SAILING THE BLACK
V1.5 - July 2010 - They can’t stop the signal !
Disclaimer : This material is an unofficial supplement, for personal use only. It was originaly created by Adam Horton (ElectricBadger), then refined by Richard Renaud (evo), both members of the Cortex community. All the illustrations included in the layout were found on the Internet, and for the most part, come from several artists from this blog. The Serenity Roleplaying Game, Six-shooters and starships, and Big damn heroes handbook are property of Margaret Weis Productions, inc. As such, this material may not be sold in any way by a third party, or reproduced in any way that does not give due credit or that removes this disclaimer.
SHIP DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE The quiet of the endless night, the hum of engines and the steady motions of a ship’s crew on a long haul; these are dreams of a spacer. The black can also be a nightmare, though, when the cold and pressure humbles the efforts of mere humans. For most of us, though, the black means freedom. But to stay there, you need a good boat, good cargo, and a good crew. This bit here is about the first item: your boat. Big or small, fast or slow, ugly as sin or pretty as a peach, she’s gonna be a living, breathing thing, and you gotta know both her strengths and what can slip her up. So this isn’t just for engineers; it’s for everybody.
These rules are intended as a replacement supplement for those presented in Serenity RPG. This isn’t a new game, though; just a refined interpretation of some ideas and a chance to address some issues that have arisen for crews in the past. So if a new rule is given here, it’s intended to replace one in the book; on the other hand, if nothing is mentioned, then keep with the book says. We all know it’s a fine system.
A note to the reader: Nearly all the measurements in this module are expressed as tonnage; this is a measure of volume, not mass. One ton of volume is 100 cubic feet. Give or take, this is about the same space as an average hall closet; 8 tons is a 10’ by 10’ bedroom. Any mention of weight will be specifically referred to here as tons of mass, and is then referring to the standard measurement of 2,000 lbs in Earth gravity.
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THE SHIPYARD Assembling a boat is as simple as choosing an overall tonnage then calculating how much is taken up by its various systems, crew, equipment, and so on. A couple more simple calculations will give you the other bits you need to know: cost to buy it, maintain it, how much fuel it uses, and so on. Just follow the steps below. 1. CONCEPT
The Scarab is a well designed flyer (agility d8) and is made of quality components (vitality d8). Its tonnage determines the overall structure’s quality (strength d6). Its electronics, though decent for a border world production facility, leave much to be desired: detection capabilities are limited (alertness d4), computers are abysmal (intelligence d4) and redundant systems are almost minimal (willpower d4).
What sort of boat do you want to build ? what is its purpose, and what separates it from the rest ?
No boat is best at everything, but each should be good at something. It may be fast, or rugged, or haul a lot of cargo, or just be cheap; most likely, it’ll be some combination of those. Knowing why the boat was built in the first place (and how it fits in your story) will help you make most of the decisions from here on out.
4. Traits
For our example, we’ll create the Scarab class mid-bulk transport. It’s a bit larger than Serenity, a more modern version able to haul bigger and better cargo; it’s faster and a bit nicer. Made by New Vienna shipyards, an emerging firm on the border run by former browncoats, it’s well built and modern, but not terribly advanced.
In addition to those available in Serenity RPG, a passel of new assets and complications from "Six-shooters & spaceships" and various browncoats are listed below, in Appendix A: ship traits. There are no minimum or maximum numbers of traits, but again keep in mind and remember that costs. A purpose built made for efficient cruising, the Scarab has a slow throttle (major complication) and is fuel efficient (minor asset). To haul more types of cargo, it was also given heavy lifter (minor asset) and is e very new design, earning newfangled (minor asset).
2. Tonnage The best way to determine overall tonnage (at least until you’re comfortable with ship building) is to use a number comparable to another ship you’ve seen. For instance, Serenity is a ship measuring 2,400 tons.
5. Complexity
The Scarab is slightly larger than Serenity, with a total of 3000 tons of volume.
