The House Rules Wiki

The STAR FRONTIERS universe is maliable and there are as many different rules sets as there are players. One player's vision of STAR FRONTIERS may not bare any relation to another player's vision. This is a dynamic that has grown up over a quarter of a century and will not be halted or coralled. Let your ideas be heard. This is the place where people will go to get new ideas and experience new worlds specific to your campaigns. If you have ideas, but don't want to turn them into major projects, post them here.

Start your house rules document by clicking the "

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Andrew's Star Frontiers

Compilation of my house rules...

As I'm a fan of the original AD rules, but wanted to incorporate the diversity of Zeb's Guide, these are modifications of the SF2000 rules (which can be found in the Projects section). My two-fold goal was to try to keep it simple and fully backward compatible with the modules.

Character Generation

House Rules for Character Creation

Build Points
Skill Points
Advantages & Disadvantages

Background Points

After determining Ability Scores, it is time to flesh out the character. Player characters in the standard Star Frontiers campaign begin just upon reaching the prime of their lives. They are on the cusp of venturing forth into the world to live out their dreams! However, before reaching that point in their lives, their youth has taught them many valuable life skills that aren’t necessarily given through the didactics of a classroom! These basic life skills are represented by the base skills that are every PC gets.

In addition, a PC gains Background Points (BPs) to increase ability scores or improve their racial abilities.

1) A character has a number of BPs equal to two plus ten percent of INT. BP = (INT * 10%) + 2

2) These BP (ranging from 3 to 12) may be spent on the following:

Ability Scores: Improve one Ability Score one point per BP used.
Racial Abilities: Improve Racial Abilities one point per BP used.
Skills: BPs may also be used to improve or learn any Language skill, Knowledge skill, Interpersonal skill, or Personal skill as per the next section Character Development. In addition, BPs may be used to improve any bonus skills granted as a result of race or background. The BP cost is half the PSA XP cost listed.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Special qualities in PCs that may only normally be obtained at character creation. They represent traits or backgrounds that help or hinder PCs. Each Disadvantage taken for a PC grants an additional number of BP as listed. Each Advantage costs the number of BP listed. Advantages and Disadvantages are listed below.

Advantages and Disadvantages - PRELIMINARY

Each Advantage or Disadvantage has a BP cost listed in parentheses after the name. This is the number of BP it cost to "buy" the advantage, or the number of BP gained for taking the disadvantage. Some Advantages and Disadvantages have varying degrees of impact upon a character. These are represented by multiple BP levels listed.

ADVANTAGES
Acute Sense* (2, 4, 6)(Vision, Hearing, Smell, Touch)
All Perception skill use involving the use of the heightened sense gain a +10%, +20%, or +30%.

Ambidextrous (4) or 2, 4, 8 (offset 5%, 10%, and both?)
The character can use two hands equally well. For Dralasites, this Advantage can be taken multiple times, allowing the use of an extra limb for each additional Advantage.

Aptitude* (4)
A PC with the Aptitude Advantage has an unusual propensity for a specific skill. He can learn the chosen skill as a PSA skill.

Attractive (2, 4, 6, 8)
Race: Human, Vrusk, Yazirian, Dralasite, Ifshnit,
A PC with this advantage is a particularly attractive member of his race. This may be due to his voice, appearance, scent, or a combination of these or more. For each level taken, a PC gains a +10% to interpersonal interactions with members of opposite gender of the same race. They gain +5% to interpersonal interactions with members of the same gender (or neutral gender in the case of Dralasites) of the same race.

Bi-cultural (5)
Instead of having the native language skill at level 6, the character gains his native language at level 5 and another language at level 4. In addition, he can learn Interpersonal: Diplomacy of both cultures as PSA skills.

Force of Will (3, 6, 9)
Start with an additional 1, 2, or 3 Edge Points

Toughness (4)
Characters with this advantage are unusually resistant to bumps and bruises. They only take one-half of Stun damage.

Well Connected (3)
A remarkably social individual, this PC has twice as many starting contacts as other characters.

Upper class
More starting funds. Stipend per month.

DISADVANTAGES

Delusion (2, 4, 6)
From simple to complex, minor to extreme, this can have varying degrees of impact on the character. Ie. Superstitious (won't open umbrellas indoors), Racist (all Vrusk are really just large bugs and should be exterminated), etc. Any of the very extreme delusions would likey be worth higher BP, but also make a character unplayable.

Hunted* (2, 4, 6)
The character is the object of a manhunt. The pursuer may be, law enforcement, a criminal faction, a corporation, or even an individual. The intensity and danger of the hunter varies with the level of the Disadvantage.

Missing Arm

Missing Leg

Non-combatant (6) (Combat Paralysis ?): No RS bonus in dodging. No IM benefit? All Weapons are non-PSA skills.

Phobia* (variable)
-10 to -50% when in presence of object of fear. BP gained equal to the severity of the phobia (1-5) multiplied by a ratio representing how common the object is. 1 for common objects, 0.5 for uncommon, 2 for very common (Vrusk, Water, open areas)Common phobias among humans: arachnophobia (fear of spiders), acrophobia (fear of heights),

Poorly Connected (3)
PC starts with half the usual number of friends and acquaintances.

Sensory Impairment (2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
All skills requiring the impaired sensory modality suffer a penalty of -10% to -50%. Note: if there is impaired vision, the penalties will apply to ALL skills requiring sight, such as repair skills, and ranged combat – unless corrected lenses are worn.

Unattractive (2, 4, 6, 8)

Contacts

Friends help you move, true friends help you move a body…

Characters also do not grow up alone in a vacuum, they have friends and family which help shape who they are – as well as who provide anchors amidst the storms of life. This is represented by starting Contacts. Each PC has a number of close friends/family equal to 10% of PER score. In addition, they have a number of acquaintances equal to 10% of LDR score.

The difference is that the former are willing to sacrifice much to help out the PC, whereas the latter offer aid insomuch as it does not costs themselves too much.

A PC doesn’t necessarily need to choose all his contacts at character creation.

Skill Points

A character starts with a number of skill points equal to 7 + 10% of the Logic ability score. These skill points are spent as indicated in the table below to buy skill levels.

1. PSA: Choose up to three Primary Skills Areas (PSAs) with which the character has a particular affinity. If two or three of the PSAs are similar, the character may belong to a Profession. A character with a Profession represents one who has likely learned his skills through a systemic form of training. To reflect this, a character who chooses two PSAs from the same Profession gain an additional 3 skill points. A character who chooses all three PSAs from within the same Profession gain an additional 4 skill points (for a total of +7 skill points).

2. Buy Skills: Skills outside of the PSA of a character cost twice as much to purchase.

Skill Level	XP Cost: Within PSA (Outside PSA)	Cumulative XP Cost	Example
1	1 (2)	1 (2)	Rudimentary Level
2	2 (4)	3 (6)	Basic: Apprentice
3	4 (8)	7 (14)	Intermediate
4	6 (12)	13 (26)	Advanced: Supervisors
5	9 (18)	22 (44)	Expert
6	12 (24)	34 (68)	Master
7	16 (32)	50 (100)
8	20 (40)	70 (140)	Renowned
9	25 (50)	95 (190)
10	30 (60)	125 (250	Top of Field

Primary Skill Areas and Professions

Each PC may select up to 3 Primary Skill Areas (PSA) at character creation. These represent areas in which the PC has a natural affinity or concerted training, and therefore skill associated with the PSA are easier for the PC to learn than skills that are outside the PSA. In addition, should more than one PSA be chosen from the same Profession, then that character gains extra skill points at character creation, representing the more cohesive nature of the training and cross-training that occurs.

A character may chose to only select one or two PSAs at creation, and choose the remaining one(s) later in the game. This represents the character who later develops an affinity for a skill area or receives formal training later on. However, XP previously spent to gain skills in the new PSA at the higher non-PSA cost are NOT "refunded".

Professions and their associated PSAs are as follows:

1) Counselor: Administrator, Diplomat, Psychotherapist

2) Enforcer: Combat Specialist, Heavy Weapons Expert, Investigator, Security Specialist

3) Scientific Specialist (SciSpec): Academician, Astrogator, Engineer, Physician, Scientist, System Specialist, Wilderness Expert

4) Technical Expert (TechEx): Computer Specialist, Pilot, Roboticist, Technical Engineer

Skills

Skills represent that body of applicable knowledge a character has. Should a situation arise where there is no listed skill that matches what a PC is attempting to do, a GM should have the player roll the closest related skill or simply make an ability score check that is most appropriate.

Some skills all PCs have fundamental access to. These are the Base Skills that all PCs start the game with. These Base Skills all start at Level 0 except for the Language Skills. They are listed on the Character Sheet (available in the download section) and include the following:
- Personal: Perception
- Interpersonal: Diplomacy
- Interpersonal: Communication
- Language: Pan-galactic 5
- Language: (Own race) 6
- Weapons: Unarmed Combat

In addition, PCs have at least a basic understanding of all the skills that are related to their areas of training. Thus, all the skills within their PSAs are known at level 0 automatically, even if no XP are spent to learn them. (Example: a starting PC chooses the Combat Specialist and the Physician PSAs. He spends most of his experience points on the Weapons: Beam Pistols as well as few points on Medical: Illness, and Medical: Wounds I. However, with his exposure to medicine, he is also able to utilize the skill Medical: Wound II or Medical: Wounds IV - albeit, only at level 0 and thus a very unlikely to succeed! (But the small chance that he can perform the life-saving surgery which he once observed 5 years ago is better than the no chance any other person without the Physician PSA has!)

Lists of Skills by PSA:
Combat Specialist:
First Aid Skill Suite
Interpersonal: Body Speak

Small Unit Tactics

Weapons: Beam Pistol

Weapons: Beam Rifle

Weapons: Grenade

Weapons: Unarmed Combat
Weapons: Melee Weapons
Weapons: Missles
Weapons: Projectile Pistols
Weapons: Gyrojet Pistol
Weapons: Gyrojet/Projectile Rifles
Weapons Skill Suite

Diplomat:
Interpersonal: Communication
Interperonsal: Diplomacy
Language (all)
Knowledge (all Frontier cultures)
Professional: Politics (all Frontier systems)

Physician:
First Aid Skill Suite
Medical Skill Suite
Medical: Administer Medication
Medical: Bionics
Medical: Cybernetics
Medical: Devices
Medical: Diagnosis (race)
Medical: Illness (race)
Medical: Infection (race)
Medical: Vetinary
Medical: Wounds I
Medical: Wounds II
Medical: Wounds III (race)
Medical: Wounds IV (race)

Skill Suites

In lieu of choosing individual skills, Skill Suites are "packages" of related skills that would be learned by individuals who have had formal training. When a suite is "bought", the XP cost is cheaper than were the skills "purchased" individually. Skill Suites can only be taken by those who have the Skill Suite in one of their PSAs.

There is a Skills Suite that corresponds to each of the Alpha Dawn Skill sets. This makes it easy to convert AD characters and modules into these House Rules. (can't think of a good name for it 8-)

Name of Suite: (XP to gain Level 1 in all Skills, XP to raise Skills from Level 1 to Level 2, XP to raise Skills from Level 2 to Level 3)

Computer Skill Suite (6, 12, 24)
Computers: Acess & Operate
Computers: Bypass Security
Computers: Defeat Security
Computers: Display Information
Computers: Interface
Computers: Program Manipulation
Computers: Program Writing
Computers: Repair Mainframe

First Aid Skill Suite (3, 6, 12)
Medical: Administer Medications
Medical: Devices
Medical: Wounds I
Medical: Wounds II

Medical Skill Suite (8, 16, 32)
Medical: Administer Medication
Medical: Devices
Medical: Diagnosis (race)
Medical: Illness (race)
Medical: Infection (race)
Medical: Wounds I
Medical: Wounds II
Medical: Wounds III (race)
Medical: Wounds IV (race)
Science: Biology: Physiology (race)

Technician Skill Suite (6, 12, 24)
Technical: Communication Devices: Operate
Technical: Machinery: Operate
Technical: Machinery: Repair
Technical: Security Systems: Operate
Technical: Security Systems: Detect
Technical: Security Systems: Open Locks
Vehicles: Ground
Vehicles: Repair

Weapons Skill Suite (4, 8, 16)
Weapons: Beam Pistol
Weapons: Beam Rifle
Weapons: Grenades
Weapons: Projectile Pistol
Weapons: Gyrojet Pistol
Weapons: Gyroject / Projectile Rifle

Edge Points

These are to represent the heroism aspect of the game. Edge Points (EP) allow PC's (and even some NPC's!) to affect the fate of their character. Each character starts with 2 Edge Points and gains an additional one for every 20 Experience Point. (Should a GM want, they can get rid of Edge Points for a gritty campaign, or give them out more frequently - such as 1 for every 10 XP - for a more Heroic or Cinematic campaign.)

Examples of Edge Point use are as follows:

1) Re-roll the dice by using one Edge Point: Of great use when that telling shot to the evil ringleader just misses... or failing the Dexterity check to avoid falling into the Lake of Fire while jumping from pillar to pillar...

2) Locate a contact: Janelle and her posse are trying to track down the location of a suspected fraudulent banker responsible for stealing thousands of cred from her employer. The players however, have run up against a wall and don’t know how to proceed. Janelle's player decides to use an Edge Point to “remember” her good friend happens to work at Trans-travel, and can provide information about the last Void Jump ticket that the suspect purchased.

3) Find Equipment: The battle is going badly for the PC's, two of their number are down and Grevan is trapped in a Tangler grenade's sticky threads. His player spends an EP to remember that he had forgotten to take out the spare bottle of solvaway from his vest pocket that's just in reach.

Aging

As PCs age, they have more time to learn skills. However, the effects of age also take a toll on the character’s body.l To reflect this, there is a -1 penalty to STR, STA, DEX, and RS for each year older that he starts over his prime age. On the other hand, he gains 5 XP for each year older he starts over his prime age. This XP may be used as normal for learning skills, improving Racial Abilities, or offsetting/increasing ability scores. (Note: the extra XP from aging does not grant Edge Points as per…)

Prime ages (?):
Human 25
Dralasite 18
Vrusk 15
Yazirian 22

Combat Mechanics - Ranged

To make Ranged Combat more deadly and quick, as well as try to incorporate the reality of hit location being very important as to how much damage is dealt, I tried to come up with a revised system. Here's how they work.

Basic

Calculate percentage to hit.
Roll to hit. If roll is equal to or under % to hit, then attack is successful. If the roll is above the % to hit, it fails.
Roll weapon damage. Roll additional dice of damage equal to tens digit of to hit roll.

Expanded

Determine location of attack by ones digit of the attack roll.
The final Stamina damage done is modified by the multiplier for the location hit.

Advanced Options

For every 20 points of damage to a body part (counted before the Sta modifier), the target is wounded, with effects as shown. Ie. 43 points of damage to the Dominant Hand does 11 points of STA damage, and gives a -40% penalty to every action requiring the use of that hand.
For every two levels of skill in an attack, the attacker can choose to bump the location one region. (Ie. From the hand to the upper arm/shoulder)
For every ranged increment, it takes away two levels in regards to bumping the location.

Hit Location Table

EXAMPLE:

A Star Law Ranger is ambushed by an enemy agent as he is concluding an investigation in a bombed computer facility – a firefight at close range ensues. The Ranger fires three shots from his Gyrojet Pistol at the traitorous Yazirian and needs a 32 to hit. He rolls a 29, 37, and 08 - the first and third shot were successful, but the second one missed by a few millimeters!

Time to roll damage:
First shot: 2d10 plus an addition 2d10 (for rolling a 29 – the ten’s digit being number of extra d10). The player rolls 18 points of damage to the dominant chest of the Yazirian (again, the location determined by the one’s digit of the 29). Following the table, this causes 18 points of STA damage (1x STA multiplier), as well as giving the agent a -5% penalty to everything he does from the Wound. T

he second shot missed as discussed (rolling a 37 where a 32 was needed), so we move onto resolving the third shot. Unlike the first shot, no bonus damage dice so only 2d10 are rolled for a total of … 10 points of damage. Looking up the table, the one’s digit of 08 indicates the Dominant Upper Arm was hit (in this case, the Right Arm). This cause ½ of the damage to the Yazirian’s STA (5 points) as well as a Wound leading to a -10% to everything he does with that arm (remember, this is in addition to the -5% penalty to all actions already due to the first shot to the chest!)

The Yazirian responds back with several shots, one of which manages to cause a minor injury to the Ranger.

The next round, the Ranger is wounded and so needs a 27 to hit. Lucky for him, all three shots were successful with rolls of 14, 18, and 20! Damage from the first shot is 2d10 plus 1d10 to the Non-dominant Lower Arm/Hand (with a roll of 14). The damage rolled is 23 giving the Yazirian a -10% to everything needing that left hand from the Moderate Wound (such as if he were using a rifle). However, only 1/4 of the damage carries through to the STA, leading to 6 points lost.

The second shot does 2d10 + 1d10 again to the right shoulder; this time, 14 points is rolled, which leads to ANOTHER -10% for the Light Wound! This also delivers 7 points of STA damage! The agent better think about getting some help or leaving soon as he now has a -25% to using his laser pistol and has taken a total of 36 STA damage!

Unfortunately for the Yazirian, he doesn’t have a chance to make that decision as the last of the Ranger’s three shots strikes home with 2d10 + 2d10 damage to the Head/Neck (roll of 20)! Not only does the 26 points of damage cause a Moderate Wound giving another -20% to everything the Yazirian does, but the 39 points of STA damage (26 x 1.5) is sufficient to put down the traitor before he has time to set off the hidden explosives in the trapped computer!

Ranged Combat - Expansion

Should a GM desire, restrictions can be placed upon how much extra damage is done against foes with unknown weaknesses.

For example, the PC's encounter a strange alien creature that has no reconizable head - only multiple tentacles radiating from a a multi-lobulated 8 meter diamatere spheroid body. Not sure where to aim, they just try to cause as much harm simply by pouring as much firepower into the thing as possible. Ruling that the PC's aren't aiming at anything specifically, the GM rules that only 2d10 extra damage from the skill check can be used, even if normally a successful roll would give more extra dice of damage. However, during the fight, the Environmentalist spends time observing the creature and notices that it happens to be extremely protective of one of its tentacles, and so yells for the entire team to aim there (makes a successful Science: Biology skill check with an 64). The GM rules that with a 64, the PC's can now do up to 6d10 extra dice of damage since he recognized that the unique tentacle is the sensory organ for the creature.

A similar case can be used for unfamiliar robots and the Robotics: Identification skill.

C. J.'s Star Raiders

These are Corjay's house rules.

Random Notes:

Outside of the Sathar, the Zuraqqor are the biggest threat to the Frontier. A constant war runs with the Zuraqqor. Sometimes it's a cold war, while other times its flat out engagement. Other times, the Zuraqqor back lesser races in attempting to take control of resources and pathetic attempts at acquiring public sentiment. The Sathar are surely backing the Zuraqqor in their constantly wearing down the UPF. Zuraqqor leader General Yar T'kekl leads the Zuraqqor in a blood feud against the Frontier and is a celebrated hero.

A group of star gate defenders known as the Star Raiders are vowed to confront the general to thwart Yar's revenge.

This is a vision of STAR FRONTIERS that challenges tactical and strategic capabilities of an alien league. Prepare to be attacked!

System
The 25th Anniversary Edition Rulebook is the source material and all options in it apply minus the Column Shift mechanic. KHV is considered apocryphal.

Skills
The skill sets with individual skill options apply. The optional skill sets are available.

Fighters
Starfighters use the KH-adapted vehicle rules of sizes F1-F12, and H3-H25(from the SFman article "Starflight" in issue 5).

Movement
Aerospace movement is done in 3 dimensions, with standard space battles being conducted at SV4 or lower(from an article in SFMan 5). Chases may ensue at higher speeds.

Mentalists
Brain scans reveal unusual activities in normally unused parts of the Mentalist’s brain that form what seem to be temporary conducting elements that harden or create small lesions that promptly disappear when not in use.

Greg Rapp's Star Frontiers

Here is some of my rules/campaign ideas for Star Frontiers. Many people dont like the idea that I havent followed the canon, but who always does? I hope this material is useful for your gaming, and I also hope that these submissions will bring out some newer ideas on the SF Community Projects.

Alternative Armor Rules

This is meant to be for armor suits not shields.

Armor Type	Example	HP
Very Light	Kevlar	10
Light	Ceramic Platting with Kevlar Padding	20
Medium	Partial Body Suit (uses metal alloy plates with Kevlar padding)	30
Heavy	Primitive Power suit with weak energy screen	40+
Powered	Metal alloy plates with strong energy screen	50+

Now after the suit of armor takes so many hits it can be completely rendered useless. This means you will either have to buy another armor suit or have it repaired. If you have less than 50% damage on your armor suit it can be repaired and not rendered useless

Dark Matter Energy (alternative Source to the SEU)

Now since the galaxy and the rest of the universe are full of dark matter it is an easily available resoure that almost any manufacturer. The process that allows this material to be obtained is fairly complex and requires the use of highly advanced quantum physics theories. Such theories allow for scientists to create the filter which collect the dark matter and store them is a cell that is the equivelant of 1 DMEU (Dark Matter Energy Unit) is equal to 100 SEU. But, the cost for this energy runs about double, but is being cut down in prices every year with newer and better technologies.

Folding Drive: Optional Material

First founded after the first Sathar wars and

it was considered to be something useless.

None of the top scientists could figure out

what exactly the drive was. Since the end of

Satharian wars it has been tested and

reproduced by PanGal and Space Travel

Inc., . It was said that the drive could fold

space in such a way that a light-year is like a

parsec and a parsec a mile in space. Utilizing

the space time continuum the folding

drive cuts down the size of space and it

makes it easier to travel through space.

Though no real tests have gone over a

distance of a light-year the pilot of the first

test flight replied "its smooth and fast" after

he completed a light-year jump in one hour.

When he re-entered he was in the middle of

a planet's atmosphere. This would be

impossible for a regular standard FTL drive.

The cost of this drive runs in around forty

billion credits or more. Such a project nearly

made it impossible for PanGal and Space

Travel Inc., to continue the project.

Gravity Drive: Optional Material

The gravity drive allows a ship to travel super fast sub-light spaces. Using tractor beams to magnify the gravity of a celestial body or a star to make these speeds. With that said it has been found for military applications that have plenty of potential. Top speeds were clocked at 500,000kph (310,500mph) which was considered the best for small recon ships in order to escape the prying eyes of detection.

Cost of a gravity drive is about one-billion credits. Since it is still a prototype, only top military officers have access to this technology or higher up PanGal and Space Travel Inc., officials or technicians. Black market versions of this drive cost double and have triple the suggested speed of what PanGal and Space Travel Inc., suggest when they did studies of the illegal drives. But the danger factor is less than that of PanGal and Space Travel Inc.,.

Magnetic Ice Gun

Inspiration from Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds

This is a weapon was created during the first sathar war for the UPF special forces. It's quiet and has the range of most small laser pistols. The ice rounds are cooled at sub-zero temperatures to insure they wont melt while trying to hit their target. The rounds are stored in a five round clip that keeps the rounds cool at sub-zero temperatures. When the round enters the chamber the round warms up by a hundred degrees or so from sub-zero, but it isnt enough to truely warm up the round to melting point. When the round is fired the magnetic firing mechanism pushes the round out faster than most projectile rounds and doesnt create any heat to melt the round. Then if it hits its target the ice round will penatrate the skin and shatter (causing a shrapnel affect), but if the person is found dead the qutopsy will show nothing in the body.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROF: 1 shot
Range: 5/10/15/20/-
Ice Shrapnel Range: 5/-/-/-/-
Clip: 5 rounds special cooling clip
Weight: 2 kg
Damage: 5D10+ per hit
Ice Shrapnel Damage: 1D5 + per hit
Cost: 800 Credits
Type: Projectile Weapon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mega-Corporations

Mega-Corporations play a large role in the fringes of known space. Most of the time corporations fund expeditions, lab experiements on remote worlds, and also help give security to those who are able to pay for it. But one problem with the mega corporations is that small dirty wars are fought amongst them for the control of materials or even certain high paying government contracts. Others reasons these wars seem to break out is when the corporations try to install their own version of a community amongst the many pirate outposts and smaller UPF funded colonies. Without certain government officials looking closely (due to "payroll" government officials) the corporations with the most money are able to do what they want when they wish.

Mining Gas Giants

This is an article I wrote talking about how you can mine gas gaints, and a few other topics involved.

In many sci-fi books, movies, and even games; the idea of having a gas giant as an unlimited source for fuel is always there. Using the hydrogen gas of the planet itself a ship can use it to create a reaction in the FTL to make it enter sub-space of speed up to the speed-of-light. Now there are two ways always shown in Sci-Fi. One is using special filters on the outside of the ship to filter the atmosphere’s hydrogen into the supply tank. Next is the refinery way. This is where the hydrogen gas is processed to where it is nearly 99% pure hydrogen which is later shipped off or collected by ships in orbit (which pay heavy prices for such fuel).

	Class	D% Roll	Hydrogen%	Other Gases %
Small	1	0-10%	5% or less	95% or more
	2	11-20%	10% or less	90% or more
	3	21-30%	15% or less	85% or more
	4	31-40%	20% or less	80% or more
	5	41-50%	25% or less	75% or more
	6	51-60%	30% or less	70% or more
	7	61-70%	35% or less	65% or more
	8	71-80%	40% or less	60% or more
	9	81-90%	45% or less	55% or more
Very Large	10	91-00%	50% or less	50% or more

Now the Class 1 gas giant is about the size of Earth or larger. Class 10 gas giants are five times bigger than Earth’s sun.

In order to filter the hydrogen into the ship’s reserve you need to have special filters. The higher the class the better they can filter out unwanted gases. The higher the class of filter the more energy it requires from the ship. So, remeber that a class six will either require a massive generator of some type, or a bigger ship.

Filter Class	*Cost (USD)	Filter %
1	200,000	5-10% or unwanted gases
2	500,000	15% of unwanted gases
3	1,000,000	30% of unwanted gases
4	1,500,000	60% of unwanted gases
5	2,000,000	90% of unwanted gases
6	2,500,000	99.99% of unwanted gases

* Convert to whatever currency your game uses (this is just a BS number really).

Phase Drive: Optional Material

Found from the long dead Tetrach societies

before they died out. It was considered a

prototype then and is still now. When

PanGal and Space Travel Inc., bought the

drive from the UPF science academy and

was later tested by the SLR on their recon

missions of the outer fringes of the Frontier.

