Vehicles function on most of the same general rules as characters, though at higher speeds and larger scales. There are really only a few basic rules regarding vehicles and their behavior that need to be discussed. For the sake of simplicity in the rules, all vehicles will utilize algebraic relationships of basic Newtonian physics; the kind you learn about in high school without all that nasty mucking about with differential equations, calculus, or other forms of mental torment (it wouldn’t make for a very playable game if higher order math were involved). And for those of you worried about the word “algebraic”, I mean simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (not junior high mathematics).
Using Vehicles
Vehicles are fairly straight forward to operate. When characters enter the vehicle, one of them automatically assumes the role of the vehicle’s pilot. This can be any character, regardless of the level of their
Vehicle Piloting sub-discipline. For vehicles that are used regularly by the characters, it is common for one character to be the sole pilot (
for starfaring groups, this is usually the ship's Navigator). In this case, the pilot’s
Vehicle Piloting level,
Evasive Maneuvers level,
Combat Maneuvers level, and
Orientation level should be included on the vehicle’s stats sheet. A vehicle may have one or more mission specialists aboard as well. One of them may be put in charge of the vehicle’s weaponry (the vehicle’s primary gunner; for purist Starflight groups this will also be the Navigator, while less strict groups may choose to have a "tactical officer" who's job is primarily to shoot weapons). In this case, the mission specialist’s
Marksmanship,
Ballistics and
Targeting sub-discipline levels should be included on the vehicle’s stats sheet (these skills are particularly important in the event of combat
(see Chapter 9.3). Finally, a vehicle may have a commander (like a ship's captain or other senior officer) whose job it will be to delegate responsibility over who controls certain aspects of the vehicle's operation. On small enough vehicles, it is permissible for the commander and the pilot to be the same person.
The sub-disciplines listed above are the sub-disciplines that are primarily used by vehicles. The other sub-disciplines used in the game are generally unimportant as far as vehicles are concerned and will only be needed on very rare occasions, one of the things which makes running vehicles so much easier than operating a starship. The primary sub-discipline needed to use a vehicle is
Vehicle Piloting. Other skills can be utilized by the vehicle's pilot, or if the vehicle's commander so chooses, can be delegated to another occupant of the vehicle (this can be handy if the pilot's skills are lacking in certain areas or if a specialist is available, such as someone to handle the vehicle's scanners or communications systems).
Most of the statistics involved in the creation and maintenance of a vehicle involves how that vehicle performs in combat. However, characters are not guaranteed to fight every time they get inside a vehicle. Indeed, life would be far too rough if they had to. A fair amount of the time, vehicles will simply be needed to go from one place to another. To pilot a vehicle from one point to another requires a single
Vehicle Piloting check. For more on using vehicles to travel from point to point,
see Chapter 8.2.
When using a vehicle's scanners, there are a number of science skills which may apply, depending upon the situation.
Chapter 3.8 lists the specific sub-discipline which applies in various situations; the only real difference is the target object of the scan (
for example, if a vehicle is scanning a lifeform, a Biology
Check is called for. If a ruin is being scanned, an Archaeology
check is called for, and so forth). Certain scanning Checks list various degrees of success as possible outcomes, based on the Difficulty Class Threshold chart located
in Chapter 1.1. These Checks list three difficulty levels: Easy, Moderate and Difficult. In this case, failure is any Check value less than 65 (the Easy threshhold), whereas results above 165 (the top end of the Difficult threshhold) have the same effect as a Difficult DC result (though the GM may decide to be generous given the awesome result). If a scanning Check has no scale for degree of success and doesn't say otherwise, assume a base DC of 50 for the Check.
Certain conditions may crop up in the course of game-play that can affect the result of a vehicle's scanner Check roll. The GM may consult the chart below to see if one of the qualifying conditions exists. If so, the amount indicated is either added or subtracted from the result of the Check.
Sensor Detection using Vehicle Technology| Scanning Roll Modifier | Qualifying Condition |
|---|
| -5 | For each size class the target is smaller than the scanning vehicle |
|---|
| +5 | For each size class the target is larger than the scanning vehicle |
|---|
| +10 | If the target is using active scanning systems |
|---|
| -10 | If the target is not using any active electrical systems |
|---|
| -25 | I |
|---|
f the target is concealed behind another object at least three size classes larger than itself.
