The Concordance of Arcane Space by Jeff Grubb
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Wy^^^y +s ^vTI Supplement The Concordance of Arcane Space by Jeff Grubb Sample file Ad astra per aspera ('To the stars through hardships') —Latin proverb Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for? —Robert Browning Design: Jeff Grubb Editing and Development: Steve Winter, Jim Lowder, Jon Pickens, Karen Boomgarden,Eric Severson, Kim Mohan Spiritual Guidance: Jim Ward Box Painting: Jeff Easley Book Cover PaintingsSample, file Illustrations, Ship Concepts: Jim Holloway Cartography: Diesel Color Inking, Counter Silhouettes: Roy Parker Graphic Design: Stephanie Tabat Typography: Angelika Lokotz, Gaye O'Keefe A product such as this is the result of much cross-fertilization. To those friends and associates who contributed and are not listed above, we extend our thanks and apologies. TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd. POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva, Cambridge CB1 3LB Wl 53147 USA TSR, Inc. United Kingdom t OF VOIM IMAGINATION™ SPELLJAMMER, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR Inc. AM Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. " Copyright 1989 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved. Everything you know ster, and Fistandantilus rather "discovery" and creation of about space is wrong. than Galileo, Newton, and Ein- new worlds. The Lorebook of stein. They sometimes appear the Void discusses the races, Infinite space; stars as flam- strange and random to us, who monsters, and myriad other ing spheres of super-heated are accustomed to the work- unusual things that can be en- plasma; movement through ings of science. But to the countered "out there." space as a balance of scientific characters who have lived Full-color heavy sheets give forces, thrust providing accel- their entire lives in this envi- eration and maneuverability; deck plans and other details ronment, nothing could be on the most common space- scientific fact backing up natu- more familiar and logical. ral phenomena; life on other going ships. planets built along blocks of This SPELLJAMMER sup- Finally, four maps are in- carbon or silicon elements. plement extends the AD&D® cluded in the SPELLJAMMER 2nd Edition game into space, Forget all that. It's wrong. box. These include a full lay- and does so without violating out of the Spelljammer, a huge, You can get out of the existing campaign material. powerful ship of legend. It is atmosphere on the back of a This includes Greyhawk, the the Flying Dutchman of the roc; fly between the planets original AD&D game setting; space lanes, the ultimate goal through a breathable ocean of Krynn, land of the Dragon- and dream of many a space pi- air; sail between the crystal lances; Toril, home of the rate and adventurer. Also in- spheres that surround the in- Forgotten Realms; and every cluded is a map of a typical habited worlds on a river of individual campaign in exist- space citadel, the sort used as magical energy; encounter ence. a port and base by many differ- roving mind flayers and be- Introducing this material in ent races; a hex grid and stand- holders. The stars are living your campaign will work some up counters for playing tac- things in some areas, great changesSample, certainly. fileIt will pro- tical space battles; and an bowls of fire in others, and pin- duce an entertaining and far- overview map of typical solar points of light painted inside a ranging version of the AD&D systems and planetary orbits sphere in others. game which can exist along- for diagramming new systems Welcome to the SPELLJAM- side the standing campaign, and tracking the planets in a MER™ universe. It is a magical mixing with "earthbound" ad- campaign. universe. ventures without overshadow- ing them. The SPELLJAMMER sup- plement treats the AD&D® The text in this set is divided game world, with its magic, into two books: The Concor- myriad races, and dimen- dance of Arcane Space and The sional gates as the "real" Lorebook of the Void. The Con- world, and builds outward cordance (this book) should be from there. This is a universe read first. It lays out the rules postulated on magical, not sci- for conducting AD&D games entific, laws. There are univer- in space as well as the magical sal laws and they must be science behind space travel, obeyed, but they are the laws the building and handling of of magic, not physics—the space craft, new spells and laws of Mordenkainen, Elmin- items of equipment, and the Table of Contents Foreword 3 CHAPTER 1 ARCANE SPACE 6 Celestial Bodies 6 Wildspace 7 Gravity 7 The Helm 8 Crystal Shells 9 The Phlogiston 10 Breathing in Space 11 Air Quality 11 Matters of Gravity '3 Temperature 15 Time '5 CHAPTER 2 AD&D® RULES IN SPACE 16 Ability Scores 16 