Spelljammer - Adventures in Space

The Concordan ce of Arcane Space

by Jeff Grubb

Ad astra per aspera

f 1TOthe stars through hardships")

- Latin proverb

Ah, but a man 's reach
should exceed his grasp,
Or what 's a heaven for?

- Robert Browning

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

Karen Boomgarden, Eric Severson, Kim Mohan

Spiritual Guidan ce: Jim Ward
Box Painting : Jeff Easley

Book Cover Paintings ,
Illustrations, Ship Concepts: Jim Hol loway

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 thanl<s and apologies.

TSR,Inc. ~ -- TSRLtd.
POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton
Lake Geneva, TSR , Inc.
WI 53147 USA Cambridge CB I 3LB
~fll ODUCT• CW 'YOU R IM.&O INATIO H '• United Kingdom

SPELLJAMMER, ADVANCED DUNGEONS E. DRAGONS, ADE.D. PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGI NATION, and the TSR logo ore trodemork5 owned by TSR Inc All Rlg hto Reserved.
Printed In the U.S.A .

° Copyright 1989 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved .

Everything you know ster, and Fistandantilus rather "discovery " and creation of
about space is wrong. than Galileo, Newton, and Ein- new worlds. The Lorebook of
stein. They sometimes appear the Void discusses the races ,
Infinite space; stars as flam- strange and random to us, who monsters, and myriad other
ing spheres of super-heated are accustomed to the work - unusual things that can be en-
plasma; movement through ings of science. But to the countered 'out there. "
space as a balance of scientific characters who have Iived
forces, thrust providing accel- their entire lives in this envi- Full-color heavy sheets give
eration and maneuverability; ronment , nothing could be deck plans and other details
scientific fact backing up natu- more familiar and logical. on the most common space-
ral phenomena; life on other going sh ip s.
planets built along blocks of This SPELLJAMMER sup-
carbon or silicon elements. plement extends the AD&D ® Finally , four maps are in-
2nd Edition game into space, cluded in the SPELLJAMMER
Forget all that. It's wrong. and does so without violating box. These include a full lay-
existing campaign material. out of the Spelljammer , a huge,
You can get out of the This includes Greyhawk, the powerful ship of legend. It is
atmosphere on the back of a original AD&D game setting; the Flying Dutchman of the
roe; fly between the planets Krynn, land of the Dragon- space lanes, the ultimate goal
through a breathable ocean of lances ; Tori!, home of the and dream of many a space pi-
air; sail between the crystal Forgotten Realms; and every rate and adventurer. Also in -
spheres that surround the in- individual campaign in exist- cluded is a map of a typical
habited worlds on a river of ence. space citadel, the sort used as
magical energy; encounter a port and base by many differ-
roving mind flayers and be- Introducing this material in ent races; a hex grid and stand-
holders. The stars are living your campaign will work some up counters for playing tac-
things in some areas, great changes, certainly. It will pro- t ica I space battles ; and an
bowls of fire in others, and pin- duce an entertaining and far- overview map of typical solar
points of light painted inside a ranging version of the AD&D systems and planetary orbits
sphere in others. game which can exist along- for diagramming new systems
side the standing campaign, and tracking the planets in a
Welcome to the SPELLJAM- mixing with "ea rthbound " ad- campaign .
MER ''" universe. It is a magical ventures without overshadow-
universe. ing them.

The SPELLJAMMER sup- The text in this set is divided
plement treats the AD&D ® into two books: The Concor-
game world, with its magic , dance of Arcane Space and The
myriad races, and dimen- Lorebook of the Void. The Con-
sional gates as the "rea l " cordance (this book) should be
world, and builds outward read first. It lays out the rules
from there. This is a universe for conducting AD&D games
postulated on magical, not sci- in space as well as the magical
entific, laws . There are univer- science behind space travel,
sa I laws and they must be the building and handling of
obeyed , but they are the laws space craft, new spells and
of magic, not physics-the items of equipment, and the
laws of Mordenkainen, Elmin-

Table of Contents

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

CHAPTER I ARCANE SPACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Celestial Bod ies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Wildspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Gravity ..... . . . .. . .......................................... 7

The Helm .. .. . . .. . ............ . . ....................... . ..... 8

Crystal Shells ...................... .. .. .... .... .. ......... .. .. 9

The Phlogiston .............. . ........ . ............. ... .. ..... 1O

Breathing in Space . . . ......... . ... . .......... ... . ...... . ..... . I 1

Air Quality .. . .. .................. . .......... . ............. . .1I

Matters of Gravity . . .. . ..... . ........ . ........................ 13

Temperature . . . . . . .... . ...................................... 15

Time . ..................... . ........... ....... ...... . .... .. . . 15

CHAPTER 2 AD&D ® RULES IN SPACE . ........ ... ... ............... 16

Ability Scores .. .. . . ... ......... . ............................. 16

Character Races . .. . ... ....... . ..................... . ......... 16

Lizard Men . . . ... . . .. ... . . . ......................... . ... 16

Special Racesand Classes.. . .. . .. ....... .. .... ... ...... . ... 17

Magic Use in Space . .. .... . ..... .. ........ . .................... 17

SpelLJamming. . . . .. . .. . ..... . ... . .............. . ...... . .... . . . 18

New Wizard Spells . . ........... . ....... . .... . . ...... .......... 19

New Priest Spells. ...... . ..... . ... . ............ .. . . ............ 21

CHAPTER 3 SHIPS OF WILDSPACE . . . ..... . . . ......... ..... . .... . .25

SpelLJammerArchitecture ....... . .... . ..... ..... ....... ... ...... 25

Outfitting . . .......... .... ... . . ............................. .2 7

Ship Hulls .... ....... ...... . ....................... . ........ .27

Caravel, Coaster, Cog, Drakkar, Dromond. Galleon. Great Galley,

Longs hip, Nautiloid, Squid Ship, Hammership, Dragonfly, Damselfly,

M osquito, Wasp, Deathspider , Citadel. Tyrant Ship. Dragonship ,

M an-o-W ar, Flitter, Tradesman, and Sidewheeler Hulls

Power Sources .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. . ..... ... ... . ..... .... ....... 33

Spelljammer Helms, including Major & Minor Helms, SeriesHelms, Pool

Helms, O rbus, Forges, Gnomi sh Helms, Crown of the Stars, Furnaces,

A rtifurnaces. Lifejammer s, and Nonmagical Engines

Armaments .... . . . . .. .... . .. ..... .. .......................... 39

Catapu lts, Ballistas, Sweepers, Rams, Bombards, Jettisons, and Greek

Fire Proj ecto rs

Turrets ..... . . .... .. . . . .. .. . . . . .. .. ...... . . ..... .......... ... 43

Hull Armor .... . . .. . . .. . .. . . . ... ... ........... ......... ...... 43

Improved Maneuverabili ty . . .. . .... ... . .. .. .... ..... .. .... . ..... 44

Personal Weapons and Ammuni t ion .................. . . . ... .. .... 45

Other SpelLJamming Equipment .. . . ... . . ...... . ............ . ..... 47

Crews ... ... . .. .. ...................... . ......... . ... ... .... 48

Initial Crew Status.... .......... .. ... ........ . . ... .... ... .49

Increasing Crew Status ............. . ...................... 49

Decreasing Crew Status .......... . ................... . .... 49

CHAPTER 4 MOVEMENT & COMBAT . . ................ . . .......... 51

Long -Range Movement .................. . . .. . . . .... . ... . ...... 51

Traveling in W ildspace ........... ...... .. . .. . . ........ ... .52

Calcu lating Travel Times in Wild space . . ......... . . ..... .... .. 53

Move ment in the Flow ..................... . .............. 54

Tactical Movement . ... .... . ... . .... . ................ .... . ..... 55

Facing .... . ....... . ...... .. . ... ... ..... . . . .. ........ . .55

Movement .. . ... ... . .... . ............. .... .... ... ...... 55

Speed . . ............ ... ........ ... . .. ..... . ............ 55

Stacking ..... .. . . . . ..... . .. ...... ...... . . .... ..... ... .. 56

Table of Contents

Combat ..... . .... . ..... . ....... . ..... . . ............ ... . .. ... 56

The Turn Sequence.......... .. . .. . . .... ....... ...... ..... 56

Initiative . ...... . ..... . ...... . ...................... ... .56

Long-Range Combat . ......................... . ....... .... .... .57

Hit Points & Hull Points......... . . . . ............. .... ...... 58

Critical Hits ... . .. .. .. .. .. . .... .. ... . ... ........ ......... 59

Breaking Up ......... . .......... . ..... . . . ..... . ......... 60

Effects of Crew Losses . . . ...... ...... . ..... . .............. 60

Debris.... . . . ... . . ... ..... . . ....... . ......... ....... ... 61

Fire. . . ... . . ..... .... ... .. . . . ....... .. .... .... ........ .61

Fields of Fire .. ..... ..... .. . ... .... .. . . . ......... . . . ..... 61

Morale ......... ..... .... ............ ........... ....... 61

Short-Range Combat ... ... . ..................... . ... ..... ...... 63

M issileFire at Close Range ....... . ...... .. ... .. ... .. .... . . .63

Magic at Close Range......... ... . . .. ......... .......... . .64

Ramming . . ...... . ..... . . ... ...... . ........ .. . .. ....... . . .... 64

Sizeand Ramming ... . ........ .. ... . . ..... . .. .. . . ...... .. 65

Ramming and Ship Positions . . ..... ... . .. . . ... ...... . .. . ... 65

Ramming Gargantuan Creatures ....... . . . ...... ... . . ....... 65

Crashes ................. .. .. . ..... ... ..... ........ ........ . .65

Shearing Attacks ............ . .. .. . ..... . ........... . . ... .. . ... 66

Grappling and Boarding ....... ..... . . . . ...... . . ... ............. 66

Rapid Resolution of Small-Scale Combat ............. . . . ... ...... .. 67

Towing ........ .. . .. .. ..... . ...... . ...... . .. . .. . . .. ....... . .69

Encounters, Evasion, and Runn ing Away .... .. ...... . ......... .. .. 69

Pursuit . .... ....... . . .. ..... . ........ ....... .... ... . ... 69

Repair ................... .. ... ............. . ....... ..... ... .70

CHAPTER 5 CELESTIAL MECHANICS . . . . .. .. . ...... . . . ............ .71

Laying Out the Planets . .. .... ...... ....... ... ............. ... .. 71

Moving on the Planetary Display .. . . ............ .. .. . ... . . ... . . .72

Encounters and Evasions on the Display ........... ... ...... .... .. .72

Universe Building .. . . ..... . .............. . .... . ... .. . ... ...... 74

Preplanned Universes. .... . . . ..... ... . ..... ........ . .. ... .74

OM-Created Un iverses .. ... .... ........ ...... ... .. .. ..... .74

Randomly Generated Systems ............. . ......... .... ... 74

APPENDIX 1 SPELL EFFECTS . .. . . ........... . . . . .... .. . . . .... . . . .78

Spells in Space ... . .................... . ..... . . ... ... . ... . .. . .. 78

Wizard Spells ....... ....... ..... .. ... . . ... . . . ..... . . ......... 78

Priest Spells .. . .......... . ... ... . . ..... . . . .. .. ..... . ... . ...... 85

Magical Items ....... . .. .. . . . . ... ... . ... . . .... .. .............. 88

APPENDIX 2 TRAVEL TIMES . ........... . . ...... . . . . ... .......... .90
APPENDIX 3
APPENDIX 4 PLANETARY DISPLAY ........ . . . ... ... ... .. . ......... 92

THE ROCK OF BRAL ............... . . . .. . . . . ..... ... .94

A Gulde to Sidebar Subjects

Ships and Gravity Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Multi-Sphere Churches . .... . ...... . ...... . .. . .. ... ....... . ..... I 4

Castaways in the Flow . . . . ... ...................... . ... . ..... .. 28

Celestial Body Classification ..... .. .... .. ..... . . .. . . . ... .. .. . . ... 34

Crew Positions . ........ . . ... . . ..... . . ... . .. . ... .. .. ... ...... .44

Ship Names . . .. . . ... .. ...... ... ..................... .... ..... 52

Why Are Crystal Shells Round? ........... ... ..... ... .. . . ........ 58

Common Ship Commands ... .. .. ... . ... .... .. . . ..... . .... . . ... .62

Nonstandard Systems .... . ... . . . ... ... ...... .. ....... . . . ... . .. .68

Krynnspa ce ............... . . . ......... .. .... .. ... . .. . ..... ... 74

Greyspace ... .. . . ....... ... ..... . .. .. . ..... . . . .. ..... ... . . ... 78

Realmspace ... ... .. ....... ... . .... .. . ... .. . .. . ............... 82

The Flow ... .... ... ............ .... . .... . ..... ...... . ........ 86

Many of the details about fantasy Celestial Bodies
space can be different from cam-
paign to campaign and from world to The celestial body that is most fa-
wor ld . A ll fantasy space, however, miliar to typical player characters is
shares certain, universa l basic prop- thei r home p lanet, be it Krynn ,
erties and capabilities. This allows Oerth , Tori! , or any one of hundr eds
ships to fly between the planets and of others that populate the universe.
to voyage between the crystal
Ships and spheres. This chapter discusses the Celestial bodies extend upward in
Gravity Planes nature of wildspace and the many size to that of the sun, and downward
facets and intricacies of travel and to the size of asteroids and plane-
Since the gravity plane adventure in this new arena. toids. The tremendous variety that is
of a ship runs through its possible (and proven) in celestial
two horizontal axes, it is Space can be divided into two bodies mandates that the only accu -
possible to stand on the types: wildspace and the phlogiston. rate definition fo r the term is any sig-
"bottom" of the boat, nificantly large conglomeration of
facing the opposite direc- Wildspace is what comes to mind matte r that is wheeling about in wild-
tion of the rest of the when we talk of "s pace." It is the vast space . In general, however, a celes-
ship. In fact, _it is feasible emptiness that lies between the plan- tial body is a planetary mass. Most
to build a ship with two ets and the stars. All space inside a have a regenerating atmo sphere. Ce-
decks, one topside, the crystal shell is wildspace. It is mostly lestial bodies can have any shape,
other on the bottom. vacuum. (More correct ly, most re- though the most common is spheri-
gions of wildspace are vacuum. But cal. Still, there are flat worlds, ellipti-
The fact that this is not the cosmos is a big place and there cal worlds , cubic worlds, amorphous
done is a reflection of are exceptions to almost every rule, worlds, ring -shaped worlds , hollow
both human land other as shall be shown later.) Wildspace is worlds. Astronomers from Calim-
sentient) nature and not truly a void, however, even shan have even theorized the exist-
common sense in space. though it is often referred to that way. ence of a mobius world.
The human nature part is The simple fact that there is "space "
the tendency to want all rules out its being a true void . Celestial bodies usually, but not al-
things "right-side up"
when working with The phlogiston is a turbulent, un - ways , have an atmosphere which is
them, and while space- stable, multicolored, fluorescent gas
born races deny any such (or gaslike medium) which fills the usually but not always, breathable.
similarity with the regions between the crystal spheres.
groundlings they are as Very little is known for certain about The depth , or thickness , of the
much creatures of habit the phlogiston or this region.
as their ancestors were. atmosphere is directly related to the

The more practical rea- size of the body. The larger the body
son is what happens
when two large bodies the deeper the atmosphere. Again,
meet in space. The larger
gravity plane takes over these are general rules and excep •
the smaller gravity plane,
and its direction of "up" Every planetary system known is tions abound . Voyagers may encoun-

jContlnued) encased within a crystal sphere. Es- ter large worlds without

_fl) _ _ _ sentially , the crystal sphere keeps atmospheres , small worlds with

the wildspace in and the ph logiston thick atmospheres , and otherwise

out (this, of course, is a tremendous habitable worlds with poisonous at •

simplification, but it is easy to mospheres .

grasp). Like the phlogiston, crystal Some celestial bodies are aflame,
fueled either by internal reactions or
spheres are a great mystery; their ori- by significant access to the elemen -
ta l plane of fire. Such bodies are
gins and substance are unknown. ca ll ed suns and provide most of the
heat and warmth for the celestial
Within w il dspace are the celestial bodies within any particular crystal
bodies: planets, suns, moons, aste- shell.
roids , and a host of ot her items col-
lectively lumped together under the
heading " planetoids." Most celestial
bodies have an atmosphere of some
sort although it is dangerous to as•
sume that this is an inviolab le rule.

W il dspace throu gh the atmosphere and allows which a vessel can bring along limits
normal survival in wi ldspace, at least the minimum size of most space -

All the celestial bodies within a for a short time . going ships to no less than 100 feet

crystal shell float in an airless void The disadvantage to such an enve- in len gth (t hi s measurement is called
called wildspace. Conventional lope is its smal I size. The .envelope of the keel). The cost of moving this
(meaning "t hose that take place on breathable air that attaches to any amount of mass limits the upper size
the prime material plane ") interplan - body has an all-around depth equal of th e sh ip .
etary journeys around a so lar system to the cross-sectional diameter of
take place within wildspace. It is the that body. Gravity
first obstac le that must be conquered

by would -be space travelers. Example: A spherical beholder 5 The reason everything drags its

A s an adventurer moves higher feet across has an air envelope 15 own atmosphere around through
(whether climbing a mountain or on feet in diameter . Similar ly, a block of space is gravity. This is also the rea-
the back of a roe), the atmosphere wood which is 1 foot by 2 feet by 3 son why people can stand on a space -
becomes thinner and thinner until at feet is su rround ed by a more-or-less sailing ship without falling off its
last it becomes vacuum . The climber rectangular envelope of air which is 3 deck and can stand on a spherical
can still breathe, however , because feet by 6 feet by 9 feet. planet without falling off the bottom
as he moves upward, an envelope of side.
A creature will exhaust the air in its

air clings to him. When he reaches personal enve lope in 2d10 turns . Eve ry body in space has its own

the point where the planet's air is no Since this is barely enough time to gravity. Gravity is an accommodating

longer breathable, he is breathing get anywhere , most crossing of wild- force in that its direction seems to be

his own air, held near him by his space is done with larger vessels "t hat which is most convenient. " In an

body's own gravity. This air envelope which have correspondingly larger object the size of a planet , gravity is

attaches to everything ---------- ---that passes atmospheres. The amount of air directed toward a point at the center
~ . ..._
..-- Extent of the atr envelope ...._, .......

