Re: Mystaraspace

Here are some rough notes on a possible design for Mystaraspace. My  
goal here was to create something that is usable in both the native  
OD&D setting and the 2nd edition setting. I also wanted to preserve  
Mystaraspace's unique physical conditions, which I thought was okay  
since Spelljammer has always allowed for unique sphere designs and  
travel conditions (although this does cut rather against the grain,  
since it is quite different from any other sphere of travelled space).

Some of my numbers might be fuzzy, and some of my wordings might not  
make any sense on first read through. Before I send this I should  
give credit where it's due and list "Vaults of Pandius" and various  
Mystara products as my sources. In particular it must be said that I  
am using an existing Mystaraspace layout designed by Giovanni  
Paniccia over at Pandius, since it was already done and struck me as  
very much in keeping with the layouts of other spheres in the core  
Spelljammer lexicon.

---M.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Mystaraspace (a proposal)~

The problems of integrating Mystaraspace into an ongoing AD&D  
SPELLJAMMER campaign depend upon a DM's willingness to bend, break or  
reinterpret the standard rules of Spelljammer physics. There are, as  
I see it, two options in adapting Mystaraspace to a Spelljammer  
campaign:

	-1- Ignore existing Mystaran space travel rules and assume the  
universality of Spelljammer physics as given in the main SJ boxed  
set. While this is an awfully heavy-handed approach, it does make  
things simple and allows for an existing Spelljammer campaign to  
integrate Mystara smoothly, and without much effort.
	-2- Accomodate Mystaran space travel rules and integrate them with  
those of Spelljammer. This is the tack I have taken with this draft  
proposal.

I should say that research for this draft has been somewhat  
problematic; while my library is quite extensive, I can't claim to  
own every Mystara product. Access to the archives of Dragon and  
various indices and references thereto have aided a great deal.  
Still, the core of this draft owes credit to the "Champions of  
Mystara" product, the various installments of the "Princess Ark," and  
the authors at the Vaults of Pandius (from whose work I cherry-picked  
based on nothing more than my personal editorial discretion).

~Unique Wildspace Conditions of Mystaraspace~

Mystaraspace is a remote sphere that is difficult for spelljammers to  
access. It ranks somewhere between Krynnspace and Clusterspace in  
this regard, with respect to the challenge associated with entering  
the sphere.

The crystal shell of Mystaraspace has its own gravity, active on both  
the outside and inside surfaces of the shell. While this in itself is  
not unusual for a crystal sphere, the fact that the radius within the  
shell's gravitational pull exerts a "magic-dead" zone is unique, and  
quite dangerous for spelljammers attempting to breach the sphere.  
Ships which enter the shell's pull start to suffer from the "magic  
dead" zone, and helmsmen who do not recognize the sensation quickly  
risk crashing as the shell draws them toward its surface and the helm  
loses power. (as this is only a draft, I haven't crunched any numbers  
re: sphere's circumference, range of gravity pull, and effects of  
"magic-dead" zone based on proximity to the sphere)

Entering the sphere safely requires staying outside the range of the  
shell's pull and finding a vortex (properly called a "Vortigern's  
Vortex"), which were first observed as part of the Shyshield which  
covers the habitable worlds of Mystaraspace (see planets, below).  
While the vortices that appear in Mystaraspace's crystal shell are  
not exactly the same thing, the concept is similar: a temporary rip  
or tear opens in the shell material -- the cause of this is not known  
-- and the airless void inside the shell creates a "whirlhole" effect  
that sucks in the surrounding phlogiston. Though the phlogiston  
dissipates immediately after crossing the crystal shell's boundary,  
the sucking effect of the vortex remains and the physical force  
thereof is strong enough to draw objects within its range into the  
Mystaran sphere.

A spelljamming pilot has a straight shot at entry into Mystaraspace  
through one of these vortices. By steering directly into the center  
of the vortex at top speed, a ship can pass the "magic-dead" zone and  
be carried by a combination of momentum and the sucking force of the  
vortex into Mystaraspace. This maneuver carries some significant risk  
to it, as the swirling vortex can batter a vessel around if the pilot  
is not wary.

