DM(ing), and the art of Airship Maintence

[BRC]

So I’m running a campaign that takes the form of an expedition to uncover the lab of a mad scientist who ran off to the frozen north. The PC’s had a choice of what type of ship to commission to get them there (One of them is playing the Wealthy Financier of the expedition).
The sane choices were either an old Warship, or a whaling ship with an icebreaker prow.
They went with an experimental goblin airship. Theoretically, this could fly them straight over the wilderness to their destination.

Obviously, this cannot happen. I didn’t design a massive map full of frozen deadly wilderness for them to just fly over it.
So the ship is almost certainly going to crash.
And before you guys shout Railroad, the name of the ship is the Notgonnasplode.
And yes, they knew this when they picked it. As far as I’m concerned, the players signed up for things to go horribly wrong.

Some facts about this ship (That the Bard knows):
Notgonnasplode is actually a goblin word full of nuance and meaning. An official translation is “Perseverance”, but a more accurate translation would be “Trial By Error”
Goblins have 63 words for Trial By Error.
The ship is actually the Notgonnasplode III, but Goblins believe its bad luck to number their ships.
The Notgonnasplode I used hydrogen for lift, and an engine powered by a bound Fire elemental for propulsion. It exploded, then crashed.
The Notgonnasplode II used a bound fire elemental for propulsion, and smoke (From a pair of Eversmoking Bottles) for lift, with a rocket-assisted takeoff system. It crashed, then exploded. They concluded that the problem was clearly the fire elemental.
The bard does not know the following:
The Current one uses hydrogen for lift, and an engine powered by a bound lightning elemental for propulsion. By the Goblin’s logic, this is a foolproof configuration.

The Crew consists of the following (All goblins so far):
Captain Hinden: Survivor of the Notgonnasplode II
Pilot: Mister Icky (Icarus)
Engineer: Mister Daedal (Daedalus)
I could use a few more crewmembers with names that fit the theme.

Now, here is what I am envisioning. There is a shadowy conspiracy of some sort set against the PC’s. While the Ship is certainly going down (Either from a blizzard, ice buildup in the machinery, or enemy action), I would like to give the PC’s some control over their own fates.
Specifically, I am trying to work out an encounter that has several outcomes.
1 (best outcome): The Notgonnasplode is able to make a controlled crash landing. It’s badly damaged, but repairable if the PC’s can find some macguffin in the local wilderness/ find the Engineer who feather-falled off the ship during the attack.
2: The Notgonnasplode makes a semi-controlled crash landing, It’s very badly damaged, and will not fly anytime soon. However, the PC’s have all their supplies (Food, Sleds , Explosives, Maps, Charts, Medical Supplies, cold weather gear, survival gear, ect) intact.
3: The Notgonnasplode makes a crash landing, the PC’s take damage and lose a good portion of the bigger supplies (Sleds break, charts gone, explosives explode. They have enough cold weather gear for some of the party, some food, and a few medical supplies. )
4: The Notgonnasplode smashes into the ground in a massive fireball. The PC’s are now stranded in the wilderness with heavy damage, no supplies except what they have on their backs, and a giant flaming airship drawing exactly the wrong sort of attention to their position. If they’re lucky enough to escape the inevitable forest fire, they may have the opportunity to fight for survival in a freezing forest.

What I’m looking for:

More ideas for the Ship itself.
Ideas for the encounter, specifically I’m looking for an encounter that, while the PC’s can’t “Win” (I’m open to outright victory as a possibility of course, but it would have to be the result of something extraordinary on their part. Basically, I’m not planning for them to keep the airship afloat, but if they manage to do so, better for them), the better they do in this encounter, the better off they will be afterwards.

The Party is 7th Level, and contains

A Ratfolk Gunslinger (Specialized in close quarters gunslinging via the Gulch Gunner archetype)
A Kitsune Bard (Archeologist archetype)
A Summoner (The Wealthy Financier)
A Magus (The Mad Scientist's Daugher)
An Orc Witch (Scarred Witch Doctor archetype. He's a local to the region, serving as their guide, and is already perfectly prepared to survive in the north, with one casting of Endure Elements per day (For himself obviously).)

I have specifically avoided telling them stuff like "Stock up on wands of endure elements and potions of Feather Fall". If they have it on their character sheets, I'm not going to take it away from them. But I'm also not going to tell them to bring it.

[Slipperychicken]

To be fair to them, if you give PCs three options, two of which are sane and one of which is awesome, you can be fairly confident they'll pick the awesome/suicidal one.

Wouldn't the captains/pilots let them know the airship couldn't make it?

[BRC]

To be fair to them, if you give PCs three options, two of which are sane and one of which is awesome, you can be fairly confident they'll pick the awesome/suicidal one.

Wouldn't the captains/pilots let them know the airship couldn't make it?

The Captain/Pilots are Goblins who embody the principle of Notgonnasplode, which is to say, they have never attempted to fly an airship in arctic conditions before, so they have little reason to believe things won't turn out fine.

Also, the Crash itself is likely the result of an attack more than anything. I would prefer not to have the ship brought down by something as mundane as ice buildup.

Theoretically, the ship CAN make it, provided nothing goes wrong.

but what's the last time nothing went wrong.

[toapat]

first thing first:

The way the Notgonnasplode 3 crashes:

The balloon explodes, crashes into the swamp, explodes again, and then sinks into it


Other crew:

Sir Hind De Burg
Ghurner Von Gaun (chief engineer, he survives, his next one uses 2 Lightning elementals)
Ensign Redshirt

[BRC]

first thing first:

The way the Notgonnasplode 3 crashes:

The balloon explodes, crashes into the swamp, explodes again, and then sinks into it


Other crew:

Sir Hind De Burg
Ghurner Von Gaun (chief engineer, he survives, his next one uses 2 Lightning elementals)
Ensign Redshirt
Right, sorry, the captain should be Captain Hinden, not Heisen (I've been watching too much Breaking Bad, mixed up my 'bergs).
And I'll be sure to include an interchangeable rabble of red-shirted crewmen.

[Magesmiley]

So many fun things that you could do...

1. Drop hints that the ship might not be entirely safe. Let them observe a goblin caster creating/summoning some additional hydrogen to replenish a slow leak in the ship. Later have the elemental get loose. Watch the PCs panic as they realize how bad it could turn out.

