Builder's Manual · Chapter 1

What Is in This Project

Aetherpunk is a space setting built on the 2024 fifth edition rules from the System Reference Document 5.2 (SRD 5.2). It uses the 2024 character sheet, the same one the plain SRD 2024 project uses. Everything on top of it is Aetherpunk content. The project holds 2,647 files across 24 file types.

The folders

Folder	Files	What it holds
Player Options	162	20 classes, 116 subclasses, 10 species, 16 backgrounds
Feats	94	24 Origin, 45 General, 12 Fighting Style, 13 Epic Boon
Spells	490	Every spell, renamed for the setting
Equipment	409	94 weapons, 42 armor, 7 shields, 41 tools, 157 gear, 68 consumables
Magic Items	235	Wondrous items and magic weapons, armor and shields
Monsters	154	Husks, Vhal creatures, crews, machines and beasts
Characters	259	12 playable heroes and 247 people of the galaxy
Locations	530	The galaxy, 24 planets, 72 territories, 11 stations, 24 docks and 398 places
Rules	199	The 2024 rules, plus 10 world rules in Rules/Aetherpunk
Conditions	15	The 2024 conditions
Lore	16	The galaxy, the powers and the Vhal
Factions	6	The five powers and the Unbound
Game Master Instructions	39	How the GM runs the table
Map & Token Instructions	4	How the GM uses maps and tokens
Game Starts	35	One per planet and station

The layers

Each layer answers one question.

Rules answer what the rules say. They are reference only. @Missing file and the other nine world rules sit in Rules/Aetherpunk.
File types answer what is stored and what is computed. A class file is not a description. It is the input the sheet reads.
Game Master Instructions answer what the GM actually does. They are the runtime.
Content is the nouns. Planets, people, monsters, gear and the places on the map.

A real rule change usually touches two places. One is the rule text the player reads. The other is the field or instruction that makes it true in play. Change only one and the game says one thing and does another.

Renamed, not rewritten

The twelve classic classes keep their 2024 rules under new names. So do the spells.

Aetherpunk	2024 class
Pit Fury	Barbarian
Star Singer	Bard
Lantern Priest	Cleric
Wild Caller	Druid
Deck Soldier	Fighter
Barehand	Monk
Oath Knight	Paladin
Frontier Scout	Ranger
Fog Knife	Rogue
Crystal Blood	Sorcerer
Pact Mage	Warlock
Aether Scholar	Wizard

The sheet's internal field names keep the old names. The featBardCantrips picker is the Star Singer list. The rage and wildShape switches belong to the Pit Fury and the Wild Caller. When a schema description says Bard, read Star Singer. Never rename these fields. The formulas depend on them.

Some numbers on the classic classes were changed for this setting. Read hit dice and other numbers from the class file, not from memory.

Plain words

The whole project uses plain words. @Missing file lists the ten core terms, such as aether, helm, air bubble, Rush and husk. Everything else is described in ordinary words. The GM copies the words it reads in the files, so new jargon in a file turns up in play. When you add content, use the core terms and plain names. Say what a thing is and what it does. Write short sentences.

License

The rules text comes from the SRD 5.2 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Keep the credit statement in the Player's Handbook when you publish a copy. Do not import text from outside the SRD.

Manual updated Oct 2, 2026.

Dungeons & Dragons 5e

The Plux Galaxy is full of aether, a thin magic current that fills open space. Brass ships sail on it between worlds, and mages cast spells with it. Five powers fight over the crystal mines, the trade lanes and the right to build ships. Nobles, factory workers, a crime cartel and free pirates are one incident away from war. At the edge of the galaxy, a knightly order warns that the old seals on the Vhal are failing. Few people listen.

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@Pollution

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The Premise

Sail brass ships between 24 worlds in a galaxy run on magic, crystal and guns.

Aetherpunk is a D&D 5e adventure in the Plux Galaxy. Wooden ships with brass fittings sail on aether, the magic current between the stars. Mages cast spells with it, and rune engines burn aether crystals so anyone can fly.

Five powers hold the worlds. The Gilded Dominion rules the bright core. The Iron Union builds engines in the Forge Arm. The Vesper Syndicate sells Rush in the Low Spiral. The Free Drift Compact raids from the Outer Drift. The Order of the Last Light guards the Rim Gates, where something old is starting to wake.

Play one of 20 classes, from Gunhands and Aces to Lantern Priests and Pact Mages, on the 2024 rules. Start on any of 24 planets or 11 stations, with a ready crew of 12 heroes or a spacer of your own.

Author's note

Aetherpunk is a fast, dangerous space adventure with magic. Expect brass ships, rune guns, smoggy factory worlds, gold noble cities and green-lit undercities. The year is 1042 after First Sail. A war over the crystal mines could start any day, and something is waking beyond Rim Gate Seven. Recommended start is level 5, as a small ship crew looking for work. - **Gilded Dominion**. Mage-nobles of the Bright Core who control crystal refining and ship licences. - **Iron Union**. Worker republic of the Forge Arm that builds rune engines so anyone can fly. - **Vesper Syndicate**. Crime cartel of the Low Spiral that makes and sells Rush. - **Free Drift Compact**. Pirates and free traders of the Outer Drift who raid both big powers. - **Order of the Last Light**. Knights and priests who guard the Rim Gates at the Dark Rim.

World Map