Post
by BattleDrake » Mon Jan 17, 2022 12:40 pm
I feel like there's a whole lot of misinformation and incorrect assumptions from people that don't do a whole lot of sailing.
I am a player that does a lot of sailing. I have a high sail skill. I sail on crews with a high sail skill. I sail on ships that require 3, as a solo. I sometimes sail with crews that have an averagely lower sail skill. I've been in sea pvp fights. I've done all the pve content.
Lets start with the main topic of this discussion, and that was wisdom. A wis based character could have the highest sail skill, but by a very little, and it certainly wouldn't guarantee a victory. A cleric/druid would have what? 8 or 9 more sail skill based on wis modifier than a non-wis based character. Divide that by 5 as you do, and that's a whopping 1-2 points of ab (and that's only if the entire crew was composed of the same cleric/druid). Certainly not a game changer. A slight advantage, and something we could argue about, but nothing that leads to sea superiority. If that was dropped, then so be it.
Now lets talk about the average skills stuff. This talk of people with little skill not contributing, and a level 3 with a gonne and darkness being helpful. No. Not at all. A level 3 with a gonne and darkness is gonna die in pve content, and cost thousands to keep them alive. A level 3 sailor with full skill investment, maybe the gift, maybe a little gear? Can help tremendously on a smaller ship. Sure, they wouldn't be helpful skill-wise in a full ship of level 30's with max gear, but they could easily contribute to smaller crews. My character constantly takes low levels, or even those with no invested skills out, because they can contribute (Not to mention all the great freebie xp they get). Brace yourselves for math folks. Take a ship requiring 3, one that I often solo. My sail skill without a bard song, max wis, or even a sail tunic, is 82. We divide that by 3, for about 27 sail skill. Good enough for shallow waters, I'd be a fool to take it into the outer quadrants, but I don't need to go out there. Divide that 27 by 5 for an ab of 5 (+8 with sails furled), and javelin ab bonus of 0-5. So long as I focus on Pirate/Cargo/Mercantile vessels, that gives me about a 50%+ chance to hit. Not great, not terrible, but certainly doable. Add a level 3, with 6 from investment, +6 from gift, give them a wisdom wand for +2/3, and a few pieces of gear for lets say a total of 20 sail skill. Suddenly, the ship is at 102 total skill, / 3 for 34. We divide that by 5 for about 7. A level 3 has just added +2 ab to the ship, a 10% increase in shooting things. That was with 1 level 3! Add another, that's another +2. Give them a few levels, and suddenly we can start taking on Prisoner, Privateer, and Longships without issue (Bring a carpenter).
Now lets talk about 60ish sail skill crews. These crews would only have issues, pve wise, with Amnians and Undead Galleons, as they should. They're not specialized crews. My character was made to sail so I push for higher numbers. You didn't make your character to be the greatest sailor? Don't expect to be doing what the greats are doing. Don't like that your 60 sail skill character isn't helping a 80+ focused crew? Create your own smaller crew where you contribute, or build a character that can participate, or just don't worry about it and be a Captain of these 90+ tanks, don't need sail skill to rp afterall. As for the pvp aspect to this? A 90 sail skill crew is going to win against your 60 sail crew in a 1 on 1, that's just what's expected. Run away. I've successfully gotten away from flagships multiple times on a 3 crewer as solo/duo sailors, it's doable. Bring a repairer, keep the sails to full, run towards main. Don't want to risk getting sunk? Surrender, white flag, take a loss. If they're still sinking you? Shame on them for bad sportsmanship, and maybe report, iunno. Also, just as a note, you don't need 90+ sail skill to take on Galleons and Amnians, could do it with 80ish or maybe even 70ish if you like getting frisky.
Now for pvp. As all that math before showed you, everything has to be divided. Divided by the number of crew, divided by 5. 90+ vs 80+ isn't that big of an advantage. There's still rng to consider, and if you'd sailed at all, you know it can be heavily on your side, or completely against you. A +1/2 ab isn't a game winner. You want to pvp? Expect to build crews to be the best at it. The way to do that on the sea? Super high skill sail, someone to repair, someone to know how ship/sail mechanics works, and to know what you're fighting against. I think the sailing system is great as it is (With the possibility of improvement in other areas, of course). Those that specialize in it have a clear advantage as they should. Those that don't, can still get enjoyment out of it, so long as they aren't expecting to do everything those that built to do it are doing.
My final point, running out of breath here. Bards. I do agree that to get all these top numbers demands a bard playing a good ol' sea shanty, which I mean, who doesn't believe all the sea shanties on AC: Black Flag are a necessity, amirite? But this has certainly led to a demand of bards in order to compete. Not even a sailor bard, just someone that knows a sea shanty to boost all the tops to max soft cap. Maybe something can be changed here, I don't really like the reliance on a single class in order to be the best, but it'd likely require a great deal of rebalancing on all the numbers if it was changed.
Last edited by
BattleDrake on Mon Jan 17, 2022 12:57 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Recent Characters:
Aramis - "S'fine piece of art yer havin' there." (Shelved)
Eradyn - Trying to make the world a better place. (Shelved)
[Redacted] - ? (?)
Skek - Happiness in Endless Industry. (Rolled)