It should be noted that the vortex has suction on both sides of the  
crystal shell, though the reason for this is not clear (since the  
interior of the shell is void). The same maneuver can thus be  
undertaken to exit the sphere, requiring a full-speed charge into a  
vortex and then a slingshot maneuver back out again.

In addition to the perils of flying through the vortex itself, there  
are other dangers -- not the least of which is the temporary nature  
of Mystaraspace's vortices. Vortices in the crystal shell remain open  
for a day at most, and they open and close fairly rapidly (within the  
span of an hour). Entering a vortex while it is closing increases the  
risk of being knocked around by the swirling forces of the vortex, as  
the opening through which the suction force is drawn becomes smaller  
and smaller.

There is also the off-chance that passing through a vortex results in  
a high-speed, difficult-to-avert crash with another vessel that is  
coming the opposite direction. (personally, I find such a prospect  
hysterically funny, myself :-p )

Once within Mystara's wildspace, it should be noted that Mystara does  
not *have* wildspace. Or, at least, not like most spelljammers are  
used to. The void is airless and very cold at the outermost points of  
the sphere -- much colder than normal. As a result of this, native  
Mystaran "voidships" are always air-tight, because the properties of  
Mystaraspace do not normally allow objects in space to retain an  
atmosphere.

Spelljamming helms are a convenient work-around to this problem.  
Whether intended by the Arcane who invented them or not, most types  
of magical helms (including major, minor, series and lifejammer  
helms, among others) allow a vessel to retain atmospheric integrity  
within the vacuum of Mystaraspace. This retained vacuum also allows a  
vessel entering Mystaraspace to retain warmth -- for a while.  
However, if steps are not taken toward preserving that warmth soon  
after entering Mystaraspace (such as by lighting a furnace, or  
magically warming the air), the ship's atmosphere will gradually grow  
colder (here the rules from "Princess Ark" detailing freezing in  
space can apply). Naturally, the conditions of airlessness and  
freezing temperatures make it highly dangerous for crew to leave the  
ship's atmosphere once within Mystaraspace.

Gravity is also different in Mystaraspace, per the physical rules  
detailed in "Princess Ark." Reverse gravity planes are no longer  
reversed; ships not prepared accordingly for this irregularity are in  
for quite a shock (especially for crew working/rooming on a ship's  
reversed lower decks). While all objects in space do still have  
gravity, it is always unidirectional. A vessel's gravity plane has a  
"positive" side that pulls objects down, and a negative side that  
repulses objects away. As standard for Spelljammer physics, however,  
larger objects trump smaller ones whenever two gravitational forces  
come within reach of each other.

~Worlds of Mystaraspace~
(here I directly credit Giovanni Paniccia, whose layout of  
Mystaraspace I found most compatible with Spelljammer)

Primary: Ixion (Spherical Fire Body)
	Uninhabited, though flush with gates to the Plane of Fire.

Valerias (Spherical Earth Body, class E)
	The closest world to Ixion, only the Sollux and select other fire- 
elemental races are native here.

Mystara (Hollow Spheircal Body, class E)
	The location of the Known World and Hollow World settings.  
Spelljamming is very rare here, as the Arcane have some as-yet  
unexplained aversion to entering or doing business in this sphere.  
Skyship technology, however, is very common; Skyships are easily  
enough converted into "Voidships" by making them air-tight and  
climate-controlled.

Matera (Earth Body; moon of Mystara)
	The primary moon of Mystara, lifeless and featureless. Its waxing  
and waning cycles govern the tides and lycanthropy on Mystara, and  
one of its large craters houses a planar portal to the Immortal City  
of Pandius.

Patera (Earth Body; moon of Mystara)
	A normally invisible second moon of Mystara, called Patera by the  
Mystaran Immortals, and called Myoshima by the moon's inhabitants.  
Myoshima is the home of several small warring nations of Rakasta,  
Pachydermions and Vanara, though evidence exists that humans may have  
once lived there in the distant past. Contact between Patera and  
Mystara is possible and frequent enough that there are running  
skirmishes between Rakastan Voidships and Heldannic Warbirds, both in  
the space between the two worlds and in the atmosphere of Patera. The  
dominant power on Patera is the Empire of Myoshima, ruled by a  
Rakastan warrior-elite, though a loose confederation lead by the  
theocracy of Rajahstan (ruled by a Pachydermion and Vanara-dominated  
clerical hierarchy) opposes them. The Imperials are the primary users  
of Sky/Voidship technology, while the Rajahstanis have not yet been  
able to deploy a significant airborne presence.

