Spelljammer Academy

Breakfast of Champions

When the characters arrive, a stocky giff named Petty Officer Winston Ryeback (see the accompanying sidebar) is behind the counter doing what he does best: preparing meals for the academy's hungry cadets. When the characters arrive, the refectory holds a dozen other cadets (a mixture of acolyte, apprentice wizard, and bandits), all lined up before the counter or seated at tables.

Each character who joins the line receives a bowl containing a smoky concoction of deep-fried meat or beans (the character's choice), held together with sticky starches. Though the galley cook has never given his signature dish a name, most cadets have resorted to calling it "gunpowder chowder."

• In addition to the characters, another group of cadets are receiving their first training assignment today. There's talk that the training officers might combine the two groups to create a competitive training exercise on the academy's Simulations Deck.
• The Simulations Deck is a magical marvel equipped with three simulation chambers that magically create the experience of traveling and fighting in Wildspace.
• Spelljammer Academy has been plagued by a rash of recent thefts, many of them targeting instructors. The thieves have yet to be identified or caught.
• In addition to Realmspace charts going missing, one of the thefts saw Ryeback's quarters robbed of a custom pistol. The giff loudly voices his frustration around that event if any characters talk about the thefts within earshot of him.
• More troubling than the thefts is the recent attack on academy founder Mirt the Merciless (which the characters thwarted in the previous adventure). Other cadets suspect the characters' involvement but don't know the details.

Meeting Miken

By the time the characters have picked up their meals, the only table with enough space for all of them is occupied by a cadet named Miken Haverstance (see the accompanying sidebar). Though his head is buried deep in a book, he notices the characters and invites them to sit if they don't do so themselves.

If the characters strike up a conversation with Miken, he expresses anxiety about the upcoming training exercises, having already convinced himself that he doesn't have what it takes to be a recruit. But he's even more afraid of letting down his fellow crewmates. He has been avoiding them to help him keep his focus.

Miken's worst enemy is his own fear. The characters can boost his confidence and lift his spirits in one of the following ways (which might affect their crew's final score at the end of the adventure):

• Words of Encouragement. A character offering Miken advice to boost his confidence can make a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If successful, his spirits are lifted, and you can jump to xof the adventure.
• Problem Solving. A character asking Miken about his studies kicks off a conversation about spelljamming, taking his mind off his troubles. If that character succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check, Miken's spirits are lifted, and you can jump to x of the adventure.
• Feeling the Vibe. A character who speaks to Miken's crewmates can encourage them to reveal their own insecurities regarding the upcoming training exercises to put Miken's mind at ease. A successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check persuades the cadets to call Miken over to their table, bolstering his spirits, and you can jump to x of the adventure.

Assigning Roles

Saerthe explains that each team of cadets must assign crew roles to its members. This training exercise has two optional roles (Captain and Shipmate) and one mandatory role (Spelljammer). A team can have multiple Shipmates, but only one Captain and only one Spelljammer.

Try to limit the players' discussion of role assignments to a maximum of 10 minutes. Use the recommendations in the "Know Your Role" sidebar to guide them.

The roles for the training exercise are as follows:

• Captain (Optional). A team member who assumes this role is expected to give orders to other crew members (who, in turn, are expected to follow those orders).
• Shipmate (Optional). A team member in this role operates the training ship's rigging and shipboard weapons. The ship's Captain can switch to this role as necessary.
• Spelljammer (Mandatory). A team member in this role pilots the training ship using its spelljamming helm. One must be a spellcaster to fill this role.

The Assignment

After roles are assigned, Saerthe provides the characters with the main objective of the exercise.

If the characters were friendly with Miken in x, he wishes them good luck. Both teams then head toward the simulation chambers where their training will take place.

For guidance on scoring the mission, see x.

Starting the Simulation

Mister Blip hands the characters two pages of parchment: a Wildspace map that shows the route to their destination, and a crude sketch of the logbook they're supposed to retrieve. Saerthe then directs the characters to gather around the training helm atop the platform. Once the characters are in position, read or paraphrase the following:

Simulator Rules

Each simulation chamber channels powerful illusion magic that adheres to the following rules:

• Just Like the Real Thing. The simulation around the characters affects all their senses. Everything looks, feels, and sounds real, with the illusion able to create the sense that the characters are in areas whose dimensions are larger than the room. Everything that happens within the illusion should be treated as if the characters are truly where they appear to be.
• Illusory Wards. Characters can't sense that they are in an illusion, nor can the illusion be dispelled. The detect magic and dispel magic spells don't register or disrupt the magic of the illusion, nor of the creatures or objects it creates.
• Damage. Any character who is reduced to 0 hit points by the simulation falls unconscious but isn't dying. The character remains unconscious until the simulation ends, at which point the character awakens and gains 1 level of exhaustion from lingering psychic shock.
• Restored Resources. When the simulation ends, characters regain all their lost hit points, spell slots, and limited-use powers.

