He's a Prince on the run, his father (the King) was killed in an invasion by a warring faction. There's millions of GP in a hidden vault, a cut of it belong to the PCs if they'll help, but the Prince just needs some help getting to the vault. Before he can get to the vault he needs to get his crew and his ship back. His crew is in prison, and his ship is currently in the possession of a blue dragon some ways up the coast. The Prince was attacked by the dragon (while futilely attempting to pilot his ship alone), bailed out (which is how he washed up in Ashenport), and the dragon took off with his ship.
Why? Because it's a Spelljammer! A small one, but still a plane hopping vessel of the Astral Sea.
Once the PCs bust up the Dragon's lair they find the ship, but before they can get going they need two things: a map (of sorts) and fuel.
But what fuels a Spelljammer?
Long and short is I want an adventure that takes them down into the Underdark to harvest some fuel for the ship, but I'm having trouble thinking up a suitable MacGuffin for them to be going after.
Or, to pull an idea out of the original Spelljammer setting, maybe its powered by books? The ship's got a big furnace in it that burns books (or more properly, knowledge) for fuel. Maybe the characters have to venture into the Underdark to raid a drow of illithid library?
Im not going to copy it all out but its basically DnD plutonium. Lead is needed for shielding /or magic. Anyone within 60ft must make Dc18 (unless using lead/magic shielding)or take 1d6 Cn dmg, the secondary effect is similar to "Mummy Rot." This is not magical damage and can be healed with divine magic. "Some sages theorize a connection between darklight ore radiation and the existance of the mutated fungus commonly known as violet fungus appears to be impervious the the effect of the radiation."
Thanks.
Another idea is relatively simple... residuum. Of course, to get enough of it, they'd have to locate a suitable hoard of magic treasure that they don't find particularly useful to themselves, which is wherein the adventure is found.
That said, Residuum seems "too rare" as a fuel source, unless it's used at a very very slow rate, like 1gp per day.
Assuming that there's lots of airships, the world would burn through its residium after a very quick time compared to the time scale that DnD likes to use (centuries and millennia). It wouldn't be just a problem for the PCs, it'd be a problem for everyone.
...unless you want to simulate the troubles of peak oil within dnd.
xXphilosopherXx, residuum is only made when you melt down items and such. Normally you make items from other materials, and get back 1/5th of that value when you melt the items.
That said, Residuum seems "too rare" as a fuel source, unless it's used at a very very slow rate, like 1gp per day.
Assuming that there's lots of airships, the world would burn through its residium after a very quick time compared to the time scale that DnD likes to use (centuries and millennia). It wouldn't be just a problem for the PCs, it'd be a problem for everyone.
...unless you want to simulate the troubles of peak oil within dnd.
I see what you're saying there. If the spelljammers did not produce physcal waste, then we may indeed have a severe problem. However, the way i understood Residuum -conceptually-, it is a physical manifestation of magical energy. In this sense, it seems like the perfect fuel, as using magical energy to move a ship across space and the planes seems totally intuitive to me. In this case, no physical wast -should- result, as the fule is converted with 100% efficiency into motive force.
[rant] I find it disconcerting to think that the reagents for enchanting and the item that is disenchanted should simply vanish... i would rule that they are "vaporised". Something like the smoke coming off a fire, except less visible... otherwise we'd need to get into mass-to-magical-energy equations on par with E=Mc^2 in order to placate my CDO. [/rant]
Resource loss (assuming the conditions of the above rant are met) would be local, but in the grand scheme of the more-or-less closed loop of the multiverse as a whole, it would be negligible.
This may or may not be an attractive concept, depending on who is DMing and playing.
Running on residuum, I would also think about creating it directly. Not the intent, but it would give a better wealth-to-fuel ratio. Really, since it's only slightly more versatile than ritual components, maybe 3:2 or at most 2:1 would be a good ratio in my thinking (that is, 3 GP worth of ritual components give 1GP worth of residuum).
Remember that Spelljamming craft are extremely rare. If they burnt it at an alarming rate, it still wouldn't break things due to their own rarity. I was picturing it more as a plot device related to the OP's plot.
Running on residuum, I would also think about creating it directly. Not the intent, but it would give a better wealth-to-fuel ratio. Really, since it's only slightly more versatile than ritual components, maybe 3:2 or at most 2:1 would be a good ratio in my thinking (that is, 3 GP worth of ritual components give 1GP worth of residuum).
You captured my next thought perfectly in your first paragraph.
As to the ratio: the disenchanting ritual offers a 1:5 ratio of Residuum to magic item value. This seems to be done to encourage players to keep any items that they find. As such, it gives value to the item rather than the Residuum.
Giving even a 1:1 conversion ratio for our gold-to-fuel ritual wouldn't seem to me as though it would break anything at all. Since Residuum is (if i'm correct) only useful as a material component replacement, nothing is really gained from turning your resources into the wonderous dust. Kind of a zero-sum reaction.
