List

This is just to test that my new email address can post stuff to the list.

heres a Ruby Helm i wrote up (im not gunna waste the email), for use with
ruby spiders (and the soon to be finished ruby spider ship)


Ruby Helm

 "The mage stood in front of the large red gem, a wicked smile upon his
face.  As he watched, the ship before his burst again with flame, a result
of the havoc and destruction wrought by his minions.  Smiling yet more
sardonically, he placed his hands upon it, and summoned the spiders back,
allowing the beings aboard the vessel to live to tell any who cared of the
horrors of the black ship of terror he commanded, of the screams they heard
as his grotesque creations dragged away half of their crew, of the immense
feeling of dread they felt upon first sighting it.  His vessel slowly
turned, and began to soar away from the half destroyed wreck, as he allowed
a small laugh to echo itself from his throat."

 Another creation of Drow archmages, the Ruby Jamming Helm stands about 4
feet tall.  It consists primarily of a large ruby, of a deep red color.  The
ruby is set into a black, metal stand, which has grotesque carvings of
spiders all over it.  Around the are in which the Ruby is held, there are 25
smaller rubies, which are held in place also by the metal stand.  each of
these rubies is attuned to a Ruby Spider which serves on the ship, 25 being
the typical number.  This is increased and decreased dependant upon the
number of Spiders upon the ship.

 The main reason that there is a smaller ruby for each spider is that this
is where the helm draws its power.  Typically a helm has a mage power it,
but these helms draw instead from the inherent bloodlust and malice of the
creatures known as Ruby Spiders.  For every ship that has a Ruby Helm, there
must be at least 12 ruby spiders on board.  This gives the ship a base SR of
3.  For each 4 extra spiders, the SR increases by one.

 The Drow find the power being produced by the ruby spiders very useful, as
they do not typically sleep, while an archmage may need to, and it does not
draw power from their magical powers, and so does not lessen their potential
use in combat.  The spiders constantly produce these emotions, and to such
an extent in a large group that it has been harnessed and used for powering
the ship.

 The major drawback of the helm is that it moves at only 90% normal
spelljamming speed, and can only power a ship of less than 55 tons.  Also, a
normal helm may not be present on the ship under any circumstances.

 The benefits, of course, highly outweigh this disadvantage.  The lack of
needing a helmsman is a great boon, and the lack of draining anything
physically is also.  Each gem upon the stand is attuned to a separate
spider, and shows the view from the spider's eyes at all times.  For a
non-drow this view can be disconcerting, but any Drow who has anything to do
with spiders (and most do) seems to have no problem with it (this is a
magical property).  If a particular spider dies, its ruby is reabsorbed by
the magic of the helm, and a spider leaves the ship, its gem also does this,
only to re-grow once it returns.  Any gem taken from the helm for any
purpose by the archmage is re-grow within 2d12 rounds.

 The larger ruby may be used to view any part of the ship or surrounding
area, giving the user a distance of 2 hexes for 15 or less spiders aboard,
and 4 hexes if there are more.  Spiders of more than 30 in number allow the
user to see 6 hexes, but this is the limit, and the ship can only take a
maximum of 35 spiders.

 The larger ruby may also be used to show the view from any given spiders
eyes, giving the user a larger and more broad view.  A user can control the
spider effortlessly in this way also, providing he is the master of it.

 Any archmage of 20th or greater level may cast spells through the eyes of
any spider controlled in this way.  The spells can only have effect within
the ships atmosphere however, and as such is useless for attacking ships.

 The large ruby also gives the user control over the direction and course of
the ship.  A course may be plotted upon it, and of course spiders cane
easily be given orders to waken their master upon reaching a certain
destination.  Control of the ship in combat is also obtained in this manner.
The helm can take basic courses if the archmage wishes to leave the helm,
but no more than a movement of 3 turns and 7 hexes per round.  It may not
perform any maneuver that requires an attack roll, except ramming (ie
grappling is out etc.).

 The helm can be used as a Major helm also, with the tonnage restriction as
noted above.  The archmage must stand with both palms upon the helm, which
glows rather brightly, even if deeply, red.  It provides all the normal
control a Major Helm does, but with an SR rating of one less than normal.
It also allows the user to give orders to any ruby spider aboard the ship.

