Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MysticTheurge 09-28-05, 05:10 PM	So I'm altering Whispers of the Vampire's Blade slightly so that the airship heads towards Xen'drik instead of Karnnath, but I need some ideas on what it should be that causes the ship to crash. A monster of some sort? A tribe of drow with flying mounts? Some kind of eldritch machine left over in ruins somewhere? What kind of suggestions do people have?
Thrincold 09-28-05, 05:15 PM	Drow binders using an anti-binding pulse. They have had centuries to perfect a means of freeing an enemies bound elementals at range. Though dangerous its perfect for bringing down an enemy ship. Also they could have elemental bound "jetpacks". Save Vs. Dm and I made up some on the boards a few weeks ago, shouldn't be too far back on the equipment board. You could also just have a freak zone of reverse gravity over an old Xendric temple too.
MysticTheurge 09-28-05, 05:34 PM	Drow binders using an anti-binding pulse. They have had centuries to perfect a means of freeing an enemies bound elementals at range. Though dangerous its perfect for bringing down an enemy ship. I like this idea, something like the Firebinders using the spell from ExpHB that releases the elemental to fight. My only question then, is that the ExpHB says an airship will continue to float sans elemental; if the elemental gets released what makes the airship crash?
Orion Polaris 09-28-05, 09:18 PM	Maybe the Elemental itself?
ladyalleyna 09-28-05, 09:58 PM	I was just reading the novel "The Crimson Talisman" in which they had an airship crash. This particular ship had been hijacked (with the pilot still in control but under knife-point) and then flown over the Talenta Plains where it was sucked into some violent air currents and then attacked by halfling raiders. The elemental was fighting its bonds since it didn't want to go farther into the currents, and then the pilot was killed and the elemental was loosed, which caused great stress on the ship (aside from the currents and the attack from the halflings). When the elemental ripped free, it caused a lot of damage and caused the ship to go crashing to the ground (and the three main characters survived the crash). Hope this helps some :)
Inkling 09-28-05, 10:21 PM	The rules in Explorer's Handbook clarify that the ship stays aloft because of the soarwood and that the elemental is only for propulsion. It even talks about routinely turning off the elemental completely (by sending it back into its crystal) as you dock so you don't cause an accident. So it looks like it's tougher to bring down an airship than by snuffing the elemental. You might need an anti-magic shell or m. disjunction...or you could do it the old fashion way and blow the ship in half.
MysticTheurge 09-28-05, 10:34 PM	The rules in Explorer's Handbook clarify that the ship stays aloft because of the soarwood and that the elemental is only for propulsion. It even talks about routinely turning off the elemental completely (by sending it back into its crystal) as you dock so you don't cause an accident. So it looks like it's tougher to bring down an airship than by snuffing the elemental. You might need an anti-magic shell or m. disjunction...or you could do it the old fashion way and blow the ship in half. Essentially it makes sinking an airship rather like sinking a regular ship. ExpHB says that a certain amount of the ships soarwood hull must remain intact for it to remain aloft. Essentially the easiest way to cause an airship to crash is to destroy a large portion of the Hull, according to ExpHB. Personally, this "clarification" is my least favorite part of ExpHB as it nearly counters most of the fluff descriptions of airship crashes we've had so far. The other possibility provided by the ExpHB is that an uncontrolled elemental may try to vindictively fly the ship into the ground. But neither of those really appeal to me, they seem so mundane. Maybe I'll have drow free the elemental, leaving the airship stranded until a Giant comes across it.
Inkling 09-28-05, 11:37 PM	The other possibility provided by the ExpHB is that an uncontrolled elemental may try to vindictively fly the ship into the ground.That's kind of a cool idea too: the bad guys can gain control of the elemental and force it to ram the ship in the ground...since the elemental wouldn't necessarily be harmed in the crash (in fact he'd be freed) a good Charm Monster spell would do the trick. A priest of Onatar (or other cleric with the Fire domain) could control the fire elemental too and command it to crash. Maybe an exciting opposed roll between the pilot and the usurper over control of the elemental would be in order...just to let the players think they still have a chance to save their ship, but as the DM you can always say they failed to roll high enough and crash the ship anyways for the plot point.
MysticTheurge 09-28-05, 11:40 PM	Of course, there's always a good chance that the freed elemental will first turn on the ship, setting it largely on fire, before escaping to wherever itends to go.
Inkling 09-28-05, 11:44 PM	Of course, there's always a good chance that the freed elemental will first turn on the ship, setting it largely on fire, before escaping to wherever itends to go.Oh the humanity! hahaha
Just another user 09-29-05, 07:42 AM	The rules in Explorer's Handbook clarify that the ship stays aloft because of the soarwood and that the elemental is only for propulsion. It even talks about routinely turning off the elemental completely (by sending it back into its crystal) as you dock so you don't cause an accident. So it looks like it's tougher to bring down an airship than by snuffing the elemental. You might need an anti-magic shell or m. disjunction...or you could do it the old fashion way and blow the ship in half. IIRC it only says that the ship have enough lifting power to keep floating even without the elemental. I don't think it means tha empty ship, when take in count the cargo and passengers, I think a ship without elemental would tend to crash.