Aether and Flux Initial Thoughts

Hi, all.  I got my copy of Aether and Flux in the mail the other day.
I've had only a brief amount of time to look it over due to a hectic
family schedule, but I will give some initial thoughts.  For anyone else
who bought the book, feel free to chime in.

First, I'll go into some basic concepts.  Space in general is referred to
as the Traverse.  Within the Traverse is the Aether, which comes across to
me as "solar wind".  Aether seems to be everywhere, although it is thinner
in some places and thicker in others.  Normally, you can't see the Aether,
save for the area surrounding solar systems.  This is called the Pale
Aether, or the Pale for short.  The Aether is what propels a ship.

Two things influence the Aether in order to have it propel ships.  The
first is arcane magic.  Note that divine magic does not power ships.  The
second is something called the Flux, which is similar to lightning.  It's
artificially created, and is a non-spellcasting alternative to arcane
space travel.  I think the alternative is nice, although I find it a bit
hokey that the Flux and Arcane energies affect the Aether in the same
way.

Ships - There is a limited selection of ships, but the good part is that
they have the look of classic Spelljammer vessels.  Being in B&W is a
minus, although it is good to have some new designs.  Nothing that really
stands out, though.

Races - Basically, PHB races and a monster race called the Ravin.  They're
an insectoid race, and are described as being similar to ticks.  I was
disappointed that they didn't have a bunch of new races.

Classes and Prestige Classes - Nada, zero, zilch.  This was a HUGE
disappointment for me.  I was hoping for some setting-specific PrCs, such
as stellar mariners, Ravin hunters, etc.

Feats - There are a few, although they're relatively unremarkable.


There is a section I haven't had time to tackle yet about 3 eras of space
travel.  The concept is one I could see applying to a SJ setting.

Anyway, I am far from done looking at this book, but I thought I would
pass along my initial thoughts.  Aether and Flux certainly isn't a
replacement for Spelljammer by any means.  However, one might be able to
use it as an additional resource.

Trampas