ZeroSpace 4e EN:Starships

Contents

(NOTE: This is a work in progress.)

If this were a starship combat game, rather than a space fantasy roleplaying game, we would make this section much more complicated. A ship's mass would make Piloting rolls more difficult, different weapons would be more or less effective against different defenses, and so on. But this is not a starship combat game, so this section is quite simple.

Overview

Starships allow player characters to go from place to place in the galaxy, seeing people, places, and things which are too far away or too dangerous to visit without one. Starships also serve as a mobile base for the player characters, providing a place to store their stuff and recuperate between adventures.

Starship Class

The categorization and nomenclature of starships is a field rife with inconsistency. The Old Commonwealth had hundreds of starship classes, and the New Commonwealth is on its way to matching that achievement. In contrast, the Bha'atar have only two classes of starship: warships and support ships.

This is not a system of nomenclature that lends itself easily to direct comparisons, so the game system will refer to the ship classifications below. Any resemblance between this system and that used by any interstellar fleet is purely coincidental.

Table: Starship classes

Starship Class		Crew		Length (m)
		Min	Full	From	To
9	Star Fortress	100,000	350,000	140,000	160,000
8	Leviathan	10,000	35,000	3,000	5,000
7	Titan	1,000	3,500	300	500
6	Battlecruiser	128	448	180	400
6	Battle Escort (Battleship)	64	224	120	270
5	Heavy Cruiser	96	336	150	300
5	Heavy Escort (Destroyer)	48	168	100	200
4	Light Cruiser	32	112	120	200
4	Light Escort (Frigate)	16	56	80	140
3	Corvette (Courier, Patrol Ship, Scout)	8	28	30	120
2	Littoral Vessel (Customs, Police, System Defense)	2	7	20	90
1	Small Craft (Bomber, Fighter, Interceptor)	2	7	15	50

A starship's class number dictates the default value of its Hull and base equipment (Weapons, Shields, Engines) and the maximum number of consoles it may have installed. Escort ships are less flexible than multi-purpose ships like cruisers, allowing an escort to have a smaller silhouette and a commensurately smaller crew. There is a cost, however: the maximum number of consoles an escort ship may have is one less than its class would indicate. For example, a heavy escort (often called a "destroyer") is a class 5 ship, but may only have four consoles. Conversely, an experimental ship (indicated with an "X" after its class) may have one more console than its class would indicate. A class 3X corvette could have four consoles installed.

Panglossian Era ships have two additional consoles. First, each ship has a Geist Management Console permitted the ship's AI, or "geist", to manage the myriad automated systems on a Panglossian Era ship (this console was not removable). Panglossian Era ships also have a Wormhole Network Interface Console , which granted the ship the ability to use the AI wormhole network. These consoles were in addition to the consoles a ship would be permitted due to its class. A class 3X Panglossian Era corvette could have six consoles installed, including these two.

Minimum crew refers to the absolute minimum number of crew required to operate a New Commonwealth era ship at full effectiveness for one shift. Full crew can vary considerably. The number of full crew given above is for a New Commonwealth starship, where the crew complement is generally three and a half times the minimum crew: sufficient for three shifts and an occasional off-duty day for each crew member. Bha'atar ships have the same number of minimum crew, but operate two shifts continuously without any off-duty days. A fully staffed Bha'atar destroyer has 96 crew members (double the minimum crew for a destroyer). However, Bha'atar tours of duty are typically shorter than those in the New Commonwealth.

Old Commonwealth ships could operate with one-quarter the crew of a comparable New Commonwealth ship, thanks to extensive automation and the ship's AI, or "geist". Old Commonwealth ships class 4 and larger normally carried six times the minimum amount of crew; Old Commonwealth crews worked fewer, shorter shifts than New Commonwealth crews are expected to work. An Old Commonwealth heavy cruiser had a minimum crew of 24 and a full crew complement of 144, compared to 96 and 336 for a New Commonwealth heavy cruiser.

Starship Combat

Sometimes, people in other starships will shoot at the player's starship. Here is how that works.

