Spelljammer Space Battle Rules

Welcome adventuring party to Spelljammer space battle rules. Do not panic these are the full adapted D&D 5e space battle rules in the Spicy Mutton Inn Universe. 
What is the Phlogiston?
What is Spelljammer hyperspeed?
A captaine atuned to a spelljammer spaceship may attempt a psyonic jump into a current on the Universe Map. Acoording to current 





Moving a Ship A ship moves from hex to hex on the starfield, moving one hex for every point of its ship rating (SR). A ship always begins and ends its move facing a hex side (not an angle). Changing Speed The ship can move less than its maximum if desired. It can change speed according to its maneuverability class. Reverse Movement A ship can move straight backwards, subject to the maximum limit of its maneuverability. If a ship can change its SR by 2, it can travel backwards from a dead stop at a rate of 2 hexes per round. Note: A ship with a major helm can choose its speed each round, changing by up to its maximum SR. Further, it can freely stop or move directly backwards (within its speed change allowed). Facing (Changing Direction) The direction (hex side) toward which a ship’s bow points is called its facing. I. Each time a ship changes facing, it uses SR as it turns to a new hex side (except as noted). How often a ship can turn and how many hex sides it can turn at one time depends on its Maneuverability Class. II. A ship can always change its facing by one hex side at the end of its movement for free, in addition to any other facing changes made during its move. Table: SPELLJAMMING SHIP MANEUVERABILITY MC Hex Face Change Speed Change1 Initiative Modifier Reverse Speed Crash Save Modifier A 32 3 -3 3 +8 B 21 3 -2 3 +6 C 21 3 -1 3 +4 D 1 2 +0 2 +2 E 1 2 +1 2 +0 F 14 1 +2 1 -2 G 05 1 +3 1 *6 1 A major helm can adjust its current speed up to its maximum SR. Reference – Spelljamming Combat Rules Phoenix Gaming Club Page 2 of 7 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition 2 MC A ships change facing at will to the direction of choice, at no SR cost. 3 MC B or MC C ships spend 1 SR to change facing, even for a two hex-side change. 4 MC F ships must move forward one hex before changing facing. 5 MC G is possible only as a result of a critical hit: No turns during movement, -3 initiative penalty, must roll 30% chance to change one hex side at the end of movement if a turn is desired. 6 MC G saves as a 1st level wizard. Stacking Any number of ships can be in the same hex at the same time. Ships in the same hex can ram, grapple, board, or engage in missile fire or magic according to the rules in those sections. Loss of Maneuverability Any round that less than the minimum crew is available to sail the ship, the MC is lowered by one class (B to C, etc.). I. Minimum Crew counts as the helmsman, navigator, captain, and any officers and sailors assigned to ship-handling duties. II. Crew engaged in sailing cannot man large weapons, fire small missiles, or cast spells. III. If the ship is engaged in a boarding action, no crew can count for ship-handling. Long Range Combat A large, non-personal weapon, such as a catapult or ballista follows these rules. I. Before the attack is made, the attacker must choose if the target is the ship or the crew. II. A large weapon may always attack ships in other hexes. III. Catapults cannot attack ships in the same hex. IV. Any weapon attacking the crew may attack any character on deck or partially exposed. V. Attacking the crew other than from in the same hex with a missile weapon means the attack hits a random individual on deck. VI. If crew is targeted and missed, roll for a hull hit with a maximum of 1 hull point damage. VII. Magical armor, Dexterity, and circumstance can affect crew THAC0s normally. Hull Points I. When a ship’s hull points reach 0, the ship begins to break up. Reference – Spelljamming Combat Rules Phoenix Gaming Club Page 3 of 7 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition II. Small weapons can inflict hull point damage at the rate of 1 hull point for every 10 cumulative hit points of damage in one spot. For example, a volley of arrows would not do hull damage as it hits numerous spots; however, a character chopping with an axe could do hull damage. III. When a ship’s hull damage exceeds half of its hull points, the ship immediately suffers a critical hit (see Table: SPELLJAMMER CRITICAL HIT and descriptions in Concordance of Arcane Space, pg. 59). Table: SPELLJAMMER CRITICAL HIT 1d20 Roll Result 1 Loss of Five Hull Points 2 Deck Crew Casualty 3 Interior Crew Casualty 4 Ship Shaken 5 Large Weapon Damaged 6 Deck Crew Casualty* 7 Hull Holed 8 Maneuverability Loss 9 Loss of 10 Hull Points 10 Ship Shaken 11 Fire! 12 Loss of one SR Point 13 Deck Crew Casualty* 14 Large Weapon Damaged* 15 Ship Shaken 16 Hull Holed 17 Maneuverability Loss* 18 Loss of 10 Hull Points 19 Loss of one SR Point* 20 Spelljammer Shock! * Special result, see rules. Short Range Combat When a ship enters the same hex as another ship, the attacker has the option of firing any handheld weapons or large weapons (except catapults). Following these attacks, the target may return fire with hand-held weapons, large weapons, and magic attacks. Then, any other ships in the area may fire. Reference – Spelljamming Combat Rules Phoenix Gaming Club Page 4 of 7 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition After all weapons are discharged, the attacker may ram the target, grapple, or board. If he chooses not to do any of these, the target has opportunity to grapple or board (but not ram). Missile Fire at Close Range For the sake of simplicity, all hand-held missile fire is considered medium range if both ships are in the same hex. If the ships come into contact, the range shifts to short. Magic at Close Range I. All spells with a range greater than 100 yards can be cast on another ship in the same hex. II. Spells with ranges less than 100 yards can be cast on enemy (or friendly) ships only when they are obviously within 100 yards (such as when grappled or boarded). III. Magic inflicting damage can do hull point damage at the rate of 1 hull point per 10 hit points of damage. Some spells require a ruling on the effects to the ship (such as a disintegrate holing the hull). Ramming