Add together all the Attributes and Traits, and compare the total to the Ship Complexity chart listed on page 112 of the main rule book to find the overall complexity of your boat. This gives a multiplier that represents how difficult the ship is to construct: can it be welded together from salvaged parts, or does it require databanks filled with technical schematics ? The Scarab has a total of 34 in attributes, plus 6 for its 3 minor assests and minus 4 for the one major complication, for a total of 36 and an average complexity. 6. Skills A ship’s skills represent functions the boat’s computer systems are capable of handling independently, and how competently they are accomplished. Such systems have limited capabilities, however; they receive only twice their Intelligence in skill points, and cannot specialize above a d6. After that, Skills are purchased with Attribute points like Assets, which may result in added costs due to Complexity.
3. Attributes Use the ship Attributes listed on page 106 to 107 in Serenity RPG; Strength is determined by tonnage, the rest you need to figure out based on your concept, and reflect the boat’s strengths and weaknesses just as a character’s attributes do. Remember, as you choose, that the higher the attributes, the more complex the boat is, and that’ll hit your bottom line: a good boat costs cash money, both to build and maintain.
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Like any character, a ship receives penalties for multiple actions. Automation is a great tool for routine functions, or a back up in a pinch, but only the most foolhardy rely on them
for difficult tasks often. A complete list of skills (to replace those found in the book) is located in Appendix B : ship skills.
making minor course adjustments and the hundreds of other small tasks necessary to keep the boat safe, operating and orderly.
Although the Scarab’s computer systems are very limited, it is equiped with minimal Autopilot (d4) and Detection (d4); the boat should be fine on its own when moving through empty black, but that’s about it.
Only half of the space listed for quarters is personal space; the rest is allocated to common areas, such as kitchens, storage, dining and sitting areas, and corridors.
:: A full suite [32 T / 20’ by 10’] A one-person suite with a large bed, extensive furniture and private sitting area and kitchenette, and personal lavatory with tub. A boat with many such quarters probably contains a formal dining area and full kitchen, gym, theatre, and possibly a small pool, bar, play area or conference room.
7. Speed class Choose a speed class between 1 and 10 for your boat, reflecting how powerful the engines are and how quickly the boat moves. Bigger engines take up more space, and are more expensive to maintain. Particularly fast engines also suffer from inefficiency.
:: Spacious quarters [16 T / 10’ by 10’] For one crew member or a first class passenger cabin. This is comparable to an average hotel, with a queen bed, dresser and closet, and small personal lavatory, but is far from luxury. The boat may include a full kitchen, dining room, possibly a small gym or theatre room and shared laundry and bathing facilities.
A very fast boat, the Scarab is designed to move cargo quickly; it has the largest engines available that don’t suffer from inefficient fuel use: speed class 6. These will reduce cargo space and cost to maintain, so crews will have to stay on the move to keep flyin’.
:: Minimal quarters [8 T / 5’ by 10’] For one crew member or a second class passenger cabin. This a twin bed, wall cabinets for storage, shared lavatories and showers, minimal kitchen, and small dining area.
:: Steerage [4 T / 5’ by 5’] Steerage passenger space is usually just set up in a ship’s cargo area. This includes stacked bunks or hammocks, a small shared lavatory (usually temporary, and not including bathing facilities), and enough personal space for a steamer trunk or a few bags.
8. Space allocation
Hydroponics [5 T per person] A closed system hydroponics facility capable of growing enough food to feed one person indefinitely. This is more labor intensive than other ship systems, however, requiring one hour of work per day (or an additional crew for every 50 tons).
Engines [overall tonnage x (speed class x 5%)] = tons This is the capacity dedicated to engines and control systems, including the bridge and engineering. Assume 10% of this space is usable area. Objects with a speed class of 0.5 (space stations and the like) are equipped with minimal maneuvring capabilities, occupying 2.5% of their total tonnage.
Shuttle bays [vehicle tonnage x 2 T] A fully enclosed shuttle or ship bay, with enough space to allow minor repairs on board, and there are security doors for launch during flight.