2. Have a dragon decide that the top of the airship would be a great place to take a break. Make the additional weight slow/stop the airship. A fight atop the airship's gas bag could be a very fun scene. If you make it a red dragon, you could even have the captain talk about the problems the earlier ship had with the fire elemental (again, letting the PCs know that this is not a good place to be).

3. Something is wrong with the rations. Have the crew start dropping dead (they are goblin rations, after all), and the PCs have to take charge of flying the ship. As I suspect that none of them have put ranks into Profession (Airship Pilot), there are pretty good odds that they'll put the ship into the ground. Mix in some sort of a combat encounter and it is almost a sure thing. If you don't like the food problems, there is always an aerial encounter that eliminates a sizable chunk of the crew.

4. A storm. With lightning. Need I say more.

[toapat]

Right, sorry, the captain should be Captain Hinden, not Heisen (I've been watching too much Breaking Bad, mixed up my 'bergs).
And I'll be sure to include an interchangeable rabble of red-shirted crewmen.

then the navigator should be Heisen

also, no, have an actual ensign redshirt

[Darrin]

Notgonnasplode is actually a goblin word full of nuance and meaning. An official translation is “Perseverance”, but a more accurate translation would be “Trial By Error”
Goblins have 63 words for Trial By Error.


There is so much indescribable Awesome in this post, I have tears coming out of my eyes (although this could also be whatever plagues my disease-ridden
coworkers are heaping on me this flu season).



Specifically, I am trying to work out an encounter that has several outcomes.
1 (best outcome): The Notgonnasplode is able to make a controlled crash landing. It’s badly damaged, but repairable if the PC’s can find some macguffin in the local wilderness/ find the Engineer who feather-falled off the ship during the attack.
2: The Notgonnasplode makes a semi-controlled crash landing, It’s very badly damaged, and will not fly anytime soon. However, the PC’s have all their supplies (Food, Sleds , Explosives, Maps, Charts, Medical Supplies, cold weather gear, survival gear, ect) intact.


Use both of these, preferably #1 followed by #2. While you don't want the PCs to use the ship to skip all your hard work, the ship has too much genius in it already to not bring it back for a few encores.

I'd follow up with:

3: The PCs battle the unforgiving elements, ice monsters, and various diabolical encounters across the frozen wilderness, almost make it to their destination, but some horrible catastrophe sends them to the bottom of an ice crevice or something. They're at the extreme end of their supplies, contemplating which hireling to eat first, when the Notgonnasplode drops out of the sky with fresh supplies and a few pithy remarks like "What took you so long? We repaired the ship three weeks ago and have been looking for you since then!", "Cold enough for ya?", "This is real snow! Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?", etc.

4: "Game over, no way. There's no possible way we can defeat this Uttercold Assault Necromancer and his Gateway to Infinite Evil Brainfreeze unless we had a huge bomb the size of an... an... airship?"



More ideas for the Ship itself.


The lightning elemental is tempermental, and frequently "breaks down", refusing to move anything anywhere. The goblins have various means to fix this with varying degrees of success, but at some point the suggestion is made to the PCs that they could "help". What's really going on is the elemental is bored out of its mind, and is desperate for something to distract or enterain it, but none of the goblins speak Auran. If the PCs can figure out how to talk to it, turns out the elemental makes a pretty darned good partner for contract bridge. (After the ship crashes, the freed elemental may be encoutnered later, with its attitude determined largely by how well they were able to alleviate its boredom.)

A lot of the furniture on the ship are homonculi (or similar animated objects) with somewhat peculiar ideas on how to be "helpful" (think of the doors on Douglas Adam's "Heart of Gold".) At some point early on, the ship is in some sort of perilous danger, and the captain/engineer realizes they're carrying too much weight, and orders the PCs to throw all of the furniture off the ship. The homonculi are, of course, confused by this horrible betrayal, and do whatever they can to stay on the ship (possibly even locking themselves in a hold and sending out a representative to "negotiate"). Later, after the PCs are fending for themselves, they keep running across furniture that survived the fall off the ship and are wandering around the wilderness, which could suddenly appear and help out the PCs in a moment of crisis to prove their undying loyalty or attack their "former masters" for the indignity of being thrown overboard. At least one wardrobe fell into a village of dim but impressionable natives and is now worshipped as a gawd, C3P0-style.

An amorous Celestial Soarwhale decides that it's mating season, and what with the sharp delcine of available mates in the area, the Notgonnasplode looks like an acceptable substitute. Turns out he's actually been enchanted by his friends as a prank, and thinks the Notgonnasplode is a female Soarwhale that's been cursed with an illusion spell. If the PCs can figure this out, then a successful dispel magic or break enchantment will send him on his way.



Ideas for the encounter, specifically I’m looking for an encounter that, while the PC’s can’t “Win” (I’m open to outright victory as a possibility of course, but it would have to be the result of something extraordinary on their part. Basically, I’m not planning for them to keep the airship afloat, but if they manage to do so, better for them), the better they do in this encounter, the better off they will be afterwards.


Airship accidentally flies into an airborn cloud of Dread Blossom Swarms (possibly kicked off into the air over a disagreement with a dining room table set with a differing opinion on it's "weight problem"/"It's not my fault I'm a hardwood!"). DBS paralyzes the crew, forcing the PCs to deal with the "Instruction Manual", which hasn't exactly been updated since Notgonnasplode I (maybe this is where they discover there were multiple iterations). Put the "Reset Autopilot Switch" in some gawdforsaken remote corner of the hold, protected of course the usual Galaxy-Quest-Style flamers/mashers "security measures".

[BRC]

Good Ideas
Ooh, that gives me an interesting idea for an intermediary encounter (I don't want the first encounter where they have the Airship to ALSO be the one where it crashes).

While the ship is in Dry dock back in the PC's home city, the conspiracy manages to replace one of the crates in the hold with some sort of magical device. A few nights out from port, the entire ship gets hit by a Sleep Spell (One that knocks out the Low-HD goblins crew, but dosn't effect the PC's), and a Boarding Party gets teleported in (The Crate also contains a Teleport beacon).

The PC's then get to wrest control of the airship and fight off the boarding party while dodging mountaintops and stormclouds.

