Throughout the Talenta Plains roam a majestic animal: the soarwhale. As the name suggests, it is a flying whale that travels in herds. They are ancient, intelligent (as a normal whale), and peaceful beasts with powerful ties to their land. Some halflings use them as living zepplins, and all revere them as natural parts of their home and history.
(picture from Arms & Equipment Guide)
Soarwhale ecology:
Soarwhales eat insects, but as you might expect their enormous bulk requires large quantities of food to support. There are thousands of waterholes and small lakes scattered throughout Talenta, and every once in a while a huge population explosion of insects will create clouds of lake midges that swirl and pulse through the sky in the billions. Soarwhales seem to have a sense for when and where these events will occur, and travel between the lakes feeding. (If you've ever seen the BBC's Planet Earth, think the swarm of midges in Lakes. If you haven't seen it, you should because it's awesome)
Tiny blue drakes follow the soarwhales, cleaning off parasites and grabbing insects the larger whales miss. (they are known to sky sailors as good luck, use stats for pseudodragon) Larger Wyverns hunt the whales and Pterosaurs hunt the drakes, and both are a serious threat to whalers as well. Whales can be domesticated, and nomadic halflings use them as living zeppelins. A whale lives long enough that they might carry three or four generations of halflings around in this way before they are finally freed to find death among their wild kin.
To avoid hunters, soarwhales will sometimes follow banks of clouds or storm systems. Indeed, some halfling lore credits them with the ability to control the weather. Whether or not that is true, once a soarwhale reaches the protective concealment of a large cloudbank, it is almost impossible to find it or chase it back out. Particularly aggressive males (think Moby Dick) are seemingly heralded by thunderstorms and sudden downpours, which makes them beloved by the natives of Talenta (where rain = life) but feared by sky sailors, who have much more to be afraid of when high winds and lightning arrive.
Once a year in the early spring, the soarwhales disappear for an entire month. Nobody knows where they go or how they all know to leave at once. but when they return, many of the females are accompanied by calves. The calves follow their mother for about 2 years before they grow up enough that they can strike out on their own. If anybody ever learned where the whales' birthing ground was, it would be incredibly valuable information- and might spell theend foran already embattled species.
Extremist halfling druids have a respect for the whales that borders on worship, and they often prove troublesome for the "legitimate" authorities seeking to profit from the soarwhale industry.
Soarwhale blubber improves airships that include it in their construction. Feel free to make up your own effects or list ideas here, I mostly came up with it as a story device.
Soarwhales eat insects, but as you might expect their enormous bulk requires large quantities of food to support. There are thousands of waterholes and small lakes scattered throughout Talenta, and every once in a while a huge population explosion of insects will create clouds of lake midges that swirl and pulse through the sky in the billions. Soarwhales seem to have a sense for when and where these events will occur, and travel between the lakes feeding. (If you've ever seen the BBC's Planet Earth, think the swarm of midges in Lakes. If you haven't seen it, you should because it's awesome)
Tiny blue drakes follow the soarwhales, cleaning off parasites and grabbing insects the larger whales miss. (they are known to sky sailors as good luck, use stats for pseudodragon) Larger Wyverns hunt the whales and Pterosaurs hunt the drakes, and both are a serious threat to whalers as well. Whales can be domesticated, and nomadic halflings use them as living zeppelins. A whale lives long enough that they might carry three or four generations of halflings around in this way before they are finally freed to find death among their wild kin.
To avoid hunters, soarwhales will sometimes follow banks of clouds or storm systems. Indeed, some halfling lore credits them with the ability to control the weather. Whether or not that is true, once a soarwhale reaches the protective concealment of a large cloudbank, it is almost impossible to find it or chase it back out. Particularly aggressive males (think Moby Dick) are seemingly heralded by thunderstorms and sudden downpours, which makes them beloved by the natives of Talenta (where rain = life) but feared by sky sailors, who have much more to be afraid of when high winds and lightning arrive.
Once a year in the early spring, the soarwhales disappear for an entire month. Nobody knows where they go or how they all know to leave at once. but when they return, many of the females are accompanied by calves. The calves follow their mother for about 2 years before they grow up enough that they can strike out on their own. If anybody ever learned where the whales' birthing ground was, it would be incredibly valuable information- and might spell theend foran already embattled species.
Extremist halfling druids have a respect for the whales that borders on worship, and they often prove troublesome for the "legitimate" authorities seeking to profit from the soarwhale industry.
Soarwhale blubber improves airships that include it in their construction. Feel free to make up your own effects or list ideas here, I mostly came up with it as a story device.
How about adding a defensive mechanization to the Soarwhales which enable them to fey-step (teleport) great distances when attacked.
Imagine of the Talenta halflings could actually capture and tame these things. Now picture the whale with a whole halfling village built on its back suspended on huge harnesses - now if that dont get your imagination going for a really over the top action scene then nothing will.. :D (Rope swings, rickety buildings, long drops if you slip hehe loads of fun)
I wonder if the Soarwhales sometime balance there insects diet by grazing on the Soarwood tree tops, traveling to Aerenal (which will increase House Lyrander desire to hunt them even more) or maybe the more exotic Soarwood trees in Xen'Drik (I remember someone once mentioning using exotic tropical Soarwood in Xen'Drik).
