The Construction Site and the Work Force (CSH)

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The cost and speed of stronghold construction is affected by many things. Some of them are under the designer's control; others are not. Many of the Production Modifiers listed in Chapter 5 of the Castle Guide will apply to construction in space. However, there are a number of additional possibilities achievable only in wildspace.
Each of the sections below includes a Production Modifier (PM). This number rates the difficulty associated with castle construction in that environment or under those conditions. These individual factors are multiplied together to give the overall Production Modifier for the circumstances that apply to a specific castle. Each PM should be recorded separately, so that if conditions change it is easy to recompute the new Production Modifier. When you record a PM, remember that a low number indicates better conditions, while a high number indicates more time and expense.
==Climate Type==
Space bases have climates much different from those found on the surface of a world. The additional climate types available in space are:
Atmosphere (1.00). The site has a breathable atmosphere but no weather to speak of. This climate type includes any large ship or asteroid with its own air bubble. Since there is no weather, the conditions do not hinder construction.
Fire Zone (1.50). The base lies in a fire zone: the outermost heated area near a fire world. It has an atmosphere, but temperatures rarely dip below those found in tropical zones on earth worlds.
While this climate modifier does not place the stringent constraints on construction that actually building on a fire world does (see the section on "Geography"), it does create problems. Temperatures are high, and creatures preferring cold or subtropical conditions will be unable to live or work there. Living ships (such as those used by elves) will not approach the stronghold without resistance; halve their SR when they maneuver near the stronghold.
Void (2.50). The site has no atmosphere. This allows easy access for spacefaring vessels but makes it difficult for work crews, who must either use special equipment or return to a fresh air bubble frequently. To use this site, either an atmosphere must be created or the inhabitants must be creatures who do not need to breathe.
Dust Cloud (1.50). If it applies, this modifier should be multiplied by one of the first three modifiers above (or by any other climate modifier selected from the Castle Guide). The site lies within a dust cloud, making it difficult to locate for those who do not know its location, and slowing spelljamming vessels to normal speed. The site is in darkness at all times, and any use of light causes the entire dust cloud to glow.
Sargasso (2.00). If it applies, this modifier should be multiplied by one of the first three modifiers above (or by any other climate modifier selected from the Castle Guide). The base lies in a Sargasso, an area of space where spelljamming helms and magical spells do not function. This prevents the use of any spell or magical item. In addition, it makes bringing building materials to the site difficult, as spelljamming vessels are unable to make a powered approach. Building a stronghold in a sargasso has its advantages, however, as it is difficult for intruders to approach undetected.
==Geography==
Geography modifiers relate to the underlying terrain. As with climate, the kinds of terrain available in space are different from those on the ground.
Asteroid Cluster (3.00). The stronghold is constructed in an asteroid cluster. If there is no single asteroid large enough to be the foundation for the stronghold, the builder can bind together a number of smaller asteroids to form the base.
Dwarven Citadel (1.25). Dwarven citadels are sometimes abandoned after centuries of operation, when every feature of the asteroid from which they were constructed has been transformed into a work of art. Such citadels are ideal strongholds, as they are worked with useful tunnels, galleries, and many other pleasant features. No character may make an operating dwarven citadel his home; the dwarves guard their magical forges much too highly for that.
Earth World (as per Castle Guide). The stronghold is constructed on the surface of an earth-type world. Use all of the modifiers directly as specified in the Castle Guide.
Fire World (5.00). The stronghold is constructed on an earth island in the molten sea of a fire world. Wooden construction is not permitted, and only creatures who are resistant to great heat may survive there. Strongholds built on fire worlds should be treated as if they are built on barren ground (see the Castle Guide). Building a stronghold on a fireworld does not guarantee that the stronghold is inhabitable by the designer.
