Jammers - Vessels of the Planes & Stars

[Patrick-Leigh]

I've been working on ideas for some of the vehicles for my flintlock fantasy story setting and one thing that I've recently considered is that vessels that sail among the stars or on the various Planes of the Multiverse. I'm thinking that the term for these unique, magical boats and ships is "jammer." This is derived from the windjammer, a type of tall ship that was in use at the end of the Age of the Sail, when steam engines were replacing wind powered vessels.

I've been considering what forms the Jammers take and here are what I've conceived so far. I'd be interested in feedback on the names and concepts for these vessels.

Stonejammer​

Stonejammers are tunneling vessels that are mainly used on the Plane of Earth. In certain regards, they are a lot like submarines in that they move under the ground, specifically the stony regions of the Plane of Earth. Some may be capable of crawling across solid ground that can support their weight, but I'm not sure of the exact mechanism for this. The manner by which they burrow, however, is something I have worked out. The nose of the Stonejammer is a special Arcane Device which uses Aethyr to cause stone to break apart into gravel or even sand. Special grooves along the sides of the Stonejammer allow the gravel to be moved from the front to the back of the vessel, leaving a tunnel with a lot of rubble in it in the Stonejammer's wake. Stonejammers are not especially fast vehicles, but they are not intended to be. Their main purpose is to create new passages though the Plane of Earth, which is why they're usually followed by excavation teams that clear away the gravel so the tunnel will be open for caravans to use.

Mudjammer​

A Mudjammer is like a Stonejammer in most respects, though it is designed for the regions of the Plane of Earth that are comprised of clay, dirt, soil, and mud. Some Stonejammers double as Mudjammers but this is not always the case, as the water content of any mud requires additional magical features for the Mudjammer to burrow through. Mudjammers are mainly used to get through the more, shall we say, sticky regions of the Plane of Earth, though the tunnels they hollow out tend to fill themselves in after a while, so they are not used in the construction of new travel routes.

Sandjammer​

Sandjammers are like Stonejammers except they are designed specifically for the sections of the Plane of Earth that are made of sand and gravel as well as the deserts of the various planet-sized Shell Worlds (basically a stationary Dyson Shell) that dot the Plane of Earth. Sandjammers often can travel on top of the sand as much as underneath it. Like Mudjammers, the tunnels they burrow close up behind them as they move.

Seajammer/Hydrojammer
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A Seajammer or Hydrojammer is basically a magical submarine. I don't think I really need to explain the concept much beyond that. Think the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and you have a pretty good idea of what a Seajammer/Hydrojammer works.

Skyjammer/Airjammer
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Skyjammers or Airjammers are flying ships (not airships, zeppelins, or blimps) that can either be propelled by sails, propellers, or paddlewheels. They often double as conventional sailing ships, thus they usually have designs that work both in the air and on the water. I'm still figuring out exactly how they are steered while in the air as opposed to the water.

Pyrojammer​

Pyrojammers are a cross between a Skyjammer and a Seajammer in that they can have (fireproof) sails but look a lot more like a submarine than a ship. Pyrojammers are used to sail through the Phlogiston currents of the Plane of Fire and through the scorching hot air pockets of the Plane while keeping the crew inside the vessel from being cooked. They have special magical systems which regulate the internal temperature (often by converting heat into light, thereby providing illumination for the interior) as well as hulls made of heat-resistant alloys. One of the main uses of a Pyrojammer is harvesting Phlogiston in its purest form, which means that Pyrojammers have to get to the thickest part of the Phlogiston currents.

Magmajammer​

A Magmajammer is basically a fusion of a Mudjammer and a Pyrojammer. It burrows through the magma that makes up the bulk of the Plane of Fire. Interestingly, unlike a Mudjammer, the tunnels a Magmajammer creates tend to remain open due to the way things work on the Transitory Planes. The walls of the tunnel will, if the right cooling structures are put in place, solidify, allowing for a (burning hot) stone tunnel to be formed which, in turn, can be gradually expanded until they are wide enough for a Pyrojammer or Airjammer to fly through easily. This is the primary purpose of the Magmajammers, in fact - creating new passages to form more direct routes between points on the Plane of Fire.

Arcjammer​

Arcjammers are like Pyrojammers except they are used to fly through, but mostly along, the massive, perpetually active electrical currents on the Lightning Plane. Arcjammers absorb some of the electricity and convert it into inertia, allowing them to speed along the enormous currents (which can have diameters that are large enough to hold planets. Yes, including gas giants.) Arcjammers are the fastest way to get across the Lightning Plane, though Skyjammers/Airjammers are generally the safer method, since the bulk of the Lighting Plane is actually just expanses of (not always breathable) gas.

Frostjammer​

Frostjammers are like Sandjammers except they burrow through the regions of the Ice Plane that are made of packed snow. They can also travel on top of the snow thanks to special skis that can be deployed. They allow people to get across the Ice Plane in moderate comfort, as the interiors are always insulated to retain as much heat as possible.

Icejammer
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Icejammers are Stonejammers that burrow through the icy regions of the Ice Plane by partially melting then compacting the ice to create (mostly) permanent tunnels that can be used to get around the Ice Plane. They are mainly use for this purpose but also to fine Frozen Shell Worlds that have no natural passages leading to them.

Lightjammer
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Lightjammers are somewhat similar to Skyjammers in their design but have special sails that convert light waves into inertia. This enables them to use the Light Flows (basically magical auroras) that weave across the Mirror Plane like rivers or ocean currents. The strength of the Light Flow determines the speed the Lightjammer can travel.

