''Spelljammer'' is a

campaign setting A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...

originally published for the ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...

'' (2nd edition)

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

, which features a

fantastic The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces. Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, charac ...

(as opposed to

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

)

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

environment. Subsequent editions have included ''Spelljammer'' content; a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition setting update released on August 16, 2022. ''Spelljammer'' introduced into the ''AD&D'' universe a comprehensive system of fantasy

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

, including the Ptolemaic concept of crystal spheres. Crystal spheres may contain multiple worlds and are navigable using ships equipped with "spelljamming helms". Ships powered by spelljamming helms are capable of flying into not only the sky but into

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consi ...

. With their own fields of

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

and

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A ...

, the ships have open decks and tend not to resemble the spaceships of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

, but instead look more like

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch ...

s, animals, birds, fish or even more wildly fantastic shapes. The ''Spelljammer'' setting is designed to allow the usual

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the ...

adventures of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' to take place within the framework of outer space tropes. Flying ships travel through the vast expanses of interplanetary space, visiting moons and planets and other stellar objects. Like the

Planescape ''Planescape'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, designed by Zeb Cook, and published in 1994. It crosses numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as d ...

setting, ''Spelljammer'' unifies most of the other AD&D settings and provides a canonical method for allowing characters from one setting (such as

Dragonlance ''Dragonlance'' is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in t ...

) to travel to another (such as the

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...

). However, unlike Planescape, it keeps all of the action on the

Prime Material Plane The planes of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game constitute the multiverse in which the game takes place. Each plane is a universe with its own rules with regard to gravity, geography, magic and morality. There have been various offic ...

and uses the crystal spheres, and the "phlogiston" between them, to form natural barriers between otherwise incompatible settings. Though the

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

is derived largely from the

Ptolemaic system In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as geocentrism, often exemplified specifically by the Ptolemaic system) is a superseded description of the Universe with Earth at the center. Under most geocentric models, the Sun, Moon, stars, an ...

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

, many of the ideas owe much to the works of

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

and his contemporaries, and to related games and fiction with a

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian ...

planetary romance Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place ag ...

flavor. A strong

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of nava ...

flavor is also present.

Publication history

Shannon Appelcline, in the book ''Designers & Dragons'' (2011), highlighted that in 1989 Spelljammer was the first of a host of new campaign settings published by TSR. It was created by

Jeff Grubb Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957) is an author who writes novels, short stories, and comics and a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the ''Dragonlance'' campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the ...

and "introduced a universe of magical starships traversing the ‘crystal spheres’ that contained all the earthbound AD&D campaign worlds. It suggested a method to connect together all of TSR's settings and at the same time introduced fun new Jules Verne-esque technology that had never before been seen in the game. It was innovative and popular." Appelcline commented that Spelljammer "offered a way to connect every single ''D&D'' fantasy world, was thus one of the first true crossovers" in role-playing games.

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (2nd edition)

The '' Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space'' space fantasy boxed set was released in 1989. Several of TSR's other campaign worlds had their own sections in the ''Spelljammer Boxed Set'' - ''Realmspace'' for the

, ''Krynnspace'' for

, and ''Greyspace'' for Greyhawk. Along with the new sphere - ''Clusterspace'' - they were known as the "Big Three and Astromundi". Dark Sun, Ravenloft and Mystara weren't included, as the first two did not fit with the setting and the Mystara only used the D&D rules, not the AD&D rules. The product line would be expanded with a number of boxed sets and accessories such as '' Lost Ships'' (1990), '' Realmspace'' (1991) and '' The Astromundi Cluster'' (1993). Appelcline commented that ''The Astromundi Cluster'' acted as "a soft reboot of the ''Spelljammer'' line" and was more of setting focused sourcebook than previous Spelljammer books which acted more "as a conduit between all of the other AD&D settings". The first adventure module, titled '' Wildspace'', was released in 1990; four connected adventure modules followed it. A longer campaign module, ''Heart of the Enemy'', was then published in 1992 followed by an adventure anthology, ''Space Lairs'', in 1993. In 1993, ''Space Lairs'' and ''The Astromundi Cluster'' were the final products of the line. Appelcline commented on the end of the setting in the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' era: "TSR’s fifth second-edition campaign world,

(1993), was released to replace Spelljammer, which had just then ended. TSR wanted a new world-spanning setting and

Slade Henson Dale "slade" Henson is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career When the Spelljammer line ended, slade came up with the idea of building a new setting on Jeff Grubb's first-edition ''Manual of the Planes'' (1987); a ...

came up with the answer by suggesting a new setting built on Jeff Grubb's first-edition ''Manual of the Planes'' (1987). ..Unlike Spelljammer this new setting had a strong geographical centre, the City of Sigil, resolving a flaw in the Spelljammer setting that denied players a good home base."

