Re: Mystaraspace

You don't think the SJML is posteritous enough!?!?!?


On Sep 1, 2007, at 5:28 PM, Eric Anondson wrote:

> If you haven't already, you should also post this over on the  
> Mystara boards or the MML. It will be quickly archived on the  
> Official Mystara Fansite to be preserved for posterity. :)
>
>
> Eric Anondson
>
> On Sep 1, 2007, at 2:36 PM, Matt Hoffman wrote:
>
>> 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.
>>
>>
>>
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