Jan 06, 2010 Spelljammer 3.5 – Culture Shock. January 6, 2010 Traikan. I thought about calling this post ‘Short People. In Space!’ but decided against it. Probably for the best. One of the major hooks in the D20 Spelljammer from Dungeon 92 was that the Dwarven homeworld had been conquered by the Mind Flayers. I thought that was a pretty good one. Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd edition) role-playing game, which features a fantastic (as opposed to scientific) outer space environment. Spelljammer introduced into the AD&D universe a comprehensive system of fantasy astrophysics, including the Ptolemaic concept of crystal spheres. Crystal spheres may contain multiple worlds and are navigable. REFERENCES Primary TSR, Inc. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space boxed set Rock of Bral Wizards of the Coast D&D v.3.5 Core Rulebooks D&D Stormwrack Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon Dungeon #92. Spelljammer Stockholm-based band that plays slow and heavy most of the time. Robert - guitar Jonatan - drums Niklas - bass/vocals Abyssal Trip, released 26 February 2021 1. Among the Holy 4. Silent Rift “The vastness of everything is something that I think about a lot,” says Spelljammer bassist/vocalist Niklas Olsson.
SpellJammer 5e
Cosmic Space Fantasy Opera
Spelljammer Info
Imagine a universe where square worlds spin around gemstone suns. Where planets lie cradled in the roots of an oak tree so vast its leaves twirl around brightly burning suns. Where ships of wood sail the void between worlds and do battle with catapult and ballista, spell and sword, where an asteroid may be a safe harbor, a slaver's den, or a hungry creature eager to devour any that pass by. Where daring swashbucklers and scoundrels race for fantastic treasures and literally touch the stars. Where terrifying beasts with the power to destroy whole planets roam. Welcome . . . to Spelljammer!
In the Spelljammer campaign, the fantastic is possible and one is limited only by the depths of their imagination. Sailing ships, enwrapped in bubbles of air, travel empty Wildspace, moved by the power of their mystic Helms. Gravity is a matter of convenience, where a crew of adventurers can tour the bottom of their ship, and worlds come in all shapes and sizes. Whole solar systems are surrounded by colossal spheres made of an unbreakable, crystal-like substance to protect them from an ocean of swirling light and color, the flammable Phlogiston, which divides the void between stars.
Wildspace is what comes to mind when we talk of 'Space.' It is the vast emptiness that lies between the planets and the stars. All the celestial bodies within a Crystal Shell float in the airless void called Wildspace. Conventional (meaning 'those that take place on the material plane') interplanetary journeys around a solar system take place within Wildspace. The regions of Wildspace are primarily airless vacuums, but the cosmos is large and vast with plenty of exceptions to the rules. Wildspace is not truly a void, although it is often referred to in that way. There is plenty to explore and conquer. Life and Time are the only constants.
Crystal Spheres
All Wildspace is bounded by a shell of impenetrable crystal, called a Crystal Sphere. Inside the Crystal Sphere is the airless vacuum of Wildspace and the planets where adventure takes place. Outside the Crystal Sphere is the rainbow river of Phlogiston and more Crystal Spheres. You can consider a Sphere to contain one solar system, but that's a tremendous oversimplification.
The size of a Crystal Sphere is determined by the size of the planetary system inside. Usually a Crystal Sphere has a radius twice as big as the orbital radius of the outermost planetary body in the system (ie. the distance from the shell to the outermost planetary body of the system is the same as the distance from that outermost body to the center point of the system). Due to their great size, the outside of a Crystal Sphere appears perfectly flat when viewed up close. The curvature is so gradual that it is completely undetectable to anyone who is close enough to see the Crystal Sphere through the obscuring Phlogiston. The spheres consist of an unbreakable, murky, ceramic-like material of unknown origin.
Some legends state (and theologians agree) that the smooth-surfaced shells were created and positioned by the gods themselves to protect their worlds from the ravages of the Phlogiston, which is held to be the prime matter of the universe. Less charitable philosophers maintain that such shells were placed by an even higher authority to keep gods and men in and confine their activities. Whatever their origin, the Crystal Shells are uniform. All appear as great, dark, featureless spheres of unidentifiable matter.
