Re: The Nature of Space - Part 5

I like the descriptions you've made for describing space. Pretty
inventive. I take it that Mystara, Arcane Space, and Dragon Space are
all separate galaxies oriented towards the campaign settings?

Your descriptions of normal space and Aether space remind me of some
things I did a few years ago to bring Spelljammer into the 3rd edition.
I basically decided that crystal spheres were nothing more than finite
material planes that were coplanar with the phlogiston plane. All that
portal magic really did was open a doorway from a material plane into
the flow. I also took a page from the new Forgotten Realms 3rd edition
setting. It has portal networks to make travel easier. In my case I
created song portals. These are huge magical devices let you dial up
"gate addresses" of other song portals in other crystal spheres. You'd
get a temporary flow current that led to the other portal, and the trip
would take about an hour. They were essentially stargates whose
addresses were dialed up by bards.

I ultimately didn't get very far with my Spelljammer 3E conversions
though. I decided instead to create my own universe from scratch. But if
you're interested in my Spelljammer 3E stuff, here's the link:
http://spellflight.com/Spelljammer/. Please note that the 3D model of
the Man-O-War isn't done yet- I'm still working on the wings.

And the intro page:

A few years ago, I wanted to create a real-time strategy game set in
outer space like Relic's Homeworld and the more recent Homeworld 2.
Instead of technological wonders, I wanted to take the Spelljammer
fantasy ships and put them in the game. I thought it would be great
seeing my old favorites like the Man-O-War, Hammership, and others going
at it on the computer screen, so I decided to figure out what I could do
to make it happen. Unfortunately, it wasn't much.

I and many others (like the folks at Beyond The Moons) created various
rules to bring Spelljammer into D&D 3e, so I had the game rules I needed
to write the program. But a major problem was obtaining a license to use
Spelljammer and the d20 rules. Mods to games that take popular shows
like Star Wars and Babylon 5 and put them into games violate the
copyright laws unless you get permission from the intellectual
property's owner. Hence, I looked into obtaining a license so I could
legally create the Spelljammer RTS game.

According to a Wizards of The Coast representative, Atari owns the
digital property rights to D&D-based computer games, and any officially
licensed product would cost thousands of dollars- something more suited
to a game development studio than a hobbyist like me. So, I thought I
might be able to make an unofficial game, but I still had the problem of
the d20/OGL. The Open Gaming License essentially says you can't use
their rules or the OGL itself in a computer program when you don't own
all the pieces to it... like, say, Microsoft's Direct X. I finally
decided it was time to do my own thing, but I wanted to share the work
I'd done with Spelljammer for 3e.

My take on Spelljammer for D&D 3e presents a slightly different view
than the classic setting. There are no natural binary gravity planes
that drag air along with them as ships leave planetary atmospheres. You
need magic to retain the air and create the effects of gravity. Crystal
spheres still exist- as does the Phlogiston- but they are separate and
distinct planes of existence. In my view, a crystal sphere is just
another name for a finite-sized Material Plane, and you need planar
magic to move a ship onto the Phlogiston Plane and back again.

Rather than let the documents I wrote go to waste, I took the best, made
a final revision, and put them up on the Web here for you to enjoy. I
also added some 3D art I recently made. I hope you'll find something
useful.

-mikey :)

"Genius? Nothing! Sticking to it is the genius.. I've failed my way to
success" -Thomas Edison



-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion list for the Spelljammer campaign setting
[mailto:SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com] On Behalf Of Danton May
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 12:49 AM
To: SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com
Subject: [SPELLJAMMER] The Nature of Space - Part 5


-----------------------------
The Nature of Space - Part 5
-----------------------------

Space Travel - Aether Space makes it possible to
travel the normally unpassable distances between stars
systems. To travel back and forth between Normal Space
and Aether Space one must first reach the stellar
sphere. From inside a stellar sphere this point is
usually measured out and known, but it can also be
detected using various spells or technologies. Often
floating spaceports or beacons are also positioned
near or just past the edge of the stellar sphere,
inside of Normal Space but at a point in it where the
jump to the aether can be made. Regardless of how the
stellar boundary is detected, once it is reached a
machine such a "warp generator" or special magics like
the spell Exit Normal Space must be used to make what
is called a "jump" or "entering the rift." This when
one enters Aether Space. To leave Aether Space one
must also reach a stellar sphere. At this point a
machine or sufficient spell must also be used to drop
one out of the aether and back into Normal Space. Some
races have built massive space stations called jump
stations that generate zones around them that jump and
drop ships from and to Aether Space automatically, but
the ships that take advantage of this must still be
able to transition on thier own if they wish to visit
star systems that don't have the convience of jump
stations.

Most ships use one of three ways forms of propulsion
to move their ships - spell propulsion, solar sails or technological
engines. Spell propulsion uses what is called a "foci" that takes either
magical, mental or spiritual energy and transforms it into momentum. The
purer the foci and the stronger the energy channeled through it, the
faster the ship can go. Solar sails take light energy and transform it
into momentum. This form of propulsion is slower than spell propulsion,
but is often used in coordination with it because at solar sailing
speeds a ship is more maneuverable. The third form uses some sort of
technology such as ion rockets or nuclear propulsion. These methods are
seldom seen inside the Dragon Galaxy, but they have been used at various
times in its history and may still be used by other races inside nearby
galaxies.






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