Spelljammer Academy

Spelljammer Academy: Realmspace Sortie!

Introduction

This adventure, designed for three to seven 3rd-level characters, is the third in a series of four adventures. The adventure begins at Spelljammer Academy, which is located on the planet Toril (the world of the Forgotten Realms setting). From there, the characters enter Wildspace and travel to the distant planet H'Catha (the outermost world in the Wildspace system known as Realmspace) to retrieve an adamantine meteorite.

Background

As basic training at Spelljammer Academy comes to its conclusion, the characters are required to complete their first mission aboard a spelljamming ship. As luck would have it, orders have come down for them to embark on a retrieval mission. While confidence in the cadets' abilities is high, the recent discovery of a spy in their midst has the academy's faculty on high alert. For this reason, a staff member is coming along to supervise and make sure nothing prevents the character-recruits from completing their mission. That staff member is Petty Officer Winston Ryeback. The spy is a recruit named Miken Haverstance, who waits until the opportune moment in the adventure to strike. Until that time, he acts no differently than any other young recruit.

Overview

This adventure takes approximately two hours to play and is split into three parts:

x The recruits are taken to a tyrant ship that has been divested of its original complement of beholders. Once aboard, the recruits must install a spelljamming helm on the tyrant ship's Command Deck, where a nefarious trap awaits them.

x The recruits begin their trek across Wildspace, only to discover that their new ship has stowaways. A fight erupts between the recruits and some clockwork horrors hiding under some wreckage.

x The recruits must save the ship from a fire on the tyrant ship's Cargo Deck. Magma mephits hint at the presence of a potential saboteur, though further investigation may turn up conflicting evidence.

Adventure Hooks

Spelljammer Academy: Realmspace Sortie! follows directly after the events of Spelljammer Academy: Trial by Fire. In this adventure, the characters are given their first assignment: retrieving a meteorite of precious adamantine from H'Catha, a distant, disc-shaped world. The characters, having undergone training exercises, have been charged with commandeering a vacant tyrant ship for their first real mission. Others are either fresh recruits or freelancers hired by the faculty.

Part 1: Tyrant Trap!

The characters are roused from their slumber and given a mission: travel to the planet H'Catha and retrieve a meteor comprised of adamantine.

Spelljammer Academy

While adventurers of all stripes explore Faerûn and deal with the perils of ancient ruins, malevolent cults, and long-forgotten tombs, those who come through Spelljammer Academy on Nimbral strive to protect the world from far greater threats. Spelljammer Academy trains cadets for service as Spelljammers and members of the Spelljammer Corps: both branches of a magical navy sworn to protect Toril and to explore other worlds beyond. Few people know of the academy's existence, and its leaders try to keep it that way.

Mirt the Merciless—also known as "the Old Wolf"—is Spelljammer Academy's founder and chief financial officer. He manages the institution's operations alongside a small group of powerful high-ranking officers, known collectively as "the Bridge." While most of its candidates are from Toril, the academy occasionally recruits from outside Realmspace (the Wildspace system that is home to the planet Toril) to bring individuals with unique talents into their ranks. Giff, githyanki, hadozee, plasmoids, and myriad other peoples can join the cadets alongside folk native to Toril.

The academy was founded by Mirt as part of a joint investment with the retired elf adventurer Elmandar, who operates a shop on the Rock of Bral—a city built on an asteroid. Prince Andru, the monarch of Bral, has invested heavily in the academy, though his support has waned of late over questions regarding security within the institution.

Get Moving, People!

Read or paraphrase the following to begin the adventure:

The day began early at four bells as you were awakened by Boatswain Tarto in a most discourteous fashion. Dodging thrown garbage cans, you geared up, ate a hasty breakfast, and were immediately commanded to the deck of a hammerhead ship called the Flighty Foundling. As soon as you board the ship, it rises into the air toward Wildspace.

"An adamantine meteor has struck the Spire on H'Catha," says Tarto, "and you lot are going to recover it. The bad news is that H'Catha is populated solely by beholders and their kin. The good news is that an empty tyrant ship drifts above Toril, waiting for you to crew it, though you'll need to install a spelljamming helm on the Command Deck to make the ship fly. Traveling aboard this beholder vessel, you should be able to reach the Spire without attracting the unwanted attention of other tyrant ships patrolling H'cathan space.

