Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Spelljammer

The first episode in a series exploring the Spelljammer 'setting' for Dungeons and Dragons, incorperating space adventures into your fantasy universe, and how to travel between the different realms without use of magical portals or traversing the astral plane.

[@kurtoogle4576]

Captain - there is a gigantic floating peach off the starboard bow. It appears to be manned by man-sized insectoids of various types and the Captain is a halfling named James. And sir, they keep singing! How shall we proceed?

[@AJPickett]

FIRE ALL GUNS!

[@andrewakes307]

Back when I was a kid, we used to play SJ. As a DM, I always equated the Crystal Sphere as being the physical equivalent to the Etheral Border wall. And the Phlogitism as an separate parallel to the Deep Ether. Basically, each "system" or world was separated deliberately, by higher powers. For us, Ptah was the God who had actually created the division, breaking the previously unified Prime Material into smaller, divided and separate systems. This division created equity, so that their were plenty of individual toys for the gods to play with, with no one world or Pantheon having complete domination. And that seemed to be held up by the rules for "foreign clerics" visiting new worlds. ~"Your god Mystra has no power here on Krynn." And regardless of what media you chose to travel on, you were going to have to work hard to get from world to another.

[@sintechnics7838]

Yes spell jammer give me more I want more Moooorrrrrreeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

[@thedarkmaster4747]

fuel that hunger. XD

[@H3xx99]

This would be perfect for a Guardians of the Galaxy Themed campaign...

[@willswasteland]

YES! Finally. I can't wait for more of these. Please don't overlook the races of spelljammer.

[@soshp]

When you are done with this series, please put them together in one long video. This is the kind of stuff I could rock out to while working.

[@AJPickett]

I can certainly make a playlist

[@ryderma1]

Listening to this video I had a vision of an Elven built Flying ship (Chinese Junker in looks) infused with a Tree of Life that takes a more vine like shape weaving in and out of the ship with massive offshoots of branches and leave creating the sails. You never fail to inspire, Sage Pickett.🐉😁🐉

[@miggypeso909]

Spelljammer? All freaking right!

[@aspektx]

Just started rereading my Spelljammer books. Glad to see someone covering it on KZbin.

[@hallerd]

That intro music scared the crap out of me. A lot of us listen to your videos when we are going to sleep.

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, I even turned it right down to like, 30% of it's default volume, and anyway, I followed up with some soothing electric guitar :)

[@rustyspurs771]

Sounds a lot like "No Quarter"

[@AJPickett]

This is the freeby music that KZbin makes available.

[@dragonballtalk8527]

in a game you can use a spell jammer story to visit other realms instead of starting a new campaign there with a new character

[@joluoto]

That's one way, yes.

[@truefanforum3273]

dragon ball talk That's the beauty of Spelljammer, it offers new options for new campaigns, or for existing ones. Or two different campaigns can combine for a special crossover event.

[@elricengquist9989]

Had an old adventure I might use that was fully based in the areas outside of the crystal spheres, that had the group come upon a drifting vessel in a strange area of space. Once they got within a certain distance they found that the magical power fueling their own vessel was being pulled away into what i called a magic-blackhole stranding them docked to this other vessel. The group was made up of Githzerai an so thinking they might find some method of powering their own vessel on this other ship, they began to investigate an explore the ship, but not to long after beginning to explore they came upon a pair of Githyanki that lead to abit of a fight. Though that did not last as the group figured that since they both were stranded on the ship they would be dead anyway if they did not find a way off, so they called a temporary truce till they were able to figure out a way/method to escape. The entire adventure had a feel alot like the Alien movies, but I used the Slaadi with some adjustments as the original owners of the ship (or atleast what had been the original owners).

[@immortalwolf3055]

so the crystal sphere is like the heliopause at the edge of a solar system created by a stars magnetic field, which creates a potentially difficult terrain to pass through much like a rip tide. i like implementing it as a crystal sphere.

[@lorenzonunez6972]

I was in the middle of watching a different video, but as soon as I got notified that AJ put up a new video, I immediately pressed the link! 😝

[@AJPickett]

Gain an inspiration point :)

[@truefanforum3273]

I have some of the Spelljammer comics and they're pretty good. I wasn't even aware there was a game module or book about it. I Should have realized though. A cool concept.

[@AJPickett]

Seems it is part of my job to dig up old stuff and show it off :)

[@truefanforum3273]

AJ Pickett There's nothing wrong with that, and I respect you for it. It shows that you really care about D&D, and you know it well. Part of the fun is digging up things and sharing it with new and old fans.

[@iGuttsi]

Thank you for doing this AJ, I've been watching a lot of webdm and they have been talking about this

[@vandenburg123]

I liked your intro to this video, I enjoy taking ideas from all sorts of fantasy, using what's convenient and changing what I see fit. I just recently wrote a little story for my game inserting the Great Cuthulu into the period before the dawn war, and used a lot of your videos to help me wrap my head around prymordials, obryith and the far realm. This cosmic sailing is most certainly food for thought, can't wait for more, I know you spoke a little bit about this in your videos of the Gith and the Mindflayers, will be interesting investigating how sailors of space would impact upon a world.