I love the smell of Untrained skillchecks in the morning.

maybe I'll make a table, every round nobody is at the wheel/people fail their skillchecks, the ship lists to a random side, all combatants slide 10 feet in the appropriate direction. If you crash into a wall (you slid into it) you take damage. Plus Acrobatic's checks to not fall prone.
As for the "Crash" encounter, my current thoughts were this.

A Cold Rider, riding on a Frost Drake. The PC's can use the deck guns to try to defend against it.

It's Targets are as follows.

The two Gasbags (One on either side of the Airship).

The Main Engine.

The Pilot.
Every target that gets taken down before the PC's can drive off the Cold Rider means the situation when they crash is worse. The only issue with this is that it means I don't get to use any of that delicious spirited charge damage against the PC's themselves, since the Rider and his drake will be too busy tearing up the ship.


If the Ship crashes, the PC's assume the entire crew to be lost. Later on, they show up in the Notgonnasplode IV (They find some ancient ruins and, with the help of magic items found within,a friendly tribe of Yetis, and a Can-Do attitude, manage to ressurrect a flying fortress built by a forgotten empire).

[Magesmiley]

I love the smell of Untrained skillchecks in the morning.

maybe I'll make a table, every round nobody is at the wheel/people fail their skillchecks, the ship lists to a random side, all combatants slide 10 feet in the appropriate direction. If you crash into a wall (you slid into it) you take damage. Plus Acrobatic's checks to not fall prone.


Another fun effect might be that rathter than having a proper cargo hold that most of the equipment and gear is just strapped to or hanging off the side of the ship. Failed rolls to control the ship might drop some of the gear. This could have the added fun of when the PCs are later on foot they can discover some of the 'lost' gear on the ground.

[Crustypeanut]

I wish I was a player in this campaign.. this is so full of win and awesome.

[nedz]

It would be better if the PCs crashed the ship themselves — just saying.

I like the badly stowed cargo idea — can you get the PCs to load up their expedition supplies themselves ?

First bit of bad weather random attack causes the cargo to shift and the ship to acquire a list. It then starts spiralling down into the ground, nice and slowly.

Or: Flying monsters attack the vessel, the PCs shoot down the dive-bombing critters only to have them crash into the ship anyway. Cargo gets loose, shifts, the vessel lists and starts spiralling downwards. The cargo must be re-stowed, but the critters are still attacking and it looks like a storm is coming in.

[BRC]

It would be better if the PCs crashed the ship themselves — just saying.

I like the badly stowed cargo idea — can you get the PCs to load up their expedition supplies themselves ?

First bit of bad weather random attack causes the cargo to shift and the ship to acquire a list. It then starts spiralling down into the ground, nice and slowly.

Or: Flying monsters attack the vessel, the PCs shoot down the dive-bombing critters only to have them crash into the ship anyway. Cargo gets loose, shifts, the vessel lists and starts spiralling downwards. The cargo must be re-stowed, but the critters are still attacking and it looks like a storm is coming in.

Keeping track of individual crates would slow things down waayyy too much, but I could do a thing where, if they're in the cargo hold, they have to reflex save vs damage and trip every time the ship lists due to sliding cargo.


How about this.

The Ship is given two stats, Altitude and Integrity.

When the encounter begins, the Engine is frozen. Every round, the ship automatically loses 1 altitude.
Ship Hazards
{table=head]Name|Caused By|Trigger|Effect
Hydrogen Leak|Damage to Gasbag|% Chance anytime somebody uses a firearm or fire(or lightning) damage|Reflex Save vs Fire damage +extra damage to gasbag, -1 altitude, -1 integrity, will start fires.
Elemental Containment Breach| Damage to engine room|% chance every round| Characters near walls take lightning damage, may set off Hydrogen.
Ship Listing|Damage to Piloting|Every round a pilot fails to succeed a check| All combatants slide 1 direction, chance of tripping. Reflex Save vs Damage if on Cargo level.
Explosion| Fire Damage to Kitchen or Magazine| Same as trigger| Reflex Save vs Fire damage for all in room, -2 integrity
[/table]
Something like that. Extra damage to the Engines or Gasbags mean additional loss of Altitude every round.
Then I use Integrity+ Altitude Lost Per Round when the ship crashes to determine how things went.
If Integrity hits 0 when the ship is still in the air,then the ship explodes or breaks apart.


I'm currently thinking two encounters. One (Pre-Crash) where the ship Survives, but may take some damage, and other, where the ship crashes.I don't want the only time this ship is used to also be the time they lose it.


Still need more Crewmember names. I'll add

Ensign Rhirt and
Lieutenant Lucy Tania
To the crew.

[nedz]

Keeping track of individual crates would slow things down waayyy too much, but I could do a thing where, if they're in the cargo hold, they have to reflex save vs damage and trip every time the ship lists due to sliding cargo.

You're very right, but that wasn't my point.

Loading cargo correctly is a highly skilled job, plenty of ships have founded IRL because they got this wrong. ... So its just a skill roll, on a trained only skill which they won't likely have. What can possibly go wrong ?

[Toy Killer]

Oh My god, I love this idea. I would totally steal it if it could fit in my campaign.

Please, PLEASE! Feel free to use these quotes during the battle/crash/adventure/campaign:


I told you we should've constructed additional Pylons!
Well, I guess re-arranging the furniture was a waste of time after-all
This wouldnt've happened if we got White Wall Tires!
OH! The Goblinanity!
Wait? We have paperwork for test flights?
The hell is a.... Softee... percussion?
Go fix it yourself! I Quit!
Uh... Ladies and gentlemen, we seem to have hit some mild turbulance...
Greyhawk, we've got a problem...
Please return your tray tables up to the full upright and Locked positions!
40% of the time, this works every time! <Hit's the engine with ratchet>
Aww... man... I put my money on Technical failure...

[toapat]

you missed Navigator Heisenberg

[Toy Killer]

Co-pilot Gewse?

[Darth Stabber]

How are the goblins isolating elemental hydrogen? If it's via electrolysis of water, there is the amusing possibility that a flaw in separation of the hydrogen and the oxygen, making the notgonnasplode III even more explosive than the first two.

Or, even more amusingly, they are electrolyzing as they go, to keep pace with a leak. If you can't find fun (read horrifying) things to do with concentrated O2, you didn't pay much attention in science class.

