SPBILULAMIMIBIR COMBAT I XIPANIDIDID ARESOURGE FOR ALTERNATIVE RULES AND MECHANICS SPELLIANIIER COMET AND BAZAROSINTRODUCTION The Spelljammer: Adventures in Space set updates spelljammer rules for 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons. This includes spelljammer ship combat rules that are “simple yet exciting,” However, for some these rules may be too simplistic and sparse. While I do not personally take issue with the rules being simplistic, I do feel that they remove the focus and spotlight off of where it belongs: on the player characters. During a spelljammer combat encounter the player characters have little to no choices or available actions and are not even depicted on the map. During these encounters, the game is no longer about them. While the rules might make for a simple yet fun space-themed mini game, without a proper focus on the player characters, it just doesn't feel like actual D&D to ‘me. With that in mind, I have drafted up these alternative rules and mechanics for spelljammer combat encounters. This supplement includes officer roles with special actions during spelljammer combats, alternative rules and tips to make spelljammer combat more engaging and dynamic, spelljamming hazard that are run as group checks, and summaries of stat blocks for spelljammer ship and their artillery weapons. All of these alternative rules can be adopted individually or as a collective whole; take what you like, leave the rest. You will find that the alternative rules and mechanics herein are heavily influenced by the naval ship rules found in Appendix A of The Ghosts of Saltmarsh adventure book. I have always found that those rules did a good job of adding sailing vessels to D&D without ever really taking the spotlight off of the player characters themselves. I have also attempted to avoid anything that may be too complex, unnecessarily in-depth, or otherwise difficult to run during play. Any rules or spelljammer related mechanics not touched on in here are assumed to remain the same as presented in the Astral Adventurer's Guide. [hope this rule set will enable you to take all of the fun and enjoyment of D&D with you on your adventures through Wildspace and beyond.SHIP OFFICERS AND CREW Even magically flying vessels require people to run it; the officers in charge and a crew who follow their orders. OFFICER PosITIONS Each player character fulfills an officer position, which are listed below. While there can only be one active Spelljammer officer ata time, any number of characters can concurrently serve in the same officer position, in which case they share the responsibilities and duties of that position. The position that a character fills will impact some of their options and actions during spelljammer combat encounters and hazards, although a player character always has access to their normal actions and abilities (such as taking the Attack action, casting a spell, or using another character ability). On spelljammer ships, officers (whether they be the player characters or enemy NPCs) are represented by creatures that are individually managed (i.e., generally those that have their own stat blocks, tokens, and turns during combat). Officers are not included in the crew count or statistics of a spelljammer ship (see the “Spelljammer Ship Crew” section below). alg WHERE'S THE CAPTAIN? The role of captain has been purposefully omitted. On spelljamer ships, the traditional chain-of- command is replaced by individual ship roles in which command of the ship is shared by multiple officers without one inherently outranking any other. This structure is more accommodating to a cooperative roleplaying experience among all players at the table where everyone gets an equal ‘A decentralized governance structure enables the spelljammer ship to act and react quickly without waiting on issued commands from a single source. This also prevents an entire vessel from turning to chaos the instant that a single officer is killed. Of course, if you would prefer to have a captain or similar role aboard your spelljammer ship, implement a Captain officer position following the other officer examples provided. a SPELIJAMMER The Spelljammer is a spelicaster who attunes to the spelljamming helm and uses their magic to propel and stcer the spelljamming vessel. Without a Spelljammer attuned to the helm of the spelljamming ship, it cannot move, Therefore, the Spelljammer role is the most important role on a spelljammer and is to be protected at all costs. Any spelicaster is well equipped to serve asa Spelljammer. Sup ACTIONS During combat, the ship shares your initiative. As part of your turn, you direct and control the actions that the spelljammer ship takes, including movement, turning, and attacking (refer to the “Spelljammer Ship Actions” section below for further details). These ship actions do not count as your own actions. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS Your officer role enables you to perform special actions during combat encounters aboard a spelljamming vessel. During your turn and while seated in an attuned spelljammer helm, you have access to the following special options in addition to your normal character options and abilities: Expend a Spell Slot. As an action, you expend a spell slot to infuse the ship with your magic, choosing one of the following effects: + Shields up. Until the start of its next turn, the ship gains a bonus to its AC equal to 3+ 1 per spell level above first. + Thrusters. Until the start of its next turn, the ship gains a bonus to its movement equal to 30 +15 per spell level above first. Onboard Defense. As an action, you choose any creature that is onboard the spelljammer ship you are piloting and lash out at them with your mind. ‘That creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 146 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll or saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn.Cast a Spell. Although usually kept below deck and out of sight, the Spelljammer can see everything on and around the vessel, allowing them to cast spells that require you to see the target but doesn’t require line-of sight (several spell meet these criteria, primarily buffs and debuts). Other circumstances may impede or enable a Spelljammer from casting other spells. In any case, the spell must have a casting time of 1 action or less and not require consecration, otherwise the Spelljammer’s concentration on the spelljamming helm ends. assesses Don't Just Si Around ‘The Spelljammer can always choose to leave the helm if they are needed elsewhere, such as when their ship has been boarded by enemies. While they will lose the ability to move the ship and access to the special actions above, they will be able to join the combat personally and with all of their character spells and character abilities, potentially turning the tide of a battle. eH First MATE A First Mate takes on the duties of motivating and leading the crew. The First Mate role is usually a good fit for someone with high Charisma and Wisdom. