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9.3: Vehicle-scale Combat

Table of Contents [Hide/Show] Range Vehicle-scale Actions          Give/Belay Orders          Rally          Inspire          Ready          Standby          Use Skill/Ability          Disembark          Eject          Launch/Retrieve Small Craft          Jettison Cargo          Evasive Maneuvers          Ram          Head-On Ram          Sideswipe          Dock          Alpha Strike          Manipulate Object          Use Artifact/Technology          Target          Scan          Repair/Rig          Hail          Speak          Jam          Distress          Treat Crew          Recharge Move Action Rules Attack Action Rules    Firing Weapons    Resolving Damage Miscellaneous Terms and Definitions

The vehicle-scale is the middle range of the combat scales in SFRPG. Given the fact that there is such a wide variety of vehicles available for many different types of terrain, it is understandable that vehicle-scale combat may seem a bit convoluted, at least in terms of range finding. Certain actions for vehicles are dependent upon the terrain used as well. Other
than these few items, however, vehicle-scale combat isn’t much different from character-scale or starship-scale combat, and is perhaps best thought as a hybrid of the two. Damage on the vehicle-scale is scaled up from damage on the character-scale, with ten character-scale points of HP damage causing one vehicle-scale HP damage.

The following rules for vehicles assume that the vehicles in the opposing groups at the very least use the same terrain type. There are many occasions where this assumption is not true, and these situations are a form of mixed-scale combat. Situations where vehicles of different terrain types are in combat with one another will be covered under Mixed-scale Combat in Chapter 9.5.

Range¶

There are four different terrain categories of vehicles: land, sea, air and space. Each of the different terrain categories has an individual set of combat range increments. Land combat on the vehicle-scale is on an increment of one kilometer. Sea combat is on an increment of 10 kilometers. Air combat takes place on an increment of 20 kilometers. Air vehicles are a bit more fragile than other types of vehicles; taking damage in an air vehicle usually has dire consequences. Finally, the increment of space vehicle combat depends upon the "terrain" involved in the current conflict. Space vehicles fighting in atmosphere are considered air vehicles, and are subject to the same kinds of damage penalties. In space, though, an increment of 1000 kilometers will usually suffice, if the range increment matters in regards to space combat. As with other ranges, vehicle-scale ranges from zero to eighteen increments; beyond fifteen increments, no weapon can hit another combatant. Additionally combatants may withdraw from combat if they are greater than fifteen range increments from all hostile combatants.

Note that the above ranges are considered "defaults", particularly in situations of mixed-scale combat (which is discussed in-depth in Chapter 9.5). More than the other scales of combat, the GM must be willing to be flexible with the space and times necessary for vehicle-scale combat, in order to fit certain situations. As an example, a high-speed chase between a police interceptor and a stolen groundcar probably would take place on a spatial scale of a hundred meters or less. Sea combat needs to be particularly flexible: ships move at a rate significantly slower than their weaponry, and so a time scale adjustment might be helpful (say, six minutes per round instead of six seconds). The important thing is that combat flows along smoothly, no matter what scales the GM decides upon.

Vehicle-scale Actions¶

Because there is such a wide variety of vehicles, it's not that easy to definitively say who's in charge of giving orders. Most of the smaller vehicles (bikes, groundcars, etc.) may only have one "station" that controls all aspects of the vehicle's operation. In that case, it's usually the vehicle's pilot that will determine what the vehicle will do in combat. Larger vehicles may have multiple persons working at multiple stations. In this case, there's usually some kind of vehicle commander whose job it is to give orders, along with specialists who will actually perform the ordered actions (such as gunners, who are specialists dedicated to firing weapons). Vehicle scale actions fall into the same general categories as character-scale actions. A vehicle takes two actions per combat round, or a single full-round action, along with an unlimited number of free actions. If a vehicle's design includes hot-racking, all of the vehicle's checks take a -2 penalty.

Give/Belay Orders¶

A vehicle's commander may elect to give orders during a round of combat as a free action, or to belay orders given in previous rounds of combat as a standard action. If giving orders, the commander must declare a target specialist to give orders to, give a specific order, declare a specific target if necessary, and declare a time for the order to occur in if necessary. If belaying orders, the commander need only say which specialist is performing the action and, if that specialist is obeying more than one order, which order to belay. The commander may issue or belay as many orders as they want to during this action. Ordinarily, giving and belaying orders is an automatic action that requires no skill check. However, if the specialist in question has been Shaken, the specialist in question will need to be rallied before they can be given orders.

Rally¶

The commander can rally specialists who have been Shaken in combat as a standard action. This requires the commander to make a Leadership check, opposed by the Shaken specialists’s Willpower Save. If successful, the Shaken specialist is no longer Shaken, which cancels all penalties for being Shaken. The commander can only help one officer per round in this manner. The commander may also multiple officers (or even the entire crew). This also requires a Leadership Check with a Very Difficult DC, and requires at least three specialists that need to be rallied.

Inspire¶

Rather than rally an specialist that's been Shaken, the commander may elect to try and inspire confidence in a particular non-Shaken specialist as a standard action. This requires the commander to make an Inspire check, opposed by the specialist's Willpower Save. If successful, the specialist will not become Shaken if otherwise indicated to do so for a number of rounds equal to the degree of success divided by ten (round up). Further, during that time, that specialist may add the same amount (degree of success divided by ten) to all die rolls they make. The commander may only try to inspire one officer at a time.

Ready¶

Vehicle specialists can be ordered to take ready actions similarly to how actions are readied in character-scale combat (i.e. the specialist is told to prepare to do something if some condition is fulfilled in the immediate future, in this case before the ship's next action phase). Readied actions can be taken during another vehicle’s action phase. If the readied action is executed, the vehicle loses one of its action phases during the next round (or its entire turn, if two readied actions are executed).

