Ship Statistics

In battle, a good officer always makes sure he knows exactly what the capabilities of his ship are -- it's strengths, weaknesses, and limits. A starship is more then just weapons and shields. It is equipped with everything you could never need to defeat an enemy. It is important that you know how to use all of its abilities to your advantage.

Most of the information on your vessel can be found in its stats.  The stats are list of common characteristics that all starships in the Star Wars Galaxy have. The key characteristics are as follows:

Next to each listing there's a rating that the Gamemasters (the people than run the adventures, battles, and missions) use when rolling out the results of your crew's actions. It is important that you study the stats of the specific class of ship you have been placed in command of so you are aware of its weak and strong points before you go into combat. When you joined the Empire, you should have been given the the stats of your starship. If you missed this opportunity, then the stats of your vessel can be found in the SWC statistics library.

Now, if you're not familiar with Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game then you may not know what the stats mean because they were written in accordance with the games rules. You'll probably notice that next to your listing for the Hull, Shields, or Maneuverability you might see a number followed by a "D."  This is called a die code. The number in front of the "D" tells the Gamemaster how many dice he or she should roll to determine whether or not your crew succeeds in using that system appropriately. To determine this, the Gamemaster's roll usually has to beat a number preset by the game rules. So, the higher the die code the better your system is.

Example:  Your Carrack Class Cruiser is chasing a rebel Bulk Cruiser through an asteroid belt. During the chase, your ship and the rebel ship are constantly dodging incoming asteroids. To see if your crew can pilot your ship around the asteroids successfully, the Gamemaster uses the die codes on each ship's maneuverability rating. As indicated on the stats for each ship, your Carrack Cruiser has a maneuverability rating of 2D and the Bulk Cruiser has a rating of 1D. That means that your ship's maneuvering capabilities are better since the Gamemaster will roll 2 dice when your ship dodges asteroids compared to the 1 die he or she will roll when the Bulk Cruiser attempts a similar dodge.

Of course, it is impossible to predict what the exact die rolls will be. In that respect there's always a lot of chance but there's always a better chance of success with a ship that has higher die codes on its system ratings.

Now that you know what the die codes on the system ratings mean, we can go over each of systems individually. A ship's stats list many different characteristics (hull, shields, space, sensors, weapons.. etc.) but these can all be broken into four key systems.

Part One: Propulsion Systems

Characteristics

The following starship characteristics can be considered part of the "propulsion systems" category:

Hyperdrive Multiplier: This measures how quickly the ship travels in hyperspace. The rating for this characteristic is not measured by a die code. Instead, it is rated by a number following a "x."   The Gamemaster uses the number to determine how long it takes the ship reach a certain location. The Gamemaster takes the base time to get from one planet to another and multiplies the time by the number behind the "x."  For example, if   the base time to get to Planet A from Planet B is 2 days and you have a ship with a hyperdrive multiplier of x5 then the distance to get to Planet A in your ship is 10 days. Unlike with die codes, in this case, the higher the number.. the worse the hyperdrive. Most Imperial ships have a multiplier of x1 or x2. Some heavily modified ships like the infamous Millennium Falcon have multipliers of x3/4 or x1/2 but these ships are very rare.

Hyperdrive Backup: Some ships have a backup hyperdrive for emergencies. This rating measures how fast the backup hyperdrive is. The rating works the same as the hyperdrive multiplier except the backup hyperdrive is usually much higher than the primary one. Hence the reason why its used only in emergencies.

Nav Computer: This rating is simple. It's either "Yes" if your computer has a Nav Computer or "No" if it doesn't. Ships with nav computers may calculate hyperspace journeys with their on-board computers. Ships without nav computers require astromech droids to calculate hyperspace journeys.

Maneuverability: The ship's maneuverability die code when in outer space. Normally, the ship's maneuverability is the same in an atmosphere. If the ship has a different maneuverability for atmospheric travel, it will be listed in parentheses.

Space: How fast the ship travels at sublight speeds in space (realspace.. not hyperspace). This speed is used in ship to ship combat. The number is the speed measured in sublight units.

Usage

Your sublight engines have four speed settings;

Cautious Speed - very slow movement, recommended for harsh terrain like asteroid or debris fields, speed (in sublight units) is equal to half the ship's Space rating.

Cruising Speed - normal movement speed for a starship, used in standard terrain which is anything from a clear area of space to a slightly crowded stardock, speed (in sublight units) is equal to the ship's Space rating.

High Speed - pursuit movement, used to chase down starships of below-average to average speeds, difficult to maintain in a crowded area of space so only to be used at your own risk, speed (in sublight units) is equal to double the ship's Space rating.

