Spelljammer Ship Combat

by Feel the Flumph

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Spelljammer Ship Combat

"So you want to sail the silver sea, eh? Well before you're ready to reach jammer speeds or stare down an eye monger, there's a couple things you should know."

Glyph Stations

Spelljammer ships can hold special magic items that can only be used when attached to a ship using enchanted glyphs, creating a Glyph Station. Each Glyph Station takes up a number of 5 by 5 squares. For each square a Glyph Station takes up it uses 1 ton of cargo space. The listed cargo space of all Spelljammers accounts for all standard Glyph Stations, which are detailed below:

Captains Wheel (5x5, AC 15, 50 HP)

The captains wheel has two components; Telepathic Spokes, and the Hailing Stone at its center.

  • The spokes allow up to 8 creatures within 5 feet of the wheel to be linked telepathically while within 100 feet of the ship.
  • The Hailing Stone can create a projected illusion in the space of any other willing user hailing stone within 2,000 ft. The illusion replicates a 5 ft radius space centered on the user, including all sight and sound in that space. The user can choose to create harmless sensory effects in addition to their image such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odor

The Fins (20x20, AC 15, 50 HP)

The Fins are a catch all term for the variety of rigging spelljammer ships use. These fins, wings, sails, etc, allow a ship to maneuver and evade effectively.

Spelljamming Helm (10x10, AC 18, 50 HP)

The spelljamming helm allows a ship to maneuver through space and reach jammer speeds (100 million miles per day)

Spell Glass (5x5, AC 18, 30 HP)

The spellglass is used to track the positions and movements of celestial bodies of size Huge or Larger within 10,000 feet, study threats, and assist other Glyph Stations.

Ship Weapon (10x10)

There are a number of weapons that can attached to a spelljammer, each with different stats and number of crew required to operate in one turn. Below are the most common;

  • Ballista. AC 15. HP 50. Ranged Weapon Attack: range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) piercing damage.
  • Mangonel. AC 15. HP 100. Ranged Weapon Attack: range 200/800 ft. (can’t hit targets within 60 feet of it), one target. Hit: 27 (5d10) bludgeoning damage.
  • Cannon. AC 19. HP 75. Ranged Weapon Attack: range 600/2,400 ft., one target. Hit: 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage.

Arcane Core (10x10, AC 20, 50 HP)

The Arcane Core is a special Glyph Station on a spelljamming ship as it powers all other Glyph Stations. It is usually located in the center of ships to be more fortified. Arcane Cores are built in many different styles and methods, from bubbling cauldrons, large robotic mouths, living elemental vortexes, or innocuous cardboard boxes. Though appearances vary, they all require consistent fuel to power the many enchantments of a spelljamming ship. Aside from some unique outliers, they all use the same fuel and have the same "core charge" capacity of 20 core charges per day. It costs 1 charge for each 10 million miles the ship travels, so typically 10 charges are allocated for other Glyph Stations.

Jammer Lenses allow a creature to see the magic coursing through the ship from the Arcane Core, and alter it with core charges or spellcasting.

Charges and Glyph Fish

Glyph Stations run on charges that are held in the Arcane Core. These charges can be replenished in the following ways;

  • Glyph Fish: This is the most common and marketed way to refuel a spelljammer ship. These are enchanted disks of water resembling ponds, which house living glyphs in the form of fish. The disk is placed in the arcane core, and each Glyph Fish becomes one charge.
  • Disenchantment: Magic items can be placed in the arcane core and disenchanted. The item provides a number of charges based on its rarity. Common (10), Uncommon (50), Rare (100) Very Rare (200) - Legendary (500)
  • Spellcasters: Spell slots can be expended to fuel a core or any officer actions requiring charges. A spell slot is equal to a number of core charges to its level.

Ship Actions and Crew

Each Glyph Station is run by an officer who is granted features and ship actions unique to their station. Some Ship actions require expending a charge from the arcane core. Officers can be assisted by crew at their Glyph Station, providing a bonus to any skill check the ship action requires depending on the crew members type/experience.

The 3 types of crew members are:

  • Standard Crew: Can operate any station. +1 crew bonus.
  • Specialized Crew: Can operate a specific station they are trained in. +2 crew bonus.
  • Superior Crew: Can operate a specific station they are trained in and can act as officer. +3 crew bonus.

