Starship systems can take critical damage, causing them to become less functional and eventually stop working altogether.
Critical damage is scored whenever a gunnery check results in a natural 20 on the die and damage is dealt to the target ship’s hull. The critical range is expanded to a natural 19 or 20 on the die if the target starship was the subject of a successful target system science officer action (see page 325).
Critical damage is also scored whenever the target starship’s hull takes damage that causes its total amount of damage to exceed its Critical Threshold (see page 292) or a multiple of that threshold. For example, a starship with 100 Hull Points and a Critical Threshold of 20 takes critical damage each time its total amount of Hull Point damage exceeds 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 points (and so on). An individual attack does not need to deal more than 20 damage to score critical damage against this starship; it just needs to be the attack that pushes the starship’s total damage above a multiple of its Critical Threshold.
A starship can take critical damage even when its total Hull Points are below 0.
Burrowing
Source Pact Worlds pg. 153
A weapon with this special property fires a highly focused beam of energy that can slice through shields with ease. Burrowing weapons are always short range and cannot fire at targets outside the first range increment. When a burrowing weapon’s beam hits shields, apply half of its damage to the shields and the other half (rounded down) to the target vessel’s Hull Points. If any of the damage applied to the shields depletes those shields, apply the remainder to the ship’s Hull Points as normal. If a burrowing weapon deals damage to a ship with a damage threshold, halve that threshold before determining if any damage is dealt.
SCAN RESULT
RESURGENT APHYRA TIER 5
Tiny fighter
Crew 0
Speed 12; Maneuverability perfect (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 23; TL 23
HP 40; DT —; CT 8
Shields Light 100 (forward 25, port 25, starboard 25, aft 25)
Attack (Forward) heavy plasma missile launcher (4d10; 20 hexes), persistent particle beam (10d6; 20 hexes)
…MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE
***
The enemy ship takes two blasts to the starboard side - the mining laser boring through the shield, followed by the heavy laser that also leaves some minor scorching - clearly having blown out the last of the remaining shield.
Crit damage
The ship continues on.
***
R2
Engineering
White
Black
Helm Phase
Piloting
R2
Engineering
White 1d20 ⇒ 1
Black 1d20 ⇒ 9
Helm Phase
The enemy reposition!
/poke poke!
Someone want to move the ship so we can get to the pew-pew?
R2
Engineering
White 1d20 ⇒ 1
Black 1d20 ⇒ 9
Helm Phase
The enemy reposition!
Vyv repositions, but can't quite get the ship dancing enough to distract the enemy drones and their targeting computers.
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"Right where I want them!" Chorizal declares then fires the Heavy Laser mounted on the front of the Summersword.
"Ok, Vyv, you've had your fun! Now I'm going to try out this ram!" he says after completely missing with the gun.
He hits a button on his station and there is a slight flicker of his screen as the camera angle changes a bit. But his control configuration completely changes as his station now becomes the pilot's chair.
The heavy laser lights up the cold void of space, but streaks past the enemy ship!
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Rastar flicked a few switches and spun up the plasma cannon, the enemy having gotten out of range of his mining laser. Taking a moment to line up the shot, he fired at the fast-moving target.
Watching the plasma burst expand into ineffectiveness, Rastar called out, "Get us closer next time, Vyv! I want tot go back to the mining laser. This plasma cannon is junk!"
The plasma blast also illuminates space, but this one was super close to the enemy drones.
The drones begin firing back at your Port side!
Black:
Persistent Particle Beam
Damage
Heavy Plasma Missile Launcher
Damage
White:
Persistent Particle Beam
Damage
Heavy Plasma Missile Launcher
Damage
Multiple hits register against your shields!
***
R3
B Engineering
W Engineering
The ships keep trying to lock you down.
ENEMY INIT
OK slight pause as we work out this AC/TL.
119 damage straight into one quadrant might really ruin someones day :p
NEW SHIP (TIER 8)
Large destroyer
Speed 8 (inubrix thrusters); Maneuverability average (turn 2); Drift 1
AC 12; TL 11
HP 190; DT n/a; CT 38
Shields Light 70 (forward 18, port 17, starboard 17, aft 18)
Power Core(s) Pulse Orange (250 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems no sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 3 armor, mk 2 defences, mk 2 trinode computer (tier 4); Security anti-hacking systems mk 1 (DC +1)
Modifiers +2 to any three checks per round; Complement 5
The frontal shields register the hits.
The simulation system shows your front shields have been defeated and damage pours onto the hull.
The sensor system takes the brunt and is now malfunctioning!
***
Did you want to swap roles?
Your ship dances in an effort to be harder to hit, and the other ships move and slip around lining you up for another attack run!
Both shots go wide of the enemy...
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Izzip, who had been apparently out of commission for the start of combat, suddenly increases the volume of their chanting, trying to use Sarenrae's holy radiance to boost the ship's deflective countermeasures.
- obscuring field garbles our opponent’s sensors and hinders their ability to gain information about our ship’s defenses and positioning, providing our starship a +1 enhancement bonus to AC until the end of the next round. In addition, the increased interference means all science officers on the opposing starship taking the scan or lock on actions before the end of the next round must roll twice for their checks and use the worse result.
