Spelljammer Working on a Collection of Custom Spelljammer Ships

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So, I've had my arm twisted a couple times by different fans about me creating some custom Spelljammer ships and deck plans. Decided I'm making two dozen Spelljammer ships, all custom designed, though I've been thinking of creating a Dragon Turtle Submersible Spelljammer ship, which exists in canon, but I've got some ideas of sails and structure, will be using an alligator snapping turtle for reference on that. The rest are fully custom. The first ship shown below was actually a private commission I did this week for a Sparrowhawk, small Spelljammer ship. It turned out so well, I asked permission of the private commissioner, if I could use it as one of my custom designs for this collection - I will be giving him credit for it.

This is the Sparrowhawk, a small armed Spelljammer ship with a single medium ballista mounted at top center. Rather than an open deck, except for the weapon platform, this ship is fully enclosed. It features two decks on either side of the gravity plane. The top deck having pilots quarters in head, with helm at the "shoulders", behind that is a common dining room with a flanking galley/pantry, opposite flank a crew quarters and the ship fresher/shower. With stairs up to weapon platform and down to lower deck. Steps over the gravity plane lead into the cargo bay, with a drop down ramp at aft and a pair of crew quarters forward. The cargo is strapped to raised to the ceiling and locked in place, when loaded from a planet/color sphere, where gravity is down on both decks. The lower deck has facility where the ceiling serves as a floor planetside. The crew quarters feature hammocks with leather belts to hold in mattress, pillow and blanket, so as not to fall off the bed when landing planet side. The deck and dresses are bolted to the floor/ceiling.

The forward down angle of the wings allow the winds to blow the ship for movement.

 

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Just completed the illustration view, though I need to create top down and a few other angles. This is the Spelljammer ship, Cristatus - a large Peacock Elven noble sloop, with presumably a crew of 36, in 3 shifts of 12 crew. This for an ostentacious, noble elf as a kind of aristocratic yacht. Although as shown is unarmed, it is always accompanied by an escort flight of Sparrowhawks. Beneath the poop deck under the ring of the tail sail is the helm, which also serves as a wizards laboratory and navigation. Beneath that is the noble captain's personal quarters. Beneath that is officer rooms for sick bay, galley and dining room, offices, with a stairs to floor above and stairs down. The main deck is the gravity plane, so all decks below are on the otherside of the gravity plane, includes crew quarters, armory, grain stores and cargo hold at lowest deck. A trap door on the main deck allows access for cargo, though at aft on the lower end is another larger bay door for accessing cargo. Tomorrow I'll work on deck plans and top down render... enjoy!

 

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Next is a living tree ship, called the Arbor Galley, an official craft of the Astal Druidic Council. As a living tree, the aft end is the root ball, the midsection trunk has all the leaf branches which serve as sails. The forward part is a hollowed log with interior structure in the hollow, and living trees, grass as a grove above and below the gravity plane. Notably the passage across the gravity plane is via a pool of fresh water with fishes inside, 4 feet deep, but the top/bottom is the top on either side of the gravity plane. You can dive from one side to the other. The ship needs not enter a color sphere to refresh it's air bubble - the tree does that itself. A druid and staff operate this ship... enjoy!

 

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Next Spelljammer custom design is the Scylla lobster ship. This ship flies backwards uisng it's tail and leg fins as sails. I've repurposed a model I created as a Starfinder starship sized living construct with an entire family of crustaceans. I added the winglets on it's legs, cut out the back of it's carapace to place a deck and trebuche. At the rear I inserted a platform to mount a ballista. I figure this is a pirate ship. While it flies backwards at cruising speed. When approaching a targetted ship, it does a "Crazy Ivan" maneuver twisting it's tail fins and one sides winglets to rotate 180 degrees in order to grapple an opposing ship. Since I doubt Spelljammer ships are allowed to have crushing weapons to them, at least these claws should be allowed to grapple another ship... enjoy!

 

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The Scarab is a destroyer class undead Beetle ship of the Anubians, a jackal headed gnoll humanoid. They worship Anubis and live as ancient Egyptian necromancers and slavers. These ships require constant surface oiling to keep the chiton from rotting. Animated dead is used once landed on a planet/color sphere allowing it to walk and attack structural targets on the ground. These beetles are from the jungles of the Anubian homeworld.

 

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Well these ships are for Dungeons & Dragons Spelljammer ships right? So I need to create at least on of these for flying beast based ships. This is the Drake class mercenary light destroyer (I reclassed the beetle ship to corvette class). This ship is long, but narrow with limited interior space, mostly in the body section. Enjoy!

 

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A thri-kreen operated armed bulk freighter, called the Locust, which is the size of a cruiser class ship. It features 3 trebuches and 3 ballista. The abdomen section is entirely dedicated to bulk cargo. Yes, grasshopper, it is a reaper of grains... enjoy!

 

[jasper]

The two things generally bother me about spelljamer ships. Most have no landing gear. All are missing belly turrets. The Sparrow hawk reminds me of the hawk ship from the 70s buck rodgers.

 

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I still need to add weapons platforms. I adjusted the model last night after rendering, with 3 ballista mounts over the neck and a catapult in the rear top shell. I'll make the adjustments and re-render, but this is the job I've done so for. Now there is a canon Sea Turtle Spelljammer ship that is capable of being a submersible. Well I did my non-canon version based on an Alligator Snapping Turtle shell and head - as it is more scary. Added marine turtle flippers and rendered it. Enjoy!

