Battle stations

[wrathgon]

Battlestations

Ships have lots of jobs that need to be done, but only a few matter during the heat of battle. Below, the different stations a player can fill are listed, as well as any special actions that station can take.

Captain
The captain is the leader and coordinator, who directs the ship's crew and coordinates their efforts. The captain is also responsible for determining the ship's Initiative and sensing the enemy's tactics.

Re-Focus: A captain caught in the confusion of battle can take a moment to simply observe. When a captain uses the re-focus action, an opposed Knowledge (Tactics) check is forced, and the order in which the combatants must choose their actions changes. The captain can do nothing else, and the effect occurs as the beginning of the next turn.

Tactical Orders: A Knowledge (Tactics) check against a DC 15 allows the captain to coordinate the efforts of the gunners and pilots. This ability grants the ship a +1 morale bonus to Defense or attacks, captain's choice. This lasts until the captain acts again (even if that act is nothing).

Pilot
The pilot or helmsman is the individual responsible for actually moving the ship in space. The pilot determines how hard the ship is to hit.

Jink (4 PC): The pilot can move the ship erratically, making it more difficult to hit. To do so, he must make a Pilot check (DC 10). The size of the ship imposes a penalty on the pilot check (Ultralight -0, Light -2, Medium weight -4, Heavy -8, Superheavy -16). The ship gains a +2 dodge bonus to Defense if the pilot succeeds, with an additional +1 for every 5 points by which the pilot beat the DC. The bonus is doubled and applied as a penalty to any attack rolls that may overlap with the jinking, with the exception of missiles. Jinking can apply on the one segment, multiple concurrent segments or whole round pilot choice.

Sideswipe (6 PC): A sideswipe is a maneuver in which a pilot attacks with the ship directly, causing an indirect collision. The pilot must move the ship into the enemy's space and make an opposed Pilot check. If the attacker wins, both ships take damage as in a collision, with a multiplier of 1/4. The defender may make a Reflex Save (DC 15) to cut the damage both ships take in half.

Ram (8 PC): Like sideswipe, a ram is an intentional collision. Unlike a sideswipe, it is a direct strike. Without the proper equipment a ram is suicidal, as both ships will take massive damage. To ram, the pilot must move the ship into the enemy's space and make an opposed Pilot check. If the attacker succeeds, the ram is head-on, and the collision multiplier is 1. If the defender succeeds, the ram instead degrades into a sideswipe. In either case, the defender may make a Reflex Save (DC 15) to reduce the damage both ships take by half.

Crazy Ivan (16 PC): A difficult and dangerous maneuver, it is effective for shaking off close pursuit. By making a DC 20 Pilot check, along with the engineer's DC 20 Repair check, the pilot spins the ship 180 degrees, passes the ship directly under the pursuing ship, and immediately initiates a full-burn of the engine, causing a concussive force. The enemy ship must make a Reflex Save (DC 15) or be stunned for 1 round.

This maneuver can only be performed if the enemy is behind the pilot's ship and within one move action.

A failure on the Pilot check causes a sideswipe to occur during the pass, and prevents the concussion blast. If the engineer fails the Repair check, the ship spins around but the engine chokes, stalling the ship in place. If both checks fail, the ship is stunned, negating all ship-related actions until the pilot and engineer act to set things straight.

Engineer
A ship's medic keeps the crew alive and in working order. An engineer is essentially the medic for the ship itself, keeping it in good condition and fixing it when it isn't. Some of an engineer's capabilities are not available if the ship lacks a shield defense system. Each requires a DC 15 check to do of Craft Mechanical.

Reroute Power: An iconic ability of the engineer, rerouting power increases the effectiveness of one of the ship's systems while hampering or disabling another system. First, the engineer must select a system to deplete...

Defense System: The engineer must completely disable a Defense System. Gain all of its PC to reroute.

Engine: Decrease the ship's tactical speed by 500 feet (2 hexes) and its maneuverability by one step. Gain 1/2 of its PC to reroute.

Minor Systems: Disable the ship's life support and artificial gravity. Gain 4 PC to reroute.

Sensors: Disable a sensor system or the ship's targeting computer. Gain all of its PC for reroute.

Shields: Reduces the shield's strength by half. Gain 1/4 its PC to reroute.

Weapons: Disable one of the ship's weapon systems (weapon batteries count as one weapon, while fire-linked do not.) Gain its base PC to reroute.

Once power has been drained from one system, it can be rerouted to where it needs to go.

Engines: Increase the ship's tactical speed by 500 feet (2 hexes). Requires half of the engine's PC in rerouted PC.

Shields: Increase the shield's power by one-half its remaining power. Requires half of the shield system's PC in rerouted PC.

Weapons: Increase the damage of a weapon system by one-half its base. (weapon batteries count as one weapon, but fire-linked do not. Weapons cannot be used in a fire-linked formation if one is enhanced in this way but the other is not. They must either be used separately or all must be enhanced with subsequent uses of rerouted power.)

Requires half the PC of firing the weapon in rerouted PC.

Reverting a reroute is itself an action.

Angle Shields (2 PC): An engineer can tweak the power distribution in the ship's shields, causing one side to become stronger while another side weakens. By making a DC 15 Computer Use check, the engineer can select one side to reinforce (front, back, left, right, top, or bottom), while simultaneously draining the other side. This lasts until the engineer takes steps to reverse it.

The reinforced side takes half damage when struck, but the drained side does not benefit from shields at all.

Restoring the shields to normal is itself an action.

Restore Shields: With a DC 15 Repair check the engineer can restore power to shield healing 1 damage for every point above the DC needed. This takes an action.