''
! ''\
! \ \
Gravity Plane

~?::::::X~::::::%::::::;.;::-l.«:.S~:::!:::kx~~.-.:;x::«:;.:~:=@; :::~::=.:t:~::l:*41::~~W.~:::

180 ' I180 '

t tI /
/

/

.,,., / /

--- -----
---- ---.........._.__

becomes the other's as of the planet so that people can stand ject quickly collides with the ship's
well. A ship that has a anywhere on the surface and dropped rigging or oars, or slows down in the
standard "up" direction objects fall perpendicular to the sur- air envelope and crashes into the
can more easily adjust to face. In smaller objects , like space ship. One of the favorite pranks of
this new situation, while craft , gravity is not a central point but experienced spellsailors is to toss an
one with multiple "ups", rather a plane which cuts horizontally apple or similar light object off one
such as our double - through the object. side of a ship in such a way that it
decker, will be caught in a curves around and strikes someone
situation where one side Significantly , this gravity plane is standing at the other rail.
will go spilling off the two-directional· it attracts from both
deck toward the newly top and bottom. A sailor can actually The Helm
established gravity plane. stand on the bottom of the ship 's hull
and move around as easily as if he was Ships travel through wildspace by
This situation results in walking on deck. In this case, "down " means of the helm-a magical de-
most ships having a defi- is actually "up ," back toward the plane vice which converts mystical energy
nite "up." Whether they of gravity that cuts through the ship. into motive force, the push that
moves the spe lljamm er. This allows
can land on a planet or as- One of the stranger side effects of rapid movement from planet to
all this is that an object falling off the planet. Some of the spec ifics vary
teroid or not, they will side of a spelljammer can oscillate from race to race. In general , how-
eventually find them- back and forth across the plane of ever , most ships are equipped with a
selves In the gravity plane gravity , falling first in one direction magical device known as a spe lljam -
of a larger ship, and so until it crosses the plane , then revers- ming helm .
build accordingly. The ing direction and falling back across
huge neogl deathspiders the plane again , and so on until A mage or priest sits at the helm
felt they could escape something causes it to stop . To a per- and acts as a living engine, providing
this, until they ran into a son standing on the deck , the object the magical power to move the ship
dwarven citadel ship that appears to fall down, then up , then through wildspace and to perform
caused their umber hulks down, then up. This trick is com- some basic maneuvering as well.
to go splattering against monly used to amuse passengers
an overhead dome that new to space travel. More than one Any magic can move a ship
suddenly became under- groundling has gotten in trouble for through wildspace. The more power-
foot. The older dwarven standing at the ship 's rail and tossing ful the magic, the faster and further
citadels, now abandoned, an endless stream of apples over - the ship can move . Again, check un-
show a multidirectional board just to watch them bob. der ship design for the effects of this.
nature, but encounters
with still larger craft Exampl e: A viking longboat cruis- The arrangement of celestial
ing through the fjords is suddenly
fsuch as the SpelljammerJ thrown from its home into wildspace. bodies in wildspace varies from
Its crew can still stand normally on
have caused them to rein- its deck. Down for them is toward the sphere to sphere. Many are
troduce standard facing. bottom of the boat. Sim ilarly , an in-
dividual could stand on the bottom stellarcentric-that is , the central
of the longship , and find that " down ··
for him was back toward the top of body is a sun and all the other bodies
the boat. Someone who jumps off
the deck of the boat would fall down- revolve around it. There are also geo-
ward and pass through the boat's
plane of gravity, whereupon the di- centric systems where a planet is the
rection of gravity would reverse for
him and pull him back toward the un- center of the system and the sun and
derside of the hull.
other planets revolve around it
A carefully-thrown object can ac-
tually go into orbit around the ship. (Oerth is such a system). There are
Such orbits do not last long; the ob-
even systems where the planets do

not move at all, where there is only

one planet and no sun , and some

where the planets move randomly

and erratically. All of this is ex-

plained in much greater detail in

la ter chapters.

Many voyagers roam randomly
through wildspace , looking for the

0 --- ---------- -------- - --- -----------

OL--- - -------

remains of lost civilizations, ghost whic h is held to be the prime matter vals. Look ing for such a portal can be
ships, treasure rocks, and other ob- of the un iverse. Less charitable phi- a t ime-consuming task.
jec t s that are not normally found losophers maintain that such shells
closer to civilizat ion. There are also were placed by an even higher au- 4) In some systems , stars are lo-
space pirates and the i r bases floating thority to keep gods and men in and cated around the fr inges. Occasion -
off the beaten tracks , usua lly near confine their activities. ally , such stars are themselves
dead worlds which would not other- portals to other locations which can
wise attract attention. Fina ll y, t here Whatever their origin the crystal be accessed by diving into the heart
are a su rprising number of monsters shells are uniform throughout space. of the star. Such portals are very rare;
li~ing in wildspace , surviving by be- All appear as great, dark, featureless voyagers definitely should check lo-
ing so large that they carry a signifi- spheres of unidentifiable matter. cal listings before incinerating them-
cant air supply with them wherever selves in an unknown situation.
they go (such as space dragons), by The crystal spheres are definitely
retaining ai r within their bodies (gas so lid. They have no gravity along ei- 5) The legendary Spe/ljammer and
fish), or by not needing to breathe at ther the ir interior or exterior sides creatures such as space dragons
all (the neogi) . (an exception to the rule that all large seem to have an innate ability to
objects have gravity) . No magic has open portals to the phlogiston.
Crystal Shells been found that can damage or alter These portals close slowly over a
the surface of a shell, except for long period , so other ships can some-
Al l w il dspace is bounded by crys- those spel ls which cause portals to times pass through them. From out-
ta l shells or crystal spheres. Inside open. Even this , however , is believed side a sphe re, these portals are easily
the crystal sphere is the vacuum of to be nothing more than an artificial visible.
wildspace, the planets and stars . triggering of a natural phenomenon,
Outside the crystal sphere is the rain - since portals also occur naturally Note that portals as discussed here
bow ocean of phlogiston and more and seemingly at random. They are are me rely simple doors al lowing
crystal spheres . apparently immune to the effects of passage from one side of a crystal
wishes and even the wills of the outer shell to the other. They are not gat es
The size of a crystal sphere is de- planar powers (though this does not and they do not allow transit between
termined by the size of the planetary rule out the possibi li ty that the o ute r dimensions. Magic that relies on
system inside. Usually a sphere has a planar powers created them- other planes or other dimensions is
radius at least twice as big as the or- perhaps they were wise enough to notoriously unreliable when cast in
bital radius of the outermost celes- prevent even their own tampering) . close proximity to a cry stal shell.
tial body i n the system (i.e. , the
distance from the she ll to the outer - The crystal shell is an impassab le The crystal sphere itself repre -
most body of the system is the same barrier to space voyagers unless they sents the outer limit of the influence
as the distance from that outermost are properly prepared or very fortu- of gods and other-dimensional crea -
nate. Five methods are known for tures . Magic that summons or draws
body to the center point of the sys- getting from one side of a crystal power from such beings or creatures
sphere to ano t her: does not function outside these
tem). bounds. Much of the decision as to
1) It can be bypassed entirely with what wil l and will not work is left to
Beca use of their great size, the a leleporl or dimension door spell. the individual DM, but this restric -
outside of a crystal sphere appears The trave ler blinks from one side of tion definite ly does not apply to
perfec t ly flat. The c u rvature is so the shell to the other without physi- priest spells of levels 1 and 2.
g radua l that it is completely unde- ca lly crossing the shell. Only a magi-
tectable to anyone who is close ca l item or magical spell can effect Those fantasy systems with stars
enough to see the crystal sphe re such a transfer. in the night sky often have these
through the obscuring phlogiston. stars mounted a long the inside of the
2) A phase door spell or magical crystal sphere. The nature of stars
The spheres consist of an unbreak- device which duplicates that spe ll al- varies from sphere to sphere , how-
able, dark, ceramic mater ial of un- lows a ship or a portion of the she! I to ever . Within some spheres the stars
known origin. Some legends state become immaterial so the ship can are small portholes looking out on
(and various theolog ians agree) t hat pass through. the ph logiston , in some they are
the smooth-surfaced shells were cre- pai nted lights along the interior, in
at ed and posi t ioned by the gods 3) Naturally occurring portals some they are great cities inhabited
themse lves to protect their worlds pierce the shell in various locations by alien creatures, and in others they
from the ravages of the phlog iston, at random and unpredictable inter-

are great bowls of fi re held aloft by causes the surrounding area (includ-
huge statues of forgotten gods. ing the phlogiston-laden ai r envelope
of the ship) to burst into flame. This
The Phlogiston flame expands immediate ly to three
times its normal diamete r and inflicts
Outside and between the crystal three times it normal damage . For
spheres is a turbulent, rainbow ocean this reason , fireballs , bombards , ar-
of flammable ether called the phlo- quebuses, and any other weapons
giston. The phlogiston is a multicol- which rely on a spark or flame are not
ored sea upon which float the various used in the phlogiston.
systems within their crystal shells.
In combat, a larger ship The term phlogiston is applied The effects of various types of
equally to both the multicolored m e-
can use Its ability to turn dium and to the entire region sur- flame exposed to phlogiston are as
an opponent off-balance rounding the crystal spher es.
follows:
by passing close in a Phlogiston has varying thick -
nesses in space and form s dense riv - Candle (lit) 1 die fireba l l
shearing or ram attack, ers between planet-sized objects
forcing the smaller ship (such as the spheres themselves). 4" across
Voyagers moving along these paths
to reorient itself Ioften of concentrated phlogiston discover Lantern (lit) 3 die fireball
that the greater the density of the
pulling its weapons out flow , the faster a ship can move . A l' across
of rangeJ or risl< crashing ship can speed up and slow down by
on the larger vessel. penetrating deeper into or raising it- Oil Flask (lit) 3 die fireball
Dwarven ships, with self out of these phlogiston rivers.
greater hull points, often Stellar distance s can be covered 3' across
prefer this method to quickly in such areas . Further, the
ramming. speed of the ship is at least partially Cooking Fire 4 die fireball
dependent on the surface area it
It is relatively easy for a presents to the flow , so many ships 10' across
ship to reorient itself carry sails to increase their speed in
while under the com - the inter.ste ll ar ocean. Fireball 3 times size and
mand of a spelljammer. If
attempting to do so with - Gravity works in phlogiston the effect
out a spelljammer at the same way it does in wildspace. Down
helm , each character on is directed toward the major axis of Match (fuse) 1-2 points (plus im -
deck must roll his Dexter - the ship.
ity or less or fall toward mediate misfire if
the other ship. Both ships Phlogiston is none of the recog-
nized four elemental matters. It is arquebus)
Involved in such maneu - neither air nor earth, f ire nor water. It
vers carry nets to allow cannot be reproduced or brought in - These effects occur immediately .
side the bounds of a crystal sphere . If For example, lighting a flask of oil to
the crew to save them - an attempt is made , whether by phys - use as an incendiary weapon will
selves, or to keep up - ical or magical containment , the cause it to explode immediate ly. (Ac -
wanted clutter from phlogiston inexplicably dissipates , tually, a character would have to be
leaving no trace. Phlogiston simply extremely tricky and careful even to
other ships from drop- cannot exist within wildspace or on get that far. The phlogiston would ig-
the surface of a planet. nite as soon as a flame was created
ping on them . with which to ignite the oil.) The fire
Finally , phlogiston is dangerously resulting from a fireball or other fire-
flammable , much like oil-soaked cot - related spell is centered on the wiz•
ton , which poses its own problems. ard casting the spe l I.
Any flame exposed to phlogiston
Because of the nature of phlogis -
ton , all flaming light sources are ex•
tinguished by the crew before
entering the flow. Phlogiston is radi-
ant, so no other lights are needed on
the exposed decks. Below decks, or
in rare (and haunted) Dark Regions of
space, cold natural lights (moths or
fireflies, fluorescent moss) or magi-
cal lights are used for illumination.
The heart of dwarven mountain-craft
are without running lights, since
dwarves have infravision .

Voyagers can move along the riv-

ers of phlogiston at random or ac- Fortunately , all bodies take an enve-
cording to a planned course. Many of lope of air with them, and this pro-
these rivers flow in both directions vides some breathable atmosphere.
between two crystal shells. In some Unfortunately, this envelope is rarely
cases, a river flows in one direction large enough to support lif e for very
only, forcing th e voyager to follow a long .
different course when returning
home. A single, human-sized body drags
along with it enough air to last 2-20
The crystal spheres bob in the turns . If that human-sized body is
phlogiston like corks in an ocean standing on a rock 100 cubic yards in
(mind-boggling, enormous corks, size (rough ly 40 feet in diameter) , it
but they do bob). As a result , over may have enough air to survive for
time the spheres actually shift their several months .
positions relative to each other. This
almost never changes the courses of Larger -t han -man -size creatures
the rivers, however , so navigation is (ogres and giants, for example) drag
possible. But just because a ship along enough air to last twice as long
passed certain landmarks on its way (4-40 turns) .
from A to B does not mean the ship
will pass those same landmarks on Larger objects, such as ships , are
its way back to A from B. Fortu-
nately , when crystal shells drift too rated for their tonnage. Each ton rep-
close , the phlogiston between them
thickens to the point where the two resents 100 cubic yards of space,
massive spheres are moved apart
and a collision is prevented. which brings along enough air to

The spheres containing Tori! , support one human -size crew mem-
Oerth , and Krynn form a stable trian -
gle. Travel is possible in both direc - ber for four to eight months. A 30 -
tions between Toril and Oerth, and
between Oerth and Krynn. Toril and ton frigate, therefore , could support
Krynn are not connected by a river,
however , so while a direct trip from 30 crew members for four to eight
one to the other is feasible , it is im-
possibly slow. From Toril, Krynn can months under normal circum-
be reached quicker by passing
through Oerth than by taking a stances, and double that under re-
straight- line path.
duced circumstances. This is
Navigation charts of the phlogis-
ton show the major channels of flow explained fully in the chapter on Ship
between the spheres. Equal, two -way
flow is shown by arrows in opposite Design . The minimum size for a usa-
directions on the map. Flow in only
one direction is shown by a sing le ar- ble ship in space is 1 ton (100 cubic
row.
yards). The limitations on moving a
Breathing in Space
ship through space determines the
A s a character ascends a moun-
tain, the air becomes thinner and upper limit of ship size.
thinner , until finally it becomes the
unbreathable vacuum of wildspace. Air Quality

The air envelope around a body or
ship can be one of three classes or
qualities -fresh, fouled, or deadly.
Air can change from one quality to
another over time.

Fresh air is completely breath -
ab le. The air around an individual
body remains fresh for 2 -20 (2d 10)
turns. Air around a larger body (one
ton or more) remains fresh for four
months if the vesse l carries a normal
crew .

Fouled air is stale and partially de-
pleted. It is humid and sme lls bad.
Air becomes fouled after the first 2 -

________ _________ ______ ___ ___r_,-.1, 5L

The correct procedure 20 turns around a single body and re- members . The crew must be in·
for approaching a larger mains fouled until the 30th turn. For creased by at least 25% of its stand-
ship, if the captain 's in- example, if the air was fresh for 12 ard limit to reduce the air supply by
tention is not ramming, turns, it would be fouled for 18 turns , one month. For example, a 30-ton
shearing, or causing its for a total of 30 turns. The air around frigate sets sail with 30 characters
gravity plane to shift, is a ship is fouled from the beginning of aboard, the standard lim it. It has air
to approach along the the fifth month until the end of the sufficient for four months . After six
larger ship's plane of eighth month. Al I attack rolls and weeks , 10 characters are lost in a bat-
gravity in itially. This ne - ability checks made by characters or tle. Even though this represents
gates the need for correc- creatures that must breathe air have more than 25% of the crew it has no
tive actions once in the a -2 penalty if the air is fouled. effect on the air supply because the
field, allows easy com- air supply cannot be extended. Three
munication, and a good Deadly air is completely depleted weeks later (nine weeks total, or 2 .25
launching point for at - and filled with carbon dioxide. It can - months) 20 characters are rescued
tacks from either side. not support life. The air around an in - from a drifting hulk. This raises the
Smart-alecl<s can bring div idual becomes deadly at the current crew to 40, which is at least
the ship in on the gravity beginning of the 31st turn, that 25% greater than the standard l imit
plane but facing the a round a sh ip becomes deadly at the of 30, but not 50% greater. The air
other direction, but this beginning of the ninth month in supply is reduced by one month, so it
is regarded as a breach of space . Anyone trapped inside a will now be fouled at the end of three
courtesy in diplomatic deadly atmosphere must make a sav- months.
ing throw versus poison each turn .
entreaties and relation - Failure means the character passes Method 2: This method is entirely
out. A second failure brings death. mathematical. The DM redetermines
ships with other cap - Only fresh (or fouled) air can revive the ship's air supply every time the
tains . the character after he passes out. number of characters aboard
changes. The air supply can increase
Most trips aboard ship take less or decrease. To determine the ship 's
than four months to complete, or at new air supply when it changes , mul-
least present the opportunity to re- tiply the current air supply by the
plenish and refresh the air supply number of people that air was for,
within four months. Air usually is not and then divide that product by the
a problem except in extreme cases new number of crew . Round frac-
and emergencies. tions down. For example, a 30-ton
frigate sets sail with 23 characters
Changes aboard ship can affect aboard. It carries enough air to re-
how long the remaining air will last. main fresh for four months (16
There are two ways for the DM to weeks) if breathed by 30 people.
handle this: a fast method that in- With 23 crew , the air will last (30x16/
volves some necessary simplifica - 23 =) 20 weeks. Seven weeks into
tions and an accurate method that the trip, five crew are lost fighting a
involves considerably more math. monster . The remaining air will now
last (23 crew x 13 weeks/16 remain-
.Method 1: A ship 's air is fresh for ing crew =) 18 more weeks before
four months. This is altered only if becoming fouled.
the number of crew aboard is at least
25% high or low. For each 25% over When two bodies meet in space,
the standard crew , the air supply is their atmosphere is exchanged . The
reduced by one month. For each class of the air in the smaller body
25% under the standard crew , the air becomes that of the larger body. If
supply is extended by one month. the smaller body is at least two-thirds
These adjustments are made at the the size of the larger , both get one-
beginning of the trip. From that half as much air as the larger had re-
po int on, the air supply cannot be ex- maining. If the smaller is less than
tended by losing crew members , but two-thirds the size of the larger, both
it can be shortened by adding crew

