Ship Generator

This PDF is a guide to naming and fleshing out ships for most any game, especially fantasy games. There is no wrong way to use this PDF.

Sample Ships and crew

Using all of the charts and rolling a 22, 5, 23, 91, 7, 13, 6, 19, 17, and 8: Daggerwind, Cog, Copper-Clad, Sturdy, Warhound, Mercenaries, Diplomatic Mission, Tobacco, Captain Seryn Gale, and Drunk.

Seryn Gale (a drunk) is the Captain of the Daggerwind, a copper-clad and sturdy cog (a classic flat-bottom transport). The ship’s figurehead is a warhound in a traditional tongue-out shape, like a demon. The ships carries a diplomatic envoy along with mercenary bodyguards, all of whom were commissioned by the king, on a journey to sign a treaty. The daggerwind also carries tobacco to trade, should Seryn be sober enough to do so.

Using all of the charts and rolling a 07, 13, 54, 33, 18, 14, 12, 13, 7, and 3: Bitter Anchor, Longship, Lean/Light, Hull-Cracked, Sword, Mutinous, Plague Ship/Refugees, Silk, Captain Ilyana Frost, and Cautious/Cowardly.

This one will be harder to make sense of because of that plague ship/refugees roll. But I think I have it.

Captain Ilyana Frost (a cautious leader) commands the Bitter Anchor, a lean, but struggling longship (with a boring/standard sword for a figurehead). The ship is fast, but its cracked hull requires constant maintenance. Ilyana’s crew is mutinous and always on edge, looking for any reason to turn on her. The boat carries silk, presently, which she hopes to sell to pay the crew and trade them out. But she also took on refugees, which is straining resources. The tension aboard the ship is thick.

Using all but the cargo and rolling a 53, 6, 82, 73, 16, 8, 10, 18, 9: Morningstar, Corvette, Sleek, Seaworthy, Stag, Honest, Passenger Voyage, Captain Thressa Moor, Secretive

The Morningstar is a sleek and seaworthy corvette, perfect for cutting through the harsh waves. Captain Thressa Moor is lucky to command her, though it is a mystery how someone so young commands such a fine ship, and he isn’t talking. The Morningstar presently takes passengers between two great port cities on the north coast. The crew, small and hard-working, is known for its honesty. To a man, they consider it an honor to be part of the crew of this ship. What more could a captain hope for?

In a hurry? Roll just three times for ship name, type, and captain. 60, 3, and 20. Varek Thorn, Captain of the Northern Kite, a clipper ship. Perhaps the biggest in the harbor.