The Crystal Spheres are defiantly solid. They have no gravity along either their interior or exterior sides (an exception to the rule that all large objects have gravity). No magic has been found that can damage or alter the surface of a shell, with the exception of those spells which cause portals to open. Even this is believed to be nothing more than an artificial triggering of a natural phenomenon, as naturally occurring portals appear seemingly at random. They are apparently immune to the effects of wishes and even the wills of the outer planar powers.
The Phlogiston
Also called The Flow, the Phlogiston is a turbulent, unstable, multicolored, fluorescent gas-like medium which fills the regions between Crystal Spheres. For lack of a better definition, it is a river in which all Crystal Spheres bob, weave, and float. Its currents carry the spheres around a shifting stream, ever moving. Very little is known for certain about the Phlogiston, except for every system known is encased within a Crystal Sphere, and no known planetoids exist floating freely in the Phlogiston. Essentially, the Crystal Sphere keeps the Wildspace in and the Phlogiston out (which is a tremendous simplification, but it is easy to grasp). Phlogiston also cannot exist inside a Shell, and all attempts at doing so causes the somehow-captured Phologiston to have vanished upon inspection, leaving no traces. The rainbow ocean allows Spelljamming ships to attain greater velocities. These speeds have defied measurement since the phlogiston is without permanent landmarks or markers.
In general, it takes from 10-100 days to travel from one Crystal Sphere to another. The sphere reached is random, unless you have either a guide or a device installed in the ship to show you the way. Shortcuts exist through spheres to other spheres. Some spheres drift into and out of proximity with each other, so that just because you reach an area once does not mean that you will find it again.
It is also violently and exponentially flammable. An early researcher (wanting to have a better look at some of the ocean he captured) lit a match with the intent to burn a candle. Upon sparking, an explosion immediately erupted from the match head, taking most of the researchers hand. . . In short, a match acts as a powerful firework, a firework acts as a fireball, and the devastation that a fireball would cause may take even the largest ships (and the caster) with it.
Space Travel
Space travel is hard to grasp by most groundlings. They look up at the skies and see a vast emptiness of infinite beauty.
Spelljamming ships can be made of anything: normal, sea-faring galleons; gargantuan, mutated bodies of Beholders; ships grown in a vast forest-turned-dry-dock; bones of long-dead dragons; contraptions made from junk yards bound together by rubber-bands; the splinters and masts of defeated ships; or even the very mountains themselves. What makes them a Spelljamming ship is the Spelljamming Helm, whether permanently bolted down, or temporarily there.
On Spelljamming Helms
Ships travel through Wildspace by means of the Spelljamming Helm – a magical device which converts mystical energy into motive force; ie. the 'push' that moves a Spelljamming ship. This allows rapid movement from planet to planet. Some of the specifics vary from race-to-race, and ship-to-ship; however, most ships are equipped with a magical device known as a Spelljamming Helm. While the helm provides the push forward, the crew provides the maneuvering, stopping, and docking.
A Helm can be made to look like almost anything: A lofty perch made of hard oak, with pillows in the seat and back, and topped with gold filigree; a sleek, futuristic chair made of obsidian and lined with purple silks; a large leaf, elegantly grown into position and automatically shaping to fit it's user; a meditiation bench, as simplistic in style as it is in make; or a large uncomfortable iron throne constructed from the swords of a defeated army. How a Helm looks will speak volumes about both its creator, as well as its user. All will function the same and provide the necessary focus point to move about space. Generally, it's installed onto the Bridge of a ship, away from prying eyes and (more importantly) attacks.
There are many sorts of basic Spelljammer Helms: Minor and Major. All Helms require the user’s Concentration to function, as if the user were concentrating on a spell. Due to the Concentration required, no more than eight hours can be spent at a time using this device by one caster. Attempts to 'push through' may cause one point of exhaustion (as per the rules for a forced march in chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook).