Subsystems [overall tonnage x (30-ship Strength)%] = tons Space amount taken by the hull and insulation, airlocks, and subsystems such as water and air reclamation, electrical and backup power systems, sensors, and other items. Assume 10% of this is venting and access passageways (which are often the same thing).
Escape pods [1 T per person] A one-person escape pod (see p.117).
Fuel tanks [overall tonnage x 10%] = tons A typical loads of fuel fills tanks that contain tons of mass of liquid hydrogen equal to 2% of ship’s total tonnage. These provide a variable number of hours of fuel, based on the speed class (see Appendix C: fuel usage). Private quarters and commons areas : A ship requires a minimum crew of [(overall tonnage / 250) x (complexity modifier / Intelligence)], rounded up. This assumes almost no time for relaxation (about 16 hours of work per day). This is time spent keeping the boat reasonably clean, performing normal maintenance, monitoring systems,
After all components are substracted from the total tonnage, any remaining space is available for cargo. The total amount of weight the boat can lift is tons of mass equal to tonnage of cargo space. When determining capacity for a specific cargo, the mass and volume must each be within these capabilities. With a speed class of 6, 30% of the Scarab’s tonnage is filled with engines (900 tons). 24% would tipically be dedicated to subsystems, but with the Newfangled asset, that’s reduced to 19% (570 tons), and another 10% is dedicated to fuel storage (300 tons) containing 60 tons of mass of hydrogen fuel. This would normally yield 400 hours of operation, but with the Fuel
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Efficient asset that increases to 480 hours. 1,230 tons remain for everything else. The minimum crew is 3, but double this is a good standard, providing everyone with eight hours of work daily. The six quarters are spacious; this is a nice boat, made to appeal to crews. There are also a pair of suites, for first class passengers (or a prideful captain’s use), for a total of 160 tons. 80 tons of this (1,000 square feet of room) is common areas, enough for a nice kitchen and dining area, and a couple of sitting spaces. There is a single, large shuttle bay, occupying 60 tons and capable of containing a shuttle up to 30 tons, and ten escape pods at 1 ton each. 1,000 tons are left for cargo. With the Heavy Lifter asset, the Scarab can carry up to 5,000 tons of mass of cargo, which must fit into a space of 100,000 cubic feet. 9. Life points
11. CALCULATE COSTS
A boat has a number of life points equal to its Strength + Willpower. Larger boats also have more non-critical mass, which is capable of absorbing damage without affecting the overall integrity of the ship, and they are built with larger, more resistant components. All ships have an inherent amount of armor equal to half their Strength.
The value of a ship is 10 credits per ton, multiplied by complexity modifier (see p.112 of the rule book) and speed class, and adding any costs for additional equipment. This cost represents the purchase price of a new vessel of an existing class; the price on the sales floor. A custom design is tipically twice this cost, and possibly much more if it includes particularly advanced or illegal components.
A Scarab has 10 life points and 3 points of armor.
There is also a yearly maintenance cost 2 credits per ton, multiplied by complexity and the modifier for speed class (see Appendix D: speed class maintenace multiplier). Divide by 12 to find the monthly maintenance cost.
The Scarab is a 3000 tons, at 10 credits per tons, with a complexity modifier of 1, and a speed class of 6, for a total value of 180000 credits. Its maintenance cost is 2 credits per ton, multiplied by a complexity modifier of 1, and a speed class modifier of 1.5, for a total of 9000 credits yearly (750 credits monthly). A crew is going to have to work hard to afford such a boat, and perhaps harder still to keep it flyin’.
10. Additional equipment A number of points of armor totaling no more than the ship’s Strength may be added to the ship’s inherent armor. There are two types, each one occupies 1% of the overall tonnage per point.
Hull plating [cost : overall tonnage / 2] The hull plating can withstand the Wounds damage, in order to resist explosions, energy beams or projectiles. EM dampener [cost : 10 x overall tonnage] The EM dampener is needed to protect internal components against electromagnetic weapons that bypass normal armor to inflict Stun damage.
You may also choose to include weaponry (see p.113 of the rule book, and p.106 of six-shooters & spaceships) or other special equipment.
