D&D: Five of the Best Ships Money Can Buy
So you’ve just defeated the dragon and need to spend all that money? Do what rich people do and buy a boat (or five)!
There comes a point in every adventurer’s life where they have all the gear, short of the occasional magical item they’re likely to ever want. But, because D&D works the way it does, they keep earning money. And have nothing to spend it on.
Gold in D&D is a joke once you get past level 5. Even with the odd expensive material component for a spell like Resurrection or Clone or the like. And it’s not like you can go out and buy happiness or anything. But what you can buy is a boat. And in some cases, a boat that will go to space.
Warship
Alright, let’s start with one of the big ones. Right off the bat, a Warship is a great investment. For the low price of 25,000 gold pieces, you get the best water-going boat of your dreams. Have you always wanted to play Master & Commander: Far Side of the World? Of course, you have.
And with a Warship you absolutely can. This vessel has the most total hit points of any vessel in all of D&D. Even Spelljamming ships, including the hefty Turtle Ship don’t even come close to a Warship’s 500 total hit points. And with a damage threshold of 20, a Warship can shrug off even palpable hits. You will need a crew of 60 people though. Which runs the risk of mutiny if you don’t run it right.
Skyship
Out of the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, a Skyship is the single most expensive ship in the game. Just one of these sky-faring luxury liners will run you a smooth 100K gp. Which is enough to field four Warships. Or a small flotilla of Shrikes.
And with a Skyship, you get a lot for your money. First of all, Skyships will outrun any other ship in the game (as long as they’re in Atmosphere). With its top speed of 10 mph, a Skyship outdistances most vessels. And while they’re not as individually resilient, it doesn’t matter, because what they lack in armor and armament, they more than make up for with luxuries. If you want the finest crew quarters and passenger berths that money can buy, a Skyship is the way to go.
Tyrant Ship
The deadly Beholder ship. Tyrant Ships are carved out of solid stone by Beholder artisans who use their disintegration rays to hollow out their designs. Each is subtly unique, reflecting the individual perfection of a particular Beholder.
And Tyrant Ships typically serve as a Beholder’s vessel of conquest, as they sail the Astral Plane looking for worlds to conquer and rival Beholders to destroy.
These ships have an AC of 17, one of the rare stone ships. But Tyrant Ships also boast advanced weaponry: the fearsome eyestalk cannon. It has three eyestalk cannons, in fact, each hits for 10d6 force damage at a considerable range.
One of these will run you about 40,000 gp though. And we have it on good authority you can get a pretty good warhammer for a similar amount.
Bombard
Or break out the big guns and get the ship that is also a gun. The Bombard is a Spelljamming ship designed by Giff. You can tell it’s built by Giff because it’s basically a big space gun. The ship gets its name from the massive cannon that dominates the front of the vessel. It’s big. Bigger than you think.
Each of the cannonballs it fires weighs 10 tons. A single shot can deal 16d10 to its target. It takes three actions to load the cannon, but only one to fire it. However, a Bombard can only carry up to 14 of these cannon balls. So make every shot count.
Aside from the massive cannon, it’s also a pretty resilient ship. Compared to every Spelljammer in Spelljammer, it’s not the fastest or the biggest. But it does do the most damage. On top of the big cannon, which gets its own deck, it also has two ballistae. And it can sail and float on water as well as in air. You’ll have to have 50k gp for this beauty, but what’s not to love about having a ten-ton cannon?
Damselfly Ship
As its name suggests, the Damselfly ship is swift and graceful. It’s also cramped and fragile. It’s the least resilient of all the Spelljammers, with a scant 200 hit points, but at AC 19 it boasts top-tier defenses.
Damselfly ships, out of every Spelljammer in Spelljammer, are most likely to be used for fast missions. When you need speed and firepower, the Damselfly has you covered. It boasts a ballista and a mangonel! As such, they’re often used as courier vessels and armored transports.
And at only 20,000 gp, you can get one earlier than you can pick up a Warship. You just have to have the Spelljamming Helm to match.
Happy adventuring