Standby¶

The commander may elect to order the vehicle to standby as a declared action. When the commander decides to standby, they declare to not do anything during the course of that action phase. Play passes to the next action phase, or, if it is the second action phase, to the next vehicle in the combat order. There will probably be few occasions where the commander orders the vehicle to standby, but it may sometimes be necessary to just watch and wait...

Use Skill/Ability¶

The commander may order a specialist to use a skill or natural ability during a combat round. This counts as a general free action, so long as the use of the skill or ability does not constitute a different action as described here. If necessary, the commander must also declare a target for the skill or ability.

Disembark¶

Any member or members of a vehicle's crew may leave their vehicle as a standard combat action. Doing so may transform the current combat situation into a mixed-scale combat. To leave a vehicle this way, the vehicle must first be brought to a complete stop, and in the round that any character passenger disembarks, the vehicle cannot make any move actions.

Eject¶

In the event of catastrophic damage, a vehicle's commander may decide the vehicle needs to be abandoned, but there is insufficient time to bring it to a stop. In this case, the crew can eject. Ejecting is a dangerous proposition, but it is still better than staying aboard a vehicle as it explodes; it does not necessarily have to be used in dire situations, either (for example, an Eject action can be used to deploy paratroopers in mid-flight). In order to eject, the commander performs a Survival Check, with the DC equal to 50 plus the amount of hull damage the vehicle has received. If successful, the commander may select any of the vehicle's personnel to eject immediately. Ejected personnel take 3d10 Non-Lethal damage (see Chapter 9.2). This check has critical potential. In the event of a critical success, personnel will not take any damage whatsoever upon ejecting. In the event of a critical failure, personnel are still ejected from the craft, but take double the Non-Lethal damage, as well as 3d10 HP damage. Further, the ejection system permanently malfunctions, preventing further ejections. A normal failure indicates that the ejection system has temporarily malfunctioned, which can be repaired with an Easy Jury Rig Check.

A commander can set up an "auto-eject" as a ready action during the game, saving everyone's life in the event that the vehicle is destroyed. This can only be done on vehicles equipped with Ejection Seats. Should the vehicle be destroyed, the commander may make the Survival Check for ejection, with the base DC increased to 100 and the same set of possible results (in this case, reverse the failure outcomes; a critical failure means that no one will eject from the craft). The damage from this type of ejection is increased to 5d10 Non-Lethal damage and 1d10 HP damage.

Ejected characters may take further damage from the fall, depending on whether or not the vehicle was equipped with the Ejection Seat Module. Without an Ejection seat, ejecting is little more than just jumping out. The character will take normal falling damage upon hitting the ground (see Chapter 12.4.2). If the vehicle has an Ejection seat, or if the character is wearing a parachute or has another technology to cushion the final impact after ejecting, damage is limited to a maximum of 1d10 Non-Lethal damage.

Recently ejected characters are immediately subjected to the current combat environment. They may be targeted by other vehicles, so ejection from a vehicle prompts a change to mixed-scale combat. If a character ejects out of a space vehicle, they are treated as jettisoned cargo (and can thus be picked up by other combatants). If they are wearing a space suit, or are using an Ejection Seat, then they have eight hours worth of life support, after which they will have to make Stamina Checks to avoid suffocation (see Suffocation, chapter 12.4.2).

Launch/Retrieve Small Craft¶

If a vehicle carries any smaller vehicles (either via a Vehicle Rack or Hangar Bay Module), the commander may order the launch or retrieval of the smaller craft into combat. This is a special action that may take a number of rounds to complete. If the parent vehicle is not equipped with the Carrier Systems Module, it must come to a complete stop before it may retrieve the smaller vehicle. Launching can be accomplished without the Carrier Systems Module. This requires the commander to make a successful Battle Tactics Check, with the DC equal to 100 plus five per size class of the launched vehicle. Should the check fail, the new vehicle is still launched, but automatically sideswipes the parent vehicle in the process (see below). Only one vehicle at a time may be launched in this manner, and the launched vehicle must wait one full turn before it can take any actions of its own (during which time, if it is targeted, it must use its FHD). Craft may be and retreived launched safely if the parent vehicle does have the Carrier Systems Module. In this case, the amount of time it takes to launch a smaller craft is one craft every three rounds per Hangar Bay Module installed aboard the parent vehicle (a craft with two Hangar Bays could launch two smaller craft at once, wait three rounds, launch another two craft, and so on). The vehicle may only retreive one small craft at a time. Launched craft enter combat at Range 0 from the parent vehicle. As always, any small craft may be launched before combat begins. Launching small craft into combat introduces new combatants, and may change the scale of battle from vehicle-scale to cross-terrain (mixed)-scale, depending on the vehicle dropped.

Jettison Cargo¶

A commander may order the vehicle to jettison its cargo during the course of a round as a free action. The commander simply declares which cargo to drop. The jettisoned items are placed at Range 0 from the vehicle that dropped them. At any later time, any combatant that moves to Range 0 of the objects may use a Manipulate Object action to pick up the objects.

Evasive Maneuvers¶

A vehicle's pilot may be ordered by the commander to begin erratic maneuvers as a move action during a combat round. This gives the vehicle a +10 circumstantial bonus to any Evasive Maneuvers Checks until the vehicle's next round. Erratic maneuvers inflicts a –10 circumstantial penalty to any Marksmanship or Ballistics Checks the vehicle makes, and inflicts a -1 penalty on movement. Erratic maneuvers must be the first declared action of a vehicle's combat round; it cannot be the second.

Ram¶

An extreme combat tactic may be for the commander to order a ramming attack on an enemy combatant. To ram another combatant, a vehicle must make its movement for the round directly for the target combatant, and must be able to reach Range 0 with the target with that single movement. The ram attempt provokes an Opportunity Attack from the opposing vehicle, at a –10 HD penalty to the ramming ship. Once at Range 0, the ramming vehicle’s pilot makes a Vehicle Piloting Check as a ram attack, opposed by the target vehicle’s HD. The ramming vehicle gets a +10 ramming circumstantial bonus for the attempt. If the attempt succeeds, the result will depend on if Speed-based or Initiative-based movement is being used. If Initiative-based movement is being used, roll xd10x10, where x is the size class of the smaller of the two combatants, and apply the result as damage to both vehicles. For Speed-based movement, the type of die rolled will depend on the speed of the ramming vehicle, as outlined in the chart below.