- Lifejammers – These helms suck the very life from the user to power a vessel and perform special maneuvers.
- Orbus – Mutated and specially grown Beholder-kin, used by the various Beholder races to provide movement to their otherworldly vessels.
- Artiforge – This device is installed in a ships core and provides the force necessary for movement throughout space without a helmsman. This does require a forgemaster and a portion of the crew forging to ensure proper upkeep and use of the forge itself. As this doubles as a blacksmiths forge for creating weapons and armor, a certain output of those forge-created items is needed in order to keep the fire burning and the ship moving forward.
- Sequence Helms – This helm type allows for multiple characters to contribute to the overall Speed of a vessel, but halves a single user's contribution to the overall Ships speed. Helm Rating – detailed on the next page – is calculated normally, then halved, rounded down. The number of Sequence helms able to contribute to the ship speed on a single vessel is unlimited.
- Rare and otherwise legendary Helms allow casting while simultaneously piloting the ship, remote control of a ship, full movement about the vessel, and much more!
Any character may use a helm, though only one character may use a single helm at a time. Attunement to the helm requires a short rest to ensure that the adventurer understands how to concentrate properly and convert their innate magical energy into ship movement. It takes one action to activate, and one action to deactivate the Helm. Characters with the Spellcasting, Ki, and Pact Magic class features can use additional abilities of the helm, listed later in this document.
Exhausted characters attempting to use a Helm reduce the total Speed of the ship by the number of exhaustion points they have attained. After 48 continuous hours on the Helm, regardless of the ship's current Speed or the number of exhaustion points gained, the individual using the Helm will pass out and be unable to use the Helm again until they complete a Long Rest.
Additionally while on the Helm, the Helmsman can observe her surroundings normally, but also gains an awareness of the space around the ship. This awareness is equivalent to what would be gained by a lookout. As an action, you can see from any point in or on the ship until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the ship has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
While using the Helm to power a ship, the adventurer is unable to cast a spell of 1st level or higher, and is considered restrained. The individual seated upon the Helm can talk and act normally, but cannot leave the Helm while the ship is in motion.
Determining Helm Rating
Use the table below to determine your Helm Rating to spellcaster level ratio when determining the ships overall Speed when using a helm to pilot a ship. A Minor Helm grants a 1:3 ratio of Helm Rating to spellcaster level, and a Major Helm grants a 1:2 ratio of Helm Rating to spellcaster level. This is similar to determining your spell slots when multiclassing, but all classes are able to provide motive force when using a helm to pilot a ship (Players handbook p.163-164)
Add together all your levels in the Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorceror, Warlock, and Wizard classes, half your levels (rounded down) in the Paladin, Monk, Ranger, Mystic, and Artificer classes, and a third of the levels taken in Fighter or Rogue classes (rounded down) if you have the Eldritch Knight or the Arcane Trickster archetype. Characters with levels in classes that do not grant the Spellcasting, Pact Magic, Psionics, or Ki abilities divide by four (rounded down, a minimum of 1) to determine Helm Rating.
Example 1: A 10th level wizard using a Minor Helm will have a spellcaster level of 10, and that same character grants a Helm Rating of 3 to the overall ship speed.
Example 2: A character that has multiclassed a 5th-level bard and a 3rd-level barbarian will have a spellcaster level of 6, and that same character using a Major Helm will grant a Helm Rating of 3 to the overall Speed.
Spelljammer 3.5 Pdf
Example 3: A character that has multiclassed a 6th level warlock and an 8th level paladin will have a spellcaster level of 10, and that same character using a Major Helm will grant a Helm Rating of 5 to the overall Speed.