Even at the lowest level, they could be pumping straight into the cabin to keep everyone calm as terrifying things happen around them. Fort save vs. Inability to act. (Hyperoxygenation will get you high, and make you calm, even in situations where panic is appropriate).

[Flickerdart]

If there is a conspiracy, maybe the conspirator is sloppy. The PCs have a chance to notice him, defeat him, and learn about the conspiracy. If they do, then when the enemy sends a ship against them, their engines will still be operational. In the ensuing firefight, the Notgonnasplode catches fire, but the other ship is still functional...the only way to take it out is to ram their airship into it! :smallbiggrin:

[Shunka Warakin]

*Wipes tears from eyes*

This. Is. Beautiful. So beautiful. I love you all. Help me kill my husband and marry me.

Some additional aviation names gone wrong:

Earhart,
Lindbergh,
Wingfoot (an airship which caught fire over Chicago in the 20s)
Dixmude (an airship which exploded)
Jordache (an airship which crashed in the early 80s...Right next to where the Hindenburg did half a century before)

I am absolutely not an airship or history geek, honest.

[nedz]

Alternate plot idea:

Have some of the cargo be a strange fruit which tastes like bread
Name the first mate Fletcher Maglubiyet
Mutiny
Profit

[BRC]

*Wipes tears from eyes*

This. Is. Beautiful. So beautiful. I love you all. Help me kill my husband and marry me.

Some additional aviation names gone wrong:

Earhart,
Lindbergh,
Wingfoot (an airship which caught fire over Chicago in the 20s)
Dixmude (an airship which exploded)
Jordache (an airship which crashed in the early 80s...Right next to where the Hindenburg did half a century before)

I am absolutely not an airship or history geek, honest.

Yes! That is exactly what I was looking for.
Lindbergh is too much of a local hero (St. Louis) for me to use him on this ship, but Wingfoot, Dixmude, and Jordache are all excellent.

So the current Crew Roster is

Captain/Backup Engineer Hinden
First Mate Lucille Tania
Helmsgoblin Icky
Chief Engineer Daedel
Crewgoblin Wingfoot (Backup Pilot)
Gunner Dixmude
Gunner Jordache
Ensign Rhirt

Navigator Heisen is tempting, but he dosn't go with the theme.

Encounter Idea

The PC's and Crew are sitting around the ship as it goes through a thunderstorm when all of a sudden the lights flicker, the Engine stalls, and an alarm bell goes off.
Presumably one of the PC's goes "What was that?"
Captain Hinden Responds: "Breach in the elemental containment field. We're going to have to institute protocol PM-1523 until we can stabilize the field."
One of the PC's asks "What's PM?"
The Entire goblin crew shouts in unison: "PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE!"

The PC's then have to run around the ship as Lightning Elementals (really, just the one Lightning elemental reaching through various devices, but stated as multiple smaller ones) manifest around the ship, coming out of light fixtures, navigation equipment, secondary engines, ect. The PC's must keep the ship working by performing Percussive Maintenance (EG hitting Things Really Hard) until things can be fixed.

[Flickerdart]

Make sure to employ certified tools for percussive maintenance. Foot- and mallet-based percussive maintenance is superior to all other kinds.

[Darth Stabber]

Make sure to employ certified tools for percussive maintenance. Foot- and mallet-based percussive maintenance is superior to all other kinds.

No, this is a time for precision: percussive maintenance with a carefully calibrated dial calipers. Don't get chintzy with it.
more broken glass on the floor that way

[The Redwolf]

No Titanic reference? Also, this whole thing sounds awesome, kudos to you as a DM.

[Deepbluediver]

This is so awesome I couldn't finish reading through the thread before posting, so sorry if I repeat anything; I'll edit my post after this.

For the conflict itself, why not have the ship acidentally fly near a battle between several storm giants, Colossal wind elementals, dragons, or other airborn creatures. This lets you use enemies that are too powerful for your characters to defeat outright, but so long as they are focused on each other (i.e. not your group and airship) the damage is entirely collateral, and therefor survivable. You could have a wounded creature crash onto the deck, and start smashing things up in a blind panic/rage, or just give the players an opportunity to avoid/attack one side or the other.
If they succeed in helping one side or the other, even if their ship is damaged perhaps they get some help controlling the crash landing in return. Or, they try to "help" the losing side, and eventually the winner turns on them in anger.


For the crew, maybe name them after the various members of the crew of the Argo (from greek mythology). This is a little more subtle than some of the other names, but I think it would be neat if the players actually manage to pick up on it.

If your group is more into pop-culture, name them after the crew of the Serenity (Firefly).


Edit: I love the "altitude/integrity" measurement, but I would say that the battle should continue until the "altitude" reaches zero, at which point integrity alone determines that landing. Of course, if the PC's figure this out, they could force a landing early, but this put them much further from their target.

If the PC's need to help fix the ship, there are a couple options such as capturing a new elemental or finding a natural hydrogen-gas vent, or tracking down lightweight but strong material to repair the hull, in a wasteland devoid of trees.
(I'm going WAAAAAAAAY back here, but on an episode of the TV-show version of Disney's Aladdin there was a character with a flying airship. After it got wrecked, he repaired it with the bones of giant sand-shark. This was apparently awesome enough that it's stuck with me for over a decade and is probably responsible for my current fascination with fantasy airships.)

[only1doug]

The PC's then have to run around the ship as Lightning Elementals (really, just the one Lightning elemental reaching through various devices, but stated as multiple smaller ones) manifest around the ship, coming out of light fixtures, navigation equipment, secondary engines, ect. The PC's must keep the ship working by performing Percussive Maintenance (EG hitting Things Really Hard) until things can be fixed.

I'd suggest reconsidering this, have multiple small elementals as your power source (lets say 40 of them), as the Elementals attempt to escape they have to be subdued and returned to containment, if killed or allowed to escape the ships available power supply is reduced.

This should ultimately be the cause of the ship becoming stranded (condition 1), too many elementals have escaped (only the subdued ones remain perhaps) through a major breach.
More elementals must be lured in and captured (ala ghostbusters) before the ship can be operated again.

the other conditions (crashes) occur if the airship loses altitute too rapidly.

