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Spelljammer

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The Spelljammer logo
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The Spelljammer logo

Spelljammer (1989) is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd edition) role-playing game, which features a fantastical (as opposed to scientific) outer space environment.

Contents

Overview

Spelljammer introduced into the AD&D universe a comprehensive system of fantasy astrophysics, including the Ptolemaic concept of crystal spheres. Crystal spheres may contain multiple worlds and are navigable using ships equipped with "spelljamming helms". Ships powered by spelljamming helms are capable of flying into not only the sky but into space. With their own fields of gravity and atmosphere, the ships have open decks and tend not to resemble the spaceships of science fiction, but instead look more like galleons, animals, birds, fish or even more wildly fantastic shapes.

The Spelljammer setting is designed to allow the usual sword and sorcery adventures of Dungeons & Dragons to take place within the framework of outer space tropes. Flying ships travel through the vast expanses of interplanetary space, visiting moons and planets and other stellar objects.

Like the Planescape setting, Spelljammer unifies most of the other AD&D settings and provides a canonical method for allowing characters from one setting (say, Dragonlance) to travel to another (say, the Forgotten Realms). However, unlike Planescape it keeps all of the action on the Prime Material Plane and uses the crystal spheres, and the ["phlogiston"] between them, to form natural barriers between otherwise incompatible settings. Though the cosmology is derived largely from the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, many of the ideas owe much to the works of Jules Verne and his contemporaries, and to related games and fiction with a steampunk flavor. A strong Age of Sail flavor is also present.

The Fantasy Astrophysics of Spelljammer

Spelljamming helms

Spelljamming helms are the central setting concept which allow interplanetary and interstellar space travel for vessels which would otherwise not be spaceworthy. Within the Dungeons & Dragons universe, they are a method of converting magical energy into motive power.

Gravity and Air

All bodies of a sufficiently large size have gravity. This gravity usually (but not always) exerts a force equal to the standard gravitational attraction on the surface of an Earth-sized planetary body. Gravity in the Spelljammer universe is also an exceptionally convenient force, and almost always works such that "down" orients itself in a manner most humanoids would find sensible.

All bodies of any size carry with them an envelope of air whenever they leave the surface of a planet or other stellar object. Unlike real-world astrophysics, this air envelope is not dispersed by the vacuum of space. These bubbles of air provide breathable atmosphere for varying lengths of time, but 3 months is considered "standard".

Crystal Spheres

A crystal sphere (also known as a crystal shell) is a gigantic spherical shell which contains an entire planetary system. Each sphere varies in size but typically they are twice the diameter of the orbit of the planet that is furthest from the sun or planet at the centre of the sphere (the system's primary).

The surface of the sphere is called the "sphere wall" and separates the void of "wildspace" (within the sphere) from the "phlogiston" (that surrounds and flows outside the sphere). The sphere wall has no gravity and appears to be impossible to damage by any normal or magical means. Portals allow spelljamming ships or wildspace creatures to pass through the sphere wall and enter or exit from a crystal sphere. Portals can spontaneously open and close anywhere on the sphere wall. Magical spells (or magical items that reproduce their effects) can allow a portal to be located. Other magic can open a new portal or collapse an existing one. Ships or creatures passing through a portal when it closes may be cut in two.

Note that unlike the Ptolemaic system, the crystal spheres are not nested within each other.

The Phlogiston

The phlogiston (also known as "the Flow") is a bright, extremely combustible gas-like medium that exists between the Crystal Spheres. Every crystal sphere floats in the phlogiston, very slowly bobbing up and down over time. Travel between Crystal Spheres is facilitated by the formation of "Flow rivers" — sections of the phlogiston which have a current and greatly reduce travel time. Travel through the "slow flow" (i.e. off the Flow rivers) is possible, but very dangerous.

