Ships and Combat

Getting into space when you don't have a chemical reaction rocket in 3 stages takes a quality not generally known in Cape Canaveral: it takes Magic. This tab will deal with everything needed (from a human* standpoint) and then the game statistics of ships, and the combat system follows. 

     Food and Water:   Well duh, you still have to eat and drink in space.   This is dealt with in two ways:  bring a bunch along and hope it lasts, or hire a divine spell caster to magically create food and water when needed. 

     The first option is in fact more popular than the second, even though the vast majority of spelljammers have a druid or cleric tending their oxygen gardens (see below).  That is because the food created by magic is "bland" and unappealing.  Most captains try to keep a good supply of real food on board, and hire a cook to prepare it, but know they have a druid as back up.  water is different, because the water created magically is just as good as "rain water", if not cold.  Hauling water takes a lot of space, adds a lot of weight, and in general is a pain in the ass.  

     Besides, a side benefit of having a good oxygen garden is that some of your air producers may also grow edible vegetables or fruits; most don't, if they are chosen for efficient air production, but some do, and it never hurts to put a row of tomato plants in somewhere, if you have a good druid to take care of them. 

     Oxygen:  Most types of ships will hold some air inside as a result of it's natural gravity.  A lot of work has gone into calculating how much air a ship can carry before needing refreshed, but things don't always work out in practice as in theory.  Seldom do the mathematical formulae take inefficiency into consideration, nor the potential losses of oxygen due to evasive tactical movements or objects thrown from the ship, dragging oxygen with it, nor do they take into  consideration that living beings do not always consume oxygen at the same rate, particularly in battle.  Thus, in order to ensure breathable oxygen for a long trip, some oxygen production methods have been created.  

      First is the simplest method, the oxygen garden.  This appears as simple as a number of planting boxes running up the side of one or more interior walls of the ship, planted with high efficiency oxygen producing plants, some of which in fact may be algae.  A druid is often hired to tend the oxygen garden, which increases it's output and ensures the plant life itself does not die.  Secondarily of course, a druid on board is always handy when a healing is needed.  The other method is to magically create oxygen on demand, or to compress oxygen into a specially designed tank from which it can be released at a controlled pace when needed.  The spell "Create 'Air" works nicely, but it takes several castings of the spell to refresh a typical spelljamming ship, whereas the oxygen garden takes no magic.  Better your divine spell caster saves his or her spells for healing and food!  Note that the various living ships often produce their own oxygen, as they are almost all plant life. 

     Most esoteric of all are the Create Air boxes; mechanika items that continually funnel fresh air created with a Create Air rune plate.  These are hard to find and expensive, but very handy!

     Gravity:   Like the oxygen question, the question of gravity is often exaggerated by the mathematicians and their charts.  In some cases, gravity can be temporarily lost or diminished, and crew can become lost at space.  Every body in space will generate gravity, of course, but the strength of the gravity well varies according to the size of the ship: the bigger the ship, the greater the gravity.  No known Spelljammer ship can create stronger gravity than "normal", i.e. Earth like gravity.  But, it's technically possible.      Thus very small ships generate very small gravity wells,  and larger ships can lose their gravity or have it reversed for almost no reason at all, with no warning, necessitating a magical solution.  A simple and inexpensive solution is the lodestone, which is placed in the middle of the gravity plane at some point on the ship, preferably in the very center of the ship.  This lodestone will be magically charged of course, and can be turned on and off as needed. 

     Navigation:  Space is really really big.  Getting lost is really really easy.  So you have to have the skills and the charts to navigate your way around.  Navigation can be achieved by two methods, one cheap but difficult, the other easy but very expensive. 

The first method requires accurate and recent star charts, and a recent and accurate atlas of the stars, and an accurate sextant, all of which are in the Navigators tool kit (Space).  The former work like maps, laying out the positions of the Empyreal bodies in each system, and the other is a book of information on each Empyreal body, including most importantly the speeds of each planet in their rotation.  A successful tool proficiency test is required to chart a course.  The base DC for this test is 15 for flying to the next planet or other body from the current position, i.e. flying from Earth to Mars.  The DC increases for every position greater than the next body, i.e. flying from Earth to Jupiter would result in a DC 16 test.  This assumes the flight occurs within a system; to plot a course to another star system, the DC begins at 20, being from the current position to the first body encountered within the next system, for example Yuggoth in the Sol system would be the first body encountered (some call it Pluto...).  Each body after that increases the DC of the check, thus a trip to Earth from a nearby star system would require a DC 26 check.