If it is guided but unarmed, it's a drone. If it's guided and armed, it's a missile or a mine, depending on how it is deployed. If it's not guided, it's a target.

Vehicle shields and weapons add +3 to their rating when targeting or targeted by individuals. Starship shields and weapons add +3 to their rating when targeting or targeted by vehicles. Starship shields and weapons add +6 to their rating when targeting or targeted by individuals.

XXX

Consoles

Consoles are a form of starship equipment. As with personal equipment, a starship console's bonus replaces or adds to a player's skill roll.

2d6 + [Attribute] + [Skill or appropriate equipment]

If a character has the needed skill and the appropriate equipment, use whichever bonus is larger, and add +1.

Cryptanalysis Console [G, I, S]

Time required for cryptography and mathematical analysis is reduced to a fraction of the normal time.

Mk I = 1/2, Mk II = 1/3, Mk III = 1/4, Mk IV = 1/5, Mk = 1/6

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to cryptography and mathematical analysis.

Advanced Cryptanalysis Console [G, I, S]

Time required for cryptography and mathematical analysis is reduced to a fraction of the normal time.

Mk I = 1/4, Mk II = 1/6, Mk III = 1/8, Mk IV = 1/10, Mk = 1/12

+Mk+3 equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to cryptography and mathematical analysis.

Prototype Cryptanalysis Console [G, I, S, X]

Time required for cryptography and mathematical analysis is reduced to a fraction of the normal time.

Mk I = 1/8, Mk II = 1/12, Mk III = 1/16, Mk IV = 1/20, Mk = 1/24

+Mk+3 equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to cryptography and mathematical analysis.

Geist Management Console [G, N]

Permits the geist to manage most of the ship's systems. Minimum crew is reduced to a fraction of the normal (Restoration Era) crew complement.

Mk I = 1/2, Mk II = 1/3, Mk III = 1/4, Mk IV = 1/5, Mk = 1/6

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to routine ship functions.

Advanced Geist Management Console [G, N]

Permits the geist to manage most of the ship's systems. Minimum crew is reduced to a fraction of the normal (Restoration Era) crew complement.

Mk I = 1/4, Mk II = 1/6, Mk III = 1/8, Mk IV = 1/10, Mk = 1/12

+Mk+3 equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to routine ship functions.

Prototype Geist Management Console [G, N]

Permits the geist to manage most of the ship's systems. Minimum crew is reduced to a fraction of the normal (Restoration Era) crew complement.

Mk I = 1/8, Mk II = 1/12, Mk III = 1/16, Mk IV = 1/20, Mk = 1/24

+Mk+3 equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to routine ship functions.

Geological Survey Console [G, N, S]

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to geology and mineralogy.

Prototype Hyperwave Transceiver Array Console [G, X]

Allows instantaneous communication with any other Hyperwave Transceiver Array Console.

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to establishing and maintaining hyperwave communication.

Long Range Sensor Console [S]

Grants the ship "long" sensor range.

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to sensor readings.

Advanced Long Range Sensor Console

Grants the ship "extreme" sensor range.

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to establishing and analyzing sensor readings.

Prototype Precursor Sensor Console [S, X]

Grants the ship the ability to scan for Precursor artifacts.

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to Precursor artifacts.

Regional Topographical Mapping Console [G]

Deploys thousands of micro-drones to create a three-dimensional elevation map of the local terrain; maximum radius 1,000 km; requires 1 hour per kilometer radius.

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to analyzing the map. No roll necessary for the mapping itself.

Prototype SIN Anonymizer Console [G, I, X]

Manages XXX alternate SIN registrations, and periodically generates a random course history to the ship's current location for each anonymized SIN. Activating an anonymized SIN requires an action. Programming a new SIN takes up to 8 hours.

If installed in tandem with a Prototype Variable Geometry ECM Coating Console, the Prototype SIN Anonymizer Console may be set to automatically manage it. (Refer to Prototype Variable Geometry ECM Coating Console for current presets.)

Prototype Variable Geometry ECM Coating Console [G-, I, X]

-Mk equipment modifier to enemies' sensor rolls and targeting rolls; geist not required.

