Spelljammer Primer
Wildspace
The vast void that lies between the planets and the stars is
called wildspace. These regions are primarily empty
expanses, but the cosmos is large and vast with plenty of
exceptions to the rules. Adventure is the only constant.
Air as a resource
The void of wildspace holds things together and is why
planets and moons can sustain enough air to sustain life. It is
also how ships can hold enough air for their crew.
Air Units, Vaati
The typical air unit spelljammers use is the vaati (named after
Wind Dukes of Aaqa). One vaati is the amount of air a small or
medium creature requires to survive for 24 hours. This table
shows the amount of air a creature consumes.
Creature
Required
Creature
Required
Dim light, and Dim light becomes total Darkness.
Size Vaati     Size Vaati
Tiny 1/2 Large 4 in shadow space.
Small 1 Huge 8
Medium 1 Gargantuan 16+
Air envelopes
The air envelope of a ship extends out from the edges of the
hull in all directions for a distance equal in length to the
vessel's beam, so that creatures aboard and near the ship can
breathe normally in space.
Just like ships, creatures and objects carry air envelops with
them in wildspace. When a creature leaves an atmosphere of
fresh air it carries enough air with it to sustain itself for a
minute. A creature that suddenly is ejected into the void
carries only a poor air envelope that will last only 2d4 rounds.
If two creatures physically interact for a round, the air
envelopes of both will merge and be redistributed equally in
among both creatures.
Foul air
Living creatures consume air, and once an air envelop is
mostly consumed the air is no longer suitable and creatures in
foul air become progressively exhausted until they die. After a
day of rest or an hour of physical labor, such as manning a
ship, a creature must make a Constitution saving throw
against a DC 15 or take a level of exhaustion.
While in foul air, creatures cannot recover levels of
exhaustion, even with appropriate food and water.
Air Taxes
Inhabited wildspace centers and citadels charge an air tax of
1 gp per medium or small creature upon docking, and an
additional 1 gp for each additional week. These fees are used
by authorities to replenish air and other resources.
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Temperature
Wildspace is typically not extremely hot or cold unless in
proximity to a star, where temperatures can raise or even drop
suddenly. The temperature within the air envelope is 70
degrees Fahrenheit.
Special Wildspace
As a GM be sure to spice up your vast voids of
wildspace with variations in "terrain", such as the
following.
Shadow Space. There are expanses where the
bleakness of the Shadowfell leaks into wildspace. In
these area light is quenched. Bright light becomes
Temperatures also drop to extreme cold (DMG
Chapter 5.). Finally undead gain advantage on saves
Blue Oasis. Not all wildspace lacks atmospheres,
there are entire stretches that have enough air for
millions of planets. These areas normally are blue
like the sky, and have winds, clouds and even rain
and snow.
Gravity
A fact most ground lovers are not aware of is that all objects
create equivalent gravity pulls. However gravity fields of larger
objects override any gravity pull of lesser bodies within their
fields. This is why the crew of a ship will have their gravity
aligned with that of the ship.
The gravity field while the ship is in the void of space, so
that creatures can walk on the ship's decks as they normally
would. Creatures and objects that fall overboard bob in a
gravity plane that extends out from the main deck for a
distance equal in length to the vessel's beam.
Ship pilots tend to align their ships to the larger gravity
planes before entering their area of effect, to reduce the
effects of gravity change as much as possible. Even then many
ground lovers feel the switching of gravity nauseating
Zero gravity
Outside of any significant gravity fields combat can become
chaotic, and difficult. Because of the difficulty of building
momentum to combat effectively all attacks made in zero
gravity suffer disadvantage to hit.
Phlogiston
Phlogiston is a turbulent, unstable, multicolored, fluorescent
gas-like medium, however it is not a form of matter and
cannot be contained physically, even walls of force can only
slow down phlogiston and it will shortly flow through and
disappear. In phlogiston the very flow of time and space
changes and it alters the magical weave so there is very little
is known for certain about the Phlogiston.
Volatility
Phlogiston is extremely volatile, any source of fire will cause
phlogiston to erupt into a radiant explosion if there is enough
air to allow for combustion. Luckily Phlogiston doesn't mix
well with matter, air included, so typically the air envelop of a
spelljammer is enough to keep it's crew safe.
An accidental spark near the edge of an air envelope can be
enough to burn the whole air envelop of a ship in a second,
such explosions deal 8d6 fire damage to everyone and
everything within the air envelope, on a successful save
damage is halved and the creature will have been lucky
enough to have maintained 2d4 rounds of air in a personal air
envelope.
Calcification
Travelers unlucky enough to be stranded in phlogiston soon
become calcified after their air envelope goes foul, any
creature in phlogiston is affected by a flesh to stone effect
or stone are also typically immune to
after a few hours.
They are also usually immune to the
Calcified creatures and organic objects can be restored
normally with stone to flesh magic, if they are not lost forever.
Distances in wildspace
Distance in wildspace is relative and hard to measure, but
most crews and cartographers have settled upon the SU, a
Spelljamming Unit. One SU is the distance that a vessel can
travel during one 24 hours while powered by a 1st level spell.
 
