Spelljammer Part 1: Astral Adventurer's Guide
For those that are not familiar with this word "Spelljammer" that has been floating around the D&D community since practically the beginning of 5th Edition, Spelljammer is the title of a campaign setting from the early 1990s (technically 1989 for those keeping score). Created by Jeff Grubb, writer of the original Manual of the Planes (among other noteworthy TSR products), Spelljammer was something vastly wild and different from anything TSR had published at the time. Set in outer space (and beyond) it attempted to give players a taste of what was beyond their own world, inject a bit of sci-fi into the D&D lore, and add structure to the multiverse that was starting to form in TSR's publishing lines. By using sailing ships powered on magic (Spelljammers) to sail into Wildspace and then into the Astral Sea beyond, adventurers could travel from Greyhawk to Krynn without the use of magic portals. This allowed for crossover between their settings and made the journey part of the adventure.
Teased by the D&D Creative Team for years, (leading to the #SpelljammerConfirmed meme), Spelljammer finally makes its spectacular return in a beautiful way, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space - a three book boxed set full of updated rules, beautiful artwork, character options, aliens, monsters, and of course, Spelljammers.
A boxed set this big requires a look at each book on its own. In this review, we will be looking at the core of the setting itself - The Astral Adventurer's Guide.
"I can play a what now?!" - Character Options
Typical for any campaign setting, Spelljammer comes with a host of new character options that thematically fit in the setting. There are six new character races and two new backgrounds to give your characters a Spelljammer aesthetic. It is also very nice to see so many playable races that originated in past TSR products, acknowledging the legacy of what came before.
A Giff (or is it Jiff?)
Several of the character races have an interesting design trait that allows them to use certain traits a number of times equal to the character's Proficiency Bonus before needing a Long Rest to recharge. This is an elegant way of allowing them to use these unique traits more often as they grow. For example, the Astral Elf can use their Starlight Step ability, a reskinned Misty Step, a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus (similar to the Eladrin's Fey Step). Whereas, the Giff can channel extra force damage equal to their Proficiency Bonus through their weapons this many times.
Also of note, all of these races use the more flexible attribute bonus rules (either +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 to different attributes of your choice) that we saw in Monsters of the Multiverse. This allows for more variety in characters if players want it.
The six new character races are:
Astral Elves - Elves that live in the Astral Plane where nothing ages. They have a very interesting trait called Astral Trance that grants them a skill proficiency and weapon (or tool) proficiency which can be changed every time they take a 4 hour Long Rest. This has the potential for some unique game moments!
Autognomes - Mechanical Constructs built by gnomes. They can essentially give themselves a Guidance bonus a number of times equal totheir proficiency bonus with their Built for Success trait. They can also be healed with mending in addition to normal healing spells like Cure Wounds. This is something that the previous Construct race, Warforged, could not technically do.
Giff - Already existing as a monster in 5e, Giff finally make their entry into the playable races. A staple of classic Spelljammer, these massive hippo-like people have an affinity for firearms and start with proficiency in firearms, ignore the loading property, and do not have disadvantage at long range with them.
Hadozee - First originating in Star Frontiers, TSR's first sci-fi RPG (called Yazirian there), Hadozee are simian-like beings with flaps of skin between their arms and legs that allow them to glide and reduce fall damage to zero with a reaction. They can be either Medium or Small and have a trait called Hadozee Resilience that is similar to a Monk's Deflect Arrows ability, allowing them to reduce damage by 1d6 + proficiency bonus. This is their "number of times equal to proficiency bonus" trait.
The background information on Hadozee is problematic and should be completely ignored. See below for more details.
Plasmoids - Similar to the Dralasites in Star Frontiers, the Plasmoids are 5e's first official Ooze race. Able to be either Medium or Small, Plasmoids are amorphous and can squeeze through spaces as narrow as 1 inch. They also have a limited Shape Shift trait to transform from a limbless blob to a more humanoid shape with head and limbs. They can also create a pseudopod that can extend 10 feet and perform basic functions similar to a Mage Hand.
Thri-Kreen - The Thri-Kreen appeared in several AD&D settings but most notably, they were a playable race on Athas, the post-apocalyptic barren world of the Dark Sun setting. Able to be Medium or Small, Thri-Kreen are a Monstrosity race that have four arms - two primary and two secondary. The two secondary arms are smaller and can carry Tiny objects and wield light weapons. They do not need to sleep but must be inactive to gain the benefit of a rest. Thri-Kreen do not have the capability to speak other languages and instead use telepathic speech to communicate with any being within 120 ft. of them.
A Plasmoid Astral Drifter
The two new backgrounds, Astral Drifter and Wildspacer, give you a starting point for explaining why your character is travelling "off-world". The Astral Drifter is someone who accidentally ended up floating through the Astral Plane while the Wildspacer is someone native to the space between worlds.
