Spelljamming
Spelljamming refers to the technology present on ships that are able to traverse Wildspace and Phlogiston.
Fire!: A fire starts somewhere in or on the ship, determined by the DM. If a fire is unable to start then roll again. Fire may damage the sails, burn passengers and cargo, and cause chaos amongst the crew. Fires aboard a ship deal 1d12 Hull Points of fire damage per ship combat round. Subsequent Fire! critical hits add another d12 each. This damage isn't negated by the Damage Threshold.
Hull Holed!: The attack punches a sizable hole in the ship. DM decides location. If three total holes are scored on any vessel of 50 tonnes or less, its internal structure is destroyed and the vessel starts to break apart. For vessels larger than 50 tonnes, the number of holes needed to break apart a vessel is 1 per 15 tonnes of the ship, rounded down.
Ship Shaken!: All PC’s not otherwise secured (Helmsman is considered secured) must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be stunned during the next ship round.
Deck Crew Damage!: One creature on deck is struck and suffers either half the damage the ship took or 20, whichever is higher. Choose the target randomly from all above-deck. All creatures within 5ft must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or suffer the same damage.
Interior Crew Damage!: Same as a Deck crew Damage Critical Hit, but everyone not on deck is a potential target, which may vary from ship to ship. This reflects not so much the attack itself but shattered parts of the ship bouncing around during combat.
Ship Weapon Damaged!: One ship weapon (chosen randomly) is damaged and inoperable until repaired. The duration of repair is 1d4 rounds for every set of crew members working (so a weapon with crew 3 that had 6 crew repairing would take 1 less round, with a minimum of 1). Any crew on the weapon is unharmed. If no weapons exist on-board the ship, roll again.
Speed Loss!: Ship Speed is lowered by 1d8 for 1d4 rounds. This cannot reduce a ship's speed below 1.
Spelljammer Shock!: The Spelljamming Helmsman must make a Concentration Check. If no personal or ship damage was dealt to bring about a Critical Hit roll, then the DC is 12. If the Helmsman fails this check, they lose concentration and are unable to pilot the ship for 1d4 rounds, after which they are free to begin piloting again. In the case of multiple Helmsman, they all must make the save.
Space
Space travel is hard to grasp by ordinary folk. They look up at the skies and see a vast emptiness of infinite beauty, unattainable and only to be admired from afar. Yet some saw potential in those stars, a new wilderness of possibility. Ingenuity and perseverance drove these curious civilizations towards the stars until the heavens themselves were theirs to explore. For some a culmination of many tireless years of arcane study and others a necessary discovery to escape destruction, the Spelljamming Ships provides the means to explore the stars. 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 junkyards and 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, a powerful and complex arcane construction.Helms
Ships travel through Wildspace by means of the Spelljamming Helm - a magical device that converts arcane energy into motive force. This allows rapid movement from planet to planet. Some of the specifics vary from race-to-race, and ship-to-ship. 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 a position and automatically shaping to fit its user; a meditation 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. A Helm rating is a measure of how effective a vehicle is in traversing the phlogiston and wildspace. It depends both on the power of the user and the quality of the Helm. The most effective Helms use arcane means of propulsion, but there are exceptions. For means of convience, everything converts to Spellcaster Level to determine helm rating. 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, 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, or Ki abilities divide by four (rounded down, a minimum of 1) to determine Spellcaster Level. The table below can be used to determine the Helm Rating based on Spellcaster Level.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 | 9 |
| 20 | 6 | 10 |
Rules
Movement
Your ship's speed is determined by the MR of the ship itself and your Helm Rating, using the formula below: Speed = Helm Rating + MR of Ship 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. 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). 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. While in Wildspace, a ship moves at 100,000,000 miles per day times its speed. While in Phlogiston, a Spelljamming ship is outstandingly fast. Even the least advanced of ships will travel trillions of miles per day. As such, the unit for phlogiston travel is the parsec, which is about equal to 19 trillion miles. The parsecs a ship can travel per day equals its speed. 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, or when Tactical Combat is detected automatically by the Helm, it immediately drops to the 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 into 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 planetoid's atmosphere, gravity well, and weather conditions. 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 Helmsman then urges the ship forward four hex spaces in the direction that the ship is now facing, spending four Speed, for a total of six spent this round. A single Speed is then spent to turn port-ways (left) one hex facing (seven total), and the ship uses its' last Speed for the turn with a move forward one hex around a floating piece of space junk, readying for the next round. The helmsman has spent all her Speed for the round. Any ship without a Helmsman, a broken vessel, or any errant detritus floating about in the area moves at a constant speed in one direction across the battlefield using its last known speed. Be wary, as brigands and other ne'er-do-wells may be hiding just beyond a floating rock, lying in wait to attack . . .Combat
