Airships Congratulations! You have aquired an airship. The skys await you, and wyvern pirates as well. Before floating up into the vast and unknown expanse, here are some guidelines to follow and a rough overview of the inner workings of your craft. Zeelo Found in cavities in the upper layers of the underdark, Zeelo is a gas created by a rare fungus that grows on cavern walls deep below the surface. A group of dwarves stumbled across it almost 400 years ago, and have been selling the commodity ever since. Zeelo is stable in any temperature and it's the most popular form of lift for airships. It doesn't ignite and never freezes. It is not breathable. The gas is stored in canisters made of brass which are 5 feet tall and have a diameter of 1 foot. A Zeelo canister has enough gas to fill a single bladder. Each bladder is usually a cylinder 50 feet long and 10 feet in diameter. Bladders are used to lift Airships. Multiple bladders are then covered in a leather sheath. This as a whole is referred to as a balloon. Canisters of Zeelo can be traded at airship ports and some dwarven strongholds. Most often, empty canisters are refilled or traded for full ones. Container Cost Weight Full Bladder 500 gp N/A Empty Bladder 300 gp 200 lb. Full Canister 300 gp 5 lb. Canister Refill 200 gp N/A Empty Canister 100 gp 100lb. Zeelo Bladder Gargantuan Object Armor Class 11 (10 outside a balloon)

11 (10 outside a balloon) Hit Points 40 Damage Immunities Bludgeoning, Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, Radiant

Bludgeoning, Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, Radiant Damage Resistances Thunder If a bladder is damaged, it will leak out over a number of seconds equal to it's hit points multiplied by 2. Lift A single full bladder can lift 2 1/2 tons (5,000 lb). Sealing Kit A kit consisting of tar, glues, sheep's gut patches, leather patches, a small brass pulling hook, scissors, a sewing awl, thread, a sewing palm, wax, and a candle. This kit has 5 uses and costs 25gp. Each use repairs up to 10 HP to a Zeelo Bladder. Bladders with 10 HP or less cannot be repaired and must be replaced. Alternative falling rules To increase the danger of flying, increase the falling damage limit from 20d6 to 200d6. This damage would apply to all falling creatures and structures individually. There are no life rafts on an airship, so maintaining buoyancy is the most important key to sky sailing. Each lost bladder accelerates the decent of the airship. Losing your bladders Bladders Lost Falling Rate Damage Up to 1/5 total 60 ft/round None Up to 1/4 total 100 ft/round 1d6/100 ft Up to 1/2 total 200 ft/round 1d6/50 ft Up to 3/4 total 500 ft/round 1d6/20 ft More than 3/4 1,000 ft/round 1d6/10 ft The Hull Every foot of space on an airship is important! Wasted space is wasted weight. Each 5x5 (5x5x7 foot tall below deck) space adds a weight of 250 lb to the craft and costs 100gp and 2 days to build. Reparing the hull costs the amount of HP restored mutiplied by half the number of 5x5 squares, rounded down and days equal to half the restored HP. Adding additional space costs 150gp and 3 days per 5x5 square to include the laborious task of ripping out and replacing parts of the existing structure. If the labor can done by the players successfuly, these costs are reduced by 25gp per square. A square of space does not include the weight of creatures or cargo, but does include wooden doors and windows as well as simple furnishings such as wooden beds, hammocks tables, chairs, small chests, and a cooking area. For example, a hull that has a total of 150 5x5 squares would weigh 37,500 lb and cost 15,000gp and 300 days to build. A balloon of 8 bladders would support 40,000 lb and costs 4,000gp, leaving 2,500 lb for cargo and people. If that hull takes 50 points of damage, it would cost 3,750gp (50 x 75) and 25 days to repair it. Flying is expensive! 1

The flooring on the lowest deck of an airship is usually removeable so that ballast can be placed at the lowest point on the ship. As cargo is removed, ballast must be added and vice versa. It is generally unwise to unload ballast in a descent unless circumstances are dire. The material used as ballast is usually sand, dirt, or some other simple material. Lead ingots can also be added if a ship is carrying very little. This is rare. Hull Gargantuan object Armor Class 15

15 Hit Points 300

300 Damage Threshold 10 Damage Immunities Piercing, Poison, Psychic Sturdy The Hull of an airship is not generally a prime target. The wood used in its construction is not easily set aflame and the hull is more easily damaged by plummeting to the ground from great heights. Rac Nets (Pushers) Used to steer the airship, these fin-shaped nets are made of woven Mithral and Star Silk braids. if open air is on both sides of the net, an air current is pulled through the net. The speed acheived is 16 mph per pair, -1mph per bladder. For example, a typical ship has 8 Zeelo Bladders in a single balloon and 2 Rac Nets mounted to the sides of the ship for propulsion. In this configuration, the ship could be propelled at 8mph in any direction on a calm day. Rac Nets are the most expensive and durable component of an air ship. One net costs 4,000 gp, weighs 250 lb and occupies a 10x10 foot area in the shape of a triangle. Rac Nets are outfitted with oil-consuming devices called 'Burners'. These heat up the net which causes the ship to lurch forward at 2x its current speed. A Rac Net can be safely burned for up to 10 rounds before it needs to cool for 10x the time burned. If burned for more than 10 rounds within this time, roll a d20 each successive round. If the number rolled is 5 or lower, the Rac Net suffers a permanent speed loss of 1 mph. Two flasks of oil will allow a single Net to be burned for 1 minute (10 rounds). The helmsman may light the nets as an action and douse them as an action. Rac Net Large object Armor Class 20