"We'll drop you off with Petty Officer Winston Ryeback, who will ensure you don't go hungry. He'll command the deck hands Miken Haverstance, Krik'Lit, and Pffred. You'll need to identify who among you is in command of the mission, as well as who commands the ship. A word of warning: the tyrant ship is made of stone, so don't try and land it in water. You'll sink like a rock."

The Flighty Foundling docks alongside the tyrant ship, which looks like a gigantic, stone-carved beholder floating in orbit above Toril. You're dropped unceremoniously into the tyrant ship's Cargo Deck, along with a crate of supplies, an navigational map, and a shiny new spelljammer helm. Petty Officer Ryeback pulls up the rear wearing a backpack laden with cooking implements. Pots clang and clatter as he turns and waves goodbye to the Flighty Foundling, which has already set a course back to the academy.

Tyrant Ship Features

The tyrant ship has the following features:

Dimensions and Terrain. Unless otherwise noted, the ceilings in the chambers within this vessel are 20 feet high. Since the entire ship was constructed using disintegration rays, the surfaces of the floors, walls, and ceilings are smooth and featureless. Climbing a vertical surfaces is difficult without climbing gear or magic, requiring a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.
Lighting. The only light is what the characters bring with them.
Gravity Plane. The gravity plane for the tyrant ship runs midway through its roughly spherical mass. This means that where you're standing in any given room can change depending on which deck you happen to be on. For example, the floor of the Hollow Deck is the bowl-shaped surface nearest the Command Deck.

Tyrant Ship Map

More information regarding the tyrant ship can be found on the map below. Additionally, a second map of the ship is provided as x, with tips for navigating its interior and situating the spelljamming helm.

[image: Tyrant Ship Deck Plans]

NPC Information

Petty Officer Winston Ryeback takes command of Miken, Krik'Lit, and Pffred and puts them to work unpacking gear (see "x" below), taking inventory, and setting up a makeshift galley in one of the Cargo Deck's chambers.

Petty Officer Ryeback keeps a weather eye on the characters and serves mostly in an advisory role throughout the mission. Feel free to use him as a means of providing hints and guidance. If the characters get over their heads in a fight, Petty Officer Ryeback can back them up at range, using his musket. He uses the giff stat block (see "x" later in the adventure), though his Longsword attacks are made with a giant cleaver that deals the same amount of damage.

Equipment List

The following equipment is transferred from the Flighty Foundling to the tyrant ship:

Climber's kits (1 per character)
Hammers (1 per character)
100 pitons
5 100-foot lengths of hempen rope
2 mess kits
Portable cooking surface
2 barrels of water

5 flasks of cooking oil
2 chests containing fresh foodstuffs
Chest containing 150 days rations
5 lanterns with continual flame spells cast on them
1/2 cord of precut firewood
10 potions of healing (each one in a metal flask)
Sending stone (Boatswain Tarto has its mate)

Installing the Helm

Petty Officer Winston Ryeback instructs the characters to place the spelljamming helm on the tyrant ship's Command Deck (even though the helm can function anywhere on the ship). Getting the helm to the Command Deck will take a bit of work, given that the tyrant ship's access shafts are designed for hovering beholders.

Characters can use the climbing kits, pitons, and ropes to create an anchored rope ladder that allows them to easily traverse an access shaft. Assuming they follow this course of action, no ability checks are required to climb the shaft. It simply takes time and effort. Roll 2d4 + 2 to determine how many hours it takes. Halve the time if the characters devise a clever way to accomplish the work more quickly.

Regardless of how the characters get the spelljamming helm to the Command Deck, a nefarious trap awaits them upon their arrival there. This trap (described below) was left behind by the tyrant ship's beholder crew before they abandoned the vessel.

Spin Cycle Trap

The first time a creature enters any of the chambers on the Command Deck, a trap activates, causing the ship to rapidly spin end over end for 1 minute. When the ship starts to spin, have each character roll initiative.

Effect

On initiative count 20, each character aboard the spinning ship must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the character takes 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the character takes half as much damage and isn't knocked prone.