Double the Risk, Double the Glory

Spelljamming is chaotic work. Advantage and disadvantage can be acquired twice at a time for ship actions.

Ship Officers

The Captain (Max 1 crew)

While attuned to a ship's Captain's Wheel you are considered a ship's Captain, allowing you to see and hear what’s happening on and around the vessel as though you were standing in a location of your choice aboard it.

You gain the following ship actions;

  • Taunt: Spend a core charge to use the Hailing Stone and project your illusion to a creature within 500 ft or the user of another hailing stone. You must make a Charisma (deception, intimidation or performance) versus the target's Wisdom (Insight). On a success, you give the target or the target's ship disadvantage on it's next attack role.
  • To Your Stations: You can reposition all crew and officers to any Glyph Stations.
  • Encourage: Give advantage to a number of creatures equal to 1 + your crew bonus for their next ship action.

As Captain, you also command all crew operating the Fins.

The Spelljammer (No Crew)

While attuned to a ship's Spelljamming Helm you are considered a ship's Spelljammer, allowing you to control the ships movement. You can see and hear what's happening outside of the ship as though you were standing in any location on its exterior. Any spell you cast while concentrating on the helm that targets yourself also targets the ship, as if it were a creature. Spell effects cannot alter the ships form or increase its hit points. If you lose concentration on the helm, all spell effects you cast on the ship end. When an attack originates from a space on the ship to a space not on the ship, the ship is considered to have made an attack for the purposes of spell effects.

When the ship is targeted by an attack, you are also considered the target for the purposes of triggering reactions, although you do not automatically suffer the effects or damage of the attack. If the ship must make a saving throw or ability check, you roll using your bonuses.

You gain the following ship actions;

  • Barrel Roll: The ship spins along its gravity plane. Make a Space Vehicle-Acrobatics check contested by a creature or a ships navigator. On a success attacks against the ship have disadvantage until the start of your next turn. On a failure attacks against the ship have advantage until the start of your next turn.
  • Dogfighting: You attempt to switch places with a target within 50 feet. Make a Dexterity (Space Vehicles) check contested by a creature or a ships spelljammer. On a success, following several tight turns you switch places with that target and the target has disadvantage on its next saving throw or contested roll. On a failure the creature or ship can immediately move to a space further than 100 feet from your ship of their choice.

You can choose to spend 1 core charge before attempting a maneuver to gain advantage on the roll.

Jamming: As a bonus action, you start charging your ship's helm to accelerate to jamming speed. Charging the helm takes 1 minute. If you start your turn in the same space as another ship, gargantuan creature or object, the charging is paused until the start of your next turn.

The Navigator (Max 2 crew)

While attuned to a ship's Spellglass you are considered a ship's Navigator, allowing you to determine optimal routes in the wildspace system and to study nearby threats.

You gain the following ship actions;

  • Scanning Threat: Spend a core charge to scan a target within 2,000 feet. You and the target (creature or ship's navigator) make contested Intelligence or Wisdom (Navigator's Tools) checks. On a success, you gain one of the following;
    • Scanned Dimensions. You learn the targets AC, and all attacks against it for the next round ignore half and three quarters cover.
    • Scanned Movement. You learn the targets speed, and if your ship's spelljammer officer makes a contested check against the target on their next turn they will have advantage.
    • Scanned Durability. You learn the targets current HP, and the next attack against it scores a critical hit on a 19 or 20.
  • Target Lock: You make an Intelligence or Wisdom (Navigator's Tools) checks contested by the target's (creature or ship's spelljammer) Dexterity (Space Vehicles) check. On a success the range of the next ship weapon fired from your ship this round is tripled.

The Mechanic (Max 2 crew)

While attuned to a ship's Jammer Lenses you are considered a ship's Mechanic, and you can see the inner magical workings of the ship. You can target the ship with spells as if it were a creature. Spell effects cannot alter the ships form or increase its hit points, though they can grant temporary hit points. When an attack originates from a space on the ship to a space not on the ship, the ship is considered to have made an attack for the purposes of spell effects. When the ship takes damage while you are concentrating on a spell effecting the ship, you must make a concentration check as if you had taken the same damage.