If installed on a geist-managed ship, the ship may adopt the surface appearance of XXX preprogrammed alternates: changing the colour, texture, the appearance of shaded contours, and the appearance of damage are all possible. Failed sensor rolls appear to be successful, and match the ship's current appearance; successful sensor rolls reveal the ship's appearance is only skin deep. Programming a new alternate takes up to 48 hours.

If a Prototype SIN Anonymizer Console is also installed, the Prototype Variable Geometry ECM Coating Console may be set to automatically synchronize with it.

BEW Ghost Keeper, Bha'atar hospital ship refit

BEW Greasy Bastard, Bha'atar armed merchant refit

CEV Beacon Fire, Commonwealth unarmed merchant refit

CEV Lantern Fly, Commonwealth flight deck heavy escort

CEV Madison Nebula, Commonwealth flight deck heavy escort, simulated damage (default SIN)

DSV Pink Elephant, Corporate armed merchant refit

IS Lady Snowblood, Siobhan armed merchant refit

IS Radiant Black, Siobhan intel heavy escort refit

ZFP Armed Courier JH52, Zniss armed courier refit

Wormhole Network Interface Console [G]

Grants the ship the ability to use the wormhole network.

+Mk equipment bonus to rolls pertaining to using the wormhole network.

(NOTE: This is a work in progress.)

Stop here, the stuff below is from the previous version

Starships have attributes, which serve roughly the same purpose as a character's attributes. Starships have Computer, Engines, Defenses, Weapons, and Hull attributes. A starship's attributes are used for its skill rolls, instead of using a character's attributes. If one of the players has a relevant skill, the player rolls 2d6, adds the starship's attribute, and adds their skill.

Some starships have specialized equipment such as camouflage fields, fully equipped medical bays, or tractor beams. These have their own special rules, given in the equipment's description.

The Crew

On very small ships, a single crew member may be responsible for some or all of the ship's systems. In a starfighter, for example, the pilot, the navigator, and the engineer are all the same person. On larger ships, these responsibilities are usually distributed among specialists: the ship may have several pilots, navigators, and engineers, as well as dedicated scientists, sensor operators, and medical professionals.

In game terms, starships operate much like characters' personal equipment: the player rolls their dice, counts the dots, and adds the result to the ship's attribute and the character's relevant skill. For example, a character piloting a starship would attempt a Piloting roll by rolling two dice, adding the ship's Engines attribute, and adding their own Piloting skill.

Table: Typical starship tasks

Task	Attribute (Skill)	Difficulty
Analyzing scientific data	Science (Reason + ship's Computer attribute)	Moderate (DV 3), remarkable (DV 6), extreme (DV 9), inconceivable (DV 12)
Charting a course	Piloting (Reason + ship's Computer attribute)	Moderate (DV 3), remarkable (DV 6), extreme (DV 9), inconceivable (DV 12)
Evading pursuit	Piloting (Agility + ship's Engines attribute)	Piloting (Agility + ship's Engines attribute)
Flying through an asteroid field	Piloting (Agility + ship's Engines attribute)	Extreme (DV 9)
Targeting an enemy ship	Warfare (Reason + ship's Weapons attribute)	Warfare (Reason + ship's Defenses attribute)
Using the ship's sensors	Computing (Reason + ship's Computer attribute)	Moderate (DV 3), remarkable (DV 6), extreme (DV 9), inconceivable (DV 12)
Withstanding enemy attacks	Warfare (Reason + ship's Defenses attribute)	Warfare (Reason + ship's Weapons attribute)

Order Of Play

As with personal combat, everything that happens in a round of starship combat is assumed to occur more or less simultaneously, but we make people take turns to keep the game orderly.

The most important factor in determining which starship acts before which is situational awareness. If a starship is not aware of their opponent, then they don't have the opportunity to attack. If the combatants become aware of their adversaries in a set order, then that is the order in which they act in combat.

