Spelljammer - Adventures in Space

Lorebook of the Void

by Jeff Grubb

M

There are worlds beyond worlds-
cold, hot, light, dark,
watery and earthen.

They all share one basic need-

a need for Heroes.

- Elminster the Sage

I look at the night sky and I think ...
there 's gotta be something out there

worth stealing.
-Alliya Makabuck, Halfling Inc .

Design : Jeff Grubb
Editing and Development : Steve Winter, Jim Lowder, Jon Pickens,

Karen Boomgarden, Eric Severson , Kim Mohan
Spiritual Guidance : Jim Ward

Box Painting: Jeff Easley
Book Cover Paintings ,
mustratlons , Ship Concepts : Jim Holloway

Cartography : Diesel
Color Inking, Counter Silhouettes : Roy Parker

Graphic Design : Stephanie Tabat
Typography : Angelika Lokotz, Gaye O'Keefe

A product such as this is the result of much cross-fertilization.
To those friends and associates who contributed and are not

listed above, we extend our thanks and apologies.

TSR,Inc. TSR , Inc. TSRLtd.
I 20 Chur ch End, Ch erry Hinton
POB 756 IJflOOUCH OP YOUII IMAOIN&TH>N..
Lake Geneva , Cambridge CBI 3LB
WI 53147 USA United Kingdom

ADC.D. SPELWAMMER. FIEND FOLIO, DRAGONLANCE. FORGOTTEN REA LMS, WORLD OF GREYHAWK. PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAG INATION. ond 1heTSR logo ere irademarks owned by
TSR. Inc. Printed In the U.S.A

Copyrigh t 1989 TSR Inc. A ll Rights Reser.ed .

The product you are holding in your would result in long and empty voy- ships of wildspace refl ect this diver-
hands is the result of a brainstorming ages , which would make for poor sity. In many cases, Jim came up with
session held in a local Lake Geneva role-playing. Yet, everything we see a drawing and then the rest of us
restaurant. The designers and edi- in most fantasy worlds posits an showed how it could work.
tors had been cloistered there to Earthlike world with Earthlike celes-
come up with some new ideas and al- tial effects. You'll notice the editors are also
ternatives for the AD&D ® game sys- listed as developers in th e credits. In
tem. The general talk was pretty wild The need to travel quickly across particular , Steve Winter (general co-
and the waitress asked if we were space brought about the spelljam- ordinator and main editor) and
working for Steven Spielberg, who ming helm and with it we cut our- James Ward (design manager and
was rumored to be scouting loca- selves fully loose from real science my boss) were respons ible for multi -
tions in the area . and began creating a " fantasy phys- ple additions and revisions in the
ics" that was true to its own rules and text. I would finish a particular sec-
If this project is weird enough to be laws. Dave Laforce (better known as tion, James would review it and
considered a potential movie idea, Diesel) and I starting kicking ideas come up with five more neat things
then we may have done our job here. around for gravity planes and atmo- we could do with it , and I would
spheric envelopes, making it possi - scurry back to my computer, gig-
The design directive for the ble for the space pirate to stand on gling and cackl i ng over the new
SPELLJAMMER™ supplement was the deck of h is ship beneath open ideas.
simple: Take the AD&D game into space.
outer space. Then we started adding Similarly , Steve Winter went over
stuff. It couldn't be like anything ever How does it all work? Well , the the rules with an eye toward consist-
done before. It shouldn't overturn ex- easy answer is "It's magic. " The more ency and fun, adding and refining the
isting campaigns. Then, "Hey, we 've involved answer is '"It's magic and it various pieces of the system into a
got these 24 pieces of cardboard knows it's magic." The rules are still complete whole. This was a Hercu -
available , Jeff , how about designing there and must be obeyed, but it is a lean task. Our main goal was to not
some ships to put on them?" The set- different set of rules from what we to produce a miniature wargame that
ting should link together the Realms, are used to in our world. As anyone simplified AD&D game procedures
Krynn , and Greyhawk without invali- here will tell you, a fire-breathing, but rather a supplementary system
dating any of those worlds or the 50-foot -long , flying reptile is impos- to help DMs and players enjoy ship-
games already set there. sible, but it can live in our im- to -ship fighting in a most unu sua l
aginations. The same argument ap - setting.
This was becoming a tall order: plies to spelljamming ships.
Maintain the spirit and play of the And there you hav e it. I once de-
Jim Holloway started playing with scribed designing this product as the
AD&D game and tie it in with years of ship types and Diesel began design- gaming equivalent of running
ing both the Spelljammer itself and through a mansion , flinging open the
previous work without invalidating the asteroid base that became the doors , and discovering what lies be-
anything. But if space functions nor- Rock of Bral. Jim was surprised yond them. In many ways the size of
mally , how (for example) do the con- when he brought in five different be- space itself , the unlimited numb er of
stellations of Krynn move around holder ship drawings and we ac- possible encounters , ships , races,
without messing up other planets? cepted them all. Previously, one ship monsters , and other neat stuff to be
type or style would do for a space- found out there, has proved to be the
Zeb Cook pulled out some medi- based campaign, but here we had greatest chal lenge. This box is the
eva I woodcuts showing a traveler flying things that looked like half- first giant step-not a furtive foot-
passing through the spheres of the walnuts, modified galleons, and gi- hold but a full -tilt charge-into a new
world to discover the sun and planets ant moths! universe of gaming.
on tracks, and with that the idea of
crystal shells was born . Each fantasy The reason for this diversity is to On behalf of th e creators of the
solar system could have its own keep with the precepts of our fantasy SPELLJAMMER supplement, I hope
placement and rules , while being a universe-there are a lot of different you enjoy the trip.
part of a larg er whole. races out there and all their ships
should not look the same. " Real sci- Jeff Grubb
That larger whole created its own ence" restrictions like aerodynamics
problems , because space is big. Re- are not a concern in worlds with fly - August 1989
ally big. As I write this, Voyager II has ing carpets and mind flayers. The
just rounded Neptune after a 12-year
voyage . Conventional movement

Table of Contents

Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CHAPTER I CAMPAIGNS IN SPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Getting Started: The Type of Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Getting There: Going Into Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Space Adventures ... . .... . .... . . . . . . .. . . .. . ...... ... ... ...... . 9

Life on Other Planets .. .. .. .. ..... ... .... . .. ... .. . .. . ...... . .. .l I

Types of Worlds and Their Life Forms... ....... .... .. . . ....... l I

Monsters by Wor ld Type .. . . . ....... .. . . .. ....... . . .. ... .. l I

Monster Appearance . . ...... . . . . ... .. ... . . .... . .......... lI

Change in Monster Statistics.. . .. . ... .... . ... .. .. . .......... 12

Landfall/ Arriving at Planets .... . ..... ........... .. . .. . . ....... . .l 3

When SpaceMeets Ground ................ .. . .... ... ..... .l 3

CHAPTER 2 SPELUAMMERS ... . ....... . . .......... . ..... .. ... .. .14

Definition of Terms ... ... . .. . .. . . . . ... ... .. .. . .. ... .. .. . . . ... . . I4

Flitter . . ... . ................. .. . . . ... . .. . .. ...... .. .. . .... ... I 5

Mosquito . . .. ....................... . .... ..... . .. . . . ......... 16

Caravel .. . ......................... . .... . .. . . . ..... ... ..... . 17

Dragonfly ..... ..................... . . . ..... . .. .. .. .. ... . . . . .18

Damselfly .. . .... .... ..... ...... .. ......... . .... . ... .. . . .... . I 9

Wasp . ..... .... . . ... ..... .. .......... .... ....... .. . ... . ..... 21

Tyrant Ship . ... . . ... ..... . . .. .. . . .. ..... . ...... ... ...... .. . . .22

Tradesman ......... . ....... . . ..... . ..... . .. . ... .. ... .. . . .. ... 25

Gnomish Sidewheeler . ... .. .. .. ... ... . .... . .... .... . . . ... . ... . .27

Nautiloid ... .. ..... . ..... . . .. ..... . .. . . .. ... ....... . .. ..... . .29

Neogi Mindspider . .... . .. ..... . .... .. ... ......... .... . ... . .. . .31

Galleon .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .... . ..... ... ............ . ..... . . ..... 32

Squid Ship . . .... ...... .. .... . . ...... ... ..... . . . .. ..... . . .. .. .33

Dragonship . ... .... .. ..... . . .. ............... . ..... .. . . . .. ... 35

Hammership . ... . . . ... .... . ... ..... . . ............... . . ... .... 37

Man-o-War ...... ... . .... . .. . . . .... ..... ... ... . ... .. ..... .... 40

Neogi Deathspider ... . . . . .. . ...... . .. ...... . .. . . ......... . . . . .41

Armada .. . ........... . . . . .......... . ........... . . .. . ...... .. 44

Citadel .. . ...... . ... . ..... . . . . .. .. ... . . . .. . ..... . ....... .. .. .45

Spelljammer . .... .. . ......... ... . ...... . ..... . ....... ... .. ... .47

CHAPTER 3 SPACEFARERS ............ . ... . . . . ........ ... .... . .. .50

Life in Space . ... ......... . . . .. .... . .. ... .... .. ....... . . ...... 50

Humans .......... ......... . .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. .. ..... . ...... 50

The Elven Armadas . . . . ... .. ... .. ... . .. ................. . .... .. 55

Dwarves ......... . ... .. . .. ... . ... . . ......... .. .. ... . ... ..... 56

Lizard Men ... . ..... . .......... . .................... . .. .. . . .. 57

Gnomes . . . ........... .. . ....... .. .... .. .. .. . . ... . . . ... ...... 58

Half lings . .. .... .. .... .. .. . .. .. . .. . . ..... ... ... . ... . .. .. ..... 59

Goblin Races.. . . .. .... ... . ....... . .. .. ...... .. . ....... . ...... 59

Extraplanar Beings .. . .. ........ .... . ..... . . .... .. .. . .. .... .... 60

Giants ... . . . ........ . .. . . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. ...... . ...... . . ... 60

Table of Contents

Mind Flayers . . .... . ..... . . .. .. . . . .. . .. .. .. .......... . ...... .. 61

Dragons ... . .. .. . . .. . ....... .. .. . ... . .. ... . . .. ......... ... .. 62

Centaurs .. . .... . . . . ......... ...... .. . ............. .. . .... ... 62

Undead . ... .. ... . ... .. .. . ... .. .. . ... . .. ..... .. . ... . . ........ 62

Go/ems ... .. ..... . ... . . . ... ....... . . . .................... . .. 64

Lycanthropes ......... .. .. . .. . .. ............ . .. . .. . . .. . . . ... .64

Other Monsters . . ... . .. ............... . . .... . ... . ... . ......... 65

Starbeasts .. .. ... .. . ... . ............ ... .. . . . . ....... .... . .... 65

New Monsters:

Arcane , The ... . . .. . .. ... . .. . . . . . ........ . . ...... . ... . .. 67

Beholder (Orbus & Hive Mother) . . ..... . . . .... . . ..... . . ... .. 69

Dracon . . . ...... ... ... . ... .. ..... . ..... ... . .... . .. .... .71

Dragon , Radiant.. . .... .... .. . ..... .. . .... ... . . . . ..... . .. 73

Elmarin . . ... .... . ... ........ . .. ... . . ... ..... .. . . . ...... 75

Ephemeral . .. .... . .. . . .. . ..... .. ... ..... .. ..... ... . .... 76

Giff ... . ... .. .. . ................. . .. ......... . .. . . . . . .. 77

Kindori . ...... .. ... .. ................. . . . .. .. . ..... .... 79

Krajen .... .. . . . . ... . ............ .... .. . . .... ... . . .. .. . .81

Neogi . .. ..... ... ... . ... .. . . . . ............ ... .. .... .... 83

Scavver ......... ... . .. . ... .. . .. ....... . . . .... . ...... . . .85

CHAPTER 4 KNOWN SPHERES. . . .... . . ...... . . ........ . . .. .... . . .87

A Brief Tour of the Known Spheres .. . ...... ............. ...... ... 87

Krynnspace ... .... .. . . . . . ....... . . . .. ........ . . .... .. .. .. .... 87

Sun, Sirion, Reorx, Krynn . Chislev, Zivilyn

Greyspace . ... . . ............ . .. .. ...... ..... .. .. . . ...... ..... 89

Oerth. Kule, Raenei, Liga, The Grinder, Edill. Gnib ile.

Conatha, Ginsel, Borka, Greela. The Spectre

Realmspace . ... .... . . . ... . .. . . ... ... ..... . .. . .. ..... ... ... .. .92

The Sun, Anadia, Coliar, Tori!, Karpri. Chando s. Glyth ,

Garden , H'Catha

SHIP INFORMATION FORM . . ... . . ..... ..... . . . .. ..... ..... ..... . . .. .96

A Gulde to Sidebar Subjects

At the Helm .. .. . . .. ..... ..... ........ .. . . . .. . . . . .... . ........ 6

Why Ships In Space?.......... . ........... . . ..... . ..... ........ 14

Packing Them In ......... .. . ................ ... ... ... . . . .. .. .. 20

Types of Worlds, Part I : Earth Worlds ... ........ .. . . . ..... . . . .. . . .26

Types of Worlds, Part 2: Fire Worlds ..... . . ....... .. .. ... ... . .... .30

Types of Worlds, Part 3: Water Worlds .. ... . ......... . . . . ....... . .36

Notes on the Creation of the Universe ...................... . .... .42

Major and Minor Races.... . ... . .... .. . .................... .. . . .50

The Adventurer Who Fell to Earth . ... ..... . . ... . . . . .. ........... 56

Types of Worlds, Part 4: Air Worlds ... . . ... ... . . .. . ..... .. . ...... 62

Homeworlds ... .. . ... ... ... .. . .. . . .. . . ....... . . ...... . . ... ... 88

Types of Worlds , Part 5: Liveworlds . .... .... . . .. . .. .. . . . .... . . ... 90

At the Helm AD&D ® game campaigns using fantasy campaign, not tied to any
the SPELLJAMMER'M fantasy setting planet or area. A third use of the set-
What spelljamming pose some problems un li ke those ting is to provide background for ad•
feels like: found in other fantasy worlds . The ventures within your own campaign.
greatest problems are the open-
The wizard or priest ended nature of the campaign, and Dea ling with these uses in order,
who uses a spelljamming the space involved. A tr ip from Earth the greatest task is in bringing a
helm deals with two to Mars in our fantasy terms takes ground-based campaign into space.
levels of reality: In the only a few days. Using 20th century Bringing the characters directly in is
first, they are in their technology, the same t rip would ta k e discussed in the next section. The
own body and awar _e of over a year and a ha lf under optimum DM has to do some ground work (so
the actions around them. conditions. to speak) before dragging his heroes
They may talk and con- into the void.
verse with others nor- The other cha l lenge of fantasy
mally, though they may space is diversity . We are talking The first step is to determine what
not move or cast spells about a campaign that inc ludes is out there in the first place. This can
while at the helm with- Greyhawk, Kara-Tur , the Forgotten be as simple as laying out the plane -
out breaking contact Realms, and Krynn, p lus whatever tary system, or as complex as doing
with the spelljammlng campaig ns the DM chooses to add. several planetary systems initially.
device. Keeping an eye on the diverse cam - For the " TSR worlds " of Oerth,
pa igns is a bit of a tr ick , not to men- Krynn, and Toril, their solar systems
The second level of re- tion making sure that new worlds are already established and detailed
ality is a larger, expanded appear truly fresh and different to the
consciousness in which star voyager. in the Concordance. For a DM's pri-
the spellcaster feels the
ship he is in as an exten- Much of space is empty, but vate campaign setting , the DM may
sion of his own body. The encounters can happen anywhere on either create the system randomly,
ship itself, to the limits of the trip, which may aid or h inder the using the tables in chapter 5 of the
its gravity plane, and the traveler. The nature of the spell-
air envelope, feel like a jammer helms makes it necessary to Concordance, or lay out his cosmo l-
bubble under the control slow down for obstacles and inter-
of the spelijamming mage secting ships, rendering encounters ogy as he sees fit.
or priest. This concept of all the more likely.
linking is important for A word of advice : Unless you've al•
the spelljammer helm to This section is to aid the DM in get- ready set up a cosmology for your
function. ting a fantasy space campaign fantasy wor ld (such as a ringworld or
started and in running it over long Dyson sphere), it's best to keep with
periods of time. the ideas of our " typical" space:
spherical planets orbiting around a
Getting Started: central body in an orderly fashion.
The Type of Campaign Since this is the system that your
players have lived with in the real
The SPELLJAMMER fantasy set- world, it is the easiest to grasp. They
ting can be used in a number of ways. have enough new ideas hitting them
It may be used as a change from the when they get into space, and toss-
standa rd ground -based campaign, ing puzzling cosmologies at them
usi ng established heroes from you r may confuse them even further.
campaign who find themselves in Their fantasy campaign is " normal"
space. The heroes may have one (or to them , a common touchstone from
severa l) adventures in space before which the fantastic can spring. As an
deciding to return to t heir native example of this, note that all three of
lands, or they may choose to remain the TSR campaigns are based on
in a fu ll -fledged space-based cam- spherical planets, rotating in 24-hour
paign. A second use for the setting is periods, and revolving around the
to create a fully space-based AD&D sun in the period of a year. (Well,
Oerth's sun revolves around it once a
year, but the effect is the same.)

