Chapter 07: Elemental Airships
Source: Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
During the “Last War” and in its wake, artificers across “Khorvaire” made many magical and mechanical advances—but none quite as impressive as the elemental airship. With its intricately carved soarwood hull and distinctive ring of elemental energy, the airship is the most advanced elemental-powered vehicle in all Khorvaire.
The first airships appeared only a handful of years ago, the product of a collaboration between the workshops of House Cannith, dragonmarked heirs of House Lyrandar, and elemental binders in “Zilargo”. Only a dragonmarked heir with the Mark of Storm can easily use an airship’s magical helm to control the elemental bound to the vessel and pilot the ship, so House Lyrandar maintains a monopoly on airship travel and services. Some cunning inventors seek to develop ways to undermine House Lyrandar’s control of the skies, but for now, adventurers look to Lyrandar airships as the foremost means of transcontinental travel.
Operating an Airship
Whether hiring a means of overland travel or seeking to take a crew of their own to the skies, characters are likely to encounter elemental airships during their adventures in Eberron. Supplementing the “rules for vehicles” in the “Player’s Handbook”, this section details rules for handling airships. The rules for specific ships appear later in this chapter.
Crew Members and Stations
The standard crew of an elemental airship consists of one captain, one pilot, and one or more additional crew members to operate the ship’s other systems.
Each crew member is assigned by the captain to operate one of the ship’s systems at a crew station: either the Helm described below or a station detailed in the ship’s description. Each crew station has its own Armor Class and Hit Points separate from the airship. If a crew station is reduced to 0 Hit Points, it becomes inoperable, and crew members can no longer access any of its actions. If a crew station is the target of the Dispel Magic spell, it becomes inoperable for 1 minute.
Some crew stations may require the crew member operating it to have a specific dragonmark. Other stations don’t require them but afford benefits if their operators bear certain dragonmarks. This represents a dragonmarked crew member channeling their unique talents to bolster a ship’s abilities.
Every airship has the following crew station.
Helm
Small Object
- Armor Class. 15
- Hit Points. 20
Drive (Requires Mark of Storm)
The ship moves up to its Fly Speed in any direction.
Shift Engine (Requires Mark of Storm)
The ship’s elemental core is suppressed or reengaged.
The helm of an airship consists of a specialized wheel, levers, and other controls. One creature can operate this station at a time.
The pilot (the crew member operating an airship’s Helm) must have the Mark of Storm to interface with the controls. While operating the Helm, a crew member can take the station’s Drive and Shift Engine actions.
Tilt and Roll
When taking the Helm’s Drive action, a crew member can spend an amount of movement equal to half the ship’s Fly Speed to invert the ship on its axis, either turning it upside down or righting it. All creatures and objects on the ship that aren’t anchored fall when the ship moves in this way. A creature that succeeds on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw can grab a fixed object within reach to avoid falling.
Repairs
In addition to the “ship repair rules” described in the “Player’s Handbook”, elemental airships can be repaired in an emergency during travel with specialized means.
If the airship or one of its crew stations has taken damage but has at least 1 Hit Point, a creature can spend 1 hour or more trying to make repairs. The creature making the repairs must be able to reach the damaged area and have 100+ GP of spare parts to make the emergency repairs.
After 1 hour of work, the creature makes a DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Intelligence (Arcana) check using Carpenter’s Tools, Smith’s Tools, or Tinker’s Tools. On a successful check, the airship or crew station regains dice:2d4+2|noform|noparens|avg (2d4 + 2) Hit Points and the parts are consumed. If the check fails, the repair can be attempted again using the same replacement parts.
Once an airship or a crew station has regained Hit Points from an emergency repair, it can’t do so again until the ship has been docked.
Crashing
When an airship crashes into something, both the ship and the creature or object it strikes take Bludgeoning damage based on the size of the struck target, as shown in the Crash Damage table.
If a ship crashes into a creature or an object of its size or larger, it stops; otherwise, the ship can continue moving if it has any movement left, and whatever it struck moves to the nearest unoccupied space that isn’t in the ship’s path.
