Spelljammer Construction System (Part II)

IX  Choose Armour
	The Armour Rating of a ship is based on several
factors. The first is hull material; the sturdier the
material, the better it is able to deflect shots. The second
is MC; the more maneuverable a ship is, the harder it is to
hit it if it is moving. The third is plating, adding extra
layers of material to the hull.
	Find the ship's hull material on Chart 11 to
determine base AR. This is modified by its MC, as shown on
Chart 12.

Chart 11		Chart 12
Material	AR	MC    AR Mod
Metal		4	A	+3
Stone 		5	B	+2
Ceramics	6	C	+1
Thick Wood	7	D	 -
Thin Wood	8	E	 -
Bone		9	F	 -1
			G	-2

	With composite hulls, use the AR of the material
that makes up the bulk of the ship, or the worst, if the
split is even. Move the AR one step closer to the other
material's AR on chart 14, unless this would make it equal
to that material's AR. For example, a ship with 20 tons of
wood and 5 of stone would have an base of 7, from the wood,
moving one closer to stone, for an AR of 6. If instead of
stone they used ceramics, there would have been no bonus.
	A ship only gains this bonus if the better material
makes up at least 25% of the ship's hull; you don't get a
bonus for having only 10% of your ship hulled in metal. This
applies to the overall AR only, though. If a ship has wood
ship has 10% of it's hull made up of metal, an attacker who
targets that area rolls against the AR for metal. This can be
used to protect particularly important areas of a ship (such
as the helm room).

	If the designer wishes the hull can be plated. The
resulting AR depends on what the original hull material was
and what it is being plated with. Cross reference the two on
Chart 13 to find out the AR. This number is modified by MC
on Chart 12.

Chart 13
	   	     Plating Material
Hull 					Thick
Material           Metal   Stone  Ceramics	Wood
Metal		2	3	-	-
Stone 		3	4	-	-
Ceramics	3	4	5	-
Thick Wood	4	4	5	6
Thin Wood	5	5	6	7
Bone		6	6	7	8


	Of course plating costs money. The cost per ton of
the ship is shown on Chart 14.

Chart 14
Material		Cost per Ton
Metal			400 gp
Stone 			250 gp
Ceramics		600 gp
Thick Wood		125 gp

	A ship with Partial Enclosure adds 1 to its AR,
while a ship with Full adds 2.

	Having a Thick Wood as hull material gives the
Great White a base AR of 7, but we decide to plate its hull
with Metal. Going down to Thick wood on Chart 13, then moving
over to Metal we have an AR of 4. There is no modification
for an MC of D, but the ship's Partial enclosure adds 1 to
this, giving it a final AR of 3. Just right for a typical
warship.
	The cost for the plating is 24,000 gp.

X  Choose Internal Space Usage
	When a ship is built a large portion of its internal
space is used for the rooms needed to house the crew and the
facilities that serve them and the ship (i.e. kitchen, helm room,
captain's quarters, and so on.)  In addition, the actual frame
of the ship takes up space as well.
	A ship has internal tonnage equal to its actual tonnage.
	The amount of space the frame takes up depends on its
type; Standard and Heavy frames take up 10% of a ship's
internal space. Extra Heavy uses 20%, and Light uses 5%.
	Remember, also, that a grappling ram takes up 10% of
internal space for it's operational mechanics.
	By default, a ship's standard quarter's and facilities
takes up 40% of internal space. This costs nothing; it is
included in the frame cost. If the designer wishes, these
facilities can be reduced or expanded, or new facilities added.
	The default crew quarters give just enough room to
maneuver easily, enough space so each man has a fairly spacious
bunk and space for personal belongings. Most crew quarters are
set up in four or eight man rooms. In a ship above 10 tons,
there is a separate captains quarters, with room for two people.
	Normally a ship includes enough space for the helmsman,
a captain, a second in command, and the minimum number of
riggers multiplied by 2.5 ( the extra space used for backup
riggers, cooks, engineers, and so on). All numbers are rounded
down. So, a two ton ship will only normally have space devoted
to two men, since only one rigger is required, and they are
likely to share captain and second in command duties.
	DM's are encouraged to eyeball these numbers for
believability. A fighter is not designed to hold many men for
days, no matter what the above numbers might say, for example.
	Crew quarters can be made more spacious and
accommodating; this is rarely done. Every crew member made
more comfortable uses .25 tons. So, to give more
accommodations to a 10 man crew would use 2.5 tons.  These
changes in crew accommodations have no affect on cost.  It is
when additional rooms are added that cost becomes a factor.
	Crews can also be made to live in tighter, more
cramped quarters; this is also rarely done, since it tends
to reduce morale quickly. For every man made less comfortable
.25 tons are saved  No more than 10% of the ship's tonnage
can saved this way.
	It is possible to add weapons internally; see
section XI for more on space usage for internal weapons.
	Beyond this a variety of rooms can be added to a
ship, as shown on Chart 15, below. Any internal space not
assigned becomes cargo space.
	Note that these rooms are just samples, examples of
how space is used and what it costs. They should be used as
guidelines for other types of space usage.