Even if the party succeed beyond expectation, their speed is guaranteed to be reduced by engine damage (lost elementals).

Encounter: overwhelming opposition- the enemy are coming in thick and fast, they seem to be concentrating on 3 targets, the Gasbags, the engine and the crew.

The PCs have to decide how to direct their defence, they can try to ensure that 2 of the three remain intact or they can spread themselves thinly and risk damage to everything, hoping the Notgonnasplode lives up to its name.

regardless of what the PCs decide either the airbags or the engine should receive enough attention by the enemies to take significant damage, requiring a delay to repair it.
If the gas bags are damaged then gravity will ensure a landing is acheived, how rapidly this occurs will be decided by damage taken. (and can easily result in additional damage to the ship)
If the Engines are damaged then the elementals have escaped from primary containment into the secondary systems, subdue them and return them to primary containment. Some may escape from the secondary systems during the battle if the PCs are mopping up the initial aggressors too quickly.
If the crew get killed then who will fly the airship...

[BRC]

I'd suggest reconsidering this, have multiple small elementals as your power source (lets say 40 of them), as the Elementals attempt to escape they have to be subdued and returned to containment, if killed or allowed to escape the ships available power supply is reduced.

This should ultimately be the cause of the ship becoming stranded (condition 1), too many elementals have escaped (only the subdued ones remain perhaps) through a major breach.
More elementals must be lured in and captured (ala ghostbusters) before the ship can be operated again.

the other conditions (crashes) occur if the airship loses altitute too rapidly.

Even if the party succeed beyond expectation, their speed is guaranteed to be reduced by engine damage (lost elementals).

Encounter: overwhelming opposition- the enemy are coming in thick and fast, they seem to be concentrating on 3 targets, the Gasbags, the engine and the crew.

The PCs have to decide how to direct their defence, they can try to ensure that 2 of the three remain intact or they can spread themselves thinly and risk damage to everything, hoping the Notgonnasplode lives up to its name.

regardless of what the PCs decide either the airbags or the engine should receive enough attention by the enemies to take significant damage, requiring a delay to repair it.
If the gas bags are damaged then gravity will ensure a landing is acheived, how rapidly this occurs will be decided by damage taken. (and can easily result in additional damage to the ship)
If the Engines are damaged then the elementals have escaped from primary containment into the secondary systems, subdue them and return them to primary containment. Some may escape from the secondary systems during the battle if the PCs are mopping up the initial aggressors too quickly.
If the crew get killed then who will fly the airship...

Hrmm, that might work better. A bunch of Lightning elementals.

The PC's are in charge of knocking them down to, let's say, 10 HP. If they drop below 10, then the Goblins can jump in with their Proton Packs and wrangle them back into position. If they get knocked down to 0 HP, the Elemental dies and the Ship is that much weaker later on. Every round an Elemental is between 10 and 1 HP the Goblins make a Check to Wrangle it. (Check is 1d10 vs HP) Meanwhile, the Elementals will keep causing a ruckus.


Edit: Also, as for the "Overwhelming Force" encounter...I had an idea. Hydra+Fly Speed= Skydra.

Edit II: Hydra + Jet Pack.

[JimboG]

Aww, no love for the names Biggs and Wedge, the two pilots in the original Star Wars movie who got smoked by Vader?

[Flickerdart]

Edit II: Hydra + Jet Pack.
Pyrohydra using its breath weapon as jets.

[Vorr]

First off, you might want to talk with your players on the ways to play the game. Your obviously type E.

Type E: You set an adventure destination(the mad lab), but you see getting there as part of the adventure. You want the players to go on an epic adventure quest, Lord of the Rings style, before they go on the adventure(rain the mad lab).

Your players are type As:

Type A: They are given an adventure (raid the mad lab) and they assume that the given adventure is the adventure. They assume that they should get to the adventure as quickly as possible and start the adventure.

Simply put, you never should have had a skyship for them to take. But what is done is done. And all you need to do is adapt.

For example, an easy one is to make the mad lab mobile. Then they still have to chase it more and more to try and catch up.

[Deepbluediver]

@Vorr

Where do these descriptions of different player-types come from?

[BRC]

First off, you might want to talk with your players on the ways to play the game. Your obviously type E.

Type E: You set an adventure destination(the mad lab), but you see getting there as part of the adventure. You want the players to go on an epic adventure quest, Lord of the Rings style, before they go on the adventure(rain the mad lab).

Your players are type As:

Type A: They are given an adventure (raid the mad lab) and they assume that the given adventure is the adventure. They assume that they should get to the adventure as quickly as possible and start the adventure.

Simply put, you never should have had a skyship for them to take. But what is done is done. And all you need to do is adapt.

For example, an easy one is to make the mad lab mobile. Then they still have to chase it more and more to try and catch up.
My players are aware that getting to the Lab is part of the adventure. Their CHARACTERS chose the airship because it's the fastest way to get there. The PLAYERS chose the airship because Airships are cool. They don't even know where the lab IS right now, only that it's hidden somewhere in a giant glacier (Though they know where a map to the lab is, so they're going there first). I told them "There is going to be some wilderness stuff before you hit a dungeon crawl".

I called the ship the "Notgonnasplode". I'm not really sure how to be less subtle than that.

I specifically made them choose the route the ship would fly (Over a valley full of orcs and giants, a bay full of sea monsters, or a forest full of DIFFERENT orcs and DIFFERENT monsters.) I all but asked them where they would prefer to crash-land.
I have not specifically sat down and told my players "Is it okay if I make you guys walk through the tundra for a while". But I assume they can take a hint.
If any of my players are surprised when they find themselves stumbling out of a flaming wreck into a hostile landscape full of ice and monsters, I will be shocked.

You seem to think that their choice of the Airship indicates that they want to skip the whole journey and get right to the dungeon.


I remain firm in my belief that they chose the Airship because they want to start this journey like good adventurers: Screaming, On Fire, and moving Very Fast.


Also: Pyrohydras are WAY too scary. I'll stick to my rocket powered Skydra.

[Vorr]

@Vorr

Where do these descriptions of different player-types come from?

Book of Life, page 843. paragraph 3.

[The Glyphstone]

Aww, no love for the names Biggs and Wedge, the two pilots in the original Star Wars movie who got smoked by Vader?

