Sky Zephyrs is a 250+ page tome that reimagines how vehicles and airships operate in DnD5e. Unlock a whole new way to experience swashbuckling, dynamic 3-dimensional vehicle movement and combat as you take your adventures to new uncharted heights. Soar across the skies in your custom-built Zephyr and hand-selected Aircrew. Use our vast collection of items, spells and player options to turn the tide as you face a menagerie of creatures and NPC Zephyrs.

20 sample pages of Sky Zephyrs draft (unedited)

New Vehicle Combat Rules

Vehicle Combat in the sky can become an ever-changing and strategic chess match where Zephyrs and their crews are trying to outwit, outmaneuver and destroy each other. Knowing the correct moment to board or Ram an enemy Zephyr, or even Repair a Compromised Station, could be the difference between life and death for your players and their Aircrew. Using various well-linked and well-timed combinations of the combat mechanics your players can accomplish incredible aerial feats never before seen by a creature.

3D Movement System

Typical breakdown of the Air Zones in vertical space of the sky.

“Ok, all you recruits, remember the five “Zs” of Zephyr piloting: Zephyr, Zip, Zoom, Zig-Zag aaand… Zephyr.”

Peaches O’Helium, Zephyr Pilot School Instructor

The main thing that separates the top tier pilots from the amateurs is how they maneuver and fly Zephyrs. These abilities come from a deep understanding of Wind Directions, Air Zones, Forward Momentum mechanics and how Zephyrs operate. As your players cross the skies they will begin to hone their understanding of flight mechanics and atmospheric effects.

Building a Custom Zephyr

Schematic blueprints for a Zephyr that is yet to be constructed. Section of customized Gold Dragon Maw Hull added to a Zephyr.

You will find an outline of the process for building your own custom Zephyrs to plug into your world or campaigns. This includes a collection of Stations and Parts separated into four sections that you can pick and choose from to construct your dream Zephyr. These Stations and Parts come with all the necessary information about how they operate, and how to utilize their abilities. Each Zephyr that you build, regardless of size, is fully modular allowing for maximum creativity and customization during construction.

New Aircrew Rules

Selecting a good Aircrew is vital to a Zephyr. What happens when you let your Aircrew’s Morale drop too low… Mutiny.

Aircrew are the non-specific NPCs that you can hire or befriend to maintain and operate your Zephyr. They exist and work in the background until Commanded, at which point they will jump to immediate action, pushing themselves to the limit to accomplish their assigned tasks. You will find mechanics and rules on how to run your Zephyr’s Aircrew. There are also options to level up your Aircrew and track/manage their Morale Levels over time. It is vital to keep your Aircrew’s spirits high. If their level of Morale dips too low, disobedience will be the least of your problems.

New Types of Player Features/Options

Storm Caller clearing a passage for their Zephyr.

Our new Features elevate Players’ experiences in the following ways: they give Players their roles on a Zephyr, they help inform Players of their backstories and, some Features, grant Players Special Commands that can be issued to an Aircrew.
So, as a party, select your Features carefully, and remember, choosing the right combination of Features can unlock even more exhilarating options in combat.

Extras to Fill Your World

NPC Standoff Haggling for Items and spells with a black market merchant.

“Ohh s**t! NIGHT DECEIVER! Flip the Freelock propeller! Put in reverse! And get us the 9 hells out of here!!!”

Janderin Shortwick, Captain of the Hangman’s Foul Zephyr.

We have provided you with all the NPCs, Creatures, Items, Spells, and Mounts you could ever need to populate your encounters and world. The NPCs and Creatures come with tokens and brand new types of actions, such as our reactionary Trigger Actions and our new Mounted Actions. The Items and Spells included are specifically tailored to enhance or impair players and airships while they soar across your world.

We also have tiers that included battle maps, tokens, GM/Player Combat trackers and cheat sheets. Our combat trackers and cheat sheets allow Players and GMs alike to simplify our rules and easily track/manage their Zephyrs during combat encounters. All of these extras help create fun and unique memories around your D&D tables.

Plug and Play Zephyrs

A very active sky port.

Included Zephyrs are built in all manner of styles and sizes that are perfect to fill the skies and populate your world. Each size category has a flagship Zephyr that has been fully built out. Also, in each size category, there is a fleet of other similar-sized, yet diverse, Zephyrs that accompany the flagship. So select your Zephyr wisely, for, once it reaches the skies, your choice will be considered “canon” fodder forever.

Space, Nautical, and Land Conversion

For those of you who wish to run a non-sky campaign but rather in space or at sea, we’ve got your back with a whole chapter on how to easily convert this sky-based system to suit those styles’ settings! The sky is no longer the limit… as you can now travel and fight at the deepest depths of the ocean abyss… or on the cutting edge of the frontier galaxy… whatever your preference, we’ve got you covered.

Community Playtested

Gaumr learning and playtesting Fool’s Paradise (and cheating while he does).

The TTRPG community has given us so much joy, support and friendship over the years. We wanted to make sure that you, the community, got a chance to have your voices heard in making this system the best it can be for vehicles combat and movement. With that in mind, we opened our ears and channels to the community.

