A fancy adventure, set in the world of Eberron, more information to come, but enjoy a basic intro post Gamma and I quickly hashed out. The goal with this RP is to allow a wide-range of races, characters, alignments, so feel free to be creative.
I'll try to have some more detailed rules, explanations, and general information tomorrow (one thing I have in mind for instance is that ideally people should try to have some role in mind on the ship, like say for instance navigator, ship's doctor, ship's carpenter, etc. as well as more classically combat related roles).
Eberron:
http://i68.tinypic.com/1zlrevb.jpg
House Lyrandar operates an extensive fleet of cargo and passenger water vessels powered by air elementals. Common in all coastal cities on Khorvaire, wind galleons are built for speed and carrying capacity rather than battle.
Appearance: The hull of a wind galleon is similar to that of any traditional wind-powered vessel, but it has only a rudimentary mast and sails. On the aft deck, a large tower holds a massive ring of moving air that trails the boat, propelling it forward. An air elemental bound into the ring is the source of the galleon’s propulsion.Most ships bind a Huge elemental, but smaller craft using Large elementals have been built as well. At least one massive cruiser has been constructed, binding two separate Huge elementals on either side of the ship.
The hull of a wind galleon does not fully rest in the water (some designs barely touch it, in fact), being supported instead by two long, fin like structures that sit on the surface. These structures are part of how the-wind galleon is able to achieve its great speeds; the drag of the water against the fins is considerably less than it is against the hull of a standard ship.
Operation: Wind galleons are fast and relatively agile for their size, able to make turns or come to a complete stop quickly. They are preferred for any situation where price and speed must both be given priority. The wind galleon is the shipping vessel of choice for perishable goods, with a speed unmatched by any vessel with comparable cargo capacity. Almost all wind galleons are used for business, but most are owned by House Lyrandar, not the merchants or individual captains who make use of them, guaranteeing a steady flow of profits continuing to fl ow into the house.
A wind galleon’s hull is crafted partially from lighter-than-air soarwood—not enough to lift it fully from the water, but enough to lower the ship’s weight and allow it to skim the surface. A wind galleon has sails, though they are not strictly necessary for forward movement. Instead, they are used to help steer the ship, allowing it to make sharp turns and control its direction of travel more precisely. A wind galleon with sails furled has a tendency to skid along the surface of the water, fishtailing as it goes and lowering its top speed to 10 miles per hour.
The wind galleon design is fast, but vulnerable to damage. The ship is prone to capsizing if buffeted too strongly. Because of this, wind galleons have never been built for war, and they generally seek to outrun any threat that presents itself.
Suppression: Without an air elemental to power a galleon, it can take only limited advantage of natural wind propulsion. The ship moves at half the speed of a normal ship under the same conditions, because of its small sails.
History: The wind galleon is the most common of the elemental galleons, emerging from the combined efforts of House Cannith researchers and the gnomes of Zilargo as they sought to create faster modes of bound elemental travel. After a number of initial disasters (one of which led to the development of the stormship), the first wind galleon left the dry docks of Trolanport in 865 YK. Its goal was to reach Sharn in record time, but the ship’s gnome pilot had trouble controlling the bound air elemental. House Cannith once again turned to House Lyrandar for assistance; with the help of the Mark of Storm, the wind galleon proved to be a worthy entry in elemental vessel design.
House Lyrandar commissioned an entire fleet of the ships, taking possession of a number of wave galleons as well (these employ water elementals instead of air elementals, but are otherwise identical in function). With these ships, House Lyrandar quickly increased its dominance over sea travel and shipping. To this day, most elemental galleons in service fl y the Lyrandar flag, though a handful of privateers struggle to earn a living with independently owned ships.
Wind Galleon: Colossal vehicle; Seaworthiness +4; Ship handling +3; Speed 100 ft. (perfect); Overall AC –3; Hull sections 80 (sink 20 sections); Section hp 60 (hardness 5), Section AC 3; Ram 6d6; Space 90 ft. by 30 ft.; Height 30 ft. (draft 0 ft.); Watch 7; Complement 30; Cargo 150 tons; Cost 64,000 gp.
