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

In <URL:news:local.spelljam> on Wed 07 Dec, David Shepheard wrote:
> >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.

The idea of this is literally that - a lifeboat. If it is too
expensive, then people can't afford it. The logic is that it gets
you down to a planetary surface, preferably with minimal skill
needed to navigate there or to land, and you are stuck there.

Maybe it needs a fuel other than the spells of an arcane or
divine spell user? Or, this fuel is what is consumed and needs a
re-fit?

The idea is that just about anyone who finds themselves in a
lifeboat should be able to reach 'land', with a little skill and
luck. I suppose that getting down through a planet's atmosphere
is the equivalent to dealing with rocky shores or reefs.

Also, as per the current description, it is capable of getting
you to safety on a planet even if you abandon ship in the
phlogiston.


> >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

Interesting, but useless in the phlogiston. Again, the idea for a
'Wildspace Helm' is that it is only any use once you have some
other way to get into Wildspace. This follows the idea of a
sea-going ship that cannot land, except maybe in specially built
docks, and sends ship's boats to and from the land.

With sea ships the problem is generally that the ship has too
deep a draft, and shallow waters will cause it to go aground.
Maybe some SJ ships are messed up by too much mass near them,
though falling out of the sky rather than going aground tends to
be the problem.


> 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 was following the logic that a Minor Helm was the minimum that
you could use and still have the full set of functionality:
land-on and take-off from planets, Overdrive in wildspace, and
phlogiston travel.

If you wanted something cheaper than that then you have to loose
some of the functionality: a lifeboat can't take off (and maybe
is single-use), the wildspace helm can't land or take-off, a
furnace can't go in the phlogiston.


> 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")

I've seen a number of varieties of these, but I think you need
something which does more than just tweak the SR per level, and
maybe the max tonnage, to make DMs consider using them.

 
> 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?

Sorry, highest level character that I've ever actually played up
from 1st reached about name level. Most campaigns that I played
in seemed to stall after that - I was never too interested in
characters becoming politicians or lords of the land. Admittedly
I've had higher level characters, but they only advanced after
retiring from adventuring. Unless you count becoming gods.

Epic strikes me as a different game - rather like super hero
gaming. Before I played an Epic character I feel that I'd need a
lot of work to figure out how they got to that status - the back
story. If you want to answer your question, look at what goes on
in an Epic game, what sort of things these characters do. Then,
ask how this interacts with Spelljamming.

After all, they may have spells that can create a (temporary)
Helm on the spot! Or, want new spells that allow them to
manipulate all sorts of things connected with spelljamming.


> David "Big Mac" Shepheard
> easyInternet internet cafe
> London UK


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