The project was scrapped when the drive

opened up an unstable wormhole that

destroyed the mining colony of Keldak and

it was declared unsafe by PanGal and Space

Travel Inc., . Now since the project was

scrapped the black market has produced

many different versions of this drive and

safer than that of PanGal and Space Travel

Inc., . The cost runs in around one-million

credits and can travel a light-year jump in

one hour without problem. This drive can be

bought and officials under the SLR will

confiscate this technology in order to

produce it for the legal market (which

PanGal and Space Travel Inc., has had a

hand in.

PMTD

This device is very complex and the science behind it is also complex. Those who understand it and how it is able to happen are all in the labs re-designing and refining this idea. Now those who don’t have the big university degree and have plenty of bad guys on their six can easily use this device to jump from one building to the next or one area to a block down the street. The portable matter transporters is a vest that hooks into a DMEU pack (4 DMEU: 400 SEU) and a plotting computer. Jumps require the use of a special energy pack known as a DMEU. This is the Dark-Matter-Energy-Unit which is one-hundred times more than that of a SEU (1 DMEU: 100 SEU), but the downside to such power is that it is unstable and can overload if used too much. Due to the refining of this piece of equipment very few are able to afford this because it runs in the ball park of 500,000 credits for the device, computer, and one-hundred DMEU (worth about four jumps). Using the device you must roll the same as or below ¼ of Dexterity + ¼ Logic (added together and modifiers are added or subtracted). Due to having to power up and plot (Logic part of this device) the jump you also only have a few second window (this is where the Dexterity part comes on) before the jump horizon closes and your DMEU is drained. The max you can jump is one mile which costs two DMEU. Total estimated time depends on the distance which is dealt with the table below:

Range	Modifier
20ft -400ft (1-5seconds)	+20
401ft-800ft (6-10seconds)	+10
801ft-1200ft (7-15 seconds)	+0
1201ft-2500ft (16-20seconds)	-10
2501ft-4500ft+ (21-30+seconds)	-20

*Note: The computer on the transporter works live a grid which is 1mile x 1mile x 1mile. A perfect cube in which the user can calculate a jump to a certain spot in the cube, if the user has this computer upgraded it will also include the ever changing elements in the terrain and also plots possible points shaving anywhere from 1d10 seconds to 1d10 + 2 seconds.

**Skills are not required to use this device because it really is just point and click. If you feel that it will require some kind of skill it will most likely be under “Matter Transfer” skill from Zeb’s Guide.

Powered Armor

Now in every sci-fi game this kind of armor has rules and has been seen throughout the game. But, Star Frontiers hasnt show a sign of this. So here are some ideas on how powered armor can work with the Star Frontiers Universe.

Many forms of powered armor require some kind of suit. This suit can be made up of say kavlar, high density ceramic platting, metal alloy platting, and so on.

Armor Type	Description	Hit Points
Light Power Suit	Hardened Kevlar Armor	15+
Medium Power Suit	High Density Ceramic Armor	25+
Heavy Power Suit	Ceramic Armor w/ Hardened Kevlar	35+
Super Heavy Power Suit	Metal Alloy Platting	45/50+

Now the term powered armor doesnt mean that this kind of armor has shields and such on top of that, but it can (which rules will be supplied later). These suits are powered by a special SEU generator. This generator helps move the suit, give the user onboard information about the suit, and if added it can also be helped to power the nanites in the self-repairing proccess of the suit.

Computer- The in-suit computer has sensors, can pick up unencrypted radio frequencies (but can be programed/ upgraded to hack into secure frequencies). And it helps with weapons aiming by placing a rectacle up on the screen (similar to those seem on video games). The suit also warns the user of potential bio-harzards and activates filtering procedures, which has been known not to fail due to using old "activated carbon" filters along with many modern filters on top. When damage is done to the suit it can be repaired by the naniotes which are being constantly programed by the computer and what to do. This computer uses an excess of 200 SEU every day (on top of the suit 4000 max).

Nanites on the suit (if available) can be used for repair purposes. But, the nanites require a lot of power for their repairs. Now, a GM must determine how much damage the player takes and compare it to this table:

Damage	SEU Cost
1D10	200
2D10	500
3D10	1000
4D10	1,500-2000

After 4D10 damage the nanites are cut off from power to prevent the suit from being drained completely. If the suit is drained or strained past it's limit it will explode and will kill the user inside (similar to a 5K nuclear explosion).

After each hour the generator is able to supply a liitle extra power if the user is just doing small tasks like walking, running (at normal rate), firing weapons, breathing, and so on. These require barely enough energy to be noticed or calculated by the computer.

Quantum Network Drive

This is an alternative to those slower FTLs or Void Engines. But the drive can only support ships under a certain mass. Which means you can have all of that heavy equipment (like backup FTL drives or lots of fuel). With less mass than regular star ships these QND equipped ships are able to travel faster and convert into data into the Quantum Network in which it is translated into. Before the crew is translated into data (which is put into a quantum computer and into the local quantum network) they must enter their exit ip (where they are going to end up at the end of the jump). Translation time (ship into data and data into a ship) takes anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. The QND can go up to 10 light years before it comes to a flaw known as LIT (Lost In Translation) which is where the data that represents the ship is lost forever in space. Energy needed to compute the quantum computers or even the ports that network the computers requires massive amounts of energy. This energy is equivalent to the amount of energy consumed on two 8 ly trips with a regular FTL. So in order to power the computers, ports, and the QND aboard the ship worlds have to harvest the mixture of regular hydrogen fuel and dark matter which are both dangerous as fuel sources, but are stable and produce a lot power to power these pieces of equipment. Since this drive is still currently being used as a prototype it will cost a captain, company, or even government group over a billion credits to get the drive installed and fitted to the ship. The dark matter / hydrogen mix costs about three times as much as regular fuel for FTLs. For locations that are a distance longer than 10 ly there is what they call a hub. It takes in the information re-translates the data in milla-seconds and sends them on their way (prevents data). These are placed sometimes in between worlds in which makes it possible for crews to stop there and get a break before continuing. Shops, cafes, and other places of interest setup here to make money from the crews of the ships that came in through the hubs. When the ship has been re-translated fully then it will require the full time to re-translate the ship into data again before continuing on.

Satharian Involvments: Optional Canon

With every great adventure in the Frontier you constantly run across Satharian controlled/funded organizations all around the Frontier and the edges of known space. Many of these groups may be made up of professional mercenaries or even ragtag rebels without a cause. Most of these organizations are known for their hit and run tactics or their extreme likelness towards high explosives and space stations or outposts in the fringes of known space.

As your character makes their way into the fringes of known space he or she will be either confronted by these organizations to join or be shot at by these organiztions. Unless you are a professional soldier or a good shot you aren't going to make the bigger groups. The smaller organizations actually try to recruit the inexpereinced because if that member dies it is a lot easier to replace unlike say a highly trained merc.

Those who side against these groups (sometimes corporations or local political governments) will offer rewards for certain members of a group being captured or killed. These will make any adventurer rich, but after hunting so many of these people they begin to either trying to recruit you or hunt you down using their resources amongst the local governments or corporations.

Many of those who side with the Satharians only do it out of money. So, this means that you could try and bribe suhc people for information. If these people trust you they will consider you as an asset. Losing this trust can and will get you killed. Many of those who are part of the Star Law branches that have been trying to clean up the mess of the Satharian Sympathyzers are usually the ones who allow these groups to continue their work. This in tunr gives work and confisgated goods to the departments who end up working on the cases of these groups.

If at any time the UPF military comes out to conduct "search and destroy" missions these groups are able to hide among the different planet systems or hidden bases that are either in the gas giants or asteroid fileds of stars systems. Most of the "search and destroy" missions are often carried out by UPF special forces or some UPF "unofficial" government intelligence agency. In most of these missions thoose involved (soldiers or operatives) are told to secure imporant Satharian technology if any and even capture those in direct contact with their Satharian contacts.

Many of the organizations that have ties to the Satharian people or are in conatact with the satharians will be added later to this section.

Star Law Department Two (Alternate Canon)

Espionage of the Frontier
Since the Sathar invasion almost two hundreds years ago from the modern day the espionage that the Sathar stirred still continues but less than before. Many of the modern-day problems to the UPF have been break offs of the original Sathar “espionage” movements that teetered the UPF. Now many break offs include mercenary groups, paramilitary groups, rebels, terrorists, and much more. Only one real group has made a defense against the threats to the UPF. This group has been known as the Star Law Rangers or the SLR which have now become a more volunteer military organization. Such an organization has become corrupt and a newer more separated faction of SLR has emerged to battle the corruption and rebellious movements against the UPF.

SLR’s Department 2
Since the beginning of the Sathar wars and their espionage movements to destroy the UPF have been stopped by the SLR. But since the SLR became more of a military organization it has become corrupt. Leaders of the SLR that saw the corruption decided to form and keep secret a more lethal department two. This department has been known as the phantom group. Such a group made it easier to make moves against the espionage groups inside the UPF that in turn made it impossible for anyone to tell what was going to happen.

This began to be the eputation of only five thousand men and women.Recruiting of these individuals is mad simply by kidnapping the people at a young age. With brainwashing techniques the men and women who fight under department two will not turn against their commanders. If hey are told so they will terminate themselves without question. Now those who have witnessed these people in action they could tell you they move in quick precision leave no on alive (which would mean witnesses is a rare and unheard of event). Each member under the SLR department 2 works with some of the best combat equipment known to the UPF...

Continued later (have to find the other psrt of this article)

UPF/Star Law Involvements: Outside Civilized Space

Oustside of the area known as colonized space (where most of the political influence out powers mega corporations and other groups) there are no real dirty wars. This place is considered a no touch zone for most disputes. Even if the Corp Wars or small dirty wars were to reach civilized space there wouldnt be a chance of real open war.

Unlike the fringes of known space the civilized portion of space has more Star Law police officers and government funded civil defense soldiers to stop any sort of conflict from happening or stop it in mid flight. Now if a person was to travel further towards the fringes of known space then the Corporations hold the power along with other "government" sanctioned groups, or even the possiblity of Satharian followers.

Wars are fought amongst the stars of this portion of space. Corporations fight for resources such as planets where they can allow their companies to thrive and produce materials better than the corporations.

Much of the "Private Sector" of known space are involved with these "Dirty Wars" or "Corporate Wars". Many famous private security contractors come out wealthier than they come in. Corporations accept those with previous military experience and use the mercs to hunt down Corporate overseers of opposing corporations. This allows corporations themselves to keep from being "involved" directly with the Corporate disputes and makes it to where if those who get caught they can say they have no such records of those individuals.

Most Star Law officers either bought off or even killed. Political leaders in these areas are either enemies or valuable allies to the Corporations. Many of thopse who choose opposition call for help from the special forces or Star Law officers. Many will answer the call but not many are able to survive as well as say the civilized portions of space. Those who decide to side with the corporations (or even the hundreds of other groups in the area) grabt political immunity for those who work for the groups or corportions.

Even though much of the fringes of known space are controlled by the UPF and are technically under jurisdiction of Star Law. But, with more and more deaths of political officials and officers the Fringes have become the interstellar "no man's-land". This makes it easier for corporations to roam freely as well as other groups. As a citizen of the UPF it is said d any who decide to move towards or to the fringes are no longer sanctioned by the UPF. Unless for some odd reason the UPF military or star law will not negotiate on terms of hostage situations. This makes it easier to keep what little portion of space they have under complete control of the UPF.

Crimes committed in or around the Fringes is considered as a felony or death sentence inside the Frontier. War criminals and such are hunted down and either executed or captured for trial. Inmost cases the UPF will only act if UPF citizens are involved. Meanwhile Star Law may search and secure evidence in the fringes of known space but are known for doing so.

SS' house rule/ammendments

Shadow Shack's rules / ammendments

Alpha Dawn

This is where the bulk of my AD house rules will be stored

Cythar

The Cythar are a new discovery to the UPF, when a large mobile space station dropped out of the void in the K'aken-Kar system. Ken'zah Kit fell prey to their rapid assault, consisting of both the heavy defensive systems on the station itself and ten 6-unit squadrons of various sized fighter craft ranging from class one to class three hulls. The smaller craft were single operator star fighters lined with fusion bombs, obviously designed for ramming attacks as well as sporting laser weapons for ship to ship combat. The medium sized Raiders were manned by two to three Cythar and featured both laser and rocket weapon systems, while the larger craft were bombers manned by two crew members and the nuclear powered energy weapons were obviously intended for heavy damage on larger targets such as capital ships, orbital space stations, and planetary assault.

If it weren't for the timely commissioning of the latest SF-1 Dagger squadron the planet surely would have fallen. Together with the Ken'zah-Kit Militia and several Strike Force NOVA vessels that were insystem at the time, the Cythar forces were eventually overtaken and driven off, but at the cost of heavy casualties among the defending fleet.

When some of the salvageable enemy wreckage was recovered afterwards, it was shocking to discover that these various fighter craft were manned by bipedal armored cybernetic robots featuring a sweeping LED visual sensor and a reverberating voice module in the head, and brains and nervous systems as well as support organs of Sathar nature. Certainly this explains why the Sathar gather their dead and fallen after battles, they appear to be utilizing and ressurecting their fallen comrades to continue serving the Sathar cause in the form of these deadly cybot warriors that have been dubbed "Cythar", an acronym for Cybernetic Sathar.

So far three classes of Cythar have been identified: Drones, Centurions, and Officers. Drones have a single CPU to assist the organic brain, and so far all the drone brains tend to be somewhat lacking in size when compared to normal Sathar brains. In theory, Drone brains were most likely surgically altered prior to cybernetic incorporation. Drones appear to be incapable of independant thought or action, yet retain the basic motor skills from their organic brain and are capable of learning and adapting to new conditions. Drone armor is dull in appearance. Drones were found amongst the wreckage of fighter craft.

Centurions feature normal sized Sathar brains that operate independantly of their single CPU, which merely serves to power the mechanical and electronic systems. They most likely are capable of operating independantly and making decisions, much like a living being would. Centurion armor is albedoline coated and polished to a mirror-like finish. Centurions were found along with Drones among the wreckage of many of the class two Raider craft.

Officers are immediately distinguished from Centurions with their polished gold albedoline armor. The only difference aside from visual appearance is their dual CPU units are wired to their organic brains, indicating that they are both hardwired to other systems as well as capable of free thought and decision making. Officers were recovered from the wreckage of the bomber craft, and an occasional one was found with a couple of the Raider craft as well, possibly indication of a Raider squadron leader.

A fourth class featuring matte black armor has been reported, but none have been acquired for analysis yet. It is presumed that these are stealth models designed for intelligence missions.

Just like the other Sathar allies, any civilian encounters with Cythar should be reported immediately. They should not be attacked unless as a last resort, as they are very dangerous cybernetic beings and completely unpredictable, although their slow reaction and movement speed does allow one to obtain the upper hand in some situations.

Ground Vehicles Revisited

Ground Vehicle Variations

Base model vehicles and performance specs are as described on page 29-30 of the Star Frontiers/Alpha Dawn "Expanded Game Rules" book. The only exception is a hovercycle top speed should read 180kph, not 120kph. Variations are as follows:

Table A: Size Variations (Cars & Cycles)
applicable to both ground and hover vehicles

Top Speed Cruise Speed Accel Decel Turn Speed Passengers Cargo Cost
Small/Compact -20 -20 -20 +20 +10 -50%* -50% -25%
Intermediate -10 - n/a - -10 +10 - n/a - - n/a - -25% -10%
Mid-Sized - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a -
Large +10 +10 +10 - n/a - -10 +50%** +50% +25%
Heavy - n/a - +20 - n/a - -10 -20 +100% +100% +50%
*round up
** round down

Table B: Style Variations (Cars & Cycles)
applicable to both ground and hover vehicles

Top Speed Cruise Speed Accel Decel Turn Speed SPECIAL Cost
Standard - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a -
Cruise -10kph +10% - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - +10%
Utility* -10kph - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - -10 - n/a - +20%
Luxury - n/a - +20kph - n/a - - n/a - -10 - n/a - +25%
Sport +10kph -10 kph +10 +10 +10 - n/a - +40%
Super Sport +20kph -20kph +20 +20 +20 - n/a - +50%
Dual Sport - n/a - - n/a - +10 -10 -10 +0.1 Terrain +30%
Adventure - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - -20 -20 +0.2 terrain +40%
Vintage/Classic -10kph -10kph -10 - n/a - -10 - n/a - -50 to +500%***
Custom** varies varies varies varies varies varies varies

* Utility vehicles may alternate passenger and cargo space by any combination of 50%/50% (e.g. a standard utility ground car may convert 75kg/0.5cubic meter of cargo space to 3 passenger seats, can't exceed the 50% on either end)

**CUSTOM variations allow for combinations, such as sport/standard. Use the lesser applicable modifier and average the cost modifiers. Use common sense where applicable, such as a longer wheelbase vehicle (chopper or stretch limo) would have a turn speed penalty etc

*** Depending on condition

Table C: Size Variations (Transports & Explorers)
applicable to ground & hover transports and explorers

Top Speed Cruise Speed Accel Decel Turn Speed Passengers Cargo Cost
Small +10kph -10kph +10 +10 +10 -33% -50% -20%
Standard - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a -
Large -10kph +10kph -10 -10 -10 +33% +50% +50%
Heavy Duty* -20kph +20kph -20 -20 -20 +100% +100% +100%

*TRACK MOBILE chassis available @ +25% cost, not permitted on city streets

Table D: Style Variations (Transports & Explorers)
applicable to ground & hover transports and explorers
Top Speed Cruise Speed Accel Decel Turn Speed Passengers Cargo Cost
Sport +20kph -10kph +10 +10 +10 - n/a - -25% +25%
Utility* - n/a - - n/a - +10 - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - +30%
Passenger - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - +10 - n/a - +20 -75% +20%
Cargo - n/a - +10 - n/a - - n/a - - n/a - -50% +100% +10%
a standard style is also available, no additonal cost or variables

* Utility vehicles may alternate passenger and cargo space by any combination of 50%/50% (e.g. a standard utility explorer may convert 3 passenger seats to 1000kg/3 cubic meter of cargo space)

Appendix 1: Modifications

Sidecar (cycles only): +1 passenger/+50% cargo, -10 accel/decel/turn speeds --- Cost: 500Cr

Detachable Luggage (cycle or car): +50% cargo space --- Cost: 75Cr

Utility Trailer: +200% cargo space, -10 accel/turn and -20 decel/
top speeds for each trailer added --- Cost: 250(cycle)/750(car)/2500Cr(transport)Cr

Air Brakes/Hard Brakes (hover/ground): +10 decel; --- Cost: 1000Cr

Re-geared Transaxles(any): +10 accel/decel & -10 Top/Cruise OR -10 accel/decel & +10 Top/Cruise --- Cost: 50Cr

GyroStabilizers: +10 turn speed --- Cost: 2500Cr

+1 Powerplant Rebuild: +10 to Top/Cruise/Accel/Decel/Turn speeds --- Cost: 15000Cr*

+2 Powerplant Rebuild: +20 to Top/Cruise/Accel/Decel/Turn speeds --- Cost: 25000Cr*

+3 Powerplant Rebuild: +30 to Top/Cruise/Accel/Decel/Turn speeds --- Cost: 35000Cr*

High Performance Racing Chip (HPRC, any): +20 top speed & accel, +10 decel & turn speeds --- Cost: 20000Cr

*Powerplant rebuilds may not exceed the +3 category. A +1 rebuild can be performed initially, followed later by another +1 or a +2 rebuild but can never exceed the +3 bonuses.

Multi-Barrel Weaponry

Dual, Triple, & Quad barrel weapons

One method to increase damage to your opponents is sending more firepower in their direction. Rather than shooting at them with two, three, or four different weapons, why not simply have all those weapons on a single body?

Adding additional barrels to a weapon, be it a pistol or rifle, incoporates utilizing the reciever, ammunition, and barrel from another host weapon. Hence, a standard laser rifle buttstock can be modified to accept a second, thrid, and/or fourth barrel and ammunition reciever, so that all weapons employ the common trigger assembly to activate them. Doing so increases the mass by 50% of the original single weapon for each additional barrel/reciever. The advantage of course is the extra damage inflicted by the second, third, and fourth unit thus doubling, tripling, or quadrupling the standard damage. The drawbacks, aside from aditional mass, include the additional doubling, tripling, or quadrupling of ammo use.

Cost is also increased by 50% of the original host weapon. Range modifiers are not affected, although possible encumbrance issues can arise.

Dual Gyrojet Pistol

Dual Laser Pistol

Power Sources (revised mass)

Why is it that 5 powerclips which have no mass according to the rulebooks, yet a 100SEU powerbackpack which holds the same energy as five "massless" powerclips has to weigh 10kg?

I made a revision that a beltpack masses 1kg and the backpack masses 2kg...with the obvious difference between them and the clips is the multiple ports and connection points along with the hardware to relay the energy from source to each port. On that same token, 5 powerclips (or any other ammo clip) masses 1kg (or 0.2kg each).

I summarily reduced the mass of parabatteries as well to 10, 20, 40, & 80kg for type 1, 2, 3, & 4 batteries respectively.

SOURCE	WEIGHT(kg)
5 clips	1kg
Backpack	2kg
Parabattery Type	---
1	10kg
2	20kg
3	40kg
4	80kg

Skills Breakdown

Part 1: Military Skills

These remain unchanged, although with a few additional skills added.

Skill Level	PSA XP	non-PSA XP
1	3	6
2	6	12
3	9	18
4	12	24
5	15	30
6	18	36

New Military Skills

Concealment, Stealth, & Survival
Success Rate: 40%/20%/20% + 10% per level respectively

These skills are the exact equivilents as the Environmental skills. XP must be spent on each individual skill, just as the character would if he/she were a BioSocial PSA.

Heavy Weapons
Success Rate: automatic

This military skill requires three experience point to acquire (assuming PSA: military, 6 if otherwise). It is a one time automatic skill (re: no further advancement is possible) whose purpose negates the -10 penalty for firing a fixed, mounted, or otherwise heavy weapon such as a machine gun, heavy laser, rocket launcher, etc.

Vehicle Operation
Success Rate: automatic/40% + 10% per level for special maneuvers, 30% +10% per level for alien vehicles

This skill allows the use of various vehicles depending upon skill level. The usual -20% modifier is also applicable. See the tiered licensing table below to determine what vehicles can be utilized depending on skill level, an operator can not use any vehicle at a level higher than his/her skill level but may still use anything below.

1	Ground cycles/cars/transports
2	Hover cycles/cars/transports, light aquatic craft, and Glijets
3	Track-mobiles & Heavy Duty ground vehicles, Heavy aquatic craft, Copters
4	Air cars & other various small aircraft
5	Large air transports & sub-orbital aircraft
6	Shuttles, launches, & workpods

Vehicle Combat
Success Rate: +5% to hit (only applicable when in a moving vehicle)

This skill helps to negate movement modifiers in vehicle combat. Attacker must possess the corresponding skill for the weapon used. The modifiers only apply to combat scenarios that entail moving vehicles...for example a person standing on the ground may use it to fire upon a moving hovercycle, but not at occupants in a parked ground car --- or a person in an air car may use it to fire at ground targets (stationary or otherwise).

Zero Grav Combat
Success Rate: see below

This military skill allows for improved combat prowess in a zero gravity environment. 0G combat decreases a character's dexterity by half, as well as mandating a RS check after each firing action to maintain (or regain) control. The 0G skill allows a +5/level bonus to the DEX (not to exceed original dexterity where aplicable) and a +2/level bonus to the RS check.
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Part 2: Technical Skills

The Technical Skills also remain the same, but the sub-skills are individually increased as the player gains experience. This allows for a more fleshed-out skill, one technician may be more adept at repairs, another at operating machinery, a third at opening locks, etc. The technical skills are still divided into three fields: Technician, Robotics, and Computers.

A starting character gets the skill at the LVL:1 Buy-In, meaning he/she recieves all the subskills at level one. The LVL:0 Buy-In refers to characters that wish to add a second or third technical skill field to their character (such as a technician adding robotics or computers). Buying in gives the character all the subskills at zero-level, meaning he/she may use the skills with no bonuses.

Adding a second or third technical skill field at the LVL:1 Buy-In allows the character to start with the new skill with all subskills at level one. This requires expending one XP (2 for non-Technical PSA) per subskill, so to acquire the Technician set it would take 5XP as there are five separate subskills in that field.

Increasing the individual subskills is explained in the following table:

	PSA XP	non-PSA XP
LVL:0 Buy-In*	2	4
LVL:1 Buy-In	1/subskill	2/subskill
individual LVL:2 skill	0.5	1
individual LVL:3 skill	1	2
individual LVL:4 skill	2	4
individual LVL:5 skill	3	6
individual LVL:6 skill	4	8

* Increasing LVL:0 subskills to LVL:1 can be done at 3 subskills per XP (3 subskills for every 2XP for non-PSA), leftover skills per XP are lost.

New Technical Skills

Armorer
Success Rate: 40% + 10% per level

An armorer may repair damaged weapons as well as defensive suits & screens. An armorer that possesses any weapons skill may attempt to construct any weapon in that field at one half the normal item cost using the same success rate. Characters with this skill may also opt to combine weapons (such as a dual barrel automatic pistol, or a laser/gyrojet rifle, etc) at the same rate.

Vehicle Combat
Success Rate: +5% to hit

As with the Military version, this skill helps a technician to use a fixed/forward firing weapon on the vehicle he/she is operating. If the vehicle operator also has a corresponding weapon skill, those bonuses may be added in as well...although unlike the military version no base skill is required. The skill reflects the technician's ability to make fine directional adjustments to compensate for movement modifiers, and is only applicable when the vehicle is in operation.

Vehicle Operation
Success Rate: automatic/40% + 10% per level for special maneuvers, 30% +10% per level for alien vehicles

This skill is the same as the Military PSA version above albeit with slightly higher chances of success to reflect the additional XP required and technical background.

Vehicle Repair
Success Rate: 50% + 10% per level

This skill allows the repair of various vehicles, not to be confused with the repair of various pieces of machinery. With vehicles being less complex than machinery, the success rates are slightly higher.

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Part 3: Bio-Social Skills

As with the Technical Skills, the Bio-Social Skills also remain the same but the sub-skills are individually increased as the player gains experience. This allows for a more fleshed-out skill, one medic may be more adept at surgery, while another excels at diagnosis and a third can be a disease expert, etc The bio-social skills are still divided into three fields: Environmental, Medical, and Psycho-Social.

