ZeroSpace 3e EN:Starships: Difference between revisions
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===Evasive Maneuvers=== | ===Evasive Maneuvers=== | ||
During the ship's turn, or as an [[ZeroSpace:Starships#Emergency_Action|emergency action]], a ship may use its action to initiate evasive maneuvers. Performing evasive maneuvers reduces all attackers' margin of success by 3. A ship which is using its action to perform evasive maneuvers continues to receive this benefit until it takes | During the ship's turn, or as an [[ZeroSpace:Starships#Emergency_Action|emergency action]], a ship may use its action to initiate evasive maneuvers. Performing evasive maneuvers reduces all attackers' margin of success by 3. A ship which is using its action to perform evasive maneuvers continues to receive this benefit until it takes its next turn. | ||
A ship may initiate evasive maneuvers after the attacker has determined that the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to evade an attack that misses. | A ship may initiate evasive maneuvers after the attacker has determined that the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to evade an attack that misses. |
Revision as of 11:23, 29 November 2016
This chapter is a work in progress.
What I'd like here is a sort of mini-game, a game within the game. However, I want it to use the same basic game mechanics as normal character combat. It also needs some method of determining range bands without getting into measuring hexes or needing a battle mat -- in other words, no "facing", and no meter-by-meter (or megameter-by-megameter) movement.
Ideally, I would like it to be simpler than character-on-character combat.
In game terms, starships operate much like characters. Where characters have Brawn, Agility, Perception, and Endurance, starships have Mass, Drive, Sensors, and Durability. Most starships also have armor or energy shields (some starships have both). Some starships have weapons, and a few have exotic equipment like tractor beams.
Time And Distance
Time
Movement
Range Bands
There are five range bands: close, short, medium, long, and remote. Close range is the distance that a character can reach with their hands or with a hand-held weapon: anywhere from "in your face" up to about two meters. Short range is the distance that a character can easily reach with small hand-held weapons, or with thrown weapons with a bit of luck: up to ten meters. Medium range is too far for thrown weapons, but is within range of most small arms: up to fifty meters or so. Long range is too far for most handguns, but is within range of most rifles, with careful aim and a steady hand: up to 500 meters. A few weapons have even greater range, called "remote": these effectively have no maximum range.
Weapons and powers that are useful at a distance have an effective range given in their description. Due to the vast distances involved, attacking more distant targets is usually not possible. If the GM declares that the attack is possible, the attacker incurs an attack penalty (-3).
Range | Typical weapons |
---|---|
Close | Antimatter nebulizer, hellfire projector, ion generator, grappling clamps, tractor beam |
Short (10 km) | Fusion cannon, point defense laser, nemesis cannon, plasma torpedo |
Medium (50 km) | Laser battery, turbolaser, proton torpedo |
Long (500 km) | Gaussian stunner, laser cannon, photon torpedo |
Remote | Planetary defense battery |
If you'd prefer to emulate a setting more like Star Trek and less like Star Wars, multiply the weapon ranges by a factor of one thousand. So instead of short, medium and long ranges being 10 km, 50 km, and 500 km, they'd be 10,000 km, 50,000 km, and 500,000 km. (This doesn't actually make any difference in the game.)
Pursuit
Closing (or fleeing) would be an opposed Drive roll. If both ships want to close (or flee), the roll is not opposed: instead it is treated as a "combining effort" on a challenging task (difficulty 3).
On a successful roll, the range between the ships decreases (if closing) or increases (if fleeing) by one range band. On an extreme success, the range increases (or decreases) an additional range band for each 3 that the winning ship rolled over the target number (one range band at 0-2, two range bands at 3-5, etc.).
Roll Succeeded By |
Range Band Change |
---|---|
0-2 | 1 |
3-5 | 2 |
6-8 | 3 |
9-11 | 4 |
Order Of Play
Emergency Action
Actions
Movement Action
Task Action
Attacking, taking evasive maneuvers, scanning...
Communication Action
Rolling Dice
Action Value
Difficulty Value
Unopposed Tasks
Opposed Tasks
Bonuses And Penalties
Being Disabled
Cover
Ramming
Combining Effort
Extended Tasks
Taking The Average
Taking The Max
Consequences
Success
Extreme Success
Damage And Repair
Unnamed Ships
Special Actions
Evasive Maneuvers
During the ship's turn, or as an emergency action, a ship may use its action to initiate evasive maneuvers. Performing evasive maneuvers reduces all attackers' margin of success by 3. A ship which is using its action to perform evasive maneuvers continues to receive this benefit until it takes its next turn.
A ship may initiate evasive maneuvers after the attacker has determined that the attack will successfully hit: there is no need to evade an attack that misses.
Grappling And Tractor Beams
Special Attack Types
Penetrating
If an attack is penetrating, the defense value (DV) of the defender is reduced by one-half (round in defender's favor).
