Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Voidjammer: Dragonfly and Tradesman

Below are two favorite ships of mine from the Spelljammer setting. They are both mainstays in my home campaign and amongst the most versatile vessels in space. Light cannon and weirder weapons devised by Magic-Users and Scientists often replace ballistae and catapult in my home campaign.


DRAGONFLY 
Huge Vehicle
HD: 5 (73 hp)
AC: 15, Hardness 5 
Speed: As Helmsman’s Int x’s 5 in Wildspace, fly 30 ft. in a gravity well.
Atk: 1, 1 Light Catapult (4d6) OR 1 Ballistae (3d8)
SV: 14 (Wood)
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Crew: 2/5
Air Capacity: 560 man-days
Landing: Land
Power Type: Minor Helm (see Helms)
Cargo: 2 ½ Tons
Keel/Beam Length: 95ft/20ft
Cost: 6,750 gp

 The dragonfly, with the tradesman (below) is one of the workhorses of wildspace. Its small size and good maneuverability make it ideal for transporting small groups, very important persons, and small packages. These features also make the dragonfly the idea ship for smuggling and fast exploration.
    The dragonfly also is highly recommended as a wizard's ship. A truly antisocial mage can load most of his supplies on board and turn the dragonfly into a mobile laboratory and workshop, placing himself literally millions of miles from nowhere. There he can work in relative peace. A large number of dragonfly hulks found in various systems were once used for this purpose, abandoned when their masters moved on or died as a result of their experiments.
    The dragonfly is capable of being handled (badly) by a single man, but operates best with a three-man crew, not including any men required to man the spelljamming helm. The captain is usually the navigator and the quartermaster. The first officer doubles as the helmsman and the cook.


TRADESMAN 
Gargantuan Vehicle
HD:  17 (164 hp)
AC: 15, Hardness 5
Speed: Varies with Helm (see Helms)
Atk: 3, 2 ballistae (3d8), 1 light catapult (4d6)
SV: 14 (Wood)
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Crew: 6/17
Air Capacity: 1,904 man-days
Landing: Water
Power Type: Major or Minor Helm (see Helms).
Cargo: 2 ½ Tons
Keel/Beam Length: 120ft/30ft
Cost: 22,950 gp

The standard tradesman is the most common ship in civilized space, varying in weaponry and added features across fantasy space. It is used by nearly all races that can be found in wildspace (including races not typically found in wildspace such as halflings).
    The tradesman is a common short range merchant ship, plying its way between the planets, not equipped to deal with much more than a similarly equipped vessel that has turned pirate. The tradesman is often a first ship for deep-space adventurers.
Deckplans


These rules are derived from the Blood and Treasure RPG

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