Ships of the Baltimore Naval Division

Constellation-class Heavy Frigate

This class of warship is heavily based on the Constellation Frigate that used to be docked in Baltimore's Inner Harbor before the Apocalypse. While the original ship was destroyed in the tsunamis, the Baltimore Naval Division resurrected the general design for open sea combat. The new version is larger and much more heavily armed than its namesake. The Heavy Frigate boasts 36 broadside TK cannons, 2 deck-mounted TK cannons, 8 depth charge launchers, and 20 laser turrets. Like all Baltimore sail ships, the sails and body have been enchanted with Ironwood spells. Permanent Circle of Protection: Superior spells prevent supernatural beings from boarding the ship, while a Wind Rush spell can be used (4 times daily for 2 hours each time) to help propel the ship. Each of the cannon hatches are also protected by Armor of Ithan spells cast at 10th level that can regenerate 4 times daily. To aid in its magical defense, each frigate also has a giant PPE battery that can be accessed by the 5 mages usually stationed onboard. There are 25 pedestals spread about the ship that provide access only to those who are wearing a magical key ring. Additional key rings can be issued to visiting mages upon their boarding the vessel. This battery, and the pedestals, allow the mages to cast spells both on themselves, and on the ship in its entirety.

These frigates are a mix of the archaic and modern. They use what are essentially ball firing cannons, yet use modern targeting systems for aiming. The frigate is essential wind powered, but has an onboard fusion generator for powering sensor and weapon systems. The wood cannon hatches are made mega-damage by magical spells cast on them. Yet despite this odd mix, the frigates are superb at what they are made to do: protect the Baltimore Fishing fleet and prevent supernatural menaces from inhabiting the Chesapeake Bay.

Model Type: Sail Powered Frigate.
Manufacturer: Baltimore Shipbuilders.
Crew: 380 total; 25 naval officers, 1 Ley-Line Walker, 2 Water Warlocks, 2 Air Warlocks, 300 sailors, and 50 marines.
Passengers: Up to 50 besides the crew.
Vehicle Compliment: Five Scorpio Torpedo Boats and 1 Skipjack.
M.D.C. by Location:

TK Fireball Cannons (38):	100 each
Pulse Lasers (20):	50 each
Depth Charge Launchers (8):	300 each
Access Pedestals (25):	75 each
Cannon Hatches (36):	50 each
Deck Hatches (6):	300 each
Sensor Suite:	150
Main Mast:	490
Forward Mast:	350
After Mast:	390
Bowsprit:	290
Sails (30):	40 each
Rudder:	350
Main Body:	3500

Statistical Data
Speed: 14 knots without the Windrush, 24 knots with the Windrush spell.
Length: 206 feet (deck), 216 feet (Knight Head to Taffrail).
Bowsprit Length: 69 feet.
Width: 45 feet.
Mainmast Height: 196 feet.
Weight: 1498 tons.
Power System: Natural wind or Windrush spell for propulsion. 40-year fusion generator to power the radios, radar, sonar, turrets, and pulse lasers.

Weapon Systems
1. TK Broadside Fireball Cannon (36):
These TW powered cast-iron cannons use telekinesis to fire magical cannonballs. The cannonballs erupt into a fireball (as spell) when they hit a target. The cannons have to be manually reloaded by preparing the cannon and shoving another round down the muzzle. A trained gun crew of 4 (or individuals with WP: Blackpowder) can reload in 1 melee action (otherwise it takes 3 melee actions). The cannon are mounted in semi-fixed gunmounts that fire through ports in the hull. Each cannon can make adjustments of up to 15 degrees to each side, and 10 degrees above the deckline. To aim more than this, the position of the ship must be changed, an action which takes the Frigate about 4 melees to perform. Each cannon can be individually fired by the gun crew, or fired as part of a computer controlled broadside by the central fire-control center.
Mega-Damage: 1D6x10 MD each, or up to 18D6x10 for an 18-gun broadside volley.
Rate of Fire: two shots per round.
Range: 5000 feet.
Payload: 100 cannonballs are stored for each cannon. 3800 total.