Sensory
Stunning
Spending Plot Points
Armaments And Defenses
Armor
Armor provides protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Durability damage. The defense value (DV) of a starship with armor is equal to its Mass + 1, or the defense rating of the armor, whichever is greater. As always, this protection does not stack with energy shields or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.
Heavier armor restricts a starship's mobility. The effective Drive of a starship with armor may be limited.
Defense Rating |
Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|
1 | 400 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Drive rank 8 |
2 | 800 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Drive rank 7 |
3 | 1,600 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Drive rank 6 |
4 | 2,000 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Drive rank 5 |
5 | 4,000 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Drive rank 4 |
6 | 8,000 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Drive rank 3 |
Energy Shields
Energy shields provide protection against most forms of direct damage: anything which inflicts Durability damage. The defense value (DV) of a starship with an energy shield is equal to its Mass + 1, or the defense rating of the energy shield, whichever is greater. As always, this protection does not stack with armor or other forms of defense -- only the highest defense value applies.
Shields which are stronger also generate more electromagnetic interference. The effective Sensors of a starship using an energy shield may be limited.
Defense Rating |
Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|
1 | 1,600 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Sensors rank 8 |
2 | 3,200 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Sensors rank 7 |
3 | 6,400 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Sensors rank 6 |
4 | 8,000 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Sensors rank 5 |
5 | 16,000 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Sensors rank 4 |
6 | 32,000 KCr ✕ Mass | Maximum Sensors rank 3 |
Short Range Weapons
Short range weapons are typically useful up to a distance of 10 kilometers. The attack value (AV) of a starship using a ranged weapon is usually equal to its relevant attack attribute (typically Drive) + 1, or the attack rating of the weapon, whichever is greater.
Type | Attack Rating |
Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Pocket Blaster Pistol | 2 | 300 Cr | |
Target Blaster Pistol | 2 | 450 Cr | attack bonus1 (+3) if attacker does not move |
Blaster Pistol | 3 | 500 Cr | |
Repeating Blaster Pistol | 3 | 2000 Cr | attack bonus1 (+3) (fires multiple rounds at target) |
Stunner | 3 | 350 Cr | Stunning |
Blaster Carbine | 4 | 900 Cr | Two-handed |
Flamethrower | 6 | 350 Cr | Two-handed, attack bonus1 (+3) (wide spray), Terrifying5 |
Pacification Grenade | 8 | 250 Cr | Exploding2, Sensory3, Stunning4, single use |
Fragmentation Grenade | 12 | 200 Cr | Exploding2, single use |
Shock Grenade | 12 | 250 Cr | Exploding2, Sensory3, single use |
Incendiary Grenade | 12 | 250 Cr | Exploding2, Terrifying5, single use |
Stun Grenade | 14 | 250 Cr | Exploding2, Stunning4, single use |
Medium Range Weapons
Medium range weapons are typically useful up to a distance of 50 kilometers. The attack value (AV) of a starship using a ranged weapon is usually equal to its relevant attack attribute (typically Drive) + 1, or the attack rating of the weapon, whichever is greater.
Type | Attack Rating |
Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Light Repeating Blaster Rifle | 3 | 2000 Cr | Two-handed, attack bonus1 (+3) (fires multiple rounds at target) |
Pain Rifle | 4 | 450 Cr | Two-handed, Stunning4 |
Sporting Blaster Rifle | 4 | 800 Cr | Two-handed, attack bonus1 (+3) if attacker does not move |
Repeating Blaster Rifle | 4 | 4000 Cr | Two-handed, attack bonus1 (+3) (fires multiple rounds at target) |
Heavy Blaster Rifle | 5 | 1000 Cr | Two-handed |
Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifle | 5 | 6000 Cr | Two-handed, attack bonus1 (+3) (fires multiple rounds at target) |
Wrist Rocket | 8 | 350 Cr | Single use |
Pacification Cannon | 8 | 800 Cr | Two-handed, Exploding2, Sensory3, Stunning4 |
Long Range Weapons
Long range weapons are typically useful up to a distance of 500 kilometers. The attack value (AV) of a starship using a ranged weapon is usually equal to its relevant attack attribute (typically Drive) + 1, or the attack rating of the weapon, whichever is greater.
Type | Attack Rating |
Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Sniper Blaster Rifle | 5 | 9000 Cr | Two-handed, attack bonus1 (+3) if attacker does not move, Penetrating3 |
Light Blaster Cannon | 10 | 3000 Cr | Two-handed, fires every other round |
Heavy Blaster Cannon | 16 | 4500 Cr | Two-handed, Exploding2, fires every other round |
A Note On Repeating Weapons
Weapons which fire multiple rounds, such as turbolasers and MIRV torpedoes, usually grant an attack bonus (+3), and they might or might not do more damage than their single-shot equivalents (AR 4 instead of AR 3, for example), but the attack is only resolved once. Whether the damage from an attack is inflicted by one discrete injury or twelve, it's all just one attack roll. There's no "roll damage three times" mechanic like some game systems have.