When an airship crashes, each creature on board the airship makes a DC 10 Strength or Dexterity saving throw (creature’s choice). On a failed save, a creature takes Bludgeoning damage based on the size of the struck target (as shown in the Crash Damage table) and has the Prone condition. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage only.
Crash Damage
| Size of Creature or Object Struck | Bludgeoning Damage |
|---|---|
| Medium or smaller | dice:2d10|noform|noparens|avg (2d10) |
| Large | dice:4d10|noform|noparens|avg (4d10) |
| Huge | dice:8d10|noform|noparens|avg (8d10) |
| Gargantuan | dice:16d10|noform|noparens|avg (16d10) |
| ^crash-damage |
Avoiding a Crash
A creature in the path of a crashing airship makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save, the creature moves to the nearest unoccupied space that isn’t in the ship’s path and takes no damage.
Elemental Engines
Airships are powered by an elemental spirit bound to a core carved from a “Khyber dragonshard”. This core is placed into a heavily fortified containment chamber connected to an arcane matrix spanning—and powering—the whole ship. When the elemental spirit within the core is activated, its elemental energy flows through the matrix’s arteries and the ship’s binding struts, forming the distinctive ring attached to every airship. The appearance of a ring depends on the type of elemental spirit bound to the core; for example, a fire elemental spirit generates a blazing ring of orange flames, while an air elemental spirit creates a ring of lightning and occasionally sends jagged lightning bolts streaking across the ship’s surface.
Suppressing the Elemental Core
At the command of the airship’s pilot, the elemental core can be suppressed, causing the elemental energy to disappear and flow back into the Khyber dragonshard core.
An airship’s elemental core and connecting arcane matrix are magical effects. If a section of an airship enters an area of antimagic, such as that produced by the Antimagic Field spell, the weapons and other services in that section of the ship are inoperable.
If the ship’s elemental core enters an area of antimagic, the elemental core is automatically suppressed and can’t be reengaged until the core leaves the area of antimagic. If the elemental core is the target of the Dispel Magic spell, the core is suppressed for 1 minute and can’t be reengaged for the duration.
While the elemental core is suppressed, the airship’s Fly Speed is reduced to 5 feet, though it can still hover. The airship’s Helm is still operable, but crew station actions that require the elemental core can’t be used while it is suppressed.
Piloting without a Dragonmark
Helming an airship that typically requires a dragonmarked pilot is difficult—but not impossible. At your DM’s discretion, you can use the following rules for piloting a ship without a dragonmark.
On its turn, a creature without the Mark of Storm occupying the Helm can attempt to take the Drive or Shift Engine action and make a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) or Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check to command the engine’s elemental spirit. On a successful check, the action happens. On a failed check, nothing happens, and the creature’s action is wasted.
Magic can make an airship’s elemental spirit more receptive to commands. Casting Charm Monster targeting the elemental spirit gives you Advantage on checks made to command the spirit for the spell’s duration. If you instead cast Dominate Monster targeting the elemental spirit, any checks you make to command the spirit for the spell’s duration automatically succeed. The elemental spirit automatically fails its saving throw against these spells, and you do not need to see the spirit to target it if you’re occupying the Helm.
Breaking the Elemental Core
Shattering the core’s Khyber dragonshard releases the elemental spirit bound to it. The shard has AC 17; HP 10; and Immunity to Piercing, Poison, Psychic, and Slashing damage. If an airship’s elemental core is broken, the ship ceases to move (though it continues to hover if airborne), and crew station actions that require the elemental core are disabled.
To prevent such catastrophic sabotage, most airships keep their elemental cores inside heavily fortified and guarded containment chambers. Each ship has unique protections for its elemental core; one ship might have its core sealed in a trapped adamantine chest inside a hidden room, while another ship might guard its core with an arcane glyph alarm.
Wind Wards
In addition to powering an airship’s movement and crew stations, the elemental engine also fuels the wind wards that surround the ship as it travels. These wind wards help provide a comfortable travel atmosphere aboard the ship.
