It’s past time for QuestCrawl to go underwater!
DnD has long included support for sub-oceanic nonsense; now it’s our turn!
Underwater House Rules!
Play like a normal game of QuestCrawl, but use two decks of cards: one red-backed, one blue (use whatever colours you want, I’m not the president of you). Flip a red-backed Joker face-up for the Starting Town, then shuffle the decks together. Deal out a 9×12 grid, without gaps.
Red-backed cards are Land. They play just like regular QuestCrawl.
Blue-backed cards are Sea. They act like gaps in the island do in regular QuestCrawl; they’re impassable without the correct Artifact/Item.
Item Changes
Speaking of Artifacts, the Pocket Pirate Ship is replaced with the Pocket Pirate Submersible. Instead of skipping one-card gaps in the island, the party may now enter blue cards, flipping them as if they were regular cards. It costs 6 Treasures at the City of Thieves, rather than 9.
Rabbit’s Feet are replaced with Canoes. Canoes skip you across a single blue card (in the way that the Pocket Pirate Ship used to work). Canoes, like all items, roll for breakage when used. Don’t flip blue cards moved across in this way.
Can you Canoe-skip a blue card in order to Submersible dive two tiles over? You’ll have to argue about it at the table.
Whirlpool Device – After experiencing an Underwater Crisis (as a Random Encounter in an Underwater Blank Territory), you may immediately move to any blue-backed card connected to your current location by other blue-backed cards. Item – roll for breakage after using.
Sea Emblem – Take a Bonus die on any Territory adjacent to a blue-backed card.
Blue-Backs
Okay, so now you’re QuestDiving into those blue-backed cards. What are you finding?
First off, you’re not finding any Deserts, Forests, Swamps, or Hills, so don’t take those Terrain bonuses underwater!
2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s, and 6’s
Good Lands and Beasties are unchanged.
7’s and 8’s – Caves
Hard Lands are replaced with Caves. Parties who start a turn on a Cave may decide to Dive. They roll a Champion Challenge, taking 1d6 Treasures on a success. Once a Party Dives (successfully or not), the Cave acts as a Hard Lands until they successfully leave. Failed Challenges here deal an injury, in addition to other penalties.
Either Compasses OR Mountaineering Gear (but not both) can be used to give a Bonus Die on Caves.
9’s and Aces
Treat these as Blank Territories, with one small exception: the Undersea Mountain of Spades (though easy to swim around and requiring no rolls to enter) contains a random Magic Treasure, just like its counterpart above ground.
10’s – Shipwrecks
When you first uncover a shipwreck, the party gains 2d6 Treasures. After that, it becomes a blank territory. The Shipwreck of Spades fights as a Challenge 10 Terrible Beastie when it’s revealed; Characters who defeat it roll an extra Magic Item, in addition to other rewards.
Jacks – Underwater Wonders
Jack of Clubs – Steam Vents. Each Character takes an Injury when the Party enters this card. You may move from here to any Mountain, above or below water, or to the Dwarves.
Jack of Diamonds – Undersea Vault! Acts like the one above, but requires an Undersea Vault Key; see Factions. In addition to regular Treasure, each Character can gain a Sea Emblem here.
Jack of Hearts – The Undersea Garden of Plenty is a perfect duplicate of the one above water.
Jack of Spades – Undersea Twisting Pyramid. Activating either one rotates all cards around all face-up Twisting Pyramids in the same direction. If the Twisting Pyramids are adjacent, the one on land activates first.
Queens – Ocean Quests
Your Character learns something about themselves from the sea. If you find the Queen whose suit matches your Character’s starting Suit, describe what they’ve learnt about themselves. From this point on, your Character has a Terrain bonus on all underwater cards.
Kings – Aquatic Factions
In addition to regular faction rewards, underwater factions (other than Kelp Merfolk) drop a Random Magic Item and a Weapon of Legend.
Clubs – Kelp Merfolk – If peaceful, take 1 Supply when you enter this Territory. If you’ve traded with the Coral Merfolk, Kelp Merfolk always fight and all connected territories 2-7 fight as terrible Beasties until a Merfolk faction is defeated. Fights as a Challenge 7 Terrible Beastie. No rewards for defeating this Faction.
Diamonds – Coral Merfolk – Trade 1 Healing Herb for 2 Treasures. Trade 1 Treasure for 10 Supplies. Trade 1 Treasure for Whirlpool Device.
Hearts – Crabfolk – Crabfolk always battle. Worse yet, they fight as a Challenge 9 Beastie. In addition to the usual Faction loot, Crab Folk drop 1 Enchanted Shield for each Character.
Spades – Sharkfolk – Sharkfolk always battle Characters with Injuries who enter their space; this doesn’t turn them hostile, they just can’t help themselves around blood. Trade 10 Supply for 1 Treasure. Trade 3 Treasures for a Magic Sword. Defeating the Sharkfolk yields the Underwater Vault Key.
Jokers – Undersea Towns
Treat as Blank Territories. If Crabfolk are defeated, roll a d6; treat this as Kelp Merfolk on odd numbers, Coral Merfolk on even numbers. If both Crabfolk and Kelp Merfolk are defeated, treat these as both Coral Merfolk Factions and Towns.
Send Us Your Rules!
One of my favourite things about QuestCrawl is tinkering with it. You should try it! Even clunky stuff like this is a blast to write and then try out. Help us playtest these variant rules and let us know how they go, or, better yet, send us your own QuestCrawl homebrews. We’d love to see them!
Looking for more homebrew rules? We did some Star Trekking in Troika last week. Check it out!