Steal This Hook - Spelljammer
This is collection of ideas on how to use the Steal This Hook articles from the Wizards of the Coast website in a Spelljammer campaign.
Imprisoned
The small community could be expanded to a moon colony. The community could be in a system controlled by the Vodoni or a sphere they were attempted to expand into. The Vodoni Empire attempted to take control with it's werewolf soldiers.
Atonement
The paladin sold her family to neogi instead of trolls.
Resting in peace
The PCs see a pirate ship leaving after raiding another ship. When they investigate, they find the ships crew dead. The paladin was the captain of the ship. He wishes to be returned to his homeworld for burrial.
Keep Your Roots Away from Me
This could happen on a asteroid colony or a world. For complication two substitute some group that discovered something of value in the area. They need to drive away the inhabitants to get at it. Complication three could be caused by a spellcaster studying the creature to find a solution to infestations. The last complication could have the burrow roots being native to the area but dormant. The increase in farming by the village has awakened them.
Bring Back That Shepherd!
(I'm not sure about this hook yet. I'd like to set it in space but not sure what creature to substitute in for the wyvern.)
That's a Big Bug
While at an outpost for the Elven Imperial Navy, Zeradu approaches the party to investigate reports of the world of ____. It was heavily destroyed in the Unhuman Wars and has been in the process of rebuilding. The world pioneered the development of the bionoids. Fearing that some former experiment has gotten out of control he fears his troops would hesitate against bionoids or some other altered elf. Motivation two can be altered so that Zeradu doesn't hate elves just what was done with the bionoid. He hopes the creators of the bionoids suffer. Complication two could be caused by the scro releasing the siege beetles in an attempt to cause enough chaos to steal the information about the bionoids. For complication three, the bionoid techniques were taught by an aberation race (aboleth, mind flayer, etc.). The elves turned against them after the Unhuman Wars. Instead of a half-fiend siege beetles use half-far spawn.
Goblin Raiders
A badly damaged ship heads towards the players. The wizard piloting the ship lived in a small village that was attack by goblin raiders. His ship has been slowly pieced together from a wreak he found long ago. Until today it hadn't been flown. Change the second motivation to be goblins following in a small craft named Spider Eater with a spyglass to observe from a distance. The peasant avoid heading towards a closer city with an IEN force. For the third motivation and the complications, replace the giants with scro. For the second complication, the biggest ship has a lifejammer helm and needs victims.
Return of the Slave Lords?
This hook can be set in a section of space with numerous pirate groups. Formerly the region was under control of a slave orginization (could be mind flayer or neogi but I'd probably go with another group). The yuan-ti complication could have them recently acquiring a spelljamming ship and trying to take control of this region of space. The necromancer in the last complication is working on undead that function better in the space.
Terrors at Night
Any less than scrupulous spelljamming port could work instead of Highport. For the first complication any number of spelljammer monsters could easily be used. Perhaps a beholder eater has eximinated creatures deeper underground and has slow moved toward the surface for more food. The second complication could substitute neogi or mindflayers for the drow. Victims would become sacrifices for a lifejammer helm. The sahuagin or kuo-toa of the third complication are secretly constructing a spelljammer and are kidnapping people that might be able to help. Drop the last complication.
Slaves of the Drow
Instead of a poster, the characters see a drow ship while approaching a settlement. The ship gets away before any serious combat occurs. Upon landing the party learns of the missing people. The second story element can have the drow trading with the neogi for more spelljamming ships.
What Happened in Hammer’s Deep?
Have a spelljammer crash during landing. The dwarf is the sole survivor but others look to have been dead before the crash. Hammer’s Deep is a dwarven asteroid mining operation. The second story element prophecy can be a enormous fire creature comming to the asteroid and melting the rock as it explorers the asteroid. For fourth story element the demons can be replaced with some space bugs that was growing in the asteroid and accidentally unearthed. For the last element substitute one of the space dragons for the deep dragon.
Hired Muscle
Not much to this hook. Make the merchant send the goods by spelljammer instead of wagon. Perhaps substitute scro for the human bandits.
A Surge in Wagon Repairs
The party sees a spelljammer sitting in space for no appearent reason. The man's two brothers took their second ship to a nearby port to get help. If it is a standard spelljamming helm, they could have gone to get someone to cast create minor helm. They could perhaps use the hackjammer's splendid sails system and have the mast broken. Gnomish non-magic helm is another possibility. For trading between asteroid colonies they could use something more similar to a wagon that attaches to one or more space beasts. Again the story elements don't require much adjustment.
I Want My Ancestral Land
This one is hard to place in a spelljammer setting. Instead of ancestral land the man is looking to reclaim a unique ship abandon in a battle after the helm was damaged. The region of space is still controlled by some evil group or has numerous space hazzards. For element two, Captain Arrol Kalton refused to abandon the ship and was left onboard. The element about hiring the evicted goblins can just be dropped.
The Smoking Cave
This can be set in an asteroid belt perhaps near the Rock of Bral or Dragon Rock. The smoking cave becomes an asteroid.
How'd They Get So Good?
For the third motivation, the location of the ogres is actually a sanctuary setup after the Unhuman Wars. Thurr's clan was allowed to mine as long as they left the ogres be. For the first story element, the hag is attempting to learn more about spelljammers. To prevent the ogres from escape, the dwarves do not keep any spelljammers docked for longer than is needed. She has been attempting to learn the schedule of the next ship. For the second story element substitute the scro for orcs. They have been training the ogres to use a troops.
Stopping the Goblin Hordes
Zaria's groove is small collection of asteroids that serve as a useful location to replenish air supply and some food. Zaria permits this as long as visitor do not spoil the area. The soldiers described in the opening are IEN forces. For element 1, the goblin horde is usually smaller and has poor quality spelljammers but this time the ships are numerous and high quality. Scro can substitute for shifters in element 5.
Is He Lying?
Change the forgotten tomb to a lost spelljamming ship. Everything else can be used as is.