Starjammer​

Starjammers are a fusion of multiple types of Jammers that are capable of traveling in the vacuum of space on the Celestial Plane. Like Lightjammers, they have sails that convert solar winds and light waves into inertia. I'm still figuring out the details, but I do know that they have artificial gravity, generate some kind of force field to protect themselves from micro-meteors and other debris, and have some sort of protection from cosmic radiation. I'm also thinking they can do brief dives through... I'm not sure what to call it. The term I'm currently using is "Slipspace," which is sort of like the Ethereal Plane in D&D (though the Ethereal Plane in my story setting is something else entirely.) It's a Plane of sorts that's only accessible when your both in a vacuum and outside the gravity well of a celestial body. If a Starjammer is inside the heliosphere of a star, only a partial dive into Slipspace is possible, but this allows for the vessel to approach 1/10th the speed of light, possibly more, I'm not sure. Outside the heliosphere, a Starjammer can do a full dive into Slipspace, which is effectively like going into Hyperspace in a sci-fi setting. This allows a Starjammer to travel between stars in a fairly short amount of time.

Starjammers are the most rare variety of Jammer in my story setting due to all the magical systems they require. They are mostly used for exploring solar systems that feature inhabited Planets, not for moving between solar systems, because the Transitory Planes are far more effective for doing that. Most Starjammers are actually ancient vessels that predate the Divine War, so it's not uncommon for their magical systems to have developed an Arcane Intelligence (essentially an AI in sci-fi,) which means a majority of ancient Starjammers are Living Vessels in addition to being magical spaceships.

So, those are the Jammers I've figured out so far. What do you guys think? I'm especially interested in feedback on the names, since I'm not too sure about some of these. Thanks for anything you have to offer!

 

[Orc Knight]

Stepping oh so very close to D&D's original Spelljammer series and the eponymous star ship itself. Might want to check for nautilus shell ships.

 

[Patrick-Leigh]

The Spelljammer stuff is not something I know much about beyond the name and what I have learned from YouTube videos, so I’m pretty unfamiliar with them. As for nautilus shell ships, I actually have the Kraken Spawn breeding giant space faring nautilus type creatures to use as ships, but they also use giant space crabs as mechs.

 

[Queshire]

If you're not playing into the spelljammer reference on purpose then I would highly suggest changing the name. Elemental planes are another D&D staple, so the mental connection would be even stronger. Personally I like the simplicity of X-ship. Skyship, magmaship, hydroship... Brings an image right to mind. Even the last one would make readers wonder what's so different about it that it needs to be specified like that.

As for the ships themselves they're well thought out and they're functional, but they don't say that much about what kind of plots they could be involved with or the nature of those that use them. Starjammers have being relics of an ancient era going for them, but what about the rest?

 

[Patrick-Leigh]

If you're not playing into the spelljammer reference on purpose then I would highly suggest changing the name. Elemental planes are another D&D staple, so the mental connection would be even stronger. Personally I like the simplicity of X-ship. Skyship, magmaship, hydroship... Brings an image right to mind. Even the last one would make readers wonder what's so different about it that it needs to be specified like that.

As for the ships themselves they're well thought out and they're functional, but they don't say that much about what kind of plots they could be involved with or the nature of those that use them. Starjammers have being relics of an ancient era going for them, but what about the rest?

I’m pretty sure they derived the term Spelljammer from Windjammer, just as I derived all the names for these vessels from the same term. One thing that I learned about Windjammers was that the term was originally derogatory in nature. I think it had something to do with the more numerous sails and masts the ships used “jamming” the wind, but I’m not sure about that. However, the term actually became popular with the sailors who worked on Windjammers, so the name stuck. I’m thinking that’s how all these vessels came to be called “Jammers” as well. There was one type, probably a Skyjammer, which got called that as a derogatory term for “jamming up the sky,” then the term caught on and became a naming convention for other types of magical vessels. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t more “official” names for these vehicles. “Jammer” would be more of a layman’s term that the general population would use.

As for their roles in my stories, well, the book series I am planning has an arc where my protagonist travels across the various Transitory Planes, so she’ll be either encountering or using different types of Jammers. Regarding the Planes themselves, I am trying to come up with alternative names for them that are not going to be the same as the ones used in D&D… but I have been struggling in that regard. I may need to do a thread on that at some point.

Anyway, the name “Jammer” isn’t set in stone. Like I said, it might be more of a layman’s term than anything else and even then, all these vessels will have multiple names in different cultures. But I admit, I really like the term “Jammer” because it reflects the last vessel to be developed in the Age of the Sail. They mostly moved cargo, but Windjammers were still pretty remarkable. When everyone assumed that steam power was the only innovation left for ships, the Windjammer proved that sail power still had a few tricks left.

 

[LAG]

If there is a philological root from whence the word springs pre-dnd, you are justified in using it. Perceptions will still be skewed, though, where folk think it is ripped from the ttrpg lore. Maybe a brief addendum describing your inspiration, a call-out to the sailors of old?

Anyway, I like the verb-named idea for vessels. If jammer doesn't stick, one might employ shifter, verser, planer, slider, bearer(?) etc.

 

[Patrick-Leigh]

I don't think it'll be difficult to explain where the term originated through dialogue. Also, now that I think about it, Windjammers could be a type of sailing vessel in my story setting. Steam engines can't be used (for very long) on the open sea because the noise they create attracts Sea Monsters, which is why steam-powered vessels are mostly confined to rivers and lakes. Thus, it'd be logical that people would build a ship that has more masts and sails in order to make the most out of wind power. Windjammers could move pretty fast, too, so they'd make for good merchant ships. I could have "Jammer" be a more recent naming convention for these kinds of vessels that only started because of Windjammers, therefore making my choice of name be reflected in the story setting. I got it from a type of tall ship but so did the people in my setting. Plus, that allows me to include Windjammers in my story setting, which, I think, will be a lot of fun because they are pretty neat ships.