Airship design questions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Airship design questions? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkWalker
09-15-06, 04:33 AM I am helping design an airship, along with some other things, for my friends campaign that he is DM'ing and two questions came to mind.

An airship that is made partially from Livewood can have a dryad attached to it, correct? I was wondering what would be the overall benefits of having a dryad be a part of your airship (assuming that she is on very friendly terms with you)?

Also, would it be possible to teleport an entire airship without any sort of Artifact at the npc's disposal? I don't believe the teleport object spell will work and I was wondering if there was something I missed.

Thanks for any answers and I apologize if I made any grammer mistakes. :D
Shady314
09-15-06, 07:24 AM I am helping design an airship, along with some other things, for my friends campaign that he is DM'ing and two questions came to mind.

An airship that is made partially from Livewood can have a dryad attached to it, correct? I was wondering what would be the overall benefits of having a dryad be a part of your airship (assuming that she is on very friendly terms with you)?

Also, would it be possible to teleport an entire airship without any sort of Artifact at the npc's disposal? I don't believe the teleport object spell will work and I was wondering if there was something I missed.

Thanks for any answers and I apologize if I made any grammer mistakes. :D

If you have to ask what the benefits of having a dryad around that you are on "very friendly" terms with you are probably too young for me to explain it to you. ;)
antsterr
09-15-06, 08:24 AM If you have to ask what the benefits of having a dryad around that you are on "very friendly" terms with you are probably too young for me to explain it to you. ;)
Got wood?

I find it to be a farfetched idea to have a dryad living on an airship, but I guess an airship it's self is already pretty farfetched.
eehamburg
09-15-06, 12:14 PM A dryad on an airship? Don't they also have to have attachments to the ground?

As far as the other side of the conversation ... well ... brings new meaning to the captain going down with the ship.
Kid SixXx
09-15-06, 12:18 PM A dryad on an airship? Don't they also have to have attachments to the ground?

Not if something on the airship is made of Livewood as the initial poster explained.

Livewood retains its life supporting properties even after the Livewood tree itself has been chopped down.

If the airship has a livewood structure on board, then it can serve as the Dryad's home no matter where it goes.

Livewood is sometimes used as a materiel in Warforged construction.
eehamburg
09-15-06, 12:24 PM Livewood is sometimes used as a materiel in Warforged construction.

So therefore, a PC could wind up having a dryad companion? as an NPC or another PC? doesn't that make it unbalanced?
Kid SixXx
09-15-06, 12:31 PM So therefore, a PC could wind up having a dryad companion? as an NPC or another PC? doesn't that make it unbalanced?

I suppose it could, provided that the Dryad uses the WF character as her own personal mobile base. DM's still have the safety valve known as the Aereni when it comes to this issue.

Aereni are pretty strict when it comes to Livewood exportation, so the DM can always assume that the Aereni elves provided alternate housing for the Dryad before cutting down the Livewood tree, or made sure that the tree wasn't habitated in the first place when it was cut down.

Unbalancing or no, it is a pretty sweet plot device. DM's can use Rule Zero and chat with their players to reason away why this would or wouldn't be allowed.

If the DM simply says "No, that ain't gonna happen," then the balance issue is solved because the DM has ruled it out: perhaps completely or perhaps only in the immediacy.

If the WF takes the Leadership feat, then the Dryad makes for a convenient cohort.
eehamburg
09-15-06, 12:43 PM and that all depends on whether you have a good role player or if it turns into silliness.
Kid SixXx
09-15-06, 12:51 PM and that all depends on whether you have a good role player or if it turns into silliness.

I tend to concur.

It's not bad for a campaign to have its extended moments of light-heartedness, if those moments are girded with a sense of maturity & respect for your fellow players.

Really bawdy humor can be enlightening around the proper gaming table, provided that the folks take all things in stride.
amysteriouswhisper
09-15-06, 05:38 PM Remeber that having a mainly soarwood hull gives the airship the ability to float adrift, not the elemental. The bound elemental meerly moves the airship in one directy or the other, but to have a dryad on a boat you could have an object mainly made of livingwood. This object would have to be of rather large demintions, but could work. The object could even be a piece of decoration, serving no pratical value at all. The object could be a solid wooden box, or part of a fountain, perhaps even the figure head infront of the boat. Maybe even a main part of the inners of the boat, for extra support of the structure.

I think it would add a very intresting part of the storyline, as well as having a npc that can heal after missions as well as give some pretty basic aid. I think the dyrad for best purposes should be a druid of equivlent level to that of the players. Perhaps higher at first, having her just as a dyrad, but evenly meeting the levels of the players. Or stopping once she is at a good enough level. This could also add a very intresting first part to a story, not allowing the players to know about the dryad other then the fellow helping build the airship. It would be sorta of a mystery. Treat her like if you were trying to find a solaway, but some how you never manage to catch her.