[@terrainaholic]

LOVE the setting!!!!! It makes for such AMZING locations!!!!!! :)

[@AJPickett]

I am really looking forward to talking about them, for instance, one of the Crystal Spheres has gigantic statues of dead gods, holding up shining beacons, these appear as stars in the night sky of the worlds inside the Sphere. How cool is that?!

[@demonlordotrt754]

I'm a big fan of the old anime Outlawstar... It be pretty cool to play a game of spelljam inspired by it.

[@demonlordotrt754]

I'm rather surprised you know what outlawstar is AJ!

[@flavortown3781]

I'm working on a campaign for my work friends very heavily inspired by outlawstar, wh40k, and some other science fantasy stuff. Basically Homebrew Inquisition in 5e

[@austintracey9368]

Grappler ships are my favorite space ships ever.

[@taterchip6908]

Awe another man of culture I see I’ve always wanted to do a cowboy bebop/ samurai champloo inspired campaign or even a Star Wars campaign with d&d rules with the miniatures I mean I love the normal fantasy games ive always done but I wanna put a twist on it sometime

[@BrendanKOD]

Awesome setting, though of course the shear scope makes it hard to stay in one place long enough to build up a lot of depth. I'm definitely looking forward to some talk about radiant dragons, the Unhuman wars, and the Legendary Spelljammer. Though will you be talking much about ideas put forward by the Book series? Like a crystal sphere dominated by colossal tree roots, a full blown crystal dyson sphere with planet sized Megafauna, and the Broken Sphere.

[@AJPickett]

I don't know what I will be covering yet, I am still reading and learning :)

[@TheSubscriberWithNothing]

I'm pumped now, looking forward to more videos.

[@muninrob]

Don't piss off the hippo men - and really really don't annoy the spindly blue giants selling magical knick-knacks!!

[@ROTTERDXM]

Robert Lockard oh right! The hippopotabros! And the ever-mysterious and stupidly OP Zodar. What is up with those? I remember dragons looking pretty badass when I got my 2nd ed Monster Manual, then I saw the Zodar's XP value on a Spelljammer website. D&D needs more Zodar.

[@andrewakes307]

The "hippo men" were called The Giff. Not to be confused with "The Gith." Large, militant followers of a naval culture. They were fascinated with gun powder, which is a dangerous cult to live under, given how volatile the Pholgoitism is.

[@skankmcgank]

I had a wayward Giff - Hippo Man make a brief appearance in a Planescape campaign. The PCs hadn't ever heard of such a thing, and he had a cool shortbarrel shotgun on his lap while he piloted his weird wagon around the Outlands.

[@booley]

YES! I have been hoping you would start doing lores on the other settings. Thank you. Can't wait for more videos on the crystal spheres

[@ShurikenSean]

I had discovered spelljammer afew years and watched these vids to learn more and more about the crazy lore. with the new announcement of spelljammer 5e ive been rewatching them. hope you'll be making more videos discussing the updated 5e lore along with even more old lore to expand it

[@AJPickett]

That is my exact plan, yes 😀

[@ShurikenSean]

@@AJPickett really looking forward to it Wonder if the new book will have tables for planet generation, know those were quite useful in the old books

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Dude, the music in the intro. Certainly, I'm not the only one to say so, but; BAD ASS!

[@brnt9901]

Fantastic AJ! Can't wait to hear episode 2!

[@MoneySpain1188]

Been waiting for this! So stoked for the rest of the videos in this series, it’s hard to track down spell jammer lore without digging through decades of home brewed stuff. Keep up the great work, it is appreciated!

[@johnnyscifi]

Love spelljammer. Along with ravenloft, planescape, and forgotten realms are my favourites. Dark Sun too!!

[@AutomaticOps]

I think it would be cool if you did a video on how airships worked, more on the air bubble thing, how combat works with them, some iconic airships and how they function, etc.

[@AJPickett]

Certainly can!

[@thedarkmaster4747]

i agree with this.

[@jasonhosler9990]

Along with examples of how combat was done with the ship markers and the hex star map.

[@das_ttv3411]

You have level'd up as you are now touching my favorite setting.

[@carythom2776]

I need more spelljammer coverage Mr. Pickett sir I'm running a spelljammer sort of homebrew game in three five and your insights would be invaluable. Love your content please keep up the amazing work hope your having an amazing day

[@carythom2776]

so far its a mix of both and my homebrew setting ended up feeling more like a spelljammer setting than anything else wizards or tsr has ever put out and when you go to talk to people most aren't that into the spell jammer stuff at least from the people I've talked to around where I live

[@carythom2776]

I have most of the spelljammer series as a pdf my uncle had them and before his collection got sold off i had a chance to digitize it but i totally appreciate the link ill definitely check it out and yeah most of my players are pretty used to three five and don't mind the grind i use heavily modified three five though and use the gestault system and run over level twenty and yeah I'm on my 27in monitor and hey you did that shop a service I'mm sure theres a kid in your old town using those resources the way your helping me now and thank you for taking the time to help me out sir

[@carythom2776]

Are you running a campaign currently? and that sounds like a really interesting way to do that i'd never thought of that. Hope you are well too good sir!

