Ship movement can be treated under two categories: long range and tactical. Long-range movement is used for traveling over the great distances of space between the planets, and along the rainbow ocean called the phlogiston that runs between the crystal shells. Tactical movement deals with shorter ranges between objects in space and is the theatre of ship-to-ship combat.
    The magic behind the spelljammer allows them to travel great distances in little time, but also causes them to slow down when they draw near other large objects, including other ships. For this reason movement is divided between long-range, high-speed movement (such as is used when ships travel between planets) and short range, tactical or maneuver speed. Because tactical movement is often triggered by (or followed by) combat, the rules for fighting from ship to ship are covered in those same sections.

Long-Range Movement

In Atmosphere
    A flying ship in the SPELLJAMMER universe moves 50 yards per round for every point of its tactical speed. This translates into about 17 miles per hour or 400 miles per day, per tactical speed point. This is a wonderful number when compared with most ground movement, which is measured in tens of miles. Few characters that spend their lives on the ground travel 400 miles in their entire lives.

Taking Off and Landing
    Only ships capable of landing on water or land can do so and take off safely. Any ship can crash onto a planet or its ocean, but then taking off again is guaranteed to be a problem (see Crashes).
    When taking off from a celestial body, some time is required to overcome the force of the body's gravity. When taking off from a body of class A or greater, a certain amount of time is required to allow the energies contained within the helm to overcome the force of normal gravity and take off. It takes 1d8 rounds from the time a spelljamming mage sits upon the helm to when takeoff is ready. Once this random warm-up period is over, the magics of a helm automatically correct the force of gravity. Smaller celestial objects (such as other ships) do not have this warm-up requirement.
    A ship's maneuverability class (MC) in atmosphere (that is, for flying combat) is the same as when the ship is in space. In general, a spelljamming ship's high speed allows it to evade all bit the fastest and most maneuverable opponents.
    For each point of a spelljammer's tactical maneuver rating, a ship has a movement factor of 150 feet of movement in air. A ship can move slower than this per round or hover in place. Bear in mind, however, that opponents attacking a spelljamming ship that hovers in midair gain a +2 circumstance to hit. Also keep in mind that a hovering ship is considered to have no MC (i.e., has no Dexterity modifier).
    The amount of time that it takes to get out of a planet's "gravity well" and attain full wildspace movement is determined by the planet's size, the table below gives the amount of time a spelljamming ship will take to clear the gravity well with only a TS 2 rating, plus the distance the ship must travel straight up to get outside the planet's air envelope:

Size Class A:	8 minutes	12,000 feet
Size Class B:	15 minutes	24,000 feet
Size Class C:	30 minutes	48,000 feet
Size Class D:	1 hour	96,000 feet
Size Class E:	2 hours	180,000 feet
Size Class F:	4 hours	360.000 feet
Size Class G:	8 hours	720,000 feet
Size Class H:	16 hours	1,440,000 feet
Size Class I:	32 hours	2,880,000 feet
Size Class J:	64 hours	5,760,000 feet

    The time required to get out of a planet's gravity well from it surface is the same regardless of the planet's composition and/or whether it has an atmosphere.
    This assumes that the ship is moving in a straight line upward. Ships that spent jetting about the atmosphere without climbing and such activities such as aerial combat are not part of the time needed to escape from the gravity well. In general, landing takes the same amount of time.

Table 8–1: Weather Conditions in Atmospheres

Roll 2d6	Spring/Fall	Summer	Winter
2	Becalmed	Becalmed	Becalmed
3	Becalmed	Becalmed	Light Breeze
4	Light Breeze	Becalmed	Light Breeze
5	Favorable	Light Breeze	Favorable
6	Favorable	Light Breeze	Strong Winds
7	Strong Winds	Favorable	Strong Winds
8	Storm	Favorable	Storm
9	Storm	Strong Winds	Storm
10	Gale	Storm	Gale
11	Gale	Gale	Gale
12	Hurricane*	Hurricane*	Hurricane*

* Hurricanes occur only if the previous day's weather was “Gale”. Otherwise treat as gale force winds.

    As a rule of thumb, precipitation (rain and snow) occurs only on a 1 in 6 chance in summer and winter, and 2 in 6 chance in spring and fall,, subject to local conditions. Storms and hurricanes always include precipitation (which is already figured into their modifiers on the table below).
    In the above situations, a modifier reduces movement and the time required to lift off, land or both is increased.

Table 8–2: Landing and Takeoff Condition

Condition	Time	Modifier
Becalmed	Normal	x 1
Light Breeze	Normal	x 1
Favorable	Normal	x 1
Strong Winds	Time x 2	x ½
Rain and Snow	Time x 2	x ½
Storm	Time x 4	x ¼
Gale	Time x 4	x ¼
Hurricane	No takeoff or landing possible

    Effects on movement time and movement factor are cumulative. For example, a ship trying to lift off from a class E planet normally takes 2 hours to get out of the planet's gravity well. If it is trying to do so in strong winds, this time is doubled to eight turns and the ship's tactical movement speed is halved. If the strong winds are accompanied by rain, this time is doubled again to 16 turns and the ship's speed is quartered.

