Re: Alternative helm creation (alternatives to minor/major helms)

>From: Dreamer <dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk>
>Reply-To: Discussion list for the Spelljammer campaign setting              
><SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com>
>To: SPELLJAMMER-L@??????.???????.com
>Subject: [SPELLJAMMER] Alternative helm creation
>Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:15:01 +0000
>
>Though, a Lifeboat Helm which does SR1, can only land on but not
>take-off from planets, and is otherwise as a Minor Helm, might be
>worth considering. If this was made it would likely have a list
>price of 50,000gp, maybe only 10,000gp if it needed a complete
>re-build after use and particularly after a landing (and so was
>effectively single-use). As easy to build as a Minor Helm, but
>cheaper.

>A Wildspace Helm is a similar idea, only SR1, but cannot safely
>land or take-off from celestial bodies larger than class A -
>useful for orbit-to-orbit runs, otherwise as a Minor Helm. I
>don't see why you couldn't use this in the phlogiston. List price
>25,000gp? As easy to build as a Minor Helm, but cheaper.

Did you look at this page Paul Westermeyer wrote in 2003? Looks like he has 
done something similar to what you want.

http://spelljammer.org/ships/helms/minor_furnace.html

If you want something cheaper than a minor helm (that is not a furnace) why 
not extrapolate the next step down from the major helm to minor helm:

I couldn't find a better word in the thesaurus so we'll call it a: "Lesser 
Helm"

A major helm costs 250,000 gp and a minor helm cost 100,000 gp (2.5 x 
smaller) so we could make this new helm cost something in the region of 
40,000 gp. I'd actually be tempted to round it up to 50,000 gp as there 
should be a drop in efficiency with very small items.

A major helm gives one point of SR per 2 caster levels and a minor helm 
gives one point of SR per 3 caster levels so we can make the lesser helm 
have one point of SR per 4 caster levels.

A major helm moves 100 tons and a minor helm moves 50 tons (half that) so I 
would make a lesser helm move 25 tons.

You can do the opposite to jump up from a major helm to a stronger helm (a 
"Greater Helm")

Here are the stats for both:

--------------------------------------------

Lesser Helm
Cost: 40,000 gp (if available)

These function just like minor helms but provide an SR equal to the users 
level divided by 4 and rounded down [But always with a min SR of 1]. A 7th 
level helmsman would have SR 1, for instance, and one of 8th level SR 2. 
They will power vessels up to 25 tons in size. These helms are not usually 
available from the arcane and are very rare.

Greater Helm
Cost: 625,000 gp (if available)

These function just like minor helms but provide an SR equal to the users 
level. A 1st level helmsman would have SR 1, for instance, and one of 2nd 
level SR 2. They will power vessels up to 200 tons in size. These helms are 
not usually available from the arcane and are very rare.

Caster Level vs SR table:

Caster - Greater - Major - Minor - Lesser
Level    Helm       Helm   Helm    Helm
1         1            1        1         1
2         2            1        1         1
3         3            1        1         1
4         4            2        1         1
5         5            2        1         1
6         6            3        2         1
7         7            3        2         1
8         8            4        2         2
9         9            4        3         2
10       10           5        3        2
11       11           5        3        2
12       12           6        4        3
13       13           6        4        3
14       14           7        4        3
15       15           7        5        3
16       16           8        5        4
17       17           8        5        4
18       18           9        6        4
19       19           9        6        4
20       20           10      6        5

-----------------------------------------

You may need to copy and paste this into notepad if it goes onto multiple 
lines. If Static wants to use this then it will need a bit of tidying up 
around the area. (The text is based on Paul Westermeyer's 2e Fast Play 
Rules)

By the way what do people think happens to the SR of epic helmsmen?

Does it keep going up forever?

Or is 20th level the maximum level that a helm can benifit from?

David "Big Mac" Shepheard
easyInternet internet cafe
London UK