The second method requires a magical device called an Orrery.   An Orrery is a model of a solar system, made of some precious metals and gems.  It includes the positions of each planetary body in a system, and maintains the correct orbits and speeds for each body as well.  Use of the Orrery requires the tool proficiency Orrery, PLUS since it is a magical item it requires a 3rd level spellcaster who is attuned to it. The spellcaster through a series of levers and triggers, programs a flight plan through the Orrery, which projects that flight plan to the ship, in effect placing the ship on auto pilot.  

An Orrery need not be large; a smallish model could occupy a small table, or a large model could require its own room on the ship; it is a matter of taste, budget, and perhaps availability.  Note that if the orrery is to be used across multiple systems, it must have been built with each system included on it, which can cause the orrery to get quite large.  

A third option, potentially the most expensive of all, is the 7th level Wizard/Sorcerer spell, Stellar Cartography.  This spell offers the advantage of fitting into any room or space it has, and adapting it's 3 dimensional display to fit.  For further details, see the spell entry on the Magic and Spells tab. 

Propulsion: There are a number of ways to propel a spelljjamming ship.  Each is described below. The value of each propulsion system is described in CR level as described in the ships statistics section below. 

Element Rods:  Element rods are the most common form of propulsion for a non-living ship.  Almost all groundling human ships will be outfitted with element rod rigs. Element rods are 2' long rods created by the Glassteel spell (see Magic and Spell tab), capped with brass cup shaped fittings on either end.  Inside the rod, there are multiple panes of crystal.  An element rod is enchanted to contain an elemental; the majority of them are air elementals, but fire elementals can be used as well. Any combination of fire and air rods can be used in the same engine gantry; the motive force is the release of potential energy.    The CR value of a rod depends on the elemental contained within, and that depends on the level of the caster who created the rod, and what level he cast the Conjuration spell at. 

Arcane Helms: This was the very first form of propulsion that groundlings from the core worlds used when discovering Fantasy Space.  They were magical creations sold to them by a mysterious alien race called the Arcane.  The Helm provided all the motive thrust, but forced a spellcaster to expend all available spell slots to engage the magical engine.  The Arcane Helms were very expensive; anything good enough to move a decent sized ship at a decent speed cost in the 6 figure range in gold.  And, they made the spellcaster who manned the helm useless after an 8 hour shift. Some Arcane Helms are still out there, propelling old sea faring ships or languishing in wrecks, and if discovered this way they could be a useful helm, if you don't mind the sacrifice of spell slots.  Arcane Helms were mostly rated at 60, 80, and 100 CR. 

Steam:  Steam engines are impractical but they do exist.  Steam engines require a long, heavy steel chamber that ends in a valve and an exhaust cone; the chamber must be heated to incredible temperatures, then water is ejected into it through another valve.  The resulting steam is forced through the exhaust cone, providing thrust. The problem with mundane steam engines are the supplies needed; large amounts of water and fuel to burn. Furthermore, steam has the potential to ignite the Phlogiston; 1% per CR in fact.  Of course, steam does not generate much CR compared to other propulsion methods.  The most steam will generate is 50 CR. The one advantage to steam, is you don't need a spellcaster to operate it, and the components are relatively cheap once you have invested in the engine itself. 

Living Ships: There are only a few races that use living ships; the Imperial Elves and the Thri-Kreen are chief among them.  A living ship is an organism, and the motive force is a natural release of energy.  Elves control their living ships with a crown that helps them communicate with it; Thri Kreen communicate naturally with their Leaf Ships.  The CR of a living ship is usually equal to it's tonnage. 

Lifehelm: Only an evil creature will use a Lifehelm, for it derives its motive force from the slow death of an intelligent, sentient being.  The helm will either be in the form of a chair with shackles and chains, or a massive cauldron.  The CR generated by the death of the creature is related to its life force; a 0 level being generates 10 CR, and for every level above 0 it generates another 10 CR.  So killing a 9th level character will create 100 CR of motive force.  Based on Arcane Helm technology, apparently, the life span of the "fuel" is 8 hours, like with the Arcane Helm.  However, instead of sacrificing spell slots, you are sacrificing your life.  Though Undead crews are rare, they do exist and are often in use of lifehelms. Ironically, it is the fuel for their helms that drive most undead crews to act. 