Traveling in Wildspace
    Traveling in a straight line, spelljamming ships can attain high velocity relatively quickly, spanning the great emptiness between the planets in a short time. The operative phrase, however, is "straight line". Upon making a turn, or coming into the gravity field of another large body, the spelljammer helm automatically decelerates to a more manageable speed described under Combat. This is a function of all spelljamming, regardless of the type of helm or owning race of the ship. Mind flayer serial helms and pools, major and minor helms, and even arcane devices all function under this limitation. A "large body" is any body of 10 tons or greater space displacement (100 cubic yards, or a cube slightly less than 14 feet on a side), which includes most spelljamming ships, planets, stars, and other worthwhile celestial bodies. Small items such as boats and elvish flitters which rate under 10 tons do not have this effect.
    A ship can travel 100 million miles per day regardless of its TS rating. This is the speed of all spelljamming ships over long distances, regardless of the size of the ship or the helm. As long as a ship has a functioning spelljamming device of any type, and an individual who can use it, a ship can move 100 million miles in a single standard day (about four million miles per hour).
    At 100 million miles per day a spelljamming ship can travel from Earth to the Sun in a single day. However, space is incredibly large, and that same ship would take 36 days to reach Pluto. Given that the crystal shell is as far from the primary star, a trip from the Sun to the crystal shell girding Earth's system would take 72 days.
    Therefore, movement between the planets is time-consuming when dealing with the outer bodies, and relatively rapid among the inner spheres. Again, using the Earth/Sol system as an example, a ship from Earth with a spelljamming device could reach as far as the orbit of Saturn in a single week. (Of course, the planet may not cooperate by being there, but that is another matter. See Celestial Mechanics for information on planetary placement).
    What slows movement among the more crowded inner planets is the presence of multiple, occasionally overlapping gravity wells. Once a ship moves within the gravity well of a large body (10 tons or greater), it immediately drops to "normal" (50 yards per TS) speed. It can descend to the planet's surface, or move around in the planet's outer atmosphere, or leave the area again, after 1d8 rounds of warming up the spelljammer helm.
    The drop from spelljamming speed to tactical movement does not affect anyone riding on the ships. The effortless deceleration prevents spelljamming ships from colliding with other ships, meteors, asteroids, and planetary bodies creating the primarily safety measure from such catastrophes. In reality, this often means that a ship in route from one point to another in a (relatively) more crowded section of space may have more encounters than a ship moving through an emptier area (out near the shell, for example) so the ship has to continually slow down between locations.

Calculating Travel Times in Wildspace
    This is dealt with in more detail in the chapter on Celestial Mechanics, which adds the movement of the spheres themselves. But in general, the time between two planetary bodies can be figured as:

    &    Time to take off (in rounds)
    &    Time to escape the gravity well (in hours or minutes)
    &    Time to cover the distance to the next planet (in rounds, minutes, hours, or days, as appropriate)
    &    Time to land (in hours or minutes, reverse of time to reach edge of gravity field)

    As an example, a trip from Earth to Mars, assuming that they were as near as possible (about 50 million miles), would take: 1d8 rounds for warm-up on Earth + 2 hours at TS 2 rating to reach edge of a class E world + Travel time = 50 million miles/100 million miles per day = ½ standard day or 12 hours + 2 hours at TS 2 rating to reach surface of a class E world.
    So, total travel time is about 16 hours and 9 minutes. Not bad for wooden ships. Earth and Mars are rarely close to each other, however. If they were as far apart as possible, the travel time between them would be 2.3 days. This number crunching is for players who are interested. An easier method is provided in the Celestial Mechanics chapter.
    Very Close Bodies — If the time it would take to travel between two bodies is less than the time it would take to move out of one gravity well and into another, then the length of the trip is equal to the sum of both times, with no time between. For example, a ship moving at spelljammer-class speed would take three turns to travel from Earth to the Moon. But it takes four turns to move out of Earth's gravity well and three more turns to move to the lunar surface. Thus, the trip from Earth to the Moon takes seven turns.
    All of this assumes that the celestial bodies remain at the same relative distance during the course of the trip. In many systems, including the "real" one, this is not the case. How does the spelljamming DM figure travel times without going crazy?
    Method 1: The Short Way — All planets are considered to be close to each other when figuring travel times: Figure out the distance from the Primary, subtract the two, and divide by 100 million. This gives the number days it will take. Round all fractions up to the nearest day.
    Method 2: The Long Way — All planets are considered to be at the furthest distance apart. Add the two distances from the primary and divide by 100 million. For each .04 of the remainder add an hour to the final time.
    Method 3: The Average Way — All planets are assumed to be at their average separation. Determine the distances using method 1, and method 2 and use their average. Round fractions up to the nearest day.
    Method 4: The Starcharter's Way — Check out the Celestial Mechanics section and use the Celestial Display for movement of the bodies.
    Method 1 is the fastest method, and lets the characters move about the system very quickly. Method 2 slows them down a little, in particular when they are moving around the outer planets. Method 3 is the most accurate, but takes slightly more time. Method 4 is recommended for long-term campaigns where the movement of the planets becomes an important factor (such as when an invasion is planned for the next time two planets are close to each other).

Movement in the Flow
    The rainbow ocean allows spelljamming ships to attain greater velocities. These speeds have defied measurement since the phlogiston is without permanent landmarks or markers. Time is the only constant.
    In general, it takes from 15-150 days to travel from one crystal sphere to another for ships without sails. Ships with sails take 10-100 days and those that are topped out take only 5-50 days! The sphere reached is random unless a locator device is used to find a particular sphere. These locators, supplied by the Arcane or duplicated by spells, target the particular sphere that is sought. Some spheres are unreachable from others due to the Flow itself, and travelers must go through a third or fourth sphere in order to reach their goal. These anomalies are noted under the individual spheres-which spheres are nearby and can be reached regularly, and which ones are not. Some spheres drift into and out of proximity with each other, so that just because you reach an area once does not mean that you will find it again.
    A ship's last port of call determines which spheres it can move to. Port of call is the sighting or landing within a crystal sphere. If a ship heading for Krynn from Greyhawk accidentally ends up at the Realms, the Realms becomes its new port of call.
    Ships in the Flow slow down when they encounter other bodies, such as ships and rogue planets, but this does not affect total travel time.

Tactical Movement
    Tactical movement occurs when a ship encounters another large body, usually another ship. Such tactical encounters can occur either in the Flow or in wildspace, and both are handled similarly.
    One of the maps in this product shows a hex grid against a star background, suitable for marking ship locations in ship-to-ship combat. Each hex is 50 yards across. A round of combat in space is the same as a standard round-one minute.
    Movement and combat are handled in a two-dimensional format despite the fact that space (even fantasy space) is three-dimensional. This is purely for the sake of simplicity. Three-dimensional rules are very slow and add little or nothing to the flavor of the game.
    Players and referees will do well to remember that this product is intended for use as a role-playing aid. The SPELLJAMMER supplement is not a board game of ship-to-ship combat. It provides a framework for playing the AD&D game in space. The game will be far less interesting if played without the personal involvement of player characters aboard ship.
    Ship-to-ship combat flows along the same lines as standard AD&D combat. Initiative is determined for the turn, then one side moves and fires, then the other. The chief difference is the sense of scale involved. Missiles can travel through space several miles before finding a target, while magic spells require a closer approach, and ramming and boarding closer still.
    Also, ship-to-ship combat poses danger to the characters involved of losing their ship and being stranded in space. Many (but not all) enemy ships will rescue survivors (as slaves if nothing else), but some, particularly during war, will leave the survivors to fend for themselves.
    Representing each ship is a stand-up playing piece and a cardstock sheet, listing its capabilities and normal crew. Players who are piloting their own ships should note their ship's abilities and those of significant passengers-like player characters-on board. A ship with a variety of player characters on board has an advantage over one manned merely by NPCs, even if those NPCs are mind flayers.