2. TK Deck-Mounted Cannon (2): These TW powered cast-iron cannons use telekinesis to fire magical cannonballs. The deck-mounted cannons can use either the standard Fireball round, or a special Grapeshot Fireball round. The grapeshot round round is essential several mini-fireball rounds wrapped into one round for area effect. The cannons have to be manually reloaded by preparing the cannon and shoving another round down the muzzle. A trained gun crew of 4 (or individuals with WP: Blackpowder) can reload in 1 melee action (otherwise it takes 3 melee actions). The cannon are mounted on pivot mounts on the aft and forward gundecks. Each cannon can turn a full 360 degrees and make adjustments of up to 45 degrees above the deckline. Each cannon has its own targeting system and is fired by the gunner seated next to the cannon on the pivot mount.
Mega-Damage: 1D6x10 MD for the fireball round. 4D4 MD in a 30-foot radius for the grapeshot.
Rate of Fire: two shots per round.
Range: 6000 feet.
Payload: 100 Fireball rounds for each cannon. 50 Grapeshot rounds for each cannon.
Note: +2 to Strike due to the targeting system.

3. Rapid-Fire Lasers (20): These rapid-fire lasers are mounted all along the deck for anti-aircraft and close-in defense. Besides the gun itself, each mount features an armored heads-up display for targeting data.
Mega-Damage: 5D6 MD per blast.
Range: 4000 feet.
Payload: Unlimited.
Notes: +1 to hit.

4. Depth Charge Launchers (8): Four depth charge launchers are mounted on the rear deck, while the other four launchers are split on each side towards the middle of the ship. These depth charge launchers use medium missiles modified to detonate either by timer or depth.
Mega-Damage: 4D6x10 MD. 25 foot radius.
Range: Up to 50 feet away, depths of up to 2 miles.
Rate of Fire: 2, 4, or 8 depth charges per attack.
Payload: 40 per launcher, 320 total.

5. Access Pedestals (25): These twenty-five pedestals are spread all throughout the ship, with 5 on the forward and aft decks, 10 more spread about the main deck, 4 more below decks, and 1 in the captain's cabin. These pedestals provide access to the PPE battery buried deep in the hull of the frigate. To access the PPE through the pedestal, the user must be wearing a magical key ring encoded for that ship. A key ring from one ship cannot be used on another. Each ship carries 15 key rings, 5 for the onboard mages, and 10 more for visiting mages. When tapped into the PPE battery through the pedestal, a mage can cast any defensive spell on the ship as a whole for triple the PPE cost; with double their normal effectiveness, area of effect, and duration. A mage can also draw PPE from the battery to replenish their personal supply and use for their personal spells and offensive spells.
PPE Amount: 4000. Can be recharged on a ley-line at 100 PPE every 10 minutes, or at a home base. Otherwise, the battery cannot be recharged in the field.

6. Notes:
Systems: The frigate has all sensors and electronic systems common to all sea-going robot vehicles, including radar, sonar, and infrared and ultraviolet visual systems on the cannon and turrets. With the hatches closed and sealed, the interior of the vessel can be made fully environmentally secure, with an independent air recycling system.
Cargo Bays: Besides the 6 vessels listed in the hold, the ship also has any and all equipment needed to service and launch them. This includes repair and armoring supplies, electric lifts, cranes, and slips. From the time the deck hatches are opened, the Scorpios can be launched in 2 minutes, and the Skipjack can be hoisted and ready to sail in 5 minutes. The ship also has a massive fresh water cistern, providing fresh water for more than 2 months even with poor use of the recycling systems.
Weapons Lockers: Besides personal armor and weapons for the crew (including laser rifles, laser pistols, vibro-swords, Streamer missile launchers, and neural maces), the lockers also hold 60 torpedoes and almost 3000 grenades for the Scorpios, and 70 suits of Orca-50 power armor for the marines and any sailors qualified to operate them.