[@carythom2776]

FlyingAxblade That's sounds absolutely epic can't wait to hear more about how that progresses

[@SpiritWolf1966]

I enjoy all of AJ Pickett videos

[@jacobvanveit3437]

What’s amazing is that People have been spell jamming sense 1989 and earlier in dungeons and dragons! The gods truly blessed us!

[@keithfta789]

Yassss! So excited for this one!

[@alexoelkers2292]

Would love more videos on spelljammer, it's a D&D lore subject that I don't know all that much about. Looking forward to future videos.

[@kenis77]

Always liked the concept of SJ but never got into it so this is great. Another setting that would be fun is DARKSUN .

[@linguisticallyoversight8685]

I like I like it a lot great video

[@Laek4]

Yes yes yes, more spelljammer! :D

[@marvalice3455]

Awesome! glad to hear there will be more :D

[@AJPickett]

For sure, I love this setting!

[@thomasfritzinger5243]

Excellent start!

[@sporksabre]

I think your videos might get a couple more views now that spelljammer was just announced for 5e. Love the Lore btw. Thanks for taking the time to make it

[@isaaclaw3370]

I'm actually writing a Science Fantasy Novel, but maybe Spelljammer can help with that?

[@1wearytraveller]

Im subscribing, looking forward to more Spelljammer videos!

[@AJPickett]

They are on the way, I have a lot of reading to do!

[@trinisantana]

Omg i luv spelljamer

[@nucleardubs]

2e Spelljammer Rules Supplement: Psionic Empowerment of Spelljamming Ships The first step in empowering a ship is to create the Central Personality Unit or CPU. This is done by a Psionist with the Empower ability(pg93 2e Psionist Handbook) empowering a large gem, worth a minimum 4,000gp + 800 gp/Devotion and +1,200 gp/Science, with Contact and Mindlink. The CPU acts as the brain of the ship, it is telepathically aware and relays orders from the crew to a series of Slave Modules. The CPU may also be empowered with psionic attack/defence modes for combat and the various telepathic powers available in the 2e Psionic Handbook. A CPU will have Ability scores of 1d6 below its creator, use these ability scores when making ability checks for the CPU or ship's modules. Cost: 15,000 gp for gem Empowerment...gem cost not included...+5,000 gp/devotion and +10,000/Science. Cost: 150% of ship hull cost MINIMUM!(structural upgrades with rare and valuable materials) Ego: Each psionic devotion added to the CPU will add 2 Ego points to the CPU and 8 Psionic Strength Points(PSP)to the ship's pool, each psionic science added to the CPU will add 3 Ego points to the CPU and 12 PSP to the ship's pool. If the Intelligence or Wisdom of the CPU is greater than the person giving it orders an ability check must be made by the person giving the orders for them to be obeyed. If the Combined Ego points of the CPU exceeds the combined Intelligence and Wisdom of the Captain, the CPU will deem itself superior and may refuse to obey orders it considers STUPID! *WARNING* CPUs have personalities and may whine and complain if mistreated. The Ship's Pool is the number of PSP the CPU has to operate and when drained, the CPU must remain inactive while it recovers PSP at a rate equal to a sleeping Psionist. A Ship's Pool can be increased by using Receptacle(pg102 2e Psionic Handbook) to add gems to the CPU that hold extra PSP like a battery. The Ship's Pool CANNOT be recharged if there is no crew aboard the ship as it needs the latent Psionic power of a crew to draw upon to replenish its PSP. Receptacle Cost: 100gp gem/PSP stored Slave Modules are the limbs of the ship and are also created by using Empower. Each usually performs one function aboard the ship. Differing modules can be created using many of the Psionic Devotions and Sciences in the 2e Psionics Handbook. Slave Modules add 1 Ego point for a Psionic Devotion and 2 Ego points for a Psionic Science. When ever a module is used the CPU must make a successful ability check to operate. Suggested Modules: Clairsentience - Clairvoyance and Clairaudience make for an effective scanner/viewer for long range teleportation, scrying, ship to ship communication etc. Cost: 10,000 - 20,000 gp, Ability Check: Wisdom, PSP Cost: 20/round, Ego 1 -2 Precognition allows the CPU to predict danger and advise the crew. Cost 10,000 gp, Ability Check: Wisdom, PSP Cost: 25/question, Ego 2 Combat Mind reduces the crew initiative by 1 Cost: 1,000 gp/crew, Ability Check: Intelligence, PSP Cost: 5/crew/round, Ego 1 Psychokinesis Although not a module, Molecular Rearrangement hardening is a process that decreases ship's AR by 1 permanently. Usable once only. Cost: 1,000 gp/ton Animate Object can replace a crew member. Multiple Modules can be installed. Cost: 1,000 gp/module, Ability Check: Intelligence, PSP Cost: 5/round, Ego 1/module Control Flames reduces fires aboard by 50%/round Cost: 1,000 gp/ton, Ability Check: Wisdom, PSP Cost: 5/ton, Ego 1 Inertial Barrier creates a shield around the ship Cost: 5,000 gp/ton, Ability Check: Constitution, PSP Cost: 5/ton/round, Ego 1 Molecular Agitation provides a security system that can attack intruders. Multiple modules can be installed. Cost: 10,000 gp/module, Ability Check: Wisdom, PSP Cost: 5/round, Ego 1 Psychometabolic Energy Containment doubles the ship's roll to Save and allows no damage if Save made and 1/2 damage if Save failed. Cost: 10,000 gp/ton, Ability Check: Constitution, PSP Cost: 10/ton/round, Ego 2 Cell Adjustment can heal 1 crew for 4 hit points/round while touching the ship. Multiple modules can be installed. Cost: 5,000 gp/module, Ability Check: Constitution, PSP Cost: 5/hit point, Ego 1 Chameleon Power allows a ship a 90% chance to hide, 75% if moving, 25% if attacking. Cost: 5,000 gp/ton, Ability Check: Constitution(-3 if moving), PSP Cost: 5/ton/round, Ego 1 Displacement will cause the first attack to miss and reduce the ship's AR by 2. Cost: 5,000 gp/ton, Ability Check: Constitution, PSP Cost: 5/ton/round, Ego 1 Suspended Animation modules suspend a crew member for a number of weeks equal to the Constitution of the CPU even after the ship has broken-up. Multiple Modules can be installed. Cost: 5,000 gp/module, Ability Check: Constitution, PSP Cost: 12, Ego 1/module Psychoporpative Teleport Other beam me down Scotty! Multiple Modules can be installed. Cost: 10,000 gp/module, Ability Check: Intelligence, PSP Cost: 20/trip/person(one at a time only), Ego 1 Teleport Trigger escape hatch for 1-3 crew. Multiple Modules can be installed. Cost: 5,000 gp/module, Ability Check: Intelligence, PSP Cost: 50/standard Oerth Day, Ego 1 Space/Time Anchor protects the ship from unwanted movement. Cost: 1,000 gp/ton, Ability Check: Intelligence, PSP Cost: 1/ton/round, Ego 1 Metapsionic Stasis Field useful for those long trips this allows time to slow to 1/60th for the crew thus preserving air and food. Cost: 5,000/ton, Ability Check: Constitution, PSP Cost: 20/ton/60standard Oerth Days If you are interested in purchasing Psionic Empowerment for your ship or would like to see some of our custom hulls, please contact Lord Malignus the Malefic or his assistant Dr. Leech via Psimail @ or @ or come visit us at the Duergar/Illithid Shipbuilding Consortium, Dock 13, Braal.

