Size of Airships [Archive] - Wizards Community

Size of Airships [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Edymnion
06-09-07, 10:46 PM Something that never really gets addressed, that I've seen, but something that matters (to me anyway). How big is an airship?

The Golden Dragon (from the adventure module) is said to be a behemoth that outclasses almost all other airships in size, and is ~200' long by 60' wide. The sample airship in Explorer's Handbook, the Beginner's Luck, is (from my count) nearly 300 feet long by 75 feet wide.

So really, just how big is your "average" airship?
Subtle Knife
06-10-07, 10:51 AM There is a scheme for one on page 32, Explorer's Handbook. It is roughly 300ft long (deck length) by 70ft wide by roughly 75ft deep, not including lower and rear fins and the elemental arc; The arc appears roughly 100ft diameter.
SK
gaerfindel
06-10-07, 12:19 PM Something that never really gets addressed, that I've seen, but something that matters (to me anyway). How big is an airship?

The Golden Dragon (from the adventure module) is said to be a behemoth that outclasses almost all other airships in size, and is ~200' long by 60' wide. The sample airship in Explorer's Handbook, the Beginner's Luck, is (from my count) nearly 300 feet long by 75 feet wide.

So really, just how big is your "average" airship?

As far as the Golden Dragon is concerned, I'd just double all linear dimensions.

Insorfar as I've been able to determine, every airship is made to order. There may be generalities & similarities from one airship to another, but there is no "average airship".
Edymnion
06-10-07, 04:42 PM There is a scheme for one on page 32, Explorer's Handbook.Yes, I specifically mentioned it in the first post.Insorfar as I've been able to determine, every airship is made to order. There may be generalities & similarities from one airship to another, but there is no "average airship".Now see, I don't think thats true either. There has got to be a size where you just go "Wow, thats a big airship!" or "Isn't that a little on the small side for an airship?"

If you've got more than one airship, then you have an average size.
Nevarre
06-10-07, 08:01 PM So really, just how big is your "average" airship?

Hmm. See, now I don't see any problem with airships having a keel length approximately the same as 'normal' sea ships. This is because IMO seaships would have been used as the original basis for the design.
As it's likely that there are as many designs of airship as there are functional reasons for having them I would say that the easiest thing to do is take a similar design of sea vessel and base the keel length on that. Obviously it looks different, but this is a good start I guess..

Airships are one of the 'newest' technologies around (as I recall) but as the technology develops we're likely to see more variety - smaller faster 'attack' ships and large troop carriers, passenger liner (like the Dragon) and merchant vessels.

I have a question - what's the reasonable maximum ceiling of a flying airship? And what's the 'normal' cruising altitude? Thoughts?
Edymnion
06-10-07, 09:50 PM I have a question - what's the reasonable maximum ceiling of a flying airship? And what's the 'normal' cruising altitude? Thoughts?Fairly low. Just because you're on an airship doesn't make you immune to things like altitude sickness (which is in the DMG), the cold, etc.
OctaviusIII
06-11-07, 03:19 AM I'd put the average length at around 300', with the smallest ones being around 150'. The behemoth size would be 500'-600', with the ratio to width decreasing proportionately for smaller ships, and the larger sizes leaning towards narrower width-to-length ratios. Don't have the calculator out for more precision.
gaerfindel
06-11-07, 07:05 AM There has got to be a size where you just go "Wow, thats a big airship!" or "Isn't that a little on the small side for an airship?"

If you've got more than one airship, then you have an average size.

I don't see any problem with airships having a keel length approximately the same as 'normal' sea ships. This is because IMO seaships would have been used as the original basis for the design. [snip]

Airships are one of the 'newest' technologies around (as I recall) but as the technology develops we're likely to see more variety.

I see, now. When using the word "average", I was thinking mode while you, Edy, were thinking mean or median, yes? That's why I maintain that, being a new technology, there's no "standard" design one could call "average"; each vessel is a work of art (and The Art) all it's own. Much as automobiles first were before Ford came in and mucked it all up with his factories. :-P
TheKeyofE
06-11-07, 10:52 AM Hmm. See, now I don't see any problem with airships having a keel length approximately the same as 'normal' sea ships. This is because IMO seaships would have been used as the original basis for the design.

