What’s within the Box, Err, Slipcase?
As with different current releases, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space is being bought in two variations: an everyday version for mass market retailers with covers by Bruce Brenneise, Justin Gerard and Ekaterina Bumak, and another cowl version out there by sport shops that includes cowl artwork by Hydro74. It can be being labeled a “campaign collection” as a result of it has every part a DM must run a Spelljammer journey”. That contains:
- The Astral Adventurer’s Guide, a supply e-book for gamers and DMs,
- Boo’s Astral Menagerie, a bestiary
- Light of Xaryxis, an journey
- A double-sided poster map of The Rock of Bral
- A four-panel DM display
The Basics
The 1989 Spelljammer was designed to deliver house adventures to D&D fantasy, however Jeff Grubb and the unique builders have been additionally tasked to not contradict something already established about different marketing campaign worlds like Krynn (Dragonlance), Toril (Forgotten Realms), or Greyhawk (Oerth). The workforce determined to dream huge and give you one thing wild. The outcome has touches evocative of house opera, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Jules Verne novels, basic crusing adventures, and pulp science fiction like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers within the twenty fifth Century.
Spelljammer additionally combined within the Ptolemaic idea of planets being moved by spheres. So what we’d name a photo voltaic system is contained in an unbreakable crystal sphere in Spelljammer and what’s inside these spheres known as wildspace. The Dragonlance crystal sphere was generally known as Krynnspace, the one containing Toril was referred to as Realmspace, and so forth. The crystal spheres float in a flammable sea generally known as phlogiston. Portals permit passage from inside a crystal sphere to phlogiston and the reverse, however portals haven’t got a constant location or availability.
Spelljammer ships might appear like basic crusing vessels or designs impressed by bugs and sea creatures, or virtually something that may be imagined. Depending upon the design, they could have the ability to land on the bottom or sail in an ocean as nicely. Spelljammer ships have been managed by a mage or cleric by a magical helm.
In essence, Spelljammer as a setting is a realm between worlds that enables a celebration to expertise all types of house fantasy adventures. Yet whereas the unique Spelljammer opened up new dimensions of journey for D&D gamers, it additionally added a degree of complication.
While Planescape entails, because the title signifies, completely different planes of existence, unique Spelljammer seemed on the D&D cosmos as a sequence of planets in house and the titular spelljammer ships. That form of matches collectively, however not precisely.
With the brand new version, venture lead Chris Perkins sought to attach Spelljammer cosmology extra firmly to the cosmology described within the Dungeon Master’s Guide. So as a substitute of crystal spheres bobbing in extremely flammable phlogiston it really works a bit otherwise now.
In 5E, the house you see when wanting up on the sky from Toril, Krynn, and so forth. continues to be referred to as wildspace, however it’s not contained in a crystal sphere. With a spelljammer ship you possibly can journey that wildspace and go to different worlds. Travel far sufficient and if you attain the sting of a wildspace system it turns into silvery and misty. Cross into it, and also you’re within the “sea” of the Astral Plane. From there you might additionally journey to different wildspace realms or simply discover the astral sea.
Unlike house in our world, wildspace is not a void. It’s a vibrant, colourful “ocean” full of bizarre creatures, like house fish, and mysterious worlds. The astral sea is silvery and extra conceptual with lifeless gods floating in house. You need not breathe or eat in astral house whereas Wildspace requires each, the previous facilitated by air envelopes.
What’s in It for Players?
The Character Options chapter incorporates two new backgrounds and 6 new participant races. The Astral Drifter background is for somebody who has spent a big period of time within the astral sea. That gives longevity, making them older than they need to be with out penalty. They additionally skilled “Divine Contact” whereas within the astral airplane, which grants the cleric model of the magic provoke feat whatever the character’s class. The Wildspacer background is for individuals who have been asteroid miners, explorers, and so forth. and grants the Toughness background. Wildspacers have additionally had a harrowing expertise of their previous with a creature like a mindflayer, beholder, and so forth.
The new participant races are:
- Astral Elves
- Autognomes
- Giff
- Hadozee
- Plasmoids
- Thri-kreen
As the title signifies, Astral Elves traveled from the Feywild to the Astral Planes to be nearer to the gods, spending a very long time there. They have the same old talents, comparable to darkvision, however Starry Step replaces the Misty Step related to Fey Elves.