Speed of plot
A ship traveling through wild space or phlogiston is
considered to be traveling at thousands of miles per
hour. If you are playing a fast and loose campaign,
you can consider the vessel to travel as fast as
needed for the plot. If you are using a map
measuring distances in SU's will let you measure
travel easily.
 
Extended ship rules
These rules extending the UA of Ships and the Sea rules.
Ship Components
A ship is composed of different components:
Hull. A ship’s hull is its basic frame, on which the other
components are mounted.
Control. A control component is used to steer a ship.
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Movement. A movement component is the element of the Wh
ship that enables it to move, such as a set of sails or oars. the sh
Weapons. A ship capable of being used in combat has one throw
or more weapon components, each of which is operated unatt
separately. weap
until
Armor Class
A component has an Armor Class. Its AC is meant to reflect
its size, the materials used to construct it, and any defensive
plating or armor used to augment its toughness.
Hit Points
A ship component is destroyed and becomes unusable when it
drops to 0 hit points. A ship is wrecked if its hull is destroyed.
A ship component does not have Hit Dice.
Damage Threshold
If a ship component has a damage threshold, that threshold
appears after its hit points. A component has immunity to all
damage unless it takes an amount of damage equal to or
greater than its damage threshold, in which case it takes
damage as normal. Any damage that fails to meet or exceed
the damage threshold is considered superficial and doesn’t
reduce the component’s hit points.
Typical Ship Immunities
Ships are usually immune to poison and psychic damage.
Ones crafted from metal
necrotic damage.
following conditions: blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion,
frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone,
stunned, and unconscious.
(New) Internal Components
Sometimes a component, weapon, or other is located mostly
within the ship, and not readily accessible to be attacked from
the outside. If attempting to attack such components from
outside attacks are made at disadvantage, and any saves are
performed with advantage.
Actions
(New) Jury-rig
During the heat of combat, repairs are impossible, but skilled
bosuns and crew can use an action to make quick
preparations and jury rig the ship to grant the ship temporary
hit points for one minute.
As an action, a skilled bosun can perform a carpenter's tool
or vehicles check with Intelligence DC 15, with advantage if
the ship has a full crew, or disadvantage if the crew is at less
than half. On a success you give the ship temporary hit points
equivalent to 4 times the your relevant tool proficiency and
intelligence bonus.
(New) Gravity as a weapon.
It is a known tactic for large ships to perform fly-bys through
the gravity fields of smaller ships to cause chaos among the
crew of the smaller ships.

