TEXT: LPJ9531
  Chant of  
  Sky Gypsy 
  Pirate Ship 
  To the mast nail our flag it is dark 
  as the grave, Or the death which it 
  bears while it sweeps o’er the wave;
  Let our deck clear for action, our 
  guns be prepared; Be the boarding-
  axe sharpened, the scimetar bared:
  Set the canisters ready, and then 
  bring to me, For the last of my 
  duties, the powder-room key.
  It shall never be lowered, the black 
  flag we bear; If the sea be denied 
  us, we sweep through the air.
  Unshared have we left our last 
  victory’s prey; It is mine to divide 
  it, and yours to obey.
  Skyships of  
  Nova Avalon
  The skies are filled with Skyships of all kinds and conflict between the powers is 
  most often fought in the skies between their lands. Pirates and privateers swoop 
  down upon merchantmen and warships alike to destroy and plunder all that they can, 
  to build their own fleets and carve out their niche in the world. Power stems from 
  the thunder of your cannons, the skill of your crew and the reputation of your vessel
  The rules here will provide for aerial combat – using the usual rules-set – and for the 
  design and building of your own vessels. The rules allow for treating these Skyships 
  as ‘characters’, as well as vessels. The truly famous ships are able to become named 
  and feared in their own right regardless of who is at the helm.
  Basics
  The Skyship combat rules follow many of the same basics as character combat. 
  Skyship combat, like character combat, can take place on a grid with each ship 
  occupying one or more squares on that grid and moving around it in order to gain 
  advantage, attack or to ram one another. The scale of squares in aerial combat is 
  abstracted, but is assumed to be approximately ten feet per square, twice the size of 
  normal character combat.
  
  2
  Fighting Space
  Each square in Skyship-scale combat is approximately ten 
  feet across instead of five feet as you find with the character 
  combat. All Skyships, regardless of their actual size, need 
  to take up at least one of these spaces which actually repre-
  sents a cube of space, ten feet on each side. Skyships are 
  three-dimensional and actually take up more space than is 
  represented by that single square/cube but this complication 
  is ignored for the sake of simplicity, as is altitude unless you 
  want to use the optional rule for it.
  A medium-sized vessel can be up to ten feet wide and twenty 
  feet long as well as being up to ten feet high.
  A large-sized vessel can be up to twenty feet wide and thirty 
  feet long, as well as being up to twenty feet high.
  A huge-sized vessel can be up to thirty feet wide and forty 
  feet long, as well as being up to thirty feet high.
  A gargantuan-sized vessel can be up to forty feet wide and 
  seventy feet long, as well as being up to thirty feet high.
  A colossal-sized vessel can be up to fifty feet wide and a 
  hundred feet long, or more, as well as being up to fifty feet 
  high.
  Skyship Combat Sequence
  Skyship combat is played out in rounds, as with character 
  combat. Each round, each Skyship acts in turn according to 
  its initiative, completing the ship and crew actions before 
  play passes to the next Skyship in sequence.
  Every Skyship begins the battle flat-footed, once it has taken 
  an action it is no longer considered to be flat-footed.
  The Games Master determines which Skyships can see each 
  other at the start of the battle. He may require Perception rolls 
  to detect vessels which are in or behind cloud, hidden by illu-
  sions or otherwise rendered invisible.
  If some ships are aware of enemy vessels and others, or all 
  of them, aren’t then a surprise round occurs before regular 
  combat begins. Only ships aware of each other may act 
  during the round with initiative rolled normally to determine 
  action order. Skyships which aren’t aware don’t get to act or 
  to roll initiative during this surprise turn.
  Any Skyships which haven’t rolled initiative now do so. The 
  first regular round begins.
  When every Skyship has had a turn then a new round begins 
  with initiative remaining with the highest initiative vessel.
  Combat Statistics
  Several crucial combat statistics determine how well a vessel 
  performs in combat. These statistics are summarized here:
  Attack
  Each attack roll represents an attempt for the crew of one 
  vessel to strike another vessel with their weaponry. Most 
  Skyships are armed with ranged weapons which are aimed by 
  gunners.
  When an Skyship makes an attack roll 1d20 and add the 
  modifiers listed below as appropriate. There may be other 
  modifiers from other aspects of the ship and crew and these 
  will be noted in their entries. An Skyship attack roll is:
  1d20 + Gunner’s Ranged Attack Bonus + Range Penalty + 
  Skyship Size Modifier + Miscellaneous Bonuses.
  Gunner’s Ranged Attack Bonus: Generic crew have a 
  ranged attack bonus dependent upon their skill, individual 
  characters may also direct guns and use their own bonus.
  Range Penalty: Each range increment beyond the first 
  applies a cumulative -2 penalty to attack rolls.
  Size Modifier: Larger ships are more ungainly, though they 
  make up for it by having more guns and more assistance for 
  their gunners. A Medium or Large Skyship applies no modi-
  fier, a Huge ship has a penalty of -2, a Gargantuan vessel of 
  -4 and a Colossal vessel of -8.
  Criticals and Automatic Misses: As with normal combat a 
  roll of ‘20’ has a chance of being a critical hit while a roll of 
  ‘1’ automatically misses.
  Defense
  An Skyship’s defense shows how difficult it is to hit in 
  combat. This is the target for the attack roll of enemy vessels. 
  Most Skyships are quite easy to hit, given their size, so 
  most vessels rely on armor and magic to deflect or absorb 
  strikes, rather than on speed and agility. An Skyship’s defense 
  depends partly on its inherent qualities and partly on the skill 
  of the man at the wheel.
  10 + Skyship Size Modifier + Pilot’s Total Reflex Save + 
  Miscellaneous.
  Skyship Size Modifier: The bigger the vessel, the easier it 
  is to hit. Medium and Large vessels get no penalty, Huge 
  vessels get a -2 penalty, Gargantuan a -4 penalty and Colossal 
  vessels a -8 penalty to defense.
  Reflex Bonus: The pilot’s Reflex save is added to the 
  Skyship’s defense.
  Crew
  The ability of the crew on board a vessel has a massive 
  impact on its capability and effectiveness both in terms of 
  crew numbers and their expertise. Crew are rated in the 
  following ways:
  Quality: This describes the expertise and ability of the crew 
  involved.
  
  3
  Skill: This gives a generic bonus to rolls made in appropriate 
  skills for that crewman.
  Pilot Ship Defense Bonus: If the crewman is the pilot then 
  this is the bonus he provides to the ship’s defense. This is 
  also used as the default save roll for the crew.
  Gunner Attack Bonus: This is the bonus the crewman gets 
  to attack if he is a gunner.
  Crew Quality 
  Crew Skill 
  Pilot Bonus 
  Gunner
  Untrained 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0
  Green 
  +5 
  +3 
  +1
  Regular 
  +6 
  +4 
  +2
  Veteran 
  +7 
  +4 
  +3
  Elite 
  +8 
  +5 
  +4
  Ace 
  +9 
  +5 
  +5
  Damage
  When an Skyship hits with a weapon – or a member of its 
  crew does – it deals damage according to the type of weapon 
  and damage is deducted from the vessel’s current hit points. 
  If an Skyship is reduced to zero hit points, it’s in trouble.
  Skyship Armor
  Skyships are designed to take punishment, rather than to 
  avoid it. Skyship armor tends to deflect and absorb damage as 
  a result. Almost all Skyships have damage reduction and so 
  ignore the first few points of damage done to them. Anything 
  over that is applied to their hit points.
  Damage Control Crews 
  Crew can be assigned to damage control duties, patching up 
  the ship temporarily while it’s in battle. With a successful 
  DC 15 Profession (sailor) check damage control crew can 
  restore one temporary hit point for each crewman assigned to 
  the task. This can only go up to the vessel’s original hit point 
  total and cannot go beyond. These crewmen are, of course, 
  not free for other duties such as firing guns or manning the 
  sails.
  Hit Points
  Hit Points represent the overall structural integrity of the 
  Skyship and is an abstraction of how much varied punish-
  ment it can take before being rendered inoperable and starting 
  to break up. The Skyship’s hit points decrease as it gets 
  struck by weapons, rams into other Skyships, runs aground 
  against rocky islands, catches fire, weathers storms and other-
  wise degrades over time.
  At zero hit points an Skyship is disabled.
  At negative hit points an Skyship begins to break up.
  When an Skyship reaches a certain negative hit points total – 
  depending on its size – it is destroyed. The negative hit points 
  at which this happens is given below.
  Ship Size 
  Destruction Point
  Medium 
  -20
  Large 
  -40
  Huge 
  -60
  Gargantuan 
  -80
  Colossal 
  -100
  Disabled
  When an Skyship is reduced to exactly zero hit points it is 
  disabled. The Skyship can now only make one move or attack 
  in each turn, not both. It cannot take any full-round actions. 
  If it does anything that could be construed as a strain on its 
  frame or systems it takes one hit point of damage and begins 
  breaking apart. A disabled Skyship reduces its defense by five 
  and cannot add the pilot’s reflex save to its defense. Repairs 
  that raise the vessel above zero hit points make it fully func-
  tional again, at least temporarily.
  Breaking Apart
  When an Skyship drops into negative hit points it begins 
  to break apart. In this state the Skyship is immobile, help-
  less and beyond repair, even temporary patching. A ship that 
  is breaking apart loses one hit point every round until it is 
  destroyed.
  Destroyed
  When an Skyship’s current hit points reach the destruc-
  tion point in negative hit points, the ship loses integrity and 
  breaks into pieces. The time it takes for the vessel to go from 
  breaking apart to destroyed may be enough for the crew to 
  evacuate, if there’s enough time and enough space on a ship’s 
  boat for them all.
  Critical Hits
  Critical hits against Skyships work just as they do against 
  characters. When you make an attack roll and get a natural 
  20 you roll again to confirm it and, if it is confirmed (rolls 
  what would be a normal hit) then critical damage takes 
  place. This is a multiplier, at least x2, of the normal damage 
  of the weapon. In addition to this effect critical hits against 
  Skyships can have some spectacular extra effects.
  Critical Hit Roll 
  Extra Effect
  01-30 
  Normal critical hit, no extra effect.
  31-50 
  Crew Hit
  51-60 
  Armament Hit
  61-70 
  Propulsion Hit
  71-80 
  Floatation Hit
  81-95 
  Cargo Hit
  96-00 
  Fire!
  Normal Critical Hit: The critical hit only has the normal 
  effect, there are no special circumstances.
  Crew Hit: For every five full points of damage that the 
  attack does, factoring in critical damage, a crew member or 
  