Facing
    Each ship has a facing. It is pointed in a particular direction on the map. The playing piece should be placed with its front crossing on of the six sides of the hex it is in. For typical ships, the ship is in the hex where it's base is. Large objects, such as asteroids, the Rock, and the Spelljammer, are in all the hexes that their pieces cover.
    A ship can change its facing as part of its movement. How often it can do this depends on its maneuverability rating.

Movement
    The ship's maneuverability class determines all aspects of movement except the maximum speed in which the ship can achieve, that is determined by the helm and helmsman. A ship can always change its facing by one hex side at the end of its movement for free, in addition to any other facing changes.

Table: Maneuverability Statistics

MC	Max	Minimum	Max Dex	Speed	Reverse
Rating	Turn	Movement	Bonus	Change	Speed
Perfect	180°	none	+6	3	3 TS
Good	120°	none	+4	2	2 TS
Average	60°	1 hex	+2	2	1 TS
Poor	60°	2 hexes	+1	1	none
Clumsy	60°	4 hexes	+0	1	none

    Max Turn: This is the amount of hex facings that a ship can change per hex.
    Minimum Movement: This is the minimum number of hexes a ship has to take before it can make a hex change.
    Max Dex Bonus: This is the maximum Dexterity bonus that the helmsman gives to the ships AC.
    Speed Change: This is the maximum acceleration/deceleration per round that of the Ships TS rating. Ships with major helms can decelerate as much as it wants or accelerate up to maximum TS, even from a dead stop.
    Reverse Speed: The ship maximum speed it can move backwards.

Speed
    The total number of hexes moved is a ship's speed. A ship controlled by a spelljammer helm or similar mystical engine can move as far as its TS permits. However, how fast it can accelerate or decelerate depends on its previous move, its maneuverability, and the type of helm used.
    A ship with a major helm may set its TS each turn, up to its maximum. A major helm onboard means that the ship can move one hex per turn, then seven (if a sufficiently powerful mage is available) the next, and so on. Speed can only be changed at the beginning of the move, never during the move.
    All other devices for spelljamming are limited according to the MC of the ship involved: A ship with an MC of Clumsy may, in one round, increase or decrease its speed by one. A ship with an MC of Average can in one round increase or decrease its speed by two. A ship with an MC of Perfect can increase or decrease its speed by three.
    Full Reverse. A ship can reverse its direction and move backward; subject to the limitations on its speed according to its MC.

Stacking
    The DM determines the number ships that can be in the same hex at the same time. Ships in the same hex have the option to board, ram, grapple, or engage in missile fire and magic.

Combat
    There are two general types of combat in space: boarding (ships latch onto one another and battle royal begins) and ship-to-ship (in this type of battle the ships weapons are used and long ranged spells are likely to be used).

Combat Sequence
    Combat sequence generally runs as outlined in the Players Handbook page 118 with the following modifications:

    &    Initiative of when the ship moves is determined by the Helmsman, which is modified by the crew experience.
    &    Each weapon crew has its own initiative that is separate of the helmsman's initiative. These siege weapon crew can delay weapon fire. Weapon crews that have initiative can fire even before the ship moves (ships and weapon crew are separate entities), as the ship moves or after the ship moves in a round (ships unless at a dead stop are considered always in motion).
    &    Many large weapons take more than one round to reload between shot.

Initiative
    The helmsman with the higher initiative can choose to delay the movement of his ship. This initiative and that of siege weapons is modified by crew quality:

Crew Quality	Initiative
Green	–1
Average	0
Trained	+1
Crack	+2

Ship-to-Ship Combat
    The large weapons onboard ship, along with normal missile weapons, fire further in space than within atmospheres. Therefore it is often a tactic for crews to fire volleys from a long distance before boarding an enemy ship.
    Large onboard weapons (catapults, bombards, ballistae, projectors, and jettisons) all have a typical range and amount of damage they inflict which is summarized in Table 7–3 (located in chapter 7: Equipment). These siege weapons may be aimed at either ship or crew.
    Special: Catapults cannot attack ships in the same hex or adjoining hex (each hex being 50 yards).

    When using siege weapons against crew use the following system

    &    Any weapon attacking the crew (hit point attacks) may attack any character on deck or partially exposed. A player may not simply specify, "I'm attacking the captain," however. If he wants to attack the captain, he must tell the DM how he will identify the captain. If the attacker has no clear idea of what the captain looks like, the DM should assign the shot randomly among the potential targets;
    &    Attacking the crew with other than siege weapons, such as bows and arrows would likely mean massive penalties to hit. Firing a missiles (such as arrows) at another ship without declaring a particular target requires that the “archer” only need to hit the ships AC. Such blind shooting has only 50% chance of striking a creature and if percentage chance indicates success then the attack is resolved as if the “archer” had a BAB of +0.
    &    A crewmember gets a one-point bonus to his armor class for the turn if the ship's armor rating is better than the character's and that character's ship has the initiative that turn (presumably, the helmsman or captain will maneuver the vessel so that its bulk provides some protection against enemy fire);
    &    A large weapon (catapult, ballista, etc.) that misses a human target can still inflict damage on the ship. Roll for a hull hit, but damage is always 1 hull point maximum;

Hit Points
    A ship's hull points are like a character's hit points. If a ship is reduced to 0 hull points, its internal structure is destroyed and it begins to fall apart. Roll a six-sided die for every 10 tons of the ship (round fractions up). That is the number of large (atmosphere-retaining) pieces of the ship that are left.
    Some victors will sift through such debris looking for prisoners. Others will abandon them. It is possible for survivors to lash up some sort of vessel from the junk to save him or herself with a temporary helm or spelljamming mage.
    Small weapons can inflict hit points of damage as well to ships, but the hardness of the material that the ship is made of will make this a very slow method of destroying a ship. Some sections of a ship, such as the door to the captain's quarter do not contribute to the ship's internal structure. A character chopping at the hull with an axe, however, could inflict hit points of damage to ship and with a lot of hard work and time chop a ship in two (most crews are not going to let some crazed axe man cleave their ship in two) .
    When a ship's hit point damage exceeds half of its hit points, the ship immediately suffers 1d3 collateral damage.

