Sailing (sage ability)

Sailing is a sage ability that employs the wind, acting on sails, to propel a craft on the surface of the water over a chosen course, which is often part of the larger plan of navigation. Like all athletic abilities, the amount of ability is ranked according the character's total knowledge, which is graded as landsman, trained, amateur/able, authority/mate, expert and sage "status."

A character's sailing sage ability status describes what the sailor may do effectively aboard a sailing vessel. The ability also applies to the conditions at which a sailor is potentially overwhelmed, and the likelihood and consequences of failure the sailor experiences when pitted against that menace.

Landsman

Characters that are landsmen have zero sage knowledge in sailing. They are unable to contribute in any productive way toward the operation of a vessel, except in the most straightforward of tasks. These include bailing or pumping, putting out fires, cleaning, painting and such as directed by someone of at least "able status." With regards to even setting a vessel in motion, such a character is at a total loss; likewise, with changing the vessel's unattended behaviour, once on course or adrift. A landsman is unable to understand vessel handling the instructions of a more skilled character, in a sufficiently timely manner to be of use.

If employed aboard a large vessel, the character would not be counted as a member of the crew. Typically, landsmen are those with less than a year of experience at sea.

Gaining Sailing Knowledge

Landsmen may be trained to reach a trained status, provided the teacher has either an authority/mate status in training or has both an able status in sailing and the sage ability, give secondary skill.

If schooled, landsmen may, after 17 hours of time spent sailing and working aboard ship, while being instructed, make an attempt to gain 1 point of sailing ability. This requires a successful intelligence check and wisdom check. If either check fails, another 17 hours of training must follow before the attempt to learn a point can be made again. No more than three successes are possible per month of training, while a maximum of 9 points may be gained (1 less than is needed for amateur status), by means of this level of instruction.

To surpass a trained status, the instructor must have both an authority-status ability in sailing and the pass along ability sage ability.

Trained

Trained sailors are those with 1-9 knowledge points. Characters of this status level have insufficient skill to command a sailing vessel of any size, but may be counted as crew toward the number required to operate the vessel. Trained crew are counted as "ordinary seamen," having between 1 and 2 years experience at sea. They are automatically successful as crewmen in weather up to and including force 5 winds (21 knots).

When acting as crew in heavier weather than force 5 winds, the sailor must roll a seamanship check, and if failed, roll on the Crew Fault Table. A seamanship check is expressed as a percentage equal to 7 per point of dexterity above 10, plus sailing knowledge, plus the captain's sailing knowledge. A further modifier is applied when the wind force exceeds 5; this modifier equals the wind force -1, squared: (WF-1)².

WORKING...

A subtraction is applied when the force of the wind is above 5 (fresh breeze) equal to the square of the wind rating minus 1. Any number above this percentage will require a roll on the Fault Chart, below.

For example, a supportive crewman with a 17 dexterity and 4 points of knowledge in sailing, would have a 53% base chance of success; if the captain had 16 points of knowledge, this would increase the support crew to 69%. This is what it would be in a fresh breeze; in a "strong breeze" (rating-6) it would be -25%; in a "near gale" (rating-7) it would be -36%; and in a "gale" (rating-8) it would be -49%.

Persons with this status of ability will not be able to manage a boat on their own, nor properly be able to teach others how to sail.

Amateur/Able

Characters with amateur-status will have complete knowledge of how a sailing vessel is intended to work and how to manage up to 3 supportive crew competently. They will not be able to master boats that ask for more than 4 crew members by themselves, as these will require at least one sailor with authority-status. However, amateurs will be able to handle any lesser boat by themselves if necessary in up to "fresh breeze conditions," or 21 knots. In worse conditions, amateurs must make a fault check every hour.

Fault Chart

Roll	Error	Result
01-07	boom strike	hit by swinging boom, 1-6 damage; on boats less than 5 tons, roll dex check or be knocked overboard
08	broach	cause a dangerous broach leading to a capsize
09-10	damage critical part	vessel drifting; part cannot be repaired
11-14	damage major part	vessel drifting until 2-5 hours repair applied
15-25	damage minor part	vessel drifting until 20-80 minutes repair applied
26-32	fall overboard	no check, slip and fall into the water, no check possible
33-42	falter on bailing	amidst stress and duties, failure to bail threatens vessel
43-50	hypothermia	requires treatment to continue sailing
51-59	injury	slip or fall; 2-5 pts. of injury ends usefulness as support crew; halves new fault checks for amateur and above
60-71	lose course	become aware that the vessel's position has become uncertain
72-81	run aground	occurs only in waters where this is possible
82-00	slip or crash	accident causes 1-4 damage

Calculating a fault check for amateur-status equals 9% per point of dexterity above 8, plus sailing knowledge, plus their own sailing knowledge, plus the combined knowledge of up to three supportive crew on board (the best crew members are counted). A subtraction is applied when the force of the wind is above 6 (fresh breeze) equal to the square of the wind rating minus 2. Any number above this percentage will require a roll on the Fault Chart.

For example, an amateur sailor with a 12 dexterity and 16 points of knowledge in sailing, would have a 52% base chance of success; if the counted supportive crew had 9 points, this would increase the rating to 61%. This is what it would be in a strong breeze; in a "near gale" (rating-7) it would be -25%; in a "gale" (rating-8) it would be -36%; and in a "strong gale" (rating-9) it would be -49%.

Persons with this status of ability will not be able to teach sailors without the sage ability, give secondary skill.

Authority

to be added

This post includes significant contributions from Sterling Blake. Thank you Sterling.