However, if the various combatants become aware of each other more or less simultaneously, or if you would prefer to roll dice to see who goes first, the players and the GM should each make a Science (Reason + ship's Computer) roll at the beginning of the conflict. Turns proceed each round from the highest roller to lowest.

Combining Effort

Starship combat, piloting, and repair are exceptions to the Combining Effort rules. Combining Effort does not provide any additional benefit: larger starships have more to repair, but they also have larger crews, so it's assumed that everyone who can help with a given task already is, and it all balances out.

Computer

A starship's Computer is its most important asset, because without it, nothing on the ship works. The ship's computer can used to analyze data or to chart a course through space.

Navigation

Navigation pertains to getting from one stellar body to another. Navigation generally requires a Piloting (Reason + ship's Computer attribute) roll. The difficulty (DV) of the roll is based on how well-known the destination is.

Table: Navigation difficulty examples

Difficulty		Examples
--	Routine	Navigate between two well-documented locations along an established route
3	Moderately difficult	Navigate to an unfamiliar location along an established route, or to a familiar location along an undocumented route
6	Remarkably difficult	Navigate to a location using incomplete course data
9	Extremely difficult	Navigate to a location using improvised course data
12	Inconceivable!	Navigate to a location using a blind guess

Note that the distance to the destination does not directly impact the difficulty. However, the more remote the destination, the farther off-course the ship will be if the navigator fails to chart the correct course.

Orbital Mechanics

Orbital mechanics pertains to getting around within a solar system. Orbital mechanics usually requires an opposed Piloting (Reason + ship's Computer) roll. The typical reason for making an orbital mechanics roll is to reach a destination before someone else does, because it's not really possible to get lost within a solar system. The navigator who rolls higher has plotted a trajectory that will allow their ship to reach its destination several hours ahead of the other ship.

Sensors

A starship's sensors are used to find things and to analyze them. Using a ship's sensors generally requires a Computing (Reason + ship's Computer) roll. The difficulty (DV) of the roll is based on the subtlety of the thing being searched for or analyzed.

Table: Sensor operation difficulty examples

Difficulty		Examples
--	Routine	Locate an active starship within long range, locate a familiar energy signature within long range, analyze a familiar energy signature within medium range
3	Moderately difficult	Locate an active starship beyond long range, locate a familiar energy signature beyond long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within short range
6	Remarkably difficult	Locate an inactive or disabled starship within long range, locate an unfamiliar energy signature within long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within medium range
9	Extremely difficult	Locate an inactive or disabled starship beyond long range, locate an unfamiliar energy signature beyond long range, analyze an unfamiliar energy signature within long range
12	Inconceivable!	Analyze an unfamiliar energy signature beyond long range

1. Range Bands

Engines

A starship's Engines are its most important asset, because without them, it's going nowhere. Piloting a starship generally requires a Piloting (Agility + ship's Engines attribute) roll. The difficulty (DV) is based on the complexity of the maneuver being attempted.

Table: Piloting difficulty examples

Difficulty		Examples
--	Routine	Landing at a starport or on level ground, docking with a relatively motionless starship
3	Moderately difficult	Landing in violent weather, flying through obstacles, docking with a moving but cooperative starship
6	Remarkably difficult	Flying through an incomplete space station at full speed, docking with a moving uncooperative starship
9	Extremely difficult	Flying through an asteroid field at full speed, docking with an uncooperative starship at full speed
12	Inconceivable!	Flying blind through an asteroid field at full speed

A failed Piloting roll will usually result in damage to the ship. For every failed Piloting roll, the ship loses one point of Hull. It's difficult to destroy a starship by flying it poorly, but an exceptionally bad pilot can do it.

Pursuit

Closing with another starship is only easy if both pilots agree. Closing with a ship that wants to flee usually requires an opposed Piloting (Agility + ship's Engines attribute) roll. The pilot who rolls higher has increased or decreased the range between the ships by one range band, depending on whether the better pilot wants to flee or pursue.

Interstellar Travel

SIDEBAR: Exact travel times

There is no equation to give you exact travel times based on the distance traveled and the Engines and Hull of the ship. The GM should decide the travel time on a case by case basis, using the rough guidelines given here. The plot is always more important than an equation in some book.

