Airship - The Arrogant Cloud [WIP]

Flight Design: The Arrogant Cloud is easily the most expensive airship in the sky to date, even against the royalty ships of the Principality. This is not due to any manner of luxury of comfort, but because of the expense required in the materials. While airships of the era utilize a number of different methods of flight, the one used by the Cloud is remarkably unique: diamagnetic flight.

The entirety of the ship is comprised mostly of wood, like many common airships. However, within this wooden vessel is a metal, skeleton frame that runs in one solid piece throughout the entire ship. This metal frame has been magically treated to possess unusual amounts of diamagnetic properties latently within it. When an electrical charge is applied to this skeleton, the diamagnetic fields within it activate, causing a repulsion effect from the planet's natural magnetic fields: creating levitation. By increasing the charges in different areas of the skeleton, repulsion increases, raising altitude, or allowing the Cloud to move directionally. This gives the Cloud unprecedented maneuverability, able to move in any direction at will at virtually the same speed (though aerodynamics prevents it from moving as quickly moving laterally as it would moving forward forward). Flying with diamagnetics is also completely silent.

The design of the ship actually makes it safer than others: if the Cloud were to take damage as badly as, say, a hole through the entirety of the ship, it would still fly as long as the skeleton was intact. It also makes the Cloud difficult to shoot down, as there is no visible air bags or propellors to target.

Battle Mode: The silent diamagnetic flight is fine for standard travel: their method of propulsion can be quite fast as well. However, the shifting of the magnetic fields can be slow, especially towards the bow of the ship, farthest away from the engine. As such, the Cloud as a "battle mode" that it can switch to. Primary propulsion is still the diamagnetic skeleton, however large propellers are extended throughout the ship, using conventional steam power. These propellers can be controlled more quickly, increasing the Cloud's reaction time for combative situations. This does give the enemy a "target" with the propellors, and removes the silence of the normal flight.

Emergency Mode:


Engine and Power:


"Cloud" Mode:



Layout:

Weaponry:



instead of just straight .50 caliber guns or whatever, actually using something more like a cannonball (maybe even spiked ones) and setting them in a chamber with a piston. Like a large engine or whatever. By diverting power from the actual engine which is steam-powered, we can use the same technology to fire the gun. A location bay for the steam. When Romeo pushes the trigger, the compressed steam is released and pushes the piston outward, which launches the projectile.

I was thinking probably four decks, including the top outside one. The fourth one (bottom) would hold most of the guns along with the second on only one side (near the engine room). I imagine the engine room being one big room that doesn't have the same defined levels as the rest of the ship. I'm imagining so they have greater speed capacity than most. How long...? Eh, I don't know. Ohhhh. That might be cool. A smaller ship that also has guns.

There's a dome on the bottom that I figure can be the Gunnery control. It's basically glass with a harness that Romeo sits in. The glass has marks that indicates when a cannon is in range and he can remotely fire them from his seat. Probably two/four canons forward mounted, two rear, the rest on the side, sort of like a sailing ship. Or, the side canons can be swiveled, so the crew can turn and fire the weapons individually if they have to.

The ship flies using diamagnetic fields. The steam creates static electricity which flows through the metal frame of the ship, lifting it into the air from the planet's magnetic fields. This could also let them generate an electrical attack...something of a trump card attack that sort of destabilizes the ship for a moment but causes crazy damage. As for backups, there are seals that store a traditional dirigibile-type balloons that float if for some reason the electrical systems are damaged. Makes things go slowly, but its good in a pinch.

The Cloud also creates a cloud around itself using the static electricity to take the steam exhaust and keep the steam from leaving. Of course doing this dramatically reduces speed since power is diverted elsewhere, probably to about a quarter of its top speed. Normally doesn't make a differnece since its undetctable, but it's something to consider.
The small ship...probably uses traditional flying power. Wings, props, etc? Sort of a gunboat-type.