Maximum ("all-out") Speed - as the name says - maximum speed, pursuit movement, used to chase down starships of average to above average speeds, very difficulty to maintain in almost all situations and almost impossible in crowded space, use only under extreme circumstances because it puts you and your ship under great risk, speed (in sublight units) is equal to quadruple the ship's Space rating.

Part Two: Weapon Systems

Characteristics

Under each weapon system there is a list of the following properties:

Weapon
Fire Arc
Crew
Scale
Skill
Fire Control
Space Range
Atmosphere Range
Damage

Weapon: The number and types of weapons on the ship. Sometimes the term Fire-linked  will appear on the weapon type. That means the weapons are linked and fire as one group. Otherwise, each weapon may be fired separately.

Here are some of the types of weapons most commonly found on starships:

Laser Cannons: Energy weapons that fire coherent packets of intense light energy, also called "bolts." Laser cannons are high powered versions of hand Blaster weapons often mounted on ground vehicles and starships. This is the common weapon of choice for starfighters, which often boast fire linked laser cannon systems. Capital ships rarely carry these weapons unless they are used to repel starfighter attacks.

Turbolaser Cannons: Much more powerful than the standard laser cannon, turbolasers fire supercharged bolts of energy which are hotter and more concentrated. Due to the incredible power needed to fire these weapons, they are mostly always found on capital ships. Starfighter scale turbolasers are very rare.

Turbolaser Batteries: A turbolaser battery is a bunch of weaker turbolaser cannons fire-linked together on a single weapons mount to increase the overall damage output. Many more expensive starships used batteries rather than cannons because the weaker cannons that are used in making the batteries are cheaper and easier to acquire.

Ion Cannons: This weapon fires bursts of ionized energy rather than standard laser/turbolaser bolts. This ion energy does no structural damage but it does wreak havoc on a starship's mechanical and computer systems by either overloading or fusing circuits together. These weapons are found in both capital and starfighter scales and are used to disable enemy ships rather than destroy them. They can be used to lower shields during combat or disable propulsion systems while boarding procedures are taking place. Ion Cannons are also immune to all forms of shielding.

Concussion Missile Launchers: These weapons fire missiles, physical objects rather than energy bolts, at enemy ships. Concussion missiles are more powerful than lasers or turbolasers. When the missile impacts with an enemy ship, it explodes and causes shock waves that pass through the ray shielding of an enemy starship doing heavy damage. However, due to the fact that missiles are physical weapons rather than energy, it is more difficult to score a direct hit with them. As a result, they are mostly used by starfighters against slower capital ships although some capital ships are equipped with capital scale launchers of their own.

Proton Torpedo Launchers: Similar to concussion missiles, proton torpedoes are also physical weapons that cause massive damage with their high powered, proton scattering warheads. Proton torpedoes are slightly more powerful than concussion missiles but a little more sluggish. As a result, they too are mostly used on starfighters. These weapons are also immune to ray shielding like concussion missiles but they can be deflected by complete particle shielding. Unfortunately, no starships are completely shielded by particle shields.

Tractor Beam Projector: More of a "tool" than a weapon, a tractor beam is an energy weapon that puts an enemy ship in a stasis force field. When in this field the ship cannot move and is held in place until the ship can break free using its engines. Tractor beams have many uses but in the military they are mostly used to hold enemy ships in place or to bring captured or friendly ships into cargo bays.

Fire Arc: The direction the weapon is capable of firing at. Front, left, right, back, or turret. Turret weapons may fire in all four fire arcs.

Crew: The crew necessary to man the weapon. If there is no crew listing, the weapon may be fired by the pilot but that is very rare on an Imperial capital ship. The variable numbers are treated the same as the ship's crew.

Scale: The scale of the weapon. It can either be starfighter or capital. The scale depends on the design of the weapon and how it was meant to be used in combat. Starfighter scale weapons are smaller, quicker, and not as powerful because they were designed to target smaller and faster starfighter-sized ships. Capital scale weapons are bigger, slower, and much more powerful because they were designed to target larger and slower capital starships. Although you can use a weapon of a certain scale against a ship of a different scale (like using a starfighter scale weapon against a capital ship for example), it is not recommended due to the lack of compatibility which damages the weapon's performance.