Don't you mean Biggs and Porkins? Wedge survived the first movie.

[RFLS]

Book of Life, page 843. paragraph 3.

My google-fu seems to be failing me, all I'm turning up is the well known religious text of the same name.

[Flickerdart]

I think he's implying that he made up the categorizations...however, considering nobody else knows about them, that kind of makes them useless as points of reference.

[Deepbluediver]

My google-fu seems to be failing me, all I'm turning up is the well known religious text of the same name.

Indeed. Wikipedia has links (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Life_(disambiguation)) to several possible sources by this name, but I'm uncertain as to which it might be.


Edit:
I think he's implying that he made up the categorizations...however, considering nobody else knows about them, that kind of makes them useless as points of reference.

If that's the case, then I still want to know what types B through D would represent.

[TopCheese]

I couldn't quote the entire thread (err well I could but..) but I just wanted to say..


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Niiiice.

>:D

[BRC]

, so as it stands I have three encounters planned for this thing.

1st: Percussive Maintenance AKA "Something Strange in the Engine Room"

Containment Breach. PC's need to help the Goblins wrangle Elementals back into the engine.

2nd: Grand Theft Airship Aka "Hey Hey, You You".
The Airship stops off at a Port town/ Penal colony. While the PC's are out shopping, a bunch of ruffians storm the ship and try to sail it away. PC's get to chase it across some rooftops and try to get it back.

3rd: "Lift Goeth Before the Fall" Aka Skydras.

Three modified half-dragon hydras (Five heads, rockets instead of breath weapon, Jetpacks, no Elemental immunities), to bring down the Airship. If they land their weight alone will reduce the altitude, and they'll split their Heads between dealing with annoying PC's and smashing up the ship. The PC's will have some time to shoot at them with the big deck guns as they approach, so this won't be impossible.

I'll later explain where the Skydras came from, and who sent them.

I could also do this with a swarm of gargoyles or something, but I like the word "Skydra" way too much.

Skydra Skydra Skydra.


Skydra Skydra.


Skydra.

[Tvtyrant]

, so as it stands I have three encounters planned for this thing.

1st: Percussive Maintenance AKA "Something Strange in the Engine Room"

Containment Breach. PC's need to help the Goblins wrangle Elementals back into the engine.

2nd: Grand Theft Airship Aka "Hey Hey, You You".
The Airship stops off at a Port town/ Penal colony. While the PC's are out shopping, a bunch of ruffians storm the ship and try to sail it away. PC's get to chase it across some rooftops and try to get it back.

3rd: "Lift Goeth Before the Fall" Aka Skydras.

Three modified half-dragon hydras (Five heads, rockets instead of breath weapon, Jetpacks, no Elemental immunities), to bring down the Airship.

I'll later explain where the Skydras came from, and who sent them.

I could also do this with a swarm of gargoyles or something, but I like the word "Skydra" way too much.

Skydra Skydra Skydra.


Skydra Skydra.


Skydra.

Great, now I have to incorporate rocket propulsion hydras into my campaigns. I hope you are happy!

[BRC]

Great, now I have to incorporate rocket propulsion hydras into my campaigns. I hope you are happy!

We will not rest until WoTC and/or Paizo release "Complete Skydra: A Guide to...but they dont...that dosn't even....couldn't you just give them wings?....but why Jetpacks?....okay, if you insist....Rocket Propelled Hydras"

[Tvtyrant]

We will not rest until WoTC and/or Paizo release "Complete Skydra: A Guide to...but they dont...that dosn't even....really?....okay....Rocket Propelled Hydras"

With their subversive cousins, the Cryoskydras.

http://starbaseatlanta.com/catalog/images/xmimpatch0005[1].jpg

Like this only flying backwards towards their prey!

[BRC]

One more thing: The ship itself. Some very quick, very undetailed layouts.

Should I go with Sailing Ship+ Balloons (Big, open deck on top, with 3 or 4 smaller decks underneath)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Airshiplayout_zps67f9558b.png
This is easier to stage encounters on, since I have that nice big top deck with all sorts of vital systems within Smashing reach, but it dosn't make as much sense (Not that any of this does)

or more like a Zeppelin (2 Decks, one for living, the the other for Engine/Storage, with a deck around the outside so I have someplace to land monsters)

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/zepplinlayout_zps7a96fe00.png

[Darrin]

While I much prefer the first design, it's too easy for your Skydras to tear apart, and the PCs will have trouble targeting them without the gasbags providing cover.

So the second design will probably be easier to defend. Then again... I like the multiple airbags thing. If one side goes, then it might be amusing to see the PCs navigate the decks at a 90-degree list. However, more airbags gives the PCs more leeway to keep the ship from crashing... lose one bag, and the ship is mostly afloat and can probably be repaired, lose two and you're in deep kimshee but probably still in the air, lose three and you're going down but have a chance to survive the landing.

[toapat]

Neither. Do it like this:
Dirgible Aircraft carrier (http://www.spore.com/sporepedia#qry=usr-toapat%7C2263263625%3Asast-500612634355)

[nedz]

Neither. Do it like this:
Dirgible Aircraft carrier (http://www.spore.com/sporepedia#qry=usr-toapat%7C2263263625%3Asast-500612634355)

Which is less fantastical than you think (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Macon_%28ZRS-5%29).

[toapat]

Which is less fantastical than you think (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Macon_%28ZRS-5%29).

thats not the same idea. THe thing i linked is the balloons under the main decks

[BRC]

Hrmm...here's two more.

The first is basically Design 2, but with a gasbag on either side, and a nice, big open sky deck serving as a bridge between them.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Airshipwithdeck_zps3b0c5f55.png
The Skydra fight can take place on this top deck. The Skydras take out the primary engine, and land on the top deck where they start attacking the gasbags/ steering engine. The more damage to the steering engines, the worse the crash.

Another option is the "Floating Island", aka "What Is Aerodynamics"

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/floatingisland_zps29def237.png
After our first session went way too long, I'm trying to restrain my map sizes (most encounters will only take place on one deck). This one has the Storage Deck and the Living Deck serving as the cookie part of this Oreo, with the Gasbags/engineering deck being the "Cream". Skydras can land on the top deck and start smashing.

