Armor
Armor protects a ship from direct-fire weapons, deflecting their energy and preventing damage to critical ship systems. It grants an armor bonus to a ship’s AC. Armor’s cost depends on the bonus it grants and the ship’s size category (for the purpose of this calculation, Tiny = 1, Small = 2, Medium = 3, Large = 4, etc.). Armor is a passive system and does not require any PCU to remain functional. It provides protection primarily through mass, which can affect a ship’s maneuverability (making it harder to turn) and affect opponents using tracking weapons to lock on to the ship— these effects are listed in the Special column of the table below.
| Name | AC Modifier | Special | Cost |
|---|
| Basic | | | |
| Mk I Armor | +1 | - | (1BP / 10EC) x Size Category |
| Mk II Armor | +2 | - | (2BP / 15EC) x Size Category |
| Mk III Armor | +3 | - | (3BP / 20EC) x Size Category |
| Mk IV Armor | +4 | - | (4BP / 25EC) x Size Category |
| Mk V Armor | +5 | - | (7BP / 30EC) x Size Category |
| Conductive Armor | | | |
| Spark Deflector Armor | +1 | +4 Damage Threshold for Energy damage
| (5BP / 30EC) x Size Category |
| Storm Chaser Armor | +2 | +8 Damage Threshold for Energy damage | (8BP / 50EC) x Size Category |
| Thunder Strike Armor | +3 | +12 Damage Threshold for Energy damage
+2 Turn Distance | (12BP / 75EC) x Size Category |
| Ablative Armor | | | |
| Adaptive Armor | +1 | +4 Damage Threshold for Kinetic damage | (5BP / 30EC) x Size Category |
| Resistance Armor | +2 | +8 Damage Threshold for Kinetic damage | (8BP / 50EC) x Size Category |
| Intrepid Armor | +3 | +12 Damage Threshold for Kinetic damage
+2 Turn Distance | (12BP / 75EC) x Size Category |
| Stealth Armor | | | |
| Operative Armor | +0 | +2 Bonus to Ships Target Lock Score | (8BP / 40EC) x Size Category |
| Sandiego Class Armor | +1 | +4 Bonus to Ships Target Lock Score | (10BP / 50EC) x Size Category |
Shields
While almost every ship has simple navigational shielding to prevent damage from tiny bits of debris, this protection does little to stop a starship from being damaged by lasers, missiles, and larger impacts. To defend against such threats, a ship has energy shields. Projectors mounted around the ship create a barrier that absorbs damage from attacks. Each attack reduces the number of Shield Points (SP) in a given arc until that arc’s shields are depleted, after which point all further damage in that arc reduces the ship’s Hull Points.
Shield Points regenerate over time and can eventually be used again, but this regeneration occurs only when the ship is not in combat or otherwise taking damage. Shields must be attached to a functional power core in order to regenerate; the rate of regeneration is listed in the table below. The value listed under Total SP in the table below is the total number of Shield Points provided to the ship. At the start of combat, when the starship’s crew takes up battle stations and the shields are activated, the Shield Points must be divided up between the four quadrants of the ship. No quadrant can be assigned less than 10% of the total number of Shield Points available at the start of combat, or available at the time the shields are balanced again using the balance science officer
| Shield Name | Shield Points | Regen. | PCU | Cost |
|---|
| Basic Shields (10) | 10 | 1/min. | 5 | 2BP / 10EC |
| Basic Shields (20) | 20 | 1/min. | 10 | 3BP / 15EC |
| Basic Shields (30) | 30 | 1/min. | 15 | 4BP / 20EC |
| Basic Shields (40) | 40 | 1/min. | 15 | 5BP / 25EC |
| | | | |
| Mk I Deflector Shields | 50 | 2/min. | 20 | 6BP / 30EC |
| Mk II Deflector Shields | 60 | 2/min. | 20 | 8BP / 35EC |
| Mk III Deflector Shields | 70 | 2/min. | 25 | 10BP / 45EC |
| Mk IV Deflector Shields | 80 | 2/min. | 30 | 12BP / 55EC |
| | | | |
| Mk I Covariant Shield Array | 90 | 4/min. | 30 | 13BP / 60EC |
| Mk I Covariant Shield Array | 90 | 4/min. | 30 | 13BP / 60EC |
| Mk II Covariant Shield Array | 100 | 4/min. | 30 | 15BP / 70EC |
| Mk III Covariant Shield Array | 120 | 4/min. | 40 | 17BP / 80EC |
| Mk IV Covariant Shield Array | 140 | 8/min. | 45 | 18BP / 90EC |