Collateral Damage
    Collateral damage varies from ship-threatening results of combat to less dangerous situations, which impair the functioning of the ship. Only siege weapons (or weapons on par with siege weapons) can inflict collateral damage outright, but sufficient application of small weapons (the dwarf on the hull with a battle axe) could weaken a ship sufficiently to push it past the 50% damage point and thereby causing 1d3 collateral damage results.
    Siege weapons have what is called Collateral Damage Threat (see description of each siege weapon in Equipment section to see the what the treat range is for each type of siege weapon). This threat range has a two numbers, the first number is the natural to hit roll needed to have a collateral damage threat, and the second number after the slash is the number of collateral damage results that occur if the crew makes a second attack roll that also hits the ship.
    When collateral damage occurs, roll on the table below for each collateral damage result. Apply each result to the ship as applicable. If the result is inapplicable ("Hah! You can't destroy the spelljammer helm! You blew it up last turn”, shift up to the next higher entry on the list.

Roll		Result
1		Loss of 10d10 Hit Points
2		Deck Crew Casualty
3		Interior Crew Casualty
4		Ship Shaken
5		Siege Weapon Damage
6		Deck Crew Casualty
7		Hull Holed
8		Maneuverability Loss
9		Loss of 20d10 Hit Points
10		Ship Shaken
11		Fire
12		Loss of TS
13		Deck Crew Casualty
14		Siege Weapon Damage
15		Ship Shaken
16		Hull Holed
17		Maneuverability Loss
18		Loss of 20d10 Hit Points
19		Loss of TS
20		Spelljammer Shock

Definition of Effects
    Loss of 10d10 or 20d10 Hit Points: This loss is in addition to the initial damage. In some cases it may cause the ship to break up or force another critical hit check. Multiple rolls for the same attack are cumulative.
    Deck Crew Casualty: One exposed crewmember is struck and suffers the same as the ship. Choose the target randomly from exposed crew. All characters within 5 feet of that individual must make Reflex save DC 15 or take damage from shrapnel from the shattered deck or catapult shot. Damage from this shrapnel is 1d12 hit points of damage.
    Interior Crew Casualty: Same as Deck Casualty, but everyone aboard is a potential target, including prisoners, the captain, and spelljamming mages. This reflects not so much the effect of the missile itself, but shattered parts of the ship's interior bouncing around during combat.
    Ship Shaken: Ship rings from the blow of the attack. All characters not sitting or otherwise firmly tied down (the spelljamming mage is considered secure) have a chance to fall to the deck, disallowing any attacks or spell use that round. All on deck NPCs and PCs have to make a Reflex save DC 20 to maintain their balance.
    Siege Weapon Damaged: One siege weapon (chosen randomly) is inoperable until repaired (see Repairs). Its crew is unharmed.
    Hull Holed: The attack punches a hole in the ship where there was none before. The DM chooses which part of the ship is holed (either by random roll, according to the situation between the ships, or whatever would make things more interesting at that point).
    Fire: A fire starts somewhere in the ship, as determined by the DM! The effects of fire aboard ship are described below. In cases where it is physically impossible for a fire to start (all the lights are magical, there is nothing flammable onboard, and everyone is wearing cloths made of rock), go to the next entry. A fire onboard as a result of this collateral hit (as opposed to greek fire or magic) inflicts no damage the first round, but may spread.
    Loss of TS: The TS of the ship drops by one TS for 1d10 rounds while the helmsman readjusts his balance and senses to the new damage level. Additional losses are cumulative, to a minimum of 1 TS. If a ship with a TS of 1 receives this result, go to the next entry.
    Maneuverability Loss: The ship drops one MC for 1d10 turns. A ship with “perfect” maneuverability drops to “good” MC rating, a “good” MC rating becomes “average”, and so on. A ship with maneuverability rating of “clumsy” cannot lose any more maneuverability so the next entry is taken instead.
    Spelljammer Shock: The spelljamming mage must make a saving throw versus spells or fall immediately into a coma, which lasts 1d4 days. In cases of serial helms, all creatures linked up must save. In cases of foundries, artifurnaces, furnaces, and "unknown drives" (such as the neogi's), the drive itself is rendered nonfunctional 1d4 days (no saving throw allowed). If no replacement is available and the mage fails his saving throw, the ship immediately becomes SR 0 and can only move in a straight line at its present speed.

Effects of Crew Losses on Ship Performance
    The less manpower a ship has, the less capable it is of fighting and sailing effectively. A ship may still handle itself in "reduced" circumstances, but not with the effect of a full crew.
    Large weapons require a minimum crew to fire properly. For each member missing out of a large weapon crew, the weapon takes one round longer to reload and fire. A weapon crewed by three men with a reload rate of 1/3 will take three rounds for three men to reload and fire, four rounds for two men to reload and fire, and five rounds for one man to reload and fire. Men that are lost during the reloading are considered as if lost at the start of the reloading--that is, three men start reloading the above weapon, then one man is lost as a causality, then the remaining men will need four full rounds (including those that have already passed) to reload and fire.
    Large weapons can be reloaded and fired as long as one man remains available to do so. A large weapon without a crew cannot be fired. If a weapon is partially loaded, then the crew is slain and a new crew arrives, the loading must begin again.
    Loss of crew affects the maneuverability of a ship as well. The minimum number listed for the crew indicates the number required for operating the ship at its listed maneuverability class and does not include weapon crews. If less than that number is available to operate the ship, set the sails, mans the oars, etc., then the ship is downgraded in its maneuverability class. This loss may be from casualties, or may be because handling crew has been reassigned to weapon crews, preparing for boarding, or fleeing the ship.
    If the crew is ever drops below minimum, it is treated as if it had no sails. Ships that are topped out have crew less then minimum but more than half that number; lose benefits of being “topped” out.
    A ship will operate at 3 classes below its original class as long as there is at least one crewman left to handle the rigging and someone at the helm. The MC of a ship may not be downgraded beyond F maneuverability class.
    When figuring out how many crewmembers are available, PCs and officers are excluded, though they may be pressed into service to handle things during a battle emergency. Normally, however, their activities prevent them from taking an active role in the more mundane aspects of handling the ship, even in the heat of battle.
    Ships that break up stop moving. The hex or hexes it occupies and all hexes surrounding it are filled with debris. Surviving characters are scattered among the debris.

