Spelljammer Academy: Trial By Fire
Source: Spelljammer Academy
Introduction
This adventure, designed for three to seven 2nd-level characters, is the second in a series of four adventures. It is set in Spelljammer Academy on the island of Nimbral, many miles off the southwest coast of the Chultan peninsula in the Forgotten Realms setting.
Background
Tensions are running high at Spelljammer Academy on the island of Nimbral, thanks to a recent rash of thefts and an attack against the academy’s founder, Mirt the Merciless. The academy’s instructors have made it clear that it’s business as usual for new cadets, though. The characters will be put to the test as they participate in a competitive series of illusory training exercises against another squad of cadets. The characters are to take charge of their own spelljamming ship, plying a magical simulation of Wildspace on a mission to seek out the wreckage of a ship lost in an asteroid cluster. Are they up to the challenge?
Overview
The adventure’s story takes approximately two hours to play and is spread over three parts:
Part 1: Preflight Meal. While having breakfast and preparing for their imminent training exercise, the characters meet other cadets and discuss the recent troubling events happening at the academy.
Part 2: Test of Mettle. Under the supervision of Spelljammer training officer Saerthe Abizin and Spelljammer Corps training officer Boatswain Tarto, the cadets begin a competitive training exercise. Taking on the challenge of crewing their own spelljamming ship will test their skills, bravery, and ability to function as a team.
Part 3: Sabotage! An agent of an unknown foe sabotages the simulation chamber where the training exercise takes place, causing the equipment there to explode. The characters must help tend to the wounded and might be instrumental in discovering a clue to the identity of the saboteur.
During parts 2 and 3 of the adventure, the characters’ actions determine their score—and thus their success or failure—in the training exercise.
Adventure Hooks
Trial by Fire follows the events of Orientation, the first adventure in the series. Characters who did not participate in the first adventure are assumed to have completed their orientation and are assigned to join the other characters’ training team.
Note
Playing in the Adventurers League
You can play the Spelljammer Academy adventures as a part of the D&D Adventurers League Forgotten Realms campaign. These adventures have been designed to be fully compatible with Adventurers League play and require no additional adaptation. Follow the guidelines present for the D&D Adventurers League for character creation and rewards, available in the D&D Adventurers League Player’s Guide (https://dnd.wizards.com/ddal_general).
At some events, these adventures might use a code to be identified more easily. The code for this adventure is SJA-02.
Part 1: Preflight Meal
The adventure begins with the characters gathering in the academy’s refectory to eat breakfast with other cadets and discuss recent events at the academy.
Note
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.
Fellowship
To begin the adventure, read or paraphrase the following:
Readaloud
Today is the day! It’s the official start of your academy training. Fresh from orientation, you and your crewmates are to report to Saerthe Abizin, the Spelljammer training officer. Before you head out, though, your first stop is the academy refectory for a hearty breakfast.
Found on the Cadet Quarters level, the refectory is a large communal dining hall with a patio. The room is well lit by a dozen blue-glowing orbs attached by bronze-colored rods to the ceiling. An L-shaped counter to the northwest is covered with small tools, contraptions, and alchemical tubes and containers. Behind the counter, a door bears a sign that reads “Staff Only.”
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.
Note
Petty Officer Winston Ryeback
Giff Galley Cook
Petty Officer Ryeback (RIE-bak) is a muscular giff in charge of the food served at the Academy (and on the rare occasion, he crews a ship). Like anyone else who runs a respectable galley, he’s a staunch believer in the four basic food groups: beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard. He’s raucous and brash and gives bear hugs so good you think he might break a rib (but in a good way). His gray skin is usually coated with light sheen of sweat; kitchens are hot!
Quote: “The best way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.”
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 part 2 of 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 part 2 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 part 2 of the adventure.
Note
Miken Haverstance
Human Cadet
Miken (MICK-unn) constantly worries about whether he has the right skills to graduate from the Academy. When his nose isn’t buried in a technical manual, he’s scribbling mathematical and arcane equations in a battered pocket notebook he always keeps on him. Miken has light-olive skin, dark-brown eyes, and short, disheveled black hair framing a round face. He wears the same uniform as the other cadets.
