Size: Huge
Face: 50 ft. by 20 ft.
Crew: 3 minimum / 12 maximum
Material: Iron/wood (13/8 hardness) (all iron along the bottom)
AC: 16 (+5 natural, -2 size, +3 enhancement)
HP: 15d6 (rolled: 60hp)
Speed: 5 mph (50 ft. per round, 120 miles per day) / 10 mph (100 ft. per round, 240 miles per day)
Cargo capacity: 110 gross tons (with extradimensional storage)
Maneuverability: Perfect
Resistances: Fire
Description
The airship is a design of Isaac Newton, acclaimed scientist, alchemist, and wizard. The airship is large, though much smaller than even a third rate ship of the line or other ship capable of pitched combat common to the era. In size, it is more akin to a schooner, though the width to height ratio is somewhat skewed, more fat and tall than one might expect. Almost every single part of the ship will show as magical with read magic or similar spells, though it would take quite a bit of work to figure out which parts are actually used as part of flight, especially since some of them might only be used during certain maneuvers.
Cargo Hold
The largest portion of the ship is the cargo hold, which takes up half of the ship's space. Unlike a normal ship, the amount of cargo held doesn't affect steering or movement at all; the scant notes that Newton left with the ship mention anti-inertial dampers, though there's nothing to indicate where these are, what they do, or how they work. When there is no cargo in the hold, it is used by the crew to sleep in, and with some expense could be converted into passenger quarters.
Helm Room
In the center of the ship is the ship's helm, which is used to control the movement of the ship in three-dimensional space. Aside from the crow's nest, which rises up beside it, the helm is the tallest part of the ship. With a full crew, the helm room is shared by three people: the captain, a spotter, and a relay. Just below the helm room is the engine room, where the alchemical engine is tended to, a process with mostly involves moving heavy levers about to keep the engine in balance. No knowledge of alchemy is needed to do this process, though if the engine breaks or goes haywire an alchemist will be needed to fix it. The engine requires no fuel, though if broken may require alchemical components to fix.
Crew Quarters
The crew quarters take up the front section of the ship. The captain has a room of his or her own with a bed, lantern, and chest to store personal effects. Another room is shared by up to two officers, with a piece of thick canvas to give them some semblance of privacy. Lastly, a single room contains bunks stacked three high for the rest of the crew, though some may opt to set up a hammock in other parts of the ship to escape the smell.
Propulsion
The ship is propelled through the air by the engine, though much of the ship has magics which help with stabilization. Chief among these are the three masts and the two fins which protrude from the bottom of the craft. It is through these that force from the alchemical engine is transferred, and they require frequent attention to ensure the stability and proper function of the ship.
Rules
The bottom of the ship is waterproofed, allowing it to land or move through water, though anyone with a cursory knowledge of ships or sailing will quickly see that it's not a typical ship (Profession (sailor) DC 5, Appraise DC 12), though probably won't know that the ship can fly unless they see its abilities for themselves. In water, the ship's speed is reduced as though it had a minimal crew. The ship can alternately be landed in a body of water, or be roped to the ground with a plank extended.
When the (yet to be named) ship is attacked, there is an even chance that it will hit metal or wood. Use the hardness for whichever is rolled. Repairing the ship is a Craft (shipbuilding) check, DC 10, which repairs 1d6 points of damage, requires one hour, and consumes 10gp of parts (regardless of whether it was successful or not). For every 5 points above 10, the repair check repairs an additional 1d6 points of damage.
Ramming (or crashing) with the ship deals 8d6 damage to both objects involved.
The ship has no minimum forward speed, and can hover in place. It can move in reverse at roughly half its normal speed. It moves straight up at half speed, and moves straight down at double speed.
Crewing the Ship
The airship takes a minimum crew of three, which reduces its speed as shown in the stats. A full crew can move the airship at full speed. The ship is constructed in such a way that anyone with Profession (sailor) can figure out how to work it given a day or two to experiment or an hour of direct instruction, though the ship isn't intuitive enough that this can be done successfully immediately (though it is possible that someone might be able to move the craft, they wouldn't be able to move the craft in the way that they might want). The crew do not have to make any checks at all, and merely contribute to the captain's check depending on their skill.
- Basic crew cost 5sp per week (each), and provide no bonus or penalty to the captain's check.
- Skilled crew cost 2gp per week (each), and provide a +4 bonus to the captain's check.
- Expert crew cost 4gp per week (each), and provide a +8 bonus to the captain's check.
The ship has an alchemical helm which gives general command of the ship. This device looks like a sphere suspended in air around quite a bit of complex machinery, and it's by manipulating this sphere that the captain is able to move the ship. The crew help to keep the ship together, move around cargo to balance the weight, adjust the lines, and keep the engine running. The engine of the ship is an alchemical engine, which provides the power that keeps the ship in the air. At least two of the crew need to tend to it at all time (so a minimum crew would consist of the captain and two engine tenders).
Moving the ship straight forward is a DC 10 Profession (sailor) check every day in ideal weather, DC 12 check every hour in stormy weather, and DC 15 check every round in combat or other stressful situations. Landing the ship is a DC 15 check, while moving the ship through water increases the DC of any check by +2. The crew provide a bonus to any checks (see above), and running on the minimum amount of crew provides a penalty of -2 on any check. On a failure, the maneuver does not happen. On a failure of 10 or more, the ship has a chance to go out of control, requiring a second failure of the same check. An out of control ship has a high chance of killing everyone on board by either crashing or tipping upside down (this will be rolled on a separate chart and depends on how badly the check was failed).
Altering the Ship
The ship was built by Isaac Newton as a flight of fancy which he abandoned partway through. He will repeatedly assure anyone who listens that he could complete the ship if only he weren't distracted by other, more important projects. Generally speaking, the ship can be added on to easily, but removing parts of it is a dicey proposition, and risks increasing the checks needed to fly it, reducing the weight it can support, or causing a catastrophic failure that makes the ship incapable of flight.