My group would like to run a Spelljammer campaign and I have been trying to learn the rules. As far as i can find, the rules do not say much about fire beyond specifying that fireball spells burn by magic and are therefor were unaffected by vacuum. Fire, however, was a terror on wooden ships because you lived in a small world and it was all flammable. If there is one place in which fire brings more terror than on a wooden ship it is in a spacecraft. Not only is there no place else to go, but air can be fouled quite quickly. Now you are in a wooden ship in space and it seems like burning wood in a limited air volume should be a problem (or an opportunity if you can set your enemy on fire). I'm thinking there should be some rule like if a ship looses 10% of its hit points to fire damage the air quality drops one level. On a 400 HP space galleon, if it take 40 points of fire damage the air quality goes from fresh air to foul. Another 40 hp and the air becomes deadly. Am I over thinking this? How have other people handled this issue? Are there rules I have missed?
Down this road madness lies. Spelljammers carry their atmosphere with them, and replenish it automatically. If you're starting to simulate life support, you need to account for breathing, cooking fires, farting for that matter - anything that goes on aboard ship during a week or month long journey is going to poison the air supply and kill everyone.
I recommend hand waving.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
There is a certain attraction to that approach. As to the farting, it is worth noting that the key factor in how much fresh air needs to be pumped into a commercial airliner is body oder.
My group would like to run a Spelljammer campaign and I have been trying to learn the rules. As far as i can find, the rules do not say much about fire beyond specifying that fireball spells burn by magic and are therefor were unaffected by vacuum. Fire, however, was a terror on wooden ships because you lived in a small world and it was all flammable. If there is one place in which fire brings more terror than on a wooden ship it is in a spacecraft. Not only is there no place else to go, but air can be fouled quite quickly. Now you are in a wooden ship in space and it seems like burning wood in a limited air volume should be a problem (or an opportunity if you can set your enemy on fire). I'm thinking there should be some rule like if a ship looses 10% of its hit points to fire damage the air quality drops one level. On a 400 HP space galleon, if it take 40 points of fire damage the air quality goes from fresh air to foul. Another 40 hp and the air becomes deadly. Am I over thinking this? How have other people handled this issue? Are there rules I have missed?
That means if the ship takes 20% damage from fire then it becomes inhabitable. Seems a bit harsh to the players to have such a low benchmark for character death.
If you are looking for a feature to add challenge to the game, then I would look under the Fresh Air section for motivation. It states that if the passengers exceeds the ship's crew compliment then the air depletes at a faster rate. I would roll a d4 after an encounter and announce the before the burning flames were extinguished they exhausted a number of days of fresh air equal to the roll. If you feel you the party doesn't engage in enough dangerous encounters to make this a challenge, then roll a d8 or d12. But I would make the penalty incremental in days of used fresh air rather than just drop one level. The drop of air quality is severe, and the challenge should be the party needs to find a way to replenish air agains a ticking clock.
Agree with acromos, you’re overthinking. Fireball work underwater where there’s no air. It doesn’t need air, or consume it. In practical terms, think ahead, do you want to be in session, calculating the volume of smoke given off by a fire and the percentage of air that will foul compared to the total volume of the air bubble? I mean, if that’s fun for your group, you should go for it. But just take a minute to think if it will be fun or not. In the end, that’s the deciding factor.
There is a certain attraction to that approach. As to the farting, it is worth noting that the key factor in how much fresh air needs to be pumped into a commercial airliner is body oder.
Solid confirmation that other people are the worst =D
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
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My group would like to run a Spelljammer campaign and I have been trying to learn the rules. As far as i can find, the rules do not say much about fire beyond specifying that fireball spells burn by magic and are therefor were unaffected by vacuum. Fire, however, was a terror on wooden ships because you lived in a small world and it was all flammable. If there is one place in which fire brings more terror than on a wooden ship it is in a spacecraft. Not only is there no place else to go, but air can be fouled quite quickly. Now you are in a wooden ship in space and it seems like burning wood in a limited air volume should be a problem (or an opportunity if you can set your enemy on fire). I'm thinking there should be some rule like if a ship looses 10% of its hit points to fire damage the air quality drops one level. On a 400 HP space galleon, if it take 40 points of fire damage the air quality goes from fresh air to foul. Another 40 hp and the air becomes deadly. Am I over thinking this? How have other people handled this issue? Are there rules I have missed?
Yes.
Down this road madness lies. Spelljammers carry their atmosphere with them, and replenish it automatically. If you're starting to simulate life support, you need to account for breathing, cooking fires, farting for that matter - anything that goes on aboard ship during a week or month long journey is going to poison the air supply and kill everyone.
I recommend hand waving.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
There is a certain attraction to that approach. As to the farting, it is worth noting that the key factor in how much fresh air needs to be pumped into a commercial airliner is body oder.
Far easier to say that magical ship designed to travel through space has protections against itself burning.
That means if the ship takes 20% damage from fire then it becomes inhabitable. Seems a bit harsh to the players to have such a low benchmark for character death.
If you are looking for a feature to add challenge to the game, then I would look under the Fresh Air section for motivation. It states that if the passengers exceeds the ship's crew compliment then the air depletes at a faster rate. I would roll a d4 after an encounter and announce the before the burning flames were extinguished they exhausted a number of days of fresh air equal to the roll. If you feel you the party doesn't engage in enough dangerous encounters to make this a challenge, then roll a d8 or d12. But I would make the penalty incremental in days of used fresh air rather than just drop one level. The drop of air quality is severe, and the challenge should be the party needs to find a way to replenish air agains a ticking clock.
Agree with acromos, you’re overthinking. Fireball work underwater where there’s no air. It doesn’t need air, or consume it. In practical terms, think ahead, do you want to be in session, calculating the volume of smoke given off by a fire and the percentage of air that will foul compared to the total volume of the air bubble? I mean, if that’s fun for your group, you should go for it. But just take a minute to think if it will be fun or not. In the end, that’s the deciding factor.
Solid confirmation that other people are the worst =D
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.