get the larger ·s full supply of air , mi- Matters of Gravity The plane of gravity runs out be-
nus one week. For example, if a 30- yond the edges of the body to the
ton frigate with fouled air encounters In space , whether in the flow or in fringe of the air envelope. Therefore,
a 60 -ton man-o-war with 12 weeks of wildspace , gravity performs the a character stepping off the deck of a
fresh air, the frigate gets 11 weeks of same way. A plane of gravity runs ship falls toward that plane. He
fresh air and the man-o-war loses one through the long axis of any large passes through the plane, at which
week. If the frigate had been 40 tons body. Any structure or creature with point the direction of gravity re-
or more, both ships would have got- an axis at least 25 feet long has a verses and then he falls in the oppo-
ten six weeks of fresh air. plane of gravity sufficient to attract site direction. There is no damage
other objects. A person could walk from falling off a ship in this fashion.
The same thing applies to two indi- on the back of a 25-foot-tall giant
viduals exchanging atmosphere . An floating in space as if the giant was a Drifting
individual has no effect on a ship 's at- planet.
mosphere, however , unless the indi- There is a problem for unre -
vidual is at least huge. Every body with a plane of gravity strained objects resting on the plane
(including asteroids, most standard of gravity of another large object,
A number of creatures can survive ships, and some huge or larger mon- however. Along the plane an object is
in space without air (undead or magi- sters) exerts a pull identical to that weightless, but it is pushed slowly
cal creatures such as golems, for ex- on a standard planet ("Earth-normal" out toward the edge of the gravity
ample). They are unaffected by the gravity). A body without a plane of field. Therefore, a man overboard
status of the air envelopes around gravity still maintains an envelope of would eventually come to rest at the
them. Certain spells and magical air but exerts no pull on other, solid ship's plane of gravity, then begin
items provide additional protection objects. drifting away from the ship along
to the star traveler who may find him- that plane toward the edge of the air
self in deep space without a ship. Gravity is an all -or-nothing propo- envelope. On reaching the end of the
sition. Either it is there at full gravity plane he is pushed outside
Classes of atmosphere operate in strength or it is not there at all. Grav- the air envelope and then left behind
the same manner in the phlogiston ity always exerts the same force as the ship moves away.
as they do in wildspace. However, whether the body creating it is the
when the atmosphere goes deadly, a size of a whale , the planet Toril, or a Because objects at the level of the
special property of the phlogiston massive gas giant planet. gravity plane itself are weightless
takes over . Instead of dying , the indi- and undergoing a small but definite
vidual lapses into suspended anima- The gravity of a body extends to push toward the edges, this center
tion until the atmosphere around the same distance as the air plane is often used to launch heavy
him is recharged. Living flesh turns envelope-that is, to the edge of the missiles or prepare boarders to at-
gray and stonelike and remains that object's atmosphere. Within those tack other ships.
way until the individual is rescued. bounds gravity functions normally
By following along the flow, a ship or toward the gravity plane; outside Aside from this slight push, there
individual will eventually drift near a that limit , gravity is not present in is no relative motion of a ship within
sphere, where recovery is at least any degree. A body in that region is its air envelope, aside from turning.
possible. Note that rescue is not nec- weightless. A ship's air envelope does not turn
essarily by someone with good inten- with the ship when it turns, but ob-
tions . The neogi and mind flay ers do Since gravity is represented by a jects in the ship's air envelope do not
excel lent business in robbing and en- plane running through the long axis, drift toward the rear of the ship sim-
slaving the unfortunate individuals any large body has a "top· · and "bot- ply because the ship is moving for-
they find adrift in the phlogiston. tom." It is possible to walk along the ward.
bottom of a ship, as gravity is still
Crystal shells usually have no at- pulling the character down toward Overlapping Gravity
mosphere of their own. either inside that long axis. Technically, a ship
or outside. There are many asteroids could be built with two decks , both When gravity planes intersect
and planets that lack atmosphere as parallel to the gravity plane. In prac- (such as when two ships pass each
well, in contradiction of normal tice , this is almost never done be- other at close range and different an-
physical laws. cause such a ship cannot land . Some gles), the gravities of both ships re-
deep space craft and asteroid bases main in effect, regardless of size, up
have equal housing on the top and to the point where they physically in-
bottom. tersect. An object is under the influ -
ence of whichever gravity plane it is

Multi-Sphere closest to. A character could leap be- Com bat
tween two passing ships, altering his
Churches down direction as he crosses the Combat in weightless conditions is
midpoint between the two. considered a foreign combat envi-
Most faiths are limited ronment to those who are not accus-
to a few crystal spheres When two ships come into direct tomed to the situation. Nonnatives of
where their sense of wor - contact (one rams the other or lands space have a +6 penalty on their ini-
ship is strong. A lawful on the other), the gravity of the ship tiative rolls and a -2 penalty on all at-
good war god may be with the higher tonnage is dominant tack rolls. Nonnatives are those
known under several dif- and becomes the gravity for both characters and creatures who are
ferent names on one ships. For example, an elvish light originally from campaigns that are
planet, or d ifferent as- scout has its own gravity until it not oriented around space adven-
pects of a nature deity lands on its parent ship, at which ture, or are unfamiliar with weight-
may be venerated on a point it adopts the down direction of less conditions and fighting in three
single continent, but in its parent. Or, as another example a dimensions. Characters who are na-
general all come together large mind flayer vessel could ram a tive to space, or have the Weightless
under one general group smaller ship from directly above and Combat proficiency (see New Profi-
heading . A cleric of Tyr or spin the smaller ship's gravity plane ciencies) can fight without these neg-
St . Cuthbert or l<ir-Jolith by 90 degrees, causing everything ative modifiers.
may expect to receive his on the rammed ship to tumble to-
normal spells as long as ward the larger ship's plane of grav- Missile fire functions normally
he Is In the wlldspace of, ity, probably with disastrous results. within gravity fields. Once outside
respectively, Tori!, Oerth , those fields, however, there is noth-
or l<rynn . Falling ing to slow down the objects once
fired. For this reason, missiles will
Once out of one ·s na - A weightless character who enters continue to travel forever, with no
tive sphere, however, the the air envelope of a larger body is limit, until they encounter some-
chances of encountering immediately affected by the pull of thing. All missile weapons in space
gravity of that body. He will, in effect, have an extreme range which ex-
fellow followers of one 's fall the distance from where he en- tends from the limit of long range to
deity are greatly reduced. tered to the surface of the body, or to the limit of the character's vision.
In different spheres dif- the plane of gravity, whichever is There is a -10 modifier to hit at ex-
ferent powers rule, and nearer . Normal falling damage ap- treme range. A missile travels the
while some have agree- plies if the character hits something equivalent of twice its long range
ments with other beings solid at the end of the fall. each round.
of similar portfolio tsee
In cases where the drop is more For example, imagine a character
detect powers spell) , than one mile, there is also danger of firing a long bow at a target that is
the subject heating up and igniting 2,000 yards away. The long bow's
some are strangers and / from friction with the air (becoming a long range is 210 yards . The attack-
or actively hostile to the shooting star). This happens after one ing character's THAC0 is 15 and the
cleric 's faith. mile of uncontrolled descent. The target's AC is 7. The attacker needs
falling object catches fire and takes to roll an 8 or higher to hit. With the
normal damage from fire for the re- -10 modifier for extreme range this is
mainder of the plunge. Flight, levita- adjusted to an 18 or higher. After be-
tion , or any sort of control over speed ing fired, the arrow will travel 420
and descent can negate this effect. yards per round. It will reach its tar-
get five rounds after firing.
Characters who are weightless can
move under the familiar laws of This applies to normal hand-held
physics. Any force has an opposite weapons only. Siege machinery, cat-
force. A drifting fighter can move apults, and ballistas mounted on
(slowly) by throwing equipment in ships suffer no such limitation, as
the opposite direction. Maximum they are designed with such long dis-
movement in this fashion is 3 per tances in mind.
round.

Weightless conditions apply to without any such openings. Krynn iods, custom, and a host of other fac-
both wildspace and the phlogiston space has a very low natural temper- tors . Spelljamme rs often rely on
with no differences. Despite their ature (about 16 degrees fahrenhe it) what is considered the standa rd day
size , crystal spheres have no gravity, and is plagued by small, lethal for time-keeping aboard sh ip .
inside or out. clouds of ice particles.
A standard day is 24 hours , and is
Temperature The phlogiston maintains a simi- broken into three watches of eight
larly comfortable temperature, but hours each: first, second, and night
Due to the activity of the planets, with the added danger of explosive (also called graveyard) watch. A
the spheres , and various gates to the fire , as described above. standard week is seven standard
plane of elemental fire, temperature days, a standard month is four stand-
in wildspace is not a problem for ad - There are no seasons in the phlogis- ard weeks (28 days).
venturers. The ambient temperature ton or wildspace . Of course, as a ship
in most space is about the same as a approaches a star, the temperature in- There is no standard time period
moderate summer day in the temper - creases. Landing on a body of fire cre- beyond the month. The typical
ate regions of most worlds. ates problems similar to enter in g the method of determining the length of
elemental plane of fire. A water body a year-the time that passes during a
Some crystal shells , however , have could conceivably be cold enough to comp lete cycle of the seasons-has
surprisingly higher or lower temper- be nothing but a ball of ice . no meaning for a group that spends
atures , and those should be noted on most of its time in space. Anything
any star chart worth reading. A she ll Time from 10 to 15 months can be consid-
that is little more than an opening ered a year, depending on the people
into the plane of elemental fire wi ll Local time often varies from who are keeping track of it.
have a higher temperature than one planet to planet and sphere to
sphere, depending on rotational per-

Given the effects of The bulk of the AD&D ''' game rules kender, hengeyokai, and spirit folk.
clerics having variable are unchanged by th e move into All these individua ls have the restric-
abilities from sphere to space, but there are some changes, tions and abi lities accorded to them
sphere, or even from additions, and new options available on their native worlds.
world to world, the civili- to players . This section summarizes
zations of space have all the major additions to the core Lizard Men
evolved their own faiths rules of play laid out in the Player's
that take Into account Handbook and Dungeon Masler's Lizard men are humanoid lizards
the wide variety of be- Guid e. who walk on their hind legs and have
liefs. These faiths are rec- three-fingered hands with opposable
ognized wherever there Abi1ity Sc ores thumbs. While not among the more
is space civilization in the brilliant races found in space, they
l<nown Universe. Where AD&D ability scores are unaf- are on a par with halflings and hu-
there are no such civiliza- fected in play in space. A high mans. De pend ing on the ir world of
tions, these sects are not Strength means the same thing in origin, they vary from five to seven
recognized, and their space as it does on the ground. There feet tall. The ir scaly reptilian skin is
priests are limited as are are new devices that require a certain normally brownis h green to light
the groundling clerlcs- ability score to function properly, green but in space societies they
they cannot gain spells and these limitations are noted with decorate themse lves with extensive
above second level . each item's description . tattoos and body paints.

THE POLYGOTS: The Characte r Races Lizard men t end to be short-
Polygots are a pantheistic in Space tempered and emotional, with little
faith that worships entire patience for warm-blooded beings of
organizations of Powers Most spacefaring character races other races. Their name for others is
as opposed to a particular are similar to their more familiar, ter- "BreK/qq/zz ," which is derived from
Power. A priest of the restrial counterparts as far as abili- the lizard man word for "p rl:!y." Lizard
Greek mythoi, or the ties and capabilities are concerned. men are usua lly neutral, tending to-
Norse gods, would qual- A void elf may have a different soci- wards chaotic behavior, but there are
ify as a polygot priest. If etal background than a valley elf lawful and good members of the
from Oerth, a moon elf from Tori I, or race, as we ll.
any members of a particu - one of the Qualinesti from Krynn
but al I elves obey the basic rules of Lizard men have appetites that ri-
lar polygot priest 's pan- their character classes. Similarly, val the halflings' legendary love of
theon are present in the dwarves retain their character class food. Unlike halflings , they are more
sphere, then that cleric re- distinctions , as do humans half- omnivorous and less choosy about
gains his spells normally. lings, and half -elves. cook ing their meals. Lizard men in
For example, Tyr of Toril is space genera ll y do no t kill other sen-
originally a native of the The level restrictions and any spe- tients for food, but are not above
cial abilities of a particular race are scavenging among the dead for in -
dictated by their home world. lf their teresting tidbits.
home world has high-level elven cler-
ics, then natives of that world who Lizard men benefit from their own
happen to be clerics should not be natura ll y strong hides, which provide
limited even if they move to other so- them w ith AC 5. A lizard man gains
lar systems that have no elven clerics. no additional protection from armor,
unless that armor raises the AC to a
There is also the spaceborne race level bette r than 5. Thus, a lizard
of lizard men . On most worlds , lizard man gains no be nefit from norma l
men are little more than savages . In leathe r a rmor, but does gain a bene-
space, they have full capabilities as a fit from wearing pla t e mai l. Lizard
player character race. men gain benefits from magic that
enhances armor class, but from mag-
Finally , there are a number of ical armor only if tha t a rmor raises
lesser races found in space, such as the AC above 5. Lizard men gain no
benefit to AC for exceptional Dexter-

ity, though they do gain the benefit Special Races and Classes contact with hi s deity. loss of such
from Dexterity for u sing missile spell abi liti es does not affect a priest's
weapons. Many worlds have special player spelljamming ability (see below) .
character classes and/or player char -
Lizard men naturally inflic t 1-2 acter races: samurai hengeyokai, A cleric who enters a foreign crys-
minotaurs , and other "specialty" tal shell is similarly rest rict ed . The
points of damage with each of their classes and races unique to particu- only exceptions to this occur when a
clawed hands and 1-6 points of dam - lar campaigns. These classes func - cleric 's deity (or a sim ilar power) is
age with their large tails. Lizard men tion normally in wildspace, within recognized in the foreign shell or the
also carry weapons, but when they at- the void 's phys ica l limitations. They cleric casts a successf ul gale spell
tack with both a weapon and a tail , it are not normally used for player affording his deity access to the for -
is considered an attack using two characters in space. eign shell.
weapons and all effects of such an at-
tack are applied (Player's Handbook , Player Characters Native to Any god or power is cons id ered
page 96). Space: All the character c lasses and " recognized " within a sphere if he
races presented in the Player's Hand- has worship ers and/or an organiz d
Lizard men can be fighters (maxi- book are represented in space. Char - church anywhere within that system.
mum 12th level), thieves (maximum acters that are native to space have a This does not mean that a PC cleric
11th level), or clerics (maximum 7th number of new proficiencies availa- can move into a shell and automati-
level). They may not be multi- ble to them. These new skills are de- cally establish a base of worship for
classed. There may be lizard men tailed in the Proficiencies section. his god. For a d eity to be a recog -
wizards on some worlds, but they are nized power in any shell, he has to
not dealt with in this product. Magic (Jse in Space have an established group of wor -
shipers somewhere in the system.
Lizard men can speak their native The effects of certa in magical and
language as well as common. They clerical spells and spe ll -like abilities Character s nativ e to space may
have infravision extending up to 60 are limited in the phlogiston that lies worship the deities of th e sphe re they
feet. Their base move is 6, and an un- between the crystal spheres. How - are in or may follow a number of
armored or lightly encumbered liz- ever, those limitations are offset by faiths found in many space civiliza -
ard man can swim 12. the availability of new spells for tions. The se faith s are:
mages and clerics in space. Individ-
Racial Ability Requirements ual s with magical abilities may also The Polygots
use their powers to operate a spell- The Path & The Way
Strength: 8/18 jammin g helm, allowing them to Ptah (the traveler 's god)
move their ships across the stars. Various planar chur ches
Dexterity: 3/18
Clerics in Space: Clerica l magic
Constitution: 6/18 operates normally within the crysta l
shell that surrounds a cleric 's native
Intelligence : 3/17 world, but is severely hampered once
that cleric enters the phlogiston. A
Wisdom: 3/18 cleric receives his spel ls through the These faiths are represented wher-
offices of hi s deity , and his deity 's ef- ever ther e are space c ivili zations.
Charisma: 3/16 fectiveness ends at the crystal shell.
The phlogiston is impenetrable to
Average Height 6 Weight extra-dimensional magics , and as a Conjuration /Summoning Spells:
result the "gods" and other powers Spells that call upon beings from the
Base Height 60/60 have no sway there. surrounding area will not function if
none of those creatures are lo cated
Modifier 2d 12 A cleric entering the Flow may use within the spell's range . A call ani·
those spells he brought with him (with mals spell will not work in wildspace
Weight 150/140 normal restrictions for the physical if there are no animals present there.
nature of phlogiston). However, a
Modifier 3d10 cleric may not regain spells above
2nd level while in the phlogiston. This
Age 10 is because he remains out of direct Conjuration /Summoning spells
Base Age 2d6
Variable 350 will not work in th e phlogiston if they
Max.Age

Note that lizard men mature summon extra-dimensional mon-
quickly but like many reptiles, have
very long possible lives . Their violent sters or powers. No power, god , ele-
style of living, however, means that
very few reach middle age , much less menta I, or other meta-planar
venerable status.
creature can be summoned in the

phlogiston , and any spell that at -

tempts to do so wi ll fail.