10x10

Speed-based Movement Damage Dice for Ramming

Speed	Die
<10 kph	d5
10-69 kph	d10
70-179 kph	d10x2
180+ kph	d

Speed-based movement ramming actions still use x for the number of damage dice, where x is the size class of the smaller of the two combatants. In either case, the ramming vehicle may not make any further movement actions that round. If the ram fails, the ramming vehicle continues moving in the same direction if it had any movement points remaining.

Head-On Ram¶

A head-on ram is a special case of a ram, where the ramming vehicle strikes the target vehicle within that target vehicle's forward firing arc. All rules of a general ram must be followed in order to make a head-on ram. The penalty for the target's Opportunity Attack is increased to -20. If successful, a Head-on Ram will cause double the amount of damage as a regular ramming attack.

Sideswipe¶

A sideswipe is another special case of a ram. Unlike a normal ramming attack, the ramming vehicle does not head directly for the target, but rather may make a number of slip movements as part of its move in order to close to Range Zero with the target vehicle. The vehicle's pilot must succeed in the Vehicle Piloting Check in order to be eligible to conduct the ram. If the vehicle does close to Range Zero with its target, the pilot makes the usual Vehicle Piloting Check to ram, without the circumstantial bonus. The penalty for the target's Opportunity Attack is decreased to -5. If successful, a sideswipe will cause half the damage done by a regular ramming attack to the target, and half that amount to the ramming vehicle.

Dock¶

If a vehicle is within Range 0 of another combatant, the commander may order the pilot to attempt to dock with the other combatant as a standard move action. The pilot makes a DC 50 Vehicle Piloting Check if the target is "willing" to dock, or an opposed Vehicle Piloting Check (whichever is appropriate) otherwise. If the Check fails, then a second Vehicle Piloting Check is needed to avoid a collision (which is treated as a successful Ram, see above). If the Check succeeds, the vehicle successfully docks with the other combatant. This can be used to transfer personnel, cargo, or for boarding actions. If approaching an active, hostile combatant, the docking procedure provokes an Opportunity Attack from the target vehicle.

Alpha Strike¶

If a vehicle is within Range 6 of an enemy combatant, has all weapons fully charged, and has access to both beams and projectiles, the commander may order the specialist in charge of the vehicle's weapons systems (the gunner) to perform an Alpha Strike instead of a regular attack. Alpha Strike is a full-round special attack option. When an Alpha Strike is declared, the gunner attacks the target with both beams and a projectiles. A Marksmanship and Ballistics Check is made. If both rolls are successful, double the amount of damage from both weapons hits and apply them simultaneously. When making an Alpha Strike, the vehicle must use all weapons hardpoint bonuses. A vehicle must wait at least five rounds after completing an Alpha Strike before declaring another Alpha Strike.

Manipulate Object¶

A vehicle's commander may order a specialist to move or manipulate any exterior item or object with or without picking it up in order to use it. Such items may include cargo jettisoned from another vehicle; this action can be used to pick up jettisoned cargo and place it within the vehicle's cargo bay (if any). Manipulating an object counts as a move action, and if there are multiple items that can be manipulated, the operator must specify what is being manipulated. Manipulation of objects can have various effects, depending on what the GM has intended for the object at hand. Sometimes these effects can end a combat quickly (such as cargo rigged with explosives), so a GM should be sure to hint at that possibility before combat begins.

Use Artifact/Technology¶

As a standard action during the course of a combat round, the commander may order the use of a piece of equipment or an artifact (such as a lifeform shield, black egg, etc.). Artifacts and technology have no one specific skill Check to operate, though some may require some kind of opposed roll after their use. The effect of individual pieces of equipment and artifacts should be listed with the artifact; just follow the procedures given.

Target¶

A vehicle’s commander may order the vehicle's gunner to target a portion of an enemy combatant as a standard action. To target a part of an enemy vehicle, the gunner must make a Targeting Check. The DC of the Check is 50 plus the target's HD, plus the Range to target. If successful, any future hits by the vehicle against the enemy combatant will automatically cause system-specific damage to the system targeted. The amount of systems damage depends upon whether or not the combatant's defenses are still functional. If the shields are still up, take the total amount of damage inflicted to the craft, divide by one hundred, and round down. If the shields are down but there is still some armor, divide by ten. If all defenses are gone, the system takes the full brunt of the damage. NOTE: If gridded combat is being used, then only the arc impacted by the weapon is considered (i.e. if a vehicle's defenses are completely down in a combat arc and the weapon impacts that arc, the system takes full damage, even if the remaining three arcs have no damage at all). If the vehicle fires on another vehicle, it loses its target lock on the system. The lock is also lost if a new system is targeted on the same combatant.

Scan¶

During the course of a round, the commander may order a specialist to use the vehicle’s sensors, along with a scanning target. This is used to update the vehicle’s information on other combatants, including the current damage level of targets. This involves a Biology, Starship Technology or Vehicle Technology Check, depending on if the enemy combatant to be scanned is a lifeform, starship or a vehicle of some kind. As usual, the specialist must beat a Difficult DC in order to find out any substantial information about the vehicle's opponents. (NOTE: If the GM determines that the vehicle is too primitive to have a scanning system, this action may be performed with a Perception Check instead, if RPG-style stats are being used.)

Repair/Rig¶

If a vehicle takes systems damage in combat, the commander may order a specialist to attempt to repair the damage, within limits. Armor and Hull damage may not be repaired in combat. To make a repair attempt, the specialist must make a successful Mechanics Check. The DC for the check is fifty plus the amount of damage that has been done to the system. If the Check is successful, roll 1d10. The result is the amount of damage to the system that is immediately fixed. In addition, if the system had malfunctioned, the specialist may then make a Damage Control Check. If successful, the system comes back on line.

