The Guild of the Arcane Engineers
The Dragon ships of the shattered world are similar to the
spelljamming ships from the SpellJammer universe, but not as
powerful. They can't leave the Crystal Sphere, and they can't
travel at SpellJamming speeds.
Dragon ships are the most common form of transport between the
fragments and other locations in the Air Abyss. These ships,
made from wood and dragon bones, are also the primary means of
trade. Distances and traveling conditions in the Abyss can vary
from day to day, so, depending on the particular Fragment one is
going to, travel can last weeks, or sometimes months.
Dragon ships are powered by the Gem Engine (Also called Dragon
Stones). It is these gems that power the Gem Engine and propels
the ship through the Abyss. The Dragon Stones only have a set
number of charges which can move a ship. Each charge will move a
ship about 500 miles. The maximum speed for most ships is about
50 miles per hour. Additional charges can propel a ship 10 miles
per hour faster, but runs the risk of damaging the ship or
putting the engine into "flux". (see below to learn about flux).
Typically a Dragon Stone can have 1 charge per 100 gp value of
the gem. A Dragon Stone is rechargeable, as long as the gem is
intact. (So, a 5,000 gp gen can hold 50 charges).
Whenever a charge is activated from a Dragon Stone, the gem must
make a saving throw, as glass, vs magical fire. If the save is
not made, the Gem goes into "flux." It will begin to glow and a
keen, high pitched noise will be heard. Within 2 to 4 rounds the
Gem will shatter, doing 1d3 damage per charge in a radius of 5
feet per charge. Only a Stabilize Dragon Stone spell can prevent
this from happening. (Rumor says that the Guild of Arcane
Engineers purposely built this into the gems in order for ships
to hire Engineers.) If no engineer is available to cast the
Stabilize spell it is possible to remove the gem from the engine
and throw it overboard. It takes two rounds to remove it. The
engine will be damaged and become nonfunctional if it receives 10
hit points or more from an explosion.
The Guild of Arcane Engineers has strict control over all the
spells used in making the Dragon Stones and the Engines. A ship
without an Engineer can still function for a time, but will
require an Engineer for overhaul periodically.
The Guild of Engineers are mostly all Neutral. They provide
their services to anyone who wishes, without exception. Even
pirates are able to hire an Engineer. The Guild doesn't
discriminate.
SPELLS
Empower Dragon Stone: Level 4.
Empower Dragon Stone creates the magical gems used in propelling
the Dragon ships. The material component is a gem of at least
1,000 gp value. The number of charges the gem will have is the
gp value divided by 100. If the gem is not recharged before the
last charge is used, the gem is completely consumed by the
Engine.
Stabilize Dragon Stone. Level 3
This spell will stabilize a Dragon Stone that has gone into flux.
Extend Charge. Level 2
This spell will extend the range of one charge by 50%. i.e. it
will add 250 miles to a charge. When it is cast, the gem must
make it's saving throw to keep from going into flux.
Attune to Fragment. Level 1
New Engineers use this spell to establish a link with a fragment.
The Engineer must physically visit a fragment and cast this
spell. The fragment is now permanently "memorized" and can be
located later using the Find Fragment spell.
Find Fragment. Level 3
After casting the Find Fragment spell, an Engineer gains a sense
of direction to a fragment he memorized with the Attune to
Fragment spell. The Engineer will know which direction to travel,
and the approximate distance within 500 miles to the fragment.
This sense of Direction remain until the Engineer reaches the
fragment.
Only one Find Fragment spell can be in effect at any time. If an
Engineer casts the spell to locate another fragment, the
direction sense for the first fragment will be lost.
Find ANY Fragment. Level 4.
This spell is for the Dragon ship that is hopelessly lost. It
gives the direction to the closest fragment. If the direction
sense from a Find Fragment spell is active, it will be lost after
casting the Find ANY Fragment spell.
Lose direction. Level 4
This is the only approved combat spell between Engineers by the
Guild. The target Engineer must save v. Magic or lose his
direction sense for 1d10 weeks. Without this sense, an Engineer
cannot navigate between fragments. The ship is lost and must
navigate by eye. (Clouds exist in the Abyss, therefore any
fragment beyond 1,000 miles cannot be seen.)
Transfer link. Level 4
An Engineer who has a link to a fragment established by the
Attune to Fragment spell can "teach" someone who else who has
never been there.
Navigation:
Imagine the mathematics of figuring the location of an object
moving in an orbit in 3 dimensions in space, when your only
reference point is another object in orbit. Figure also the fact
that there is no night and therefore no stars to guide a ship.
And also the fact that wind speeds can cause a fragment to veer
off up to 1,000 miles from where is should be. And finally the
fact that the EarthStones on the fragments cause the the
fragments to repel each other to prevent collisions. When you
put all these variables together you can see that the old
fashioned method of navigation us useless.
Only an Engineer can accurately navigate a course outside of the
major shipping lanes. Inside of routine shipping lanes, where the
fragments are reletively close to each other, such as those
surrounding Rynne, it is possible to navigate by eye. These
shipping lanes are often the training grounds for new engineers.
(
geocities.com/timessquare)