Helm Rating
Spellcaster Level | Minor Helm | Major Helm |
1-3 | 1 | 1 |
4-5 | 1 | 2 |
6-7 | 2 | 3 |
8 | 2 | 4 |
9 | 3 | 4 |
10-11 | 3 | 5 |
12-13 | 4 | 6 |
14 | 4 | 7 |
15 | 5 | 7 |
16-17 | 5 | 8 |
18-19 | 6 | 8 |
20 | 6 | 9 |
Roles on the Ship
Who does what aboard a sailing vessel, and when? What kind of jobs are available aboard beyond the able-bodied sailor? This chapter will give a brief look into the roles on a Spelljamming vessel. It is advised to establish a Station for everyone aboard the ship to keep the troops in line and the decks swabbed. In case of trouble, everyone knows their job and what to do. Players are strongly encouraged to pick a ship role.
Stations
On a Spelljamming ship, various Stations exist that can be filled by a player at your table. Some positions may overlap (The Magic Officer and Engineer could be the same person, for example) as an adventuring party may not be large enough to accommodate all positions. Additionally, multiple party members may fill the same role if they wish.
Engineer
The Engineer takes care of the repair and fitting out of the vessel, and examines whether it is sufficiently provided with ropes, pulleys, sails, and all the other rigging that is necessary for a voyage. When fires erupt on-board, the Engineer is the one to call.
First Mate
The force of personality necessary to hold together an unruly bunch of scallywags, the First Mate handles the crew in the best of times and the worst of times. A First Mate's duties include overseeing all aspects of the crew, envoys, cargo, and passengers.
Gunner
The Gunner is in charge of maintaining and firing the weapons systems and ammunition aboard a Spelljamming ship. This included sifting the powder to keep it dry, ensuring the cannons and ordnance were kept free of rust, and that all weapons were kept in good repair. A knowledgeable Gunner was essential to the crew's safety and effective use of their weapons.
Helmsman
The Helmsman is in charge of navigating the ship through spaces unknown. This officer is, more often than not, the most able-bodied mage aboard a Spelljamming ship.
Magic Officer
While the Helmsman is in charge of the day-to-day sailing of a vessel, the Magic Officer directs the course and looks after the maps, instruments necessary for navigation, and messages to other ships and docks. Though it's not required to know any magic to be a Magic Officer, often this position also exists as a Second for the Helmsman.
Surgeon
The Surgeon has the distinct privilege of keeping everyone alive and healthy aboard the ship. More often than not, the Surgeon performs operations and amputations with the same tools that the Engineer uses to repair the ship.
You'll notice that there is no Captain aboard a Spelljamming vessel. In fact, this note is the only place where the word Captain even exists in this document. The idea for Ship Roles are to be a sort-of opposite of a 'Chain-of-Command'. This is to provide ease of docking, bureaucracy for various starfaring kingdoms (for RP purposes), and that players and NPC's played by the DM have those points to move the story forward at a reasonable pace.
If a player or DM 'gives orders' to the other players, or if any one person has advantage over another person in either the game or real life, the DM is strongly encouraged to step in; Likewise for the players.
NPC's should never have the ability to take the place of a player aboard a vessel and do not have a vote in matters. All members of the adventuring party should get an equal vote. The idea here is to keep player agency for The Party's Ship, and not The Captain's Ship.
We are all equal at this round table.
That being said, if your group is okay with having an official 'Captain' role, you can replace the 'First Mate' ship role with the 'Captain' ship role, which has the same abilities.
Every ship in motion has a Speed, which is the distance that the ship can move in a given period of time. On a hex space (hexagonal spaced) grid, each ship takes up one hex space, which refers not to the size of the ship itself, but the size of the sky it controls. Hex spaces do not take up a specific distance, but are rather more about the story being told in the theatre of the mind.
Your ship Speed is determined by the MR of the ship itself and your Helm Rating, using the formula below:
Spelljammer Ships Pdf
In Combat and other tactical scenarios, the speed of the ship is the number of hex spaces it can move per round and/or the number of hex facings it can change.
Out of Combat and other tactical scenarios, A Spelljamming ship is outstandingly fast; even a mountain transplanted from a celestial body (with a Spelljamming Helm installed) will travel 100,000,000 miles per day (about 4 million miles per hour) in Wildspace regardless of ship Speed. 100 million miles per 24 hour day sounds like a lot (it’s approx. the distance from the Earth to the Sun) but Wildspace is unbelievably large and that same ship would take 36 days to reach Pluto from the Earth. A Crystal Shell is as far from the orbit of the furthest planetary body as it is to the primary star. The Crystal Shell housing Earth’s planetary system would take 72 days to reach from the center, and vice versa.
