Ive searched Athas.org and other DS sites (including Siltskimmer.net, which proved to be significantly less help than the name would imply, though the site itself is great), but havent really been able to find much material about them. Dragon Magazine #237 has info on the game-mechanics of running a silt skimmer, but I already have the crunchy bits laid out and ready to play. What I need is fluff.
I went ahead and tried my hand at creating my own schematic for a skimmer. It actually came out looking fairly decent, but art is not my specialty, so it took far too much time for that to be a viable solution to my problem.
Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice or guidance you guys can provide. Thanks in advance.
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Phaeton
These were made for 2e, when I was using silt skimmer rules based off of the Spelljammer rules; whether or not you use any of the tables/etc. I've got on these is your call, although if you're using "standard" 3e-style vehicle/structure rules (I suggest using the Arms and Equipment Guide vehicle rules) I'd still suggest using my hit locations and the critical hit tables to add to the flavor - nothing like knowing where, exactly, that 2-ton chunk of stone landed...or on whom it landed. ;)
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Silt skimmers are generally non-magical, non-psionic, wheeled vehicles, that travel allong shallow silt shoals, powered by sails, and occasionally slaves or undead walking in a hollow space in the wheels.
The ships used by psionic shipfloaters, the ones that make up Balic's armada, are totaly different things.
Well...mine are shipfloater ships, not skimmers then. On the other hand, about the only thing you have to do to convert one to the other is remove the dome and tack on wheels. ;)
The upcoming Athasian Emporium will feature Silt Skimmers, unless I am mistaken. Methvezem can provide a definite answer.
IIRC it has silt skimmers, siltships and floater domes/rules. Plus some other Athasian-flavored vehicular goodness, too.
What we're missing are vehicules augmentions, mostly of the mundane variety, but also a few magic or psionic ones for the fleets of Tec and Daski.
...volunteers? :D
Pressure killed the gasket, so the proverb goes.
I really, really, really want to get rid of this thing, euhh, I mean see it published.
I will get there ;)
What we're missing are vehicules augmentions, mostly of the mundane variety, but also a few magic or psionic ones for the fleets of Tec and Daski.
...volunteers? :D
You must have meant Andropinis. Your brain must be leaking from having being too long away from under the blazing sun.
Otherwise, I confirm Penn's enumerations of the Athasian Emporium contents related to silt sailing.
Future releases should detail the fleets of Andy and Daskinor (even though Daskinor's fleets aren't really under his direct control).
It's nice to have a second naval power. I always thought that the Naval situation was a little wierd, with Balic being the only major coastal city in the original box set. Personally I think the setting would have been much cooler with Dregoth still alive and Guistenal still intact, but hey Undead Dragon God with a subterranean city filled with Dragonmen is cool too :D
It's nice to have a second naval power. I always thought that the Naval situation was a little wierd, with Balic being the only major coastal city in the original box set. Personally I think the setting would have been much cooler with Dregoth still alive and Guistenal still intact, but hey Undead Dragon God with a subterranean city filled with Dragonmen is cool too :D
I wonder what other silt fleets exist. We are dealing with only a small amount of coast.
Then there's the trade houses - odds are they've got a monopoly on any other "fleets" in the Tyr Region. And even then, given the intrinsic dangers (and relatively small cargo loads) of silt skimmer travel and trade, they probably choose to hire out independent contractors rather than keep their own fleets - that way if they lose a ship all they have to write off are the goods rather than the entire crew and vehicle.