I agree with this, and looking at the ships in the PHB, we have four to measure from:
Galley - 130ft long, 20ft wide
Longship - 75ft long
Sailing Ship - 75-90ft long, 20ft wide
Warship - 100ft long

Both the three-masted Galley and the single-mast Warship are more like the Greek warships of the Illiad, being both row and sail powered. The Galley even has the option of adding a ram to the front, which historians believe all the greek ships had.

The Longship is obviously a Viking longship, again both row and sail powered.

The two-masted Sailing Ship is the only purely sail powered and truly sea-worthy of the four. I would call it a Carrack (medieval sailing ship). Just for referrence, Christopher Columbus' famous Santa Maria was a carrack and was about 82 ft long (Wikipedia is a beautiful thing).

So for a realistic sailing ship, we're probably looking at the 75-90ft long range. Doing further research, I found that even in the Age of Sail (17th-19th centuries) when sailing ships were the main form of both travel and warfare, the largest three and four deck ships (such as the enemy ship in Master and Commander)were rarely longer than 150-200ft. Anything larger than that was too hard to maneuver. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century when steam replaced sail as the main form of propulsion that ships began to grow in size.

So back to the discussion at hand, if airships are based on sailing ships, the 75-90ft range is probably what you're looking at. I'd actually bump that up to 120-150ft long, since I would expect airships to be more sleek than a sailing ship. Honestly, carracks and galleons were rather clunky; look up a picture of a replica Santa Maria.

So looking at the diagram of the airship in the Explorer's Handbook, I think whoever drew it just didn't know much about actual ship sizes. Looking at the Stormship and Wind Galleon a few pages later confirms this.

My recommendation: use the diagrams in the Explorer's Handbook but cut all the dimensions in half. That puts the Stormship at about 90ft and the Wind Galleon at about 75ft; right where they're supposed to be. That leaves the Airship at about 140ft or so and close to 40ft wide; sounds good to me. If you cut the dimensions by 2/3 instead, that leaves you with 100ft long and 25ft wide, about the size of a carrack. (Just remember if you use the diagrams, you'll need to resize and reshape the crew compartments)

Analysis: the "behemoth" Golden Dragon is still larger than pretty much any other airship, even at only 200ft long.
Edymnion
06-11-07, 12:08 PM <snip>EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for! :bow:
TheKeyofE
06-11-07, 11:10 PM EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for! :bow:

:tiphat:
Ashlock
06-12-07, 02:28 PM Which all makes you wonder at the size of the real behemoth on the cover of Voyage:

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/products_eberronnovel_955377400_lgpic.jp g
Edymnion
06-12-07, 08:29 PM Which all makes you wonder at the size of the real behemoth on the cover of Voyage:

http://www.wizards.com/global/images/products_eberronnovel_955377400_lgpic.jp gSweet jebus, its a flying CITY!
TheKeyofE
06-13-07, 01:09 AM Sweet jebus, its a flying CITY!

They already have one of those.
http://wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82132.jpg

Besides, Fire or Air elementals don't come in sizes bigger than Huge, and there is no way a Huge elemental could possibly power an airship that big. You'd need several rings with several elementals, and that goliath only has one.

I'd chalk it up to artistic license.
OctaviusIII
06-13-07, 03:34 AM Don't forget the sailing ships of Zheng He, which were between 120x48 and 416x170 feet. Granted, those are improbable numbers, but they're improbable because of problems in sailing regarding bouyancy, which aren't an issue when using soarwood.

What would be an issue is catching the wind in all directions. I'd imagine that after a decade or so of airships with wide, flat tops someone would start to experiment with more aerodynamic models. But I digress. Here's the site (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He#Treasure_Ships) I got the Zheng He numbers from.
The_wizard_Tim
06-13-07, 06:48 AM They already have one of those.

Besides, Fire or Air elementals don't come in sizes bigger than Huge, and there is no way a Huge elemental could possibly power an airship that big. You'd need several rings with several elementals, and that goliath only has one.

I'd chalk it up to artistic license.

look at the omnimental from MM3 its gargantuan! or any of the monoliths!
TheKeyofE
06-13-07, 11:50 PM look at the omnimental from MM3 its gargantuan! or any of the monoliths!