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS Your officer role enables you to perform special actions during combat encounters aboard a spelljamming vessel. During your turn and while aboard a friendly spelljammer, you have access to the following special options in addition to your, normal character options and abilities: Motivate Crew. As an action, you attempt to ‘motivate the crew, helping them achieve their best. You gain a motivation die, which is a 48. Before the start of your next turn, you can roll the die and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that the ship or crew makes, You can decide to use the motivation die after the d20 is rolled, but before the outeome, is determined. Once rolled, the motivation die is lost. You can only have one motivation die at a time, and only one motivation die can be applied toany roll. Full Speed Ahead, As an action, you exhort the crew to work harder and drive the ship forward faster. Roll a d6 and multiply the result by 5. Apply the total as a bonus to the ship’s speed until the end of the ship's next turn. If the ship is already benefiting from this action’s bonus, don't add the bonuses together; the higher bonus applies. ‘Take Aim, As an action, you direct the crew's firing, aiding in aiming one of the ship's weapons. Select one of the ship’s weapons that is within 10 feet of you. It gains advantage on the next attack roll it makes within normal range before the end of the ship's next turn. Bosun ‘A Bosun (or Boaiswain) takes on the duties of maintaining and operating the ship and its weaponry. The Bosun role is usually a good fit for someone with high Strength or Dexterity. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS Your officer role enables you to perform special actions during combat encounters aboard a spelljamming vessel. During your turn and while aboard a friendly spelljammer, you have access to the following special options in addition to your normal character options and abilities: Emergency Repairs. As an action, you quickly make repairs to the ship using whatever materials are available. The repairs may not hold long term, but they'll do for now. The ship gains 2410 temporary hit points, Brace for Impact. As an action, you prepare the ship for an immediate impact. Until the start of your next turn, any damage that the ship takes from crashing or ramming is reduced by 2d10. Change Position. As an action, you position the spelljammer ship's sails, wings, fins, ete, to one of the following positions, which affect the ship's speed and agility as indicated the table below. The ship remains in that position until changed again, Position Speed Change Agility Change Ast +15 feet AS degrees 2nd : - 3rd 5 feet +45 degrees Take Aim. As an action, you direct the crew's firing, aiding in aiming one of the ship's weapons. Select one of the ship's weapons that is within 10 feet of you. It gains advantage on the next attack roll it makes within normal range before the end of the ship's next turn.MEDICAL OFFICER ‘The Medic Officer takes on the duties of tending to the injuries and illness of the crew and fellow officers. The Medic Officer role is usually a good fit for someone with high Wisdom. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS Your officer role enables you to perform special actions during combat encounters aboard a spelljamming vessel. During your turn and while aboard a friendly spelljammer, you have access to the following special options in addition to your normal character options and abilities: Tend to Crew Injuries. As an action, you tend to the most serious injuries of the crew. Roll a d4, A number of crew members previously thought dead equal to the die roll regain consciousness with 4 hit points. Tend to Officer Injuries. Asan action, you hastily tend to the injuries of another officer within 5 feet of you. The bandages may not hold up in the long term, but they will help for now. If the officer is at 0 hit points, they becomes stable. Otherwise, the officer gains temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier. Neutralize Poison. As an action, you choose a creature within 5 feet of you that is poisoned . The poisoned condition ends for that creature. ‘Take Aim. As an action, you direct the crew's firing, aiding in aiming one of the ship's weapons. Select one of the ship’s weapons that is within 10 feet of you. It gains advantage on the next attack roll it makes within normal range before the end of the ship's next turn, NAVIGATOR The Navigator is primarily responsible for the duties of navigating the ship including plotting a course and avoiding hazards and excels at coordinating the actions of the officers. The Navigator role is usually a good fit for someone with high Intelligence and Wisdom. ADDITIONAL ACTIONS Your officer role enables you to perform special actions during combat encounters aboard a spelljamming vessel. During your turn and while aboard a friendly spelljammer, you have access to the following special options in addition to your, ‘normal character options and abilities: Coordinate Movement. As an action, you choose a friendly creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature can immediately move up to half its speed. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunities. Coordinate Attacks. As an action, you choose a friendly creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. That creature can immediately make one melee attack, one ranged attack, or cast a spell with a casing time of I action or 1 bonus action Take the Initiative. As an action, you choose a willing creature within 60 feet of you that you can see and swap positions with them in the initiative order. If that creature has not taken a turn this, round, they immediately take their turn after yours. You do not take another turn until the next round of combat. Take Aim. As an action, you direct the crew's firing, aiding in aiming one of the ship's weapons. Select one of the ship's weapons that is within 10 feet of you. It gains advantage on the next attack roll it makes within normal range before the end. of the ship's next turn. GENERIC OFFICER Additional officers may be appointed or assigned on a spelljammer ship who take an active part in the leadership of the vessel but are not primarily, responsible for any particular area. Characters, serving in such capacities are simply referred to as “Officers”. During your turn and while aboard a friendly spelljammer, you have access to the following special options in addition to your normal character options and abilities: Take Aim. Asan action, you direct the crew's firing, aiding in aiming one of the ship's weapons. Select one of the ship’s weapons that is within 10 feet of you. It gains advantage on the next attack roll it makes within normal range before the end. of the ship's next turn. ag esse? Paver HANDOUT - OFFICER ROLES This product also comes with a one-page player handout for each of the detailed officer roles above, included as a separate file. The handout summarizes the primary responsibilities and the additional special actions of each role for the players to easily reference. aCREATING ADDITIONAL OFFICERS Posrrions & ACTIONS ‘As noted above, multiple characters can simultaneously fill the same officer position. Alternatively, any number of additional officer positions can be created as desired. Consider positions such as a Chaplin, Culinary Officer, or Weapons Officer. It would also be appropriate to ask the player what type of role they would like their character fill if none of the options above are not to their liking. Additional officer actions can also be added to the above officer position or to new officer positions of your own making. Use the special actions listed above as inspiration for your own creative actions rather than a definitive listing, You may also choose to move an option from one officer to another to best tailor these to your game and your player characters. In general, most officers other than the Spelljammer can take the “Take Aim” action, The DM determines additional special actions tailed to each additional officer position created.CREW A ship requires a number of able-bodied sailors to crew it. While player characters take the spotlight and fill officer roles, crew members work diligently in the background to keep a ship running. While they may not be the focus of the adventure, they are an important aspect of flying a ship. Crews IN COMBAT Managing an entire crew on an individual basis tends to be cumbersome and greatly slows down: play during spelljammer combat encounters. To simplify running erew in combat, the crew is treated as an extension of the ship itself, rather than individuals by using the following principles: + Instead of tracking the specific positions of each crew member, assume that the erew is evenly spread out on the ship's deck. + Crew members do not roll their own initiative. + Crew members do not take their own actions outside of the ship's actions. Typically, the crew is too busy running the ship and manning the artillery to do anything else during combat. + Reducing a ship's crew reduces the number of crew members available to operate the artillery and reduces the number of attacks a ship can make, making them a tempting target in combat. Crew Member Stat BLocKs Because crew members do not take actions themselves, we do not need a full stat block for them. Instead, a crew member's stat block is simplified to the following three components: + Armor Class. Armor Class represents how well the crew avoids being wounded in battle. + Hit Points. Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. A crew hit points function the same as for any regular creature. When a crew member's hit points are reduced to zero, it dies. + Roll Bonus. Crew members are given a static rofl bonus that applies to any saving throw or skill check the crew makes (such as one made during a hazard, see below). Typical crew members feature an assortment of creatures of various races that use the commoner stat block, which has an Armor Class of 10 and 4 Hit Points. Additionally, typical crew members have a +4 roll bonus. Ships that are crewed by creatures that exceptionally trained, highly experienced, and better equipped, such as high military vessels, may use a different stat block for their crew members such as the guard, soldier, or another stat block chosen by the DM (generally only the Armor Class and Hit Points are relevant for crew members). Alternatively, the crew member's stats can be easily determined by using the Crew Member Statistics Table under the “Enemy Crew Members” section below. ‘TRACKING Crew Hit Points Crew member hit points ean be tracked in one of two ways: + Single Pool, All damage dealt to any crew member is applied to a single one until it dies. Any remaining damage is then applied to the next crew member. For example, if four crew members with 4 hit points each were subject to an area of effect spell that dealt 3 damage to each of them, three crew members would die as the total damage dealt was 12. + Individually. Damage dealt to team members are tracked individually. For example, if four crew members with 4 hit points each were subject to an area of effect spell that dealt 3 damage each of them, none of the crew members would die. ATTACKING THE CREW The following sections include rules for resolving different kinds of attacks made against crew members. Arracxk Rous Resolve individual attacks rolls made against crew members as normal by comparing the total of the attack roll against the crew member's, Armor Class. ‘Some ships may have railings and other parts that may provide the crew with half cover at the DW's discretionAREAS OF EFFECT When targeted by a spell or other effect that deals damage to an area, the spell or effect is assumed to hit a number of crew members equal to the number indicated on the table below based on the size of the affected area. If player characters are also affected by any AOE spell or effect, reduce the number of crew members affected by the number of player characters in the area of effect. Based on specific circumstances, the DM may rule that more or fewer crew members are affected by the spell or effect than what is, indicated on the table. Ifthe spell or effect requires multiple crew members within the area to make a saving throw, roll one single combined saving throw for all of them, applying the crew’s roll bonus to the attempt, CREW MEMBERS AFFECTED By AREAS OF EFFECT Crew Circle Cube Cone Line. Members Radius Side Length Length Hit Sf 10% 15f — 30ft. 1 loh 20% 30% 6 2 Ish. 30f. 45f%. 