I. A ship cannot ram another ship that is in the same hex as the start of the turn unless it leaes that hex and re-enters it later. II. A ship cannot ram another ship that is grappled with it. III. A ship may only attempt to ram once in its turn. It cannot attempt to ram a vessel, miss, then ram another vessel in the same or an adjoining hex. IV. Use the helmsman’s THAC0 vs. ship’s Armor Rating to determine success. If no individual helmsman, use the THAC0 of the navigator at half his level. V. If the ramming ship misses the target or reduces the target to 0 hull points, the ramming ship may continue its movement up to its regular limits. If the ship hits without destroying the target or becomes locked or grappled, movement stops. VI. Ship crews may grapple in the same round as a ram, if so desired. VII. A ship cannot ram another ship that is 10% or less of the ramming ship’s tonnage. If such a ram is attempted, the smaller ship must check for a crash. The only exception is a grappling ram, which can be used against smaller targets of any size. VIII. A ship may not ram another ship that is more than three times its tonnage. If it attempts such a move, check for a crash. IX. Head-on ramming is a special case. If the attacking ship hits its target, handle the ram normally. If the ramming ship misses, the opposing ship as opportunity to ram its attacker Reference – Spelljamming Combat Rules Phoenix Gaming Club Page 5 of 7 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition immediately. In this situation the original target ship uses its speed from the previous turn when determining damage. X. Ram damage varies by type of ram: a. Piercing Rams – One point of hull damage for every 10 tons of ramming ship times number of hexes moved in a straight line prior to impact rounding fractions up. i. A successful hit results in the Hull Holed and Ship Shaken critical hits. ii. There is a 5% chance times the target ship’s tonnage that the ships lock together and are considered grappled until either ship’s helmsman makes an attack roll to pull them apart. b. Blunt Rams – One point of hull damage for every 10 tons of ramming ship times the ship’s maximum SR rounding fractions up. i. A successful hit results in the Ship Shaken and one randomly determined critical hit. c. Grappling Rams – Inflicts no damage but considers the ships grappled. XI. Creatures of gargantuan size or larger may be rammed for 1d6 points of damage for every hull point inflicted by the ram. Crashes When a ship checks for a crash, the helmsman makes a save vs. death to avoid and if successful can either fly off (in his part of the turn) or land normally on the other ship or object. A vessel with no one controlling its flight saves as a 1st level wizard. The saving throw is modified as indicated on Table: SPELLJAMMING SHIP MANEUVERABILITY. If a crash is indicated, the smaller ship is always assumed to crash into the larger. I. Reduce the hull points of the crashing ship by half their total original value. If this reduces the total to 0, the ship breaks up. II. All creatures onboard the crashing ship must make a saving throw vs. death magic or take 6d10 points of damage (save for half). III. A ship that is crashed into takes damage equal to the remaining hull points of the ship crashing into it at the moment when the crashed occurred (i.e., before calculating crash damage on the crashing ship). IV. Individuals on the ship being hit suffer the Ship Shaken critical result. Shearing Reference – Spelljamming Combat Rules Phoenix Gaming Club Page 6 of 7 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition A shearing attack is a close pass against an opposing ship with the intention of dragging rigging, steering equipment, and other device overboard to cripple the ship’s maneuverability. I. The attacking helmsman THAC0 is used to determine if the attack is successful. For ships without a spelljamming helm, the navigator performs the attack at one-half his actual level. II. A shearing attack reduces an opponent’s maneuverability class by one rating—from B to C, for example. A ship may only have its maneuverability class reduced twice by shearing attack, though it may suffer additional losses from critical hits and other attacks. III. If a shearing attack fails, the opposing ship has the option of immediately launching its own sheering attack against the original attacker. IV. Shearing attacks inflict no points of damage to the target ship’s hull, but if a 20 is rolled for the attack, a critical hit results. Grappling and Boarding Grappling Grappling can be achieved by moving into an opponent ship’s hex and using either a grappling ram or grappling hooks or chains. I. A grappling hook requires about 5 feet of space to be thrown at another ship in the same hex. The number of hooks that can be thrown depends on the length of the ship making the attack and how many hooks it can bring to bear. II. Two ships are considered grappled when the number of lines between them is at least equal to one-tenth of the tonnage of the smaller ship. For example, a 50-ton ship and a 30-ton ship are grappled if they are connected by three or more grappling lines. If fewer lines are in place, either ship can break them all simply by moving out of the hex. III. Grappling inflicts no damage but immobilizes both ships once connected unless one ship is able to tow the other (see below). IV. To cut a grapple line requires a normal attack against AC 10 for 5 hit points of damage. Grappling chains are AC 4 with 20 hit points. Boarding I. A ship may be boarded in the round after it is grappled. II. Any characters standing at the gunwale at the beginning of the round can swarm aboard the enemy ship. III. Combat when boarding is standard AD&D combat. Towing Reference – Spelljamming Combat Rules Phoenix Gaming Club Page 7 of 7 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition A ship that has been grappled may also be towed. I. Both ships are considered to be part of the same larger ship; their tonnage is added together to determine if a spelljamming helm or other device can move the whole mass. II. The helm with the higher SR is the only device that functions. If the SRs are equal, neither ship may move as long as both helms remain in working order.