Characters owning airships [Archive] - Wizards Community

Characters owning airships [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Thrasher
08-22-05, 05:35 PM Ok this is the first game I have DMed where there were airships or the characters even had an intrest in buying a ship or anything besides the basic horse/wagon combo and I have to ask this. How well does this work? Characters having a airship that is. I was reading up on them and it says it requires a crew of 10 to 15. Whats the standard rate of upkeep for the ship crew wize and just in general. Whats your expierence DMing a game that has an airship. How do you kinda lead the plays to the adventure you want them to go on. I am just not sure what to do when they get it. Can any of ya'll give me suggestions?
DragonWatcher
08-22-05, 05:56 PM Well, first off, an airship costs 92,000 gp, which means that characters will be mid to high level by the time they should be able to afford that. By that level, they will likely have access to all sorts of resources to travel, and letting them just buy an airship and hire a crew would likely not be that game-shattering.

There are a few ways that I would let PC's gather crew:

The first way would be to have PC(s) with the Leadership feat use this to gather followers with the right skills. However, if they want a dragonmarked character to pilot the ship (not necessary, but it makes things easier), this would have to be a Cohort (I don't think that this is official, but as a DM, I wouldn't let generic follower 3 have the Least Mark of Storms).

Option two would be to hire said crew. If they went this way, the crew would likely be a bit less loyal, which could open up all sorts of story hooks right there. I would use the hirelings table from the DMG (or other sourcebooks) for the cost per month to pay the crew.

Remember, there are plenty of chances for aerial encounters in Eberron, so traveling by airship won't necessarily allow the group to bypass any encounters that you want to set up. You will just have to be more creative.

I wouldn't recommend letting a group of first level characters start with an airship unless you want to base your whole campaign around that. The most important thing to remember with private airships is that airships are relatively new (under 10 years in production), and relatively rare. There's not a ton of privateers out there with these wonders of magic, and those that are out there will likely be viewed with suspicion, if not outright hostility by members of House Lyrandar. Also, while few people would be foolish enough to try to comandeer a Lyrandar airship, a private airship makes a much more tempting target. The PCs might just find themselves as the target of another adventuring (raiding) party or two.

Finally, airships are a good method to get from A to B, but once you arrive at your destination, the PCs will still have to descend into the ruins, or trek through the jungles. Airships can't land (they need a docking tower), and without a tower they have to be anchored. Boarding and unboarding requires rope ladders, fly spells or some other means of ascending. They're not terribly convenient for loading treasure from ground level. If the players get an airship, they should not have everything else handed to them as well. :)

Good luck with your game!
Thrincold
08-22-05, 05:56 PM I don't know the upkeep on such a thing, I don't own the right book. As for should they own it....

Depends on your players really. What general level are they. At mid-levels gaining such a thing isn't bad. Just remember if you let them have it, and don't like it they will get pissy when it gets blown up/ wrecked.

I let my players have a land cart similar to the one in the published adventure module.

Good movement, holds some stuff, and they can't bypass encounters that easilly. It was a good trade off.

I guess my rambling isn't much help but in my opinion if you are ready to handle it let em have it. The possesion of such an item can open up loads of adventures on its own.
Aloïsius
08-22-05, 06:27 PM I guess a necromancer can solve the crew problem...

airship are cool anyway. They may add a "starwars" feel to Eberron, with "just-in-time" escapes, and a lot of very tense action.
Edymnion
08-22-05, 06:52 PM Actually, there is an easy way to give the PCs an airship.
There is a PrC in the Explorer's Handbook for airship pilots that grants, as part of it's class abilities, the use of an airship. Basically, House Lylander realizes that an adventurer makes more money in a year than most people make in a lifetime. So, this PrC basically says "Okay, we'll let you borrow an airship and a crew to man it, to do whatever you want with, just as long as you cut us in for a fifth of all the treasure you get while using it."

You fly the airship to Xen'drik, then when you come back, House Lylander gets 1/5th of all the loot you bring back. You can buy the airship outright when you have enough gold, and stop paying "rent" to Lylander, but then they'll charge you for renting the crew, if you can't man it with your own guys.
Charles Phipps
08-22-05, 07:12 PM Sure.

Just as long as they have the Floater from the Ice Cave.
Splendide
08-22-05, 07:32 PM I've played in a campaign where I was the captain of an airship...here's a couple of issues I've found

1) Players can use them ALL THE TIME. "So you're worried about goblin bandits? Never mind, we'll just track them down, then fly over the top and shoot them all!" Basically, with an airship, you have an amazing tool for outdoor encounter avoidance. If you're DMing on the fly, its not a problem, but if you're a module guy it might trivialize key parts. The Mournland is a lot less terrifying from a couple of hundred feet up.

2) What do you do with it when you're not using it? So, you've figured out that indoor and underground encounters will lure the PCs from the ship. So, what do they do with the ship? If its in a dangerous area, they may be exceptionally reluctant to leave it in the hands of an NPC crew. Also, its quite likely that they'll consider going back to the ship every night and sleeping there, neatly avoiding night time encounters.

3) The hydra dropped 100,000 copper pieces? Har har, no problem. Some DMs like to have highly valuable and entirely unwieldy loot to taunt players with. Note to DM: They have an airship that carries a lot more than a handy haversack. Yes, they will loot the shortsword and scalemail from -every- orc warrior, and load them on the ship.

