NSC A-001 "Dendara" (den-DAHR-uh)

NSC A-001 Dendara was the first of the Dendara-class line of company airships, and, as of SCS 72, the only airship ever used in open combat.

Development

The Dendara-Class line was commissioned in the early years of the Northern Superiority Company by chief editor Dendara in response to the growing threat of war with the Tonyth Empire.
Development was expedited with the succession of North Scabland and Weimar states from the country in SCS 21.  As the civil war brewed, early prototypes were underway by the mid 40's.  Secret testing flights launched from both the Elend shipyards and a secret facility in the Montepeak Mountains.
The ship completed its first successful bombing run in SCS 52, decimating the Weimar city of Wenslin.  This surprise attack left the once-prosperous port in ruins, a state that remains to this day.

Dimensional War

In SCS 54, simple train guards become the saviors of all of Canton when they defeat an invading army of warriors from the astral realm.  In their efforts to save the world, they commandeer the Dendara and sail it across Khilland to gather support for the upcoming battle.  The speed of the vessel allows the party to unite all of Khilland in a temporary truce against the extradimensional horde.  During the Battle of Midway, the vessel is returned to company hands and proved detrimental against ground forces as the leader of the horde was defeated inside Midway Palace by the heroes.
The commandeering pilot, one Q'lark shortly after claims the crown of Khilland and remains on the throne to this day.  It is unknown what happens to the other party members.

Refits

Four years after the Battle of Midway, in SCS 56, the Dendara and its sister ships unwent major refits to improve combat effectiveness.  The most major change was to refit the NSC-A002 (Independance) and later ships with twelve ordinance tubes, thought the Dendara was unable to accommodate this herself.  Other changes included adding a fore-mounted ballista, four deck-mounted harpoon launchers, taking off much of the ship's hull armor, moving the spelljamming helm further from the aft of the ship, widening the cargo door, and adding standardized sixbolts for the officer crew, along with other small changes to the ship's standard operations.

Deck Plan

Power Generation

Every Dendara-Class airship holds a Shear Manipulator which provides power and propulsion for the vessel. This alien technology, also called a "jamming helm", was ripped from the crashed bodies of ancient spelljamming vessels that predate recorded history. It channels energy from localized shears in the Ebonrift, which is then manipulated through a focus around the ship's shear alignment bubble.  The strongest area of focus appears like a reflection on an invisible egg surrounding the ship.

Propulsion

Movement of the energy focus on the shear bubble forces the ship to "fall" in specific directions. This is achieved by a navigator using a Manipulator Helm to telepathically move the energy focus. Successful (and non-lethal) manipulation is incredibly difficult, and navigators are trained for years before joining a ship.
It is very possible that use of the Manipulator Helm is intuitive for magically-inclined individuals, as the ship was piloted by a novice crew during the Battle of Midway in SCS 52.  This result has yet to be replicated by NSC crews.

Weapons & Armament

Before refits in SCS 56:

• One aft-mounted ballista.  Due to the vessel's lack of masts or sails, this one weapon has a 360-degree range.
• Six ordinance chutes.  Later vessels in the Dendara line would double the number of chutes implemented after they proved vital during the Battle of Midway.  These were designed to carry weak explosives or filled with tar.
• Two side-mounted Blunderbuss.  These large guns were not used during the battle of Midway, as their short range and temperamental nature made the ballistas and soldier-carried bows far more effective.
• 20 Bows, Shortswords, and Spears for crew use.
• 50 Harpoons which could be thrown by hand or loaded into the ballista.

After Refits:

• Two ballistas.  One aft-mounted and one fore-mounted
• Six ordinance chutes. Despite their usefullness, it proved impractical to install six more to reach the new standard of twelve chutes.  Barrels nearby hold weak explosives and flak for dumping.
• Two side-mounted Blunderbuss.
• Twenty Crossbows, Longbows, Shortswords, and Spears for crew use.
• Four Sixbolts for officer use.
• Four Harpoon Launchers, effectively large crossbows mounted to the side of the vessel.
• 50 Harpoons which could be thrown by hand, or loaded into the ballistas or harpoon launchers.

Armor and defense

The nature of the shear-manipulator bubble allowed NSC engineers to create a far heavier ship than their seafaring Anquan-class Shoreskipper and Hemland-Class Skipper lines.  This translated to armor plating lining the bottom of the hull, allowing for greater defense against attacks from the ground.
This heavy armor was scrapped in later vessels of the line, as it was found that the shear alignment bubble did an effective enough job in deflecting or confusing ranged attackers.  The armor was toned down on the Dendara during its refits after the battle of Midway, but the ship remains the heaviest-armed vessel of the line.

Communication Tools & Systems

Like all company vessels, the Dendara carried a suite of sending stones, each linked to a different company control station as well as a PCI receiver.  The Dendara also was the first company vessel to include a PCI transmitter, monumental for the new agreement between the Northern Superiority Company and Phasal Communications Inc.

Class

Dendara-class Airship

Designation

NSC - A001

Complement / Crew

18 (4 officers, 2 navigators, 12 soldier/crew)

Dendara-Class Airship

Gargantuan Vehicle (20 ft. by 80 ft.)
Creature Capacity 18 crew, 6 passengers
Cargo Capacity 2 tonnes
Travel Pace 6 miles per hour (144 miles per day)

STR	DEX	CON
28 (+4)	10 (+0)	15 (+2)

INT	WIS	STR
0	0	0

Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious

Actions

On its turn, the ship can take 3 actions and one move action (it may choose to use some of these actions as additional move actions), choosing from the options below. It can take 2 actions and one move action if it has fewer than ten crew, and only 1 action and once move action if it has fewer than five.  It can't take these actions if it has fewer than three crew, but can still use its move action.
Fire Ballista.  The ship can fire its ballista
Fire Blunderbuss.  The ship can fire its blunderbuss
Fire Harpoon.  The ship can fire its harpoon

Drop Ordinance.  The ship can choose to drop Explosive Ordinance or Flak Ordinance
Move.  The ship can use its helm to move with its sails.

Hull

Armor Class 18
Hit Points 300 (damage threshold 15)

Control: Jamming Helm

Armor Class 18
Hit Points 50
Move up to the speed of the ship's rift maniuplator, with one 90-degree turn.  If the helm is destroyed, the ship can't turn.

Movement: Rift Manipulator

Armor Class N.A.
Hit Points N.A.
Speed (Air) 50ft

Weapon: Ballista

Armor Class 15
Hit Points 50
Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target.  Hit: 16 (3d10) piercing damage

Weapon: Blunderbuss

Armor Class 17
Hit Points 30
Ranged Weapon Attack:  +9 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target.  Hit: 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage

Weapon:  Harpoon

Armor Class 15 Hit Points 30 Ranged Weapon Attack:  +6 to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target.  Hit:  11 (2d10) piercing damage, and the target is stunned.

Ordinance:  Explosive

Armor Class 18 Hit Points 100 Special Attack:  Can only be made on a target directly below the ship.  All creatures within a 30ft radius take 16 (3d10) force damage

Ordinance: Flak

Armor Class 18
Hit Points 100
Special Attack: Can only be made on a target directly below the ship. All creatures within a 30ft radius take 5 (1d10) bludgeoning damage, and are stunned