90ft. 3 20f 40ft. 60f. 120 ft 4 asf sof, 75f. - 5 30f. 60f 908. - 6 a5f. 70 10s 7 4of. soft. 120f, - 8 ADDITIONAL CREW RULES Optionally, you may choose to make the character's management of their crew a greater part of your game. Some players may like the increased complexity and realism of closing managing their crew, while others may feel that crew management is not a fun component of fantasy that is worth simulating Crew morale and quality: To simulate the morale or quality of a crew, consider adopting either the optional loyalty rule from chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide or the crew quality rules from Appendix A of Ghosts of Saltmarsh. If doing so, the crew's loyalty or quality will impact the crew’s roll bonus either positively or negatively Crew cost and upkeep. To simulate the payment and upkeep of a crew, consider implementing rules for the payment and general upkeep of the crew. The details of how a crew is paid and provided for may vary wildly based on the nature and setting of your campaign. Your crew may be bought and paid for by a common patron, they may be pirates working for a cut of your plunder, or they may be hired hands working for a predetermined amount of pay. Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook suggested daily rates for a skilled and unskilled hireling of 2 gp and 2 sp, respectively.BUILDING ENEMY SPELLJAMMER ROSTERS The section above focuses on the various parts, and roles of a spelljamming crew from the player character perspective. But of course, the characters will need enemy spelljamming to do battle against. This section focuses on quickly building out rosters for enemy spelljamming crews. ENEMY OFFICERS An enemy officer refers broadly to any NPC officer of a spelljamming ship that the players don't control. Enemy officers simply represent the individual enemies that the player characters can fight during combat ic. generally those that have their own stat blocks, tokens, and turns during combat). Any monster or creature can be designated an “officer” for our purposes if itis on board a spelljammer ship. The number, roles, and abilities of these enemy officers may differ greatly from the player character officers presented above. Designated a number of officers (generally between 2 and 5) as individual actors provides for combat that is both more manageable and enjoyable than handling dozens of actors. ‘When designing an encounter, simply choose the number and types of enemy creatures as you normally would for another combat encounter. Then designate these creatures as the “officers” of the enemy ship. The difficulty of the encounter can be altered by adjusting the number and CR of creatures chosen. Don't worry about crew members yet, we'll get to them below. ASSIGNING ENEMY OFFICER ROLES Generally, designating enemies as generic officers without a specific role is perfectly sufficient. Assigning specific enemy officer roles increases the complexity and time commitment for the DM. and generally won't matter for most encounters. However, assigning enemy officers to specific roles can add depth to your world and create a more detailed enemy spelljammer crew, which may be appropriate for the most important villains in your game. The officer roles on an enemy vessel may follow the roles outlined above or may have varied and unique officer roles. Consider the nature of the crew and the nature of spelljamming vessel itself. A regimented or military crew may have captains, lieutenants, colonels, or commanders. A tribal crew may chiefs, elders, and shaman. A chaotic and disorganized crew may hardly have any semblance of structured officer roles at all. All spelljamming crews have at least one Spelljammer. The most common officer role for an enemy spelljamming crew to have is a leader position of one type or another (e.g. a captain, chief, commander, etc.). Designating a leader of the enemy crew helps the players identify who is the most important or the greatest threat from the enemy force. When assigning enemy officers to specific roles, itis also appropriate to consider assigning unique officer actions to each of them (see more below). ASSIGNING ENEMY OFFICER ACTIONS After identifying our enemy officers, we can then decide which special officer actions to assign to the enemy officers, if any. Keep in mind that the purpose of assigning officer actions to enemy officers is to challenge the players in unique and fun ways, not to create a timely administrative burden on the DM. Generally, assigning the same 1 or 2 officer actions to the enemy officers is sufficient to accomplish this goal. The special officer actions of an enemy officer may be consistent with the actions outlined above or may be completely different. Consider what makes this particular spelljammer crew and officer unique or special. Use the special actions listed above as inspiration for your own creative actions to surprise and challenge your players. ENEMY CREW MEMBERS Unlike officers, crew members are not individually managed or focused on. The crew members manage the ship and man the ship's artillery, but don't take turns or actions themselves, As such, we generally don’t need a stat block for them other than an Armor Class, Hit Points, and roll bonus.To create a spelliammer crew, we first designate the crew as whatever race or creature that appropriate and then use the suggested crew member stats from the table below, organized by tier of play. These suggested crew member statistics can also be adjusted for the unique features such as higher AC if the crew is equipped with armor. The number of crew members is determined by the spelljammer ship's stat block. CREW MEMBER STATISTICS TABLE Tier of Play Armor Class Hit Points Roll Bonus Tier 1 10 4 4 Tier 2 2 2 +4 Tier 3 5 25 +5 Tier 4 16 50 +6 EXaMpLe ENEMY SPELIJAMMER ROSTERS This section presents some examples of quickly creating enemy spelljammer rosters including officers and crew. To do so, we will utilize a couple of examples from the Light of Xaryxis adventure (minor spoilers ahead). EXAMPLE 1 In chapter 2 of the Light of Xaryxis adventure, the characters do battle with a Star Moth crewed by three astral elf warriors, one astral elf star priest, and nine hadozee shipmates. Using this