In addition , any spells that place
the caster in contact with an extra-

Norse mythes (though dimensional power fail in the Flow. fire used in the phlogiston will cause
an automatic detonation of the spell
Thor, Odin, and Loki Planar Travel: Travel between the on the user. A wizard trying to cast a
planes of existence functions nor- 12-hit dice fireball will find himself at
have never made bea- m a11y within the various crystal the center of a ball of flame. This
she ll s. A character in wildspace may may be advantageous to a powerful
cheads on the planet or go ethereal, enter the astral plane, or spellcaster with resistance to fire. In
open a gate into one of the outer general, though, such dangerous dis-
attracted a large follow- planes. plays are frowned upon since they
prove to be damaging to ships .
ing). A cleric worshiping In the phlogiston, however, the di•
mensions cannot be accessed. Spelljamming
the Norse polygot (all the Therefore , devices and spells, in-
cluding armor of etherealness and Spelljamming is the conversion of
Norse godsJwould regain portable holes , will not function in the magical energy directly into motive
Flow. A device or spell that holds ob- force for ships in space. Spelljam-
spells on Torll since Tyr is jects in external dimensions will still ming can be accomplished either by
hold them , but the items cannot be spells or through a magical device
a native. With the expan- accessed with anything short of a lim- known as the spelljammer helm. Both
ited wish spell. priests and wizards can spelljam, as
sion of the Polygots in can creatures with spell-like abilities.
For example, a particularly nasty Character classes such as paladins
space civilization, repre- efreet is trapped in a portable hole in and rangers gain spelljamming abili-
Waterdeep, in the Realms, then car - ties at the point that they may cast
sentatives of the various ried to the edge of that system's crys- spells, but cannot spelljam until that
tal shell and thrown into the Flow. A time. Wizards of specific schools or
polygot sects can be passing ship finds the portable hole specialty clerics may spelljam nor-
but cannot open it until makes land- mally, though they may also be able
found in most organized fall inside another crystal shell. Once to use certain specialty spells to ac-
the portable hole is opened within comp lish it.
shells. Polygot priests are the new system, the very irritated
efreet can leave. The spelljammer helm is a device
not popular on the formed like a great chair, with re-
Fire and Wildspace : Within the air cesses for the head, feet, and arms of
ground, however, be- envelope that surrounds a planet, the person using it. The styles of
fire burns normally. Outside that en- helms vary from simplistic and func -
cause it is there that the velope, however, there is a vacuum tional to ornate and gothic. In all its
that will not support fire. configurations, the helm is designed
various gods struggle to pull magical energies from the
Magical fire (such as fireballs) will user and convert them into full-
one.against the other for work in the vacuum of space, as it is fledged spelljammer power to move
the sudden creation of fire that re- and maneuver space ships.
worshipers. A polygot quires no air. Magical fire will not
cause other objects to burst into A major helm converts magical
priest of the Lendore Isles flame, however , because there is no ability to energy at a 1 per 2 level
air to support a non-magical reaction . rate. Round fractions up. A 1st- or
of Oerth would find him- 2nd-level wizard provides a ship 's
Fire and Phlogiston: Fire works all spelljamming rating (SR) of 1, while
self under increasing too well in the phlogiston. As noted a 20th-level cleric provides a spell-
in Chapter 1, the entire area is per - jamming rating of 10. (SR= level/2
pressure from the various meated with an explosive mix. This rounded up .) Chapter 4 details the
makes both magical and non- importance of the SR number.
faiths of Oerth to magical fire extremely dangerous.
A minor helm converts magical
·'choose sides" if he The effect of the Flow on non- ability to energy at a 1 per 3 level
magica I flame is discussed in the
spent any amount of sect ion on the phlogiston. Magical

time In those Isles. Most

nonhuman (elvish, gnom-

ish, dwarvish, etc.J

priests found In space are

polygot clerics of their ra-

cial mythoi.

rate. Round fractions up . (SR= level/ Wizard Spells
3 rounded up.) Therefore, a 1st-,
2nd -, or 3rd-level wizard provides a Second-Level Spells
spelljamming rating level of 1, while
a 20th-level priest provides one of 7. Locate Portal
Ships often maintain a minor helm (Divination)
as a back-up system. Some ships
even use minor helms as relatively Range: Special
inexpensive primary systems. Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 round
Another magical item that can Casting Time: 1 turn
provide spelljammer power is the Area of Effect : Special
Saving Throw : None
crown of the stars. This device is
The caster of a locale portal spell
worn over the head and creates a
spelljamming rating as a minor can find the nearest portal through a
helm. (SR= level/3 rounded up.) It crystal shell either into or out of the
has the advantage of portability and Flow . The spell indicates direction
allows the spelljammer to move and distance (ei th er in miles or in
about while using it. travel time , should the cleric know
the particulars of his own ship).
Both major and minor helms re-
quire "fresh" and well-rested spell - In general, from any point on a
casters to function at their best. A crystal shell, the portals for a normal -
spellcaster that has cast any of his sized ship are from 2-20 days away
possible complement of spells be- from any location . At the modera-
fore activating a spelljammer helm tor 's option, there may be more por-
loses one spelljamming rating for tals than normal available , less, or
each spell cast (minimum SR of 1). none at all. This is up to the DM to de -
termine.
Using a major or minor helm even
for a short period removes all The spell may only be cast within
spellcasting ability from the spell- 100 yards of the surface of a crystal
user until the individual rests long shell.
enough to recover spells.
The material component of this
Humanoid spellcasting races nor - spell is a conch shell.
mally use spelljammer helms to
travel through space . Other crea - Third-Level Spells
tures use a variety of methods to pro-
pel their ships. Mind flayers , who Chill Fire
have powerful mental blasts , use sev- (Alteration)
eral specially designed helms in se-
ries. Beholders use a mutated Range : 10 yards
version of their race known as an or- Components: V, S, M
bus to move their ships . Dwarves , Duration: 1 turn/level of caster
who are by nature nonmagical, use Casting Time: 2
devices called forges to journey Area of Effect : 40 yard radius
through space. All these alternate Saving Throw: None or Neg
spelljamming techniques are dis-
cussed in Chapter 3. The chill[ire spell functions only in

In addition to the various magical the phlogiston, and casting it in
items that can propel a ship , there other surroundings is useless. In th e
are several new magical spells that phlogiston , however, the spell re-
provide spelljamming powers for duces the flammable natur e of the
limited duration. phlogiston for one full turn per level
of the caster. A 15th-level wizard
could reduce the flammability of an

area the size of his ship for 15 turns. Fifth-Level Spells

When this spell is in effect, the Create Portal
flammable nature of phlogiston is re- (A lt eration)
duced . Though a fireball spell will
THE PATH & THE WAY. still center on the spellcaster who Range: 100 yards
Referred to either as a created it the damage caused by the Components: V, S, M
single grouping, or as ei- fire will be' normal. This applies to Duration: 2d6 turns
ther of its parts, The Path both magical and nonmagical fire. Casting Time: 5
and the Way are a terres - Area of Effect: Area of crystal shell
trial gathering of faiths The material component of the
which made the leap full - chill fire spell is a sliver of glass or ice. 100 feet in radius
blown Into the stars. A Saving Throw: None
teaching used primarily Enhance Rating
by the Oriental ground- (Alteration) This spell may only be cast when
ling nations, it sets forth Reversible under 100 yards from a crysta l shell.
not one particular deity The spell causes a large area of the
as worthy of all worship, Range: 10 yards shell to become temporarily insub-
but rather a celestial bu- Components: V, S, M stantial and ethe real, allowing a ship
reaucracy, well-managed Duration: 1-4 rounds plus (or anything else) of the correct size
and organized, with vari - to pass through. The effect lasts for
ous Powers taking on casters level up to 12 turns , during which time any
particular duties, with Casting time: 3 other ships or items may pass
each of the Powers rec- Area of Effect: 1 individual using a through.
ognizing the place of the
others In the cosmic spelljammer helm The opening does not weaken the
whole. The differences in Saving Throw: None or Neg crystal shell , and any objects resting
the various branches of physically on the shell are unaffected
the Path and the Way This spell can only be cast upon an by the portal. It takes but a fraction of
come from the organized individual using a major or minor a round for a ship to pass through a
teachings of those faiths spelljammer helm, whether existing portal opened in this fashion. How-
as opposed to the Powers or created by the wizard or priest ever , if the portal is dispelled or oth-
they venerate. The differ - spell. This spe ll will raise the SR of erwise prematurely closed, roll 1d10
ent schools may disagree the ship using the helm by 1-2 points to determine the fate of the object
(vlolentlyJ about the true for the duration of the spell. Only one passing through the opening as it
nature of the Path or the enhance rating spell may be used at a closes:
inner nuances of the time, and the caster may not use it on
Way, but the organiza- himself . 1-5 Portal closes before ship
tion of regaining spells reaches shell. Ship must turn
for clerics is unaffected. The reverse of this spell , decrease 6 or ram the shell.
This grouping of faiths rating, reduces the SR of the spe ll - 7-10 Portal closes on the ship.
transferred very easily jamming helm and its user by 1-2 Ship is cut in half.
points for the duration of the spe ll. Portal closes after ship
The occupant of the helm has an op- passes through.
portunity to save versus magic
against the spell, with the effects ne- Portals created by this spell are
gated if the save is made. magical and temporary , so they can
be dispelled. Portals that occur natu -
The spellcaster must be able to see rally in the crystal shell may not be
the person he is throwing either en- dispelled.
hance rating or decrease rating on.
Neither spell will work if the intended The material component of the
target is hidd en. create portal spell is a piece of wire
wrapped about a bit of amber.
The mater ial component of this
spell is a sma ll ivory arrow. It is
pointed upward for the enhance rat-
ing spell or broken for the decrease
rating spe ll.

Enhance Maneuverability tion , a minor helm created in such a suitable for use as a helm .
(Alteration) fashion is identical to a regular, perma -
Reversible nent spelljammer helm, with one ex- Priest Spells
ception. If a helm created by this spell
Range: 10 yards is successfully dispelled, it will disap- First-Level Spells
Components: V, S, M pear and must be created anew.
Duration: 1-4 rounds plus Create Air
The material component for this (A lt eration)
caster 's level spell is a chair , stool , or other seat Reversible
Casting time: 5 suitable for use as a helm.
Area of Effect: 1 ship of up to 10 Sphere: Elemental (Air)
Seventh-Level Spells Range: 30 yards
times the caster's Components: V, S, M
level in tonnage Create Major Helm Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: None or Neg. (Enchantment/Charm) Casting time: 2 rounds
Area of Effect: 1 person per
This spell may be cast on any ship Range: 10 yards
to either increase or decrease its ma- two levels
neuverability class (MC). A ship MC Components: V, S, M Saving Throw: None
may only be increased or decreased Duration : 1 day/level of caster
by one class using this spell. No ship Casting Time: 1 turn/level of caster By means of this spell a priest may
can have its MC increased or de- Area of Effect: 1 item generate a bubble of fresh , breathabl e
creased more than one class above Saving Throw: None air around a person. This .air will driv e
its initial MC, regardless of the num- out the sta le air around a person and
ber of increase maneuuerability or de- By casting this spell, the wizard restore it to the " fresh " state. In cases
crease maneuuerability spel Is cast may transform a normal chair or seat of individuals adrift in space , this per -
upon it. into a major spelljamming helm suit- mits another rolling of the die to de-
able for powering a ship through termine duration of the fresh air.
The material component for this space. This spell does not replace the
spell is a vial of wind from an air- need for a permanent magical helm Within a larger envelope of air
based world. onboard, and is used primarily as a (such as the deck of a ship or the
back -up system or in emergency sit - atmosphere of a planet) , the fresh-
Sixth-Level Spells uations . ened air will drift off, combining with
the existing air.
Create Minor Helm The major helm may power a ship
(Enchantment/Charm) of no more than three times the spell- The spell can replace air that may
caster's level in tonnage. A 20th- be stale or befouled , including air
Range: 10 yards of caster level wizard may therefore create a that is poisoned or tainted by a
Components: V, S, M major helm capable of powering a cloudkill or linking cloud spel I.
Duration: 1 week/level 60-ton ship. In operation, a major
Casting Time: 1 turn/level spelljamming helm created in such a For every two levels ove r first , the
Area of Effect: 1 item fashion is identical to a regular, per- priest may create sufficient air for an
Saving Throw: None manent helm, with one exception. If additional person. At 3rd level he
dispelled, the helm created by this may create air for two human -sized
By casting this spell, the wizard spell will disappear for a single individuals , at 5th level sufficient air
may transform a normal chair or seat round , then reappear. for five, and so on.
into a minor spelljammer helm suit-
able for powering a ship through Creating a helm-major or Creating additional air around a
space. This spell does not replace the single individual does not create a
need for a permanent magical helm minor-counts as the casting of one larger envelope; the excess air will
onboard, and is used primarily as a simply drift off . The caster can re-
back-up system or in emergency sit- spell, and therefore reduces the cast- fresh the air within his own persona l
uations. air envelope and that of others within
er 's effectiveness in using the helm tl:1erange of the spe ll , without need -
ing to touch those individuals.
for that day. Of course, this does not
The reverse of this spell, destroy
The minor helm may power a ship mean another spellcaster cannot act air, immediately reduce s the air
of no more than two times the caster's around one tarqet to "fouled," with
level in tonnage. A 20th-level wizard as the helmsman, using a helm cre-
may therefore create a helm capable
of powering a 40-ton ship . In opera- ated by another person .

The material component for this
spell is a chair, stool, or other seat

early in the exploration all effects of that change. See Chap- week, as long as the cleric remains in
of the various spheres, ter 1 for more on this topic. the same crystal sphere in which he
and there are worshipers cast the spell. Passage into another
of all races throughout If the create air spell is used within plane (even the ethereal) wi II break
the known universe. For a gravity field , inside otherwise hos- the spe ll , as will a dispel magic (if the
most groundling clerics, tile surroundings (such as inside a correct die roll is made). While the
however, only those cloudkill or slinking cloud), it will al- spell is in effect, the cleric will re-
from a background low the recipient a single clean spond positively to a detect magic
which respects the Path breath before the created air bubbles when he or she is receiving new
and/or the Way may ben- to the surface. spells. This spell cannot be cast in
efit from the · pan- the phlogiston.
spherical power of the The material component for the
faith. spell is a small, stoppered flask. The material component of this
spe ll is a small horn. When winded,
PTAH: This Egyptian Second-Level Spells the horn calls the attention of the de-
ity to its servant. Of course, it also at-
god is one of the few Contact Home Power tracts the attentjon of others within
(Conjuration/Summoning) earshot.
Powers to dwell in the
ethereal plane, and as a Sphere: All Detect Powers
Range: Unlimited (Divination)
result of this, plus his Components: V, S, M
background (he Is vener- Duration: 1 week Sphere: Divination
ated as a "creator ·· of the Casting Time: 1 turn Range: 240 yards
Area of Effect: The caster Components: V, S, M
universe, an opener of Saving Throw: None Duration: l turn
doors, a god of travelers Casting Time: l round
and of Inventors), he is The user of this spell establishes a Area of Effect: l crystal shell
known in practically tenuous link through the Astral Saving Throw: None
every major sphere in the Plane between his present location
universe. His faith exists and that of the power he venerates. Casting this spell outside a crystal
only in space, and on This link permits the priest to regain shell allows the cleric to determine if
those worlds where the his spells as if the god is recognized there are friendly gods and/or other
and venerated within the sphere. powers so that he may recharge his
Egyptian mythos is fully higher-level spel ls within its borders.
recognized. On planets Distance has no effect upon the The detect powers spell will also re-
where this is not the priest's attempt to contact the home veal if the gods revered by the cleric
case, his clerics are as lim- power , but dimensional gates, anti- are worshiped within that sphere.
ited as those of other magical fields , and the effects of dis -
pel magic will prevent the use of the If the sphere is one known to the
faiths are in wildspace or spell. Also, the spell will not function DM , or one which has its major
in strange new spheres. in areas that the power has been spe- powers already designed , then the
cifically banished from (whether spell will reveal if the priest's deity, or
from death of an avatar, banishment, deities related to the one involved
or some voluntary action of the god). (either members of the same pan-
theon or with similar attributes and
The cleric attempting to uplink portfolio) exist. Two different war
with his power in such locations will gods from two separate fantasy cam-
be informed through the spell that paigns are probably sufficiently simi-
such contact with his god is forbid- lar to justify a " related" status.
den. The priest will not be given the However, a god of smithing may have
reasons , however, as gods are notice- no parallel in a world without devel-
ably reticent to explain why they can- oped metalcraft. In that situation, a
not exert their power, preferring cleric devoted to the smithing god
instead to look all-powerful to their would not find a power to recharge
worshipers. his spells.

The duration of the spe ll is one

If the sphere is new to the DM (ie, sphere . There is a related deity is evil and chaotic.
the characters just discovered it), power , but his relationship
and he has no clear idea what lies is not good with the cleric 's A cleric will be able to tell the
w ithin, then roll on the table below power (whether through alignment of the power closest to his
for a possible response to the spe ll. lack of know ledge, some
ancient insult-imagined deity through the detect powers
Die Roll Response or real-or some other
mysterious reason). The spell. Accepting spells from a power
01-10 Power is known in this cleric may not regain spe ll s of similar outlook but opposite align-
1 1-50 sphere. The cleric can re- above second leve l unti l ei- ment is dangerous , and any cleric
charge spe ll s normally. ther contact is restored w ith that does so must regain favor with
51-90 Power is unknown in h is original power, or the his chief deity (through quest or
sphere , but a related power cle ri c perfo rms a great task ato nement) before further advance-
91 -00 exists. The cleric may re- for the new power. men t in his class is possible.
gain spells normally afte r
contacting clerics of the re- While many powe rs will have simi- There are a number of specialty
lated deity . lar por tfolios an d areas of interest fa iths that exist only in space fantasy
Power is unknown in (war, healing, agric u lture, death, and campaigns, including the Polygots,
sphere. The cleric may not so on), they are often at varying
regain spe lls above second ali g nments. In one fantasy wor ld, a t he Path & the Way, Ptah, and the Pla-
level until contact is re- war god might be a positive figure,
stored with venerated and therefore good and lawful. On nar Churches . If there exists a space
power. another wo r ld, war might be re- civi lization of any sort in the crystal
Power is unknown in ga rded as a dest ructive force and its sphere , then these faiths will be rep-
resented somewhere in that system.

The material component of this
spell is a handful of sand, which the
priest casts onto the crystal shell.