Wild Sails: Sails are mostly used for steerage (see below) but they can provide motive force.  Wild Sails are not big white sheets; they are finely spun cloth interlaced with enchanted copper thread (patented by the off the wall mage, Tommy Copper).  They repel the energy of a star, creating motive force that way.  They are useful for moving between planetary bodies and their moons, or between the moons of a single planetary body, but the best CR they can generate is 20.  Still, it's an option for ships whose engine has blown up and no repair parts are available. 

Steerage:  Steering your ship is as crucial as propelling it.  Without steerage, propulsion is a fools quest with only death at its end. There are a few methods of achieving steerage. All of them are rated for Maneuverability as Rigging in the ships statistics section below.

Rigging: Rigging, including Wild Sails, are the most commonly employed form of steerage. Rigging can refer to a number of different things, from sails to wings to flippers.  All of them are steerage, utilizing the copper infused material developed by Tommy Copper to repel the energy of a star, providing motive force.  All forms of rigging involve ropes, unless they have been automated by magical means. 

Thrusters: Thrusters are small engines, placed on the sides of a ship, that emit just enough force to change the heading. A thruster can be a single element rod, or a small steam chamber, or any number of things.  They are another component that must be controlled by the Helmsman in lieu of rigging. 

Rudder: Sea faring ships taken into space bring with them what would ordinarily be useless in space, their rudder.  This is a wooden paddle shaped affair at the bow of the ship. Turning the wheel would turn the rudder, which would change direction.  Some of these rudders have been modified to function in space by being wrapped by the special Tommy Copper magic that repels the energy of the sun.  The rudder never functions better than Average on the Maneuverability chart for rigging, however. The best use for a rudder is for when a ship returns to the sea, for whatever reason. 

Ships Statistics:  

Name: The name or type of the ship.

Size and Type: The size and type of the ship.

Cost: The ship's cost in gp. Sometimes the description or the weapons section provides possible modifications for the ships. These are not included in the cost of the ship, nor are additions like rams or siege engines.

Size:  each ship will need to be rated for size to determine it's AC and hit points.  A ships size is determined by it's tonnage, and applied to the following table:  

AC:  the Base AC of a ship is based on  it's size;  it's final AC is the base modified by the proficiency bonus of the current helmsman, plus or minus Maneuverability Bonus(see below).  

Hardness:  the hardness is determined by the material: Wood: 5, Stone: 8, Iron or Steel: 10, Mithral: 15, Adamantine: 20.  Hardness represents the amount of damage the material can absorb without losing actual hit  points; i.e. a steel hulled ship ignores any damage rolls lower than 10. 

HP: the hit points of the ship. Formula is 10 hp per ton of ship. 

Speed: there are 2 kinds of Speed; combat speed and traveling speed.  Combat speed refers to the number of hexes a ship can cover in one round, traveling speed refers to the number of miles a ship can cover per hour.  Both are factors of engine design. 

A star ship can travel 80,000 miles per hour per CR in it's element rods or other helm type.  Thus a ship with 50 total CR would be able to travel 4,000,000 miles per hour at top traveling speed.  However to engage in combat or any other interaction with other ships or objects the ship must downshift to tactical speed.  Tactical speed is equal to 1 125ft. hex/10 CR x a multiplier based on size as shown in the size table.  Thus a ship with 50 total CR in thrust that was huge would have a tactical speed of 3 hexes per round. (always round up)

Maneuverability: maneuverability is determined by the build of the ship, and is modified by it's size and rigging, and finally by the Helmsman's skill.  Maneuverability is treated as an ability score and carries the same schedule of bonuses and penalties. 

  Class:                      Description:                                                         Base Maneuverability

Rigging Configuration:        Crew Complement:    Crew Status  (60% or higher riggers in the category)

none              -2                    1/2    -2                     Green: -1

Minimal          -1                    3/4   -1                      Average: 0

Standard        0                     full     0                      Trained: +1

Enhanced       +1                 +1/4   +1                     Crack: +2

Topped out     +2                 +1/2 or more  +2

Maneuvers attempted will have target DC's:        And further modifiers:

turn 1 hex face:              10                                slow to 1/2 tactical speed before turning:                      +4

turn ea. additional face   +2                               slow to 1 hex tactical speed before turn                         +6

climb 1 hex face            15                                

climb   ea. add face        +5                           damaged sails                                                      -1 per 20%

dive 1 hex face:             10                                          

dive ea. add. face          + 2                              other modifiers for special materials                             varies         

Changing course requires a navigation roll by the helmsman.  No roll is required to maintain present heading.  If the roll fails, the ship continues in it's present heading. 

A failed attempt means the ship will continue on the previous course for the duration of it's movement.  

