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Open Sky Airship Passage

Environments Designed by Dodders
Tier
2
Type
Traversal
Difficulty
14
Impulses
Drift off course Winds blow chaotically Ship requires maintenance

Environment overview

A long stretch of open air where the crew must guide an experimental airship through shifting winds, quiet hazards, and the unknown rhythms of the sky.

Potential adversaries

Beasts (Angry seagulls and other birds) Sky Whales

Features

Passives

passive
  • The Journey

    Crossing the open sky uses a Progress Countdown (14).
    When PCs take actions to help the journey (piloting, navigating, repairing, charting, keeping watch, morale, etc.), tick the countdown:

    - Critical Success: Tick down 3
    - Success with Hope: Tick down 2
    - Success with Fear: Tick down 2 (progress, but with a complication)
    - Failure with Hope: Tick down 1 (slow but steady)
    - Failure with Fear: No advancement + introduce a minor problem

    When the countdown triggers, the ship reaches its destination.

    Questions
    • What breathtaking view makes everyone stop working for a moment?
    • What strange floating landmark do you pass by?
  • Steady Winds

    The air currents are mostly favorable. Once per round, a PC can take advantage of the wind to gain advantage by describing how they work with the ship instead of against it.

    Questions
    • What sound does the wind make when it fills the sails?
    • What small ritual has the crew developed for “good wind”?
  • Light Maintenance

    The ship requires constant but manageable upkeep. On any roll with Fear:

    Choose one:
    - Mark 1 Stress
    - A minor issue appears (loose rope, flickering engine, misaligned fin). If ignored, the next related roll is at disadvantage.

    Questions
    • What part of the ship always needs tightening, tapping, or coaxing?

Actions

action
  • Gentle Drift

    Spend Fear to shift the ship slightly off course. The crew notices something is wrong (not sudden danger)
    The next navigation-related roll is at disadvantage or on success, tick one less than usual.
    If ignored for too long, tick the countdown up 1 as time is lost correcting course.

    Questions
    • What landmark doesn’t look quite right anymore?
  • Approaching Complication

    Spend Fear to introduce a near miss or minor complication, not yet a disaster.
    Perhaps:
    - The ship scrapes something (cosmetic damage, loud noise, shaken crew)
    - Turbulence cause the ship to list and a PC nearly falls or loses something important
    - A creature or object passes uncomfortably close or a danger is spotted on the horizon.

    The players might be alerted automatically to the problem or it might require an Instinct roll to see.

    Questions
    • What shadow passes over the deck?
    • What sound makes everyone go quiet for a second?

Reactions

reaction
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About this environment

A long stretch of open air where the crew must guide an experimental airship through shifting winds, quiet hazards, and the unknown rhythms of the sky.

Open Sky Airship Passage

Tier 2 Traversal

A long stretch of open air where the crew must guide an experimental airship through shifting winds, quiet hazards, and the unknown rhythms of the sky.

Impulses: Drift off course, Winds blow chaotically, Ship requires maintenance

Difficulty: 14

Potential Adversaries: Beasts (Angry seagulls and other birds), Sky Whales

Features

The Journey - Passive: Crossing the open sky uses a Progress Countdown (14). When PCs take actions to help the journey (piloting, navigating, repairing, charting, keeping watch, morale, etc.), tick the countdown: - Critical Success: Tick down 3 - Success with Hope: Tick down 2 - Success with Fear: Tick down 2 (progress, but with a complication) - Failure with Hope: Tick down 1 (slow but steady) - Failure with Fear: No advancement + introduce a minor problem When the countdown triggers, the ship reaches its destination.
  1. What breathtaking view makes everyone stop working for a moment?
  2. What strange floating landmark do you pass by?
Steady Winds - Passive: The air currents are mostly favorable. Once per round, a PC can take advantage of the wind to gain advantage by describing how they work with the ship instead of against it.
  1. What sound does the wind make when it fills the sails?
  2. What small ritual has the crew developed for “good wind”?
Light Maintenance - Passive: The ship requires constant but manageable upkeep. On any roll with Fear: Choose one: - Mark 1 Stress - A minor issue appears (loose rope, flickering engine, misaligned fin). If ignored, the next related roll is at disadvantage.
  1. What part of the ship always needs tightening, tapping, or coaxing?
Gentle Drift - Action: Spend Fear to shift the ship slightly off course. The crew notices something is wrong (not sudden danger) The next navigation-related roll is at disadvantage or on success, tick one less than usual. If ignored for too long, tick the countdown up 1 as time is lost correcting course.
  1. What landmark doesn’t look quite right anymore?
Approaching Complication - Action: Spend Fear to introduce a near miss or minor complication, not yet a disaster. Perhaps: - The ship scrapes something (cosmetic damage, loud noise, shaken crew) - Turbulence cause the ship to list and a PC nearly falls or loses something important - A creature or object passes uncomfortably close or a danger is spotted on the horizon. The players might be alerted automatically to the problem or it might require an Instinct roll to see.
  1. What shadow passes over the deck?
  2. What sound makes everyone go quiet for a second?

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