On the note of having dyrads as boats. In the third moster manual, there is a fey creature by the name of a Splinterwaif. Though it is said in the book that it may or may not be a demented form of the dyrad, for this I would make it one. Have the hull of the ship home to several of these little creatures. When the soarwood was harvested, it could have been taken from a dryads grove or simular extablishment, taking several of the dryads with it instead of letting them simply die. You add these little creatures to the ship and they cause a little choas untill caught/destoried/what ever your players see fit.

If you added this little creatures, you could add a dryad, this would allow for an intresting npc conflict aboard the ship.
Madhouse
09-22-06, 02:56 PM Given that Dryads are only linked to oak trees (according to the Monster Manual), I'm not sure this is possible; however, for the sake of argument, let's assume it is.

Although I question whether Livewood exporters would harvest a dryad-inhabited tree (or that the Dryad would allow the tree to be harvested), the idea of a Dryad attached to the Livewood of an airship is pretty pimp. :ayyyy!:

As for the benefits of having a dryad on board, here's a couple of ideas:

Planters with a variety of plants situated throughout the airship provide ready fodder for the Dryad's Entangle ability.

Charm Person and Deep Slumber are both excellent weapons against attackers intent on boarding the ship.

Now for your teleport question: Frankly, I think you're out of luck (short of a Wish spell, and even then, I doubt it would work). Teleporting is pretty limited, and I think an airship would simply be too large. The only thing I can think of would be an epic-level spell and even then the DC to succeed would be ridiculously high.
Nived
09-22-06, 03:04 PM Yes a Dryad can make their home in Livewood, Eberron Campaign setting page 127. The description of Livewood says so. Thus it trumps the Monster Manual.

What's more... SPOILERS for Voyage of the Mourning Dawn
The airship the Mourning Dawn has a Dryad attached to the Livewood figurehead. She doesn't make her presence known till near the end of the novel. She's not what I'd call social. From what I understand she did it willingly because she wanted to see the world and the artificer that designed the craft (note the gnomes still made it he just designed it) was her friend. Course he's presumed dead now... ANYWAY
Madhouse
09-22-06, 04:29 PM Yes a Dryad can make their home in Livewood, Eberron Campaign setting page 127. The description of Livewood says so. Thus it trumps the Monster Manual.

Good call, Nived. I missed that one. <sheepish grin>
Kresalak
09-23-06, 02:01 AM This thread seems to be screaming "Weatherlight" to me...
13thMark
09-23-06, 05:20 PM The benefits of having a dryad live in the structure of your airship as I see them are thus:

You have a potentially very helpful npc whose only concern is in making certain the airship is not destroyed. A dryad has innate powers that will allow her to defend an unmanned airship from intruders/attackers (charm person, suggestion, deep slumber). And there also exists the potential for the dryad in question to possess class levels . . . dryad druid npc anyone? Healing given to crew members who pledge to keep the dryad and the ship safe? Hmmmm . . .

However, the DM can also have fun with this . . . what if the dryad developes the ability to speak with or even control the elemental ring? Will the dryad steal the ship out from under the party, or use this ability to bring the ship where it is needed?
DarkWalker
09-23-06, 11:49 PM Sorry for not replying earlier, but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their replies. My DM friend really liked the responses that you gave. :)
He plans to have the dryad as a balancing factor for some his player's brash actions. Apparently he's afraid that one or more of his players would ram the airship into something at the first sign of danger. Having a dryad who could stop them from doing that pleases him greatly. But knowing my friend the way I do, he will have the dryad as a strong alley for when his PC's do good behavoir.

Now for your teleport question: Frankly, I think you're out of luck (short of a Wish spell, and even then, I doubt it would work). Teleporting is pretty limited, and I think an airship would simply be too large. The only thing I can think of would be an epic-level spell and even then the DC to succeed would be ridiculously high.

Well, I honestly didn't think it was possible without epic spells or an artifiact, but it was worth asking nevertheless.

This thread seems to be screaming "Weatherlight" to me...

:confused: Sorry, I don't know that refrence. Could you explain that please? :)
Kid SixXx
09-24-06, 03:12 PM :confused: Sorry, I don't know that refrence. Could you explain that please? :)

Probably a reference to the Weatherlight Saga from Magic: the Gathering, although I don't know how this angle fits into that one since I don't play Magic.
Musrum
09-24-06, 11:38 PM Instead of making the Dryad an accessory you could make her an integral part of the ship.

Give her 6 levels of Warlock (fey fluff) and the Charm Invocation. This will allow her to control the elemental, making her the Captain of a Rogue Ship...

The PC's are there at her invitation.

