Running Terrifying DnD Storm Encounters

A Deadly Skill Challenge for a 5e Seafaring Campaign 

by Riley Rath

Title image © Alex van der Linde

Table of Contents

Alright... lemme set the stage here real quick:

So currently I am running a VERY home-brewed version of Tomb of Annihilation, with LOTS of sea travel. And there is one simple reason for that: I LOVE BLACK SAILS (watched it way back in 2017 before it was cool) and wanted way more pirates and less zombies. But that doesn't matter right now... 

One of my favorite episodes of Black Sails is episode "XX." colloquially known as "the storm episode." Spoiler alert: Captain Hornigold betrays the pirates, catches them in a trap, and gives them an impossible choice: get obliterated by his cannon fire or sail into a "ship killer" storm. Or... of course... they could surrender. 

As usual, Captain Flint gives an epic speech and convinces the crew to suicidally brave the wind and waves of the ship killer storm, resulting in the epic but BRUTAL episode XX.

AND I WANTED THAT IN MY CAMPAIGN SOOOOO BAD.

© Lonely Island Classics, Irony Point, Zanin Corp, Netflix

(After all, TTRPGs are all about escapism and living out our adventure fantasies, right?)

It's not like I will have to unfairly railroad to get it either. The players will be sailing a ship around and around the Chultan peninsula all the time, so of course they are going to encounter some bad weather and storms and I get to have a scene like this, or like in Master and Commander... or like in Marky Mark's "The Perfect Storm." 

However... after trying to run a few, I ran into a pretty big problem: 

It was boring AF.

I described the terrible storm... and they didn't know what to do. They guessed at some skill checks and I set some arbitrary DCs. Since they had no chance to avoid or prepare for it, it felt very unfair to kill any of them, let alone sink the entire vessels full of NPCs they had created. 

All in all, rather than being a dead-defying, jaw-dropping, heart-pounding encounter their characters would never forget... it was a boring waste of time, and nothing like the storm episode in Black Sails. I believe weather should be included more in average DnD campaigns (read this post to find out why), but when I included the coolest weather there is, it didn't live up to expectations. 

So I did some digging to figure out why... 

(NOTE: If you do not care about my digging and just want to learn about the skill challenge, click here to skip to the skill challenge section of the blog post).

© O.M Ornamirus

Storms in the Age of Sail

From ancient to modern times, sailors were petrified of storms. That's one reason why, until about the 1500s, 99.99999% of ships sailed within sight of land. Not only did it make navigation easier than tying a bow line knot, but it was insurance in case a storm arose seemingly out of nowhere. Because if you can see land, then you can do one of the following: 

1) Find a safe port to harbor in

2) If a port is not close by, find a natural harbor

3) If a natural harbor is not close by, then find a beach, run aground, and tie the ship to some trees (if you were wondering, yes this might damage the ship, but the crew would survive on land). 

Alternatively, wandering out into the open sea, where a hurricane may arise seemingly out of nowhere, was borderline suicide. Even as recent as WWII, when we had steel destroyers, radar, and radio, fleets were being DECIMATED by violent typhoons. 

Famously, in 1944, Admiral Halsey's Third Fleed had THREE steel, radar- and radio-equipped destroyers capsize, killing everyone on board. And that was on top of five freaking aircraft carriers suffering major damage. For perspective, they were on the cusp of inventing the atomic bomb at the same time, which means being caught in a storm on a g%dd#amn warship STILL struck fear into the hearts of sailors in the atomic age.

That means fearing an ocean storm is something shared by sailors in the stone, bronze, iron, ancient, classical, middle, early modern, modern, and atomic age. If that doesn't blow your mind, I have no idea what will. 

"But What if They Got Caught in a Storm?" 

While a captain and navigator would do just about anything to avoid sailing through a storm, sometimes it was inevitable. But when that was the case, there were three options at their disposal: 

1. "Running" the Storm: sailing in the same direction as the wind and waves, usually with either bare masts or a single headsail. This involves waves breaking upon the stern, and would get you out of the storm faster (depending on your proximity to the storm), but was less predictable. 

2. "Heading" the Storm: sailing directly into the storm. This was basically the last resort if you were on the right track of a hurricane and could not outrun it into safer waters. It was a long, painful, and arduous slog, but the pilot usually had more control over the ship. 

3. Ride Out the Storm ("Heave To"): This was only an option if controlling the ship was impossible. In this case, the crew would pitch the sails to bare masts and just bob up and down with the waves, praying for survival. 

Regardless, surviving such an ordeal involved a decisive, perceptive captain, textbook preparation, and a crew of experienced sailors able to execute every command quickly and efficiently. 