Debris
    Debris is a common consequence of battle, but in addition there are often small asteroids, comets, and other space flotsam that can interfere with the movement of and combat between ships. Debris of sufficient mass will cause a ship moving at high velocity to slip into normal movement.
    Ships moving through debris-strewn hexes do so at risk. Those moving one hex per turn can do so normally and without danger. Those moving through at speeds of two or three hexes per turn suffer the attack of a small jettison, while those moving at a speed of four or five hexes per turn suffer the attack of a medium jettison. Anything moving faster than five hexes per turn suffers the attack of a large jettison. These attacks occur once per debris hex encountered.

Fire
    Whether as a result of collateral damage, a device such as the greek fire projector, or spells such as fireball, fires sometimes get started on ships. Keep in mind that fire is an energy attack and the damage is halved before it is applied against the ships hardness.
    Fires inflict their initial damage the round they start. On each subsequent round, the fire inflicts the same damage as on the round before, plus one hit point.
    Putting out a fire requires one person for every point of damage the fire will cause that round. For example, if a fire will inflict three hit points of damage to the hull of the ship this round, then three people working with proper tools (assumed to be present) can extinguish the blaze. If not enough people are available to put out a blaze, they can reduce its severity by their actions. If two people fought our three-point fire, then the fire would be reduced to a one-point fire at the end of the round (and the increase to a two-point fire at the beginning of the next round).
    The greatest danger from fire is its potential to poison the air envelope. For each 1 hit point of the ship that burns 10 man days of air is consumed. Given enough fire damage a ship air envelope will quickly become fouled or deadly.
    A ship reduced to 0 hull points by fire, breaks up normally to form a field of debris. The surviving debris (if on fire) will continue to burn and break up until the disintegrating chunks are completely consumed. Ships entering the debris field while it is still burning will suffer the effects of the fire critical hit.

Fields of Fire (Optional Rule)
    While the portrayal of combat here is two-dimensional, in reality, a ship could be tilted in any direction without affecting the occupants. As a result, almost any weapon can be brought to bear against an attack from any direction. The limitations on this are for weapons that fire to the bow and stern, including forward-facing catapults and rear-mounted jettisons.
    Non-movable weapons designed to fire toward the front and rear of the ship may only fire at targets that are within the lines set up by the three frontal (or rear) hexes. They in addition receive a +2 circumstance bonus to hit targets directly in front (for front-mounted weapons). This is due to the "stability" of the shooting platform (as much anything whirling through space can be considered "stable").

Morale (Optional Rule)
    While morale rules are not given in 3E, the DM can include it for crew. To represent this the crew need only make a Will save DC 15 to keep their cool in battle, with the captain's Charisma modifier adding or subtracting to the crews save. Other situations can lower or increase the base DC of the save, for example: The crew is about to engage the neogi and none on the crew much like becoming food or fuel or the neogi lifejammers so the DM lowers the DC to 13, the crew is also on a galleon that has a figure head (sailors being superstitious) which helps booster their moral drops this to DC 11, the crew roll and 9 normally not enough to make moral but fortunately the captain has a 14 charisma (+2 bonus) and the crew keep their wits about them. The DM can add or subtract any number of modifiers to the DC or the D20 roll.

Intermediate Range Combat
    Intermediate range combat occurs generally within 1,200 feet of two ships (a distance of 8 hexes, each hex being 50 yards in length). The 1,200 feet also generally represents the maximum range of many missile weapons and long-range spells of very high spellcasters (400 feet plus 40 feet per level of caster).
    The closer the ships become, the more variety of spells and weapons the crew can unleash against one another. Each captain best knows what range of combat his ship is most capable. Captains that know they not strong at intermediate range combat will either shoot siege weapons at very long ranges, flee or try to board other ship so his marines superior hand to hand combat can come into play.

Ramming
    Ramming is a common tactic in space for damaging or breaking up an enemy ship. Ramming is best performed against other ships that are of roughly the same tonnage or smaller.
    A ship must announce its intention to ram before initiative is determined. The process of ramming (steering to hit the opponent's ship, plus battening down all the loose gear for the impact) requires time, and is not something that can be done on the spur of the moment.
    A ship cannot ram another ship that is in the same hex at the start of the turn, unless it leaves the hex and reenters it later. A ship cannot ram another ship that is grappled with it.
    A ship may only attempt to ram once in its turn. It cannot attempt to ram a vessel once, miss it, then ram another vessel in the same or an adjoining hex.
    When ramming use the helmsman's Base Attack Bonus modified by size of the ship he spelljamming and make an attack roll against the other ship's AC to determine if the ramming is successful. In this case it is often better to have a priest at the helm than a wizard because of their better chance to hit (a priest can run a ramming attack even if the ship is equipped with a piercing ram). If a ship has no one individual at the helm (such as the dwarven foundries), then the ship rams with Half the Base Attack Bonus of its navigator. For example: Ashra Whitestaff (8th level wizard) is at the helm of a squid ship (Colossal sized) and has a modified BAB of –4, she is trying to ram a Nautiloid (also Colossal sized) with is AC 9. Ashra only needs to roll 13 or higher on a D20 to ram the other ship.
    Rams inflict damage according to their type, size of ship, speed it is traveling at, and angle of attack. Before figuring ram results, the attacking player determines the adjusted speed (TS) of the attacking ship (round fractions of the current TS down). The damage done by the ship due to speed it is traveling at is 2d10-hit points of damage per TS at time of ramming (If DM and player want to track fractional TS, then ½ TS does 1d10 hit points of damage and ¼ TS does 1d4 hit points of damage).