Scales of Action and Vehicles¶
Vehicles operate on larger scales than characters. Whereas the largest characters in the game with few exceptions may take up an area of no more than two or three cubic meters, vehicles can be up to 300,000 cubic meters in volume or more; some are larger than certain types of starships. The size of vehicles (and starships) are determined by a
size class value, which is dependent on a “bounding box” volume. Size class will be discussed more in
Chapter 6.2 and
Chapter 7.2.
Vehicles also operate on a different scale of damage than characters. Vehicle hit points are exactly equal to ten character hit points. Any character-scale weapon that does enough damage is capable of damaging a vehicle, though most hand-held weapons won’t faze a vehicle. Vehicle weapons, on the other hand, are almost always enough to kill a character outright, should they be hit (fortunately for characters, there is a modifier to AC when facing a vehicular attack). Unlike characters, vehicles can have four HP counts, one for the vehicle's bow (front), stern (back), portside (left), and starboard (right). Each count is made up of
shield hit points (SHP) and
armor hit points (AHP). Additionally, all vehicles can take
systems damage, and have a
hull damage rating which is always equal to 100 points. For further details,
see Chapter 9.3. Different types of HP damage have different effects on what happens to the vehicle. It may be that a vehicle takes a large amount of damage, yet is able to recover quickly, since it takes SHP damage only on various sides of the craft. On the other hand, there are situations where a vehicle takes a small amount of hull damage and is suddenly damaged beyond repair or destroyed outright due to damage to a single arc, even with the shields and armor intact on most of the other arcs (granted, those occasions are rare).
Certain vehicles provide
cover for characters. Cover comes in three forms: none, limited and full. When a vehicle offers cover to the characters, the characters can only receive limited damage from weapons fire in the event that a character takes damage in combat. Cover is discussed in full in
Chapter 9.3.
Purchasing, Owning and Maintaining Vehicles¶
A vehicle’s cost is dependent upon who is allowed to purchase the vehicle in question, whether or not the vehicle is used (pre-owned), and any other modifiers the GM may choose to use. An example of a GM-imposed modifier may be whether or not a brand new model of a vehicle has just come out (thus lowering the demand for the older model and lowering the price as well, while raising the demand and price for the new model). Used vehicles may cost between 25 and 50% of the normal cost of a vehicle, but it is possible that the vehicle may have a few flaws with it. Military or any other kind of "illicit" vehicles may not be available for purchase by single characters (through normal means of purchasing at least...).
If a character buys a vehicle, that vehicle is not technically part of the character’s equipment (if it were, the vehicle’s weight would be added to the character’s carrying load, and would almost certainly be too much). Rather, the vehicle should be added to the character’s notes. Characters can buy certain vehicles new or used. If they are new, the character pays full price for the vehicle plus 10% for licensing, tags and insurance. The ten percent will have to be paid annually in order to keep the vehicle legal. If a character forgets to pay it, they have a three month grace period, during which time they can receive a fine if they get pulled over (one or two MUs at the most). After that time, if a law enforcement official pulls over the vehicle, they have the obligation to impound it at once.
Characters can purchase vehicles in payment installments. These installments are usually set at a price of no more than two or three MUs per month, though higher rates can be found with less scrupulous dealerships. Failure to make a payment incurs the wrath of the financing institution, who may decide to repossess the vehicle. For the first week after payment is due, roll 2d10. On a roll of 0, the vehicle is repossessed. Each week afterwards, increase the threshhold by two. If the character has missed a payment for two months straight, repossession is automatic (though, of course, the characters have to let the repo man take it…)
Once a character owns their own vehicle, they have to be able to maintain it. They are responsible for paying for all repairs done to the vehicle. If they will be away from an area and cannot take the vehicle with them, they have to arrange to put it in a garage or impound yard of some kind. Naturally, this can be expensive, but many characters who own vehicles feel the vehicle pays for itself in the sheer utility it provides.
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