Unique Ships:The _Flowfish_

Here's a typical merchent vessel,  owned by House Moune of the Rock of
Bral.  This was the first vessel the Jammers in my PBEM game served on.

The FLOWFISH typically stays insphere,  making the regular runs to the
House Moune farming astroids Torik's Luck and Finagle.  Occasionally she
will be used for an out of sphere run,  if a given cargo demands it.

Most SJ ship plans don't show rigging,  making one wonder if they have any.
Well,  they do.  On a Tradesman like the FLOWFISH for instance,  the "fins"
are all made from standard sail clothlinked to masts made of kindori (space
whale) bones (it is this use of kindori corpses, as well as their oil for
Greek Fire,  which make Kindori such a valuable commodity).  These masts
are flexible and linked by a rope and pulley system to the mainmast and
railings,  thus allowing the crew to alter their settings and thus turn THE
SHIP (through sympathetic magic).

CREW:
Post-Captain Wilhemina of the House Moune Tradesman FLOWFISH.
Female, Giff, 9' tall,  600 pds.  Wears an elaborate purple naval officer's
dress uniform with gold trim.  Tannish pink skin,  course, black hair tied
in a pony tail beneath her purple tricorner hat.  A large cutlass hangs
from a black leather baldric and two wheellock pistols are shoved into her
belt.
Stats: LN F4 (Corsair kit) HP:33 Str 19 Dex 10 Con 17 Int 15 Wis 15 Chr 15
Equipment: Cutlass +1, 2 wheellock pistols, arquebus
The Captain is a very skilled sailor,  she knows Bralspace like few alive
and has adventured in many other spheres as well.  Before hiring on with
House Moune she was involved with the Pragmatic Order of Thought, leading
raids against slave ships.  Some of her current crew were rescued by her in
that way.  Morale under her command is very high and the crew is extremely
loyal.  because of her training skills most newly hired sailors serve a
tour on the FLOWFISH so Wilhemina can weed out the trouble makers. After
she's prounounced them competent they move on to other vessels in the
fleet.  She does have a weakness for strawberry ale, but _never_ gets drunk
when her ship is underway.  her most immediate characteristic his her
booming voice and favorite curse, "'PON MY SOUL!".

Lt Sabbagh, Priest of Tymora; First Mate and Chief Helmsman
Male, Human. 5'8, 150 pds. A plain man of maybe thirty,  his dirty blond hair
cropped close to his skull.  He wears chainmail and has a warhammer hanging
from his belt.
Stats: CG P4 HP:32 Str 12 Dex 14 Con 16 Int 14 Wis 16 Chr 13
Equipment:Chainmail, Shield +1, warhammer
A quiet, soft spoken man from Raven's Bluff on Toril in Realmspace.
Sabbagh is very efficient and well liked by the crew.

Lt Sands; 2nd mate and Navigator
Male, Human. 6'0, 170 pds. A white haired old man with a pegleg who wears
typical sailors garb.
Stats: N W4 HP:14 Str 8 Dex 10 Con 11 Int 16 Wis 14 Chr 12
Equipment: Wand of Magic Missiles ("Sabra" is the command word), spellbook
Lt Sands is a grumpy older wizard who has been selling his skills as a
helmsman and navigator for many years now.  Rich enough to retire,  he
loves wildpsace too much to give it up.

All of the crew listed below have the following proficiencies:
Spacemanship, Rope use, Ballista, Catapult, cutlass, Hvy Crossbow, dagger.
These are the "veteran" hands,  the ship will often have 1d4 new hires
aboard as well.

Cudak (Bosun), halforc, male, old,tall,  heavy, Clothes: High, hard boots,
red jacket and black trousers
Weapons:cutlass  Stats: N T2 HP:7 STR:9 INT:10 WIS:8 DEX:18 CON:10 CHA:6

Chedrikath, human, male, 40s, 195 cm, 70 kg, long brown straight hair,
blue-brown eyes Clothes: Low, soft boots, yellow jacket and yellow trousers
Weapons:cutlass  Stats: LN F1 HP:7 STR:12 INT:9 WIS:6 DEX:17 CON:8 CHA:10

Mirunnor, human, male, 20s, 176 cm, 74 kg, long red wavey hair, gray eyes
Clothes: High, hard boots, gray jacket and green trousers
Weapons:cutlass  Stats: LN F1  HP:8 STR:8 INT:15 WIS:6 DEX:12 CON:13 CHA:11

Nithralad, halfelven, male, age ?, 173 cm, 67 kg, long brown straight hair,
green-brown eyes Clothes: Low, hard boots, green jacket and green trousers
Weapons:cutlass  Stats: N F1 HP:6  STR:13 INT:14 WIS:15 DEX:10 CON:8 CHA:13