How about adding a defensive mechanization to the Soarwhales which enable them to fey-step (teleport) great distances when attacked.
Yeah! Whales in real life have seasonal migrations, so it would make sense to have the soarwhales have something similar. In fact, it would be interesting if once a year, during the spring, the whales completely disappeared for a month and nobody knows where they go. Then they show up again, as normal, except a lot of the females now have calves following them around.
It would also make for an interesting possible adventure where an old man is found to know where they go that once a year, and a WHOLE bunch of people are very interested in that information to make a lot of money catching whales while they are giving birth. The PCs are interested as well (getting paid or interested to find for their own reasons) but a druid tries to convince them that if the whales' secret is ever revealed, it will certainly be their doom. What do the PCs chose? Profit, or giving a dying species one last chance?
As far as defensive mechanisms, I was thinking about that. Suppose the whales are credited in halfling lore as being able to control the weather. Nobody has ever been able to prove that, but they do follow storms or just big clouds around, and if one ever reaches the safety of a large cloudbank to hide in it is almost impossible to find them. And some particularly elder whales (think Moby Dick) seem to be heralded by intense thunder storms and downpours. The halflings revere them for this since rainfall=life on the plains, but sky sailors have a little more reason to fear heavy winds and lightning, not to mention the angry bull whales themselves!
Imagine of the Talenta halflings could actually capture and tame these things. Now picture the whale with a whole halfling village built on its back suspended on huge harnesses - now if that dont get your imagination going for a really over the top action scene then nothing will.. :D (Rope swings, rickety buildings, long drops if you slip hehe loads of fun)
I never thought of a fight exactly that way, but now you have my mind going!
Imagine: The fighter and the paladin have the BBEG cornered at the tip of the floating trade station the halflings had lashed together for their trademeet. His minions are trapped trying to cross the plank, defended by the wizard, the warlock, and the cleric. Nowhere to run this time. Suddenly he sneered and coiled a rope around his leg . . . and stabbed hard into the soarwhale on which the structure was built. The whale cried out sonorously in pain, and the world began to tilt. . . I am so using that fight someday!
I never thought of a fight exactly that way, but now you have my mind going!
I am so using that fight someday!
Told you it would be fun... I love fight scenes likes this especially if you have players who have played games like Feng Shui where over the top fight scenes are the norm. We play D&D in the same way and call it Feng Shui moments - you have to play fast and loose with the rules (well you did in 3.5 anyway, not tried 4e yet) but gosh its fun.
I like the idea, it reminds me of Moya - the living Leviathan spaceship from the t.v series Farscape.
Now you got me thinking of Sebaceans, Scarrans, and Luxans... oh my.
Now you got me thinking of Sebaceans, Scarrans, and Luxans... oh my.
We're in trouble now.
Nice idea about the Soarwhales. I think I'll be using them myself.
Soarwhale blubber transport
While the ships that hunt whales need to be fast and deadly, the ships that transport the precious commodity back to their customers are slow and often very old. Since the blubber itself is buoyant in air, it is stored in oil form (it is melted down after being stripped away from dead whales) in huge balloons that rise up from the transport vessels. To counteract this extra buoyancy, heavy loads (often rocks) are placed in the ship's hull. While this prevents it from floating away, it also has the effect of making the cargo vessel ponderously slow and notoriously poor at maneuvering.
Both of these are facts that sky pirates take full advantage of when looking for prey. The preferred technique of raiding cargo ships is to swoop above the ship itself to the great balloons, tie the balloons off to the pirate skyship, and then sever the lines attaching the cargo ship to the balloons. When properly executed this allows the pirates to make off with their prize without having to engage the cargo vessel's crew, and the unfortunate victims plunge to their deaths thanks to the massive and now unnecessary ballast sitting in their holds.
There are Lyrander and Deneith patrols to guard against this sort of thing, but there are too few to guard every convoy moving between Talenta and the various sky shipyards throughout Eberron. One defensive strategy cargo vessels use is to move together, supporting each other against pirate raids. Those that can afford it hire Lyrander skyship escorts. Some that cannot rely on hired adventurers to travel with them and take to the ropes if pirates show up. Ironically many take a cue from the soarwhales themselves and travel in cloudbanks to avoid being seen.
If the risks in this business are high, the rewards are great. Independent captains with decommissioned ships patched up and put to work abound. Crews are small but good at their jobs. Your PCs could find themselves work in any of the described capacities, or just hitch a ride (for a nominal fee) on one of the ships headed in the right direction. And nothing says "over the top action scene" like a battle swinging between ropes attached to a rock-filled maybe deathtrap and a ship full of angry pirates among huge floating balloons full of flammable oils!
While the ships that hunt whales need to be fast and deadly, the ships that transport the precious commodity back to their customers are slow and often very old. Since the blubber itself is buoyant in air, it is stored in oil form (it is melted down after being stripped away from dead whales) in huge balloons that rise up from the transport vessels. To counteract this extra buoyancy, heavy loads (often rocks) are placed in the ship's hull. While this prevents it from floating away, it also has the effect of making the cargo vessel ponderously slow and notoriously poor at maneuvering.