Yes, but right in the Omnimental description under "Omnimentals in Eberron" it says that Zilargo gnomes aren't capable of binding Omnimentals (though they've tried). Also, I think even a colossal elemental might not be big enough to power an airship that massive, and the Omnimental is "only" gargantuan.

Where are monoliths detailed?
Meloncov
06-14-07, 02:12 AM Perhaps it's possible to bind several elementals in one ring?
kentonblack
06-14-07, 07:43 AM or perhaps the ship in question has more than one binding ring. Ive read the book. it has more than one. the artists interpretation(yet again) failed to adress the actual dimensions. he went for the pretty and clean ship. therefore messing with all of you thuroughly
TheKeyofE
06-14-07, 09:23 AM or perhaps the ship in question has more than one binding ring. Ive read the book. it has more than one. the artists interpretation(yet again) failed to adress the actual dimensions. he went for the pretty and clean ship. therefore messing with all of you thuroughly

Like I said, creative license. Although for different reasons than I thought.

So having read the book, how big was the giant airship?
The_wizard_Tim
06-14-07, 11:17 AM Yes, but right in the Omnimental description under "Omnimentals in Eberron" it says that Zilargo gnomes aren't capable of binding Omnimentals (though they've tried). Also, I think even a colossal elemental might not be big enough to power an airship that massive, and the Omnimental is "only" gargantuan.

Where are monoliths detailed?

monoliths are in complete arcane.
Yadot
06-14-07, 09:31 PM Like I said, creative license. Although for different reasons than I thought.

So having read the book, how big was the giant airship?
I'm not sure about the big ship, but the Mourning Dawn (the smaller ship) was described as being smaller than average and needing only a light crew.

If you assume the doorway in the picture is seven feet then the length of the airship is about 50 - 70 feet long. Making the larger vessel roughly 160 - 220 feet long. So the artist wasn't that far off.
Edymnion
06-15-07, 11:34 PM They already have one of those.
http://wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82132.jpgNo, thats a hovering city, it doesn't get to take off and run into dragons like bugs on the windshield. ;)
kentonblack
06-16-07, 08:19 AM the smaller airship is run by a crew of eight. it has one lower deck housing cargo/crew with a private room on deck, and the captains castle on tp of the that

the larger ship ismassive. possibly four decks. during the book a raid occurs in the sky, so unfortunately details are slim. it was a small flying fortress really. possibly 100ftwide and 3-400 long give or take.

the damnable thing can shoot lightining bolts dude. its a nice ship.
Edymnion
06-16-07, 11:21 AM the damnable thing can shoot lightining bolts dude. its a nice ship.Its not hard, really. Just put a ballista on deck and use the lightning ballista bolts from the Stronghold Builder's Guide. Boom, you've got a lightning gun.

I've always wanted to make an airship, stock it with eternal wands of Scorching Ray, and then make partially ethereal homunculi that could aim and activate the wands. These homunculi would be partially phased into the material realm, partially phased into the ethereal. I would call them "phasers".

"Sir, we're under attack!"
"Fire, phasers!"

:D
TheKeyofE
06-16-07, 09:11 PM "Sir, we're under attack!"
"Fire, phasers!"

:D

I hate you so much. ;)
kentonblack
06-17-07, 12:42 AM dude, thats pretty good punnery
Edymnion
06-17-07, 05:10 PM I hate you so much. ;):angelhide
gelalshawr
06-17-07, 06:08 PM Fairly low. Just because you're on an airship doesn't make you immune to things like altitude sickness (which is in the DMG), the cold, etc.

The bound fire/air elementals could easily affect things like air pressure and ambient temperature, even on the open deck of an airship, so I don't think altitude sickness or cold would be much of a problem.
Edymnion
06-17-07, 08:22 PM The bound fire/air elementals could easily affect things like air pressure and ambient temperature, even on the open deck of an airship, so I don't think altitude sickness or cold would be much of a problem.Except that we have zero evidence of this being the case. Everything we've seen only says the elemental keeps the ship aloft and provides propulsion, nothing ever said that it also acts as a life support system.
Eled_the_Worm_Tamer
06-17-07, 08:27 PM Well one campeghn of mine featured 'The pride of breland' a dual hull dual elemental pirate hunter that had been comissioned as a flagship just slightly before the war ended.