Quote: “I’d like to be a great spelljammer, but I don’t know if I’ve got it in me.”
Part 2: Test of Mettle
After breakfast, the characters travel to the main hall of Spelljammer Academy’s Simulations Deck, where they’re briefed on the upcoming training exercise before they’re led into one of the adjoining simulation chambers. The exercise will take them on a virtual journey through Wildspace and pit them in a race against the clock, as they must outperform a competing band of cadets facing their own simulation.
Awaiting the characters in the main hall are two officers: Saerthe Abizin (a human), the Spelljammer training officer, and Boatswain Tarto (a hadozee), the Spelljammer Corps training officer. Characters who played through the first Spelljammer Academy adventure met both officers; use the information in the accompanying sidebars to bring new player characters up to speed.
Mission Briefing
The characters arrive with another squad of six cadets, including Miken Haverstance. Read or paraphrase the following:
Readaloud
You arrive at the Simulations Deck at the same time as another team of cadets, all of you gathering in the main hall where today’s training officers—Saerthe Abizin and Boatswain Tarto—stand waiting. A few members of the other squad murmur excitedly, but a glare from Boatswain Tarto as she chews her cigar quiets them.
Saerthe Abizin scans the congregation with silver eyes. Their stern gaze shifts to a wide grin. “Well, this is going to be fun.”
Tarto steps forward to welcome the cadets and provide the details of the upcoming training exercise. In addition to testing each cadet’s skills and talents, the exercise is also a friendly competition between the two teams of cadets, with each squad earning points that are tracked and recorded by the observing officers.
Note
Boatswain Tarto (Spelljammer Corps Training Officer)
Hadozee Seasoned Boatswain
The scars that Boatswain Tarto (pronounced BOE-sun TAR-toe) bears are testament to her status as a battle-hardened veteran. Despite having one of her wing flaps torn away long ago, she remains as capable as ever while on board a ship. Spelljammer Academy has no better person to spearhead the training of raw recruits—and Tarto knows it. Never one to mince words (even when those words are directed toward those who outrank her), this old, grizzled hadozee has light-tan skin and ebon-black fur graying at the temples. She’s perpetually shrouded in a thick haze of cigar smoke, the smell of which often signals her imminent arrival.
Quote: “Listen to what I tell you; it might just save your life.”
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.
Note
Know Your Role
When choosing role assignments, keeping the following in mind can help characters form an effective spelljamming crew:
- Using a spelljamming helm requires a keen mind, focus, and magical talent. A character with the ability to cast spells is essential for the Spelljammer role.
- A crew relies on their captain to be intuitive, sensible, fair-minded, and decisive, making the Captain role a good fit for someone with a high Wisdom or Charisma score.
The Assignment
After roles are assigned, Saerthe provides the characters with the main objective of the exercise.
Readaloud
After a long pull on her cigar, Boatswain Tarto surveys the assembled crews.
“Each crew is to navigate their ship through a debris field on the outskirts of Coliar, a sodding big gas giant. There, you’re to salvage the captain’s logbook from the wreckage of an abandoned ship, then return to your starting point with your own ship intact.”
Tarto levels a steely eye and says with a glare, “Intact, not first. Get the mission done well; not quick.”
If the characters were friendly with Miken in part 1, 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 appendix A.
Note
Saerthe Abizjn (Spelljammer Training Officer)
Human Spelljammer
Despite their extravagant showboating, Saerthe Abizjn (pronounced SAIR-th ah-bih-ZEEN) remains as mysterious as the isle of Nimbral from which they hail. Although relatively inexperienced in comparison to some of the other instructors at the academy, Saerthe is an experienced spelljammer. Their eyes shimmer like pools of quicksilver, allowing them to see magical auras.
Saerthe’s quick wit and sharp tongue provide them with an inexhaustible supply of jabs and quips (though never mean-spirited), accompanied to great effect by their natural talent with illusory magic. Saerthe’s white skin is so pale as to be almost translucent, and their blonde hair is worn in a fashionable, immaculately manicured pompadour.