Countermeasures

Characters can contend with the trap in various ways, including the following:

Brace, Brace, Brace!. As an action, a character can make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to try to brace themself to keep from getting tossed about. If the check is a failure, no benefit is gained, and the action is wasted. If the check is successful, the character has advantage on their next Dexterity saving throw against the trap and takes no damage if the saving throw is successful.
Deactivate Trap. A character on the Command Deck can take an action to fiddle with arcane control panels embedded in the walls, pressing buttons and hoping for a good result. In this case, have the character roll a d10; on a 10, the trap deactivates. Alternatively, the character can use the action to study the controls and make a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the check is successful, the character figures out how to shut down the trap and can use their next action to do so (automatic success).
Magic. A character who can hover is unaffected by the trap, so long as no hard surfaces are in the character's space. A character who is under the effect of a feather fall spell can be knocked prone by the trap but takes no damage from it.
Roll with It!. As an action, a character can make a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to try to roll with the spinning ship while avoiding collisions with hard surfaces. If the check is a failure, no benefit is gained, and the action is wasted. If the check is successful, the character has advantage on their next Dexterity saving throw against the trap and takes no damage if the saving throw is successful.
NPCs on Spin Cycle. As soon as the ship starts to spin, Petty Officer Winston Ryeback activates magic tattoo on his arm that allows him to cast the feather fall spell once. The tattoo then vanishes. If Miken, Krik'Lit, and Pffred are still with him, the spell affects them as well. If they're not with him, assume that when the spin cycle ends, they are all unconscious but stable at 0 hit points. They can each be fed a potion of healing from the equipment brought on board.

Wrapping Up

Once the characters have disabled or survived the spin cycle trap, they can place the spelljamming helm in any of the Command Deck's chambers. A spellcasting character can then attune to the helm. If no character can attune to the helm, Miken Haverstance volunteers to serve as the ship's spelljammer. Otherwise, Miken keeps quiet and sticks with Petty Officer Ryeback.

Part 2: Like Clockwork!

This encounter begins when the characters investigate strange sounds coming from the tyrant ship's Hollow Deck. The sounds begin after the ship is well underway and millions of miles from home.

Any character on the Command Deck who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 13 or higher hears the clank of metal on stone coming from the hatch in the middle of the floor of deck. A character who is within 5 feet of the hatch hears the sound automatically.

Any character who passes through the hatch experiences mild vertigo—the result of passing through the tyrant ship's gravity plane.

Hollow Deck Havoc

Describe the Hollow Deck as follows:

Three clockwork horrors are methodically salvaging pieces and parts from dead autognomes to construct a fourth clockwork horror, which is only half assembled. Once these creatures notice the characters, read or paraphrase the following:

The clockwork horrors are speaking Thri-kreen to one another, so thri-kreen characters understand what they say as they attack. The creatures mockingly praise the characters for bringing a spelljammer helm onto the tyrant ship, so the horrors can take command of the vessel once the characters are all dead.

Autognome Survivor

Once the clockwork horrors have been defeated, the characters can search the wreckage scattered throughout the Hollow Deck. Any character who does so can make a DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a successful check, the character finds a survivor buried under one of the debris piles: an autognome named Wizpop (see the accompanying sidebar).

Wizpop

Autognome Survivor

Wizpop and six other autognomes served the beholders that crewed the tyrant ship. After the beholders abandoned the ship, the autognomes were attacked by clockwork horrors. Wizpop (whose name is etched in Gnomish on a little brass plaque bolted to their chest) suffered vocal cord damage as well as other structural damage. The autognome has 6 hit points remaining, can't speak, and makes occasional whirring, hissing, and popping noises. Wizpop stops making these strange noises and regains the ability to speak once all their hit points are restored.

A character can try to repair Wizpop using spare autognome parts and tinker's tools. To find the right parts, a character must spend 10 minutes searching through debris on the Hollow Deck and succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. Once the parts are found, a character who is proficient with tinker's tools can use the parts and the tools to make repairs. At the end of each hour of repairs, Wizpop regains 1d6 hit points.

Wizpop will dotingly follow friendly characters while trying to stay out of harm's way.

Quote:. " Hsssssshhh....pop..whirrr.. shsss...pop!" [shudders in fear]"

Treasure

Lying next to Wizpop is a small iron coffer, latched but not locked, that contains five pearls (100 gp each) and a case that contains a spell scroll of rope trick.

Wrapping Up

Once the characters have had enough fun on the Hollow Deck, proceed to Part 3 of this adventure.

Part 3: Fire in the Galley!

A fire has erupted on the Cargo Deck where Petty Officer Ryeback has set up his galley. Smoke from the fire spreads from the Cargo Deck to the Hollow Deck, but it doesn't cross the ship's gravity plane and can't be detected on the Command Deck or Meditation Deck.

Fire Alarm

None of the characters should be on the Cargo Deck when this scene begins.

