Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Gloix spends his time buried in books and tombs, trying to learn as much as he can about this new environment he will be in and how to be a better helmsman. Having lost control of the helm seems to have rattled him and he is determined to not make that mistake again.
Hopefully he is buried in "tomes" not "tombs"... unless he's undead.
Roy sets about learning as much as he can about the various weapons the ships carry and which ones carry what weapons. After the study session he heads back to his bunk to relax for a bit.
Oriovar - Wood Elf Cleric (1) - Sword Coast Campaign
Roy Quigley - Human Artificer (1) - Karrion's Spelljammer Academy Starboard
Zaius takes to his classes and studies seriously over the next few days, looking to learn as much as he can. He spends mornings in the gym, working on swordsmanship and sparring with Xavier and some of the other Cadets. He partners with Roy to study shipboard weapons and ballistics. Evenings are in the library, often with Gloix, studying maps and charts of the astral sea and surrounding worlds and he learned the skill of map-making and cartography. He spends some evenings with Rel, making sure he stays out of trouble, or at least getting into it with him when he does. He can be just as gruff and antisocial as Erma when he wants to be and they take turns staring each other down. He also takes up smoking and starts clamping down on a short-stem pipe, but never around Boatswain Tarto. “When are we going to get out of here” he grumbles “I ache to get back on a ship.”
It's been several weeks of intensive classes, physical training and simulated exercises. The attacks on the academy seem to have simmered down a bit after the attack on Mirt and the sabotage of the simulation chambers; there have been a few more random thefts and some unfortunate accidents, but nothing provably connected. The whole island seems to be waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop.
Expecting another day of studying for your upcoming exams, you were surprised to be awakened early at four bells by Boatswain Tarto in a most discourteous fashion. Dodging thrown garbage cans, you geared up, ate a hasty breakfast (unusually, not served by the giff cook Ryeback), and were immediately commanded to the deck of the Flighty Foundling. The real one, not a simulation. As well as your squad, a handful of other cadets report to the ship: Miken Haverstance, a thri-kreen named Krik'lit that you've seen around but not interacted with much, a plasmoid named Pffred who is fairly popular among the cadets, and, unfortunately, Veena. As soon as you have all boarded the ship, it rises into the air toward Wildspace.
"Forgive the sudden change of plans," Boatswain Tarto addresses you, with absolutely zero hint of genuine contrition in her voice, "but we've been presented with an opportunity we can't afford to pass up. An adamantine meteor has struck the Spire on H'Catha, and you lot are going to recover it. The bad news is that H'Catha is populated solely by beholders and their kin. The good news is that an empty tyrant ship drifts above Toril, just waiting for you to crew it, though you'll need to install a spelljamming helm on the Command Deck to make the ship fly. Traveling aboard this beholder vessel, you should be able to reach the Spire without attracting the unwanted attention of other tyrant ships patrolling H'cathan space.
"We'll drop you off with Petty Officer Winston Ryeback, who will ensure you don't go hungry. He'll command the deck hands Miken Haverstance, Krik’Lit, and Pffred. The rest of you'll need to identify who among you is in command of the mission, as well as who commands the ship. A word of warning: the tyrant ship is made of stone, so don't try and land it in water. You'll sink like a rock.
"Ah, we're almost there. Well folks, how do you like the look of your new vessel?" Tarto gestures off the starboard bow of the Foundling, where coming into view is what looks like a gigantic, stone-carved beholder floating in orbit above Toril.
Episode Three: Realmspace Sortie
Erma sighs and answers, "Not at all. Not one bit. How long do you expect this will take? Is it more like a day or a month?"
"I'll assist with the things as best I can."
She will stick around with the helm installation and navigation and so on, casting guidance on the important people.
Rel feels flush with adrenaline as he hears about the mission, until he sees the tyrant ship. He involuntarily recoils a bit. "Wow, it just exudes malice and cruelty, doesn't it?"