Things to worry about in your ini- For campaigns which start in However , once characters are
tial cosmology: space, the Rock also provides an ini- made aware that spac e is yet another
tial base of operations for the charac- frontier , they will be looking for ways
Locations of the planets ters . Such heroes would have a little to get there.
Sizes of the planets more knowledge than your ground-
Types of the planets ling adventurers ; they would under- Here are a number of ways to start
Shapes of the planets stand the basics of space travel and groundlings on their way into space .
Level of spelljamming activity spelljamming helms . This does not
Types of creatures found in this mean that they have used helms or The Ancient Artifact: At the bot-
been off the Rock before in their tom of the haunted mines located
area of space lives. There are a number of possible near the heroes ' current base of oper-
Inhabitants of other worlds adventures on the Rock or beneath ations, or at the summit of the mad
Nearby asteroids , bases , and its surface. For more information wizard 's abandoned tower , there is a
on the Rock, see Appendix 4 of the great vault with a domed ceiling. In
stellar cities the center of the vault is a huge ship
Concordance . (probably a tradesman or other less
The first four are handled in chap- powerful ship , but for those who have
Finally, the omnivorous DM may never seen one before , it is large and
ter 5 of the Concordance. The activ- use SPELLJAMMER '" settings as a impressive). The chamber is guarded
source of new ideas and source ma - by creatures suitable to challenge
ity level of the spelljamming ships teria I. (The phrase "omnivorous the adventurers such as stone
describes how often the heroes will DM " is not meant as a slam-the guardians or golems. The ship has an
run into other spelljamming ships . A writer once described his own cam- obvious throne (the spelljamming
low number reflects that the area is paign as a ··cosmic vacuum cleaner, helm) mounted on the aft deck ,
out of the way and not traveled much sucking up every fantasy idea that along with whatever other treasures
(such as Krynn), while a high activity crossed its path .") The races of the the DM would like to add .
level indicates that the sphere is a SPELLJAMMER campaign setting
crossroads of activity . have little cause to visit the ground- The ship is too large to take out
lin gs on a day -to -day basis , but their through the great doors, but a series
As far as types of creatures in presence may make for interesting of inlaid buttons mark the podium on
space, it is use the ones within these adventures. A case of introducing the far wall of the room. At a touch of
books that suit your fancy. If your wheel locks into the Realms in one of the buttons the dome above
characters are sick to death of be- Waterdeep is described on page 50 opens , revealing a wide passage out
holders and will attack you physically of this book. Other ideas may in - into the sunlight. With a little experi -
if they run into a ship with 20 of them clude acting as bodyguards for a mentation , the player character
on board, then the beholder civil war member of the arcane doing busi - seated on the throne can figure out
does not have to spill into this section ness with a local chieftain , or stum- how to operate it to control the ship.
of space . If you want to establish a bling upon an elven search party Note that learning to operate does in-
medusan city-dome on an airless looking for a lost spelljamming volve learning finesse with the con -
moon, go ahead. In general , there will helm in a flitter. The adventurers do trols: the first attempt to rise out of
not have to journey into space to the shaft will likely put the ship (and
be human life in your section of space benefit from the worlds of the all those on board) out near the orbit
SPELLJAMMER setting. of the moon before the actions can
(adventurers if nothing else), and be reversed.
likely dwarves and elves. Undead Getting There:
ships and mind flayers are common Going Into Space This option provides a fully opera-
as well, and neogi only slightly less tional ship for the players immedi-
so. The neogi and the beholders are The first obstacle for any ground- ately. It is recommended if they,
tough customers , and as such it is ling characters is getting into space. through their most recent adven-
best for low -level adventurers to avoid The longstanding barrier to space tures, had done something momen -
such encounters early on. travel in fantasy has been the fact tous , like save the world from a dark ,
that there is nothing up there, com- evil power , and now are looking for
Finally, the characters will need a pared with the slews of dragon hordes new adventures.
base of operations from one mission and orcish legions on the ground.
to the next , a place to rest up and get
supplies. Included in this box is a
map of the Rock of Bra!, a "typical "
space city. The DM is free to place
this asteroid city around the world of
his choice: Krynn , Tori! Oerth, or
one of his own choosing, to use as a
base.

Moving through space T he Ancient Art ifact, Part 2: The is already active in spe lljamming , the
Is no more than mentally setup is the sam e as before , within a sage may hir e them to seek out the
visualizing the distance "s tandard " dungeon setting. Inst ead artifact or book mentioned in the
and direction {usually of th e ship, the heroe s find the helm above sections. Otherwise he will
given by the navigator , itself , which may be anything from a have the hero es test out a number of
based on his chartsJ that simple chair to an ornate throne. The interesting id eas for getting into
the ship should move and chair radiates a very strong magical space including :
willing the ship to move aura. The kind-heart ed DM may pro-
in that direction. The vide a book or diary describing the A chariot drawn by swans.
feeling has been com- use of the chair (useless in its present A saddle on the back of a charmed
pared with moving a limb setting, secured to the floor). The dragon .
that has fallen asleep-a less charitable will place the instruc- A huge balloon .
pins-and-needles sensa- tions for mounting and use else- A brass sphere containing the
tion, though not as pain- where in the dungeon or in another morning dew . Since the dew rises to-
ful as its analog. country entirely , and the truly cruel ward the sun, the sphere will be
will provide no instructions whatso- taken with the d ew toward the sun.
The helmsman is aware ever. In this case the heroe s will likely Wings of flying , used to a height
of the actions of others have to find a sage conversant in never before attempted.
on the ship as if he stood such matters , and , once the object's A machin e, built from old gnom-
on the aft deck for similar purpose is known , keep it secret and ish drilwings , that mimics the birds
location in other shipsJ. out of the hand s of others who would themselves.
The general movements be interested . A huge tower filled with smok e
of crew and officers do powder and ignited. The heroes are
not register directly un- Th e Scroll: An even nastier ver - at the top of the tower within a cube
less the spelljamming sion of the above . The heroe s find no of force . The blast shoots the heroes
mage is paying attention. helm and no ship , but only a scroll into space.
with three create minor helm spells A dimensional ladd er that contin-
When the ship encoun - and general instructions on how to ually extends it se lf as you climb up
ters another object In use the result. The instructions will it , the bottom rungs vanishing as
space, the spelljammer is run to the tune of: ·'Find a su itable other rungs appear above.
usually the first to detect ship of no more than 50 tons , mount
it, but only because it the chair desired to be the throne in This being a fantastic world , all of
causes the ship to slow its aft section, have a spell -us e r the above method s work to a certain
down to avoid possible seated in the chair, and cast the spell degree. The y will take the heroes to
collision. The mage or to turn the chair into a helm. " the edges of the atmosphere of their
priest can identify the planet , at least three miles up , far
other object in general Tonnage , of co urse , is in spacial above the cloud cover.
terms: larger similar size, tons , which are larger than naval
tons, so a smaller ship will likely be The DM may then choose the next
used . Keep in mind the limitations of move for the heroes. If th ey continue
air and crew on the party. The " suit- on , they will have a long voyage to
able ship" referred to in the scroll is a the nearest moon (say, 3 -18 days, be-
spacegoing ship, but unless the he- ing kind) . If their ship has insufficient
roes have knowledge of space, they tonnage to keep them alive, then
may try to use a riverboat or light they will experience the dangers of
cog. suffocation in space (ioun stones and
word of recall spe lls help here).
This version will likely carry the in - Should the ship be able to reach the
dividuals , overloaded , into space . It nearest body , they sho uld find inhab -
wou ld be a nice idea if the Rock or a itants and adventure s there as well.
passing real space vessel were in the
area before their air runs out. The DM may also choose to give
the heroe s a glimpse of a spelljam-
Th e Sage: The heroes are hired ming ship (or the Spelljammer itself)
by a sage to investigate travel in while they are in space , then force
space. If the world the heroes are on their return (the swans become con-

M

fused , the dragon reaches its limits summoned to court to investigate hive mother survived . Their mi s-
of endurance, the dew escapes from the claims of a strange trader. The sion-to get back into space. prefer -
the brass ball, or the magic runs out trader is a tall , blue giant with a nar- ably on th e back s of slav e labor , and
of gas). In this case , the heroes are row face (an arcane). and is offering a under the hiv e moth er's directive ,
encouraged to refine their methods magical throne in exchange for an seek to carve out a kin gdom to gain
(they hav e seen a large ship in space) extreme price (some artifact of the resourc es. The beho ld ers will go
and try again. power in the hands of the heroes, or back to their normal nasty behavior
which the heroes must go and fetch). if the hiv e mother is slain , and no
The DM may also choose to force longer seek to return to space . The
an encounter with a ship, either a The magical throne is a minor heroes may ge t an inklin g of space
trader , pirate, or slaver. This opens helm, and the arcane is using it to see life from this adventure , or the be -
other choices to the players , includ- if this part of the world is civilized holders ma y have a prisoner a mage
ing delivery to the Rock, or being enough to open relationships with capable of casting a crea te minor
taken to another planet for sale. the spaceborne nations. If the Ar- helm spell.
cane is attacked, it will try to escape,
The nature of the DM 's choice de- and not return for a hundred years. A The Crash, Part 3: Similar to the
pends on how deeply he wishes to nice turn on this would be a rival wiz- crash , part 1, save that the c rashed
bring the player characters into the ard who would want the item for him- ship is an elv en man-a-war . The cre w
SPELLJAMMER ™ universe. This self , so that he would slay the arcane and ship survived (most ly, but medi-
" first encounter " can potentially go and take the helm. cal aid and repairs are needed). Evi l
in a number of directions: piracy , mu - forces are lookin g to kill the space
tiny , escaped slaves, or just finding The Crash, Part 1: There is a me- elves and take the ship. The heroes
oneself on the Rock looking for a way teor shower one night when the party will likely have similar ideas , though
to get home. is outside. During the shower, a par - without the killing. In addition , a sec-
ticularly large meteor streaks over- ond man-o -war will appear in a few
Aliens from Another Planet: The head , trailing fire. It passes directly days to find th e first, and to kill any -
hero es are called upon by a local lord over the heroes , seems to detonate one that ha s found the he lm on -
to investigate a series of disappear- as part of the meteor blows off , then board.
ances in a distant part of his fief. The changes direction and crashes in the
heroes discover that the disappear - nearby mountains . The heroes may The Door: Lastly , the most si mpl e
ances are the result of neogi slavers investigate if they choose. way of getting c hara cters into space
making a landfall and taking on a in a hurry -a dungeon door (o r trap ,
batch of new slaves. The ship on the The ship is a tradesman that came for that matt er) that is a dimensional
ground should be a neogi mindspider , down with the storm. It is almost de- hole , which deposits the heroes in a
with a deathspider in orbit above. The stroyed , its hull scattered over a distant sphere , und e r strange stars
heroes may be captured by the evil mile-long line scarred into the moun - in a place called the Rock, with no
neogi (a standard crew with personal tain. The crew (what is left of them) is way hom e except to learn th e cus-
umber hulk slaves) or defeat them and dead, but the spelljamming helm toms of the native s and their strange
capture the mindspider. and a few weapons survived. It is up boats.
to the heroes to piece it together
If the heroes fail to defeat the from here. Space Adventures
neogi , they will find themselves in
space involuntarily until they escape As an option for this version of the Once th e heroes have gotten into
or are slain. If the heroes defeat the crash, there may be one lone survi- space (by whatev er means) with a de -
neogi, they must deal with several vor, who mutters something about cent vessel , the next step is figuring
problems: figure out how to operate "The Black Spot " before dying . The out what they ' re doing up there.
the mindspider (with either a lifejam- Black Spot is a local pirate who shot There ar e a number of options , de -
mer or a minor helm) , defeat the down the merchant in the first place, pending on the tendencies of the ad-
deathspider up above, and then , de- and if the heroes make it into space , venturers th ems elves.
fend themselves against the first ship he'll be after them as well.
that assumes the heroes to be evil Adventuring: This is generally
neogi and attacks them. The Crash, Part 2: Similar in set- described as "cr ui sin g around and
up to the crash, part 1, except that seeing what attacks us." The DM
The Envoy : The characters, re- the ship is a beholder tyrant ship. Its should hav e some set-p iece encoun-
nowned through their lands (or per - orbus and most of the crew died in ters for thi s type of group (treasure
haps even the rulers of the land) , are the crash, but five beholders and the

or smaller. Long-time lairs, abandoned dwarven mines, war. Every small city maintains a mi-
helmsmen can guess even etc.) and mix liberally with random litia fleet charged with patrolling its
from this what type of encounters . Many of the descriptions orbit , aiding ships in distress , and re-
ship or object they are within this book are intended as pelling possible threats. The nature
springboards for the DM to provide of these threats vary from city to city,
running near Ian asteroid interesting adventures and encoun- but usually include neogi deathspi-
ters for the characters. ders, reavers and known pirates.
"feels" different from a
dwarven shipj. Visual Trading: A subset of adventuring War is a common occurrence in
sighting, either by the which usually involves getting Item space , and with indiscriminate fire,
mage in his deck position A to Point B. Most items along this soon brings a large number of fac-
or a crew member, Is re- l ine are small and valuab le, ranging tions into play. Typical warlike mis-
quired. from components needed to fill a sions include patrol , search and
wizard 's requirements for a spell to destroy for enemy ships, spying mis-
The helmsman can ma- precious gems and artifacts. In the sions, and all -out assaults. Cities war
neuver the ship slug- last case, the patron must either be among themselves for trade or to
gishly, but any real ma- sure of the ind ividual's honesty or right grievances, trading costers bat-
neuver- like a turn- very, very desperate to put a magical tle for patrons and routes , and vari-
takes the ship out of its item of great power into the hands of ous races are involved in continual
rapid movement and t he characters. Of course, in addition running battles (the beholders , for
down to tactical speed. to encounters along the way, there example, hire both military and pri-
In combat , the helmsman may be other individuals who would vateers among humans to fight other
Is limited by the feel of want to intercept the heroes and re- beholders).
the hull and Its capabili- 1ieve them of their items , which
ties, and cannot maneu- brings us to ... Explorati on: For all the years that
ver the ship above its men have sailed the void and cruised
capacity without magical Pirating: A nasty word, so most the phlogiston there is a great deal
aid. The crew provides individ uals engaged in it call it free - that men do not know about their
the true maneuverability booting or swashbuckling. Pirating universe. Fantasy space is a universe
of the ship during tight is a common occupation for space not of theorists and scientists but of
turns and while evading crews, and there are as many cities explorers and adventurers whose so-
enemy missiles. based on p irating as there are on lution to test out what is beyond a
trade (they are made of the same shell is to journey there and find out.
Combat under the coin, and a pirate one day may be a The Seekers are excellent patrons
helm Is a frightening, but trader the next) . The best of the pi- for these types of adventures, since
usually nonlethal, pros- rates c ut a swath across the stars, they will willingly finance explora-
pect. The helmsman is legendary heroes who are kind to the tion into new areas to receive de-
aware of damage to the weak and dangerous to the strong. tailed maps of new lands.
hull as bright flashes of T he worst are called marauders and
reavers, and leave a trail of blood In t rigu e: A sneakier sort of ad-
floating in the void. Both are hunted venturing , suitable to rogues and
by whatever local authorities exist, those who prefer the (relative) safety
but the reavers are shown no mercy . of the cities . The various factions and
races of space continually tilt against
A specia l ized pirate is a privateer, each other for dominion: Seekers
a free agent who serves space-based against Xenos, military brother-
nations as a raider, choosing his tar - hoods against each other , wizards
gets from among the ships of that na- against competitors , and the neogi
tion's enemies. In reality , the against all. The long distances and
privateers are less concerned with relative lack of information make
such details, and a number have " ac- spies and scouts very valuable in
c identally" attacked friendly ships . space.