"All the Stars are Closer" - Astral Adventuring
The largest portion of the book covers what it is like traveling the Astral Plane and Wildspace and lays out the distinction between the two. Wildspace is the Outer Space around a solar system in the Material Plane. It has no air and gravity is relative to the nearest object. This fantastic version of space is not barren but in fact teems with life, matter, and color. It is possible to travel between various worlds within a Wildspace system and a Spelljammer campaign might never leave a single Wildspace system. But, for those who want to go boldly into the unknown there is the Astral Plane.
Every Wildspace system exists in its own bubble within the Astral Plane. In the classic Spelljammer setting these bubbles were called Crystal Spheres but the structure is more simplified in the updated version. The Astral Plane is reachable and traversable with a Spelljammer. While in the Astral Plane, there is no need for food or air and time does not exist. The Astral Plane is also filled with life and wonder. Any creature that could be encountered on a Material Plane could be encountered here having accidentally fallen through a rift. There are asteroids here as well as the massive, petrified remains of dead gods.
Travel is simplified in the updated Spelljammer setting. In the Astral Plane travel is at the speed of thought and one can find the route to somewhere they want to go if they think about it. In Wildspace, a spelljammer is able to "cruise" millions of miles in 24 hours if there is no significant obstacle.
Ship-to-ship combat with other spelljammers is also simplified. There are essentially three bands of range that determine what sorts of weapons can be used. Spelljammers have a movement speed, armor class, and hit points for when they are not in outright cruising mode and it is suggested to use Side Initiative rather than the traditional “personal” initiative. Orientation does not factor in here as it is assumed that these ships are maneuverable enough to allow all weapons to aim and fire on the ship’s turn. Boarding, crashing, and ramming are also options.
The spelljammers themselves are (and have always been) works of art. Very often, these are not just shaped like a sailing ship that moves in space, but some other fantastical design since fluid dynamics are not in play. There are 16 ships presented in this book ranging from a traditional galleon to ships that resemble insects and aquatic animals (there's a giant turtle ship!) to the Nautiloid (see the cover art) and Tyrant Ship. These two monstrosities are the spelljammers of Mind Flayers and Beholders and reflect the nightmarish designs that something those Aberration species would create. The wonderful thing about this setting is that, technically, anything can be a spelljammer as long as it has a Spelljamming Helm. A Spelljamming Helm is an ornate chair that is bound to an object that weighs one ton or more (usually a ship) allowing it to be propelled and maneuvered trough space and air. The Spelljamming Helm must be attuned to a spellcaster and allows the pilot to see and hear what's happening on the vessel as if standing in a location of their choice. The possibilities are endless, so get creative if you don't like any of the ships you find here. That being said, the ship schematics by Dyson are wonderfully evocative and it may be hard to pick just one!
The third chapter in the Astral Adventurer's Guide covers the Rock of Bral, a home port to base your adventures around. The Rock of Bral is an asteroid traditionally found in Realmspace (the Wildspace of Forgotten Realms) though the version presented leaves out any references to Toril or its denizens. As such, feel free to drop it into whatever campaign setting you want or even just leave that detail vague! There is enough of a framework to get a DM started using The Rock but not enough here to weigh them down in lore. It is easily customizable for whatever suits your needs. The book includes a gorgeous poster-sized map of The Rock of Bral that is detachable.
The Worldbuilding Wrap-Up
Since this is DMing the World and we talk about worldbuilding, I like to wrap-up reviews with my personal thoughts and ideas on how to worldbuild with the product being reviewed. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space is a great way to add space travel to your D&D adventures. The rules provide you with enough of a framework to hang whatever style or flavor you want onto it. The ships, the Spelljamming Helms, the races can all be easily re-skinned into a true sci-fi setting if you wanted.
What does the Astral Plane look like in your setting? Maybe your world has a different interaction with the Astral Plane? My personal campaign setting, Chronicle, has The Ætherweb, an overlapping of the Astral and Ethereal planes. A spelljammer in this world would be able to cross from one into the other. If you were to bring in the Great Wheel cosmology of Planescape then the Astral Plane also provides the opportunity to spelljam to the Outer Planes. I ran just such a campaign once upon a time and it was amazing!
The player options are also yours to make your own. Is there something about Plasmoids in your version campaign that makes them unique? Maybe they change various hues of neon colors with their emotions!
Addendum: There is one particular player option that I failed to catch on the first read through that I feel should be addressed. The background written for the Hadozee is problematic and should have been caught by an editor. I won’t go into long detail other than to just say that I recommend you come up with your own history for the Hadozee. The Hadozee themselves are an interesting species that players should feel comfortable with playing if they wish. This is your opportunity to come together as a DM and player and talk through the background together and find something that suits your needs better.
In summary, Wizards of the Coast has a good job of bringing Spelljammer back to the game table for a new generation of players. The adventures are as limitless as the imagination, and there is a good rules system to get you started. Though if you want more robust ship options you may have to look elsewhere. I do hope that we see more Spelljammer content from Wizards whether it is in print or digital form. This book leaves me hungry for more spacefaring options!
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Thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy. All artwork in this review is the property of Wizards of the Coast and is used here for the purpose of review. Spelljammer: Adventures in Space can be found wherever Dungeons & Dragons books are sold.