  4
  passenger is killed or incapacitated. Characters are immune to 
  this effect.
  Armament Hit: One of the ship’s guns is disabled or 
  destroyed by the attack. Pick one at random. If the weapon 
  uses powder or other explosives, roll a six-sided dice, on a 
  six the weapon’s magazine explodes doing a critical hit with 
  its normal damage to the vessel. Roll again for special critical 
  hit effects on this table.
  Floatation Hit: Whatever it is that keeps the vessel aloft 
  is damaged. If you’re using the height rules its ceiling 
  (maximum height)  is reduced by one. Once this has taken 
  three criticals the vessel will fall out of the sky.
  Propulsion Hit: The vessel’s propulsion system is damaged, 
  dropping its speed by one. If reduced to zero the vessel is 
  dead in the air and cannot move or be steered. As a sitting 
  duck it gets no bonus to its defense from its pilot.
  Cargo Hit: 500 lbs of cargo are destroyed or rendered worth-
  less by the hit.
  Fire: A fire starts in the vessel doing 1d6 damage starting the 
  following turn. Two crew members can be assigned to put it 
  out and need to make a DC 15 Profession (sailor) check to do 
  so. For each turn that the fire is not put out it spreads, gaining 
  a D6 in damage and needing an extra crewman to put it out 
  as well as increasing the DC by 1.
  Conditions
  As with characters, any number of conditions can afflict a 
  vessel and reduce its effectiveness.
  Blinded: Crew and look-outs have been dazed or dazzled by 
  some effect, meaning that the ship has a 50% miss chance 
  when attacking so long as this persists.
  Breaking Apart: The vessel is at negative hit points. It 
  cannot take actions, cannot be repaired and loses one hit 
  point each round – or when hit by a damaging attack – until 
  it reaches its maximum negative hit points, at which point it 
  breaks into pieces.
  Dazed: The crew are momentarily stunned and can take no 
  actions, but suffer no penalty to defense.
  Destroyed: The ship is destroyed and violently breaks apart. 
  Anyone still on board takes 10d6 points of damage and is 
  thrown into the air.
  Entangled: An entangled Skyship takes a -2 penalty to attack 
  and defense and, if anchored to a larger object, cannot move.
  Flat-Footed: An Skyship that has not yet acted in combat 
  is flat-footed. A flat-footed Skyship does not add its pilots 
  bonus to its defense.
  Grappled: When grappled an Skyship cannot move. It can 
  attack, attempt to break free or perform other actions. It 
  cannot add its pilot’s bonus to its defense.
  Helpless: An Skyship that is brought to negative hit points 
  or whose crew is destroyed is considered helpless and its 
  defense is reduced by five and gets no pilot defense bonus.
  Immobilized: An immobilized ship is immobile, but not 
  helpless, usually gummed up in plants or grappled to a larger 
  ship. It takes a -4 penalty to defense and cannot add its pilot 
  defense bonus.
  Shaken: All passengers and crew members take a -2 penalty 
  on attack, save and skill checks.
  Stunned: All passengers and crew members lose their 
  Dexterity bonus, drop what they are holding and can take 
  no attack or move actions as well as getting a -2 penalty to 
  defense.
  Movement
  Movement at the Skyship scale is more abstracted than in 
  character combat and determines relative speeds rather than 
  actual speeds. This is the speed of a ship during its combat 
  maneuvers and doesn’t represent its full cruising speed.
  Turning
  Skyships change direction forty-five degrees at a time, 
  meaning that they can move on the diagonal across the grid. 
  Skyships are not the fastest vehicles to turn and so each 
  change of direction costs one of their movement speed. They 
  must move at least half of their speed in order to make a 
  second forty-five degree turn and may not turn more than 
  ninety degrees in a turn under normal circumstances.
  On a game grid ship turns are pivoted around the front of the 
  ship.
  The Wind
  Determine the direction of the wind by rolling a d8.
  1
  2
  3
  4
  *
  5
  6
  7
  8
  Ships powered by sails are affected by the wind. Increase 
  their speed by one when moving with the wind, normal speed 
  when side on to the wind and halved when sailing into it.
  Ships that are no longer under power move one space with 
  the wind on their turn.
  Initiative
  At the beginning of a battle every Skyship rolls a d20 and 
  adds its pilot’s Reflex to determine its initiative. An Skyship 
  without a pilot gets a bonus of +0, but still gets to roll initia-
  tive. Each Skyship then acts in turn from highest initiative to 
  lowest. If two ships are tied for initiative, compare the pilot’s 
  Reflex scores and the highest goes first. If they are still the 
  same, roll a die to determine who goes first.
  
  At the start of a battle, before an 
  Skyship has taken its turn, it’s consid-
  ered to be flat-footed.
  New vessels joining a battle roll 
  initiative and slot into the turn order 
  according to their roll.
  Skyship 
  Combat
  Splintering wood, rams, cannons, 
  ballistae, explosions, fire, boarding 
  actions… there’s no point to having 
  sweeping Skyships plying the skies 
  if you have none of these things and 
  that means violent conflict in the skies. 
  That’s a lot to cover and many situa-
  tions cannot be covered in their entirety, 
  requiring a lot of improvisation and 
  attentiveness on the part of the Games 
  Master.
  The Combat Round
  As with movement and much else, 
  combat turns in Skyship scale are 
  even more abstracted than in character 
  combat but they still amount to approx-
  imately six seconds of action in which 
  the vessels move, fire and perform 
  other actions.
  Each round begins with the Skyship 
  that has the highest initiative taking its 
  actions – movement, combat and so 
  forth – followed by the Skyship with 
  the next highest initiative and so on 
  until every Skyship has completed its 
  actions. This cycle then repeats until the 
  victor is found.
  Actions
  Each vessel may make one attack action 
  and one movement action in a turn. 
  Alternatively they may make a full-
  round action which uses both of these 
  actions. Actions may only be taken if 
  there are crew – or passengers – avail-
  able to take them.
  There are no attacks of opportunity in 
  Skyship combat.
  Attack Actions
  Aid Another: The Skyship can aid a 
  friendly target against an enemy by 
  acting as a distraction. So long as the 
  Skyship is within weapon range of the 
  enemy vessel it can provide its ally 
  with a +2 bonus to attack and defense, 
  but cannot cause harm or damage itself. 
  These bonuses are not cumulative for 
  multiple helpers.
  Ranged Attack: The Skyship can 
  attack with every weapon for which it 
  has crew and every weapon that can 
  reach an available target.
  Escape a Grapple: See the equipment/
  weapon section for rules on grappling 
  and escaping from grapples.
  Feint: The commander of the vessels 
  makes a Bluff check against the 
  commander of the opposing vessel. If 
  successful then, on the following turn 
  the enemy ship does not get their pilot’s 
  Reflex bonus to their defense.
  Grapple Another Ship: See the equip-
  ment/weapon section for rules on grap-
  pling and escaping from grapples.
  Total Defense: Instead of attacking 
  the vessel enters a series of evasive 
  manoeuvres designed to ward off 
  attacks. It gains +4 defense for one 
  round, starting and ending with the 
  vessel’s action.
  Fighting Defense: The vessel fights 
  defensively, hoping to ward off enemy 
  attacks but to get in some lucky shots 
  of its own. It gains +2 defense but 
  -4 attack for one round, starting and 
  ending with the vessel’s action. 
  Total Attack: The Skyship goes all out 
  in attack, leaving itself open to counter-
  attack. The vessel gains +4 attack but 
  it’s considered flat-footed for defense 
  and reduces that total by -5. 
  Exposed Attack: The Skyship lowers 
  its defenses in the hopes of getting in a 
  well-placed attack. The vessel gains +2 
  attack, but reduces its defense by -4.
  Prepare a Hazard: If properly 
  equipped the Skyship can dispense 
  aerial mines or other defensive hazards 
  to ward off pursuers or attackers.
  Move Actions
  Damage Control: Detailing men to 
  make temporary repairs is considered a 
  Optional Rule: 
  Altitude
  To keep things simple Skyship 
  combat is normally considered to 
  occur at the same altitude. If you 
  want to include more complicated 
  movement including altitude then 
  you can use these optional rules. A 
  ship can be at any height from -6 to 
  +6 (you can mark this with dice of 
  different colors, no dice means the 
  ship is at level zero).
  A ship changing height loses two 
  speed and changes height by one. A 
  ship can crash-dive or power-ascend 
  by using all its movement, gaining or 
  losing two altitude.
  The higher ship in an engagement 
  gains a +1 bonus to attack and 
  defense. It also  boosts the range of 
  its weapons by 10 ft for each level of 
  altitude it is higher than the target. 
  The lower ship in an engagement 
  reduces the range of its weapons by 
  10 ft for each level of altitude it is 
  lower than the target.
  