He greets the cadets from other crews, even Veena, and says, "Ok, I guess we need to nominate and vote on a mission commander and a ship captain. Anyone want to submit a nomination?"
“It looks like a piece of junk. Not a piece of rigging on it, just a hollowed out rock.” Zaius grumbles. “Still as long as it gets us where we are going in one piece. Then what, we grab the meteorite and head back here?” He looks over at Rel and nods“You got us there and back in the simulation. You got my vote, Cap’n. I will follow your lead.”
He turns “I am going to go see what crew weapons are left on this hunk of rock. Want to come along, Roy?” Zaius stomps off to check out the Tyrant ship for supplies, weapons and equipment.
"Hmm.. perhaps if it was shaped better it would still float, despite being made of stone? Yes? It is about water displaced and not.." Gloix carries on mentally to whoever wants to listen to intelligent drivel as he looks over at the beholder ship. "I will do my best to man the helm once installed, but Rel would be good choice for command."
"Not to worry, cadet," Tarto replies to Erma. "We're almost in syzygy with H'catha, so the trip should only take a couple of tendays. Each way."
Veena seems grumpy that she wasn't considered for the command role, but realizes she doesn't have the support to bid for it, and grudgingly accepts Rel's leadership.
Miken enthusiastically joins in with Gloix's buoyancy calculations, until:
You're dropped unceremoniously into the tyrant ship's Cargo Deck, along with a crate of supplies, an navigational map, and a shiny new spelljammer helm. Petty Officer Ryeback pulls up the rear wearing a backpack laden with cooking implements. Pots clang and clatter as he turns and waves goodbye to the Flighty Foundling, which has already set a course back to the academy.
Ryeback puts Miken, Krik'Lit and Pffred to work unpacking gear, taking inventory, and setting up a makeshift galley in one of the Cargo Deck's chambers.
[The supplies consist of:
Petty Officer Ryeback also carries a sending stone, paired with one kept by Boatswain Tarto.]
The rest of you are left to study the map of the tyrant ship that Tarto left you with, and plan how to carry the spelljamming helm to the Command Deck to install it.
[You've been dropped into the slightly smaller chamber to the left of the top access shaft on the cargo deck map. The galley is being set up in the slightly larger adjacent chamber. The chambers' walls, floor and ceiling are all perfectly smooth, featureless rock, and there are no hard corners, everything is smoothly filleted edges.]
"Don't wander too far on your own," Ryeback warns, "We're fairly sure there aren't any beholders left aboard, but we don't know why they abandoned ship, so there could still be danger."
Erma will stick close to the Spelljamming Helm. The plan is to cast enhance ability and guidance on the person doing the installing (if applicable). She will stay with it and re-cast the spells on whoever is going to pilot it until we are successfully underway.
"Very well, I will resume the captain's seat. Ms. Veena, Zaius is our first mate and weapons and security officer, Erma is second mate and ship's surgeon. Roy is our Chief Engineer and Gloix our spelljammer pilot. I appoint Xavier as our lookout and as quartermaster, in charge of inventorying and distributing the supplies we were given. Veena, what are your skills, and where would you fit the best on board?
"Erma, Veena and Gloix, can you manage getting the helm up to the command deck and installing it? Let us know if you require assistance.
"Xavier, perhaps you should go catch up with Zaius and Roy, in case they run into any trouble.
"I will inspect the command deck."
“Not that I’d like to go looking to encounter a Beholder, but I’d like it even less if one was still on board and deduced to appear while we were engaged in combat,” Roy says, “May I suggest that we ensure that there are no surprises waiting for us in this ship.”
Oriovar - Wood Elf Cleric (1) - Sword Coast Campaign
Roy Quigley - Human Artificer (1) - Karrion's Spelljammer Academy Starboard
[So, sounds like we're splitting the party *evil grin*? Zaius, Roy and Xavier clearing the cargo deck while the others make for the command deck?]