Both of these are facts that sky pirates take full advantage of when looking for prey. The preferred technique of raiding cargo ships is to swoop above the ship itself to the great balloons, tie the balloons off to the pirate skyship, and then sever the lines attaching the cargo ship to the balloons. When properly executed this allows the pirates to make off with their prize without having to engage the cargo vessel's crew, and the unfortunate victims plunge to their deaths thanks to the massive and now unnecessary ballast sitting in their holds.
There are Lyrander and Deneith patrols to guard against this sort of thing, but there are too few to guard every convoy moving between Talenta and the various sky shipyards throughout Eberron. One defensive strategy cargo vessels use is to move together, supporting each other against pirate raids. Those that can afford it hire Lyrander skyship escorts. Some that cannot rely on hired adventurers to travel with them and take to the ropes if pirates show up. Ironically many take a cue from the soarwhales themselves and travel in cloudbanks to avoid being seen.
If the risks in this business are high, the rewards are great. Independent captains with decommissioned ships patched up and put to work abound. Crews are small but good at their jobs. Your PCs could find themselves work in any of the described capacities, or just hitch a ride (for a nominal fee) on one of the ships headed in the right direction. And nothing says "over the top action scene" like a battle swinging between ropes attached to a rock-filled maybe deathtrap and a ship full of angry pirates among huge floating balloons full of flammable oils!
just retrieving a blubber from the insides of such an enormous size dead floating creature can be a dungeon crawl adventure on its own - full of deadly pit drops from high heights, acidic hazards and insects swarms monsters.
I think that's the grossest skill challenge I've ever heard of;) .
I think that's the grossest skill challenge I've ever heard of;) .
Indeed...but how much fun does that sound. Talk about an unusual dungeon !
While I was perusing through airship stats in the AV, I realized that statting up a soarwhale as a sort of "creature vehicle" fit its niche very well, since then it would be a more worthy opponent for an airship and its entire crew. It also gave me a way of letting the whale interact with the airship's crew without individually attacking them, and I think encounters with soarwhales will be more exciting and unusual this way, while still relying on established mechanics. As an added bonus the stats for soarwhales are already prepped for easy conversion into a living halfling airship!
Tell me what you think!
Soarwhale Stats
Soarwhale
Gargantuan Natural Magical Beast
Initiative: +6 Perception +10
HP: 350 (Bloodied 175) Space: 4 by 12 squares
AC 22; Fort 24, Ref 20, Will 22
Resist 10 cold
Speed: 0, fly 12 (hover), overland flight 12
Creature: Unlike other vehicles, the soarwhale “pilots” itself and only suffers the penalties of going out of control if rendered unconscious. It does, however, use vehicle rules for movement.
Out of Control: An unconscious soarwhale continues in its heading at the speed it was moving before falling unconscious. Each round it moves in this way it slows by 2 squares per round. Once it is stationary, it drifts with the winds, slowly rising at about 100 feet per hour before being lost to the endless sky.
Wrench Free: Whale-hunters use harpoons roped to the deck to tie a whale fast and prevent its escape. The whale may attempt to break these bindings as a move action. The whale makes a Str check (+6) vs. DC 20 to break the rope and wrench itself free. The DC of the check increases by 4 for every additional harpoon impaling the soarwhale. Broken lines are a hazard to adjacent sailors, making a +6 attack against their Ref for 2d8+5 damage and dazing them (save ends).
Blink (move, recharge 6): The Soarwhale disappears in a shock of expanding vapour and re-appears in a random direction 4d10 squares distant. The whale cannot use this ability if it is carrying a load or attached (including by ropes) to a significant mass.
Ramming Speed: As an act of desperation, the whale will occasionally turn about and ram a pursuing vessel. This is dangerous for both the creature and the vessel, but sometimes the whale is so desperate that it has no other choice. The whale attempts to build up as much speed as possible before impact, and both the vessel and the whale take 1d10 damage per square the whale moved. Characters on deck must make Athletics or Acrobatics checks DC 5+squares moved by the whale. If they fail, they are knocked prone and the deck makes an attack against their Ref with a bonus equal to the whale’s ramming movement that deals 2d6 damage. Characters near an edge also must make a check DC 10 to avoid being pitched off the side of the ship.
Bloodied Desperation: When a soarwhale is bloodied it gains a + 6 bonus to Str checks, a +4 bonus to overland flight, and takes half damage when using the Ramming Speed ability.
Str 14 (+6) Dex 17 (+7) Wis 17 (+7)
Con 20 (+9) Int 14 (+6) Cha 14 (+6)
Tactics: Soarwhales are by nature peaceful, so they will allow a ship to get fairly close before turning and beginning to flee. Within about a quarter mile, however, they have learned to be wary and promptly head at full speed to the nearest cloud bank. If they are overtaken, they blink away and continue moving at full speed. If they are impaled with roped javelins, they break them as soon as possible. If they escape they immediately use the blink ability to put distance between themselves and their attackers. Once bloodied, they turn and ram the ship, trying to disorient the crew and create a window of opportunity to escape. They are the most dangerous when bloodied, and also the most difficult to catch if they manage to blink away thanks to their improved speed. The soarwhale intersperses its other activities with attempts to break free of its restraints.
If a mother whale's cub is threatened, she will instantly charge the threat until the child is free or the enemy destroyed.