Problems With Storm Encounters in DnD Seafaring Campaigns

I'm not here to convince you that storm encounters are cool or not. Long story short, they can be AMAZING, but everything I have said so far illustrates how difficult these encounters can be for a DnD campaign. 

• They can EASILY become TPK situations.
• Most storms could be avoided if the crew wanted to (notice how in all the "big bad storm" movies, there is an ulterior reason for the crew NOT avoiding the storm). 
• 99% of players do not know the protocol, terminology, or actions required to weather a storm... which means the more player agency you allow for a storm encounter, the worse it is going to be.
• And yet, too often players can feel like they have zero agency, which begs the question... why have it at all? Why not just say: "Sorry guys... just rolled a 1 on the random table... your ship sinks in a storm"? 

What is needed is a detailed, layered, specific skill challenge you can run only once or twice in a single seafaring campaign. Something that demonstrates the awesome power of the sea and that leaves the players believing they barely made it out alive. 

© Jonas Åkerlund

How to Run an Epic DnD Storm Encounter/Skill Challenge

While 5e Skill Challenges have a polarizing reputation, I believe they are ideal for this type of encounter. Between noticing the approaching hurricane and the aftermath (IF the party survives), it should take between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours. This, of course, depends on how many "events" you choose to include in the skill challenge and how much players role-play. 

Step 1: Perceiving the Storm

Adventurers awake and peer at the horizon...

First things first, the players have to recognize that a storm is approaching/that they are about to sail right into one. 9/10 times I believe this is ESSENTIAL because this is a skill challenge that can definitely kill your players. So they need to be responsible for whatever happens next. 

Your "warning" can be a simple as you describing a storm on the horizon or helping them visualize the gorgeous, deep red sunrise they see as they wake up ('red sky in morning, sailors take warning..."). 

Checks here would be some combination of Perception and Nature as player characters observe the sky, winds, and waters, as well as any animals on board reacting to the impending storm (apart from rat-catching, cats were kept on board for this specific reason). If players have to read any nautical instruments, a general intelligence check would be helpful as well. 

Just like the rest of DnD, you have to determine exactly how much you communicate based on the results of their checks. 

Step 2: Decision Time... 

The hour is nigh... there is no time to waste... they must immediately plot a course and make way... 

With the information they have, the players need to decide what they will do about the storm. If their checks were bad, they may think it is only a small squall. But if they recognize the danger they are in, they will immediately have to decide the next course of action. Are they close enough to a harbor? Are they within sight of land? Can they outrun the storm? 

This might seem obvious, but as a DM you can definitely put your thumb on the scales of their decision by adding additional factors: 

• Perhaps they need to deliver a magical healing elixir in time and can't pause in a port even for a day? 
• Or their supplies are already low, and they can't afford to be blown off course?
• Or maybe they are sent to relieve a garrison that is besieged by orc and any delay could be deadly?

I would tell them that this is an IMMEDIATE decision they have to make. No time for divination spells or the druid wild shaping into a bird to investigate further. And, IF they decide to sail into the storm, they need to immediately get to work. 

© Mike URA Historic Site

Step 3: Preparing the Ship (and Crew)

The grey clouds of the high seas loom closer and closer as sailors rush about preparing for the worst...

Once players see a storm on the horizon that, for one reason or another, is unavoidable, they and the crew only have a few hours to prepare to sail through a hurricane: 

• Reduce the amount sail down to the bare minimum needed to steer the ship ("storm sails"). 
• Make sure weight on the ship is evenly distributed.
• Secure EVERYTHING on the ship (especially barrels and cannons) so that they do not roll around. 
• Close anything that is open (sacks and barrels of food below deck). 
• Put out any fires in lanterns or stoves above or below deck.
• Mental preparation for what is about to happen.
• Put on sealskin/wax raincoats (if your board can afford them/your fantasy setting has them). 
• For additional ideas and elaboration on the concepts above, check out link 1 and link 2. 

Unless the players and/or crew are inexperienced sailors, NONE of these should be skill checks; they should be accomplished automatically. But that's no fun, and would turn this whole section into DM monologue. And since it's almost certain that your players do not know to do these things, it's also unfair to ask them "what do you do to prepare?" and then punish them when they forget. 

So what to do instead? 

Ship Preparation Group Checks: 

• Have them roll a mental group check equal to the number of tasks (at least 5).
• Adjust the DC to be appropriate for how skilled the crew is. 
• Every group check that fails will represent some incompetence or forgetfulness of the characters or crew.
• Roll a d6 to see which task is neglected, which will become a "random event" they will have to react to during the storm (see the "Incompetent Preparation" section). 