While the wind wards are active, creatures aboard the airship can breathe normally and the deck is free from winds. In addition, creatures on the ship have Advantage on saving throws to avoid being pushed off the deck of the ship, as the wind wards provide a buffer. If the elemental core is suppressed or destroyed, creatures aboard the airship might suffer the effects of high altitude and strong wind (see the “Dungeon Master’s Guide”).
Airships in Combat
Though few airships are designed for warfare, the skies of Khorvaire are rife with potentially “dangerous encounters”. The following rules are designed to make aerial combat simple and exciting—whether it’s combat between two airships, combat between characters on an airship and one or more flying creatures, or combat between characters and other creatures on the deck of an airship.
Maneuvering an Airship
Maneuvering the ship during combat is the responsibility of the crew member operating the Helm crew station. If the crew member operating the Helm has the Incapacitated condition or chooses not to use any of that station’s actions, the ship moves up to its Fly Speed in a straight line at the start of the Helm crew member’s turn, continuing its last direction of travel.
If no crew is operating the Helm, the ship doesn’t move.
Boarding
When one airship moves to within 5 feet of another airship, creatures can move safely from one ship’s deck to the other until one of the ships pulls away.
A ship that has enough movement can pull alongside another vessel, deploy a boarding party, and then move away, provided the members of the boarding party took the Ready action and positioned themselves so they can move onto the other vessel once it’s close enough.
Monster Tactics
Flying monsters such as dragons, rocs, wyverns, and harpies sometimes attack airships—or, more often, the people aboard them. A monster that’s looking for food is most likely to try to pick creatures off the deck and carry them away to eat, while a monster that’s defending its territory might attack the ship itself, heedless of the people on it. A curious monster might simply land on the deck of an airship to look around, enjoying a brief respite from flying.
If a monster attacks an airship and fails to overcome the airship’s damage threshold, the monster knows whether it’s likely to ever deal enough damage to cause real harm to the ship. If it can’t hurt the ship, it might turn its attention to a crew station or crew members instead.
Characters in Airship Combat
When an airship engages in combat, characters have two options for how to participate in the battle: They can use their own spells, weapons, and other features to join in the battle as they would in any other environment, or they can take up a crew station and wield the ship’s armaments and other capabilities.
Some players enjoy the challenge of having new things to do in combat, while others prefer to stick with the familiar options their characters bring to any fight. As DM, learn your players’ preferences and try to build encounters that allow players to do what they most enjoy. A Fighter character whose player has no interest in using the ship’s armaments might relish the opportunity to repel boarders, while a Wizard could delight in hurling Fireball spells at an enemy airship. Dragonmarked characters might particularly enjoy crew stations that allow their dragonmarks to shine.
Vehicle Statistics
The descriptions of airships in this chapter present the same types of information that appears on the Airborne and Waterborne Vehicles table in the “Player’s Handbook”. Refer to that book for details.
Note that airships’ speed isn’t affected by either wind or water currents. The descriptions here include a speed for overland journeys as well as a tactical speed for use in combat.
Airship crew stations use the same format as siege equipment (see ""Siege Equipment"" in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide”).
Elemental Airships
Upgrading an Airship
Privateers, adventurers, and wealthy patrons who acquire an airship of their own may upgrade or personalize its capabilities to better suit their needs. This section details how to improve a ship’s statistics or add new crew stations to an existing airship.
While an airship is being upgraded, it must remain docked for the duration. If the ship leaves, the work must start over, but you don’t need to pay the cost for materials a second time.
Armor Class
Protective runes generate additional wards to protect the ship. With 30 days of work and 15,000 GP worth of raw materials, the ship’s Armor Class increases by 1. A ship can receive this upgrade up to five times.
Hit Points
Special alchemical processes infuse a ship’s hull with more resilience. With 7 days of work and raw materials equal to one-tenth of the ship’s total cost, the ship’s Hit Point maximum and current Hit Points both increase by 20. A ship can receive this upgrade up to five times.