What slows movement among more crowded inner planets is the presence of multiple, occasionally overlapping, Gravity Wells. When a ship moves to the Gravity Well of a large body (10 tons or greater), or when Tactical Combat is detected automatically by the Helm, it immediately drops to tactical speed of one hex per Speed per round until it has left the planets Gravity Well, or combat is concluded. A ship caught this way can descend to the surface, move around in the atmosphere, leave the area, or proceed with combat. Aside from the most basic awareness change, the “sudden stop” does not affect anyone on the ship, and the safety appears to be built in to the magic of the Helm itself.
On average in the gravity well of a planetoid, this translates into about 10 miles per hour or about 240 miles per day.
Tactical scenarios near a large body move this way due to the close interaction with a planetoids atmosphere, gravity well, and weather conditions.
Ships move on a hex grid, and movement is determined by Speed. Optionally, you may have ships move on a square grid (with 8 facings (ie. the corners and sides of a square), but these rules are designed for hex-based combat. If using a square grid, you may add 1 to the overall Speed of all ships to account for the extra facings that need to be made.
The Speed of your ship is the number of facings that the ship can change and/or hex spaces it is able to move per round of combat. Facing a different direction in the hex space you're in, or moving one hex space forward uses one Speed. You deduct one Speed to turn the ship towards a different hex side adjacent to the port or starboard (left or right) of the current bow (front) position of the ship. You may also spend one Speed to move forward into the hex space adjacent to the current hex space where your ship resides and faces.
For example: The Monarch, a Tradesman ship, has a Speed of 8. The Helmsman piloting The Monarch wishes to move away from an oncoming ramming attack directly from the bow (front) by an enemy Mindspider vessel. The Helmsman spends two Speed to turn the ship to the starboard-side (right) two facings of the hex that it currently resides in. The ballista onboard The Monarch are ordered by the Gunner to be fired at the oncoming Mindspider, scoring a direct hit! The Helmsman then urges the ship forward four hex spaces in the direction that the ship is now facing, spending four Speed. A single Speed is then spent to turn port-ways (left) one hex facing, and the ship uses its' last Speed for the turn with a move forward one hex, readying for the next round.
Any ship without a Helmsman, a broken vessel, or any errant detritius floating about in the area moves at a constant speed in one direction across the battlefield using it's last known speed. Be wary, as brigands and other ne'er-do-wells may be hiding just beyond a floating piece of space junk, laying in wait. . .
Time in Space
In general, time between two planetary bodies can be figured as:
Time to escape gravity well (in rounds) +
Time to cover distance to next planet (rounds, minutes, days, weeks, or months, as appropriate) +
Travel Time
Travel time between the various planetary bodies is taken into consideration, as there is only so much air that the ship can bring with it. For ease of relaying travel information, planetary motion isn't a major factor determining travel times and positions of each planet. Listed below is an example for average travel time from Earth to the various other planetary bodies in our solar system:
Planet | Mercury | Venus | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune |
Earth | 13 hours | 6 hours | 12 hours | 3.9 days | 8.0 day | 16.9 days | 27.0 days |
For more information on how a universe is laid out and created, as well as optional rules, see Celestial Mechanics
Takeoff & Landing
When taking off from a planetary body, a certain amount of time is required to allow the Helm to overcome the force of normal gravity and fully leave the planets’ gravity well. The amount of time it takes to leave the planets’ Gravity Well are listed below:
Size D, E, & F – Twenty minutes
Once a planets Gravity Well has been left, full movement at Spelljamming speed can begin. Temporary ships (Those that have been cobbled together from broken vessels), cannot make a takeoff or landing safely and will Crash, completely destroying the vessel.
Optionally, you may refer to the weather rules in the Dungeon Masters Guide, pages 109-111 and 117-119.