A starting character gets the skill at the LVL:1 Buy-In, meaning he/she recieves all the subskills at level one. The LVL:0 Buy-In refers to characters that wish to add a second or third bio-social skill field to their character (such as a medic adding the environmental or psycho-social field). Buying in gives the character all the subskills at zero-level, meaning he/she may use the skills with no bonuses.

Adding a second or third technical skill field at the LVL:1 Buy-In allows the character to start with the new skill with all subskills at level one. This requires expending one XP (2 for non-BioSocial PSA) per subskill, so to acquire the Medic set it would take 9XP as there are nine separate subskills in that field.

Increasing the individual subskills is explained in the following table:

	PSA XP	non-PSA XP
LVL:0 Buy-In*	3	6
LVL:1 Buy-In	1/subskill	2/subskill
individual LVL:2 skill	0.5	1
individual LVL:3 skill	1	2
individual LVL:4 skill	2	4
individual LVL:5 skill	3	6
individual LVL:6 skill	4	8

* Increasing LVL:0 subskills to LVL:1 can be done at 3 subskills per XP (3 subskills for every 2XP for non-PSA), leftover skills per XP are lost.

New Bio-Social Skills

Bluffing
Success Rate: ¼ (LOG + PER) + 10%/level

This skill allows a character to pass lies or tall tales with reassurance, but within the constraints of normal logic.

Forgery
Success Rate: ¼ (LOG + DEX) + 5%/level

The (illegal) art of copying/producing signatures, writings, and documents.

Haggling
Success Rate: ½PER + 10%/level

Allows for a chance to negotiate the price down on purchased items or up for itms being sold. Make a check for every 5% margin (two checks for a 10% increase/decrease, three for 15, up to a 25% maximum margin).

Misc. Skills

Vacc Suit
Success Rate: automatic

Any spacer, upon acquiring one of the various ship skills, is eligible to learn the skill of donning and using a spacesuit. One experience point must be expended and there is no skill level, the success rate is automatic. Time is halved when donning a spacesuit compared to the unskilled, and add a +10% bonus to repair work performed (patches etc). Anyone without a spaceship skill must expend 3XP to acquire the skill.
______________________________________________________________________________________

Note: all new skills at the end of each section can be purchased via the XP expenditure is as defined on the Military table (3/6/9/12/15/18XP for PSA, 6/12/18/24/30/36 for non-PSA).

Knight Hawks

This is the bulk of my KH modifications.

Armor Plating

Ships can be armored with thicker hull plating along with more durable bulkheads and framework. This can only be performed during construction of the ship, and is only available at a Class:1 SCC.

As such, there are four grades of hull armor:

Armor Grade \|	Hull Points \|	Cost
Unarmored	Base HP	50,000
Light	6	100,000
Medium	7	200,000
Heavy	8	400,000

Hull points and Cost are multiplied by the ships hull size.

NOTE: A military contractor is required for the medium and heavy grades of armor, although any ship may receive the light armor during construction. Performance penalties apply for the higher grades of armor, this will be detailed below.

If you crunch the numbers, this ruling almost lines up perfectly with canon KH specs on the warships --- a fighter would have heavy armor for 8HP at HS:1, a frigate has heavy armor for 40HP at HS:5, but the destroyer gets a bonus two HP for 50 at HS:6 (to which my only explanation can be the designer opted for more brawn over improved performance, as opposed to the Frigate and Assault Scout). Even the battleship at HS:20 could be detailed as light armor (to keep costs down?) for 120HP. A canon light cruiser at HS:14 / 70HP can be redesigned as HS:12 with light armor and one less drive for a minor price increase (and much cheaper to operate over the long term as a result) while sporting two additional hull points worth of protection, not to mention a lower grade pilot can man the helm! (level 4 instead of 5)

As noted earlier, the medium and heavy grades reduce performance. Figure a -1 for each grade, applicable to either the ADF or MR, builder's choice (determined during construction). In other words, a total -2 penalty for heavy armor, applicable to one or the other or -1 to both. This can be compensated by doubling the number of drives per penalty (re: two more "A" drives for medium armor on an assault scout, four more for heavy armor), but under no circumstances can performance go above the normal/stock configuration, therefore doubling the drives to compensate for medium armor will only revert it back to stock performance, not +1 ADF or MR...thus one drive doubling negates one grade of penalties, so add double the drives twice for heavy armor...another reason why the eight C drive battleship has light armor: no performance penalties. (See? It really does work out nicely!) Under no circumstance should the total number of drives exceed eight --- if you can't add more drives, then the penalties remain.

As such, assault scouts can be revamped with armored hulls so they can take a little more abuse, considering their counterparts on both ends (frigates and fighters). At 24HP, it still has a fair chance at surviving an assault rocket or it can take one more battery weapon hit than before. Twin A drives hanging off the wings of a medium armored scout makes it a more formidable craft...even reduced to ADF/MR: 4/4 via stock drive configuration and medium armor it's still something of a contender (remember - MR must be 4 or more for assault rocket use, dropping MR to 3 mandates swapping the AR system for pod lasers or a second laser battery).

It opens the doors to various configurations...some militias may not be able to afford the armored ships so they would settle for the less expensive "canon" versions, while the UPF and more economically stable systems would go all out for the super models with heavy armor and four drives, while yet other militias might have something in between.

Note that civilian ships under a government charter can become eligible for higher grade armored hulls. Even the occasional megacorp ship wouldn't be out of line with higher grades of armor, naturally exerting some influence upon the government presiding over their home office world...

Optional Rule
For each grade of armor there is a 5% chance that a successful hit from any weapon hits at such an angle it's damage potential is entirely deflected.

Armor Grade \|	Deflection
Unarmored	0%
Light	5%
Medium	10%
Heavy	15%

Auto Eject Module (AEM)

The Auto Eject Module, simply put, is a cockpit module that doubles as an escape pod. Assuming the craft has a life support program the occupant(s) should be given a fair time before the supplies run out, otherwise it's up to the space suits and any additional life support packs carried onboard.

This is strictly a HS:1-2 item intended for fighter craft and can accomodate no more than two beings. The design stems from the need fo fighter crew survival, as these small craft can not sustain much damage yet they are essential to any fleet operation. Cost is 30,000Cr (same as an escape pod), and the chance of escaping a destroyed craft is a base 95% minus 1% for each hull point below 0. The AEM broadcasts a signal beacon for friendly craft to detect them as they are too small to immediately show up on radar.

With the advent of the AEM, fighter crews tend to stick around longer as they gain more experience rather than moving up to larger craft. Squadrons of 2nd and 3rd level pilots are not uncommon, and the prowess they display on the battlefield is unparalleled.

Defenses (Knight Hawks)

Deflector Screen (DS)
A Deflector Screen allows shielding of smaller starships from enemy weaponry. A DS can absorb as many hits equal to the HS+4. Also, the screen can be adjusted for maximum protection, angle the screen fore and any attacks from ahead are nullified, angle it aft and any rear attacks are quelled. However, any attacks that come from the opposite side can cause damage.

To this end, the DS can be set at equal fore/aft protection, but won't provide the same protection all around. A DS protects from all energy and projectile weapon attacks. If the attack comes from the angle protected side, the shield will absorb 100% of the damage, if the attack comes from the opposite side the shield will absorb 50% of the damage. A screen set equally fore and aft absorbs 75% of damage from any side. Each hit takes one charge off the screen (maximum charge is HS+4), and it takes one standard repair round (three combat turns) for one charge to be reinstated, and the craft must be coasting under non-combat maneuvers (meaning ADF:0 or 1).

Due to the inability of the DS projectors to extend over a large area, the maximum HS for a DS equipped ship is HS:6. A DS costs (HS x 1500)credits at a Class:I construction center and takes up (HS x 5)cubic meters of space, and takes a LVL:2/FP:8 computer program to operate.

Albedo Shield (AS)
Player characters can wear an Albedo suit for protection against lasers, starship owners can opt for a reflective hull to protect their craft from laser attacks. Player characters can also purchase and activate an Albedo Screen for the same purpose, and so it is now with starships too. A starship's Albedo Shield absorbs full damage from all laser attacks for as long as the shield is activated, but it can only be activated for a number of combat turns equal to (HS +4). After which time the shield energy is drained and must be recharged, which takes an equal number of combat turns and the shield can not be reactivated until fully charged. Treat as a reflective hull for hit determination. Minimum hull size is HS:5 and the system costs (HS x 2500)credits at a Class:I center, takes up (HS x 8)cubic meters, and requires a LVL:2/FP:6 computer program to operate.

Dreadnought Specifications

Dreadnought \dred' not\ n. 1. A British battleship, completed in 1906 -- 1907, having an armament consisting of ten 12-inch guns, and of twenty-four 12-pound quick-fire guns for protection against torpedo boats. This was the first battleship of the type characterized by a main armament of big guns all of the same caliber. She has a displacement of 17,900 tons at load draft, and a speed of 21 knots per hour.

Dreadnoughts are known for being large and having big guns...

Frontier News Network

Operation:Dreadnought Bill Passes by Narrow Majority

---Morgaine's World, Prenglar
f.y. 5/33/70

The Council of Worlds finally approved the bill that allows for larger than Class:20 military craft. Following the second Sathar War, the Star Fighter Corps was quickly enacted to advance the small scale assaults into worthy fighting units. High ranking Spacefleet officials followed suit by pushing for something to be done on the other end of the spectrum to get OD rolling.

The bill wasn't being taken too seriously at first, that is until the recent appearance of what the UPF dubbed as the "Juggernaut", a massive Sathar vessel that dwarfed small space stations in sheer mass. This opened the eyes of many UPF strategists and they realized that the possibility of more (or worse yet, larger) craft of such magnitude would spell certain doom for the Frontier.

Immediately following the passage of this bill, military contracters drafted blueprints for such craft as a class:24 craft dubbed "Strike Cruiser", a class:30 hull dubbed as a "Stike Carrier" that can carry up to 24 fighter craft or 6 assault scouts in its massive bay, all the way up to one enormous class:50 craft that will simply be known as a "Frontier Cruiser".

News of passage brought smiles to Pan Galactic executives, following a recently awarded extension of their Battleship contract which now translates to even more of their craft that will be called on as support to such larger craft, hinting that the construction of as many as five more battleships may be contracted within the next year or two. And little doubt exists that their Gran Quivera shipyard will host some of the initial dreadnought constructions as well. Needless to say, shares of PGC stock should be enjoying more healthy gains in the near future.

But Streel executives aren't frowning. Their new shipyard in Cassidine is scheduled to pump out an all new and updated Heavy Cruiser design with modern features that will blow away the original leftovers from the first Sathar War. CEO Hilo Headow (ym) was quoted as saying "We're confident that once all this gets underway, our new cruisers will become the mainstay capital ship of UPF fleets. Add to that, they cost less and we can produce them quicker than our competition's battleships. There's a certain advantage to being number two: it lets the competition know that there's something uncomfortable up their asses, and when it's all said and done they still have to look behind them to see what it is." Spacefleet is considering the purchase of no fewer than three of the new craft, assuming the prototype lives up to Streel's marketing promises.

Many rallies staged by the Frontier Peace Organization expressing their outrage cropped up during the time this bill was up for consideration, and most of them continue to rage today. Some of them turned violent as supporters from the Anti-Satharian League gathered nearby for retaliating demonstrations. ASL leader J. Harrington Farnsworth (hm) was quoted saying "We're all very happy about the passage of Operation: Dreadnought. It's about time the UPF stepped up their efforts." With regards to the FPO, he simply said "When those fools are done hugging their trees, I hope for their sake a strangler chute drops down on them before a worm blasts them in the back. It's always nicer to die thinking that you were right."

FPO leaders were unavailable for comment. An ammendment for the possibility of larger civilian freight haulers and liners is now up for consideration.

Here are a few tables for creating Dreadnoughts in Star Frontiers.

HS	Leng/Diam	#drives & type	ADF/MR	Hull Cost Modifier
20	600/100	8 C	2 / 2	1
21	640/106	2 D	2 / 2	1.5
22	680/112	3 D	2 / 2	1.5
23	730/120	4 D	2 / 2	1.5
24	780/128	6 D	2 / 2	1.5
25	840/136	8 D	2 / 1	1.5
26	880/145	2 E	2 / 1	2
27	940/160	2 E	2 / 1	2
28	1000/175	2 E	2 / 1	2
29	1060/185	3 E	2 / 1	2
30	1120/200	3 E	2 / 1	2
31	1180/210	3 E	2 / 1	2.5
32	1240/220	4 E	2 / 1	2.5
33	1300/230	4 E	2 / 1	2.5
34	1360/240	4 E	2 / 1	2.5
35	1420/250	4 E	2 / 1	2.5
36	1480/260	4 E	1 / 1	3
37	1540/270	6 E	1 / 1	3
38	1600/280	6 E	1 / 1	3
39	1675/290	6 E	1 / 1	3
40	1750/300	8 E	1 / 1	3
41	1825/315	2 F	1 / 1	3.5
42	1900/330	2 F	1 / 1	3.5
43	2150/345	3 F	1 / 1	3.5
44	2300/360	3 F	1 / 1	3.5
45	2450/375	4 F	1 / 1	3.5
46	2600/400	4 F	1 / ½	4
47	2750/425	6 F	1 / ½	4
48	2900/450	6 F	1 / ½	4
49	3050/475	6 F	1 / ½	4
50	3200/500	8 F	1 / ½	4

MR: ½ relates to making one 60º facing change every other combat turn

HS Leng/Diam #drives & type ADF/MR Hull Cost Modifier
51 3300/525 2G ½ / ½ 5
52 3400/550 2G ½ / ½ 5
53 3500/575 3G ½ / ½ 5
54 3600/600 3G ½ / ½ 5
55 3800/625 4G ½ / ½ 5
56 4000/650 4G ½ / 1/3 6
57 4200/675 5G ½ / 1/3 6
58 4400/700 6G ½ / 1/3 6
59 4600/725 7G ½ / 1/3 6
60 4800/800 8G ½ / 1/3 6

Anything over HS:60 becomes impractical for biological operation as the ADF would be restricted to 1/3, insufficient artificial gravity for long term crew survival

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Dreadnought Drive Tables

Table 1: Atomic Drives

Hull Size	Engine Size	Cost(SCC:1)	Fuel Pellet Capacity	Trips Between Overhauls	Program Level/FP
21-25	D	1,000,000	15	20	6(256)
26-40	E	1,500,000	25	30	6(512)
41-50	F	3,000,000	40	50	6(1024)

Hull Size	Engine Size	Cost (SCC:1)	Fuel Pellet Capacity	Trips Between Overhauls	Program Level/FP
51-60	G	4,500,000	60	75	6(2048)

Table 2: Ion Drives

Hull Size	Engine Size	Cost(SCC:1)	Program Level/FP
21-25	D	300,000	6(96)
26-40	E	600,000	6(192)
41-50	F	1,000,000	6(384)

No Ion Drives available in the G rating, as the ADF would be ¼ which would be insufficient for long term crew survival

The Alarm, Damage Control, and Maintenance programs will all be at LVL:6 with function points being factored one higher for every drive over size C (meaning size D will be doubled, size E tripled, etc). Likewise, any supplemental software will also need to be increased accordingly, such as Commerce, Communication, Industry, and Transportation (for the ship's cargo manifest logs, intercoms, hydroponics/machine shops, and elevators respectively) all at LVL:2 instead of LVL:1 for size D drives, LVL:3 at size E, etc.
____________________________________________________________

Hull Specification Chart

Ships
HS Leng/Diam Engines ADF/MR
1     10/2 1 (A)    5/5
2     30/5 1 (A)    4/4
3     50/8 2 (A)    4/4
4    75/12   4 (A)    4/4
5   100/15 2 (B)    3/3
6 130/20 2 (B)    3/3
7 150/25 3 (B)    3/3
8 180/30 3 (B)    3/3
9 210/35 4 (B)    3/3
10 240/40 4 (B)    3/3
11 270/45 5 (B)    3/3
12 300/50 6 (B)    3/3
13 340/55 6 (B)    3/3
14 380/60 8 (B)    3/3
15   420/65 4 (C)    2/2
16 450/70 4 (C)    2/2
17 475/80 6 (C)    2/2
18 500/85 6 (C)    2/2
19 540/95   6 (C)    2/2
20 600/100   8 (C)    2/2
all measurements are in meters

Stations
Size Ring/Hub Diam #Elevator Spokes/Length Max HS docking/total* Decks in Ring
  1     200/100 4/75 1-4 / 32    5
2     400/200 4/150 1-10 / 80   10
3     600/300 6/225 1-14 / 112   15
4     800/400 6/300 1-18 / 144   20
5    1000/500 8/375 1-20 / 176   25
6    1200/600 8/450 1-20 / 208   30
all measurements are in meters, station width is the same as the hub diameter

* the first value represents which HS craft may dock, the second represents how many total hulls may fit within the docking bay.

Ion Drives

Ion Drives
Everything I read about Ion Engines in the rules say that they're powerful, yet their performance as indicated by the rules says otherwise, same ADF as a Chemical Drive.

Theoretically speaking, since when is a Chemical Drive restricted to in-system only duty? If they accelerate at the same rate as Ion Drives, and since achieving jump velocity (200 hexes/turn according to the opening text on page 3 of the KH Campaign Book:

"12 million kph {1% of the speed of light}"

Go ahead and do the math...) is just a matter of acceleration, given enough fuel for a Chemical drive what real advantage is there in opting for Ion Drives?

Hence, Ion Drives in my campaign allow for an ADF of half (rounding up) that of similarly equipped Atomic Drive powered craft. They can also be mounted in the stern or on struts, seeing as they don't emit any radiation like atomic drives would.

Multiple Astrogators

Using the standard plot time rule, a single astrogator can only work ten hours and take ten hours off between shifts (rest etc). Incorporating a second astrogator will allow the plot time to be cut nearly in half, as one works while the other rests. A third astrogator can cut this time down even further.

The formula for multiple-astrogator course plotting is as follows:

T = L x 10 / ( A - 1) + A

T is total plot time in GST hours

L is the number of light years to be travelled

A is the number of astrogators working together

Thus, an 8LY jump that would normally require 80 hours of time (not including downtime) for a single astrogator could be plotted by three astrogators in only 43 hours total time.

Para-Military Freighters

Para-Military Freighters
Ranging in size from HS:3 to 20, these freight haulers are reinfoced and upgunned yet retain most of their stock freighter performance figures. When a PM Freighter is commissioned, it is usually done so under a government charter with the owner(s). There are typically established trade routes that the ship will heed to with steady cargo schedules, and while the owners are under this chartered route all operating costs are taken care of, and payments are made on the loan by the chartered government, but there is no profit being made off of any cargos at the same time. The owner(s) are given one forty day period of leave time for every forty day period that they work.
Hovever, on that free time the owner is responsible for all costs and is eligible to make any profits off of any cargos that are obtained. Naturally no illegal conduct is permitted during such time. PM Freighters are permitted (HS x 20) cubic meters of space for weapon systems and (HS x 12) cubic meters for defensive systems. Defensive and offensive allocated space is not interchangeable, any unused space is unused. Crew size is typically (HS x 2) members, hull points varie according to armor possibilities, although most usually go witht he light armor (HS x 6), DCR is calculated at (HS x 5)+30 , and cargo is reduced by one unit for freighters HS 4-8, -2 for freighters HS:9-14, and -3 for freighters HS:15+.

Ship Skills

Due to my revised breakdown of the AD skills, the prerequisite skills for spaceship skills have changed as follows:

PILOT Technician (Operate Machinery & Vehicle Operation @ LVL:6 each), Computers (Operate @ LVL:1, Display Info @ LVL:2)

ASTROGATOR Computer (Operate & Display Info @ LVL:2 in each, Program Manipulation @ LVL:6)

ENGINEER Technician (Repair Machinery & Vehicle Repair @ LVL:4 each), Computers (Operate @ LVL:1, Display Info @ LVL:1 each), Robotics (Alter & List Functions @ LVL:2 each)

ENERGY GUNNERY Beam Weapons @ LVL:3 , Vehicle Combat @ LVL:2

ROCKET GUNNERY Projectile Weapons @ LVL:2, Gyrojet Weapons @ LVL:2 , Vehicle Combat @ LVL:2

Dreadnought Skills

BATTERY COMMANDER (Prerequisite Skills: Energy or Rocket Gunnery @ LVL:2 minimum, coinciding on weapon system). A Battery Commander coordinates the attacks of mulitple weapons, up to four at a time. In doing so, the dreadnought's gunners can cause massive amounts of damage to the intended targets. The Commander may only coordinate the specified types of weapon systems: rocket batteries for Rocket Battery Commanders and laser/electron/proton beam batteries for Energy Battery Commanders. Multiple weapons all must be of the same type, you can not mix a pair of laser batteries with a proton and electron battery.

To determine the chance to hit, take the average of all gunners (round down) and add +2/BC level. Rolling less than or equao to that number results in all weapons hitting, anything else is a complete miss for all weapons.
EXAMPLE: A LVL:4 Rocket Battery Commander aboard a battleship is coordinating four of the rocket batteries, operated by two LVL:3 rocket gunners, one LVL:4 gunner, and one LVL:5 gunner. The average level is 3 (3=3=4=5=16, 16/4 =3.75 rounded down to 3), so the base chance to hit for a rocket battery is 30% + 15 for the average level. The Battery COmmander adds his +8 bonus to that number, so any roll of 53 or less results in all four weapons hitting for a total of 8d10 damage against the target.

The BC level may not exceed the prerequisite skill level, hence a LVL:4 Energy Gunner can not advance past LVL:4 Battery Commander until the EG skill is raised to LVL:5. The number of batteries a commander may coordinate is dependant on experience level, as illustrated inthe following table:

BC Level	# of Batteries
1	2
2	2
3	3
4	3
5	4
6	5

DREADNOUGHT ENGINEER (Prerequisite Skills: Engineeer LVL:6) A Dreadnought Engineer commands a team of other engineers in order to coordinate the maintenance, upkeep, and repairs of the mighty vessel. A Dreadnought Engineer is also capable of drafting blueprints for the construction of such monstrosities. The table below details how many additional engineers are required as well as the hull size construction qualifications:

Dreadought Engineer Level	Additional Engineers	Max Hull Size (for design)
(LVL:6 Engineer)	1	20
1	2	HS:21-24
2	3	HS:25-29
3	4	HS:30-35
4	6	HS:36-45
5	8	HS:46-49
6	10	HS:50+

A Dreadought Engineer may add an additional +5/level to the standard repair roll, but repairs take twice as long to conduct due to the extensive size of the craft (permitted every sixth combat turn rather than every third).

DREADNOUGHT PILOT (Prerequisite Skills: Pilot LVL:6). A Dreadnought Pilot commands a team of other highly skilled pilots in order to operate these massive craft, as a dreadnought's controls are too vast to be handled by a single being. All dreadnought subskill operations are conducted under the usual LVL:6 canon rules, with the exception being size certification (and additional pilots required), as illustrated in the table below:

Dreadought Pilot Level	Additional Pilots & skill level	Max Hull Size
(LVL:6 Pilot)	1 @ LVL:5+	20
1	2 @ LVL:5+	HS:21-24
2	3 @ LVL:5+	HS:25-30
3	4 @ LVL:6	HS:31-35
4	5 @ LVL:6	HS:36-42
5	6 @ LVL:6	HS:43-49
6	8 @ LVL:6	HS:50+

A Dreadnought Pilot may add an additional +2/level to hit with forward firing weapons, in addition to the top ranking copilot's bonus and a gunner that is assisting with such weapon(s).

ASTROGATORS The canon astrogation rules are retained for dreadnoughts, nothing changes in this field as it still takes ten hours for each light year of plotted jump time. However, a larger astrogation team is kept onboard a dreadnought to expedite rapid calculations.

Dreadnought Skill Cost Table

Level	Battery Commander	Dreadnought Pilot	Dreadnought Engineer
1	35	80	60
2	60	120	80
3	80	180	120
4	120	250	180
5	180	340	250
6	250	450	340

Standardized Ship Computer

> Astrogation, Drive, and Life Support as the KH rulebook states

> Alarm and Damage Control, LVL = # of drives as per KH rulebook

> Maintenance, like above LVL = # of drives

> Analysis, LVL = Astrogation program LVL (LVL:6 for Deluxe astrogation equipment)

> Industry, LVL:1 for machine shop and hydroponics, may also replace cargo arm program

The owner/builder may add in any other desired programs as needed, such as weapons and defensive systems, Commerce program for trade vessels, laboratory or other specialty software, security programs, etc.

Communication LVL:1 can be utilized to coordinate intercom networks on anything larger than HS:2. An Installation Security program can handle the Skin Sensors without buying the Skin Sensor software.

Streamlining

Streamlining

Ships up to HS:5 can be streamlined to enable landing on atmospheric worlds, at +10% of the normal cost of the hull. This can only be performed during construction of the ship.

Universal Air Dock

Universal Air Dock

Trans Travel released this useful concept of a universal docking collar. It allows any two ships thus equipped to dock and allow their crews to access each vessel without the need for space suits. The collar portion extends past any extensions of the starship to connect with the other vessel's own collar, and the two interlinked air locks are then pressurized to allow easy access between ships. The telescopic portion of a UAD may also connect to a non-UAD craft presuming the hull is smooth and flat around the hatch, otherwise the usual spacewalking rules apply. Cost is 10,000Cr with a MHS=3.

Weapons (Knight Hawks)

Pod Laser (PL)
A Pod Laser is a down-scaled laser cannon for smaller craft such as star fighters. Simply put, the design incorporated removing the guns from a laser battery and down-sizing them to fit into the fuselage of a fighter craft. The PL hs a range of 50K kilometers, MHS:1, costs 6,000Cr and takes up 20 cubic meters of space. Treat as a laser cannon for hit resolution and damage is 1d10 with no damage table modifiers. A longer range version (90,000km range) is availabe at 8,000Cr and takes up 25cubic meters, designated PL(LR). Both systems use the same program that a standard laser cannon uses.