You gain the following ship actions;

  • Alterations: Spend a core charge and make a Intelligence (Space Vehicles) check to choose to improve the ship in one of the following ways;
    • Thrust: The ship's speed increases by 10 times the number rolled (rounded to nearest 50) before the start of your next turn.
    • Fortify: You grant a ship component temporary hit points equal to the number rolled.
    • Empower: A ship weapon's damage deals additional force damage equal to the number rolled on one hit before the start of your next turn.
  • Patch Repair: You can make a Space Vehicle-Arcana or Investigation check to temporarily repair a damaged (DC 20) or malfunctioning (DC 25) Glyph Station or rigging. On a success, it functions as though it were undamaged until the start of your next turn.

The Gunner (Crew Per Weapon)

While commanding a ships weapons you are considered a ship's Gunner. Spelljammer ships can be equipped with a variety of mounted weapons built for combatting dangers in Wildspace. These weapons are not considered simple or martial weapons, and require special training to operate. All class features that apply to standard weapons can apply to attacks made with ship weapons (ig sneak attack, extra attack, spells that alter ranged attacks, fighting styles, etc). Ship weapons often require additional actions to load and aim, and therefore are best operated with additional crew. If you can attack multiple times per turn, you can perform a ship action in place of any number of attacks.

You gain the following ship actions;

  • Ready: You load or aim a ship weapon.
  • Fire: You fire a ship weapon or command crew to fire a ship weapon that has been loaded and aimed. When crew fire a ship weapon, the bonus to their attack is equal to twice their crew bonus.
  • Overload: You spend a core to fire a weapon with one additional ammunition. The attack roll is made with disadvantage. If the dice roll is 5 or lower the weapon lowers on the Stability Table.

Ship Damage and Stability

A spelljamming ship has multiple components that can be targeted by an attack, including Glyph Station or crew above deck, and the hull. While the hull is above half its max HP, all other targets above deck have three quarters cover against ranged attacks (+5 to AC and dexterity saving throws). Targets below deck cannot be targeted until the hull is at half its Max HP (see table below). A ship's hull and Glyph Stations are resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non ship weapons.

As a ship component loses hit points, it takes on new conditions as shown in the table below.

Ship Stability
Target Damaged Effect (Half Max HP) Malfunctioning Effect (Quarter of Max HP) Wrecked Effect (0 HP)
Captain's Wheel Ship actions have disadvantage Encourage and Taunt actions have a 50% to be misinterpreted (Encourage becomes Taunt and vice versa). Ship actions auto fail
Spelljammer Helm Ship actions have disadvantage Ship's speed is halved Ship's speed is zero. Ship actions auto fail
Spellglass Ship actions have disadvantage Scaning Threat Range reduced to 200 ft Ship actions auto fail
Ship Weapon Attack rolls have disadvantage Can not attack beyond short range Can not attack
Arcane Core All non Damaged Glyph Stations have Damaged Status All stations have Malfunctioning Status. When a creature expends a core charge they suffer 1d4 force damage The ship takes 1d4 damage for each charge within the core. Every creature within 20 feet of the core must make a DC 15 dexterity saving throw or suffer the same damage, or half on a success. The core is then empty of charges
The Fins Spelljammer saving throws and contested rolls have disadvantage The spelljammer must succeed a DC 15 acrobatics check to turn the ship The ship can not turn
Hull Stations/crew below deck can be targeted with three quarters cover Stations/crew below deck can be targeted with half cover. Stations/crew below deck can be targeted with no cover.

When a hull is hit, the GM will roll a d100 on the Hull Damage table. If an additional target is hit it will suffer half the damage dealt to the hull from that attack. As the hull becomes less stable, the chances of hitting crew and stations increase.

Hull Damage
Hull Health Percentage No Additional Target Crew/Passenger (Roll for which creature) Internal Weapons (If N/A count as crew/passenger) Captain's Wheel (If N/A count as helm Spelljamming Helm Arcane Core
76-100% (No Condition) 26-100 21-25 16-20 6-15 1-5 0
51-75% (No Condition) 51-100 41-50 31-40 16-30 1-15 0
26-50% (Damaged) 76-100 61-75 46-60 26-45 5-26 1-5
1-25% (Malfunctioning 96-100 76-96 56-76 31-55 11-30 1-10
0% (Wrecked) 0 81-100 61-80 36-60 16-35 1-15

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