    &    Head On: The adjusted TS is the target's TS added to the attacker's TS. The attacker receives half the ram damage inflicted on the defender.
    &    Forward Angle: The adjusted TS is half the target's TS added to the attacker's TS. The attacker receives one-fourth the damage inflicted on the target.
    &    Aft Angle: The adjusted TS is half the target's TS subtracted from the attacker's TS. If this less than one, the ram attempt fails. The attacker receives no damage from the ram.
    &    Aft On: The adjusted TS is the target's full TS subtracted from the attacker's TS. If this is less than one, the ram attempt fails. The attacker receives no damage from the ram.

    A target with a rear ram can attempt a counter-ram if the attack fails (a hit means the attacker impaled himself on the target's ram). Use the difference in TS and the target's tonnage to determine any damage the attacker may take.

Size of Ship	Damage	Collateral	Critical
Huge	4d10	17–20 (1d4)	17–20 (1d4)
Gargantuan	8d10	17–20 (1d4)	17–20 (1d4)
Colossal	16d10	17–20 (1d4)	17–20 (1d4)
Titanic	32d10	17–20 (1d4)	17–20 (1d4)

    In addition to any collateral damage that the ship succeeds on delivering for rolling a high attack roll, ship's struck by a piercing ram automatically suffers the Hull Holed and Ship Shaken collateral hits. There is a chance that two ships will become locked together when this happens (roll a d20, a result of 17–20 indicates that the two ship are locked together).
    In addition to any collateral damage that the ship succeeds on delivering for rolling a high attack roll, ship's struck by a blunt ram automatically suffers the Ship Shaken collateral hit plus one other collateral hit.
    Grappling Rams inflict no damage, regardless of size or speed. If a ship with a grappling ram strikes another ship, the two ships are considered grappled (see below).

Movement After Ramming
    If the ramming ship misses its target or reduces the opposing ship to 0 hull points (so that the opposing ship begins to break up), the ramming ship may continue its movement up to its regular limits. If the ship hits its target without destroying it or is locked or grappled with the target, its movement stops.
    Ship crews may grapple in the same round as a ram, if so desired.

Size and Ramming
    Ramming works best against ships that are the same size as or smaller than the ramming ship. In certain cases, an opposing ship may be too large or small to be rammed by a particular ship.
    A ship cannot ram another ship that is 10% or less of the ramming ship's tonnage. For example, a 100-ton ship cannot ram a ship of 10 tons or less. If such a ram is attempted, the smaller ship must check for a crash (see below).
    A ship may not ram another ship that is more than three times its tonnage. If it attempts such a move, it must check under Crashes.
    The exception to this is when using a grappling ram, which can be used against smaller ships of any size (but only three times larger targets).

Ramming and Ship Positions
    In general, a ship ramming another ship will maintain its positional relationship after the collision. That is, a ram from the bow will strike the opposing ship on its bow; a ram from the flank will strike the opposing ship in the flank, etc. Let the situation dictate the relative positioning of the ships.
    Head-On Ramming is a special case. Head on ramming is a dangerous situation, as it exposes the ramming ship to the ram of the opposing ship, should one be carried. If the attacking ship hits its target, the ram is handled normally. If the ramming ship misses its target, the opposing ship has the opportunity to ram its attacker immediately. This is the only time a ship is allowed to ram without having the initiative. In this situation, the original target ship uses its speed from the previous turn when determining damage (this is a reactionary move, so the ship has not had the chance to reach full, ramming speed).

Ramming Gargantuan Creatures
    In general, living things cannot be effectively rammed (they are too small, they are too small to generate their own gravity well so they just simply adjust to the “ramming ship's” gravity well). Creatures of gargantuan size, however, are large enough that a ram would have an effect. Gargantuan creatures take damage as ships; it is for this reason that a critical threat range is given for ram damage.

Crashes
    When two ships occupy the same hex, there are four possibilities:

    &    They can crash into each other
    &    They can ram each other
    &    One ship can land on the other
    &    The two ships can align courses or simply pass each other.

    This section deals with crashes.
    Occasionally a ship will make a sudden, unplanned landing (called impact) against a larger object. This impact usually has disastrous results for the ship making the crash and the ship that is being crashed into.
    The helmsman makes a Reflex save with the DC determined by the ship maneuverability class to avoid a crash and if successful can either fly off (in his part of the turn) or land normally on the other ship or object. A vessel with no one controlling makes its reflex save at –5.

Maneuverability		Crash
Rating		DC
Clumsy		25
Poor		23
Average		20
Good		18
Perfect		15

    If there is a crash, the smaller ship is always assumed to be crashing into the larger ship, regardless of the overall tactical situation. The crashing ship takes damage as if it had been hit by a blunt ram of a ship of equal size and speed that it is currently traveling at. If the hull points of the ship are reduced to 0, the ship breaks up (usually all over the gravity plane of the other ship). All on board the crashing ship take the 2d10-hit points of damage per TS that the crashing ship was traveling at, this damage is treated as falling damage and magical effects or spells that help prevent damage from falling prevent damage form crashing. Damage form crash is part falling and part debris damage, DMs wishing to distinguish between how this damage is applied can assign 1d6 for falling and 1d4 for debris damage per 1d10 that the ship takes for TS (this is particularly useful if a character has such protection as protection form arrows in effect).
    The larger ship also takes the same amount of damage as the smaller ship that crashed. Individuals on the ship being hit suffer the Ship Shaken critical result.
    Crashing is not a situation that many captains look forward to, but in combat there is often a need for "fireships" and other suicidal tactics where sacrificing a ship may help turn the tide of battle. The crew of such a ship usually abandons it before the crash, hoping to survive a "fall" to the surface of the other ship rather than die in the crash.