Local Navies and Milita ry: These
types of adventures tend to be boring
in times of peace, deadly in times of

Life on Other Planets his paladin was eaten by a flail snail represent their adaptive nature to a
in a distant crystal shell?) world without a surface, and the fli.
Many of the fantasy worlds share ers here never need tire or land . The
similar creatures, species, and types Fire-Type worlds tend to have fire DM may also modify existing crea-
of government. A native of Water- elemental based creatures, such as tures for flight (the airboar, for exam-
deep would not be totally lost in the salamander, efreet, and azer but ple, which has batlike wings). These
Greyhawk, and an elf from Silvanesti also fire-based analogs of existing creatures will have a speed equal to
could fit in at the elven courts of creatures (such as a fire-based bear) . their earthly analog 's ground speed
Evermeet. Other planets do not nec- These analogs have the same ap- doubled , and have a maneuverability
essarily share those same similari- pearance, hit dice, and attacks as class of either C or D (50% chance
ties, and the DM may create worlds their regular versions, but in addition for either).
to fit his fancy and the needs of his are made of elemental fire, plasma,
adventures. molten rock, and other materials. As Monster Appearance
a rule of thumb, these creatures will
Types of Worlds and have the following special abilities: One of the great advantages for
Their Life Forms ADE,D ® game players is that once
They inflict 1-6 additional hit the basic monsters are known and
The easiest method of populating points in fire damage to normal dam- committed to memory , they are an
other worlds, short of creating all- open book for the players. Their
new monsters for every possible age for every Size class. (Size S = weaknesses and vulnerabilities are
planet and terrain, is to use already well known enough that a prepared
existing creatures in different situa- 1d6, Size M = 2d6, Size L = 3d6, party can take on most monsters
tions. Certain types of planets are Size H = 4d6, and Size H = 5d6.) with special vulnerabilities. This is
more amenable to specific types of particularly true of monsters special-
creatures than others (fish do not sur- They are more vulnerable to cold, ized to a point where a single type of
vive well on fire-worlds, for exam- suffering double damage from cold attack will drive them off or slay
ple). attacks . They are vulnerable even to them.
the cold that we consider comfort-
Given the choice of weighing the able temperatures, taking 1d6 points This situation makes sense on
DM down with yet more monsters, of damage for each round of expo- most home planets , where the he-
some of which would be variants on sure to these chill temperatures, roes have at least a passing familiar-
existing types, the DM may choose eventually burning out or fusing into ity with tales of rakshasa and water
to use the following tricks to make a lump of inanimate rock. weirds and other creatures. But in
his worlds look and feel different, the new lands opened by space, this
and to give the heroes unexpected Water-Type worlds have a rich di- is not always the case. A hero should
monsters and encounters. versity of aquatic life. All fish, not be always able to identify a mon -
whales, and water-breathers are pos - ster from his home campaign, and
Monsters by World Type sible on water-type worlds, including have the same tricks work in every
mermen, sahuagin, sea elves, and lo- case.
Following are general examples of cathah. The DM may double the size
typical inhabitants of the various and hit dice of these creatures, as One way of dealing with this prob-
world types (the four elemental they are perfectly adapted for their lem (short of new monsters which
types, discounting for the moment worlds (creating mergiants from are nice if there is time) is to change
the "fifth" element used by the Kara- mermen, for example). DMs may the appearance of the monsters . All
Tur characters). also take creatures who are normally abilities , hit dice, and raw stats re-
air-breathers and create an aquatic main the same, but the creature, if
Earth-Type worlds have a diverse version (such as a water-breathing humanoid , takes on a nonhumanoid
selection along the lines set out in beholder, which unlike the eye of the appearance; if it is normally reddish
the Monstrous Compendiums, and deep retains use of its eyes). On in hue and looks like a cow , it is now
in the Monster Manuals and FIEND those islands that break the surface blue and looks like a giant fox.
FOLIO™ tome that preceded them. In of the water, earth-type life will also
fact, many of the monsters in those be found. An example from the writer's own
previous texts will never see the light campaign: The grimlock from the
of day in the Compendiums, and as Air-Type worlds specialize in fli- FIEND FOLIO tome is a creature that
such could be used on alien worlds. ers . Dragons, djinn, aaracokra , and will likely not reappear in the Mon-
(Then again, who wants to admit that other winged creatures will be com- strous Compendium. These creatures
mon. The DM may double the hit
dice and size of these creatures to

pain, but can easily main - appear as grey-skinned humanoids Here are some general changes to
tain control. In certain with sharp teeth and blank eyes, and monsters that can preserve their
circumstances ja critical are particularly vulnerable to audible freshness, and limitations to those
hit/, the pain can l<nock glamer spells while being invulnera· changes.
the helmsman out, slow - ble to illusions. Most of my players
ing the ship to a stop . knew this description and brought No. Appearing: Never more than
out the needed spells when they ap- double or less than half.
Many helmsmen have peared. They traveled to another
described the sensation world and found more grimlocks , but Armor Class: Raise or lower by
of being merged with the this time I changed them in appear- only 1 point.
ship, lil<ening it to the ance only to resemble land-walking
feeling of personally fly - squids with weapons in their tenta• Movement: Double speed at best.
ing among the stars . cles. Confronted with the " land-
Sometimes they have a squids ," the players fought as if they Hit Die: Double at best , plus give
tendency to look down were encountering the beasts for the the players a clue by increasing size.
on warriors, rogues, and first time (which they were) , all the
others as mere passen - while trying to figure out why I was Number of Attacks: Double , but
gers in the marvelous reading from the FIEND FOLIO"' never more than four per round.
ship that the mage or tome.
priest has become. Damage/Attack: Leave as for nor-
Changes in appearance can be mi- mal monster.
nor (blue elves) or major (giants with
mind flayer heads but none of their Size: See under Hit Die above.
psychic abilities). The limitations of
the appearances are up to the DM, In general, alter special attacks ,
though he should note them in side- special defenses, and in particular
bar if the heroes ever come back magic resistance at you r own risk .
looking for the "Land-squids unaf - When modifying such special abili-
fected by illusions." Examples of ties, try to trade for an equal or
changes of appearance are: weaker special ability. For example,
a creature that can only be hit by sil-
Change in color (blue elves) ver may be altered to one that can
Change in flesh type (scaly hu- only be hit by cold iron, but not to
mans) one that could only be hit by magical
Appears as a related creature weapons. The first case would sur-
Appears as a creature of a different prise and hamper the character,
species while the second would give too
Appears with the head of a differ- great an advantage to the monster .
ent creature (dragon, horse, etc.) Further, a monster that was more re-
ls translucent or faded, but still vis- sistant to certain attacks would even-
ible (no penalties to hit) tually force out his normal cousins
and become the dominant type of
Change in Monster Statistics creature.

A more involved modification is to An example of a modified special
change one or more of the statistics attack is our beholder/bartender on
of the monster to reflect its appear- the Rock of Bra I. The death-ray eye is
ance in a new environment. This is disabled, and replaced with one that
more chancy than just changing the projects a detect lie spell. The result
monster 's appearance, as it can af- is a more socially oriented monster,
fect game play severely, often creat- who can survive better in a city since
ing unkillable creatures or those that most patrons know they will not be
the players may use to their advan - knocked dead (of course, he retains
tage. his disintegration ability with an-
other eye) .

Landfall! venture and within the wishes of the lent fleets, not understanding fully
Arriving at Planets player-if they ask to land some- the difference in cost and potency.
where fairly removed from civiliza- The powerful and the adventurous in
Fantasy worlds are large entities in tion, having them come down in both worlds know of each other, and
themselves, and are often developed Waterdeep is not a good idea). A na· often try to link the two worlds. Wiz-
as the players move through them. In tive of the Realms can likely identify ards in particular are very interested
ground-based campaigns, the DM his homeland from space, and as in the differences between the spac-
can often stay one jump ahead of the such be able to set down pretty much ers and the groundlings.
players-if they move toward the as he sees fit.
"impassable" mountains at the edge In the Realms, for example,
of the map , the DM has a chance to When landing, the DM should Khelben of Waterdeep and El minster
build more world before they arrive. check the weather, according to the of Shadowdale are both powerful
Concordance. Strong winds or rains wizards. They know of the spell-
In fantasy space, this problem for may reduce the chance of landing jammers and the ships that regularly
DMs is intensified in that the players safely. The characters may choose ply the skies over their heads .
have more mobility. They can effec- another landing area, choose to Khelben has an active interest, while
tively land anywhere on a planetary brave the storm (with attendant pos- El minster prefers dimensional travel
surface , which seems to require that sible damage) or simply wait out the as quicker and easier, and has less to
entire planets need to be created storm in space. This last would in• do with such matters. The Lord of
wholesale before the play can pro- volve additional possible encounters Waterdeep is aware of space craft ,
ceed . while waiting for the clouds to clear. but only listens to what Khelben has
to say about it when a strange ship
Such is not the case. Most cam- When Space Meets Ground docks in the harbor with odd and un-
paign worlds are not full globes, and usual items. The Lord of Shadow-
are developed over time. The "other One of the key rules to keep in dale, who runs a much smaller
side of the world" tends to stay vague mind when introducing the SPELL· community, knows nothing of spell-
and with large areas of similar terrain JAMMER"' setting to established jammers and space civilizations,
until the heroes arrive there. fantasy campaigns is that they are since he is concerned with invading
very much separate worlds, and one troops from Zhentil Keep.
As a rule of thumb , when adventur- should not outweigh or overwhelm
ers land on a planet , they will come the other. If inventions from space (such as
down where the DM says they come wheel locks and smoke powder)
down. If the far side of Tori I does not Civilizations in space consider threaten to overwhelm a ground-
exist as yet, they cannot land there. themselves superior to the swarming based campaign, the DM has full per-
groundlings, and most of their citi- mission and encouragement to
This sounds a little harsh , but zens do not worry about the state of correct the sitution. In Greyhawk, for
taken as a group rule, makes sense. If the Realms or the Dragonlance example , smoke powder does not
the DM has plans and adventures set Wars-in a huge galaxy of myriad function, though if taken off-planet it
around the fantasy equivalent of New spheres , it simply doesn't matter to regains its abilities.
York, it makes little sense to land the them. They have their own provin-
heroes in Istanbul and expect them cialism, dealing with shipping and pi - The gap between groundling and
to make the long march. Adventures rates. Their subjects of discussion space is both a state of reality and a
tend to happen near adventurers- are neogi incursions and beholder state of mind. The groundling cam-
when the space barbarians land on civil wars, two subjects that would paigns can run smoothly and effec-
the deserted planet with the ruins of leave a groundling listener believing tively without interference from
an ancient race, said ruins are usu- he was in the company of profes- space, and the spacebom legions
ally within walking distance. This is a sional liars. The demands of their can fight among themselves without
convention used regularly in fiction space are different from the de- worrying the nations of the various
and may be used here as well. mands of "the ones below," and as planets .
such the two do not mix.
The exception to this is when the The reason? Simply put, because
heroes know where they are going. A This is not to say that they do not they lack a common ground .
native of Krynn, for example, landing know of each other's existence; sim-
in the Realms for the first time may ply, that matters not. Groundling na-
be placed by the DM as he sees fit tions hear tales of space armadas
(preferably with an eye toward ad- and translate them into the equiva-

Why Ships Definition of Terms in general , this type of engine is best
in Space? suited for the ship.
Name : Common name of the type
The basic hulls of the of ship described. Ship's Rating : The speed of the
spacefaring humanoid ship in combat. Ships that use major
nations reveal their Built By: Hull usually constructed or minor spelljamming helm s are
aquatic origins. The first by this race . noted as such , and have variable
human ships In space speeds according to the spellcaster
Used Primarily By : The major manning the helm.
were modified seacraft, races that use this type of ship . Other
races than those listed may use these Standard Armament : The typical
just as the first ships that ship types unless otherwise noted, weaponry of the ship . More than any
most groundling adven- but generally the users will be one of other feature, armament varies the
turers take into space for the types listed. most from ship to ship . Th ese are
the first time are galleons standards, but individual owners cus -
and caravels fitted with Tonnage : Tonnage of the ship de - tomize their ships. The crew required
spelljamming helms. Such termines hull points and amount of to man typical weapons is not ed, too.
vessels are both easy to crew and passengers that may be This is in addition to crew needed for
acquire and familiar to safely carried. ship maneuvering .
their crews.
Hull Points : Amount of damage Cargo : Amount of space available
But the nature of the the ship may take before breaking for cargo, passengers , and other sun -
helm does not limit sall- up. dries , once the amounts requi red for
ing ships as the only weapons , crew, and the helm are
types of ships to be found Crew: The number before the taken. This space may be u sed for
in space, as the dwarven slash is the number required to oper- transporting cargo or given to other
flying mountain citadels ate the ship at its optimum maneu- uses (like more weapons).
and elven butterflies verability class. The number
clearly show. Why then following the slash is the maximum Keel Length : The length of the
do men take ships into number of man -sized passengers and ship , stem to stern.
space? , crew the ship can carry without
straining its air envelope . Beam Length : The width of the
The basic seafaring ship at its widest point.
ship 's shape and organi - Maneuver Class :The rating for the
zation is ideal for spell- ship 's maneuverability. This affects Description : A general summary
jamming activities. The the ship 's ability to turn and evade in of the ship and its appearance .
plane of gravity lies very combat. A is the best rating, F the
low in the ship, in some worst. Crew : A listing of the typical cr ew
cases almost on line with of the ship , along with the normal po-
the keel Itself. The ship Landing : Whether the ship can sitions manned by its typical user s. If
land safely on land or water without a ship's owners usually have an orga-
crashing. This does not affect ships nized chain of command, it is men-
in orbit or using space docks. If a per- tioned here. Location of the helm
centage is given , that is the chance and bridge are often noted here as
the craft has of landing successf ull y. well.

Armor Rating: The strength of the Ship Uses : Some ships are better
ship 's hull , given as a number similar suited for specific tasks than others.
to a character 's Armor Class . This section lists the most common
uses for the various types. While
Saves As: Saving throw category there are squid ship landers and mos -
used for the ship. See the table on p. quito battlewagons , they are rare
25 of The Concordance of Arcane when compared with the number of
Spa ce. squid ship dreadnoughts and mo s-
quito landers .
Power Type: The form of spell -
jammer engine usually found with Other Configurations : This sec-
this type of ship. Replacement and tion lists the common alternatives
alternate engines are common, but

__J AL_ _________ _ _ _ _ ____ ________ _ ____ _______ _ ___ _

M

for the various ship types , such as for several days-you get where Scout : Similarly, the flitter is an
more armor, more maneuverability, you 're going, but not very comfort - excellent reconnaissance and espio-
modifications for particular races or ably . nage ship , capable _of slipping into
special tasks. The DM is free to throw small areas and making planetfall.
these alternate versions at the play - The Flitter has insufficient interior Heading for the nearest large solar
ers to keep them on their toes. space for anything but personal body is a favorite tactic for the "lone
Merely switching one weapon type items in its tiny cargo hold. The ship rider" seeking to escape from dan-
for another is not listed in the sec- is too small to carry any large weap- gerous pursuers.
tion , unless the change affects a onry . The flitter is really nothing
large percentage of ships in common more than an extension of the user 's Landing Craft: Sometimes owners
usage. own form. strip the spelljamming engine out of
a flitter and replace it wi.th a more
This section also outlines how the Ship Uses conventional engine. In this configu-
various races that commonly use a ration, the flitter is useless for inter-
particular ship modify it for their own Messenger: In its spelljamming planetary voyages , but suitable for
ends. configuration , the flitter is best at short hops into and out of the atmos-
carrying light goods over short inter - phere or between ships. The elven
In the descriptions that follow , stellar distances. The lightest good navy follows a strict policy of only al-
ships are presented in order of ton - to carry is information , so the flitter lowing ships without helms to make
nage from lightest to heaviest. often serves as a messenger between planetfall, so this use of flitters as
elven fleets separated by the void or landing craft is very common.
FLITTER in different spheres entirely. Such
missions are dangerous for these Small Fighters: Another place for
Built By: Elves messengers, called in their tongue a flitter lacking a spelljammer helm is
" lone riders." in close combat with enemy ships .
Used Primarily By : Elves

Tonnage: 1 ton

Hull Points: 1

Crew: 1

Maneuver Class: B

Landing-Land : Yes

Landing-Water: Yes

Armor Rating: 8

Saves As: Ceramic

Power Type: Major or

minor helm

Ship's Rating : As for helms -

man

Standard Armament: None

Cargo: ½ ton

Keel Length: 20 '

Beam Length: 5'