Soarwhale
Gargantuan Natural Magical Beast
Initiative: +6 Perception +10
HP: 350 (Bloodied 175) Space: 4 by 12 squares
AC 22; Fort 24, Ref 20, Will 22
Resist 10 cold
Speed: 0, fly 12 (hover), overland flight 12
Creature: Unlike other vehicles, the soarwhale “pilots” itself and only suffers the penalties of going out of control if rendered unconscious. It does, however, use vehicle rules for movement.
Out of Control: An unconscious soarwhale continues in its heading at the speed it was moving before falling unconscious. Each round it moves in this way it slows by 2 squares per round. Once it is stationary, it drifts with the winds, slowly rising at about 100 feet per hour before being lost to the endless sky.
Wrench Free: Whale-hunters use harpoons roped to the deck to tie a whale fast and prevent its escape. The whale may attempt to break these bindings as a move action. The whale makes a Str check (+6) vs. DC 20 to break the rope and wrench itself free. The DC of the check increases by 4 for every additional harpoon impaling the soarwhale. Broken lines are a hazard to adjacent sailors, making a +6 attack against their Ref for 2d8+5 damage and dazing them (save ends).
Blink (move, recharge 6): The Soarwhale disappears in a shock of expanding vapour and re-appears in a random direction 4d10 squares distant. The whale cannot use this ability if it is carrying a load or attached (including by ropes) to a significant mass.
Ramming Speed: As an act of desperation, the whale will occasionally turn about and ram a pursuing vessel. This is dangerous for both the creature and the vessel, but sometimes the whale is so desperate that it has no other choice. The whale attempts to build up as much speed as possible before impact, and both the vessel and the whale take 1d10 damage per square the whale moved. Characters on deck must make Athletics or Acrobatics checks DC 5+squares moved by the whale. If they fail, they are knocked prone and the deck makes an attack against their Ref with a bonus equal to the whale’s ramming movement that deals 2d6 damage. Characters near an edge also must make a check DC 10 to avoid being pitched off the side of the ship.
Bloodied Desperation: When a soarwhale is bloodied it gains a + 6 bonus to Str checks, a +4 bonus to overland flight, and takes half damage when using the Ramming Speed ability.
Str 14 (+6) Dex 17 (+7) Wis 17 (+7)
Con 20 (+9) Int 14 (+6) Cha 14 (+6)
Tactics: Soarwhales are by nature peaceful, so they will allow a ship to get fairly close before turning and beginning to flee. Within about a quarter mile, however, they have learned to be wary and promptly head at full speed to the nearest cloud bank. If they are overtaken, they blink away and continue moving at full speed. If they are impaled with roped javelins, they break them as soon as possible. If they escape they immediately use the blink ability to put distance between themselves and their attackers. Once bloodied, they turn and ram the ship, trying to disorient the crew and create a window of opportunity to escape. They are the most dangerous when bloodied, and also the most difficult to catch if they manage to blink away thanks to their improved speed. The soarwhale intersperses its other activities with attempts to break free of its restraints.
If a mother whale's cub is threatened, she will instantly charge the threat until the child is free or the enemy destroyed.
some ideas about steering a Soarwhale:
- In Farscape the Leviathan had an attached symbiotic intelligent creature which acted as the ship's pilot - Its a fun idea but probably will not apply here (unless some Daelkyr drops a Xoriat symbiont into one).
- The Soarwhale close relation with weather may allow a druid to steer them by changing the weather around them (making some wind/clouds) or by simply talking to it.
- A psionic can effect its mind and steer it that way
- The Talenta Plains halfling living in the village on top of the Soarwhale could stub it with there spears at certain pressure points which will force it to change course. an alternative approach is to use a large pole with a big carrot dangling above it's head :D.
- The Talenta halfling elders (after watching Soarwhales for many years ) have figured there movement patterns and are using them like buses: they know when/where to wait for one to arrive and where it will head off to (based on the orbit of the moons) so they don't steer them - just board, disembark one as needed.
Every few years all of the Soarwhales leave the Talenta Plains skies and travel to some unknown destination (no halfling ever stays on a Soarwhale at that time - since no one has ever returned from such a journey). its speculated that the Soarwhales pass through a Lamannia manifest zone and there is always some more of them around when they come back.
On the top however there are platforms and low wide buildings. These platforms hang some distance off the soarwhale. Inside the topside buildings you ask??? Halfling fighter pilots and their fighters, pterrodons. The halflings launch from the side off the platforms using them as an "air strip" diving off catching a gust of wind and off they go.
As for the fey step purely defensible situation.
I say the pilots are halfling adepts who "speak" with the soarwhale. Also on the side of the beast you have rope ladders that hang down the side, somewhat armored positions, which halfling climb into to use murder holes to attack their enemies.
Now here's the real question. If halflings have had access to these creatures for any good duration of time, why have they not traveled the world acting like "mini-vikings"????
Now here's the real question. If halflings have had access to these creatures for any good duration of time, why have they not traveled the world acting like "mini-vikings"????
I guess one possible solution will be to adapt my last steering concept suggestion:
The Talenta halfling elders (after watching Soarwhales for many years ) have figured their movement patterns and are using them like buses: they know when/where to wait for one to arrive and where it will head off to (based on the orbit of the moons) so they don't steer them - just board, disembark one as needed.
Its also possible that the Last War motivated them to seek ways to create safe village havens while still maintaining their nomadic life style.
