3rdEd Orbus & Forge Helms

This is the Orbus and Forge Helms, which I'm grouping together
to keep the number of postings down.  The Orbus has been assigned
a Caster Level, as has the Forge, and the Forge has been written
up as a (major) magic item.

I'm assuming that the second amount associated with the Forge is
the running costs, not more money that needs to be given to the
Arcane.  Also, I've translated the term 'year' into thirteen
28-day months, as years aren't defined as a unit of time under
SJ.

Comments?




Spelljammer Helms - 11/May/06


Orbus: This cannot be made by conventional enchantment.

Caster Level: 14th; Weight: as a beholder.


Arcane Price: 300,000 gp (beholders only)

The orbus is a living being that functions much like a series
helm on the beholder tyrant ships.  For each living orbus
(maximum of five for the typical tyrant ship), the ship has an SR
of 1.

The orbii are usually found near the center of a beholder ship,
surrounding the Great Mother or Hiveleader of the ship.  If an
orbus is slain, the SR is diminished by 1, and if all orbii are
lost, then the ship loses all power.

Orbii appear as blind beholders, with milky skin over all their
eyes.  They are pale and practically helpless on their own.  They
have been bred by the spacefaring beholder factions to serve and
serve well - they have almost no will of their own.

A single orbus can create spelljamming energy for 20 tons of
ship, two to a limit of 40 tons, and three or more to a limit of
60 tons.  If insufficient orbii exist, then the SR of the ship is
1.

Given the simplicity of beholder ships, it seems possible that
humanoid races could make use of the orbus as well, either as a
primary or back-up system.  The beholders guard their orbii
carefully, and would rather disintegrate them than see them
turned over to other races.  The above price is what an Arcane or
beholder of another faction would pay for an orbus.


Forge: 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
Forge Helm; Market Price: 1,000,000 gp; Weight: 50 lb.


Arcane Price: 500,000 gp (initially) 100,000 gp (running cost per
13 months)

Dwarves are, by nature, non-magical, yet they have large asteroid
ships greater than those used by humans, elves or gnomes, powered
by magical engines they call forges.  These forges are huge
foundry rooms at the base of the ship where dwarves work around
the clock, building, carving, creating, and forging.

The basic idea of the forge is the same as the spelljamming helm:
the conversion of energy into movement.  In the dwarves' case,
the energy is not magical as much as it is creative.  By building
items with the forges, the dwarves generate the energy to
literally move mountains across the sky.

A forge requires at least 200 cubic yards (2 tons) for every 50
dwarves involved.  For every 100 dwarves at work the ship has an
SR of 1.  The fastest dwarven ships, therefore, are the ones that
give up the most space to their forges.

The minimum size of a dwarven ship is 100 tons, with a maximum
size of 700 tons (though these are rare).  Attempts to transplant
forge-based technology to human ships has failed miserably.  The
best that can be accomplished is that humans can command a
dwarven mountain-ship with a full crew of dwarves.  Both mountain
and hill dwarves can be found in space.  Apparently, no other
race produces this type of energy.

A side effect of this industry is a large amount of tradable
goods, as the dwarves mine their home to produce new energy and
items.  These range from small metal handcrafts and jewelry to
swords, armour, and other weapons.  A dwarven ship almost always
has an incredibly well-stocked armory and is very well defended. 
For every month spent in space, the dwarves produce enough goods,
metal, coins and swords to bring in 10,000 gp at the next
landfall.

A negative side effect is that dwarven ships often become
"finished", with no new things to mine, chip, form or shape.  At
this point the colony abandons the mountain-ship and sets up home
in a new asteroid, stripping the forge in the process.  Such
abandoned mountain-ships become the lairs of monsters.

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