Spelljammer 3.5 Pdf
In None and Light wind conditions, Normal takeoff and Land times occur.
In Strong Wind, Light Rain, or Light Snow, takeoff and land times are 2x normal time.
In Heavy Wind, Heavy Rain, or Heavy Snow, takeoff and land times are 4x normal time.
In Hurricane winds, no safe takeoff or landing is possible. If forced, roll 1d10. On a 1 or 2, ship crashes and must be repaired before travel can resume.
The reason everything drags its own atmosphere around through space is gravity. This is also the reason why people can stand on a space sailing ship without falling off its deck and can stand on a spherical planet without falling off the bottom side. Every body in space has its own gravity. Gravity is an accommodating force in that its direction seems to be 'that which is most convenient.' In an object the size of a planet, gravity is directed toward a point at the center of the sphere so that people can stand anywhere on the surface, and dropped objects fall perpendicular to the surface. In smaller objects, like spacecraft, gravity is not a central point but rather a plane which cuts horizontally through the object to the end of the air envelope. Gravity itself is conveniently an all-or-nothing proposition. Either it is there at full strength or it is not there at all (though there are exceptions to every rule, per DM discretion).
Significantly, this gravity plane is two-directional; it attracts from both top and bottom. A sailor can actually stand on the bottom of the ship's hull and move around as easily as if she was walking on deck. In this case, what was 'down' on the deck is actually 'up', back toward the plane of gravity that cuts through the ship. One of the stranger side effects of all this is that an object falling off the side of a Spelljammer can oscillate back and forth across the plane of gravity, falling first in one direction until it crosses the plane, then reversing direction and falling back across the plane again, and so on until something causes it to stop. To a person standing on the deck, the object appears to fall down, then up, then down, then up, and so forth.
This trick is commonly used to amuse passengers new to space travel. More than one groundling has gotten in trouble for standing at the ship's rail and tossing an endless stream of apples overboard just to watch them bob.
Along the plane an object is weightless, but it is slowly pushed out toward the edge of the gravity field. Therefore, a creature that falls overboard that couldn't find a hold or isn't tied down, would eventually come to rest at the ship's plane of gravity, and would then begin drifting away from the ship along that plane toward the edge of the air envelope. On reaching the end of the gravity plane (at the very edge of the air envelope) she is pushed out and left behind as the ship moves away. This movement takes place at a rate of 5 feet per round. Aside from this slight push, there is no relative motion of a ship within its air envelope, aside from turning. A ships air envelop does not turn with the ship when it turns, but objects in the ships air envelope do not drift toward the rear of the ship simply because the ship is moving forward.
When gravity planes intersect (such as when two ships pass each other, or when a ship passes a planetoid), the gravities of both ships remain in effect, regardless of size, up to the point where they physically intersect. An object is under the influence of whichever gravity plane it is closest to. A character could leap between two passing ships, altering her down direction as she crosses the midpoint between the two.
When two ships come into direct contact, the gravity of the ship with the higher tonnage is dominant and becomes the gravity for both ships. A large mind flayer vessel could ram a smaller ship from directly above and spin the smaller ship's gravity plane by 90 degrees, causing everything on the rammed ship to tumble toward the large ship's plane of gravity, probably with disasterous results.
A weightless character who enters the air envelope of a larger body is immediately affected by the pull of gravity on that body. She effectively falls the distance from where she entered to the surface of the body or to the gravity plane, whichever is closer. Normal falling damage is applied, as well as massive damage rules. When the drop is more than one mile, there is also danger of the subject heating up and igniting from friction with the air. This happens after one mile of uncontorlled descent. The falling object catches fire and takes normal damage from fire as well as falling damage. Any sort of control over speed and descent (flight, levitation, feather fall, etc) negates this effect.
Characters who are weightless can move under familiar laws of physics – For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. A drifting fighter may move by throwing her equipment in the opposite direction. Max movement is half-speed when acting this way. Combat in a weightless environment is difficult and foreign to creatures used to fighting in normal environments, and any attack roll or saving throw using STR, DEX, or CON is made at disadvantage.
