Re: Spelljamming the planes?

On Sun, 5 Oct 1997, Ben Harris wrote:

> One thing I was wondering about, though, was whether anyone had given 
> spelljamming in the planes any thought?  It seems like the ideal mode 
> of travel anywhere to my mind :)  Naturally a ship wouldn't fit 
> through most of the planescape portals but I can't see why 
> spelljamming wouldn't work as well in the Air Elemental Plane as in 
> the Prime.

Actually, we had a thread about this on the Planescape mailing list about
6 months ago.  We pretty much decided that spelljammers would work like
normal anywhere in the Planes, barring local conditions.  For instance, a
spelljammer can't fly in the Beastlands because nothing except animals
that can naturally fly can (no, Fly spells don't work either).  It's kind
of daft to try and fly a spelljammer in Limbo, although I would rule that
the link between a mage and the helm would allow him to establish a safe
zone at least the size of the ship's atmospheric envelope.

On some Planes gravity will be a problem (it's a matter of opinion on the
Elemental Plane of Air, for example).  In others local conditions will
interfere (you will never be able to reach long-range movement speed in
Pandemonium, breathe in Quasi-elemental Vacuum, or spelljam closer to the
Spire than the 6th ring, etc).  In still others, the locals will covet
your vessel (neogi and umber hulks are bad;  baatezu and tanar'ri are
worse).  Still, the ship will function pretty much as expected anywhere
you go.  Just figure out how to move it from one Plane to another, and
you'll do fine.

> I'd be interested to hear your views.  I know that this may change 
> the flavour of a spelljammer campaign but that can sometimes be 
> useful for a bunch of world weary ultra-experienced characters :)
> And also, dont worry, I'm not proposing that we give spelljamming the 
> flick.  In fact - I'm trying to think of an innovative way that we 
> can make it survive :)

I've always assumed (since I started running Planescape, anyway) that
there were a lot of close ties between Planars and Spelljammers.  They get
along pretty well, are fairly cosmopolitan in their views, and each group
quickly adapts to new and unusual locations.  Also, each group thinks the
other is insane for using such a dangerous method of travel when theirs is
obviously much safer (Planars don't understand why anyone would want a
ship that depends so heavily on a spellslinger and that can run out of air
so quickly when portals are so readily available;  spelljammers just don't
understand why snyone would want to wander around the Outer Planes looking
for a portal when a spelljammer can pretty much take you right where you
want to go and you don't have to worry about Blood War skirmishes).  It's
all really a matter of perspective.

Rich Gant
"Ya think those Blood Wars are tough stranger?  Lemme tell you about the
time I had to haul 4 tons of gunpowder and 8 drunken Giff through
Beholder-occupied space..."