Given the newness of the aproch Im a little amazed there isnt more experamentation on airships, look at the odd desighns we came up with as we mastered flight.
Revvecor
06-17-07, 08:34 PM Except that we have zero evidence of this being the case. Everything we've seen only says the elemental keeps the ship aloft and provides propulsion, nothing ever said that it also acts as a life support system.

Except that pg31 of the Explorers handbook say that the airship redirected fire from the elemental ring to power the stove.
mhacdebhandia
06-17-07, 08:42 PM Experimental airships might exist which function like flying submarines - completely sealed for ultra-high altitude operation. With glassteel and similar effects it would be trivial to ensure adequate visibility. Alternatively, a crew equipped with necklaces of adaptation and protected by ensure elements would be perfectly comfortable (assuming temperatures didn't fall lower than -50 degrees Fahrenheit), but, depending on the size of your crew, a sealed hull might be cheaper to construct.

Anyone even trying to fly up to the Ring of Siberys, to revive that hoary chestnut, would have to start with something similar.
kentonblack
06-18-07, 11:21 AM omg, i think i just got an idea for a pulp-scifi ebberon adventure

journey to siberys- walking on the broken moon!
OctaviusIII
06-19-07, 03:34 AM The airtight modification in the Stronghold Builder's Guide (I know, it's 3.0) would work well on just such a high-altitude airship. Going to Siberys, though, would probably breach the hull on account of flying debris. So: send element-enduring warforged! And make the windows out of invisible adamantium!
Edymnion
06-19-07, 08:43 AM Given the newness of the aproch Im a little amazed there isnt more experamentation on airships, look at the odd desighns we came up with as we mastered flight.Well, actually, its the newness of the approach that is why designs are so limited. You have to remember that, in setting, airships are very new inventions, they've only been around for a decade or so. They were created quite literally from the hulls of sailing ships modified to serve as air ships, and they've essentially just now got the bugs out to where they have a working system. Basically, the airships themselves are just barely past the point of being experimental to begin with.

We'll see more varied designs of airships as the decades and centuries come and go, but right now, we're not really past the "we're lucky that it flies" stage.
TheKeyofE
06-19-07, 08:55 AM And make the windows out of invisible adamantium!

You mean transparent mithril?
http://www.pomme-grenette.org/site/lme/145/324.jpg
"Hello, computer."
kentonblack
06-19-07, 03:55 PM *dies laughing*
Lord_Madrigan
06-19-07, 08:13 PM And make the windows out of invisible adamantium!
You mean transparent mithril?

City of Splendors WaterDeep Pg 157
TroBriand's Glassee: Give one object The Transparency of Glass

To remove the Fear of Hull breaches from the Ring of siberys
you could Equip your ship with some sort of force Effect.
TheKeyofE
06-19-07, 10:58 PM To remove the Fear of Hull breaches from the Ring of siberys
you could Equip your ship with some sort of force Effect.

"The odds of successfully navigating the Ring of Syberis are approximately 3,720 to 1!"
http://www.30doradus.org/spaceships/images/millfalcon.jpg
Lord_Madrigan
06-20-07, 01:11 AM "The odds of successfully navigating the Ring of Syberis are approximately 3,720 to 1!"

Never Tell me the Odds. :D
Edymnion
06-20-07, 09:07 PM "Hello, computer."You win the thread.
mightyix
07-01-07, 05:11 PM I've always wanted to make an airship, stock it with eternal wands of Scorching Ray, and then make partially ethereal homunculi that could aim and activate the wands. These homunculi would be partially phased into the material realm, partially phased into the ethereal. I would call them "phasers".

"Sir, we're under attack!"
"Fire, phasers!"

:D

Except that a real warship with a couple decks worth of stone throwing ballistae doing 5d8 damage from a thousand feet away make your phasers useless because they are out of range. :) The mundane definitely trumps magic at the price point of warairship weaponry.
Kit_the_Odd
07-01-07, 11:53 PM My personal favorite airship idea is a smaller ~30ft vessel with a rotating ring and extending legs to allow it to land on the ground.