View attachment 258965

 

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At first the following illustrations, a Spider's Nest, was intended for use for my Starfinder setting "in development", but I've been talked into considering this for Spelljammer as well, even adding it as bonus content to my Spelljammer ship collection supplement - even though it's not a ship.

Gigantic spiders that are sometimes found in asteroid belts, dust clouds, gas giants and nebula, and up to 1,000 feet in diameter - really big spiders. They begin with a single small asteroid, and attach webs and leap out onto passing small asteroids, winching them in with their natural super strength web appendages, then binding together with their impossibly thin, but high tensile strength webs. The gigantic spiders are the females, whereas the males who serve as one-time mates, laborers and warriors are large to huge humanoid scale. These spider nests are more than clusters of small asteroids however, entire webs are connected to nearby larger asteroids to form nets to catch passing asteroids and ships...

 

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I am almost certain there is a scorpion Spelljammer ship, but am not sure. That said, I made this anyway...

Atsuko Mizumi is a kitsune pirate captain aboard the Sasori, which is Japanese for scorpion. Her crew consists entirely of yokai (Japanese folklore shapechangers), which include such beings as kitsune, hengeyokai, and tanuki, as well as more rarely a same-bito (shark shapechanger). Their ship is fast and maneuverable, though lightly armed and armored. It hides in the terrain of moons in ambush, eyeing for passing ships to raid.

 

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After reading about someone's homebrew Spelljammer setting based on mezoamerican culture, that inspired me to try this - especially since I wanted to create sails from scales or feathers, so this is perfect. And since I went all Japanese on the last illustration, I decided to celebrate another civilization.

The Quetzalcoatl is an Olmec Royal Armed Sloop with 3 ballista. The helm is upsidedown - on the other side of the gravity plane, in the mouth, where the pilot sits on a cushioned blanket rather than a chair.

 

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Somebody asked if I'd do a Stargate inspired pyramid ship, but as a ziggarat, since I did the quetzalcoatl. Simple enough (the pyramid, gates and towers were existing models in my 3D program, and I purchased the Mayan Calendar, because I wasn't going to model that!)

Temple of the Moon, Olmec Imperial Dreadnought Flagship, with 4 catapults. This vessel accompanies the Olmec fleet at war and for important ceremonies. The emperor with his family, entourage and guards, along with his high priest is actually on their way to the system PItz ball court championships being held on the Chacoan world. The emperor's son is leading the vanguard aboard a Quetzalcoatl armed sloop, seen in the distance. The Mayan calendar is the sail.

 

[jasper]

WhAT NO Pin Striping or Flames. We both know those make things go fast! Or have I watched too many car shows this mornging?

 

[David Howery]

back in 2E days, I think most DMs created varieties of SJ craft, if they used that setting. Mine was the Hydra, an incredibly clumsy ship that had 5 'heads' on the front, all mounted on long 'necks' that moved around. Each head had a ballista mounted in it, and whoever was mounted on the helm in the ship could make the heads move around and point in any direction needed. Can't remember just how the PCs took it down, think they just basically outmaneuvered it; it was kinda slow.

 

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I planned on doing 12 ships, at least, and I've got 12 ship illustrations done, but it doesn't feel finished to me... so I'm doing 3 more Spelljammers. Since I did 2 Mezoamerican ships, and I've done 1 Japanese ship with the Sasori scorpion pirate schooner, I thought I'd do one more, more official Japanese ship, and one more larger ship.

This is the Jade Dragon, the Shogun's Imperial Battleship, with 3 ballista, and a trebuche. The dragon head and the Japanese castle are purchases. I modeled everything else. I didn't put legs on the dragon, and am considering that, but the first time I used simulated jade with a slight translucency - it was set higher, but I lowered it, so it would show the exterior details better.

Two more to go... then the deck plans for all.

 

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This is the Hellspawn, a Mephistophelian Patrol Ballista Boat, so a small ship, slightly larger than the Sparrowhawk (the first ship I created and already did deck plans for). This ship has 2 ballista mounted, one of the head, and one on the arch of the back. I needed an evil craft for something other than pirates... enjoy!

 

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I must have tired when I posted my art count, I counted one of character illustrations as a ship, so I still needed one more Spelljammer. I hadn't done a fish ship yet, and this is something I'd already created as a starship sized monster for my Starfinder setting, and it fits for something odd...

This is Deep Space Angler, a Sahuagin Carrier-Cruiser, with a trebuche on it's back, and a ballista on a plank at the gravity plane in it's mouth that can be extended or retracted into the tail section, to give the ballista a 300 degree firing arc. That huge maw is the carrier space, able to hold up to two small spelljammers or one medium sized spelljammer. While the gravity plane seems misplaced, everything below mouth floor to the tail is sea water, a labrynthine pool for sahuagin life. Lacking sails, it's bulk is it's primary "sail" with it's fore, mid and tail fins to give it some modicum of maneuverability. This is probably the slowest Spelljammer known, but it's an "airport" that moves slowly, that is it's military purpose.

Now I got 15 - need to map..

 

[thundershot]

These are very awesome! Now they just need deck plans!

 

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Final Spelljammer ship and illustration is complete. This is Lolth's Handmaiden, a dreadnought class drow spelljammer ship, although this one is slightly larger than a true dreadnought. It was built by a drow noble house, making it's escape from an underdark city and taking it's family and possessions into Spelljammer space. They have located a large astral spider nest along the fringe of the Outer Wilds and will be establishing a drow city there. You could consider this a colony ship of sorts, one built for an entire noble house... enjoy! Now mapping ensues.