Shearing Attacks
    A shearing attack is a close pass against an opposing ship with the intention of dragging rigging, steering equipment, and other devices overboard to cripple the ship's maneuverability.
    Similar to ramming, the attacking helmsman's THAC0 is used to determine whether the shear is successful. For ships without a spelljamming helm, the navigator performs the attack at one-half his actual BAB (rounded down).
    A shearing attack does the same damage as ramming a ship except that the damage is applied only against the ships sails. A ships sails has 2 hit points per tonnage of ship, if enough damage is done to sails the ship loses any maneuverability it would have gained form having sails. Ships that are topped out take 2 hit points per ton before losing its topped out maneuverability and 4 hit points per ton before losing all bonuses for having sails.
    If a shearing attack fails, the opposing ship has the option of immediately launching its own shearing attacker.
    Shearing attacks inflict no points of damage to the target ship's hull, but if a natural 20 is rolled for the attack, a collateral threat result occurs.

Grappling and Boarding
    Often it is desirable to take over an opponent's ship without inflicting major damage. In cases like this, a side with enough manpower can overwhelm the other side by grappling and boarding. Certain types of ramming may also result in a grappling situation.
    Either side can grapple, but the moving ship has the first opportunity. The purpose of grappling is to bring the two ships together to allow either towing or boarding.
    The most common method for grappling is a large hook at the end of a long rope or chain. There are also ballista bolts, which are similarly equipped and can be fired into the opponent's hull. In either case, once the hooks have caught hold, the two ships can be hauled together.
    A grappling hook requires about 5 feet of space from side to side to be thrown at another ship in the same hex. The number of hooks that can be thrown depends on the length of the ship making the attack and how many hooks it can bring to bear.
    Two ships are considered grappled when the number of lines between them is at least equal to one-tenth of the tonnage of a smaller ship. For example, a 50-ton ship and a 30-ton ship are grappled if three or more grappling lines connect them. If there are fewer lines than this connecting the two ships, either ship can break them all simply by moving out of the hex. (This is a good way to pick up some free grappling hooks).
    A grappling attack inflicts no damage but links the two ships together. Both ships are immobilized once they are connected by sufficient grappling lines (unless one ship tries to tow the other; see Towing).
    Cutting Grapples. A crewman must make a normal attack roll to hit AC 5, then roll his damage to cut a grappling line. A line has 5 hit points. Grappling chain is AC 15 and has 20 hit points. Grapples may be cut at anytime in the defender's turn, but often the ship has been boarded by then.
    A ship may be boarded in the round after it is grappled. Any characters standing by and ready at the gunwale (typically the removable section of the vessel's side below the deck level) at the beginning of the round can swarm aboard the enemy ship.
    A crew (either side) will fight until defeated or it fails morale Will save (see optional rule: morale); then it surrenders. Player Characters and important NPCs (as determined by the DM) may fight as long and as hard as they wish, even to the death.
    The DM may in a very dangerous situations have a morale Will save be made to see if the crew will board in the first place (attacking a ship full of mind flayers is a risky proposition even under the best of conditions). Such a morale check would be made after the orders are given out, but before they are carried out.
    In case of a failure of morale, the crew will retreat back to its native ship, it will surrender (unless it is checking morale to determine whether it will board, in which case the crew just refuses to attack). In certain cases (such as dealing with villainous neogi, who are merciless), they will fight to the death.

Rapid Resolution of Small-Scale Combat
    There will be situations, such as a crew all stocked by PC's, where the actions of every character are important Similarly, there area situations where a long, large-scale combat between conflicting sides of NPCs will just waste the players' time. The following is a system can be used to resolve combat between large numbers of essentially featureless NPCs.
    It is strongly recommended that player characters not be factored into this procedure for two reasons. First, PC's should be directly under their player's control. They should not simply be part of a mathematical process. Second, if the PC's are very much superior to their crewmembers, they will tip the scale toward the high end and throw off the results. This system works best with crewmembers that are all pretty similar. If the crew contains widely disparate members (minotaurs and hobgoblins, for instance), it is best to treat them as two separate groups and determine their attacks and casualties separately.
    Compare the CR ratings of 2 opposing groups; if the two groups are equal CR then they mutually eliminate each other. In such a situation 25% of the each opposing group will survive, as their wounds will stabilize.
    With groups with differing CR ratings, the group will with the higher CR will win out, the result is determined as follows: Those with CR being 4 higher then the opposing group will likely only lose 20% of their hit points/resources, those with CR being 3 higher lose 35% of their hit points/resources, and those of CR being 2 higher lose 50% of their hit points/resources, and finally those with only being 1 CR higher lose 75% of their hit points/resources. Those creatures/groups that are 5 or more levels higher will lose only 1d12 % of their hit points or none at all (DM's call).
    This system while really fast does not take account the amount of necessary time to resolve combat, as a quick and dirty calculation. Assume that most battles will take 1d4 rounds plus 1 round per CR of the weaker group of creatures. This is only for the purpose if the DM plans on the PCs engaging a group a few rounds or minutes latter.

Towing
    A ship that has been grappled may also be towed. Both ships are considered to be part of the same larger ship; their tonnage is added together to determine if a spelljamming helm or other device can move the whole mass.
    Only the stronger of the two spelljamming devices will function when the ships are linked, so that the weaker item will be inhibited until all the lines are cut. "Strength" is determined by the ship's current SR. A large ship with a low SR may suddenly find itself being dragged through debris fields by a smaller but more SR-powerful ship. If the SR's are equal, then neither ship may move as long as both helms remain in working order.

Encounters, Evasion, and Running Away
    Given the nature of space movement, an opposing craft may appear suddenly in the distance, and then slow to combat speed immediately. Since it is the nature of the spelljamming helm to stop when it nears the gravity plane of another body, many encounters will occur without the desire of either side.
    The opposing ship(s) will appear 25 minus 2d10 hexes away in a random direction determined by rolling 1d6.

1. Directly Ahead
   
2. Ahead & Right (Starboard)
   
3. Behind & Right
   
4. Directly Behind
   
5. Behind & Left (Port)
   
6. Ahead and Left
   

    Heading is usually toward the player's ship, though the DM can determine this if he desires.
    After the initial placement of the ships, there is no surprise roll. Some ships (such as pirates) which travel with loaded ballistas may have a tactical advantage against opponents. However, there are usually several rounds of maneuver before ships come within effective weapon range of each other.
    The DM determines the initial reaction of the other ship. For players here is a good rule of thumb to determine intentions of other ship:

    &    Hostile: All large weapons loaded, crew packed to the gunwales and armed to the teeth, shouting for blood.
    &    Unfriendly: All large weapons loaded.
    &    Indifferent: One of the large weapons loaded, but crew unarmed.
    &    Friendly: Large weapons unloaded, crew not carrying personal weapons.