Hello magical helicopter.:D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Edymnion 06-09-07, 10:46 PM	Something that never really gets addressed, that I've seen, but something that matters (to me anyway). How big is an airship? The Golden Dragon (from the adventure module) is said to be a behemoth that outclasses almost all other airships in size, and is ~200' long by 60' wide. The sample airship in Explorer's Handbook, the Beginner's Luck, is (from my count) nearly 300 feet long by 75 feet wide. So really, just how big is your "average" airship?
Subtle Knife 06-10-07, 10:51 AM	There is a scheme for one on page 32, Explorer's Handbook. It is roughly 300ft long (deck length) by 70ft wide by roughly 75ft deep, not including lower and rear fins and the elemental arc; The arc appears roughly 100ft diameter. SK
gaerfindel 06-10-07, 12:19 PM	Something that never really gets addressed, that I've seen, but something that matters (to me anyway). How big is an airship? The Golden Dragon (from the adventure module) is said to be a behemoth that outclasses almost all other airships in size, and is ~200' long by 60' wide. The sample airship in Explorer's Handbook, the Beginner's Luck, is (from my count) nearly 300 feet long by 75 feet wide. So really, just how big is your "average" airship? As far as the Golden Dragon is concerned, I'd just double all linear dimensions. Insorfar as I've been able to determine, every airship is made to order. There may be generalities & similarities from one airship to another, but there is no "average airship".
Edymnion 06-10-07, 04:42 PM	There is a scheme for one on page 32, Explorer's Handbook.Yes, I specifically mentioned it in the first post.Insorfar as I've been able to determine, every airship is made to order. There may be generalities & similarities from one airship to another, but there is no "average airship".Now see, I don't think thats true either. There has got to be a size where you just go "Wow, thats a big airship!" or "Isn't that a little on the small side for an airship?" If you've got more than one airship, then you have an average size.
Nevarre 06-10-07, 08:01 PM	So really, just how big is your "average" airship? Hmm. See, now I don't see any problem with airships having a keel length approximately the same as 'normal' sea ships. This is because IMO seaships would have been used as the original basis for the design. As it's likely that there are as many designs of airship as there are functional reasons for having them I would say that the easiest thing to do is take a similar design of sea vessel and base the keel length on that. Obviously it looks different, but this is a good start I guess.. Airships are one of the 'newest' technologies around (as I recall) but as the technology develops we're likely to see more variety - smaller faster 'attack' ships and large troop carriers, passenger liner (like the Dragon) and merchant vessels. I have a question - what's the reasonable maximum ceiling of a flying airship? And what's the 'normal' cruising altitude? Thoughts?
Edymnion 06-10-07, 09:50 PM	I have a question - what's the reasonable maximum ceiling of a flying airship? And what's the 'normal' cruising altitude? Thoughts?Fairly low. Just because you're on an airship doesn't make you immune to things like altitude sickness (which is in the DMG), the cold, etc.
OctaviusIII 06-11-07, 03:19 AM	I'd put the average length at around 300', with the smallest ones being around 150'. The behemoth size would be 500'-600', with the ratio to width decreasing proportionately for smaller ships, and the larger sizes leaning towards narrower width-to-length ratios. Don't have the calculator out for more precision.
gaerfindel 06-11-07, 07:05 AM	There has got to be a size where you just go "Wow, thats a big airship!" or "Isn't that a little on the small side for an airship?" If you've got more than one airship, then you have an average size. I don't see any problem with airships having a keel length approximately the same as 'normal' sea ships. This is because IMO seaships would have been used as the original basis for the design. [snip] Airships are one of the 'newest' technologies around (as I recall) but as the technology develops we're likely to see more variety. I see, now. When using the word "average", I was thinking mode while you, Edy, were thinking mean or median, yes? That's why I maintain that, being a new technology, there's no "standard" design one could call "average"; each vessel is a work of art (and The Art) all it's own. Much as automobiles first were before Ford came in and mucked it all up with his factories. :-P
