Fantasy adventure modules with naval adventuring

Question

At the Recess mini-convention this weekend, someone was telling me about a classic D&D module that involved seafaring and presented rules for falling overboard in armor, etc. I'm wondering if anyone can identify what this might have been and/or suggest other published adventures in which naval combat, exploration, etc. is handled.

Answer 1

By "classic" I take you to mean "pre-2000" or so. Sea-going adventures/settings were one area clearly overlooked in early D&D published materials, as there are very few of these taking place on the ocean (or underwater). Going by that guideline:

D&D Gazeteer #4 The Kingdom of Ierendi: This basic D&D guidebook has a large section on seafaring adventures among the Ierendi Isles, and a lot of info on shipboard combat.

The AD&D adventure pack I13 has one adventure, "To Kill a Kraken", that takes place on the high seas. Unusual in the fact it might have been the ONLY 1E adventure taking place on the sea.

The 2E AD&D supplement "Of Ships and the Seas" has rules for sailing and all sorts of ocean info

The D&D solo adventure XS1 Lathan's Gold takes place at sea, but quickly looking it over I cannot find and specific rules for drowning, etc.

There are a few AD&D and D&D adventures that involve ships (notably, X1 Isle of Dread, U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, A dragonlance adventure or two), the Ravenloft adventure Ship of Horrors that was mentioned) but it was not a central feature of the adventure. Now, if the adventure happens to be one featured in Dungeon magazine, there were plenty in that publication that might fit the bill.

Answer 2

There was an adventure path in Dungeon called Savage Tide that looked rather interesting. Here's the wikipedia article about it. Not sure if that fits your desire for a classic adventure though.

Answer 3

For dnd-3.5 there is Stormwrack - which I found in a used bookstore for a reasonable price:

Stormwrack contains rules on play in watery environments. Not only are rules for sea campaigns offered, but rules for including water environments in land-based D&D campaigns and dungeon adventures are also covered.^WOTC

[Excerpts]

• Introduction (from Chapter 1: Into the Maelstrom)
• Darfellan (from Chapter 2: Races of the Seas)
• Legendary Captain (from Chapter 3: Classes)
• The Sable Drake (from Chapter 8: Adventure Locales)

There are four included adventure locals/mini-modules:

• The Sable Drake
• Shatterhull Island: The Island of Witches
• The Lost Temple of Sekolah
• The Tamorean Vast: Graveyard of Ships

I've also scored a used copy of Swashbuckling Adventures' Ships and Sea Battles - which has rules and stats for d20 and 7th-sea. It specifically deals with fleet combat as well as day-to-day seafaring details.

"Port side cannons, fire at will!"
The seas of Théah are home to dangerous men… almost as dangerous as the vessels they sail. Now, learn about the mighty ships that ply the waves, seeking plunder for their crews and hunting the enemies of their nations. Deck maps, mass naval rules, guidelines for campaigns set entirely on board ship, and more! Learn the details behind Théah's most thrilling sea battles, and find out how to bring similar conflicts to your campaign. On the open waves, your ship is the only thing between you and a watery grave. Ships and Sea Battles keeps your characters afloat.

• Maps, diagrams, and countless details covering a wide variety of ships and vessels.
• Expanded rules for cannons, mass naval combat, and magic onboard ship.
• Completely compatible with both the d20 system and 7th Sea's classic roll-and-keep rules

Though not even close to compatible with 4th edition, I've found these invaluable for planning the sea-voyage/encounters portion of my new campaign.

Answer 4

Ship of Horrors, an AD&D adventure for TSR's (imo amazing) Ravenloft setting was published in 1991. It did (nomen est omen ;)) feature a lot of 'waterborne' events, and, as far as I can remember, some extra rules for such situations too, and was, apart from a few strange bits--like a 20th level wizard villain--an interesting and inspiring read. (I never got to DM it, though... because I always liked to write my own stories.)

Should you feel interested, the Fraternity of Shadows (a site dedicated to Ravenloft gaming) has a quite thorough review about it.