Dungeon Master Resources for Your Spelljammer Campaign 🎲💥
Need new threats and challenges for your spelljamming crew? These homebrew resources are designed to make your space battles more dynamic and your cosmic encounters more memorable. From cunning monsters to new tactical actions, you'll have everything you need to keep your players on their toes!
New Spelljamming Encounters 🌠
These encounter ideas are designed to be more than just a fight. They challenge the crew to use their skills and wits in unique ways.
The Crystal Comet. A massive, crystalline comet drifts through Wildspace, its surface covered in valuable, magical crystals. The players must decide whether to risk damage to harvest the crystals or escape before the comet's rage destroys their ship.
The Astral Graveyard. An area of Wildspace littered with the wrecks of ancient spelljamming vessels. This is a classic dungeon crawl in space. The wrecks are home to scavengers, pirates, and unique undead creatures. The players can explore the wrecks, finding valuable salvage and lost lore. They might even find a new spelljamming helm or a powerful magic item.
The Solar Dragon's Lair. A solar dragon has made its lair inside a small, hollowed-out asteroid near a sun. The players must navigate the asteroid's treacherous interior, battle the dragon's minions, and face the dragon itself.
New Magic Items and Salvage ✨
These items can be found in the wrecks of old ships, in the lairs of monsters, or in a bustling trade port.
Helm of the Navigator. A magical helm that grants a character proficiency with Navigator's Tools. When the character is using the helm, they can add their Intelligence modifier to their Navigation checks. The helm also grants the character the ability to cast the Comprehend Languages spell once per day.
The Phlogiston Engine. A massive, magical engine that burns Phlogiston to power a ship. When the engine is activated, the ship's speed is doubled, but the engine also has a 10% chance of exploding each round. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check can prevent the explosion for one round.
The Astral Compass. A magical compass that always points to the nearest inhabited planet. The compass also has a limited telepathic link with the nearest spelljamming helm, allowing the owner to communicate with the helm's pilot. The compass can also be used to cast the Scrying spell once per day.
New Spelljammer Monsters 👾
These creatures are built to challenge a spelljamming crew using the unique mechanics of this homebrew. They are more than just bags of hit points; they are tactical threats that require a coordinated response.
Gargantuan Aberration, Unaligned
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 180 (12d20 + 60)
Speed 0 ft., Fly 60 ft. (hover)
Maneuverability Rating (MR) 4 (Good)
Maneuverability Bonus (MB) +4
STR 18 (+4) | DEX 12 (+1) | CON 20 (+5) |
INT 5 (-3) | WIS 15 (+2) | CHA 10 (+0)
Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +6
Damage Immunities Lightning, Psychic
Condition Immunities Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Grappled, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Blindsight 120 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages Telepathy 100 ft. (sentient creatures only)
Tentacle Lash: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 40 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a ship, it takes the Grappled condition (escape DC 16).
Helm Siphon: While grappling a ship, the Drifter can drain energy from its spelljamming helm. The pilot must succeed on a DC 15 spellcasting ability check or lose a spell slot of a random level. The Drifter regains 1d4 hit points for every level of the spell slot lost.
Static Burst (Recharge 5-6): The Drifter releases a pulse of static energy. All ships within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a random ship system takes the Disabled (Minor) condition. On a success, the ship is unaffected.
Tactics and Lore: Astral Drifters are giant, ethereal jellyfish that feed on ambient magic. They don't seek to destroy ships outright, but to drain their resources, leaving the crew stranded and vulnerable.
The Phlogiston Siren 🧜♀️
Medium Aberration, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 14 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 90 (12d8 + 36)
Speed 0 ft., Fly 60 ft. (hover)
Maneuverability Rating (MR) 5 (Excellent)
Maneuverability Bonus (MB) +5
STR 10 (+0) | DEX 18 (+4) | CON 16 (+3) |
INT 18 (+4) | WIS 16 (+3) | CHA 20 (+5)
Saving Throws Int +8, Cha +9
Skills Deception +9, Performance +9
Damage Immunities Psychic
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned
Senses Truesight 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages Telepathy 120 ft., Abyssal, Celestial
Enchanting Song: The Siren sings a powerful psionic melody. All creatures on a ship within 1 mile must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they are Charmed for 1 minute and compelled to follow the Siren's telepathic instructions. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Psionic Whisper: The Siren targets one creature it has charmed within 120 feet. It can command the creature to perform a single action, such as "disconnect the helm" or "open the airlock."
Illusory Form: The Siren can change its appearance to that of a beautiful humanoid. A creature can make a DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check to see through the illusion.
Tactics and Lore: Phlogiston Sirens are intelligent, malevolent beings that thrive on chaos and destruction. They lie in wait in the Flow, using illusions to lure unsuspecting spelljammers and their crews. Once they have a ship under their control, they compel the crew to navigate into dangerous Flow currents or into the territory of more dangerous monsters.
Homebrew Ship Actions for a Dynamic Battle 💥
These actions give players more tactical options and provide more opportunities for teamwork. Use these to add complexity and choice to your ship combat encounters!
Captain Action: Tactical Maneuver. For 2 Crew Actions, the Captain can give the ship advantage on its next Maneuver check, helping the pilot pull off a tricky or important move.
Engineer Action: Emergency Airlock. For 1 Crew Action, when the ship gains the Breached condition, the Engineer can contain the breach to a single section of the ship. This prevents the entire ship from losing its air, but the section with the breach is still compromised.
Hope this helps make your space adventures even more epic! What kind of campaign are you planning to run with these new resources?
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