Revised Starship Combat

This document is meant to add to the Cruel Stars dogfighting method of starship combat with the following elements:

• Adding speeds to ship classes
• Adding ranges to weapons
• Letting PCs burn Speed/Might/Intellect to reduce defense or offense task levels
• Use of applicable cyphers to starship combat
• Addition of different ship types for various races/enemies
• Addition of special/hero/boss ships

Here’s what we don’t want to have:

• Turn radius
• Power management
• Weapon arcs
• Shipbuilding rules

The goal is to make starship combat as much like regular cypher combat as possible.  At the moment, the default rules in cypher for vehicle combat is not that flavorful.  Even the starship dogfighting combat in Cruel Stars makes the mechanics seem like something separate from the regular cypher game.  The purpose is to integrate starship combat into the game instead of making it stand out or be inconsequential.

Weapon Properties

First, weapon effects and mechanics.  During space combat, you can play either in squares or hexes.  We’ll use hexes for this.  Immediate range is 2 hexes away, short is anything greater than immediate but less than 10 hexes, and long is greater than short distance but less than 20 hexes.

Energy weapons include cannons or turrets that produce destructive levels of focused energy.  A laser cannon would be considered an energy weapon.  Energy weapons have the following properties:

• On a successful hit, they inflict 1 additional point of damage against an unshielded/unarmored foe
• On a successful hit, they inflict1 point less against a shielded/armored opponent
• Energy weapons have a maximum range of immediate (2 hexes)
• Example GM Intrusion/Major effect: energy weapon hits an important linkage, cutting off bridge control of a key system and that system malfunctions for one round.

Ionic/Particle Beams are weapons that use harmonic energies to turn a ship’s own shieling against the crew.  A tachyon phase cannon would be an ionic weapon.  Ionic/Particle Beams have the following properties:

• Ignore 1 point of shields/armor
• Inflict 1 less point of damage against unshielded/unarmored foes
• Ionic/Particle Beams have a maximum range of short (9 hexes)
• Example GM Intrusion/Major effect: the feedback has knocked out either shields or the shipboard computer, resulting in being unshielded/unarmored for one round or being unable to act for one round.

These are weapons that carry a warhead and possess the potential of additional damage when striking a sensitive part of the ship, but since it is a physical object, a near miss can reduce the incoming damage.  A space torpedo is an example of a missile weapon.  Missiles have the following properties:

• Missiles have a maximum range of Long (20 hexes).
• A roll of 17 or higher on a successful attack, they inflict 1 additional point of damage beyond any bonus damage normally granted by their roll.
• A roll of 5 or less on a successful attack, they inflict 1 less point of damage.
• Example GM Intrusion/Major effect: instead of extra damage, the missile doesn’t detonate; it’s lodged in a living space or a crewmember’s quarters or the commons area.

How to Hit or Dodge

Compare the levels of the two starships.  If the PCs vehicle has the higher level, their attack/speed defense task drops by 1 task level.  If the PCs vehicle has the lower level, their attack/speed defense task goes up by 1 task level.  If the levels are the same, there is no modification from the comparison, but other modifications may take place.

For example, the PCs have a light carrier that is a level 4.  They are fighting a level 3 drone swarm.  The PCs now have an attack and speed defense task of level 2 with a target number of 6.  But, if the PCs have a level 1 fighter and they are against a level 3 drone swarm, the PCs now have an attack and speed defense task of level 4 with a target number of 12.  If the PCs have a converted merchantman that is a level 3 and they are again fighting a level 3 drone swarm, the PCs now have an attack and speed defense task of level 3 with a target number of 9.

An additional consideration is that when fighters are grouped into squadrons, they get +2 to their level, double the damage, double the health and can attack two targets.

What this means is that fighters are on-par against other fighters and interceptors when used alone, but when used as squadrons, they are more effective versus capital ships, frigates are used as screening units to defend against swarms of fighters getting in close as well as well as other frigates.  Cruisers slug it out at long or medium range with ion cannons/missiles and picking off fighter squadrons with missiles, while carriers are launching waves of fighter squadrons.