Character Races 16 Lizard Men '6 Special Races and Classes 17 Magic Use in Space 17 Spelljamming 18 New Wizard Spells 19 New Priest Spells 21 CHAPTER 3 SHIPS OF WILDSPACE 25 Spelljammer Architecture 25 Outfitting 27 Ship Hulls 27 Caravel, Coaster, Cog, Drakkar, Dromond, Galleon, Great Galley, Longship, Nautiloid, Squid Ship, Hammership, Dragonfly, Damselfly, Mosquito, Wasp, Deathspider, Citadel, Tyrant Ship, Dragonship, Man-o-War, Flitter, Tradesman, and Sidewheeler Hulls Power Sources Sample file 33 Spelljammer Helms, including Major & Minor Helms, Series Helms, Pool Helms, Orbus, Forges, Gnomish Helms, Crown of the Stars, Furnaces, Artifurnaces, Lifejammers, and Nonmagical Engines Armaments 39 Catapults, Ballistas, Sweepers, Rams, Bombards, Jettisons, and Greek Fire Projectors Turrets 43 Hull Armor 43 Improved Maneuverability 44 Personal Weapons and Ammunition 45 Other Speljjamming Equipment 47 Crews 48 Initial Crew Status 49 Increasing Crew Status 49 Decreasing Crew Status 49 CHAPTER 4 MOVEMENT & COMBAT 51 Long-Range Movement 51 Traveling in Wildspace 52 Calculating Travel Times in Wildspace 53 Movement in the Flow 54 Tactical Movement 55 Facing 55 Movement 55 Speed 55 Stacking 56 Table of Contents Combat 56 The Turn Sequence 56 Initiative 56 Long-Range Combat 57 Hit Points & Hull Points 58 Critical Hits 59 Breaking Up 60 Effects of Crew Losses 60 Debris 61 Fire 61 Fields of Fire 61 Morale 61 Short-Range Combat 63 Missile Fire at Close Range 63 Magic at Close Range 64 Ramming 64 Size and Ramming 65 Ramming and Ship Positions 65 Ramming Gargantuan Creatures 65 Crashes 65 Shearing Attacks 66 Grappling and Boarding 66 Rapid Resolution of Small-Scale Combat 67 Towing 69 Encounters, Evasion, and Running Away 69 Pursuit 69 Repair 70 CHAPTER 5 CELESTIAL MECHANICS 71 Laying Out the Planets 71 Moving on the Planetary Display 72 Encounters and Evasions on the Display 72 Universe Building 74 Preplanned Universes 74 DM-Created Universes 74 Randomly GenerateSampled Systems file 74 APPENDIX 1 SPELL EFFECTS 78 Spells in Space 78 Wizard Spells 78 Priest Spells 85 Magical Items 88 APPENDIX 2 TRAVEL TIMES 90 APPENDIX 3 PLANETARY DISPLAY 92 APPENDIX 4 THE ROCK OF BRAL 94 A Guide to Sidebar Subjects Ships and Gravity Planes 6 Multi-Sphere Churches '4 Castaways in the Flow 28 Celestial Body Classification 34 Crew Positions 44 Ship Names 52 Why Are Crystal Shells Round? 58 Common Ship Commands 62 Nonstandard Systems 68 Krynnspace 74 Greyspace 78 Realmspace 82 The Flow 86 Many of the details about fantasy space can be different from cam- Celestial Bodies paign to campaign and from world to The celestial body that is most fa- world. All fantasy space, however, miliar to typical player characters is shares certain, universal basic prop- their home planet, be it Krynn, erties and capabilities. This allows Oerth, Toril, or any one of hundreds ships to fly between the planets and of others that populate the universe. to voyage between the crystal Celestial bodies extend upward in spheres. This chapter discusses the size to that of the sun, and downward Ships and nature of wildspace and the many to the size of asteroids and plane- Gravity Planes facets and intricacies of travel and toids. The tremendous variety that is adventure in this new arena. Since the gravity plane possible (and proven) in celestial of a ship runs through its Space can be divided into two bodies mandates that the only accu- types: wildspace and the phlogiston. rate definition for the term is any sig- two horizontal axes, it is nificantly large conglomeration of possible to stand on the Wildspace is what comes to mind matter that is wheeling about in wild- "bottom" of the boat, when we talk of "space." It is the vast space. In general, however, a celes- facing the opposite direc- emptiness that lies between the plan- tial body is a planetary mass. Most tion of the rest of the ets and the stars. All space inside a have a regenerating atmosphere. Ce- ship. In fact, it is feasible crystal shell is wildspace. It is mostly lestial bodies can have any shape, to build a ship with two vacuum. (More correctly, most re- though the most common is spheri- decks, one topside, the gions of wildspace are vacuum. But cal. Still, there are flat worlds, ellipti- other on the bottom. the cosmos is a big place and there cal worlds, cubic worlds, amorphous The fact that this is not are exceptions to almost every rule, worlds, ring-shaped worlds, hollow done is a reflection of as shall be shown later.) Wildspace is worlds. Astronomers from Calim- both human (and other not truly a void, however, even shan have even theorized the exist- sentient) nature and though it is often referred to that way. ence of a mobius world. common sense in space. The simple fact that there is "space" The human nature part is rules out its being a true void.