Pod Laser Turret (PLT)
With a MHS:3 requirement for a laser battery, it became apparent that both smaller craft as well as larger craft that can't accomodate a LB due to other restrictions could benefit from a 360 degree field of fire weapon. Hence, following in the successful footsteps of the Pod Laser, the Pod Laser Turret came to be. The PLT has a range of 40K kilometers, MHS:1, costs 8,000Cr and requires 20cubic meters of space. Treat as a laser battery to hit with no damage table modifiers and damage is 1d10. The PLT uses the standard Laser Battery program.

Heavy Laser Cannon (HLC)
Similar to a standard laser cannon but packs a little more punch. Range is 120,000km, MHS=6, damage is (2d10 +4), cost is 20K credits and requires 50cubic meters. No damage table modifiers, and the standard Laser Cannon computer program is required.

Heavy Laser Battery (HLB)
Similar to a standard laser battery but like the Heavy Cannon, it too packs a little more oomph. Range is 100,000km, MHS=5, damage is (1d10 +2), cost is 12,000Cr and the HLB requires 30cubic meters. No damage table modifiers and the standard Laser Battery program is needed for operation.

Ion Cannon (IC)
The Ion Cannon is essentially a small scale Disruptor Cannon, but instead of causing damage it is designed to disable various starship systems. Upon succesful hits, roll (3d6 -2) to generate random numbers between 1 and 16, and consult the Damage Table. Assign everything between "hull hit: normal damage" and "electrical fire" a number (1-16), any system hit by an Ion Cannon is disabled for (2d10 +5) combat turns. Range is 60,000km, MHS=1, cost is 15,000Cr and 20 cubic meters of space is allocated for an Ion Cannon. Uses the Laser Cannon program.

Ion Battery (IB)
Same as an Ion Cannon but with a 360 degree field of fire. Range is 50,000km, MHS=2, cost is 18,000Cr and 20 cubic meters of sapce is required for an IB. Uses the Laser Battery computer program.

Forward Firing Rockets (FFR)
Essentially the launchers from a rocket battery positioned in a forward firing stance. All RB modifiers apply (range, DTM, damage, ICM adjustments), a variant of the Assault Rocket program is used to operate the system. MHS:1, cost = 20,000Cr, and requires 20 cubic meters of space.

Striker Missile (SM)
A Striker Missile rack holds two missiles, each rack requires 5 cubic meters. The rack costs 1000Cr and individual missiles cost 5000Cr each. Missiles have a range of 60,000km with a -10 damage table modifier and inflict 1d10+2 damage. MHS:1 and MR:4 or better required, and a LVL:1/fp:4 computer program is needed to operate the system. MPO/LTD weapon

Heavy Bomb/Rocket (HBR)
These nasty propelled bombs can do some serious damage, especially when considering they can be launched from small craft. The launcher costs 10,000Cr and individual bomb-rockets cost 20,000Cr. Launchers require 10 cubic meters and the range for the bomb-rocket is 30,000km, damage is 3d10 with a -20 modifier. MHS:2 with MPO and LTD restrictions. A LVL:1/fp:3 program is required to operate the system

Warhead Launcher Turret (WT)
A Warhead Launcher allows the use of Striker Missiles, Assault Rockets, and Heavy Bomb-Rockets on larger ships. Essentially it is a turret weapon sporting the respective launchers. The allocated space for a warhead launcher turret is 20 cubic meters (plus the 20cubic meters of space from the weapon systems for a total of 40) and cost is 20,000Cr plus the weapon systems. MHS:5 with LTD/MPO restrictions, and a LVL:2/fp:8 program is required which will operate any of the three weapon systems installed. The launchers will hold 8 striker missiles, 2 assault rockets or two HB-Rockets depending on which systems are loaded. Combinations are possible, such as 4 striker missiles, one assault rocket, and one HB-Rocket.

Smart Rocket Battery (SRB)*
A standard rocket battery that utilizes guidance systems in the rockets, similar to the hardware used in a torpedo. The weapon system itself remains unchanged, however the SRB salvo increases in price (10,000Cr each). Also, a new software package is required to guide the rockets after launch, the SRB program is a level 3 / 12 function point program. Base chance to hit is 60% (plus operator skill bonus), increased to 75% for targets with an activated stasis screen. Damage is 1d10+10. All other modifiers/restrictions remain the same (range, ICM adjustments to hit roll, etc).
The Rocket Battery may still fire the standard unguided salvos assuming the original program is retained. However, only one program may be utilized per weapon so it must coincide with the salvos loaded.

* Special thanks to Corjay & Gilbert for assisting with this project

Weapon Link (program)
The Weapon Link program allows common systems to be operated in tandem, such as a pair of pod laser sytems or a dreadnought's multiple laser batteries. The program is LVL:2 and has 8 function points, and one program is required for each set of linked systems

My Timeline

44 f.y. Lt. Yan-Soon Shea-Dow receives honorable discharge from Truane's Star military after serving with Col. Louis V. Jameson on his retirement mission. Jameson joins the Truane's Star Exploration Force soon afterwards.

45 f.y. PC's start here, basic scenarios (Port Loren Raiders, Hepplewhite Inc crash, etc). Yan-Soon Shea-Dow arrested during a Free Frontiersmen Foundation operation and is imprisoned for five years.

46-47 f.y. 1st Zebulon mission lost, second begins

48 f.y. Cythar (cybernetic Sathar) program initiated by Sathar

49 f.y. Starmist discovery (SF:3), Yan-Soon Shea-Dow gets paroled and is reported missing soon after release.

50 f.y. Rhianna system is discovered by the Cassidine Development Corporation, but is kept secret. Alcazzar adventure (SF:4)

50-60 f.y. Laco's War. PGC and Streel wage the first Corporate War on Laco. The UPF eventually steps in and empowers an inter-mega-corporate commission to resolve the differences. Other mega-corps study Laco's War as a possible legal precedent for solving disputes.

51 f.y. Sathar invasions begin, small forces and fleets appear in the Frontier at an alarming rate. PC's enroll into Gollwin or the newly established Star Fighter Corps, or other methods to acquire ship skills.

53 f.y. Mercenary Starbase enacted, joint venture between PGC and Star Law for a roaming fleet and military force

54f.y. SF/KH:0 Clarion Marines adventure. The Mechanons on Volturnus revolt. Only through quick action on the part of Star Law is a full-scale war avoided.

55 f.y. Mercenary Starbase construction begins, freighter captains obtain charters and begin hauling goods en masse to Zebulon for the next seven years. It is a very profitable period for freight haulers.

56 f.y. Second Sathar War begins as large fleets arrive in force

57 f.y. University of Zebulon opens in Anker

59 f.y. A Streel-designed freighter registered to a Yan-Soon Shea-Dow is seized by Star Law. The computer's memory was wiped during boarding actions and the crew maintains no knowledge of the ship's owner.

60 f.y. Sathar War winds down, corporate war ends at Laco with both sides calling a truce and retreating from the outpost world.

61 f.y. The Third Dramune War is fought (SF/KH:1 module).

62 f.y. Mercenary Starbase debuts with a small fleet of warships, a heavy cruiser is their flagship. Several Landfleet companies are transferred to Volturnus as well. Cythar begin to infiltrate the Frontier

63 f.y. Mercenary Starbase completed, Sathar "Juggernaut" encountered by Strike Force NOVA and SFC forces

64 f.y. Operation Dreadnought bill is passed near the year's end as an answer to the Juggernaut fiasco

65 f.y. Dreadnought construction centers commence while new battleships begin construction. Streel loses contracts for a new battleship design but earns a healthy contract for a heavy cruiser design that becomes something of a mainstay in Spacefleet. Other shipyards begin submitting variants of other warship designs, including new frigates, destroyers, and light cruisers

66 f.y. General Yan-Soon Shea-Dow, leading the Sovereign Domain Authority, overtakes the outpost world of Histran in Scree Fron, announcing his intent to secede from the UPF. His forces are thwarted shortly afterwards by a group of independent ship operators allied with survivng militia and SFC forces

67 f.y. Trade established with the Rim planets.

68 f.y. Soverign Domain Authority makes a second appearance near Timeon, blockading the planet for 35 days

69 f.y. Dreadnought construction centers completed in Prenglar and Cassidine. SDA makes a second attempt at a world takeover in White Light, foiled by the Clarion Royal Marines before operations can begin.

70 f.y. The Mechanon civilization on Volturnus undergoes an upheaval. The majority of peaceful Mechanons migrate into the undeveloped space between Screen Fron and Dixon's Star. White Light maneuver by SDA was a feint, SDA rushes in to overtake Laco in short order. Various SFC squadrons are defeated by the sheer numbers of SDA fighter craft present. Only Streel manages to find a way through the gauntlet to allow access from Zebulon and Truane's Star to the rest of the Frontier, and is quick to exploit it. The SDA military presence in Dixon's Star is scaled to that of Spacefleet. Emissaries from Laco during the next scheduled Council of Worlds secede from the Federation, announcing sovereignty in that system.

71 f.y. The Waller Nexus system is discovered by the UPF survey ship Eleanor Moraes. The only habitable planet, Mahg Mar, is the site of the first UPF mutiny. Liberty system discovered by the UPF same year. The planet Snowball is liberated from Sathar tyranny. Tacticians, politicians, and exobiologists are given a chance to study Sathar machinery and methods first hand because of the information gathered by the populace during their occupation. It is feared that many pockets of Sathar tyranny exist all around the Frontier and Rim.

72 f.y. First UPF dreadnoughts are commissioned, only to meet dreadnoughts under the helm of SDA as Yan-Soon begins to expand his grip on the Frontier. The SDA war machine appears in full force, sweeping through the Frontier leaving a trail of devastation to any opposition.

73 f.y. Mechan is discovered by migrating Mechanons. Its entry into the UPF is blocked until the legal status of the Mechanons can be established.

74 f.y. Tough new guidelines for legal ownership of a system or planet are laid down by the UPF and the Council of Worlds. The guidelines are designed to halt mega-corp expansion and to prevent occurrences such as the Mechanon problem and the SDA takeover in Dixon's Star.

75 f.y. UPF declares war against the Sovereign Domain Authority, recognizing them as a threat to Frontier peace.

76-78 f.y. SDA overtakes the four Yazirian systems (Araks, Athor, Gruna Garu, & Scree Fron)

79-80 f.y. UPF loses ground in the vrusk systems (K'aken-Kar, Kizk-Kar, & K'tsa Kar), loses Madderly's Star towards the end of f.y.80

81 f.y. Prenglar falls to Sovereign Domain Authority forces. Cassidine surrenders shortly afterwards. General Yan-Soon announces peace or devastation via superior firepower to all remaining systems. He promises that uninterrupted free trade will flourish under his control with zero threats from pirates, sathar, or any other element.

82 f.y. With ten systems under SDA control, including the two capital/task force locales, the UPF falls apart and the Council of Worlds is dissolved. Strike Force NOVA and Mercenary Starbase vessels continue to fight the good fight, albeit resorting to hit and run guerrilla tactics.

83 f.y. Sathar forces invade the Frontier, but are quickly dispatched by SDA forces. Remaining systems (along with Strike Force NOVA and Mercenary Starbase) surrender to or pledge loyalty to SDA. The Star Fighter Corps is absorbed by SDA. Clarion is the last to fall, recent heiress Queen Leotia Valentine XXI finally opts for peace over a system wide blockade and a war that would effectively devastate her world. Star Law falls under control of SDA shortly afterwards, and becomes a gestapo-like presence under SDA rebadging.

84 f.y. Pirate forces begin to invade the SDA controlled Frontier, but like the Sathar are dispatched quite efficiently. Yan Soon makes good on his word against pirates and the Frontier trade routes.

85 f.y. Third Sathar War opens as SDA establishes a firm governing foothold in the Frontier. Former Spacefleet, Star Law, and Mercenary Starbase vessels, allied with the SDA war machine, provide plenty of resistance to the worm threat.

86 f.y. SDA controlled Landfleet forces capture a live Sathar, first specimen to be studied

87 f.y. final Sathar invasion, SDA begins to expand and explore the outer reaches of Frontier borders in order to discover Sathar home worlds

88 f.y Rim Coalition, fearing hostile takeover from arriving SDA vessels, pledge loyalty to Yan-Soon

89 f.y. SDA vessels encounter first Sathar world but are destroyed

90 f.y. SDA fleet dispatched to Sathar outpost world. Sathar plea for a peace treaty in order to protect their home worlds from discovery. Dozens of cythar, Sathar, and Zuraqqor vessels arrive and drive SDA back

90 f.y. Third Sathar war ends in a stalemate, SDA does not commit to further exploitation of Sathar worlds and the Sathar back down, realizing that their secrets stand to exposure should the war continue

90 f.y. MalCo Enterprises resurfaces at Volturnus. SDA does not see them as a threat as they are not agressive towards the new governing power, but they are closely watched nonetheless

91 f.y. Surviving UPF loyalists form an elite cadre. Unable to convince SDA of a swift invasion of Sathar worlds, they continue to grow in numbers. Many former Strike Force Nova and Mercenary Starbase vessels disappear into the void

92 f.y. Tempers rise between mega-corps, especially once Streel has been revealed to be a primary financial backer for SDA by the Free Frontiersmen Foundation (who in turn are also revealed to be a major backer of the UPF era SDA)

93 f.y. The University of Zebulon receives Frontier-wide support via SDA. Its facilities on Anker increase over the next 20 years until they are larger than most Frontier cities.

94 f.y. MalCo successfully bribes local governors in Zebulon, unbeknownst to Yan-Soon and the rest of SDA. Fearing retribution, Yan-Soon orders Star Law to decimate all known cults and cadres. UPF Loyalists, whose primary operations can't be located, are declared an enemy of Frontier peace.

95 f.y. Galactic Task Force and MercCo fight the first post-SWII Corporate War over settlement rights on a moon orbiting Alcazzar in the Rhianna system. Hostilities quickly spread to include all seven of Alcazzar's moons and over a half dozen mega-corps. The Corporate Wars begin in earnest.

96 f.y. MalCo vessels with questionable manifests and destinations are detected by Star Law in the Rim systems. While their cargos are not illegal, the inconsistencies raise questions...such as why resource loads are being transported to resource producing worlds and such.

97 f.y. SDA garrison established in Zebulon, centering on possible illegal activities on Volturnus

98 f.y. The Rim and the SDA enter into multiple defense treaties and economic trade agreements, but the newly established Rim Confederation gives severe warnings to all mega-corps that their militancy will not be tolerated in the Rim. Tourism & trade between the SDA and Rim is established and is immediately successful. The Frontier now officially includes the Rim Worlds.

99 f.y. Star Law is invited to the Rim to help the Coalition train their own planetary branches. The first Star Law graduating class containing Ifshnits, Humma, and Osakar finish their training. The violent outbursts threatened by a few radical cults never appear.

100 f.y. The Rim's Age of Adventure begins as hundreds of exploratory vessels are sent out to map the unknown regions surrounding the Rim.

101 f.y. MalCo, with external financial backing via Pan Galactic, resumes legal business ventures after PGC attorneys clear their name

102-106 f.y. The Rim side of the Lesser Morass is mapped.

103 f.y. The first Rim Star Law agents appear. The structure is identical to the SDA Star Law organization, swift and fearful gestapo police.

104-111 f.y. The Rim side of the Xagyg Dust Nebula is mapped.

105 f.y. Star Law is given equal powers, rights, and jurisdiction in both the Rim and SDA systems for interplanetary and interstellar crimes. While it works mainly with the local law enforcement agencies, Star Law is recognized as the only law enforcement force with full and complete authority throughout the entire Frontier.

105 f.y.An altered Mechanon assassinates the Governor of Zebulon. The SDA suspects that the Sathar may be establishing an extensive spy and terrorist network. The possible Sathar use of mechanical life forms, such as the Mechanons, as agents becomes a prime investigative goal of Star Law.

106 f.y. The Mechanons are officially informed by the SDA that they are not considered a stable enough society, at this time, to be allowed equal status in the Frontier. They are forthwith considered "wards of Sovereign Domain Authority." Their protection and supervision are the responsibility of SDA governors. While most Mechanons accept this as a necessary step toward independence, some rebel and go underground, swearing to avenge their race. Many of these are suspected of being Sathar agents.

106-111 f.y. Mapping of the Rim side of the Xagyg Nebula is completed up to the Klaeok system.

107 f.y. The A.I.P.S. is formed. Except for the Capellan Free Merchants, who were introduced into the SDA society under unusual circumstances, it is the first mega-corp voluntarily created by smaller companies in an effort to resist merger or take-over attempts by existing mega-corps.

108 f.y. In an effort to stem the growing numbers of Corporate Wars, the SDA and Rim Confederation worlds grant Star Law the authority to recruit and use mercenaries and to establish the Star Law Psi-Corps, a special branch of Mentalist-disciplined officers.

109 f.y. Mega-corp recruitment doubles in non-enforcer professions. A trend of smaller and cheaper skirmishes or espionage missions to replace the larger, more expensive Corporate Wars begins to show. Over the next two years the term "Corporate War" comes to mean a war of intelligence gathering, tactical enforcement procedures, and industrial sabotage rather than full-scale military operations.

109 f.y. Long-range probe ships are sent into suspected Sathar space away from the Rim and SDA systems on the other side of the Xagyg Dust Nebula. It is hoped these probes can answer the question of where the Sathar come from.

110 f.y. A human assassin fails in his attempt to shoot Queanee Kloonanu, a Rim Confederation Governor under the SDA. A small bioform is found attached to the human's back. Scientific studies show it to be some kind of intelligent, parasitic organism with the same genetic make-up as Sathar specimens. Authorities believe it to be a new Sathar method of controlling agents. See-through apparel becomes fashionable almost immediately.

110 f.y. Garrisons in Zebulon are removed, enacted and approved by local governors (see 94 f.y.)

111 f.y. Mapping of the Xagyg Dust Nebula continues from Klaeok and K'aken-Kar.

111 f.y. The Grand Celebration, commemorating 30 years of the SDA treaty is planned for the entire year. Gala social functions, parades, and celebrations are planned on every planet under SDA control and even some in the Rim. However, former UPF loyalists have risen in strength and numbers. The first publicized rebellion against the SDA is carried out by Princess Leotia Valentine XXII as she smuggles valuable SDA data obtained by the Clarion Liberation Party and manages to make it all the way to Zebulon before being discovered. She is captured, but her Zebulon contact is never found. SDA speculates that this contact may hail from a Rim system.

System Briefs

This is where I'll upload my versions of the SF worlds

Theseus

STAR FRONTIERS™ SYSTEM BRIEF

SYSTEM NAME:Theseus		STAR COLOR: Yellow (G1)
	HABITABLE PLANETS: Minotaur (4/11)

MOONS: none

CLIMATE RANGE: Varies from north to south; freezing to near boiling, semi-humid to arid
ATMOSPHERE: 62% nitrogen, 22% oxygen, 1% argon, 15% carbon dioxide
GRAVITY: 1.209

DIAMETER: 10,714 kilometers
LENGTH OF DAYS: 15 hours, 23 minutes
AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 25 degrees C (equatorial region), -10 degrees C (north polar region), 89 degrees C (south polar region)

COLONIZERS: Predominantly Human

NATIVE LIFE:

1.) Lasette (Land Shark)

PLANET HISTORY
Minotaur is a moon orbitting the gas giant Ares that occupies the 4th orbit out of 11 planets in the Theseus system. Its axis is tilted at 38 degrees with the southern pole tidally locked toward Ares. As such the world is divided into three major sections: the desert wasteland at the southern polar region, the hospitable equatorial region, and the frozen northern region. The surface is comprised of roughly 53% water, with most of it in the form of ice at the northern polar area.

Minotaur is a captialist authoritarian society, that is free trade is encouraged by a totalitarian ruling factor. The planet's history is rich under this model, as such the major city "Maze" has grown beyond belief over the last few centuries, covering the entire equatorial region with tendrils reaching into both polar regions. In addition to spreading east and west indefinitely, the city has also grown both upwards and down, meaning that "ground level" can be difficult to ascertain. Inhabitants navigate the megacity with a complex coordinate system that involves both the use of a compass and altimeter along with a grid layout. Aerial vehicles are the prominent form of transportation (with major businesses and military sections sporting private shuttle pads), although a complex series of monorails and subways exists along with some limited ground level navigational areas. Only in the outskirts will ground vehicles ever be more prominent. Two major starports can be found in the polar border regions, Port White Sail bordering the sea and Port Aegeus near the ice cap.

Social class is determined by how "high" one's residence is...downtown (subterranean to sea level) is where the lower class and poor reside, midtown (sea level and up to 1000m) is the working middle class, and uptown (1001m+ highrise) would be the wealthy and upscale types. Also spotted along Maze are numerous factory complexes, but business centers dominate the city. One notable section is a huge man made body of water (Aegean Sea) which is an enormous tourist trap, with scores of megaresorts and attractions including an amusement park (Ninland) that is beyond belief, thus earning the area the title of the largest vacation spot in the Frontier. Nearly every business in the Frontier has an office in Maze, including StarPlay Enterprises whose corporate headquarters reside in the heart of Maze's business district.

The southern polar region, known as the Asterion Desert, is an unhospitable climate. The sun never sets and temperatures soar to unbearable levels which only the native Lasettes can survive. On the opposite pole, the frozen wasteland known as the Solid Ocean is covered in ice that extends several thousand meters into the surface. This polar region never sees sunlight, and the only moisture in the atmosphere collects here to add to the ice mass. To this end a network of refineries and drilling platforms are set up to provide drinking water for the population, along with a separate network that taps into the planet's wealthy reserve of petroleum.

Overhead are the wheels in the sky, also known as Minotaur Station (a fortified space station) and the Daedalus Shipyards (a Class: II Starship Construction Center comprised of three type:6 stations). A third smaller commerce station also orbits the moon, dubbed Androgeus Station (size 4 station). Minotaur's Defensive Ships are berthed in Androgeus, including a destroyer (MDS Republic), a frigate (MDS Heroic), four assault scouts (MDS Dragonfly, Gnat, Mosquito, and Wasp) along with six squadrons of fighters. Their militia is the largest and most respected in the Frontier.

POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Minotaur is ruled by a totalitarian government, so no weaponry is permitted by the citzens (aside from military and police, and only while on duty). As such strict laws are enforced to this end, anyone seen with a weapon can expect a lengthy stay in their prison system, anyone attempting to smuggle weaponry can expect a death sentence. These laws extend into their space stations, although personal weaponry is permitted aboard privately owned vessels berthed within. The Minotaur Defense Network is a large scale military/police system not to be trifled with, as they carry out the law of the land with swift efficiency.

Click here for Minotaur icosahedral map

SS' Hovercycle Clubs of the Frontier

Wherever the adventure may lead, sooner or later the characters may find themselves in a seedier part of town and subject to members belonging to one of the Frontier's numerous yet infamous hovercycle clubs. Such characters tend to be rather shady and not very forward in conversation (especially concerning group business of which they will never speak of), and most citizens know better than to start any trouble with them. Still the occassional being may find themselves on the wrong end of a bad situation, and things can get downright nasty when it happens.

Nok-A-Lug, a.k.a. "Lug-Nut", clan brother to Ook-A-Lug of the SS Omicron fame, has taken the time to compile a short list of the various well known organizations. Ranked alphabetically by name, each listing is followed by group affiliation (as to which races can be found amongst them), number of chapters and members within the organization (when applicable, most are loose estimates), the recognized symbol and colors that the members will be seen adorned with, and any known rival groups.

Just be warned that when encountering such individuals, the possibility exists that many more are close by. Taunts and jests can erupt quickly into something violent so it is wise to steer clear of such actions.

Amazon Princesses
affiliation: predominantly female humans and yazirians
Home Turf: Rupert's Hole (Cassidine)
# of chapters: at least one per planet in Cassidine, Araks, Athor, Gruna Garu, Scree Fron, Dixon's Star, Truane's Star, Zebulon, Prenglar, Madderly's Star, Timeon, Theseus, and White Light
# of members: unknown
symbol: crossed swords over a shield
colors: pink & black
Known Rivals: Worn Out Skanks

Black Mandrills
affiliation: Zigara Clan officers, mostly yazirian members. Hair dyed black when applicable
Home Turf: Yast (Athor)
# of chapters: semi-Frontier wide, at least one per planet in Araks, Athor, Gruna Garu, Scree Fron, Madderly's Star, Timeon, Dramune, Cassidine, and Prenglar
# of members: unknown
symbol: Flaming Mandrill head
colors: orange & black
Known Rivals: most other clubs

Blubberhood
affiliation: mostly dralasites
Home Turf: Inner Reach (Dramune)
# of chapters: At least one per planet in Dramune, Cassidine, Prenglar, Madderly's Star, White Light, and Timeon
# of members: 700-800
symbol: Dralasitic Jolly Roger
colors: grey and green
Known Rivals: Jailhouse Ixheads, Killing Joke, Outcasts

Centaurs
affiliation: mostly vrusk
Home Turf: Zik-kit (Kizk'-Kar)
# of chapters: At least one per planet in Kizk'-Kar, K'aken-Kar, K'tsa-Kar, Fromeltar, Cassidine, and Prenglar
# of members: 500-600
symbol: demonic vruskan skull on horse body
colors: blue and green
Known Rivals: Goblins, Motor Bugs, Yellow Bellies

Dust Devils
Affiliation: mostly human
Home Turf: Laco (Dixon's Star)
# of chapters: three
# of members: several hundred
symbol: flaming hoverfan and crossed daggers
colors: tan and olive drab
Known Rivals: Exiled Spirits, Paladins, Rat Fanners, Xenophiles, Zealous Zeroes

Exiled Spirits
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Anker (Zebulon)
# of chapters: at least one in each planet of Zebulon, Truane's Star, Dixon's Star, Prenglar, Cassidine, Timeon, Madderly's Star, and Dramune
# of members: 1200-1500
symbol: grim reaper
colors: red and silver
Known Rivals: Dust Devils, Shadow Hunters

Frontier Riders
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Rupert's Hole (Cassidine)
# of chapters: at least one in each system
# of members: 1500-2000
symbol: skeleton on hovercycle
colors: red and blue
Known Rivals: Jailhouse Ixheads, Triad Sathar

Goblins
Affiliation: mostly yazirians and vrusk
Home Turf: Hargut (Gruna Garu) & Kawdl-Kit (K'tsa-Kar)
# of chapters: at least one on each planet of Araks, Athor, Gruna Garu, Scree Fron, Kizk'-Kar, K'aken-Kar, K'tsa-Kar, Fromeltar, and Prenglar
# of members: 1500-2000
symbol: half yaz/half vruskan demonoid
colors: yellow and green
Known Rivals: Black Mandrills, Centaurs, Motor Bugs, Yellow Bellies

Horsemen of Apocalypse
Affiliation: mostly human
Home Turf: Minotaur (Theseus)
# of chapters: at least one on each planet of Theseus, White Light, Madderly's Star, Timeon, Prenglar, and Cassidine
# of members: 1000+/-
symbol: fire-breathing horse head
colors: black and gold
Known Rivals: Shadow Hunters

Iron Minors
Affiliation: young adult/delinquents
Home Turf: Lossend (Timeon)
# of chapters: at least one on each planet of Timeon, Theseus, White Light, Madderly's Star, Prenglar, Cassidine, Truane's Star, and Zebulon
# of members: several thousand
symbol: steel hammer gripped by skeletal hand
colors: black and blue
Known Rivals: none, known to participate in skirmishes. Other clubs typically recruit from IM as the members come of age.

