Re: My take on 3e helms

In <URL:news:local.spelljam> on Sat 16 Jul, Night_Druid wrote:
> Just tossing this out for the list to disect:
>
> Spelljamming Helm
>
> A Spelljamming Helm is a device that moves a special ship called a
> Spelljammer.  It appears as a large ship's wheel attached to a semi-circular
> pedestal.  The pedestal has numerous dials, levers, and buttons.  The
> operator of a Spelljamming Helm is called a helmsman.  To qualify to use a
> Spelljamming Helm, the helmsman must have 2 ranks in the skill Knowledge
> (Spelljamming) or make a successful Use Magic Device skill check (DR 15).

This is an interesting approach.

You appear to be substituting a "mechanical technology" style of
helm for the "psychic technology" helm of 2e.

I say this because the 2e helm makes the helmsman "one with the
ship" allowing them to control it effectively by thought, and
being able to sense what happens to it. I don't see this in your
variety.

In some ways 2e helmsmen could be considered to be sacrificing
their use of their arcane, divine or psionic talent to provide
"life" to the ship, while they operate it, and other sorts of
helm just provide this "life" from a different source.

If you consider the symbology of how the helm is operated to be
an important part of what makes it work, I am not certain if you
could be considered to be mixing our (Real World) understanding
of what would be needed to operate a ship, with what is
appropriate to the pseudo-medieval magical universe of
Spelljamming.

Or, are these helms built by Tinker Gnomes? [grin]

What do all these dials, levers, and buttons do?

How does the helmsman see what is around the ship to be able to
maneuver it? (Should there be a magic mirror included?)

Also, if you want a "mechanical" helm that is operated by those
without arcane, divine or psionic talent, where is the tremendous
power which takes a ship and moves it through the air or space
coming from?


In theory you could take any existing magic item, that requires
the skills of an arcane or divine magic user, and make it usable
to anyone, by including an extra enchantment that substituted for
that skill, a "control spell":

Gauntlets:
prepares a pair of gauntlets to receive some form of physical
power which effects the arms and hands and is usable by all,
unless exclusively affects fighting ability when is not usable to
magic-users. Strength giving +2 strength, Dexterity giving +2
dexterity, Giant Strength giving the strength of a giant of one
level less (eg: Hill gives Ogre, Stone gives Hill etc), Swimming
and Climbing, Weapon Range affecting all hand-cast missiles,
Swimming and Climbing, or other manual powers. Duration:
permanent enchantment only.
Level: 6th.

Bind Spell:
allows non-spell users to use enchantments placed in the same
device which they could not normally use, for example detection
spells (but not locate spells), Healing spells, psionic spells
(such as (Minor) TK, ESP, receptive Telepathy), control spells.
This is effectively a control enchantment which reduces the need
for magical or clerical knowledge to a limited degree in the
user, rather as a general purpose Boots or Gauntlets, or a weak
form of Control Spell. Duration: enchantment, not Charged or
Self-charging.
Level: 7th.

Control Spell:
similar to a Bind Spell this allows non-spell users to use
enchantment placed in the same device which require even a major
degree of magical or clerical knowledge, for example Fireball in
a Necklace of Missiles, Vanish in Armour of Etherealness, spells
in a Ring of Spell Storing. Duration: enchantment, not Charged or
Self-charging.
Level: 8th.

One of the above would deal with the control side of things. It
is possible that there could be a specific "Control Helm" spell,
which might be only 6th/7th, and substitute for any lack of
magical or clerical (arcane or divine magic) knowledge in the
user (the equivalent to the 'physical power' in Gauntlets, above,
would be 'operate spelljamming helm'). You would need to decide
if a "Bind Spell", or a "Control Spell", equivalent was required
(I think the latter).

(Please note that the above spell specs come from an Original D&D
enchantment scheme, so I apologise for wording which doesn't
match 3e!)

However, then you come to the big issue of what is powering the
helm. You _could_ say that the existing "Create Minor Helm"
(arcane 6th, divine 5th) and "Create Major Helm" (arcane 7th)
spells are cut-down versions of the true self-powering spells.
These would likely be at least plus two levels. So, you would use
"Create True Minor Helm" (arcane 8th, divine 7th?) and "Create
True Major Helm" (arcane 9th) spells.


In summary, if you want a Helm that is operated by anyone with a
bit of skill, say as much as an 18th Century ship's helmsman, and
that is self-powered rather than drawing arcane/divine/psionic
power from the helmsman, part of the enchantment process requires
the abilities to cast "Control Spell" (8th arcane), or "Control
Helm" (7th arcane), and "Create True Minor Helm" (arcane 8th) or
"Create True Major Helm" (arcane 9th).


Exactly what this variety of Helm looks like, and how it is
actually operated needs to be decided. It could look just like a
chair, and be operated by the helmsman's will, with visions and
sensations of the ship and it's surroundings (2e style), or it
could be the "mechanical" helm, with a magic mirror (your style,
I think), or it could even be a helm (as in armour) with a
crystal visor that lets you see the ship's surroundings, and
gauntlets that provide the feel of steering a ship (VR style).


Is this the sort of feedback you were looking for?

--
Dreamer
dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk
http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/