20 Hit Points 90 Damage Immunities Piercing, Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, Radiant Touchy Any touch or melee attack against it conducts 2d10 lightning damage to the attacker while the airship is unteathered from the ground. Accidental Burn Radiant damage and fire damage start a burn on a single net and may move the craft in unexpected ways. Piloting & Crew Piloting an airship requires a vast knowledge of many fields. It is quite simple to learn the basics of steering in the open air, but challenging to master navigation, landing under heavy duress or in high wind, repairing a derelict ship thousands of feet above the earth, and issuing commands to a crew who trusts their lives to your words. Any Character proficient in sea faring vessels is also proficient in piloting airships. Every airship has a helm. This is the set of wheels and levers that control the vessel. While steering the ship, the pilot cannot engage in any combat unless the helm is abandoned, allowing the ship to list toward the course it was last set on. Airships usually sail with a crew of 10 to 12, but can be manned by a minimum of 6. Two to control the helm and navigate at all times, day and night, another two should take watch on top of the balloon, and another two should maintain the ropes, balloon, and hull. Combat An airship hull is designed to be very sturdy, so it's generally wiser to attack the balloon rather than the hull of a vessel in combat. Altitude helps in this endevour. Being above an enemy slightly shields your balloon while giving a plain view of the enemy's. Many airships are outfitted with balista to ward off marauders, wyverns, and other opportunists. Cannons are much rarer, requiring large amounts of gunpowder and largely ineffective against the balloons. Many pirates attempt to board a vessel and fight in order to keep any goods on board from being destroyed in a long fall. Some even acquire new ships or hardware this way. It's risky to use this method as you may compromise your own vessel in the process. 2

Weather & Dangers Sailing in the sky is full of extremes. The sun wears down wood and ropes, as does the cold of high altitudes. Wind also stresses ropes and balloons. Clouds and fog obscure vision and may cause mold to cling to the hull, slowly rotting the wood. Because falling is another obvious risk, It is wise to fasten ropes to all crew on deck. Getting lost is also easier in the sky. A good navigator can be the difference to finding a port or spending weeks over an ocean with no islands in sight. Included on the next pages are some tables listing various encounters and challenges you may find among the clouds. Daily Weather In dry climates, add 3 to the roll. In wet climates, subtract 1 from the roll. d12 Weather 1 Colder and stormy 2 Warmer and stormy 3 Stormy 4 Colder with light precipitation 5 Warmer with light precipitation 6 Light Precipitation 7 Colder and cloudy 8 Warmer and cloudy 9 Cloudy 10 Windy 11–12 Clear Skies Airship Events Each day, roll a d6. On a 1 or 2, roll 2d12 for the time of day the event occurs and then roll on the events table. d100 Event 1–6 Due to a small Zeelo Leak, the ship is slowly loosing altitude. This is an easy fix. 7–11 1d6 ropes break. 12–13 An interesting structure is spotted below. 14–23 Roll on the appropriate encounter table in Xanathar's Guide To Everything (creatures may be below the ship). 24–30 A whirlwind spins the ship! Make a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be flung from the ship, then make a DC 15 navigation check to stay on course. 31–36 Grubs and Weevils infest your food. Lose 1d6 days of rations. 37–43 Wind Rot has been found under the ship or on the balloon. Take 1d6 hours to clean it or the ship suffers 2d12 damage per day. 44–50 A caravan or sea faring ship is spotted below. 51–57 A group of bandits or a pirate ship is spotted on the surface below. 58–65 Updraft! Gain 1,000 ft per minute for 1d6 minutes. Make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or suffer 1 point of exhaustion from gaining altitude. 66–72 Downdraft! Lose 1,000 ft per minute for 1d6 minutes. If hitting the ground during this drop, the ship and all aboard take 1d6 bludgeoning damage per 100 ft dropped (10d6 maximum). 73–79 Cracks are starting to form on the leather balloon. Use 1d4 flasks of oil to rejuvenate it. If left alone for 5d4 days, the leather balloon breaks. No bladders are lost, but they are exposed, having an AC of 10. 80–85 The steering linkage breaks, stalling the ship. If someone attempts to repair it, roll an airship proficiency(Int) check. Subtract this from 20 for the hours it takes to repair the linkage. 86–87 A flock of migrating birds land on the ship for a short rest, then take off again. It will take 1d4 hours to clean up their mess. 88–89 A flock of Air Mantas is seen in the distance, lazily swimming through and around a swarm of insects. 90–91 Another airship is spotted on the horizon. 50% chance it's hostile. 92–93 A jetstream has been encountered. Winds blow 3x faster in the direction of the prevailing winds. 94–95 A lateral tornado is spotted directly ahead. It's pulling the ship toward it very quickly. Make a navigation check with a DC of 20 to avoid getting pulled into the plane of air. 96–97 You spot a floating island in the distance. It's 2d20x4 yards across. 98–99 Harmless St. Elmo's fire emanates from any sharp points on the ship for 1d4 minutes. All crew members that see it gain Inspiration. 100 The Grim Omen is spotted on the horizon. This is a legendary pirate airship that leaves no survivors. 3