A Spelljammer’s Guide to the Rock of Bral

What is the Rock of Bral?

The Rock of Bral is one of the most famous locations in the Spelljammer setting. Spelljammer—which can only be described as a romping nautical adventure, just in space—takes players beyond the confines of their campaign’s planet and into the vast, open expanse of Wildspace.

The Rock of Bral is an asteroid that contains the city of Bral. The city is a rollicking melting pot of politicians, traders, mercenaries, and pirates (that are posing as well-intentioned sailors for hire). The exact location of the Rock of Bral isn’t set in stone, it can be anywhere you need it to be for your campaign. This makes it an extremely useful setpiece when your party needs to hire a ship or find a purveyor of illegal goods.

Another aspect of the Rock that makes it so useful for DMs is that Bral is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in all of Wildspace. Obviously, in a setting that allows you to travel anywhere in the D&D multiverse, players will run into all types of bizarre creatures. The Rock of Bral, being a center of intergalactic politics and trade, and a firm neutral position in most conflicts, creates a unique location where mind flayers, giff, beholders, humanoids, and just about any other creature can meet without the fear of hostility.

That’s not to say that Bral is an overly safe place. The ruler of Bral, Prince Andru, prefers to let the citizens of Bral sort themselves out. It’s understood that tavern keepers will hire their own muscle to keep the raucous out and merchants will keep an eye on their wares to ensure nothing is stolen. The crime that will certainly draw the ire of Bral’s military is arson. Because the city runs on a supply of air generated by plantations on the underside of the asteroid, it’s of the utmost importance to ensure it doesn’t become fouled.

The Rock of Bral’s History in D&D

The Rock of Bral is featured in the fifth edition product Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. Details about the Rock of Bral  can be found at the end of the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, along with a double-sided poster map of the Rock of Bral.

The info included in the book, while useful, is far from the extent of information surrounding the famous Spelljammer location available in previous editions. For those looking to learn more about the origins of the Rock of Bral as well as get a detailed description of the outlaw’s outpost, the second edition book, Rock of Bral, is a 99-page setting guide to the city. For DMs looking to use the Rock of Bral as a primary campaign location, such as Waterdeep in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, I cannot recommend this book enough.While it contains outdated mechanics (second edition stat blocks) the information contained in the book is undeniably useful.

At 99-pages, it is already larger than the entire 64-page Astral Adventurers Guide which in turn only includes 6 pages about the Rock of Bral. The focused subject and a generous page count give Rock of Bral enough runway to touch on everything a DM would need to use the rock in their campaign. This includes:

• History and lore surrounding the city
• A map and detailed descriptions for over 150 locations on the Rock
• Stat block (2e versions) of dozens of important NPCs
• Descriptions and motives for various factions located within the city

You can purchase Rock of Bral on DMs Guild for an insanely worth-it $4.99 if you’re interested in learning more.

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Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.