D&D 5E Boat Speed During and Encounter

[cooperjer]

In a recent game of Princes of the Apocalypse I had the chance to run an encounter on the Dessarin River between two boats. I didn't define the boat in particular, but I did reference the chart on DMG p 119 for the boat speed. It looks like most of the boats are traveling between 9-ft and 18-ft per round. This seems fairly slow. If you're familiar with boat speed, do the speeds in the DMG chart seem reasonable?

I have an encounter coming up in which the PCs will be in a row boat, speed of 1.5 mph per the DMG. This translates to 13 ft/turn. I use a map with a grid during game play, so I'll probably round this to 15-ft/turn. If the players wanted the boat to move faster, what would you propose allowing them to do?

Would you allow an athletics check to increase the boat speed? If so what are some DC numbers you're thinking of? Are there spells that might move a row boat faster?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[ammulder]

I don't think it especially matters whether the numbers are "realistic," but it matters a lot more whether the PCs can influence them. That said, Wikipedia says a rowboat can go 3-4 mph, up to double that for specially crafted speed rowboats (but you gotta figure a medieval version isn't so efficient). The DMG version for 3 people seems different, but the numbers are at least in the ballpark.

Anyway, to me the more exciting part is whether the PCs can do anything to affect the speed of the boat. I would definitely allow an Athletics check. If you have a bunch of rowers then a group check, if there are only 3 people on board then maybe individual checks. I'd make the DC 10 and give extra speed depending on how much they make it by. If you're going with 15'/turn then I'd let them do 20' on a basic success, 25' if at least two rowers make it by 5 or more, 30' if two rowers make it by 10 or more, or something along those lines. Let the Cleric give them Guidance. (FWIW Wikipedia also said a rower can double stroke rate, though for a short time only -- and I'm figuring anything tracked in rounds counts as a short time. Once you're up to going by "minutes" I might only allow +5'.)

A water elemental would help a lot too, but you didn't say what level the PCs are. A Storm Sorcerer would be handy. I'd be inclined to allow anything reasonable the PCs come up with to speed it up, because, well, they're the PCs.

 

[cooperjer]

These are some good points regarding heavily armored characters having a difficult time rowing. There is a paladin in the team. I would think she may not be able to increase the speed significantly because of the armor based on this idea.

I like the idea of increasing the speed with an athletics check DC 10. If exceeding the DC value by multiples of 5 then the speed is increased for each multiple. Therefore DC 15 to move at 20 ft/round, DC20 to move at 25 ft/round, etc. If multiple characters are rowing then it's a team effort and the barbarian player (the most likely rower) will roll at advantage because the rest of the team is helping him.

The sorcerer is a wild mage. The warlock player may ask if he can use repelling blast against another character sitting in the boat. This may actually push the boat in that direction, because magic.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

I've roughly worked out that a creature's speed translates to mph by dividing by 10. So if you have a 30 ft. speed, you move 3mph. So if the rowboat can go 1.5mph, that's a 15 ft. speed.

I'd handle it so you can "dash" with it, but to do so requires your action. Probably adapt the chase rules so that you can dash up to 3 + Constitution modifier rounds before having to make a DC 10 Constitution check or suffer a level of exhaustion.