Additional Crew Stations
If an airship has the room (at the DM’s discretion) and the captain or owner has sufficient funds, new crew stations can be installed on the vessel. Installing a new crew station takes 14 days of work. Replacing an existing crew station with a different one halves the cost of the new crew station. An airship’s Helm can’t be removed or replaced.
At the DM’s discretion, most of the “siege equipment” shown in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide” can also be installed on an airship as a crew station.
Elemental Thrusters (7,500 GP)
Huge Object
- Armor Class. 18
- Hit Points. 20
Boost (Requires Elemental Core)
The ship’s Fly Speed increases by 50 feet until the start of this crew member’s next turn.
This set of metal cylinders connects directly to an airship’s arcane matrix, releasing blasts of elemental energy that propel the airship forward. It can accommodate up to one Medium creature.
A creature occupying this station has Three-Quarters Cover against attacks and other effects that originate outside it. While inside this station, a crew member can take the Boost action. The ship can benefit from only one increase to Fly Speed from an Elemental Thrusters station at a time.
Mark of Passage
If a creature with the Mark of Passage takes the Boost action, the ship’s Fly Speed increases by 100 feet instead.
Repair Clamps (5,000 GP)
Large Object
- Armor Class. 20
- Hit Points. 50
Quick Repair (3/Day; Requires Elemental Core and Mark of Making)
The ship regains dice:2d8|noform|noparens|avg (2d8) Hit Points.
This station facilitates quick repairs aboard an airship. It can accommodate up to three Medium creatures.
A creature inside the Repair Clamps station has Half Cover. A crew member operating an airship’s Repair Clamps requires the Mark of Making to interface with the controls. While operating the Repair Clamps, a crew member can take the Quick Repair action.
Sky Veil (15,000 GP)
Medium Object
- Armor Class. 15
- Hit Points. 25
Charge (Requires Elemental Core)
A crew member must expend one level 1+ spell slot to charge the Sky Veil.
Cloak (Requires Elemental Core and Charge)
The ship has the Invisible condition, and while on board it, creatures are also Invisible. These effects last for 1 hour, until this station is destroyed, or until the crew member that took this action loses Concentration or leaves this station.
This marvel of arcane engineering sits on the prow of an airship and channels powerful illusion magic to allow a ship and its passengers to pass undetected. It can accommodate up to one Medium creature. The crew member operating this station can take the Charge action and then take the Cloak action.
Mark of Shadow
If a creature with the Mark of Shadow occupies this crew station, that creature can take the Cloak action as a Bonus Action.
Journeys in the Skies
Traveling across the continent in an airship is different—but no less thrilling—than trekking overland. This section builds on the “travel rules” in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide” to help make airship journeys more dynamic.
Travel Pace
Airships (like other vehicles) use their speed in miles per hour to determine their rate of travel, so characters traveling in an airship don’t choose a travel pace. An airship’s crew determines how many hours per day the ship can travel; the ship’s pilot is subject to the “rules for extended travel” (beyond 8 hours per day) in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide”. Commercial airships often have two or even three pilots, allowing the ship to make progress for more than 8 hours per day.
Airships are unaffected by travel terrain, but when traveling through areas of heavy precipitation, the airship travels at half the normal speed.
Aerial Challenges
One of the great advantages of airship travel is that it isn’t subject to many of the challenges and obstacles that interfere with travel on the ground. House Orien was sorely hampered by the collapse of the bridge connecting “Thaliost” and “Rekkenmark”, and then the devastation of “Cyre” in “the Mourning”; it is impossible for the lightning rail to get from “Thrane” or “Breland” to “Karrnath” and other points west, and nearly impossible for carts or mounts to cross the dual barriers of “Scions Sound” and “the Mournland”. Airships, by contrast, soar across the sound with ease and can cross the Mournland at significantly less risk than travelers face on land.
That said, airship journeys aren’t without their challenges, which might include encounters, navigation, weather hazards, and searches.
Encounters
Airships may encounter all sorts of flying monsters, environmental effects, or other vessels during their journeys.
