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How do you run the ship encounter in Quetzel's tower? There is no description on where the engine sits on the boat, compared to the railing. There is no description I saw on how long it takes the door to be pulled up. I get that falling off the boat is instant death, so I don't want the players to be screwed. But how many attacks do the soldiers get before they go over? How many rounds do they need to protect the crank? Where does the door end up when it is wound into the boat (it doesn't seem like it would be pulled to them since the chain is under the boat)?

It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but maybe I've missed details?

So, I basically made a map of a ship with wings and placed a few points of interest so I would know how or where PCs could interact with the ship. I figured they’d need X amount of successes (assess to the strength of your party) to crank that door up and then they would have like 3 rounds to get to the door, while running past the crew, or it would begin to lower again. Since I had a crude battle mat I had the ship divided into zones and ruled a successful shove attack from the crew would require a move or might roll or get pushed back 1 zone. They could climb around the ship and use the rigg as well to escape falling down. As the crew was focused on the machine I played them to always want to get to the one having the key, which the players found out and began throwing the key to one and other to escape attacks while near the edge. Or the crew would go for the one operating the door.

A lot of this was discussed in this thread as well: viewtopic.php?f=104&t=6994

Good luck running the Spire. We had a blast!

Also, this thread might have some trix in it, if you’d like to know how we handled parts of the Spire. And how we most certainly will handle mazes hence forth...

viewtopic.php?f=104&t=6823

So, I basically made a map of a ship with wings and placed a few points of interest so I would know how or where PCs could interact with the ship. I figured they’d need X amount of successes (assess to the strength of your party) to crank that door up and then they would have like 3 rounds to get to the door, while running past the crew, or it would begin to lower again. Since I had a crude battle mat I had the ship divided into zones and ruled a successful shove attack from the crew would require a move or might roll or get pushed back 1 zone. They could climb around the ship and use the rigg as well to escape falling down. As the crew was focused on the machine I played them to always want to get to the one having the key, which the players found out and began throwing the key to one and other to escape attacks while near the edge. Or the crew would go for the one operating the door.

A lot of this was discussed in this thread as well: viewtopic.php?f=104&t=6994

Good luck running the Spire. We had a blast!

Please, for the love of the Raven God, will you share that map???

So, I basically made a map of a ship with wings and placed a few points of interest so I would know how or where PCs could interact with the ship. I figured they’d need X amount of successes (assess to the strength of your party) to crank that door up and then they would have like 3 rounds to get to the door, while running past the crew, or it would begin to lower again. Since I had a crude battle mat I had the ship divided into zones and ruled a successful shove attack from the crew would require a move or might roll or get pushed back 1 zone. They could climb around the ship and use the rigg as well to escape falling down. As the crew was focused on the machine I played them to always want to get to the one having the key, which the players found out and began throwing the key to one and other to escape attacks while near the edge. Or the crew would go for the one operating the door.

A lot of this was discussed in this thread as well: viewtopic.php?f=104&t=6994

Good luck running the Spire. We had a blast!

Please, for the love of the Raven God, will you share that map???

I wouldn’t mind but it’s not ”mine”. We run our game on Roll20 and what I did was to do a Google search for something like ”RPG art flying ship battle map” and then you get quite a few to choose from. They’re not exactly like the image in the adventure but I never showed that image to my players either way...
As a matter of fact, I also searched for images like ”RPG art steampunk engine” and the like to merge with the map to get a few points of interest on the ship...
Hope this helps.

So, I basically made a map of a ship with wings and placed a few points of interest so I would know how or where PCs could interact with the ship. I figured they’d need X amount of successes (assess to the strength of your party) to crank that door up and then they would have like 3 rounds to get to the door, while running past the crew, or it would begin to lower again. Since I had a crude battle mat I had the ship divided into zones and ruled a successful shove attack from the crew would require a move or might roll or get pushed back 1 zone. They could climb around the ship and use the rigg as well to escape falling down. As the crew was focused on the machine I played them to always want to get to the one having the key, which the players found out and began throwing the key to one and other to escape attacks while near the edge. Or the crew would go for the one operating the door.

A lot of this was discussed in this thread as well: viewtopic.php?f=104&t=6994

Good luck running the Spire. We had a blast!

Please, for the love of the Raven God, will you share that map???

I wouldn’t mind but it’s not ”mine”. We run our game on Roll20 and what I did was to do a Google search for something like ”RPG art flying ship battle map” and then you get quite a few to choose from. They’re not exactly like the image in the adventure but I never showed that image to my players either way...
As a matter of fact, I also searched for images like ”RPG art steampunk engine” and the like to merge with the map to get a few points of interest on the ship...
Hope this helps.