information, we can quickly create a ship roster for use with the rules of this supplement. We will take the three astral elf warriors and assign them as officers, with one serving as the leader consistent with the structure we would expect from the Xaryxian military. The astral elf star priest is the Spelljammer of course. We then covert the nine hadozee shipmates into crew members using the table able. With these changes, our updated spelljammer roster is as follows: ‘STAR MoTH ROSTER Role Creature Qty CR Leader Astral Elf Warriors 13 Spelljammer Astral Elf Star Priest os Officers Astral Elf Warriors oe Crew Hadozze (AC12/HP 9 n/a 12) EXAMPLE 2 In chapter 8 of the Light of Xaryxis adventure, the characters do battle with a Star Moth crewed by one astral elf commander, one astral elf honor guard, one astral elf star priest, and eleven astral elf warriors. Using this information, we can auickly create a ship roster for use with the rules of this supplement. We will assign the astral elf commander as the Jeader consistent with the structure we would expect from the Xaryxian military and make the astral elf honor guard another officer. The astral elf star priest is the Spelljammer of course. We'll then flesh out the officer ranks a bit by adding a few astral elf warriors to maintain the challenge level of the encounter. We then covert the eleven aster elf warriors into crew members using the table able. With these changes, our updated spelljammer roster is as follows: STAR MoTH ROSTER Role Creature Qty CR Leader Astral Elf Commander. 1 7 Spelliammer Astral Elf Star Priest 1s Officer Astral Elf Honor Guard 1 5 Officers Astral Elf Warriors 33 ‘Crew Astral Elves (AC1S/HP 11 n/a 25)SPELLJAMMER COMBAT & HAZARDS Surps IN COMBAT This section provides advice and instructions on how to run a combat encounter involving ‘spelljammer ships. These items focus only on the specific topics of running combat that are unique toa spelljammer setting. Mar Set UP Using these rules, a spelijammer combat encounter is expected to take place on a gridded map as normal. The player characters (with possible exception for the Spelljammer who may be below deck) are represented by tokens on top, of their spelljamming vessel. When the spelljamming vessel moves, all tokens aboard that vessel also move. During their turn, a creature can move and position itself around the deck just as it would normally move around any other map. A creature can also jump overboard or board another vessel that’s close enough to reach. Crew members are not depicted on the map. Instead, we assume the crew is evenly spread-out, ‘out on top of the ship during battle as they manage the ship and man the artillery. STARTING DISTANCES Artillery ranges can extend far beyond what is feasible to represent on a single battlemap (such aS. a mangonel that can reach up to 800 feet which would require a 160 squares with a arid). Instead, start opposing ships as far apart on the battlemap as reasonably possible. At the start of combat, simulate the attacks that would have taken place as the ships move closer to each other by allowing each ship to make a number of attacks against the other ship based on each ship's available weapons and distances. While you could calculate the number of attacks as the fileable distance between the ships divided by the combined speed of the ships (assuming they're moving towards each other), I recommend that you take a simpler approach and just pick a number of attacks that makes sense for the situation (typically between 2 and 4 are plenty), Generally, these first attacks will be made at disadvantage for being made at long range. foot Biocer Isn’T ALWAYS BETTER Positioning multiple ships on a scale that allows for individual character and creature tokens can present a challenge. You will most likely need to use larger battle maps than you normally do to accommodate for the size of these ships. This may become challenging if space is limited at your table or if playing online with a smaller screen. If the size and scale of running combat in this way proves to be challenging of unfeasible, these rules can still be adopted when running spelljammer battles at the ship level rather than the individual character level. INITIATIVE A spelljammer ship share its turn with its Spelljammer, At the start of combat, the active Spelljammer rolls their initiative as normal. On their turn, the active Spelljammer directs the ship’s movement and actions, in addition to their own actions. Each other player character rolls their own initiative, SPELLJAMMER SHIP ACTIONS The character acting as the Spelljammer determines the actions that the ship takes on its turn, however these ship actions do not count as the Spelljammer’s own actions. During its turn, the spelljammer ship ean perform all or any of the following actions: + Move up to its speed. + Turn up to its agility. + Attack with as many weapons that can be fully manned by the current number of crew members. + Take any special actions that are specified in the ship's stat block‘TARGETS IN SPELLJAMMER COMBAT TRACKING STATS During a spelljammer battle, characters, ships, and creatures can target any of the following with attacks, spells, and other abilities (provided they are within range to do s0): + A spelljammer ship itself + Anartillery weapon onboard a spelljammer ship. Destroying another ship's artillery will prevent future attacks. + The crew of a spelljammer ship. Depleting the number of crew will decrease the number of attacks a ship can make. + Creatures on board the spelljammer ship. These are the officers and other creatures that are individually depicted as tokens and separately managed (including the player characters). Defeating enemy officers will imit the ship’s capabilities and eventually end the combat. DIRECTIONAL FIRING To add increased ship maneuvering tactics to ‘your game, consider adding rules for directional firing. Some artillery, such as ballistae, are generally assumed to be rotational and appropriately placed allowing them to fire in any direction. Other artillery, such as mangonels and side-mounted cannons, are generally assumed to be fixed and only able to fire in a specific direction. In such cases, the artillery’s area of range is expressed as a cone with a length equal to the weapon’s range, following D&D’s normal rules for using and measuring cones (see Chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook or Chapter 2 of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything). If