The simple rule of thumb is that if you want a fair challenge for PCs, make it in heavily wooded, mountainous or foggy areas.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Thrasher 08-22-05, 05:35 PM	Ok this is the first game I have DMed where there were airships or the characters even had an intrest in buying a ship or anything besides the basic horse/wagon combo and I have to ask this. How well does this work? Characters having a airship that is. I was reading up on them and it says it requires a crew of 10 to 15. Whats the standard rate of upkeep for the ship crew wize and just in general. Whats your expierence DMing a game that has an airship. How do you kinda lead the plays to the adventure you want them to go on. I am just not sure what to do when they get it. Can any of ya'll give me suggestions?
DragonWatcher 08-22-05, 05:56 PM	Well, first off, an airship costs 92,000 gp, which means that characters will be mid to high level by the time they should be able to afford that. By that level, they will likely have access to all sorts of resources to travel, and letting them just buy an airship and hire a crew would likely not be that game-shattering. There are a few ways that I would let PC's gather crew: The first way would be to have PC(s) with the Leadership feat use this to gather followers with the right skills. However, if they want a dragonmarked character to pilot the ship (not necessary, but it makes things easier), this would have to be a Cohort (I don't think that this is official, but as a DM, I wouldn't let generic follower 3 have the Least Mark of Storms). Option two would be to hire said crew. If they went this way, the crew would likely be a bit less loyal, which could open up all sorts of story hooks right there. I would use the hirelings table from the DMG (or other sourcebooks) for the cost per month to pay the crew. Remember, there are plenty of chances for aerial encounters in Eberron, so traveling by airship won't necessarily allow the group to bypass any encounters that you want to set up. You will just have to be more creative. I wouldn't recommend letting a group of first level characters start with an airship unless you want to base your whole campaign around that. The most important thing to remember with private airships is that airships are relatively new (under 10 years in production), and relatively rare. There's not a ton of privateers out there with these wonders of magic, and those that are out there will likely be viewed with suspicion, if not outright hostility by members of House Lyrandar. Also, while few people would be foolish enough to try to comandeer a Lyrandar airship, a private airship makes a much more tempting target. The PCs might just find themselves as the target of another adventuring (raiding) party or two. Finally, airships are a good method to get from A to B, but once you arrive at your destination, the PCs will still have to descend into the ruins, or trek through the jungles. Airships can't land (they need a docking tower), and without a tower they have to be anchored. Boarding and unboarding requires rope ladders, fly spells or some other means of ascending. They're not terribly convenient for loading treasure from ground level. If the players get an airship, they should not have everything else handed to them as well. :) Good luck with your game!
Thrincold 08-22-05, 05:56 PM	I don't know the upkeep on such a thing, I don't own the right book. As for should they own it.... Depends on your players really. What general level are they. At mid-levels gaining such a thing isn't bad. Just remember if you let them have it, and don't like it they will get pissy when it gets blown up/ wrecked. I let my players have a land cart similar to the one in the published adventure module. Good movement, holds some stuff, and they can't bypass encounters that easilly. It was a good trade off. I guess my rambling isn't much help but in my opinion if you are ready to handle it let em have it. The possesion of such an item can open up loads of adventures on its own.
Aloïsius 08-22-05, 06:27 PM	I guess a necromancer can solve the crew problem... airship are cool anyway. They may add a "starwars" feel to Eberron, with "just-in-time" escapes, and a lot of very tense action.
Edymnion 08-22-05, 06:52 PM	Actually, there is an easy way to give the PCs an airship. There is a PrC in the Explorer's Handbook for airship pilots that grants, as part of it's class abilities, the use of an airship. Basically, House Lylander realizes that an adventurer makes more money in a year than most people make in a lifetime. So, this PrC basically says "Okay, we'll let you borrow an airship and a crew to man it, to do whatever you want with, just as long as you cut us in for a fifth of all the treasure you get while using it." You fly the airship to Xen'drik, then when you come back, House Lylander gets 1/5th of all the loot you bring back. You can buy the airship outright when you have enough gold, and stop paying "rent" to Lylander, but then they'll charge you for renting the crew, if you can't man it with your own guys.
Charles Phipps 08-22-05, 07:12 PM	Sure. Just as long as they have the Floater from the Ice Cave.
Splendide 08-22-05, 07:32 PM	I've played in a campaign where I was the captain of an airship...here's a couple of issues I've found 1) Players can use them ALL THE TIME. "So you're worried about goblin bandits? Never mind, we'll just track them down, then fly over the top and shoot them all!" Basically, with an airship, you have an amazing tool for outdoor encounter avoidance. If you're DMing on the fly, its not a problem, but if you're a module guy it might trivialize key parts. The Mournland is a lot less terrifying from a couple of hundred feet up. 2) What do you do with it when you're not using it? So, you've figured out that indoor and underground encounters will lure the PCs from the ship. So, what do they do with the ship? If its in a dangerous area, they may be exceptionally reluctant to leave it in the hands of an NPC crew. Also, its quite likely that they'll consider going back to the ship every night and sleeping there, neatly avoiding night time encounters. 3) The hydra dropped 100,000 copper pieces? Har har, no problem. Some DMs like to have highly valuable and entirely unwieldy loot to taunt players with. Note to DM: They have an airship that carries a lot more than a handy haversack. Yes, they will loot the shortsword and scalemail from -every- orc warrior, and load them on the ship. The simple rule of thumb is that if you want a fair challenge for PCs, make it in heavily wooded, mountainous or foggy areas.