This section provides a brief summary of the new starship rules presented in this chapter. They build upon existing combat and movement rules introduced in the fifth edition source rulebook. GMs and players should familiarize themselves with the core rules before reading further.
Starships. Starships are implemented as large mobile vehicles typically represented by a map. Each starship includes a number of stations operated by crew members.
Starship Class. Starships are organized by one of four simplified sizes, which primarily determines their hit points, statistics, and speed.
Stations. Each starship station performs a specific set of tasks, such as weapon attacks or defense. In combat, they are operated by crew members once per round. Stations can be disabled during combat for an advantage; some disabled stations produce additional negative effects.
Starship Combat. Starships use 100-foot increment square spaces for combat and distances, played on a separate large-scale map. At the start of each combat round, starships move and replenish shields before characters take their turns as normal. Characters can move around the starship and operate various stations, douse fires, or even fight enemy borders.
Starship Conditions. Starships are affected by three new conditions: breached, immobile, and wrecked.
Starship Sields. Most starships have a shield that protects against energy damage. These are bypassed by non-energy weapons.
Critical Thresholds. When a large amount of damage is dealt to a starship, the damage produces additional negative effects. The crew must manage their Shields properly to avoid such critical effects. Each starship calculates its critical threshold based on its Constitution score.
Starship Weapons. There are three types of starship weapons, each designed with a certain purpose. Characters must tactically select and sequence their attacks to optimize their offense.
- Blasters. Such weapons do not consume ammunition but are blocked by shields.
- Missiles. Such weapons are designed to bypass shields and use critical effects at the cost of ammunition usage.
- Rays. Such weapons automatically hit, but only when a starship's shields are removed. They cannot cause critical effects.
Starship Customization. Starships are designed to be modular for flexibility of design and play. A basic set of customization rules allows for unique designs.