Re: SPELLJAMMER-L Digest - 31 Aug 2005 to 1 Sep 2005 (#2005-162)

I like the Boat helm a lot.  It fills a very necessary niche
requirement.  However, what about a version that just does tactical
speeds for a lander?  (It always bothered me when the original SJ books
referred to 'conventional engines' and never bothered to explain how or
what those were and how they worked).  The economics of SJ has really
never made that much sense.  No one could afford to spend 20K on a
lifeboat helm.

I like your Series Major Helm description.  It fills in a lot of holes
and I think is in keeping with SJ philosophy.

The scavver saddle is just fantastic.

Holes I still see:  What are the mechanics of how dwarven forges work?
--Dale--

On Sep 2, 2005, at 3:00 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> Hi everyone, I'm back from the dead! Well, not really, but a painful
> and
> lengthy recovery from a car accident has kept me from having any time
> for the list for the last few months, but now I'm able to start
> enjoying
> many of my hobbies again, so I'm back!
>
> As a result, I've just completed a couple of write-ups on some ideas
> that have been kicking around my head lately.
>
> New Helm Types:
>
> Boat Helm:
>
>              Boat helms are a variant helm type sold by (and presumably
> created by) the Arcane. Appearing much as their standard minor and
> major
> helms, a boat helm also functions in a similar fashion, but is
> generally
> more limited. The SR for a boat helm is calculated based on the level
> of
> the spellcaster manning the helm, with each level granting 1SR. While
> this would seem to be a more efficient conversion than even with a
> major
> helm, it does have limitations. First, the helm itself is limited in
> power, and can never grant a SR of more than 6. Second, using a boat
> helm tires the helmsman more quickly than using a major or minor helm,
> and the helmsman will start to lose SR points after only 4 hours,
> instead of the standard 12.
>      This limitation tends to mean that boat helms are used primarily
> either for light combat craft, or for short-range shuttles. Boat helms
> are also popular on lifeboats, since they are relatively cheap, yet
> still allow survivors of shipwrecks to travel at spelljamming speeds
> (albeit for shorter periods of time than a standard helms would allow),
> thus allowing a greater chance of getting to a safe port. Boat helms
> can
> power ships up to 5 tons in size, and are sold by the Arcane for
> 20,000gp.
>
> Series Major Helm (note: helms of this type have been mentioned in
> several SJ products, but I was never happy with the scant information
> provided):
>
>       Series Major Helms are nothing more than standard Major Helms
> which have been modified to resonate with each other in order to move
> vessels larger than 100 tons. This modification must be performed on a
> custom basis for a vessel, as the size and shape of the craft affect
> the
> resonance formed by the linked helms. As a result, a Series Major Helm
> designed for one ship cannot be removed and placed aboard another ship
> -
> even if both ships are of the same type. The Arcane are willing to
> perform this modification at a cost of 50,000gp per helm to be included
> in the series. Note that this cost is in addition to the cost of the
> helms. Thus far, none other than the Arcane have ever discovered the
> secret of creating a Series Major Helm. If a Series Major Helm were
> ever
> to be removed from the ship it was created for, none of the individual
> helms involved would function by themselves until modified again by the
> Arcane (again at a cost of 50,000gp per helm). As a result, once
> installed a Series Major Helm will usually only ever be removed if the
> ship it was created for is damaged beyond all possibility of repair.
>       There is no theoretical maximum size ship that could be moved
> with
> a Series Major Helm, but the manner in which the helm functions does
> place a practical limit on size. For each 100 tons (or portion thereof)
> of the ship to be moved, 1 Major Helm must be used. In order to move
> the
> ship, each helm must be manned. If any one of the helms is unmanned,
> then the ship will be unpowered. The highest-level spellcaster manning
> the helm is always the one in control of the ships movement, with the
> rest merely channeling power for him/her. If two or more helmsmen are
> of
> the same level, then whichever of them has the highest combined
> Intelligence and Wisdom will be in control. If these are also equal,
> then neither will be able to control the ship, and it will simply not
> move.
>      The SR of the vessel is determined by taking the average of the SR
> that would be normally gained by each helmsman (round any fractions
> down), and subtracting 1 for each helm in the series after the first.
> If
> the resulting SR is 0 or less, then the helmsmen are not powerful
> enough
> to move the craft. As an example, a 400 ton ship with helmsmen of