SpellJamming Helms
A Spelljamming Helm is a magical seat or throne designed to
magically propel vessels through the sky, wild space, and even
phlogiston.
It is said that the original invention of Spelljamming helms
is the work of a legendary race called the Reigar. However for
centuries now, the art of creating Spelljamming helms has
been furthered by powerful archmages and artificers. These
days a great variety of helms exist, each unique, and with a
"personality" of their own.
Installing a Helm on a Vessel
The actual cost of a helm tends to be compounded by the cost
of arcane rituals and labor required to prepare the vessel to
work seamlessly with the helm.
To properly and safely install a helm onto a vessel the
skilled labor proficient in the Arcana skill, and proficient with
one of the following tools: Carpenter's Tools, Tinker's Tools, or
Vehicles, any is required. A skilled arcane artisan can finish an
installation in a week of work for approximately 5,000 gp in
materials and rituals components.
Makeshift installations
It is technically possible to quickly and haphazardly install a
helm into place in much less time, and without paying any
installation costs. A makeshift installation of this kind can be
performed in 10 minutes and by passing an Intelligence
(Arcana) check of a DC 15. On a success the helm is
precariously installed, on a failed check the helm has not yet
been installed yet, and further attempts to quickly install the
helm are made at disadvantage.
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are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Until properly installed there is a 50% chance each round that
a spell slot used by the helmsman does not take effect
immediately, requiring the helmsman to main concentration
until the spell takes effect, re-rolling each round, or the spell
slot is lost. Additionally, the helmsman has disadvantage on
Concentration saves to maintain spells and Constitution saves
to avoid Jammer Shocks, described below, while attuned to a
helm that has not been properly installed.
Jammed Helms
Occasionally in a crash or other accident a helm becomes
jammed, and while attuned to the helm you cannot expend
your own spell slots.
Attuning to a Helm
To move a ship with the power of a Spelljamming helm a
creature capable of casting spells must attune to the helm.
The sensation of being attuned to a typical helm is akin to
being immersed in warm water. Although some helms are
designed to provide other pleasant and unpleasant sensations.
Jammer Shock
A creature attuned to a helm, can feel the ship. And if the ship
is hit by a critical hit, the helmsman must make an
Constitution saving throw against a DC 13. On a failed save, a
target takes psychic damage equal to half the damage suffered
by the ship, and is stunned for a minute. On a successful save,
a target takes no damage and isn't stunned.
A stunned target can make an Constitution saving throw at
the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, the stunning
effect ends.
The Arcane
The trade of Spelljamming Helms is highly
regulated by a mysterious race of huge lanky blue
giants known as The Arcane. The Arcane seem to
have some form of omnisentience, and are capable
of just knowing where and when the trade of a helm
is taking place, many times arriving just in time, or
shortly after, to provide "their services" to register
any trades, or "assist" with negotiations, or helm
installations. Of course all for nothing more than
their just share of the profits.
It must be noted that The Arcane are not a
belligerent race, preferring to the Planeshift away at
the first sign of violence. However precisely
because The Arcane greatly dislike violence, they
typically have a number of powerful bodyguards at
their service that are more than glad to deal with
any rowdy customers. Even if an Arcane is forced to
temporarily put negotiations on hold, they will
never just let a "customer" go. The Arcane maintain
enormous networks of connections, keep detailed
ledgers, and have a knack to be there are the right
time to close a deal that makes even Devils and
Yugoloth jealous.
Moving a Vessel
While attuned to the helm, a vessel has the following
movement speeds.
Tactical Movement
The helm to propel the vessel through air or space at a
speed equal to the highest-level unexpended spell slot × 10.
You can use the helm to propel the vessel across or
through water and other liquids, if the vessel is capable of
aquatic movement, at a maximum speed equal to your
highest-level unexpended spell slot x 5.
Provided you have at least one unexpended spell slot, you
can steer the vessel, albeit in a somewhat clumsy fashion,
in much the same way that oars or a rudder can maneuver
a seafaring ship.
Overland Travel
When traveling in an atmosphere you may move the vessel at
your movement speed in miles per hour.
Wild Space Travel
When traveling through wild space you may move the vessel
at extreme speeds which are hard to measure, however a
vessel drops out of speed if an object of it's size of larger
comes within a few miles, typically at visual distance of it,
dropping safely to tactical speeds.
In aflight that does not pass through an asteroid fields or
near other astral bodies a ship can travel at one SU per a spell
level expended in 24 hours, as long as you can maintain
concentration. While maintaining concentration in this way
you must pass a Concentration save DC 10 for each hour past
the first 8 hours of concentration.
Navigation
Normally finding a safe route that allows for this sort of fast
travel requires good cartographic maps and a character with
navigator's tools to spend an hour or so to determine a course.
The DC is variant on the local dangers and quality of the tools
and maps at hand. Finding a quick route for an escape that
will get a ship out of immediate danger normally can be
resolved by a skill challenge or 3 successful navigator's tool
checks, each requiring a round to complete.