In the event of a critical system malfunction (such as the failure of the shields or engines), the commander may order a specialist to jury-rig a system as a full-round action. Jury-rigging requires a standard successful Jury Rig Check (DC of 50 plus the damage to the malfed system). If successful, the functionality is restored to the system unless it is damaged again.

Hail¶

A vehicle may hail another vehicle or other combatant, or other non-combatants as part of a combat round. Hailing must be ordered by the commander and executed by a communications specialist. Hailing requires either an Alpha-Sector Languages Check, a Delta-Sector Languages Check, or a Xenolinguistics Check, depending on the situation. The GM should add five plus the range to the target craft to the difficulty of the Check, as a combat penalty. If successful, the crew of the hailing vehicle may talk freely to the targeted combatant.

Speak¶

Any member of a vehicle's crew may speak to any other crewmember aboard a vehicle as a free action. This can be used for a variety of reasons, including giving directions to other crew members, telling people to brace for impact, or simple chit-chat (as some combatants have been known to do). If a vehicle is open to the outside air, or if a vehicle is too primitive to have an active communications system, a Speak action may be used in place of a Hail action to communicate with combatants outside the vehicle, adding ten plus the range to the target to the DC of the appropriate "Linguistics" Check; this kind of "Hail" cannot be jammed.

Jam¶

A vehicle may attempt to jam another combatant’s communications during the course of a round as a standard action. A jamming action must be ordered by the vehicle's commander and executed by a communications specialist. Jamming a target combatant’s communications requires a successful Jam Check (DC of 100 plus five times the range to target). If the check is successful, all of the target combatant’s electronic communications are jammed for one round (note that this will not affect any spoken communication). As a side effect, if the combatant launches any friend-or-foe missile during the course of the round, it will cause an automatic critical miss of that weapon.

Distress¶

If the situation is getting bad and there are friendly forces in the area, a vehicle may attempt to send a distress signal and summon help during the course of a combat round as a standard action. A distress call must be ordered by the commander and executed by the a communications specialist. The DC of the Distress Check is 150, plus five for each enemy combatant currently active in the battle. If successful, roll 1d10. The result is the number of rounds that will pass before friendly forces arrive. Two friendly combatants will arrive, with an additional combatant for every ten points over the DC that the specialist rolls. Once they arrive, the GM must integrate the new forces into the current combat situation.

Treat Crew¶

In the event that a crew member takes damage during the course of a combat round, the commander may order a medical specialist to examine and begin treating that crewmember as a standard action for that round. The specialist uses the Assisted Healing rules in Chapter 9.2 for the attempt, adding 20 to the DC of any Check for combat conditions. While being treated, a crewmember is not available to perform their duties. If the patient's HP falls below zero as a result of a botched Long-Term Care Check under combat conditions, the specialist is allowed to make an immediate resuscitation attempt, again adding 20 to the DC of the Intensive Care Check for combat conditions.

Recharge¶

A vehicle may recharge a discharged (fired) weapons hardpoint, shields, and/or weapons batteries as a free action; this action may be taken after the vehicle's second standard action. The GM will select one weapons hardpoint to recharge, giving preference to beam weaponry over projectile weaponry and racks over turrets. The vehicle need not wait for all of their weapons to recharge before firing again, but must have at least one charged hardpoint in a weapons arc in order to fire that weapon from that arc. Further, a turret will take an additional turn to recharge, and all hardpoints on the turret must be recharged before the turret may be fired again. The GM may then add the highest Applied Relativity score among the vehicle's crew to all defense arcs as added shield points, up to the normal maximum SHP score for the vehicle in each arc. Finally, if a weapon type uses the last shot available in its magazine, the vehicle may expend one unit of fuel; this reloads the magazine.

Move Action Rules¶

A vehicle’s pilot may be ordered by the commander to move the vehicle as part of a combat round. Moving the vehicle counts as a move action for the vehicle and changes the ranges to other vehicles similarly to character-scale movement. Movement on the vehicle-scale can either be Speed-based or Initative-based. As usual, if Initiative-based movement is being used, vehicles receive a number of movement points equal to one plus the Initiative value (thus a vehicle with an Initiative of six would receive seven movement points). If Speed-based movement is being used, a vehicle may move up to a total distance in meters equal to the maximum amount allowed by the vehicle's top speed (five-thirds times the speed, rounded down), which acts in place of the vehicle's movement points. The vehicle's pilot can declare the vehicle to go at a lower speed, thus receiving less expendable distance.

Movement on the vehicle-scale may or may not require a Vehicle Piloting Check. All vehicles may move straight ahead or make a 45-degree turn per move action without requiring a Check, provided the engines aren't damaged. Moves that involve more advanced maneuvers (lateral movements or tighter turns) will require a Vehicle Piloting Check; the DC of the Check will depend upon which maneuvers the move involves, and whether or not there is engine damage (simply add the amount of Engine damage to the DC; vehicles with 100% Engine Damage or ones with malfunctioning engines cannot move). Each maneuver has its own DC, which is simply added to the overall DC of the Check. If a vehicle is currently carrying more personnel than is allowed by its design (considering both crew and passengers), it is overcrowded and takes a -5 penalty on the piloting Check for each whole multiple (rounded down) of its complement (for example, if a vehicle is hauling between three and four times its normal complement, it takes a -15 penalty to the piloting check). If the Check fails, the vehicle may make its movement up to the first advanced maneuver, at which point the vehicle stops moving. Advanced maneuvers usually have a minimum engine requirement. If the vehicle does not have the Class engine indicated at minimum, the vehicle cannot perform the maneuver (note that this may automatically disqualify some vehicles from certain moves, particularly more primitive vehicles).

Vehicles may or may not be allowed to perform certain maneuvers simply because the chassis is not designed to go a certain way. The GM may either say that no attempts at making restricted maneuvers may be made, or they can double the DC for the attempt and treat any failure as a critical failure. The following is a list of specific restrictions for the various chassis.

s an aeroplane in atmosphere, no restrictions in space.