Izzip gets busy on obscuring your ship, but the enemy fire strafes you once more.
Black - vs Front.
Persistent Particle Beam
Damage
Heavy Plasma Missile Launcher
Damage
White - vs Port.
Persistent Particle Beam
Damage
Heavy Plasma Missile Launcher
Damage
Multiple hits register against your ship and red klaxon signals what would have been the critical failure of your ships systems crashing, then everything goes black for a moment as your ship begins rebooting.
The drones outside return to a patrolling pattern and head back the way they came.
Aphon looks at the data feeds - "Some teething issues, I'll put it down to unfamiliarity with the vessel"
***
As you make your way back to the Pact Worlds, your starship’s sensors pick up a distress call. The signal includes an uncorrupted set of coordinates within the nearby Drift, but the transmission is otherwise garbled. It takes a few moments but you eventually manage to get a clear transmission - “To all vessels in range: this is the diplomatic starship Linovae requesting immediate assistance! We are under attack from an unknown vessel in the Drift. Our present location is attached. Transmitting coordinates with this message… please hurry! Our shields are failing!”
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As the simulation ends, Chorizal braces himself for an explosion that doesn't come. Hopefully, Aphon does not speak Vesk because the quiet growling the Vesk makes in Vesk isn't just growling, it's a long, colorful description of how poor the ship they're testing is.
When the distress call comes in, though, he's all too happy for a chance at redemption. Without consulting any of the others, he sets the ship on a course for the coordinates and cranks the throttle wide open.
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"Damn! Can we go again? Maybe with Chorizal trying this time, we could win!"
Somehow it didn't seem right that this brand new ship could be such a sitting duck when it came to combat. Surely they were doing something wrong. And by they, he really meant J'Shun.
It wasn't until they received the distress call that Rastar started feeling a bit better. "Let's got on it! Rastar's Roughnecks to the rescue!"
He slid into the gunnery station and began warming up the weapons.
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"Obviously this class of dreadnaught needs considerable field testing before it's ready to be taken into combat," J'Shun states as the simulated battle ends.
In reaction to the distress signal, "The Summersword Renown may not be prepared for a real combat mission yet, but it seems we have no choice. Clear for action, red alert, set condition one throughout the ship. Captain Chorizal, plot an intercept course. Look alive Kommandos, this time it's for real!"
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Vyviane gives a look at J'Shun in her chair on the ride back from the simulation. "I may have let you have the captain's chair for the purposes of the simulation, but now that we are back in real life with lives on the line, I would kindly ask that you vacate my chair."
"Right, distress beacon, get us there as fast as you can, Chorizal, we'll need speed if we are going to save them."
Checking the coordinates you identify the position of the ailing vessel as shockingly close—less than an hour of travel away, using the ship’s long-range sensors, they identify two ships presently located at the coordinates.
Aphon immediately chimes in "I agree we should help - a side mission could provide invaluable additional data"
Upon closer approach you confim there are two ships in the area: a Hivonyx Ambassador starship, the Linovae, which appears to be low on power and venting hydrogen, as well as an Idaran Mirage transport vessel displaying light particle beam discharges.
The Hivonyx Ambassador is broadcasting a distress signal on all communications frequencies in an attempt to garner assistance from any nearby vessels.
As your ship enters its hailing range the Idaran Mirage sends a message to your bridge; the video feed shows a dangerous-looking crew of humanoid pirates including a massive one-armed vesk, a lashunta in piecemeal armor with jagged spikes, and a pair of shirren holding serrated daggers. The vesk addresses your ship in an accent more akin to vidcast pirate speak than any standard speech pattern - "This be the Corsair you pack of scurvy land-lubbing scrubs! My crew are in search of the treasure, which we will soon be taking, and you scallywags won't be getting in our way. Strike ye sails and turn about - nothing for you here but peril and doom"
You determines that the broadcast isn’t authentic and the figures are being artificially generated.
You notice the crew is absurdly stereotypical and their commentary makes little sense in context.
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J'Shun, doesn't have the slightest notion what Corsair is talking about, but he knows a pirate when he sees one.
"This is Space Admiral J'Shun Kay, first son of Clan Summersword, House Davion, line of Atsu, born in fire! commanding officer of the Summersword Renown. We are here responding to a distress signal. Piracy is illegal in this sector of the space. If you are committing illegal acts of piracy against another vessel we will be forced to take you into custody. Lower your shield and power down your engines and weapon systems. "
The back and forth gets even more heated "Turn around or find yourself in the bosom of Besmara!" - they end transmission and the Corsair continues its attack on the Linovae.
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"That guy needs to work on his threats. I've seen pictures of Besmara. I can think of worse places to be than in her bosom," Chorizal says.
His fingers tap several virtual keys without his brain really being involved. They switch his terminal and the controls from the relatively looser, less intense version for long flights to the tight, rapid reactions of combat piloting.
R1
Engineering
Enemy
Helm Phase
Piloting
They seem to be slower than the drones were, but faster than Chorizal.
The diplomatic ship keeps limping away trying to look like an uninteresting target to the pirates.
Chorizal gets in uncomfortably close to the Pirates as your guns all ready...
Gunnery Phase
Gunners go!