needed, the DM has the final say ‘on what a particular weapon can target. During combat, you will need to track various stats for each ship, including hit points, crew members, and hit points for each weapon. The responsibility of tracking these stats can also be given one of the players (such as the player acting as the Spelljammer or the Bosun) RAMMING OR CRASHING A SHIP ‘A spelljammer ship can attempt to ram another ship, creature, or object by moving into the target's space and making a special attack roll (120 + the spelljammer’s proficiency bonus) against the target's Armor Class. On a hit, both the target and the ship take damage as shown in the Crash Damage Table. Most spelljammer ships are considered to have a gargantuan size. nnces, the DM may determine that a crash is unavoidable and that no attack roll is required. If the target of the ramming attack is at least two sizes smaller than the spelljammer ship, the target is either moved or destroyed. If installed on a ship, special weapons called “rams” may change the amount, or type, of damage dealt or taken by a ramming spelljammer ship. Based on circums CRASH DAMAGE TABLE Size Bludgeoning Damage ‘Small 3 (Id6) Medium 5 (1d10) Large 22 (4d10) Huge 44 (8d10) Gargantuan 88 (16d10)BOARDING Characters can move themselves from one ship onto another by any means normally available to them, including jumping, flying, teleporting, running out a plank (as an action), or using a rappling hook (as an action), provided the target ship is within range for that method. If one ship is within 5 feet of another ship, creatures are presumed to be able move between ships safely and without concern. Characters preparing to board an enemy vessel may want to take the Ready action to do so as the spelljammer maneuvers the ship to be within range. Suir Repairs The Astral Adventure’s Guide states that spelljammer ships can be repair in two ways: + Spending 1 day and 20 gp for 1 hit point + Casting the Mending cantrip (Lx per hour) for hit points equal to 1d8 + spellcasting modifier (or around 168 hit points or more per day). There are a couple of issues with both these methods. With the first method, most ships could take around a year or more to repair if they were badly damaged. While having downtime in your adventure is great, taking a year off after every battle is probably too much. The second method makes the first method functionally worthless. No one would ever repair a ship manually when it would be far quicker and significantly cheaper to Just pay a spelicaster, and virtually every Spelljammer would pick up the mending spell Additionally, the Mending cantrip cannot repair any break or tear that is larger than 1 foot, so it would be unreasonable to assume that it could fix more than a small amount of damage to a large vessel at all. Instead, consider adopting the following methods of repairing spelljammer ships and ‘weapons: + Repairing 5 hit point of damage to a berthed ship takes I hour and costs 10 gp for materials and labor. Damage to shipboard weapons can be repaired just as quickly and at the same cost. + Casting mending on a damaged ship or shipboard weapon restores 5 hit points to the target. The target can regain up toa maximum of 50 hit points in this way, after which it cannot regain any more hit points from the mending spell until it has first been fully repaired and regained all its hit points.Hazarps Travel in Wildspace or the Astral Sea is an innately dangerous proposition. An infinite number of unknown possibilities can threaten to delay, damage, or destroy even the grandest of spelljammer vessels. Other threats may aris from within; caused by the ship or crew itself Broadly speaking, a “hazard” could be used for just about kind of non-combat encounter or other action that the party may attempt involving a spelljammer ship. This section presents a template for running hazards as group check skill challenges with a few examples of some more common hazards spelljammers are likely to face while they sail among the stars, Group CHECKS When faced with a hazard encounter, the ‘spelljammer ship's officers and crew make a special group check (see chapter 7 of the Player's Handbook for how group checks work). The description of a hazard presents suggested actions and corresponding officer roles that each player character can make. Generally, each option can only be attempted once. These actions and corresponding officer roles are suggestions only; players are encouraged to be creative and think of other actions their characters make take to address the hazard regardless of role. The DM adjudicates these suggestions and calls for an appropriate roll In addition to the officers, the crew members of the ship make a single check, a d20 roll + 4 (see the “Crew” section above for details). Each of these individual ability check contributes to one combined group check. Hazarp OUTCOMES Once all the checks related to the group check have been rolled, the ship's success or failure is, determined. Hazards typically offer four levels of success or failure determined by the results of the ship's group check: + Total Success. Every roll in the group check is, a success. All negative impacts of the hazard are avoided or prevented, and the party may be able to use the hazard to their benefit in some. way. + Success. A majority (at least 50%) of the rolls the group check are a success. Impacts of the hazard are minimal or none. + Failure. A majority (at least 50%) of the rolls in the group check are a failure. The party is negatively impacted by the hazard. The hazard may not be resolved forcing another check. + Total Failure, Every roll in the group check is a failure. The negative impact of the hazard is intensified or additional drawbacks are added. The hazard may not be resolved forcing another check, Hazarp DIFFICULTY Determine the hazard’s difficulty elass based on the nature and intensity of the hazard or roll randomly on the Hazard DC table. Generally, the intensity of the consequences for failing a hazard check increase directionally with the Hazard DC, Hazarp DC TABLE 420 Hazard DC Difficulty 19 10 Easy / Not Dangerous 1017 15 Moderate / Dangerous 1819 20 Hard / Deadly 20 25 Very Hard / Very Deadly Descripinc Hazarps The hazard name and suggested tasks provide an idea of what the nature of the hazard is. The selected DC provides an idea of how serious or intense the hazard is. DMs are encouraged to describe the initial hazard situation