Vehicle Chassis Maneuver Restrictions

Chassis	Restrictions
Bike	Can only go forward or make forward slips.
Groundcar	May not side-slip (unless on frictionless terrain).
Skimmer	No restrictions.
Armored	May not side-slip or back-slip.
Walker	No restriction, but must expend an extra movement point or one-quarter its total movement distance when changing to a new maneuver in the same move action.
Canoe	May not side-slip (unless un-powered).
Yacht	May not side-slip.
Cutter	May not side-slip or back-slip.
Cruiser	May not side-slip or back-slip.
Carrier	May not side-slip or back-slip (must move forward only to recover small craft).
Submarine	May not side-slip or back-slip. Submarines may submerge; while submerged the craft gets a +10 HD/FHD bonus and a -10 BHD penalty.
Hovercopter	No restrictions, but is susceptible to involuntary motion in strong winds (see Chapter 12.4.2).
Aeroplane	May not side-slip or back-slip. An aeroplane must use one of their actions during a turn as a move action, and are further required to either move a minimum of one range increment (for Initiative-based motion) or the distance indicated as their stall speed (for Speed-based motion). If an aeroplane pilot does not fulfill these requirements every combat round, they will stall their vehicle and risk crashing (see Stalling, below).
Gravship	No restrictions.
Gravship	No restrictions.
Fightercraft	As an aeroplane in atmosphere, no restrictions in space.
Capsule	As an aeroplane in atmosphere but also cannot perform forward slips, no restrictions in space.
Shuttle	As an aeroplane in atmosphere, no restrictions in space.
Transport	A

If movement is Initiative-based, then the vehicle moves one range increment for all lateral maneuvers, and remains in place for all turning maneuvers. All maneuvers take one movement point to perform a piece, except for snap turns. Snap turns take no movement points to execute, and can be a handy way of extending the capabilities of a vehicle for a skilled pilot. Naturally, snap turns are more difficult to execute and require higher engine Classes.

If movement is Speed-based, then all maneuvers require an amount of space to perform, depending upon the vehicle's size. A vehicle may make a lateral maneuver up to the distance of one range increment. They may move less than this distance, but must move at least three times the vehicle's size class before selecting another maneuver to perform. Turning depends on the angle of the turn. A 45-degree turn requires a number of meters equal to the vehicle's size class; each successive 45-degree angle requires an additional number of meters equal to the vehicle's size class. Snap turns require only half the distance needed for a normal turn of the given angle. Note that the space requirement for the turn is only the amount that is reduced from the vehicle's movement; the vehicle will turn in place.

Advanced maneuvers give the vehicle an Evasive Maneuvers bonus until the vehicle's next turn. These bonuses accumulate with each advanced maneuver made during the course of a vehicle's movement. If the vehicle is fired upon at any time up until its next turn, the total bonus applies. The price for this bonus is a (smaller) penalty to the gunner's Marksmanship and Ballistics Checks, which apply through the vehicle's next action (so a vehicle that decides to move as its second action in a turn will have weapons penalties in the first action of the ship's next turn). Fancy maneuvering makes a vehicle harder to hit, but also makes it a little harder to aim accurately.

The Vehicle Piloting Check for movement does have critical potential. In the event of a critical success, the Marksmanship and Ballistics penalties are both nullified (the pilot is able to pull off all maneuvers while maintaining the gunner's target locks). In the event of a critical failure, the vehicle may not move at all; the GM changes the ship's present heading to a new, random heading. Additionally, the vehicle takes d% Engine damage; if the engine was damaged in the first place, then the Engines are destroyed (100% damage).

lass Eight

Vehicle Maneuvers

	Minimum Engine Class Required	DC	Evasive Maneuvers Bonus	Marksmanship/ Ballistics Penalty	Description
Straight Ahead	Class One	0	+0	+0	Vehicle moves forward.
Forward Sideslip	Class One	30	+5	-1	Vehicle moves diagonally forward and does not change orientation.
Sideways	Class Two	45	+10	-2	Vehicle moves port or starboard and does not change orientation.
Back Sideslip	Class Three	60	+5	-1	Vehicle moves diagonally backward and does not change orientation.
Straight Back	Class Two	30	+5	+0	Vehicle moves backward and does not change orientation.
45-degree Turn	Class One	0	+0	+0	Vehicle turns 45-degrees left or right.
45-degree Snap Turn	Class Five	30	+5	-2	Vehicle turns 45-degrees left or right.
90-degree Turn	Class Two	15	+15	-3	Vehicle turns 90-degrees left or right.
90-degree Snap Turn	Class Six	60	+20	-4	Vehicle turns 90-degrees left or right.
135-degree Turn	Class Three	30	+25	-5	Vehicle turns 135-degrees left or right.
135-degree Snap Turn	Class Seven	90	+30	-6	Vehicle turns 135-degrees left or right.
180-degree Turn	Class Four	45	+35	-8	Vehicle turns 180-degrees left or right.
180-degree Snap Turn	C
120	+40	-10	Vehicle turns 180-degrees left or right.

NPC combatants move in relation to their present target. Should the target have a lower SI than the current target, the NPC combatant will move towards it, and vice versa. NPC vehicles will also keep their movements limited to 45-degree turns and Straight Ahead movement. These rules may be overridden at the GM's discretion.

If combat is not being conducted on a grid, then the move action simply changes the range to the current target. The GM rolls 2d10, and changes the range as normal. In the event that a very long range is rolled (16, 17 or 18), compare the vehicle's Strength Index (SI) with the opposing group's Composite Strength Index (CSI). If the SI is less than one-fourth of the opposing group's CSI, the vehicle is considered disengaged from combat.