Quote: “I make talent look good.”
Simulation Chambers
Each simulation chamber is a broad circular space with a domed ceiling, its stone walls carved with arcane runes that fill the area with bright light. Each chamber is equipped with a training version of a spelljamming helm and creates complex illusions designed to test cadets’ speed, skill, and ability to work together in a crisis.
Saerthe Abizin accompanies the characters to a simulation chamber where Mister Blip, the academy’s autognome quartermaster, is preparing the physical aspects of the simulation. Mister Blip hurries over when he sees the characters enter, his eyes shifting to a green color as he greets the cadets. The autognome introduces himself to any characters who didn’t meet him in the previous Spelljammer Academy adventure. Mister Blip’s eyes shift to a bright blue as he hurries over to a table set with magical gear and mysterious devices unrecognizable to the characters, reporting that everything is ready to go.
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:
Readaloud
Saerthe steps back from the platform, holds their palms outward, and begins an incantation. The sigils scrawled along the walls and floors glow brightly, intensifying as the training officer weaves their powerful illusion.
“Good luck, cadets,” Saerthe says, “and don’t be afraid. Though these illusions are realistic, thanks to my arcane prowess, they are just that—illusions.”
Blue-white lines form around you, etching the shape of a ship deck around the platform upon which you stand. The room then melts away amid an explosion of colors, textures, and sounds that place you on the deck of a ship that is shaped like a gigantic hammerhead shark. The ship is situated in the Sky Dock atop Spelljammer Academy. Scudding clouds fill the sky above you.
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 appendix A). A second attempt at the check succeeds automatically.
Readaloud
The island of Nimbral disappears quickly beneath your ship, which passes through clouds until the spectacular void of Wildspace comes into view.
Note
Mister Blip (Academy Quartermaster)
Autognome Quartermaster
Mister Blip is an odd but well-loved member of Spelljammer Academy. During a ship attack some years ago, the autognome’s creator was slain and his memories were lost. With no purpose to speak of, Mister Blip wandered aimlessly, and eventually encountered Boatswain Tarto in her travels. The hadozee invited the autognome to Spelljammer Academy, and he’s been there ever since.
Mister Blip is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge on all subjects related to spelljamming. Chances are if you have a question, he’s got a dozen different answers for it—and usually doesn’t stop opining until asked to be quiet. His quarters are an absolute mess, featuring half a dozen tables piled high with tomes, curiosities, and devices of unknown purpose.
Mister Blip wears a smart-looking leather apron with a score of tools of various purpose tucked into tiny leather loops. The only other article of clothing he wears is a black felt bowler cap. The color of his eyes changes depending on his mood: green if he’s feeling inquisitive, blue when determined, red for angry, yellow when excited, and pink if he’s proud, among others. A long, smartly crafted bronze mustache completes his ensemble.
Quote: “If you’re looking for a quick answer, I’m probably not the best place to find it.”
Journey through Wildspace
During their simulated journey, the characters must overcome the challenges described below. A challenge is resolved by having each character make an ability check. If half or more of the characters succeed on the check, the challenge is overcome. Otherwise, the characters fail their initial attempt, and their score is impacted (see appendix A), but any follow-up attempt succeeds automatically, allowing the training exercise (and the journey) to continue.
Challenge 1: Plotting a Course
The characters must use their Wildspace map to plot a course to their destination. Have each character make a DC 12 ability check. Each player chooses which check to make based on their character’s role aboard the ship:
Captain: Wisdom (Survival) or Charisma (Persuasion)
Shipmate: Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)
Spelljammer: Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival)
Challenge 2: Electrical Storm
The characters’ ship accelerates to spelljamming speed, racing through Wildspace toward its destination. After a minute or so in this simulated state, the ship returns to its normal flying speed. A school of giant space eels swims past the ship, and each eel discharges a bolt of lightning as it zips by. The ship is caught in the eels’ electrical storm, which starts one or more fires on the deck.
