It looks like a basic beetle. hard outer roundish casing. The cockpit holds three riders. One in the middle (helmsman) with one passenger on either side towards the front of him. Behind the helmsman is a cargo area. The front of the beetle is a glasssteal dome the encases the passengers. They can see out, but no one can see in. This makes the beetle useable by many of the races that are effected by bright light (illithids/drow). It also is why it is so expensive.
The back of the beetle opens its wings to access the cargo area. The legs of the beetle act as landing gear and grappling rams. So it can attach itself to the sides of other ships. For an additional 8,000gp the legs can be made magical to work under the power of the helmsman. It is used mainly for short trips, down to a planet over to another ship. The ship can be colored many different colors, some like dark colors so it can blend into the wildspace easily. While embassaries usually have their insignia painted on the back wings in bright colors. They are only custom made because the leg room required in the front seat varies, thus a four month wait is required to purchase this fantastic new ship.
The Stag Beetle is a larger, heavier version of the Beetle ship. It has a hard, rounded casing with two protruding hook-like appendages in front. The Stag Beetle is usually used for medium distance cargo hauls, and occasionally as a transport ship for a small band of adventurers. In some areas, it is replacing the Mosquito as the preferred short range ship.
The cockpit of a stag beetle is set up the same way as a standard beetle, with a glassteal dome in front, and a hard metal casing over the rest. The helmsman sits in the middle of the cockpit, with two other passengers on the side. The two passengers in the front also have access to two leavers which can control the grappling ram. This ram is not generally used as a weapon, but as a docking clamp. The other passengers on the ship ride just behind the helmsman. It is also common for one person to stand watch on the roof of the ship during a long haul.
The legs of a stag beetle serve as landing gear only. Due to the increased size of the ship, they are not practical as grappling hooks, as is the case with the smaller beetle ship. The grappling ram fulfills this purpose. In areas where stag beetles are common, larger ships like hammerships and whaleships sometimes have special metal grab irons that allow a stag beetle to latch into place to deliver its cargo. The grappling ram can be animated by the helmsman, but this enhancement costs an additional 10,000 gp.
Stag Beetles also have to be custom built, depending on who will be using the ship. The cargo area can also be converted into an additional passenger compartment. When this alteration is made, the ship can carry an additional six passengers. Because of considerations about air, this is typically only done in areas of high spelljamming activity, where the stag beetle acts as a sort of "bus." Such areas include the Grinder in Greyspace, the Tears of Selune in Realmspace, the vicinity of Bral in Spiralspace, and the moons of Gandorine in Solaris.