Vanya/Rathanos (Spherical Earth Body, class E)
	This world has two names, given by the native astronomers of  
Mystara. Thyatians call the world Vanya because it is cold and gray  
during its "winter" phase, while Ylari astronomers call it Rathanos  
because it is bright red in the summer. The changing color and  
climate of the world is due to its wide, elliptical orbit which takes  
it very very far from Ixion, and then very very close to Ixion.
The world is inhabited by two populations, which dominate the world  
alternatively. In the winter, Frost Salamanders rule the world's  
surface. Just before the onset of summer, the Frost Salamanders seal  
themselves within subterranean burrows and hibernate. Then, when the  
world is red and fiery, the Salamanders awaken from their own  
hibernative cycle and rule the surface until winter begins its  
approach. Neither race has any interaction with the other, nor do  
they harbor any hatred or animosity between them.

Asterius (Diskworld Earth Body, class E)
	This diskworld is all that remains of a Blackmoor colony. Having  
been cut-off from the motherland for centuries, the technology- 
deprive descendents have cultivated a civilization not unlike one  
that might be found on Mystara. The world revolves around Ixion and  
subtly rotates such that part of the topside of Asterius is always  
facing the sun. The revolution is faster than the disk's rotative  
compensation, such that the world constantly moves between twilight  
and noon, the sun seeming to move back and forth from one side to the  
other and back again across the sky, never reaching total nighttime.  
On the topside there is one major city, Asterion, and the inhabitants  
are all human and elven, with a sizable half-elven population.
On the underside, however, are those who did not survive the collapse  
of the Blackmooran empire so well. These are Lightning Zombies,  
rendered undead by the radiation of broken-down Blackmooran ruins.  
Whereas the topsiders enjoy eternal day, the Lightning Zombies of the  
underside languish through cold, endless night, with only fleeting  
glimpses of the daylight that once was. Scholars theorize that  
Asterius used to make full rotations and share daylight equally  
between both sides, but something since the fall of Blackmoor has  
changed, and now the two sides are relegated to eternal day and  
eternal night. (a further extension of this theory would suggest that  
Asterius is an artificial world created by the Blackmoorans)

Tarastia (Spherical Air Body, class G)
	This world is known to its inhabitants as "Eloysia" (detailed in the  
"Five Coins for a Kingdom" master adventure; will add more detail  
after I've fully read this module).

Khoronus (Spherical Air Body, class G with rings of asteroids)
	A gas giant comprised of foul, toxic and utterly unbreathable air.  
Its rings, however, are home to numerous asteroids and small  
planetoids, most of which have Skyshields and are populated. (G.  
Paniccia suggests this as the optional Mystaran home for the Rock of  
Bral; given my take on Mystaraspace being so isolated, I don't think  
Bral is appropriate here)

Ordana (Spherical Air Body, class E)
	This world is Old Alphatia, now comprised of what are known as the  
"Star Kingdoms." The three kingdoms of Delthar, Belthar and Gammar  
are all that remain on the shards of planetary debris that drift in  
the skyshielded remains of Alphatia's atmosphere. The city of  
Kabarkhand, base of the neutral Guild of Merchants, is the major  
spelljamming/voidship port on this world.

Protius (Spherical Water Body, class D)
	A watery sphere with no surface land, only a submerged earthen crust  
surrounding a fiery core of magma. Aquatic races detailed in "The Sea  
People" OD&D accessory are native here, and they are not much for  
skyships or spelljamming.