''Dungeons & Dragons'' (3rd edition)

The ''Spelljammer'' line of products was discontinued by TSR before they were acquired by

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. It is currently a subsidia ...

in 1997. In May 2002,

Paizo Paizo Inc. (originally Paizo Publishing.) is an American role-playing game publishing company based in Redmond, Washington, best known for the tabletop role-playing game '' Pathfinder''. The company's name is derived from the Greek word ''paiz ...

published an article for Spelljammer in ''

Dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

'' #92 titled "Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon". Using the D20 system, it provided new rules for firearms and spelljamming, as well as skills, feats and prestige classes. Spelljammer monsters such as neogi and giff were not used. Instead, it featured creatures from the '' Monster Manual'' such as drow, formians and yuan-ti. In May 2005, Wizards of the Coast updated the neogi to the 3.5 edition rules in the supplement ''

Lords of Madness ''Lords of Madness'' is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Contents The book includes new content for aberrations including new aberration monsters and monsters related to them ...

'' (2005). The book included a chapter with a sample map of a crashed Spelljamming vessel, cultural habits of the neogi, and the monster's stat blocks.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' (4th edition)

A ''Spelljammer''

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

appears in the 4th edition ''

Manual of the Planes The ''Manual of the Planes'' (abbreviated MoP) is a manual for the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe. The original book (for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Ed ...

''; the sourcebook highlights Spelljammer ships as one method of traveling between

planes Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...

and provides information for in-game use of Spelljammer vessels.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' (5th edition)

''Spelljammer'' content also appears in the 5th Edition adventure module '' Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage'' (2018). In the adventure, a spelljamming ship and its illithid captain appear stranded in level 19 of the titular dungeon. Then in October 2021, Wizards released the PDF ''Travelers of the Multiverse'' which is part of the " Unearthed Arcana" public playtest series. Of the six player races it included, four races (autognome, giff, hadozee, and plasmoid) are closely associated with the ''Spelljammer'' setting. Both ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed '' polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two ...

'' and ''

Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...

'' highlighted that this playtest could indicate a future ''Spelljammer'' reboot. In April 2022, Wizards of the Coast announced a new boxed set titled '' Spelljammer: Adventures in Space'' which was released on August 16, 2022; this release updates the ''Spelljammer'' setting for the 5th Edition. The box set includes a Dungeon Master's screen, a double-sided poster map and three 64-page hardcover books: ''Astral Adventurer’s Guide'' (a Dungeon Master guide), ''Boo's Astral Menagerie'' (a bestiary), and ''Light of Xaryxis'' (an adventure module). A special edition, with cover art by Hydro74, was also released. A prequel adventure module, titled ''Spelljammer Academy'', was released for free on the Wizards of the Coast website and on D&D Beyond in July 2022.

Fictional setting

Spelljamming helms

''Spelljamming helms'' are the central setting concept which allow interplanetary and interstellar space travel for vessels which would otherwise not be spaceworthy, in the form of a helm. Any spellcaster may sit on a spelljammer helm to move the ship. The mysterious race known as the Arcane is the sole manufacturer and distributor of spelljamming helms. Within the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' universe, they are a method of converting magical energy into motive power.

Gravity and air

All bodies of a sufficiently large size have

. This gravity usually (but not always) exerts a force equal to the standard gravitational attraction on the surface of an Earth-sized planetary body. Gravity in the ''Spelljammer'' universe is also an exceptionally convenient force, and almost always works such that "down" orients itself in a manner most humanoids would find sensible. All bodies of any size carry with them an envelope of air whenever they leave the surface of a planet or other stellar object. Unlike real-world astrophysics, this air envelope is not dispersed by the vacuum of space. These bubbles of air provide breathable atmosphere for varying lengths of time, but 3 months is considered "standard".

Crystal spheres

A crystal sphere (also known as a crystal shell) is a gigantic spherical shell which contains an entire

planetary system A planetary system is a set of gravitationally bound non- stellar objects in or out of orbit around a star or star system. Generally speaking, systems with one or more planets constitute a planetary system, although such systems may also consi ...

. Each sphere varies in size but typically they are twice the diameter of the orbit of the planet that is farthest from the sun or planet at the center of the sphere (the system's primary). The surface of the sphere is called the "sphere wall" and separates the void of "wildspace" (within the sphere) from the "phlogiston" (that surrounds and flows outside the sphere). The sphere wall has no gravity and appears to be impossible to damage by any normal or magical means. Openings in the sphere wall called "portals" allow spelljamming ships or wildspace creatures to pass through and enter or exit from a crystal sphere. Portals can spontaneously open and close anywhere on the sphere wall. Magical spells (or magical items that reproduce their effects) can allow a portal to be located. Other magic can open a new portal or collapse an existing one. Ships or creatures passing through a portal when it closes may be cut in two. Note that unlike the

, the crystal spheres are not nested within each other.