The Baltimore Clipper

Excerpts from The Baltimore Clipper
by Jennifer Klima

The Baltimore Clippers, like the citizens of Maryland, are derived from a polyglot of many different civilizations and cultures. To reach the velocities that the Baltimore Clipper was able to achieve, the designers and architects looked to countries whose maritime histories were full of conquest of speed, with and against the wind. Though the discoverers of the necessity of low drag on the hull of a ship can not be accredited to any specific origin, it can be seen in the creations of the first sea going peoples. The Phoenicians and other eastern Mediterranean cultures with their galleys over two millenniums ago learned the necessity of "round boats", a boat with a broad-beamed hull. Another group would be the Vikings whose hulls navigated through the icy fjords of Scandinavia in the eighth century. The fifteenth century Mediterranean states of Genoa and Venice, whose ideas were later copied by parts of the African coast, built war galleys that were able to move with low water resistance and speed under sails, principles which would later be applied to the Baltimore Clippers.

But not all advancements in technology took place thousands of years ago. In the mid-17th century new designs came from Holland of the first "fore-and-afters" gaff-rigged sails which allowed for quick maneuvering, culminating in the type of vessel commonly called a schooner. Also of European ancestry was the sloop which was most common in Sweden, France, and Spain. The sloop was, according to the British definition, a single masted craft with a gaff sail and a fixed bowsprit which allowed for several triangular headsails. Finally, from the turbulent waters of the English Channel, came tall-rigged fishing boats from France and Britain called luggers. These boats were able to combine the sturdiness they needed to survive in rough water with the speed they needed to be competitive. These ships, and the design principles used to create them, were the backbone of the Maryland shipbuilding industry for many years.

The Baltimore Clipper has many distinct features which separate it from other Chesapeake Bay craft of the early nineteenth century. Though no two were ever built to the same dimensions or specifications they share common bonds just as the citizens of Maryland share similarities in their uniqueness. All Clippers were approximately 100 feet in length from stern to bow. Baltimore Clippers had heart shaped midsections with short keels and raking sterns. The undecorated hulls of these ships were black, low-sided, and sharped bowed, leaving the Clippers with minimum freeboard. Uncommon to the period was the fact that these ships failed to bear a figurehead, nor headboards or trailboards. Finally the rigs of the Clippers were unique to the Chesapeake Bay, in that the designers made better use of engineering principles than did their contemporaries. The mast was further aft on the ship just as the foremast was proportionately taller, therefore allowing a more efficient use of sails.

The Baltimore Clippers that the BDF uses are magically enhanced and protected versions of the original clippers. Like all Baltimore sail ships, the sails and body have been enchanted with Ironwood spells. Permanent Circle of Protection: Superior spells prevent supernatural beings from boarding the ship, while a Wind Rush spell can be used (4 times daily for 2 hours each time) to help propel the ship. To aid in its magical defense, each clipper also has a PPE battery that can be accessed by the 2 mages usually stationed onboard. There are 5 pedestals spread about the ship that provide access only to those who are wearing a magical key ring. Additional key rings can be issued to visiting mages upon their boarding the vessel. This battery, and the pedestals, allow the mages to cast spells both on themselves, and on the ship in its entirety. The Baltimore Clippers are used as the fishing vessels of the Baltimore Navy. Equally at home in the Chesapeake Bay and on the open ocean, the Clipper's massive cargo bays can hold almost 60 tons of seafood.