There are times when diplomacy comes to an end, and conflict begins. Most groundlings fight hand-to-hand with a sword, shield, and magic; horse, army, and castle. This is not so in the depths of space, as there's no field in the field of battle, just airless void and the ships you see before you. Siege weaponry has adapted quite well to the depths of space and is used quite effectively. At the beginning of combat, you roll initiative for each ship rather than each party member. Ship initiative is modified by the initiative of the character at the Helm, and any addition that the crew provides. If combat becomes hand-to-hand, roll for character initiative normally. A combat round lasts 1 minute (60 seconds) in ship-to-ship tactical combat. Hand-to-hand combat rounds last 6 seconds. Some victors of extra-planar combat will sift through the debris of broken ships for prisoners, slaves, and loot, while others will abandon them. It’s possible for survivors to lash up some of the vessels to create a temporary ship to save themselves with a Helm and air pocket, but they must act quickly!Crew Actions
During your ship's turn, each character may perform one Ship Action pertaining to their role on the ship. After Ship Actions are resolved, each character may take one normal round of combat actions. If a character is not assigned a ship role, they may only take one normal round of combat actions. You may use your ship action and/or a normal round of combat actions to cast spells, perform attacks, dance, talk, or any number of other actions that could normally take place in combat. Ship Actions are declared at the beginning of the combat round, before individual combat actions, and take place simultaneously - If a ship doesn't have enough members to crew the siege weapons and repair damage, while also repelling invaders, then priorities will have to be decided. Many ship actions are listed below for each station on a ship, but this is not an exhaustive list. The rule is that if a player can perform the action and explain how their described Ship Action would help the ship, crew, or situation in any way, and would reasonably take under one minute, it can be considered their Ship Action for the turn. Players are encouraged to come up with new and unique solutions. A ship combat round, with each character performing a ship action and a normal round of combat actions, lasts for one minute. If a player wishes to cast a spell with a one-minute casting time, then no Ship Action can be used that round for that character, as they are busy casting a spell. Several Ship Actions reference and target a group of crew members. This group includes a number of crew members and the ship role overseeing that group. For example, if three crew members are needed to operate a siege weapon, and an incoming attack scores a Deck Crew Damage critical hit, then the group targeted in this way would be those three crew members at that siege weapon and the party member assigned to the Gunner ship role. Ship Actions and who may use them are: The First Mate may order the crew to specific spots on the ship to attack or defend in hand-to-hand combat, or to avoid incoming attacks. This role also generally performs Medicine checks to diagnose wounds or diseases, create healing potions using an Herbalism Kit, administer healing potions to one group of crew members (such as the crew assigned to one siege weapon, or the crew assigned to repairing damage to the ship), or cast healing spells. Instead of ordering the crew to specific stations, the First Mate may Mass Stabilize or Lend a Hand.- Mass Stabilize: When this action is performed by the First Mate during the Ship Action phase, you may stabilize any number of creatures on board that has been brought to zero hit points and are unconscious as a result of damage. Those creatures are stabilized, are at 1 HP, and are prone.
- Lend a Hand: The Magic Officer obtains two pieces of information with the Spyglass ship action. Instead of obtaining extra information, the Magic Officer may roll with advantage on Charisma checks with the Hail! ship action.
- Lend a Hand: The Helmsman may reduce the cost of maneuvers by one spell slot, one Ki point, or 1d8 Psychic damage, a minimum one spell slot, one Ki point, or 1d8 Psychic damage.
- Lend a Hand: The Gunner may roll with advantage on the next siege weapon attack roll.
- Lend a Hand: The Engineer reduces the number of Hull Holed critical hits by two instead of one. Instead of reducing the number of Hull Holed critical hits, the Engineer may reduce the time to Douse Flames! on the vessel by one ship combat turn, minimum one turn.
- Lend a Hand: The Spellbinder may make 1 free Spellelemental with their action.
- Load. . . Aim. . . Fire! Make a normal weapon attack with a single siege weapon.
- Fire at Will! The Gunner commands the crew to fire all weapons on-board at all enemy vessels (maximum of three weapons). Each attack is made with disadvantage.