| Mk VI Covariant Shield Array | 160 | 8/min. | 50 | 20BP / 100EC |
| Mk VII Covariant Shield Array | 200 | 8/min. | 55 | 22BP / 120EC |
| | | | |
| Mk I Auto-Cycling Shields | 240 | 16/min. | 55 | 23BP / 130EC |
| Mk II Auto-Cycling Shields | 280 | 16/min. | 60 | 25BP / 150EC |
| Mk III Auto-Cycling Shields | 320 | 16/min. | 70 | 27BP / 175EC |
| Mk IV Auto-Cycling Shields | 360 | 32/min. | 80 | 28BP / 190EC |
| | | | |
| Mk I Harmonic Shield Array | 420 | 32/min. | 90 | 30BP / 200EC |
| Mk II Harmonic Shield Array | 480 | 32/min. | 110 | 32BP / 220EC |
| Mk III Harmonic Shield Array | 540 | 64/min. | 130 | 35BP / 260EC |
| Mk IV Harmonic Shield Array | 600 | 64/min. | 160 | 40BP / 300EC |
Sensors
Sensors function as a starship’s eyes and ears, allowing a crew to see what’s in the space around the ship, whether planetary bodies, other ships, a dangerous asteroid field, or some monstrosity from the depths of space. Sensors are a combination of video cameras, multispectrum scanners, radar arrays, signal interceptors, and optical telescopes. In starship combat, short-range sensors have a range of 5 hexes, medium range sensors have a range of 10 hexes, and long-range sensors have a range of 20 hexes.
All sensors have a skill modifier that applies to any skill used in conjunction with them. Sensors require an operational power core to function, but they consume a negligible amount of PCU. Sensors operate in two modes: passive or active. In passive mode, sensors automatically scan the ship’s surroundings. Passive sensors detect visible or unhidden objects in a 360-degree field around the ship at a range of up to twice the sensors’ range category while in space or at Warp (no skill check required), though local conditions may affect their range. However, gravitational forces and atmospheric conditions limit starship sensors to a range of 250 feet on most planets, and their range might be further limited by terrain, at the GM’s discretion.
Active sensors are far more discerning, and they are required if the science officer wishes to scan enemy vessels and learn details about them during starship combat. The modifier listed in the table below applies to some checks attempted by the science officer in starship combat as specified in the science officer’s actions.
Outside of starship combat, a crew member can use sensors to scan a planet the starship is orbiting, attempting a Computers check (applying the sensors’ modifier) to learn basic information about the planet’s composition and atmosphere. The DC for this check is usually 15, but it can be altered at the GM’s discretion to account for mitigating factors or complications. A crew member can also use the starship’s active sensors to attempt Perception checks to examine the surrounding area as if she were standing outside the starship, using her own senses (such as darkvision), but adding the sensors’ modifier as a circumstance bonus to the check.
Scanning Out of Range
Sensors may be used past their range incrmement but begin to take penalties once you exceed there standard limit. Sensors can discern information about a target up to five times the sensors’ range away from the ship, but such checks take a penalty of –2 for each range increment beyond the first to the target. For example, if short-range sensors (range = 5 hexes) were used against a target 12 hexes away, the check would take a –4 penalty.
| Sensors | Range | Modifier | Cost |
|---|
| Cut-Rate | Short (5 hexes) | -2 | 1BP / 5EC |
| Budget Short-Range | Short (5 hexes) | +0 | 2BP / 10EC |
| Basic Short Range | Short (5 hexes) | +2 | 3BP / 15EC |
| Advanced Short Range | Short (5 hexes) | +4 | 4BP / 25EC |
| Budget Mid-Range | Medium (10 hexes) | +0 | 3BP / 15EC |
| Basic Mid-Range | Medium (10 hexes) | +2 | 5BP / 30EC |
| Advanced Mid-Range | Medium (10 hexes) | +4 | 8BP / 45EC |
| Budget Long-Range | Long (20 hexes) | +0 | 6BP / 20EC |
| Basic Long-Range | Long (20 hexes) | +2 | 10BP / 40EC |
| Advanced Long-Range | Long (20 hexes) | +4 | 14BP / 60EC |
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