Phlogiston
Phlogiston is different than the The Astral Sea in 2nd Edition D&D, but in 5th Edition they are basically the same thing. in 5E It's the "Deep Space" between Crystal Spheres and it has special properties.
2nd Edition Understanding Outside and between the Crystal Spheres is a turbulent, rainbow ocean of flammable ether called the phlogiston. The phlogiston is a multicolored sea upon which float the various systems within their crystal shells. The term phlogiston is applied equally to both the multicolored medium and to the entire region surrounding the crystal spheres.
Phlogiston has varying thick nesses in space and form s dense rivers between planet-sized objects (such as the spheres themselves). Voyagers moving along these paths of concentrated phlogiston discover that the greater the density of the flow, the faster a ship can move. A ship can speed up and slow down by penetrating deeper into or raising itself out of these phlogiston rivers. Stellar distance s can be covered quickly in such areas . Further, the speed of the ship is at least partially dependent on the surface area it presents to the flow, so many ships carry sails to increase their speed in the interstallar ocean.
Gravity works in phlogiston the same way it does in wildspace. Down is directed toward the major axis of the ship. Phlogiston is none of the recognized four elemental matters. It is neither air nor earth, fire nor water. It cannot be reproduced or brought in side the bounds of a crystal sphere . If an attempt is made , whether by physical or magical containment, the phlogiston inexplicably dissipates, leaving no trace. Phlogiston simply cannot exist within wildspace or on the surface of a planet.
Finally, phlogiston is dangerously flammable , much like oil-soaked cot ton, which poses its own problems. Any flame exposed to phlogiston causes the surrounding area (including the phlogiston-laden ai r envelope of the ship) to burst into flame. This flame expands immediate ly to three times its normal diamete r and inflicts three times it normal damage . For this reason, fireballs, bombards, arquebuses, and any other weapons which rely on a spark or flame are not used in the phlogiston.
Because of the nature of phlogis ton, all flaming light sources are extinguished by the crew beforeentering the flow. Phlogiston is radiant, 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 magical lights are used for illumination. The heart of dwarven mountain-craft are without running lights, since dwarves have darkvision.
Voyagers can move along the rivers of phlogiston at random or according to a planned course. Many of these rivers flow in both directions between two crystal shells. In some cases, a river flows in one direction only, forcing the voyager to follow a different course when returning home.
The crystal spheres bob in the phlogiston like corks in an ocean (mind-boggling, enormous corks, but they do bob). As a result , over time the spheres actually shift their positions relative to each other. This almost never changes the courses of the rivers, however , so navigation is possible. But just because a ship passed certain landmarks on its way from A to B does not mean the ship will pass those same landmarks on its way back to A from B. Fortunately, when crystal shells drift too close , the phlogiston between them thickens to the point where the two massive spheres are moved apart and a collision is prevented.
The spheres containing Toril, Oerth, and Krynn form a stable trian gle. Travel is possible in both directions between Toril and Oerth, and between Oerth and Krynn. Toril and Krynn are not connected by a river, however, so while a direct trip from one to the other is feasible, it is impossibly slow. From Toril, Krynn can be reached quicker by passing through Oerth than by taking a straight- line path.
Navigation charts of the phlogiston show the major channels of flow between the spheres. Equal, two -way flow is shown by arrows in opposite directions on the map. Flow in only one direction is shown by a sing le arrow.
2nd Edition Understanding Outside and between the Crystal Spheres is a turbulent, rainbow ocean of flammable ether called the phlogiston. The phlogiston is a multicolored sea upon which float the various systems within their crystal shells. The term phlogiston is applied equally to both the multicolored medium and to the entire region surrounding the crystal spheres.
Phlogiston has varying thick nesses in space and form s dense rivers between planet-sized objects (such as the spheres themselves). Voyagers moving along these paths of concentrated phlogiston discover that the greater the density of the flow, the faster a ship can move. A ship can speed up and slow down by penetrating deeper into or raising itself out of these phlogiston rivers. Stellar distance s can be covered quickly in such areas . Further, the speed of the ship is at least partially dependent on the surface area it presents to the flow, so many ships carry sails to increase their speed in the interstallar ocean.
Gravity works in phlogiston the same way it does in wildspace. Down is directed toward the major axis of the ship. Phlogiston is none of the recognized four elemental matters. It is neither air nor earth, fire nor water. It cannot be reproduced or brought in side the bounds of a crystal sphere . If an attempt is made , whether by physical or magical containment, the phlogiston inexplicably dissipates, leaving no trace. Phlogiston simply cannot exist within wildspace or on the surface of a planet.
Finally, phlogiston is dangerously flammable , much like oil-soaked cot ton, which poses its own problems. Any flame exposed to phlogiston causes the surrounding area (including the phlogiston-laden ai r envelope of the ship) to burst into flame. This flame expands immediate ly to three times its normal diamete r and inflicts three times it normal damage . For this reason, fireballs, bombards, arquebuses, and any other weapons which rely on a spark or flame are not used in the phlogiston.
Because of the nature of phlogis ton, all flaming light sources are extinguished by the crew beforeentering the flow. Phlogiston is radiant, 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 magical lights are used for illumination. The heart of dwarven mountain-craft are without running lights, since dwarves have darkvision.
Voyagers can move along the rivers of phlogiston at random or according to a planned course. Many of these rivers flow in both directions between two crystal shells. In some cases, a river flows in one direction only, forcing the voyager to follow a different course when returning home.
The crystal spheres bob in the phlogiston like corks in an ocean (mind-boggling, enormous corks, but they do bob). As a result , over time the spheres actually shift their positions relative to each other. This almost never changes the courses of the rivers, however , so navigation is possible. But just because a ship passed certain landmarks on its way from A to B does not mean the ship will pass those same landmarks on its way back to A from B. Fortunately, when crystal shells drift too close , the phlogiston between them thickens to the point where the two massive spheres are moved apart and a collision is prevented.
The spheres containing Toril, Oerth, and Krynn form a stable trian gle. Travel is possible in both directions between Toril and Oerth, and between Oerth and Krynn. Toril and Krynn are not connected by a river, however, so while a direct trip from one to the other is feasible, it is impossibly slow. From Toril, Krynn can be reached quicker by passing through Oerth than by taking a straight- line path.
Navigation charts of the phlogiston show the major channels of flow between the spheres. Equal, two -way flow is shown by arrows in opposite directions on the map. Flow in only one direction is shown by a sing le arrow.