All objects drag air with them whenever they leave an air envelope. While important, air is relatively easy to replenish. Entering a larger air envelope like that of a planet or asteroid is one of the most popular and cheapest methods. Green plants will refresh air, and some vessels make great use of these for just this purpose. Many asteroid colonies keep at least half their surface area reserved for plants for this reason.
Air around a ship remains fresh for eight months with 50% of the max crew or less. With 51% – 100% of the max crew, air lasts for four months. 101% – 150% of the max crew, and air lasts for three months. 151% – 200% of the max crew, and air lasts for 2 months. More than double the crew cannot fit on a ship, due to sleeping and space requirements. Air cannot be extended by losing crew members mid-travel, but can be shortened by adding crew members mid-travel.
For example: A 30 ton frigate sets sail with 30 crew aboard (including the party), the maximum crew size for that vessel. It has air sufficient for four months. After a week in space, 16 crew members are lost in a large space battle, making total crew of 14. Even though this represents less than 50% of the max crew, it has no effect on air supply because air supply can’t be extended mid-travel. Two weeks later, if the same 30-ton frigate rescues 34 characters from a drifting hulk of a vessel, bound together and limping along. This raises current crew to 50. This bring the total crew count greater than the max of 30. Air supply is reduced to three months, so the air will gain the fouled condition at the end of three months in space.
Any lone Medium-sized creatures in Wildspace or the Phlogiston drags along with it enough air to last 5 minutes. Large-sized creatures (ogres and giants, for example) drag along enough air to last 10 minutes. If a medium-sized creature is standing on a rock 100 cubic yards in size it may have enough air to survive several months, but food and water is another matter entirely.
Fresh air is completely breathable. When a body reaches its air limit, the air gains the Fouled condition; it smells bad and is stale and humid. Roll all attacks, checks, and saving throws in a fouled atmosphere at disadvantage. The amount of time air with the fouled condition lasts is the same time it stayed fresh, effectively resetting the timer, after which it gains the Deadly condition.
Deadly air is completely depleted. It cannot support life that breathes air. This happens the turn after the fouled air supply timer has run out. A creature can hold it’s breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + its Constitution modifier (min. 30 seconds). When a creature runs out of breath, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to it’s Constitution modifier (min. 1 round). After this, the creature falls unconscious and is dying.
A creature falling unconscious in this way in the Phlogiston is put into suspended animation until such time as they are found or their body is destroyed, whichever comes first. Their flesh turns gray and stonelike and remains that way until the individual is rescued. Some races do excellent business in robbing and enslaving the unfortunate individuals they find adrift in the depths of Phlogiston.
When two bodies meet in space, their atmosphere is exchanged. The class of air (Fresh or Fouled) in the body that is smaller becomes that of the larger body. If the smaller body is at least 50% of the tonnage of the larger, both get one half as much air as the larger had remaining. If the smaller is less than 50% the size of the larger, both get the largers full supply of air, minus one week. The same rules apply for individual creatures, except on the smaller scale.
Creatures that do not breathe (undead, golems, etc) are unaffected by the status of the air envelopes but still carry the envelops and exchange air. The envelope still depletes as normal.
The effects of certain arcane and divine spells and spell-like abilities are limied in the Phlogiston that lies between Crysal Spheres. Individuals with magical abilities may use their powers to operate a Spelljamming Helm, allowing them to move their ships across the stars. All magic operates normally within any Crystal Shell, but is severely hampered in the Phlogiston.
A Cleric receives her spells through the officies of her diety, and the Druid and Ranger pull the very essence of terrestrial bodies themselves. Warlocks have been gifted the source of their power from their Patron. A Diety’s or Patron’s effectiveness ends at the Crystal Shell, and no known terrestrial-based nature exists in the Flow. Warlocks are unable to contact their Patron (as Planar contact is nonexisten). In addition, the Weave and Shadow Weave are not present in The Phlogiston. It is impenetrable to extra-dimensional magics, and as a result the gods and other powers have no sway there.