The time required to travel interstellar distances increases logarithmically as the distance itself increases linearly. For example, a journey between two star systems in the same region of a galaxy typically takes from a few hours to a few days, traveling from one edge of a galaxy to the other takes a week or two, and traveling from one galaxy to the next takes a month or two. Ships which have higher Hull ratings are slower than less massive ships, and ships with higher Engines ratings are faster than ships with lower Engines ratings. Travel using warp engines does not remove a vessel from our universe. However, due to the Lorentzian manifold (or "warp bubble") around it, the vessel is effectively blind, deaf, and incommunicado for the duration of its journey.

Defenses

A starship's Defenses are its most important asset, because it's a dangerous universe. Defenses, which may be armor, energy shields, or a combination of the two, protect a starship from enemy attacks and damaging environments. Withstanding enemy attacks and damaging environments generally requires a Warfare (Reason + ship's Defenses) roll.

Starship defenses are much more powerful than the blasters carried by individuals. If a personal weapon such as a blaster is brought to bear against a starship, the defense roll of the starship is increased by 10.

Evasive Maneuvers

At the beginning of the ship's turn, the pilot may choose to initiate evasive maneuvers. Performing evasive maneuvers grants the defending ship a +3 bonus on all defensive rolls. A ship which is using its action to perform evasive maneuvers continues to receive this benefit until the beginning of the ship's next turn.

A ship taking evasive maneuvers is not able to attack (the ship can fire its weapons, of course, but they won't hit anything).

Shields Maximum

At the beginning of the ship's turn, the crew members on the weapons and defensive consoles may agree to set shields to maximum. Setting shields to maximum grants the defending ship a +3 bonus on all defensive rolls, but a -3 penalty on all offensive rolls. Setting shields to maximum is a quick action. A ship which has set its shields to maximum continues to receive this benefit until the beginning of the ship's next turn.

Hull

A starship's Hull is its most important asset, because Hull reflects the physical structure and durability of the ship. A starship which is large or densely constructed will have a higher Hull than one which is smaller or less dense.

When a ship is successfully attacked, one is temporarily subtracted from its Hull. A ship which has been reduced to zero Hull is disabled: it is out of the fight, and it will probably require extensive repairs. Hull may not be reduced below zero.

Normally, the crew of a damaged starship may repair half of the ship's lost Hull (rounded up) by working on it for about a day. Further damage may only be repaired at a starship repair facility called a stardock. Most full-service starports have stardock facilities. Barring some extraordinary event, a ship's Hull will be completely repaired after a week in a stardock.

If the ship has taken some other form of damage, such as damage to one of its systems, this damage is temporary. It is all repaired once the crew has had a day to work on it.

Weapons

A starship's Weapons are its most important asset, because a starship without weapons is simply a moving target. Starships can attack a number of times per round equal to the ship's Weapons, or equal to the number of crew members at the weapons consoles, whichever is less (each crew member can fire the ship's weapons once, once per round). Using a ship's weapons generally requires a Warfare (Reason + ship's Weapons) roll against the defending pilot's Warfare (Reason + ship's Defenses) roll.

The ship's Weapons also dictates the range of its weapons. The range of the ship's weapons are covered in Range Bands, below.

Note that the ship's Weapons rating is not the number of its physical weapons. A ship with a Weapons rating of 5 might have only two weapons, or it might have twenty, depending on the design, size, and placement of the weapons themselves.

Starship weaponry is much more powerful than the blasters carried by individuals. If a starship weapon is brought to bear against an individual rather than against a structure or another craft, the damage roll is increased by 10.

Range Bands

As with terrestrial combat, there are five range bands in starship combat: close, short, medium, long, and extreme. Standard starship weapons have an effective range based on the Weapons rating of the ship. Due to the vast distances involved, attacking more distant targets is usually not possible.

The "typical weapons" listed below are mostly for flavour. They don't usually make any difference in the game.

