Illustration Xan Drake

Shipbound Crew

horatio.fairburn
Challenge 2
(450 XP)
Robinloft Estimated CR 2
Gargantuan swarm of Medium undead, any non-good alignment
Armor Class 11 (leather armor)
Hit Points 62 (5d20+10)
Speed 30 ft., swim 80 ft.
STR
15 (+2)
DEX
11 (+0)
CON
15 (+2)
INT
6 (-2)
WIS
8 (-1)
CHA
5 (-3)
Saving Throws —
Skills —
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Environments coastal, urban
Part of the Ship.

The skeleton is made out of the wood, ropes, metal, and other parts of the ship, except the timber support frame. As an action, skeleton can separate itself from the timbers and form a swarm, or it can return to the shape of the ship. While in swarm form, the timbers cannot move and do not sink. While in ship form, the swarm can move as a ship would and appears to observers to be a normal, wrecked ship.
Swarm.

The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Medium creature. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Undead Sailors.

The skeleton can pilot the ship they are part of with ease. They are proficient with and have Advantage on any check to operate the ship.

Actions

Multiattack. Skeleton can attack 12 times: 10 cutlass attacks against creatures with which they share a space, and 2 with their cannon crewmate.
Cannon Crewmate. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage.
Cutlass. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm’s space. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.

Shipbound Crew

An eerie vessel sails the waters near your ship. No crew seems to walk its deck, and the size of the hole in the hull is large enough that you have no idea how it stays afloat. On the breeze you hear a question: "Are you pirates?" Some fool answers "yes," and the planks begin to tear themselves free, the mast disassembling, the cannons standing up. In but a few seconds the frame of the ship is left behind by the wooden, vengeance-seeking crew surging onto your ship.

When pirates betray pirates, sinking a ship and its entire crew beneath the waves, occasionally the souls of those sailors become bound to the ship they served in life. Each plank, belay pin, cannon, and rope becomes part of a new body for a crewmate, and the ship, despite its condition, begins to sail the seas in search of pirates to enact revenge upon. When they find their quarry, the ship springs to unlife, the pieces all taking humanoid form to board and destroy the pirate crew in an act of revenge.

Described by horatio.fairburn

Duplication and Templates

Shipbound Crew (horatio.fairburn) has been modified from other monsters.

Thug (SRD)
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First Mate (horatio.fairburn)
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Pirate Skeleton (horatio.fairburn)
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Shipbound Crew (horatio.fairburn)

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