The Dream-Ship Captain
A Dreamlands Character Class in Honor of Lovecraft's Birthday
Regular readers already know that I’ve been devoting the entire month of August to the celebration of H.P. Lovecraft and his works over at my blog. Given that today is itself the 135th anniversary of his birth, I thought I’d offer up an adjunct to my Dreamer and Moon Prowler classes — the Dream-Ship Captain. Like it’s companions over at Grognardia, this class is presented according to the rules of Old School Essentials, but is compatible with most similar fantasy rulesets.
Dream-Ship Captain
Navigator of moonlit seas. Master of impossible winds. Sailor where no maps can reach.
Origin: Dreamlands or Waking World
Requirements: DEX 9+
Prime Requisite: CHA
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 14
Armor: Leather
Weapons: Any one-handed, crossbow
Languages: Alignment, Common, Dreamspeech
Master of a vessel that drifts between stars and seas alike, the dream-ship captain charts courses no mortal cartographer could imagine. With a steady hand on the helm, he carries dreamers through the wonders — and dangers — that lie beyond the waking world."
Bound to the Sea
The captain must return to the sea, whether in the Dreamlands or the Waking World, at least once per month. If more than 30 days pass without setting sail, the captain suffers a –1 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks until they do so. The penalty ends immediately upon returning to their element.
Call Crew
Once per week, the captain may summon loyal sailors out of dream and mist to serve aboard his vessel (see Ship’s Bond below). They remain for up to 24 hours, vanishing if slain or when dismissed. They appear with the gear they would normally carry aboard ship.
Level 1–3: d6 crew, each as Normal Men (AC 7 [12], 1d4 hp, armed with cutlass and knife).
Level 4–6: 2d6 crew, each as 1st-level Fighters (AC 6 [13], 1d8 hp, armed with cutlass, light crossbow).
Level 7–9: 3d6 crew, each as 2nd-level Fighters (AC 5 [14], 2d8 hp, armed with cutlass, boarding pike, and light crossbow).
Level 10+: 4d6 crew, each as 3rd-level Fighters (AC 4 [15], 3d8 hp, skilled marines with cutlass, boarding pike, and heavy crossbow).
Notes:
Summoned crew are loyal, disciplined, and competent in both seamanship and combat, but do not act independently of the captain’s orders.
If killed, they vanish back into mist. They cannot be raised or healed.
If the captain is slain or incapacitated, the crew immediately fade away.
Combat
A dream-ship captain cannot wear armor heavier than leather and cannot use a shield. He can use any one-handed weapon, as well as the crossbow.
Chart the Impossible
The dream-ship captain alone can plot voyages to places no map records and no road or sea can reach — forgotten cities, lands of legend, and realms hidden in dream and memory. With time and the proper tools, the captain can set a course to such places, piloting their dream-ship across impossible routes.
Charting Time: Plotting a voyage to a hidden or inaccessible destination takes 1 full day, reduced by 1 hour per level.
Travel Time: Once charted, voyages take 1d6 days regardless of distance or impossibility. At 7th level, travel reduces to 1d4 days; at 14th level, voyages take only 1 day.
Hidden Destinations: The captain may chart courses to destinations that cannot otherwise be reached by mundane travel or ordinary dream-ship travel (see Ship’s Bond below). Such places may include ruins lost to time, mythic dream-cities, or realms thought forever barred. The exact nature of these destinations is determined by the referee.
Hazards: Each voyage risks dangers of the unreal sea. By default, there is a 2-in-6 chance of encountering dream-storms, hostile entities, or other hazards. At 10th level, this decreases to 1-in-6.
Ship’s Bond
The captain is mystically bound to a singular vessel, be it a sleek galley, towering brig, or stranger craft.
Summoning: Once per day, the captain may summon the ship from mist, moonlight, or dreams. The ship appears in 1d6 minutes and may sail on any liquid (saltwater, quicksilver, molten glass) or surreal “fluid” (cloudbanks, rolling hills, the black void between stars). The captain may dismiss it at will, whereupon it dissolves into mist.
Size & Crew: The ship requires no mundane crew (it answers to the captain and any chosen companions) and can carry up to 20 passengers plus supplies.
Speed: Travels at 90 miles per day over mundane waters, plus an additional 5 miles per captain level. On surreal “seas,” its speed is halved unless otherwise noted by the referee (see Chart the Impossible above).
Durability: The ship has AC 7[12], 50 hull points + 5 per captain level, and is immune to mundane fire, rot, and decay. Magical or dream-forged weapons and hazards can harm it normally.
Destruction: If destroyed, the captain must spend 1d6 weeks in ritual and dream to restore it. During this time, the ship cannot be summoned.