PS: on another thread I suggested that Elder Soarwhales generate a natural aura that temporary impair the Soarwood levitation property - which improve the Soarwhales chances when facing elemental ships.
I like the fey step ability, I like it alot. I also like the village idea. This would be the aircraft carrier of eberron. The halfling village, sits below the soarwhale, suspended.
On the top however there are platforms and low wide buildings. These platforms hang some distance off the soarwhale. Inside the topside buildings you ask??? Halfling fighter pilots and their fighters, pterrodons. The halflings launch from the side off the platforms using them as an "air strip" diving off catching a gust of wind and off they go.
OK now i know im in love with this idea. I thought the village idea was fun but this just takes it to a new level - consider the idea swiped and going to get used early on in my new campaign !
I'd be cautious about ideas like having a whole halfling village on top, though. We're talking about something, at most, about the size of a 737. That's room enough for transportation, but even for halflings, I don't think it's enough for more than a handful of people to live in. (Yes, yes, the cool factor overrides strict realism, but realism can't be discarded so much that the fourth wall is broken. YMMV, but I wouldn't put a village on a whale.)
Anyway, I definitely like the creature. Do they sing, by the way? I could imagine that some Talentan bards might learn to sing in soar whale song (with a bit of magic help, perhaps) which might allow them to communicate with the whales in their native tongue.
Without further ado,
Whaling Airship:
Whaling airships are mostly repurposed ex-military vessels bought following the last war and fitted with whale hunting equipment. They can run with crews as small as 12, but typically have about 20 sailors on board.
An airship is propelled by the bound elemental ring surrounding it, but overland cruising and maneuverability are achieved by a system of sails and fins that enhance the airship's capabilities. As long as a pilot is present, the ship remains under control. Whenever a piloting check is called for, the pilot rolls a simple Dex check against the DC specified. Piloting checks are explicitly called for in many of the airship's abilities, but are also used whenever the airship must attempt a difficult or risky maneuver (DM's discretion).
Whaling Airship
Gargantuan Vehicle
HP: 400 Space: 4 by 8 squares
AC 4; Fort 20, Ref 8
Speed: fly 12 (hover), overland flight 16
Crew: A minimum crew of 1 pilot and 4 deck hands is needed to achieve maximum performance. For each crew member fewer than the 4 recommended, however, the overland speed (but not fly speed) of the vessel is reduced by 1. In addition, whenever the pilot makes a piloting check, each deck hand absent penalizes the roll by -2.
Piloting: In order to pilot the airship, a pilot must have the Mark of Storm or succeed on a diplomacy or intimidate check DC 16 against the bound elemental. Piloting checks on board a whaling airship suffer a -2 penalty for each deck hand less than the normal 4 that are present (see above).
Out of Control: If the vehicle has no pilot it continues forward at half the speed it was last moving or 2 squares per round, whichever is greater. Additionally, each round the vessel drops 2d4 squares (average 5). If the vessel crashes in this way it and all hands aboard take 1d10 damage for every square the ship travelled that round (add horizontal and vertical speed for this damage).
Harpoon Launcher (standard, at will) - Gunner
Ranged Basic (+6) vs. AC; 2d10+11 dmg and the target is tied to the airship by stout ropes. (Special: Assistant gunner can use aid another to grant +2 to this attack) Reloading the harpoon launcher requires 2 people and 1 full round.
Rend (standard, target must be attached via harpoon to the ship) - Pilot
Piloting (+7) vs. Fort; target takes 10 ongoing dmg per rope linking it to the airship (save ends).
Reel In (standard, target must be attached via harpoon to the ship) - Pilot
Piloting (+7) vs. Fort; length of bonds between the airship and the target decreases by 2.
Tactics: When it discovers a pod of soarwhales, the whaling ship remains a mile or so distant for an observation period to pick out the weakest looking individual. The ship then approaches at overland speed to overtake the whale before it can escape, trying to cut it off form any concealing cloud banks. Once within harpoon range the gunners attack both to wound the whale and to prevent it from blinking to safety. Once they have tied two or more harpoons between the ship and the whale, the pilot inflicts rend on the whale to weaken it while drawing it closer to the ship and into spear range.
In the final stages of the hunt when the whale is most dangerous (and hardest to catch up to if it breaks the ropes), crew members on deckv throw javelins into the restrained creature (which has been drawn in close to the vessel) to hasten its demise while attempting to keep a sure footing in case of a whale ramming the vessel. After the whale is killed, the harpoon crews reel in the carcass for cleaning and harvesting. The blubber is melted down on board the vessel and loaded into inflatable hide balloons for transport.
Example Basic Crew: (16 members)
Captain (1)- Intimidate +10, Diplomacy +10
Pilot (1)- Piloting (Dex) + 7, Init +5
Crow’s Nest Spotter (2)- Perception +8, Dex +2
Gunner (4)- Ballista +6 (+8 when aided by spotter)
Deck Hand (8)- Dex +2
Notes on Whaling Encounters: The most exciting positions for PCs to hold on board a hunting whaling ship is as one of the deck gunners or the pilot. If one or more of the stations is occupied by NPCs, you may find it easier to abstract that aspect of the encounter and run it according to dramatic effect or average results rather than repetitive dice rolls. If a PC is manning one of the main stations, add challenging skill rolls and dangerous mishaps to make the encounter interesting for everyone. Using Thievery to untangle the rigging, Tumble to make it past a gyrating boom, or making ranged attack rolls to sever a rope that is choking the captain are examples of hazards and complications you could add to make a memorable whaling encounter even more exciting.
