Rock Lobster Variants

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The ship’s design is inspired by a crustacean, with two giant crush-

ing claws at its bow and smaller ‘swimming’ legs along its sides. The
bow is covered by a thick crystal shield which protects a huge har-
poon. The ship’s hull is fairly traditional until you get to the stern
which is shaped like a lobster’s tail. Made from metal painted a dull
red, its segmented sections are attached by strips of thick rubber,
allowing for limited articulation. Domed portholes run down the
length of the tail, the glass so thick it’s difficult to see inside.

Notes and Tips

• 30x45 Grid Map
• When designing the ship I had the idea it could have been used
as a mining vessel. Its claws are used to crush asteroids into small
enough pieces to be collected and stored in the hold. Its legs could
be used to attach itself to asteroids, and its tail could be used for
stability or locomotion. Those claws also work on other ships, so
it would make a fantastic pirate ship.
• Astral Sea whaling ship. This ship is used to hunt astral sea
creatures, which the crew harvest for parts, very much like old
whaling ships. Have your party sign on and take inspiration from
Moby Dick.
• Have your party find this ship derelict and abandoned. Something
has happened to the crew, but what?
ԗԗ The ship was experimenting with a new form of magical fuel
which attracted elementals. They are feeding off the fuel cells
in the engines and will attack if they are disturbed in any way.
ԗԗ The ship has gone through an astral anomaly. At points, the
ship seems to flicker out of existence for a moment, during
that time the party hear wailing and other disturbing sounds.
Before the party can leave, the ship blinks into an ‘evil dimen-
sion’ where they encounter the crew which has been absorbed
by a Gibbering Mouther.
ԗԗ A swarm of astral sea creatures has taken up residence in the
ship. Like piranha but of an astral sea variety, their asteroid
nest was destroyed by the crew and the swarm took the ship as
its new home.
• The ship has been taken over by pirates and the crew is being
held in the brig. The pirate crew know very little about its oper-
ation and when the party encountered them it should be heavily
hinted that something is wrong.
• The ship runs on magically infused rock collected from asteroids,
the crew also collect rare metals and gems to sell. Because of the
high-value cargo, they are often targets for piracy. They hire the
party as protection.
• The asteroid nursery. Have the ship encounter a dense cloud of
asteroids, with promising signs of profit. While navigating into
it the crew encounters a nursery for some astral creature. They
must retreat while fighting off the creatures.

Rock Lobster
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