TheKeyofE 06-11-07, 10:52 AM	Hmm. See, now I don't see any problem with airships having a keel length approximately the same as 'normal' sea ships. This is because IMO seaships would have been used as the original basis for the design. I agree with this, and looking at the ships in the PHB, we have four to measure from: Galley - 130ft long, 20ft wide Longship - 75ft long Sailing Ship - 75-90ft long, 20ft wide Warship - 100ft long Both the three-masted Galley and the single-mast Warship are more like the Greek warships of the Illiad, being both row and sail powered. The Galley even has the option of adding a ram to the front, which historians believe all the greek ships had. The Longship is obviously a Viking longship, again both row and sail powered. The two-masted Sailing Ship is the only purely sail powered and truly sea-worthy of the four. I would call it a Carrack (medieval sailing ship). Just for referrence, Christopher Columbus' famous Santa Maria was a carrack and was about 82 ft long (Wikipedia is a beautiful thing). So for a realistic sailing ship, we're probably looking at the 75-90ft long range. Doing further research, I found that even in the Age of Sail (17th-19th centuries) when sailing ships were the main form of both travel and warfare, the largest three and four deck ships (such as the enemy ship in Master and Commander)were rarely longer than 150-200ft. Anything larger than that was too hard to maneuver. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century when steam replaced sail as the main form of propulsion that ships began to grow in size. So back to the discussion at hand, if airships are based on sailing ships, the 75-90ft range is probably what you're looking at. I'd actually bump that up to 120-150ft long, since I would expect airships to be more sleek than a sailing ship. Honestly, carracks and galleons were rather clunky; look up a picture of a replica Santa Maria. So looking at the diagram of the airship in the Explorer's Handbook, I think whoever drew it just didn't know much about actual ship sizes. Looking at the Stormship and Wind Galleon a few pages later confirms this. My recommendation: use the diagrams in the Explorer's Handbook but cut all the dimensions in half. That puts the Stormship at about 90ft and the Wind Galleon at about 75ft; right where they're supposed to be. That leaves the Airship at about 140ft or so and close to 40ft wide; sounds good to me. If you cut the dimensions by 2/3 instead, that leaves you with 100ft long and 25ft wide, about the size of a carrack. (Just remember if you use the diagrams, you'll need to resize and reshape the crew compartments) Analysis: the "behemoth" Golden Dragon is still larger than pretty much any other airship, even at only 200ft long.
Edymnion 06-11-07, 12:08 PM	<snip>EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for! :bow:
TheKeyofE 06-11-07, 11:10 PM	EXACTLY the kind of info I was looking for! :bow: :tiphat:
Ashlock 06-12-07, 02:28 PM	Which all makes you wonder at the size of the real behemoth on the cover of Voyage: http://www.wizards.com/global/images/products_eberronnovel_955377400_lgpic.jp g
Edymnion 06-12-07, 08:29 PM	Which all makes you wonder at the size of the real behemoth on the cover of Voyage: http://www.wizards.com/global/images/products_eberronnovel_955377400_lgpic.jp gSweet jebus, its a flying CITY!
TheKeyofE 06-13-07, 01:09 AM	Sweet jebus, its a flying CITY! They already have one of those. http://wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82132.jpg Besides, Fire or Air elementals don't come in sizes bigger than Huge, and there is no way a Huge elemental could possibly power an airship that big. You'd need several rings with several elementals, and that goliath only has one. I'd chalk it up to artistic license.
OctaviusIII 06-13-07, 03:34 AM	Don't forget the sailing ships of Zheng He, which were between 120x48 and 416x170 feet. Granted, those are improbable numbers, but they're improbable because of problems in sailing regarding bouyancy, which aren't an issue when using soarwood. What would be an issue is catching the wind in all directions. I'd imagine that after a decade or so of airships with wide, flat tops someone would start to experiment with more aerodynamic models. But I digress. Here's the site (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He#Treasure_Ships) I got the Zheng He numbers from.
The_wizard_Tim 06-13-07, 06:48 AM	They already have one of those. Besides, Fire or Air elementals don't come in sizes bigger than Huge, and there is no way a Huge elemental could possibly power an airship that big. You'd need several rings with several elementals, and that goliath only has one. I'd chalk it up to artistic license. look at the omnimental from MM3 its gargantuan! or any of the monoliths!