Description

The flitter is the smallest standard

ship in fantasy space and has little

more than a modified sp elljammer

helm tucked within its small butterfly

shape. It carries a single passenger/

captain/helmsman who sits just

ahead of the wings. The flitter is not

recommended for long trips , given

its small size and delicate construc-

tion . Traveling in a flitter has been Elven Flitter

compared to riding a tireless horse

Large elven dreadnoughts of the ar- MOSQUITO
mada class (see below) carry a num-
is portable and made to ber of depowered flitters. While Built By: Humans
these ships cannot manage inter- Used Primarily By: All races
stand up under pressures planetary flight, they are capable of Tonnage: 6 tons
attacking enemy ships. Controls are Hull Points : 6
from several directions. set into the seat of the flitter and the Crew : 1/6
ships are manned by archers or Maneuver Class : C
Its layout, with a limited mages, who soften up a target before Landing-Land : Yes
the main attack. Landing-Water : Yes
crew under the command Armor Rating : 5
Other Configurations Saves As : Thin wood
of a captain and his offi - Power Type: Major or
Depow ere d Versions: Used as minor helm
cers, makes it easy to landing craft and small fighters as Ship's Rating : As for helms-
noted , these flitters have their spell- man
handle in space. Even the Jammer helms removed and replaced Standard Armament
with simpler, more conventional en- Cargo: : None
rigging, oars, and other gines. The common elven engines Keel Length: 3 tons
used for these craft have a move- Beam Length : 100'
deck furniture onboard ment on the tactical map of 2 spaces 15'
per round.
aids in maneuvering the
Wild Flitters: There are a number
ship. Finally, the stan - of abandoned flitters littering the Description
cosmos, the remains of failed mis-
dard sizes of ships fits sions, undelivered messages , and The mosquito , along with the el-
old battles. Such craft are seriously ven Flitter, is among the smallest
with the tonnage re- overgrown, their wings curled in on spelljammer helm-carrying ships in
themselves like seashells. Such common use in fantasy space. The
quirements of the spell- ships may have workable engines mosquito is used as a shuttle, land-
within, and are MC E and AR 9 until ing craft, spy ship and infiltrator. Its
jamming helms. · trimmed back. Repair costs are small size makes it unsuitable in
equivalent to refitting half the hull. combat (one good hit from a heavy
Other objects can and weapon can usually knock it out).
have been taken into Firewinds: This type of depowered
space, including monu - flitter has not been used by the elven Crew
ments, boulders, several fleet since the Unhuman Wars. The
pyramids, and a few firewind is a suicide craft, loaded The mosquito can be run at full rig-
large creatures such as with flammables and piloted to crash ging by a single man, making it
dragons. Living creatures on enemy decks. Used against prized as a personal star-traveler. The
seem to be upset by being wooden ships, each flitter has the ef- low maximum capacity of the ship
used as ships and they of- fect of two hits from a greek fire pro- makes it suitable only for small par-
ten try to return to their jector. The firewind pilots are trained ties, or for short trips, where the ever-
homes as soon as possi- to bail out if possible. Elves even stifling air will not pose a serious
ble, going out of control used charmed ores and men to fly problem.
if not. Castles and other the ships near the end of the Unhu-
buildings secured to the man War. Ship Uses
ground will not move
unless released from Landing Craft: Most mosquitoes
their moorings, and then are carried on larger ships and used
they experience severe as shuttles or landing craft for indi-
problems as the plane of vidual crew members. They are also
gravity moves through used occasionally as rescue craft and
alternate lifeboats. Often the spell-
Jammer helms are stripped out of
mosquito landing cra ft, as that is the
most expensive part of the vehicle .

M

Spy Ship/Infiltrator: The mos- CARAVEL Description
quito is not made to stand up in a
fight, but makes a great stealth ship. Built By: Groundling Unfortunately , the most common
Mosquitoe s can be easily modified form of first-time ship an adventure r
and made harder to detect , making humans is lik ely to own is someth ing along
them prime candidates for spy ship the lines of the caravel. This ship is a
duty. Used Primarily By: Groundling cheap vessel with low armor rating
and maneuverability , little capacity
Space Hulk/Bomb : In sections of humans to maintain a crew above the listed
space with longstanding wars , mos - minimums, and woefully inadequate
quitoes are oft en stripped of their Tonnage: 10 tons weaponry . This is the type of ship cre -
helms and cast adrift after being ated by adventurers who find a spell-
filled to the brim with greek fire can- Hull Points : 10 Jamm er helm in the ru i ns of an
isters and other flammables. The ancient civ ili zation.
hope is that such space hulks will fall Crew: 8/10
into the gravity planes of large en - If such an adventuring team sur-
emy ships and crash, setting them on Maneuver Class: F vives their first adventure into space
fire. Often swarms of these flamma- and discovers other civilizations with
ble mosquitoes are left in orbit Landing-Land : No better , more refined sh ips they
around enemy planets. quickly junk the caravel for at least a
Landing-Water: Yes trade sman. As a result , coasters , car-
Other Configurations avels , biremes , and the like are often
Armor Rating: 9 abandoned by their owners, who
Gnat: A stripped-down version of wise up and leave them propp ed on
the mosquito , the gnat is one of the Saves As: Thick wood the side of an asteroid base as a
most maneuverable sh ip s in space. source of lumber and scrap.
Its armor rating is 8 but maneuver- Power Type: Major or
ability climbs to B. The gnat is often
used as a shuttle in high -combat minor helm
zones.
Ship's Rating : As for helms-
Stinger: In this configuration, the
mosquito's cargo section is filled man
with weaponry-a ballista , catapult,
or jettison , according to th e tastes of Standard Armament:
the user.
1 medium ballista
Domed Deck: This enclosed ver-
sion of the mosquito (or, occasion- Crew: 2
ally, the gnat) has a dome covering
the upper deck. The domed mos - Cargo: 5 tons
quito is used by mind flayers and
other beings sensitive to light. The Keel Length : 70'
dome does not change the AR or sav-
ing throws of the craft , but prevents Beam Length: 20'
those on the upper deck from being
attacked freely. Mosquito

DRAGONFLY Crew

Built By : Humans The dragonfly is capable of being
handled (badly) by a single man, but
Used Prim aril y By: Humans, elves operates best with a th ree-man crew,
not including any men required for
Tonnage : 10 tons the spelljammer helm. The captain is
usually the navigator and the quar-
Hull Points : 10 termaster. The first officer generally
doubles as the helmsman and the
Crew : 3/10 cook.

Maneuv er Cl ass: C Ship Uses

Landing - La nd : Yes Smuggling : The "light package"
trade is a favorable one for space-
Landing - Wate r : No farers . Those who wish to send items
such as magic tomes, artifacts, or
Armor Rating : 8 magical items to other planets or
spheres without passing through the
the building. Walls that Saves As : Thin wood various planes of existence find
carry forces in one direc- black-market traders very helpful-
tion now must carry Power Type : Major or for a sizable price. Smuggling ships
them in opposite direc - are often stripped for maneuverabil-
tions, which in turn minor helm ity and powered by a high-level cleric
causes some to crumble, or wizard for speed.
which in turn shifts the Sh ip's Rating : As for helms-
plane of gravity further The stripped -down dragonfly has
upward until eventually man an improved maneuverability class
the entire structure col- of B, but its AR is only 9 . This version
lapses. Standard Arm am ent: usually uses a furnace as its spell jam-
ming device , and requires that the
The dwarves rely on 1 light ballista agents employing the smuggler pro-
the solidity of their vide sufficient magic to power it.
mountain ships, but even Crew: 1
they do not land with Free Adventuring : The dragonfly
them. The elves use a liv- OR is a handy small exploration ship for
ing plantlike creature as adventurers who are looking to land
the base of their ships , 1 light catapult on a planet , scout around, and leave
but it is unknown if this at will. " Leave at will" is a big part of
plant was grown by one Crew: 1 the dragonfly's desirability; the
race of elves , or discov- sh ip's relatively small size and land-
ered on an air world Cargo : 5 tons ing ability make it the ship of choice
where the butterfly- for such situations. Its chief disad-
shaped creatures would Keel Length : 100' vantage is also its size , which pre-
evolve along ship llnes. vents it from being used to haul large
Beam Length : 20 ' objects into space. The crew of an ad-
As for humans and a venturing ship will vary greatly , but
number of other races, Description will always include a mage or pries t
ships have provided the to man the helm .
easiest methods into The dragonfly, with the tradesman
space, and so are the (be low) is one of the workhorses of Wizard's Ship : Such ships are nor-
most commonly used. space. Its small size and good ma- mally gutted and redesigned from
neuve rability make it ideal for t rans- within to suit the needs of the wizard ,
porting small groups , very important who operates the ship alone or with a
persons , and small packages. These few trusted retainers , famil iars , and/
features also make the dragonfly the
idea l ship for smuggling and fast ex-
ploration.

The dragonfly also is highly rec-
ommended as a wizard's ship. A truly
antisocial mage can load most of his
supplies on board and turn the drag-
onfly into a mobile laboratory and
workshop, placing himself literally
millions of miles from nowhere.
There he can work in relative peace.
A large number of dragonfly hulks
fo und in the various systems were
once used for this purpose, aban-
doned when their masters moved on
or died as a result of their experi-
ments.

M

or magical creations. Wizards who DAMSELFLY Saves As: Metal
do not venture into the phlogiston
will often open extradimensional Built By: Power Type : Major or
holes from their ship in order to pro- Used Primarily By:
vide more storage space. (In the Tonnage: Humans minor helm
Flow, the storage space will disap- Hull Points:
pear and can't be opened until the Crew: Humans Ship's Rating : A s for helm s-
ship reaches another crystal sphere.) Maneuver Class: 10 tons
A wizard 's ship usually carries no Landing-Land: 10 man
heavy armaments, as the wizard him- Landing-Water :
self is often the most dangerous Armor Rating : 2/10 Standard Armament:
weapon on board. D
1 heavy weapon
Ship's Boat: A dragonfly can be Yes
gutted of its sp elljamm er helm (the No Cargo : 5 tons
most expensive part of a ship) and 4
used as a " ship 's boat " for a larger Keel Length: 100 '
craft in making planetary landings .
The dragonfly retains its hull and ma - Beam Length: 20 '
neuverabil ity characteristics, but has
a nonmagical engine as its power Dragonfly
source . Such ships sometimes retain
their spelljammer helms and are used
as scouts or light fighters .

Other Configurations

This version of th e dragonfly is
used by some humans in desperate
naval actions . The firefly is nothing
more than a large bomb. The ship's
light catapult is replaced with either
a bombard or a greek fire projector
and stuffed to the gills with ammuni-
t ion. The idea is for the spelljamming
mag e or priest to drive it into the
heart of an enemy armada and deto-
nate it by crashing into a larger ship.
The mage is sometimes provided
with a lifeboat or d imensional escape
device .

Heavy Dragonfly: Occasionally,
more armor is added to the dragon-
fly , improving the AR to 7 and reduc -
ing its MC to D. Most individuals
seeking a better protected ship look
at the superior damselfly class in -
stead of modifying a dragonfly.

Damselfly

Packing Them In Descrip t ion lures. The fact that a casual observer
cannot tell if the ship carries a wiz-
0 A second-generation version of ard , lich , or rakshasa provides a level
the standard dragonfly, the damsel- of comfort for the user.
The first number listed fly has the same general configura-
under a ship 's " crew " tion as the dragonfly, but has been Smuggling: Like the dragonfly,
rating is the minimum totally redesigned along its main the damselfly is used extensively in
number of beings re- body. The thin wood has been re• the "small package trade," particu-
quired to run the ship ef - placed with metal and other, harder larly in locations where open warfare
fectively. The second substances, and all exposed decks is common and/or the local authori-
number is the total num- have been covered. A sliding hatch ties have the power to back up a
ber of man-sized beings just behind the wings is used for the blockade . Damselfly captains rarely
that the ship can support single heavy weapon the damselfly take on passengers (see the above
without danger of de - has, though some versions use this notes on personality of such cap•
pleting its air envelope for cargo space, turning the aft sec- tains), but may be induced to do so
prematurely. tion into a weapon deck instead. for a high price .

However. there are sit- Crew Ship's Boats: As the dragonfly, the
uations where for short damselfly often has its expensive
periods It is in the charac - Refinements in the layout of the spelljamm er helms stripped and re-
ters· best interests to pile ship's wings reduce the number of placed with nonmagical engines,
men needed for full operation to two, turning the ship into a planetary
as many beings on deck including the spelljamming mage scout or shuttle. Such shuttles are
as possible. Opportuni- himself. The spelljammer helm is usu- useful for zipping about a planet's
ties Include conducting a ally located on the enclosed bridge surface , but are useless for interplan-
itself, behind a forward portal of etary travel since their air will run out
heavily armored raid on glass, crystal, or metal affected by a long before they reach a destination.
another planetoid or glassteel spell. The ship can be oper-
evacuating a damaged ated from the deck without endan- Other Config urat ions
ship that is in danger of gering the crew.
breaking up. Such over - Alternate Weapons: The damsel-
loads occur for brief peri - As with the dragonfly, the damsel- fly 's main weapon is usually a heavy
ods, and usually far fly has a captain (usually the owner) ballista stored behind a hatch lo-
outstrip the normal ca- who also holds any other position cated just aft of the wings. The hatch
pacity of the ship. How - that is needed. Damselfly captains slides back for combat operations.
ever, it makes sense that tend to be loners , either preferring or Some damselflies have the ballista in
for brief periods a helm - needing relative peace and quiet. the rear (normally cargo area) . Some
equipped vil<ing longship The damselfly is a hermit's ship, captains replace the ballista with a
fthe Concordance, p. 29) used by those who want to shut the heavy jettison.
can carry more than its universe out.
listed, safe crew of 4/4. Additional Weapons: If the cargo
Ship Uses space is eliminated , a damselfly of-
ten carries either a second ballista , a
Small Fighter: The damselfly is of- jettison, or a greek fire projector in
ten carried by larger ships as a scout the tail. Weapons mounted in the
and fighter. These ships are often left rear are called "stingers" regardless
behind as the main ship retreats, and of their type.
will rejoin the main ship at a rendez-
vous point-if possible. Such ver - Super-Heavy Damselfly: In the
sions frequently carry additional quest for still more protection, a
weapons. modified super-heavy damselfly has
appeared . Its armor rating is 3,
Monster 's Ship: The small size, among the best for ships its size , but
protection, and ease of operation of its low maneuverability class (E)
the damselfly make it an ideal craft makes it hard to manage in a fight.
for general ly solitary, nasty crea-

Alternate Shell: Enameled metal WASP Description
is the damselfly's common covering,
often painted in bright colors that Built By: Lizard men The wasp is a relative of the drag -
warn other ships away. Versions built onfly, built to suit the lizard man's
by some space-based humans use Osed Primarily By: Lizard men, physique. It is one of the few vessels
bone, ceramics, or shells to the same designed first and foremost with the
effect. The armor rating remains the humans lizard man in mind, but even as such
same, but the ship's saving throw is look s slapdash and poorly engi-
changed for the new material. Tonnage: 18 tons neered.