Chart 15
Room						Space				Cost
Really Cramped Room (Cramped Crew)	.25 tons per man			75 gp per man
Cramped Room (Standard Crew)	.5 ton per man				100 gp per man
Standard Room				.75 ton per man				125 gp per man
Spacious Room			1 ton per man				150 gp per man
Luxurious Room			1.5 tons per man			175 gp per man
Suite					2 tons per man				200 gp per man
Additional Dining Facilities		.5 tons per man				100 gp per man
Basic Engineering Room		2 tons					300 gp
Advanced Engineering Room		4 tons					600 gp
Chart/Astrogation Room			1 ton					250 gp
Cargo Space				1 ton per ton of storage			None
Improved Kitchen			1 ton per 25 people to serve		300 gp per ton
Shuttle Docking Facilities, External	10% of shuttle tonnage 			50 per ton
						  (minimum of 1 ton)
Shuttle Docking Facilities, Internal	shuttle tonnage plus 10%
						  (minimum of 2 tons total)	100 per ton

Descriptions

Really Cramped, Cramped and Standard Rooms
	These are rooms designed to hold people, and include
little more the the neccessities of a bed and a small amount
of storage. The amount of extra space depends on type. Really
Cramped rooms are little more than bunks built into walls.
Cramped rooms have enough space to dress in. Standard rooms
have enough space for a chair, plus a small table.

Spacious Room
	Like a standard room, plus room for a desk and a
dresser. It has enough room that it could be considered a
berth or dorm room.

Luxurious Room
	A room with enough space that a person could have
furniture for several other people to visit. It has room
enough for everything a Spacious room has, plus a table and
chairs for guests and a large desk.

Suite
	Basically a fair sized room you would find in a house;
space enough for everything in a Luxurious room, plus space
for luxuries like couches, stuffed chairs and self-serve bars.

Additional Dining Facilities
	Simply space for people to eat. Generally not
necessary unless the ship plans on carrying lots of extra
people, such as troop carriers and cruise ships.

Basic Engineering Room
	Enough space for a one-man shop. Includes shelves
and workbenches.

Advanced Engineering Room
	Like the basic version, but supports a three-man
shop and more equipment.

Chart/Astrogation Room
	Uncommon except on larger or exploration ships, this
room is designed to hold the charts and equipment need to
astrogate. Includes shelves and a desk to work at.

Cargo Space
	Simply open space to store goods. Includes a variety
of rings and pinions mounted on walls, floors and beams to
tie cargo off to.
	Note that cargo space can be used for a variety of
things besides cargo. People can sleep in the cargo bay,
food can be eaten or courses can be astrogated. It is just
that the cargo are does not fully support such actions
(i.e. no walls for privacy, no shelves or desks for working
at, and so on).
	Included free of charge is a basic hatch or door to
move cargo in or out.

Improved Kitchen
	This is additional space either for cooking for more
people, or for doing more elaborate cooking. Uncommon on most
ships, excepting troop carriers and cruise liners.

Shuttle Docking Facilities, External
	This is space for another ship to dock externally.
Includes reinforced tie points and loading and unloading
platforms.

Shuttle Docking Facilities, Internal
	This is a form of cargo space that includes a door
for the shuttle to enter. Includes equipment to batten down
the shuttle.

XI  Weapons
	A ship can normally have up to one half of its
tonnage in weapons; each weapon has a tonnage rating.
Anything beyond this has special considerations. A weapon's
tonnage is shown on Chart 16, below.

Chart 16
Weapon	      Tonnage
Accelerator		1
Ballista
	Light		1
	Medium	2
	Heavy		4
Bombard		2
Catapult
	Light		1
	Medium	2
	Heavy		4
Greek Fire Projector	2
Jettison
	Light		1
	Medium	2
	Heavy		4
Sweeper, Gnomish	2

	A ship with Partial enclosure can only mount one
quarter of its tonnage in weapons normally, while a ship
with Full enclosure can mount no weapons normally.
	A ship wishing to go beyond these figures has two
choices. First, they can mount the weapons on the outer hull,
off any deck. A ship can double the number of weapons they
carry this way, but there is a price. These weapons have a
-2 to hit, due to the odd placement, and the crew and the
weapon is easier to hit, giving attacks against them a
+2 to hit. It will also lower the MC by 1, due to the
alteration of shape such weapons bring, though this does not
apply to ships with Poor design.
	The second option is to mount the weapons internally.
The tonnage of the weapon is subtracted from the ship's total
cargo space. Also, even if turreted, internally mounted
weapons will have poor firing arcs, 135 degrees at most.
	Adding a turret to a weapon takes up no space, but
adds cost equal to 250 gp per ton of the weapon it is to
hold. This cost is doubled for protected turrets, which give
a +4 to AC to the weaponeers manning it.
	Internally mounted weapons add 10% to total cost of
the weapon, including turrets.