Attack Action Rules¶

A vehicle's commander may, as a standard action during a turn, order their vehicle to attack another combatant. Firing on requires the vehicle's batteries to be charged with enough energy for at least one weapons volley (naturally, the energy available must be enough to use the weapon that'll be fired). A target must always be selected with the attack order. NPC vehicles will target the enemy combatant with the next lowest initiative check value, or the enemy combatant with the highest initiative check value if no lower values exist for enemy vessels; the GM may override this general rule at their discretion.

Firing Weapons¶

Before any weaponry can be fired at a target, the target must be within range of at least one of the vehicle's offensive weaponry options, the target must be within a firing arc that contains at least one hardpoint with that weapon, and there must be enough energy available to fire the weapon. If these conditions are met by more than one weapon, only one of them may be selected to fire at a time.

All vehicles have four combat arcs: forward (ahead), aft (behind), portside (left), and starboard (right). Combat arcs consist of the weapons that are mounted in a given arc (a firing arc) and the shields and armor that cover that quarter of the vehicle (a defense arc). The boundaries of a given combat arc are always set diagonal to the front of the vehicle and perpendicular to one another, such that when dealing with a physical grid the arc boundaries are along the grid's diagonals when the vehicle is on an orthogonal heading, and vice versa.

To determine if a combatant is within a given firing arc, draw or visualize a straight line between the firing vehicle and its target. The firing arc to be used will be whichever combat arc in which the line is touching the firing vehicle. Likewise, whichever combat arc in which the line is touching the target is the defense arc that will be fired upon. Most of the time, determining which arcs will be involved in the current attack action will be fairly straight forward. It may happen, though, that either the firing vehicle or the target will be "straddling" the boundaries between two combat arcs. In this case, the GM should give preference to either the foreward or aft firing arc, whichever one is involved.

If there is more than one hardpoint of a given weapon in a given firing arc, the gunner may elect to fire multiple hardpoints at once. Each hardpoint over the initial one used imparts a -1 range bonus to the vehicle's firing Check. The cost for invoking this bonus is a additional amount of energy used to fire the weapon (if a gunner elects to use three laser hardpoints to fire, it imparts a -2 Range bonus to the Marksmanship Check but is like firing three lasers at once). Additionally, the hardpoints to be utilized must be charged in order to be fired. The gunner may use as many available hardpoints as they'd like; they do not have to fire all hardpoints at once. If the vehicle has any turreted weapons, those weapons may be fired into any combat arc, at the gunner's disrection.

Before firing weapons, a final “to hit” number must be determined. This begins by subtracting the Combat Maneuvers sub-discipline of the firing vehicle's pilot from the Evasive Maneuvers sub-discipline of the target vehicle's pilot; this represents all the low-level maneuvering the pilots are doing, one to draw a bead on their opponent and the other to evade ( Exception: during the surprise round, the Evasive Maneuvers sub-discipline of the target is ignored). The difference is added to the target vehicle's HD. Effects from any onboard equipment are added to the HD as well, as well as any HD Range falloff penalties that may apply for the weapon being fired.(For example, an enemy vehicle is firing at an ITV, which has an HD of 54. The enemy pilot has a Combat Maneuvers score of 70; the ITV pilot's Evasive Maneuvers score is 45. In this case, 25 points would be deducted from the ITV's HD, so 29 becomes the Veloxi's effective HD (45 - 70 = -25; 54 + -25 = 29)).

Once the effective HD is determined, the firing vehicle's gunner will make a Check depending upon what kind of weapon is being fired. If beam weaponry is being used, the gunner will make a Marksmanship Check. If projectile weaponry is being used, the gunner will make a Ballistics Check. If the Check is successful, then the weapon hits and causes the amount of damage indicated by the weapon type and Class, as well as the number of points the firing vehicle's gunner has in their Targeting sub-discipline (Exception: during a surprise round, the Targeting bonus does not apply). How the damage affects the target will depend on how much damage is inflicted and in which of the target's defense arcs the weapon hits (see Resolving Damage, below).

Marksmanship and Ballistics Checks both have critical potential. In the event of a critical success (a critical hit), the weapons damage is increased. For beam weaponry, the hit scores double the weapon's full amount of damage, regardless of range. For projectile weaponry, roll 1d10 (counting the 0 as 10 in this case) and multiply the result by 100. Add the result to the weapon's damage. In addition to the extra damage points, one system takes damage regardless of the condition of the vehicle’s defenses. Roll to determine which system is affected as normal (see Resolving Damage, below). Roll d% for the amount of damage done to the system (00 counting as 100 in this case).

In the event of a critical failure (a critical miss), the vehicle misses its target and inadvertently hits a friendly target by mistake; such “blue-on-blue” incidents can be quite costly. Critical misses have the same effect as a critical hit when they occur, causing damage above and beyond the weapon’s normal means. The friendly combatant affected is the friendly vehicle with the next lowest initiative value, or (if no such vehicle exists) the friendly vehicle with the highest initiative value. If there are no other friendly vehicles available, the firing vehicle ends up hitting itself.

Resolving Damage¶

As previously mentioned, a vehicle has four defense arcs which are concurrent with the vehicle's firing arcs. Each defense arc has its own SHP and AHP count; damage to one arc does not affect the count in another arc. Vehicles get the full amount of their SHP and AHP in all defense arcs, but for purposes of calculating the vehicle's SI, the arc with the lowest overall count is used.

A target may take damage in the defense arc facing the firing vehicle upon being hit. If the target is hit, at least some damage is done to it, resulting in the lowering of SHP, AHP, and/or systems damage if the damage done to the vehicle is severe enough. Vehicles will always suffer shield damage first (provided, of course, that the vehicle has shields installed and that they are currently functional). For each point of damage done to the combat arc, subtract one point from the arc’s shield hit points. If the shield hit points are reduced to zero, and there is still additional damage indicated, apply that damage against armor shield points in the same manner. Points subtracted from shields and armor are also subtracted from the vehicle’s strength index, which in turn lowers the composite strength index of the vehicle's combat group.