The Spelljammer

The Spelljammer is a legendary ship which looks like a gigantic manta ray, and houses an entire city on its back. All spacefarers (people who live in wildspace) have heard of the Spelljammer but very few have ever seen it themselves. It is this ship that gives its name to "spelljamming", "spelljamming helms" and anything else connected with spelljamming. The ship has been reported to have been seen in countless spheres for as long as records go back. Even some groundlings (people who live on planets that have very little or no commerce with spelljamming communities) have legends about it. There are hundreds of conflicting legends about this ship, and a mythology has developed about the ship that is similar to the legends surrounding The Flying Dutchman.

As a living thing (although it consumes no matter it does absorb heat and light through its dorsal side and uses them to produce air and food for its inhabitants), the Spelljammer has a complex life cycle and means of procreation. Normally the ship has no captain and wanders the cosmos seemingly aimlessly. When the Spelljammer has a captain, obtained through another complex process, it will create Smalljammers (miniature versions of the Spelljammer) that go forth as its spawn. Apparently there can only be one Spelljammer at any one time. One Smalljammer will mature into a full Spelljammer ship if it is ever destroyed.

For more details on the Spelljammer ship, please consult the Legend of the Spelljammer boxed set, which was released by TSR in 1991.

Spelljammer and Several of TSR's other campaign worlds had their own sections in the Spelljammer Boxed Set - Realmspace for the Forgotten Realms, Krynnspace for Dragonlance, and Greyspace for Greyhawk. Dark Sun, Ravenloft and Mystara weren't included, as the first two did not fit with the setting and the Mystara only used the D&D rules, not the AD&D rules. Along with the new sphere - Clusterspace - they were known as the "Big Three and Astromundi". For more details, see List of Spelljammer crystal spheres.

Spelljammer and

The official Spelljammer Netlogo as used on home made Spelljammer products.

The Spelljammer line of products was discontinued by TSR before they were incorporated into Wizards of the Coast. Although Wizards of the Coast have not produced any new Spelljammer products they have given permission for a non-profit website, named [Beyond the Moons], to continue support for the setting. Beyond the Moons is the official Spelljammer website and produces new material for Spelljammer AD&D (2nd edition), and converts existing AD&D material to work with the new D&D (3rd edition) game.

Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon

Spelljammer role playing game products

The following gaming products were produced for the AD&D (2nd edition) version of the game. They are now out of print.[Source for Spelljammer product inforamtion]

Core products

Original Spelljammer boxed set (TSR, 1989)
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Original Spelljammer boxed set (TSR, 1989)

Accessories

Handbook

Monstrous Compendiums

Adventures

Fan created Spelljammer role playing game products

Most fan material created for the Spelljammer role playing game takes the form of webpages, however there are some print on demand ebooks available. Most of these are Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files.

Core Products

The Beyond the Moons SJ3e Logo as used on their conversion material.
Beyond the Moons is presently working on a set of ebooks to convert Spelljammer from 2nd Edition to 3rd Edition. The official SJ3e books will include: Player's Guide to Spelljammer, Ships in Wildspace and Monsters of Wildspace.

Accessories

Adventures

Spelljammer spin off products

Spelljammer novels

Six novels set in the Spelljammer universe were published by TSR, before TSR was incorporated into Wizards of the Coast. The novels were interconnected and formed "The Cloakmaster Cycle". The novels tell the story of Teldin Moore, a 'groundling' farmer on Krynn who has a powerful and apparently cursed magical item given to him. He then ends up on a quest, which takes him first into wildspace and then away from his home sphere to distant crystal spheres. The novels are now out of print.

Spelljammer comics

Fifteen comics set in the Spelljammer universe were published by DC Comics.

Spelljammer computer game

Only one computer game set in the Spelljammer universe was ever produced. It was published by SSI in 1992 and was called .

Footnotes

External links

Fan Conversions

Novels & Products

Official Sites

  • [Beyond the Moons] (the official Spelljammer website) for D&D 3rd edition and AD&D 2nd edition

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
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