A spelljammer astrogator interacts with a spelljammer helm to plot distant destinations. The astrogator can plot destinations in two ways.
- Anchor Point Plot - The astrogator plots a course to a known anchor point. When the astrogator feeds spell energy into a helm, he sees a representation of all anchor points within the Astral Limit of the helm, plus an additional radius of 20% per rank. Thus, if the helm has an astral limit of 100,000 miles, and the character is rank 5, he will see all anchor points within 200,000 miles. If the anchor point is within the astrogator's safe jump distance (q.v.) then it takes only a single round during which chooses an anchor point. If the anchor point is not within his safe jump distance, then the jump is considered a Risky Plot.
- Anchor Point Beyond Range Plot - The astrogator plots a course to a known anchor point that is beyond his Safe Anchor Point Jump Distance. He must make an astrogation roll. If the distance is within (Safe Anchor Point Jump Distance + Risky Plot Jump Distance) he makes a base roll and, if successful, the plot is entered. With Near Success, he must "overpower" the helm and feed an an extra spell point to plot the course. With Partial Success, he must feed in two extra points. Failure means the plot failed, the spell point is used, and he can try again the following round. If range is beyond Safe + Risky, then he must make a roll at -5 per multiple of the Risky Plot Jump Distance. For example, if a rank 1 astrogator wants to jump to an Anchor Point that is 130 miles away, he suffers a -5 to his roll. He can safely jump to a location up to 100 miles and gets a base roll for a location that is 101 to 125 miles, but suffers a -5 if the Anchor Point is 126 to 150 miles away.
- Risky Plot - The astrogator plots a destination that is not an anchor point within his safe jump range. If the distance is within the astrogator's Risky Plot Jump Distance, he makes a skill roll and, if successful, he creates a safe plot for the pilot to execute. If it is beyond his Risky Plot Jump Distance, then he suffers a -5 to his roll for every 10% beyond the safe distance. For example, if his Risky Plot Jump Distance is 100 miles, and wants to plot a course to a destination that is 103 miles away, he suffers a -5 to his skill roll. If the distance is 180 miles away, he suffers a -40 to the roll. A Risky Plot takes a base time of 5 minutes (30 rounds) but can be done faster. Subtract 5 from your roll for every 3 rounds subtracted from the 30 rounds. Thus, if attempting to plot in one round, subtract 45 from the roll.
Creating a plot uses a spell point. The astrogator feeds a spell point into the helm causing a three dimensional display to be created in the helm that he uses to plot the destination.
Each spelljammer has their own Astral Speed. Either the pilot or the astrogator can feed the necessary spell points for jump trips. See Spelljammer Pilot skill for how long each spell point lasts.
Rank | Safe Anchor Point Jump Distance | Risky Plot Jump Distance |
1 | 100 miles | 25 miles |
2 | 200 miles | 50 miles |
3 | 400 miles | 75 miles |
4 | 800 miles | 100 miles |
5 | 2000 miles | 150 miles |
6 | 6000 miles | 200 miles |
7 | 15,000 miles | 300 miles |
8 | 40,000 miles | 500 miles |
9 | 100,000 miles | 1000 miles |
10 | 300,000 miles | 2500 miles |
11 | 1,000,000 miles | 5000 miles |
12 | 2,500,000 miles | 10,000 miles |
13 | 5,000,000 miles | 25,000 miles |
14 | 10,000,000 miles | 50,000 miles |
15 | 20,000,000 miles | 100,000 miles |
16 | 40,000,000 miles | 250,000 miles |
17 | 80,000,000 miles | 500,000 miles |
18 | 150,000,000 miles | 1,000,000 miles |
19 | 300,000,000 miles | 2,500,000 miles |
20 | Any distance | 5,000,000 miles |
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