Though winded and fatigued, Miken is unharmed. When one or more characters approach him, he croaks out, "Fire... in the galley... out of control. Must... save others."

Cargo Deck Conflagration

Miken follows the characters as they head to the Cargo Deck to combat the fire, as does Wizpop if the characters found and repaired the autognome. The characters arrive to find the Cargo Deck filled with thick smoke. Rules for the smoke are as follows:

Smoke Inhalation. Any creature that needs to breathe must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw whenever it starts its turn on the Cargo Deck. The saving throw is made with advantage if the creature's nose and mouth is covered with damp cloth. If the saving throw is a failure, the creature gains 1 level of exhaustion.
Visibility. Visibility on the Cargo Deck is reduced to 10 feet. Creatures and objects beyond that range are heavily obscured.

Elemental Meddling

The chamber containing the galley is the source of the fire, which Miken set using two spell scrolls (glyph of warding cast at 4th level and conjure minor elementals). The glyph of warding was triggered when Petty Officer Ryeback activated his portable cooking surface. The fire spread with the help of four magma mephits. The giff Petty Officer managed to slay one of the mephits before succumbing to fire damage and smoke inhalation.

When the characters reach Petty Officer Ryeback's dead body, three magma mephits attack them. Due to their elemental nature, the mephits aren't as hindered by the smoke. They can see clearly out to 20 feet, and creatures and objects beyond that range are only lightly obscured.

Running the NPCs

As the characters defeat the last of the mephits, Krik'Lit and Pffred get the fire under control by expending half the group's water supply. Each of them has 3 levels of exhaustion from smoke inhalation.

While Krik'Lit and Pffred focus on putting out the fire, Miken passes out water-soaked cloths that everyone can wrap around their noses and mouths, giving them advantage on saving throws to resist the effect of smoke inhalation.

If Wizpop is present, the traumatized autognome watches the scene unfold but takes no actions unless it is given a direct order from a character. Smoke inhalation isn't a problem for Wizpop, who doesn't breathe.

Aftermath

The smoke begins to clear once the fire is extinguished, allowing characters to survey the damage without having to worry about smoke inhalation. The potions of healing and the sending stone survived the fire and can be easily retrieved, as can the chest of rations.

Depleted Supplies

The following equipment was consumed by the fire or expended putting out the flames:

Portable cooking surface
2 barrels of water
5 flasks of cooking oil
2 chests containing fresh foodstuffs
1/2 cord of precut firewood

Sifting through the Ashes

Any character who searches the Cargo Deck for clues can make a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check. If the check is a failure, the character knows only that the fire started near Petty Officer Ryeback's portable cooking surface. If the check succeeds, the character ascertains the following:

Cause of the Fire. Although the fire originated from Petty Officer Ryeback's portable cooking surface, the surface is incapable of producing an explosion big enough to cause such a conflagration, nor could it summon the magma mephits.
Magical Origin. The fire was likely started by a magic spell—perhaps a spell cast on or near Petty Officer Ryeback's portable cooking surface. The mephits were either summoned by the same spell or by another spell.

Questioning the NPCs

Krik'Lit and Pffred have no clue how the fire started. They remember hearing an explosion in the galley, followed by Petty Officer Ryeback screaming in pain and barking orders at them. Krik'Lit and Pffred did as they were told and opened the barrels of water while Petty Officer Ryeback battled the mephits.

Miken denies knowing who or what started the fire, but he's the only NPC cadet who has any magical talent, making him the most likely suspect. A detect thoughts spell or similar magic can reveal his guilt. A character can try to force a confession from Miken, doing so with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation) check. If the truth comes out, Miken explains that he was recruited by a mercane to set a trap for Petty Officer Ryeback. The mercane gave Miken two spell scrolls to set the trap. Miken expected Petty Office Ryeback would be hurt, but not killed. Although he doesn't know the mercane's name, Miken reveals that he was promised enough money to set him and his equally young fiancé up for life. Miken surrenders to the characters at this point, throwing himself on their mercy.

Wrapping Up

The characters have a few decisions to make:

Do they turn back or press on?
What do they do with Miken (assuming they know he's the traitor)?
What do they do with the body of Petty Officer Ryeback?
Do they use the sending stone to contact Boatswain Tarto with news of Miken's treachery and Petty Officer Ryeback's death?