[@AJPickett]

Wow! Thanks, that is excellent stuff! And who doesn't want an intelligent ship personality? Eddie the ship computer within the Heart of Gold from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, or Zen the ship A.I onboard the Liberator from Blakes Seven, or Holly from Red Dwarf.

[@nucleardubs]

Thanx but you just had to mention Holly didn't you LOL. When my buddies started making their own spelljammer ship designs they all went bigger and badder. When I brought the Duergar into our campaign I wanted to do it by making any ship better. My fleet hunts in wolfpacks using stealthy, heavily armed/armoured Damselfly class ships made from mithral alloys. If they find themselves outclassed by a larger aggressor, they can easily use their lower legs as a grapple to pick-up 90 tons of innocuous asteroid filled with hidden weapons/troops or just use an asteroid as a 90 ton mass driver. Their favourite tactic is to pace a ship just off the bow using chameleon and waiting for the right time to stop with a rear facing piercing ram presented. If this does not completely destroy the ship, it can be quickly boarded by a crew of Duergar and Steeder spiders. btw Dwarves can double crew a ship.

[@strataseeker2981]

Wonderfully timely! My players don't know it yet, but this new camp's heading this way if they make the right choices :D

[@ROTTERDXM]

Yes. This is what I need. Spelljammer lore vids. I will be following this with even more interest. I remember Beholders being a major player in the setting?

[@AJPickett]

Yeah, they have many factions and the ships are funky!

[@ROTTERDXM]

AJ Pickett Factions! I thought they were mostly out for themselves; I do remember that they are very unaccepting of Beholders that deviate from their ideal of what a "true" beholder (basically, itself) looks like. Them banding together into factions sounds both hilarious and horrible

[@jasonhosler9990]

Between the Beholder factions, the various Illithid nations, multitudinous Neogi slaver guilds and the Elven Imperial Navy there are no shortage of major players one would not expect out there in wildspace.