The Skydras are probably going to land/Cling to the side of the ship so they can make the best use of their full attack actions.

[toapat]

Hrmm...here's two more.

The first is basically Design 2, but with a gasbag on either side, and a nice, big open sky deck serving as a bridge between them.

yes, that one.

Im guessing Ghurnner Von Gaun is actually a PC in and of himself? so he can have enough money to actually build it of course, he only needs to be i think lvl 9

[BRC]

yes, that one.

Im guessing Ghurnner Von Gaun is actually a PC in and of himself? so he can have enough money to actually build it of course, he only needs to be i think lvl 9
Not sure I'm going to use him. I've got the crew pretty well sorted out.
I also don't get the reference.

[Tvtyrant]

The Skydras don't need to know how a dirigible/airship works. They could ignore the gas bags entirely and concentrate on the food.

[toapat]

Not sure I'm going to use him. I've got the crew pretty well sorted out.
I also don't get the reference.

1: he would be chief engineer
2: he ran NASA for years after defecting from germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun)

[Flickerdart]

yes, that one.

Im guessing Ghurnner Von Gaun is actually a PC in and of himself? so he can have enough money to actually build it of course, he only needs to be i think lvl 9
Once the airship goes up, who cares where it comes down? That's not my department, says Ghurnner von Gaun.

[BRC]

The Skydras don't need to know how a dirigible/airship works. They could ignore the gas bags entirely and concentrate on the food.

True, if they wreck enough engines in their opening salvo, their weight alone would start dragging down the airship. Either fighting the PC's, or smashing up the deck to try to get to the Goblins below. I think three massive rocket powered hydras can cause sufficient damage to a wood-metal-and hydrogen airship without trying too hard.

Also. Ah, of course.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDjmEj25k5U) May use him as the Designer, but he won't be onboard.

He's a smart goblin.

[toapat]

Also. Ah, of course.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDjmEj25k5U) May use him as the Designer, but he won't be onboard.

He's a smart goblin.

even better for him to be the chief engineer

[BRC]

even better for him to be the chief engineer
I said he's a SMART goblin.

No way he would set foot on one of these deathtraps.

[toapat]

I said he's a SMART goblin.

No way he would set foot on one of these deathtraps.

no, i mean he is still chief engineer, 300 miles away

[only1doug]

Hrmm...here's two more.

The first is basically Design 2, but with a gasbag on either side, and a nice, big open sky deck serving as a bridge between them.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Airshipwithdeck_zps3b0c5f55.png
The Skydra fight can take place on this top deck. The Skydras take out the primary engine, and land on the top deck where they start attacking the gasbags/ steering engine. The more damage to the steering engines, the worse the crash.



I definately go for this one, a sky deck between the two gas bags, cargo storage is between the bags, accomodation and defense points are then placed at the only exposed areas. Below the bags is pretty much just the landing gear / lower armement.

the sides of the gas bags are covered in rigging so that the goblins can access for any necessary repairs / additional storage space (by strapping things to the sides). (What do you mean that the enemies can grab hold of the rigging and use that to stow away / sabotage etc... That's unthinkable, no one would do that would they???)

[BRC]

I definately go for this one, a sky deck between the two gas bags, cargo storage is between the bags, accomodation and defense points are then placed at the only exposed areas. Below the bags is pretty much just the landing gear / lower armement.

the sides of the gas bags are covered in rigging so that the goblins can access for any necessary repairs / additional storage space (by strapping things to the sides). (What do you mean that the enemies can grab hold of the rigging and use that to stow away / sabotage etc... That's unthinkable, no one would do that would they???)

Hrmm... may need to rework things when I get home.

I had it set up with Cargo/Engine on the bottom level, allowing for Cargo to be easily loaded and unloaded via drop-ramp from the front of the ship, with Bridge/accommodations on the second level between the Bags, and the Sky Deck above.
Like this



Sky Deck
BagBag Live Deck BagBag
Cargo/Engine


Gas Bags definitely have Rigging on the sides, good thought there.
In terms of Armaments, this isn't really a Warship. Cannons are heavy, and in this setting, only Airships with an Imperial Commission are allowed to carry cannon.
The Goblins have mounted several Double Hackbuts (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/weapons/weapon-descriptions/double-hackbut) around the ship for defense, mainly on the Sky Deck, although they may have one or two mounted in turrets on the Cargo level. It's enough to discourage airborne predators and the odd Amorous Skywhale, but the ship is hardly an artillery platform.

A more Streamlined design might be to have the Accomodation and such mounted inside the Gasbags, with Cargo, Engine, and Bridge between them, and a Skydeck on top.

Of course, this would mean that the kitchens are literally inside the gasbags, one hydrogen leak away from exploding the ship everytime somebody tries to cook, but this IS the Notgonnasplode.

[only1doug]

Well, it sounds like you have decided the relevant details, let us know how it turns out.

Happy Gaming.

[BRC]

Actually, there is something else I need: Treasure.

This particular Adventure is going to end with the Crash, and potential Explosion of the Notgonnasplode. I need some ideas for Treasure in the roughly 5-7k GP range. The PC's will probably not have access to a store for a while after this, and preferably these would be random things they could find in the crash site (Like a random chunk of Debris that is now acting as a magical weapon)

And yes, I'm open to Crazy Idea, anything from magic items to more esoteric bonuses. Perhaps something that gives them a Morale bonus because They survived a trip in that deathtrap, now NOTHING will kill them.

[Flickerdart]

Well, anything coming in contact with the bound elementals gives you an excuse to drop any element-related loot. Crystals of energy assault, shock weapons, amulets of energy resistance, that sort of stuff.

[Doorhandle]

So many fun things that you could do...

1. Drop hints that the ship might not be entirely safe. Let them observe a goblin caster creating/summoning some additional hydrogen to replenish a slow leak in the ship. Later have the elemental get loose. Watch the PCs panic as they realize how bad it could turn out.

2. Have a dragon decide that the top of the airship would be a great place to take a break. Make the additional weight slow/stop the airship. A fight atop the airship's gas bag could be a very fun scene. If you make it a red dragon, you could even have the captain talk about the problems the earlier ship had with the fire elemental (again, letting the PCs know that this is not a good place to be).