I just realised, i've not yet offered my opinion on the other presented options. I'll take a couple now.
Any sufficiently powerful source of arcane energy...such as the heart or soul of a powerful elemental, magic crystal, artifact weapon, etc etc.
Or, to pull an idea out of the original Spelljammer setting, maybe its powered by books? The ship's got a big furnace in it that burns books (or more properly, knowledge) for fuel. Maybe the characters have to venture into the Underdark to raid a drow of illithid library?
Yes, i remember reading about spelljamming vessels that were specifically designed to accept one, specific artifact as it's energy source. This idea has my full support, but not for an already existing ship, unless that can be feasibly worked into the backstory.
I also like the flavour everything else in that fist paragraph. Artifacts seem like they would be balanced cost-wise automatically, seeing that they are unique objects of astronomical value. Obtaining the artefact or the "powerful" elemental being (whether live or disembodied, as you seem to suggest) would almost definitely be a quest in and of itself; a highly favourable option in my eyes.
Crystal, like Risiduum, i would term a "fuel" rather than an "energy source", and will cost you a little at a time as you use the vessel. Find a balance that works for you, i don't know how much you'd want to make the players pay for interstellar / interplanar transportation. Take a look at teleportation circle rituals and the like to compare. (I don't have access to my resources, otherwise i would almost certainly try offering a more numerical suggestion.)
On the matter of the last option... my answer is a firm and resounding "No!" This is not based on any game balance related qualms, but rather due to my personal philosophy. For me, knowledge isn't just power, it is all that matters -- and it's destruction is unforgivable. However, if you should chose to walk this path (doubtless in pursuit of eternal damnation), i suggest treating it as another type of fuel.
How about using Chaostech or Incarnum....tho im not sure on the rules, they would have to be adapted by the DM.
[...] That means, basically, that whatever it is needs to "burn" [will last] for a very long time, though even several months would more than suffice for the remainder of the story arc.
In that case, the artifact or elemental creature would seem viable suggestions from above. You'd probably want to lean more toward the enslaved elemental creature, seeing as it has but one use and would not award the players with what might be considered excess loot. Otherwise, i'm not sure. Making sure your power source is -only- fuel for the ship will probably keep things simple and, beyond that, the flavour is up to you.
My initial thought was to have the three separate factors (ship, fuel, map) in very different places, but a pseudo-linear structure would work too: ship->map (drow library)->fuel. Also, while the ore requires special handling to move around safely, the logistics of transporting hazardous goods will be a lot easier for my players to work through on their own as opposed to enslaving an elemental. At the very least with the ore, even if they don't think of anything to protect themselves, they can succeed purely by carrying the stuff with them and suffering the consequences.
You don't even necessarily have to allow the Spelljammers to actually "fly" through space but rather use something similar to the "spice" from the "Dune" series of books that allows one to "fold space." The ships would just disappear from one world and reappear in orbit over another.
Personally, I have always been a fan of using something like a "steering stone" or a "spell stone" or even a power crystal of some sort to give power to the ship. Maybe the crystal has to be cleaved in just the right way in order for it to function properly. The stone or crystal would be positioned into a power matrix allowing ambient energy to be siphoned from the stone to bring power to the Spelljammer ship.
You are really only limited to your own imagination. I also liked how the authors Weis/Hickman in the Death Gate cycle allowed the Patrons to give power to their ships through the use of magical runes.
I guess I should go right out and be super explicit: I'm not talking about the giant city ship from the Spelljammer campaign setting, I'm talking about the smaller party-sized Spelljammer skiff in the new Manual of the Planes. I'm also not looking for "the Spelljammer (setting) answer."
Not that it matters now that I've made up my mind.
- Its powered by books? The ship's got a big furnace in it that burns books (or more properly, knowledge) for fuel. Maybe the characters have to venture into the Underdark to raid a drow of illithid library?
Well if you're looking for something in the underdark, u can use "Darklight Ore." Its in 'Drow of the Underdark 3.5 pg 154, " Darklight ore is a rare and dangerous susbstance found in the underdark.....gives off a milky purple glow that is equal to a torch for the purpose of illumination.....
Im not going to copy it all out but its basically DnD plutonium. Lead is needed for shielding /or magic. Anyone within 60ft must make Dc18 (unless using lead/magic shielding)or take 1d6 Cn dmg, the secondary effect is similar to "Mummy Rot." This is not magical damage and can be healed with divine magic. "Some sages theorize a connection between darklight ore radiation and the existance of the mutated fungus commonly known as violet fungus appears to be impervious the the effect of the radiation."
Love both of them. over in Mystaran Setting where we dont have access to spelljammer Space:
Furnace of Alphaks (Artefact of Enthropy)
POWER: SHIPFLIGHT
RECHARGE COST: Corpse of Alphatian Wizard (1 day per level of the dead wizard)
STOKERS DISEASE: Slowly become a Wraith.