Table: Starship range bands

Weapons	Range	Typical weapons
1-2	Close (1 km)	Arc generator, flak guns, turbolaser, railgun
3-5	Short (10 km)	Disruptor, particle cannon, plasma torpedo
6-8	Medium (100 km)	Nemesis cannon, fusion cannon, photon torpedo
9-11	Long (1,000 km)	Hellbore cannon, meson cannon, singularity torpedo
12+	Remote	Planetary defense battery, warp missile

If you'd prefer to emulate a setting more like Star Trek and less like Star Wars, multiply the weapon ranges by one thousand. So instead of close, short, medium and long ranges being 1 km, 10 km, 100 km, and 1,000 km, they'd be 1,000 km, 10,000 km, 100,000 km, and 1,000,000 km. (This doesn't actually make any difference in the game.)

Targeting Specific Systems

SIDEBAR: Standard cargo units

A standard cargo module in the ZeroSpace universe is 28m x 15m x 15m -- 6300 cubic meters. This is referred to in naval architecture terms as "6300 tonnes". Most people assume that this is because 6300 cubic meters of water has a mass of 6300 tonnes... but this is just a very common assumption. No one actually knows how this volume became a standard, or why it is referred to by starship architects as "tonnes" of cargo capacity.

Fun fact! A standard cargo module holds one Shadow Legion in cryostasis -- 1000 genetically modified, fanatically loyal soldiers of the Infinite Dominion in full armor (weapons and other equipment shipped separately).

Before resolving whether an attack is successful, an attacker can declare that they are targeting a specific system: bridge, cargo, computer, crew quarters, defenses, engines, engineering, gravity control, environmental systems, sensors, or weapons. If the attack is successful, the attacker then rolls 2d6 and consults the "Targeting starship systems" table. If the attacker's system targeting roll is within 0-2 of the desired system, that system is affected as described; otherwise, the system rolled is affected as described.

For example, if the attacker was targeting the bridge (requiring a roll of 2), and the attack was successful, and rolled a 4, they would have successfully damaged the bridge. If they rolled a 5, however, they would have damaged the starship's computer, reducing the ship's Computer rating to zero until the end of the attacker's next turn.

Targeting a specific system damages a system instead of causing damage to the ship's structure; the target's Hull is unchanged.

Table: Targeting starship systems

2d6	System	Effect
2	Bridge	Named crew members on the bridge are struck by exploding consoles or are pinned by falling debris, and incur a -3 penalty on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn; unnamed crew members are dead
3	Defenses	Defenses are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
4	Engineering	Any systems currently offline remain offline an additional round
5	Computer	Computer and communications are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
6	Crew quarters	Named crew members in their quarters are trapped until rescued; unnamed crew members are dead
7	Cargo/other equipment	Cargo or supplies are destroyed; if the ship has unusual equipment, that equipment is offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
8	Gravity control	Characters without the Zero-G Combat gift incur a -3 penalty on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn
9	Sensors	Sensors are offline (Computer rating 0 for sensor rolls) until the end of the attacker's next turn
10	Engines	Engines are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
11	Weapons	Weapons are offline (rating 0) until the end of the attacker's next turn
12	Environmental systems	Characters who need to breathe incur a -3 penalty on all rolls until the end of the attacker's next turn

Other Equipment

Camouflage Fields

Camouflage fields are an unusual defensive system based on the theory that an opponent can't destroy what they can't target. Camouflage fields do not provide any protection against damage. Instead, an attacker must make a successful Science (Reason + Computer rating) roll each round before they can attack a ship with an active camouflage field, in a high-tech version of "hide and seek".

If the Computing (Reason + Computer rating) roll of the sensor operator equals or exceeds the Science (Reason + Computer rating) roll of the camouflage field operator, the seeking ship may attack the hiding ship during its turn; if not, then not. The hiding ship has full use of its other defenses while using its camouflage field (assuming that they have not been damaged), but it may not fire weapons during the same turn in which its camouflage field was active.

Emergency Self Destruct

Self destruct systems are present aboard most commercial and military starships. Initiating the self destruct on a spacecraft disengages its engine coolant system, quickly causing the vessel's power core to overload and explode, destroying the spacecraft after a set time period has elapsed (usually 10 minutes).

