weapons
Heavy Harpoon Gun
Cost: 350 gc
Ammo
Effective Range
Extreme Range
Skill
Attack Modifier
POW
AOE
1 (harpoon or grapple)
60 feet (10˝)
300 feet
Light Artillery
-2
14
–
Description: The heavy harpoon gun is a specially designed firearm made to propel a heavy harpoon over long distances. Like the smaller harpoon guns, they typically have short, stout barrels and are fitted with iron rings that can be used to tie off the harpoon line and to anchor the harpoon gun into secured mounting, such as on a ship or on a copperhead suit. The true range of the harpoon gun is limited by the rope or cable attached to the harpoon.
The harpoon gun can also be used to fire a heavy grappling hook and line.
There is a variant of the Heavy Harpoon Gun that does not use powder but pressured air to fire the harpoon or grapple and can be used while submerged.
Special Rules: If this weapon damages a target with an equal or smaller base, immediately after the attack is resolved the damaged character can be pushed any distance directly toward the character armed with the harpoon.
A heavy grappling hook has a –4 attack modifier instead of –2 and has POW 12.
It costs 1 gc for blasting powder and casings for five charges. Additional harpoons or grapples cost 2 gc each.
Only a character who begins the game with the Explorer career can be a Submarine Explorer. A character cannot have both the Submarine Explorer and standard Explorer careers.
A character taking this option:
Begins with the Load Bearing ability but does not begin with Big Game Hunter or Language.
Begins with Swimming 1 and Lore (submarine zoology) 1 but does not begin with Medicine 1.
Begins with an Armored Diving Suit (NQ#67, p. 108) and 50 gc but does not begin with a map case or spy glass.
Submariners are specialized soldiers positioned on submarine boats. Their roles include driving, repairing, and defending their boat, but they also engage in combat and reconnaissance missions and in the capture of enemy vessels. These professional soldiers usually choose to wear lighter armor so that if they do take a plunge, they can stay afloat. A submariner’s weapons of choice include the cutlass, pistol, and gaff spear.
Only a character who begins the game with the Soldier career can be a Submariner.
A character taking this option:
Begins with the Boarding Action ability and either Specialization (Cutlass) or Specialization (Gaff Spear) but does not begin with Find Cover or Sentry.
Begins with Mechanikal Engineering 1, Sailing 1 and Swimming 1 but does not begin with Detection1, Medicine 1 or Survival 1.
Can gain Specialization (Cutlass) and Specialization (Gaff Spear) as career abilities.
Adds the Lance military skill to the two military skill choices at character creation.
Adds Sailing 3 to the Soldier career’s list of potential occupational skills.
Adds the Lance military skill to the Soldier career’s list of potential military skills.
I heavily borrowed from Marine (King, Nations, and Gods page 301) here.
The characters are the crew of a naval submarine. In service to their kingdom, these characters are expected to operate within the code of their nation’s laws. They might conduct raids against pirates, scout hostile waters and ports, or engage in exploration of new territories for their nation, but wherever they go, they do so as the fighting edge of the navy.
Requirements: Each member of the company must be a human or gobber and have at least one of the following careers: Errant Marine, Explorer, Field Mechanik, Marine, Ranger, Sawbones, or Submariner. At least one character must have the Naval Officer career. The players in the group should designate one member of the company with the Naval Officer career to be the captain. The captain then designates a first mate and other officers as appropriate.
Benefits: The characters in the company receive regular orders and information of military significance. The characters can also expect to be resupplied with coal, food and water, ammunition, grenades, alchemical accumulators, and other supplies.
The company begins the game with a midget submarine crewed by ablebodied submariners. The boat can find a safe harbor in any port of the nation. It might even operate from a fighting ship of the nation’s navy.
Each character created as a member of the company begins the game with the Iron Will ability and gains one additional occupational skill level in one of of the following skills: Driving, Mechanikal Engineering, Navigation, Sailing, or Swimming.
Maritime Treasure Hunters
The characters are members of an expedition sent to the seas of western Immoren. The characters might be in the employ of a university or organization sent out to map underwater territory, collect live specimens of wild sea creatures, or hunt sunken treasures. As they successfully complete these tasks, they will draw more dangerous — and lucrative — contracts from their employers.
Requirements: Each member of the expedition must be a human or gobber and have at least one of the following careers: Aristocrat, Explorer, Field Mechanik, Investigator, Marine, Ranger, Sawbones, Submariner, or Treasure Hunter.
The players in the group should designate one member to be the leader of the expedition, typically drawn from among the Explorers. The leader then designates a second-in-command.
Benefits: Each month the expedition gains 100 gc by their employer for upkeep and equipment that can be spent any way
the players see fit.
The company begins the game with a midget submarine crewed by ablebodied submariners. It might operate from a small ship of the employer.
Additionally, each member of the company begins with one additional occupational skill level in one of the following skills: Driving, Mechanikal Engineering, Navigation, Sailing, Swimming, Tracking, or Survival.
I’ve got two questions here:
Firstly, is the Marine a career variant published somewhere else? A reference would be appreciated, as the material can be quite a chore to search, considering some parts are hidden away in NQ magazines, downloadable files, and so on.
Secondly, wouldn’t it make more sense to start from the Pirate as another sea-focused career rather than Soldier?
Is it truly justified to make the Copperhead a separate career with separate abilities, especially considering Ironheads get access to amphibious gear too? Personally, I’d just swap out some water-focused skills for the Ironhead (not that there are that many) and give the Copperhead a different suit and mention that they are often called “Copperheads” because of the appearance of their suits.
Firstly, is the Marine a career variant published somewhere else? A reference would be appreciated, as the material can be quite a chore to search, considering some parts are hidden away in NQ magazines, downloadable files, and so on.
Good point, I have put a reference to Marine.
Secondly, wouldn’t it make more sense to start from the Pirate as another sea-focused career rather than Soldier?
If I recall correctly, the idea was to build a military type career, very similar to a Marine, but under the seas. Hence the choice of Soldier. And checking back with the Marine career, it appears that good parts of this career (minus the parts you need to operate machinery) are copied over from Marine.
For a non-military type submariner, you are probably very right: Pirate would be a better start.
Is it truly justified to make the Copperhead a separate career with separate abilities, especially considering Ironheads get access to amphibious gear too? Personally, I’d just swap out some water-focused skills for the Ironhead (not that there are that many) and give the Copperhead a different suit and mention that they are often called “Copperheads” because of the appearance of their suits.
Looking back, I feel like you are right. Building a new monster of a career is not really warranted for building what is basically an Ironhead with water-armor. One could just take the new upgrades and put it on an Ironhead armor and be done with it.