Regardless of maneuverability, no ship may change more than 1 hex face per 1 hex of movement. 

The combat mat:

the only way to properly represent movement and combat in space is with a hex grid instead of a square grid.  Each hex on the grid is equal to 200 ft, usually enough to contain one ship.  Movement in space is 3 dimensional. so one must imagine or try to replicate a stack of hex mats; it might be easiest to simply use a numbered marker to indicate each ships' elevation relevant to the "ground floor", or the base mat as it lays on the table.  

Starting position re: Z axis:  There is no easy way to set out the relative Z axis positions of the various ships in a combat; it will ultimately be up to the DM to decide where each ship begins relative to one another.  Alternatively, the DM can determine who sees whom first, and give that faction the choice to alter Z axis attitude with regards to the other ship or ships.  But in the end, it will be the DM's job to decide how the ships begin the combat round in relation to one another's Z axis or depth. 

Initiative: 

each ship in a combat will roll initiative as a character would; 1d20 modified by the total maneuverability rating, plus the helmsmans' proficiency bonus and any bonus from equipment upgrades.  

The attack roll:

attack rolls are based on who fires the weapon; if a PC fires a weapon use that PC's total proficiency bonus; if it's a crew served weapon the modifier is based on crew skill:  Greenhorns= -2  Trained up= +-0  Veterans = +2 and the Captains' leadership bonus (or whomever is leading the crew at the time).  Magical or masterwork weapons get the typical bonuses as well. 

Damage: 

Damage is rolled normally according to weapon type.  However the Hull gets a certain amount of damage reduction equal to it's hardness rating first.  Other things like sails or rigging will require saving throws by material to determine if further damage is caused.  

Special damage circumstances:

"Up the tailpipe"  this would be an attempt to fire a shot into the engine of an enemies ship, thereby damaging it's main engine.  The attempt is penalized -4 for the shot; if it is still successful, the engine gets a saving throw for metal with a multiplier for being magical. 

"Pin/Pound the rudder"  This is an attempt to immobilize the rudder by sticking it in place with ballistae fire or destroying it.  the attempt draws a -4 penalty to hit, and if successful the rudder must make a save by material type, or become useless.  This will have the effect of limiting the ships maneuverability to one course change per round until repaired. 

If a hit is scored, the defending ship will have a certain amount of damage reduction based on it's material; anything above that number will be taken in damage to the hull or rigging, depending on circumstances.  When a hull's hit points are reduced to 0, the ship begins to suffer structural integrity issues, and can begin to come apart.  

Attacking the Structure: This is an attack against the ship itself. If the attack is successful, the ship takes damage normally.

Attacking an Occupant: This is a normal attack against a ship's occupant—any creature that is a passenger, pilot, crew, or providing propulsion on a ship. Occupants get partial cover (+2 to AC and +1 on Reflex saving throws) or greater against attacks coming from outside of the ship. Occupants in a forecastle or sterncastle have cover (+4 to AC and +2 on Reflex saving throws), while those inside a port or hatch have improved cover (+8 to AC and +4 on Reflex saving throws). In general, once combat begins among the occupants of two ships (such as when boarding), ship-to-ship combat should be replaced with shipboard combat.

Attacking Propulsion: A ship's means of propulsion usually has its own set of statistics, while creatures propelling a ship use their own statistics. See Attacking an Occupant above if crew members providing propulsion are attacked. Individual ship stat blocks detail their means of propulsion.

Attacking the Control Device: A ship's control device is an object with its own statistics. When a control device is destroyed, the ship can no longer be piloted.

Attacking a Siege Engine: Siege engines mounted on a ship have their own statistics. Siege engines benefit from cover as occupants on a ship.

Broadsides: Some ships can carry a large number of siege engines. Rather than bog down ship-to-ship combat with numerous individual attack rolls, siege engines can be fired in “broadsides.” All siege engines of the same type on a single side of the ship can fire at once. Broadside attacks can only be used to attack the structure of a ship or propulsion. Make a single attack roll for all of the siege engines in the broadside. If the attack roll is successful, all of the weapons hit their target. If the attack roll fails, all of the weapons miss. On a successful attack roll, take the average damage of a single weapon and multiply it by the number of weapons in the broadside to determine the total damage dealt.

For example, a sailing ship with a bank of 10 light ballistae on its port side fires a broadside attack. A single light ballista deals 3d8 points of damage, for an average of 13.5 points of damage. If the attack hits, the broadside deals 13.5 × 10, or 135 points of damage.