"Well, as an elf, I obviously possess a superior intellect," Veena replies, letting "to any of you" hang unsaid for a moment. "I am at the top of my astral navigation classes, so perhaps that would be an appropriate station? I am of course also physically capable but I would be wasted on any," she wrinkles her nose, "menial labor." She does agree to help carry the helm, though its clear that she's not quite holding her full share of the weight, and immediately starts directing the others, "left, a little more left, no my left, right a bit..."
The first challenge in reaching the command deck presents itself almost immediately: the access shafts between levels are simply round holes in the floor of this deck, their walls as smooth and featureless as the rest of the interior. Clearly intended for use by beholders, who are naturally levitating creatures, they present no handholds or mechanisms for travelling along. The most straightforward solution is the one suggested by Tarto's notes on the map she left you with: use the climbing kits, pitons, and so on to construct a rope ladder the length of one of the shafts. [Doing so doesn't require any skill check, but will take 8 hours to do. Or you could find some other solution...]
[Where is the cargo deck party checking first?]
Erma might have some ideas (just to use the rarely used Stonecunning feature). History check to see if she recalls any clever stuff related to stonework that might function in this circumstance: 11
(I'm curious if we just jump down the shafts, will crossing the gravity plane slow us down enough at the other end for a soft landing? Nature check 9 )
“Good idea, Roy. We have some time for a quick look while the others play with the helm. Do you know anything about beholders? Not that I am looking to run into one. Let’s follow this tunnel past the access shaft first.” He tightens he equipment and heads off with the others down the corridor, throwing a grin back to Rel “Give a holler if you need us, Cap’n”
(We already know the two chambers where we were dropped off and the galley, we will head to the right of the top access shaft first to make sure the others are not surprised by anything coming that way. Also open to Roy and Xavier making any changes)
Erma is able to tell that this stone is too smooth to have been drilled, dug, or otherwise worked with tools, or even with direct earth magic like stone shape. Rather, it has been excavated by a beholder's disintegration ray ability. It's still ordinary stone, though; tools like pickaxes and piton, and spells like stone shape or mold earth will work just fine on it. [In the case of those spells, on a 5'x5' section of it at a time.]
[I see it's Make the DM Do Maths time again. Ugh, fine, I do like the way you think :)]
Looking over the edge, you can see it's a long way down. A very, very long way. Between that and a look at the side view on the map you were given, you make an educated guess that it's probably around 60' down to the gravity plane, and another 20' or so past that to the command deck. Some quick calculations (you were paying attention in your Gravity Planes and You lectures) suggest you'd be falling about 35 miles an hour past the command deck [which is to say, you'd have to pass some really high DC Dex saves to avoid potentially fatal fall damage, and at disadvantage for anyone trying to take the helm with them]; it would also be a one-way trip, since jumping the other way wouldn't start out high enough to make it back up to the cargo deck.
[Oh, I should note that there's no natural light here. I'm assuming the cargo deck party has one of the lanterns, the command deck party at least one, and the galley party one; you can also use a light cantrip or similar of course.]
You enter the chamber and find yourself surrounded by skulls. It takes a moment to realize these aren't some kind of undead creature, they're just ordinary dead. Long dead, by the look of them. They're pinned all around the walls; some show signs of trauma that may well have been the cause of death, some still have sections of spine attached, all are different shapes and sizes, from small animal sized to several feet large, from humanoid to strange and alien, elongated and eyeless with multiple sets of jaws. Arranged around and between the skulls are fragments of wood, leather and metal, rotted and rusted with age; perhaps the armor and weapons that failed to protect the creatures on display.
The interior of the chamber is dotted with structures like pedestals or plinths, that look like they once held items of particular value, but are now empty, and several half-rotten chests and crates.
Looking down into the shaft that leads to the command deck, Rel says, "Belay my previous orders, helm team. We're going to need to construct some sort of ladder to move up and down this shaft. Let's have those ropes, hammers and pitons fetched and get to work."
(So it looks like Rel, Erma, Veena and Gloix will be spending 6 hours constructing a rope ladder...)