Autognomes are constructs created by Rock Gnomes. Besides some logical talents resulting from its mechanical nature, comparable to immunity to illness, resistance to ache, and no must eat, it will get the cool capacity, Build for Success. After rolling a d20 for an assault, capacity examine, or saving throw, the Autognome can select so as to add a d4 after seeing the results of their roll however earlier than studying if it was profitable or not. The Autognome can do that quite a few occasions equal to its proficiency bonus, and regains it after an extended relaxation.
Giff are fan favorites—hippo-like humanoids with a ardour for explosives, which grants Firearm Mastery. They additionally get Hippo Build, which provides benefit on Strength checks, and Astral Spark, which permits them to do additional Force harm. Like Build for Success, it may be used quite a few occasions equal to their proficiency bonus and refresh after an extended relaxation. Note that fifty p.c of the Giff pronounce their title with a tough G and 50 p.c use a comfortable G and the Giff might come to blows over that.
Hadozee are simian-like aliens with membranes hooked up to their wrists and ankles that can be utilized to glide. Their ft are dexterous and capable of perform virtually like fingers. They have a particular resilience associated to their magical origin that enables them to roll a d6 on a response roll, add their proficiency bonus to it and reduce the quantity of harm they take. Usage and refresh is like Build for Success and Astral Spark.
Plasmoids are creature sort ooze however sentient. They can maintain themselves right into a humanoid form to match these round them. They have Amorphous form talents in addition to Shape Self, and may go an hour with out respiratory.
Thri-kreen are already within the common Monster Manual, the place they’re listed as creature sort humanoid. As a playable race they’ve been switched to creature sort monstrosities. Along with Sleepless, and Telepathy, and Secondary Arms, they will change the colour of their carapace with Chameleon Carapace, which additionally features a base Armor Class of 13 plus Dexterity modifier if they are not sporting armor.
What we do not get within the Character Options are new lessons or subclasses. At first I assumed that was odd, however after fascinated about, the present lessons/subclasses have already got every part you want. Spelljammer is supposed to be fantasy swashbuckling in house, not onerous science fiction and the lessons which may require.
The Rest of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide
The the rest of the AAG, understandably, focuses on spelljamming itself. That contains guidelines for pace, falling, and so forth. and a bit little bit of magic. AAG solely incorporates two new spells (2nd degree Air Bubble and Fifth degree Create Spelljamming Helm) and three new magic gadgets (Fish Suit, which helps you to breathe and transfer in wildspace outdoors of a ship, Wildspace Osprey, a form of galactic compass, and, in fact, Spelljamming Helm).
AAG incorporates 16 spelljammer ships, full with lovely colour pictures (by a wide range of artists) of the ships in house. The spacedeck plans are by Dyson Logos, so the designs are nicely completed—clear, logical, sensible, and imaginative.
Some of the ships carryover from the unique Spelljammer whereas others are model new. If you are an OG Spelljammer fan and do not assume 16 ships are sufficient, don’t be concerned. It’s tremendous easy to seize one among your omitted outdated favorites and shortly convert for 5E.
Lastly, the AAG gives data on the Rock of Bral. Think of it as a form of Port Royal or Waterdeep in house. Traditionally in Spelljammer, Bral is a location ships return to recurrently for provides or new jobs—and there you could be Large Luigi, a lawful impartial beholder who owns The Happy Beholder bar.
Boo’s Astral Menagerie
Do we ever get sufficient monsters? Of course not. BAM incorporates 39 monsters/species, however a number of of them include quite a few variants, bringing the variety of stat blocks as much as 72. For instance, the 2 dragons, lunar and photo voltaic, get 4 stat blocks every: historical, grownup, younger, and wyrmling. Similarly, Giff get a Giff Shipmate, Giff Shock Trooper, and Giff Warlord, and Hadozees get Hadozee Explorer, Hadozee Shipmate, and Hadozee Warrior stat blocks. The included journey, Light of Xaryxis, additionally incorporates yet one more stat block for Astral Blights.
The number of creatures have a pleasant mix of NPC species/rivals, straight-up monsters, and astral creatures like house whale Kindori. The additionally vary from completely creepy, just like the Cosmic Horror to the completely lovable and well-known Giant Space Hamster.
Speaking of cute, the penguin-like Dohwar (artwork by Brynn Metheney) are an alternative choice to the everyday retailers your gamers might encounter. They choose secretive offers even when the merchandise are fully authorized. Appropriately, the collective noun for Dohwars is cartel.
