Re: Why Big ships?

>I beg to differ. Now, aside from the fact that the ship is dragging enough
>air for the crew to breathe for the better part of a year-(counting
>fouled)-and that fire can still burn in a deadly atmosphere...
>A fire that is completely enclosed in a house won't run out of oxygen to
>consume before reducing the house to a smoldering ruin.
>
>I'm not saying that a certain amount of air isn't getting in from outside,
>but generally not enough will get in to make much of a difference unless the
>doors or windows are open. If I could smother a fire just by keeping it
>locked in one room, and it wouldn't do over-much damage to the room, I think
>fire would be a much less dangerous thing.
>
>As it stands in the rules, fire is extremely dangerous in SJ. Supposing I'm
>trying to destroy a 60-ton, flammable vessel; I could start one fire every
>round, with a torch, say, and have the ship destroyed in under a turn.

Another job for low level mages and clerics:
Fire suppression.
Create fire, Affect normal fires, heck even pyrotechnics can put out
fires, (at the cost of fouling the atmosphere in a spectacular fashion)

I am of the belief that many Spell Jammer cargos could have a sale price
close to the cost of the ship, which would warrant significant protection.

For example, buying crossbows for 100 and selling them for 200 sounds
reasonable, and you could get a couple hundred crossbows in a 10'x10'x10'
area, for a markup of 10,000+ gp per SJ ton.

There are certain cargos that are really valuable that are worth looking
for seller's markets on.  Military supplies are a classic.  Taking a
month to ship to an area where there is a war going on or planned
can be very dangerous and lucrative.

Food to famine struck areas is another high mark up item.  Then there
are the fashionable luxury items.  Perhaps _everybody_ must have
a wolf skin cloak that year, or have saffron at their dinner parties.
Arrive late and your goods aren't going to sell.

Large ships can afford a large protective staff, for dealing with
fires, infestations, polluted air, communications etc...

Michael Sandy