Avoiding the worst of the electrical storm and extinguishing the flames requires each character to make a DC 13 ability check. Each player chooses which check to make based on their character’s role aboard the ship:
Captain: Wisdom (Survival) or Charisma (Persuasion)
Shipmate: Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)
Challenge 3: Asteroid Cluster
Once the space eels are a safe distance away, the ship can resume its journey, traveling rapidly at spelljamming speed. After another minute in this simulated state, the ship arrives at its destination, where the characters discover that the abandoned ship they seek is located at the center of a cluster of asteroids. Reaching the ship safely means navigating a careful route through the asteroids.
Have each character make a DC 13 ability check. Each player chooses which check to make based on their character’s role aboard the ship:
Captain: Wisdom (Survival) or Charisma (Persuasion)
Shipmate: Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics)
Spelljammer: Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Perception)
If the characters fail their initial attempt to avoid the asteroids, the ship is lightly damaged as it grazes an asteroid. This damage becomes relevant later (see “Wildspace Battle” below).
Salvage Operation
Once their ship passes through the asteroid cluster, the characters reach the wreckage of a flying fish ship, torn apart by the celestial debris. The longer the characters take to locate and claim the captain’s logbook, the more difficult the task becomes. Initiative rolls aren’t necessary but track how many rounds of ability checks it takes for the characters to spot the derelict ship’s logbook.
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 “Journey through Wildspace” 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.
Wildspace Battle
Readaloud
As your ship steers clear of the asteroids, another ship appears. Its sleek frame is painted in a wild shade of pink and is designed to resemble an immense squid. Starlight reflects off the ship’s hull—illuminating two turret-mounted ballistas rotating slowly to face your ship.
The attacking ship is an old, but reliable, squid ship crewed by githyanki pirates. Having already set their sights on salvaging the derelict, the githyanki don’t take kindly to the characters jumping their claim. The githyanki ship immediately moves into attack position, forcing the characters into battle.
Hammerhead Ship
The following statistics are for the characters’ training ship and appear in handout 1. 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.
Hammerhead Ship Summary
| Armor Class 15 (wood) | Cargo: 30 tons |
| Hit Points: 400 | Crew: 15 |
| Damage Threshold: 15 | Keel/Beam: 250 ft./25 ft. |
| Speed: Fly 35 ft. (4 mph) | Cost: 40,000 gp |
| ^hammerhead-ship-summary |
- Hit Points. If the ship was lightly damaged in the “Journey through Wildspace” 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 appendix B. 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.
Squid Ship Summary
| Armor Class 15 (wood) | Cargo: 20 tons |
| Hit Points: 300 | Crew: 13 |
| Damage Threshold: 15 | Keel/Beam: 250 ft./25 ft. |
| Speed: Fly 30 ft. (3½ mph) | Cost: 25,000 gp |
| ^squid-ship-summary |
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.
Running the Encounter
Use the following guidance for running and resolving the encounter between the characters’ hammerhead and the githyanki ship.
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.
Using Magic
Certain spells can be used to damage an enemy ship or hamper its crew. A ship’s spelljamming helm or pilot often can’t be targeted without being aboard the enemy ship.
Boarding
The characters can board the ship instead of fighting it at a distance. Any such attempt requires the pilot to move the character’s ship within 5 feet of the enemy ship.
Once one or more characters board the githyanki ship, that ship makes only one ballista attack each round. The rest of the crew—six githyanki pirates using the bandit stat block, but which are resistant to psychic damage—leave their stations to defend the ship, taking the characters on in combat. See appendix C for the squid ship’s layout.
Ending the Encounter
The encounter ends when one of the following conditions is met:
- The enemy ship is reduced to 100 hit points or fewer, causing it to retreat.
- The enemy ship takes two critical hits, causing it to retreat.
- The characters’ ship moves more than 100 feet away from the enemy ship, at which point the enemy ship breaks off its pursuit and flees.
- The characters’ ship is reduced to 0 hit points. If this occurs, the characters fail the training exercise, and the simulation ends.
Help!