Additionally, if the ship has a crew, that crew is probably TERRIFIED of drowning at sea. Which is why, before the storm hits, players should be given the option of encouraging, strengthening, and inspiring the crew. Examples include holding one final religious service, a rousing speech, or serving a hot meal. 

Of course... if the party is surprised by the oncoming storm, whether because they misjudged the weather, some BBEG magically conjuring a storm, or a magic item that creates an ocean vortex when a ship passes over it... then they will have to perform this check DURING the storm. This obviously MUCH more difficult, and should be reflected in your DC! 

Step 4: Recurring Checks Every Round

The skies darken... the turbulent waves form white peaks... the winds whistle across the ship...

There will be specific, one time events that take place throughout the skill challenge, but there will also need to be checks the party makes regularly (every single "round" prior to each skill check). These checks do not count as failures in the skill challenge, but provide ADV/DIS and other impairments on their skill checks. 

1. Perception Checks: trying to see while you have 50+ mph winds whipping rain in your face is pretty difficult. Failure means disadvantage on noticing any of the threats on the ship or hearing communication from other crew members. 

2. Athletics/Acrobatics Checks: It's difficult to keep your balance when the ship is being tossed to and fro by waves the size of buildings... and sometimes cathedrals. Each player needs to roll to keep their balance. Otherwise they fall over and have only 1/2 movement for that round. 

3. Intelligence Saving Throws (Navigator/Pilot ONLY): "Navigation during storms needs total focus. Sail handling, wind predictions, chart visualizations and swift moves are all essential." Whoever is controlling the ships needs to make an INT save to stay locked in and fight to control the ship, positioning it correctly so no wave overtakes them. This player character might be in some way supported or tied to the wheel, in which case they probably do not have to make the Constitution Saving Throws mentioned below. Can be a Nature check. 

As a DM, you can choose to have players make these checks at the beginning of every round OR at specific initiative counts (20, 13, 5). 

Step 5: DnD Storm Encounter Skill Challenge Events

The storm arrives... its waves crashing against the hull and winds bending the masts... the skill challenge begins!

The ship has been made ready and players have been informed on the checks they will make prior to every skill check. They can then be scattered across the ship and made responsible for different sections (lower decks, bow, stern, starboard side, port side, mast 1, mast 2, etc.) or they can be in the metaphorical center, each character available to address any particular crisis the ship faces. 

What follows are a series of events that can occur during the storm. As currently formatted, they are trials of which the players must pass a super majority (66%) in order to succeed the skill challenge. They are not "rounds"; you can place any number of seconds, minutes, or hours between them. 

1) "Lightning Strike": A bolt of lightning strikes the mast of the ship, lighting the sail on fire... a player character needs to climb the mast to cut the sail and prevent the fire from spreading. Said character must make an Acrobatics check for every 30ft of movement or fall from the ropes. Depending on their positioning, they either take 1d6 damage for every 10ft they fall or fall into the ocean. 

2) "Running To": The captain drives the ship straight into the wave, and a wall of water sweeps across the deck. Players must succeed a Strength Saving Throw; on a fail they are pushed back 10ft (or more at the DM's discretion). They also likely got lungs/bellies full of seawater and must also make a CON saving throw. 

3) "Killer Wave": A wave slams into the side of the ship... all aboard and thrown head-first into timber. Each player needs to make a CON save to stay 100% focused and conscious; failure gives them a level of exhaustion OR they can choose to take 3d10 bludgeoning damage. The DM should roll a d6, the total being the number of crew members temporarily stunned. 

4) "Inspire the Crew": Particularly violent storms like hurricanes and typhoons have the potential to overwhelm people with terror. A player character needs to encourage the crew, making either a performance, intimidation, or persuasion check to help them continue to work and control their fear. Failure in this check results in portions of the crew (2d4) being paralyzed for a single round. 

5) "Bilging Below Deck": The ship has taken some damage and is beginning to take on water. Player characters need to head to the lower decks and begin pumping the water out. The more player characters/crew members that go below deck, the lower the DC, though less there are available for other skill checks. Each player character that goes below must succeed an Athletics check to pump water as well as a CON saving throw to continue to pump for (potentially) hours on end. Failure in the CON save results in a level of exhaustion.

6) "Securing Ropes": The ropes on the sails come loose, causing the sails to flap uncontrollably in the wind. Player characters must first succeed a group Athletics check to pull the ropes tight before succeeding a Sleight of Hand check to fasten them to the ship. 

