In D&D’s ‘Spelljammer’ Space Won’t Be Flammable Anymore
Don’t worry, in the new Spelljammer, you’ll be able to smoke ’em if you got ’em. Lore changes and more lie in store.
Space: the final frontier. A starry void within which strange new worlds, bristling with new life and new civilizations float. And in Dungeons & Dragons, space is intensely flammable. Or at least, it used to be. In the upcoming Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, it won’t be.
If you, like the Talking Heads, are wondering well, how did I get here? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Space and flames famously don’t get along well! The cosmos are notorious for being cold and dark. It takes nuclear fusion to create sustainable flames in space. But D&D is different. And if you played Spelljammer back in the halcyon days of 2nd Edition, then you know just how flammable it used to be.
Why Is Space Inflammable
It all comes down to phlogiston. Don’t worry, we’re not going to get all steampunk. Put away your leather top hat adorned with gears that don’t even do anything. Phlogiston originates in a theory as early as 1667, building off of the idea of “classical elements”. Phlogiston was believed to be a substance that caused things to burn. Substances that burned in air were said to be rich in phlogiston, or phlogisticated. And naturally, they would dephlogisticate when burned.
The designers at TSR leapt on this outdated old timey but still vaguely sci-fi terminology and (spell)jammed it right into space. In 2nd edition, phlogiston was said to permeate the space between the Prime Material Plane. It was a rainbow-colored chaotic material that surrounded the crystal spheres.
What are the crystal spheres? They’re big spheres that contain a star and its planets. And phlogiston, sometimes referred to as the Rainbow Ocean, filled in everything else. Spelljammer‘s resembles strange sailing vessels, because they have to sail the phlogiston.
And phlogiston had many unique properties: it was opaque, brilliant, and intensely flammable. Or inflammable. Whichever you like. Any spark or flame would immediately and violently explode. So much so that ships would only use magical light or space fireflies to light their ships for fear of creating a phlogiston breach.
But What Happened? Lore Changes in Spelljammer
At least that used to be the case. At D&D Direct, Chris Perkins revealed that while the setting still has a lot taken from its 2nd edition roots, there are a few changes. Perhaps the biggest one is that phlogiston is gone. You won’t blow up for having a torch in space.
But, the team was quick to highlight how much of the original Spelljammer still remains. Spelljammer takes place in wildspace now – which is still a flowing void that surrounds a planet. Instead of having a discrete crystal sphere, the worlds in Spelljammer have a sort of “draw distance” now.
As you get further and further out, wildspace gives way to a magical silvery haze that takes you into the Astral Sea. Which makes a lot of sense, given what the Astral Plane is in 5th Edition. It’s a pretty easy change. But wildspace is still an ocean. Vessels still sail it and rely on old classic favorites like Spelljamming Helms to navigate. There are even jaunty sea shanties, like this one, whose Wellerman-esque vibes will bring you all the way back to 2021:
And from what we’ve seen, Spelljammer is going to be just as wild and weird as the original setting. Featuring monsters like vampirates and space clowns and giant space hamsters, the spirit of the original is alive and well.
One need look no further than the Monstrous Compendium Vol 1: Spelljammer Creatures (available for free) to see. With monsters like the Goon Balooon as well as the Eldritch Lich and Star Lancer, the new setting looks ripe for adventuring.
Happy Starfaring!