Aura: Strong conjuration, CL 15th.
Construction: Bind Elemental, greater planar binding, 32,000 gp, 2,560 XP, 64 days. Price: 64,000 gp.
Appearance: The hull of a wind galleon is similar to that of any traditional wind-powered vessel, but it has only a rudimentary mast and sails. On the aft deck, a large tower holds a massive ring of moving air that trails the boat, propelling it forward. An air elemental bound into the ring is the source of the galleon’s propulsion.Most ships bind a Huge elemental, but smaller craft using Large elementals have been built as well. At least one massive cruiser has been constructed, binding two separate Huge elementals on either side of the ship.
The hull of a wind galleon does not fully rest in the water (some designs barely touch it, in fact), being supported instead by two long, fin like structures that sit on the surface. These structures are part of how the-wind galleon is able to achieve its great speeds; the drag of the water against the fins is considerably less than it is against the hull of a standard ship.
Operation: Wind galleons are fast and relatively agile for their size, able to make turns or come to a complete stop quickly. They are preferred for any situation where price and speed must both be given priority. The wind galleon is the shipping vessel of choice for perishable goods, with a speed unmatched by any vessel with comparable cargo capacity. Almost all wind galleons are used for business, but most are owned by House Lyrandar, not the merchants or individual captains who make use of them, guaranteeing a steady flow of profits continuing to fl ow into the house.
A wind galleon’s hull is crafted partially from lighter-than-air soarwood—not enough to lift it fully from the water, but enough to lower the ship’s weight and allow it to skim the surface. A wind galleon has sails, though they are not strictly necessary for forward movement. Instead, they are used to help steer the ship, allowing it to make sharp turns and control its direction of travel more precisely. A wind galleon with sails furled has a tendency to skid along the surface of the water, fishtailing as it goes and lowering its top speed to 10 miles per hour.
The wind galleon design is fast, but vulnerable to damage. The ship is prone to capsizing if buffeted too strongly. Because of this, wind galleons have never been built for war, and they generally seek to outrun any threat that presents itself.
Suppression: Without an air elemental to power a galleon, it can take only limited advantage of natural wind propulsion. The ship moves at half the speed of a normal ship under the same conditions, because of its small sails.
History: The wind galleon is the most common of the elemental galleons, emerging from the combined efforts of House Cannith researchers and the gnomes of Zilargo as they sought to create faster modes of bound elemental travel. After a number of initial disasters (one of which led to the development of the stormship), the first wind galleon left the dry docks of Trolanport in 865 YK. Its goal was to reach Sharn in record time, but the ship’s gnome pilot had trouble controlling the bound air elemental. House Cannith once again turned to House Lyrandar for assistance; with the help of the Mark of Storm, the wind galleon proved to be a worthy entry in elemental vessel design.
House Lyrandar commissioned an entire fleet of the ships, taking possession of a number of wave galleons as well (these employ water elementals instead of air elementals, but are otherwise identical in function). With these ships, House Lyrandar quickly increased its dominance over sea travel and shipping. To this day, most elemental galleons in service fl y the Lyrandar flag, though a handful of privateers struggle to earn a living with independently owned ships.
Wind Galleon: Colossal vehicle; Seaworthiness +4; Ship handling +3; Speed 100 ft. (perfect); Overall AC –3; Hull sections 80 (sink 20 sections); Section hp 60 (hardness 5), Section AC 3; Ram 6d6; Space 90 ft. by 30 ft.; Height 30 ft. (draft 0 ft.); Watch 7; Complement 30; Cargo 150 tons; Cost 64,000 gp.
Aura: Strong conjuration, CL 15th.
Construction: Bind Elemental, greater planar binding, 32,000 gp, 2,560 XP, 64 days. Price: 64,000 gp.
