The reason for all this, is that one of my players (and RL wife) wants a firefly for the PCs ship. (So you see why I would need a Damn Good reason to refuse. ;) )
We know that the 03-K64-Firefly (now one of the most iconic ships in Sci-Fi) is 269 feet long and 141 tons unloaded (Starfinder really should have gone Metric). By page 294 of Starfinder, that would put her firmly in the Medium size category.
We know from Serenity's deck plans, however, that she has the following features:
- Guest Quarters, Good
- Recreation Area (Kitchen & Dining)
- Med Bay
- Smuggler's Compartments
- Large Cargo Bay
So far, so good. But, this fills all five of a medium transport's expansion bays. Then we come to the problem.
- 2 Shuttles
Finally, the ship was unarmed, unshielded, and had only the most basic sensors (see the Bushwhacked episode). Fortunately, we know that the 03-K64-Firefly did come in a military variant, so it can have those features.
So, building this ship is impossible without significant rule bending (and or downplaying or omitting features).
So, while I am willing to "bend" the rules, what would be the best conversion? (and what would be the required tier?)
They are not full shuttles.
There is no interstellar travel in the Verse, it is all one giant solar system. By Starfinder rules, those shuttles qualify as Lifeboats. You can get 2 Lifeboats for a single expansion slot.
Furthermore, there isn't a full 'bay' for them, a contained area where they can dock and be maintained. A shuttle 'bay' would have these features. If you are dead set on them not being Lifeboats, then jiggle the rules a bit to say they are shuttle docking points, but that refuel, repair, and maintenance requires the Firefly to land or the repair crew to embark in spacesuits and tethers to conduct those activities outside the ship.
They are not full shuttles.
There is no interstellar travel in the Verse, it is all one giant solar system. By Starfinder rules, those shuttles qualify as Lifeboats. You can get 2 Lifeboats for a single expansion slot.
Furthermore, there isn't a full 'bay' for them, a contained area where they can dock and be maintained. A shuttle 'bay' would have these features. If you are dead set on them not being Lifeboats, then jiggle the rules a bit to say they are shuttle docking points, but that refuel, repair, and maintenance requires the Firefly to land or the repair crew to embark in spacesuits and tethers to conduct those activities outside the ship.
They could also be pulled into the bay.
I would base the size category of Serenity on what it can do, not its listed physical dimensions. Since it can carry two Shuttles and land on a planet, it would have to be size Large in Starfinder terms. Obviously, a party of 1st level characters would be unable to build a starship like that -- so I would probably follow Arturius's suggestion to replace the Shuttles with Lifeboats and make the main ship a Transport as a compromise.
Of course, we do have evidence that the crew of Serenity are not 1st level characters -- two of them are military veterans who survived a brutal battle several years before the series began, and most of the rest clearly had extensive prior adventuring careers as well.
Anyway, once the party has earned enough levels to afford a Large Freighter, you may want to check out the threads about multiple PC ships to see how the debate about multiple ships for a party is finally resolved.
They could also be pulled into the bay.
Not according to the Starfinder rules, they can't. A Medium size category ship can't get a sufficiently large cargo bay.
In TV show terms, sure, they could probably finagle things to put one in there.
I would base the size category of Serenity on what it can do, not its listed physical dimensions. Since it can carry two Shuttles and land on a planet, it would have to be size Large in Starfinder terms. Obviously, a party of 1st level characters would be unable to build a starship like that -- so I would probably follow Arturius's suggestion to replace the Shuttles with Lifeboats and make the main ship a Transport as a compromise.
Eh, sure, if you want a ship "inspired by Serenity", then that would be fine. If he's trying to make it as close as possible to the actual thing, his current approach works well.
1st levels wouldn't Build it at all. They'd acquire it somehow. The BP thing is just an abstraction. Maybe they get it on loan, are recruited by someone with the ship, find it in Smiling Smitty's Salvaged Starship Spot, or perhaps they pull a Doctor Who and steal some old museum piece that the caretaker kept in working order.
Of course, we do have evidence that the crew of Serenity are not 1st level characters -- two of them are military veterans who survived a brutal battle several years before the series began, and most of the rest clearly had extensive prior adventuring careers as well.
^^ This. The only 'newbie' characters were the doctor and River, which is why they serve as the 'viewpoint characters' for the audience. This can be replicated in-game too by having experienced NPC's handing the major functions until the players get up to speed or the GM wants to have them disappear so the players can 'inherit' the ship.
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Eh, sure, if you want a ship "inspired by Serenity", then that would be fine.
Going with your "inspired" suggestion, here is what I am getting:
Starship Tier: 3 (95 points)
- "inspired"
Frame: Transport (Medium) - 15 points
Power Core: Pulse Blue - 20 points
Thruster: M8 Thruster - 4 points
Armor: Mk4 Armor - 15 points
Defensive Countermeasure: Mk4 Defenses - 6 points
Computer: Basic - 0 points
Crew Quarters: Common - 0 points
Drift Engine: Signal Basic - 6 points
Expansion Bays: 5
* - #1: Cargo Bay - 0 points
* - #2: Cargo Bay - 0 points
* - #3: Life Boats - 3 points
* - #4: Recreation Suite (Kitchen/Dining) - 1 points
* - #5: Smuggler Compartment - 2 points
Security: Computer Countermeasures - 0 points
Sensors: Budget Short Range - 2 points
Shields: Basic 40 - 5 points
Weapon Mounts: 5
* - #1 to #5: TBD
This leaves 16 points unspent (and 37 unused power)
While not much, that does give some room to buy some basic weapons for the ship.
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They could get the ship as-written and have to adventure enough to earn a high enough APL to warrant further upgrades. An 82 BP ship is closer to tier 3 than 2, but it could be acquired at 2nd level. Removing the shields and smuggling compartment shaves off 7 BP, resulting in 75 BP spent.
They could get the ship as-written and have to adventure enough to earn a high enough APL to warrant further upgrades. An 82 BP ship is closer to tier 3 than 2, but it could be acquired at 2nd level. Removing the shields and smuggling compartment shaves off 7 BP, resulting in 75 BP spent.
I was thinking of writing the first adventure (since I didn't buy Incident At Absalom Station) so that the party is APL 3 before they get the ship.
As for weapons:
- Forward Arc Heavy: Heavy torpedo launcher - 8pt
- Forward Arc Light: Light laser cannon - 2pt
- Aft Arc Light: Light laser cannon - 2pt
- Turret Light: Light laser cannon - 2pt
- Turret Light: Light laser cannon - 2pt
Or you could let the players decide what they want. ;)
Or you could let the players decide what they want. ;)
They can do that at Lvl 4, when they will have more build points to play with. :)