The Astronautical Lockbox

Ahoy, adventurers! Many of you have already tangled with Prince Xeleth and saved Faerûn from the machinations of the Xaryxian Empire, so we hope you’re having a well-earned rest! The Astronautical Lockbox is the second lockbox of our 28^th module, Adventures in Wildspace, and it has some whimsical offerings to make your adventures more enjoyable while still packing some punch on the battlefield. This lockbox has the standard lockbox rewards and pacing, and the two headlining items for this lockbox are the Space Guppy School mount and the Flapjack companion.

Mount: Space Guppy School 

Wildspace has simultaneous spacefaring and oceanic themes, which allowed us an opportunity for an amazing portmanteau in the lockbox name. Not only that, there are fish! In space! When summoned, these little critters make their own current around you, allowing you to swim in the air a little off the ground. 

Summary 

• Slots: Regal, Barbed, Universal, Universal (Regal preferred) 
• Combat Power: AoE around target; dazes and pulls nearby enemies in. 
• Equip Power: +Forte, +Incoming Healing, +Outgoing Healing​
  
  • The Incoming Healing stat overflows our usual mount budget.
     

Slots 

This mount comes with four insignia slots. Its static slots are Regal and Barbed, and of the two Universal slots, the final prefers Regal insignias. This means that, in the stable and at full efficiency, the following 4-slot insignia bonuses are available: 

• Warlord’s Motivation (DPS focused) 
   

At the cost of the 20% Preferred Slot bonus, you can also access the following 4-slot insignia bonus: 

• Protector’s Covenant (Tank focused) 
• Lionheart’s Perseverance (Healing focused) 
• Accursed’s Resolve (Tank focused) 
• Knight’s Condemnation (Tank focused) 
• Enchanter’s Hex (DPS focused) 
   

Combat Power: School’s in Session 

Summer may be approaching in Earth’s northern hemisphere, but on Toril and in Wildspace, these guppies are ready to school your enemies any day of the year! When you use this power, a school of space guppies swims rapidly around your targeted enemy, creating a vortex that draws in nearby enemies, deals damage, and applies a daze effect. 

We hope this power will be especially useful for gathering control-vulnerable enemies in content all across the difficulty spectrum, especially when preparing for AoE burns. 

Values at 100% Mount Bolster: 

• Magnitude: 700 
• Vortex duration: 2.5 seconds 
• Daze duration: 4.5 seconds (slightly less against stronger enemies)
   

Magnitude values vary based on Bolster. 

For the number crunchers, here’s some extra information: 

• Cast time: 0.6s post-cast animation, ~0.6 seconds from button press until effects apply  
  • Roots the player during cast. 
  • Animation cancellable only by tactical mechanics (e.g. dodge and block). Since the power is locked in on button press, anim canceling does not prevent it from taking effect or going on cooldown. 
• Range:  
  • Initial cast: 80 foot distance from caster to primary target. 
  • Vortex: 25 foot sphere around primary target. 
• Affected targets:  
  • Vortex damage: Any enemies, maximum 8 targets (including primary), with priority based on distance from primary target. 
  • Vortex daze: Any enemies who aren’t control resistant, same priority as damage. Stronger enemies will break out of daze earlier. 
     

Equip Power: Otherworldly Adaptability 

This equip power breaks the standard budget a little due to granting stats that generally don’t synergize. Though it has three stats, each of them has the value they would if it were split between two stats instead. At 100% Mount Bolster, this comes to: 

• 2700 Combined Rating 
• 2250 Forte 
• 2250 Incoming Healing 
• 2250 Outgoing Healing 
   

We’ve aimed for this to be a useful stat combination primarily for healers, with situational use for tanks and DPS players.

Companion: Flapjack 

The Moondancer’s favorite flumph has taken to sightseeing, and is willing to join you on your quests! While it doesn’t directly attack, it can call in volleys of arrows and even ballista bolts from the Moondancer, no matter how far away. As an added bonus, it provides increased Combat Advantage to nearby allies, in or out of your party! 

Summary 

• Companion Enhancement: +Combat Advantage on self and companion, no proc required. Caps at 5% instead of the proc version’s 7.5%. 
• Defense/Utility Enhancement: 7.5% Stamina Regeneration (and 750 Combined Rating). 
• Combat style: Ranged AoE, with higher single-target damage than most AoE companions. 
   

Companion Enhancement: Enduring Senses 

Like many other recent companions, Enduring Senses doesn’t require a proc, and gives a consistent stat percentage. This one gives up to 5% Combat Advantage to yourself and your companion, as long as your companion is summoned and not downed. It functions with augment companions as well. 

And like similar Enduring-style buffs, these cap at 5% at Mythic quality, instead of 7.5% stat value for the proc-based buffs. 

Defense / Utility Enhancement: Flumph’s Inspiration 

This power gives pure Stamina Regeneration as its specific stats: 

• 7.5% Stamina Regeneration 
• 750 Combined Rating 
   

We expect that tanks will see the most use out of this power, while other classes may get some situational benefit out of being able to use their tactical maneuvers more frequently. 

Combat Powers 

This companion is in the ranged AoE archetype. It calls in targeted AoE powers, dealing bonus damage to its primary target. In internal testing, it settles about 40’ away from its target, and is at its best  

Suppressing Fire!: Calls in a volley of arrows from the Moondancer, dealing AoE damage. 

• This deals damage to the primary target as if it were a single-target attack, and to other enemies as if it were an AoE. That way, this power basically gets the best of both worlds, in terms of single-target and multi-target damage budgeting. 
• Range: 80 ft. 
• Radius: 15 ft. around target 
• Cooldown: 2 seconds 
   

Loose the Ballista!: Calls in a ballista strike from the Moondancer, dealing AoE damage. 

• This has the same combination single-target and ranged budgeting as Suppressing Fire. 
• Range: 80 ft. 
• Radius: 15 ft. around target 
• Cooldown: 15 seconds 
   

Crew Support: Increases allies’ Combat Advantage by 5%. 

• Range: 80 ft. 
• Radius: 80 ft. around summoning player 
• Max targets: 20 
• Target prioritization: Players before NPCs, closest to center. 
   

In Closing 

As always, we hope both the Space Guppy School and Flapjack capture your interest and your heart! These lockboxes require an Enchanted Key to open, and retain the same reward structure as before, including plenty of items that will help you continue to progress your character overall. We’re open to feedback that’ll help us develop features and offerings for players like you. For instance, do you enjoy the option of a budget-breaking stat value that doesn’t synergize with other uses, or do you feel it may make other mount equip powers strictly worse? How do you feel about companions providing a non-stacking buff aura at the cost of variety in powers? Are there more niches you’d like to see us fill? Let us know on the forum!  

Happy unlocking!
Vincent “Terramak” Malley