The Scarab wasn’t designed for combat; while a few will no doubt face conflict, this isn’t worth the loss of cargo armor plating or insulated wiring would entail.
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APPENDIX A: SHIP TRAITS Spaceships have extremely complicated systems that interact on many different levels. Quality control varies from part to part, and fluctuates over the life of the ship. This tends to make for individual differences in performance that will not show up on official spec-sheets. Crews call this a ship’s "personnality", and treat her accordingly.
ASSETS
LOVED [MAJOR] This ship knew it was loved from the day the crew first saw her, when everyone else thought she should be on the scrap heap. The "loved" ship may throw the occasional tantrum, suffer from health issues, or even have a nervous breakdown. But if the crew believes in her and nurses her and keeps on lovin’ her, she’ll come through for them when it counts. Note that in order to retain this asset, the crew must perform standard maintenance on a regular basis, keeping the ship in good repair as well as their means will allow. The asset can be lost if a crew with means falls behind on maintenance. A dirt-poor crew who still cares for the ship as best they can (going without fresh food in order to purchase spare parts) will still retain the asset, even if maintenance suffers somewhat. ...:. Bonus: Members of the crew can spend Plot Points from their personal pool for rolls whenever the ship’s Attributes or Skills are called into use, even if their characters aren’t directly involved.
ALLURE [MINOR/MAJOR] See p.41 of the rule book. A great-looking ship, pretty as a peach. The bonuses comes into play when the ship’s appearance is a factor. CORTEX SPECTER [MINOR/MAJOR] See p.42 of the rule book. Few records of the ship exist, though actions of the crew can quickly change that !
NEWFANGLED [MINOR/MAJOR] The ship is a modern design incorporating newtech innovations, with fancy miniaturized gadgetry everywhere. As a major asset, the boat is truly high fallutin’, most likely a prototype of a new model. ...:. Bonus: As a minor trait, the ship’s subsystems take up 5% less space, but the contraptions are complicated to repair, imparting a -2 step penalty to maintenance roll. As a major asset, the boat subsystems take up 10% less space, but the maintenance penalty rises to -4 steps.
COVERT [MINOR/MAJOR] The boat has a reduced radiation emission and signal reflection, has been stripped of transponders and registration numbers, and has a plethora of active jammers, enabling it to avoid detection or analysis by other vessels. Any vessels outside the Alliance military found to have such modifications are likely to be impounded, and their captains or owners bound by law. ...:. Bonus: All attempts to detect or scan the ship receive a -2 step penalty. As a major asset, the penalty increases to -4 steps. FAST THROTTLE [MINOR/MAJOR] Though the ship performs normally at cruising speed, she flies faster than she should when pushing to hard-burn. ...:. Bonus: As a minor trait, the ship gets a +1 to its speed rating at hard-burn. As a major asset, the ship receives a +2 to the rating instead. FUEL EFFICIENT [MINOR] Through a miracle of good design or dumb luck, the boat doesn’t burn fuel as fast as most its size. ...:. Bonus: The boat can fly at cruise speed a number of hours equivalent to a ship from one speed class below (see Appendix C: fuel usage).
NIMBLE [MINOR] Pick atmosphere or vacuum. In that environment, this ship is more agile. ...:. Bonus: The ship’s pilot enjoys a +2 step to Pilot actions while in the chosen environment.
GOOD NAME [MINOR/MAJOR] See p.43 of the rule book. Ship gained some positive notoriety. If this factors into a social situation (with an admirer), the bonuses apply.
HEALTHY AS A HORSE [MINOR ONLY] See p.43 of the rule book. Vitality bonus applies to maintenance and emergency repairs.
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OVERGUNNED [MINOR] See p109 of six-shooters and starships for weapon systems rules. This ship has an oversized power plant, intended to power high-energy weapons. ...:. Bonus: The ship has the capacity to handle a total ratings of energy weapons equal to its Strength + 1 step.