If 72 stat blocks aren’t sufficient on your Spelljammer marketing campaign, and you do not wish to use Mordenkainen’s Monsters of the Universe, BAM explains easy methods to adapt any terrestrial 5E creature for Spelljammer. Simply add the trait “Unusual Nature”, which implies they do not need to breathe, and also you’re all set.
Light of Xaryxis
Not surprisingly the set’s journey is designed to make the gamers journey by wildspace to Bral, Doomspace, and extra, giving them an outline of what Spelljammer as a setting can do. LoX incorporates 4 part of three chapters every. The chapters are designed to be to take about 2-3 hours to play, relying upon how a lot your group sidetracks, in fact.
LoX is for characters of Fifth-Eighth degree so it matches simply as a follow-up to the unique D&D Starter Set, the D&D Essentials Kit, the brand new D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, or every other journey that will get the gamers to Fifth degree. It would not actually matter what sort of marketing campaign you run or what world you utilize, together with homebrew, as a result of LoX begins with Astral Elves from the Xaryxis Empire attacking your beginning world to steal its very important power to extend the lifetime of their dying solar.
LoX looks like a Flash Gordon or related house journey film serial. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger and the full-page paintings that begins every chapter has its title in huge block letter, which isn’t the same old D&D type or design. There’s even a struggle in a warlord’s enviornment whereas attempting to construct a coalition and an epic struggle with an armada.
While it is designed to let gamers journey, meet folks, and construct alliances, LoX shouldn’t be a sandbox journey. The plot has a particular order to it, although it does department a bit relying upon selections characters make. Still, these plot branches often have alternatives to come back again collectively at a later level or there are alternatives for “if the players win” and “if the players lose”.
Changes for the Better
This might ruffle some fan feathers, however I all the time preferred the thought of Spelljammer way over the best way it was executed in 2nd Edition. The crystal spheres bothered me, particularly since portals by them could possibly be troublesome to seek out and inconsistent. I do know I wasn’t the one one who hated that the mage or cleric helming the ship could not do the rest whereas controlling the ship. Add in how flammable phlogiston was and as a substitute of feeling like a problem, it simply felt irritating—or required house guidelines to compensate.
So I just like the adjustments 5E made to Spelljammer, switching from crystal spheres to wildspace realms separated by the astral sea and eliminating phlogiston. The individual attuned to the helm can switch the attunement to a keen individual with a contact. But you do nonetheless have to keep up focus, as if casting a spell, to keep up management of the ship. Mages can know what is going on on round them whereas within the helm, which is an enchancment, however I query if it is sufficient. If there is a answer to that within the set, I hold lacking it as a result of I seemed.
What I Liked
The slipcase format has some benefits. A DM can hand the AAG to gamers to examine a rule or the brand new species and never fear about them seeing journey materials. A GM also can have a web page of BAM open to the creature they want and do the identical with LoX as a substitute of flipping backwards and forwards. And getting a customized DM display with the set, full with encounter tables, could be very useful.
I really like the artwork. Perkins stated they purchased extra artwork for Spelljammer than standard, and it reveals. Some items are reused from earlier books, like a bit of Giff paintings, however the brand new artwork clearly establishes the scope of a Spelljammer journey. The common covers are superb and the choice covers by Hydro74 are gorgeous. Dyson Logos’ map for the butterfly-shaped Xaryxis Imperial Citadal is improbable and intelligent.
I actually like that the LoX journey can begin anyplace, together with on a homebrew world. Depending upon how LoX ends and what the gamers wish to do subsequent, they might additionally return house for brand spanking new terrestrial adventures. It’s a pleasant flexibility as is the truth that the Rock of Bral may be positioned anyplace in wildspace (in 2nd Edition it was close to Toril).
And LoX does have the texture of pulp house journey or a comic book e-book with its swashbuckling really feel and cliffhangers. LoX additionally does a fantastic job of educating characters about wildspace adventures.
Stumbling Blocks
Most of my complaints have one among two causes—size and objectivity.
S:AiS is a setting, an journey, and a bestiary, however it’s the smallest product by way of written content material of something related. Each e-book is barely 64 pages whereas Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden was 320 pages, and Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus is 256 pages. S:AiS‘s complete of 192 pages is not only a smaller web page depend, however if you think about full- and half-page artwork, it is even much less written content material.
