There are also a number of specific upgrades and magic items ships can have that can force new saving throws, for example: When a ship passes over a submerged sandbar, the sandbar counts as difficult terrain, and the ship must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. Vessels and creatures fighting against a current must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of every hour traveled, with a bonus equal to the crew’s quality (if they have crew). Vessel based saving throws are also required when fighting against currents: When a ship crashes, it must immediately make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. In particular Ghosts of Saltmarsh introduces new rules for Crashing a Ship in which the ship needs to make a Constitution saving throw. This is a specific exception to the general rules, quoted earlier, that creatures make saving throws. This passage also establishes that there are situations where ships will need to make ability checks and saving throws. If a ship has a 0 in a score, it automatically fails any ability check or saving throw that uses that score. Ships usually have a score of 0 in Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. A ship’s Constitution covers its durability and the quality of its construction. Dexterity represents a ship’s ease of handling.

The Strength of a ship expresses its size and weight. The ability scores on the ships stat block have new and specific meanings outlined in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh: Ghosts of Saltmarsh introduces a number of new and specific rules around ships. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw you are forced to make one because your character or monster is at risk of harm. The general rules on who or what makes Saving Throws are available in the Players Handbook section on Saving Throws:Ī saving throw - also called a save - represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. Normally objects don't make saving throws. So, the components in range of shatter will automatically be affected by the damage, but if they have a damage threshold the component is immune to any damage unless it exceeds the damage threshold.

A component has immunity to all damage unless it takes an amount of damage that equals or exceeds its threshold, in which case it takes damage as normal. If a ship component has a damage threshold, that threshold appears after its hit points. A ship is wrecked if its hull is destroyed. Its AC reflects the materials used to construct it and any defensive plating used to augment its toughness.Ī ship component is destroyed and becomes unusable when it drops to 0 hit points. A ship’s hull is its basic frame, on which the other components are mounted.Ī component has an Armor Class. ComponentsĪ ship is composed of different components, each of which comprises multiple objects: The Ghosts of Saltmarsh has specific rules on each of the components, and how they take damage, but they do take damage. This ship is a non-magical object that isn't being worn or carried, and thus takes the damage automatically (or at least it's components do). Thus we can say they are a composite object. So they are not an object per se, but they are composed of objects. The DMG Chapter 8: Running the Game states ( emphasis mine):įor the purpose of these rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone, not a building or a vehicle that is composed of many other objects. The ship is not a creature and thus automatically takes the damage Would a ship then act as a creature within the spell's area of effect and make a Constitution saving throw against the spell, or would it take that 3d8 damage automatically? In fact, the GoS ship blocks are written like those of a creature, though they are classified as ships, separate from objects.

Unlike many objects, however, it has a Constitution score (a warship has a score of 20, according to Ghosts of Saltmarsh). Obviously, a warship isn't a creature, and it's an object that's definitely not being worn or carried. A creature made of inorganic material such as stone, crystal, or metal has disadvantage on this saving throw.Ī nonmagical object that isn't being worn or carried also takes the damage if it's in the spell's area. A creature takes 3d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The Shatter ( Player's Handbook, page 275) spell description reads:Įach creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Constitution saving throw.

Dnd shatter spell vs constructs