  6
  move action, though the vessel may still move provided there 
  are enough spare crew to man the propulsion system.
  Move: Provided there are enough crew to man the propulsion 
  system the vessel may move up to its speed.
  Ram: A ship may deliberately ram another vessel on its 
  move action. Each ship pilot makes a skill check and 
  compares totals. If the attacker succeeds then the opposing 
  ship is rammed and takes damage, otherwise it manages to 
  avoid the blow and movement continues. Movement stops 
  instantly when a ram occurs. For damage, see ‘ram’ under 
  armaments.
  Signal Another Vessel: Flags and other signals may be used 
  to send a message to another vessel, this takes two crewmen 
  which must come off from other duties.
  Full-Round Actions
  Surge Forward: With full cruising sale deployed or the 
  propulsion systems fired into overdrive, the vessel can move 
  at up to three times its normal speed, but may not turn or 
  attack.
  Withdraw: An Skyship may attempt to withdraw from 
  combat by setting sale and moving as fast as it can from the 
  scene. The Skyship may not attack, may only make one forty-
  five degree turn but moves at double its normal speed.
  Make Ready: Remaining still and observing the play of the 
  battle the vessel may add a +2 bonus to its initiative; this 
  accumulates through multiple uses of this action.
  Boarding Action: If two vessels are abutted against each 
  other in a grapple or a ram then one of the vessels may 
  launch a boarding action. Neither vessel may move or attack 
  while the boarding action takes place and it is played out 
  either using the mass combat rules or as normal character 
  combat on a game board based upon the ships in question.
  Free Actions
  Shift: Any vessel may shift its position by one square to port 
  or starboard as a free action, provided it is under power.
  Avoid Hazard: Avoiding  hazards, such as mines, takes no 
  action but takes place on the movement action.
  Skyships
  Skyships are built by defining a series of choices for how 
  they are built and then filling that hull with equipment and 
  crew based on the amount of space that the hull can accom-
  modate. The steps to creating an Skyship are as follows:
   • Choose what size the hull is.
   • Choose what material the hull is made from.
   • Choose what propulsion system the hull is driven by.
   • Choose what floatation system the hull is suspended by.
   • Fill out the Skyship with weapons and equipment.
   • Apply an Skyship Template.
   • Calculate the final statistics.
  Size
  The most important aspect of any vessel is its size. Size 
  determines basic hit points and how much space the vessel 
  has to be crammed with equipment and crew. These can all 
  be
  Size 
  Base Hit Points 
  Space 
  Cost
  Medium 
  20 
  5 
  500 GP
  Large 
  40 
  15 
  5,000 GP
  Huge 
  120 
  30 
  10,000 GP
  Gargantuan 
  240 
  60 
  25,000 GP
  Colossal 
  440 
  120 
  75,000 GP
  Hull
  The shape of a hull helps determine how much space is 
  available, modified from the raw space given according to 
  size and can help to determine how effective the ship is in 
  different roles.
  Shape
  Penalties
  Bonuses
  ‘Barrel’
  -
  -
  Wedge
  Reduce Space by 
  1/4/16/25/36
  Increase speed by 1.
  Flying 
  Ship
  Reduce Space by 
  1/4/16/25/36
  Additional 45 degree turn 
  at the end of movement.
  Fortress
  Halve speed, -5 
  Defense.
  Increase Space by 50%, 
  add 50% hit points.
  Tall Ship
  Only make one 
  45 degree turn per 
  move. -1 Defense.
  Broadside attacks get a 
  +1 bonus to attack.
  Open 
  Frame
  Reduce Hit Points 
  by Half 
  Enemy attacks have a 
  10% miss chance.
  Barrel: A ‘barrel’ is the standard shape for a ship. An 
  enclosed hull of normal design with no outstanding features 
  or capabilities.
  Wedge: A ‘wedge’ is a pointed shape that cuts through the 
  air more easily than the standard design, allowing it to move 
  faster. Increase cost by one tenth of size cost.
  Flying Ship: A design based on seagoing vessels, this is a 
  flat-top, open decked Skyship which can also land on water 
  and sail like a normal waterborne vessel if need be. The slung 
  design enables it to turn quickly through the air, swaying on 
  its central axis.
  Fortress: A boxy lump of construction, the fortress is not 
  designed to move fast – if at all – merely to float in place and 
  take – and dish out – punishment. Securing an area. Increase 
  cost by half of size cost.
  
  7
  Tall Ship: A tall ship is a floating lump, extended down and 
  relatively thin, providing more room down its sides for more 
  cannon to enable a devastating broadside from many levels of 
  cannon. Increase cost by one quarter of size cost.
  Open Frame: An open framed vessel is a tangle of beams, 
  nets and frames to which various components are lashed or 
  fitted without the benefit of an enclosed hull. Relatively weak 
  and heart-stoppingly scary to sail in, open-framed vessels are, 
  at least, light and relatively cheap. Decrease size cost by half.
  Material
  The substance that a vessel is made from can have an effect 
  on its capabilities, most particularly its defenses.
  Light Wooden Construction: This vessel is made from 
  lighter, more flexible wood and has a relatively scant 
  construction. This makes it lighter and faster but more vulner-
  able to harm. Damage Reduction 0, reduce cost by one tenth 
  of basic size cost. Increase speed by one.
  Wooden construction: This is the standard degree of 
  construction, heavy wood, well fastened together. Damage 
  Reduction 5. No modification to cost.
  Reinforced Wooden Construction: This vessel has been 
  constructed with heavy use or combat in mind. The beams are 
  reinforced and the hull is studded with bolts and metal bands 
  to reinforce it and to help hold it together. Damage Reduction 
  6. Increase cost by one tenth of size cost.
  Ironclad: The Skyship is protected by plates of iron, or other 
  metal, clamped and bolted to its surface, surrounding it in an 
  impenetrable layer of armor. Damage Reduction 8, reduce 
  speed by one, increase cost by half of size cost.
  SkyStone: The vessel is constructed or carved from an 
  outcrop of floating stone, the same material that suspends 
  the islands and nations of the world. As such it requires no 
  floatation device and if destroyed merely breaks into a mass 
  of floating boulders. Damage Reduction 10, reduce speed by 
  two, add the basic size cost on again.
  Propulsion
  The propulsion system of the vessel determines how fast it 
  can move. Various methods of propulsion exist for different 
  kinds of vessels and each have their own strengths and weak-
  nesses for the vessel that they’re attached to.
  Sails
  Sails project in all directions from the vessel and have the 
  advantage of not taking up any interior space, leaving more 
  room free for cargo and other concerns. On the downside 
  sails are fairly crew intensive, vulnerable and subject to the 
  capricious whims of the prevailing winds.
  Cost: 50 gp, Crew: 1, Basic Speed: 3, Space:0.
   • A medium vessel requires one ‘unit’ of sails.
   • A large vessel requires four.
   • A huge vessel requires eight.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires sixteen.
   • A colossal vessel requires thirty-two.
   •  Add half as many sails again for each +1 speed up to a 
  maximum of +3. 
  Ornithopter Wings
  Great mechanical or magical flapping wings, ornithopter 
  wings can propel a vessel with great rapidity and grace, 
  mimicking the actions of flying creatures in a number of 
  configurations from those that resemble bird wings to those 
  that look more like the sweeping fins of fish.
  Cost: Magical 122,000, mechanical 5,000 gp, Crew: Magical 
  0, mechanical 2, Basic Speed: 5, Space: 1.
   • A medium vessel requires one ‘unit’ of ornithopter wings.
   • A large vessel requires two.
   • A huge vessel requires four.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires eight.
   • A colossal vessel requires sixteen.
   •  Add half as many ornithopter wings again for each +1 
  speed to a maximum of +3.
  Mechanical ornithopter wings consume 500 lbs (one space) 
  of fuel every unit, every four hours of flight.
  