Testimonials, Reviews, and AMAs

“Sky Zephyrs from HOMIEandTheDUDE offers a much more comprehensive breakdown of DnD airship combat than Spelljammer did.”

Sarah-Jane Simpson, Writer for Screen Rant (Instagram: @seeliesarah)

SCREEN RANT REVIEW

“Take to the skies! Sky Zephyrs brings a whole new dimension of adventure to your table. I can’t wait to pit an aerial invasion fleet against a flight of Dragons. Grab this, and the sky’s the limit!.”

B.Dave Walters (Twitter: @BDaveWalters)

“Sky Zephyrs is an excellent resource for dungeon masters looking to take air travel in their adventures to brand new heights! From building your own airship, to generating a crew of swashbuckling buccaneers, to aerial combat, to this book walks you through the steps and expands your horizons. I was most inspired by the excellent artwork for the pre-made ships and I can’t wait to start creating my own!”

Chris Haskins, Founder, Nord Games (Twitter: @NordGames)

With Sky Zephyrs, you’re not just playing a game, you’re experiencing a work of art.”

Matt Joro (Twitter: @DungeonGlitch)

DUNGEONGLITCH REVIEW

“If you’re playing 5e, and you have been disappointed with the meager options provided for ship combat and play, you will not want to miss this amazing combat overlay system, which is easily customizable to use for the air, sea, and even space!”

Jess and Keith Pendley, Underground Oracle (Twitter: UOPublishing)

UNDERGROUND ORACLE REVIEW (Scroll to the bottom)

“Those of you who have delved deep into the official 5e rules will know the rules concerning vehicular combat are, let’s say, a bit sparse – spacious enough, I’d venture, to comfortably sail an airship through. Enter Sky Zephyrs, with a creative and comprehensive rule set that fills these gaps and paves the way for thrilling aerial adventures.”

Justin Morgenthau, Founder, Tabyltop (Twitter: @tabyltop)

TABYLTOP VTT REVIEW

”Sky Zephyrs is a must have resource for any Game Master or Player who is considering playing in an aeronautic pen and paper adventure. The rules presented within are easy to understand, fully optional and add just the right amount of crunch for things like creating your own airships, running tactical combat in the skies, and more. You wont regret picking up Sky Zephyrs!”

Mat “Role Play Chat” Copelli (Twitter: @Role_Play_Chat)

AUDIO TESTIMONIAL about SKY ZEPHYRS from Mat Copelli

FULL PODCAST about SKY ZEPHYRS from Role Play Chat

“If you are looking to take your game to the next level? Or, to the next AIR ZONE! (sorry not sorry) Look no further! In Gaumr and Sattva’s Comprehensive Guide to Airships and Sky Combat for 5th edition, HOMIEandTheDUDE have taken something every single TTRPG player and GM has wanted to experience in a game, and made it understandable, fun, and extremely achievable! So do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this amazing supplement! It will give you everything you need to include immersive, memorable, and epic airship battles to your 5e games!”

David Tilstra (Twitter: @davidtilstra)

AUDIO TESTIMONIAL about SKY ZEPHYRS from David Tilstra

“The rules are tight and robust while giving you the full creative freedom of swashbuckling adventures among the skies. As mentioned they got ship building and air ship combat rules but they’ve got so much more. They really thought of everything you need to add this whole new dimension to your games. I guarantee you, if you thought of it… Homie and the Dude have it in the book! I just cannot wait for the kickstart to drop!!” “From What I’ve heard and seen from them, Sky Zephyrs really is amazing. It is a nuanced and complex yet easy to understand Air Ship Combat System wich lets you build your own Airships and provides easy to understand rules to make 3D combat more accessible and easier to grasp. But there is so much more for you to explore.”

Nils co-host of DoubleDM podcast (Twitter: @DoubleDMpod)

“From what I’ve heard and seen from them, Sky Zephyrs really is amazing. It is a nuanced and complex yet easy to understand Air Ship Combat System which lets you build your own Airships and provides easy to understand rules to make 3D combat more accessible and easier to grasp. But there is so much more for you to explore.”

Emil co-host of DoubleDM (Twitter: @DoubleDMpod)

AUDIO TESTIMONIALS from Nils and Emil about SKY ZEPHYRS from DoubleDM

FULL PODCAST about SKY ZEPHYRS from DoubleDM

Hi, we’re HOMIEandTheDUDE, a father and son led TTRPG team.
As part of the creation of our floating islands setting, The Sky Realm, we had a good look across the D&D5e multiverse for the best vehicle combat system.

We found that just about every system had plusses and minuses – either too crunchy, too simple, too slow or too overwhelming.

Our mission was to build a dynamic, fun, simple, strategic and highly adjustable system to tailor for all DM and PC combat appetites.

HaTD Team circa 2023:

Website: HOMIEandTheDude.com

Discord: @HOMIEandTheDUDE

Twitter: @HOMIEandTheDUDE

Facebook: @HOMIEandTheDUDE

Instagram: @HOMIEandTheDUDE

YouTube: @HOMIEandTheDUDE

(SBF) Extra Credit