D&D's Airship
The airship has been floating in the multiverse of D&D since the third edition, and has appeared in the Arms and Equipment Guide (2003) with options such as Hanggliders, Ornithopters, Dirigibles, and Zeppelins. They weren't the focus of the book, but they laid the foundation for future Skybound trips.
In 2018, articles on the excavated Arcana ships and the sea messed around with expansion vehicle rules, including airships, but the system was not finalized. Also, D&Ds that go beyond the basic rules include airship entries, but only provide information skeletons. There are no rules for combat, upgrades, or crew roles.
The idea of a D&D airship really flew to the Eberron setting of Keith Baker. In Evalon, the ship that rose from the final war and driven lightning became iconic in the fusion of magic and pulp fantasy settings. However, while airships were well mentioned throughout the campaign guide page, there was no mechanism for the airship provided.
After that, there was a setting for the 5E Spelljammer campaign. This included the Spelljammer statistical blocks (ships that traverse wild spaces between planets). This was the most fleshed-out system we've ever seen, but the actual mechanisms in ship or ship-to-ship combat were very thin.
So, what if you want to take them to the sky in your own D&D settings? Now, let's take a look at the essentials for a D&D airship.
Airship Mechanics
Whether my party is on an airship, sailing ship, or Spelljammer, here are some tips I follow to do ship-based combat operations in D&D:
Make your crew smaller
I usually prefer a ship ship combat system with small crews and simplified mechanisms.
I know, I know. Old ships made dozens of crew members function. But as a DM, I find it very difficult to track. And while it may work for immersion, it just falls apart in combat.
For example, a D&D ship that goes beyond the basic rules requires 10 crew members and can have up to 20 passengers. It is probably 30 creatures to track on one ship.
When running a boat encounter, I have the role of a pilot, captain, weapon that athletes can take. The pilot pilots the ship, and the captain inspires the crew and fires weapons.
Choose one dating style at a time
Usually, airship combat comes in two forms: ship-to-ship boarding combat. Ship-to-ship combat takes place on a hex grid with each hex of 10 feet.
The boarding battles of the ship are on a square or hex grid, with each square or hexagon being 5 feet.
Being on a ship while the ship-to-ship battle is taking place is very confusing to track down, and the mechanisms begin to fall apart.
If you are trading Cannon Salvo or Airship-based Dog Fights, make sure you keep everyone on each ship.
If you are trying to get on a pirate ship that is trying to board a party ship, give them several initiatives in the ship-to-ship situation before switching to on-board encounters.
How the airship works
D&D airships act as customizable vehicles with their own statistical blocks, components and combat options. Here's a breakdown of how these usually work:
Basic statistics. Each airship has a turning radius that affects the class of armor, hull hit points, damage threshold, size category (usually huge or huge), movement speed (fly speed and cruising speed), and how tight the ship can maneuver.
component. A ship is made up of components such as sails, shields, cannons, thrusters, and hulls. Each component has its own AC and HP, allowing you to target individually during battle. Components reaching 0 hit points will acquire a “damaged” condition. When they take more damage, they become “destroyed” and stop functioning.
The role of the crew. Like D&D parties, airships need crews. The pilot pilots pilot, the gunners fire weapons, the captain inspires the crew, and the technician repairs the components during battle.
battle. Ships are not replacing creature-like initiatives. Instead, its crew can use components as actions to fire barista, raise an arcane shield, or move them with thrusters. Positioning is important, and turn radius is forced to think strategically when piloting.
crash. If things are really wrong, the airship will crash. When that happens, both the ship and what it hits will take BL haughty damage based on speed and size. A giant ship strikes the terrain? That's a bad day.
Damage Threshold and Resistance. Airships ignore small amounts of damage thanks to damage thresholds. It is also immune to attractive or unstable states and cannot be mentally or poisonous.
This will turn the airship from the background to a mobile fortress where you can define the entire party's playstyle.
Free airship battle map
Need some deck plans for your Skybound skirmish? You are lucky – we have a gallery of free airship battle maps built for airborne encounters. Whether you're fighting boarding parties, dodging spells, or preparing to rob the air, these maps are fully gliding and ready to drop onto a virtual tabletop.
Check out:
Lush Guard: Research vessel for long expeditions. The Stormpiecer: A sophisticated, light-hearted scout ship with positive, inexplicable turrets. Sky Galleon: A multi-purpose warship built for mercenaries, private, and Sky Farling adventurers.