[@agsilverradio2225]

Can you please do a vidio that connects the Spelljammer cosmollogy to the Planescape Cosmollogy? ... Like, Does each Crystal sphere have it's own set of inner-planes, or are they shared? ... Same question for the outer-planes. ... I assume the far realm is outside both the flogiston, and the outer planes.

[@AJPickett]

ok.

[@meeperdudeify]

**Warforged don't need to breathe intensifies**

[@IronSmith358]

This video series is right on time. I was curios about this setting. I would like to see how spell jamming works. And links to any books or references. Thanks mtg love your videos.

[@Yuudaddy]

Exactly how the ancients have imagined space travel ;]

[@quintoncraig9299]

So a large nearly flat elliptical has the most efficient air capacity, alright, that throws a wrench into my standard ship design.

[@quintoncraig9299]

When did I say submersible? (I mean yes, I do design my ships so that they can be used in space and under water, but still, repeat above.)

[@quintoncraig9299]

As soon as I heard him explain the calculation I had already finished the design for the ship, Also, I'm not a Dm yet (I don't have anyone to game with). (Large Nearly Flat Ellipsoid, preferably made out of a strong material like carbon-fiber mesh, or Adamantine for greater durability, Aururum for self healing hull, Crysteel suprise, Mithral for lighter ships /Firebrass if you're posh, Riverine for the shields, Urdukar [not hull] for stealth ships, or whatever is most efficient)

[@quintoncraig9299]

Born DM? Maybe, but I know for a fact that I was born a Pokemon Fan. I just have a passion for engineering, biology, physics, math, scifi and fantasy, all of which are very helpful for making story's and games. (Do note that I'm not even 20 yet so, yeah.)

[@quintoncraig9299]

"Ball with Psychic monster" That sounds more like Bakugan (Lit:Exploding Sphere).

[@quintoncraig9299]

On Pokemon hunting; Yes and no, standard hunter training works best. On Magic; My story's magic is literally technology advanced to a meta-physical state, [still costs mana] the closest thing to standard magic in my game/universe is Psyonics [Auto Correct is bugging me here], which allows one to detect and manipulate things with an unknown sense. [cost free, nearly impossible to learn, very uncommon even for players.]

[@steventcunliffe]

Thank you for the video!

[@drewtrask3603]

we tied all our campaigns together with spelljammer

[@theatreofcontroversy]

thanks for this - i so hope SJ comes back for 5e -- great stream too btw

[@AJPickett]

Thanks, the start was a complete disaster, but, we got there in the end.

[@theatreofcontroversy]

thats live streaming - its all about the balance of axepoison

[@shawnhowe7311]

Excellent

[@solstone7443]

My friends and I recently talked about playing a couple one-off Starjammer campaigns. One of the characters that's been brewing around in my head is an android and every line of dialog in going to be a quote from the website Inspirobot.me

[@AJPickett]

Lol, that is a great concept.

[@RayMcNamaraMusic]

I wanna know more about Illithid/mind flayer lore in this context!

[@AdraTheGhost]

AAAAAAAAAH LORE BONER cover planescape next and you'll have my eternal love

[@flareinc7413]

Cooooool,Spelljammer stuff. Moar plz :)

[@thavard6343]

Would love a 5E setting for this!

[@dylandugan76]

I was running a nice, straightforward, low-fantasy campaign about an undead army. Then a new player joined the group and made a literal space pirate Tiefling rogue. Guess what direction the story is going now?

[@ozzymandius666]

A sci-fi author called Larry Niven proposed a shell around the galactic core, with an atmosphere held down by micro-gravity light-years thick, in which planets could slowly orbit through the atmosphere, and you could reach them via a Pegasus...

[@AJPickett]

Ring World. Also the inspiration for the Magic the Gathering card " Nevinyrral's Disk " it is his name, backwards :)

[@willw2127]

Specifically the "warlock's wheel" from the "magic goes away" series.

[@r061364]

OMG yes!!!!

[@zacharyhawley1693]

Well if you did have the tech to keep radiation out and breathable gases in. I wouldn't see why one wouldn't construct a boat like structure to sail through space.

[@AJPickett]

It seems like radiation doesn't exist in Dungeons and Dragons.

[@brownmims2311]

Worked for Jurai

[@nucleardubs]

It's "magic" radiation! That's what the sails are for, navigating the magic winds of space. I had one creative DM who stipulated that the solar winds of magic flowed outwards from the sun and forced spelljammers to tack into the winds when voyaging inwards. He added some back-currents and vortexes from planets and made an interesting mechanic for travel.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

Interesting. I might use that for starfinder.

[@nucleardubs]

Zachary Hawley Facing solar hurricanes while mapping out high speed currents for potential trade/mining routes can be a terrifying thing. And let's not forget the doldrums...vast stretches of dead space, where even a helm won't function, that can take weeks to blow over.

[@jacobvardy]

I can't believe i haven't thought about this before. But what the hell are stars in D&D? They can't be other suns because they couldn't be seen through the phlogiston and crystal spheres. Are stars painted on the inside of the crystal sphere? Are they small objects that orbit waaaay out from the sun?