Whaling airships are mostly repurposed ex-military vessels bought following the last war and fitted with whale hunting equipment. They can run with crews as small as 12, but typically have about 20 sailors on board.
An airship is propelled by the bound elemental ring surrounding it, but overland cruising and maneuverability are achieved by a system of sails and fins that enhance the airship's capabilities. As long as a pilot is present, the ship remains under control. Whenever a piloting check is called for, the pilot rolls a simple Dex check against the DC specified. Piloting checks are explicitly called for in many of the airship's abilities, but are also used whenever the airship must attempt a difficult or risky maneuver (DM's discretion).
Whaling Airship
Gargantuan Vehicle
HP: 400 Space: 4 by 8 squares
AC 4; Fort 20, Ref 8
Speed: fly 12 (hover), overland flight 16
Crew: A minimum crew of 1 pilot and 4 deck hands is needed to achieve maximum performance. For each crew member fewer than the 4 recommended, however, the overland speed (but not fly speed) of the vessel is reduced by 1. In addition, whenever the pilot makes a piloting check, each deck hand absent penalizes the roll by -2.
Piloting: In order to pilot the airship, a pilot must have the Mark of Storm or succeed on a diplomacy or intimidate check DC 16 against the bound elemental. Piloting checks on board a whaling airship suffer a -2 penalty for each deck hand less than the normal 4 that are present (see above).
Out of Control: If the vehicle has no pilot it continues forward at half the speed it was last moving or 2 squares per round, whichever is greater. Additionally, each round the vessel drops 2d4 squares (average 5). If the vessel crashes in this way it and all hands aboard take 1d10 damage for every square the ship travelled that round (add horizontal and vertical speed for this damage).
Harpoon Launcher (standard, at will) - Gunner
Ranged Basic (+6) vs. AC; 2d10+11 dmg and the target is tied to the airship by stout ropes. (Special: Assistant gunner can use aid another to grant +2 to this attack) Reloading the harpoon launcher requires 2 people and 1 full round.
Rend (standard, target must be attached via harpoon to the ship) - Pilot
Piloting (+7) vs. Fort; target takes 10 ongoing dmg per rope linking it to the airship (save ends).
Reel In (standard, target must be attached via harpoon to the ship) - Pilot
Piloting (+7) vs. Fort; length of bonds between the airship and the target decreases by 2.
Tactics: When it discovers a pod of soarwhales, the whaling ship remains a mile or so distant for an observation period to pick out the weakest looking individual. The ship then approaches at overland speed to overtake the whale before it can escape, trying to cut it off form any concealing cloud banks. Once within harpoon range the gunners attack both to wound the whale and to prevent it from blinking to safety. Once they have tied two or more harpoons between the ship and the whale, the pilot inflicts rend on the whale to weaken it while drawing it closer to the ship and into spear range.
In the final stages of the hunt when the whale is most dangerous (and hardest to catch up to if it breaks the ropes), crew members on deckv throw javelins into the restrained creature (which has been drawn in close to the vessel) to hasten its demise while attempting to keep a sure footing in case of a whale ramming the vessel. After the whale is killed, the harpoon crews reel in the carcass for cleaning and harvesting. The blubber is melted down on board the vessel and loaded into inflatable hide balloons for transport.
Example Basic Crew: (16 members)
Captain (1)- Intimidate +10, Diplomacy +10
Pilot (1)- Piloting (Dex) + 7, Init +5
Crow’s Nest Spotter (2)- Perception +8, Dex +2
Gunner (4)- Ballista +6 (+8 when aided by spotter)
Deck Hand (8)- Dex +2
Notes on Whaling Encounters: The most exciting positions for PCs to hold on board a hunting whaling ship is as one of the deck gunners or the pilot. If one or more of the stations is occupied by NPCs, you may find it easier to abstract that aspect of the encounter and run it according to dramatic effect or average results rather than repetitive dice rolls. If a PC is manning one of the main stations, add challenging skill rolls and dangerous mishaps to make the encounter interesting for everyone. Using Thievery to untangle the rigging, Tumble to make it past a gyrating boom, or making ranged attack rolls to sever a rope that is choking the captain are examples of hazards and complications you could add to make a memorable whaling encounter even more exciting.
JulesCARV- It somehow completely escaped my thought process, but I love the idea of them singing. I would have them usually "sing" in short bursts only as a form of communication, like "whaling ship here" or "Where did you guys go?" At least, as far as humans are concerned that is the usual limit of their ability. On some lonely nights, however, when you are at just the right altitude and the wind is right, and when the sky is clear and you don't make too much noise, they say you can hear long haunting melodies that intertwine and mingle and make some of the most beautiful symphonies ever witnessed. If you believe in such things . . . :D
Gilo- I like the backstory, though I would make sure that 1) it's not known to the vast majority of the campaign world and 2) it happened long enough ago that halfling legends barely recall a time when soarwhales didn't grace the skies above Talenta. Good idea, especially how the psionic aspect reinforces the uncertaintly about whether or not the whales are sentient.