Provided the characters don’t lose their ship in the training exercise, they can make their return journey once their ship-to-ship battle ends:
Readaloud
Your ship slows, marking the unexpected presence of something else in the vicinity. It takes just a moment to spot another hammerhead ship in the distance. The other ship is severely damaged and adrift. Every few seconds, bands of electricity ripple out from the center of its hull, dealing further damage to the ship.
If the characters approach the other hammerhead ship, they spot the cadets from the other team on its deck. No check is needed to tell they’re in trouble. Miken is among them and waves for help.
The characters can choose to leave the other team to their fate with the goal of beating them to the finish line, or they can approach the other ship and evacuate its crew before that ship is destroyed.
After the characters abandon or evacuate their fellow cadets, the simulation ends. Continue with part 3.
Part 3: Sabotage!
The simulation chambers at Spelljammer Academy have been sabotaged, causing Saerthe’s illusions to erupt with a backlash of energy. This backlash caused the spelljamming helm aboard Miken’s simulated hammerhead ship to malfunction at the end of part 2.
The characters won’t learn the full story in this adventure, but the sabotage is related to the recent rash of thefts at the academy and the attack on Mirt. The saboteurs’ targets are the academy’s instructors—but cadets are prone to get caught in the crossfire.
Shattering Illusions
Read or paraphrase the following to start this final encounter:
Readaloud
The illusion around you ends in a wave of silvery blue light, and you stand within the simulation chamber where your training exercise began. Magical energy ripples like a turbulent cloud around you, reaching out to touch the rune-scribed walls, then exploding outward as bolts of lightning, sending Saerthe, Tarto, and others flying to the ground.
Each character must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
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 part 1, 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:
Readaloud
Boatswain Tarto scowls, chomping down on her cigar. She points to the sigil as she looks to Saerthe Abizin.
“That look familiar to you?”
Saerthe’s quicksilver eyes scan the object coldly. “Vocath. I should have suspected. It appears that the mercane’s grudge against Mirt has become a vendetta. The Old Wolf must be told.”
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.)
Ending the Adventure
Although the training exercises were sabotaged, all the cadets completed enough of the session to receive their scores. The characters earn points in the training exercise as outlined in appendix A.
If the characters earn 6 points or more, they successfully complete the exercise. For winning the competition against the other squad, each character is awarded 100 gp.
If the characters earn fewer than 6 points, they fail the training exercise. Boatswain Tarto commends them for their efforts regardless (especially if they stopped to help the other squad even in their failed effort) and tells them they’ll have a chance to repeat the exercise. (Unknown to the characters, though, the urgent mission presented in the next adventure will take priority.)
Character Advancement
The characters advance to 3rd level upon completing this adventure.
Creature Statistics
Handout 1: Hammerhead Ship
Hammerhead ships are popular craft, especially among pirates and merchants carrying heavy cargo. They can float on water and sail across it, but they aren’t built to land on the ground (their keels would cause them to tip to one side). Standard weapons on a hammerhead ship include fore and aft mangonels, a ballista, and a reinforced bow for ramming.
Appendices
Appendix A: Scoring Sheet
Use the following to keep track of scoring during the training exercise in part 2 of the adventure.
Note
☐ Plotting a course of the first attempt: 1 point
☐ Mitigating the damage of the electrical storm on the first attempt: 1 point
☐ Entering the asteroid cluster without damaging the ship: 1 point
☐ Exiting the asteroid cluster without damaging the ship: 1 point
☐ Defeating or outrunning the enemy ship: 4 points
☐ Stopping to assist the other cadet squad: 2 points
Points Required for Success: 6 or more
- Total Points Earned. ___________________
Appendix B: Squid Ship
Among the oldest types of spelljamming vessels, squid ships are popular with privateers and are often used as patrol ships. Standard weapons on a squid ship include a forward-mounted mangonel, two aft-mounted ballistae, and a reinforced bow for ramming. The tentacles that extend from the bow account for nearly half the ship’s keel length.
Squid ships can float and sail on water, and can land on ground.
Appendix C: Squid Ship Map
Gallery