[@AJPickett]

Varies from sphere to sphere, some are massive chalices and platters with eternal flames held aloft by gargantuan statues of ancient gods.

[@bodansova2951]

I apologize for bothering you i just wanted to ask , on one of the diagrams that shows the nature of PHLOGISTON, there are sections that are marked as VOID space , are those parts sections without phlogiston where normal space mechanics work ?

[@AJPickett]

They are areas if calm space, movement slows to a crawl, requiring other means of propulsion. This can be problematic considering the vast distances involved.

[@jasonhosler9990]

Although those spaces are still full of phlogiston. There just are no currents to help move you along.

[@bensweeney5878]

If anyone is starting a years-long campaign, you should start it as a normal d&d campaign and then get a spelljammer later!

[@lucasdurham-styles3169]

you should make a video on the giant space hamster and miniature giant space hamster lol thatd be a good one!

[@Argonova]

Spelljammer and Planescape are the two settings I want most to learn more about. I do wonder if Spelljammer still has any real degree of compatibility with the newer editions of Dungeons and Dragons though. I feel like it hasn't been mentioned at all since 2nd ed.

[@AJPickett]

Well, the best way to ensure that situation changes is for us to play it and cry out for more official support.

[@Beastlango]

AJ Pickett Mike Mearls has said multiple times on Twitter that they are working on spelljammer for 5e.

[@InfiniteBalance]

Okay, it is my understanding that the canon settings for D&D differentiate between magic, ki, and psionics, are there any equivalents to spelljamming with Ki and Psi in place of magic?

[@AJPickett]

Yes, it works with divine magic, arcane magic, and there are rules, both official and otherwise, for all sorts of other energies. Also, there are drives that work on entirely different principles, I will be covering this topic in more depth.

[@jasonhosler9990]

I know for sure there was a Ki powered helm. I want to say there was a Psi helm too, but I never used that one so I'm not 100% sure

[@jacobvardy]

@@jasonhosler9990 Illithid Nautilids are powered by psi.

[@krispalermo8133]

D20 " PLANESCAPE " MIN CAMPAIGN Dungeon Issue 92 *VOL.XVI, NO.2 May/June 2002 May 2002 Polyhendron " Spelljamer: Shadow of the Spider Moon"

[@JimothyTheGreen]

Could you go to the Far Realm by Spelljamming a ship there?

[@AJPickett]

Jimothy the Green yes, I will talk about that

[@rocketraccoon1976]

+ Jimothy the Green Yes, to help promote his latest upcoming book, Volo's Vacation Cruise Guide to The Far Realm, Volo has encouraged a joint venture between various wealthy entrepreneurs to establish a spelljammer cruise service that would travel there. Of course, Elminster is less than pleased with this endeavor...

[@pblackcrow]

Will you eventually be doing a video on Birthright?

[@issacwhittaker3687]

Will you ever do a video on the dawn war? I’ve heard it mentioned in a few videos and have no clue what it is.

[@AJPickett]

Just a Manatee yes, it will be quite a lot of work, that one.

[@MegaStone99]

More!!! Need more good Sir.

[@cristoferpicado4059]

For all my players who are reading my comments. Please watch this video and comment below me. If you do, I'll award you 10 XP. This is a GREAT video for an introduction into Spelljammer folks.

[@DisfiguredMale]

What types of races do Spelljamming? Is it possible that you'd meet Githyanki on one of their ships in this setting? I do know that the Illithid do Spelljamming.

[@jasonhosler9990]

All of the standard races, including many of the major kingdoms of the published groundling settings, have respresentation out in wildspace. Various other races are available as playable races that have a pronounced presence in wildspace, although probably not a unified nation are the Giff (hippo headed humanoids), Hadozee (Flying squirrel like Apes), Grommam (Gorillas), Lizardmen, Thri-kreen, Xixchil (like Thri-keen, but with a penchant for surgical modification), etc. Additionally several "monster" races have a prominent spelljamming presence: Illithids, Beholders, Neogi (Eels with spider legs and Umber Hulk slaves), Giants (admittedly rare due to air requirements), and Githzeri (also rare). Although given the nature of spelljamming it is not hard to come up with a reason that just about anything could wind up in wildspace.

[@nickclinton9774]

Isn't that the Ups and Downs music from Whatculture Wrestling? I'm like 95% sure it is.

[@AJPickett]

"Far the Days Come"by Letterbox. One of the songs that KZbin provides.

[@zmishiymishi5349]

I always forget how old and powerfull Moradin is

[@singinginthedark2786]

what about Gamma Knights?

[@djlindsay21]

Can you do a remastered gith video?

[@minekraftminer223]

Whats the background music thats used in the start of this video?

[@AJPickett]

In the intro?

[@agsilverradio2225]

What would happen, if you tryed to collect flagiston?

[@AJPickett]

You can never take it inside a crystal sphere, could you contain it while outside a sphere... sure, get creative.

[@xenoblad]

Can you break the crystal sphere? Will the flogistan come pouring in and combust with everything inside it if it does flow in?