She is not free onboard entertainment, they are…

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkWalker 09-15-06, 04:33 AM	I am helping design an airship, along with some other things, for my friends campaign that he is DM'ing and two questions came to mind. An airship that is made partially from Livewood can have a dryad attached to it, correct? I was wondering what would be the overall benefits of having a dryad be a part of your airship (assuming that she is on very friendly terms with you)? Also, would it be possible to teleport an entire airship without any sort of Artifact at the npc's disposal? I don't believe the teleport object spell will work and I was wondering if there was something I missed. Thanks for any answers and I apologize if I made any grammer mistakes. :D
Shady314 09-15-06, 07:24 AM	I am helping design an airship, along with some other things, for my friends campaign that he is DM'ing and two questions came to mind. An airship that is made partially from Livewood can have a dryad attached to it, correct? I was wondering what would be the overall benefits of having a dryad be a part of your airship (assuming that she is on very friendly terms with you)? Also, would it be possible to teleport an entire airship without any sort of Artifact at the npc's disposal? I don't believe the teleport object spell will work and I was wondering if there was something I missed. Thanks for any answers and I apologize if I made any grammer mistakes. :D If you have to ask what the benefits of having a dryad around that you are on "very friendly" terms with you are probably too young for me to explain it to you. ;)
antsterr 09-15-06, 08:24 AM	If you have to ask what the benefits of having a dryad around that you are on "very friendly" terms with you are probably too young for me to explain it to you. ;) Got wood? I find it to be a farfetched idea to have a dryad living on an airship, but I guess an airship it's self is already pretty farfetched.
eehamburg 09-15-06, 12:14 PM	A dryad on an airship? Don't they also have to have attachments to the ground? As far as the other side of the conversation ... well ... brings new meaning to the captain going down with the ship.
Kid SixXx 09-15-06, 12:18 PM	A dryad on an airship? Don't they also have to have attachments to the ground? Not if something on the airship is made of Livewood as the initial poster explained. Livewood retains its life supporting properties even after the Livewood tree itself has been chopped down. If the airship has a livewood structure on board, then it can serve as the Dryad's home no matter where it goes. Livewood is sometimes used as a materiel in Warforged construction.
eehamburg 09-15-06, 12:24 PM	Livewood is sometimes used as a materiel in Warforged construction. So therefore, a PC could wind up having a dryad companion? as an NPC or another PC? doesn't that make it unbalanced?
Kid SixXx 09-15-06, 12:31 PM	So therefore, a PC could wind up having a dryad companion? as an NPC or another PC? doesn't that make it unbalanced? I suppose it could, provided that the Dryad uses the WF character as her own personal mobile base. DM's still have the safety valve known as the Aereni when it comes to this issue. Aereni are pretty strict when it comes to Livewood exportation, so the DM can always assume that the Aereni elves provided alternate housing for the Dryad before cutting down the Livewood tree, or made sure that the tree wasn't habitated in the first place when it was cut down. Unbalancing or no, it is a pretty sweet plot device. DM's can use Rule Zero and chat with their players to reason away why this would or wouldn't be allowed. If the DM simply says "No, that ain't gonna happen," then the balance issue is solved because the DM has ruled it out: perhaps completely or perhaps only in the immediacy. If the WF takes the Leadership feat, then the Dryad makes for a convenient cohort.
eehamburg 09-15-06, 12:43 PM	and that all depends on whether you have a good role player or if it turns into silliness.
Kid SixXx 09-15-06, 12:51 PM	and that all depends on whether you have a good role player or if it turns into silliness. I tend to concur. It's not bad for a campaign to have its extended moments of light-heartedness, if those moments are girded with a sense of maturity & respect for your fellow players. Really bawdy humor can be enlightening around the proper gaming table, provided that the folks take all things in stride.
amysteriouswhisper 09-15-06, 05:38 PM	Remeber that having a mainly soarwood hull gives the airship the ability to float adrift, not the elemental. The bound elemental meerly moves the airship in one directy or the other, but to have a dryad on a boat you could have an object mainly made of livingwood. This object would have to be of rather large demintions, but could work. The object could even be a piece of decoration, serving no pratical value at all. The object could be a solid wooden box, or part of a fountain, perhaps even the figure head infront of the boat. Maybe even a main part of the inners of the boat, for extra support of the structure. I think it would add a very intresting part of the storyline, as well as having a npc that can heal after missions as well as give some pretty basic aid. I think the dyrad for best purposes should be a druid of equivlent level to that of the players. Perhaps higher at first, having her just as a dyrad, but evenly meeting the levels of the players. Or stopping once she is at a good enough level. This could also add a very intresting first part to a story, not