and then continue to narrate how the hazard develops by describing the successes and failures of the individual party members. +8 should also be encouraged to help narrate individual successes and failures and how they affect the ongoing hazardous situation. Succeed or fail, a shared hazard narrative can become a memorable encounter.EXAMPLE HAZARDS Prot a Course (DC 12) Role Spelliammer Navigator Bosun Any Total Success Success Failure Total Failure Task Check Navigate Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Survival) Advise course Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) Man the ship Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) Other TBD by OM Gain 1 hour. Used the gravitational fields to your advantage. Successfully plot a safe and effective course. Lose 1 hour. Failed to account for gravitational fields of nearby systems. Lose 2 hours. Repeat the hazard Exgcrric Frecp (DC 12) Role ‘Spelliammer Any Bosun Medical Any Total Success Success Failure Total Failure Task Check Evasive maneuvers Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Survival) Avoid currents Dexterity (Acrobatics) Manage energy levels, Intelligence (spelljammer) ‘Treat injury Wisdom (Medicine) Other TBD by DM ‘Avoid taking any damage ot losing any time. ‘Avoid taking any damage or losing any time. Lose 1 hour repowering the ship. 2 crew members are electrified and fall off the ship. Lose 1 hour repowering the ship. 5 crew members are electrified and fall off the ship, AsTEROID CLusTER (DC 15) Role Spelljammer First Mate Bosun Any Any Total Success Success Failure Total Failure Task Check Evasive maneuvers Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Perception) Motivate crew Charisma (Persuasion) Protect the ship Strength (any tools) or intelligence (spelljammer) Man the ship. Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) Other TBD by DM Ship takes no damage. Ship takes no damage but gets some scratch and dents. Ship takes 75 damage Ship takes 75 damage and is still stuck in the asteroid cluster. Repeat the hazard.Free On Boarp (DC 15) Role Task Check Spelljammer Determine cause/source Wisdom (Perception) First Mate Charisma (Intimidation) Bosun Protect the ship Strength (any tools) or Intelligence (spelljammer) Medical Treat injury Wisdom (Medicine) Any Other TBD by DM Total The fire is successfully extinguished with only superficial damage. Success Success _The fre is extinguished after the ship takes 22 (4d10) fire damage. Failure The fire is extinguished after the ship takes 44 (8d10) fire damage or one ofits weapons is destroyed Total Failure The fire is not extinguished, and the ship takes 44 (8d10) fire damage. Repeat the hazard. Crew Conriict (DC 12) Role Task Check First Mate Restore order Charisma (Intimidation) First Mate Deescalate Charisma (Persuasion) Any Restrain Strength (Athletics) Any Determine root cause Wisdom (Insight) Any Other TBD by DM Total The crew conflict is resolved and morale is raised. The crew's roll bonus is increased by 2 for the Success _next 3 days. Success The crew conflict is resolved. Failure The crews roll bonus is decreased by 2 for the next 3 days. Total The crew’s roll bonus is decreased by 5 for the next 3 days. Failure INTERSTELLAR Foc (DC 12) Role Task Check Spelljammer Proceed with caution Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) Navigator Advise course Wisdom (Nature) Any Calm the crew Charisma (Persuasion) Any Other TBD by DM Total Success The interstellar fog has no effect. Success The interstellar fog has no effect. Failure The ship is delayed by 11 (2410) hours. Total Failure The ship is lost in the fog and delayed by one day. Repeat the hazard.EXAMPLE TYPICAL HAZARD CHECKS The following table provides a variety of example skill checks that may be relevant depending on the hazard encountered. EXAMPLE HAZARD CHECKS TABLE Skill Check Strength (Athletics) Strength (any tool} Dexterity (Acrobatics) Dexterity (Acrobatics) Dexterity (Stealth) Intelligence (Arcana) Intelligence (investigation) Intelligence (spelljammer) Example Uses Man the ship and fulfil various stations and functions. To prevent or minimize damage to the ship, Man the ship and fulfil various stations and functions. Maneuver around obstacles that would impact crew members more than the ship itself. To navigate and handle the ship to minimize noise and attention. Navigate or control the spelljammer ship with precision. To make logical deductions. Use skill and knowledge of the ship to handle the situation at hand ‘Skill Check Wisdom (insight) Wisdom (Medicine) Wisdom (Perception) Wisdom (Survival) Wisdom (Survival) Charisma (Intimidation) Charisma (Persuasion) Example Uses To determine a creature's true intention, next move, or underlying cause of an issue. ‘Treat or prevent an illness or injury. Detect the presence obstacles or other objects. To plot a course or navigate through difficult regions. To guide and lead the ship and crew through peril. To forcefully motivate the crew into immediate action. To rally the crew and improve moral.SPELLJAMMER & WEAPON STAT BLOCKS SPELLJAMMER STAT BLOCKS This section provides a summary and explanation of the basic components of a spelljammer ship's stat blocks. ‘Some of these have been modified from the official stat blocks provided in the Astral Adventurer’s Guide. A modified statistics summary table of each official spelljammer ship is provided at the end of this section. These modifications should be easy to change, switch around, or apply to homebrew ships as needed. SraT BLocxs COMPONENTS A spelljammer ship's stat block is generally comprised of the following components. Single Component. Spelljammer ships are considered “single component” ships, meaning that the ship itself only has one set of stats and pool of hit points. These stats include an Armor Class, hit points, damage threshold, speed, agility, crew members, immunities, and weapons, Armor Class. The ship’s AC reflects the materials used to construct it and any defensive plating used to augment its toughness. Hit Points. These represent the condition of the ship. A ship's hit points function the same as for any regular creature, When a ship's hit points are reduced to zero, the ship is destroyed and no longer functional, A spelljammer ship doesn't have hit dice, Damage Threshold. A ship's damage threshold appears after its hit points. A ship has immunity to all damage unless it takes an amount of damage that equals or exceeds its threshold, in which