[@AJPickett]

There is no way for anything short of a greater god to so much as scratch the surface of a Crystal Sphere, that being said, I am only starting on my explorations of Spelljammer, so I may be contradicted.. also, during the Dawn War a deity/crystal sphere called the Living Gate was broken, the resulting shards are hunted down by a race known as the Quom, and a great number of these shards reformed into the species called Shard Minds.. given how stupendously massive a Crystal sphere is, this would be more mass than all the other matter contained in the Star System the sphere encapsulates. The Phlogiston instantly dissipates as soon as it is inside a crystal sphere, no method has been found to stop this happening, it just fades out of existence.

[@elricengquist9989]

As AJ said not completely sure outside of a greater god, or maybe the usage of several very high power relics could do much to the spheres. Though an idea I had for a adventure/campaign was the idea something outside the spheres was causing the crystal barrier to devolve, and the players now need to search both the star-ways an other worlds for how this is happening, as well as any method that could be used to halt the devolving of the spheres. Though question is since the flogistan combusts when coming in contact with matter from within the spheres, what would happen if a massive amount of matter from within a sphere were released into massive stream or pool of flogistan around a sphere? Such as if a race created a vessel that they loaded with such matter/material an then released material/matter from the vessel when near the sphere's barrier.

[@nucleardubs]

xenoblad I run a campaign world where a great catastrophe in the past shattered the crystal sphere's portal and allowed the phlogiston into the sphere where it instantly explodes into non-existence. This catastrophe was so violent that it destroyed the worlds inside and scattered the material around the inside of the sphere creating, in effect, a hollow world where the flaming phlogiston takes the place of the sun.

[@Thorerx]

Could you talk about how the planes line up if you were including gods and demons? Where would the 9 hells, the abyss, mt. Celestia, etc. be in this kind of setting?

[@AJPickett]

It's actually very subjective, we line them up according to our dimensional standards, but it would just as valid to align them to a musical tone scale, or colors on a wheel.. the standard cosmic wheel model has always been the best one, if you ask me.

[@Thorerx]

AJ Pickett I mean specifically in spelljammer. Would all the outer planes be in one sphere, and the inner planes im another? Or is the whole wheel 1 sphere? Or are the outer planes not even contained in a sphere?

[@rosebellspring9585]

Thorerx, I usually have each crystal sphere have its own set of planes. Some spheres will be incredibly complex with access to multiple prime material planes, an infinite abyss, and so on. Meanwhile other spheres might have no planes outside the prime material, or just conain another plane lacking a prime material all-together. I usually only have access to other spheres from a prime material with different prime materials having access to different phlogistons. It's not a very reasonable/easily manageable way of doing things but I really like to combine planescape and spelljammer. A lot of Dungeon Masters i've had like to avoid other planes of existence as much as possible in a spelljammer setting, it just makes life easier that way.

[@Thorerx]

Faulty Rose, thanks for the input. I like the idea of having each sphere have its own set of planes. In your campaign, how does death and the soul work? Is it specific to what sphere they came from or died in? Or is it a process that spans the spheres? Like shadowfell or hell in one sphere is the same in another?

[@rosebellspring9585]

Based on the way cleric spells work in spelljammer (there needs to be so many worshipers or "influence" for a diety for spells to work) I have each crystal sphere have its own afterlife, dieties are always keen on spreading their influence to as many spheres as possible, i don't like to be cruel however so i do include soul collectors in my setting that seek out and guide souls to rest, it makes for great world building and something more for the players to play off of. I do give my dieties the power to transport their followers between spheres they have influence in without going through the phlogiston, this in effect makes all after lives of a diety connected somewhat if the diety gives you passage. It makes my life easier and makes clerics/paladins much better in my opinion. In general souls will eventually be returned to their sphere of origin, but this is by the efforts of the clergy and not by some natural force.

[@HumbleMemeFarmer]

So wait, If Phlogisten is flammable, what would happen if someone threw a torch out into the stuff's native environment? Would It all go off at once, ridding the multiverse of Phlogisten forever?

[@jasonhosler9990]

By the book it creates an enormous fireball, but does not expand forever.

[@agsilverradio2225]

Are the Hyppo-folk Gith related to the Gith-Yanki and Gith-Zeri that live in limbo?

[@AJPickett]

not at all.

[@electricotter]

I was wondering where these crystal spheres are in terms of the astral sea and other planes? The flogeston exists only within the network of prime material planes each within their own crystal sphere? Each crystal sphere within the great crystal sphere of the prime material over-world? The entirety of the D&D cosmos has its own greater crystal sphere which separates it from the Far Realm? I watched this the day of release and several times since but have always forgotten to ask : /

[@draxthemsklonst]

forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Realmspace

[@draxthemsklonst]

This is a video on realmspace... kzbin.info/www/bejne/porMiJaQftKCeac

[@THELUBINTHEMORNING]

yo Esper you remember the name of this videos first music track? I want to make it my campaign theme

[@AJPickett]

I'll ask Esper.

