Capt. Isledemer d'Alberran

             Now that skyship spells have been described in detail and general skills improved, I present you with detailed stats for the captain of the Star Phoenix, developed for D&D BECMI game mechanics. There were personal interpretations on my part, since I started from the original Pathfinder material published in CAL1 “In Stranger Skies.” Ideally, I’d like to see all this translated into D&D 5^th edition—alas, I’m not familiar with this new system. Any volunteers among the Calidar fans, do let me know!

             Unlike the official D&D game, Calidar’s system-neutral stats differentiate between Body Agility (Agt) and Manual Dexterity (Dex). Dexterity affects hand-eye coordination and therefore ranged weapon bonuses and precise actions like disarming traps. Agility governs Armor Class bonuses and movement-related feats like climbing, dodging, or horse riding. These stats are listed according to the original intent, but they can be combined as a single Dex score for simplicity (if in doubt, use the best score).

             Calidar books commonly describe NPCs as multi-classed. Isledemer is both a fighter and a magic-user. Since Basic D&D mechanics don’t lend themselves to multi-classing, assume the character splits gained XPs between the two experience progression tables. 
             Finally, Calidar wands produce protective magic used to parry direct attacks (either physical or magical). These wands' primary purpose is otherwise to help with spellcasting; they don't generate specific magical effects. Click here for details on this approach.

Top Illustration: Highwayman, by ElifSiebenpfeiffer

Digital Art / Drawings & Paintings / Fantasy ©2013-2018 ElifSiebenpfeiffer.

Skyship Captain: AC 3 (unarmored), Lvl 12 swashbuckler/sorcerer, hp 40, MV 120’ (40’), AT 1 spell or 1 rapier +2 (left hand, expert skill) and 1 personal wand +2 (right hand, parry only), Dmg by spell or 2d8+2 rapier, Size M—Str 13, Dex 16 (Agt 16/Dex 11), Con 14, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 15, ML 10, Saves as fighter, AL Neutral (or “Neutral Good” in other game versions). Faith: none established. Credentials: none. Apparent Age: 30s. Ancestry: human; unknown origins.

These stats were updated Oct 10 (in red). Mea culpa. I was using the wrong conversion chart. Those listed in CAL1 "In Stranger SKies" had been altered to work with Pathfinder as best as I can figure. The ones above come from my original 2013 draft. I had to dig around for that.

Abilities: 

             Spellcasting—L1 x4, L2 x4, L3 x4, L4 x3, L5 x2, L6 x1. 

             General Skills—Set #1 Airship Commander incl. Aerial Navigation (Int), Leadership (Cha), Piloting (Dex), Skyship/Magical Engineering (Int), Skyship Tactics (Wis), and Weather Sense (Wis); Set #2 Swashbuckler –2 incl. Acrobatics (Agt), Alertness (Agt), Bravery (Wis), and Quick Draw (Dex—esp. his magical wand); Individual Skills incl. Alternate Magic (Int), Court Etiquette (Cha), and Horse Riding (Agt). 

             Weapon Proficiencies—two-handed combat (wand/rapier as an expert) and basic proficiency with daggers and light crossbows. Commander’s Rating—(16) Expert (see Skyship Saving Throws).

Equipment: Personal wand +2, rapier +2, ring of protection +1, hat of defense AC 6 (if lost, it reappears at his feet later on), boots of equilibrium (+3 bonus to Agility), two-way scroll of communication, potion of healing.

Spellbook: L1—Analyze, Structural Appraisal, Booming Voice, Detect Magic, Find the Wind, Hold Portal, Light*, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Protection from Rot, Protection from Rust, Read Languages, Read Magic, Sleep, Triangulate, Ventriloquism.

             L2—Captain’s Jinx, Continual Light*, Detect Evil, Detect Invisible, Helmsman’s Glory, Helmsman Helping Hand, Invisibility, Knock, Locate Object, Phantasmal Force, Phantasmally Displayed Figments, Restore Wood, Sky Sight, Web, Wizard Lock.

             L3—Air Anchor, Artificer’s Mending Brace, Create Air, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Fly, Hold Person, Protection from Normal Missiles, Smother Conflagration, Unyielding Cord, Wizard’s Tail.