Wildspace

Wildspace is similar to the outer space of science fiction, with planets, asteroids and stars, but with different physics. Gravity is either none or the same as that of Earth, and is directed towards the center of planet-sized bodies; on large objects in space like spacecraft and enormous creatures gravity is directed towards a flat plane running through the object's long axis, allowing characters to stand on the decks of ships.

The Phlogiston

The phlogiston is essentially a big ocean of a unique element that is neither air, fire, water, or earth. The phlogiston (also known as "the Flow") is a bright, extremely combustible gas-like medium that exists between the Crystal Spheres. A signature property of the substance is that it does not exist within the boundaries of a crystal sphere, to the degree that it cannot be brought into a crystal sphere by any known means up to and including the direct will of deities. Every crystal sphere floats in the phlogiston, very slowly bobbing up and down over time. Travel between Crystal Spheres is facilitated by the formation of "Flow rivers" — sections of the phlogiston which have a current and greatly reduce travel time. Travel through the "slow flow" (i.e. off the Flow rivers) is possible, but very dangerous.

The ''Spelljammer''

The ''Spelljammer'' is a legendary ship which looks like a gigantic

manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-s ...

, and houses an entire city on its back. All spacefarers (people who live in wildspace) have heard of the ''Spelljammer'' but very few have ever seen it themselves. It is this ship that gives its name to "spelljamming", "spelljamming helms" and anything else connected with spelljamming. The ship has been reported to have been seen in countless spheres for as long as records go back. Even some groundlings (people who live on planets that have very little or no commerce with spelljamming communities) have legends about it. There are hundreds of conflicting legends about this ship, and a mythology has developed about the ship that is similar to the legends surrounding '' The Flying Dutchman''. As a living thing (although it does not consume any matter, it does absorb heat and light through its ventral (or under) side and uses them to produce air and food for its inhabitants), the ''Spelljammer'' has a complex life cycle and means of procreation. Normally the ship has no captain and wanders the cosmos seemingly aimlessly. When the ''Spelljammer'' has a captain, obtained through another complex process, it will create Smalljammers (miniature versions of the ''Spelljammer'') that go forth as its spawn. Apparently there can only be one Spelljammer at any one time. One Smalljammer will mature into a full ''Spelljammer'' ship if its predecessor is ever destroyed.

Races

Alien races inhabiting the Spelljammer universe included

humans" \n\n\n\n\nThe robots exclusion standard, also known as the robots exclusion protocol or simply robots.txt, is a standard used by websites to indicate to visiting web crawlers and other web robots which portions of the site they are allowed to visi ...

, dwarves, xenophobic beholders, rapacious neogi, militant giff (humanoid hippopotami), centaurlike dracons, hubristic elf armadas, spacefaring orcs called "scro", mysterious arcane, the Thri-kreen insectoids, and bumbling tinker gnomes.

Illithid In the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid ''aberrations'' with psionic powers. In a typical '' Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting, they live in the moist cave ...

s were another major race, but were presented as more mercantile and less overtly evil than in other D&D settings. The ''Monstrous Compendium'' series added many more minor races. The simian Hadozee were also introduced into the setting, and later incorporated into the 3.5 rules in the supplemental book ''

Stormwrack ''Stormwrack'' is a supplemental source-book for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents The book has detailed information and descriptions on various types of both realistic and fantastical watery env ...

''.

Official products

Spelljammer has acted as the official campaign setting for multiple ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying adventure modules, sourcebooks and accessories.

In other media

Comics

Fifteen comics set in the ''Spelljammer'' universe were published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

between September 1990 and November 1991 with the creative team of

Barbara Kesel Barbara Randall Kesel (born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and editor of comic books. Her bibliography includes work for Crossgen, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics. Biography Barbara Kesel ...

, Michael Collins and

Dan Panosian Dan Panosian (born 1969) is an American comic book artist, with extensive credits as both a penciller and an inker and has additional credits as an advertising and storyboard artist. Early life Dan Panosian was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to artisti ...

. '' Spelljammer'' comics also uses Jasmine, a winged human character originally introduced from Forgotten Realms comics, as one of the lead characters.

Novels

Six novels set in the ''Spelljammer'' universe were published by TSR, before TSR was incorporated into

. The novels were interconnected and formed "The Cloakmaster Cycle". The novels tell the story of Teldin Moore, a 'groundling' farmer on Krynn who has a powerful and apparently cursed magical cloak that was given to him. He then ends up on a quest, which takes him first into wildspace and then away from his home sphere to distant crystal spheres. The series showcases the wonders and perils of the Spelljammer universe. The novels are now out of print. * ''Beyond the Moons'' by David Cook, (July, 1991) () * ''Into the Void'' by Nigel Findley, (October, 1991) () * ''The Maelstrom's Eye'' by

Roger E. Moore Roger E. Moore (born July 11, 1955, in Winchester, Kentucky) is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of ''Dragon'' magazine and was the founding editor of ''Dungeon'' magazine. Early life Moor ...