Jailhouse Ixheads
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Clarion (White Light)
# of chapters: at least one on each planet of White Light, Madderly's Star, Cassidine, and Dramune
# of members: 500-600
symbol: Chukkah Skull
colors: black and tan
Known Rivals: Blubberhood, Frontier Riders, Shadow Hunters

Killing Joke
Affiliation: dralasites
Home Turf: Groth (Fromeltar)
# of chapters: at least one on each planet of Fromeltar, Dramune, Cassidine, Prenglar, Truane's Star, and Zebulon
# of members: 600-700
symbol: Joker playing card stabbed with a dagger
colors: red and green
Known Rivals: Black Mandrills, Blubberhood

Leather-Heads
Affiliation: Yazirian
Home Turf: Hentz (Araks)
# of chapters: 12
# of members: 400-500
symbol: studded leather hood
colors: brown and gold
Known Rivals: Nomadic Maulers, Venusian Skidmarks

Motor Bugs
Affiliation: vrusk
Home Turf: Ken'zah-Kit (K'aken-Kar)
# of chapters: 7
# of members: 200-300
symbol: spider with crossed swords underneath
colors: blue and yellow
Known Rivals: Goblins, Centaurs

Nomadic Maulers
Affiliation: Yazirian
Home Turf: Hakosoar (Scree Fron)
# of chapters: 8, including one each at Histran, Hentz, and Yast
# of members: 300-400
symbol: yazirian claw
colors: red and yellow
Known Rivals: Black Mandrills, Leatherheads, Venusian Skidmarks

Outcasts
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Outer Reach (Dramune)
# of chapters: at least one in each planet of Dramune, Fromeltar, & Madderly's Star
# of members: 800-1000
symbol: red circle with diagonal line over stylized UPF symbol
colors: red and grey
Known Rivals: Blubberhood, Paladins, Shadow Hunters

Paladins
Affiliation: all, veterans of UPF spacefleet, Landfleet, Planetary Militia, Star Law, etc
Home Turf: New Pale (Truane's Star)
# of chapters: at least one in each planet of Truane's Star, Zebulon, Dixon's Star, Prenglar, Cassidine, Madderly's Star, and White Light
# of members: 2000-2500
symbol: flaming UPF symbol
colors: red and white
Known Rivals: Outcasts, Dust Devils, Zealous Zeroes

Quitters
Affiliation: all, former mega-corp execs and workers
Home Turf: Morgaine's World (Prenglar)
# of chapters: at least one per planet in Prenglar, Cassidine, Truane's Star, Madderly's Star, Fromeltar, Dramune, Theseus, Timeon, Whie Light, Gruna Garu, Araks, and Scree Fron
# of members: 2000+
symbol: all megacorp logos in a disposal bucket
colors: green and brown
Known Rivals: mega corporations, Shadow Hunters

Rat Fanners
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Volturnus (Zebulon)
# of chapters: at least one per planet in Zebulon, Truane's Star, Dixon's Star, Prenglar, Cassidine, Dramune, Madderly's Star, and Timeon
# of members: 1200-1500
symbol: rat riding single hoverfan
colors: black and grey
Known Rivals: Exiled Spirits, Dust Devils, Sahdow Hunters

Shadow Hunters
Affiliation: mostly human
Home Turf: Kdikit (Madderly's Star)
# of chapters: several in each major city of Kdikit
# of members: 100-200
symbol: demonic skeleton with laser rifle
colors: black and yellow
Known Rivals: Black Mandrills, Exiled Spirits, Frotnier Riders, Horsemen of Apocalypse, Jailhouse Ixheads, Outcasts, Quitters, Rat Fanners, Stellar Demons, Xenophiles

Stellar Demons
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Gran Quivera (Prenglar)
# of chapters: Frontier wide, at least one per planet
# of members: unknown
symbol: steel demon head
colors: red & black
Known Rivals: most other clubs. SD is "it" when it comes to Frontier wide recognition.

Triad Sathar
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: New Hope, Triad (Cassidine)
# of chapters: one
# of members: 30-40
symbol: sathar head
colors: purple & white
Known Rivals: Frontier Riders, Xenophiles, occassional tangle with Black Mandrills

Uneasy Riders
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Gran Quivera (Prenglar)
# of chapters: several each in Gran Quivera, Morgaine's WOrld, Triad, and Rupert's Hole
# of members: 400-500
symbol: ghost on hovercycle frame
colors: red & purple
Known Rivals: Stellar Demons

Venusian Skidmarks
Affiliation: Human and Yazirian
Home Turf: Histran (Scree Fron)
# of chapters: 2-3 each in Histran, Hakosoar, Hentz, Yast, and Gran Quivera
# of members: 100-200
symbol: Winged Yazirian "Angel of Death"
colors: brown and grey
Known Rivals: Nomadic Maulers

Worn Out Skanks
Affiliation: female humans
Home Turf: Kdikit (Madderly's Star)
# of chapters: 1
# of members: 40-50
symbol: skeleton in lingerie
colors: purple and yellow
Known Rivals: Amazon Princesses

Xenophiles
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Triad (Cassidine)
# of chapters: at least one in each planet of Cassidine, Prenglar, Madderly's Star, Dramune, Dixon's Star, Truane's Star, Gruna Garu, and Fromeltar
# of members: 900-1000
symbol: Sathar and Zuraqqor heads on a lance
colors: purple and green
Known Rivals: Triad Sathar, Dust Devils, Shadow Hunters

Yellow Bellies
Affiliation: vrusk and dralasites
Home Turf: Terledrom (Fromeltar)
# of chapters: one
# of members: 75-100
symbol: rabid chicken
colors: yellow and green
Known Rivals: Centaurs

Zealous Zeroes
Affiliation: all
Home Turf: Pale (Truane's Star)
# of chapters: one in each planet of Truane's Star, Zebulon, Dixon's Star, Prenglar, and Cassidine
# of members: 400-500
symbol: executioner's hood
colors: black and green
Known Rivals: Paladins, Dust Devils

Frontier Cycle History

If you read up on Frontier history, Pan Galactixon is the earliest of the current manufacturers of ground and hover cycles, dating back to before the first Sathar War. Pan Galactic acquired the Galactixon Motor Company (GMC) when they were going through some financial woes resulting from troublesome quality control and reliability issues stemming from their Duracell-head motor (noted by the copper top on the electric motor cover), a motor that derived from prior generations such as the Eveready-head and Rayovac-head motors. PGC, in essence, saved the Galtixon Motor Company from bankruptcy and they continued to offer Duracell-head powered bikes during the transition.

The inherrent beauty of the old Galatixon engines was their simplicity, they were very easy to work on and a proficient technician could perform a full rebuild in a short time, resorting to a healthy variety of both manufacturer and aftermarket parts availability (not to mention the wide array of "canibalized parts", such as the infamous motor coil from the Gord flathead six motor or the brush housings from a Galactic Motors ventral-eight).

As such, PGC footed the R&D funding for the design of their next engine: the GENeration (aka the stockhead), and just before production the 13 company heads of Galactixon purchased the company back from PGC, and thus renamed their products under the new badge of "Pan Galactixon". The PGC era bikes had a mixed review, the older riders resent the newer product blaming PGC for ruining the designs while the newer riders talk smack about the older designs, but the truth is that the Galactixon Motor Company products were faulty before PGC acquired them.

Anyways, the GENeration motor proved to be a gamble that the 13 investor/owners didn't mind rolling the dice for. The motor ended up being everything it had been promised to be: a reliable engine based on the original timeless design. Their latest engine is the TG-880B (aka the Twin Generator aka the "twinjee") and has replaced the GENeration across the entire line-up.

Meanwhile, during the PGC transition there were some serious competitors from four distinct Streel-sibling companies that challenged Galactic Motor Company during all three phases of their business tenure. Marks like Hyondow, Kyawaskai, Sushuzi, and Yamihai were belting out some high perfomance low cost machines that proved themselves both on the track and on the roads. They sported newer technology and bulletproof reliability, and when Streel sensed that the Galactic Motor Company was in trouble they pulled a fast one and began dumping their products into the market at below-wholesale pricing. This illegal trade practice was quickly noticed by both the local economist leaders and the legal team of Galactic Motor Company, hence it was brought before the Council of Worlds and it was decided that a tarriff would be placed on all ground and hover cycles produced under the various Streel marks.

Several subsidiaries of Cassidine Development Corporation entered and left the market during the GMC/Streel competition era. Manufacturers like CSA, Dorton, and Triamf began to lose ground to Streel's screamers, and only Triamf survived (and barely at that). And other marks like Buckerton Motor Works (of Kdikit) and Danati (named after Pale's moon) silently soldiered on while providing their niche market products.

The modern ground and hover cycle market is thriving and competition is fierce. Pan Galatixon continues to duke it out with Hyondow for top market share each year, while Kyawaskai, Sushuzi, & Yamihai consistently slug it out for third place. Triamf is belting out some incredible products for all the niche markets, and Buckerton Motor Works continues to offer luxury comfort and decent performance. Danati is still the leader in handling despite the breakthroughs from Streel's subordinates, but they are fully aware of this and continue to pour funding into superior suspension and braking technology, with their most recent (and most expensive) 999 model leading the way. And finally, Herik Fuell (former design engineer and current subsidiary of Pan Galatixon) has challenged Danati by offering some street sensible alternatives.

w00t's Boarding Actions

A topic was started here which discussed an expansion to boarding actions in the Knight Hawks board-game. This wiki covers the following:

Ships used for boarding
Actions
Weapons
Strategies
Personnel
Other

w00t's Starship Pilots - Begining skill set

I believe the best workflow is to have one person type up this document and have discussions in the forums.
Please use the Forum link(s) at the bottom of this document.
w00t will be the main author of this document putting the thoughts, rules and tables together.

Authors : Various

Background:

Currently you have to be a very experienced PC to get in the cockpit of a starship. This document will cover how a moderatley skilled PC's can pilot small craft's and fighters. The idea is that if you can pilot an aricar you should be able to pilot a basic fighter.

Related material:
SF2K - Star Pilot Related Skills http://starfrontiers.us/node/1487

Prerequisites: Computers: Access & Operate 1, Vehicles: Atmospheric 3
Description:
This skill enables a Star Pilot to fly any spacecraft of hull size 3 or smaller.

Excelling in this skill means the pilot is adept at maneuvering smaller, faster vessels as well as leaving and re-entering an atmosphere.

Other skills include docking and refueling the ship. Ships that can operate within an atmosphere are controlled using the Vehicles: Atmospheric skill when in an atmosphere.

Many Star Pilots specialize in this skill to become crack fighter pilots or operate smaller commercial or smuggling ships. The Star Piloting skills cover the expertise of operating a space vessel in complex maneuvers including docking, landing, and take-off from planets (not including flying the vessel as an atmospheric craft), acceleration and deceleration, orbiting, evading missile fire, improving accuracy of forward-firing weapons, and improving the MR of a space-vessel in a Zero-G environment. By dividing the separate skills into the operation of progressive hull sizes, pilots could become very adept at flying a huge capital ship, which doubtless involves its own distinct considerations, but have little experience piloting a snub-fighter and vice-versa.

Level 1 Pilot XP costs according to the AD/KH rules.
PCs with Tech skills can pilot jetcopters, hover craft and the like. At what point could they pilot a small fighter?

PILOTING Level 1
AD Skill	Technician 6	Computer 2
Level 1 XP	4 (8)	4 (8)
Level 2 XP	8 (16)	8 (16)
Level 3 XP	12(24)	n/a
Level 4 XP	16 (32)	n/a
Level 5 XP	20 (40)	n/a
Level 6 XP	24 (48)	n/a
AD Total XP	84	12
Pilot Level 1 XP	10
Total	106 XP

Typical module XP gain is between ____ ?

Will's SF Campaign Notes

Some modifications for my Star Frontiers campaign. In particular, I have a timeline, a partial character generation write-up, a write up on my UPF, the calendar and rough ship design rules.

Introduction

The Frontier!

It is a region of
densely packed stars, unexplored worlds and the mysteries of deep space. It is a place where the boldest members of the United Races can seek adventure and fortune. Some find fortunes, in trading, mining or plunder. Some find adventure in exploration, colonization or war. Some find only sudden death.

Beings and products from dozens of worlds are gathered at Triad, Gran Quivera and the other great centers of civilization. Away from these thriving capitals are isolated and bleak worlds where pirates skulk or courageous pioneers work to build a new life in the wilderness. It is a time of exciting growth, as more and more planets are discovered and opened up to colonization.

With the spread of civilization comes danger. Pirates inhabit many of the abandoned asteroids and barren planets. Their swift ships ambush the plump targets on major trade routes, and the pirates have no mercy for the innocent victims caught in their ruthless assaults.

The Interstellar Law Enforcement Organization—more commonly known as Star Law—fights a neverending battle to keep order in the space lanes. Pirates and outlaws have learned to fear the deadly effectiveness of the Star Law Rangers and their Spacefleet. Even so, a few ruthless bands have grown so powerful that they operate as independent nations, and have even attacked Star Law ships.

Fear comes from inside and out. Even these mercenary raiders were forgotten when the Sathar came. Traveling in mighty vessels of war, attacking with unbelievable savagery, the worm-like creatures leave only death and destruction in their wake. Political and business differences were put aside as all four races banded together to face their common enemy.

It takes everything the Star Lawmen have to keep the Frontier safe from enemies within and without. These elite, honored warriors reminded the Frontier colonists of the ancient defenders of the Triad system, giving to them the name those legendary warriors were known by, a name which still honors the ideal combination of a fighter and his ship: Knight Hawk!

INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL

The independent discovery of the Void engine by all four races allowed for interstellar travel and the development of the subspace radio, Once a starship equipped with Void engines accelerated to a speed of 12 million kilometers per hour (1% of the speed of light), its engines had generated enough power to create drivefields which created a pocket of alternate spacetime in which the ship's relativistic mass remained at zero, allowing it to accelerate to the speed of light and beyond with little expenditure of power. The ship seemed to disappear from normal spacetime, the alternate spacetime in which the ship now existed being called "subpsace," "drivespace,' or. more commonly, "the Void."

Time is very distorted in the Void, with 15 seconds passing in Void for every 20 hours in normal space. If a ship decelerates slightly while in the Void, it will emerge into the "real" universe at some point far distant from where it left the universe. While in the Void, a starship travels at a rate of one light year per day.

The characters who live and work on starships call themselves "Spacers." They include members of all races, united in an elite group that is not bound by the restrictions of a single planet or even a single star. Spacers live with danger, never knowing what peril waits for them at the end of a jump. But they live with mystery and excitement as well. It is said that once a person has tasted the thrill of crossing the Void, charting a world never seen before, or guiding a mighty starship on a trip to the stars, no tiny bit of planet will ever again be called his home.

Frontier Timeline

Frontier Timeline

2000 pf.(Pre-Frontier) Corpse Wars: The twenty-four Human and Yazirian colonies

in the Triad System’s three stars(Faith, Hope and Charity) are overwhelmed by a

massive invasion of cybernetically-enhanced Humans rotting from the inside out

from the effects of antiagathic drugs(Corpses) using the Black Hole of Kel’kar as a

shortcut between Corpse Space and the Triad system, the Corpses initiating a

brutal holocaust wiping out over 70% of the colonies’ population. The survivors stage

the Great Exodus, using newly-developed Void engines to lead a fleet of refugee

spacecraft from the Triad System’s three stars and into space, the Corpses

pursuing the entire time.

515 pf. The Triad refugees fight a final battle with Corpse forces at a desolate

system 594,000 light years from their homeworlds. The Battle Of Dead Star 686

results in the apparent eradication of all Corpse presence.

510 pf. First Vrusk/Dralasite contact occurs when Vrusk traders enter the

Fromeltar system to open new markets.

450 pf. First Vrusk/Human contact achieved via subspace radio between Triad

refugee ships and a Vrusk colony at the rim of the Andromeda Galaxy, 640,000

light years from the Triad system.

400 pf. Vrusk, Dralasites, Humans and Yazirians meet for the first time in the

White Light system, in what is to become known as the Frontier Sector or the

Frontier. The Great Exodus comes to an end, as the Triad refugees begin exploring

and colonizing the Frontier’s worlds. Clarion, in the White Light system, becomes

the Triad refugees’ first colony world, the descendants colonizing Triad in the

Cassidine system later that same year.

399 pf. Theseus system colonized by Humans.

370-4 pf. The Frontier is colonized.

360 pf. Gran Quivera and Gollwin in the Prenglar system both colonized.

356 pf. Rupert's Hole,in the Cassidine system, is colonized.

330 pf. Pan-Galactic Corporation started on Gran Quivera.

320 pf. Dixon's Star system discovered by Humans.

310 pf. Madderly's Star system discovered by Vrusk and Humans.

303-300 pf. Corpse forces strike the Frontier, devastating Laco and Kdikit, forcing

the Frontier worlds to call the first Common Muster, the combined militia and PGC

starships and troops launching a relentless counterattack culminating in the Battle

of Laco, lasting 47 hours and resulting in 70% of the Frontier forces and nearly all of

the Corpse forces being wiped out. The muster is swiftly dismissed.

300 pf. Pale and New Pale discovered in the Truane's Star system, named in honor

of the colony group’s charismatic first leader, Colonel John Henry Truane.

Zuraqquor discovered, enslaved and assimilated by the Human colonists of New

Pale. Amongst the colony’s first leaders is Abraham Streel, founder of a chain of

department stores which is to become the Streel Corporation.

270 pf. Dramune system discovered by Dralasites.

268 pf. Athor system discovered by Yazirians.

261 pf. K'tsa-Kar system discovered by Vrusk.

256 pf. K'aken-Kar ssytem disovered by Vrusk.

255 pf. Gruna Garu system discovered by Yazirians.

252 pf. Timeon system discovered by Humans.

250 pf. The Pan-Galactic language accepted throughout the Frontier as a common

trade tongue.

246 pf. Kizk'-Kar system discovered by Vrusk.

229 pf. Araks system colonized by Yazirians and Humans from Pale and New Pale

fleeing religious persecution from the Truane’s Star government and the Streel

Corporation which has used its economic power to insidiously take control of the

government, the media, the schools and churches system-wide.

225-10 pf. The Age of Adventure. The discovery and exploration of new planets

slows down for the next century while the major races concentrate on mapping the

hazards and boundries of the Frontier. Hundreds of exploration vessels and brave

spacers are lost during this time. Meanwhile, the discovered planets begin to

develop. Thousands of fortunes are made and lost during the Age of Adventure.

124-78 pf. The Greater Morass is mapped.

120-110 pf Laco's War: When the government of Laco refuses to allow Streel to set

up business on their soil, the CEO of Streel, Truane's Star President Jacob Streel,

declares a "war of the righteous to liberate Laco from the forces of Sadam and Her

dark legions," dispatching Streel and Truane's Star warships to invade Laco in

force. Laco's militia, assisted by PGC security forces, the Kdikit Defense Force and

the Clarion Royal Marines, wage a bloody ten-year defense of the Dixon's Star

system against Streel and Truane's Star, the war ending only after a devastating

attack against Pale and New Pale by the combined forces convinces the Streel

board of directors and the Truane's Star government to break off hostilities.

94 pf. Scree Fron system discovered by Yazirians.

61 pf. The Zebulon system is discovered by Professor Alorne Zebulon, the

Frontier's most noted scientist, explorer, and educator. Following the loss of the

exploration ship Serena Dawn, with all hands—including Professor Zebulon—during

the second expidition to the Zebulon system, the Truane’s Star government, now

completely under the thrall of the Streel Corporation, claims the system and closes

off all access to it.

59 pf. Streel announces the complete takeover of all mediacorps on Nexus, the

culmination of an insidious campaign begun with the purchase of commercial spots

two hundred years before. With control of all commecial media and the subspace

computer network(or the SubNet), the Streel family are now positioned to feed their

worldview to the citizens of the Frontier.

The Frontier worlds respond to this by establishing their own mediacorps and

subspace computer networks independent of the SubNet, these independent

computer networks uniting over the next five decades into the Mosaic.

56-40 pf. The White Light Nebulae are mapped.

39-33 pf. The Yreva Nebula is mapped.

32-26 pf. Thirty-two exploration vessels are lost trying to map the Xagyg Dust

Nebulae. Only a small part of the area beyond Fromeltar is ever mapped.

Several hundred more exploration vessels are lost trying to explore the Zebulon

system, to the point where most governments and corporations abandon further

attempts along those lines altogether.

25-2 pf. The Pirate Wars.

25 pf. A remarkably well-equipped and organized pirate fleet under Hatzck Naar—

larger than any of the planetary militias individually—raids the Cassidine and

Prenglar systems, seizing Rupert’s Hole and Triad’s moon of Evergleem in a single

battle. The second Common Muster in nearly three centuries is called, as Streel

and the Truane’s Star government both demand the establishment of a strong,

central interstellar government and military to combat this and other threats.

24 pf. Naar’s fleet ravages the Pale worlds as a diversion, seizing Laco in a

lightning raid, Streel CEO Ezekiel Streel pointing this out as “proof positive that only

a Frontier united under a single directive, under strong, decisive leadership with the

moral superiority to lead, can defeat this threat to our security once and for all.”

24 pf. Later that year, the Frontier forces deals a series of overwhelming,

devastating defeats to Naar’s forces, seizing Laco and Rupert’s Hole in a single

campaign, diverting Naar’s fleet away from his home base on Outer Reach, allowing

forces led by the Lord Commander of the Clarion Royal Marines, Vincent Morgaine,

to launch a massive assault which results in the seizure of Outer Reach and

Darkworld Station by Frontier forces, scattering Naar’s forces throughout the

Frontier.

23 pf. Naar’s attempt to establish a base in the Planrion asteroid belt fails

miserably, the Frontier forces ambushing his remnant fleet, destroying or driving off

most of his ships in a bloody eighteen-hour battle, Naar himself becoming a fugitive.

22 pf. Hatzck Naar's ship, the heavy cruiser King George’s Revenge, is cornered by

Frontier warships off Timeon, Morgaine’s heavy cruiser Oath-Bound hammering the

Revenge into a dead hulk, Naar captured by Morgaine and a Royal Marine boarding

party and ejected into space to slowly boil inside his spacesuit as he falls toward

Timeon.

.

The muster is dismissed, only to be replaced by the Interstellar Law Enforcement

Organization, created when Gran Quivera, Gollwin, Clarion, Triad, Rupert’s Hole

, Fromeltar, Minotaur, Krataar. Hargut, Hakosoar, Kenzah' Kit and Inner Reach,

along with the Cassidine Development Corporation and PGC, donate ships

, manpower, funds and resources into a common effort to combat the growing threat

of piracy throughout the Frontier worlds.

Morgaine is named the Organization’s first commander, granted the rank of admiral

by the Frontier Security Council, formed to oversee the Organization’s activities,

and the Organization is headquarted on Gollwin in the Prenglar system.

21-10 pf. The Xagyg Dust Nebulae is mapped from Fromeltar to K'aken-Kar.

19-8 pf. The Xagyg Dust Nebula, particularlly in and around the Zebulon system

claims thousands of exploration vessels. Exploration of the area ceases

completely.

10 pf. With Streel and the Truane’s Star government continuing to sound the call for

a strong government in the face of continued piracy, the Interstellar Law

Enforcement Organization—now simply known as Star Law—makes significant

inroads against various pirate bands, wiping a dozen of the largest pirate fleets out

completely. Impressed, most of the remaining Frontier worlds begin contributing

resources, personnel and ships to Star Law, securing representation on the

Council.

2 pf. Acting on a tip, and over the objections of both Streel and the Truane’s Star

government, Morgaine personally leads Star Law forces into the Zebulon system

.

In a bloody three-month campaign, the Star Lawmen fight their way through mined

routes, ambushes and a massive pirate fleet in orbit around Volturnus, the Star

Lawmen landing marines on the three largest concentrations of Human life-signs on

Volturnus’ surface at the same time they reduce the enemy forces in planetary

orbit.

.

Morgaine learns that the Human settlements on planet are slave-labor camps,

where captives from throughout the Frontier are brutalized and overworked in the

punishing heat alongside native sentients, the Star Lawmen discovering extensive

orbital facilities orbiting both Volturnus and Anker, along with several half-completed

cruiser and heavy cruiser-class hulls, some conforming to known Frontier ship

classes, others of a decidedly alien design.

No useful information can be extracted from the surviving pirates, their captives or

the hulks concerning the half-completed vessels

.

Content with smashing the largest remaining pirate force operating in Frontier

space, Morgaine and his ships return to Gollwin.

2 pf. The First Sathar War: A massive force of Sathar warships—led by several

gigantic vessels, each five times the size of a heavy cruiser—emerge from the Void

in the Prenglar system, outnumbering both Gran Quivera’s and Gollwin’s planetary

militias, as well as the Star Law Spacefleet forces in system. In spite of this

, Morgaine, personally leading the combined Star Law/militia forces aboard the

Oath-Bound, fight a bloody, 47-hour battle with the Sathar, destroying them utterly,

while suffering 60% casualties, including the destruction of the Oath-Bound with all

hands.

1 pf. In honor of Morgaine’s sacrifice and service to the people of the Frontier, the

people of Gollwin vote to rename their planet Morgaine’s World .

1 f.y. (Federation Year) What had begun as an oversight body for Star Law

becomes an interstellar government, the Frontier Security Council and Star Law

transforming into the center of the United Planetary Federation. Streel and Truane’s

Star reluctantly join, in spite of their criticism of the new UPF being too weak to

adjudicate squabbles amongst itself, let alone lead the Frontier against a second

Sathar invasion.

