DnDWiki:Barge of Ptah

Barge of Ptah

The Barge of Ptah was built by early space-faring humans to defend against attacks by the orcs, ogres, kobolds and goblins. They were slow and clumsy, and often became deathtraps for their crews. Many are to be found abandoned in the spacelanes, but some few still perform their original function.

Crew
While the minimum number of crew may seem high for a ship of the Barge of Ptah's size, this many were necessary due to the difficulty of handling, maze of the interior and the sheer array of weaponry onboard.

Standard Armaments

 * 6 medium ballistae (Requires 2 crew members each)
 * 4 medium catapults (Requires 3 crew members each)
 * 2 medium jettisons (Requires 3 crew members each)
 * Piercing ram

Interior Layout
The Barge of Ptah resembles sea-going ships. The foredeck is home to two catapults and two ballistas, along with the ram. Amidships is an open deck, and the hatches leading to the cargo holds below. The aftcastle is home to the crew quarters, temple, captains quarters, spelljammers quarters, and above all of these on the aftcastle is the dome of stars, which is home to the ship's helm, and the rest of the catapults and ballistas.



Primary Uses

 * Templeship - As a result of the these ships being crewed by the clergy of Ptah, they double as temples in space. They were, as a result, often rich in treasure, as offerings to Ptah were often made here, making them lucrative targets.


 * Battle Barge - Called "Battle Barges" these are captured Barges of Ptah, now in use by the navies of the Orcs and Ogres and their allied worlds. Rather than a major helm, these ships most often use a Death helm, and hold slaves onboard for propulsion.


 * Cargo Raft - Salvaged Barges of Ptah occassionally see service as stripped-down bulk cargo vessels. Service aboard these spartan and unprotected vessels is unpopular and is occassionally used as punishment for minor crimes.