Mind Flayer Crews: The damselfly Hull Points: 18 The lower decks of the central sec-
appears frequently in mind flayer for- tion are bowed outward and flooded
mations as a scout or planetary land- Crew: 8/18 for use by the lizard men and as a
ing craft. This fits in with the general storage area for their pets. The raised
preferences of the mind flayers for Maneuver Class : D hump on the wasp's back provides
safe, secure ships. The damselfly is high ground for the ship's main
undergoing test flights with the mind Landing-Land: Yes weapon turret, usually a ballista.
flayers, and if the ship is deemed suc-
cessful, it will be added to their Landing-Water: Yes• Crew
fleets. Even if the craft fails the mind
flayers' rigorous tests, the damsel- Armor Rating: 6 Lizard men normally have a single
fly's successful design features will tribal captain and a shaman respon -
be added to those of the illithids ' Saves As : Thick wood sible for the spelljamming engines
standard nautiloid craft (see below). (regardless of the type of engines).
Power Type: Major or Beyond that, tasks are shared with-

minor helm

Ship's Rating: As for helms-

man

Standard Armament :

l heavy ballista

Crew: 4

Cargo : 9 tons

Keel Length: 80'

Beam Length : 20'

•Bee class only

Wasp

out official positions. The weapons drained and either used as the own -
teams often consist of those lizard er's quarters or as a banquet hall. The
men closest to the turrets at the time crew not directly involved with run-
of a battle. ning the ship are usually pressed into
service as cooks and the like. Some
The captain is usually positioned of the more magically oriented own-
either on the foredeck or at the tur - ers use undead, automatons, go-
ret, where he leads by example. The lems, or other non -air breathing
spelljammer helm is usually found be- beings as servants.
neath the foredeck , which is where
To figure maximum ca- the navigation checks are kept. The Other Configurations
pacity, multiply the beam crew's quarters are placed haphaz-
length times the keel ardly throughout the ship; there are The Bee Class: This variant is a
length and divide by 10. no official crew bunks on lizard man purely deep space craft used in areas
This is the total number ships. where lizard men have an estab -
of man-sized creatures lished off-planet base . The wasp 's
that can be packed into Many lizard man ships carry " crew landing gear is removed and re-
the ship without damag - mascots" in the flooded bulkhead. placed with two additional turrets,
ing it. The viking long- These mascots are often schools of containing 2 more medium or heavy
ship mentioned above fish, such as grouper and sharks , and ballistas. The bee can land in water ,
can carry 11 2 man -sized are sometimes used to feed the lizard but is usually used only in space.
figures , while a hammer - men (and provide a convenient
ship could carry 625 men method of disposing of unneeded The Bumble Bee: This configura -
maximum. A deathspider prisoners). Some ships carry large tion is a massive variant of the bee in
could take on a load of creatures such as octopi , squid , or which the legs are jettisoned and the
875 crew and slaves . eyes of the deep. hull itself deepened and widened to
carry an additional 9 tons of cargo.
Smaller than man-sized Ship Uses The "pregnant " appearance of the
and undead creatures bumble bee marks it as a trader's
may double these num - Piracy: The chief use of the wasp is vessel-and an easy target. In certain
bers, while larger than as a pirate vessel, preying on un - regions , wasps are disguised (either
man-sized figures are re- armed or lightly armed ships . It lacks by magic or by false fronts) as bum-
duced by a third . a ram, but its forward deck makes an ble bees to attract would-be targets.
excellent boarding platform . The
wasp 's size even allows it to land on Added Maneuverability: The wasp
larger ships. can be modified for evasion. In this
" fleet-footed" configuration, the ship
Free Adventuring: Many adventur- has lighter armor (AR 8) but in -
ers use the wasp because it is a cheap creased maneuverability (MC C). In
ship, easily purchased or captured addition, 3 tons of cargo space is oc-
from the lizard men. Despite its size, cupied in the tail section by a me-
the wasp is an attractive , even im- dium jettison.
pressive ship , and suitable for awing
untraveled locals. (In some cam- TYRANT SHIP
paigns, an ebon-painted wasp has
been confused with the ebony fly Built By: Arcane
magical item.) Adventurers often Osed Primarily By: Beholders
drain the wasp 's central pool and Tonnage: 23 tons
turn the area into cargo space. Hull Points: 23
Crew: 15/23
Luxury Ship: For the wealthy who Maneuver Class:
move from sphere to sphere , search- Landing-Land: C
ing for the new and different, the Landing-Water: No
wasp is large enough for comfort and No
small enough for easy handling. In Armor Rating: 0
this configuration , the central pool is Saves As: Stone

M

Power Type : Orbus beholder races. While all beholders down . At the center of the bowl usu-
share the same basic form and abili - ally rests the eye mother, surrounded
Ship's Rating : 1-6 ti es, the creatures' genetic lines are by a numb er of orbi.
plastic , such that small regiona l dif-
Standard Armament :Specia I ferences result in radica ll y different- Behold er ships usually lack weap-
looking creatures. The troub le is that ons , but make up for it with one of
Cargo: 11 tons all beholders have their own ideal as the most terrifying weapons in
far as perfection , and they consider space: the combined force of a large
Keel Length : Varies all other species of their race mu - number of beholders in a single
tants, suitable on ly for elim ination place . A " beholder circuit" of com-
Beam Length : Varies from the gene pool. mon behold er, orbus, and a queen
can provid e a beam of magical en-
Description Each tyrant ship reflects the indi- ergy about 400 yards ( 1 hex in tacti-
viduality and racial paranoia of its cal combat) in length and up to 100
The tyrant ships are the most di- master. Each ship also is a reflect ion yards across at the base.
of its owner's subspecies. But all
verse class of ships in fantasy space . share the same basic str ucture: a This beam can do a number of
concave "she ll " indented with small things , based on the beholder's natu-
They look lik e walnut shells, huge pocke t s. The se pockets are the rest - ral magical ability:
ing p lace of the beholders, tentacles
eyeballs shells carried by squidlike

tentacles-even huge beholders.

The above stats apply to a " typical "

tyrant ship, but there are commonly

both larger and smaller tyrant ship s

in the spaceways.

The individuality of the tyrant ship
reflects the individual nature of the

Beholder Tyrant Ship
(five variations)

Approaching these lim- Charm Person: One target-if within the circuit, but all such targets must
its means the ship is in an range-per common beholder in the be within a 10-foot radius.
extreme situation. A circuit. Targets do not need to be
point is reached where grouped together, though all must be Anti-Magic Ray : The most deadly of
the physical presence of within the area of effect. Any one tar- the beholder 's arsenal of attacks in
all these bodies begins to get need only save once against this space, this ray affects everything
damage the ship itself. spell. within the target area. Should it
Each round that the ship strike the spelljammer helm, it will
exceeds these limits, Charm Monster: As charm person. shut it down , rendering the ship help-
make a saving throw vs. less. A ship's upper decks usually
crushing blow for the Sleep: For each common beholder in provide adequate cover from this ray,
material of the ship or the circuit, a target may be affected. but used in conjunction with the dis-
the ship suffers 1d10 The intensity or effect of the magical integrate , the ray can easily and
points of hull damage per sleep is not increased, nor may one quickly immobilize an opponent.
10 people for fraction target be affected by multiple sleep Note that the anti-magic ray can work
thereof) of overload. A spells. against other anti-magic rays as well.
ship that is reduced to 0
hull points in this fashion Telekinesis: Add 250 lbs. to the nor- The key to dealing with aggressive
breaks up, scattering Its mal spell's capacity for every addi- beholder ships is to stay out of their
passengers throughout tional common beholder in the range, and use what speed and ma-
circuit. As a rule of thumb, consider neuverability is available to escape.
space. 250 lbs. about the weight of 1 ton of Long-range attacks work best, but
ship (this is a simplification, since 1 even causing a tyrant ship to break
ton of stone ship is very different up poses its own problems: the sur-
from 1 ton of thin wooden ship). viving beholders will attempt to
swarm over to the victorious ship, ei-
Flesh To Slone: One target for every ther to destroy it or capture it as a
common beholder in the circuit. temporary home for their queen.
Such targets must be within a 10-foot
radius. The magic that combines the ef-
fects of many beholders and pro-
Disintegrate: Each common beholder duces a single, effective attack is
in the circuit after the first increases within the hull of the tyrant ship. The
the area of effect of this spell as if an arcane, who cannot deal in spell-
additional disintegrate was cast. jammer helms to the orbus-using be-
holders, instead provide a variety of
Fear: One target can be affected for unique shells for each subspecies,
every common beholder in the cir- with the design registered as a
cuit. These targets can be anywhere unique "trademark" of that particu-
within the eye's area of effect, and lar species.
may be chosen by the beholder. A
target cannot be required to make Crew
more than one saving throw.
There are three general types of
Slow: One target can be affected for beholders bred to the task of space
every common beholder in the cir- travel. One is the common beholder
cuit. If cast on the spelljamming of which most groundlings live in
mage, it will reduce the rating of the fear: the intelligent eye tyrant. These
ship . beholders are the only type that can
survive without the others, and it is
Cause Serious Wounds: One target believed that their presence on many
can be affected for every common planets is the result of crashed ships.
beholder in the circuit. Multiple at- The common beholder makes up the
tacks with this spell can be used on bulk of the tyrant ship's crew.
any target.

Death Ray: One target can be af-
fected for every common beholder in

M

One to six orbi surround the cen- main tense, however, since all other TRADESMAN
tral queen. These are the creatures beholders regard dealing with non-
that provide the ship's spelljamming beholders as a sign of unworthiness. Built By: Humans
power . They channel the energy of
the other beholders into a motive There have been beholder/man , Used Primarily By: All races
force. An orbus can do this as long as beholder/dwarf, and even reports of
one common beholder is in the cir- beholder/mind flayer team-ups . The Tonnage: 25 tons
cuit, but needs the queen to provide beholders have an apparent hatred of
direction. the neogi, and no such combinations Hull Points: 25
are reported. The most common
The term beholder queen is a mis- configuration for these team-ups is a Crew : 10/25
nomer. Beholders are sexless, but tyrant "shell" mounted to a larger
show personality traits that outsiders ship . Maneuver Class: D
tend to interpret as male or female
properties. The queen rests at the Tyrant Wrecks: Warring beholders Landing-Land : No
center of the shell, the ultimate cap· gut the wrecks of their opposition , en-
tain, controlling the actions of all the slave the enemy orbi (if still alive), and Landing-Water: No
crew. All the ship 's energies pass leave them as a warning to others. As a
through her massive central eye in result, there are usually a number of Armor Rating: 5
attacks. tyrant wrecks in any system.
Saves As: Thick wood
Such wrecks are usually home to a
variety of nasty creatures , but if sal- Power Type: Major or
vaged, they may be sold to the cor-
rect subspecies of beholder for full minor helm
price, or to the arcane for half. Of
course, finding the correct sub- Ship's Rating: As for helms-
species of beholder is sometimes dif -
ficult. The ships of two bitterly man
opposed factions often can be told
apart only by the shape of the tyrant Standard Armament :
ship's rivets .
1 light catapult

Crew: 1

1 medium ballista

Ship Uses Crew: 2

Cargo: 13 tons

Purification: The beholder nations Keel Length: 120 '

exist for only one reason: the purifi- Beam Length: 30'

cation of their race of the scum

(meaning any other beholders who Description

look different from them). All other The standard tradesman is the
most common ship in civilized
activities-including trading, raid- space, varying only in weaponry and
added features from Greyspace to
ing, piracy , and the like-are second- Realmspace to the ends of fantasy
space. It is used by humans , lizard
ary to this basic goal. Beholders live men, elves , dwarves, mind flayers

to elevate their own subspecies over

the other beholders. To an outside

eye, si nce all beholders look pretty

much alike, this is fairly stupid, but

the fact that the beholders would

rather kill each other than take on

the rest of universe gives some sages

cause to worry.

Other Configurations Tradesman

Tyrant Rammer: A version of the
standard shell with a large piercing
ram modified to fit over the front.
Used primarily against non-beholder
ships, the rammer makes boarding
actions easy.

Combined Race Ships: Most ty-
rant ships have small cargo areas, re-
served for food and water. In some
cases, beholder subspecies have
built more elaborate ships with addi-
tional cargo and/or living space for
allied races. Such relationships re-

Types of Worlds, (under duress), gnomes, and even There are exceptions. Worlds that
Part 1: non-spacefaring races such as ores lack certain metals, lumber, or fin-
Earth Worlds and halflings. ished goods are often quite happy to
be part of interstellar trade. And, of
Earth-type worlds are The tradesman is a common short- course, all worlds appreciate the
range merchant ship, plying its way glow of extraterrestrial gems and
the type most common to between the planets , not equipped to jewels. The most common traffic-
deal with much more than a similarly even to worlds that value magic over
adventurers-they are equipped vessel that has turned pi- space travel-is in information;
rate . The tradesman is often a first small, valuable items; unique items;
balls for platters, or ship for deep-space adventurers. smuggling; and passenger service. In
these areas the standard tradesman
whatever celestial body Crew is at its best-a cheap way to get
from point A to point B.
is in vogue) of reel<. They A typical tradesman is operated by
a single captain . If the ship is a free The tradesman's spelljammer helm
may have elements of fire trader, the captain is also the owner. is located in the aft of the ship, just
However, there are collections of below the sailing deck. The bridge is
(volcanoes) and water guildsmen and combined business either topside (in calm situations) or
interests , called trading costers, who within the "head" of the fish (in more
(oceans) on them, and al- own fleets of tradesmen , with each dangerous space). The fish's head
ship's captain both partial owner of also holds the captain 's quarters.
most always have a large the fleet and of his own ship.
Free Adventuring: The tradesman
quantity of air covering Trading costers have the advan- is often a first -time adventurer's
tage of strength through numbers . craft, mainly because it can be
their surface, though They can minimize the loss of a par- bought cheaply and repaired easily.
ticular ship because they have so Later, anyone who has made a suffi-
there are earth-type plan- many. Costers vary from locale to lo - cient amount of money in space to
cale, but all tradesmen owned by a be serious about adventuring there
ets that have no atmos - particular coster fly similar colors. usually jumps ship (pardon the pun)
Often groups of coster tradesmen and buys a more suitable squid ship
phere. will be encountered , carrying mer- or hammership, or something more
chandise across space in a caravan- suited to their racial temperament.
Earth-type worlds if the profit is high enough. (Gnomes, for example, are surpris-
ingly ill at ease on a tradesman be-
have their adventures Crew assignments on a tradesman cause its operation is so simple.)
vary from ship to ship and from race
primarily on the surface to race. Lizard men ships are ar- Aboard adventuring ships, the
ranged along typically slapdash chain of command usually stops af•
of the e_arth, though lines, while elven ships adhere to a ter captain-which in adventuring
strict chain of command that (to hu- terms usually means "t he one who
there are adventures man minds) often borders on the ef- yells the loudest." Merchant trad~s-
fete and ludicrous. Humans make do men are not particularly happy with
that tal<e place on the sea with a captain, helmsman , first offi- the collection of spell-wielding and
cer, and pilot, with the other posi- sword-swinging maniacs who tram-
or slightly (in spacial tions filled in as needed. ple all over their stock and trade, ril-
ing up the monsters and bringi~g
terms) beneath the sur- Ship Use s attention to the tradesman as a ship
to attack. The traders' reactions to
face. Most of the life in- Trading : The trade routes to most adventurers who use these ships var-
worlds are not extensive to begin ies. Some are unwilling to deal with
habits this near-surface with, and most people find the solu- such individuals. Other send them
tions to trade problems afforded by on wild goose chases to other sys-
zone. magic superior to long-distance tems to drive them away.
travel through space.

M

Piracy: The common nature of the GNOMISH Description
tradesman also makes it a vessel for SIDEWHEELER
pirates new to the trade , again before Each gnomish sid ewheeler is
they "trade up" to more impressive Built By: Menoi unique. Each ship is built of th e col -
craft. When using a tradesman , the gnomes lected scrap , odd inventions, and
pirate 's best targets are other trades- Used Primarily By: Gnomes leftover bits from other ships . Gnom -
men and the occasional galleon (see Tonnage: 30 tons ish individualism and personalit y is
below) that is brought up out of the Hull Points : found in each sidewheeler , so no two
ocean by groundling adventurers. Pi- Crew: 30 look exactly alike.
rates who use the same tradesman Maneuver Class: 20/30
for a while tend to modify it by speed - Landing-Land: E For that matter , the same gnomi sh
ing it up , making it more maneuver - Landing-Water: 50% sidewheeler will look differ ent over
able , and adding more weapons. Armor Rating: 50% time , as the gnomes modify various
Saves As: 7 portions of the ship to their own
Other Configurations Power Type: Metal needs . New portholes and ac -
Ship's Rating: Gnomish cessways cross the ship as weapon
Light Cruiser: A tradesman vari - As for gnome turrets are added and then di s-
ant preferred by pirates and those Standard Armament: helmsman carded. Gnomes are more intere sted
plagued by pirates. This type of ship Cargo: None in salvage than standard re pair and
has reduced MC (E), but AR of 4. It Keel Length: 15 tons refit, so the scraps of two ships are of -
carries three medium ballistas or cat - Beam Length: 120' ten brought together to form one hy -
apults. 25' brid vessel.

Landing a Gnomish Ship : Given
the unstable design of gnomish ships ,
there is a 50% chance that any land -

Gnomish Sldewheeler

M

Earth-type worlds can ing will result in a crash. A waterborne depletion. On their ships, gnomes
range from ice to desert vehicle brought into space by continually scoot through the halls,
and from jungle to plains . gnomes may have so much of its hull bouncing off the bulwarks and tin-
There are often multiple pierced and modified that it is no long kering with everything in sight.
environmental niches on viable on the water, and will sink. Sim-
the same planet. ilarly, with the gnomish tendency to Gnomes are fairly egalitarian in
expand, it is highly likely that the their operations, with only the cap-
The greatest dangers to gnomes will place additions on the tain's position being fixed for any
travelers approaching ship without considering the "mun- long period of time. All other posi-
earth -type worlds are dane" matter of landing gear. For ex- tions upon the ship-helmsman,
burning up when passing ample, former struts and landing gear navigator, quartermaster-rotate
through the air envelope may now be shorter than a recently in- through the rest of crew by a sched-
and crashing In an uncon- stalled lighthouse on the base. ule determined by time , ship's posi-
trolled landing. The land tion, sphere, and phase of the moon
Gnomes and the individuals they of the gnome's homeworld (if any).
tends to be very unforgiv - hire have a number of methods of As this often moves ill-suited individ -
dealing with this problem. The most uals into vital positions, gnomish
ing to most ships . and common solution is to never land, ship operate haphazardly at best;
many starshlps do not confining the gnomes to sections of this week's chief cook might be sum-
land on earth -type plan- deep space and keeping the tinker- moned to the bridge next week
ets at all. ers away from the various planets (wherever it is then) to lay out a
with " normal " gnome colonies. course for the next planet.
Life on an earth -type
world Is usually abundant A second solution, preferred by Gnomish crews include gnomoi,
and varied-swimmers, tinker-gnomes, is some form of minoi, and "standard' gnomes. It is
fliers, groundllng crea - crash protection. The method of pro- that latter group, in particular the in-
tures, and others accord - tection varies from installing cloth dividuals with spellcasting ability,
ing to the diversity of the webbing all over the ship as safety that are used to power the spell-
planet itself. Earth -type nets to strapping individuals to the jammer helms. Gnomish helms are
worlds have produced hull during landings to floodin g the large, grandiose creations that look
most of the spacefarlng hold with marshmallows. Since bad like a calliope mated with a gothic
races of the Known gnomish designs in this area tend cathedral. A few are reputed to work
Spheres (beholders may not to get a second test run, the without human (or gnomish) i nterfer-
have originated in a wa- chances of surviving a landing with- ence, but the majority of gnomish
ter or air world , and no out some incident is low for captains helms are vastly complicated by
one knows the origin of using these ideas. needless "i nnovations " that do little
the neoglJ . to move the ship along.
The third solution, chosen by
many who travel regularly with A gnomish captain can usually be
gnomes, is to abandon ship before found on the bridge. Severa I enter-
landing, taking lifeboats down to the prising gnomish cre ws have declared
planet's surface (unless those life- that wherever the captain is, that
boats have been "modi fied " by the qualifies as the bridge, further saving
gnomes, in which case all bets are on space.
off). Often the entire crew abandons
ship, guaranteeing a crash. This isn't Gnomish crews are idiosyncratic
a problem for gnomish crews, and eccentric (as in the case of one
though, since they can always easily captain who collects live butterflies),
rebuild their craft from the debris. but generally good at what they do.