case it takes damage as normal. Damage that fails to bypass the threshold is considered superficial and doesn't reduce the ship's hit points. Speed. The ship's speed indicates how far a ship can move during its turn during combat (ex. 40 feet), Agility. The ship's agility indicates how far a ship can turn or rotate during its turn in combat expressed in degrees (ex. 90°). Crew Members. This represents the number of crew members the ship has when fully manned. During combat, crew members are assigned to operate the ships weapons which determines the number of attacks the ship can make on its turn, Immunities, Although not specified in their stat blocks, spelljammer ships are typically immune to poison and psychic damage, as well as the following conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, and unconscious, Weapons. Artillery and other weapons onboard a spelliammer ship are considered to be separate components with their own stats and hit points. Each weapon requires a certain number of crew members to man it, otherwise it cannot be fired. A weapon cannot be fired more than once per turn. Acrew member cannot man more than one weapon during a single turn ‘VARIANT SPEED MECHANIC To simulate the effects of damage taken by a spelljammer ship, consider the following variant speed rule: Asa spelljammer ship is damaged, its ability to function is impacted and its speed is reduced When a spelljammer ship has fewer than 100 points remaining, its speed is cut in half. When a spelljammer ship has fewer than 50 hit points remaining, its speed is reduced to 0. a SSsSsSsSseseF AGILITY CONVERSION FOR HEX GRIDS The rules and game mechanics in this supplement are based on the assumption of playing on a regular square grid with the ships themselves taking up many spaces on the grid. IF you're playing on a hex grid, whether the ships ‘occupy a single hex or multiple hexes, you will probably want to covert the agility of the spelliammer ships as shown on the following table: ‘SHIP AGILITY CONVERSION TABLE ‘Square Grid Hex Grid 45° 60” 90° 120° 180° 180" aSumMary OF SPELIJAMMER STATS. The following table summarizes the basic the spelljammer ships presented in the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, with modifications where needed to work with the rules and mechanics of this supplement. ats of SPELLJAMMER SHIP STATISTICS SUMMARY TABLE Name AC HP — Speed Agility Crew Cargo Typical Artillery Bombard 15 300 (20) 35 45" 12150tons _Ballista (x2); Giant Cannon Damselfly 19 200(15) 70 180° 9 Stons _Ballista (x1); Mangonel (x1) Flying Fish 15 250(15) 40 90° 10 13tons _Ballista (x1); Mangonel (x1) Hammerhead 15 400(15) 35 90" 15.30 tons _Ballista (x1); Mangonel (x2); Blunt Ram Kindori Skeleton 17 250(10) 40 90° 8--10tons_Ballista (x2); Blunt Ram Lamprey 15 250(15) 35 90°15. 6tons _Ballista (x4); Grappling Claws Living Ship 15 250(15) 40 90° 510 tons —_Ballista (x1) Nautiloid 15 400 (15) 40 90° 20-17 tons _Ballista (x4); Mangonel (x1); Tentacles Nightspider 19 300(15) 40 90"_-25.SOtons _Ballsta (x4); Mangonel (x1) Scorpion 19 250(15) 30 90° 12 ‘12tons _Ballista (x1); Mangonel (x1); Claws Shrike 15 250(15) 70 180° 11 20tons _Ballista (x3); Piercing Ram Space Galleon 15 400(15) 35 90°20 -20tons _Ballista (x2); Mangonel (x1) Squid Ship 15 300(15) 30 90° 13. 20tons _Ballista (x2); Mangonel (x1); Piercing Ram Star Moth 13 400(15) 50 90" 13.30 tons _Ballista (x2); Mangonel (x1) Turtle Ship 19 300(15) 25 90° 16 30tons _Ballista (x3); Mangonel (x1) ‘Tyrant Ship 17 300 (20) 40 90° 10 20tons _Eyestalk Cannons Wasp Ship 15 250(15) 50 180° 5 10 tons _Ballista (x1)‘WEAPON STAT BLOCKS This section provides a summary and explanation of the basic components ofa the stat blocks for anillery weapons typically found on a spelljammer ship. Such weapons are slow to load and fire. Player characters are almost always better off using their own weapons and spells in ship-to-ship combat and leaving the artillery to be manned by the ship’s crew. ARTILLERY WEAPON STAT BLOCK COMPONENTS Below is a table summarizing the key stats of common types of artillery weapons found on spelljammer ships. For purposes of this summary table, an artillery weapon's stat block is generally comprised of the components listed below. Some weapons may have special abilities or unique features not included in the summary table below, such as the mangonel being able to hit targets behind cover. ‘Armor Class. The weapon's AC reflects the materials used to construct it. Hit Points. The weapon's hit points represent how much damage it can take before it is destroyed. A weapon's hit points funetion the same as for any regular creature. When a weapon's hit points are reduced to zero, it destroyed and no longer functional. A weapon. doesn’t have hit dice. Attack. This reps rolls made with the weapon. nts the bonus to attack Range. The weapon's range is expressed as two numbers. The first is the weapon's normal range in feet, and the second indicates the weapon's, long range. When making an attack with the weapon against a tanget beyond its normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage. Targets beyond the weapon's long range cannot be targeted. Damage. This represents the amount of damage the weapon deals to a target on a successful hit, Crew. Artillery weapons more complex and cumbersome than traditional weapons, generally requiring a series of actions load, aim, and fire the weapon. This number represents the number of crew members required to fire the weapon during the ship's turn in combat, as they work together to perform these actions concurrently. If there are not sufficient available crew members to fulfill these actions, the weapon cannot be fired that, one weapon each turn. SUMMARY OF SPELIJAMMER WEAPON STaTs The following table summarizes the basic stats of the artillery weapons available to spelljammer ships presented in the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, with modifications where needed to work with the rules and mechanics of this supplement. ‘SPELLAMMER ARTILLERY WEAPONS STATISTICS SUMMARY TABLE Name AC HP Attack Ballista 15 5046 Improved Ballista 5046 Mangonel 15 10045 Carronade 199 5046 Cannon 199 75 +6 Blunt Ram nfa na 48 Piercing Ram nfa fa 48 Range Damage Crew 120/480, 16 (3410) g 120/480, 22 (4d10) 3 200/800 (60 min) 27 (5410) 5* 30/120 33 (6d10) 3 1600/2400 44 (8d10) ef o 88 (16410) na 0 88 (16410) nfa *Ifinstalled on a turret rotator, a mangonel requires one fewer crew members than normal to fire.