Ship Types

Fighters are the lightest possible spaceborne craft and have at their most basic the following properties:

• Movement: Long
• Shields/Armor: 0
• Crew: 1
• 1 Weapon
• Can engage 1 enemy at a time

Interceptors have slightly better armor and armaments than fighters and have at their most basic the following properties:

• Movement: Long
• Shields/Armor: 1
• Crew: 2
• 1 Weapon
• Can engage 1 enemy at a time

Fighters or interceptors can be grouped into a fighter squadron when you have 6 of them to start with.  These squadrons have a +2 to their level, double the damage, double the health and can attack 2 targets.  They now have the following properties:

Fighter Squadron

• Movement: Long
• Shields/Armor: 0
• Crew: 6
• 2 Weapons
• Can engage 2 enemies at a time

Interceptor Squadron

• Movement: Long
• Shields/Armor: 1
• Crew: 12
• 2 Weapons
• Can engage 2 enemies at a time

Frigates are the lightest possible capital ship used for screening and skirmishing at the front of a formation and have much more firepower than a fighter.   Frigates have the following properties:

• Movement: Short
• Shields/Armor: 2
• Crew: 15
• 2 Weapons
• Can engage 2 enemies at once

Cruisers are the backbone of the fleet, carrying more shielding and weapons than that of a frigate, but not being able to move quite as fast.  Cruisers have the following properties:

• Movement: Immediate
• Shields/Armor: 3
• Crew: 30
• 3 Weapons
• Can engage 3 enemies at once

Light Carriers are meant to be able to project force swiftly into an area but do not have the armor nor the armaments of a cruiser.  Light carriers have the following properties:

• Movement: Immediate
• Shields/Armor: 2
• Crew: 15
• 3 Weapons
• Can engage 2 enemies at once
• Special: Can launch 6 fighters or interceptors

Assault Carriers are the queens of a fleet, able to project power and take on a small squadron.  Assault Carriers have the following properties:

• Movement: Immediate
• Shields/Armor: 4
• Crew: 60
• 4 Weapons
• Can engage 4 enemies at once
• Special: Can launch 12 fighters

Below are some examples of Earth ships, which will be used as the baseline for other craft in the Lost Galaxy setting.

Burning Effort and Cypher Usage

Player Characters will be allowed to burn effort to drop their task levels.  Players will first specify an appropriate or plausible maneuver and then burn 3 points of speed, might or intellect.  Examples are:

• Afterburners to hit 5G of acceleration for one round to avoid a hit.  Drop task level by one, spend 3 points of Might.
• Fancy flight acrobatics to turn and maneuver rapidly to avoid a hit.  Drop task level by one, spend 3 points of Speed.
• Overcome enemy ECM by overcharging your emitters.  Drop task level by one, spend 3 points of Intellect.

Appropriate cyphers may also be used by players to drop their task levels.  Examples are:

• Level 3 Skill Boost (ranged attack) cypher to decrease their Task Level by 3 steps.  This cypher can be plugged in to a ship and activated 3 times within a 24 hour period.  Page 360 Cypher System Core Book
• Level 3 Spatial Warp when attached to a laser increases the range to Long to be used 3 times. Pg 361 Cypher Core

Design Goals

The goal of integrating starship combat into regular cypher system combat and play is not to increase the power of the ships as the character gains tiers.  It is to provide static resources for the players to use and as a different kind of reward for accomplishing missions.  It is also not the goal to provide for extremely detailed ship descriptions with every doodad having statistics, no matter how small.  However, small temporary changes by players is possible, such as attaching a cypher to the ship and allowing it to be used during a battle or during a task.

So, with that in mind, fighters don’t increase in level.  They remain at level 1.  Si-Dek super-carriers also do not drop in level; they remain at level 7.

An example of a ship reward during play may be:

“Players have retrieved a manufacturing technique from a rival alien company and their light carrier may now field interceptors instead of fighters.”

“Players have stolen a gravity drive from an alien government and their ships may now boost at 2 gravities of strategic speed without taking Might damage.”

“Players have discovered a new alloy that lets them develop a way to pierce starship hulls at very short range.  Players can now ram other starships without taking damage themselves.”