PLANAR CHURCHES: Fourth -Le vel Spell s The materia l component is any bit
A fractious merging of of bark. The softwood wi l l become
both the Path and the So ftwood that type of ba r k covering the body.
Polygots, the planar (Alteration) (If maple is used, then the covering
priests respect and vener- will appear as maple, if pine, it will
ate all the powers of a Sphere: Plant appear as pine.) lf the bark of a senti-
particular inner or outer Range: Touch ent or "mons t er"-type plant is used,
plane. A planar priest Components: V, S, M the softwood will be of similar physi-
venerates the Seven Duration: Permanent-see below cal features , but will lack any special
Heavens and all the Casting Time: 1 round abilities of the original plant.
Powers who dwell Area of Effect: 1 man-sized target
within, regardless of Fifth-Level Spells
portfolio, position, or at- per 3 levels
tributes. A planar priest Saving Throw: Neg. Create Minor Helm
of Arvandor/Olympus (Enchantment/Charm)
would venerate both the The recipient of a softwood spell
Greek and elvish mythoi immediately has his body sur- Sphere: Creation
which live in that plane. rounded by soft, spongy wood, simi- Range: 10 yards
lar to that of a rotting stump. The soft Components: V, S, M o r V, S
Characters which are wood is a living entity that inhabits Duration: 1 week/level or 1 day/leve l
generated particularly the air envelope of the individual, Casting Time: 1 turn/ level of caster
for a space fantasy cam- sustaining that individual's life at a Area of Effect: 1 item
paign may choose to be lower level than normal. The charac- Saving Throw: None
any of these multibran- ter is placed in suspended animation
ched faiths, or to be of a in a manner similar to that of individ- By cast ing this spel I, the p riest
"groundling" sect recog- uals lost in the Flow. may transform a norma l chair or se~t
nized in the sphere into a minor spe lljammer helm suit-
where the campaign be- The softwood surrounding a body able for po wering a ship through
gins. Characters from is extremely resistant to heat and space. This spe ll does not replace the
various campaign worlds cold, and while the form within is un- need for a per m anent magical helm
may join the various conscious, it cannot be harmed. A onboard, and is used pri m ar il y as a
multi-sphere sects only character in a softwood cocoon back-up system or in eme rgency sit-
with the permission of could fall to earth and the heat and uations .
their first deity. A com- impact of the fall would be absorbed
by the spell. The minor helm may power a sh ip
mune spell Is in order at of no mo re t han two times the cast-
Softwood dissolves in open air . If a er's level in tonnage. A 20th-level
the very least, likely character enters and stays in a new priest may therefore create a he lm
enve lope of fresh air for longer than capable of powering a 40-ton ship. ~n
three turns , the softwood will dis- operation, a minor helm created in
solve, letting the individual loose. A such a fashion is identica l to a reg u-
softwood spell cast in the open air lar, permanent spelljammer helm,
will be effective for three turns , co- with one exception. If a helm created
cooning the target for 30 minutes, by this spell is successful ly dispelled,
then dissipating in a sing le round . it will d isappear and must be created
anew.
The softwood spell was created as
a defensive measure, to preserve The material component for this
those cast adrift in space. For each spell is a chair, stool, or other seat
three levels of experience, a priest suitable for use as a helm. A create
can effect an additional indiv idual. minor helm spell may be used with-
Enterprising and aggressive priests o ut a sui t able mate ri a l component,
have turned the spell into both a but in such cases , t he spell lasts for a
handy method of containing ene- matter of days as opposed to weeks.
mies, as well as a way of sending
both foes and mutinous friends into
wi ldspace (and off their ships) with-
out having to slay them.

The ships of wildspace must fulfill a than one with a low SR. The ship 's amount (though these creatures are
variety of needs . They must be able rating is dependent on the level of large enough to maintain their own
to retain enough atmosphere within the individual piloting the ship gravity plane and atmospheric enve-
their envelope to support a crew and (called the spelljamming mage or lope) .
passengers, and be able to handle priest) and on the power of the ship 's
both the vacuum of wildspace and helm or other spelljamming device. Maneuverability class (MC) refers
the glittering rainbow ocean of the In general , a ship with a high-level to the tactical maneuverability of the
Flow. In some cases, they must be wizard or priest at the helm will have craft. This is a factor of sails , oars ,
able to land on the surface of a large a higher SR than a similar ship with a fins, and other controlling devices
planet and later be able to leave the low-level helmsman. over and above those provided by
planet. the ship 's rating . In general, the hull
Each ship has two crew numbers. design of a ship determines its MC ,
The primary restriction in ship de- The first is the number of individuals with the quickest being the graceful
sign for all races is to make the ship needed to run the ship under normal ships of the elves and the most slug-
large enough to support its crew, but circumstances. The second is the gish being sea vessels that have been
not so large that it cannot be moved number of individuals that the ship converted into spacecraft. A ship can
by a spelljamming mage or priest. can carry without dangerously over- be powered by a low -level mage and
This double restriction sets the top loading its atmospheric envelope. therefore have a low ship 's rating
and bottom limits for normal ship For example, a ship with a crew rat - but a high maneuverability class can
design. ing of 10/35 requires 10 men to run still allow it to function well in tacti-
the ship properly but it can carry up cal combat.
Note that the Spelljammer is a to 35 without endangering its atmos-
phere . Spaceship maneuverability clas -
unique craft whose very existence ses are similar to those of flying crea -
breaks some of these limitations-it When talking about maximum tures , because their behavior once in
is incredibly large , but it can still crew numbers and the air require- an atmosphere is similar. They are
move itself normally. It is described ments of various races, man-sized rated A to F, with A being the most
following this section. races are assumed. Tiny and small maneuverable . An F rating for a ship
individuals require only half as much indicates that it is below minimum
Spelljammer air, while large and huge creatures maneuverable standards. Such ships
Architecture need twice as much . Gargantuan are usually converted sea craft modi -
creatures need five times the normal fied for space travel and are out -
Ships in space have a number of
attributes and statistics that describe ITEM SAVING THROWS
their performance and capabilities.
Below is a short overview of common Item Acid Crushing Disin. Fall Magical Normal Cold Light Elec.
terms . Blow 1 Fire Fire 3
Bone 11 19 6 9 2 8 2
A ship 's size is defined in tonnage Cloth 12 16 3 2 18 2
(T)-literally the amount of displace- Glass 5 19 16 13 17 2
ment the ship takes up . Since this Leather 10 20 19 14 4 6 13 2
displacement also influences the Metal 2 13 19 2 7 4 12 2
amount of breathable air surround - Ceramics 4 3 2 3 2 2
ing the ship in space, a ship 's ton- Crystal 3 17 3 6 2 2 14 2
nage is also a reflection of both its Stone 3 7 6 2 4 14 2
crew capacity and requirements . Rope 12 18 19 11 2 2 9 2
One ton is not a measure of weight; Wood, thick 8 17 18 8 3 6 2 12 2
instead , it is arbitrarily set to equal Wood, thin 9 17 18 8 3 5 2 10 2
100 cubic yards. A mass that large 2 19 3 9 2
will allow a single man to breathe 10 19 10 2
comfortably for 4 to 8 months. 13 19 2 7

A ship's rating (SR) is a reflection 11
of the ship's speed and relative
power , and to a lesser extent its ma - 1 Crushing blow includes all crashes.
neuverability. A ship with a high SR
can move faster in a single round 2 Metal includes glas s lee/ spells .

1 Normal fire includes greek fire.

coupled with a major classed by all craft built especia lly Major Helms
for space. Minor Helms
quest, and an atonement Serial Helms
Hull points (HP) are a method of Pool Helms
when that cleric returns assessing damage to a ship , as well Forges
as damage inflicted by individuals in Furnaces
to his home world. Orien- space combat. Initially a ship has Artifurnaces
tal Adventures charac- hull points equal to its tonnage (a 30- Lifejammers
ton ship has 30 hull points). Some
ters who already follow ships are fortified and armored sac- Armament varies from ship to
either the Path or the rificing maneuverability and cr~w for ship. In a typical ship description , the
protection. standard armament (SA) is provided.
Way Isuch as sohei and Additional armament may be pro -
Hull points are similar to hit points vided, though this cuts down on
kinsaif suffer no effects for a character . In addition to hull cargo space (the room that would
on their abilities in space, points, there are many attacks that normally be used for cargo is instead
since their religion has force the ship to make a saving throw used to provide space for large weap -
preceded them into ;, (such as a disintegrate spell cast on ons and their ammunition) . The ini -
the bow) which will cause the ship to tial armament number reflects the
number of different save or be damaged or destroyed. In number of armaments that can be
spheres and thrived. general, use the Item Saving Throw built directly into the ship-furt her
chart (below or on page 39 of the additions can be made with each
All "space clerics" have DMG) for determining effects. Most weapon eating up one ton of cargo
spells as for standard ships are "Thick Wood " for general space. Additional armament cannot
priests-they cannot be- saves, but there are also stone and exceed half the ship's tota l tonnage.
come special mythos metal ships in use, along with reports This limitation allows some room for
priests while following of ceramic, leather, bone, and even the crew's needs and provides
these various pan-deity ships of glass strengthened by the enough breathable air for long voy-
groups. A specialty cleric glassleel spell. A ship that has lost ages.
who goes into space re- half its hull points has many rents
tains the benefits of his and holes in it, while one that has lost Armament falls into a number of
all its hull points has been destroyed. categories, along the lines of the
faith, but cannot Join a siege machinery it developed from:
Most ship exteriors are considered
pan-deity organization. to be thick wood , though there are Catapult: blunt stone thrower ;
other types in use by various races. Ballista: extreme ly large crossbo w ;
These are noted in their descriptions. Ram: punches holes in ships;
Bombard: very rare, expensive, and
Power type defines the type of
helm , engine, or other motive force dangerous to use ;
that causes the sh ip to go through Jettison: scatters debris ;
space. Most helms gather and con- Greek Fire Projector: shoots liquid
centrate magical or other mystical
energy and convert it into motive flame.
force. In other words, the ships run
on magic. Different power types Further information on eac h of
h~~~ different limitations and capa- these weapons is given under the in-
bil1t1es. A ship with no power is dividual entries.
adrift, unable to control its motion.
A ship can have multiple power Cargo space is the amount of stuff
sources. The one " on-line " is the pri- the ship can contain. Each ton of a
mary power source, while the others ship 's size reflects 50 cubic yards of
(inc luding any spells) are back-ups. spac~ t_hat may be used for carryi ng
The common power types (dis- (nonliv ing or nonbreathing) cargo. A
cussed in more detail under Power 30-ton frigate will carry 15 tons of
Sources) are: cargo. The remaining interior space
is needed for crew, armament, and
other necessities. For each large

weapon added to a ship over and spheres, but they are few and far be-
tween, and seldom do they have
above its standard ordnance, one ton more than one or two ships available.
Often initial adventurers hire on for
is subtracted from the total amount some trading cartel or as emissaries
for some powerful wizard or enter-
available for cargo (the weapons and prising faith, and take the ship in
trade of some heroic deeds. Such
their ammunition occupy that ships are usually bottom of the line ,
little more than tubs, but can be con-
space). verted into suitable adventuring ve-
hicles with sufficient time and gold.
Keel length (KL) is the long dimen-
sion of the ship, usually but not al- In general, there is a 10 percent
ways measured along the ship's keel. chance that an item listed here is
This is the long dimension of the available at any lar ge space civiliza-
gravity plane. tion. There is an additional 20 per-
cent chance that there is a rumor that
Beam length (BL) is the width of the needed item can be found some-
the ship, measured at the ship's wid- where else in the system (either as
est point but not co unting any oars, treasure or part of a hulk or belong -
poles, or sails that may widen the ing to someone else). This 20 per-
ship without effectively contributing cent chance increases by 5 percent
to its real tonnage. for every week spent in one location ,
so that an individual looking for a
Armor rating (AR) for a ship is sim- major helm on Cooper 's Rock has a
ilar to the Armor Class of a character. 30 percent chance of coming up with
Armor reflects the difficulty that an a lead on it in three weeks ' time. The
attacker has in causing significant nature and details of such items are
damage to the ship because of its left to the DM (DM-check out the
construction or maneuverability . In Lorebook of the Void for id eas on
general, smal l , li ght ships have poor what to include in such scavenger
ARs while large , heavier-built ships hunts) .
have excellent ARs, trading maneu-
verability for protection. Ship Hulls

Outfitting There is a wide variety of ship
hull s, ranging from converted ocean-
Most ships of space were captured, going ships to the spaceborne be-
refitted, or inherited by their present holder tyrant ships to the organically
owners. Large communities in space grown ships of the elves.
tend to build their own distinctive
ships, which in turn are copied, The typ es listed here are the most
stolen, or bought by others in space, common ships in use. There are oth-
accounting for both the wide variety ers, including those that DMs them-
found throughout the space lanes as selves come up with. Also listed here
well as the existence of a good group are the various groundling ships that
of " typical" ships. are sometimes converted and taken
into space. They are normally used
The following section discusses by first -time adventurers, as their
the various types of hulls, power poor armor ratings and hard han-
sources, armaments , and other mag- dling (low MCs) make them undesir-
ical and nonmagical equipment that able to more experienced voyagers.
may be helpful in space. Prices are Note that there is a difference be-
given, but the general rule is " what tween "tons" when describing the
the market will bear " (which often
translates into "how much have you
got?").

All ships and ship equipment are
rare in space; there are a few "used
spaceship shops" in the known

Castaways in displacement of an ocean-going A groundling ship of late medieval
ship and tonnage in SPELL- design. A versatile cargo carrier.
the Flow JAMMER'" game terms, where a
spacial ton equals 100 cubic yards Coaster
When dealing in terms of atmosphere.
of space, there is always Cost: 5,000 gp
the chance that an indi- Costs of ships are given on the T: 10 tons
vidual or ship will find it - gold piece standard found through- Crew: 8/10
self adrift without a way out most of space. Some regions use
back to civilized space. In other means of counting money, but MC: F
wildspace, an individual these can be converted to the gold
Is likely up the creek standard (for example, Krynn bases AR: 9
without sufficient at- its monetary system on steel, not HP: 10
mosphere. Roll for nor- gold , and a character looking for Saving Throw: Thick wood
mal encounters until the supplies in Ansalon will have to ne- KL: 60 feet
air runs out. Items such gotiate in steel pieces at their listed BL : 20 feet
conversion rate). SA: 1 large weapon
as a beacon will affect Ram: none
Listings for crew and standard ar- Landing:
how much and what mament (SA) indicate the capability
type of attention Is to support these men and weapons. Land-No
drawn. They are not included in the pur - Water-Yes
chase price of the hull.
In phlogiston, the pre- A groundling coastal trader. Its SR
serving nature of the Crew listings are also less than is always reduced by 1 because of its
flow is such that an indi- those listed in the Player's Handbook cl umsy hand ling.
vidual lost in space may and other sources. This is because
return-weeks, months, the spelljamming helm frees up a lot Cog
and/or years down the of manpower otherwise needed (such
road. Roll a ten-sided die; as sailors and rowers). If a converted Cost: 10,000 gp
that Is the number of groundling ship is returned to earth , T: 20 tons
standard weeks that will it will need its full crew to f unction Crew: 10/20
elapse before someone normally.
disq;,vers the preserved MC: F
character. On a "10", The landing entry indicates
roll another 1d10, and whether the ship can stand up to a AR: 9
add that. If that roll is a landing on water or on the ground . HP: 20
10, add it to the total, Several sh ips never land , and t heir Saving T hrow: Thick wood
and continue, until a fi- crews reach the ground by shuttles, KL: 90 feet
nal sum total Is reached. magic , or other methods. BL: 20 feet
A character can literally SA: none
Caravel Ram: no ne
Landing:
Cost: 10,000 gp
T: l0tons Land-No
Crew: 8/10 Water-Yes

MC: F A gro undling ocean trade r, popu-
lar with merchants.
AR: 9
HP: 10
Saving Throw: Thick wood
KL: 70 feet
BL: 20 feet
SA: 1 large weapon
Ram: none
Landing:

Land-No
Water-Yes

Drakkar Galleon Longship

Cost: 25,000 gp wood Cost: 50 ,000 gp Cost: 10,000 gp
T: 10 tons T: 40 tons T: 4 tons
Crew: 20/10 Crew: 20/40 Crew: 4/4
MC: F MC: E
AR: 7 AR: 7 MC: E
HP: 10 HP: 40
Saving Throw: Thick Saving Throw: Thick wood AR: 8
KL: 100 feet KL: 130 feet HP: 4
BL: 20 feet BL: 30 feet Saving Throw: Thin wood
SA: 1 large weapon SA: 3 large weapons KL: 75 feet
Ram : none Ram: optional BL: 15 feet
Landing: Land ing: SA: 1 large weapon
Ram: optional
Land-No land-No Land ing:
Water-Yes Water-Yes
land-No
A large longship used by viking One of the most advanced sailing Water - Yes
peoples. It requires more people to vessels of its era, found only on a
operate it than its tonnage can com- handful of worlds. Best of the An ideal carrier for small numbers
fortably support , and therefore is not groundling vessels for the leap into of adventurers in space, but as with
a good ship for long voyages (but is space, and those earthbound nations the galleys , taking full crew beyond
good for raiding the moon). that recognize space traveling tend the atmosphere of the planet will re-
to use such ships. sult in the air quickly becoming
Dr omond fouled and the voyage endi ng .
Great Galley
Cost: 15,000 gp M ind Flayer Nautilo id
T: 16 tons Cost: 30,000 gp
Crew: 10/16 T: 20 tons Cost: 40,000 gp
MC: E ' Crew: 15/20 T: 35 tons
AR: 9 Crew: 10/35
HP: 16 MC: F
Saving Throw : Thin wood MC: D
KL: 175 feet AR: 7
BL: 15 feet HP: 20 AR: 4
SA : 3 large weapons Saving Throw: Thick wood HP: 35
Ram: piercing KL: 130 feet Saving Throw: Thick wood
Landing: BL: 20 feet KL: 180 feet (including ram)
SA: 3 large weapons BL: 30 feet
Land-No Ram : piercing SA : 5 large weapons
Water-Yes Landing: Ram : piercing
Landing:
A Byzantine ship-its cost and size Land - No
make it a relatively good choice for Water-Yes Land-No
initial star voyagers, but its fragile Water - Yes
nature leaves much to be desired. A groundling ship powered by
slave or freeman rowers. Often ex- Embodiment of seve ral illithid
perimental wizards take an entire ideals , including staying out of the
galley team into space in initial ex- sun and striking hard and fast from
periments. This leads to no later ex - armored safety. Found throughout
periments, since the crew quickly the Known Spheres of wild space,
exhausts the air and dies. though there are many spacefaring
nations that will attack a mind flayer
ship on sight and worry about details
(like who really owns it) later.

be " on ice" for years 9r Squid Ship Dr agonfly
decades, given a nasty
situation and bad luck, Cost: 45 ,000 gp Cost: 40,000 gp
but most will float back T: 45 tons T: 10 tons
into circulation after a Crew: 12/45 Crew: 3/10
few standard months. MC: D MC: C
AR: 5 AR: 8
The nature of the res- HP: 45 HP: 10
cue is up to the DM, but Saving Throw: Th ick wood Saving Throw: Thin wood
for those looking for a KL: 250 feet (including ram) KL: 100 feet
quick response, use the BL: 25 feet BL: 20 feet
following table. The DM SA: 3 large weapons SA: 1 large weapon
may modify the table or Ram: piercing or grapp ling Ram: none
Landing : Land ing :
create his own as he sees
Land-No Land-Yes
fit for his section of Water-Yes Water-No
space.
A common ship among pirates , An excellent sh ip for small groups
D10 Rescuers traders , and other spacefarers. Its ef- and for planetary exploration, the
1 Neogl-Slaver fective length is increased by the 50- dragonfly is capable of touching
2 Mind Flayer Trader foot-long triple spears at the front. down on most planets.