Spelljammer 3e
Divine Magic
While any god or power may not be considered “recognized” within a sphere unless it has worshippers in said sphere, the eternal wars of the gods have brought about alliances.
Optionally, DM's may consider limiting Divine spells above 3rd level in a sphere that a characters diety is not worshipped in. It will be necessary to contact a local church with a diety that has an alliance with your God for the necessary steps to regain full spellcasting ability. (In general, Gods with the same or similar Domains have an alliance.) If you diety is worshipped in the Crystal Shell you are touring (or if the DM chooses not to use this optional rule) then Divine magic works the same in all Crystal Shells, regardless of the existence of any Gods there.
You can also begin the process of starting a church by performing the Sacred Rites of your diety, and gaining renown. See Pg. 129 of the The Dungeon Masters Guide for downtime activities or Pgs. 123-134 in Xanthar's Guide to Everything for a revision of these rules. Generally, several weeks of daily performance of Sacred Rites and proselytizing can generally either start the recoginition of your diety in whatever Crystal Shell you are visiting, or attract the attention of a diety that is able to relay power. The DM is heavily encouraged to work with the character to set a reasonable amount of time based on the limits or freedoms of time in the campaign.
And all dared to brave unknown terrors, to do mighty deeds, to boldly split infinitives that no man had split before—and thus was the Empire forged. ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Teleportation and the Realms
Spells and Spell-like abilities that call upon beings from the surrounding area will not function if none of those creatures are located within the spells range (ie. Calling upon local animals to aid in battle or to give information can't work if you're millions of miles from a habitable place). Conjuration/Summoning spells will not work in the Phlogiston if they summon extra dimensional monsters or powers. No power, God, elemental, or other meta-planar creatre can be summoned in the Phlogiston, and any spell that attempts to do so will automatically fail. In addition, any spells that place the caster in contact with an extra dimensional power automatically fails in the Phlogiston.
Travel between the planes of existence functions normally within the various Crystal Shells. A character in Wildspace may go ethereal, enter the Astral Plane, or open a gate into one of the outer planes. In the Phlogiston, however, the dimensions cannot be accessed. Therefore, devices and spells (Bags of Holding, or Contact Other Plane) will not function. A device or spell that holds objects in external dimensions will still hold them, but the items cannot be accessed.
Fire
Within an air envelope, fire burns normally. Outside of an air envelope, there is a vacuum that will not support fire. Magical fire (such as the Fireball spell) will work in the vacuum of space as it is the sudden creation of fire that requires no air, though it will not cause anything outside of an air envelope to burst into flame, as no air exists to support the fire.
Within the Phlogiston, however, fire woks all too well. This affects both non-magical and magical flame. All effects from creating a flame (from the spark of a match to a 9th-level Fireball) are increased by 3x and explode immediately upon existence. This is such that igniting a match will cause serious burns (1d6 damage), and casting a 3rd level Fireball will cause 24d6 damage centered where it is cast (For example, in the hands of the Wizard casting it). It is advised to extinguish all flame-based light on the ship, and to avoid bringing Alchemist Fire into the Phlogiston.
Thinking of the galaxy we've created here, we've come up with the overall feel of the inside of this Crystal Shell, the Primary Body, all celestial bodies that surround it, as well as a generalized look and feel of each of those bodies, and seeds to what those bodies contain. It is now up to the DM to determine what to fill each of these worlds with.
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Entire campaigns have taken place on single planets, continents, and even in single cities. Spelljammer is no different; the worlds you create can be as many and varied as the number of stars in the sky. The only differrances and Considerations are that now, entire campaigns will be able to span millions of potential worlds and touch the lives of the various beings that exist there.
Celestial Mechanics – Generating worlds
Feats – Common Spelljammer Feats
Ship Combat – Roles and rules in combat.
Siege Weaponry – Spelljammer siege weapons.
Spelljammer Ships – Ships stats and info.
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Spells – Spelljammer based spells
3.5 Discount
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