5 f.y.Interstellar Industries develops the first assault scout-class warship for use by

Star Law's Spacefleet, beating out the Streel-built Hatchet-class corvette. The

assault scout proves to be so successful, Star Law orders several hundred more,

the ship becoming the Spacefleet's most common vessel, while the Streel corvette

becomes the chief ship of the resurgent pirate bands.

5 f.y. PGC unveils the first of Star Law's Morgaine-class battleships.

CDC comissions the first five Oath-Bound-class frigates, these ships quickly

becoming the mainstay of Star Law and the militias

.

Eversafe Enterprises commissions the first four Hargut-class cruisers, while Streel

is given the contract to convert Courageous-class heavy cruisers into Dauntless-

class battle carriers,

Streel is dissatisfied with this, wanting all the Star Law contracts for themselves

,Streel resorting to sabotaging the other corporations' prototypes

.

Caught in the act by Star Law Special Branch, Streel loses the Dauntless project,

gaining nothing out of it, as all plans were published as open-source documents as

per the contract agreements.

14 f.y. The Sundown system is discovered.

17-25 f.y. The Blue Plague sweeps the Frontier. Scientists believe it was brought to

the Sundown system by an alien vessel that crashed on Starmist. Because of

Starmist's light population, the plague was not immediately detected and had a

chance to mutate. It is believed that vermin from the planet became infected and

somehow gained entry to a ship. The ship makes several stops on the Frontier and

the plague spreads rapidly. It is called the Blue Plague because of its earliest

symptoms -- large blue welts that appear about the face and extremities. These

welts leave horrible black scars even if the victim survives the plague.

20 f.y. Four star systems become so infested with the Blue Plague that the Frontier

Security Council, requests all races to recognize a permanent quarantine of these

four star systems. The systems are designated by Greek letters. A spaceship

seen leaving one of these systems is to be destroyed by Star Law before it has a

chance to spread the plague any further.

22 f.y. Hargut, Clarion and Pale suffer massive population losses due to the Blue

Plague. All three planets are temporarily quarantined.

Streel CEO Samson Streel criticizes the UPF’s handling of the epidemic, using

Streel’s control of the Nexus(and several other Frontier) mediacorps to spread the

opinion that the Plague is a punishment from the One True God(the One)for the

Frontier’s tolerance of sin and the “moral inferiors” who spread it. Streel’s belief,

repeated thousands of times by thousands of beings such as him over the next few

years, results in millions more innocent beings being imprisoned, brutalized and

even murdered.

23 f.y. The Medical Services Organization is founded. Funding pours in from most

of the Frontier worlds, except Pale and New Pale.

Gretl Grohn is named as the MSO Chief Surgeon.

24 f.y. Vaccine for the Blue Plague is discovered at the MSO Center on Morgaine's

World, in spite of Streel agents attempting to sabotage the research, Star Law and

the Clarion Royal Marines being instrumental in discovering that the Plague was, in

fact, engineered by Streel’s pharmecuticals division and seeded on Starmist to

begin the epidemic.Incensed, the people of Clarion launch a series of bloody anti
-
Streel demonstrations, butchering hundreds of Streel employees on planet and

throughout the White Light system, before Queen Felicia II orders Streel expelled

from White Light system space, revoking the corporation’s operating authority in

Clarion soil.

Samson Streel makes repeated denials, accusing the Council and the moral

inferiors controlling it, the Frontier’s media and Star Law of persecuting him

, claiming the Streel employees responsible for engineering and releasing the

Plague were in fact Sathar agents.

This doesn’t stop the Frontier Criminal Court from fining Streel 500 trillion credits in

damages and reparations.

Star Law—to its infinite regret—is unable to prove Samson Streel, any member of

the Streel board of directors or even the Truane's Star government had anything to

do with the epidemic.

25 f.y. The Blue Plague is eradicated from inhabited planets in the Frontier. In total,

170 million victims fell to the plague, while another 250 million were murdered by

prejudice and panic resulting from the plague.

26 f.y. Very tough laws and penalties are laid down by both the Frontier Security

Council and the member worlds concerning the intersystem transportation and

handling of flora and fauna. Star Law is given jurisdiction over planetary imports and

exports.

The Frontier Security Council also requires all genetic expirimentation projects

secure the approval of the Council and to have Star Law and MSO oversight at all

times.

27 f.y. The PGC frigate Omicron, missing since the last Corpse War three hundred

years ago, is discovered drifting and powerless in interstellar space between

Dixon’s Starand Araks. The Star Law frigate Oath-Bound is dispatched to

investigate, only to battle both the ship’s cybernetic intelligence...and a force of two

Sathar heavy cruisers and six destroyers, Strike Force NOVA joining the fray
.

The Oath-Bound sends a Marine boarding party onto the Omicron, fighting off a

Zuraqquor-led Sathar boarding party and the ship’s cybernetic brain, succeeding, in

spite of heavy casualties, in seizing control of the ship, using its weapons to help

defeat the Sathar force, after it succeeds in dealing a damaging blow to Strike

Force NOVA, destroying its flagship, the heavy cruiser Stalwart with the loss of all

hands, including Star Law Admiral Clinton.

With the intelligence that the Zuraqquor were leading the Sathar in hand, Star Law

attempts to probe further, only to discover that Streel officials have eradicated all

evidence of the Zuraqquor’s history and civilization prior to human colonization of

New Pale.

30 f.y. Pan-Gal system is discovered by the Pan-Galactic Corporation and

becomes the first mega-corp star system.

31 f.y. New Streel system is discovered by the Streel Corporation.

32 f.y. Devco system is discovered by the Cassidine Development Corporation.

36 f.y. The Second Dramune War is fought.

46 f.y. Solar Major system discovered by WarTech Incorporated.

50 f.y. A rebellion flares up on Corpco in reaction to Streel's repressive measures,

Streel sending in troops and ships to "excise the morally inferior from the body of

the planet," as Streel Security Forces head Joshua Streel bluntly puts it.

The Clarion Royal Marines, along with the Triad Militia, PGC and CDC security

forces and Star Law's Strike Force NOVA—under the command of Star Law

Admiral Alannah Red Cloud—come to the aid of Corpco's oppressed populace

, engaging Streel and Truane's Star forces in a series of bloody battles on Corpco

and throughout the New Streel system, culiminating in the Battle of Ten Fleets, Red

Cloud's forces and the Corpco rebels scoring a decisive victory, but at the cost of

Admiral Red Cloud's life and 60% of the UPF forces, Samson Streel claiming

neither Streel nor the Truane's Star government had any involvement in the events

which took place, the Frontier Security Council nevertheless suspending Streel

Corp's and Truane's Star's membership for five years.

68 f.y. Star Law dispataches the battle carrier Dauntless and the whole of Strike

Group NOVA Bravo to the Tristkar system as rioting between human supremacists

and Vrusk extremists overwhelms the civil authorities on Krataar.

Upon emerging from the Void, the Star Law ships are attacked by ships of the

planetary militia, the Dauntless sustaining heavy damage, as the assault scout

Falchion almost singlehandedly destroys or drives off the militia warships—the

Falchion being destroyed in the process—allowing the rest of the strike group to

reach Krataar orbit

.

The Star Law ships find themselves in the middle of an imminent civil war, which

Kraatar's ruling Commerical Council is powerless to mediate, as even its security

forces have begun taking sides, tensions almost exploding into all-out war upon the

apparent assassination of Trojan Enterprises CEO Jack Legrange by Vrusk

members of the planetary security forces

,

The subequent Star Law investigation exposes Trojan's insidious takeover of the

largest Vrusk merchant house on planet, Vist'Lat, and the implantation of mind

-control devices—outlawed Corpse technology—by personnel at the Trojan-owned

High Peaks Sanitorium into the cranial carpaces of Vrusk executives and security

personnel. The investigation further reveals that Legrange faked his death and is at

the head of a plot to seize power on Krataar, the investigation culminating in the

Battle of Artemis, as Strike Force NOVA and Task Force K’aken’ Kar engage the

starships of the Krataar Liberation Corps, along with several Streel and Truane's

Star warships in a bloody ten-hour battle, during which the frigate Oath-Bound plays

a prominent part by attacking the KLC base on Artemis, preventing the launch of

several missiles which would have unleashed a strain of the Blue Plague—tailored

to wipe out non-Human species—upon the surface of Krataar

.

The Oath-Bound then pursues Legrange’s frigate, the Realization Of Destiny, as it

attempts to follow the surviving Streel and Truane’s Star ships into the Void, the

remaining KLC ships abandoned to their fate.

After a six-hour chase and battle in Tristkar orbit, the Oath-Bound grapples the

Destiny, the Oath-Bound’s marines capturing Legrange, transporting him to Clarion

for trial

.

Star Law is unable to prove any direct link between Streel and Legrange, all the

available evidence leading straight to Legrange, a former Streel Corporation

executive, and a team of rogue operatives recruited personally by him, with just the

slightest implication of Sathar involvement.

To Streel’s dismay, however, the circumstancial evidence is more than enough for

the Commercial Council to revoke the corporation’s operating authority throughout

the Tristkar system, resulting in the loss of nearly half of their interstellar business.

Legrange is convicted of nearly a hundred counts of crimes against sentience and

high treason by the Frontier Criminal Court, and is spaced later that year.

He is unrepentant to the end.

68 f.y. Frontier Expiditionary Force formed at Clarion, with the destroyer Melinda

McCoy designated its flagship.

A joint effort between Star Law and the Royal Marines, the FEF is charged with

scouting for signs of Sathar presence beyond the Frontier's boundaries.

70 f.y. Liberty system discovered by the UPF. Strike Force NOVA and the Frontier

Expitionary Force liberate the planet Snowball and the Mhemne from Sathar

tyranny. Tacticians, politicians, and exobiologists are given a chance to study

Sathar machinery and methods first hand because of the information gathered by

the populace during their occupation. It is feared that many pockets of Sathar

tyranny exist all around the Frontier.

70-75 f.y. The Second Sathar War.

70 f.y. The Sathar seize the Zebulon, Araks, Dixon's Star and Madderly’s Star

systems in a series of lightning assaults, overwhelming and destroying the UPF

forces and the planetary militia forces in those systems. The people of Anker,

Volturnus, Hentz, Laco and Kdikit are swiftly and brutally enslaved.

The Sathar turn Kdikit into a planet-wide military and industrial complex intended as

a permanent advance base for incoming Sathar supply ships and troops.

70 f.y. Strike Force NOVA and the Mhemne Confederation militia are mauled when

Sathar Fleet #4—accompanied by a force of Truane's Star warships—invades the

Liberty system. The combined UPF forces lose 80% of their ships and personnel

while completely annhilating the enemy force.

71 f.y. The UPF mines the sector between White Light and Madderly's Star.

Sathar Fleet #1 is driven from Gruna Garu and pursued as it tries to make its way

to Fromeltar. All militia ships in the sector, including half of Task Force Prenglar,

are engaged in the pursuit.

71 f.y. Joint Reaction Force #1 is formed at Clarion, incorporating Spacefleet and

Royal Marine warships. JRF #1’s commander, Captain Margaurite Dermond

, believes more of the Sathar fleet may attack through the White Light Nebulae.

71 f.y. Sathar Fleet #2 emerges between Timeon and Prenglar, placing itself in front

of Task Force Prenglar. The Battle of Prenglar begins two hours later and results in

Sathar Fleet #2 scattering or destroying the reduced Task Force Prenglar, the Star

Law Admiral, Carrie Nation Bridger, being one of those killed during the battle.

Flush with victory, the Sathar proceed recklessly into the Frontier.

JRF #1, along with Task Forces K'aken Kar and Fromletar, soon engage Sathar
Fleet #2. The remaining Task Force Prenglar ships return and join the battle. This
running battle results in the eventual withdrawal of Sathar Fleet #2 into the White
Light Nebulae, as Samson Streel renews his call for stronger leadership to combat
the Sathar menace.

72 f.y. Mhneme build their first interstellar spacecraft, five Liberty-class patrol
gunships, incorporating the newly-developed antimatter pion engine.

These vessels, along with other Mhneme-built and/or crewed ships, help rebuild
Strike Force NOVA into Task Force Liberty. The task force's commander, Commodore Maria Starr, is promoted to Spacefleet
Rear Admiral.

72 f.y. Sathar Fleet #3 attempts to circumnavigate the Great Morass. Two weeks

later it is engaged by gunships and assault scouts from Moonworld. Without any

knowledge of the existence of the Lynchpin system, the Sathar forge ahead, finding

the whole Task Force Liberty waiting in orbit around Moonworld to ambush the

Sathar in a carefully-laid trap, as they emerge from the Void.

This begins the Battle of Moonworld, which ends with ends with the destruction of

three-quarters of Sathar Fleet #3. The remaining Sathar vessels are forced to

retreat.

72 f.y. JRF #1 launches a surprise raid on Kdikit, smashing the Sathar supply line,

stationing themselves at the edge of the system to engage and destroy incoming

Sathar vessels.

72 f.y. The final dregs of Sathar Fleet #1, after slipping into the Xagyg Nebula off

Fromeltar, arrive back at Kdikit and prepare to defend it to the death.

72 f.y. Task Force Prenglar regroups off K'aken-Kar. JRFs #2 and #3 formed at

Triad. Task Force White Light begins forming at Fortress Redoubt from the remains

of the Frontier Expiditionary Force. Commodore Karl Reider assumes command of

Task Force White Light aboard the newly-comissioned battleship Admiral Red

Cloud.

72 f.y. JRFs #1-3, along with Task Forces Cassidine, Liberty, Fromeltar, and

K'aken Kar, secure the Frontier inward from Theseus.

73 f.y. The remains of Sathar Fleet #2 arrive at Kdikit. Despite a desperate shortage

of supplies caused by the Star Law blockade and terrible losses from previous

engagements, the Sathar have completed their construction. Kdikit is now a

formidable fortress. Task Forces Prenglar and White Light prepare to invade Kdikit.

73 f.y. The Battle of the Blockade. A Sathar reinforcement fleet—accompanied by a

Truane's Star heavy cruiser, a Truane’s Star battle carrier, a pair of Streel

Corporation frigates and eight Streel corvettes—is challenged by JRF#1. Half of the

enemy fleet—including all the Streel and Truane's Star ships— escape, the other

half sacrificing themselves to save them, at the cost of half of JRF#1's warships and

personnel.

74 f.y. JRF#1 is greatly increased by reinforcements from Clarion. Dermond’s ships

rendezvous with Task Forces Prenglar and White Light. Battered and weary, they

still insist on joining the siege of Kdikit , gaining notoriety throughout the Frontier.

74 f.y. A peace faction splits the Frontier Security Council. In spite of its being led

by the ambassador from Truane’s Star—Gestas Streel—and the Streel

represenative—Gestas’ twin brother Dismas—their father, Samson Streel, decries

this development, insisting that this is only one more reason why strong leadership

is needed if the Frontier is to survive “the Dark Lady, her Sathar, and the moral

inferiors amongst us who are their servants.”

In a surprising development, the Star Law commander, Admiral Ironside

Brannecken, orders a diplomatic mission sent to Kdikit, stunning the Council

enough for a majority to agree to this.

The Sathar also agree, the Star Law negotiators sent to talk peace meeting with

non-Sathar agents, who Star Law’s Special Branch covertly confirms are Streel

Corporation management personnel...and, they seem to be the ones in charge on

Kdikit, confirming intelligence dearly bought during several of the war's earlier

engagements.

Like the Sathar, the Star Lawmen are buying time for their forces to gather all the

strength they can before striking, the Sathar and their Streel handlers using the

six months the negoiations drag on to strengthen defenses around Kdikit.

75 f.y. Task Force Cassidine joins Task Forces Prenglar and White Light at the edge of the Madderly’s Star system, as Samson Streel grows increasingly suspicious of Brannecken's motives.

At the same time JRF #2 and Task Group White Light Charlie 5 engage Sathar and

Streel forces around Plague World Delta. After heavy fighting, the Star Law forces

drive off the surviving Streel and Sathar ships, deploying Marines to secure the

planet.

To their horror and anger, the Star Lawmen find the planet had been turned into a

Streel slave-labor camp some fifty years before, Delta's inhabitants forced to build

Sathar weapons and warships. as well as a fleet of Streel warships more powerful

than anything currently in the UPF arsenal.

As further investigation and humanitarian efforts take place on Delta, the initial

findings are relayed to the Frontier Security Council.

75 f.y., 30 Septa. Present

The United Planetary Federation

The United Planetary Federation(also, the United Frontier or the United Planets) is an alliance of the Frontier Worlds, held together by the Frontier Security Council, the Frontier Courts, the Medical Service Organization and, perhaps most importantly, Star Law.

The governing document of the UPF is the Frontier Security Agreement, containing a series of laws governing the Frontier as a whole. The Agreement is a delicate balance between planetary sovreignty, individual civil rights and liberties,and the safety and security of all the Frontier's citizens. Like Star Law, the Agreement predates the official formation of the United Frontier by two decades, and, for the Federation's entire seventy-five year history, it has worked.

The Frontier Security Council

Orginially formed as an oversight body for Star Law, the Frontier Security Council is the final executive and legislative authority in the Frontier, consisting of one repesenative from each of the Frontier's worlds, one represenative from each of the Frontier's interstellar megacorps, the Star Law Admiral and the MSO Surgeon General.

The Council convenes year-round in Port Loren, on Gran Quivera. In times of peace, the Presidency of the Council rotates between the member worlds and corporations on a two-year basis, the President speaking for the Council in all Frontier-wide matters.

In times of war or other Frontier-wide emergency, the Star Law Admiral assumes the Presidency for the duration of the emergency.

The Frontier Courts

The Frontier Courts adjudicate all Frontier-wide civil and criminal disputes. Meeting in Valentina, on Clarion, the Courts are divided into two branches:

The Frontier Criminal Court: The Frontier Criminal Court deliberates on all criminal matters concerning violations of the Frontier Security Agreement. Their decisions are appealable to the Frontier Security Council.

The Frontier Court of Arbitration: The Frontier Court of Arbitration decides on civil matters between UPF members and acts as a final court of appeal for all other civil matters.

Each of the two courts has one judge from each member world and an ombudsman from each of the member corporations.

The Medical Service Organization

The MSO resulted from the Frontier worlds and corporations pooling their medical resources during the Blue Plague, the MSO evolving from that ad hoc effort, becoming the last word for Frontier medicine.

Utilizing Star Law ranks, the MSO provides medics and medships to that organization during wartime, and the MSO's hospitals can be found on nearly every outpost of civilization in the Frontier.

The MSO is headed by a Surgeon-General.

Star Law

The organization which has been the glue holding Frontier society together, Star Law evolved from the Interstellar Law Enforcement Organization formed by the Frontier worlds and corporations in the aftermath of Hazick Naar's piracies and the Second Common Muster.

Star Law is the Frontier's military and law-enforcement organization, charged with defending the Frontier from all threats foreign and domestic and with the enforcement of the Frontier Security Agreement. It is divided into two main divisions:

The Rangers

The Rangers are Star Law's active division, consisting of the personnel actually enforcing Frontier law and defending the Frontier's citizens.

The Rangers are organized into four branches:

Spacefleet: Star Law’s most visible branch, Spacefleet—more commonly known as the Knight Hawks, in honor of the Triad system’s ancient defenders—patrols the spacelanes, acting as the first line of defense against invaders and pirates, while serving as Star Law's first response to criminal activity on a planetary scale(in conjunction with the Special Branch, below).

Spacefleet's arsenal of warships range from Boomerang fighters to the ponderous Morgaine-class battleships.

The Marines: The Star Law Marines are Star Law's ground forces, consisting mainly of powered-armored infantry troops, with a small number of artillery and cavalry assets.

Stationed mostly aboard the Spacefleet's starships, the Marines are also called out for riots and other domestic disturbances which threaten the security of the Frontier as a whole.

The Exploration Service: The Star Law Exploration Service is charged with exploring all worlds beyond the Frontier.

Special Branch: Special Branch handles all criminal investigations and intelligence gathering within the Frontier.

Support

The Support Division supports Star Law's day-to-day operations. It is divided into four branches:

Administration:The Admin branch handles all of Star Law's payroll, paperwork, personnel and other administrative matters.

Logistics: The Logistics branch handles all of Star Law's supply needs.

Technical Services: The Technical Services Branch handles all of Star Law's engineering and maintainence needs.

Reserach and Development: Star Law R&D handles all of Star Law's research, from coordinating with the MSO on vaccine research to developing and testing new starships for the Spacefleet.

Star Law Rank Structure

All of Star Law's divisions and branches use the following rank system:

Rank

Expirience Points Needed

Pay/Day

Rank Insignia

Command Responsibilities

Midshipman 1st Class

100

None

Petty Officer

150

None

Petty Officer 1st Class

100

250

Combat Team

Chief Petty Officer

125

300

Combat Team

Master Petty Officer

150

350

Platoon

Ensign

250

400

Small Ship Department Head

Lieutenant

275

490

Assault Scout Command

First Lieutenant

315

520

Frigate Command

Commander

375

580

Destroyer Command

Captain

470

700

Cruiser/JRF Command

Commodore

550

900

Battleship/Task Force Command

Rear Admiral

700

1100

Battleship/Branch Command

Vice Admiral

800

1250

Battleship/Division Command

Admiral

1000

1500

Battleship/Star Law Command

Gollwin Academy

Most Star Law personnel, upon enlistement and the completion of a background check and a battery of physical, intellectual and psychological tests, start at the rank of Midshipman 2d Class and begin training at Gollwin Academy, on Morgaine's World.

The Academy is a two-year course of study, the first year being an intensive array of classroom training in both general subjects and the midshipmen's respective chosen branches of service. At the end of the first year, a second set of physical, mental and psychological testing determines which of the second-class midshipmen are promoted to Midshipman 1st Class and assigned to field training.

Field training takes up the whole of the second year, with the second-year midshipmen assigned to active Star Law units in their chosen branch of service.
At the end of the second year, a final set of testing, along with evaluations from the field are factored into the decision on whether or not to graduate individual midshipmen.

Final rank upon graduation is determined by class rank, with the top 1% being commissioned Lieutenants, the top 5% being comissioned Ensigns, the top 10% being commissioned Master Petty Officers, the top 20% being Chief Petty Officers and the remaining graduates being comissioned Petty Officers, as shown by the table below:

D100 Roll	Commission
01	Lieutenant(roll d100 again: command awarded on 01-05)
02-05	Ensign
06-10	Master Petty Officer
11-20	Chief Petty Officer
21-00	Petty Officer

Star Law characters, regardless of what rank they are commissioned at, must pay the full XP cost to be promoted to the next higher rank.

Deputization

In times of war or other emergency, the Star Law Admiral and the Frontier Security Council are authorized to deputize planetary militias, corporate security forces and privateers, bringing them into the regular Star Law command structure.

While deputized, militia personnel have Star Law ranks equivalent to their militia ranks and are paid accordingly. Those militia personnel who perform exceptionally well are given permanent commissions in Star Law.

Frontier Calendar

Galactic Standard Time (GST)uses the following measures:

1 second = The time necessary for a laser beam to cross 300,000 kilometers.
1 minute= 60 seconds.
1 hour= 60 minutes.
1 day= 20 hours.
1 tenday= Ten days.
1 month= Four tendays.
1 year= Ten months.

The months of the Galactic Standard Year are as follows:

Month 1: Primus
Month 2: Secundus
Month 3: Tera
Month 4: Tetra
Month 5: Penta
Month 6: Hex
Month 7: Septa
Month 8: Octo
Month 9: Nona
Month 10: Deca

Days of the tenday:

Day 1: Prime Day
Day 2: Secday
Day 3: Terday
Day 4: Tetday
Day 5: Midpoint
Day 6: Hexday
Day 7: Sepday
Day 8: Ocday
Day 9: Nonday
Day 10: Decaday

Recognized Frontier-wide holidays:

Federation Day: Celebration of the founding of the UPF, observed on the first day of Primus(1 Primus).

Springfest: Celebration of the first day of spring. Observed on the third Prime Day of Tetra, except amongst those worlds held by Truane's Star/Streel, where observance is punishable by death.

Winterfest: Celebration of the first day of winter(a cross between Christmas and Samhein). Observed during the last tenday of Deca, except amongst those worlds held by Truane's Star/Streel, where observance is punishable by death.

Character Generation

How to Create A Character --Addendum

I added these steps to the character creation process from the Expanded Game:

New Races And Racial Abilities:

Race	STR/STA	DEX/RS	INT/LOG	PER/LDR
Mhneme	+0	+0	+5	-5
Zuraqquor(technician)	-10	+0	+10	+0
Zuraqquor(warrior/worker)	+10	+0	-10	+0

Additional Steps:

10. Roll 2d10 and add the result to 16 to determine the character’s starting age.

11. Subtract 16 from the character’s starting age, above, and multiply the result by the character’s INT/LOG score average to determine starting XP.

12. Divide INT score by 2. This is the percentage chance that the character will have psionic potential.

13. If the above roll is successful, then roll d100 three times to determine if the character is telepathic(45% chance), telekinetic(10% chance) or clairvoyant(25% chance). Otherwise, go to 14, below.

14. Roll d100 and add the result to 500. The final result is the number of Credits the character has at the start of the game. The character can spend this money immediately on equipment, or save some of it until later in the game.

Skills(More Modifications)
PSAs—I didn't like the idea of characters having only one PSA and that was it. So I added this simple rule:

At the start of the game, each character takes the average of his INT and LOG scores and divides the result by 20. This is the number of Primary Skill Areas he may take at creation. Additional PSAs can be taken after creation at the cost of 25 expirience points per PSA.

Weapon Skills

Here's what I did here: Added the spaceship weapons to the other skills listed here, removed the pre-requisites, and gave the usual -10% penalty for operating heavy weapons.

So:

BEAM WEAPONS skill applies to electrostunners, laser pistols, laser rifles, laser cannon, laser batteries, sonic devastators, sonic disruptors, sonic stunners, electron pistols, electron rifles, heavy electron projectors, proton and electron batteries, and disruptor beam cannon.

GYROJET WEAPONS skill applies to gyrojet pistols, gyrojet rifles, grenade rifles, grenade mortars, rocket launchers, assault rockets, StarHawk missiles, cruise missiles, seeker missiles and torpedos.