             L4—Artificer’s Unseen Shield, Clothform, Dimension Door II, Remove Curse, Cloudscreen (see below), Wizard Eye.

             L5—Captain’s Instant Skiff, Contact Outer Plane, Dissolve, Hold Monster, Spectral Sail.

             L6—Artificer’s Hold Distortion, Invisible Stalker, Projected Image.

Cloudscreen*

Spell Level 4: (School of Invocation)

Range: Own vessel

Duration: 1 hour + 1 Turn per experience level

Effects: Produces a large cloud

             Captain d’Alberran created this spell as a way to mask his skyship from view. The invocation brings into being a large, opaque cloud or a fog bank about twice the size of the Star Phoenix. From the inside, it appears merely as a fine mist. The dweomer travels with the ship, regardless of atmospheric conditions. It is indistinguishable from natural clouds when moving along with them at prevailing wind speed. The effect may end when dismissed by the caster or dispelled. The reversed version of the spell clears all clouds, vapors, fog, smoke, and dust within a 500 yard radius.

Swashbuckler Heroes

             Although not entirely within the bounds of laws or chivalric codes, these romantic heroes generally focus on matters of honor, justice, and courage with a flair. In addition to a set of related skills offered earlier (click here for details), a swashbuckler hero living aboard a skyship should enjoy the following benefits:

• ·      Sword fighting without penalty on a rolling/pitching deck
• ·      +1 Bonus to hit when fighting with a rapier
• ·      Immunity to fear of heights (click here for details) and air sickness

             On the other hand, such a hero does not typically wear protection beyond leather armor; magic items other than armor are otherwise acceptable. Therefore, shields, helmets, chainmail, and plate armor are not acceptable items.

©2018 Bruce A. Heard. All Rights Reserved.

Click here for the follow-up article on 

Master & Commanders of the Star Phoenix.

Revisiting BECMI Skills

           During my attempt to translate into D&D BECMI game terms the stats of the crew serving on Calidar’s Star Phoenix, it occurred to me that the present system remains pretty limited. It is on a par with the intent of the original rules: to remain as simple and straightforward as possible, in keeping with the nature of D&D’s red box. Though I do appreciate the latter’s intrinsic value, I had to come up with optional mechanics to depict characters whose skills exceed what can be expressed in Basic D&D terms without breaking established rules. I’m referring in particular to the general skills described in the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, pages 81-86.

           Before delving into the thick of this article, I should point out the curious absence of guidelines on how to handle the “lack” of a skill. My assumption is that attempting to complete an action without possessing the corresponding skill either: 1. Fails automatically or, 2. Sustains a 50% handicap to the parent ability score at the DM’s discretion. A critical success (rolling a “1”) should still be allowed for the sake of pure, dumb luck, wild guesses, stupefying inspiration, or instants of freakish genius, cuz you know, if you give typewriters to a thousand monkeys, one of them may come up with a Shakespearian quote, right? I wonder if that'd work with trolls... nah. A critical failure (rolling a “20”) always fails, even though the hapless recipient might not realize it at first if the roll was a secret one

Top Illustration: Kerem Beyit ©2004-2008.

The Goal

           My biggest issue concerned specialists and characters with extensive professional backgrounds. As can be anticipated, the basic rules would be at a loss to depict someone like the seasoned captain of a skyship, someone like… you guessed it: Captain Isledemer d’Alberran. Approaches that I saw elsewhere crossed my mind (kudos to game designers who first came up with the idea), consisting in sets of specialized skills as opposed to totally unrelated skills—see “Beginning Skills” on page 81 and “Learning More Skills” on page 86.

           The present system calls for 4 skill slots at level 1 plus Intelligence bonuses, for a maximum of 7 skills. By the book, a seasoned skyship captain at 12^th level of experience like Isledemer d’Alberran would therefore have a grand total of 8 general skills. It’s not enough. (Note: I will post his complete stats for D&D BECMI in the next article—click here.)