Crew Ship Uses

A typical gnomish ship has a crew Transport: Gnomish ships are the
of 21-40 gnomes. Due to the proverbial "slow boat to Krynn." If
gnomes' small size, they coun t as you're sendi ng a message, package,
half a human-sized creature for air or ill-favo red relative somewhere,

and it doesn't matter when (or if) they (made from scrap iron golems) that Power Type: Series helm
arrive, gnomish ships are the cheap- improve the armor rating by 1 while
est way to travel. Gnomish captains reducing the maneuverability class (90%)
are usually eager to take on cargo by 1 factor (to F).
relatively cheaply. Pool helm
Speed Clipper : This version of the
Exploration: Gnomish captains gnomish sidewheeler is little more (10%)
and crews are excited by the idea of than a framework with a few level
new things and discoveries, and can surfaces for the crew . Hammocks Ship's Rating: 2-5 (series)
often be hired on by the brave (and and netting hang everywhere to keep
foolish) to go where no gnome has the cargo in place. In this fashion , the 5 (pool)
gone before. It usually isn't difficult ship 's maneuverability is improved
to convince a gnomish captain that to C, but its armor rating is reduced Standard Armament:
he would be furthering the cause of to 8. Further , the ship cannot make
gnomish exploration . Since they any type of safe landing, .and all 3 medium ballistas
keep such poor records of their trav - members of the crew are visible and
els, most gnomes can visit a sphere can be shot at (there is no "below Crew : 2 each
any number of times, but remain cer - decks" to take cover in).
tain that each visit is their first. 1 medium catapult (forward)

Gnomish Juggernauts: Gnomish Crew: 3
ships do not normally carry large
weapons. Neogi and mind flayers 1 medium jettison (rear)
have discovered that gnomes make
incredibly poor slaves (and some Crew: 3
ships have be en destroyed by
gnomes " helping " with the rigging). Piercing ram

Occasionally , a traveler will en- Cargo: 17 tons
counter the complete opposite-a
gnomish ship that is loaded to the Keel Length: 180 '
gunwales with every weapon they
Beam Length: 30'
can lay their hands on . Up to 15 tons
NAOTILOID Mind flayers Description
of weapons can be mounted on a Mind flayers
gnomish ship, probably in a random Built By: The nautiloid is the standard ship
pattern. Gnomes will mount more Used Primarily By: 35 tons of the line of the various spacefaring
weapons than they possibly can Tonnage: 35 illithid nations, and reflects the na-
crew, since the extras are " spares. " Hull Points: 10/35 ture of the race. Its coiled shell pro-
Gnomish juggernauts can be of two Crew: D vides the comfort of enclosed spaces
types: the obvious juggernaut (often Maneuver Class: while protecting the mind flayers
with big glowing signs made from Landing-Land: No from the irritating rays of t h e sun.
light spells, saying "Hey, we're bad!") Landing-Water:
or the Q-ship version (Q standing for Armor Rating: Yes Crew
quiet) , which is detectable as an Saves As: 4
armed ship only at close range . A standard mind flayer crew num-
Thick wood bers 10 illithids, plus 2-5 additional
Other Configurations
Mind Flayer Nautllold
Juggernauts: Weapon choice for a
gnomish juggernaut is up to the DM,
but should follow something of a
pattern-either all ballistas , or all
small weapons , or all light weapons.
Up to two rams can be used (front
and rear) . Juggernauts sometimes
(10%) have extra armor plating

Types of Worlds, flayers, depending upon the number flayers use their mental powers on
Part 2: of series helms in use. The ship's rat- the creatures at close range. Often a
Fire Worlds ing of a nautiloid ship is determined nautiloid pirate will masquerade as a
by the number of such helms in use. trader to close with a target , then
Fire worlds are the sec- A mind flayer ship has a single cap- ram the unsuspecting ship .
ond most commonly en- tain and first officer, the remainder of
countered type of ce- the group being crew. Trading : As the workhorse ,of the il-
lestial body after earth- lithid fleet, the nautiloid is often
type worlds. They are If additional crewmen are on pressed into service as a trade ship.
usually referred to as board, they are usually slaves of the Such ships will have only 2-5 mind
stars, suns. and solar mind flayers. The illithids prefer to flayers to man the helm, plus a cap•
spheres. The most com- use (expendable) slaves to man the tain and first officer, and 3 slaves to
mon type of arrangement catapults, while the mind flayers re- man the catapult. These ships rely on
main in the relative comfort of the in- speed to make their escape from en-
for a planetary system is terior. Humans (treat as fighters, emy ships .
to have a large fire body levels 1-4) are the slaves of choice,
in the center, earth bodies but there are sometimes other races Military : Nautiloids are used in
surrounding it, and scat- (gnomes, halflings , elves, dwarves, picket duty in various hot spots and
tered, smaller fire bodies but never beholders, neogi, or other as fast spy ships that can report back
dotting the crystal shell. " monster "' races). to the mind flayer fleet. A long-time
Fire worlds can be any standard ship, the nautiloid is being
shape, though spherical is The ship"s captain is always at the replaced slowly by larger ships using
most common. controls, overseeing the ship's gen- the pool throne.
eral welfare and giving orders to the
Fire worlds are the helmsmen. The first officer is usu- Other Configurations
most inhospitable worlds ally stationed on the upper deck, di-
for star voyagers. as most recting the main catapult. As this is Alternate Power Source : The ma-
of them come from earth the site of most attacks against the jority of nautiloids use a series helm
worlds with little or no ship, the first officer's position is not that links multiple mind flayers into
elemental fire activity. envied, and any first officer is usu- a " magical chain. " This chain pro-
They are made up of a ally conspiring to attain the relative vides the ship 's spelljamming power.
flaming, breathable at- safety of captaincy . Still , no position A new form of propulsion being
mosphere that would is completely safe on a mind flayer brought on line in the illithid fleet is
ship. If the captain is incapacitated, the pool helm, in which a batch of im-
the crew eats him and the first offi- mature mind flayer tadpoles is har-
cer is promoted. Assassination is a nessed and used to power the ship.
common form of illithid advance- Only 10% of the mind flayer ships
ment. have this new power type, believed to
have been invented by the arcane
Ship Oses with the illithids in mind.

Piracy: A nautiloid pirate will have Pool-helmed ships have an SR of 5.
12-15 mind flayers, with the remain - In addition, the pool helm frees the
der of the crew (up to 35) slaves and 2-5 mind flayers that were previously
boarders. Since slaves often serve as occupied in maneuvering the ship.
rations on long voyages, there is a This makes pool-helmed ships even
high attrition rate among them , and more deadly.
the survivors are little more than
shells of their former selves. Added Armor: Some customized
nautiloids have a thicker shell that
A nautiloid pirate is always look - provides further protection from out-
ing to resupply its stock, plus take side attacks. Traders and pickets
anything that is not nailed down sometimes have this extra armor.
from other ships . Ramming tactics The MC of such a ship is reduced by 1
are the fir st order of business , fol- class (to E), while the armor rating is
lowed by close combat, where the improved by 1 (to 3).

Add ed Speed : A stripped-down NEOGI MINDSPIDER Forward grappling/piercing ram
version of the nautiloid sacrifices ar-
mor for add itional speed, increasing Built By: Rear piercing ram
the MC to C, and red ucing the AR to
Neogi Cargo : 20 tons
5. Such ships carry either a poo l
helm or series helm with 5 mind flay- Osed Primarily By: Neogi Keel Length : 40'

ers, but no additional c rew. In some Tonnage: 40 tons Beam Lengt h: 15 '
cases the ship's weapons are pulled
as well. Hull Points : 40

Optional Armament : The med ium Crew: 3/40 Description
catapult is occasionally replaced
with a heavy ballista (c rew of 4), in Maneuver Class: C The mindspider is a new ship; the
ships posted as naval pickets. genera l adventuring public knows
Landing- Land: No l ittle about it. This will change over
Non-Mind Flayer Crews : Often ad- time as the mindspider gathers the
vent urers and other hearty sou ls wil l Landing- Water: No same reputation as the neogi death-
refurbish a nautiloid for their own spider (see below)-a deadly craft
use, replacing the series he lms with a Armor Rating : 4 that should be attacked on sight.
m ajor or minor spelljammer helm.
Saves As : Metal The mindspider is a lighter, faster
more maneuverable, stronger craft
Power Type : Lifejammer than the deathspider, but carries less
weapon ry. It is used in situations
Ship's Rating : As for victim

Standard Armament :

2 medium catapults

Crew: 3 each

1 medium jett ison

Crew: 3

Neogi Mlndspider

M

burn out the lungs of where subtlety or what passes in Other Configurat ions
an ordinary mortal, neogi terms for subtlety, is needed.
wrapped around a vola- Broodship Lander: The neogi are
tile fiery core. Earth is- Crew noted for their (fortunate) absence
lands In the molten sea from larger planetary bodies . How•
are rare, and water is The deathspider can be operated ever , there seems to be a neogi
non-existent. by as few as three neogi (though the movement to invade and sett le
operation is actually through their larger planets. For this purpose,
Known life on fire umber hulk slaves). The ship 's mindspiders are adapted for use as
worlds exists where the weapon pits are usually manned by landing craft.
fiery heart meets Its su- slaves. On a mindspider, however,
perheated atmosphere . the slaves are placed under a charm These mindspiders are stripped of
Only creatures who are spell or other enchantment magic to their engines, weapons, and crew,
resistant to great heat make them willing servants, loyal to and let loose from orbiting deathsp i-
may survive there. and the neogi captain. ders. Their cargo holds loaded with
there are numerous en- neogi eggs and an undead old master
tries to the plane of ele- Organization aboard the mindspi- as their guardian, the ship circles a
mental fire. der is typical of the neogi race; all potential seed planet until its orbit
crew members, regardless of race, decays and it falls.
The danger to star are the property of the captain, and
travelers on fire worlds is supposedly loyal until death. Should the ship burn up or land in
the Inhuman heat, such an ocean and sink, there is no loss.
that ships and their Ship Uses Should it find fertile ground, how-
crews will be destroyed ever, the old master will train the in-
unless protected. In game Command Vehicles: When more fant neogi to domesticate local
terms, thinl< of the fire than one deathspider is present , the slaves and develop their own base .
world as being sur- mindspider is used as a command Such experiments have failed to
rounded by rings or vehicle, the lair of the neogi fleet' s date, but the fact that the neogi are
zones of heat. As the " owner." This seems to cut down on looking at planets as a possible base
characters move closer to the cases of rival deathspider cap- of operations is disturbing to say the
the center, the heat in- tains challenging each other. least.
creases. At the farthest
zone there is no heat Pira cy: In a huge univer se, all GA LLEON
things are possible-even an inde-
pendent neogi. These rare creatures Built By: Groundling
are usually elder captains on the
verge of becoming an old master humans
who strike out on their own to find
new worlds and targets. Most of all, Gsed Primarily By: Groundling
though, they want to avoid the final
transformation at the hands of their humans
fellow neogi.
Tonnage : 40 tons
These renegade neogi captains are
often total berserkers, consumed Hull Points : 40
only with wiping out any trace of their
existence, including other ships that Crew : 20/40
pass them in space. The mindspider s
these captains use are modified to Maneuver Class: E
suit their owners ' needs. Thi s often in-
volves the addition of as many arma- Landing-Land: No
ments as possible, though some
renegade neogi have found stealth , Landing-Water: Yes
and therefore maneuverability , very
useful in avoiding their more tradi- Armor Rating: 7
tional neogi brethren.
Saves As : Thick wood

Power Type : Major or

minor helm

Ship's Rating: As for helms•

man

Standard Armament :

1 light catapu lt

Crew: 1

2 medium ballistas

Crew: 2 each

Cargo: 20 tons SQUID SHIP Cargo : 23 tons
Keel Length : 130' Keel Length :
Beam Length: 30' Built By: Human s Beam Length : 250'
25'

Used Primarily By: Human s,

Description lizard men Description

The ga ll eo n is t he best ocean- Tonnage: 45 tons The squid sh ip-officially the
going craft that gro undl ing nations
can bring into space. It is no th ing Hull Points : 45 cephalopod -c lass br ig-is known
mor e t han a sailin g ship with th e
spelljamm er helm-purchased or sal- Crew: 12/45 throughout space by its more com-
vaged from some wreck-attached.
Maneuver Class: D mon name.
Of the peoples of the known
worlds , only the nation of Shou Lung Landing-Land: No
on Toril sponsors a realistic ap -
proa ch to space travel. Other nation s Landing-Water: Yes Man y scholars believe that the
dabble , though , and the most original design for the sq uid ship was
thought fu l of th em use the gal Ieon as Armor Rating : 5 created by revolting prisoners of an
their vessel of choice. Bulky and illithid slave-world, who fused to-
slow, it still gets the job don e, and it s Saves As: Thick wood gether elements of sea sh ip s and the
large cargo hold car ri es a great deal standard nautiloid design. Some
of spoils from other lands. Power Type: Major or sages point to the existence of such
ships in spheres wh ere t he mind
minor helm flay er is either extinct or unknown as
proof aga in st this theory , but the tale
Ship's Rating: As for helm s- remains.

man

Standard Armament :

1 heavy catapu lt

Crew:5

2 medium ballistas

Crew: 2 each

Piercing ram

Galleon

or fire damage. One zone The straight lines and good ma- plunder. Capable of laying in wait for
in, living creatures tal<e neuverability of the squid ship make other ships for a long time, the pirate
1d6 points of damage per it one of the most popular vessels of squid ships carry a full crew of 35,
round, and this doubles its size. It is usually used for trading, usually fighters of level 2-4. They
with each ring moved exploration, and privateering. also carry a second mage in addition
into, to a maximum of to the spelljamming mage or priest.
30d6 per round . Hulls Crew This mage is usually less powerful
take similar damage with than the primary spelljammer and is
1O hit points of damage The squid ship's simple design al- often placed at risk in boarding situa-
equaling 1 point of hull lows a relatively small crew to handle
damage. Fires will start the rigging and maneuvering. The tions. Squid ships used for piracy
with the first hull point capta in is usually found on the aft
of damage, and at fur- deck, where he gets a good view of usually use a grapp lin g ram (see be•
ther zones even rocl< will most of the ship . The spelljammer low).
liquefy and steel will helm is usually located directly be-
melt. The size of these neath the captain's station, with Military: The simple design and
zones depends on the communications to the helm via size of the squid ship makes it a com -
size of the fire body, but speaking tube. mon choice for human space navies
as a rule of thumb, a body as both a defensive warning craft and
falling uncontrollably to- Human ships typically have an ob- an assault vehicle. For short dis-
ward the sun will pass vious captain's bridge, while the tances and actions close to base, a
through one ring per helm remains hidden. The damage naval squid ship will overload (carry
round. to morale from the loss of a captain more than its standard complement
in combat is nothing in comparison of troops) to repel attackers. Such
to the loss of the ship's spelljammer ships will replace their medium bal -
helm. listas with heavy versions (see
below).
Typical positions on board a squid
ship include captain, first officer, Free Adventuring: The siz:e of the
helmsman/spelljammer , and naviga- squid ship and its capability to land
tor. A weaponmaster is often needed on water makes it ideal for adventur•
if the ship carrie s more than one ers exploring brave new worlds (and
large weapon. The weaponmaster is bringing back the more profitable
responsible for the maintenance of parts of them). These versions often
the weapons, as well as aiming the have additional armor or increased
weapons during battle. maneuverability , depending on the
temperaments of the users .
Ship Uses
Other Configurations
Trading : The bulk of squid ships
are free traders, privately owned ves- Alternate Power Sources : Squid
sels that drift from planet to planet, ships normally use major or minor
usually speculating in rare items spelljammer helms, and as such carry
(such as gems, magic, and illegal at least one spellcaster as a helms-
goods). A trader usually has a core man. Serial or pool helms are often
crew of 12, though captains often used as reserve or replacement
hire additional men if their trader is helms. Artifurnaces and (for the re-
passing through an "active" section ally desperate) gnomish furnaces
of space. "Active," in this instance , have been found on squid ships, as
speci fically refers to sections of well.
space where there are hostile forces
in open conflict. Naval Weapons: The medium bal-
listas are replaced by heavy versions.
Piracy : Squid ships are a favorite These are often used when the ship
vessel for reavers, pirates who roam can overload on manpower or in de-
far from their base looking for easy fensive situations.