3-4 Normal Merchant- Hammership Damselfly
man
Cost: 50,000 gp Cost: 50,000 gp
5-6 Pirate Ship T: 60 tons T: 10 tons
7-8 Elvish Military Ship Crew: 24/60 Crew : 2/10
9 Dwarvlsh Ship MC: D MC: D
1O Scavengers AR: 6 AR: 4
HP: 60 HP: 10
Most of the ships of Saving Throw: Thick wood Saving Throw: Metal
space follow a " Code of KL: 250 feet KL: 100 feet
the Deep, " where lost BL: 25 feet BL: 20 feet
bodies are recovered and SA: 3 large weapons SA: 1 large weapon
returned to life unless ob- Ram: blunt Ram: none
viously hostile to the In- Landing: Landing:
dividuals involved. The
neogi will definitely bind Land - No Land-Yes
the character and sell him Water-Yes Water-No
or her into slavery at the
next stop, as will 50% of Another common spacefaring A version of the dragonfly hull so
ship used both by traders and those heavily modified as to qualify as its
who prey on them. Uses a blunt ram own separate hull type. T he damse l-
at the front , so that its ram is in- fly hull uses metal plates (and in
cluded in total keel length of the some cases, ceramics, shells, or
ship. bones) to cover all external decks to
create a battle-ready scout snip.

Mosquito Neogi Deathspider

Cost: 15,000 gp Cost: 75,000 gp arms)
T: 6 tons T: 100 tons
Crew: 1/6 Crew: 30/100

MC: C MC: E

AR: 5 AR: 5
HP: 6 HP: 100
Saving Throw: Thin wood Saving Throw: Crystal
KL: 100 feet KL: 175 feet (not including
BL: 15 feet BL: 50 feet
SA: none SA: 6 large weapons
Ram: none Ram: grappling
Landing: Landing:

Land-Yes Land-No
Water-Yes Water-No

Smaller than the dragonfly, and One of the largest ships in Known
less expensive this ship is not as Space, the deathspiders are feared
good for long voyages, but is often and hated wherever they appear. One
employed as a scout ship in civilized can likely be had for the listed price,
space. but the individuals buying it will be
attacked on sight. The deathspider
Wasp uses a grappling ram that allows it to
trap its prey. It requires a major helm
Cost: 20,000 gp to operate. Not recommended for
T: 18 tons new adventurers.
Crew: 8/18
MC: D Dwarven Citadel
AR: 6
HP: 18 Cost: 100,000 gp
Saving Throw: Thick wood T: 300 tons
KL: 80 feet Crew: 100/300
BL: 20 feet MC: E
SA: 1 large weapon AR: 0
Ram: none HP: 300
Landing: Saving Throw: Stone
KL: 250 feet (from prow to forge)
Land-Yes BL: 200 feet
Water-No SA: 10 large weapons
Ram: blunt
Designed along the lines of the Landing:
dragonfly by the lizardmen tribes of
space, this ship responds to the Land-Yes
needs of that race with its pitched Water-No
decks and wide passages. The ship
has found common use among other Dwarven ships are carved-out aste-
races as well. roids and flying mountains. Many are
found adrift in space, abandoned by
their people, and used as bases by
other fell races. Like the deathspi-
ders, citadels are too large to be
moved by normal spelljamming
means. The dwarves use a device
known as the Forge (see Power
Types, below) for motive power.

~----- ----

the mind flayer ships in- Beholder Tyrant Ship Elven Man-o-War
volved. Merchantmen
and pirates will offer the Cost: 100,000 gp Cost: 100,000 gp
lost individual passage in T: 23 tons T: 60 tons
exchange for work, with Crew: 15/23 Crew: 10/60
the pirates tossing those MC: C
unwilling to serve back MC: C AR: 7
into the deep. The elves HP: 60
and dwarves will rescue AR: 0 Saving Throw: Ceramic
humans but keep them HP: 23 KL: 200 feet
under watch until land- Saving Throw: Stone BL: 20 feet
fall is made. Scavengers KL: 100 feet (front to back) SA: 4 large weapons
will loot whatever is BL: 100 feet (radius) Ram: none
ava ilable on the body SA: none Landing:
and toss it back into the Ram: none
flow, where it will float Landing: Land-No
for another random num- Water-No
ber of weeks, determined Land-No
by the " 1d 10 + " process Water-No The oddly curved, graceful ships
described on page 28 . of the elves are grown and twisted
Beholder tyrant ships are only into their shapes, much like bonsai
used by the various beholder races, trees . As a result, their plane of grav-
and serve as home for up to 40 such ity is not linear; each ship is a large,
creatures at a time. They are shaped delicately fluted vessel with a lot of
like walnuts and have their own form potential firepower. The crystalline
of spelljamming power, using the be- wings of the elven ship reach 300
holders within. While an individual feet from tip to tip , brushing the edge
may be a guest (or prisoner) on a ty - of its own atmospher ic envelope.
rant ship, it is unlikely anyone other
than a beholder would want such a Elven Flitter
hull.
Cost: 10,000 gp
Oriental Dragonship T: 1 ton
Crew: 1
Cost: 60,000 gp MC: B
T: 45 tons AR: 8
Crew: 20/45
MC: D HP: 1
AR: 5 Saving Throw: Ceramic
HP: 45
Saving Throw: Thick wood KL: 20 feet
KL: 150 feet
BL: 20 feet BL: 5 feet
SA: 3 large weapons SA : none
Ram: optional Ram: none
Landing: Landing:

Land-No Land-Yes
Water-Yes Water-Yes

A common ship among individ- At the opposite end of the scale for
uals from Kara-Tur and other oriental elven ships, the 1-ton Flitter is among
lands. A cross between a dhow and a the smallest of the ships of wild -
dragon, it is used by ground-based space. Though it can be equipped
nations of that region that seek to go with a spe lljammer helm, these ships
into space. are more often carried on larger
ships and let loose when the large el-
vish ship enters the atmospheric en-
velope of another ship. The flitters
then glide and board the other ship.

Tradesman (fish ship) Power Sources

Cost: 15,000 gp The chief method of moving

T: 25 tons through space is through spell-

Crew: 10/25 Jamming-converting magical en-
MC: D
AR: 5 ergy into motive force. This section
HP: 25
Saving Throw: Thick wood deals with the required equipment:
KL: 120 feet
BL: 30 feet spelljamming helms.
SA: 2 large weapons
Ram: none Spelljamming helms are the easi-
Landing: est way to get a ship moving, but not
the only one. The dwarves use their
Land-No forges to propel their great stone cit-
Water-No adels , while the beholders use a mu-
tated version of their own species,
The workhorse of space, this ship called an orbus, to provide the
is found in every sphere that has a power. The mind flayers, who have
healthy trading and raiding society. spe ll -lik e ability but do not cast true
spells , use series helms to maintain
Gnomish Sidewheeler their power. All of these are de-
scribed below.
Cost: 40,000 gp
Most helms and other magical "en-
T: 30 tons gines " have a limitation of how large
or how small a mass they can move.
Crew: 20/30 (double that in gnomes) This , in turn, sets the limit on the size
MC: E of most space vessels. There are
AR : 7 large citadels carved out of aste-
HP: 30 roids, but these are not mobile in the
Saving Throw: Metal same sense as a hammership. They
KL: 120 feet only drift , with occasional (and ex-
BL: 25 feet pensive) midcourse corrections. The
SA: none Spelljammer itself is also an excep·
Ram: none tion, and will be dealt with separately
Landing: (see the display map , included).

Land-50 % likely Helms can be acquired through a
Water-50 % likely number of means the most usual be-
ing discovery in old ruins or raiding
Also known as " the ship of the des- an enemy ship for its helm . They may
perate ," the gnomish sidewhee le r be researched and built by high -level
represents the pinnacle of gnomish wizards at great expense in both gold
technology. Most intelligent crea- and time. Or they may be purchased
tures avoid these vessels like the from the Arcane, a group of human -
plague. They operate with all manner oid traders who do business in helms
of gizmos and devices. Price does and other magical equipment.
not include gnomes needed to run
things, or the giant hamsters that No one knows the Arcane 's home
power the side wheels and wind the world , nor have ships of the Arcane
g iant rubber band. ever been spotted. They seem to ex ist
to sell. The prices listed in this book
reflect the purchase price from the
Arcane . The chance of an Arcane be-
ing found in a large space civilization
are about those for finding any other
pie~e of necessary equipment.

~---- -- -- -- -- -- -----

Spell j amm er Helm s SHIP'S RATINGS USING
MAJOR AND MINOR HELMS
Cost:
100 ,000 gp (minor helm) Level of Wizard Major Minor
250,000 gp (major helm) Helm
or Priest Helm
Each minor and major spell-
Celestial Body jammer helm allows the individual 1 11
Classification seated upon it to move a large mass
through space by means of channel- 2 11
Celestial bodies are di- ing spell energy directly into a mo - 3 11
vided into various types tive force . This energy is somewhat 4 21
and classifications for useful for maneuvering the ship, but
easy reference by celes- primarily it provides the push that 5 21
tial engineers and cartog- makes the ship move forward (or 6 32
raphers. When referring backward) . Maneuvering comes pri- 7 32
to a celestial body or marily from the ship's sails and oars. 8 42
bodies, a three-character 9 43
code is used. First Is a def- The power of the force is known as 10 5 3
inition of size, second a the ship's rating. A minor helm con- 11 5 3
symbol Indicating shape, verts such energy at a rate of 1 point 12 6 4
and lastly a word describ- of SR for each three levels of experi- 13 6 4
ing the type of celestial ence. A major helm converts at a 14 7 4
body being dealt with. rate of 1 SR for every two levels of 15 7 5
experience . 16 8 5
SIZE CLASSES: 17 8 5
At low levels , the difference be-
Size A Less than 10 miles tween using a minor and major helm 18 9 6
across is small. A third -level mage will give
h is ship an SR of 1, regardless of 19 9 6
Size B From 10-100 whether a minor or major helm is 20 10 6
miles across used. The higher level the mage,
however , the more important the Using a helm prohibits any spell
Size C From 100-1 K difference between using major and use by that character within that 24-
minor helms. A tenth-level wizard, hour period. As soon as a wizard or
I1000) miles for example, can give his ship an SR priest sits on the helm and becomes
of 5 with a major helm , but only an aware of the ship, he can cast no
across SR of 3 with a minor helm . A quick spells of any sort until after he has
Size D From 1-41<across summary of levels is included had a chance to rest and regain
Size E From 4K-10K below. spells. In effect, the helm "'drains"
the helmsman of all his spells the
across moment it is activated .
Size F From 1OK-401<
(In fact , this is not precisely what
across happens. The helm attunes itself to
Size G From 40K-100K the brain patterns of the character
who activated it. Once in synch, the
across helm siphons away any magical en-
Size H From 1001<-10001< ergy the moment it begins taki ng
shape, not all at once. But until t he
p M) across character can rest , thereby breaking
the link , the energy invested in any
Size I From 1M-10M spell he tries to cast is immediately
across drawn away by the spelljamm ing
helm. This effect occurs regard less
Size J 1OM across or of range. Oddly, the helm can ut ili ze
greater the energy only if the character is
seated in the helm. Why the helm can
Earth, and most earth- draw power from any range, yet
like fantasy campaigns, gains benefit only from a helmsman
are Size E. actually in contact with it, is one of

~'---------------------------------------

the foremost unsolved puzzles of mage 's ability and the maneuver- ship with the more powerful spell-
spelljamming magic.) ability class of the ship. jamming mage or priest is the faster
ship.
An individual can use either type A minor helm can move a ship of
of helm for 12 hours without tiring. up to 50 tons. A major helm can Helms can be easily installed in
For each hour afterward, the SR move one of up to 100 tons. In real- any ship primarily by lugging them
drops by 1, to a minimum of 1. After ity, most ship designers keep their aboard and bolting them to the deck.
24 hours, the individual using the craft under the 50-ton range, though The minimum hull size required for a
helm will pass out and not be able to there are large men-a-war and jug- helm is 1 ton.
use the helm again until fully rested. gernauts that are larger than 50
tons. If an individual is slain while using
An individual seated upon a helm the helm, th e ship loses all power un-
Only one helm may be in service at ti I a new spelljamming mage or
can talk and act normal ly. The sen- a time, though often a minor helm is priest takes command. The ship will
kept as a back-up, should something drift (at tactical speed-see Chapter
sation of using the helm is akin to happen to the major helm. 4) in a straight line until someone
else tak es the helm or the ship hits
being immersed in warm water. As a Helms draw their magical energies something.
directly from the user, and the
result of the magical nature of the speeds they can attain are deter- Major and minor helms are nearly
mined by the level (or HD) of the indi- (but not completely) indestructible.
helm, the spelljamming mage or vidua I. All helm-equipped ships Their saving throws against all at-
travel at the same rate of speed over tacks are 2. Unfortunately , this pro-
cleric using the helm can see things long distances, but their differences tection does not extend to the
are apparent at the tactical level. In individual seated in the helm. Dili-
around the ship as if he were stand- general, given two similar helms, a gent and crafty characters may find

ing on the deck. The ship becomes

an extension of his body, and re -

sponds to his demands in move-

ment and maneuverability. The

maneuverabi Iity of a craft is a reflec-

tion of both the spelljamming

SHAPE CLASSES: ways to destroy helms , but the proc - on a ship that previously used a se-
ess is not easy or quick. ries helm without problem (as long
The symbol following as the two do not co-exist on the
the size letter denotes The effect of a helm on tactical and same ship. If they do, neither func-
the general shape of the long-range movement can be found tions at all) .
celestial body as it ap- in Chapter 4 .
pears from space. Series helms were developed ei-
Series helms ther by the illithids or by the Arcane
* Amorphous or flexi - with the illithids in mind (accounts
Cost: 75,000 gp (per linked helm) vary according to the situation).
ble shape There are other series helms for
Belt of smaller ob- Series helms are the invention of those social creatures with spell-like
jects in a single orbit the ill ithids (mind flayers) , but the abilities, except for the beholders ,
❖ Cluster of smaller idea has been adapted for a number who have found their own solution.
objects within a of races with spell-like abilities and
no levels of experience. Series helms Pool Helm s
e small area look like the gamut of major and mi-
Spherical shape nor helms, running from simple - Cost: 500 ,000 gp (mind flay ,ers only)
_J Cubic shape looking to ornate, but unlike the
spelljamming helms , the series A recent development of the il-
t Flatworld-edges helms can be linked together, one to lithid collective mind , the pool helm
another , to increase their power . uses the natural life -pool of the mind
may be irregular, flayers to power the ships , as op-
sharp, or rounded For each helm in a series manned posed to illithids themselves. Such
O Elliptical shape by a mind flayer (or whatever crea - ships have an automatic SR of 5 and
None of the above. ture the helm is designed for) , th e are used primarily as transports for
but Regularly ship has an SR of 1. If there are three illithid Great Old Ones . The pool
shaped fsuch as a mind flayers in a series , then the ship counts as two crew members. Sev-
tetrahedron) has an SR of 3. In general, mind era I nautiloid ships have been
<> None of the above, flayer ships will have between two equipped with pool helms and there
but Irregularly and five series helms , though they are rumors of larger mind flayer
shaped may not all be occupied. Empty ships, as the pool allows larger ships
helms in a series are ignored in figur- to be powered. Current rumored
TYPE CLASSES: ing SR. maximum size of such a ship would
be 200 tons, but this is hearsay and
The final entry in defin - If a mind flayer in a series helm is speculation .
ing a celestial body is the slain, then the series is broken for
Type, which Is usually de- one round and the ship loses all Or bus
termined by the most power and movement. Further , all
abundant substance of mind flayers in the series must save Cost: 300 ,000 gp (beholders only)
the object, in terms of the against magic or be slain as well.
four elements ffive in The orbu s is a living being that
some cultures). If a body Series helms vary from species to functions much like a series helm on
is defined as primarily fire species, but in general are inferior to the beholder tyrant ships. For each
in nature, it does not pre - spelljammer helms, at best able to living orbus (maximum of five for the
move 50 tons, on par with a minor typical tyrant ship) , the ship has an
spelljammer helm. Their lower limi- SR of 1.
tation is a 5-ton ship; they cannot
move items smaller than that. The orbi are usually found near the
center of a beholder ship, surround-
Series helms save against all dam - ing the Great Mother or Hiveleader of
age on a 3; they are not quite as the ship. If an orbus is slain, the SR is
tough as spe lljammer helms , but al- diminished by 1, and if all orbi are
most. Spelljammer helms cannot lost, then the ship loses all power.
work on the same ship with operat -
ing series helms and vice versa , but a Orbi appear as blind beholders,
spelljammer helm can be installed with milky skin over all their eyes.