That would not be so unhealthy if it did not really feel like they left issues out. BAM gala’s the perfect in that regard. While solely 72 stat blocks and restricted lore/background content material to go together with it could be skimpy for the typical devoted bestiary, it is typical or higher than standard for the monster appendices in a number of the books.
LoX suffers essentially the most from its tight web page depend. Many chapters are simply three pages lengthy. While Perkins stated LoX is extra of an instance journey and introduction as a result of DMs wish to make their very own adventures I nonetheless wished a bit extra meat on the bones than we obtained. The writers for the journey—Justice Ramin Arman, Sadie Lowry, and Jeffrey Ludwig—did the perfect they might with what is clearly a good phrase depend, and so they have been working from journey developed by Perkins and Dan Dillon. I’ve positively loved Arman, Perkins and Dillon’s work previously so the e-book size appears to be the wrongdoer. The writers wanted extra space to flesh issues out.
Spoilers under for these enjoying the journey:
I believe the ending bothers me as a result of not solely does it really feel rushed, however it’s additionally unsatisfying. Save your homeworld (and several other others) and one other world will die (and vice versa). That’s moderately heavy for a setting that loves enjoying up the swashbuckling facet (there are Vampirates, for instance).
AAG falls within the center by way of how badly the brief web page depend affected it. The Character Option chapter is okay, although extra information on the brand new participant races would not have damage. A bit extra information on operating a spelljammer may need been appreciated. But the Rock of Bral actually suffered with most places on Bral solely getting a few sentences. I wasn’t anticipating something as intensive as the unique Rock of Bral complement, however solely 5 pages of written content material (if you deduct the portion of the pages taken up by artwork) is not sufficient. AAG would have benefited from not less than one other eight pages.
I believe the brief web page counts have been for monetary causes. Three 64-page hardcovers are costlier to provide than one hardcover of 192 pages, and the value goes up when the slipcase and sturdy DM display are added. Switching to softcover books would not be an answer. Fans just like the extra sturdy hardcovers, it is a part of the 5E branding, and the hardcovers permit for metallic ink alternate cowl editions for sport shops. So I perceive it however dislike it.
So if most of my issues with S:AiS are associated to its restricted phrase depend, my different criticism is that it wanted a remaining look by an editor who might signify the newcomer’s perspective as a result of a couple of sections fell into the class of “can’t see the forest for the trees.”
For instance, the sequencing drawback in AAG. The first chapter, which is barely two pages lengthy, has a column of “terminology” to introduce Spelljammer’s “Vast Oceans of Adventure.” Chapter 2 is Character Options. Chapter 3 is “Astral Adventuring” with the subhead, “How Spelljamming Works.” The drawback is it would not truly begin with how spelljamming works however begins with pace and different technical particulars like air envelopes, falling, and gravity planes earlier than extra firmly explaining the astral airplane and transferring by it. Starting with helms as a substitute, how they work and management a ship would have made far more sense than pace. And whereas it appears the individual on the helm is not fairly as restricted as they have been in 2nd version a bit extra clarification could be good.
Summing Up Spelljammer for 5E
If you really liked the unique Spelljammer you may most likely like this one. I do not assume eliminating the crystal spheres and related adjustments might be a deal breaker for anybody and the simpler attunement switching might be appreciated. BAM has a great creature choice with an choice to convert extra. IoX wanted extra space to breathe, but when Perkins is correct and folks like customizing adventures then that is not essentially a disadvantage regardless that it bothered me.
For me, whereas I like a number of S:AiS, the hindrances hold me from giving it prime marks regardless that I’d like to. That stated, I hope it does very well so we are able to get extra Spelljammer merchandise.
If you want Spelljammer (or are extra forgiving than I’m), it is possible an A- or higher. For me, the brief web page depend led to too many issues, from IoX feeling rushed on the finish to the skimpy therapy the Rock of Bral obtained (it did not want exhaustive protection however greater than 5 pages is cheap), and extra meant that it solely will get a B from me, B+ if I’m feeling beneficiant.
Do I like to recommend it if you would like one thing completely different or like house journey? Absolutely. Just be ready to flesh extra issues out that you’d within the typical D&D journey. At the minimal it could be a enjoyable change of tempo from the everyday D&D marketing campaign, and that may be nicely value it.