- Precise Shot The Gunner targets a particular weapon on another ship. A siege weapon attack is made at advantage against another ship's weapon.
- Grapple This ship action is used in conjunction with the helmsman. This is a contested roll used with grappling hooks manned by the crew or the grappling ram; Both ships participating in the grapple are required to roll 1d20 + Ship Speed. De-grappling is automatic if both vessels desire it, otherwise it’s resolved as a contested grappling roll. Can only be used when targets are within one adjacent hex.
- Ramming If the ship is equipped with a ram, the Helmsman may ram another ship. When ramming, the attack modifier used is that of Helmsman’s spell attack bonus. If the helmsman does not have a spell attack bonus, then the modifier is +1. If a hit is scored, the damage is equal to the damage of the ram. Ships without a ram installed, or ships which attempt to ram vessels more than twice their size in tonnage Crash instead. The ship must move in a straight line for at least three consecutive hex spaces to perform a Ramming Ship Action.
- Shearing The Helmsman may Shear another ship. Ships equipped with rams may attempt to shear away the rigging of the opposing vessels. This is treated as a ram attack, except no damage is done to the opposing ship. Instead, for each successful shear attack, rigging, ships weapons, and even crew can be targeted. The ship must move in a straight line at least three consecutive hex spaces to perform a Shearing Ship Action. A successful Shearing attack causes the "Speed Loss" Critical Hit.
- Crash A truly desperate move, a Helmsman may intentionally crash her ship into the opposing vessel, creature, or planetary body. To crash into another ship intentionally, treat this attack as a Ramming action. On a hit, each ship involved in the crash takes 5d10 bludgeoning damage. This damage is not reduced by the Damage Threshold. A successful Crash will cause the Spelljammer Shock to all helmsmen, and two Hull Holed Critical Hits to all ships involved in the crash. Roll 1d10. On a roll of 1, any Alchemist Fire casks on-board any ship involved in the crash explode, dealing damage to the ship they were on.
- Stunt In addition to ordinary movement, a Helmsman can attempt Stunts with their ship. Several stunts affect your ship's Armor Class (AC), siege weapon attacks, and movement abilities. Listed below are several stunts that can be performed by the Helmsman.
- Barrel Roll Cost: Expend One Level 2 (or higher) Spell Slot or One Ki
- Turn in Place Cost: Expend One Level 2 (or higher) Spell Slot or Two Ki
- Hard Turn Cost: Expend Two Level 2 (or higher) Spell Slots or Two Ki
- Flyby Cost: Expend Two Level 3 (or higher) Spell Slots or Three Ki
- Retreat Cost: Expend 1 Level 1 (or higher) Spell Slot1 or 1 Ki
The vessel moves up to half its Speed forward without changing hex facing and flips along its central axis (if there were directions such as up and down in space, the ship would spin upside-down from its initial position). Until your next turn, siege weapon attacks against your ship are at disadvantage.
The ship does not move forward but instead can turn to face any direction. This doesn't count toward ship movement.
The ship moves forward up to half its Speed and rotates 180 degrees to face the aft hex side at the end of the movement. This doesn't count toward ship movement.
The ship moves as normal but may move through 1 hex threatened by an enemy ship or creature without provoking an attack of opportunity.
The ship moves up to half its speed in the direction of the aft (rear) edge without changing hex facing. This doesn't count toward ship movement.
- Spyglass The Magic Officer scans the enemy vessel to obtain one piece of information about one other vessel: Ship size class and tonnage; Number of Crew; Stations assigned onboard another vessel; Flags or markings displayed by the vessel; Ship weapon(s and any other interesting characteristics per DM discretion. A character may need to roll an associated ability check to discern meaning out of their observation.
- Hail! Through a series of flags, lights, or other means, the Magic Officer may attempt to hail or send any message to the oncoming vessel that could be sent in one minute. The Magic Officer may perform a Deception, Intimidation, Performance, or Persuasion check with the associated message, per DM discretion.
- Survey The Mage Officer surveys the surrounding space, checking for any dangers. If any environmental effects are present, the Mage Officer learns of them and the ship and all crew have an advantage on saving throws against these effects until the end of the next ship round. Additionally, any hidden traps or mines are detected.
- Train Aim: Hull The Magic Officer scans the enemy vessel to find likely weak spots to attack the enemy ship. The next attack made by your vessel that hits the enemy ship scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. If this action was used the turn after a Spyglass ship action was used, the hit is scored on a roll of 18, 19, or 20 instead.