  8
  Wing-Oars
  Either one great oar or a pair of smaller oars protruding 
  through both sides of the vessel, wing oars are large, 
  swooping, feather shaped oars which can be turned to cut 
  through the air or to scoop great wingfuls of it to propel the 
  vessel, powered by human effort.
  Cost: 10 gp, Crew: 1, Basic Speed: 1, Space: 1.
   • A medium vessel requires one ‘unit’ of oars.
   • A large vessel requires four units of oars.
   • A huge vessel requires nine units of oars.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires sixteen units of oars.
   •  Add the same number of oars for each +1 speed, up to a 
  maximum of +3. 
  Flight Enchantment
  A vessel can be enchanted so that it inherently flies. This 
  is a relatively weak enchantment, given the weight of most 
  vessels and must be combined with a separate enchantment 
  to make it float, but it is otherwise a very robust way to make 
  a vessel capable of flight. An enchanted vessel is its own 
  propulsion system and this means that it cannot be prevented 
  from flying without being destroyed.
  Cost: 30,000 gp, Crew: 0, Basic Speed: 1, Space: 0.
   • A medium vessel requires one enchantment.
   • A large vessel requires two enchantments.
   • A huge vessel requires three enchantments.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires four enchantments.
   • A colossal vessel requires five enchantments.
   •  Buy the same number of enchantments for each +1 speed 
  up to a maximum of speed 6.
  Harnessed Animal
  Flying animals, even elementals, can be used to pull Skyships 
  through the sky. The pulling animal needs to be the size, or 
  the equivalent size, of the vessel that it is pulling and it is 
  limited to its normal flying speed and may not run or other-
  wise move any faster.
  Four medium beasts is equivalent to one large one, four large 
  to one huge, four huge to one gargantuan, four gargantuan to 
  one colossal.
  The beast will cost its CR squared and then multiplied by 
  1,000 gold pieces.
  The harnessing equipment itself is priced below.
  Cost: 100 gp, Crew: 1, Basic Speed: N/A, Space: 1.
  This is the cost for the basic harness attachments and the 
  number of animal handlers required to maintain the animal 
  and control it. If the beast is not controlled then it will travel 
  randomly.
   • Medium vessels require one harness attachment.
   • Large vessels require two.
   • Huge vessels require four.
   • Gargantuan vessels require six.
   • Colossal vessels require eight. 
  Floatation
  The floatation system is what suspends the Skyship in the 
  void between the islands. Some Skyships require no addi-
  tional floatation as their inherent nature suspends them in the 
  ether. Others require one device or another to keep them in 
  the air. 
  Levistones
  Fragments of magically intensified island rock, these boul-
  ders are strapped to the vessel or placed on pontoons to make 
  the vessel buoyant in the atmosphere. The flow of magic to 
  these stones must be carefully controlled in order to keep the 
  vessel level.
  Cost: 1,000 gp, Crew: 1.  Space: 0/1. (At least one space 
  must be used up regardless, for the control system).
  If placed on pontoons the levistones take up no space, if 
  placed internally to the vessel the levistones do take up space, 
  but have more protection. Levistones on pontoons take four 
  critical hits to be destroyed, internal levistones take six.
   • Medium vessels require one levistone.
   • Large vessels require two levistones.
   • Huge vessels require four levistones.
   • Gargantuan vessels require eight levistones.
   • Colossal vessels require sixteen levistones.
  Tempest Jars
  Tempest Jars are large bulbs of magically toughened glass 
  which are used to bind air-elementals into service as floata-
  tion devices for vessels. Each scale of jar is different and 
  priced differently for each type.
   •  Medium Tempest Jar: Cost: 10,000 gp, Crew: 0, Space: 
  1.
   • Large Tempest Jar: Cost: 25,000 gp, Crew: 0, Space: 3.
   • Huge Tempest Jar:  Cost: 50,000 gp, Crew: 0, Space: 7. 
   •  Gargantuan Tempest Jar: Cost: 200,000 gp, Crew: 0, 
  Space: 15.
   •  Colossal Tempest Jar: Cost: 800,000 gp, Crew: 0, 
  Space: 30
  Gasbags
  One of the cheapest options, with good reason. Gasbags 
  extend above the Skyship and are filled with lighter than air 
  gas, keeping the vessel at neutral buoyancy.  Gasbags are 
  incredibly vulnerable, a single floatation critical hit is suffi-
  cient to burst the bag and cause the vessel to catastrophically 
  descend. The bags are generally covered with netting which 
  allows crewmen to crawl over the bags, maintaining them 
  and making small repairs as necessary.
  Cost: 50 gp, Crew: 1, Space: 0.
   • A medium vessel requires a single gasbag.
  
  9
   • A large vessel requires two gasbags.
   • A huge vessel requires four gasbags.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires eight gasbags.
   • A colossal vessel requires sixteen gasbags.
  Chutesails
  A chutesail is a large, horizontal sail of billowing fabric, 
  crudely shaped like a sail. These sails are big and broad and 
  catch winds and thermals, keeping the ship aloft. This is 
  fast, (raising the Skyship’s speed by 1) but crew intensive, 
  requiring lots of men to keep it working.
  Cost: 100 gp, Crew: 2, Space: 0.
   • A medium vessel requires a single chutesail.
   • A large vessel requires two.
   • A huge vessel requires four.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires eight.
   • A colossal vessel requires sixteen.
  Levitation Enchantment
  A levitation enchantment suspends the vessel with magic. It 
  cannot be destroyed save when the vessel itself is destroyed 
  and requires no crew, it is an inherent quality of the ship 
  itself.
  Cost: 12,000 gp, Crew: 0, Space: 0.
   • A medium vessel requires one enchantment.
   • A large vessel requires two enchantments.
   • A huge vessel requires three enchantments.
   • A gargantuan vessel requires four enchantments.
   • A colossal vessel requires five enchantments.
  Weapons and 
  Equipment
  Armaments
  Ships need weapons in order to defend themselves against 
  attack. While magical weapons are employed, they are also 
  extremely expensive. Mechanical weapons – such as ballistae 
  – also linger, but are outdated and not  as capable as cannon 
  and other powder weapons.
  Cannon: A heavy bronze cannon firing a 36 to 50 pound 
  shot, also known as a basilisk. These usually can only be 
  placed on the bow mount of very large galleys.
  Demi-Cannon: Also known as the cannon-perier, it fires a 24 
  pound shot. This is the heaviest weapon that can be fired from 
  the side of a ship, and a large ship at that.
  Culverin: The culverin is a medium cannon firing an 18 lb 
  shot. These are the most common large weapon mounted 
  broadside on sailing ships.
  Small Culverin: Also known as the demi-culverin, this 
  weapon fires a 10 lb shot and is suitable for mounting on 
  many ships, including on the top deck.
  Swivel-gun: Swivel-guns, which come in varieties also 
  known as falcons, falconets, or robinets, can take a 1-2 pound 
  solid shot or be filled with a dozen pistol shots. They do 2d10 
  damage with solid shot, but when loaded with pistol shot do 
  4d6 damage, less 2 points per range increment, in a 10×10 
  square. A gunner applies their Dexterity bonus to hit instead 
  of their Int bonus with a swivel-gun.
  Barking Dragon: The barking dragon is an enormous, front-
  firing cannon that fires immense shot, capable of splintering 
  and annihilating enemy vessels. It is a beast of a cannon 
  primarily used for siege work and which requires a great deal 
  of resources from any vessel that carries it. 
  Flametongue: The flametongue fires a gout of flammable 
  fluid, typically oil, in a jet of flame which can stick to enemy 
  vessels and set them aflame. Any hit with a flametongue that 
  scores a critical automatically causes the fire result.
  Grapnel Gun: Grapnel guns are very small cannon loaded 
  with hooks which are strung with chains. These chains can 
  be used to string two vessels together or to allow boarders to 
  climb across to the enemy vessel. Boarding actions will be 
  covered in more detail in the mass combat rules. When two 
  vessels are grappled the larger vessel drags the smaller vessel 
  with it on its movement and the smaller vessel cannot get free 
  without cutting all the chain. In order to hook on a grapnel 
  gun must hit and do damage.
  Cannons  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Ready
  Name 
  Cost 
  Damage 
  Spaces 
  Range 
  Crew 
  (Standard Actions)
  Cannon 
  8,000 gp 
  10d10 
  5 
  300 ft. 
  5 
  6 rounds
  Demi-Cannon 
  6,000 gp 
  8d10 
  4 
  250 ft. 
  4 
  5 rounds
  Culverin 
  4,000 gp 
  6d10 
  3 
  200 ft. 
  3 
  4 rounds
  Small Culverin 
  2,000 gp 
  4d10 
  2 
  150 ft. 
  2 
  3 rounds
  Swivel Gun 
  1,000 gp 
  2d10 
  1 
  100 ft. 
  1 
  2 rounds
  Barking Dragon 
  20,000 gp 
  20d10 
  10 
  500 ft. 
  10 
  10 rounds
  Flametongue 
  8,000 gp 
  4d6 fire 
  4 
  50 ft total. 
  3 
  4 rounds
  Grapnel Gun 
  1,200 gp 
  1d10 
  1 
  50 ft total. 
  2 
  3 rounds
  
