Two new inventions
by Karl David BrownSMURFI-LODESTAR F3G ‘Veel’ CLOUD-CLIPPER
The ‘Veel’ Clipper is a modified version of the Cloud-Clipper passenger biplane. The Veel is designed as a rescue vehicle able to be deployed rapidly when a citizen or visitor somehow falls off the city. The F3G model has features added to enable capture of a falling person including the ability to descend rapidly and a Feather Fall gun to slow down plummeting people. The wings are staggered rather than directly above each other to allow catching feather falling people on the lower wing. The aircraft is sturdier than the standard Cloud Clipper to enable it to withstand the forces involved when rapidly plummeting and suddenly stopping. However, the changes to the design have made the aeroplane slower.
This aircraft typically holds the pilot, gunner, and hopefully a recovered passenger, though there are seats for six. The seats have seatbelts and there are leather foot-straps on the floor for anyone standing. These are needed to prevent people hitting the ceiling when the aeroplane plummets.
Unlike military planes the Cloud-Clipper is simply painted bright orange for visibility. Unlike all other aeroplane models the cabin is enclosed to ensure passenger comfort. However, the hatch of a regular Cloud Clipper has been replaced by a larger sliding door. The aeroplane is powered by a magic fuel tank delivering power to a pair of wooden propellers. Other features include leather safety harnesses on hard wearing leather upholstered seats.
The instrument panel includes a compass, fuel gauge, airspeed gauge, spirit level, and plumb bob for the pilot. A magic levitation ring is built into the shaft of the joystick. There are manuals and checklists incase of unskilled use in an emergency.
In action the Veels levitate up from their dedicated landing area near the Upper Class Residential district, rotate their wings into flight position and fly until they are above the falling person. The wings then rotate and the pane plummets down. As the plane closes on the faller the door gunner tries to shoot the faller with the Feather Fall gun. Once the person is feather falling the veel can catch them on a net stung between the wings.
Veel Cloud-Clippers were created by newcomers to aeroplane manufacture the Smurfri and Lodestar clans under contract to the city council. Clan members are often proud of the aeroplane’s role in rescuing hapless tourists.
Size. Huge (30 feet long).
Speed 50 feet (5mph) on flat level ground. Flight speed 90 feet (9 mph) with 5 or less people aboard, 80 feet (8 mph) with 6 or more people aboard. However, as an action the Veel can also rotate it’s wing so that they provide no lift and simply fall while remaining more or less level. Levitate speed 20 feet. The F3G can also gain or lose 20 ft of altitude. Using this ability also stops the planes fall.
Range 3 hours flight time
AC 14 when flying (Dexterity 13). If not flying AC 12.
Hit Dice 24d12
Hit Points 147.
Immune to psychic and poison damage
Attacks.
Pilot attacks. Two synchronised spike guns granting a multiattack.
Door Gunner attacks. Featherfall gun. See below for details.
Ramming. Modify attack roll by -2. 6d4 bludgeoning and receives equal damage itself. A target huge size or bigger reduces the aeroplane’s flight speed reduced to zero and it falls. Flight speed stays zero until all damage to the aeroplane is repaired. If the ram reduces the aeroplane’s hit points to zero then the fuel tank explodes as described in ‘Crash and Burn’.
Maintenance Proficiencies. Skyhooks, Tinker’s tools, smith’s tools, calligraphy supplies, carpenter’s tools, cobbler’s tools, weaver’s tools, woodcarver’s tools, alchemist’s supplies, painter’s supplies, leather worker’s tools, navigator’s tools, and glassblower’s tools.
Purchase Price. 12086 gp but never for sale.
Power. Very Rare.
Featherfall Gun
This magic weapon is created by encircling a slender steel pipe with a Ring of Featherfalling and permanently mounting the pipe on a vehicle or structure then connecting to a combination magical-mechanical firing mechanism. In gunner versions of the weapon the steel pipe is a fixed to what looks like a crossbow stock on a swivel. The alterations encase the magical energy of the featherfall spell in a small white globe. The spell is only triggered if an aeroplane weapon attack roll is successful and the globe hits a creature. Then the featherfall spell affects the target. This is the same as the spell except only one creature is affected. The usual range of the spell is replaced by a weapon range of 65/200 ft. If the globe reaches 200 ft from the barrel without striking a target it vanishes with an audible pop. The featherfall gun is not limited by charges and can be fired any number of times each day.
Unlike the Fireball Gun, it is possible to create a handheld version but the non-lethal effect of the weapon is rarely useful in battle so no-one has bothered. Size tiny. Weight 15 pounds. Range 65/200.v