Airships¶
Airships in Drakonheim are sky-faring vessels that resemble traditional sailing ships but carry the technology described in Airship Construction and Technology at their core. This page covers travel, combat, and the exotic environments of the sky.
Traveling by Ship¶
Passage on a ship costs 1 sp per person per mile, or 12 gp for a 10-hex round trip. Passengers may engage in downtime activities as the voyage continues, provided conditions aboard the vessel allow it.
Expeditions by Ship¶
A ship's crew must include someone proficient with Navigator's Tools and someone proficient with Vehicles (air).
Based on the speed of the ship, found in its stat block, determine how long the voyage will take for the route of hexes: 12 hexes per day at 3 mph, 16 hexes per day at 4 mph, and 20 hexes per day at 5 mph.
During travel, a ship rolls an encounter check for every 4 hours of travel, or 6 times per day. Any resulting encounters use the uninhabited sky terrain tables. If the ship is traveling inside a tradewind, the first encounter of a day is ignored.
When a ship enters a hex that is not over land or part of a tradewind, there is a 1 in 12 chance of encountering an exotic sky environment. Roll on the table below:
| d20 | Exotic Environment |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Sky Chasm |
| 3-8 | Storm Wall |
| 9-10 | Cloud Forest |
| 11-14 | Mana Mist |
| 15-16 | Sky Grave |
| 17-19 | Floating Ruin |
| 20 | Starfall |
Outfitting a Ship¶
To create a ship, start by choosing a ship stat block from those available, such as galley, longship, or sailing ship. Some ships are better for speed, others for fighting, others for cargo and transport.
Weapon Mounts. Ships have a limited number of weapon mounts, typically located at the fore, aft, and in the spaces between masts. A three-masted vessel has four such mounts. Each mount can hold one mangonel or two ballistae. When a weapon is installed, it is assigned a firing arc. Airship weapons are generally mounted in the center of the deck for balance and structure.
Firing Arcs. Each ship weapon can target only creatures, objects, or vessels within its firing arc, represented as a cone extending from the weapon's position. A weapon's firing arc is chosen when it is mounted and is typically centered fore, aft, port, or starboard. A target below the ship must be at least as far from the ship horizontally as it is below. Example: a ship 60 feet above the ground can target ground creatures only if they are at least 60 feet away horizontally.
Other Options. More weapons, upgrades, and ship configurations may be innovated. Adding these will use guidance adding new spells and magic items.
Ship Combat¶
Ship-to-ship combat follows the normal initiative order, with each vessel's initiative modified by its crew quality. During a round:
- Characters aboard the ship may take their individual actions as normal.
- Officers may issue specialized commands to influence the ship's performance (Take Aim or Full Speed Ahead).
- The ship itself acts on its initiative count, taking actions such as Move, Fire, or Ram.
Boarding¶
Boarding occurs when creatures attempt to cross from one vessel to another during ship-to-ship combat. Ships may come into boarding range through maneuvering, grappling, or ramming.
Jumping Across. If two ships are within 10 feet of each other, a creature can jump across as part of its movement. A running long jump covers a number of feet up to the creature's Strength score, allowing most characters to clear the gap without a check.
Grappling Ships. Crew members can throw grappling hooks to pull ships closer together. Securing a grapple requires a DC 8 Strength (Athletics) check. Each successful grapple line reduces the distance between the ships; if ten lines are secured, the vessels are within 10 feet of each other at the start of the next round.
Swinging Across. A creature can attempt to swing to the enemy ship using a secured line. If the ships are within 30 feet, securing the line requires a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check, and swinging across requires a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check. On a failure, the creature falls short and must make the same check to avoid falling or dangling from the line.
Ramming. After a successful ram, the ships are forced into close proximity. The vessels are considered adjacent, allowing creatures to jump, climb, or grapple across without additional setup.
Fires¶
Ship hulls are treated with oils to deter fires, whether magical or mundane. They are not considered flammable objects. Large, sustained incendiary attacks are needed to set fire to hulls. Fire bolt, fireball, and even create bonfire will not.