As a safety precaution, self destruct mechanisms are intentionally difficult to enable, and even more difficult to disable. Enabling the self destruct device requires a moderately difficult (DV 3) Engineering (Agility) roll. A self destruct device can be disabled during the first half of its countdown with a successful remarkably difficult (DV 6) Engineering (Agility) roll.

A ship which self destructs will explode with tremendous force, utterly destroying the spacecraft, and severely damaging any nearby spacecraft. Any vessel within short range (10 km) of the exploding starship will take an amount of Hull damage equal to the Engines of the exploding starship, bypassing the target's defenses.

Enhanced Sensors

Science vessels and scout ships often have enhanced sensors to assist with their missions. If a ship is equipped with enhanced sensors, the sensor operator gains a +3 bonus on any sensor-related skill rolls.

Medical Bays

The rating of a ship's medical bay is added to a medical staff member's Medicine (Reason) when treating a patient. A standard medical bay on a starship is equipped to treat a variety of minor injuries and ailments, and normally has a rating of 1. Massive civilian cruise ships often have an enhanced medical bay, with a rating of 2, while large military vessels usually have a fully equipped hospital facility, with a rating of 3.

Megaweapon

In addition to the ship's other weapons, the ship has a single massive weapon around which the rest of the ship is built. This megaweapon can only be fired once every ten rounds (one minute) at a single target. When attacking with the megaweapon, the Engines rating of the attacking ship is added to its Weapons rating.

Overthrusters

An overthruster is a colliding beam accelerator which creates intermediate vector bosons from the annihilation of electrons and positrons. If a ship is equipped with overthrusters, the pilot gains a +3 bonus on any pursuit-related or evasion-related Piloting rolls.

Point Defense Systems

Point defense systems offer an additional defense against fast attack craft (bombers, fighters, and interceptors). If a ship with a point defense system is being attacked by a fast attack craft, the defending ship gains a +3 bonus on its defense roll.

Tractor Beams

Tractor beams are gravitic weapons intended to prevent the target from moving. Using a tractor beam generally requires a Warfare (Reason) roll plus the rating of the tractor beam. The difficulty (DV) is based on the defending pilot's Warfare (Reason) and the defending ship's Defenses rating.

Tractor beams do not inflict Hull damage to the target. Instead, on a successful roll, the Hull rating of the attacking ship is subtracted from the Engines rating of the defending ship for as long as the tractor beam is focused on the target. If the target's effective Engines rating is reduced to zero, the target ship is unable to move.

Escaping from a tractor beam can be accomplished one of three ways: the tractored ship can move beyond the effective range of the tractor beam (based on the rating of the tractor beam); the tractored ship (or another ship) can reduce the Hull of the ship with the tractor beam to zero, causing the tractor beam to shut off; or the fleeing ship (or another ship) can break the tractor beam's hold by successfully targeting the "cargo/other equipment" system of the ship with the tractor beam.

Ship Classifications

Warship classification is a field that has changed over time, and is an area of considerable disagreement. The system described here is that currently in use by the Imperial Strategic Command. Size categories are approximate; a ship may be classified with smaller or larger ships, based on its intended role and specific configuration.

The crew complement given is for a fully staffed vessel (not including passengers), followed by the minimum number of crew required to operate the vessel at full effectiveness for one shift. Crew rotation varies greatly depending on the technology and culture of the fleet. Standard crew rotation in the Old Commonwealth was six hours per day for four days, followed by two days off duty, while standard crew rotation in the New Commonwealth is eight hours per day for four days, followed by one day off duty. However, the use of an onboard AI and extensive automation allowed Old Commonwealth ships to operate with one-quarter the crew of New Commonwealth and other post-Fall ships. Standard crew rotation on most Bha'atar ships is twelve hours per day, every day, in two shifts, but Bha'atar are never truly "off duty" while the ship is under way.