Added Armor: An additional layer orbits around solar bodies. Between Armor Rating: 5
of wood strengthened by copper 1-6 tons of a lizard man egg ship are
bands is laid inside the existing hull, used for the cargo of eggs, with an- Saves As: Thick wood
increasing protection at a sacrifice of other 2-8 tons being used for plants.
maneuverability. The AR is raised to Lizard man ships tend to be over- Power Type: Major or
4, but the MC drops to D. grown with plant life to help recharge
the air. They are also often heavily minor helm
Alternate Ram: Favored by pirates painted in bright colors.
and others preferring boarding Ship's Rating : As for helms -
actions to ship -to-ship combat, the
grappling ram sometimes replaces man
the piercing ram on squid ships.
Such vessels usually carry the full Standard Armament:
complement of troops .
2 medium ballistas
Lizard .ManCrews: A large number
of squid ships controlled by lizard Crew: 2 each
men tribes are used as transports.
Others, used as incubators for lizard DRAGONSHIP Cargo: 22 tons
man eggs, take their cargos in tight
Built By: Humans Keel Length : 150 '
Used Primarily By: Humans
Tonnage: Beam Length : 20'
Hull Points: 45 tons
Crew : 45 Description
Maneuver Class: 20/45
Landing-Land: D As a rule, the groundling nations
Landing-Water: No tend not to think about the empires
Yes that battle far over their heads. There
is the occasional upstart nation or
magocracy that turns its attention to

Squid Ship

Types of Worlds, space, but these efforts are short- Crew
Part 3: lived since either internal pressures
Water Worlds do them in or other spacefaring na- A typical Shau dragonship has
tions quickly put the upstarts back in both a captain and a helmsman. Per-
Water worlds are gen - their place. As a result , a major effort haps the most important post on a
erally water to the core, to reach space only comes from Shau ship belongs to the recorder.
though at the deepest worlds with one ruler. The recorder 's task is to keep notes
levels the pressure is so on all encounters , collect specimens
great that materials cave An exception is the so-called " ori- and trophies, and to act as the official
in on themselves in a ental"' lands of the FORTOTTEN diplomat from Shau Lung. To that
tight, solid earthen ball. REALMS™ campaign world. Based in end, each recorder is given a number
Water worlds are usually a large area of land with long-lived of blank scrolls of official greeting
wrapped In an envelope ruling organizations, the eastern na- from the emperor. The recorder is
of air, though there are in- tions of Toril have dabbled in space empowered to fill in the name of the
stances where the water exploration. appropriate race and present them .
is exposed directly to the
void. There is no evapora - In fact, Shau Lung 's approach to The crew of the Shau dragonship
tion in this case, but the space exploration is typical of the (and similar "'oriental "' vessels) are
surface of the water has a oriental nations throughout known single men used to long voyages.
"skin" which may be bro - space. While "western " nations dis- They are armed with repeating cross-
ken and reseals after pas- miss space travel or turn their atten - bows, a groundling invention that
sage. tions to more militaristic ends, the has found great favor in space, mak-
oriental nation pushes its experimen- ing Shau crews both respected and
Water worlds range in tation with fantasy space forward . feared.
temperature from almost The dragonship of Shou Lung is an
boiling hot (should they example of such experimentation Ship Uses
have fire activity near and reflects the mindset of an orga -
their coreJ to practically nized groundling empire reaching Exploration: The chief mission of
frozen . A water world into space. a Shau dragonship is to seek out the
covered by ice is often unusual, the odd , and the new , and
misclassified as an earth- The Shau dragonship is boatish , bring it back to the spiritual center of
type. While this is incor- and suffers in space-as all ground- the universe (the emperor 's palace in
rect, as far as adventurers ling craft do. The helm is located be- Shau Lung). So far, such wonders as
are concerned, the planet low decks in the rear, with a domes a neogi (thought to be a demon) , a
will be more like a very opening above to allow a clear view preserved orbus , and a crown of the
cold earth-type than a of space and the captain. The large star s have been returned and pre-
water-type. structure on the deck itself is a small sented to the emperor.
shrine to the crew's venerated gods
and ancestors, to the Path and the The presence of other spelljam-
Way, and to the emperor , by whose ming races intrigues the Shau , and
hand the entire mission is set into they are particularly interested in ac-
effect. cumulating more spelljamm er helms.
The ultimate goal-according to the
Not one Shou native in 10,000 bureaucrats on the missions-is to
knows of the dragonships, as their make the celestial bureaucracy truly
numbers and missions are for the celestial.
ears of the emperor only. Dragonship
captains all swear to come and go in There have been several waves of
secret. Despite this, though, some Shou dragonships commissioned
other nations have discovered the ex- and set loose among the stars , as the
istence of the dragonships. These na- "'scholars of the stars " fall into and
tions have either stolen ships or out of favor with the court. There is
created their own so that they can currently a lull in interest in the stars
contest the Shou in the new arena of in Shou Lung, but with the return of
space . new ships with rich treasures and the
rising interest of other lords, it is only

M

a matter of time before the dragon- Other Configurations HAMMERS HIP
ships sail the spheres again.
Flaming Dragons: The Shou who Built By: Humans,
Free Adventuring : Of course, if you take to space in dragonships (espe -
cast your bread upon the waters , some cially those who have gone free - lizard men
of it will turn soggy. A large number of booter) have a love for bombards and
captains and recorders exposed to the greek fire projectors matched only Used Primarily By: Humans ,
marvels of arcane space suddenly by that of the lizard men. Such de-
wonder why they would throw in with structive weapons appeal to these lizard men,
some small-time emperor when there newcomers to space, and often all
are whole worlds out there to be dis- the heavy weapons on board are of some elves
covered or even conquered . this type, with much of the cargo
space taken up by shot and shell. As Tonnage: 60 tons
The result is a large number of dra- a result of this dangerous tendency,
gonships no longer loyal to the em- there are significantly fewer dragon- Hull Points: 60
peror , cruising around the spheres, ships in space than there might be if
taking what they need. Such ships their captains favored carrying Crew: 24/60
end up in the hands of adventurers , "safer" weapons.
merchants, pirates, and other "free Maneuver Class: D
agents" of space. These ships reflect
their owners ' needs-added armor Landing-Land: No
or increased maneuverability, more
weapons (up to three more heavy Landing-Water: Yes
weapon mounts) , and alternate
power sources. Armor Rating: 6

Saves As: Thick wood

Power Type: Major or

minor helm

Ship's Rating: As for helms -

man

Standard Armament: ·

2 heavy catapults

Crew: 5

1 heavy ballista

Crew: 4

1 blunt ram

Dragon ship

Cargo : 30 tons creatures such as golems are used to
Keel Length : man the swivel. Otherwise, a team of
Beam Leng t h: 250' 10 men is required to move the
25' weapon.

Islands and small bits Description Ship Uses
of earth floating beneath
the surface are common Another standard human ship of Trading : A hammership requires a
on water worlds, and space, the hammership is both large larger crew than the more common
those that exist are often and powerfu l , capable of withstand - squid ship, but can carry more cargo.
settled by the intelligent ing large amounts of punishment This makes it ideal for transporting
life of that world. These and dealing out a massive amount large bulk cargos of semiprecious
form handy trading posts with its blunt ram. If the squid ship is materia l (such as amber or semipre-
with stellar visitors, who the light warship of space, this is the cious raw stones, or extra-planar del -
otherwise would be lost heavy galleon . icacies such as wine or planetary
in the expanse of water. beef). Such ships run on a minimum
Hammerships are found , with crew, unless they are passing
Life on a water world is small modifications to their design , through contested space. Then, the
concentrated in the top throughout all known space. The captain will take on a full crew (in-
one mile of Its surface, hammership's design has been rela- cluding a large number of wizards
where the air meets the tively unchanged, such that hu l ks and priests).
water. There may be life several millenniums old resemb le
at the very center, but it those under construction in the aste- Pirac y : Though not commonly
has yet to be discovered. ro id dry docks of the arcane. Even used as a pirate vessel , the hammer-
Most of the creatures are the elves and mind flayers, with their ship is the favorite craft of some of
water-breathers (or they own distinctive ships, use the ham- the most stylish and brazen pirates
breathe the air dissolved mership design for their ships used and privateers in known space, in -
in the water). Mammals in workhorse and supply situations. cluding the legendary Bloodjack of
as well as sentient spe- Realmspace. His hammership is
cies such as mermen, tri- Crew dyed in shades of red, supposedly
tons, sea elves, and representing the blood he and his
sahuagin can be found The " brains" of the hammership ship, the Lucky Victory, have spilled
beneath the surface. are in the heavily protected forward over a career spanning a decade . The
section. Both the spelljammer helm size of a hammership makes it ideal
The dangers of a water and the bridge are located in this sec- for prolonged battles-just the type
world are twofold: sink- tion , behind the massive bulwarks of conflict Bloodjack seems to revel
Ing and drowning. A ship and the blunt ram. Often this ram is in . Most privateers wouldn 't share his
that lands on a water p lated with heavy metals, ivory, or enthusiasm.
world with an atmos- bone to provide extra strength.
Militar y: The hammership is a
phere has no trouble, The lenses of the hammership's common armada craft, capable of
" eyes " are often made of paneless hauling many men across space and
glass, but in some mod ified versions returning with supplies to support an
are constructed of me tal under the invas ion.
effect of a glassteel spell. The captain
operates from a base behind these Other Configuration s
w indows, commanding both the ship
and the forward weapons place- M ultiple Turrets : The forward bal-
m ents. The first officer is positio ned lista of a hammership is mounted in
at the rear catapult. a fashion similar to the rear catapult .
This allows the ballista to be brought
The hammership 's rear catapu lt is to bear quickly on any target. Fur -
mounted on a swive l , turned from be- ther, by sac rificing of cargo space,
neath by crewmen or slaves. This al- mu ltiple turrets can be mounted on
lows the rear catapu lt to fire in all the main deck for additional cata -
directions (if the optional fields of pults and ballistas. Turrets may be
fire are used). In some cases, magical

M

mounted on the bottom of the ship hammership to that of a groundling the hammership that will s low pur -
as well, but this prevents water land - vehicle in space (MC F), but raises its suers.
ings. armor rating to 4 and provides a sav-
ing throw as if for metal. ~eavy ham- Mind Flayer Crews: Hammership s
Bombards: Since lizard men use merships often use multiple turrets, are used by mind flay ers as free tr~d -
the ship 's central pool as a fir_e pre - and are excellent central command ers , unalign ed to any illith i d _fact1~n
vention device , they often install vessels for armadas (and, alternately, or house . Since many captains will
bombards instead of ballistas and "armada -busters " ). Heavy hammer - fire upon any standard mind fla~er
catapults on a hammership 's ma!n ships are often used to plow into and nautiloid , a growing number of mind
mounts . Bombards are used only in destroy smaller ships. With its poor flayer trader s have adopt ed th e ham -
spheres where smoke powder is in maneuverability, however , the heavy mership as th e craft of choice. The
common use. hammership is not usually seen out- eyes of hammer ship s controlled by
side large fleet actions. mind flay ers ar e often cov e red over
Greek Fire Projectors: Lizard men with steel plat es.
will cheerfully use greek fire wher- Lizard Man Crews: Hammerships
ever it's available . They mount the are commonly used as traders by Elven Crews: Hammer ships ar e
projectors at the for~ard _ballist~. the lizard men. In such vessels, the occasionally used by elven armadas ,
The section where this projector 1s ship's central decks are fl~oded to primarily as suppl y and troop shi_P~·
mounted becomes more vulnerable provide a central relaxation a~d A hammership's bulky size and d1ff1-
to fire damage . breeding area for the crew. These in - cult handling (in comparison to most
terior lakes are dumped into space if elven craft) make it un suitable for
Heavy Hammerships: Multiple the ship has to flee, creating ~he anything but a support vessel in most
platings of bone , wood , and metal re- equivalent of a debris field behind elven armada s.
duce the maneuverability of a heavy

Hammership

MAN-O-WAR Crew

Built By : Elves The crew of an elven man-a-war
depends greatly upon what it's being
Osed Primarily By : Elves used for. Adventuring ships have few
set positions below captain, while na-
so me men val vessels have a highly structured
chain of command.
Tonnage : 60 ton s

Hull Points : 60

Crew : 10/60

but one that dives be- Maneuver Class: C Ship Uses

neath its surface will lose Landing-Land : No

Its air envelope, unless Landing-Water: No Free Adventuring : The elven man -

the retain air spell has Armor Rating : 7 o-war is a good adventuring craft for

been used to keep the air Saves As : Ceramic deep space. As long as the ship's

bubble intact. Still, unless Power Type : Major or users have no intention of making

the craft has been de- minor helm planetfall with the craft , it should

signed for sea travel, it Ship's Rating: A s for helms- serve them well. In addition any

will sink, taking damage man character with forester or wood-

from the pressure and Standard Armament : working/carpentry proficiency

eventually rupturing 2 medium ballistas should be able to keep the ship in

from the water pressing Crew: 2 each good trim.

in on the envelope. This 1 medium catapult On such adventuring vessels ,
standa rd positions are loose below
damage is similar to the Crew: 3 the level of captain and owner. Ad-
venturers usually paint colorful signs
heat damage from fire 1 medium jettison and sigils on the ship and the grace-
ful wings of th e man -o-war. One nota-
bodies-an additional Crew : 3 ble exception to this is the Company
of the Singing Void , whose man-o-
1d6 points per round of Cargo : 30 tons war is painted jet black to match the
space between the stars.
sinking. Bodies and other Keel Length : 200'

buoyant Items will tend Beam Length : 20 '

to float as flotsam to the

surface. Unless the Indi- Description

viduals on board can Built on the large st hull available
outside of the great armadas (see be-
swim or breathe water, low), the man-a-war is a highly ma-
neuverabl e, well-built ship. These
they face the danger of elven ships are grown from glossy, rel- Military : The man-o -war is the
atively brittle plants , giving them workhorse of the elven Imperial
drowning. their shiny , et hereal appearance. The Navy, and as such is found in great
ships remain " aliv e," much like a tree, numb ers where these ships swarm.
None · of the aquatic throughout their lif e. The man -o-war's The organization of the naval man-o-
races of the various wa- crystalline wing s requ ir e constant war's crew is much tighter than on an
pruning and shaping to keep the ship adventurer's ship, with an organized
ter worlds have shown from becoming too unwieldy . chain of co mmand ranging from the
ca ptain t hrou gh the first second,
an Interest In space All elven ships may be repai red in and third officers, primary and sec•
travel. This may be be- the normal fashion since blocks of ondary helmsmen , and elves as-
cause the volume of wa- wood and even ston e ca n be grafted signed to the various battle pits
onto the ship. This is possible as long throu ghout the sh ip, such as fire -
ter they must bring along as 20% of the ship rema ins in it s fighting, boarding , and weapon
original position. Losses beyond that teams.
to survive is too formida- point are unrepairable. Even if the
ble an obstacle, or the ship should survive a battle in which
fact that the shimmering over 80% of its original structure is
surface of the water's damaged, it will need to hav e it s hull
edge forms a psychologi - fully restored (at twice the li sted
cal barrier for them . price for such repairs).

