For example, say you're working with some secret outfit trying to build airships independently. There's all kinds of corporate espionage adventures you can have. The elemental or whatever breaks loose and you have to retrieve it. But the actual construction is the reward here, its not the quest, and its not going to get rules of its own.
Personally I would go with trying to build an airship with stolen Cannith parts found (perhaps accidently) in the Mournland. Then the Airship, the Kristianna, becomes sentient and starts killing people. Hilarity ensues.
I am a vehicle junkie in RPG's, and my one downfall with d&d is the lack of customizable vehicles. In Eberrons airships I see a great opportunity to correct this problem, but I haven't been able to find any mechanics for constructing or customizing these vehicles, online or in print. If anyone can point me in the right direction or share some information with me I would much appreciate it.
You won't find much in terms of rules for constructing any vehicles. It's largely a matter of getting a hold of the materials, the workers, and time- not specific dice rolls. At its most detailed, I'd run it as a skill challenge to put everything in place then gloss over the time spent building it.
As far as actual costs go, I'd imagine that an airship would cost several dozen times as much as mundane naval vessel of similar size and in order to even get one built (a process which involves dozens of workers, many binders, and months/years of effort) you'd have to be acting on behalf of House Lyrandar.
Acording to my memory.
First you need a Khyber shard to hold the elemental. (special cut if you want to)
Secondly you need a matrix (patern) of khyber shards leading to the elemental ring, this enabels the elemental to travel back and forth between the two.
Third your ship must be built of soarwood since the elemental only provides the propulsion, not the actuall floating.
Now here is the plot hooks that this leads to.
A| Only the gnomes know how to bind elementals to shards... thus you either have to steal one they have already made, or you have to steal the ritual from either them or the drow who has the know how back in Xen'drik.
B| You need alot of khyber shards, and you also need the layout pattern of their matrix. So this indicates a trip to the underdark, and even a trip to Zilargo for some industrial espionage.
C| The elves of Aerenal is the ones controlling the flow of soarwood... so more stealing, or maybe some negotiations... its all up to you.
Hope this at least helps a bit.
the most important parts of it, quoted below:
Building a new ship can occupy a single workshop for months as magic energy is painstakingly laid into the vessels hull. Such work is a complicated process requiring the labor of many; it is not a task that can be undertaken by a lone wizard, no matter how much gold he or she has to spend.
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The gnomes guard their construction secrets carefully, both from strangers and from competing Zilargo workshops.
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If the elemental is completely uncontrolled, any attempt to steer the vessel takes a –20 penalty, making it almost impossible to seize control of an elemental vessel without the elementals cooperation.
Controlling an elemental without benefit of adragonmark is trying, at best.
Or, you could use the 4e Rules... 1 hour with the right amount of residuum, and your airship is finished
I'd also advise holding off on letting the party roll around in an airship until roughly paragon tier. I let one of my players have a small airship (it was a cool idea! she was a shaman, and her spirit companion was her airship's elemental! they had a good relationship), and it caused some problems.
I'd also advise holding off on letting the party roll around in an airship until roughly paragon tier. I let one of my players have a small airship (it was a cool idea! she was a shaman, and her spirit companion was her airship's elemental! they had a good relationship), and it caused some problems.
I suspect a small airship might cause more of a problem then a really big one. All you as a DM need to take into account is that travel is not going to be a problem and that outdoor adventures are going to work differently.