 Another use of the ruby helm is long-range command of ruby spiders.  When
the ship is motionless, it can be powered instead, (by the spiders aboard),
to contact a spider up to a sphere away, with no trouble.  The spider can be
controlled by the archmage to any degree, for up to an hour.  At this time,
the link slowly starts to fade, giving the mage 5 minutes more of control.
This, however, requires a constitution/wisdom check (the average of the
two), at the end of every 2 minutes.  Failure means the link is broken.

 During the time that a spider is being remotely controlled, the ship cannot
move, and the archmage is in total ignorance of what is happening upon the
ship.  Two of the spiders aboard, however, will remain on guard, and alert
the others should a ship approach.  This gives the archmage warning to break
the link and retreat if need be.

 The last use of the Ruby Helm is as a scrying device.  It can scry, as per
the same as controlling a spider, up to a sphere away, for an hour at a
time.  Both uses require 12 hours of normal or no use to recharge either of
these effects.  Using one knocks out the other.  i.e. a mage may scry for an
hour upon a distant enemy, but afterwards may not scry again or remotely
control a spider for 12 hours after.  The helm has the same chance as a
normal crystal ball, but can also allow the mage to hear what is being said.
It does not provide use of spells, however, and an archmage with true seeing
or a similar effect upon himself looses such bonuses during the scrying.

 This is the most common non-standard helm used by Drow archmages.  No
female has ever used one, as they require the presence of user controlled
ruby spiders for operation.  As such there are not many of them in use among
the spheres.  For a similar reason, the only ruby helm that has ever been
captured remains in the custody of the IEN, as it is researched by their
High Magi.

 The item is worth 450,000 xp to make, requiring the archmage to have at
least 12 ruby spiders in the ritual, be of at least 12th level, and draining
two constitution points (one of which is 50% likely to return a week after
the ritual).  It is an evil item, and as such cannot be made by any good or
neutral aligned character, which is also reinforced by the need for ruby
spiders.  As with the spiders, this ritual must be performed in solitude,
using materials the archmage must collect himself, and processes that are
incredibly well guarded secrets.  Anyone managing to find one of these helms
could sell it for half a million gold, if they can dupe anyone into
believing they can use it.  Of course, if they cannot, the rubies are still
worth a mint, and may be removed non-magically, destroying the dweomer
without harming the gems.  The large gem is worth 1,000,000 gp on the open
market, and each small one is worth 15,000 gp.  Any true gem appraiser,
however, will realize the gems are magically manufactured, and are not
actually as worth as much as this when recognized as such, instead the large
one being worth 250,000 gp, and the smaller ones being worth 5,000 gp.
Neither sized gem can be cut, damage, or changed in any way, including
magically.

 If a single gem is removed, it can be given to an ally of the archmage in
possession of the helm.  It may be used by the two to communicate, much as a
pair of crystal balls, but with an unlimited range, and with no chance of
failure.  Due to the amount of rubies that are within the helm (ie one for
every ruby spider on the ship to a maximum of 35), these are not given out
lightly.  When one party wishes communication with the other, they must
merely place their hand upon their gem (the archmage upon he large ruby),
and speak the others name.  The receiving gem alerts the person being called
by either a slight warmth, or vibrating movement.  For an archmage in
possession of a ruby helm, it instead glows a bright color of red, pulsing
magically and making a low humming sound.  The ruby, through a link made
during creation, instantly alerts the archmage if they are sleeping or
otherwise engaged, as long as they are onboard the ship.

 All things seen through the rubies have a slight blood-red tinge to them,
and the voices sound somewhat strange and tinny (as they would through a
slightly bad quality speaker in our day and age).  The picture seen is also
rounded, as are the rubies, giving the user a slight dizzy and disoriented
feeling upon ceasing viewing.

 An archmage creating a ruby helm has a permanent link to the item, and can
see through it at any time by closing his own eyes and concentrating.  This
is useful if an archmage has some sort of alarm spell upon his ship, and
wishes to see any intruders before he teleports back (there's no point
wasting all that energy for a petty thief, when the spiders can easily take
care of them.)



Tilaurin
tilaurin@??????.???.au or tilaurin@???????.com if first is broken.
"Because by fate even the gods are cast down/Weep ye all with me"