  10
  Ram
  A ram must be affixed to the front of a vessel and takes up 
  one space, this being the fittings and reinforcements. A ram 
  increases the normal ramming damage of a vessel by 3d8 and 
  reduces the amount of damage that the ramming vessel takes 
  – by ramming – by half. The table below shows the amount 
  of damage inflicted to both vessels involved in a ram.
  Cost: 1,000 gp, Damage: +3d8, Spaces: 1, Range: N/A, 
  Crew: 0, Ready: 0.
  Size of Smaller Ship/Object 
  Collision Damage
  Colossal 
  12d6 x 10
  Gargantuan 
  6d6 x 10
  Huge 
  1d6 x 10
  Large 
  1d6 x 10
  Medium 
  1
  Ballistae
  A ballista is, essentially, a giant crossbow. Until the advent 
  of black powder cannon the ballista was the last word in air-
  to-air combat and though it has now been superseded many 
  examples remain as a cheap option for merchant vessels and 
  as enchanted weapons of legend from the past.
  Cost: 500 gp, Damage: 3d8, Spaces: 2, Range: 120 ft, 
  Crew: 1, Ready: 2.
  Bolts: Fifty shots take up one ship space with a cost of 50 gp.
  Ammunition
  All of these weapons require ammunition and powder in 
  order to be fired and this takes up space within the vessel as 
  well as costing money.
  Cannon: Ten cannon shots take up one ship space, along 
  with the powder to fire them. This lot of powder and cannon 
  balls has a base cost of  50 gp.
  Demi-Cannon: Twenty demi-cannon shots takes up one ship 
  space, along with the powder to fire them. This lot of powder 
  and cannon balls has a base cost of 80 gp. 
  Culverin: Twenty five culverin shots takes up one ship 
  space, along with the powder to fire them. This lot of powder 
  and cannon balls has a base cost of 75 gp.
  Small Culverin: Fifty small culverin shots take up one ship 
  space, along with the powder to fire them. This lot of cannon 
  balls has a base cost of 100 gp.
  Swivel Gun: Two-hundred-and-fifty swivel gun shots take up 
  one ship space, along with the powder to fire them. This lot 
  of cannon balls has a base cost of 250 gp.
  Barking Dragon: Five barking dragon shots take up one ship 
  space, along with the powder to fire them. This lot of cannon 
  balls has a base cost of 500 gp.
  Flametongue: Five hundred flame-tongue shots take up one 
  ship space. This lot of ammunition has a base cost of 50 gp.
  Grapnel Gun: Grapnel guns come loaded with one shot 
  which is attached to the gun. They do not need ammunition. 
  The powder to fire the grapnel guns  a total of five-hundred 
  times is contained in a single ship space and costs 250 gp.
  Special Ammunition
  Supernatural and alchemical shot supplements the arsenals of 
  properly equipped ships and enables them to tailor their shots 
  to appropriate targets or to meet a variety of dangerous, aerial 
  foes.
  Fire Shot: Fire shot is made up of hollow balls filled with 
  alchemical fire. When the ball strikes a vessel it shatters, 
  spraying fire and igniting everything it touches.  The cannon 
  shot is reduced from d10 to d6 but if it scores a critical it 
  automatically causes a ‘fire’ critical hit and rolls again. Fire 
  shot costs double the amount of normal ammunition.
  Ice Shot: A hollow shot filled with an alchemical fluid, when 
  the ice shot strikes it breaks open and sprays the fluid which 
  instantly freezes into ice, clogging up workings and slowing 
  down the vessel it attaches to. Damage is reduced to d6 but if 
  the weapon scores a critical it slows the enemy vessel down, 
  reducing its speed by 1. The ice can be chipped away by 
  three crew making a skill check against a DC of 18. Ice shot 
  costs double the amount of normal ammunition.
  
  11
  Acid Shot: A hollow shot filled with a horribly effective 
  acid, the acid shot bursts open when it strikes a target and 
  continues to burn away over several turns. Damage is reduced 
  to d6 instead of d10 but it continues to burn, half that number 
  of dice the following turn (rounding down) before it burns 
  out. Acid shot costs double the amount of normal ammuni-
  tion.
  Construct Cannonballs: These cannonballs unfurl as they 
  strike and cling onto the vessel, clambering up over the sides 
  to attack the people inside. The stats for a construct cannon-
  balls are given at the end of this section, along with their 
  cost.
  Grapeshot: Double the number of dice rolled by the cannon 
  but make them d6 rather than d10 and double the damage 
  Reduction of the enemy hull. Any criticals are automatically 
  done against the crew when scored with this shot. Grapeshot 
  costs the same as normal cannonballs.
  Chainshot: Chainshot does half the normal damage of a 
  cannonball but critical hits can be automatically directed at 
  propulsion or flotation that’s external to the vessel. Chain 
  shot costs 150% the cost of normal ammunition but can only 
  be fired by cannon, demi-cannon or barking dragons.
  Skyburst: Skyburst shells explode in proximity to an enemy 
  ship and flash with cruel intensity and the sound of a thun-
  derbolt. The crew must make a FORT Save against a DC of 
  15 (using their pilot bonus for NPCs) or be dazed. Skyburst 
  shells cost twice as much as regular shells.
  Exploding Shot: Exploding shells impact the enemy vessel 
  and explode, blowing out fragments of hull. The damage of 
  the shell is reduced by half as it is of less solid construction 
  but, provided it does damage the vessel it rolls this damage 
  again, without applying any Damage Reduction and with +2 
  damage per dice rolled. Exploding shot costs three times as 
  much as regular ammunition.
  Ghost Shell: Ghost shells are magical cannonballs that 
  become incorporeal as they are fired and pass through the 
  side of the vessel, burning the souls of the crew it passes 
  through. The cannon converts damage to d6 and applies it as 
  if it were a critical hit against the crew, but does no damage 
  to the vessel itself. Ghost shells cost four times as much as 
  regular ammunition.
  Gun Options
  The standard cannons are smoothbore and, as such, suffer 
  a -4 penalty to attack checks. There are options that can be 
  added to the standard guns in order to make them more effec-
  tive than the usual. 
  Rifling: Rifled cannon have longer range and greater accu-
  racy. They increase their range by 10% and their penalty to 
  hit is reduced to -2. This adds 50% to the base cost of the 
  weapon.
  Overcharged: These cannon are reinforced to take additional 
  charge and to blast with more power. They add +1 damage to 
  each dice rolled for damage and add 50% to the base cost of 
  the weapon.
  Turret: Cannon are normally emplaced and so can only fire 
  in one direction, fore, aft, port or starboard. Set within a turret 
  a cannon can fire in three directions (and either up or down). 
  Such a turret takes up twice as much space as a normal 
  cannon and doubles the base price of the weapon.
  Rapid Loader: A rapid loader cannon has three rotating 
  casings so it can fire three times in quick succession. It takes 
  twice as long to ready as a normal cannon and takes up an 
  extra space for the mechanics. It increases the base cost of the 
  gun by five times.
  Hazards
  As well as weapons to allow one ship to directly attack 
  another there are any number of passive weapons which can 
  provide protection or leave hazards for other ships to avoid.
  Smoke: A smoke launcher takes up one space and has a 
  single shot effect. It leaves a 20 ft. trail of smoke behind the 
  ship for three turns, which then dissipates after three more 
  turns. The smoke imparts a -4 penalty to attack rolls made 
  through the smoke. Smoke launchers cost 200 gp and have a 
  crew of 1.
  Fireballoon: A fire balloon is a large sac, filled with flam-
  mable gas which drifts into the path of oncoming vessels and 
  when hit explodes, setting fire to the vessel. A fire balloon 
  launcher has three fire balloons, takes up one space and has 
  a crew of 1. Avoiding fire balloons requires a pilot check 
  against a DC of 15, if they’re struck they explode for 4d6 fire 
  damage and automatically cause a ‘fire’ critical hit effect. Fire 
  balloon launchers cost 500 gp.
  Acid Gas: Acidic gas has the same effect etc as smoke, but 
  costs 500 gp and does 2d6 damage to any Skyship sailing 
  through it, every turn remain within the cloud.
  Explosive Mines: A mine launcher takes up one space and 
  contains three explosive mines which can be floated into the 
  path of an oncoming vessel. Avoiding these requires a pilot 
  check against a DC of 15. Otherwise the mine explodes doing 
  4d10 damage. A mine launcher costs 1,200 gp.
  Construct Cannonballs
  Construct cannonballs are, in effect, boarding parties which 
  can be fired from cannon in order to attack other vessels. 
  They unfurl as they are shot, springing forth from the cannon-
  ball, latching on and climbing over the deck to fight the crew.
  
