-Nate
Formian
Stoneships
Recently an exploratory crew from the Dwarven Mining
Guild made an unexpected discovery—what they thought was an
asteroid was, in fact, some kind of aethership. Instead of a wooden
hull, it was carved from stone; in place of sails and cordage, there
were carved lines filled with some kind of metal; and finally, the
orb of control was replaced by a crystal globe set into a
truncated pillar in the chamber that seemed to be the vessel's
forward section.
The formian scoutship is a simple ovoid asteroid,
forty-five feet long and twenty-five feet wide. The ship's exterior
is unremarkable, allowing it to blend in easily with ordinary rocks
drifting in the Belt and other such locations. Its interior is
divided into two section. The fore compartment (1) is small; its most
notable feature is the crystal globe atop its pillar, which serves as
the pilot's station. In front of that is the forward viewport, where
numerous small holes have been cut through the thin wall of stone.
That allows the crew to see out of it, without letting others see
inside. The aft compartment (2) has eight niches cut into the walls,
providing places for the traveling formians to be sealed in with
spider-spun webbing. They surround a broad, open hold for cargo; at
the back of it is a section of wall that can swing outward for
loading and unloading.
A formian scoutship is normally crewed by twelve
workers; refer to page 113 of Bestiary 4 for more information.
Formian
Scoutship
Colossal space
vehicle
Squares
45 (25 ft. by 45 ft.); Cost
NA
DEFENSE
AC
2; Hardness 8
hp
900 (450)
Base
Save +0
OFFENSE
Maximum
Speed 180 ft. (magical);
Acceleration 30 ft.
(magical)
CMB
+8; CMD 18
Ramming
Damage 8d8
DESCRIPTION
This vessel, carved
out of an asteroid, has two interior compartments, the “bridge”
and a space that combines cargo and passenger quarters. The viewport
in the fore is perforated with numerous small holes, and moving
sections of wall in the aft allow access and loading.
Propulsion
magic (20 squares of energy lines, 400 hp)
Driving
Check Profession (pilot) or Use
Magic Device
Forward
Facing the ship's forward
Driving
Device navigation
sphere
Driving
Space the square or squares
occupied by the pilot with the navigation
sphere
Crew
2 (not
including weapons crews)
Decks
1
Weapons
One Large direct-fire siege engine positioned in the stern; it may
only fire out the aft end of the vessel.