They are pale and practically help- The minimum size of a dwarven Gnomish helms are large, gaudy,
less on their own. They have been ship is 100 tons, with a maximum ornate and overblown. They occupy
bred by the spacefaring beholder fac- size of 700 tons (though these are at least 1 ton of space, and their SR
tions to serve and serve well-they rare). Attempts to transplant forge- (for those that work) is determined
have almost no will of their own . based technology into human ships solely by the level of the priest or
have failed miserably. The best that mage at the helm.
A single orbus can create spell - can be accomplished is that humans
jamming energy for 20 tons of ship, can command a dwarven mountain- Only about 60 percent of Gnomish
two to a limit of 40 tons and three or ship with a full crew of dwarves. Both helms work (because they've had a
more to a limit of 60 tons. If insuffi- mountain and hill dwarves can be real spelljammer helm built into
cient orbi exist, then the SR of the found in space. Apparently , no other them somewhere). The remaining 40
ship is 1. race produces this type of energy. percent are so much bunk and ho -
kum. Let the buyer beware.
Given the simplicity of beholder A side effect of this industry is a
ships , it seems possible that human- large amount of tradable goods, as Those foolish enough to purchase
oid races could make use of the or - the dwarves mine their own home to a Gnomish helm that works should
bus as well , either as a primary or produce new energy and items. also hire two to eight gnomes to
back-up system. The beholders These range from small metal handi- serve as repairmen. There is a 20 per -
guard their orbi carefully, and would crafts and jewelry to swords, armor, cent chance at any time (usually
rather disintegrate them than see and other weapons. A dwarven ship when you need it most badly) that the
them turned over to other races. The almost always has an incredibly well- helm will malfunction and become
above price is what an Arcane or be- stocked armory and is very well de- inoperative for 2 to 8 turns.
holder of another faction would pay fended . For every month spent in
for an orbi . space, the dwarves produce enough Gnomish helms are treated with a
goods, metal , coins, and swords to well-deserved derision among the
Forges bring in 10,000 gp at the next land- space-dwelling community, and are
fall. often unloaded on the unsuspecting
Cost: 500,000 gp (initially) newcomer.
100 ,000 gp (per year) A negative side effect is that dwar-
ven ships often become "finished," Crown of the Stars
Dwarves are, by nature , non- with no new things to mine, chip,
magical , yet they have large asteroid form, or shape. At this point, the col- Cost: a king 's ransom , at least
ships greater than those used by hu- ony abandons the mountainship and
mans, elves, or gnomes, powered by sets up home in a new asteroid, strip- This magical item distills the abili -
magical engines they call forges. ping the forge in the process. Such ties of a minor helm into a portable
These forges are huge foundry rooms abandoned mountainships become item that can be worn , allowing the
at the base of the ship where dwarves the lairs of monsters. helmsman to move normally in addi -
work around the clock , building, carv- tion to commanding his ship. De-
ing, creating, and forging. Gnomish helms spite its name , a crown of lh e Lars is
not necessarily a crown; it may be a
The basic idea of the forge is the Cost: 50,000 gp torq, or a necklace , or a girdle, or any
same as the spelljammer helm: the other item which can be worn . It can-
conversion of energy into move- Gnomish helms should not func- not be a ring, however . The only
ment. In the dwarves· case, the en- tion. That is, their very construction known crowns of th e stars are signifi-
ergy is not magical as much as it is seems to defy the nature of thauma- cantly larger than rings , and all con-
creative. By building items with the turgic law. They are impossible. Of tain at least some silver.
forges, the dwarves generate the en- course , being gnomish, they work
ergy necessary to literally move anyway. Like most products from If the crown is used to power a ship
mountains across the sky. gnome ideas, they include a large for one week or more, it becomes
number of bells and whistles and bonded to that ship. It cannot be
A forge requires at least 200 cubic very little substance. Those that do used to power a different ship unless
yards (2 tons) for every 50 dwarves work usually have a minor helm con- it has been away from its bonded
involved. For every 100 dwarves at tained within , always hidden away so ship for at least one week, thereby
work , the ship has an SR of 1. The as to appear to be innocuous and un- severing the bond.
fastest dwarven ships, therefore, are essential.
the ones that give up the most space The crown of lh e slars is effective
to their forges. up to one mile away from the ship it

elude the existence on its is bonded to , so a helmsman can op- Artifurnaces
surface · of earth, water , erate the vessel even if he is not on
and air. All that the type board. Cost: priceless
declares is the general
make -up of the planet. A crown of th e stars wi 11not affect a An artifurnace is the u ltimate
ship with an active helm (or equiva - stage of the development o f t he
The official name used lent) on board. It can provide spell- furnace-a magically-po we red spe ll-
by cartographers is pro- jamming ability to ships that would jamming device which d raws it s
vided first. followed by otherwise lack it (such as a viking power from a magical artifa ct. Each
the common name used longship). Often a crown is discov- is a custom-made devic e tailor ed to
by space voyagers (the ered on the ground where they be- contain and siphon energ y fr o m a
name used in conversa- fuddle the local sages, who do not specific artifact. Because an ar tifact
tions is often an idea of know of the worlds spinning above is practically eternal , th e powe r de-
whether the speaker is a their heads. rived from it is equally so.
voyager or a groundlingJ.
Furnaces Once installed , an artifurn ace pro -
Fire (Sun): These celes- vides SR 5 for as long as needed.
tial bodies provide both Cost: 100,000 gp Both artifurnace and artifact are un-
heat and light within damagable as long as th ey re main to -
their shells, and are often An early and primitive form of gether (though the ship th ey are in is
(but not always) at the spelljamming helm still used in not). The artifurnace is dest roye d if
center of the system. some areas, furnaces take their the artifiact is ever remo ved, how -
power not from living spell energy ever.
Earth (WorldJ: These but from magical items. Th e items
celestial bodies are the are fed into the furnace (and de- Artifurnaces are extr em e ly rare,
common homes of most stroyed) to power the ship . Items on the level with artifa ct s t he m -
fantasy campaigns-the which cannot be destroyed by fire are selves. They also have t he diffi cult y
solid earth below, the unaffected and retain their spells and of attracting the attention of t ho se
sky above, etc . spell-like abilities. powers tied to the Artif act being
used. Should an artifurn ace be
Air (Gas CloudsJ: These As a rule of thumb, for every 1,000 hooked up to the Eye of Vecna ,
celestial bodies tend to be xp an item is worth , the furnace will Greyhawk's immortal lich w ill lik ely
amorphous In nature. function for one week at SR 2. On come looking for it (or send fri ends
and are viewed as oases long voyages this becomes an expen- in the various spheres wher e th e ship
where the traveler can sive proposition . The SR can be visits in order to recover it ). No mor e
regain air and supplies. boosted to 3 by sacrificing more than than a double handful of artifurnac es
one item simultaneously but there is are recorded as having exi sted, and
a 25% chance that the furnace will almost all of them are destro ye d or
explode and cause 10-100 points of hidden . Where they have app eared,
damage in a 30-foot radiu s. they have created in surr ec tion as
every captain in the area att emp ts to
Furnaces are old devices, found seize it for himself.
mostly on ghost ships and crashed
hulks. They are thought to be an Lifejammers
early version developed by the Ar-
cane, then abandoned. They are lim - Cost: 80 ,000 gp
ited solely to travel within a crystal
sphere , as exposure to phlogiston The lifejammer is a ve ry special -
causes an immediate explosion (20- ized and evil type of spelljammin g
200 points of damage, 45-foot ra- helm which feeds off th e li fe energy
dius). A chill fire spell will reduce this of an individual placed insid e (usu-
to normal devastation. ally against his will). Th e lif ej amm er
can function on any cr eatur e w it h hit
points, but drains the lif e out of th e
creature placed within.

For every day of operation, the li- including undead , have been known All nonmagical engines share one
fejammer sucks 1-8 hit points from to use lifejammers as well. Good feature-they are slow compared to
the target. These hit points cannot be races and characters are very re lu c- helms. Their movement is never
regained by healing while the indi - tant to use a lifejammer except in more than 17 mph and their SR is 1.
vidual is within the lifejammer. In ad - emergencies, and then are careful to At such rates , it would take years to
dition for every day of operation (or remove the character from the de- reach even a nearby planet.
fraction thereof) the lifejammer 's vic- vice before his life is endangered.
tim must save versus death or perish. Further , they cannot be used to lift
An individual with good hit points Nonmagical Engines off from celestial bodies larger than
and saving throws is preferred , but a class A due to their limited power.
ready supply of weak characters can Cost: varies, but approx. 10,000 gp Little research has been done in ex-
be just as useful. panding this "weak sister " to the
There are a number of ways of spelljammer helms (because the
A lifejammer engine gives the ship moving through space-gnomish helms provide such a good alterna-
an SR as if the creature placed within engines, chemical propellants, even tive), but there are situations where
was a wizard using a minor helm. A explosive mixtures ignited in a they are useful.
lif ejammer drawing energy from an closed space. These are sometimes
8th level fighter, for example, will op - used in space to trave l through Armaments
erate as if an 8th level mage was at magic-dead areas (called "Sargas-
the helm. sos") as well as for lifeboat s and shut- Weapons in space have followed
tles that are too insignificant to merit along the lines of their ground coun-
Lifejammers are believed to be an a full-blown minor helm. Non- terparts, and are the descendants of
invention of the neogi, who use mul- magical movement is used as a back- siege machinery and large naval
tiple lifejammers in powering their up system for larger ships when all weapons. In addition to the wide vari-
mindspider ships. Other evil races, other options fail. ety of personal weapons and magical

abilities, there is a collection of cata- light catapult under AD&D ® rules as
opposed to the items listed here.
pults, ballistas, trebuchets, and scor -

pions available to the buyer , as well

as a variety of rams . Bombards and Catapults

other ··cannon" are used, but are not The general category of catapults
are large, stone-throwing devices op-
common-their effectiveness is erated by springs, cranks, or fly-
wheels.
doubtful, their powers change from

sphere to sphere, and the explosive

nature of the phlogiston makes car-

rying them dangerous at best. Light Catap ult

Water (Water Worlds): All of the standard ships are capa- Cost: 500 gp
These celestial bodies are ble of carrying a base number of
rare, and are usually liq- large weapons. The weapons them- Range: 5 Hexes (2,500 yds}
uid all the way through selves are not incl uded in the cost of
(though some have solid the ship-these are merely places Damage: 2d 10 hit points
cores or clusters at their where the buyer can install weapons
hearts, like gas clouds). without eating up living or cargo ld2 hull points
space . For each weapon added be-
yond that, some cargo space must be Crew: 1
sacrificed. Some weapons count as
two or three for this pu rpose, and Rate of Fire: 1/2
t hese are noted accordingly.
THAC0: 16

Critical hit on 20

There ls one debatable

type, put forward by na- Medium Catapult

tives of Kara-Tur and Cost: 700 gp

other areas influenced by Range: 4 Hexes (2,000 yds)

oriental extradimen- A ship can have only a single ram. Damage: 3d10 hit points
If the ram is listed with the ship's hull
sional Powers. description, then it is an integral part 2d2 hull points
of the ship. Otherwise it must be
Plant (Live Worlds): bought and installed. Crew: 3
Considered Earth type by
other scholars, these re- Rate of Fire: 1/2

fer to living fif not senti- THAC0: 17

ent) planets, where the Damage for each of the weapons is Critical hit on 19 or 20
entire body is alive. The listed in terms of hit points and hull
existence of Liveworlds points, depending on how the Heavy Catapul t (Tre buch et)
creates problems for weapon is used.
scholars, as there are a Cost: 1,000 gp
number of other large
bodies (such as space The rate of fire (in number of shots Range: 3 Hexes (1,500 yds}
dragons) which could be per round) assumes a full crew man-
considered celestial bod- ning the weapon. A "1/2" rating Damage: 3d 10 hit points
ies as a result. means that the weapon fires one shot
every two rounds. For every man less 2d4 hull points
than the required minimum man -
ning a weapon, reduce the rate of fire Crew: 5
to the next slower level. For exam-
ple, a medium catapult with a crew of Rate of Fire: 1/3
three and a rate of fire of 1/2 would
have a rate of fire of 1/3 with a two- THAC0: 18
man crew and 1/4 with a single man
trying to operate the weapon. A Critical hit on 18, 19, or 20
weapon cannot fire without at least
In addition to the main one crew member. Counts as two large weapons for in-
three categories, supple-
stallation.

Catapults are fixed in position
once mounted and can fire in only
one direction. A catapult firing for-
ward is permitted to fire at any target
across its three forward hexes (see
Chapter 4).

The weapons of space are de- All ranges take into account the
signed for space and make use of its nature of wildspace and the Flow .
unique properties. A light catapult Within normal atmospheres and
dismounted from a ship and used on gravities, weapon ranges are as listed
a planet wil l function like a normal in the Player's Handbook and

Dungeon Master's Guide, and dam- Rate of Fire: 1/4 gets in a 10-foot square. It will con-
tinu e on into the next 10-foot square
age is halved (these weapons are less THAC0: 12 away from the sh ip firing it unless it
effective in continual atmosphere). meets with larg e, unmovable ob -
Critical hit on 19 or 20 jects, which cause it to drop to the
Catapults can be loaded with stone deck. In addition, every target within
shot instead of large rocks. Stone Counts as two large weapons for in- the 10 -foot square are forced to
shot is most effective as an antiper- make a Dexterity check to remain
sonnel weapon and will not affect a stallation standing, th e same as if a Ship
ship. It inflicts the listed damage to Shaken critica l hit had occurred.
every target within a 10-foot radius Gnomish Sweepers
of the spot where it hits (make a sepa- The gnomish sweeper does not in -
rate attack roll against each target in Cost: 800 flict any hull damage but can be used
the area). Catapults armed with as a light ballista in a crunch, with the
stone shot can also function as jetti- Range: 3 Hexes (1 ,500 yds) same requirements for crew and re-
sons (q.v). load time (the weapon does not fire
Damage: 1-8 points, Special unless both bolts are load ed).

Crew: 3 The gnomish sweeper's use as a
weapon can be argued by military
Loading sages , but it should be noted that af-
ter an initial outpouring that saw
Time: 1/4 most gnomish ships carrying a
sweeper, practically no new gnomish
THAC0: 16 ships carry the weapons.

Critical hit on 20 Rams

Ballistas The saying goes , there is nothing in The effects of ramming are cov-
the universe that a gnome cannot ered in combat. They depend on the
Ballistas include all devices which make more dangerous, and when the relativ e sizes of the ship doing the
throw large bolts , javelins, and small creatures turn their attention to ramming and its target. There are
spears with greater force than possi- weaponry, most intelligent species several different types of rams, h?W·
ble by human (or inhuman) strength. (except perhaps the Giff) move to an- ever.
Most are built along the lines of the other sector of space. Occasionally,
crossbow and are mounted on piv- the gnomes come up with an inven- Piercing Ram
ots on the ship 's deck to fire at any tion that works most of the time,
targets. which they then release on an unsus- Cost: 100 gp per ton of sh ip
pecting galaxy, usually cheapening
Light Ballista the quality in order to bring the price A piercing ram is a long, sharp
down. prow used to break open and break
Cost: 400 gp apart an enemy ship. An attack with
a piercing ram can sometimes result
Range: 6 Hexes (3,000 yds) in the two ships being locked to-
gether.
Damage: 2d6 hit points Gnomish sweepers are an example
of such a device. Still experimental, Blunt Ram
no hull damage they are nothing more than a pair of
light ballistas with a common mount Cost: 100 gp per ton of ship
Crew: 1 so that they can be fired in the same
direction at the same time. The two This is a flattened ram designed to
Rate of Fire: 1/2 bolts are linked with a heavy chain. inflict interna l damage by shaking
The intention of the chain is to be up the smaller ship. It can also break
THAC0: 16 used as an antipersonnel weapon up other ships, but there is no chance
against enemy crews. the ships will become locked to-
No chance for critical hit gether after ramming.

Medium Ballista

Cost: 600 gp

Range : 4 Hexes (2,000 yds)

Damage: 3d6 hit points Early versions of the sweepers

1d3 hull points used chains long and thin enough to

Crew: 2 capture a couple of gnome-sized op-

Rate of Fire: 1/3 ponents, but they soon worked out

THAC0: 14 the bugs to the point that they could

Critical hit on 20 use them against human opponents.

Heavy Ballista The other problem with the sweepers

remains uncorrected-when the

Cost : 800 gp chain strikes something heavy, like a
Range : 2 Hexes (1,000 yds)
Damage: 3d10 hit points mast, weapon turret, or other piece
3d2 hull points
Crew : 4 of deck furniture, the chain tangles

and is useless.

A gnomish sweeper affects all tar-

Grappling Ram remounted in ld4 turns in a new po-
sition.
Cost: 200 gp per ton of ship
Bombards use magical smoke
T he gra ppling ram incorporates powder to function. One shot uses 10
one or m ore movable arms which at- charges of powder. The scarci ty of
tach themselves to an opponent's smoke powder (which is a magic al
ship after ramming , locking the item in fantasy space) makes bom-
ships together. Very useful during bards impractical compared to ba l-
boarding situations. A grappling ram listas and catapults.
can also inflict damage on smaller
mental notes are often ships . Jettisons
added. These include:
Bombards A jettison consists of a s,eries of
Presence of moons small catapults load ed with stones,
Lack of atmosphere Also ca ll ed cannon, these items are trash, debris iron spikes, and ga r-
Lethal atmosphere very rare in the Known Spheres, for a bage, and used as an anti-personnel
Hollow planets variety of reasons. They tend to be un- weapon to clear the enemy's decks.
Large extradimen - reliabl e, both from the standpoint of Any type of catapult can be con-
slonal gates being physically untrustworthy and, verted into a jettison of the sa me size
Xenophobic natives more importantly , because the chem - by loading it with small rocks instead
ical or magical reactions they depend of a single stone . A jettison, however,
(marked by an XJ on sometimes vary from one world to cannot be converted into a catapult .
another . Gunpowder may work per-
These supplemental fectly inside one shel l, only to be inert Light Jetti son
notes are like a hobo's in another , and is a magical jewelry
code of marking, sym - polish in a third. These differences are Cost: 400 gp
bols, and etchings on the often written off as the whims of the
starcharts, and often gods themselves , to keep mortals in Range: 3 Hexe s
clutter the situation their place , but th e result is that bom-
more than they help the bards are rare . Damage: ld6 hit points
user.
The other reason that bombard s no hull damage
are rare is that fire travels poorly
Using these defini - through the phlogiston, and many a Crew: 2
tions, the Earth/Sol sys- ship has exploded as the result of a
tem would be as follows: poorly protected powder magazine. Rate of Fire: 1/2
If the DM chooses to allow bombards
and other cannon to operate in a par- THAC0: 15
ticular sphere, any critical hit has a
Type H •Fire Sun 10% chan ce of igniting the powder Radiu s: 5'
magazine , inflicting 2d10 x 5 hull
Type D • Earth Mercury points of damage. No chance for a critical hit

Type E • Earth Venus Medium Jettison

Type E • Earth Earth Cost: 600 gp

Type E • Earth Mars Range: 2 Hexe s (1,000 yds)

Type A Earth Asteroid 2d6 hit points

belt Damage:

TypeG .Air Jupiter no hull damage

TypeG .Air Saturn Crew: 3

Type F .Air Uranus Rate of Fire: 1/3

Type F .Air Neptune Typical Bombard THAC0: 15

Type D ◊ Earth Pluto Cost: 20,000 gp Radius: 10'

Type A Air Cometary Range: 2 Hexes (1,000 yds) No chance for a critical hit

Belt Damage: 2d10 hit points Heavy Jetti son

1d6 hull points

Crew: 3 Cost: 800 gp
Range: 1 Hex (500 yds)
Rate of Fire: 1/3 Damage: 3d6 hit points
no hull damage
THA C0: 17 Crew: 4
Rate of Fire: 1/4
Critical hit on 20

Bombards are fixed in position
once mounted , though they can be

THAC0: 14 successful save against Breath
Weapon halves the damage.
Radius: 15'
Ships carrying greek fire projec-
No chance for a critical hit tors are more vulnerable to critical
hits, and ships attacking them add
Counts as two large weapons for in- + 1 to their die roll to determine
whether a critical hit occurs. For ex-
stallation. ample, a medium catapult causes a
critical hit with a modified attack roll
Jettisons are mounted in place of 19 or 20. Against a ship carrying a
and cannot be moved. When fired, greek fir e projector, a medium cata-
they hit a spot on the ship and may pult causes a critical hit with a roll of
affect eve ry target within the weap-
on's radius (m ake a separate attack 18, 19, or 20 .
roll for every potential target). Sav -
ing throws to avoid missile fire can Greek fire projectors start fires
also be used to affect jettison fire, if where they hit, even on stone and
applicable. treated wood; flammable materials
nearby will catch fire and feed the
Many spe lljammers use catapults flames. See Fire in the next chapter.
as temporary jettisons when they
need to. Often jettisons are mounted Turrets
at th e rear of ships to deter pursuers .
Cost: medium 500 gp ,
A jettison can be fired at an empty heavy 1,000 gp
hex. This automatically sets up a field
of debris in that hex (see Combat). A turret is a rotating platform.
Weapons mounted on turrets can be
Greek Fire Projectors turned to face different targets
quickly. For example , a heavy cata-
These devices shoot a thin stream pult mounted on a turret can be
of flami ng, ex plosive liquid. Though swung to attack any ship in a 360 de-
they can be devastating in combat, gree range.
like bombards they are not popular
with ships that cross between the Turrets can also provide partial
spheres because of the flammability protection for the crew. Protected
of the Flow. In fact, they are a recipe turrets are available at double the ini -
for disaster in the phlogiston. They tial cost, and provide 50% cover (im -
are popular, however, among crews proves AC by 4) to the crew manning
that do not leave their spheres. that heavy weapon. Small weapons
can be moved easily without a turret,
Cost: 1,000 gp but they can benefit from the cover a
turret provides.
Range : 1 Hex (500 yds)
Hull Armor
Damage : 3d10 hit points
All ship 's hull s come with a stand-
1d3 hull points ard Armor Rating (AR), determined
by the ship 's shape and construction.
+Fire All ships also have a standard saving
throw based on their construction: A
Crew: 3 ship made of heavy lumb er saves as
thick wood, while one carved from
Rate of Fire: 1/4 rock saves as stone.