Vessel
Minor Major
Active Properties
Each helm is a unique, and each has a variety of properties.
When creating a helm consider adding a number of the
following active properties.
Project Senses. Minor. Whenever you like, you can see
what's happening on and around the vessel as though you
were standing in a location of your choice aboard it.
Project Voice. Minor. While attuned you can project you
voice anywhere, or everywhere, upon the vessel.
Cast Remote Spells. Major. When you cast a spell with a
range of touch, you can deliver the spell as if you had cast the
spell to anyone aboard the ship. If the spell requires an attack
roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
Telepathy. Minor. You can communicate telepathically with
any one creature capable of speech aboard the vessel.
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Telepathy Broadcast. Major. You can communicate
telepathically with any number of creatures capable of speech
aboard the vessel.
Lesser, ship spellcasting. Minor. While attuned to a helm,
you can cast any 3rd level spell, or lower, with a range of self,
through the helm, affecting the vessel hooked the to helm
instead. However spells that provides you with hit points or
temporary hit points, don't provide temporary hit points to the
vessel.
Major, Ship spellcasting. Major. While attuned to a helm,
you can cast any 5th level spell, or lower, with a range of self,
through the helm, affecting the vessel hooked the to helm
instead. However spells that provides you with hit points or
temporary hit points, don't provide temporary hit points to the
vessel.
Supreme, Ship spellcasting. Major. While attuned to a
helm, you can cast any 7th level spell, or lower, with a range of
self, through the helm, affecting the vessel hooked the to helm
instead. However spells that provides you with hit points or
temporary hit points, don't provide temporary hit points to the
vessel.
Embedded Spells. Minor. Many helms have a number of
spells that can be cast by any caster that is attuned to the
helm.
Series Helms. Minor. You can link several of these helms
together, the highest unused spell slot of any of the helmsmen
is used to determine the base movement capabilities of the
ship.
Life-Jammer Helm. Minor. Instead of spell slots, the ship
can be powered with life force in place, or in addition to
spells. Powering a ship in this way deals 1d10 hit points per
equivalent spell level used. The max spell level you can
emulated is equivalent to one third of your level rounded up.
These helms tend to feel extremely unsettling and cold,
anyone familiar with spelljamming can easily recognize a life
jamming helm.
Types of helms
Most helms are unique but can be divided into the following
power categories.
Helm
Type Rarity Tonnage Properties Properties
Lesser Rare 25 t 1-2 -
Minor Very Rare 100 t 2-3 -
Major Legendary 250 t 2-3 1
Master Artifact N/A 2-3 2
Non-traditional Helmsmen Paladins, and other innate Healers
The rules for controlling a spelljamming helm assumes a Paladins and some other classes like Celestial warlocks,
traditional spellcasting character class such as a wizard or Divine Soul sorcerers, and Circle of Dreams druids have
cleric, but there are other options for classes, some presented access to magical healing powers, that exist independent of
here. spell slots. These magical energies are very specifically
Barbarians attuned to life giving energies, and cannot be converted
Barbarians would not seem like a good fit for a helmsman, directly into the raw magical energies required to power a
however they make excellent Life-Jammer helmsmen thanks regular Spelljamming helms. These energies can be used to
to their endurance. While raging a barbarian can benefit, and feed a Life-Jammer Helm, 5 lay on hand hit points, or one
maintain, the benefits of a Life-Jammer reducing any damage healing die, can be used to ignore ond d10 worth of damage
in half, and they have advantage on saves against becoming when powering a Life-Jammer.
jammer-shocked. Rogues
Druids Arcane tricksters are an obvious choice for a rogue
Druids cannot typically cast spells while wild shaping, helmsman, however the Thief rogue deserves special
however they can still power a helm while wild shaped. mention, because at 13th level they gain the Use Magic Device
feature, which can be used to basically power a helm without
Monks any inherent spell casting abilities. For the sole purpose of
Monks can use ki to power Life-Jammer helms, but there are powering a Spelljamming helm a Thief rogue is considered to
also some helms that have been reconfigured by artificers of have the spellcasting abilities of a warlock of half their level.
cultures such as Wa from Realm Space to be powered directly Sorcerers
with ki. Sorcerers have sorcery points which can be converted into
Monk
Maximum
Equivalent
spell slots to power a helm, but they can also be used directly
Levels Ki Points Spell Level to power a helm at the conversion rate shown in the Players
1st-4th 2 1st
Handbook without requiring an additional bonus action.
5th-8th 3 2nd Warlocks
9th-12th 4 3rd
Warlocks have limited spell slots and regain slots on short
rests. Luckily for them it is possible to benefit from short rests
13th-16th 5 4th while controlling a helm when as long as they are not under
17th-20th 6 5th
the duress of combat or traveling through especially
dangerous space like an asteroid field.

Brewed by Jay, a.k.a.

u/KameBit and
@KameBit

Find more brews and ideas at KameGames.com

The rules presented here are built upon what we
know about Spelljamming helms from the Dungeon
of the Mad Mage and the Unearthed Arcana Of Ships
and the Sea
Special Thanks to my fellow brewers of the Discord
of Many Things
Art Credits: Arcane art from TSR's Monstrous
Compendium, Planescape, Appendix II.

Other art is from Treasure Planet from Walt Disney

Pictures

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.