  12
  Construct Cannonball – 
  Barking Dragon - cr 3
  A large, round, metallic ball which sprouts bladed limbs 
  like a four-legged spider to hack and cut at the crew and to 
  capture the ship.
  XP 800
  N Medium construct
  Init: +0, Senses: darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision, 
  Perception -5
  Defense
  AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+6 natural).
  HP 36 (3d10+20 size)
  Fort +1 Ref +1 Will +1
  Defensive abilities: hardness 5, Immune: Construct traits.
  Offence
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee Blade arms +3 (2d6+0)
  Statistics
  Str 10 Dex 10 Con – Int – Wis 1 Cha 1
  Base Atk +3, CMB +3; CMD 13
  Construct Cannonball – Cannon - cr 2
  A knee-high spherical ‘spider’ of sharp metal that scurries 
  around the deck, slashing and impaling, frenziedly attacking 
  crewmen in a mechanical fervour until nobody is left alive.
  XP 600
  N Small construct
  Init: +1, Senses: darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision, 
  Perception -5
  Defense
  AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +6 natural, +1 
  Size).
  HP 21 (2d10+10 size)
  Fort +0 Ref +1 Will +0
  Defensive abilities: hardness 5, Immune: Construct traits.
  Offence
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee Blade arms +1 (2d4-2)
  Statistics
  Str 6 Dex 12 Con – Int – Wis 1 Cha 1
  Base Atk +2, CMB -1; CMD 10
  Equipment
  As well as weaponry ships have need of equipment and cabin 
  space, rooms for various purposes and cargo holds. Space 
  is always at a premium on any vessel but a ship with no 
  stowage has no magazine for ammunition and no room for 
  cargo.
  Crew Quarters
  Every person on board needs a place to sleep and a place to 
  call their own. Because people can share bunks, taking shifts, 
  it’s possible for a bunk to do double duty for two men. So 
  the bare minimum of crew space required for any vessel is 
  half that of its crew compliment, not equal to the full crew 
  number. Spare capacity can be used for passengers.
  Crew bunks: A set of four crew bunks takes up a single 
  space with a very small amount of room for personal gear 
  belonging to the crewmen. Each set of bunks costs 20 gp.
  Small Cabin: A small cabin, suitable for an officer, takes up 
  a single space and houses a single person at a cost of 100 gp. 
  Big Cabin: A large and luxurious cabin takes up two spaces 
  and costs 100 gp. It comes with a storage chest and a small 
  fold-out writing desk. This is suitable for a well-appointed 
  captain.
  Cargo Hold
  Cargo hold on board a ship is essentially empty space. There 
  are considered to be enough ropes, chains and containers to 
  hold whatever the cargo is, safely in place.
  Cargo Space: Cargo space costs nothing and can contain up 
  to 500 lbs of equipment or cargo.
  Rations: 250 gp buys five-hundred crew/days worth of basic 
  rations and water, which takes up a single space. This is 
  enough to sustain a single crewman for five-hundred days, 
  ten crewman for fifty days or a hundred crewmen for five 
  days.
  Ammunition: This is detailed in the weapon section above.
  Brig
  This is a small holding cell capable of holding up to four 
  Medium-size characters or creatures. Included within the cell 
  are two cots, a head, and absolutely nothing else.The cell’s 
  door is locked (DC 35).
  Surgeon’s Office
  A ship surgeon’s office takes up four spaces and has room 
  for the ship’s surgeon to operate or for a shipboard cleric 
  to apply healing magic to patients. Medical care on board a 
  ship is usually crude but a surgeon’s office means that more 
  crewmen injured in battle are likely to recover and still be 
  able to aid the ship.
  Galley
  A ship’s galley takes up two spaces and allows the crew of 
  the vessel to prepare fresh food from caught fish or supplies 
  taken on board on islands. This supplements the basic rations 
  of biscuit and salted meat, making for a happier, healthier 
  ship.
  
  13
  Crew
  Every ship needs a crew. The required crew numbers are 
  determined by the needs of the ship’s systems, propul-
  sion, floatation devices and armaments. This provides a 
  minimum crew level that must be filled out for everything 
  to be working. Additional crew allow for systems to be kept 
  running even with casualties or for repair and fire control 
  parties to be sent out.
  Finally there are some specialist crew with particular skills 
  that can be used to fill out the crew compliment of a vessel.
  Command Crew
  The command crew keeps the crew in order, represents them 
  and represents the ship. A good set of officers is essential to 
  the ordered running of a vessel and bring a set of skills to the 
  service of the ship to keep it running ship-shape.
  Officer Quality 
  Skill 
  Wage/Day
  Green 
  +5 
  5 sp
  Regular 
  +6 
  10 sp
  Veteran 
  +7 
  15 sp
  Elite 
  +8 
  20 sp
  Ace 
  +9 
  30 sp
  Captain
  Captains are full characters who often own the vessel or 
  at least run it for the government, company or the navy. If 
  captains draw a wage it is from the ship’s profit, a share – if a 
  pirate vessel – or from whoever owns the vessel.
  First Mate: Intimidate Skill
  The first mate is the captain’s right hand, the main discipli-
  narian of the ship and the conduit of the captain’s orders.
  Quartermaster: Appraise Skill
  The quartermaster is entrusted by crew and officers with 
  handling the money and keeping track of cargo and other 
  essentials. On pirate ships quartermasters are commonly 
  elected by the crew and on similar status to the mate.
  Boatswain: Diplomacy Skill
  Boatswains act as intermediary officers in charge of particular 
  areas of the ship, such as the riggers, the floatation crew 
  or commanding the gunners, bringing their concerns to the 
  attention of the captain and other higher officers.
  Sailors
  ‘Sailor’ covers all the non-specialist, non-officer members 
  of the crew. Generic crewmen who can fulfill any number of 
  roles on-board ship.
  Sailor Quality 
  Skill 
  Wage/Day
  Green 
  +5 
  3 sp
  Regular 
  +6 
  4 sp
  Veteran 
  +7 
  6 sp
  Elite 
  +8 
  8 sp
  Ace 
  +9 
  10 sp
  Specialists
  Specialists bring particularly useful skills to the ship that 
  make life easier on board or provide expertise where regular 
  sailors can only make do and mend.
  Carpenter: Carpenters can make better repairs and even 
  replace broken or destroyed ship components, with access to 
  enough material.
  Sniper: A specialist with a long rifle, the sniper can attempt 
  to pick off officers from other vessels, firing from decks, gun 
  ports or rigging on the vessel.
  Sawbones: A sawbones has access to the Heal skill and may 
  also have some alchemical skill.
  Cook: A good shipboard cook can make a half-decent meal 
  out of almost anything, even unfamiliar and alien species or 
  the corpses of monsters.
  Specialist 
  Skill 
  Wage/Day
  Green 
  +5 
  4 sp
  Regular 
  +6 
  6 sp
  Veteran 
  +7 
  8 sp
  Elite 
  +8 
  10 sp
  Ace 
  +9 
  12 sp
  Final Statistics
  Once your ship is designed you note down the final statis-
  tics and the description in order to finalize the vessel. Some, 
  particular, special vessels with special construction from 
  particular nations or peoples might also apply templates to 
  these final statistics but these will be detailed elsewhere.
  Sample Skyship Creation
  A much larger vessel needs some escape craft – which can 
  be strapped to the outside of the vessel – so we set about 
  designing an escape launch, a way for crew to flee a burning 
  warship rather than simply a lifeboat or a ship’s launch. Built 
  to escape, rather than to fight.
  We settle on a medium sized frame, the smallest true-flying 
  vessel possible.
  A medium frame has 20 hit points, 5 spaces and costs 500 gp.
  We decide to make it a wedge, sacrificing some space, but 
  making it faster to get away from enemy vessels.
  This reduces the space by 1 to 4 spaces and gives the vessel 
  +1 speed.
  We decide to make the vessel of light wood, sacrificing 
  protection for velocity.
  A light wooden frame will reduce the cost by -50 gp and 
  increase the speed by +1, it has no damage Reduction.
  