If in atmosphere, the pilot any vehicle that takes a weapons hit must immediately make a Vehicle Piloting Check with the DC equal to the amount of damage inflicted. If the Check fails, the vehicle may not make any move actions on subsequent turns, except to try again at the same DC. Should the vehicle take additional damage, the DC of the Check is increased by the amount of new damage. Note that for air and space vehicles, failure of this Check will initiate a Stall. This Check has critical potential. In the event of a critical success, regardless of the actual DC, the vehicle may begin moving normally once again. Additionally, any Stall penalties are immediately canceled. In the event of a critical failure, then in addition to not being allowed to move, the vehicle takes d% systems damage to a random system (see below). Land vehicles in a critical failure are rolled and Sea vehicles are capsized and begin Taking On Water at twice the normal rate. Capsizing and rolling inflict d% hull damage on the vehicle above the indicated critical failure systems damage, and render the vehicle completely immobile. If a Bike or Canoe is hit, any occupants must make a Reflex Save with a DC equal to the amount of damage inflicted on the vehicle to avoid being thrown from the vehicle (treat as an ejection).

If armor hit points are reduced to zero, any excess damage is applied to the vehicle as systems damage. Unlike shields and armor, there are no defense arcs for systems damage; at that point the weapons are eating into the very core of the vehicle. Injuries to crewmembers (including PCs) are considered part of systems damage. Each point of damage to a given system counts as 1% damage to that system. A Damage Control Check may be made by a mechanic to mitigate the damage; any result over the first fifty points of the Check is subtracted from the number of points of system's damage inflicted on the vehicle (i.e. a result of 86 would reduce the amount of systems damage by 36 points). When a vehicle takes systems damage, all officers (except the commander) must make a Willpower Save with a DC equal to the amount of systems damage divided by ten; any officer that fails this roll becomes Shaken.

Some types of vehicles can take systems damage even if their armor is not breached. Specifically, any vehicle that employs a Class Zero engine will take added systems damage if their armor becomes damaged. Also, vehicles that are struck by weapons that were launched by a vehicle with a higher technological level will take added systems damage. Finally, Bikes and Canoes always take added systems damage, regardless of all other factors. Added systems damage only occurs if the vehicle has sustained enough damage inflict armor damage but not enough to completely breach the armor. Also, only one of the above reasons for inflicting additional systems damage is counted at a time; it's not cumulative. The amount of added systems damage is one-tenth the amount inflicted on the armor, and cannot be mitigated by a mechanic.

When systems damage is indicated, 1d10 is rolled. The result determines which system takes the damage:
Note: If a GM is conducting combat in space and would like to conduct combat in a manner in which failure of a craft's life-support systems is a possibility, a set of alternative systems damage rolls is available in Chapter 12.4.2.

If a system has been damaged but can still take additional damage points, there is the chance that system may malfunction whenever the vehicle attempts to use it. This requires a mechanic to make a Damage Control Check, with the DC at 50 plus the amount of damage the system has sustained. If the Check fails, the system malfunctions. Sensors and Communications should be checked at the beginning of the vehicle’s turn, Engines when the vehicle tries to perform a move action, weapons systems when the vehicle attempts an attack action, and shields when the vehicle attempts to recharge shields. This Damage Control Check has critical potential: in the event of critical success, 5% damage is removed from the system. In the event of a critical failure, then the system malfunctions and takes an additional d% damage, up to 100% damage maximum. A vehicle’s hull never malfunctions. Once a system has malfunctioned, it will remain non-operational unless a mechanic can jury-rig the system. After 100 points of damage are inflicted on a system, the system is destroyed (100% damaged). If there are still additional points of damage to be resolved to the vehicle, a new system must be selected. The mechanic may make additional Damage Control Checks to mitigate damage to additional systems, as with the first system damaged. If the engine malfunctions on an airborne vehicle, it immediately begins to Stall.

In addition to damage inflicted on any system or crewmember, 5% damage is applied to the hull (this is increased to 10% for Bikes, Canoes, Submarines, Hovercopters, and Capsules). Hull damage is cumulative, no matter what the original system affected was. If a system is indicated to take damage after it’s already at 100% damage, or if the system does not exist to begin with, there are additional hull damage penalties in addition to the regular 5% damage; 10% the first time and increasing by an extra 10% each added time (20% for the second time, 30% for the third time, and 40% for the fourth time; since hull damage is cumulative, by the time a fourth extra hit is inflicted the hull will be at 100% damage). These “extra hits” are also cumulative, so if a vehicle has taken two extra hits to a system on one round and the system gets hit again on a subsequent round, it counts as its third extra hit. A vehicle is completely destroyed once it reaches or exceeds 100% hull damage. If the vehicle was in space, or if the vehicle is a submerged submarine, the vehicle's destruction will kill any occupants remaining in the vehicle. If, however, the vehicle's destruction occurs in atmosphere, the occupants are blown from the vehicle, taking 10d10 HP damage in the process. Any non-occupant at Range 0 takes 10d5 damage, while non-occupants at Range 1 take 5d5 damage. Non-occupants may make Difficult Reflex Saves to take half the damage indicated. Any character that survives being blown from a vehicle is immediately subjected to the environment the vehicle itself was in and is susceptible to falling damage.

A vehicle with hull damage has structural fatigue, and is in serious danger of just flying apart at the seams. After a vehicle with hull damage takes damage, or after it resolves damage on a target it has fired upon, a mechanic must make a Metallurgy Check, with DC equal to 50 plus the amount of hull damage. If the check fails, the vehicle's structural integrity fails and it explodes. This Check has critical potential: in the event of a critical success, 5% hull damage can be removed from the vehicle, and the Engineer need not make another Metallurgy Check unless the vehicle takes more hull damage.

Any time the vehicle takes hull damage, for whatever the reason, there's the possibility that the vehicle will pick up an acquired flaw. The GM will roll d% and refer to the chart in Chapter 6.2. If a flaw is indicated, the GM should record the flaw on the vehicle's record sheet and effects of that flaw begin immediately. If the flaw indicates a kind of damage to a system that is unavailable, that effect is ignored and no additional hull damage occurs.