	With Partial enclosure the Great White is allowed to
mount one quarter of its tonnage in weapons normally, or 15
tons. We decide upon 2 heavy catapults on top with protected
turrets (8 tons), a Greek fire projector in the mouth (2 tons)
and a heavy jettison in the back (4 tons). The total is 14
tons, one shy of its max. The designer, though, wants two more,
so decides to mount two heavy ballista internally, one on each
side, both turreted. This takes up 8 tons of internal space.
Although he puts both in turrets, they will still have a
limited firing arc.

XIII  Choose Landing Capabilities
	Normally a ship does not have the capability to land
on either land or water; by default a ship can only dock on a
gravity-line dock or a special drydock. Being able to land on
land or water is an option that costs money.
	To land in water a ship must have a sealed hull. Only
wooden and ceramic ships are capable of landing in water,
though they can be metal plated. Sealing cost 50 gp per ton
of the ship.
	There are two forms of ground landing - Full and
Partial. With Partial ground landing a ship can land on any
clear, mostly flat surfaces without trouble. Any other
kinds of surfaces can cause problems such as tipping over
(as determined by the DM).
	Partial landing is mostly a function of reinforcing
the hull and frame to support the weight of the ship. The
cost depends on the frame type of the ship, as shown on
chart 17, below.
	Full landing allows a ship to land on most fairly
clear land surfaces, including hilly or mountainous areas.
Full ground landing typically requires the addition of
landing struts, like those seen on the Wasp or Deathspider.
See chart 17 for costs.
	A ship without landing capabilities that tries to
land on ground risks serious damage. The helmsman must
make a roll versus Spelljammer piloting, as well as a save for
the ship against crushing blow. If both are made, the ship
takes no damage for now. If both are failed, the ship loses
10% of it's hull points; if one is missed while the other
is made, the ship loses 5%.
	Every 24 hours the ship must save again, or lose
5% of it's hull points. As long as the ship does not move,
this damage tops out at a total of 40% (including from the
landing itself).
	A ship with a Heavy frame saves at +1. Extra-Heavy
frames save at +2.

Chart 17
Landing Type			Cost per Ton
Water				50 gp
Ground, Partial
	Light Frame		50 gp
	Standard Frame		30 gp
	Heavy Frame		20 gp
	Extra-Heavy Frame	10 gp
Ground, Full
	Light Frame		125 gp
	Standard Frame		100 gp
	Heavy Frame		90 gp
	Extra-Heavy Frame	80 gp

	Because of the shape, making the Great White a
water-capable ship seems natural.  This costs 3000 gp
(60 tons x 50 gold).  No ground landing capabilities are
added.

XIII.   Add Options
	At this point the designer can add options not
delineated here, or from other books. An example would be
hoists and anchors, found in The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook

XIV.   Other Miscellaneous Statistics
	The ship is nearly complete. There are a few final
details to attend to.

Minimum Crew
	The minimum of crew required to run the ship is
based on its rigging, plus at least one for the helm.
Weaponeers are need to fire weapons, but the ship can
certainly fly without them.
	The men required to man the ship can be found on
Chart 18, below.

Chart 18
Rigging 		Men
None			Only the helmsman
Minimal			1 per 20 tons
Standard		1 per 10 tons
Topped Out		1 per 7.5 tons

	There is a minimum of 1 rigger, except for ships
with None. These numbers are all rounded up.
	Note that these are just the requirements needed
for the ship to move and maneuver normally at tactical speed.
Most ships carry 25%-50% extra riggers as backup. When moving
at spelljamming speeds most crewmen are taking shifts doing
watch, swabbing the decks and other chores.
	These numbers also don't include support crew, such
as cooks and engineers, though on smaller ships riggers often
do these duties as well. It also doesn't include weaponeers.

Saving Throws
	A ship normally makes saving throws based on its
hull material, but the GM may occasionally require the save
based on frame material. Both should be noted.

Air Supply
	A ship can support one man with fresh air for four
months for every ton of the ship. So, multiply the ship's
tonnage by 120 days (four months) to get the total number of
mandays of air. Every day the ship is not in another's air
envelope, subtract the total number of air-breathing crew from
this number. When this number drops to zero the air is stale.
The ship then has the same number of stale mandays of air.
After that the air turns deadly.
	See the Concordance of Arcane Space for more on the
effects of stale and deadly air.

	The Great White is nearly finished. The designers
add Major helms, and figure the ship needs at least 6
riggers for Standard rigging and one helmsmen, for a
minimum crew of 7. With both the hull and frame composed of
Thick Wood, that is what the ship uses for all of its saving
throws.
	At 60 tons, the ship has a total of 7200 mandays of
air. If the ship normally carried a total of 36 crew at all
times, it could go for 200 days before air became stale.


Leroy Van Camp III
malacoda@???????.com
owner-mystara-l@????.com
ICQ #4253672

"You know, not kneeing you in the groin is a constant struggle."
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