Sensors Operator
A sensors operator, as the title may suggest, operates the ship's computerized sensors. A sensor operator is the eyes and ears of the ship, and is responsible for keeping the captain and crew informed as to the latest developments in the battle.

Alert (2 PC): A sensors operator may choose to focus on monitoring the enemy, analyzing heat signatures and subtle changes in the ship's energy to help discern what they are planning to do next. Alert grants the user's ship a +1 bonus to Defense if he or she succeeds on a DC 15 Computer Use check and another +1 for every 10 points over DC you get. This lasts until the sensor operator acts again.

Assist (2 PC per Gunner): The ships sensors can be synced with the gunner's targeting computer, allowing the two to share data and greatly increasing the targeting computer's effectiveness. An assisting sensor operator grants all gunners a +1 bonus on their attack rolls until he or she acts again.

Jam Transmissions (5 PC): Using the communications system, a sensor operator may send out meaningless data that nevertheless is picked up and processed by a ship's communications array, clogging it and preventing it from sending or receiving data. A Computer Use check (DC 15) is required to jam the signal at all, and the result of a successful check becomes the DC that the enemy ship must beat to overcome the jamming. This lasts for one round.

Overcoming the jamming is itself an action.

Jam Sensors (5 PC): You can create an array of strange energy emissions that enemy sensors can detect, with a Computer Use check (DC 15). These false readings are difficult to sort through, and cause the enemy ship to lose the bonus granted by its targeting computer, as well as any assist bonus from its own sensor operator. This lasts for one round.

To overcome the jamming, the enemy sensor operator must succeed at a Computer Use check, with a DC of the original check to jam. This requires an action.

Gunner
The gunner controls one of the weapon systems. Most ships have more than one gunner, one or two for each weapon.

Cover Fire: Instead of acting to damage the enemy, a gunner can instead scare an enemy away with strategic patterns of fire. The ship gains a +2 bonus to Defense against attacks from any direction in which the weapon can fire on the segment or segment on which it fires.

Cover fire can only be performed with cannons or guns and consumes as much power as firing the weapon in a normal attack.

Navigation

The navigation has a few things it can do in battle:

Plot firing routes: With a successful navigation check can help the gunner hit critical systems on the targeted ship. For every 15 points of his check adds +1 to hit when firing on targeted ship. For every 30 points of his check can reduce the number needed to critical hit a ship by one, for example if need a 20 now need a 19. This only lasts for next targeted hit from segment started and is for only one weapon system.

Plot enemy firing routes: With a successful navigation check can help the pilot avoid weapon fire. For every 15 points of his check add +1 to the AC of the ship for all attacks for that combat round. For every 30 points of his check can turn a critical hit into a normal hit 25% of the time(so a 60 gives him 50% ect).

Missile evade: By making a navigation check, you can make your missiles harder to take out. By plotting zig zag courses and multiple vector changing in order for anti missile defences to work, the ships sensor controller must beat your navigation check using his computer use skill.


Doctor actions

Medical crews assist the lead physician, allowing him to
provide long-term care (via the Heal skill) to the entire
crew. Medical crews also remove Crew Casualty hits after a battle. Any hits that are not healed within 24
hours of a battle (Medical Crew may only restore Hits to crew once per day) are considered killed. With a treaty injure roll equal to DC 15 + level of crew member killed, the medical crew can negate a crew critical hit.

Quarantine Protocol: Starship medical crews are trained to handle outbreaks of disease, both known and
unknown. If the ship encounters a disease, crewmembers gain a +4 Save if given the order at the begin of combat, knowing that bio weapons or diseases will be met in combat.
Prepare for Casualties: This order may only be given before combat commences. It allows the ship’s medical
staff to prepare for the onslaught of wounded crew. If a ship has enough warning to give this order before combat
begins, its medical crew will be able to heal one extra crew casualty but they take no actions in the combat.

MARINES
A ship that has at least 2 security officers assigned can do the following: Boarding actions, and also Repelling boarders.
Board: A given number of units (set by the Officer who
made the order) will leave their home ship and attempt to
gain entry in an enemy vessel at boarding range.

Neutralize Resistance: Crew must have already
succeeded at the Board Order to perform this action.
Crew combat against the opposing ship’s marines will
take place. This order will be carried out until cancelled,
or until all marines (on either side) are killed or dispersed.

Seize Vessel: This order can only be given after the
Neutralize Resistance order has ended with the death or
dispersal of all units aboard the enemy vessel. Marine
units proceed through the ship seizing critical areas in
an attempt to take control of it. Seizing a vessel takes 1
minute (10 rounds) per Size category: 1 minute for Tiny,
2 minutes for Small, 3 minutes for Medium, 4 minutes
for Large, 5 minutes for Huge, 6 minutes for Capital,
7 minutes for Dreadnought, and 8 minutes for Station.
Crew quality subtracts from this time:

Hit and Run: Marine Crew must have already
succeeded at the Board Order to perform this action. The
Marines attempt to attack and destroy one system (chosen
when the order is given). On the way to this target they
must succeed at 1-3 crew battles against enemy marines.
If successful, Marines inflict a critical hit on that system,
doing ten points of damage per level of quality to the
system and any crew stationed there.

Repel Boarders: Any marine crew on board will
attempt to prevent enemy marines from successfully
executing the Board order, and take up defensive
positions throughout the ship. When this order is given,
a unit of Marines will go to the ship’s airlock to prevent
boarding. If a ship has more than one unit of Marines,
at least one will go to the Bridge as well. To successfully
Board, marine units must succeed at a skill vs. skill check.
If this order has been given and enemy Marines do make
it on board, a combat with at least one unit of Marines
immediately commences in the ship’s airlock, with the
enemy Marines beginning the combat pinned down (see
crew vs. crew above).