Model Type: Sail Powered Clipper.
Manufacturer: Baltimore Shipbuilders.
Crew: 67 total; 5 naval officers, 1 Air Warlock, 1 Water Warlock, 60 sailors.
Passengers: Up to 20 besides the crew.
Vehicle Compliment: None.
M.D.C. by Location:

TK Fireball Cannons (6):	100 each
Pulse Lasers (6):	50 each
Depth Charge Launchers (4):	150 each
Access Pedestals (5):	50 each
Cannon Hatches (6):	50 each
Cargo Hatches (3):	100 each
Sensor Suite:	100
Main Mast:	190
Forward Mast:	150
Bowsprit:	140
Sails (10):	40 each
Rudder:	250
Main Body:	1050

Statistical Data
Speed: 15+ knots without the Windrush, 25+ knots with the Windrush spell.
Length: 90-100 feet.
Width: 20-25 feet.
Cargo Hold: 3 Bays, 20 tons each.
Weight: 225 tons.
Power System: Natural wind or Windrush spell for propulsion. Light weight fusion generator to power the radios, radar, sonar, and pulse lasers.

Weapon Systems
1. TK Fireball Cannon (6): These TW powered cast-iron cannons use telekinesis to fire magical cannonballs. The cannonballs erupt into a fireball (as spell) when they hit a target. The cannons have to be manually reloaded by preparing the cannon and shoving another round down the muzzle. A trained gun crew of 4 (or individuals with WP: Blackpowder) can reload in 1 melee action (otherwise it takes 3 melee actions). The cannon are mounted in fixed gun ports and cannot move, except for minute adjustments. To aim the guns, the position of the ship must be changed, an action which in the Clipper only takes 2 melee rounds.
Mega-Damage: 1D6x10 MD each, or 3D6x10 for a broadside volley.
Rate of Fire: two shots per round.
Range: 4000 feet.
Payload: 300 cannonballs are stored onboard.

2. Rapid-Fire Lasers (6): These rapid-fire lasers are mounted all along the deck for anti-aircraft and close-in defense. Besides the gun itself, each mount features an armored heads-up display for targeting data.
Mega-Damage: 5D6 MD per blast.
Range: 4000 feet.
Payload: Unlimited.
Notes: +1 to hit.

3. Depth Charge Launchers (4): The four depth charge launchers are mounted on the rear deck. These depth charge launchers use small missiles modified to detonate either by timer or depth.
Mega-Damage: 2D6x10 MD. 20 foot radius.
Range: Up to 50 feet away, depths of up to 2000 feet.
Rate of Fire: 2, 4, or 8 depth charges per attack.
Payload: 40 per launcher, 160 total.
4. Access Pedestals (5): These five pedestals are spread throughout the ship, with 4 on the main deck, and 1 in the captain's cabin. These pedestals provide access to the PPE battery buried deep in the hull of the clipper. To access the PPE through the pedestal, the user must be wearing a magical key ring encoded for that ship. A key ring from one ship cannot be used on another. Each ship carries 10 key rings, 2 for the onboard mages, and 8 more for visiting mages. When tapped into the PPE battery through the pedestal, a mage can cast any defensive spell on the ship as a whole for triple the PPE cost; with double their normal effectiveness, area of effect, and duration. A mage can also draw PPE from the battery to replenish their personal supply and use for their personal spells and offensive spells.
PPE Amount: 1000. Can be recharged on a ley-line at 100 PPE every 10 minutes, or at a home base. Otherwise, the battery cannot be recharged in the field.

5. Notes:
Systems: The Clipper has all sensors and electronic systems common to all sea-going robot vehicles, including radar, sidescan and doppler sonar, and infrared and ultraviolet visual systems through the cannon and turrets. The effect ranges and targeting capabilities are half those onboard larger vessels. With the hatches closed and sealed, the interior of the vessel can be made fully environmentally secure, with an independent air recycling supply.
Fishing Notes: Baltimore Clippers carry all equipment needed for freshwater and deep sea fishing, including nets, boeys, harpoons, harpoon launchers, and fishing rods.
Weapons Locker: Besides personal armor and weapons for the crew (including laser rifles, laser pistols, vibro-swords, Streamer missile launchers, and neural maces), the locker also holds 5 suits of Orca-50 power armor for the use of any sailors qualified to operate them.

Skipjacks