[@THELUBINTHEMORNING]

@@AJPickett oof, sorry. Meant to ask on his vid about eberon classes that has the same song at the begining. The song list his dooblydoo doesn't include it. I know it's Maxwell so and so though

[@joluoto]

How do you get out of a Crystal sphere and into another one?

[@AJPickett]

There are both random openings that appear in the crystal spheres, they are unpredictable and hard to find, given the scale of the spheres. Also, one can pass through with magic, such as Dimension Door. Some space critters, such as Celestial (space) dragons can pass through and leave openings which others can move through. I would say that psychics could also create openings, as the Spheres seem to respond to mental and arcane force, almost like they are objects made from an imaginary substance (and I am not saying that with any sense of irony).

[@elricengquist9989]

I normally have it on a scale system for how you can get in an out of the spheres,. It is normally on a scale of 1-5 ranks that correlate to how advanced an progressed in the usage of magic/psionics/divine energy a sphere is, with a rank of one to three being basically a vary undeveloped sphere still even learning the basics of using such energy an than up to what would be the forgotten realms, while a rank of four to five is highly advanced that have almost a sci fi feel to them in how they appear. In the lower rankings it is normally it is mostly only thru natural means like openings or fallowing a creature out, mid range like a three is where you start to see the ability actually use their own magical techniques to open doors, while four to five they have created relic/artifacts located at specific areas on the sphere that can create an sustain a doorway (if the Dm wanted in this rank could possibly block the opening of other doorways other than that specific door).

[@BrendanKOD]

portals through the sphere periodically form either randomly, or sometimes in predictable intervals, plus the same mysterious merchants who sell spelljaming helms sell devices that can make portals as well.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

you ask nicely

[@jasonhosler9990]

There are spells in the one of the base spelljamming books that allow you to create a portal, and some spheres have additional requirements for entrance or exit, such as the Astromundi Cluster (Broken Sphere)

[@dracosdiabolis1769]

and.... oh yes, their will be more. yes I squeed a little inside =) thou this does give me ideas for a campaign or a massive headache. So break out your tardis. roflmao. nothing to crazy. Just picking parts out of some of your videos that I thought would be awesome plots for a game. lol, So .... yea, lol, when I get around to writing it out, or at least outline it for a history of sorts. I will blame you for the inspiration and blame for this giant carbuncle of a story arc. LMAO

[@j3fr0uk]

Sorry sorry but in the nicest way possible, this isn't enough.. I need more awesome info from yaself! Never heard of this yet date is 92'??! I'm a n00b... :(

[@AJPickett]

There will be more :)

[@firetarrasque4667]

This is just the first episode, read the description.

[@j3fr0uk]

I know but wanted to let him know that yes indeed we want more.. But thanks for pointin out the obvious.. It's even mentioned durin the vid if you watched it all lololol...

[@skankmcgank]

92 is when the video game for spelljammer came out.

[@danielmulconry]

Bring on the info. This is great. I would however not start the video with d&d being the best. This is opinion and not fact.

[@AJPickett]

Yes, that is true, good point, thanks Daniel.

[@thedarkmaster4747]

heretic... 😵👍

[@Daimon-X]

Spess the final frontier... Forward! Ad infinitum!

[@uglyweirdo1389]

More.

[@goatsuckervonsasquatch7756]

😲😲😲

[@Anglomixmarathon]

what city do you live in? chch here

[@AllenLinnenJr]

I spent too many years studying physics to buy in to Spelljammer "space physics." The ships look cool, especially the elven ones, but no.

[@AJPickett]

You must be really miffed that Star Trek predicted impulse and warp drive then :)

[@Spooksmagoo]

I actually felt the same way about this, and have switched to running my next campaign in Starfinder, and sort of importing the characters and ideas I wanted to run in Spelljammer there.

[@jasonhosler9990]

Does your study of physics make you not be able to buy in magic either? Seems a selective application of stricture if not. I mean if you accept magic=true then physics hops on a pegasus and flies out the window. As long that there are rules that are consistently applied, I would think the same degree of disbelief suspension that is required for regular D&D magic would cover Spelljammer magic as well.

[@Spooksmagoo]

Jason Hosler I mean, you would think that, butI love the idea of magic. I consider it somewhat of another force, like gravity or electromagnetism which permeates the cosmos. This force can be manipulated by will of sentient creatures, and the latent energy can be transformed into matter or used to manipulate other forces of nature. Not a huge jump. However, spelljammer's flagistan, for example, is such a departure from traditional cosmos, and necessitates so many new unique rules that don't have the same amount of medieval fantasy media to make seem more reasonable.

[@jasonhosler9990]

Interesting perspective. The idea of phlogiston is an old one (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston_theory). Does it help your conceptualization to think of the crystal spheres as a magical side effect of some long ago event that bottled up the Flow outside the spheres to allow room for the worlds?

[@spencercox7931]

Spelljammers do not jam spells Wut?