Exotic Sky Environments¶
Six exotic sky environments can be encountered during travel. Each has its own rules and encounter tables.
Sky Chasms¶
A sky chasm is a vast vertical void where cloud layers abruptly fall away, revealing dizzying depths enclosed by storm walls. These chasms can be hundreds of feet wide and thousands of feet deep. Their edges often conceal drifting islands and debris, creatures, or treasure.
Chasm Size. A sky chasm has a diameter of 1d10 × 200 feet and a depth of 1d10 × 1,000 feet before cloud layers resume.
Chasm Encounters. Roll 1d10 when a ship skirts or crosses a chasm.
| d10 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wilderness encounter, Arctic |
| 2 | Wilderness encounter, Coast |
| 3 | Wilderness encounter, Desert |
| 4 | Wilderness encounter, Forest |
| 5 | Wilderness encounter, Grassland |
| 6 | Wilderness encounter, Hill |
| 7 | Wilderness encounter, Mountain |
| 8 | Wilderness encounter, Swamp |
| 9-10 | Wilderness encounter, Underdark |
Storm Walls¶
Storm walls are towering barricades of thunderheads, lightning-charged vapor, and violent turbulence. These walls can stretch for miles and shift unpredictably.
Storm Intensity. Roll 1d8 to determine the wall's severity:
| d8 | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mild. Heavily obscured past 30 feet; roll each hour to avoid becoming lost. |
| 2-4 | Moderate. As Mild, and lightning strikes possible. |
| 5-7 | Severe. As Moderate, and lightning strikes deal double damage. |
| 8 | Cataclysmic. As Severe, and encounter with an elder tempest. |
Lightning Strikes. Each hour within a storm wall, the ship or creature takes 8d10 lightning damage, or half with a successful DC 13 Dexterity saving throw.
Cloud Forests¶
Cloud forests are dense, tangled masses of vapor, dust, and floating land. Visibility is poor, and strange creatures lurk within.
Visibility. Cloud forests lightly obscure all areas within them. Beyond 50 feet, areas are heavily obscured.
Hidden Dangers. Roll an encounter check each hour. On an encounter, roll 1d4:
| d4 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wilderness encounter: Arctic, Elemental, -2 reaction |
| 2 | Wilderness encounter: Forest, Fey, -2 reaction |
| 3 | Wilderness encounter: Mountain, Giant, -2 reaction |
| 4 | Wilderness encounter: Underdark, Aberration, -2 reaction |
Mana Mists¶
Mana mists are arcane-charged fog banks drifting through the upper atmosphere. Their glow and hum are unmistakable to experienced skyfarers.
Spell Flux. Whenever a creature casts a spell of 1st level or higher within a mana mist, roll a wild magic surge.
Visibility. Mana mists lightly obscure all areas within them. Beyond 200 feet, areas are heavily obscured.
Sky Graves¶
Sky graves are regions of sticky, static-charged cloud matter that clings to hulls and rigging. They often contain wreckage.
Movement Penalty. Ships entering a sky grave have their speed reduced by half.
Static Cling. Each hour, roll a d4. On a 1, the ship accumulates static charge. After three accumulations, the ship discharges for 3d10 lightning damage and resets to zero.
Wreckage. For every 8 hours inside a sky grave, roll an encounter check. On an encounter, roll 1d8:
| d8 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Debris |
| 3-7 | Shipwreck. Roll on the Shipwreck Tables. |
| 8 | Hostile scavengers |
Floating Ruins¶
Ancient structures suspended by forgotten magic drift through the sky, likely remnants of ruined civilizations.
Stability. Each hour aboard a ruin, roll a d20. On a 1, the ruin shifts violently; creatures must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity save or suffer 2d12 bludgeoning damage.