A Solution

           Sets of professional aptitudes regrouping multiple related skills should become an option. The idea is to allow more skill slots, but with built-in penalties that are less severe than halving parent ability scores or automatic failures. Any single set of related skills can be acquired at the cost of 1 single slot. A set’s built-in penalty can then be reduced by 1 point the at the cost of another skill slot. The chart below illustrates the different aptitude sets. Skills can still be acquired individually, “à la carte,” which then incur no penalties.

Professional Aptitudes Sets
Number of Skills	Aptitude Sets
Limited	Skill Slot Cost:........................................ 1 Number of Skills:.................................... 4 Skill Check Penalty:............................... –2
Moderate	Skill Slot Cost:........................................ 1 Number of Skills:.................................... 6 Skill Check Penalty:............................... –3
Extensive	Skill Slot Cost:........................................ 1 Number of Skills:.................................... 8 Skill Check Penalty:............................... –4

           Based on the above numbers, the Limited set provides 4 related skills at the cost of 1 slot, all incurring a –2 penalty. Fully eliminating this set’s penalty would only cost another 2 slots. Therefore, at a total cost of 3 slots a Limited set can provide 4 skills without penalty. Essentially, after negating built-in penalties, the Limited set yields a free skill, two for the moderate set, or three for the extensive set. It’s the advantage of learning “job-related” skills versus totally unrelated ones. Earning extra skills with built-in penalties gives more flexibility when developing a character with few slots available, while it reinforces the logic of concentrating on the character’s key background. This option can be applied without altering any of the Rules Cyclopedia’s existing mechanics. As a final recommendation, once penalties have been eliminated from an entire set, further skill improvements should be handled individually, as the established game mechanics suggest.

Update: 9/27/18—The 3 categories (Limited/Moderate/Extensive) aren't meant to imply "experience" but instead to define the number of initial skills, hence the increasing built-in penalty. Actual experience comes from additional slots spent to reduce or eliminate built-in penalties.  

Listing Skills

          Here’s an example of how a skyship’s captain with 8 skill slots may be described: General Skills—Set #1 Airship Commander incl. Aerial Navigation (Int), Leadership (Cha), Piloting (Dex), Skyship/Magical Engineering (Int), Skyship Tactics (Wis), and Weather Sense (Wis); Set #2 Swashbuckler –2 incl. Acrobatics (Dex), Alertness (Dex), Bravery (Wis), and Quick Draw (Dex); Individual Skills incl. Alternate Magic (Int), Court Etiquette (Cha), and Horse Riding (Dex).

           The above shows one moderate set listed without a penalty (cost: 4 slots), followed by a Limited set listed with a –2 penalty (cost: 1 slot), plus another 3 individual skills—total cost: 8 slots. Should any of the individual or airship commander skills receive an improvement, add the bonus after the ability, such as: Aerial Navigation (Int +1).

If you enjoy the D&D BECMI game, do pay us a visit on Facebook, if you’re not already a member. Click on the image below for a direct link.

Examples of Aptitude Sets

Airship Commander

Limited: Aerial Navigation, Leadership, Skyship Tactics, Weather Sense

Moderate: add Piloting + Skyship/Magical Engineering

Extensive: add Deck Weapons + Skyship Lore

Ambassador

Limited: Court Etiquette, Persuasion, Basic History/Geography, Local Politics

Moderate: add Foreign Literature + Law & Justice

Extensive: add Detect Deception + Forgery

Bard

Limited: Musical Instrument, Poetry, Singing, Storytelling

Moderate: Compose Music + a second musical instrument

Extensive: Oration + a third musical instrument

Gambler
Limited: Gambling +2*, Persuasion
Moderate: add Cheating + Deceiving
Extensive: add Alertness + Escape 
(*) Gambling comes with a built-in +2 bonus, eliminating two other skills.

Horseman

Limited: Horse Riding, Horse Breeding, Horse Care & Training, Cavalry Tactics

Moderate: add Bargaining + Intimidation

Extensive: add Detect Deception + Leadership

Linguist (or Ambassador Set #2)

Limited: 4 additional languages*, conversational

Moderate: add another 2**, read & write all

Extensive: add another 2***

(*) from local or neighboring cultures, (**) from exotic cultures at the DM’s discretion, (***) of monstrous origins at the DM’s discretion.