If the characters use the sending stone to contact Tarto, she commands them to wait for backup. If the characters heed this command, Tarto arrives a day later aboard the Flighty Foundling.

The Spelljammer Academy adventure series concludes in Behold... H'Catha!

Creature Statistics

Appendix A: Realmspace

Realmspace is a system made up of eight worlds orbiting a yellow sun, as shown on the accompanying map. The distances on the map and in the Realmspace table assume the use of a ship equipped with a spelljamming helm (see "How Spelljamming Works" in chapter 2 of Astral Adventurer's Guide).

All the worlds of Realmspace have creatures and plants of one sort or another living on them. Toril is the most Earthlike, while the outer worlds (Glyth, Garden, and H'catha) are on the other end of the spectrum.

Realmspace

Planet	World Type	Distance to Outer Edge of System
Anadia	Spherical earth body	3,150 million miles (31½ days travel)
Coliar	Spherical air body	3,100 million miles (31 day travel)
Toril	Spherical earth body orbited by one moon (Selûne) and an asteroid cluster (Tears of Selûne)	3,000 million miles (30 days travel)
Karpri	Spherical water body	2,900 million miles (29 days travel)
Chandos	Spherical water body	2,800 million miles (28 days travel)
Glyth	Spherical, ringed earth body orbited by three moons	2,200 million miles (22 days travel)
Garden	Cluster of seven earth bodies held together by a colossal plant, orbited by eleven moons	2,000 million miles (20 days travel)
H'catha	Disk-shaped water body orbited by two moons	1,600 million miles (16 days travel)

Locations in Realmspace

The following locations are depicted on the map of Realmspace.

[image: Realmspace Map]

Anadia

The surface of Anadia is an expanse of badlands and dry washes except at its poles, where the land flattens out into gently rolling, fertile hills dotted with forests and patches of grassland. Communities of halflings occupy the polar areas, while the barren wastes are populated by monstrous predators and scavengers.

Coliar

This gas giant has a multitude of earth and water islands swirling around in its turbulent winds. These islands are occupied mostly by aarakocra, lizardfolk, and dragons. The lizardfolk, in particular, are accustomed to trading with spacefaring folk.

Toril

Toril, the locale of the Forgotten Realms setting, is the most populous world in Realmspace and home to some of the most powerful individuals in this system. It has regular and prosperous ties with the various nations and factions of Wildspace.

Toril's single large moon, Selûne, has a breathable atmosphere and is occupied by isolated groups of inhabitants. Toril's space-dwelling communities generally congregate in a cluster of asteroids that trails behind Selûne in the same orbit. This cluster, called the Tears of Selûne, has numerous settlements. The Rock of Bral (described in the Astral Adventurer's Guide) could be one of the many asteroids that form the cluster.

Karpri

This water world has icecaps at its poles and vegetation-choked waters in its equatorial region. In between, on either side of the equatorial zone, are bands of featureless ocean—nothing but water as far as the eye can see. Most of the planet's indigenous creatures are aquatic and dwell in the tropical sargasso, since the planet has no land masses that can support life.

Chandos

Chandos is a large water world with thousands of floating islands that often collide with one another, making these locations less than ideal for permanent settlements. Beneath the islands, in the depths of Chandos, live all sorts of bioluminescent aquatic creatures.

Glyth

Spelljamming ships known as nautiloids (described in the Astral Adventurer's Guide) patrol the space within 100 million miles of Glyth and hide behind the planet's three moons. This is not surprising because mind flayers are the undisputed masters of Glyth. The planet's air smells like it came from a charnel house, but it is not poisonous. The surface of the planet is a desolate wasteland, but beneath the crust is a labyrinth of subterranean caves inhabited by mind flayer colonies.

Garden

Garden is a cluster of seven planetoids inside a common air envelope, each of them linked to the others by the roots of an unimaginably large plant sometimes referred to as Yggdrasil's Child. Wildspace travelers sometimes come to Garden to restock their food, water, and air.

Garden is a refuge for spacefaring pirates, who hide their spelljamming ships in the maze of passageways that run between Yggdrasil's Child and the planetoids, and might do the same in the craters and canyons on any of Garden's eleven moons.

H'catha

H'catha is a disk of water floating in space, with a single large mountain called the Spindle jutting from its center. The water disk tapers at the edge to form a rim. The Spindle is 200 miles across at its base, and tapers to a peak 1,000 miles above the surface of the water. The caverns inside the Spindle are home to five warring subspecies of beholders.

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