Liveworld (0.66). The stronghold is constructed on a liveworld, often a collection of earth bodies linked together by the roots of an enormous plant (see the description of Garden in Realmspace, Lorebook of the Void). Such a setting provides many advantages to the castle designer, as there are ready supplies available and the liveworld provides many nooks and crannies where a stronghold can be easily interwoven into the natural structure. The plants continually renew the atmosphere so that it never becomes stale. Strongholds built on liveworlds should be treated as if they are in a ground cover of light forest (see the Castle Guide). Elves are particularly fond of strongholds built on liveworlds.
Planetoid (2.00). The stronghold is constructed on a single large planetoid. While this worldlet is of sufficiently size to support a large stronghold, it is nowhere as large as a planet and is likely uninhabited. The stronghold will occupy a sizable portion of the planetoid's surface.
Space Leviathan (2.50). These enormous ships of a bygone age have many advantages and drawbacks as bases. On the positive size, they are quite large and provide a maze of tunnels and passageways. On the negative side, they are unmodifiable; no race in the Known Spheres (except perhaps the Arcane) knows how to work the metal from which these ancient vessels are constructed. Moreover, space leviathans are extremely rare and are prized by many creatures as bases. (See Lost Ships for more information on space leviathans.)
Stoneship (1.50). Stoneships are vessels that are created and sailed by the xorn, who use them on missions of unknown purpose. Occasionally an abandoned stoneship is discovered drifting in wildspace with no xorn aboard. No one (except the xorn) understands the magic that the xorn use to move these 300-ton vessels through wildspace, so an abandoned stoneship is effectively stationary. The interior of such a ship is riddled with passages that can be extended by stonemasons, unlike the tunnels in the metallic space leviathans. (See Lost Ships for more information on stoneships.)
Water World (1.50). The stronghold is constructed on a small floating island on a water world. Building materials (including stone) must be shipped in from off world, and the island must provide a place for ships to land. The island also wanders slightly, making it more difficult for long-term speiijamming trips to find the same island twice unless some magical means is used. Strongholds on water worlds use the climate modifiers from the Castle Guide to specify the local weather.
==Ground Cover==
Ground cover modifiers relate both to the kind of vegetation that covers the ground and to the type of ground itself. There are additional types of ground cover in wildspace.
Virgin Stone (2.00). The stone is unworked and unmarred by an atmosphere. No wind or rain has ever broken the face of the rock. It will be difficult for builders to work this stone, as nature provides them with no help.
Worked Stone (1.75). As with virgin stone, this stone is unmarred by nature. However, a previous inhabitant has carved galleries or tunnels into the earth, preparing the site for further habitation.
==Resource Availability==
Resource availability refers to how far away the builder must go to find the material, manpower, and expertise needed to construct the stronghold. In space, these distances can be very great. In addition to those modifiers listed in the Castle Guide, characters constructing wildspace strongholds may need the following modifiers:
Another Sphere (4.00). The only available resources for construction require a journey through the Flow. There are not sufficient resources within the sphere where the stronghold is being constructed. (Since a journey through the Flow is required anyway, it's presumed that the designer will select a source of good quality materials and labor.)
Very Distant and Poor (3.50). A speiijamming journey of several days is required to get the resources. This channels the resources needed through the narrow bottleneck of speiijamming ships that can be devoted to hauling cargo. Even then, the resources that are gathered are scarce and of poor quality.
Very Distant and Good (3.00). As above, a spelljamming journey of several days is required to get resources. However, at the other end of the supply line is a source of quality building materials.
==Local Social Structure==
In space, this refers to the social structure in the area where the character will get his supplies and laborers. In addition to the social structures listed in the Castle Guide, the following structures may prevail in a spacefaring campaign:
Uncivilized (3.00). There is no social organization in wildspace. The population is so thin that there has been no need for anything more than frontier justice. Each encounter with a stranger is a process of negotiation, as each tries to decide what contact, if any, he should have with the other.
Controlled (1.25). The social structure of the region is dominated by one major organization or political group. The people are well organized and supplies are well managed, but the character may