    It is possible to make a situation appear less threatening than it is through the use of illusions, concealed weapons or crew, etc. The DM is encouraged to be as devious as necessary. Players may also try to influence an enemy, when doing so consult page 149 of the D<G.
    Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor, and he who fights and runs away lives to run another day. Unfortunately, when one is close to another large body (such as a ship or planet), the spelljammer helm will not permit the ships to reach sufficient speeds to make high-speed travel worthwhile.
    The times listed under Takeoffs and Landings reflect the amount of time it takes to clear a planetary surface in order to attain high speeds. For smaller bodies (such as errant asteroids and pirate ships), the "capture" distance is 25 hexes on the map, counted at the start of the ship's movement. That is, if there is nothing within 25 hexes of the ship (including debris).

Crews
    Because so much of the glossy and important work of a spelljamming ship rests with the captain and helmsman, the place of the normal is crew is often glossed over. However the careful captain who trains his men well and treats them as more than dragon fodder will be rewarded with a ship that can handle itself well in tactical situations. While the helmsman determines the gross motive power of the ship, the men who man the rigging and the oars control its heeling, tacking, and spinning.
    Crews are divided into four classifications: green, average, trained and crack. Their costs per man are below:

Green:		2 gp per standard month
Average:		4 gp per standard month
Trained:		6 gp per standard month
Crack:		6 gp per standard month

    Payment is usually in advance for the first two months, with any extra money accrued payable on landfall. In addition, crews that are going into hazardous situations (such as when hiring privateers or adventures) may in addition demand a crew's cut of plunder — a share equal to that of the leaders, to be distributed among the surviving crew. Such a crew's cut will not improve their sailing ability but will affect their morale in combat situations.

    Green sailors are those that can be picked up anywhere — everyone from groundlings eager to get into space to ex-mercenaries drowning their troubles in bars. They barely know the difference between a hawser and a ballista. They are the warm bodies to fill the ranks, but little more.
    Average sailors are usually found around space citadels, asteroids, and other pockets of civilization. They have had sailing experience before in space, and are competent to run a ship fairly well. In any city of respectable size (such as the Rock) they can be found in sufficient numbers to crew a vessel.
    Trained sailors are the veterans of many voyages, often on a number of ships. They are numerous, but that does not mean they are easy to find. In any large city area in space, about 3d10 sailors can be found for hire. Of course, arrivals of new ships, ship crew mutinying or abandoning people may change that number.
    Crack sailors are not so much rare as very specialized. They are the best at hat they do for a particular captain and aboard a particular ship. Taking a crack crew from a nautiloid and putting it on a squid ship reduces it to trained status. The “crack” crew designation gives greater benefits than a trained crew.

Initial Crew Status
    Initially a crew has the rating of the majority of its members. A crew of 10 with one trained, six average, and three green recruits is considered average while one with two trained and eight green members will be considered green. This is for determining the initial crew rating only, when a ship is just starting out in play.

Increasing Crew Status
    A green crew becomes average after one month of travel. This reflects one month of total travel, so that two days of travel, a week of hanging around dock, and two more days of travel add up to only four days of travel. Thirty standard days are needed to break in a green crew.
    An average crew becomes trained after two more months of travel, including at least one trip into the phlogiston. For unindoctrinated crews, the Flow is a spook-house filled with nasty creatures, a belief which is too easily confirmed by beast such as ephemerals and flow fiends.
    A trained crew becomes crack after three more months, including at least one trip into the phlogiston and one battle with another ship (known as “blooding the crew”). If during al three of these months, the crew served under one captain, on the same ship, they attain crack status.

Decreasing Crew Status
    Crewmembers will be lost through the normal wear and tear of combat and travel in space. As long as at least 20% of the original crew is still on board, the ship's crew status stays the same. For example, if a ship with a trained crew of 10 men loses eight to a krajen and then hires eight green replacements at the next stop, the ship still has a trained crew. The old timers teach the ropes to the newcomers. The exception to this is crack status. If a crack crew loses more than 50% of its members, it slips to trained status until a new crew passes through the three-months process to regain its status.
    Crews, regardless of their status, can man large weapons. The status of green, average, trained or crack does not affect combat ability.

Effects of Crew Status
    A crew that works together smoothly can increase both the speed at which a ship reacts to enemy maneuvers (i.e., modifies the ship's initiative rolls) and the morale of the crew.

If the Crew is:		Then Initiative is:		Then Morale is:
Green:		–2		–2
Average:		–1		Unaffected
Trained:		+0		+2
Crack:		+1		+4

Weapon Terms
    Any crewman or character can operate a large weapon such as catapult, ballista, or jettison. There are specialists who have been trained in their use, however, and they tend to be more valuable in combat. If player characters wish to invest, they may be able to get special hirelings for these shipboard positions.
    Any good-sized city will have a few large-weapon specialist available for hire. One to 10 will be available in any standard month, and their hiring rates are usually 6 gold per month per specialist.
    A single specialist will affect the firing of one large weapon onboard ship. Multiple specialists are needed to maintain many weapons. A weapon specialist can help in the repair and operation of any of the large weapon types that he is versed in, but can only give his bonuses to one weapon at a time.
    The large weapon assigned the weapon specialist has a +1 bonus to hit as long as the weapon specialist is a crewman on the weapon team. Further, the weapon team may suffer the loss of one member (who is not the specialist) and continue to operate with no ill effect on its rate of fire.
    A weapons specialist is usually versed in one type of weapon: catapult, ballista, bombard (where available), alchemist fire projector, or jettison. Five percent of those encountered will be knowledgeable in two weapons, and 1 in 20 of those will be versed in three.
    A character with proficiencies in any of these weapons can hire on as a weapon specialist or use his proficiency to provide a bonus to hit from a single turret. A character doing this cannot be engaged in another position on ship (such as captain, navigator, or helmsman) or leave his position or the benefit is lost.

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