MrCelsius- Thanks for the complement, and of course I'm sure a lot of people who tend towards the gritty realist aspects of Eberron will stay away from such a fantastical addition to their setting. I tried to bring down some of the whimsy by adding the extinction of the whales and the melancholy feel of profiting by slaughtering such a majestic (and perhaps intelligent) being, which I hope fits the pulp theme of Eberron. And as I said originally, the entire exercise stemmed from a desire to see sky pirates given a home that more or less fits into Eberron without shoe-horning them in everywhere. In other words, now in my setting when I want to add sky pirates I send my PCs to Talenta, and when I don't want them butting their heads in I leave the PCs anywhere else on Khorvaire. As always, as DMs we get to take what we like and leave the rest, though if you ever put your finger on why it doesn't fit for you I'd love to hear your opinions (and maybe change my idea for the better as a result)!
All right, I'll try to check later to see what you guys think. Thanks to everyone for the input!
After I get a chance to take a closer look at the whaling ship and refine its entry a bit I'll toss out a block describing the bull-soarwhales a la Moby Dick. That will give a more challenging option for whaling adventures once the PCs get the hang of going after normal whales, or just an interesting midair encounter for any campaign including airships. I also want to put out some ideas regarding the effects of things like inclement weather and shipboard mishaps on whaling encounters to add some spice to an adventure.
As for steering a soarwhale, I am thinking that they are trained (somewhat like domestic elephants) to move right or left if their flukes are given a good tug on that side of their body, and up or down depending on whether their jaw or tail is given a good thump. Some halflings have also learned how to issue commands using whistles and vocalizations of a certain pitch and pattern, a long trill for down and three sharp whistles for left, for example. These calls are entirely arbitrary and depend on how the animal was raised and trained rather than reflecting any native soarwhale language.
*ahem*
Anywho, onto the whole village on the soarwhale discussion. I'm just wondering why we have to assume that everything would be centralised? I mean the halflings in other D&D settings are usually nomads who travel around in wagons seeing the world and trading. Why not have the same thing with the Soarwhales, each whale has a small house (think caravan/wagon) attached to it's back and the entire decentralised village moves as a herd?
You don't have to worry about logistics type stuff such as forges because Talentan halflings use very little metal, they often trade with other races for such things and everything else is built from natural (think soarwhale and dinosaur) resources. Plenty of wood, bone and leather incorporated into their utensils, hunting implements and clothing.
Just my two cents worth. Oh and soarwhale song is the b0mb!
Perhaps during the Last War these travelling skyfolk stopped travelling out of Talenta due to the dangers of the war, xenophobia among the five nations, and the fear that their homes would be harvested for skyship parts. Now that the skies are (nominally) safer and international trade is re-opening, the greagarious and infinitely pragmatic skyfolk are aloft across Eberron in search of adventure and new experiences (as well as new markets). The PCs might first learn about the world of soarwhales and skypirates in a surprising encounter with a halfling merchant and his family plying the trade routes far from home in their soarwhale, the first to be seen in this part of Khorvaire for a century!
I like the way that this presents the soarwhales as something that was rarely known throughout the continent until recently, following the opening of borders after the treaty of Thronehold. I also kind of like the skyfolk, they might do with a bit more discussion to flesh out the culture a tad more. Time to Wikipedia Gypsies!
Time to Wikipedia Gypsies!
Remember SteelMirror that everything wikipedia tells you is completely truth and fact :P .
Nyah in all seriousness I'm looking forward to more information on the Skyfolk. I wait with baited breath!
Remember SteelMirror that everything wikipedia tells you is completely truth and fact :P .
Lol. As I was writing that, I was remembering that I posted an anti-wiki comment in the off-topic tavern, and that it would probably come back to bite me in the ass . . . but Wikipedia is so convenient!
Moving on . . .
Skyfolk Halflings:
As far back as the oral histories of Talenta go, halflings have been at their heart a nomadic folk. Even among the so-called "civilized" halflings of the nations of Khorvaire, the image of a simpler life following dinosaur migrations on the back of a vicious but loyal clawfoot remains an evocative racial memory. Between the hardy warrior tradition and the urban settled folk, however, is another ancient lineage that is just beginning to become known to the common folk of the five nations. The appropriately termed skyfolk are a nomadic people whose obvious defining feature is their homes: humongous airborne soarwhales that ply the newly opened air routes of central Khorvaire.
Wild soarwhales are harvested commercially in Talenta itself by all of the Thronehold nations, but a passage in the treaty protects all halfling animals and livestock (including domestic whales) from exploitation. The skyfolk are restless even by the standards of nomadic peoples, and have taken enthusiastically to travelling far abroad from their ancestral home in search of adventure and opportunity. They are tinkerers and carvers, singers and traders, and never leave a town without accomplishing a little miscief during their stay. The fantastic sight of a 60 foot long whale supporting a gondola that is home to a dozen or more halflings is enough to grant the skyfolk access and fame in any market they come across, and their own business acumen guarantees that they end up on the winning side of their dealings more often than not.
