Lightning on Dead Oars
One-Shot · 6 Players · Level 8 · ~3–3.5 hrs · Ghost Galley Boarding · Undead & Storm Constructs
Style: Undead boarders → Storm constructs → Shade admiral |
Win: Destroy Admiral Lysander’s Shade and break the ghost ship’s hold
Ship: Main 40×50 + bow 15 + stern 25 = 90 ft · 15 ft ram · 2nd ship ghost galley (~80×30) to port · optional Charybdis under both.
"Drive this nail into dead wood that still rows — lightning loses its master, and bones remember the grave." — Lodestone Nail of Auster
Major Beats
- Navigator Rhea + Lodestone Nail; mist clears mid-sea with ghost galley already to port.
- Enc. 1: Bone rowers + lochagos board the party deck.
- Enc. 2: Storm knights + Tempest Effigies — persuade or smash.
- Enc. 3: Admiral’s shade on ghost stern; optional Charybdis pressure.
Creature / Enemy List
| Creature | Easy | Med | Hard | Mini |
|---|
| Bone Rower (Skeleton) | 4 | 6 | 9 | ×9 |
| Bone Lochagos | 1 | 1–2 | 2 | ×2 |
| Storm Knight | 1 | 2 | 3 | ×3 |
| Tempest Effigy | 2 | 3 | 4 | ×4 |
| Admiral Shade (Boss) | adj | 1 | 1 | Captain + crown staging |
| Lesser Charybdis | — | opt | 1 | ×2 (use 1) |
Difficulty Scaling
| Tier | Adjust |
|---|
| Easy | Fewer skeletons; 1 knight; Admiral HP 110, no Mast Arc |
| Medium ★ | As written; Charybdis optional rd 3+ |
| Hard | All 3 knights; Charybdis from rd 1; Admiral LR 3 |
ENC 1 — Bone Boarders
Medium · 6 Bone Rowers + 1 Bone Lochagos
- Oar Gang: +1 AC if adjacent to another rower.
- Non-combat: Religion group turn — 3 successes before failout (DC 14) drives half back once.
ENC 2 — Knights of Empty Thunder
Medium · 2 Storm Knights + 3 Tempest Effigies
- Non-combat: Insight/Persuasion DC 15 → one knight becomes inert empty armor.
- Lodestone Nail into Effigy: speed 0, aura off, vuln bludgeoning.
ENC 3 — Admiral of Dead Oars
Hard · Admiral Shade + captain + 2 Effigies + 3 skeletons (reuse minis)
- Admiral AC17 HP142 · 3× lightning spear +8 · Raise Rowers R5–6 · Mast Arc 8d8 Dex DC 16 1/day.
- Nail into ghost mast (AC 15 / HP 25 to place): suppress storm-knight lightning auras while it remains.
- Optional Charybdis rd 3+: pilot Str/Dex DC 14 or slide toward whirlpool; prefer drive-off if short on time.
KEY ITEM / NPC
Lodestone Nail of Auster
- 1/SR: hammer into ghost deck or Effigy — target has disadv on attacks 1 rd + 15 lightning.
- Finale: drive into ghost mast → suppress storm-knight lightning auras while nail remains.
Navigator Rhea
- Motivation: Intercept storm-cursed ghost ship before next port loses a crew.
- Arrival: Mist clears mid-sea; ghost galley already to port.
Ship Reminder
- 90 ft deck · 15 ft ram · ghost galley to port · ≤2 extra ships · Charybdis optional under both.
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