Guide to Running Light of Xaryxis, Part 1: Seeds of Destruction

I'm about to restart my Spelljammer campaign. I ran Spelljammer Academy as a break from my long running campaign, and now that the main campaign has wrapped up, I am shifting back to running Light of Xarysis. I'm doing to post my prep for others to re-use. I'm definately going to add some ties back to Spelljammer Academy. The first post will cover part 1: Seeds of destruction. You can also find my entire Notion workbook here if you would like to copy it for your own campaign. Credit to SlyFlourish for the Notion template.

Spelljammer Academy - Behold H'Catha!

Outline/Scenes

• Chapter 1: Astral Rain
  • Astral Rain
    • Prior to scene characters have heard about meteor showers appearing across the land.
    • After box text, characters can:
      • fight 6 astral blights, but more keep showing up.
      • Follow Elaina to the docks
      • Investigate the crystalline vine
      • Goal is for characters to try to leave town, so every path ends up leading to the docks.
  • Danger in the streets
    • If the characters linger in town 3 things can go wrong:
      • Astral Blights show up
      • Tremors cause buildings to collapse and characters have to evade
      • Terrified citizens show up, running to the docks
  • Trouble at the Docks
    • a bandit captain named Traevus blocks people trying to get to ships while he loads merchandise.
    • Wisdom (Persuasion) check DC 10 to take on characters as crew
    • Once characters board Moondancer, ship lifts off. Sartell tells characters she has a message from Mirt at Spelljammer Academy: Figure out what the hell is going on.
• Chapter 2: Attack of the Star Moth
  • Characters see vines overtaking Faerun from Wildspace
  • Eleina suggests someone at the Rock of Bral may know what’s happening.
  • Character get short rest
  • A group of Astral Elves aboard a Star Moth attack the characters.
    • Starting distance: 500 ft
    • Two ballista
    • Ship pulls alongside and 3 astral elves board. If two fall, the third retreats and the star moth flies off.
  • If the characters take prisoners, they can learn:
    • The astral elves, by order of Emperor Xavan of the Xaryxian Empire, are responsible for dropping astral seeds on the party’s home world.
    • The leader of the astral elf forces in this Wildspace system is Commander Vael. Most of Commander Vael’s fleet has already begun sailing back to Xaryxispace. The Dark Star was left behind to monitor the astral seeds’ progress.
    • The vines and astral blights will feed on the planet’s energy and that of its flora and fauna until the party’s home world is a dead husk, a process that takes several months. The energy then will be transmitted in a single, enormous burst of light back to the astral elves’ home system to be absorbed by their star, Xaryxis.
    • Once the astral seeds have begun their work, there is no way to stop the process. (This isn’t true, but the crew of the Dark Star believes it is. The characters won’t discover the truth of this matter until later in the adventure.)
  • After a while, a mind flayer ship looms!
• Chapter 3 Treacherous Salvage
• Turns out ship is a derelict. Psurlon Ringer hides on board though. Flapjack can tell something sentient is aboard with teleprathy, but unclear what.
• Elaina designates the group as the boarding party.
• As they approach, young man in tattered robes comes out waving his arms (really a Psurlon in disguise).
• He tells party his ship was attacked by Neogi, most of the crew are dead but a few survivors need help.
• Lucent Edict
  1. Captain’s Chair
     1. Description: headless body of captain of mind flayer ship
     2. Threats: Swarm of insects
     3. Secrets: Intelligence (Investigation) DC 15 to find secret compartment in armrest
     4. Treasure: Spell scroll of wall of force
  2. Spelljamming Helm
     1. Description: Area where helm used to be. Dead Mind Flayer body.
     2. Treasure: Ioun Stone (reserve)
  3. Bridge Floor
     1. Description: Bridge floor with monsters
     2. Threats: 4 Psurlons.
  4. Observation Platform
     1. Description: Splintered remains of a mangonel.
     2. Treasure: Magonel stones if party wants them.
  5. Mess Hall
     1. Description: Room with tied off door to hide a monster. Monsters mimics human voice named Jasper to get them in the door, warns of Psurlons.
     2. Threats: neh-thalguu with 8 brains.
  6. Cargo Hold
     1. Description: Cargo hold with slaughtered bodies where characters can learn something is amiss.
     2. Secrets: DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check to see Psurlon bite marks. DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check to determine Neogi body is 24 hours old, human bodies 3 days old.
     3. Treasure: 23 gp, 117 sp, bloodstone ring (50 gp).
  7. Cellblock:
     1. Description: former cells hiding a treasure.
     2. Treasure: +1 breast plate.
  8. Storage
     1. Description: Stinky room with Psurlon corpses and a Quaggoth.
     2. Threats: Quaggoth
• Neogi pirates spring their trap!

Magic Items

I like to detail out magic items to make them more interesting and special. Here's some more detail on the breast plate the characters might find on the Lucent Edict:

This +1 Breastplate, known as "The Mindweaver's Aegis," was once worn by a renowned Mind Flayer Arcanist, Xel'Nithra. Xel'Nithra was a seeker of arcane secrets and a master of psychic magic, delving into mysteries that even its own kind shunned. It discovered this breastplate in the ruins of an ancient, forgotten civilization deep beneath the earth, where the armor lay untouched, gleaming with an otherworldly essence.

The breastplate, crafted by a long-lost race skilled in melding magic and metal, was enchanted to protect the wearer against both physical and psychic threats. Xel'Nithra, recognizing its potential, claimed it and further imbued it with its own psionic energy, forever linking the armor to the enigmatic and fearsome intellect of its new owner.

Psychic Echo: Once per day, the wearer of "The Mindweaver's Aegis" can use a reaction to release a psychic echo when struck by a melee attack. This echo sends a burst of confusing, jumbled thoughts back at the attacker, causing them to make a Wisdom saving throw DC 14. On a failed save, the attacker is disoriented and suffers disadvantage on all attack rolls against the wearer until the end of their next turn. This ability not only reflects Xel'Nithra's defensive prowess but also its cunning, turning its enemies' aggressions against themselves.