Other combat modifiers

Much like ground/personal combat, space combat can also have modifiers for attack and defense.  Examples:

• Gaseous nebula obscures sensors – players who are targeted may drop their speed defense task level by 1, players who are attacking need to increase their offense task level by 1.
• Asteroid field is providing cover – players who are taking cover behind an asteroid can lower their speed defense task level by 1, players who are firing at someone taking cover behind an asteroid need to increase their speed offense task level by 1.

Repairing Ships

Ship repair typically happens in a repair dock, but minor damage can be repaired while underway.  Ships that are shuttle sized and smaller can be fully repaired by a capital ship’s repair facilities in a day.   Minor damage is less than half of the capital ship’s total hit points and this damage can be repaired within a day while continuing travel operations.  At half hit point damage or higher, the ship must stop travel ops in order to repair the damage for at least a week.  If the ship has reached 0 hit points, they need raw materials to do repairs.

Example ship to ship Combat

The following example uses the two known ship types, one ESS fighter squadron armed with ion cannons used by the PCs with 1 PC in command of the squadron versus an Iilari Frigate of these statistics:

Both parties start out at Long range of 20 hexes.

Initiative:

PCs roll a d20 with a result of 13, beating the task level 4 and go first on every round.  The Fighter Squadron is being commanded by a PC who is trained in piloting starcraft, so his squadron’s tasks are bumped down by 1 task level.  Comparing the levels of the two ships, the normal task level would be a 5, but due to the training in piloting starcraft, the task level for this fight is a 4.

Round one:

• PCs decide they will wait for the Drone Frigate to come to them.
• Drone Frigate moves 9 hexes, putting them at long range (11 hexes) away from the PCs.

Round two:

• PCs move 2 hexes and they are now within ion cannon range (9 hexes) away from the drone frigate.
• PCs can target 2 enemies at once, so they target the frigate twice.  First shot is a 12, second shot is a 15, both hitting.  The Frigate has 2 shields/armor, but ion cannons ignore 1 point of armor, meaning only 1 of damage from the ion cannons is shaved off, for a total of 2 damage to the Frigate.  Frigate now has 13 hp.
• Frigate moves a short distance, putting them into immediate range of the Fighter squadron.  They fire their lasers, which do 1 additional damage to an unarmored opponent, engaging them 3 times.  The PCs roll their defense task, for an 8, a 13 and a 10.  Two hits by the Frigate for 6 damage.  The Fighter Squadron has 10 hp left.
• PCs move their squadron 2 hexes away so now they are 4 away, at short distance and

Current Known Ship Statistics

Below are the known ship statistics for already introduced hardware and gear in one place and in order of ascending combat effectiveness instead of discrete ship cards.

Earth Defense Forces

Earth forces ships are average in comparison to the other race’s ships.  They are less armored, have fewer weapons and don’t pack nearly as good a punch.

Iilari Hunter-Seekers

The Iilari ships are not very good, but what they lack in quality, they make up for in quantity.  They say that quantity is its own quality, and they make this their motto.  Their singularity drive is much slower than an Alcubierre drive, taking three times as long to arrive at its destination.  It is based on the creation of a black hole and its attendant white hole.

Si-Dek Slaver Fleets

The Si-Dek fleets are focused on mostly one thing, the capture of slaves.  Their ships are capable of quickly disabling others, boarding and capturing the crew.  Their Wave Motion Engine is as fast as an Alcubierre drive, but takes up less room and power.  There are unknown consequences to the Wave Motion Engine being used, but those are typically dismissed as old wive’s tales.

Pax Romari Imperial Fleet

The Imperial Fleet does not have as many types as the other races.  They believe in using their shields to maximum effect and closing in to Immediate range to hit with their lasers.  Because of this, they are often out-maneuvered by the Si-Dek, so they have developed one ship that can fire at Long/standoff range.  Their ships have either a grappling beam that will drag their own ship whenever the enemy ship moves or a repelling beam that will stop an enemy ship from approaching to immediate.  Their Holtzman space folding drive is faster than an Alcubierre drive, taking only 2/3rd the time to reach a destination.