  14
  We decide to have the vessel move by sails.
  Sails provide a base speed of 3, with the bonuses this is now 
  5. Sails require one crew to operate and cost 50 gp.
  We float the vessel with a chute-sail.
  Chute sails require two crew and cost 100 gp.
  Four internal spaces are given over to crew quarters and 
  space.
  This provides room for 16 crewmen and costs 80 gp.
  One internal space – the last one – is given over to rations.
  This costs 250 gp and can keep the escaping crewmen going 
  for some time.
  Added together with the combat statistics this gives us:
  Escape Launch
  A canvas-winged ‘dart’ of a vessel, the escape launch cuts 
  through the air like an arrowhead, fleeing battle with consid-
  erable speed.
  Medium Wedge Skyship
  Attack: Crew +0
  Defense: Pilot +10
  HP: 20
  Destruction Point: -20
  DR: 0 (Light wood)
  Speed: 5
  Crew: 3 (Crew quality depends on those escaping from the 
  main vessel).
  Quarters: 16
  Cargo: Rations x1
  Flight: Sails (Crew 1)
  Floatation: Chute Sail (Crew 2)
  Cost: 930 gp.
  Ships as Characters
  Some ships can become as famous and notorious as their 
  captains or crews. Accruing a mystique and an aura of power 
  all of their own. As vessels accrue a legend, some of that 
  power becomes real, becomes true and the quirks of that 
  particular ship become its being.
  Ships do not raise in level by experience points but by signif-
  icant encounters. These can be battles or adventures of signif-
  icance in which the ship played a role. These events form 
  the legend of the ship as it progresses along its ‘career’. The 
  ship that stood off the Crimson Sails pirate fleet, the vessel 
  that discovered the Golden Temple of Azkara and helped the 
  rebels escape Fort Gravel is infamous and known for what it 
  can do, something that puts steel in the spines of its crew and 
  fear in the hearts of its enemies.
  Every Ship Level a vessel gains provides it with a ‘Ship 
  Feat’, special modifiers and abilities that render the infamous 
  vessels worthy of the name.
  Significant Encounters 
  Ship Level 
  Ship Feat
  3 
  1 
  4 
  2 
  6 
  3 
  +1
  8 
  4 
  11 
  5 
  14 
  6 
  +1
  18 
  7 
  22 
  8 
  27 
  9 
  +1
  32 
  10 
  38 
  11 
  44 
  12 
  +1
  51 
  13 
  58 
  14 
  66 
  15 
  +1
  74 
  16 
  83 
  17 
  92 
  18 
  +1
  102 
  19 
  112 
  20 
  +1
  Ship Feats
  As ships advance in their notoriety they gain Ship Feats. Ship 
  Feats are a means to reflect the gathering legend of the ship 
  and grant it certain bonuses to reflect their growing notoriety 
  and capabilities.
  Agile in the Air
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: Vessel is renown for its agility in the sky and the 
  pilots of the vessel find her a pleasure to steer. On piloting 
  checks for the ship they receive a +1 bonus, up to a total 
  bonus of +3.
  Animal Watchmen
  Perquisites: Ship Level 5
  Benefit: The ship attracts a flock of birds, skyfish or other 
  creatures who adopt the vessel – and its crew – becoming 
  somewhat tame and dependent upon the vessel. The crew get 
  used to the behavior of the animals and learn to read their 
  habits. This provides a +2 bonus to Perception checks for the 
  crew to detect hidden vessels or threats.
  Beak of the Kraken
  Perquisites: Ship Level 10
  Benefit: The vessel is notorious for its ramming capabilities, 
  strong and tough, with a solid prow that can cleave through 
  weaker hulls with ease. The vessel increases its damage 
  
  15
  Reduction by 5 when ramming another vessel and increases 
  the ramming damage it causes by 1d10. This Ship Feat may 
  be taken twice.
  Billowing Sails
  Perquisites: Sail Propulsion.
  Benefit: The vessel can play through the winds better than 
  most other vessels and never takes a penalty to its speed from 
  adverse wind conditions or direction.
  Blood on the Decks
  Perquisites: Ship Level 15
  Benefit: The ship has seen a great deal of battle and death 
  upon its decks. The stain of blood is worked into every beam 
  and every rope. The crew breathe in death and breathe out 
  war. The crew receive a +1 bonus to their attack and damage 
  rolls when boarding or defending against boarders.
  Cloud Shark
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: The vessel has some inherent knack for vanishing 
  from view into clouds or behind rocks, for blending in and 
  not being seen. The crew get a +2 bonus on Stealth checks 
  made to hide from other skyships. This Ship Feat may be 
  taken twice.
  Come on Baby, Hold Together
  Perquisites: Ship Level 10
  Benefit: The ship has a surprising amount of tenacity and is 
  very hard to break. When breaking up it has a chance, every 
  turn, of ‘stabilising’, the break up coming to a halt. Each turn 
  that the ship is breaking up roll a d20, on a result of 18-20 
  the ship stops breaking up. This Ship Feat can be taken up to 
  three times, each extra time it is taken the range increases by 
  two points, to 16-20 and then 14-20.
  Deadly Accuracy
  Perquisites: Ship Level  15
  Benefit: The ships’s gunners have a reputation for unerring 
  and terrible accuracy. The gun ports are well made and the 
  guns are of good weight, kept in perfect condition by scrupu-
  lous crews, eager to maintain their reputation. The gunners 
  receive a +1 bonus to their attack rolls. This Ship Feat may 
  be taken up to three times.
  Dread Colors
  Perquisites: Ship Level 5
  Benefit: The ship’s flag, figurehead and silhouette have 
  gained a certain level of notoriety. The Skyship’s reputation 
  precedes it and strikes terror into enemy crews. The ship 
  itself provides a +1 bonus to Intimidate checks made by the 
  officers against opposing crews and officers. This Ship Feat 
  may be taken up to three times.
  Empty Air
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: The ship has an eerie talent to fly where the cannon-
  balls aren’t. It receives a +1 bonus to its defense and this Ship 
  Feat can be taken up to three times.
  Fleet of Wing
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: The ship has clean lines and seems to be built to 
  cut through the air. Perhaps the sails are of a novel design, 
  perhaps the engines are overcharged or particularly well 
  made. Whatever the truth the ship gains +1 speed and this 
  Ship Feat can be taken twice.
  Hammer Blow
  Perquisites: Ship Level 15.
  Benefit: The crew are drilled to perfection and able to 
  unleash a devastating broadside, all at once, striking as a 
  single blow that can shatter a ship in a single hit. Once per 
  encounter the ship can choose to deliver a perfectly timed 
  fusillade that does double damage. This must be ‘activated’ 
  before the attack roll is made.
  Hard as Stone
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: The ship has hardened and seasoned over the time of 
  its service and repairs and reinforcements have made it tough.  
  Increase the damage Reduction of the vessel by 2. This Ship 
  Feat can be taken up to three times.
  Inspiring Legend
  Perquisites: Ship Level 15
  Benefit: The ship is so well known  and such a legend that 
  the crew strive, constantly, breaking their own backs in order 
  to meet the expectations of the vessel. The grade of the crew 
  is considered to be one higher, or one cheaper, as appropriate, 
  so inspiring is the vessel and so hard working the crew.
  Lucky Cat
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: The ship has a mascot, typically a cat or similar pest 
  hunter, that the crew have developed a powerful superstition 
  around, considering it to be their lucky charm. The ship gets 
  one free re-roll per session due to the presence of this lucky 
  animal.
  More Space
  Perquisites: None.
  Benefit: The ship has hidden space and the crew have 
  learned to square things away with unsurpassed skill. It’s 
  almost like the ship is bigger on the inside than it appears. 
  Increase the available spaces by 1/10th of the total spaces of 
  the craft, rounded up.
  Our Ship, our Home
  Perquisites: Ship Level 5
  Benefit: The crew know and love their ship and move around 
  it with ease and skill. It has become more than a mere ship 
  