TheKeyofE 06-13-07, 11:50 PM	look at the omnimental from MM3 its gargantuan! or any of the monoliths! Yes, but right in the Omnimental description under "Omnimentals in Eberron" it says that Zilargo gnomes aren't capable of binding Omnimentals (though they've tried). Also, I think even a colossal elemental might not be big enough to power an airship that massive, and the Omnimental is "only" gargantuan. Where are monoliths detailed?
Meloncov 06-14-07, 02:12 AM	Perhaps it's possible to bind several elementals in one ring?
kentonblack 06-14-07, 07:43 AM	or perhaps the ship in question has more than one binding ring. Ive read the book. it has more than one. the artists interpretation(yet again) failed to adress the actual dimensions. he went for the pretty and clean ship. therefore messing with all of you thuroughly
TheKeyofE 06-14-07, 09:23 AM	or perhaps the ship in question has more than one binding ring. Ive read the book. it has more than one. the artists interpretation(yet again) failed to adress the actual dimensions. he went for the pretty and clean ship. therefore messing with all of you thuroughly Like I said, creative license. Although for different reasons than I thought. So having read the book, how big was the giant airship?
The_wizard_Tim 06-14-07, 11:17 AM	Yes, but right in the Omnimental description under "Omnimentals in Eberron" it says that Zilargo gnomes aren't capable of binding Omnimentals (though they've tried). Also, I think even a colossal elemental might not be big enough to power an airship that massive, and the Omnimental is "only" gargantuan. Where are monoliths detailed? monoliths are in complete arcane.
Yadot 06-14-07, 09:31 PM	Like I said, creative license. Although for different reasons than I thought. So having read the book, how big was the giant airship? I'm not sure about the big ship, but the Mourning Dawn (the smaller ship) was described as being smaller than average and needing only a light crew. If you assume the doorway in the picture is seven feet then the length of the airship is about 50 - 70 feet long. Making the larger vessel roughly 160 - 220 feet long. So the artist wasn't that far off.
Edymnion 06-15-07, 11:34 PM	They already have one of those. http://wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82132.jpgNo, thats a hovering city, it doesn't get to take off and run into dragons like bugs on the windshield. ;)
kentonblack 06-16-07, 08:19 AM	the smaller airship is run by a crew of eight. it has one lower deck housing cargo/crew with a private room on deck, and the captains castle on tp of the that the larger ship ismassive. possibly four decks. during the book a raid occurs in the sky, so unfortunately details are slim. it was a small flying fortress really. possibly 100ftwide and 3-400 long give or take. the damnable thing can shoot lightining bolts dude. its a nice ship.
Edymnion 06-16-07, 11:21 AM	the damnable thing can shoot lightining bolts dude. its a nice ship.Its not hard, really. Just put a ballista on deck and use the lightning ballista bolts from the Stronghold Builder's Guide. Boom, you've got a lightning gun. I've always wanted to make an airship, stock it with eternal wands of Scorching Ray, and then make partially ethereal homunculi that could aim and activate the wands. These homunculi would be partially phased into the material realm, partially phased into the ethereal. I would call them "phasers". "Sir, we're under attack!" "Fire, phasers!" :D
TheKeyofE 06-16-07, 09:11 PM	"Sir, we're under attack!" "Fire, phasers!" :D I hate you so much. ;)
kentonblack 06-17-07, 12:42 AM	dude, thats pretty good punnery
Edymnion 06-17-07, 05:10 PM	I hate you so much. ;):angelhide
gelalshawr 06-17-07, 06:08 PM	Fairly low. Just because you're on an airship doesn't make you immune to things like altitude sickness (which is in the DMG), the cold, etc. The bound fire/air elementals could easily affect things like air pressure and ambient temperature, even on the open deck of an airship, so I don't think altitude sickness or cold would be much of a problem.
Edymnion 06-17-07, 08:22 PM	The bound fire/air elementals could easily affect things like air pressure and ambient temperature, even on the open deck of an airship, so I don't think altitude sickness or cold would be much of a problem.Except that we have zero evidence of this being the case. Everything we've seen only says the elemental keeps the ship aloft and provides propulsion, nothing ever said that it also acts as a life support system.
