Ship-to-Ship Combat

While most space combat is conducted via mechs, there are times when the threat of another ship comes into play making it essential to master the basics of ship to ship engagement. Ships vary greatly in size and load out making the specifics of each one potentially unique, but all rely on the same basic set up.

Some systems do not need much power dedicated to them to function. Others will require a sizable amount. Meanwhile, giving a system more power can enhance its function by giving it an Upcharge Bonus, while taking away power could leave it lacking, giving it a penalty similar to if it were damaged.

Maintaining the balance of the ship’s total power supply is the key to winning the day. To help, each station can be manned by a crew member to improve its efficiency and performance which gives the system a boost.

Action Economy
Actions in space combat will be simplified to one standard action per player per turn and will no longer be on the time scale of 6 secs per turn. This is to streamline maneuvering and decision making and help keep things easier to grasp. On your turn, you may do one of the following:


 * Use: Engage with whatever system or station you are working at to use the function of said station.
 * Repair: Attempt to repair a system that has been damaged.  You will roll a mechanics (arcana) check to attempt to resolve whatever issue is at hand.  If the check is failed, it will take the rest of your turn and the next to accomplish the repairs.  All repairs are effective at the end of the round they are performed on, unless a bonus allows them to go early.
 * Move: You may move from one station to another, assuming there is nothing preventing you from doing so, such as damage to a location or an obstacle in your way.  If a character has any lasting injuries, their movement could potentially be diminished making movement cost an extra turn.

Ex- The shields are being manned by Petty Officer Blair when an attack comes in. Using his action, he can “use” the station and give it the manned bonus of increased recharge and repair meaning that when an attack hits and inflicts some damage, a successful mechanics check on his part is able to perform the repairs and have it back in order at the end of his turn.

Ex 2- In the course of combat, he hears the report that the oxygen systems have been hit. Knowing that no one has been manning the system, he calls in that he will be moving to cover it. He spends his turn here moving to the Oxygen station. On his next turn, he attempts to repair the system. If he succeeds on his roll, the Oxygen will be back and running fully at the end of the round. If he fails, he will spend this turn and his next turn to properly fix it, and the system will begin working on the end of the next turn.

Stations
Note: All ships will also have power dedicated to Auxiliary Systems, which are considered anything that is not needed during the course of combat such as lights, gravity, and appliances in areas not being used.

Ship Maneuvering
Ships have three modes of maneuvering in combat:  pursuing, escaping, and engaging. Ships will always be tracked relative to one another, so it will be agreed what approach is being taken going into the fight and ships will be considered moving through space with this in mind. Ships pursuing or escaping will move through space together and the difference in their speed will determine if one side gains or loses ground. When ships are actively moving like this, mechs can not be deployed as the ship itself is moving faster than the mech can keep up.

If ships are maintaining a stand off by being stationary or circling each other, then mechs can be deployed to help assist as dogfighters. This can be helpful as it gives another means of offense or defense for your crew, but the mismatch of mech-v-ship goes both ways. Damage dealt by mechs to a ship will be halved because they are not as powerful. Meanwhile, ships have a much harder time hitting mechs as they are smaller, more nimble targets.

Some ships equipped for combat have interdictor technology which is used to either slow or disable an opponent's Zook Engines, allowing for a ship taking the offensive to hold a target near to them if they wish to engage it fully. This is always a temporary effect meant to buy time for damage to be dealt rather than fully stopping a ship by itself. A ship hit by this will have a turn timer that dictates how long the effect lasts. If a ship does not have engines to power at the end of the timer, the attacking ship can relaunch the interdictor to extend the hold for half the full duration.

Weapons
The following are types and categories of weaponry commonly found on ships through the galaxy. While not exhaustive, this will cover the vast majority of cases found.


 * Lasers- A concentrated bolt or beam of light that can be charged and fired without the use of ammunition.
 * Missiles- Rocket propelled devices that specialize in dealing damage directly to the hull.  Tend to pack more of a punch per use, but can be expensive.
 * Ionic- Weaponry that forgoes doing physical damage to instead directly target the power system of the place they hit.  Multiple ion charges can depower a system entirely if allowed to remain unchecked.

Firing weapons in ship combat is similar to using them in person, but with an adjustment to bonuses depending on how the weapons are being used. On autopilot, the weapons will be fired by the ships targeting computers resulting in each shot taken to be rolled on a straight d20. Each individual weapon can be manned though, allowing for manual targeting which allows the user to add their Dex modifier to the d20 roll as well. A crew member with enhanced skill at using the weapons can potentially add their proficiency bonus as well, though this requires time spent mastering the controls.

Dealing and Taking Damage
When an attack hits, a d8 will be rolled to see what system the attack impacts with 1 and 8 being the hull only. Attacks that do manage to hit a system directly will cause damage. Two hits to a system without repair (or one critical hit) will cause it to fail. Alternatively, if a weapon is being manned by a PC, that player can direct the attack to a target zone. Missiles and ion charges will behave differently as each forgoes the normal attack style to target the enemy in a different way. A direct missile hit will count as an instant crit for the purposes of disabling a system. Likewise, an ion hit will immediately drop the power level of the system by 1.

Health and AC Breakdown

 * HP: 2000
 * Standard AC: 16
 * Hull: 10
 * Shield: 5
 * Pilot: 1

This shows the breakdown of where the Saturn V's AC is coming from. As Molly is always piloting the ship, the Saturn V always has the +1 manned bonus to AC.

Power Breakdown
This indicates how much power is required for a system to operate normally. Numbers are measured in "Units". Bonuses and penalties are determined when the number of Units is above or below these standards.


 * Power Balance: 14
 * Hull: 1
 * Navigation: 1
 * Scanners: 1
 * Shields: 2
 * Oxygen: 1
 * Weapons: 4
 * Operating System: 1
 * Gatling Laser A: 1
 * Gatling Laser B: 1
 * Ion Cannon: 1
 * Engines: 2
 * Auxiliary Systems: 2

Gatling Lasers A & B

 * Shoots 3 shots per attack
 * 5d10 Force damage per hit

Ion Cannon

 * On a hit, reduces power to an enemy system by 1 unit until that system can be repaired