Merchant

Limited: Accounting, Appraisal, Bargaining, Knowledge (a type of merchandise**)

Moderate: add Trade* + Knowledge (a 2^nd type of merchandise)

Extensive: add Detect Deception + Knowledge (a 3^rd type of merchandise)

(*) Understanding the values of currencies and services, local and foreign; 

(**) Types of merchandise include precious metals & gems, items of art, livestock, raw goods (oil, wine, flour, wool, hides, timber, etc.), finished goods (textiles, furniture, leather goods, man-made objects other than artwork, etc.), banking/lending, and real estate.

Outdoorsman

Limited: Hunting/Fishing, Outdoor Survival, Snares, Tracking*

Moderate: add Endurance + Fire Building

Extensive: add Mountaineering + Nature Lore
(*) If this is kit is used for a character that has Tracking as a class ability, replace with Mimicry.

Palace Courtier/Courtisan

Limited: Court Etiquette, Dancing, Elegance, Calligraphy or a Limited Bard skill

Moderate: add Persuasion + Verbal Joust

Extensive: add Detect Deception + Gambling

Spy

Limited: Disguise, Mimicry, Tracking, Stealth (Urban)

Moderate: add Deception + Persuasion

Extensive: add Knowledge of Poisons + Lip Reading

Swashbuckler

Limited: Acrobatics, Alertness, Bravery, Quick Draw

Moderate: add Acting + Bargaining

Extensive: add Detect Deception + Gambling

Tomb Raider

Limited: Blind Shooting, Caving, Mapping/Cartography, Muscle

Moderate: add Knowledge of Undead + Signaling

Extensive: add Danger Sense + Ancient Tombs Lore

Tribal Shaman
Limited: Ceremony, Healing, Mysticism, Nature Lore
Moderate: add Storytelling + Persuasion
Extensive: add Astrology* + Intuition
(*) Includes knowledge of seasons, moon cycles, stars.

Many of the above kits presume that characters know how to read and write. If this isn't the case (barbarians, peasants, etc.), give the character a free skill slot. DMs can create any number of variations as best fits their games and what their players want. Easy!

Skyship Spells IX

             Welcome to the next 4 D&D BECMI spells. A complete index of skyship spells with links to their pages is listed at the end of this article:

1. Artificer's Range Distortion*
2. Artificer's Blinding Flare 
3. Artificer's Skyship Lure
4. Protection from Lightning

             Comments and suggestions are helpful to address loopholes and other design clunkers. Click here for the previous three spells.

Thanks!

Artificer’s Range Distortion*

Spell Level: 2 (School of Illusion)

Range: Own vessel

Duration: 1 hour per experience level

Effect: Makes a skyship look farther than it really is

                If the spell was cast before the affected skyship is first sighted, this vessel appears farther away than it actually is (no save). The caster’s experience determines how far away the recipient may appear, up to 100 yards plus 100 per experience level. The effect is dismissed at the caster’s discretion or if any attack is initiated from the recipient (q.v. invisibility spell). The actual ranges of weapons and spells cast from any of the involved vessels aren’t affected, though the victims’ range penalties to hit remain unchanged since they are based on perception. If it actually hits, an attack that should have reasonably fallen short due to the illusory range will dispel the recipient’s distortion effect. A spyglass or some other device enabling a closer look will not dispel the effect. This spell is reversible, causing the recipient to appear a lot closer than it actually is

Top Illustration: Lightning Airship by musegames
Digital Art/Drawings & Paintings/Illustrations/Conceptual©2011-2018 musegames.