THAC0: 16 A hull's armor rating can be im-
proved by increasing ei ther the
Critica l hit on 18, 19, or 20

Greek fire projectors are only ef-
fective when two sh ip s are close
enough to share a common air enve-
lope, as any range of more than one
hex is suffic ien t to snuff out the flam-
ing ch em icals .

Projectors affect the target and all
other targets within a 5-foot radius. A

Crew Positions thickness of the hull or by plating the of the new material in combat.
hull with other materials (usually
A spelljamming ship metal). The options and costs are: Netting
has a number of staff po-
sitions onboard. These Increased Thickness Cost: 3 gp per ton of ship
vary from place to place
and from race to race, but Cost: 100 gp per ton of ship Ships with large , open decks are
usually Include the fol- often covered with thick, twisted
lowing: Increasing the thickness of the hull ropes bound into a net. These nets
improves the ship 's AR by 1 (from 7 serve to protect the crew partially
OWNER-The one who from catapult fire and boarding from
owns the ship, and signs to 6, for example). However, this other ship s. Attacks coming from
documents in the ship's above must destroy the nets first be-
name. Usually but not al- thickening also reduces available fore hitting crew members.
ways the captain. cargo space by 20 percent. If no
cargo space is available, the ship Ships with netting gain a +2 on
CAPTAIN- Ultimate au - may not utilize this method to in- saving throws for their crews against
thority on the ship when crease its AR. An elven flitter , for ex- missile weapons or magic which cre-
it is under sail. May or ample , cannot increase its hull ates solid objects.
may not be the owner as thickness because it is only a one -ton
well. ship; it has no cargo space to turn In addition, the presence of netting
into a thickened hull. allows those personnel hit by cata-
FIRST OFFICER-Cap- pult stones a saving throw against
tain 's second-in -com- A ship can have its hull thickness death magic to avoid the effect of be-
mand. Serves if captain is increased only once. ing hit by such a weapon .
not present or Is incapaci-
tated. Often responsible Plating The netting is destroyed once it is
for boarding parties. hit by a heavy catapult shot , or two
Cost: 300 gp per ton of ship medium catapult shots. Greek fire
HELMSMAN- Mage or destroys the netting in two rounds.
cleric currently linked Also called barding, plating a ship Light catapults , jettisons , and ballis-
into the helm, whose consists of covering it in metal plates tas cause no damage to netting.
abilities determine the or scales . This increases the AR of
speed and movement of the ship by 1 (from 3 to 2 , for exam- In a boarding action , boarders
the craft. There may be ple), but downgrades the maneuver- must cut through the netting before
several helmsmen aboard ability class (MC) of the ship. (A ship they can attack the enemy crew. Net-
a ship, with different with a maneuverability class of B is ting can be cut the same as grappling
downgraded to a C) A ship 's maneu - lines; it has five hit points and AC 10.
verability class cannot be reduced Defenders under the netting can at-
below F. tack boarders above the netting if the
defenders are armed with P (pierc-
Further , it is obvious to anyone ing) type weapons.
looking at it that the ship is plated.
Plating can only be performed once Improved
per ship. A plated ship still uses its Maneuverability
original saving type-a ship made of
thick wood still saves as thick wood , Each ship has a maneuverability
even if it has copper plating . rating determined by the shape of
the sh ip's hull and such standard fea-
Stronger Materials tures as sails , balloons , oars , outrig-
gers , and other physical acco u-
Cost: 5,000 gp per ton of ship trements that can help shape the
helmsman 's spelljamming abilities.
It is possib le to rebuild a ship en- A ship owner can add to these exist-
t irely with other materials, such as ing features to improve his ship's
transforming a ship of wood to one of dexterity and handling. This addi-
metal, of glassteel, or of stone . This tional maneuvering equipment
does not change the maneuverabil-
ity, hu ll points, or AR of the ship, but
does give the ship the saving throw

is called rigging , and requires both Multiple Modifications High Strength never modifies the
an addition of manpower and cost. attack roll or damage from a wh eel
Such modifications are cumula- lock pistol.
A second way to increase maneu - tive , though they can be self-
verability is to reduce the armor rat - defeating. A ship can be topped out , Smoke Powder
ing of the ship , cutting the amount of stripped , and plated simultaneously,
mass that needs to be hauled about. with the result of an increase of 1 in Cost: Whatever the market will bear
This is called stripping . MC , a decrease of 1 in AR, and a re-
quirement of half again the basic Smok e powd er is a magical mix -
Rigging crew . Most captains would rather ture of two inert substances which ,
have a ship perform one task well when combined , form an explosive
Cost: 100 gp per ton than many tasks poorly . mix. This mixture is used in ar -
quebuses , wheel locks , and (in large
All spelljammers have rigging of Personal Weapons doses) bombards .
some sort. Rigging a ship beyond its and Ammunition
standard results in an increase in the A single charge of smoke powder
ship 's maneuverability class . A ship Wheel Lock Pistol inflicts 1d2 points of damage. Two
with an MC of D can be upgraded charges inflict 2d2 , 3 charges 3d2 ,
with improved rigging to MC C. Cost: 700 gp and so forth .
Weight: 5Ibs
Additional rigging also means Size: Any smok e p o wd er explosion
there is more for the crew to do. The Type: s which causes 30 points of damage or
minimum number of crew required Speed Factor: more affect s everything within a 5 -
to operate the ship increases by half Damage: p foot radius. Any explosion of at least
the original number (50 % ). If it nor - ROF: 50 points affects a 15 -foot radius . Di -
mally takes 10 crewmen to operate Range: 10 vide point s of damag e by 10 to deter -
the ship , the same ship with im - ld4/ld4 mine how many hull poin t s are lost
proved rigging requires a crew of 15 . 1/3 to an explosion . Even one point of
Short - 3 hull damage , however , is automati-
Rigging can be added only once Medium-6 cally accompanied by a Fire c riti cal
per ship. It can be used to offset the Long-9 hit (q .v.).
effect of plating.
Like the arquebus , the wheel lock Smok e powder is more common in
Rigging is many things , but never is not available in all campaigns. space than on the plan ets. It is a good
subtle. A nautilo id with additional Check with your DM before pur- seller for the Arcane , who will sell 10
steering oars or a Shau Lung dragon - chase . The wheel lock is the furthest charges (a bombard shot) for 3 ,000
ship with multiple sails will attract at - advancement of gunpowder technol- gp. They may also throw in two to
tention and enemies wi ll know (if ogy, a further development of the ar- five bombard charges free to anyone
they are familiar with the hull) quebus . As with the arquebus, the who purchase s a bombard from
whether a ship is fully rigged. Such range penalties for the wheel lock them .
ships are referred to as being are doubled .
"topped out. "
The wheel lock is as untrustworthy Grappling Hook
Stripping and erratic as the musket. On an at-
tack roll of 1 or 2 , the weapon back- Cost : 8 sp
Cost: 100 gp per ton fires, inflicting 1d6 points of damage Weight : 4 lbs
to the user and becoming fouled . It Size: M
Removing nonessential weight will not fire again until cleaned, a Type : P
can increase the MC of a ship by one process which takes 30 minutes. Speed Factor: 9
rank as well, raising , for example , Damage: 1d3/1 d3
MC B to MC A. T his results in drop - When the wheel lock does hit , it in- Range: Short-2
ping the armor rating by 2 points flicts 1d4 points of damage . On a 4, Medium-4
(from 4 to 6, for example). A ship is another 4-sided die is rolled, and so Long-6
considered the same base tonnage on . Thus it is possible for a pistol to
despite the loss , and the missing inflict large amounts of damage to a These are the g rappling h9oks de-
pieces are not obvious to the casual target (though it's even more likely scribed in th e Dung eo n M aste r' s
observer . that it will explode and injure its Guid e with slight modifications so
user) . they can be used as weapons and
slightly increa sed ran ge so the y are

~~--------------------

more useful for boarding ships. Greek fire is sometimes called
Grappling hooks tend to be large and bannaple gas.
clumsy and cause damage to charac-
ters more by accident than int ention. Ballista Bolts

Boarding Pike Cost: 5 sp
Weight: 41bs
Cost: 5 gp Size:
Weight: 7 lbs Type: L
Size: L Damage: p
Type : P/S
Speed Factor: 8 As listed for
Damage: 1d8/1 d6 ballista
As spear in hand-to-
hand combat

levels of ability and addi- This is a common , hooked pole A ballista bolt is a large arrow used
tional duties as well. arm used in space, primarily for re- in all the standard ballistas. A stand-
pelling boarders and cutting grap- ard ballista bolt will fit a light, me-
SHIP 'S MAGE-Highest pling lines. It is of very little use when dium, or heavy ballista. The
level wizard not cur- trying to board an enemy ship. difference in damage is caused by the
rently involved in spell- power of the ballista 's mechanism.
jamming.
Greek Fire Catapult Stones
SHIP'S CLERIC-Highest
level priest not currently Cost: 100 gp per shot Cost: 3 sp
Involved in spelljamming. Weight: 4 lbs Weight: 3-10 lb s
Size: M
SHIP 'S SPELLMASTER- Greek fire is a slightly corrosive Type: B
Usually most powerful liquid . It usually is stored in stone or Damage: As listed for
mage or cleric onboard, ceramic jugs, each jug containing catapult
regardless of class or enough greek fire for one shot.
whether spelljamming or Loaded into a greek fire projector Unlike ballista bolts, three types of
not. and lit, it fires a stream of flame catapult stones are available, one for
which can set almost any target each type of catapult: light, medium,
NAVIGATOR-Respon- ablaze. No one has yet refined it to and heavy. Only the proper sort of
sible for long-distance the point where a hand -he ld projec- stone is really useful in each type of
movement and tactics, tor is feasible. catapult. A copper-pinching captain
keeps star charts. can use any type of similarly-sized
Greek fire is always flammable. If a and readily available rock to inflict
QUARTERMASTER-or cask is opened and comes in contact similar damage, and some combats
OM, is responsible for with fire , it will explode automati- have involved tossing tables , dead
supplies, including food, cally, causing 3d 10 points of damage bodies, cows, and other items
air, and weapons. A bor- to everyone within a 15-foot radius. through space as shot.
ingjob until ship runs out Any other greek fire containers ex-
of something. posed to this explosion will also ex-
plode with identical results unless
their containers save versus fire. Ex- Stone shot and Jettison shot
ploding greek fire also causes a fire
in the hold. Cost: 2 sp per load
Weight: 20 lbs per load
(The largest gnomish ship ever Size: M
bu i lt-so far as is known-the Type: B
Dreadnever, was destroyed in this Damage: As listed for
fashion when improperly stored catapult or jettison
greek fire was touched off in the
ship 's magazine. The captain's last A bundle of stone shot or jettison
recorded words were " It 's awful dark shot can fit any catapult or jettison.
in here.") Usually this type of shot is stored as
packages of rocks in thick bags
which burst when fired. Almost any

sort of stuff can be substituted in an Other Spelljamming portal. The device is fairly reliable
emergency. Equipment (90% accurate in pointing a direc-
tion to the portal) and is often
Bo m bard S hot There are a few other items that "thrown in " by Arcane salesmen as a
may be useful to the star voyager in giveaway.
Cost: 1 gp (stone), his travels , some magical, some not.
2 gp (iron) Pl anetary Locator
Weight: 10 lbs Passage Device
Size: S Cost: 2 ,000 gp
Type: B Cost: 10 ,000 per ton of the ship
Damage: As for bomba rd An arcane device often tossed in
The passage device is a creation of as a bonus to purchasers of an Ar-
Two types of shot are used in bom- the Arcane, who use it to create por- cane hull , this desk-sized device con-
ba rds : large , round stones and cast tals through the crystal shell be- tains a map similar to the System
iron "ca n nonballs. " Using the latter tween the phlogiston and wi ldspace. Display included with this product.
increases the bombard 's damage It functions in the exact same way as When a ship carrying a locator enters
against a ship but not against crew - the wizard spell create portal, but a crystal shell, the device imediately
mem bers. (Stone shot often breaks does not require the presence of a tracks the major celestial bodies in
up on impact, scattering sharp frag- mage . that sphere and di splays them.
ments, while iron is less likely to do
so.) Bombards using iron shot have a Porta l Locat or The planetary locator will not
t rack planets or celestial bodies
+ 2 modifier to hit. Cost: 5,000 gp smaller than size B , but should these
be encountered the information can
Another device of the Arcane , This be entered manually and displayed
one mimics the wizard spell locate thereafter.

All of the above are The planetary locator will also the purpose as well as a single large
considered "The Offi- show asteroid bases that choose to ancho ·r.
cers" and may hold dupli- be located (in other words , those that
cate titles or share bought a device from the Arcane that Li f e Boats
multiple responsibilities. causes them to appear on locators) .
The helmsman, spell- Some of these devices have been Cost: large (20 person)-10,000 gp
jammer, and chief mage stolen and are used by Neogi , pi- medium (5 person)-5,000 gp
may all be the same indi- rates , and other marauders to trap small (2 person)-1,000 gp
vidual. Similarly, there u nwary travelers.
may additional titles on- Life boats are hard -shelled vehi-
board. A ship that makes Finally, the planetary locator can- cles designed for one purpose: to
boarding Its primary way not show accurately those planetary bring the occupants relatively safely
of saying "Howdy" systems which do not align with the to the surface of a planet or rescue
might have a battlemas- centra I-body -w i th -other-bodies • ship. The life boat falls toward the
ter, or one that carries moving-around -it type. Chaotic, nearest gravity well (using a lifeboat
archery troops a chief strange, or other types of systems close to a star can have nasty re-
bowman. Similarly, non- cause the locator board to turn a sin - su Its). The life boat descends accord-
human races vary in their gle solid color, or go black. ing to the rules listed for landjng, but
positions, from the elves, may only land. Once landed , it will
who add a battlepoet to The planetary locator will not op- never fly again.
their officers, to the mind erate in the phlogiston. The recom-
flayers, who keep a mended use of the planetary locator A lifeboat takes up as much ton-
"faith officer," to the be- (according to Volo 's Big Book of nage as one -half the number of peo -
holders, who lack any Space) is to determine landmarks in ple it can carry. A large I ifeboat
real organization save a system which can be used to guide occupies 10 tons of cargo space (in-
for that based on sub- the traveler to a civilized area where cluding jettisons for launching). Col -
species. he can purchase a reliable star chart. lapsible versions shrink thi s
requirement to 1 ton of storage , but
Below the officers are the Star Charts collapsible lifeboats require 2d4
rounds of setup before they can be
crew-often called the Cost: 100-600 gp launched. Collapsible versions cost
three times the listed price.
expendables (but never The star charts of a system vary in
price according to how well that sys- Crews
by a wise captain within tem is known and visited. Star charts
indicate the location and relative po- Because so much of the glossy and
earshot of them). The sition of the various planets in the important work of a spelljamming
system, but do not indicate current ship rests with the captain and
crew may be broken up positions. They are not magical but helmsman, the place of the normal
are very useful for determining crew is often glossed over. However ,
into various tasks (main- things like hostile forces, mean tem- the careful captain who trains his
perat u re, and spaceborne powers op- men well and treats them as more
tenance, weapons, era t ing in the reg ion. than dragon fodder will be rewarded
with a ship that can handle itself well
boarding, etc./ or han- Anchors/Teth ers in tactical situations. While the gross
motive power of the ship is deter-
dled in a random fash- Cost: 10 gp per ton of ship mined by the helmsman , its tacking,
heeling, and spinning is controlled
Anchors are used to moor a ship to by the men who man the rigging and
a larger body such as an asteroid or the oars.
tie together two ships. Anchors and
tethers are also used at space docks Crews are divided into four classi -
to secure ships and keep them from fications: green, average , trained,
drifting off in difficult situations. In and crack. Their costs per man are
ge neral , a larger ship will require a below:
greater anchor, but for very large
ships, multiple tether/anchors serve