MELEE WEAPONS skill applies to axes, brass knuckles, chains, clubs, swords, electric swords, las swords,neutron swords, sonic swords, knives, sonic knives, vibroknives, nightsticks, polearms, shock gloves, spears, stunsticks and whips.

PROJECTILE WEAPONS skill applies to automatic pistols and rifles, bows, muskets, needler pistols and rifles, machine guns, recoilless rifles and massdrivers.

THROWN WEAPONS skill applies to all grenades and thrown axes, knives and spears.

Heavy and spaceship weaponry have a -10% penalty to operate.

There is one additional subskill pertaining to all weapons skills:

SELECTIVE TARGETING

-30% to all to-hit rolls

A person using this subskill can target any body part, or any system on a vehicle or spacecraft.

TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS

There are now six Technological skills: Computer skill, Robotics, Technician, Piloting, Astrogation and Spaceship Engineer. Again, I removed the pre-requisites for the spaceship skills and made them Tech skills instead.

Technician Skill

Modified it to accomodate the spaceship skills.

OPERATING MACHINERY

Success Rate: 50% +10% per skill level

Operating a vehicle includes starting it, driving it and using it to do anything it was designed to do. The chance to succeed includes the possibility that the technician may need to bypass a locked ignition to start the vehicle. Obviously, if the vehicle is damaged or out of fuel, it will not start until it is repaired or refueled.

A technician gets one chance to operate an unfamiliar vehicle. If the technician has driven this type of machine before, he can start it and drive it automatically. A technician can try to operate any ground or water vehicle, regardless of his level. At 2nd level he can fly a jetcopter(as a level 1 jetcopter pilot, see below). At 4th level he can fly an aircar(as a level 1 aircar pilot, see below), and at 6th level he can operate a shuttlecraft or a system ship(as a level 1 starship pilot, see below).

Piloting Skill

Same as KH, save it's a Tech skill, with specialties in Jetcopter and Aircar Piloting as well as Spaceship Piloting, and I've modified the Increase MR subskill thusly:

INCREASE ADF/MR*

Success Rate: 70% +10% per skill level

On a given turn, a pilot has a chance either to accelerate beyond what his Void engines will allow or to maneuver more than what his maneuver jets will allow. This chance is 10% per level of the pilot. If the skill check is successful, the pilot increase his ADF or his MR by 1 for that turn only.

If the pilot fails this check, the ship loses one point of ADF/MR. If the pilot rolls a 99-00, then the ship loses all ADF or MR.

*For the Jetcopter and Aircar Pilot skills, this subskill is Increase Top Speed/Turn Radius, increasing his top speed by 10 or his turn radius by 60 degrees.

Spaceship Engineering Skill

Added a subskill:

INCREASE POWER

Success Rate: 50% +10% per skill level

On a given turn, the ship's engineer can increase power to the beam weapons, the Void engines or the mag shielding. A success on this roll gives the ship one point of ADF, 10d10 points additional damage to one of the beam weapons systems or an additional -25% to all attacks striking the ship's mag shielding.

A failed roll is the same as rolling a 98-105 on the Advanced Game Damage Table, while a roll of 99-00 results in the disastrous fire result from the Advanced Game Damage Table.

Void Engines

Starships use Void engines to travel both interplanetary and interstellar distances.

Void engines come in two designs:

Nuclear Engines

The first Void engines developed, nuclear engines use an explosive thermonuclear reaction to generate power and thrust. Plutonium pellets are continously accelerated into one another inside the fisson chamber at relativistic speeds-allowing for critical-mass reactions with smaller minimum sub-critical masses-the resulting fission explosion then detonating tritium inside the bomb chamber-lined with x-ray containment mirrors-creating a powerful thermonuclear explosion, energizing thermopiles in the bomb chamber and the exhaust chamber, the blast plasma being directed out of the exhaust chamber to drive the ship through space.

Pion Engines

Developed by the Mhneme during the Second Sathar War, antimatter pion engines generate power and thrust through a matter/antimatter reaction.

A pion engine uses liquid hydrogen fuel, subjected to X-ray bombardement in the bombardement chamber, the resulting liquid antihydrogen fuel being siphoned off and injected into the primary reaction chamber along with the remaining liquid hydrogen fuel, the resulting explosion energizing thermopiles lining the chamber, with the pions generated from the matter/antimatter reaction directed through the exhaust chamber by magnetic coils which compress the pion stream to generate a higher specific impulse than would be possible with the nuclear engine design.

The Drivefield Generator

By the time a ship accelerates to Void speed—3,000 km/s(.01 c) for a nuclear engine design, 1,500 km/s(.005 c) for a pion engine design—its Void engines have generated enough power to engage their drivefield generators. The generators energize lathanide thermopiles embedded into the skin of the ship to create a series of overlapping fields which warp spacetime around a ship at a frequency which creates a pocket continuum where the ship's relativistic mass is reduced to zero, after which any amount of thrust is sufficent to give the ship imaginary mass, allowing for FTL travel.

When the generators come online, the ship disappears in a pulse of heat and radiation-harmless in space, but making for a pretty light show-the alternate spacetime created by the drivefields being called drivespace, subpsace, or more commonly, the Void, hence the name Void engines.

The largest nuclear engines manufactured generate 12,000,000 Standard Energy Units(SEU), while the largest manufactured pion engines generate 18,500,000 SEU. In both cases, 90% of the power generated goes to thrust and the creation of the drivefield, the remaining ten percent going to power the ship's beam weapons, defenses and other systems.

Void Travel

Time-Dialation & the Void

A ship travelling through the Void expiriences an accelerated sense of time, travelling at one light-year per day as measured by observers in the outside Universe, but expiriencing only 15 seconds of elapsed time per light year travelled.

EXAMPLE: The Triad refugees took 1,600 Galactic Standard Years to travel from the Triad system to the White Light system. From their perspective, however, the trip only took a little over six months, with the actual passage through the Void taking three months from their point of view(the other three spent in normal space for servicing, refuelling, resupplying and fighting the Corpses).

Hazards Of Void Travel

Aside from the consequences of misjumping(covered in the Knight Hawks rules), there are other hazards to travelling through the Void.

The drivefield still interacts with normal space, meaning that solid objects of sufficent density(including other drivefields) impacting with the field can disrupt it and destroy the ship completely.

In particular, ships must drop to sublight speeds when passing through nebulae, as the density of the ionized particles is sufficent to disrupt drivefields. Ships in the Void can only cross nebulae along paths relatively clear of interstellar matter.

Also, ships cannot use weapons, subspace radio or radar while in the Void, since solid objects striking the inside of the drivefield will also disrupt it and destroy the ship.

These paths, as well as any known interstellar route, can be successfully mined, the mines in question having proximity fuses which detonate upon detection of the heat and radiation pulse resulting from ships in the Void changing the density of local space-time as their drivefields interact with normal space.

Even if the ship manages to use its cameras and passive sensors to detect the mines in time and drop back into normal space, it is still vunerable to ambush.

Game Mechanics

Void engines come in three sizes:

Size A engines are the minimum size required for HS 1-4 starship designs.

Size A engines take up a space equal to two percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine, with a total cost of two percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine.

Size B engines are the minimum size required for HS 5-14 starship designs.

A size B engines occupies a space equal to four percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine, with a total cost of four percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine.

Size C engines are the minimum size required for HS 14+ starship designs.

A size C engine occupies a space equal to six percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine, with a total cost of six percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine.

Pion Engines cost twice as much as listed above and have one extra point of ADF for their size.

EXAMPLE: A size A nuclear engine with an ADF/MR of six takes up twelve percent of the ship's total volume and costs twelve percent of the ship's total volume.

Should the designer use pion engines instead, each size A pion engine will cost 24% of the ship's total volume, while the volume each pion engine occupies remains the same.

Instead of ADF 6, however, the size A pion engine discussed above will have an ADF of 7, while its maneuver rating remains 6.

Bigger Engines For Smaller

Two engines can be switched out for a single engine of the next larger size.

EXAMPLE: A HS 4 starship design normally requires two size A engines. The designer can, if he so chooses, substitute a single size B engine for the two size As.

Spaceship Construction, My Way

I changed it radically from the system given in the Campaign Book into something similar to Traveller's High Guard ship construction rules, and the tables provided should be self-explanatory.

You start with a hull size with a given total volume and you add components to the hull, subtracting its volume from the total hull volume. There are no MHS restrictions.

Only major change in the list of SCCs given in the book is Clarion and Snowball are Class I SCCs; makes sense as it is the first colony in my SF universe, and Snowball's L4 and L5 stations were producing destroyer and capital-class warships for the Sathar before their liberation in SFKH4: The War Machine.

Structural Points: Because of the damage system I put in place, I use Structural Points instead of Hull Points for spacecraft, putting them on the same scale as for other vehicles and objects in the game.

Structural Points=Hull Sizex100.

Structural points can be reinforced(something which I intend to clarify in the table)with each 10% SP reinforcement costing 10% of the ship's total volume.

Other than the Void engines(explained in a separate document), I have a couple of new systems which might need some explaining:

Magnetic Deflection Shielding(MS): Also called mag shielding, this projects a field of coherent magnetic force equally effective against beam and missile attacks. This replaces all other energy screens in the game.

Anti-Beam Missiles(ABM): A system similar to the interceptor missile launcher, an ABM launcher fires missiles which blanket a hex with ice crystals and metallic chaff, the latter serving to attenuate the power of proton, electron and disruptor beams as well as lasers.

ABMs completely replace masking screens in my SF game.

WEAPONS

Seeker Missiles now refer to what used to be known as assault rockets. They have the space and damage of ARs but still follow the rules for seekers.

Missile Batteries fire guided missiles instead of unguided rockets.

Heavy Laser Cannon are heavier versions of the laser cannon, with a 200,000 klick range, 80d10 damage(4d10 HP damage), a 30,000 Cr pricetag and a 80 cubic meter space requirement.

Heavy Laser Batteries are octet-mounted heavy lasers(from the AD rules). They inflict 60d10 damage(3d10 HP damage), cost 30,000 Cr, have an 18,000 kilometer range and require 75 cubic meters of space.

Ordinance and deployables are either carried on external hardpoints(Hull Sizes 1-6)or in internal bays(Hull Sizes 7-20).

Will's SF2k Mods

Section I. Generating a Character

Below is an alternate system of character generation for Star Frontiers 2000.

Ability Scores(Point-Buy System)

All characters start out with the following ability score pairs:

45/45, 45/45, 55/55, 65/65

freely assigned to any of the four abilities, and have an additional 400 XP to spend on skills and raising ability scores, as per the table below:

Table 1. Ability Scores
Points	-15	-10	-5	0	5	10	15	20	25
Ability Score	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70

Negative point values grant that many bonus XP to be used for abilties or skills.

2. Decide your character's race. Add or subtract the appropriate modifiers as specified by Table 2. Ability

Modifiers.

Table 2. Ability Modifiers(includes Phoenix Dawn Races)

Race	STR/STA	DEX/RS	INT/LOG	PER/LDR
Dralasite	+5	-5	-	-
Dubelhwy	+20	-10	-10	-10
Human	-	-	-	-
Kroimeeka	-10	+5	+5	-
Mhneme	-5	+5	+5	-5
Vrusk	+5	-	-	-5
Yazirian	-10	+5	+5	-
Zuraqquor(technican)	-10	+5	+5	-
Zuraqquor(warrior)	+5	+5	-5	-5

3. Fill in your racial special abilities if you have them.

4. You can modify your base pair scores by subtracting points from one ability and adding them to the other

ability in the base pair. No more than ten points per pair can be shifted this way.

5. Divide your character's Reaction Speed score by ten. If the result is a fraction, round it up. The final result is the

character's initiative modifier.

6. Choose your handedness if you're not a Vrusk (Vrusk are ambidextrous) or a Dralasite (although you must

designate a "dominant" limb).

7. Determine your punching score based on Table 3. Punching Scores.

Table 3. Punching Scores

Strength Score	1-20	21-40	41-60	61-80	81-00
Points of Damage	1	2	3	4	5

8. Determine your gender unless you are:

Dubelhwy (who are all male),
Dralasite (who are hermaphoditic), or
Kroimeeka (who are all female)

Section II. Skills And Professions

Let's Get Mental

New Rules For Mentalists

Characters must have 70 Intuition or higher to take Mentalist skills, these skills coming from the Telepath, Empath or Clairvoyant PSAs.

Mentalist characters can only take a maximum of two Mentalist PSAs and one outside PSA, learning the skills from the outside PSA at out of profession cost.

Characters who take only one Mentalist PSA and two outside PSAs learn the skills in the chosen PSA at out-of-profession costs.

Other characters can take Mentalists skills without taking a Mentalist PSA, learning the skills at out-of-profession cost and at a maximum skill level of 3.

Mentalist PSAs

Mentalist Primary Skill Areas
Empath	Telepath	Clairvoyant
Analysis I, Analysis II, Empathy, File	Beam, Confusion, Detection, Fear, Illusion, Link, Paralyze, Shield, Telepathy:Aliens, Telepathy:Animals, Telepathy:Character	Analysis I, Analysis II, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Timeread

Modified Skills

Piloting PSA

Starship Pilot

The four Star Pilot skills have been merged into one skill(Starship Pilot) for purposes of playability. Characters with Starship Pilot skill choose a type of craft(rated by hull size) with which they are familiar, operating all other craft with a -20%(-2 level) unfamiliarity penalty, until he acquires enough XP to buy off that penalty.

EXAMPLE: A character takes Level 3 Starship Pilot(Hull Size 3), specializing in flying his assault torpedo boat.

During the course of an adventure, he finds himself at the helm of a Spacefleet Marauder-class war cruiser, which he will fly as if his Starship Pilot skill level were only 1(-20% or two levels of unfamiliarity), and will continue to do so until he acquires at least 5 XP(2 for level 2, 3 for level 3)to buy off the penalty. He will then have Starship Pilot(HS 4) at Level 3 as well as Starship Pilot(HS 3) at Level 3.

Additional Modified Piloting PSA Skills

The following Star Pilot skills:

Star Pilot : Evasion

(Albin Johnson/Tim Carrier)

Prerequisites: Starship Pilot at level 1

Description: see Knight Hawks. This skill need only be purchased once for use on any starship the pilot has

expertise in flying.

Star Pilot: Increase Accuracy of Forward Firing Weapons

(Albin Johnson/Tim Carrier)

Prerequisites: Starship Pilot at level 1

Description: see Knight Hawks. This skill need only be purchased once for use on any starship the pilot has

expertise in flying.

have now been merged into the new skill:

Vehicular Combat(Starship)

(William S. Signs, based loosely on the True 20 feat of the same name)

Prerequisites: Starship Pilot at level 1

Attribute: ± (10%/skill level+(ADF)%+(MR)%-(HS)%)

Description: This skill allows a combat pilot to evade enemy fire and increase the accuracy of all the weapons on board his ship.

Use of this skill grants a modifier of +(10% per skill level+(Ship's Maneuver Rating)%-(Ship's Hull Size)%)to his gunners'(and his own) To-Hit rolls when his ship attacks, and -(10% per skill level+(Ship's Maneuver Rating)%-(Ship's Hull Size)%)to the opposing ship's crew's own To-Hit rolls.

EXAMPLE: A Puglist-class war cruiser is attacked by a Spacefleet Exalted-class destroyer 1,260 meters(21 hexes) away. The cruiser's pilot has Vehicular Combat(Starship) at Skill Level 4, while the enemy vessel's pilot has a Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill of 2.

The cruiser's captain orders an attack run against the destroyer, bringing all forward main lasers to bear on the Exalted, the Pugilist's pilot jinking, as he comes in at maximum burn.

At the same time, the Exalted's pilot chooses to evade and keep his ship's weapons bearing on the smaller cruiser.

The Pugilist's pilot adds [40%(for Skill 4)+7%(for ADF 7)+6%(for MR 6)-4%(for the cruiser's HS of 4)]+49% to his gunners' to-hit rolls(and his own), while subtracting [20%(for enemy's Skill Level of 2)+5%(for destroyer's ADF 5+5%(for the destroyer's MR of 5)-12%(for the destroyer's Hull Size of 12)]-18% to all to-hit rolls made by his ship's crew, for a net modifier of +31%.

The Exalted's pilot, on the other hand, adds [20%(for Skill Level of 2)+5%(for destroyer's ADF of 5)+5%(for the destroyer's MR of 5)-18%(for the destroyer's Hull Size of 12)] +13% to his crew's to-hit rolls and subtracts [40%(for Skill 4)+7%(for ADF 7)+6%(for MR 6)-4%(for the cruiser's HS of 4)]-42% to his crew's to-hit rolls, for a net modifier of -31% .

Vehicular Combat(Starship) programs(q.v.) add (+10% x program skill level) to the Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill roll.

Starship Pilot: Increase ADF/MR

(William S. Signs)

Prerequisites: Star Pilot 1

Attribute: 10%/skill level

Description: This skill allows a pilot to push either his maneuver jet or his Void engine for one turn. When he declares the use of this skill, the PC playing the pilot must specify whether he is increasing his ship's ADF or MR, successful skill use increasing either by one, while a normal failure results in 50% damage to the affected system and a natural 96-00 immediately either burns out the maneuver jet, resulting in a disastrous fire(q.v.) or destablizing containment on the Void engine(s), resulting in total destruction of the ship, inflicting (HS ×2,000)points of damage to all ships within 1,200 meters.

Gunnery PSA

Enforcer character can choose the Gunnery PSA as well; this enables them to use heavy weapons(missilers, recoilless rifles, grenade rifles and mortars, light laser cannon[formerly heavy lasers], etc.) as well as crew-served and artillery weapons.

All Gunner skills have no prerequisite skill requirement, as they cover a class of weapons entirely separate from hand-held weapons.

All Gunner skill base to-hit chances are:

½ STR or ½ DEX+10%/skill level

same as for all other weapons skills.

Modifiers to the to-hit roll include:

+10% per level of any Targeting programs.

± Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill OR ±(5%×Starship Pilot skill level+(ADF)%+(MR)%-(HS)%) for pilots without Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill.

-30% for Selective Targeting.

+10% per Sharpshooter skill level(see below).

Penalties for range as per AD.

Any applicable aim bonuses.

All other bonuses and penalties from AD/KH, except all cover penalties against air and space attacks.

Critical Hit: Any natural roll of 01-05 is a critical hit, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted below 6%.

Critical Miss: Any natural roll of 96-00 is a critical miss, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted above 95%.

EXAMPLE: To extend the example above, the Spacefleet destroyer opens fire on the Star Forces cruiser with three of its electron batteries, while the cruiser fires all six of its heavy laser cannon into the flank of the destroyer. Both ships have raised their magnetic deflection shielding and have launched two salvos of anti-beam missiles apiece,

The Pugilist's pilot, controlling the main beam weapons, has Gunner: Beam Weapons skill at Level 5, with a Level 6 Targeting program loaded in its gunnery computer's memory, while the three enemy gunners have the same skill at Level 3, 5, and 6, respectively, and their gunnery computers each have a Level 3 Targeting program loaded into its memory.

From the above example, the Pugilist has an additional +31% net modifier, while the Exalted's three gunners will fire with a -31% net penalty to their rolls, for totals of (50%+60%+31%)141% for the Pugilist's pilot and (30%+30%-31%)29%,(50%+30%-31%)49%, and (60%+30%-31%)59% respectively for the three Spacefleet gunners, without taking defenses into account.

The destroyer's mag shielding subtracts 50% from his to-hit chance and two anti-beam missile salvos subtract an additional 50%(25%/salvo) from the roll, for a final adjusted roll of 41%...praying very, very hard, the cruiser's pilot rolls his dice...and rolls 41 exactly, scoring a direct hit with all six main lasers(which share a single to-hit roll since they are all linked together).

The cruiser's mag shielding and anti-beam missile salvos subtract a total of 100% from all three enemy gunners' to-hit rolls, for final adjusted rolls of -71%(which means only a roll of 01-05 will hit), -51% and -41%...praying even harder, all three gunners pick up their dice and roll a 91, a 58...and an 04, the last gunner scoring a direct hit on the cruiser in spite of its defenses.

Normally, a natural roll of 01-05 is a critical hit(q.v.); however, as the gunner's final adjusted skill was below 5%, he only scores a regular hit.

Sharpshooter

(William S. Signs)

Prerequisites: Ranged Weapons or Gunner skill at level 3, skill must be taken separately for each class of weapon.

Attribute: +(5%/Skill Level) to Selective Targeting penalty.

Description: This skill represents a character's ability to precisely target a given spot on a target. The skill reduces the Selective Targeting penalty by 5% per skill level.

EXAMPLE: Normally, the chance to shoot someone between the eyes is a -30% penalty to hit, due to it being an instance of Selective Targeting.

A Level 2 Sharpshooter would reduce that penalty to -20%(+10% for Level 2), while a Level 6 Sharpshooter can shoot his target between the eyes without penalty(+30% for Level 6, which cancels the penalty altogether).

Forward Observer

(from Art Eaton's Alpha Dawn Redux ruleset)

Prerequisites: None

Attribute: +(10%/Skill Level) to the Gunner skill of any gunner he is in communication with for the first turn, +1% each additional turn.

Description: Characters trained in this skill can spot for field artillery and spacecraft in orbit, as well as coordinate air strikes from space and atmospheric fighters and bombers, adding +10% per skill level to the Gunner skill of the gunners he is in communication with, and +1% for each additional turn he is calling down fire.

EXAMPLE: A combat team of Star Forces Marines is pinned down by Landfleet units hiding in ambush and in positions too strong to attack directly. The team leader, with a Forward Observer skill of 2, calls in a request for fire support from an orbiting Morgaine-class destroyer. The destroyer's gunners(average level 5, with a Targeting program level of 5) add 20% to their adjusted to-hit rolls of 100% for the first turn the target is under fire, and 1% for each turn after the first they bombard the target.

Engineering PSA

This PSA includes all Engineer skills and is available to Techex characters as well as Spacers.

Engineer: Increase Power

(William S. Signs)

Prerequisites: Engineer: Alternate Energy, Engineer:Stress Analysis, Power Read, all at level 2.

Attribute: 10%/skill level

Description: This skill allows a starship engineer to push the ship's Void engine(s) for additional power to one selected system.

Successful skill use results in the selected system being boosted by 50% of its normal operating capacity(e.g. a boosted heavy laser cannon does 6,000 points of damage, a boosted ADF 7 Void engine has ADF 10, a boosted mag shield subtracts 100% from the to-hit chances of hostile gunners, etc.)for one turn.

A failed skill roll burns out all electrical power on board ship, and causes a disastrous fire, while a natural 96-00 destroys the ship, inflicting (HS ×2,000)points of damage to all ships within 1,200 kilometers.

Engineer: Hotshotting

(William S. Signs)

Prerequisites: Engineer: Alternate Energy, Engineer:Stress Analysis, Power Read, all at level 2.

Attribute: -5%/skill level

Description: A ship can generate the necessary power to enter the Void much faster than through gradual acceleration to 1% of light speed; however, it would require the annhilation of a mass of hydrogen and anti-hydrogen greater than the Void engines' magnetic and coolant systems can keep up with, almost certainly(95% chance) resulting in destruction of the ship.

A starship engineer can choose to take that risk, using this skill to modify the chance of blowing up the ship by -5% per skill level, to a maxmum of 65% at level 6. If the engineer rolls above the modified chance of destroying the ship, the ship can enter the Void immediately, instead of having to accelerate to 1% of c.

However, all failures of this skill roll(rolling below the modified chance of blowing up the ship)are critical failures, resulting in immediate destruction of the ship, inflicting (HS×2,000) points of damage on any ship within 1,200 meters.

EXAMPLE: A Longknife-class assault torpedo boat must run away, fast, after being set upon by a half dozen Hatchet-class corvettes, which close to 600 meters away. The ship's engineer, possessing the Hotshotting skill at level 2, decides(after a hasty conference with his captain), decides to risk entering the Void now. His chances of blowing up the ship are 85%(95%-10% for skill).

The engineer rolls the dice...and gets a 23.

The ATB goes up, taking all six 'vettes with it.

Section III. Modified Rules

Maximum Damage(Optional)

Instead of rolling dice, referees can elect to have all weapons inflict their maximum damage for ease and speed of play.

EXAMPLE: Lasers inflict 10 points of damage per SEU setting using the maximum damage rules.

Electron Weapons

Electron pistols have the same range and damage as an electrostunner, whereas electron rifles have a stun setting and five blast settings, which inflict 40(4D10 damage)per SEU setting, with a maximum setting of 5.

They otherwise have the same range as the Rafflur M2s from the Zeb's rules.

Electron cannon are described in Knight Hawks 2K and have the same range in atmosphere as for the Rafflur M4 from the Zeb's rules.

Knight Hawks 2000 Rules

Knight Hawks 2000

Science-fiction role-playing invariably involves spaceships, space travel, and almost inevitably, space combat. As a supplement to Star Frontiers 2000, this chapter gives some quick and dirty rules for conducting battles in space, as well as some starship construction rules which are equally straightforward.

SPACE COMBAT, THE QUICK AND DIRTY WAY

SCALE

Space combat uses standard scales of time and distance to regularize play.

Time: Each turn represents six seconds of play, same as all other combat turns

Distance: Should characters use counters and a hexgrid, each hex would then be 60 meters across×60 meters wide×60 meters high. Changing facing by one hexside is the same as making a 60 degree turn.

Units: Each marker or ship model represents one space vehicle, whether it is a missile, drone,

or space craft. (All are referred to as vehicles in these rules.) For purposes of space combat,

planets may occupy any hex on the map, but they do not interfere with play in any way.

PREPARATION FOR PLAY

Before play can begin, a few things need to be prepared.

Playing Surface And Markers: If desired, a hex grid(or several, see below) can be used to position miniatures or counters. Optionally, vector arrows on sheets of regular narrow-ruled paper can be used instead; in this instance, each line on the paper represents 60 meters of distance.

Any type of markers can be used on the playing surface.

Ship Record Sheets: Each ship involved in the battle will need some sort of ship record sheet to keep track of crew skills, systems, damage, etc.

Chips And Pop: Self-explantory.

THE GAME TURN

DETECTION

Each side involved in the combat makes a Sensor Operation skill check, modified by ECM, to detect opposing vessels. A successful detection of one ship by another automatically reveals the position of both ships, and combat can begin between them.

Ships must roll to detect and re-acquire one another at the beginning of every turn, except for ships which have been and taken damage during that turn. These are detected automatically.

The check is modified by the following:

-50% for ECM.

