Wrecked Ship

A wrecked ship can make an interesting and memorable adventure site.

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On Deck

Rigging whips through the air, snapping in the wind and striking out at the characters. Unwary explorers may be hit by a swinging pulley or entangled in the many lengths of rope and nets.
A mast has snapped and collapsed onto the deck creating a tangled web of sails and rigging. Explorers traversing the mess may fall into the unsteady pile and be injured by the splintered bits of hull or fall through it all into the hold below.
Water that has splashed over the ship’s side pools at one end of the slanted deck. Silt, sand and debris fill the pool which may conceal an aquatic creature washed on board by the surging waters.
Cargo and splintered timbers have washed into a pile against the ship’s rail. Beneath the detritus lie the remains of two of the crew. (Maybe one is an important person, such as the quartermaster, who holds useful keys to the hold and various cabins below decks).
The wreck has split in two. The splintered parts have come to rest a short distance from each other. A tangled mess of rigging and splinters of shattered wood connect the two. One part of the wreck may be stable, stuck on rocks, while the other still floats in the turgid waters.
The ship lurches suddenly to one side throwing explorers about. This could happen due to sudden swells of water striking the wreck or the resting ship shifting on its precarious perch. The threat of the ship sinking further may add a sense of urgency and a time limit to the characters’ exploration.

Below Decks

Silvery wind chimes hanging in the doorway give way to reveal an officer’s cabin. Cold, damp uniforms hang mouldering on the walls, and a well-read book lies on the unmade bed. A quick read reveals the book tells the epic story of Vilimzair Aralivar the World’s Greatest Ever Bard and Legendary Pirate Captain.
A communal cabin has six perfectly made bunks on two walls. Clothing and a small number of personal items neatly fill the lockers at the end of each bed (in stark contrast to the condition of the rest of the ship).
The interior of this room is burnt and blackened, leaving the paint blistered and peeling away from the walls. Vaguely shaped piles of charcoal and ash are all that remains of the contents of this room.
The door to this room is jammed shut, the twisted timbers of the ship prevents easy access. If forced open, the room beyond is missing; a gaping hole in the side of the ship reveals only the sea beyond. The carcass of a shark or whale floats nearby and is already a source of food for a variety of other sea-life.
Flickering orange and purple glyphs glow in the darkness, offering glimpses of a wizard’s jumbled quarters. Debris is strewn across the floor; a variety of spell components such as bat guano and spider webs are mixed in amongst the chaos.
Two hammocks are twisted up amongst the remains of broken furniture that has pulled free from its fittings. A leather pouch still hanging on a hook contains an extensive collection of pristine seashells.

In the Hold

Ornate wooden chests are fastened to the deck and kept closed by chains and elaborate padlocks. If forced open, they reveal their contents: brightly-coloured delicate silks, ruined by seawater.
The smell emanating from these barrels reveals their contents before they are opened: salted fish, long past the point where any might be edible. A leather pouch is hidden amongst the stinking fish, but the powder it holds is as ruined as the fish.
Two crates lie on the deck, having broken free from their bindings. Their hinges are rusted shut but can be forced with some difficulty. Inside are a variety of farming implements, well-preserved by a coating of oil.
Dozens of neatly folded white uniforms are wrapped in waxed canvas packages. There are a few different sizes, and each has the name of a mercenary company woven into the fabric.
Metal cages line the wall. Each holds a motionless animal. Each animal wears a collar with a leather name tag. If a tag is touched and the name read aloud, the animal slowly begins to stir, as if waking from a long sleep.
A locked door at the back of the hold gives way to a dark area with a stench not unlike a city sewer. Tiny bunks line the walls from floor to ceiling, each with a collar and short chain running from the end of the bed. Most are empty, but three corpses lie here—mute evidence of the captain’s business.

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from 20 Things #58: Wrecked Ship by Rikh Hart and Steve Hood.

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