Encounter Distance
The tremendous range of visibility under clear conditions on an airship journey means that an encounter can occur at great distances, allowing characters and crews to prepare for combat, seek to make friendly contact, or evade encounters in the sky. The Airship Travel Conditions table shows typical encounter distances for different sky conditions.
Airship Travel Conditions
| Conditions | Encounter Distance | Navigation DC |
|---|---|---|
| Day, clear skies | 1,000 ft. | 10 |
| Day, light precipitation | 500 ft. | 13 |
| Day, heavy precipitation | 250 ft. | 15 |
| Night, clear skies | 500 ft. | 10 |
| Night, light precipitation | 250 ft. | 15 |
| Night, heavy precipitation | 6d6 Ă— 10 ft. | 20 |
| ^airship-travel-conditions |
Encounters at 250 feet or more might stretch the definition of an encounter. Bear in mind the range at which most spells and weapons are effective:
250 feet is long range for a Ballista and most Ranged weapons and beyond the range of most spells.
500 feet is long range for a Mangonel or a Longbow and beyond the range of most Ranged weapons.
1,000 feet is long range for a Cannon and beyond the range of most siege equipment and crew stations.
The “Dungeon Master’s Guide” includes suggestions for tracking distances between creatures (or airships) when an encounter begins at “very long range”. It’s often best to wait until the two parties in an encounter are closer together before rolling Initiative for individual creatures; in the meantime, let the whole ship and its crew act at once, taking turns with whatever the ship encounters.
Random Encounters
You may use the following table to generate random encounters as adventurers navigate the skies.
Airborne Encounters
Navigation
Guiding an airship through the sky is often as difficult as charting an oceangoing vessel’s journey across the seas. Seasoned airship captains know how to use a combination of maps and other navigational tools, the moons’ and stars’ positions, and the bird’s-eye view of the landscape to ensure their vessel stays its course. Even so, inclement weather interferes with vision, and distinguishing landmarks from high in the air isn’t always easy.
When an airship is at risk of getting lost—such as when traveling through dense fog or over unfamiliar land—the crew member operating the ship’s Helm makes a Wisdom (Survival) check; the DC for this check is determined by the Airship Travel Conditions table. Another crew member who has proficiency in the Survival skill can take the Help action to assist this check as normal.
On a failed check, the ship goes off course. The DM decides what the final consequences of this are, but at base, the airship’s journey is extended by dice:1d4|noform|noparens|avg (1d4) days.
Weather Hazards
With no terrain obstacles to worry about, the most significant obstacles in airship travel are environmental effects caused by weather. The Environmental Hazards table suggests obstacles an airship might have to overcome.
Environmental Hazards
dice: [](08-chapter-07-elemental-airships.md#^environmental-hazards)
| dice: 1d4 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | The airship experiences rough turbulence. Each creature aboard the ship must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or have the Poisoned condition for dice:1d4|noform|noparens|avg (1d4) hours due to motion sickness. |
| 2 | The airship travels at extreme altitudes for dice:1d4|noform|noparens|avg (1d4) hours. During this time, the ship is in an area of extreme cold (see “Environmental Effects” in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide”) and reduced gravity: creatures’ and objects’ weights are halved, and creatures’ High Jump and Long Jump distances are doubled. |
| 3 | The airship passes through a lightning storm, which takes dice:1d4|noform|noparens|avg (1d4) hours. During this time, the area around the ship is Heavily Obscured, and any creature that starts its turn on the ship’s deck must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by lightning and take dice:1d8|noform|noparens|avg|text(4) (1d8) Lightning damage. |
| 4 | The airship enters an area of strong wind (see “Environmental Effects” in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide”), which lasts for dice:1d4|noform|noparens|avg (1d4) hours. When the ship first enters this area, the crew member operating the ship’s Helm must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, or the ship inverts. |
| ^environmental-hazards |
Searches
As with a journey on the ground, sometimes characters spend part of their journey searching for something—usually something on the ground. When characters are searching the ground from the air, use the Search DC for the terrain on the ground from the Travel Terrain table in the “Dungeon Master’s Guide”, but feel free to give characters Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks if their aerial vantage point makes it easier for them to see what they’re looking for.