Skyfolk culture is intensely insular and matriarchical. The most important thing to any skyrider is his home. They are attentive to every need and mood of their mounts, and take any threats to the whale as mortal insults to their honor. Despite this fierce side, they are genuinely interested in meeting new people and come across as gregarious and light hearted when encountering someone for the first time. Privately they tend to divide the world into two groups: family and marks. Anybody who doesn't live in with their group is a potential mark, whether it be simply sticking them with the tab after a night of drinking or selling fake remedies for mummy rot and skipping town before the scam is uncovered.
In all of their travels, the skyfolk do come across some genuine lore and the oldest women on each gondola form the heart of the tribe. Halfling lore from all groups ascribes these "witches" with various powers, from prophetic visions to the ability to curse enemies. Whether or not they actually wield them is a question few outsiders are likely to determine, since the women rarely leave the gondola and never have interest in dealing with outsiders. Trying to learn the truth by subterfuge is not advisable: Skyfolk hold a grudge and one way or the other if you slight them, they will get even.
In terms of leadership, skyfolk are led unquestionably by the most experienced men in defense and revenge matters, and by the matriarchs in everything else. Marriages are conducted between different families on different whales, and the husband's family pays for the food and alcohol during the festivities. The man moves in with the woman, with the result that women almost always spend their entire lives on a single soarwhale. The whales live for several centuries barring accidents or attacks, and can host generations of halflings (usually about 20 or so at a time). When a whale finally reaches the end of its life the matriarchs of the family announce that it is time to release it to seek its immortal resting place. The whale is ritually painted by the entire tribe and released, never to be seen again. The most experienced men and women might be taken up by other skyfolk families on board their whales, the rest simply must get used to life on the ground.
An ambitious couple occasionally decides to try to start a new family. Because of the lifestyle of the skyfolk, there is only one way to accomplish this: find and tame a wild soarwhale. This is a phenomenally difficult task and serves to keep the number of skyfolk families at a given time low. Those who do succeed may recruit crew from other families virtually at will, since they can promise new accomidations on an empty soarwhale. Their names are sung for centuries by their descendants, until that whale too moves on and the cycle begins anew.
As far back as the oral histories of Talenta go, halflings have been at their heart a nomadic folk. Even among the so-called "civilized" halflings of the nations of Khorvaire, the image of a simpler life following dinosaur migrations on the back of a vicious but loyal clawfoot remains an evocative racial memory. Between the hardy warrior tradition and the urban settled folk, however, is another ancient lineage that is just beginning to become known to the common folk of the five nations. The appropriately termed skyfolk are a nomadic people whose obvious defining feature is their homes: humongous airborne soarwhales that ply the newly opened air routes of central Khorvaire.
Wild soarwhales are harvested commercially in Talenta itself by all of the Thronehold nations, but a passage in the treaty protects all halfling animals and livestock (including domestic whales) from exploitation. The skyfolk are restless even by the standards of nomadic peoples, and have taken enthusiastically to travelling far abroad from their ancestral home in search of adventure and opportunity. They are tinkerers and carvers, singers and traders, and never leave a town without accomplishing a little miscief during their stay. The fantastic sight of a 60 foot long whale supporting a gondola that is home to a dozen or more halflings is enough to grant the skyfolk access and fame in any market they come across, and their own business acumen guarantees that they end up on the winning side of their dealings more often than not.
Skyfolk culture is intensely insular and matriarchical. The most important thing to any skyrider is his home. They are attentive to every need and mood of their mounts, and take any threats to the whale as mortal insults to their honor. Despite this fierce side, they are genuinely interested in meeting new people and come across as gregarious and light hearted when encountering someone for the first time. Privately they tend to divide the world into two groups: family and marks. Anybody who doesn't live in with their group is a potential mark, whether it be simply sticking them with the tab after a night of drinking or selling fake remedies for mummy rot and skipping town before the scam is uncovered.
In all of their travels, the skyfolk do come across some genuine lore and the oldest women on each gondola form the heart of the tribe. Halfling lore from all groups ascribes these "witches" with various powers, from prophetic visions to the ability to curse enemies. Whether or not they actually wield them is a question few outsiders are likely to determine, since the women rarely leave the gondola and never have interest in dealing with outsiders. Trying to learn the truth by subterfuge is not advisable: Skyfolk hold a grudge and one way or the other if you slight them, they will get even.
In terms of leadership, skyfolk are led unquestionably by the most experienced men in defense and revenge matters, and by the matriarchs in everything else. Marriages are conducted between different families on different whales, and the husband's family pays for the food and alcohol during the festivities. The man moves in with the woman, with the result that women almost always spend their entire lives on a single soarwhale. The whales live for several centuries barring accidents or attacks, and can host generations of halflings (usually about 20 or so at a time). When a whale finally reaches the end of its life the matriarchs of the family announce that it is time to release it to seek its immortal resting place. The whale is ritually painted by the entire tribe and released, never to be seen again. The most experienced men and women might be taken up by other skyfolk families on board their whales, the rest simply must get used to life on the ground.
An ambitious couple occasionally decides to try to start a new family. Because of the lifestyle of the skyfolk, there is only one way to accomplish this: find and tame a wild soarwhale. This is a phenomenally difficult task and serves to keep the number of skyfolk families at a given time low. Those who do succeed may recruit crew from other families virtually at will, since they can promise new accomidations on an empty soarwhale. Their names are sung for centuries by their descendants, until that whale too moves on and the cycle begins anew.