-25% per decoy launched.

-10% per 1,000 kilometers distance if using energy sensors

-20% for Hull Sizes 1-2

-10% for Hull Sizes 3-4

+0% for Hull Sizes 5-8

+10% for Hull Sizes 9-12

+20% for Hull Sizes 13-18

+30% for Hull Sizes 19-20

+50% for Hull Sizes 21+

+10% per point of ADF used that turn.

+5% per point of MR used that turn.

If no ships detect one another, combat cannot take place.

INITIATIVE

Each ship now rolls Initiative, modified by the IM of either the ship's captain or its pilot, dependent on the type of ship. Ships move and fire in order from lowest to highest Initiative.

MOVEMENT

Each ship begins the battle with a given speed and direction, referred to as a vector, through which it travels in space.

Determining a ship's movement through space during combat consists of two distinct elements:

Acceleration: Each ship begins its turn moving at a given number of hexes/meters per turn; if a ship does not accelerate, it will continue moving at that velocity throughout the turn.

If a ship uses acceleration, it can move a number of hexes/meters faster than its beginning speed.

Acceleration(or lack thereof) determines the ship's speed and distance it travels during the course of a turn.

Maneuver Points:Each ship has a listed amount of Maneuver Points, based on the formula (1/((Hull Size/Maneuver Rating))/6)), each maneuver taking ((HS/MR)/6) turns.

The ship may use these maneuver points to:

Evade(½ total Maneuver Points; minimum 1 MP): The ship can take evasive action, based on the pilot's Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill, or ±(5%×Starship Pilot Skill Level+(ADF)%+(MR)%-(HS)%) if the pilot does not possess the Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill.

Evasion involves radical changes in vector throughout the turn.

Change Direction(1 MP per facing change/60 degree turn+1 MP per 600 km/hex up or down): A spacecraft maneuvers in three dimensions, represented in play by facing changes on the main hexgrid and movement up and down on hexgrids assumed to be suspended above and below the playing surface.

The point costs for evasion subsumes point costs for changing direction.

There is no maneuver point cost for lateral distance or speed as these are covered under Acceleration, above.

Keeping Track Of 3D Movement: Three-dimensional movement presents a special challenge to a referee. Even with the use of a single hexgrid, he can only keep track of ships' directions in two dimensions.

The best way to keep track of three dimensional movement would be for the referee to write down the current direction vectors next to each ship on a sheet of paper(or list it on a computer)for each turn, changing the information as the vector information changes, and making the information available to the players, so they can plot their moves.

Alternatively, a referee can construct a playing surface of overlapping hexgrids, one set above the main hexgrid, one set below, similar to the old boardgame Chopper Strike or those 3D chess sets on Star Trek.

Or, if the players are playing online, the referee can make several hexgrids, designating one as the main hexgrid, for maneuvering on the galactic plane, and the others as Hexgrid +1, Hexgrid +2, Hexgrid -1, Hexgrid -2, etc.

Turning Over(1 MP): A ship can turn over on its long axis, so that its engines are pointing in the opposite direction of the direction it is travelling in, allowing the ship to decelerate.

Generally, this maneuver should not be attempted during combat, as it allows any enemy ship in range a shot at your engine's unprotected exhaust venturi.

Grappling(All MPs): A ship can maneuver to grapple another ship or object during combat, as per the Knight Hawks rules.

Laying Mines(1 MP per hex mined): Ships carrying mines may only employ a max ADF of 1 while laying mines and must expend one MP per hex to be mined.

Stretching Out Maneuvers Over Multiple Turns: If a ship has insufficent MPs to perform a given maneuver during its turn, it can perform part of the maneuver each turn, over as many turns as need be.

Performing a multi-turn maneuver prevents the ship from making any other maneuvers.

FIRING

Weapons may be fired at any time during the turn, provided the target is within weapons range. Aship can make a number of attacks equal to the number of weapons it has on board, with linked weapons counting as a single attack.

There are no MPO restrictions; any weapon can be fired at any point during the turn.

Strafing: Should a ship's movement cause it to cross the path of another ship before movement is complete, the moving ship is allowed to attack the other ship in passing. This is called strafing.

Attacks Of Opportunity: Should a ship's movement bring it within weapons range of another ship, that ship can fire on the moving ship at that part of its move which brings it into range.

Point-Blank Range: Should a ship close to less than 180 meters of(within three hexes of) a ship four or more Hull Sizes larger than it(and survive being fired upon in the interim), it is considered to be at point-blank range and can strafe the larger ship without the larger ship being able to fire or use defensive missiles against it in return.

Division Tactics: Three or more ships under the same command are considered to be in a division. A division shares the same to-hit roll(usually that of the lead ship)and combines all damage inflicted into one.

EXAMPLE: Six fighters are assigned to screen three bombers as they make their attack runs against a destroyer 1,200 meters away. A pair of enemy cruisers are 60 meters away on either side of the fighter/bomber formation.

During the two hexes the fighters and bombers must move to reach the destroyer, the destroyer can open fire on the entire formation, as can both cruisers.

Those fighters and bombers who survive the incoming fire and are able to close to less than 180 meters of the destroyer(enter the same hex as the destroyer) are now immune to return fire.

Each division of three fighters will now attack as one unit, while the three bombers attack as one unit.

WEAPONS

The most common weapons in Frontier space are listed below.

Heavy Laser Cannon(HLC): These weapons are the ship-mounted versions of planetary laser cannon. They have a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), fire once per turn and inflict 4,000 points maximum structural damage(400D10 structural points damage).

Medium Laser Cannon(MLC): These smaller cannon are the most common shipboard and vehicle-mounted weapons, with a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing once per turn, and inflicting 800 points(80D10)of maximum structural damage.

Light Laser Cannon(LLC): AD/Zeb's refers to these as heavy lasers. In space, they have a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing five times per turn, inflicting 200 points(20D10)of maximum structural damage per pulse which hits.

Each pulse is a separate to-hit roll.

Medium Laser Battery(MLB): This is a turreted medium laser cannon; the turreted mounting allows it to fire into any arc.

Light Laser Battery(LLB): This is a turreted quad mount of light laser cannon; the turreted mounting allows it to fire into any arc.

Heavy Electron/Proton Cannon(HEC/HPC): A heavy weapon which fires either a beam of protons or a beam of electrons at a target. It has a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing once per turn and inflicting 3,000 points(30D10) of maximum structural damage.

Electron/Proton Cannon(EC/PC): A lighter proton weapon which is mounted aboard fightercraft. It has a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing once per turn, inflicting 200 points(20D10) of maximum structural damage.

Electron/Proton Battery(EB/PB): A turreted proton/electron cannon, able to fire once per turn into any arc.

Massdriver Cannon(MDC): A projectile weapon using a powerful magnetic field to propel solid metallic slugs into space at relativistic velocities(about 20 % of the speed of light). It has a range of 360,000 kilometers(6,000,000 hexes), firing twice per turn and inflicting 600 points(60D10)of maximum structural damage.

Heavy Massdriver Battery(HMDB): A turreted pair of medium-sized massdriver cannon, the heavy massdriver battery can fire into any arc, has a range of 360,000 kilometers(6,000,000 hexes), firing four times per turn and inflicting 400 points(40D10) of maximum structural damage.

Massdriver Battery(MDB): A turreted set of four small massdriver cannon, the massdriver battery can fire into any arc, has a range of 360,000 kilometers(6,000,000 hexes), firing eight times per turn and inflicting 200 points(20D10) of maximum structural damage.

Seeker Missiles(SM): Small guided missiles with a Level 3 robot brain, passive and active sensors, a plasma engine, and a one-kiloton antimatter warhead. These are dropped from hardpoints or internal bays, the onboard robot brain using its Missile Guidance(Level 3) program to seek out enemy targets and its Level 3 Vehicular Combat(Starship) program to evade interceptors(q.v.) .

A seeker missile has an ADF and MR of 30, and its plasma engine has enough fuel for ten turns' of acceleration, after which it automatically detonates.

Alternatively, a seeker can be dropped off and programmed to keep station, waiting until an enemy crosses its path, at which point it accelerates towards it.

A seeker missile does 460 points(46D10)of maximum structural damage, and a ship can launch a number of seekers equal to the amount of missiles on board per turn.

Missile Battery(MB): A missile battery is a four-tubed launcher firing smaller seeking micromissiles(see below) which otherwise act as seeker missiles. It fires at a rate of four salvos per turn, each missile having enough fuel to accelerate at ADF 30 for six turns before detonating.

Each salvo does 400 points(40D10) of maximum structural damage.

Torpedos(TT): A torpedo is twice as large as a regular seeker missile, with a Level 6 robot brain guiding its actions(with Missile Guidance and Vehicular Combat(Starship) programs at Level 6) and a one-megaton antimatter warhead doing 1000 points(100D10) of maximum structural damage. Its plasma engine has enough fuel to accelerate at ADF 30 for twenty turns before automatically detonating.

It otherwise acts like a seeker missile.

Micromissiles(MM): These are the missiles from the missile battery, carried externally and used by fighters and bombers for air-to-air(or space-to-space)combat.

In all respects micromissiles act like missile battery salvos; cost and volume are for four micromissiles.

Laser Pod(LP): The laser pod is a shorter-range medium laser cannon, designed to give fighters much-needed punch. It has the damage of a regular medium laser cannon, but its maximum range is only 225,000 kilometers(375 hexes).

Drone Fighters(DF): These are remotely-piloted fightercraft with a Level 6 robot brain and a full array of Astrogation, Gunnery and Starship Pilot programs, all at Level 6 as well.

Armed with the standard array of fightercraft weapons, drone fighters inflict 400 points(40D10) of maximum structural damage per turn, making up to four attacks per turn.

Multi-Missile Drones(MMD): Seen on destroyer and dreadnaught-class starships, multi-missile drones are robotically-piloted bombers(with the same robot brain and programming as the drone fighter, above) armed with either 230 torpedos or 460 seeker missiles on board.

Assuming it releases its entire payload in one turn, a multi-missile drone can inflict 6900 points(690D10)of maximum structural damage per turn.

Grapples: As per the canon Knight Hawks rules, save there is no minimum hull size requirement. Grapples can only be used once per turn.

Mines(M): Mines are antimatter warheads which can be emplaced in a volume of space by a ship equipped for minelaying. Mines are proximity-fused, with passive sensors which detect magnetic flux, heat and radiation(such as the heat and radiation pulse made when the density of local spacetime is changed by a Void field intersecting it)and detonate.

Each mine does 1000 points(100D10)maximum structural damage per turn, and a ship can lay a number of mines per turn equal to its maximum load, for a maximum of 10 mines per hex.

SHIP's VEHICLES

If a ship is carrying space vehicles, it can launch them as an attack as well.

Starting Speed:Vehicles(and missiles) launched from a ship begin the game with the same speed as the platform which launched them.

Remote Piloting: Missiles and drones launched from a ship can be remotely piloted from the ship. The remote pilot uses his Vehicles: Remote or Gunner: Missiles skill and half of the missile/drone's robot brain's Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill to guide the missile/drone to its target.

DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS

Interceptor Missiles(ICM): Mostly plasma engine and robotic systems, a single interceptor missile does damage through sheer kinetic energy. ICMs are launched in salvos of four missiles, and provide point defense against missiles, drones, fighters, and bombers.

An ICM accelerates at an ADF of 120 per turn(maneuvering at MR 120 per turn as well), with an endurance of one turn before its engine burns out. Each ICM salvo launched subtracts 25% from any incoming missile's chance to hit.

Anti-Beam Missiles(ABM): Similar in structure to an ICM, an anti-beam missile has a warhead of water(which turns to ice vapor in space) and strips of gold foil which blanket an entire hex upon detonating, thus providing a defense against both laser and particle-beam weapons.

ABMs are launched in salvos of four, blanketing four hexes in a line up to sixty hexes(3,600 meters) away from the ship launching them, each salvo subtracting 25% from the chance to hit for each beam weapon which passes through the cloud it creates, the beam's damage being reduced by 25% even if it passes through the cloud successfully.

An ABM has an ADF and MR of 60, with an endurance of one turn, after which it detonates.

Magnetic Deflection Shielding(MS): Magnetic deflection shielding or mag shielding, generates a skin-tight field of magnetic force around starships HS 2 or larger, deflecting beams and missiles away from the ship.

Mag shielding subtracts 50% from a missile or beam weapon's chance to hit, halving the damage of any beam or missile which hits.

SPECIAL SITUATIONS

RAMMING

A tactic generally favored by Sathar(and occasionally UPF) ships who either have no other way to hurt their foes, or simply wish to die with their teeth in their enemies' throats.

A ram is treated as a normal attack with the following exceptions:

Starship Pilot skill is substituted for Gunner skill level in the to-hit equation listed below.

There are no applicable modifiers other than those for Vehicular Combat(Starship), Piloting programs, and ICM salvos(though damage is not reduced on any success against ICMs).

A successful ramming attempt on the part of the ramming ship destroys it utterly(unless the ramming ship is at least four hull sizes larger than its intended target, then it only suffers ½×{[ramming ship's HS+rammed ship's HS]×100} points structural damage and {½×[ramming ship's HS+rammed ship's HS]} rolls on the Starship Damage Table below)and inflicts (ramming ship's HS×2,000) points of structural damage on the ship being rammed.

EXAMPLE: Just because its captain thinks he can, a Spacefleet Leviathan-class dreadnaught rams a small HS 3 merchant vessel. Since the dreadnaught is at least four Hull Sizes larger than its intended victim, it only suffers(½×[(25+3)×100])1,400 points of structural damage, while completely destroying the smaller ship with 50,000(25×2,000) points of damage.

The dreadnaught is reduced to 1,100 structural points in the ramming attempt, forcing it to reduce its ADF and MR to 2 and limp the rest of the way where its needs to go.

Coupled with crew casualties and the 14 damage rolls it must now make, the dreadnaught is now in poor shape to face any further opposition.

BOARDING

Sometimes the object is to capture a ship and crew(more or less)intact, rather than destroying it outright.

Several conditions must be met before a boarding attempt can be made:

The boarding vessel must either grapple or match vectors(course and speed) with the vessel to be boarded.
The boarding vessel must have enough crew to board the ship and operate their vessel at the same time(minimum crew is equal to the ship's Hull Size).
The boarding party must somehow gain entry to the ship they wish to board.

The last condition can be satisfied in a number of ways, ranging from computer hacking to open the airlock door, to cutting through the hull with laser powertorches or using shaped charges to blast their way in.

With the latter two methods, the boarding party must inflict (10%×target vessel's total SP)in a single spot in a single attack to breach the hull at that point.

Also, if the either or both vessels used in the boarding attempt is pressurized, the boarding party must have some sort of airlock in place to equalize pressure between their side and the inside of the targeted vessel.

BOARDING PARTY TACTICS

In general, boarding attempts rely on brute force to effect breaches in the target ship's hull, the boarders generally using maintenance or combat robots to effect the breach and step into it(like canaries in a mine shaft).

Also, as the interiors of starships(especially airlocks and breach heads) are narrow chokepoints easy for the crew to defend and difficult for a boarding party to secure without massive casualties, multiple boarding parties are often employed to disperse the defending crew's energies and more quickly secure the ship's vital areas.

A ship can rally its crew to defend from hostile boarding attempts in a number of turns equal to its Hull Size for military, paramilitary and criminal vessels and a number of turns equal to double its Hull Size for purely civilian vessels.

HIT DETERMINATION AND DAMAGE

HIT DETERMINATION

Base To-Hit: ½ STR or ½ DEX+10%/gunner's skill level

Modifiers:

+10% per level of any Targeting programs.

± Vehicular Combat(Starship) Skill.

-30% for Selective Targeting.

+10% per Sharpshooter skill level.

Any applicable aim bonuses.

All other bonuses and penalties from KH

-25% per ICM/ABM salvo

-50% for mag shielding.

Critical Hit: Any natural roll of 01-05 is a critical hit, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted below 6%.

Critical Miss: Any natural roll of 96-00 is a critical miss, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted above 95%.

NPC CREW SKILLS

Crew skill levels for NPC crews involved in the game fall into the following categories:

NPC CREW SKILLS TABLE

Crew Quality	IM	Skill Levels
Crew Quality	IM	Starship Pilot	Vehicular Combat(Starship)	Astrogation (all skills)	Gunner(all skills)	Engineer(all skills)
Green	1	2	-	1	1	1
Trained	2	3	1	2	2	2
Expirienced	3	3	2	3	3	3
Veteran	4	4	3	4	4	4
Elite	5	5	5	5	5	5
Ace	6	6	6	6	6	6

DAMAGE RESOLUTION

For each hit a ship sustains-or each critical miss on the part of the firing ship-roll 2D10 on the table below:

STARSHIP DAMAGE TABLE(Roll 2D10)
Roll	Result
1-4	Normal Structural Point Damage; see below.
5-6	Void Engine
7-8	Maneuver Jet
9- 10	Ordinance Bay
11-12	Sensors
13-14	Computer
15-16	Weapons
17-18	Hangar Bay
19-20	Fire

For each critical hit taken, roll 1D10 on the table below:

CRITICAL HIT TABLE(Roll 1D10)
Roll	Result
1-2	2×Structure Point Damage
3-4	Maneuver Jet destroyed
5-6	Void engine destroyed; if only engine, ship automatically destroyed.
7-8	Bridge destroyed
9- 10	Disastrous Fire

For each hit or critical hit, 1D10 on the table below:

CREW MEMBER DAMAGE(Roll 1D10)
Roll	Result
1-2	Dead
3-4	8D10 damage
5-6	4D10 damage
7-8	2D10 damage
9-10	1D10 damage

EXPLANATION OF DAMAGE RESULTS

The hit locations indicated on the Damage Tables are explained below:

Structure Point Damage: The ship's structure points are reduced by the amount of damage points sustained.

A ship which has lost ½ of its structural points loses half its ADF and MR and must roll once per turn against its (DCR+engineer's Stress Analysis level)to avoid breaking up.

A ship which has lost two-thirds of its structural points is reduced to an ADF and MR of 1 and must roll six times per turn against its (DCR+engineer's Stress Analysis level)to avoid breaking up.

A ship with zero SP is destroyed.

Void Engine: One of the ship's Void engines is damaged, reducing ADF by 1 until repaired.

Maneuver Jet: The ship's maneuver jet is damaged, reducing MR by 1.

Ordinance/Hangar Bay: One ordinance or hangar bay is hit, detonating all unused ordinance/docked ships in the bay, inflicting as many points of damage as there is ordinance/ships in the bay.

Sensors: A sensor hit indicates that one of the ship's sensors systems (roll randomly) has

been rendered inoperable. No detection may be undertaken with that system until it is repaired.

Once a ship's sensors have all been destroyed, that ship may not acquire any new targets for

weapons fire (it can, however, continue to fire at current targets, as long as they remain within

one-hex range).

Computer: One of the ship's computers has been damaged. If this is the ship's mastercomp, all stations are on local control and suffer a -20% penalty due to lack of central coordination. If it is one of the system computers(piloting, astrogation, engine, weapons, etc.), then that system is inoperative until the computer is repaired.

Weapon: One of the ship's weapons(firing player's choice)has been destroyed. Grapples and defensive systems count as weapons for purposes of this result.

Fire: An electrical fire has broken out aboard ship. The ship loses ½ ADF and all MR , rolling once per turn on the Starship Damage Table until the fire is extinguished.

A second Fire result turns a normal fire into a Disastrous Fire(see below). .107.154

Critical Hits

2× Structure Point Damage: The ship's structure points are reduced by double the amount of damage points sustained. A ship with zero SP is destroyed.

Maneuver Jet Destroyed: The ship loses all MR and can only move in a straight line.

Void Engine Destroyed: The ship loses one Void engine and a number of ADF points equal to (total ADF/total number of Void engines). If the ship loses all its Void engines, or if it only has one, the ship is destroyed, inflicting HS×2,000 points of damage to all ships within 1,200 meters.

Bridge Destroyed: The ship's bridge has been destroyed, resulting in the loss of all command functions and all piloting and astrogation control. The ship cannot maneuver, evade, or make any changes to its current speed, and any gunners onboard cannot take advantage of the pilot's Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill; gunners also suffer a -20% penalty to their to-hit rolls due to the loss of command and control.

Disastrous Fire: A severe electrical fire has broken out on board; the ship loses all power, all ADF, MR and DCR, and must roll once per turn on the Critical Hit Table.

A second Disastrous Fire result or a Void Engine Destroyed result destroys the ship instantly, inflicting HS×2,000 points of damage on all ships within 1,200 meters.

Otherwise, the ship will have to be abandoned in (HS) turns, as the fire either completely guts or completely destroys it.

EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE RESOLUTION

From previous examples, we learned that a Star Forces Pugilist-class war cruiser had found itself in combat with a Spacefleet Exalted-class destroyer.

In the course of the ensuing battle, the cruiser's pilot hit the destroyer squarely with all six of its heavy laser cannon, all of which counted as one hit for game purposes. Using the maximum damage rule(see my SF2K mods), the main beams inflict a total of 24,000 points of structural damage on the destroyer's flank, before factoring in the two anti-beam salvos and mag shielding.

One of the destroyer's proton battery gunners scored a hit on the cruiser in return, inflicting a maximum of 200 points of damage on the cruiser, before reductions from the Star Forces ship's defensive countermeasures.

Damage Reduction: Mag shielding and two anti-beam salvos from each side reduce the damage from the opposing ships' beams to one-quarter normal(50% of 50%), meaning the cruiser actually inflicts 6,000 points of maximum structural damage on the destroyer, and the destroyer inflicts 50 points of damage on the cruiser.

Damage Resolution: Since the proton battery's gunner's final to-hit was modified below 6%, his 04 only counts as a normal hit; he rolls 2D10 once on the Starship Damage Table; the result of that roll being an 11, knocking out a sensor system, in addition to the 50 points of structural damage.

The gunner chooses to knock out the cruiser's subspace radar, meaning it is offline until the Pugilist's crew and damage-control bots can effect repairs(see below).

The cruiser now rolls 1d10 on the Crew Member Damage Table, a result of 4 meaning the sensor operator takes 8D10(or 80 if using the maximum damage rules) of damage.

As the six main beams are linked together and count as a single attack, the Pugilist's pilot now rolls 2D10 once on the Starship Damage Table, scoring a direct hit on one of the destroyer's ordinance bays, the cruiser's pilot choosing to take out the torpedo magazine, detonating all sixty torpedos in the bay(the destroyer not having launched any ordinance), inflicting 60,000 points of damage over and above the 6,000 it has already inflicted.

Since the destroyer only had 1,440 structural points to begin with, either result is more than sufficent to vaporize it. As the cruiser was more than 1,200 meters away at the time, it does not suffer the 24,000 structural points of damage it would have from the destruction of the Exalted if it had been within 1,200 meters of it.

In an actual combat, both ships would have launched more anti-beam missiles to defend themselves, meaning the cruiser would probably have had to close to within less than 180 meters of the destroyer to inflict damage.

REPAIRS

Every third turn, ships which survive combat can effect repairs.

Every ship has a Damage Control Rating(DCR)equal to (HS×10), which represents the base chance of the damage-control robots to repair damage the ship has taken. This base chance is further modified by the Engineer: Damage Control and the Machinery:Repair skills of those on board.

A successful roll repairs one damaged system and (DCR+10% × skill) structural points, while a natural roll of 01-05 repairs all damage.

Failed rolls mean the system and structural damage cannot be repaired this turn, while a natural roll of 96-99 means the system and structural damage cannot be repaired at all, except at an SCC, while a natural roll of 00 destroys the system the crew was attempting to repair, and inflicts (DCR+10% × skill) additional structural points of damage, forcing the ship to roll 1d10 on the Crew Member Damage Table.

See Starship Construction 101 in the Online Ship Generator Project for new starship construction rules.

	Top Speed	Cruise Speed	Accel	Decel	Turn Speed	Passengers	Cargo	Cost
Small/Compact	-20	-20	-20	+20	+10	-50%*	-50%	-25%
Intermediate	-10	- n/a -	-10	+10	- n/a -	- n/a -	-25%	-10%
Mid-Sized	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -
Large	+10	+10	+10	- n/a -	-10	+50%**	+50%	+25%
Heavy	- n/a -	+20	- n/a -	-10	-20	+100%	+100%	+50%

	Top Speed	Cruise Speed	Accel	Decel	Turn Speed	SPECIAL	Cost
Standard	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -
Cruise	-10kph	+10%	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	+10%
Utility*	-10kph	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	-10	- n/a -	+20%
Luxury	- n/a -	+20kph	- n/a -	- n/a -	-10	- n/a -	+25%
Sport	+10kph	-10 kph	+10	+10	+10	- n/a -	+40%
Super Sport	+20kph	-20kph	+20	+20	+20	- n/a -	+50%
Dual Sport	- n/a -	- n/a -	+10	-10	-10	+0.1 Terrain	+30%
Adventure	- n/a -	- n/a -	- n/a -	-20	-20	+0.2 terrain	+40%
Vintage/Classic	-10kph	-10kph	-10	- n/a -	-10	- n/a -	-50 to +500%***
Custom**	varies	varies	varies	varies	varies	varies	varies

HS	Leng/Diam	Engines	ADF/MR
1	10/2	1 (A)	5/5
2	30/5	1 (A)	4/4
3	50/8	2 (A)	4/4
4	75/12	4 (A)	4/4
5	100/15	2 (B)	3/3
6	130/20	2 (B)	3/3
7	150/25	3 (B)	3/3
8	180/30	3 (B)	3/3
9	210/35	4 (B)	3/3
10	240/40	4 (B)	3/3
11	270/45	5 (B)	3/3
12	300/50	6 (B)	3/3
13	340/55	6 (B)	3/3
14	380/60	8 (B)	3/3
15	420/65	4 (C)	2/2
16	450/70	4 (C)	2/2
17	475/80	6 (C)	2/2
18	500/85	6 (C)	2/2
19	540/95	6 (C)	2/2
20	600/100	8 (C)	2/2

Size	Ring/Hub Diam	#Elevator Spokes/Length	Max HS docking/total*	Decks in Ring
1	200/100	4/75	1-4 / 32	5
2	400/200	4/150	1-10 / 80	10
3	600/300	6/225	1-14 / 112	15
4	800/400	6/300	1-18 / 144	20
5	1000/500	8/375	1-20 / 176	25
6	1200/600	8/450	1-20 / 208	30