Eled_the_Worm_Tamer 06-17-07, 08:27 PM	Well one campeghn of mine featured 'The pride of breland' a dual hull dual elemental pirate hunter that had been comissioned as a flagship just slightly before the war ended. Given the newness of the aproch Im a little amazed there isnt more experamentation on airships, look at the odd desighns we came up with as we mastered flight.
Revvecor 06-17-07, 08:34 PM	Except that we have zero evidence of this being the case. Everything we've seen only says the elemental keeps the ship aloft and provides propulsion, nothing ever said that it also acts as a life support system. Except that pg31 of the Explorers handbook say that the airship redirected fire from the elemental ring to power the stove.
mhacdebhandia 06-17-07, 08:42 PM	Experimental airships might exist which function like flying submarines - completely sealed for ultra-high altitude operation. With glassteel and similar effects it would be trivial to ensure adequate visibility. Alternatively, a crew equipped with necklaces of adaptation and protected by ensure elements would be perfectly comfortable (assuming temperatures didn't fall lower than -50 degrees Fahrenheit), but, depending on the size of your crew, a sealed hull might be cheaper to construct. Anyone even trying to fly up to the Ring of Siberys, to revive that hoary chestnut, would have to start with something similar.
kentonblack 06-18-07, 11:21 AM	omg, i think i just got an idea for a pulp-scifi ebberon adventure journey to siberys- walking on the broken moon!
OctaviusIII 06-19-07, 03:34 AM	The airtight modification in the Stronghold Builder's Guide (I know, it's 3.0) would work well on just such a high-altitude airship. Going to Siberys, though, would probably breach the hull on account of flying debris. So: send element-enduring warforged! And make the windows out of invisible adamantium!
Edymnion 06-19-07, 08:43 AM	Given the newness of the aproch Im a little amazed there isnt more experamentation on airships, look at the odd desighns we came up with as we mastered flight.Well, actually, its the newness of the approach that is why designs are so limited. You have to remember that, in setting, airships are very new inventions, they've only been around for a decade or so. They were created quite literally from the hulls of sailing ships modified to serve as air ships, and they've essentially just now got the bugs out to where they have a working system. Basically, the airships themselves are just barely past the point of being experimental to begin with. We'll see more varied designs of airships as the decades and centuries come and go, but right now, we're not really past the "we're lucky that it flies" stage.
TheKeyofE 06-19-07, 08:55 AM	And make the windows out of invisible adamantium! You mean transparent mithril? http://www.pomme-grenette.org/site/lme/145/324.jpg "Hello, computer."
kentonblack 06-19-07, 03:55 PM	dies laughing
Lord_Madrigan 06-19-07, 08:13 PM	And make the windows out of invisible adamantium! You mean transparent mithril? City of Splendors WaterDeep Pg 157 TroBriand's Glassee: Give one object The Transparency of Glass To remove the Fear of Hull breaches from the Ring of siberys you could Equip your ship with some sort of force Effect.
TheKeyofE 06-19-07, 10:58 PM	To remove the Fear of Hull breaches from the Ring of siberys you could Equip your ship with some sort of force Effect. "The odds of successfully navigating the Ring of Syberis are approximately 3,720 to 1!" http://www.30doradus.org/spaceships/images/millfalcon.jpg
Lord_Madrigan 06-20-07, 01:11 AM	"The odds of successfully navigating the Ring of Syberis are approximately 3,720 to 1!" Never Tell me the Odds. :D
Edymnion 06-20-07, 09:07 PM	"Hello, computer."You win the thread.
mightyix 07-01-07, 05:11 PM	I've always wanted to make an airship, stock it with eternal wands of Scorching Ray, and then make partially ethereal homunculi that could aim and activate the wands. These homunculi would be partially phased into the material realm, partially phased into the ethereal. I would call them "phasers". "Sir, we're under attack!" "Fire, phasers!" :D Except that a real warship with a couple decks worth of stone throwing ballistae doing 5d8 damage from a thousand feet away make your phasers useless because they are out of range. :) The mundane definitely trumps magic at the price point of warairship weaponry.
Kit_the_Odd 07-01-07, 11:53 PM	My personal favorite airship idea is a smaller ~30ft vessel with a rotating ring and extending legs to allow it to land on the ground. Hello magical helicopter.:D