  16
  and has become their home.  The crew can move an extra 
  five feet while on board the ship, or receive a +1 bonus to 
  armor class in mass combat during boarding actions.
  Run out the Guns
  Perquisites: Ship Level 15
  Benefit: Something about the ship’s layout or the techniques 
  that its crew have developed makes loading faster and more 
  effective. The ready time for the guns is reduced by one, to a 
  minimum of 1.
  She Speaks to Us
  Perquisites: Ship Level 5
  Benefit: The ship speaks to its crew, every creak, every flex 
  of the boards, every flap of the sail tells the crew something 
  about her. The crew gain a +1 bonus to Perception while on 
  board and a +1 bonus to any repair or similar rolls due to 
  their close relationship with the ship.
  Skeleton Crew
  Perquisites: Ship Level 10
  Benefit: The ship seems to almost sail itself. It can fly with 
  the minimum of crew. Every system or weapon that needs a 
  crew needs one less person to run, to a minimum of 1.
  Tough as old Boots
  Perquisites: Ship Level 5
  Benefit: The ship can take a lot of punishment, she tries to 
  hold together with all she has, even under the worst kind of 
  punishment. The ship gains an additional hit point for each 
  Ship Level that it has. This Ship Feat may be taken up to 
  three times.
  Skyship Wreck 
  Scenario Generator
  The following generator is designed to produce create 
  skyship wreck scenarios. Rolling a 1d6 for each of the 
  following 4 tables will produce a ship type, a location, a 
  cargo and a complication that describes a skyship wreck.
  For example, we roll a d6 four times and come up with 6, 
  4, 3 and 2. This translates to a commercial passenger vessel, 
  slowly orbiting the periphery of a Tumult with a religious 
  or mystical (or heretical) cargo and it has an alien or ancient 
  origin.
  With a little brainstorming, we can use these suggestions 
  to come up with a wreck of an ancient passenger transport 
  from a nearly forgotten era – a time of epic war in the open 
  sky that plays a central role in the history of a splinter order 
  of the Monarchy who are the guardians of peace of justice 
  in the open sky. A search of the wreck turns up a document 
  (perhaps an arcane log stored on the ship’s log) that gives a 
  firsthand account of this ancient war that directly contradicts 
  the version presented by the Monarchy. In this version, the 
  benevolent Monarchy used their cunning to rule the open 
  sky with an iron fist and they sought to violently eradicate 
  a peaceful group of dissident civilians who advocated a 
  less tyrannical path. Whether or not this is the truth is left 
  for the PCs to mull over. It’s possible that the evidence was 
  planted by a devious mastermind seeking to sow seeds of 
  doubt in a neophyte member of the Monarchy in the party. 
  Unfortunately, the crushing gravity of the Tumult compels the 
  PCs to flee the wreck – destroying the evidence before they 
  could verify its authenticity.
  Another series of rolls with the d6 turns up the following 
  results: 2, 6, 1, and 4. This result generates a corvette that 
  has crash-landed into a island with valuable trading goods 
  as cargo with a hostile salvage party as a complication. The 
  corvette can be a smuggler’s ship and contains a load of 
  skyship components that he was smuggling to an Avalonian 
  open sky station desperately in need of them. Unfortunately 
  the smuggler was shot down by a Monarchy patrol over a 
  jungle covered island. The PCs are dispatched to recover 
  the cargo. Unfortunately they have to contend with both 
  the fierce natives of the jungle covered island (an optional 
  additional complication from the Location chart) and the 
  arrival of a rogue salvage crew that wants to claim the cargo. 
  The rogue salvage crew comes from a pirate outpost. The 
  pirates have been fighting with the natives for years. After 
  some initial hostilities, the PCs may realize that they share a 
  common enemy with the natives and propose a truce.
  Written by Louis Porter Jr Design,  
  Artwork by Tamas Baranya & Ean Moody
  Table 1: Type of Ship
  Roll 
  Result
  1 
  Bounty Hunter’s Ship
  2 
   Corvette (favored ship of Independent traders/ 
  smugglers)
  3 
  Military Scout Ship
  4 
  Large Military Ship
  5 
  Commercial Cargo Transport
  6 
  Commercial Passenger Transport
  
  17
  Table 2: Location
  Roll 
  Result
  1 
  Drifting aimlessly through open sky
  2 
   Island Rock field (additional difficulty may be applied to piloting skill checks to avoid taking collisions damage)
  3 
   Unusual clouds and gaseous  formations (increasing combat skill checks and reducing protection from defensive 
  systems)
  4 
   Slowly orbiting just outside the periphery of a Tumult (i.e. - it’s possible to investigate the ship safely but only for a 
  short time before it’s drawn too deeply into the gravity well)
  5 
  Impacted into a large Island Rock
  6 
   Crash-landed onto a large Island Rock (hostile natives or challenging terrain might provide additional complications)
  Table 3: Cargo
  Roll 
  Result
  1 
   Valuable Trading Goods. (Examples: precious metal, medical supplies, robotic components, skyship components.)
  2 
   Military Cargo. (Examples: weapons, large carrier sized vessel, military grade weaponry , heavy weaponry, armor)
  3 
   Religious/mystical Cargo. (Examples: relics or artifacts of a spiritual nature. Alternately, these could be of a heretical 
  nature)
  4 
   Living Cargo. (Examples: the captain or crew of the ship, slaves destined for sale on a Frontier planet, military pris-
  oners being transferred to a holding facility or a bounty target being transported back to the client.)
  5 
   Secrets. On a military vessel these could be log files with blue- prints for a new super weapon or the hardware used to 
  decrypt coded transmissions from Central Command. On a commercial vessel these could files found in files carried 
  by a diplomat with details of a proposed alliance between two factions or a report listing suspected double agents 
  within the Central Military. These could also be the secrets of a criminal organization – such as a list of targets for 
  assassination or plans for the takeover of a rival criminal group.
  6 
   Scientific Knowledge. (Examples: academic or scholarly reports about a groundbreaking advancement. What is 
  considered “ground breaking” will depend on the technology level of your campaign. )
  Table 4: Complications
  Roll 
  Result
  1 
   A band of pirates is hiding nearby (hiding in hollow Island Rock or hiding amongst other open sky debris) - using the 
  wreck as bait to draw in unwary ships to ambush.
  2 
   The wreck is of alien origin - and appears to be a previously unknown species. Alternately, it is of ancient origin from 
  a time only dimly recalled by modern history.
  3 
  The ship’s defenses and some crew are still operational and/or alive and attempt to repel/destroy any boarders. 
  4 
   A hostile salvage party shows up while the PC are investigating the wreck and asserts that they had an official claim 
  on the vessel first.
  5 
   A force from an unfriendly, interested authority (the Monarchy, the Shan-Wei, a patrol from the local Avalonian force, 
  the owner of the wrecked vessel, the partner of the bounty hunter who owned the ship etc.) shows up while the PCs 
  are investigating the wreck.
  6 
   The ship contains a well-known individual (governor of a local system, high priest of a religion, general of the rebel-
  lion, commodore in the Monarchy.) The individual could be dead (in which case his remains are present), or alive (either 
  survived on the wreck, placed in hibernation, etc.)
  Coming Soon from Louis Porter Jr. Design
  Pirates of the Bronze Sky
  
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  TSR.
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  Author: Mike Lafferty
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  Skyships of Nova Avalon, Copyright 2011, Louis Porter Jr. Design, Inc.
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  LPJ9573
  Black Powder 
  Weaponry
  Firearms and Gunpowder
  The current state of the art in personal firearms is a smoothbore weapon with a 
  wheellock firing mechanism.  Earlier matchlocks, which required a lit match held 
  in a “matchlock” to fire, and the even earlier hand culverins, which required manual 
  application of a lit match, are still in circulation but no regular forces use them.  
  Though most firearms come from the mass production gunworks of the Monarchy 
  weapon forges, there are skilled craftsmen in other locations that can and do build 
  firearms.
  The smiths of the Monarchy weapon forges have just developed snaplocks, but have 
  kept the innovation to themselves so far.  More reliable and inexpensive flintlocks 
  are doubtless not far behind.  A couple artisans have made rifled hunting weapons 
  but these are still unique curiosities.
  Proficiency: All wheellock weapons require Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) 
  to use without penalty.
  Chant of 
  Golden Wasp 
  Pirate Ship 
  To the mast nail our flag  
  it is dark as the grave,
  Or the death which it bears  
  while it sweeps o’er the wave;
  Let our deck clear for action,  
  our guns be prepared;
  Be the boarding-axe sharpened,  
  the scimetar bared:
  Set the canisters ready,  
  and then bring to me,
  For the last of my duties,  
  the powder-room key.
  It shall never be lowered,  
  the black flag we bear;
  If the sea be denied us,  
  we sweep through the air.
  Unshared have we left  
  our last victory’s prey;
  Available Now!
  Gunpowder Steampulp Fantasy Setting
  
  A dArk stAr 
  fell from the 
  sky bringing 
  with it the end 
  of All things!
  the sanctity of the world known 
  as abaddon was shattered when 
  a global apocalyptic event of 
  a meteor impacting the planet 
  causing a destructive ecological 
  and eldritch change. now there is 
  no day or night, just never ending 
  twilight.  
  An undead world ruled by fear 
  and horror.  Undead nightmares 
  prowl the darkest forest with 
  malevolent ghouls, grim demonic 
  fiends and horrific vampires prey 
  on a fearful populace. the world 
  is dominated by the monstrously 
  powerful immortal vampiric lich 
  lord known as Calix sabinus 
  reigns supreme over this world. 
  And with all this the mysterious 
  force known as nightwall. 
  evil dominates the world to 
  be challenged by noble heroes 
  fighting to take back a world 
  that should belong to them. 
  Are you willing to  
  take up the fight?
  leArn more AboUt 
  obsidiAn twilight At 
  www.lpjdesign.Com
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/3rd Party/Louis Porter Jr. Design/LPJ9531 - Skyships of Nova Avalon.pdf