I don't think that it would be breaking anything to share an altered version of a freely available map?

But if it still bothers you, how many areas did you put on the ship? How many pushes did you require the creatures take to push the players off the boat?

Please, for the love of the Raven God, will you share that map???

I wouldn’t mind but it’s not ”mine”. We run our game on Roll20 and what I did was to do a Google search for something like ”RPG art flying ship battle map” and then you get quite a few to choose from. They’re not exactly like the image in the adventure but I never showed that image to my players either way...
As a matter of fact, I also searched for images like ”RPG art steampunk engine” and the like to merge with the map to get a few points of interest on the ship...
Hope this helps.

I don't think that it would be breaking anything to share an altered version of a freely available map?

But if it still bothers you, how many areas did you put on the ship? How many pushes did you require the creatures take to push the players off the boat?

I don't think so either but I uploaded it to Roll20 and don't have it in any format I could easily share.

Actually, I googled it during the time I wrote this and here's a link to the ship/battle map I used: https://i.redd.it/auy26tf5uwb41.png
Don't worry about the blue flames. It has something to do with the electricity, far too complex for the PCs to figure out...

The body of the ship had like 5 different zones; stern with the ship's steering wheel where I put the captain and his key. I also placed a picture of an old telescope here, prepared to improvise som use out of it if the players would have investigated it. Two main parts of the body where one could be interpreted to have walls, which I sealed of as some sort of cabin where the crank to hoist the door would be. (This was a misstake because my players barred themself in here and had a bit too easy to defend themselves since I ruled only two attackers could reach them through the doors at the same time) This room was one zone and the narrow walkway outside, on each side, would be one zone. There was also a picture of a hatch to the cargo deck here which I said could be used to access the door after it had been raised. Had I done this encounter again, I'd have made it so that the players would have had to fight their way out of here and down another ramp to get to the door. In the middle most part of the ship there was some kind of life boat which I concealed by placing a picture of a steam punk engine, the engine of the ship. There was a front part of the main boddy with a hatch to the cargo space. I placed a stair in this picture as well and told my players they entered this way from the labyrinth. There was also a prow with some machinery I added. So 5-7 zones to describe and I placed at least one thing in each for the players to interact with, investigate or potentially loot. I figured if they didn't break, steal or hinder anything, the crew would just let them wander the ship.
Also, there was the rig on both sides and at the prow, each worth one or two zones if the players would want to use it to bypass the slower crew members after the fight began. Requiring some MOVE rolls of course.

When the battle started, the players ran to the enclosed space with the crank and door which made this part a little bit too easy. Knowing my players skills and attributes, I figured it would take a total of 10 successes to crank that door up. After that, they'd have 3 rounds to get into the door before it began lower itself again. Each successful attack from the crew would trigger a MOVE or MIGHT roll from my players. If that roll failed, the crew would have pushed the PC back one zone. If they was pushed onto the rig, another failed resistance after a push would mean the PC fell! ...and just barely manage to grab a line, which would be conveniently hanging from the rig. Now hanging outside/under the ship, the crew would focus on the next PC and the PCs would have to find a way to lure the crew away so someone could manage to help the poor PC hanging there. I wouldn't drop a PC until they would have had at least a few chances to save him. I don't much care for the "save or die" situations of the early games. It removes much of the player agency and makes for poor storytelling, I think. But the PC could very well be made to roll for MIGHT every turn not to slip further down, one third of the line for each failed roll. Then he would know just how much time he has left before his friends has to get there to save him.

Since I ruled only two crew members could attack through the door at the same round, the players had an easy time defending the inside of the room with the crank. They put one PC in each doorway and used all of their actions to parry/dodge the attacks. Since the crew has quite low skills in attack and doesn't get any gear dice the players defended the room with ease. Tip is to put the crank where the crew easily can swarm the PCs. Make them think and maneuver to save their friend(s) working the crank. If your PCs have one or more tank with lots of gear and talents, don't be afraid to boost the crew one or two dice. Don't forget to use the electricity once your players draw weapons or if they're wearing armor.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Thank you so much! I think this will really help!

Hah! That is the EXACT same map I used for the "Amber Sails".
I used about the same rules with the exception that I had the crank on the main deck near the back (behind the helm) and the "gate" down below. So, once my group got the doorway raised into position they had to fight their way past the mob and clear the ladder of terracotta sailors coming UP!
I ruled that if a PC got pushed over board they could get a shot at saving themselves on the spars and worst come to worst the chain on the door. But I didn't tell *them* that until after they'd gone through..

Great minds think alike, I guess...

Always nice to hear how others managed the same situations!