3rdEd Series & Pool Helms

This is the first draft of the Series and Pool Helm.  Just as the
Minor and Major Helms they are written up as magic items, with a
(new) spell used to create them.  As previously, the original
text is used as far as possible 'as is'.

Comments?


Spelljammer Helms - 11/May/06


Series Helm: This is the same as the standard version sold by the
Arcane, but without access to their secret techniques is
considerably more expensive.  Creating one costs 75,000 gp, takes
150 days, and costs 6,000 XP.  The listed weight is for a heavy
hardwood chair; some helms are heavier or lighter than this, and
note that they are normally bolted down.

Note that unlike most magic items Helms are very, very, tough.
This is probably due to the immense amounts of magical energy
needed both to make them, and that flows through them just to
operate them.  They do not normally have a rated AC, hardness,
hit points or break DC, but you could use AC 6, and +17 save
bonus.

Caster Level: 14th; Prerequisites: Craft Wonderous Item, Create
Series Helm; Market Price: 150,000 gp; Weight: 50 lb.


Arcane Price: 75,000 gp (per linked helm)

Series helms are the invention of the illithids (mind flayers),
but the idea has been adapted for a number of races with
spell-like abilities and no spellcaster levels.  Series helms
look like the gamut of major and minor helms, running from
simple-looking to ornate, but unlike the spelljamming helms, the
series helms can be linked together, one to another, to increase
their power.

For each helm in a series manned by a mind flayer (or whatever
creature the helm was designed for), the ship has an SR of 1.  If
there are three mind flayers in a series, then the ship has an SR
of 3.  In general, mind flayer ships will have between two and
five helms, though they may not all be occupied.  Empty helms in
a series are ignored in figuring SR.

If a mind flayer in a series helm is slain, then the series is
broken for one round and the ship looses all power and movement. 
Further, all mind flayers in the series must save against magic
or be slain as well.

Series helms vary from species to species, but in general are
inferior to spelljamming helms, at best able to move 50 tons, on
par with a minor spelljamming helm.  Their lower limit is a 5-ton
ship; they cannot move items smaller than that.

Spelljamming helms cannot work on the same ship with operating
series helms and visa versa, but a spelljamming helm can be
installed on a ship that previously used a series helm without
problem (as long as the two do not co-exist on the same ship; if
they do, neither functions at all).

Series helms were developed either by the illithids or by the
Arcane with the illithids in mind (accounts vary according to the
situation).  There are other series helms for those social
creatures with spell-like abilities, except for the beholders,
who have found their own solution.


Pool Helm: This is the same as the standard version sold by the
Arcane, but without access to their secret techniques is
considerably more expensive.  Creating one costs 500,000 gp,
takes 1,000 days, and costs 40,000 XP (note that this can cause
the loss of at least one level).  The listed weight is for a
heavy hardwood chair; some helms are heavier or lighter than
this, and note that they are normally bolted down.

Note that unlike most magic items Helms are very, very, tough.
This is probably due to the immense amounts of magical energy
needed both to make them, and that flows through them just to
operate them.  They do not normally have a rated AC, hardness,
hit points or break DC, but you could use AC 6, and +20 save
bonus.

Caster Level: 17th; Prerequisites: Craft Wonderous Item, Create
Pool Helm; Market Price: 1,000,000 gp; Weight: 50 lb.


Arcane Price: 500,000 gp (mind flayers only)

A recent development of the illithid collective mind, the pool
helm uses the natural life-pool of the mind flayers to power the
ships, as opposed to illithids themselves.  Such ships have an
automatic SR of 5 and are used primarily as transports for
illithid Great Old Ones.  The pool counts as two crew members. 
Several nautiloid ships have been equipped with pool helms and
there are rumours of larger mind flayer ships, as the pool allows
larger ships to be powered.  Current rumoured maximum size of
such a ship would be 200 tons, but that is hearsay and
speculation.

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