Spelljammer What is important to you about Spelljammer

[Faolyn]

I don't want ships reliant on spell casters at all personally. I think it's a silly limitation. I know, I know, I'm veering off the beaten path of precedent, but I don't want the a whole campaign contingent on having a (functional) caster. I don't like the helm preventing casting either, but my core problem is deeper.

While personally I don't like it either (even if the helm they introduced still allows the user to cast cantrips, a step up from the original version), there are so many spellcasting classes nowadays, and many of them have enough abilities that casting is just another ability.

What I would do is something like, you expend a slot of X level, and the ship travels either Xmph for 1 hour, or at a standard rate for X hours. Or you can choose to expend Hit Dice instead of slots, letting even non-casters take the helm for a bit.

 

[Fenris-77]

That's why there are so many monsters and Weird Anomalies in Wildspace. The blargh isn't empty.

Well, no, but it is HUGE. Way bigger than I need or want it to be to run adventures. A second consideration is to what extent a whole series of random journey encounters is what you're looking for. Personally, not so much, but that just my preference. Other players and tables might want exactly that.

 

[Fenris-77]

While personally I don't like it either (even if the helm they introduced still allows the user to cast cantrips, a step up from the original version), there are so many spellcasting classes nowadays, and many of them have enough abilities that casting is just another ability.

What I would do is something like, you expend a slot of X level, and the ship travels either Xmph for 1 hour, or at a standard rate for X hours. Or you can choose to expend Hit Dice instead of slots, letting even non-casters take the helm for a bit.

That would work. I'd still hate it. I don't want to have to calculate slots to speed to distance. YMMV, naturally.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I mean, I figured there'd have to be some backend adjustments, but the fact that it's still playable makes me happy. So much of D&D has "you need magic" baked in that it's hard to imagine 5e really makes a party with no Cleric viable.

We’ve been playing 5e since the beginning and I don’t think we have ever had a cleric. We did have a Druid once. In general we have 4 people who like to play fighters or rogues and 1 player who likes to play magic users. So that is typical what we have.

also, most of the time we play in a gritty GoT type setting where magic is mostly rare and unusual. The way to solve magical monsters is more through Witcher style research and preparation. We even spend downtime to do just that.

 

[Faolyn]

That would work. I'd still hate it. I don't want to have to calculate slots to speed to distance. YMMV, naturally.

Oh, sure. I wouldn't be upset if they had helms work on background magic only--still requiring a helmsman to sit there and navigate, and allowing for the expenditure of slots (or HD) for sudden bursts of speed, evasive maneuvers, escaping anomalies, or in magic-dead areas--but otherwise, no slots needed for typical travel.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

The easiest way to deal with the Spellcaster helm thing is for NPC helmsfolk hirelings to be available.

 

[James Gasik]

Or the players get access to an Artifurnace, a Helm powered by an Artifact, which has it's own...downsides.

"Man, why is it everywhere we go, Vecna cultists show up?"

 

[Fenris-77]

The easiest way to deal with the Spellcaster helm thing is for NPC helmsfolk hirelings to be available.

And put all the party mobility in one fragile NPC basket? Hmm. It works, but I don't love it. I'd prefer the PCs to crew their own ship.

 

[Parmandur]

And put all the party mobility in one fragile NPC basket? Hmm. It works, but I don't love it. I'd prefer the PCs to crew their own ship.

The Helm in DOTMM only requires having a spell slot available...very few parties will be without that, though it does scale with the power fo the maximum vaialble Spell Slot, so the Wizard is a better pick than the Eldritch Knight...

 

[James Gasik]

I mean, the Helm itself is kind of fragile, a direct hit with a bombard, catapult, or ballista might take it out anyways.