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I am working on Seafaring Navigation DC checks. I have found the following DCs based on the Wilderness Navigation table on page 112 of the DMG and the following quote on page 117:

As long as a ship is within sight of land, there is no chance of the vessel becoming lost.

but what I'm not sure about is what to do if they are in the middle of a heavy storm.

Terrain DC
Within Sight of Land Assured (0)
Open Sea (Clear Skies, No Land) Easy (10)
Open Sea (Overcast, No Land Moderate (15)

Page 118 of the DMG says:

If weather conditions indicate both a strong wind and heavy rain, they combine to create a storm with high waves. A crew caught in a storm loses sight of all landmarks (unless there's a lighthouse or other bright feature), and ability checks made to navigate during the storm have disadvantage.

Should I just apply the Open Sea (Overcast, No Land) DC, or should it have it's own DC 20 while the storm is ongoing, to avoid becoming lost at sea?

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    \$\begingroup\$ What are you hoping to simulate, or what sorts of outcomes are you wanting to include? The quoted section suggests Disadvantage for navigation rolls during a storm, but it seems that doesn't accomplish what you are after. \$\endgroup\$
    – Upper_Case
    Feb 6, 2021 at 22:02
  • \$\begingroup\$ That's more or less what I am trying to solve. I get to that point and the next logical question is: Disadvantage against what DC? The previous DC with view of the coastline was non-existent, being guaranteed success. "Overcast, No Land" seems the most logical, but that doesn't much describe a storm. \$\endgroup\$
    – bitfed
    Feb 6, 2021 at 22:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ Let us continue this discussion in chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – bitfed
    Feb 6, 2021 at 23:05

1 Answer 1

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Upon further research I realized there is a "Storm DCs" table in Ghosts of Saltmarsh (p202).

Storm DCs

DC Description
10 Heavy Gale
15 Strong Storm
20 Typical Hurricane
25 Overwhelming Hurricane

So it sounds reasonable to use the "Open Sea (Overcast)" DC of 15, which matches the Storm DC for "Strong Storm" at DC 15.

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