Abigowia (Cook), human, female, 20s, 160 cm, 58 kg, short brown straight
hair, green eyes, pocked marked face Clothes: High, hard boots, gray coat,
blue blouse and brown long skirt
Weapons:dagger Stats: N F1 HP:5  STR:14 INT:14 WIS:14 DEX:10 CON:10 CHA:9

Kaidus, human, male, 30s, 191 cm, 63 kg, long black straight hair, brown
eyes Clothes: High, soft boots, green coat and green trousers
Weapons:cutlass Stats: N F1 HP:8 STR:15 INT:17 WIS:7 DEX:9 CON:6 CHA:10

Eower, human, male, 40s, 166 cm, 56 kg, short brown wavey hair, green-brown
eyes Clothes: High, hard boots, brown jacket and brown trousers
Weapons:dagger Stats: LN F1 HP:7 STR:16 INT:9 WIS:10 DEX:14 CON:10 CHA:14

Nyderiron, human, male, 20s, 179 cm, 74 kg, very short black wavey hair,
blue-brown eyes Clothes: High, hard boots, brown jacket and brown trousers
Weapons:dagger Stats: NG F1 HP:9 STR:14 INT:14 WIS:14 DEX:15 CON:11 CHA:11

Fatha, human, male, 40s, 194 cm, 78 kg, long brown straight hair, blue eyes
Clothes: Low, hard boots, blue jacket and brown trousers
Weapons:dagger Stats: LG F1 HP:5 STR:17 INT:9 WIS:13 DEX:11 CON:14 CHA:16

Ethaonidd, human, male, 30s, 186 cm, 93 kg, long blonde wavey hair, blue
eyes Clothes: High, hard boots, blue jacket and brown trousers
Weapons:dagger Stats: LN F1 HP:4  STR:12 INT:11 WIS:14 DEX:17 CON:12 CHA:14

Adrardog, human, male, 20s old, 182 cm, 85 kg, long brown straight hair,
brown eyes Clothes: High, hard boots, gray jacket and gray trousers,
leather armor
Weapons: dagger Stats: N T2 HP:13 STR:9 INT:17 WIS:8 DEX:14 CON:17 CHA:17

Agreannon, human, male, 26 years old, 166 cm, 76 kg, long auburn straight
hair, brown eyes Clothes: High, hard boots, brown jacket and brown trousers
Weapons: dagger Stats: N T1 HP:6 STR:11 INT:14 WIS:16 DEX:13 CON:10 CHA:6


All numbers refer to the map on the Tradesman card of the SJ boxed set

_Flowfish_
Maindeck:
1.  Forward catapult.  A light catapult with its ammunition in a square,
sturdy wooden box next to it.  It can fire forward,  to port,  and to
starboard.
2.  Cargo deck.  In addition to these two hatches leading to the holds
below much of the deckspace on the _Flowfish_ is devoted to bulk cargo
storage.
3.  Ballista mount.  the _Flowfish_ has two medium ballistae,  one on each
side of its mizzen fin.  Each can fire aft and either port or starboard,
and has its ammunition directly beside it in a wooden case bolted to the
floor.
4.  Forward passage
5.  Aft passage
6.  Mizzen fin
7.  Main mast

Cargodeck:
1.  Bridge.  The ship's minor helm is kept here.  A voice tube connects it
to the forecastleabove.  A locked box in this room contains 1d6 scrolls
with "Create Minor Helm" or "Enhance Rating" spells and 1d4 potions of
healing.
2.  Companionway
3.  Captain's Cabin.  Captain Wilhemina has taken this as her cabin.
4.  Lt Sabbagh's quarters.
5.  Chartroom.
6.  Lt Sands' quarters.
7.  cargo hold
8.  Head.  Waste is collected in cheap clay pots.  when full these pots are
catapulted off the ship.  usually once every two days or so.
9.  Crew's Quarters.
10. Crew's quarters.
11. Galley/Pantry
12. Mess/wardroom.  Meals are taken here,  a dart board and billard table
complete the ship's recreation facilities in this room.  several windows
along the aft bulkhead show the glory of wildspace to diners.

Accessible through trapdoors underneath both the aft and forward
passageways,  the steerage/ballast level is wide open but very low.  Too
inconvienient for cargo it is used to store spare sails,  rope,  and other
gear.


Bibliography:
NPCMaker Version 1.6 (970728) Johan Danforth, AU-System
SJR5 Rock of Bral
Spelljammer Boxed Set
Sabbagh AD&D Trading Card #696, 1992 set.
Wilhemina AD&D Trading Card #4, 1993 set.

"Human life without knowledge of history is nothing other than a perpetual
childhood, nay, a permanent obscurity and darkness." Philip Melanchthon
westermeyer.3@???.edu
Paul Westermeyer
Phd Candidate, History, Ohio State University
Adjunct Faculty, Humanities Department, Columbus State Community College