Skill: The skill used by the crew to fire the weapon. The skill's die code can be found in the crew skill category on your ship's stats. The dice code of the skill shows how many dice the Gamemaster rolls when the weapon is fired. If the roll is high enough, then the weapon scores a direct hit. If not, the weapon misses. In order to hit the enemy, the roll must beat a certain number that is set by the Gamemaster. The size of the number depends on how far away the enemy ship is:

Short Range -  (easy) 6 to 10
Medium Range - (moderate) 11 to 15
Long Range - (difficult)  16 to 20

The exact distance (in sublight units) the enemy ship must be to be within short, medium, or long range depends on the space range of the weapon.

Fire Control:  Most weapons are equipped with advanced targeting systems. These systems add bonus "D" added to the skill of the crew when firing the weapon.

Space Range: Short, medium, and long ranges in sublight units. See info on skill for more details. Keep in mind these ranges are unique to each type of weapon.

Atmosphere Range: Same as space range except this applies when and if the ships fighting are in a planet's atmosphere. Measured in kilometers rather than sublight units.

Damage: This is the weapon's damage rating. The number of dice rolled by the Gamemaster if the weapon scores a direct hit. The result of the roll is then compared with the roll of the dice from the enemy ship's Hull and Shields. The difference between the two rolls determines how much damage the enemy ship takes.

Part Three: Defense Systems

Characteristics

The following starship characteristics can be considered part of the "defense systems" category:

Hull
Shields

Hull: This die code is the rating for your ship's hull strength. When the GM rolls the damage of the enemy's weapon when you're hit, he rolls the damage against your ship's hull (and shields if the shields are up and running). The higher the dice code, the more dice the GM rolls to resist the damage so, the higher the dice code.. the more damage your ship can take.

Shields: Deflector shields are used to give starships additional protection against energy weapons. When shields are raised during combat, this die code is added to the die code of your ship's hull rating to give your ship a better chance of resisting the attack. Shields can be helpful against laser and turbolaser attacks but they are useless against ion cannons and missile weapons.

Usage

Just like weapons, shields are deployed by fire arc (front, left, right, back, etc.). When you raise shields, you need to tell your crew (and the GM) how much "D" from the shields die code is going to which arc(s). The arcs you choose depend on your combat situation. If you're just fighting one enemy ship, it is recommended you put all your shield dice on the one arc that ship is firing at. If you're against more than one ship, you may wish to distribute the dice between more than one arc.

Your ship also have two kinds of shields; ray and particle. Ray shields protect your ship from energy attacks (they are represented by the shields category on your ship's stats) and particle shields protect your ship from missile attacks and physical objects (2D of your ship's hull code are your particle shields). Keep in mind that particle shields need to be down in order for you to deploy starfighters and surface craft or to fire torpedoes and missiles. That means your shields will be at 0D and your hull be short 2D when your shields are fully down.

Part Four: Scanning Systems

Characteristics

Your ship's sensor systems have the following properties:

Passive
Scan
Search
Focus

All sensor modes have two numbers, such as 6/0D. The first number is the range of the sensor in "space units" (used in starship battles); the second number is the number of dice added to the operator's sensors skill. One Sensors roll can be made per round: the character detects everything he rolled well enough to notice.

Passive: Sensors in passive mode are merely receiving information about the immediate vicinity of the ship.

Scan: Sensors in scan mode are sending out pulses in all directions at once to gather information about the environment. Scan modes ranges tend to be much greater than passive mode ranges and the die code bonuses are higher.

Search: Sensors in search mode are searching for information in one specific fire arc (front, left, right or back). Search modes ranges are greater than scan mode ranges and die code bonuses are higher, but the sensors get no information about the three fire arcs not being scanned.

Focus: Sensors in focus mode are focusing upon a very small portion of a specific area. The number is the radius (in units) of the focus area. The maximum focus range is the search mode's maximum range. Sensors in focus mode gather lots of information about a very small area, but they get no information about the areas not being scanned.

Sensors can perform two distinct tasks: detection and identification.

When a sensor detects something, it means that it has noticed the object, but cannot identify exactly what it is. ("There's a ship out there ... it might be a freighter or a fighter.")

When a sensor identifies something, that means that the sensor identifies the specific type of ship or object. ("It's a light freighter. Scanner identifies it as a Corellian YT-1300. Look at the power signature ... he's carrying around a lot of weaponry.")

If the sensor operator scans a ship and beats the sensors difficulty by 10 or more points, he can pick out a ship's transponder code.

The base difficulty to find a ship with sensors depends on the mode the sensor is in: passive, scan, search or focus. The ship must be within a sensor's scanning range to be detected.

The above properties rate the performance of your sensors in the four main scanning modes. The diagram below shows how each mode is used when scanning the various areas of space around the ship.

Internet Explorer Version

Bulletin Boards

Best viewed at 1024x768 with 32 bit color

Contacts

Created With