7) "Sailing Bare Poles": The storm has grown too ferocious, and the top sails threaten to snap the masts in two. A player character needs to climb the mast with an axe and sever the rigging holding the top mast in place. Said character must make an Acrobatics check for every 30ft of movement or fall from the ropes. Depending on their positioning, they either take 1d6 damage for every 10ft fallen or fall into the ocean. 

8) "Drop and Drift Anchor": In order to gain more control over the ship, an anchor with barrels needs to be dropped overboard to slow the boat down (this is particularly effective if the ship is near a reef or the anchor can touch the bottom). At least one player character must succeed a Sleight of Hand check to attach the barrels another character is holding (Athletics check) before tossing them overboard with the anchor. 

9) "Man Overboard!": A crew member (or a PC!) is knocked into the rough seas. If the crew member is attached to the ship via a rope, a player character must succeed an Athletics check to haul them back aboard. If they cannot, they must make a Wisdom Saving Throw to cut the rope and let the crew member drown at sea. And/of if there is no rope attached, player characters may use spellcasting instead. (NOTE: the DM should feel free to make this a part of the skill challenge multiple times). 

10) "Sea Monster!": A crack of lightning reveals a sea monster a ways away. Perhaps they are rejoicing in the tumult, or playing in the waves, or themselves causing the storm. If they attack the ship, the skill challenge becomes a combat encounter. If not, players must succeed a Wisdom Saving Throw or be stunned for the next skill challenging. 

11) "Whirlpool Vortex": A spinning whirlpool appears near the ship. It threatens to pull it down into the sea. The pilot of the ship needs to succeed a Nature check to identify the threat and a Survival check to steer the ship clear. 

12) "Incompetent Preparation": Remember all that preparation the party did earlier? Well, any of the tasks where they failed the group check are fair game for a skill challenge here! Maybe they failed to put out a lamp and more a fire is spreading to the gunpowder. Or the cannons were not fastened properly and one slides across the deck, threatening to crush anyone in its way. Or perhaps some of the sail lashing was poorly done and now one of the fails has come/is loose. 

14) "Grasp the Wheel!": The wheel is threatening to snap off due to strain. Multiple player characters and/or crew members must assist the pilot (group Athletics check) in holding form to the wheel in order to maintain control of the ship. 

15) "Ship Drop": The ship rises to the crest of a large wave and then suddenly drops dozens of feet, slamming into the waters. Each player needs to make a CON or become stunned for the next skill challenge OR they can choose to take 3d10 bludgeoning damage. The DM should roll a d6, the total being the number of crew members temporarily stunned. If the ship slapped down hard enough to damage the hull, players must find a way to repair the hull or begin taking on water at an unsustainable pace. 

16) "Overtaken by Weariness": If the storm last hours or even days, then the threat of exhaustion is as significant as the waves themselves. Players must succeed on a CON save or take a level of exhaustion. 

17) "Reducing Sails": In a worse case scenario, crew members must climb and tether/unfurl sails DURING the storm. A player character and several crew members needs to climb the mast, making an Acrobatics check for every 30ft of movement or fall from the ropes. Depending on their positioning, they either take 1d6 damage for every 10ft fallen or fall into the ocean. Once in place handing off the boom, they must succeed 3 Athletics checks to furl the sails (if they are out) and a Sleight of Hand check to secure them to the mast. 

18) "Lighten the Ship": The ship is too heavy. Cannons and other nonessential heavy supplies need to be tossed overboard. Player characters must succeed an Athletics group check to haul material to the gun ports or deck and heave it overboard.

Conclusion: Allow Players to Creatively Solve the Storm Skill Challenge

Dang... this "short blog post" has spiraled into 3,600+ words... I better be quick about it with this conclusion... 

Some final thoughts: 

• Players should be terrified, overwhelmed, and borderline hopeless. If they are not worried about losing the ship and their lives, then you are doing it wrong. 
• Always let players use magic or class/race abilities to succeed instead of performing a skill check. You want them to be creative as well as exhaust resources. This blog post provides an EXCELLENT example to model your own DnD storm encounter after. 
• Many online suggest making the storm an enemy: "Give the ship a turn as well, and once the ship has taken enough damage, it starts 'attacking' as well—spars break and crash down, flooding begins or accelerates, a mast cracks and threatens to fall and weak havoc across the deck, the flapping sail tears and shreds and becomes useless."
• If the ship is going to sink and you are going to have some kind of sinking ship or monster encounter, this is an awesome battlemap to use.

But hopefully, most of the crew and player characters survive the unforgettable encounter! That said, they will have a lot of repairs to make, they have lost the majority of their supplies, and might now be lost at sea with no sense of where they need to go. Have fun!