~ Character notes ~

Incorporating Mystaraspace into a Spelljammer campaign that includes  
the broader spectrum of AD&D worlds will surely lead to bringing  
Mystaran PCs into the party. Because of the highly fluid  
transferability between AD&D and OD&D, this is usually easy. I  
suggest the following guidelines to help a DM along:

	-Character Races and Classes: Character Races native to Mystaraspace  
are often handled in OD&D sources as self-contained racial classes.  
You might consider allowing Dwarves and Elves from Mystara the option  
of either adopting AD&D character classes, or using racial classes  
instead. You can modify these racial classes however best fits your  
campaign and style of play; I myself use a complete 2nd edition THAC0  
conversion and have most demi-humans use the attack tables of  
Warriors, unless there is something that convinces me to do otherwise.
	-Skills and Proficiencies: Allow native Mystaran characters to use  
native Mystaran skills. Similarly, allow AD&D characters to use AD&D  
skills. Crossover (such as in the Red Steel Savage Cost setting)  
should be possible, such that a Savage Coast fighter using a 2nd  
edition kit would use the proficiency system, while a racial-classed  
Halfling would use the skill system.
	-Weapon Proficiencies: Here you might consider streamlining things  
by using only one or the other between the OD&D and AD&D systems of  
weapon proficiencies. If you don't mind being diverse and keeping up  
two sets of rules, you can allow native Mystaran characters (using  
OD&D classes) to use the OD&D system of weapon mastery, while  
allowing characters with 2nd edition classes and kits (including  
Savage Coast characters) to use the AD&D system of weapon  
specialization (and by way of balance, you should probably extend  
this to include the Player's Option mastery, high mastery and grand  
mastery rules).
	-Skyship/Voidship Conversions: The Skyship stats in "Princess Ark"  
require only slight modification before they can be used in a  
Spelljammer game. Here are the conversion factors:
		"Airspeed" for Skyships is given in terms of a normal move score,  
which means that most common Skyships are actually fairly slow (your  
average Sloop is given an Air Speed of 140', which is equivalent to  
the AD&D move rate of 14). More advanced Skyships are faster (the  
Heldannic Warbird [which is really just about the coolest-looking D&D  
airship ever designed] has a given airspeed of 360', flying at speed  
36), but how does this translate into SR? Well, a move of 12  
indicates the ability to move 120 yards (360 feet) in one minute. 1  
point of SR is given as a move factor of 50 (500 yards/minute) in the  
air (Concordance of Arcane Space, p51), which means that most  
Skyships cannot actually achieve even 1 point of SR. To be generous,  
and for the sake of tactical integration, I recommend some rounding  
of the Skyship move rates. Anything at or above Airspeed 250 should  
be considered to have 1 SR for the purposes of tactical movement.  
Anything below Airspeed 250 should be considered to have 1/2 SR, and  
is therefore only able to move tactically once every other combat  
round. Alternatively, for "Goundling" vessels converted into  
Skyships, you can just use the Spelljammer Groundling equivalent.  
Whatever method you use, voidships should still be considered capable  
of reaching "spelljamming speeds," thus enabling them to travel to  
places like Patera or Ordana.
		"Maneuver Factor" is a conversion that needed a bit of toying with.  
The MF number for Skyships is given in terms of a fraction, moves/ 
rounds; that is, the number of turns a ship can make in a single  
round (or, for less maneuverable ships, the number of rounds it takes  
to turn). This is roughly analagous to Spelljammer's Maneuver Class  
system, where a ship's MC governs the number of times a ship can turn  
during tactical maneuvers (while expending SR). Here is the  
conversion that I use, very fast and very dirty:
			MF 1 = MC A
			MF 1/2 = MC B
			MF 1/3 = MC C
			MF 1/4 = MC D
			MF 1/5 = MC E
			MF 1/6 and worse = MC F
		"Lift Capacity" should be either ignored (since SJ has no  
equivalent I'm aware of) or incorporated somehow into SJ flight rules.
		"Hull Points" in Spelljammer tend to match up nicely with a ship's  
listed tonnage. The Skyships given in OD&D appear to use a different  
rubric, which means that most Skyships are either a fair deal tougher  
or a fail deal frailer than an SJ ship of comparable size. You know  
what? It doesn't matter. Use all hull points as listed.
		"Hull" can be used to determine how a Skyship should save on the  
item save tables, as it lists the type of material used to build the  
ship. In most cases this will be "thick wood," but use your judgement  
here.