- Train Aim: Assassinate The Magic Officer looks for vulnerable crew upon the enemy ship. During this round, if an attack hits, it deals Interior Crew Damage or Exterior Crew Damage (your choice) in addition to its other effects. If this action was used the turn after a Spyglass ship action was used, you choose the crew that is hit.
- Crack the Whip! The Engineer orders up to five crew members to begin quickly repairing the ship. This ship action reduces the number of Hull Holed Critical Hits by one or can repair any sheared rigging.
- Brace for Impact! The Engineer orders the crew to tie the ship's belongings down to avoid jostling, and to brace for impact. Up to one roll on the Critical Hits table that targets your ship is negated until the beginning of your ship's next turn.
- Douse Flames! The Engineer orders up to five crew to begin dousing all flames aboard the vessel. Roll 1d4. In that many rounds, this Ship Action douses all non-magical flame aboard the ship. The crew must continue dousing flames until all fire is put out. Fires aboard a ship deal 1d12 fire damage per ship combat round. This damage is not reduced by the Damage Threshold of the ship.
- Overcharge Helm The Engineer supercharges the ship's Spelljamming helm, enhancing its speed. The ship's speed is increased by 50% this turn (rounded up) and the Helmsman takes 4d8 psychic damage.
- Overcharge Weapons The Engineer supercharges 1 of the ship's weapons, increasing its accuracy and damage. That weapon is fired with advantage and rolls an additional 2 dice (of its type) for damage. Then, roll a d20. If the number rolled is higher than the weapon's AC, it becomes damaged per the Ship Weapon Damaged! critical hit.
- Create Binding: The Spellbinder sacrifices some of its vitality to create a Spellemental. The Spellbinder takes up to 5 * their Constitution modifier necrotic damage; this damage can not be reduced in any way. The Spellelemental has an AC of 10, +0 to all stats, and HP equal to the sacrificed amount. The other ship actions of the Spellbinder use this Spellemental. A spellbinder can create a number of Spellementals equal to their proficiency bonus, but only 1 at a time. A Spellemental dissipates after an hour.
- Soul Shield: The Spellbinder can command a Spellemental on the ship to shield this ship from incoming damage. When the ship takes damage, the Spellemental takes it instead. If this would reduce it to 0 hit points, the Spellbinder takes any excess damage, and then the Spellemental is destroyed. If damage from a critical hit would strike a Soul Shield, the Spellbinder may negate the extra effects of the critical (but not the extra damage) and take 1 point of exhaustion.
- Energy Reversal: The Spellbinder may target an incoming missile or attack (using this as a held action if none are present) with a Spellemental, they make a Constitution check and add the number to the HP of the Spellemental. The DC is equal to the average damage of the fired weapon. If the number rolled is higher, then the Spellemental takes control of the projectile, and the Spellbinder may make an attack with it against a ship, using their Consitution modifier for the attack roll. If the number is lower, the Spellbinder takes damage as if the projectile had hit them. In either case, the Spellemental is destroyed.
- Spirit Spy: The Spellbinder can infuse a projectile from the ship with the Spellemental, sending it along with the attack. If the attack hits, the Spellemental infiltrates the ship and the Spellbinder can use this action to perform 1 of the following each turn: disable 1 weapon, inflict Spelljammer Shock with a DC equal to the Spellelemental's hp, force 1 crewmember to make a DC 15 Charisma save, on a failure, the Spellemental dictates his actions for the next round. For each disable attempt, the Spellelemental loses 2d10 hp. If the attack misses, the Spellemental is destroyed.
Critical Hits
Crewed siege weapons often have a chance of inflicting a Critical Hit on enemy vessels on a roll of 20. Other events (Ramming, Spells, Crashing, turbulence from terrestrial or solar winds, etc) may also cause a Critical Hit. When a vessel is reduced to 50% of its Hull Points, it suffers a Critical Hit. When you score a critical hit, in addition to doubling the damage dice, you also roll on the following table:Critical Hit Table
| d10 Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fire! |
| 2 | Ship Shaken! |
| 3 | Hull Holed! |
| 4 | Speed Loss! |
| 5 | Random Weapon Damaged |
| 6 | Deck Crew Damage |
| 7 | Interior Crew Damage |
| 8 | Speed Loss |
| 9 | Fire |
| 10 | Spelljammer Shock |
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