Artificer’s Blinding Flare

Spell Level: 3 (School of Invocation)

Range: 100 yards +10 per experience level

Duration: Instantaneous

Effect: Create a large flash of light

                When cast at night, this ball of light is powerful enough to temporarily blind all who fail to shield their eyes. The spell has no effect in broad daylight. The primary area of effect is a sphere with a radius equal to half the spell’s range, centered at the point of impact. All victims within the primary area of effect must save vs. spells to avoid blindness (one collective saving throw per skyship is recommended—click here for details on skyship saving throws). Victims outside the primary area of effect receive a +1 bonus to their saving throws for every extra 100 yards radius. Blindness lasts 5 rounds +1 for every 6 experience levels of the caster; the effect can otherwise be negated individually (for those within a dispel magic’s area of effect). Reduce the duration for every extra 100 yards radius beyond the primary area of effect (1 round minimum). If the spell is cast at dusk or dawn, add a +2 bonus to saving throws and halve the effect’s basic duration. If cast during a moonless night (i.e. in pitch-black darkness, all lanterns doused), include a –2 penalty. (This spell is featured in the upcoming story introducing CAL2 On Wings of Darkness, June 2019.)

Artificer’s Skyship Lure

Spell Level: 1 (School of Illusion)

Range: 100 yards +100 per experience level

Duration: 1 hour per experience level

Effect: Create far away ship silhouettes

                This illusion can be cast at a vessel within spell range. The target is allowed a saving throw vs. spells (one single collective roll—click here for details on skyship saves.) The spell produces a small, barely identifiable skyship silhouette fading into view, at the limit of a victim’s sight range. The silhouette can be that of any vessel the caster has observed in the past. An additional silhouette can be duplicated for every 3 experience levels of the caster, behaving exactly like the first. Though these silhouettes are typically motionless, a high level caster may animate the illusions. At 9^th level and above, the caster may change their bearings and make them appear to approach the victim’s vessel, or turn back and fade away in the distance. If the spell is cast at night, ship lanterns can simulate the presence of faraway skyships or mimic the gleam of an illusory lighthouse. A dispel magic cast upon any single victim will dismiss any and all of these illusions.

Protection from Lightning

Spell Level 1: (School of Abjuration)

Range: Own vessel

Duration: 1 hour + 1 Turn per experience level

Effects: Protects vessel and crew from lightning bolts

                When under this protection, a skyship and its crew are immune to non-magical lightning, such as those commonly encountered in a storm. These bolts are deflected, missing the vessel entirely. A protected skyship sustains half damage from magical lightning bolts, or a quarter if the vessel succeeds its saving throw vs. spells (click here for details on skyship saves.)

                The caster’s level determines how large a skyship can be protected. The spell affects vessels whose hull length fit within 30’ + 10’ per experience level above the first. So a 7^th level sorcerer could affect a skyship up to 90’ long, including all its protruding masts. This spell was created by gnomish spellcasters to protect dwarven ironclads. A rare spell on Calidar, its original script requires skill in ancient gnomish in addition to being able to decipher magic. Ancient gnomish does not translate well into other arcane languages. Translated spells can malfunction—odds: 30% chance minus the caster’s Intelligence bonus times 5. Detecting magic is needed to verify whether the protection failed.

Skyship Spells Index
Spell Name	Level	School
Artificer’s Skyship’s Lure	1	Illusion
Booming Voice	1	Alteration
Find the Wind	1	Divination
Protection from Lightning	1	Abjuration
Protection from Rot*	1	Abjuration
Protection from Rust*	1	Abjuration
Structural Appraisal	1	Divination
Triangulate	1	Divination
Artificer’s Range Distortion	2	Illusion
Captain’s Jinx	2	Illusion
Helmsman’s Glory	2	Alteration
Helmsman’s Helping Hand	2	Invocation
Phantasmally Displayed Figments	2	Illusion
Restore Wood	2	Alteration
Sky Sight	2	Divination
Air Anchor	3	Invocation
Artificer’s Blinding Flare	3	Invocation
Artificer’s Mending Brace	3	Abjuration/Alteration
Smother Conflagration	3	Alteration
Unyielding Cord	3	Illusion
Wizard’s Tail	3	Enchantment
Artificer’s Unseen Shield	4	Abjuration/Invocation
Dimension Door II	4	Alteration
Guile and Treachery	4	Illusion
Captain’s Instant Skiff	5	Invocation
Spectral Sail	5	Invocation
Artificer’s Hold Distortion	6	Enchantment
Summon Crew	6	Invocation or Necromancy

Click here to return to first skyship spells article