The helm of an elven nava l vessel
is located in the midsection of the
ship just below the bridge . The
bridge itself sits squarely on the back
of th e man-o-war between the wings .
Forward, within the "head " of the
butterfly, are the twin ballistas, firing

from positions in the eyes. The cata- NEOGI DEATHSPIDER Keel Length : 175'
pult is located just to the rear of th e Beam Length: 50'
bridge and is covered by a retract- Built By: Neogi
able dome. Finally , at the rear of the
ship 's abdomen, is a medium jetti- Used Primarily By: Neogi Description
son, located just aft of the cargo
bays. Tonnage: 100 tons One of the largest of the standard
ships of space, the deathspider is the
The elven navy adheres strict ly to Hull Points : 100 pride and joy of the neogi , a deadly,
this particular man-o-war design. In- xenophobic race of slavers and mur -
dividual captains and admirals who Crew : 30/100 derers. Its large size and distinctive
change the basics of the craft are shape make the deathspider easily
reprimanded (though often along Maneuver Class: E recognizable in space. As a result, it
with a commendation for battles is usually attacked on sight.
won using those unofficial modifica- Landing-Land: No
tions) . The neogi deathspider is divided
Landing-Water: No into the command section and the
Other Configurations cargo pits. The command section is
Armor Rating: 5 in the forward half of the vessel and
Personal Modifications : Adven- contains the bridge the spelljammer
turers are not so limited as the navy Saves As : Crystal helm, and the crew's quarters. The
in their perception of the man-o-war, larger "abdomen" of the craft is used
such that lower -armored , heavier- Power Type : Major helm as weapons platform , cargo space,
winged craft are common (with a re- and slaves ' quarters. The top half of
duction of AR to 8 and an increase in Ship's Rating: As for helms- the abdomen can slide back to reveal
MC to B). Sacrificing maneuverabil- a small citadel perched on the low er
ity for better armor is much less com- man
mon , since speed and turns seem to
resolve man-o-war battles more than Standard Armament:
armor. Weaponry is also up to the
user , though most captains shy away 1 heavy catapult
from bombards , greek fire , and other
fire -using and explosive devices due Crew: 5
to the nature of the ship.
1 heavy jettison
Wild Men-o-war : If cast adrift and
left to themselves, men-o-war (and Crew: 4
almost all elven craft) continue to
grow, their crystal lin e wings curling 4 heavy ballistas
in on themselves in ornate spirals. If
such a ship is found in the wilds of Crew: 4 each
space, and made functional , its MC
would be E , and its AR 9 (older 1 grappling ram
growths are more brittle). These
poor ratings could be corrected by Cargo : 50 tons
repairs to the ship equal to restoring
half its hull points, done by individ- Elven Man-o-War
uals skilled in forestry or wood-
working.

Notes on the haunches. This structure is normally Ship Uses
Creation of revealed only in battle situations,
the Universe since the deathspider's weapons Neogi Workhorse: The deathspi•
platforms are usually located there. der is the most common neogi ship,
The discovery that and serves as a cargo hauler, battle
there Is a greater uni- Crew wagon, discovery ship, army trans-
verse beyond the sky is a port, and slave trader. Since all
shock to most learned The neogi themselves are small deathspiders look identical to non-
sages of the various creatures, but make use of a large neogi eyes, it is not easy to deter-
known worlds, at least number of umber hulk slaves. The mine if the neogi ship is fitted for
temporarily. Those used umber hulks are personal bearers explo ring or actively hunting for
to a provincial view com- and soldiers under the neogi's direc- slaves. As a result, all neogi ships are
mon to most groundllngs tion. There are usually eight neogi on usually either attacked or evaded,
often turn their backs on a standard craft (including their whichever the defending ship is most
the stars, or refer to them spelljamming mage), and the same capable of doing.
as a minor sidelight com- number of umber hulks.
pared to the wonders of Carrier: On occasion, the abdo-
the infinite planes of ex- The remainder of the standard 30- men of a deathspider is hollowed out
istence or even the man crew is made up of slaves, who and the ship used to carry a mindspi-
strange civilizations on toil in the depths of the ship, fore- der (see above). Such carriers are rel-
the other side of the stalling the day when they are served atively new to known space, but
globe. up as a main course for the crew. A carry the standard deathspider crew,
standard crew on a deathspider takes as well as the mindspider crew. In
Other sages and some up the same amount of air as 34 nor- this configuration, the captain/owner
clerics leap into the field mal men, due to the presence of the of the mindspider owns the deathspi-
with the larger questions large umber hulks and the small der that carries it, too.
raised by the presence of neogi.
many spheres floating in Broodship: Those neogi fortunate
a rainbow ocean of phlo- The neogi divide the universe into enough to reach the end of their nat-
giston. The main ques - two portions: themselves and slaves. ural lifespans become Great Old
tion Is: Who put it here Everything that is not a neogi is a Masters. These old neogi begin to
and why? This question slave-directly to them, or to a more swell and take in a large amount of
is particularly troubling powerful creature-or a potential food. The masters attain huge size, at
to theologians, since al- slave. which point the young neogi incubat-
most all civilizations ing within them devour their host
have creation myths for The neogi organize their ships and break through to form a new
their worlds, which they with that philosophy, too. A neogi community.
consider to be unique. captain owns everyone else on his
ship, including other neogi and their When a neogi attains Great Old
umber hulks, and may order them to Master status, its ship is transformed
their deaths if he thinks it necessary. into a broodship. The cargo pits are
The other neogi may eventually as- cleared to provide room for the mas-
pire to become ship owners in their ter, and the ship-along with its al-
own right, and hold other neogi in lied ships-attempts to capture as
their thrall. The slaves hold no such many Iiving slaves as possible to feed
hope . the Great Old Master.

Should the captain of a neogi craft A second shell is built over the
be slain, the remaining neogi will Great Old Master's quarters to allow
vote for a new captain/owner. Po- the main crystal shield to be pulled
liticking is intense during neogi elec- back for the deployment of weapons.
tions, the most votes usually going A broodship is driven by its master's
to the neogi with the most powerful hunger and will attack anything, in-
umber hulk servant. cluding other neogi ships, for slaves
and food.

M

Other Configurations mor . The neogi have built the black each other over ownership of the
widow-a specialized version of the fleet.
Hulks: Deathspider hulks are deathspider for use as an attack craft
available for sale from the neogi , but against long-time enemies. (Long - Mind Flayer Trader: The only
since they are not the best ship to be time enemy in neogi terms means races that have any real dealings with
seen in, they are often stripped and one that has beaten them once .) the paranoid neogi are the mysteri -
used as floating bases for larger aste- ous arcane and the mind flayers. The
roid civilizations. In this configura- The black widow triples the num- former have no known ships, and the
tion, the ship 's legs and sails are ber of ballistas and catapults used on latter have their own fleet of nauti-
removed, and the dome pulled back the standard deathspider, and may loids . Still , several neogi deathspi -
or removed entirely . Some asteroid add greek fire projectors and bom - ders have been traded to mind
civilizations put deathspider hulks in bards as well. The overloading such a flayers in exchange for large slave
orbit around them as a warning to large crew places on the ship 's atmos- hauls (like the entire popu l ation of a
would -be pirates or raiders. The phere does not bother the neogi; small planetoid).
warning is meant to be read: This those slaves who survive the battle
base can and has defended itself in will be eaten on the return trip. The Unfortunately, the universal ha-
the past. black widow is not used for trade, tred of the neogi is such that mind
only punishment of the recalcitrant. flayer deathspiders are subject to im -
Black Widow: Appearance and ar- mediate attack from most other
mament is standard for most neogi There are rumored to be up to a ships. Mind flayer ships acquired
ships , and they do not engage in such hundred of these black widows, but from the neogi have their abdomen -
human pursuits as stripping down for the most ever seen at any time is domes blackened to spare the mind
maneuverability or adding more ar- three, and in this case two attacked flayers the light of the suns.

Neogi Deathspfder

ARMADA Ship Oses

Built By: Elves Military: The chief use of the ar-
mada is as a base for large military
Osed Primarily By: Elves actions against other factions, races,
or planets. Their heavy firepower and
Tonnage : 100 tons their use of flitters makes them a
dangerous weapon.
Hull Points: 100
Each armada carries 40 flitters,
Crew: 40/100 five of which have spelljamming ca-
pacity. Those members of the crew
Maneuver Class: D who are not involved in the general
movement and upkeep of the ship
Landing-Land: No are assigned as flitter pilots and are
exclusively charged with the mainte•
The main theories In re- Landing-Water: No nance and care of their ships. Flitters
gard to the shells, the are used primarily as messengers
Flow, and the gods are as Armor Rating: 5 and landing craft, or to disable en-
follows: emy heavy weapon emplacements
Saves As: Ceramic and seize an enemy's bridge.
1J The gods created
the shells and the Flow Power Type : Major helm The heart of the armada's opera-
to divide up their territo - tions is in the forward bridge, located
ries. Theologians love to Ship's Rating: As for helms· in the " head" of the butterfly. This is
advance this argument, the location of the major helm and
though It places some man the captain 's station. An auxiliary
limits on the powers they bridge is located in the tail of the
worship. Space is Infinite, Standard Armament: craft, just before the jettisons. This
even for an omniscient auxiliary bridge is equipped with a
deity, so they broke it up 6 heavy catapults full set of charts and a second major
into chaos (the Flow) and helm.
order (the shells). The Crew: 5 each
shells are easier to handle The armada is the backbone of the
and more orderly than 6 heavy ballistas elven fleet and often serves as the
the swirling chaos out - heart of military operations. A stand-
side. The gods then di- Crew: 4 each ard fleet may contain a single ar-
vided the spheres up mada or up to 10 or more acting in
among themselves to test 2 heavy jettisons unison, supported by a fleet of men-
good versus evil, and law o-war and hundreds of flitters.
versus chaos. Some demi - Crew: 4 each
gods have claimed this to
be the truth, but cynics 3 bombards (optional)
note that they would do
so even if it were not so. Crew: 3 each

2J The gods have gods Cargo: 50 tons
themselves. which cre -
ated the universe and cut Keel Length: 300'
them loose in it. A trou-
bling thought, though a Beam Length: 30'
school experiencing a
Description

The largest of the elven ships, the
armada is reserved exclusively for
the elven nations. Possession of an
armada by other races or factions is
punishable by death by the elven
navy, both for the user and the indi -
viduals who provided the craft.

The elven armada is built along a
butterfly-like body, but the wings are
straightened and strengthened such
that the upper surfaces form a land-
ing surface for flitters.

Crew

Like the elven navy's man-o-war,
the armada has a rigid, military crew
and a strong chain of command.
However , since the armada is often
the heart of naval actions, command-
ing a number of lesser vessels, it is
likely to carry more high-ranking
members of the elven navy than a
man-o-war.

O t he r Configu ration s CITADEL Descr ipt ion

Comm and Post : Several armadas Built By: Dwarves The citadel is the smallest and
carry large tower complexes along most common of the mobile aste-
their backs, where the wings meet Used Primaril y By: Dwa rves roids used by dwarves as a combina-
the body. These special armadas are tion home and base. The largest
the permanent residences of the fleet Tonnage: 300 tons citadel that may move by forge-
admirals and are used as command powered helm is 700 tons. Those
posts to coordinate large fleet Hull Points: 300 larger than this are still used by the
actions. These small citadels (with a dwarves, but have no mobility-they
decidedly dwarven appearance) are Crew : 100/300 are simply left orbiting larger bodies.
used both as a military center and The 300-ton citadel is the smallest
quarters for either entertaining other Maneuve r Class: E that a forge can power , and as a re-
allies or negotiating with surrender- sult, the most frequently encoun-
ing fleets. Landing- Land: No tered citadel in space.

These command posts can be jetti- Landing- Water: No Larger asteroids can hold more
soned (without power of their own) if dwarves to man the forges , and, as a
the armada is endangered. This has Arm or Rating : 0 result, larger asteroids have higher
the same effect as a heavy jettison on ship 's rating values. The larger a cita-
pursuing ships. In one case , the jetti - Saves As : Stone del is (up to the 700-ton maximum),
soned armada citadel was used to the faster it is capable of moving ,
bombard an ore pirate base , with im- Power Type : Fo rge should it provide the space for the
pressive fatalities. necessary forges.
Ship's Rating : 1-3
Wild A rmadas: Armadas are nor- The majority of a citadel 's space is
mally not abandoned, given the Standard Armament : taken up by the forge and the living
length of time it takes to grow one quarters for the crew. On a dwarven
and their long lifespans. The elven 3 heavy jettisons sh ip , everyone works , from the
nations would rather destroy this
type of ship than let it fall into an- Crew: 4 each
other race 's hands. Should an aban-
doned, overgrown armada be found , 1-4 heavy catapu Its
its AR would be 9 and its MC would
be E. Crew: 5 each

Dark El f Cr ews: Rumors of draw 2-8 medium catapults
operating in space continue, though
incidents with spacefaring draw are Crew: 3 each
few and far between, always seeming
to occur " in another shell," or " a long 3-12 light cata pu lts
time ago. " One confirmed sighting is
of a purplish armada with a huge Crew: 1 each
dome where the command post
would be based , giving the ship the Cargo: 150 t ons
appearance of a bloated hunchback.
Keel Length : 250'
This "gypsy moth" is said to be run
Beam Length : 200'
by draw. The dome supposedly fil-
Elven Armada
ters out light that is deadly to the
drow. Several sages have discounted
the sighting, noting that the drow are
creatures of the deep earth, of the
night, and would likely prefer to
travel across dimensions than bother
with spelljammer technology .

rebirth in Realmspace, smallest toddler to the eldest gray- nent homes of the dwarven king •
which recently experi- beard, creating the wondrous items doms within. Citadels will fight to the
enced their gods at close that are a side product of the forges best of their ability, using their large
range and found them themselves. size to force opponents to crash into
wanting. An unprovable them , a maneuver that usually leaves
theory, since it leads to Crew the larger citadel the victor .
the obvious line of rea-
soning: Well, If our gods The citadel 's crew is organized like Jihad Ship: Dwarves in space are
have gods, why don't we dwarven colonies on the ground. The linked by blood and by faith, such
have beings that think of captain is referred to as "the king that any attack on a dwarven ship
us as gods? within the mountain ," and his bridge may be taken as an attack on the en·
crew is called " the shining council. " tire dwarven race. Every so often a
3) The phlogiston is a Since the majority of the crew works council of kings and priests of the
naturally occurring ob- at the spelljamming engines them- combined dwarven pantheons will
ject: The gods created the selves, there is no spelljammer or gather together and declare a cru-
various shells in order to helmsman position . However, it is sade against a people , sphere , or
settle and domesticate it. not uncommon for citadels to be race. An enemy is declared anath-
The rainbow ocean is like equipped with smaller , spelljamming ema , and their ships and people are
a stream, and the shells ships. These are used to carry mes- attacked on sight. The neogi are cur -
are like cities being built sages or as landing craft. rently the object of a dwarven jihad ,
along the stream. Even- though less religious races al so at-
tually the cities will join Kings from different citadels treat tack the neogi on sight , more out of
and the stream disappear each other with respect, and the first common sense than anything else.
entirely. This would ex- order of business for strange dwar-
plain most godly reluc- ven ships is to arrange a festival , Jihad ships have a large contin -
tance to talk about a part where the kings compare notes , in- gent of forge-tenders , but also a
of the universe (the cluding travels , rich hauls , and, most large number of well-armed and well -
FlowJ where their power importantly, genealogical informa - trained soldiers under the control of
does not reach. tion. a fighter of at least 6th level. Jihad
ships actively seek out enemy ships,
41 The gods fear the Like the dwarves of most worlds , board them, and slaughter those
Flow, and built the shells the citadel kings are obsessed with aboard to a man .
to keep it out. A variant finding the origin of their race. Un-
of #3, chan •ging only the like their groundling cousins, Jihad ships will often carry double
rationale behind it. though , spacefaring dwarves believe the normal heavy weapons. In the
there is a dwarven homeworld, de · case of a crusade against a ground-
scribed as a mythic place hidden based enemy , a jihad ship will use as-
from most by the gods. The home - teroids and abandoned citadels as
world is thought to be a reward for bombs. It will drop these massive ob-
the brave among the dwarves. jects on its opponents from the sky
en masse. Citadels used as bombs
Ship Uses are stripped of their forges and
crews. This isn 't common , though , as
Living Ship : More than any other the loss of any citadel before its time
type of ship , the dwarven citadel is a is considered a great sign of dwarven
permanent home for its people . sacrifice.
These ships engage in long -term
missions (trading, discovery) accord - Abandoned Citadels: Dwarven
ing to the wishes of the majority of spelljamming engines-for ges-re -
the citadel's population. Dissenters quire a large amount of raw material
(if of sufficient number) may secede to work properly. After a few years
to form a new colony. (about 2-8 years per 100 tons of the
ship) , the citadel's resources are ex-
In general , such living ships prefer hausted and the people must find a
not to go into battle, since they are new home. Once an asteroid of suffi-
not only the vessels but the perma- cient size is located, the forges are

M