3. Something is wrong with the rations. Have the crew start dropping dead (they are goblin rations, after all), and the PCs have to take charge of flying the ship. As I suspect that none of them have put ranks into Profession (Airship Pilot), there are pretty good odds that they'll put the ship into the ground. Mix in some sort of a combat encounter and it is almost a sure thing. If you don't like the food problems, there is always an aerial encounter that eliminates a sizable chunk of the crew.

4. A storm. With lightning. Need I say more.

I was about to say: Just because they're flying over the wilderness doesn't mean you can't barrage them with encounters.

other ideas:
*Opportunistic phase spiders, using a cliff only present in the ethereal plane to leap upon the ship.
*Akhluts (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/bestiary3/akhlut.html) deicing the ship is a tasty meal and attempting to use their powers over weather to bring it down.
* A lone giant tall enough to fight/grapple the airship while it's still flying.


As for items, well...
*Perhaps the dirigible balloon was made out of dragon-hide? You would think it would be RED dragon-hide, but a close inspection reveals that it's just black dragon-hide painted red.
*A pick or scythe-like object made from the warped ruins of the engine. Shocking/icy/flaming/corrosive/freaking everything burst.
*One of the players is radioactive! That can't can be good.
* Turns out some of the alchemical leakages are edible potions! your choice.
*the double hackbut themselves would certainly be valuable if not valued. Perhaps you could saw one off and make a normal rifle? Or include that spider item that cleans your gun for you...
* The crash attracts the attention of a local tribe, who believe the P.Cs to be gods or at least things worthy of respect and service!
*Perhaps bits of the ship itself could be recycled as an improvised sled?

[nedz]

A compass of some kind.

Part of the elemental binding system which is now levitating itself.

The fabric of the envelope which has some protective power and can be made into a cloak. It might be possible to make other garments with this stuff, but probably not in the wilderness.

[Toy Killer]

The Hyper-hydrological Piston Shaft! It can be wielded as a great club and is especially useful for Percussive maintenance! A +2 thundering burst weapon with an unusual effect of casting Minor Repair on anything it strikes (Great for beating down Orcs, doors on the other hand...)

The Broken Easy-button! The players Could get it to work... for a short period of time at least. Cast's Heroism on the player with a successful Knowledge (engineering) check DC15 (Or whatever is appropriate). Otherwise it cast Pyrotechnics on itself as though it were an open flame. Useable once a day.

Stained Copy of 'How things (Should) Work!' Player with this book can benefit from some light reading, and over-complicating the process of anything they can! Using the book allows them to add a +2d8 Competency bonus on a single Craft (Alchemy), Craft (Trap), or Knowledge (Engineering) checks. However, it does increase the DC of any such check by 5.

Brand-new Safety Goggles! +1 to saves from any trap or alchemy items. And you know you're the first to use them!

Ghurnner's Sneaky Socket Wrench! Normally a +1 Construct-bane one handed mace or club, when used against Constructs, it allows Rogues to deal sneak attack damage!

[Deepbluediver]

If you want the goblins the repair the ship, you cant take to much from it. But maybe they can fix it up leaner and meaner than before, leaving with you some surplus material to work with.

What exactly are you flying over? Could the ship have had the bad luck good luck coincedence to crash into some one's castle abandoned ruins?

What about treasure found on or in the creatures that attacked you? (i.e. the adventuring supplies of the last group the rocket-hyrdras attacked are located in it's stomach)

Also, where we going with that "mysterious package" in the cargo hold? What might be in that?

[artofregicide]

Treasure:

Some sort of unidentifiable device, which the goblins claim is a powerful artifact, but no one knows how to use. It's a strange contraption that beeps and clanks and occasionally glows with a strange light, but otherwise doesn't seem to do anything.

Where you go from there is up to you, but my suggestion is that the PC's find little/no use for it, and regardless of if being left behind or taken with them, it ends up being a useful (if not very specific) tool.

(I'd assume this would survive the crash.)

Also, make sure the PC's don't harvest the rockets from the rocket hydras. Unless you don't mind everything you throw at them getting a rocket to the face.

[Fable Wright]

How about the Lightning Elemental that powered the ship? After the crash, it's going to be bored, and probably breach the containment rig zone. The PCs are the only people around, so the Elemental's going to be sticking with them, though it's significantly weakened by the crash; it just hops from piece of metal to piece of metal. It's also rather handy; when in the blade of a melee weapon, it gives the weapon Shocking (Burst) and 1/day acting as a Channeled (as if by a 5th level Duskblade) Shocking Grasp. It can hop into a piece of metal being used as an (optional) focus of the spell to give it +1d6 Electricity damage on all spells cast through it. Optionally, the spark could gain power as time goes on, adding more damage or opening new options (like Haste).

As a drawback, the PCs get a hyperactive ADD lightning bug that can hide in their weapons and armor. It cannot be removed, and is free-spirited, meaning it might help enemies or the wrong person if the PCs don't listen to it.

[raspberrybadger]

First, I'd like to say that this is awesome, and I laughed out loud.

Second, as for treasure, I suggest random stuff from the previous ship. A (fire) elemental gem. Scrolls of resist energy (fire), or perhaps potions. That sort of thing. Ok, so I guess the fire resistance might be more help to the people fixing the ship than it really ought to be, but it's not like taking the mission critical parts out.

[BRC]

The Notgonnasplode has crashed, I might do a play-by-play later. For now, I will leave you with this.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Skydra_zps8a7c71ee.jpg

[Deepbluediver]

The Notgonnasplode has crashed, I might do a play-by-play later. For now, I will leave you with this.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Skydra_zps8a7c71ee.jpg

You are my new favorite person in the entire world. :smallbiggrin:

[artofregicide]

The Notgonnasplode has crashed, I might do a play-by-play later. For now, I will leave you with this.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Skydra_zps8a7c71ee.jpg

I think you may have just won.

+1 internet cookie to you sir.

[BRC]

I did not do the drawing, a friend of mine did at my request.

[Deepbluediver]

I did not do the drawing, a friend of mine did at my request.

Shhh, don't speak. You'll only ruin the moment with words.

[Doorhandle]

The Notgonnasplode has crashed, I might do a play-by-play later. For now, I will leave you with this.
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/bloddyredcommie/Skydra_zps8a7c71ee.jpg

Your freind is a good man.