flying ship

[Lightlawbliss]

Just wondering if anyone has run the numbers on the most economical way (all 3.0 and 3.5 books available, stick to RAW [even if illogical]) to make a flying ship. Able to land in water is optional. Keep in mind I'm talking big (20+ crew a shift) ships, not some commoner's raft.

[AWiz_Abroad]

Airship Creation Guide (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14zilT4WGOyHM0AfpG4-GmD2FkgDg1HZ9HC1cTleQHds/edit?usp=drive_web)

Should have everything you need.

[Krobar]

My bard's ship uses a Cloud Keel and Everfull Sails. It's pretty expensive, though, to make a legit flying ship. The Cloud Keel runs about 200,000 gp (Arms/Equipment Guide) and the Everfull Sails run about 12,000 gp per mast (Stormwrack). Personally, even as DM, I think the Cloud Keel is a bit overpriced. 200K? Really? I can get several scrolls of Wish for less than that and use those to make my ship fly AND get it a few immunities.

My bard picked up up a couple sets of Fharlanghn's Lines as well (Arms/Equipment Guide 8,100 gp per mast), and dispensed with the crew, along with a Captain's Table (Arms/Equipment Guide, 72,000 gp) and a Planar Helm (Stormwrack, 65,520 gp) when the party started plane shifting around to other planes.

[CaladanMoonblad]

Alternatively, if you want a flying tower, use Stronghold Builder's Guide.

Step 1) Buy a 3 story tower. Pay 800 gold, plus the cost for the material. The benefit of a Tower, is in the "building up rules" which allows you to treat any story tower as however many Stronghold Spaces you make the top floor (typically 0.5 or 1 for the Guard Post). This only works for towers RAW.
Step 2) Pay a Caster 15k to make it Flying.
Step 3) Pay the same caster between 5k and 25k depending on how fast you want it to go.
Step 4) Have fun flying through the air at speeds of 10 miles per hour to 1/96th miles per hour (if you go cheap).
So... for a fast Tower of Flying, pony up ~41k to 50k, unless you're a 17th level caster with "Reverse Gravity" and Craft Wondrous Item (then its 20k).

[Krobar]

Alternatively, if you want a flying tower, use Stronghold Builder's Guide.

Step 1) Buy a 3 story tower. Pay 800 gold, plus the cost for the material. The benefit of a Tower, is in the "building up rules" which allows you to treat any story tower as however many Stronghold Spaces you make the top floor (typically 0.5 or 1 for the Guard Post). This only works for towers RAW.
Step 2) Pay a Caster 15k to make it Flying.
Step 3) Pay the same caster between 5k and 25k depending on how fast you want it to go.
Step 4) Have fun flying through the air at speeds of 10 miles per hour to 1/96th miles per hour (if you go cheap).
So... for a fast Tower of Flying, pony up ~41k to 50k, unless you're a 17th level caster with "Reverse Gravity" and Craft Wondrous Item (then its 20k).

Shape your "tower" like this, and you're really getting somewhere:


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8232/zardoze.jpg

[Lightlawbliss]

My bard's ship uses a Cloud Keel and Everfull Sails. It's pretty expensive, though, to make a legit flying ship. The Cloud Keel runs about 200,000 gp (Arms/Equipment Guide) and the Everfull Sails run about 12,000 gp per mast (Stormwrack). Personally, even as DM, I think the Cloud Keel is a bit overpriced. 200K? Really? I can get several scrolls of Wish for less than that and use those to make my ship fly AND get it a few immunities.

My bard picked up up a couple sets of Fharlanghn's Lines as well (Arms/Equipment Guide 8,100 gp per mast), and dispensed with the crew, along with a Captain's Table (Arms/Equipment Guide, 72,000 gp) and a Planar Helm (Stormwrack, 65,520 gp) when the party started plane shifting around to other planes.

200k is a lot, along the lines of an 8th lvl spell on command is about 200k. If it gave the 60(perfect) of the fly spell I could understand 200k, but 40 (clumsy)? the mobility is worth more then the speed and clumsy isn't worth much.

[Nettlekid]

To get exactly what's on the tin, I vote buying one of the House Lyrandar Airships from the Eberron Campaign Setting. 92,000 gold, and it's yours. You can get details in that book and the Explorer's Handbook. It's made of naturally buoyant Soarwood, flying under the power of either a huge Air or Fire elemental bound to it. You use a Wheel of Wind and Water to control it. I think it's awesome. Just find a picture and look at it.

[ksbsnowowl]

There are also Halruaan Skyships in Shining South. They aren't near as maneuverable as the Eberron ones, however. But unlike the Eberron ones, they don't require you to have a specific dragonmark to operate the ship.

[Mutazoia]

There is also The Princess Ark (http://rpggeek.com/rpgseries/9801/the-voyage-of-the-princess-ark) As well as the Spelljammer (http://www.spelljammer.org/sj3e/) ships...

[Lightlawbliss]

I was asking for economical options, would you mind giving a cost for the options you are giving?

[Emperor Tippy]

I was asking for economical options, would you mind giving a cost for the options you are giving?

How much do you want to spend? How much space do you want? How fast do you want it to be able to fly? What kind of maneuverability do you want?

[Lightlawbliss]

No real max value

as much space as possible

as fast as possible

"standing" still would be nice

as inexpensive as possible

[Deadline]

Depending on what level you want to accomplish this at, at level 9 you could cast Animate Dead (Cleric 3rd, Sor/Wiz 4) to animate a Dragon Turtle or other big beastie (max HD of the undead can't be more than your caster level x2), then cast Overland Flight (Sor/Wiz 5) on it to have a giant flying "ship". And you can heal it with inflict spells too!

Total cost:
1 Onyx worth 3600gp (for a Skeletal Dragon Turtle)
1 5th level spell slot dedicated to Overland Flight for every 9 hours of travel (Overland Flight duration is 1 hour/level).

[Scow2]

I'd suggest going the Eberron route and binding an Elemental to power/fly it. Not only is it effective, but it also looks absolutely kickass. Or Fabricate a huge dirigible to use (a real airship). Use helium, not hydrogen. And NEVER try to bind a Fire Elemental to a Hydrogen-filled airship.

[Clistenes]

There are a couple threads you may like to read:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15322914

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263748

[Mutazoia]

I was asking for economical options, would you mind giving a cost for the options you are giving?


Are you building this as a player or as a GM?

If as a player, then cost is really up to what your GM will allow, so you'll need to work it out there.

If your building this as a GM then really economical options are moot. If you want a flying ship to be somewhere then poof it's there. It's assumed Kingdom X could afford it.

I did, however provide you a link to the Spelljammer 3.5 web page which does have a section on ship construction costs (http://lost.spelljammer.org/TBLIV/lsccs3e/3eShipConstruction.pdf)....