Southland: Colonial Defense-Commonwealth Navy

THE SOUTHLAND

A Fantasy Core Setting

© Jerry Harris 2014

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Southland Index

Colony Index

COLONIAL DEFENSE

There are several main groups providing defense for the Commonwealth colony in the Southland.

Naval Combat

Commonwealth Marines

Commonwealth Regular Army

Southland Militia

Frontier Service

Rangers of the Southern Cross

Adventurers

Commonwealth Navy

The Navy is the pride of the Commonwealth military.  They are the direct instrument of the Commonwealth’s world-spanning power.  This pride is palatable from the lowest deck hand seaman to the strutting, full feathered peacocks in the admiralty.  There is an espirit de corps here that no other service enjoys.  Because the officers must be experienced seamen before they can even apply to the Academy for a commission, they engender an unusual level of respect from the sailors.

The Commonwealth Navy rules the seas.  The Southland presents a challenge however.  As dangerous as interior travel is, the sea lanes are not much better.  Large monsters, Gillmen raiders, and pirates trawl about the entire continent.  The admiralty has often advocated an armada to go in and at least clean out the Crossbones pirate den in Tasmania.  So far, the Commonwealth Emperor has resisted, as the pirates have so far been kept in check with minimal losses, but more importantly, no one has been able to gauge the strength of the forces present on the island, especially the giant monsters.  It has also been suggested that there is some international politics involved.  As many of the Crossbones are technically Hegemony and Oriental Empire citizens, a large scale action might start a much larger war.  (And just to make things more complicated, their leader, Hobart, is a former well-connected Commonwealth nobleman.)         

Sailor

+1 Dex, +1 Wis

HD 1 (d8), Hp 4, AC 11 (None)

Fort +0, Ref +3, Wis +1

Melee: Cutlass (Short Sword) +1 to hit 1d6

Ranged: Light Crossbow +2 to hit 1d8, M

Sailing Skill +2 [(Int bonus + Wis bonus)/2 + 1/2 level]

Climb +2

Not strong warriors, but a ship doesn’t run without men.

Petty Officer

+1 Dex, +2 Wis, +1 Int, +1 Str

HD 5 (d8), Hp 20, AC 11 (None)

Fort +1, Ref +5, Wis +3

Melee: Cutlass (Short Sword) +6 to hit 1d6+1

Ranged: Light Crossbow +6 to hit 1d8, M

Sailing Skill +5

Climb +4

Intimidate (Physical) +4

Generally there’s one Petty Officer per 10 Sailors.  Somebody has to keep the Sailors in line.

Officer (Mate)

+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +1 Str, +1 Int, +1 Cha

HD 7 (d8), Hp 28, AC 14 (Leather, worn if expecting combat)

Fort +2, Ref +7, Wis +5

Melee: Long Sword +8 to hit 1d8+1

Ranged: Light Crossbow +9 to hit 1d8, M

Sailing Skill +6

Climb +6

Intimidate (Psychological) +5

Most large ships have three Mates (First, Second, Third).  A smaller vessel may have two.  Their primary duty is to man the wheel in nominal operations and to command the ship’s main weapons during combat, and to generally terrorize the rest of the crew.  Their job is to keep crew trouble from becoming an issue involving the Captain. 

Ship Captain

+2 Dex, +3 Wis, +1 Str, +2 Int, +2 Cha

HD 8 (d8), Hp 32, AC 14 (Leather, worn if expecting combat)

Fort +2, Ref +8, Wis +5

Melee: Long Sword +9 to hit 1d8+1

Ranged: Light Crossbow +10 to hit 1d8, M

Sailing Skill +6

Climb +6

Intimidate (Psychological) +6

Charm +7

Haggle +6

The Captain always mans the wheel in combat and in heavy weather.  (Admirals usually defer to the Captain if aboard.)  The Captain must also be the one to order corporal punishment to offending crewmen.  It’s a difficult job to balance the ship’s condition, the ship’s stores, keeping track of the weather, completing the mission, and to getting the most out of crew without driving them to mutiny.     The Captain is ultimately responsible for the ship and its crew.  There’s always a court martial after the loss of a ship.  Many Captains would prefer to go down with the ship than face the Admiralty in court. 

There is one admiral in the Southland, who is headquartered at the Sydney Naval Base.  He commands a squadron of warships dedicated to coastal defense and protecting shipping around the continent.  He can put any visiting warship, and indeed any Commonwealth vessel, in the Southland theater under his direct command if necessary.  Any larger scale action involving a full fleet would have to come from Commonwealth mainland and would have its own commander.