Inhabitants. Roll a d6:
| d6 | Inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 1 | Empty |
| 2 | Wilderness encounter: Arctic, Elemental, -2 reaction |
| 3 | Wilderness encounter: Underdark, Undead, -3 reaction |
| 4 | Wilderness encounter: Underdark, Monstrosity, -3 reaction |
| 5 | Wilderness encounter: Underdark, Beast, -3 reaction |
| 6 | Wilderness encounter: Mountain, Humanoid, -1 reaction |
Treasure. Roll 1d20:
| d20 | Table |
|---|---|
| 1-9 | Magic Item Table A |
| 10-14 | Magic Item Table B |
| 15-18 | Magic Item Table C |
| 19-20 | Magic Item Table D |
Starfalls¶
Starfalls are regions where meteoric debris regularly descends from the upper atmosphere. They are breathtaking and deadly.
Meteor Showers. Each hour in a starfall zone, roll an encounter check. On an encounter, a meteor strikes near the ship. On a further roll of 1 on a 1d10, the ship is struck, taking 6d10 fire and 6d10 bludgeoning damage.
Fallen Stars. Meteorites contain rare metals or magical materials.
Shipwreck Tables¶
Roll on these tables when a shipwreck is found.
Size and Crew.
| d12 | Size | Crew |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Small | 5-10 |
| 3-6 | Medium | 15-30 |
| 7-9 | Large | 40-60 |
| 10-11 | Very Large | 80-120 |
| 12 | Gargantuan | 150-300 |
Ship Purpose.
| d20 | Purpose | Carries |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Merchant | Goods, cargo |
| 5-7 | Naval Patrol | Arms |
| 8-9 | Pirate Raider | Plunder, stash |
| 10-11 | Hauler | Fish, salt, lumber |
| 12 | Pilgrimage | Relics |
| 13 | Explorer | Maps, journals |
| 14 | Smuggler | Stash, false docs |
| 15 | Refugee Ship | Crowded quarters |
| 16 | Arcane Vessel | Experiments |
| 17 | Diplomatic | Sealed missives |
| 18 | Yacht | Luxury, stashes |
| 19 | Prison Barge | Cells, cargo |
| 20 | Warship | Arms, orders |
Additional Cargo.
| d20 | Cargo |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Grain |
| 4-5 | Textiles |
| 6-7 | Tools / Metal |
| 8-9 | Preserved Food |
| 10 | Alcohol |
| 11 | Spices |
| 12 | Lumber / Stone |
| 13 | Livestock |
| 14 | Books / Scrolls |
| 15 | Trade Goods |
| 16 | Medicinals |
| 17 | Rare Minerals |
| 18 | Magic Components |
| 19 | Cursed Cargo |
| 20 | Living Specimens |
Cause of Wreck.
| d12 | Cause |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | Violent storm |
| 5-6 | Navigation error |
| 7 | Pirate attack |
| 8 | Naval battle |
| 9 | Mechanical failure |
| 10 | Monster attack |
| 11 | Magical misfire |
| 12 | Sabotage |
Airship Construction and Technology¶
Airships are rare and expensive vessels that rely on a combination of arcane materials and engineering to remain aloft. Though their hulls resemble traditional sailing ships, they require four components to function: floatwood, an elemental keel and rudder, a lodestone core, and a full rig of sails. Without all four, an airship cannot maneuver in the sky.
Floatwood. Floatwood has supernatural buoyancy, which offsets its weight, allowing an airship's hull to remain suspended with much less energy from the lodestone core.
Elemental Keel and Rudder. An airship's keel and rudder are made of materials attuned to the elemental plane of water. These components partially phase into that plane, allowing the vessel to "bite" the air, enabling tacking, turning, and sailing like a normal seafaring vessel.
Lodestone Core. A lodestone core is an arcane stone charged with planar magnetism. It controls the vessel's altitude. By adjusting the lodestone's polarity, the crew can slowly cause the ship to rise or descend.
Sails and Rigging. Airships rely on traditional sails to generate forward motion.
Scuttling. The lodestone core can be dismantled to prevent its usage or even cause the ship to drop from the sky.