Hull damage can also have other nasty effects, depending upon the current terrain of combat (land, sea, air, or space). No additional effects will occur in space combat. In the air, hull damage reduces the vehicle's movement by one point per 10% damage. Should the airborne vehicle's movement fall to zero, an irrecoverable Stall results. Sea vehicles with hull damage begin Taking On Water, at one point per combat round per 10% damage. Land vehicles become harder to steer; a penalty is inflicted to all Vehicle Piloting Checks for land vehicles equal to the amount of hull damage the vehicle has sustained.

The following is an example of how damage is applied. The enemy vehicle mentioned above rolls to hit the ITV with a Class Five missile. The roll is successful, so the ITV sustains 150 points of damage in its portside damage arc. The ITV has no shields and 100 points of armor in each arc. Since the ITV has no shields, all 150 points of damage are passed to the armor. The armor absorbs 100 points of damage, leaving no defenses in the portside arc and passing 50 points on to systems damage. The ITV's SI drops to 36.

The vehicle's pilot must now make a DC 150 Vehicle Piloting Check. Despite being a skilled pilot, the Check fails and so now the ITV cannot move. All crewmembers on the ITV easily pass the Willpower save DC of 5 to avoid becoming Shaken. Since the ITV has taken enough damage to breach the armor, it need not worry about extra systems damage (it doesn't fit any of the criteria for taking extra systems damage anyway.)

The vehicle's mechanic makes a Damage Control Check; the result comes up with a 40...not enough to mitigate any of the damage. A d10 is then rolled, coming up as a 3, indicating damage to Sensors. The Sensors absorb all 50 points of damage, knocking them down to 50%. 5% hull damage is inflicted on the ship and the ITV picks up an acquired flaw; a ten is rolled, so the ITV's paint job gets chipped.

Now, since the vehicle took damage and has hull damage, a DC 55 (5% + 50 = 55) Metallurgy Check must be made to prevent the ITV from breaking up due to structural fatigue, an easy roll for any mechanic worth their salt. The Check is successful, so it doesn't explode right away. While things could be better for the ITV crew (they now lack any protection on their port side and their vehicle is still stuck, and they now have a -5 penalty to the piloting Check to get the vehicle un-stuck thanks to hull damage), things could still be a whole lot worse...

Miscellaneous Terms and Definitions¶

Shaken: A Shaken specialist has had a traumatic, frightening experience in combat, so much so that they are psychologically stunned and ineffective. Shaken specialists will not follow the commander's orders and any attempt to make them wastes the action given to those specialists.

Undermanned Penalty: Specialists are only allowed to operate two stations at a time, their own station and one in place of an incapacitated comrade. If all the remaining specialists in a vehicle are serving at two posts simultaneously, the vehicle is considered undermanned, and takes an Undermanned Penalty. Vehicles that are suffering from an Undermanned Penalty add 50 to the DC of all rolls made as long as the vehicle remains undermanned.

Opportunity Attack: An Opportunity Attack usually occurs in special situations wherein an opposing combatant is about to do something particularly nasty to a target. The attack gives the target a chance to fight back, allowing it to make a single strike at its oncoming attacker. Opportunity Attacks are a free Attack action made by the target. The target must itself target the attacking vessel, but is otherwise free do whatever they wish within the bounds of a regular attack action. Any weapons fired during an Opportunity Attack are considered discharged, should the target get a turn later on in the Order of Battle.

Stalling: Stalling is a process where, for whatever reason, an airborne vehicle cannot generate enough lift in order to stay airborne. When a vehicle stalls, it is up to the vehicle's pilot to pull the vehicle out of the stall before it slams into the ground. The rate at which a vehicle falls out of the sky is is measured as a count, which is dependent upon the planet's gravity. Multiply the gravitational pull by ten, and that to the vehicle's count during its normal Recharge action. Hovercopters and capsules fall at twice the normal rate. Gravships, transports and starships will fall at four times the normal rate. To determine at what count the vehicle will slam into the ground, the GM will make a d% roll and keep the result secret. When the count equals or exceeds the amount of this roll, the vehicle crashes and is considered destroyed (note that if the GM throws low, there may not be an opportunity for the pilot to pull the vehicle out of the stall). The method for getting out of a stall depends upon how the vehicle stalled in the first place (either through failing to move the minimal required amount, failing a Vehicle Piloting Check, suffering an engine malfunction, or through hull damage). If the vehicle stalled through hull damage, the stall is irrecoverable; ejection is the best option at that point. If the engine malfunctions, the engine must be restored before the vehicle comes out of the stall. Making the Vehicle Piloting Check will cancel the stall in the event of a failed Check, while simply moving forward will suffice if the minimal amount hasn't been moved. If the pilot can get the vehicle out of the stall, the count will reset itself back to zero; stalls do not carry over to other stalls.

Taking On Water: Taking On Water is a process wherein a sea vehicle has taken enough damage to its hull to begin the process of sinking. When a water vehicle begins taking on water, it is up to whatever mechanical specialists may be on board to plug the leaks in the vehicle's hull before it sinks. The "rate" at which a vehicle takes on water is measured as a count. For every 10% hull damage the vehicle has accumulated, the count increases by one during the vehicle's normal recharge action. Capsized ships, as well as all submarines, double this rate (a capsized sub takes on water at four times the normal rate). When the count exceeds the vehicle's Size Class, the vehicle sinks and is considered destroyed at that point. Any personnel still aboard the ship take HP damage as for normal vehicle destruction. Each point of the count adds a -5 penalty to all Vehicle Piloting Checks the vehicle must perform. Taking On Water can be countered by a successful Difficult Metallurgy Check, performed as a Use Skill/Ability action. If the Check is successful, the vehicle stops taking on water and the count drops by one per combat round until reaching zero.

NEXT: 9.4 Starship-scale Combat
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