> levels
> 15, 12, 10, and 9 would have a SR of 2 (add the SR of each helmsman:
> 7+6+5+4=22, divide by the number of helmsmen: 22/4=5.5 rounded down to
> 5, subtract 1 for helm after the first: 5-3=2). In practical terms this
> means that a very large ship powered by a Series Major Helm would need
> to have a significant number of high-level spellcasters in order to
> move.
>      Rumours of a massive 1,000 ton ship powered by a cabal of ten 20th
> level wizards (which would give this craft a SR of only 1) are
> generally
> dismissed as being ridiculous. The most common ships powered by Series
> Major Helms are the Zoocraft built by the Arcane as colony ships for
> all
> manner of races, although some human groups have built 200 ton
> dreadnaughts. There are unconfirmed, but widely believed, rumours that
> the IEN operates a number of secret 200-400 ton behemoths which carry
> enough flitters to block out the sun. Some rumours say that these
> massive elven ships are simply vastly over-sized Armadas, while other
> rumours state that they are crafted from mature starfly-plant
> mother-trees (see MC 9 for details on the starfly plant).
>
> Scavver Saddle:
> Lesser:
>
>      Scavver Saddles are a specialized form of lifejammer helm. A
> Scavver Saddle appears as any other saddle, but when placed on a
> scavver
> of any type (other than the massive sky scavvers of Alabeth which are
> simply too large for the saddle to fit) will force that scavver to save
> vs. spells at a -5 penalty or become docile. A scavver which fails its
> save will follow the mental commands of anyone sitting in the saddle
> or,
> if nobody occupies the saddle, will simply remain at rest. A scavver
> which makes its save will generally go into a frenzy, attacking any
> nearby creatures without regard to morale. This frenzy will last until
> there are no living creatures in sight, or until the 2d6+6 rounds have
> passed.
>      A lesser Scavver Saddle does not allow the scavver it controls to
> travel at greater speeds than normal, and as such is normally used for
> short-range combat applications. One or more void scavvers approaching
> a
> ship which is already engaged in ship-to-ship combat is a fearsome
> sight. Because a lesser Scavver Saddle does not provide any motive
> force, and instead only allows the 'helmsman' to control the actions
> and
> movement of the scavver to which it is attached, the amount of
> lifeforce
> which it syphons off from the scavver is relatively insignificant. The
> only noticeable effect of this lifeforce drain is that a scavver which
> has been fitted with one of these devices will have its rate of natural
> healing reduced by 50%.
>      These items seem to be distributed exclusively by the Arcane at a
> cost of 10,000 gp, but they are not widely sold, primarily since
> relatively few groups currently seem to be interested in them. Chief
> amongst these groups are the illithids, who enjoy using charmed slaves
> as helmsmen who pilot scavvers into combat with their enemies. The
> neogi
> are also beginning to use Scavver Saddles which have been re-sold to
> them by illithids. Other groups which have been known to use these
> items
> are goblinkin reavers, human pirates, and a few groups of lizardmen.
> Recently a few asteroid bases and cities have begun using Scavver
> Saddles on night or void scavvers, and subsequently using the
> controlled
> scavvers to hunt and kill any other scavvers or vermin which may plague
> the asteroid.
>
> Greater:
>      Greater Scavver Saddles function exactly as lesser Scavver
> Saddles,
> but are fully as powerful as a normal lifejammer helm. Greater scavver
> saddles are capable of travelling at spelljamming speeds, and at
> tactical speeds calculate SR based on the hit dice of the scavver which
> has been saddled, in exactly the same manner as a normal lifejammer.
> For
> example, a gray or brown scavver would provide SR 1, a night scavver
> would provide SR 2, and a void scavver would provide SR 3. If the
> helmsman riding the saddle has the spelljamming proficiency, a
> successful check can temporarily increase this SR as described in that
> proficiency. A saddled scavver is always considered to be MC A. A
> greater Scavver Saddle drains the life of the scavver in the same
> fashion as any other lifejammer. It should be noted that depending on
> the size of the scavver which has been saddled, on anything but the
> shortest voyages air can become a real concern.
>      The Arcane sell greater Scavver Saddles at a price of 80,000 gp
> (the same price as a normal lifejammer), but the expense of these
> items,
> combined with the fact that they eventually kill their scavvers, has
> made them less popular than the lesser variety. Despite this, illithids
> have been known to use these items for messengers, although no other
> groups are currently known to use greater Scavver Saddles on any sort
> of
> a regular basis.
>
> Any comments or thoughts?
> -Ben
>
> ------------------------------