, (May, 1992) () * ''The Radiant Dragon'' by

Elaine Cunningham Elaine Cunningham (born August 12, 1957 in New York City) is an American fantasy and science fiction author, especially known for her contributions to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role playing game campaign setting of Forgotten Realms. Biograp ...

, (November, 1992) () * ''The Broken Sphere'' by Nigel Findley, (May, 1993) () * ''The Ultimate Helm'' by Russ T. Howard, (September, 1993) ()

Computer games

Only one computer game set in the ''Spelljammer'' universe was ever produced. It was published by SSI in 1992 and was called '' Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace''. In 2002 a team of freelance game modification developers created "The Arcane Space Tileset" for ''

Neverwinter Nights ''Neverwinter Nights'' is a series of video games developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, based on the ''Forgotten Realms'' campaign setting of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Aside from also being set in the Dungeons & Dra ...

''. This tileset included Spelljamming ships, space and atmospheric terrains, along with monsters and NPCs, all set within the Spelljammer Campaign setting.

Web series

'' Legends of the Multiverse'' (2022) is an official actual play streaming series broadcast on the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' channels which premiered on April 27, 2022 and is set in the Spelljammer campaign setting. It stars Deborah Ann Woll, B. Dave Walters, Gina Darling, Meagan Kenreck, and Todd Kenreck. It will also feature guest stars such as

Brennan Lee Mulligan Brennan Lee Mulligan (born January 4, 1988) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and gamemaster. He has worked with CollegeHumor as a sketch writer and performer, and as gamemaster for their ''Dungeons & Dragons'' web series, ''Dimension 20' ...

, Aabria Iyengar, Ginny Di, Anna Prosser, Deejay Knight, Emme Montgomery, Travis McElroy,

SungWon Cho SungWon Cho ( ; ; born December 9, 1990), also known by his internet pseudonym ProZD, is an American voice actor and YouTuber. On his YouTube channel, Cho produces short comedy skits, unboxing videos, and reviews of board games and snack foods. H ...

, and

Jim Zub Jim Zubkavich, known professionally as Jim Zub, is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and art instructor best known for creating comics ''Skullkickers'' (2010), '' Wayward'' (2014), ''and Glitterbomb'' (2016) for Image Comics, and writing on t ...

Reception

In the January 1990 edition of ''

Games International ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 19 ...

'' (Issue 12), James Wallis was not a fan of the initial release, '' Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space'', finding inconsistencies in the combat rules, saying, "The cumulative effect of these inconsistencies is to make space combat unplayable." He did find the background "imaginative and consistent, but unfortunately there is little of it." Although he admired the production values of the components, he found the book disorganized to the point of "disarray and confusion." He concluded by giving the game a poor rating of only 2 out of 5, saying, "''Spelljammer'' may score well physically but fails mentally ..Scavenging '' AD&D'' players who enjoy stripping tasty ideas from the carcasses of dying games may find it of interest, but I cannot recommend it to anyone else." Alexander Sowa, for '' CBR'' in October 2021, commented that Spelljammer should be one of the classic settings Wizards of the Coast brings back for the 5th Edition. Sowa wrote, "players have been asking for Spelljammer to be introduced to ''5e'' since the release of the first setting sourcebook. Wizards tossed them a bone with the Dream of The Blue Veil spell added in '' Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'', but it's not a replacement for the niche Spelljammer previously filled. It's not just a way to travel between different campaign settings; it's a simultaneous fulfillment of sci-fi and fantasy dreams of exploration, venturing deep into unknown depths and contending with the strange and otherworldly". Spelljammer was #3 on ''The Gamer'''s 2022 "The 8 Best Dungeons & Dragons Settings Ever" list — the article states that "Spelljammer is one of the most unique settings on this list, with endless possibilities brought up in its planet-hopping realms. The Spelljammer setting can almost best be surmised as 'pirates meets sci-fi fantasy' with its blend of magical worlds and galaxy-traversing galleons". In a separate article for ''The Gamer'', in February 2022, Paul DiSalvo commented that "while D&D's second edition was home to a wide range of Spelljammer books including several adventure modules, the setting has since faded into obscurity, with it not being prominently featured within the game's third, fourth, and fifth editions".

References

External links

Spelljammer: Beyond the Moons
(official fan site)
''Dragonhelm's Guide to Krynnspace''
at Dragonlance Nexus
''Beyond the Moons - Crimson Sphere''
at Spelljammer.org
''Tarkas Brain Lab IV''
(listed as ''Helm System for 3e'') at Spelljammer.org

at AndyCollins.net {{D&D topics Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings Series of books