Table: Typical starship crew complement

Ship Class	Old Commonwealth	Propaideia, Siobhan, Zniss	League Of Non-aligned Worlds, New Commonwealth, Planetary Union	Bha'atar, Corporate Worlds, Infinite Dominion
Star Fortress	Geist + 300 (50)	525 (150)	700 (200)	600 (300)
Dreadnought	Geist + 144 (24)	252 (72)	336 (96)	288 (144)
Battleship	Geist + 108 (18)	189 (54)	252 (72)	216 (108)
Battlecruiser	Geist + 90 (15)	157 (45)	210 (60)	180 (90)
Heavy Cruiser	Geist + 72 (12)	126 (36)	188 (48)	144 (72)
Heavy Escort (Destroyer)	Geist + 60 (10)	105 (30)	140 (40)	120 (60)
Light Cruiser	Geist + 48 (8)	84 (24)	112 (32)	96 (48)
Light Escort (Frigate)	Geist + 24 (4)	42 (12)	56 (16)	48 (24)
Corvette (Courier, Patrol Ship, Scout)	Geist + 12 (2)	21 (6)	28 (8)	24 (12)
Littoral Vessel (Customs Launch, Police Ship, System Defense Boat)	Geist + 3 (0)	6 (3)	8 (4)	12 (6)
Small Craft (Bomber, Fighter, Interceptor)	Geist + 1 (0)	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 (2)

Star Fortress

Mobile space station, capable of defending against entire fleets, and housing vast numbers of fast attack craft and smaller warships

Length: 10,000 meters and larger

Computer 10, Engines 1, Defenses 14, Hull 11, Weapons 14

Dreadnought

Largest classification of capital ship, heavily armed and armored, and carrying numerous fast attack craft

Length: 5,000 to 10,000 meters

Computer 8, Engines 2, Defenses 12, Hull 10, Weapons 12

Battleship

Largest warship in general use, heavily armed and armored, and a platform for smaller fighter craft

Length: 2,000 to 5,000 meters

Computer 6, Engines 3, Defenses 10, Hull 9, Weapons 10

Battlecruiser

Heavy ship with the armament of a battleship but the speed and defenses of a cruiser

Length: 1,000 to 2,000 meters

Computer 6, Engines 4, Defenses 8, Hull 8, Weapons 10

Heavy cruiser

Heavy, multi-use warship that can operate alone or as part of a formation

Length: 600 to 1,000 meters

Computer 6, Engines 4, Defenses 8, Hull 7, Weapons 8

Heavy Escort (Destroyer)

Fast, maneuverable, sturdy warship, usually intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet; designed to protect against small, faster attackers

Length: 300 to 600 meters

Computer 4, Engines 6, Defenses 6, Hull 5, Weapons 6

Light Cruiser

Light, multi-use warship that can operate alone or as part of a formation; generally, the largest starship capable of physically landing on a planet

Length: 400 to 700 meters

Computer 6, Engines 4, Defenses 6, Hull 6, Weapons 8

Light Escort (Frigate)

Commonly used as a scout and patrol ship in dangerous areas; may participate in fleet actions, but does not usually stand in the line of battle with capital ships

Length: 200 to 400 meters

Computer 4, Engines 6, Defenses 6, Hull 4, Weapons 6

Corvette (Courier, Patrol Ship, Scout)

Smallest warship capable of participating in fleet actions; generally used as a courier and patrol ship; 100 to 200 meters

Computer 2, Engines 8, Defenses 4, Hull 3, Weapons 4

Littoral Vessel (Customs Launch, Police Ship, System Defense Boat)

Small, lightly armed vessel which commonly operates independently; mainly used to patrol areas that are not considered dangerous

Length: 50 to 150 meters

Computer 2, Engines 6, Defenses 2, Hull 2, Weapons 2

Small Craft (Bomber, Fighter, Interceptor)

Small, short range craft which operate in groups

Length: 15 to 50 meters

Computer 2, Engines 10, Defenses 2, Hull 1, Weapons 2

Spanish Destructor Length: 59 m Crew: 60

Arleigh Burke class destroyer Length: 155 m Crew: 323

Battleships are dreadnoughts