allowing the players to know about the dryad other then the fellow helping build the airship. It would be sorta of a mystery. Treat her like if you were trying to find a solaway, but some how you never manage to catch her. On the note of having dyrads as boats. In the third moster manual, there is a fey creature by the name of a Splinterwaif. Though it is said in the book that it may or may not be a demented form of the dyrad, for this I would make it one. Have the hull of the ship home to several of these little creatures. When the soarwood was harvested, it could have been taken from a dryads grove or simular extablishment, taking several of the dryads with it instead of letting them simply die. You add these little creatures to the ship and they cause a little choas untill caught/destoried/what ever your players see fit. If you added this little creatures, you could add a dryad, this would allow for an intresting npc conflict aboard the ship.
Madhouse 09-22-06, 02:56 PM	Given that Dryads are only linked to oak trees (according to the Monster Manual), I'm not sure this is possible; however, for the sake of argument, let's assume it is. Although I question whether Livewood exporters would harvest a dryad-inhabited tree (or that the Dryad would allow the tree to be harvested), the idea of a Dryad attached to the Livewood of an airship is pretty pimp. :ayyyy!: As for the benefits of having a dryad on board, here's a couple of ideas: Planters with a variety of plants situated throughout the airship provide ready fodder for the Dryad's Entangle ability. Charm Person and Deep Slumber are both excellent weapons against attackers intent on boarding the ship. Now for your teleport question: Frankly, I think you're out of luck (short of a Wish spell, and even then, I doubt it would work). Teleporting is pretty limited, and I think an airship would simply be too large. The only thing I can think of would be an epic-level spell and even then the DC to succeed would be ridiculously high.
Nived 09-22-06, 03:04 PM	Yes a Dryad can make their home in Livewood, Eberron Campaign setting page 127. The description of Livewood says so. Thus it trumps the Monster Manual. What's more... SPOILERS for Voyage of the Mourning Dawn The airship the Mourning Dawn has a Dryad attached to the Livewood figurehead. She doesn't make her presence known till near the end of the novel. She's not what I'd call social. From what I understand she did it willingly because she wanted to see the world and the artificer that designed the craft (note the gnomes still made it he just designed it) was her friend. Course he's presumed dead now... ANYWAY
Madhouse 09-22-06, 04:29 PM	Yes a Dryad can make their home in Livewood, Eberron Campaign setting page 127. The description of Livewood says so. Thus it trumps the Monster Manual. Good call, Nived. I missed that one. <sheepish grin>
Kresalak 09-23-06, 02:01 AM	This thread seems to be screaming "Weatherlight" to me...
13thMark 09-23-06, 05:20 PM	The benefits of having a dryad live in the structure of your airship as I see them are thus: You have a potentially very helpful npc whose only concern is in making certain the airship is not destroyed. A dryad has innate powers that will allow her to defend an unmanned airship from intruders/attackers (charm person, suggestion, deep slumber). And there also exists the potential for the dryad in question to possess class levels . . . dryad druid npc anyone? Healing given to crew members who pledge to keep the dryad and the ship safe? Hmmmm . . . However, the DM can also have fun with this . . . what if the dryad developes the ability to speak with or even control the elemental ring? Will the dryad steal the ship out from under the party, or use this ability to bring the ship where it is needed?
DarkWalker 09-23-06, 11:49 PM	Sorry for not replying earlier, but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their replies. My DM friend really liked the responses that you gave. :) He plans to have the dryad as a balancing factor for some his player's brash actions. Apparently he's afraid that one or more of his players would ram the airship into something at the first sign of danger. Having a dryad who could stop them from doing that pleases him greatly. But knowing my friend the way I do, he will have the dryad as a strong alley for when his PC's do good behavoir. Now for your teleport question: Frankly, I think you're out of luck (short of a Wish spell, and even then, I doubt it would work). Teleporting is pretty limited, and I think an airship would simply be too large. The only thing I can think of would be an epic-level spell and even then the DC to succeed would be ridiculously high. Well, I honestly didn't think it was possible without epic spells or an artifiact, but it was worth asking nevertheless. This thread seems to be screaming "Weatherlight" to me... :confused: Sorry, I don't know that refrence. Could you explain that please? :)
Kid SixXx 09-24-06, 03:12 PM	:confused: Sorry, I don't know that refrence. Could you explain that please? :) Probably a reference to the Weatherlight Saga from Magic: the Gathering, although I don't know how this angle fits into that one since I don't play Magic.
Musrum 09-24-06, 11:38 PM	Instead of making the Dryad an accessory you could make her an integral part of the ship. Give her 6 levels of Warlock (fey fluff) and the Charm Invocation. This will allow her to control the elemental, making her the Captain of a Rogue Ship... The PC's are there at her invitation. She is not free onboard entertainment, they are…