Angelship

Angelship Angelships were winged spelljammers originally designed and operated by kobolds. Despite their basic design, their wings made them particularly well suited for atmospheric flight.

Description
Angelships had a basic but versatile design. The forward section contained the crew quarters, while the central section, where the wings joined the main hull, held the bridge and the spelljamming helm. Collective gathering areas such as the galley and mess, as well as the cargo bay, were located in the aft section. Some design variants replaced crew areas with a larger cargo hold that would take over almost the entirety of the hull and was capable of carrying up to 26 tons of cargo space.

The wings were hollowed out with a webbing of tunnels and chambers that could be accessed to make repairs to the structure. Hatches and skylights on the wings could be crewed by additional gunners. When taking off from a planet, it was common for the wing hatches to be opened in order to refresh the air supply within the tunnels.

Typical angelships required a minimum crew of eight people to function. If operated by kobolds, the minimum crew required was 12 individuals. The ship could hold a maximum compliment of 33 human-sized creatures (or twice as many kobolds) without compromising its air envelope.

Although too small to serve in 14‒century fleets, angelships that saw military use before the First Unhuman War were typically painted black and equipped with magical cloaking via darkness and invisibility spells. This design variant was known as the night angel. They had a reduced cargo space and were heavily armed with numerous ballistae and two additional piercing rams mounted on their wings. Before the war, kobold crewmembers used a spell called darklight to be able to see within the magical darkness. The spell was believed to be lost by the mid‒14 century DR.

History
The name "angelship" originated from a kobold legend about beautiful, winged human-looking creatures that healed fallen warriors. They were regarded as the greatest kobold spaceship design, but some debate existed about whether kobolds were in fact capable of designing spelljammers.

Before the First Unhuman War, angelships were the main vessels of the kobold fleets. Their versatility and atmospheric maneuverability ensured their popularity, as they preceded the tradesman as the most popular trading spelljammer. However, they were all but completely wiped out by the elves. By the mid‒14 century DR, the few remaining angelships, although aging and extensively patched, were still used primarily as trading vessels by other spacefaring races.

Notable Angelships

 * The Enforcer, formerly a derelict angelship salvaged and refitted by the lizardfolk Frollth to serve as the primary vessel for the Enforcers.

Rumors & Legends
Rumors existed that a few angelships had remained under control of kobold crews even after the purge by the elves and were still active by the 14 century DR. Night angels were also rumored to exist in the phlogiston, far away from the known crystal spheres, guarding kobold territories in the flow.