Taking Off

Once the illusion begins, the crew must take off and ascend into Wildspace. This requires the character in the Spelljammer role to succeed on a DC 13 ability check using their spellcasting ability. If the check succeeds, the character uses the spelljamming helm to propel the ship skyward. If the character succeeds on the check on the first try, it counts toward the group's score in the training exercise (see x). A second attempt at the check succeeds automatically.

Spotting the Logbook

The wreckage is surrounded by a cloud of silvery dust particles that reduce visibility. After pulling alongside the wreck, characters searching for the logbook must make a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check, spotting it if successful. The logbook lays amid debris from the captain's cabin, all of which bobs in the derelict's gravity plane. The characters repeat this check each round until the logbook is spotted.

Retrieving the Logbook

The next, more difficult task is obtaining the book. While the debris rests in the ship's gravity plane, it's not exactly solid ground, and disturbing it could make finding the log difficult. This is a great opportunity for the players' ingenuity and creativity to shine. Let them come up with their own way of solving the problem, whether it's using mage hand, tying a rope around a character's waist and leaping out toward the logbook, or other similar efforts—assigning a DC 13 check using an ability and skill that you deem appropriate. If successful, they are able to retrieve the logbook.

Leaving the Asteroid Cluster

Once the logbook is safely on board, the characters can exit the asteroid cluster. Once again, the characters must avoid the asteroids by repeating challenge 3 from the "x" section; if the ship was lightly damaged by an asteroid earlier and grazes another asteroid on its way out of the cluster, the ship becomes heavily damaged instead.

Hammerhead Ship

The following statistics are for the characters' training ship and appear in x. The ship is equipped with one ballista and two mangonels, each on a rotating mount. The front of the ship also acts as a devastating ram. Provide the players with that handout for easy reference.

• Hit Points. If the ship was lightly damaged in the "x" section, it has 300 hit points instead. If the ship was heavily damaged in the "Salvage Operation" section, it has 220 hit points instead.

Squid Ship

The following statistics are for the attacking githyanki pirate ship and appear in x. The ship is equipped with two ballista and a mangonel, each on a rotating mount. The tentacles at the ship's bow also act as a piercing ram.

Using Roles in Combat

During each round of combat, a ship has its own turn and the members of its crew resolve its actions. Actions available to each crew member are dependent upon their assigned roles.

The Battle Begins

Using the side initiative variant rules from chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, the players roll a d20 for their initiative as a group, and you roll a d20 for the githyanki aboard the enemy ship. Neither roll takes any modifiers.

The githyanki ship is 50 feet away from the hammerhead ship and maintains its distance throughout this encounter, attempting to disable the characters' ship before the githyanki attempt to board it. While the hammerhead ship is faster than the githyanki ship, the characters will still be in range of its weapons if they choose to flee.

Evil Shadows

Two shadows—former crew members of the flying fish ship that lie strewn amid the asteroids—are attracted to the battle as it unfolds. At the start of the fourth round of combat, they appear at the stern of the characters' ship and attack the nearest creatures. Roll a d20 for the shadows' initiative, again with no modifier.

Alternative Scenarios

Some characters might want to resort to options other than direct ship-to-ship combat when the githyanki ship attacks, with a few examples discussed below. Use your best judgment when adjudicating these tactics, and reward players for great ideas and quick thinking.

Picking Up the Pieces

Most of the magical backlash caused by the sabotage was directed at Saerthe Abizin and Boatswain Tarto, where the two were supervising the training exercises. Both are badly injured.

In addition to tending to their own wounds, the characters can head to the other simulation chamber where Miken's group of cadets was being tested. If the characters spoke with and encouraged Miken in x, or if they inspired Miken's fellow cadets to open up to them, they discover that Miken's actions saved his fellow teammates from the worst of the magical backlash. If the characters were unsuccessful in their overtures or made no effort to interact with Miken or his fellow cadets, two of those cadets are critically wounded. Unless they receive magical healing, they die in three rounds. Alternatively, a character who succeeds on a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check is able to stabilize them—provided they do so within three rounds.

Finding Clues

Characters can help the training officers examine the simulation chambers for signs of sabotage. A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check notices an odd-shaped metallic plate crudely jammed into the walls of one of the chambers. A search of the other chamber reveals an identical object, with each bearing a jagged sigil carved into it. A detect magic spell reveals powerful magic emanating from both objects. (If the characters don't find either plate, Mister Blip discovers one of them.)

Once Saerthe Abizin or Boatswain Tarto are informed, they examine the plate and deduce it to be the cause of the sabotage. In addition, examination of the sigil reveals something to the officers, which the characters can overhear:

If any characters ask about Vocath, both officers crisply inform them that the matter is none of their business. (The characters will have a chance to learn more in subsequent adventures.)

Character Advancement

The characters advance to 3rd level upon completing this adventure.