The Wind-Rider Attack Airship
At the end of the Last War, a handful of experimental military air vessels appeared in the waning years of that century-long conflict. None proved viable as weapons of war, as the expense of creating them proved too much for even the richest of nations. The few war ships that had been built by House Lyrandar were re-purposed after the war and now serve as luxury airships for those that can afford it.
As House Lyrandar continues to grow in wealth and power, House Matrirach Esravash d'Lyrandar has once again started building flying attack ships. Even thought the last war has ended, dangers abound throughout Khorvaire and the rest of Eberron. With the return on the daelkyr, the Five Nations' armistice tenuous at best, and the destruction that beset the land after the Mourning, Esravash knew that building airships with combat abilities was the best way for her to protect the half-elves of House Lyrandar.
This 4 man attack ship is the smallest ship in the Lyrandar fleet. What is lacks in size, it more than makes up in speed, as it can travel at twice the speed of the next fastest airship. They are currently used primarily as scouting ships, but Matriarch Esravash envisions squadrons of these ships flying in attack formations and ruling the skies. With only a few in existence, and a dragonmarked heir needed to be specially trained to flying the Wind-Rider, her vision is still quite a ways off.
The Wind-Rider is a bare bones ship, with the top deck containing only the helm and one ballista. These ships are always powered by a bound air elemental. Unlike other airship designs, the struts and ring to which the air elemental is bound to is located in the far rear of the vessel. The lower deck are equally as sparse, with a small sleeping quarters, a tiny galley for the crew, and a small area where the essense of the bound air elemental is.
Wind-Rider Attack Ship (Airship)
Gargantuan vehicle (60 ft. by 20ft.)
- Creature Capacity 4 crew
- Cargo Capacity 0.25 ton
- Travel Pace 18 miles per hour (432 miles per day)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 0 0 0
- Damage Immunities poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Hull
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 100
Helm
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 50
- Move up to the speed of its elemental engine, with one 90-degree turn. If the helm is destroyed, the airship can’t turn.
Movement: Elemental Engine
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 100; – 20 ft. speed per 25 damage taken
- Locomotion (air) elemental power, speed 80 ft. If the engine is destroyed, the ship immediately crashes.
Weapons: Ballistas (1)
- Armor Class 15
- Hit Points 50 each
- Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) piercing damage.
Actions
On its turn, the airship can use its helm to move using its elemental engine. It can also fire its ballista. If any of the crew members are killed, it take 2 rounds to fire the ballista once.
Upper Deck
- Bow: Combat deck. Hold 1 ballista, two storage chests with 20 ballista bolts in each. One wind-rider will man the deck at all times and act as a lookout. During battle, three wind-riders will be on the deck manning the ballista.
- Mid: Helm. While the ship in in motion, the Dragonmarked heir pilot will be at the helm.
- Aft: Hatch to the lower deck. The crew uses a rope ladder to travel between decks. Attached to the back of the ship is the elemental ring with an air elemental bound to the ring.
Lower Deck
- Bow: The ships' gallery. Contains foodstuffs, a large cask of water, and a table with three chairs. The galley is a multi-purpose room, used to eat meals in, study navigational charts and relax when off duty.
- Mid: Crew's sleeping quarters with 4 bunks and foot lockers.
- Aft: The aft compartment holds part of the bound air elemental that is not in the elemental ring. This is the elemental's core essence and should it esacpe this room, it ill no longer be bound to the ship. There is no access to the room for this reason.