SMUGGLER’S HOLD [MINOR] By chance or design, the boat’s labyrinthine subsystems include countless inconspicious hiding places to secret away cargo (or crew). ...:. Bonus: Items totaling up to 1% of the boat’s tonnage may be stashed (counting towards the total cargo capacity) and any attempt to search the boat for such objects suffers a -2 step penalty.
find), what this really means is that everyone knows how you operate and what to expect from your ship—specifications, performance, weak spots—just by looking at her. Military vessels, other than the very smallest, do not qualify for this trait, due to the way they are ordered and built. ...:. Penalty: Anyone attempting to exploit the known features of the design receives a +2 skill step to his action—though he must have some knowledge of the model in question (a GM may allow an Intelligence + Knowledge or Mechanical Engineering at Average difficulty to recall the right details).
STRONG AS AN OX [MINOR] The boat is made to haul large external loads. ...:. Bonus: The ship may tote twice its normal load at half speed, or four times its normal cargo load at quarter speed.
GAS GUZZLER [MINOR] The boat just ain’t economical when it comes to fuel, and either needs larger tanks or more regular trips to refueling station. ...:. Penalty: The boat can fly at cruise speed a number of hours equivalent to a ship from one speed class above (see Appendix C: fuel usage).
SUBMERSIBLE [MAJOR] One would think that going underwater was easier than going into space, but space is zero bar of pressure. You gain a bar of pressure for every 5 meters depth of water. A submersible vessel is sealed against water intrusion, equipped with underwater sensors, and has engines capable of propelling it safely underwater. ...:. Bonus: The vessel can go underwater.
HOOKED [MINOR ONLY] See p.51 of the rule book. The ship constantly requires something (hydraulic fluid, voltage regulators) or suffers the listed consequences. JURY-RIGGED SYSTEM [MINOR] Some minor system aboard was jury-rigged in the past, instead of proper repairs being made. Now, the system simply shorts out occasionally. This complication may be taken more than once to represent multiple systems. ...:. Penalty: Once per game session, the GM may request that the ship make a Hard (Vitality + Willpower) roll. If it fails, the system goes down until re-rigged.
TOUGH AS NAILS [MINOR/MAJOR] See p.47 of the rule book. The vessel has a reinforced structure, which enables it to better withstand damage.
LIGHTWEIGHT [MINOR] See p.52 of the rule book. Penalty applies to maintenance rolls.
MEMORABLE [MINOR] See p.52 of the rule book. Unique feature easily identifies the boat.
COMPLICATIONS
MEMORIES OF BLOOD [MAJOR] Some great horror occurred aboard the ship: murders, slave trading, a reaver attack, or some such. The boat has never shaken off those memories, and has become an unsettling place. Nightmares haunt the night, discord the day. The boat also gained a thirst for vengeance. ...:. Penalty: All attack actions aboard the ship are at +2 steps (whether aimed at crew or foe), and all social actions are at -2 steps. Characters with the Reader, Nose for trouble or Superstitious traits will quickly realize the nature of the vessel.
BORN TO... [Major] Pick atmosphere or vacuum. If atmosphere, the vessel is "Born to the blue" and can’t enter a vacuum. If vacuum, the vessel is "Born to the black" and can’t perform atmospheric insertion. ...:. Penalty: This ship can’t enter the environment not chosen. BRANDED [MINOR/MAJOR] See p.49 of the rule book. Ship gained negative notoriety. If this factors into a social situation, the penalties apply.
DULL SENSE [MINOR] See p.50 of the rule book. Penalty applies to one type of sensor or piece of communications equipment.
EVERYBODY HAS ONE [MINOR] This model of ship is extremely common—ubiquitous, in fact. Although there are some advantages (parts are easy to
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...:. Bonus: As a minor trait, the ship gets a -1 to its speed rating at hard-burn. As a major complication, the ship is not able to achieve hard-burn at all.
NUTHIN’ FANCY [MINOR/MAJOR] The boat is based on older technology, or simple, robust parts. As a major complication, the ship is truly antique. ...:. Penalty: As a minor trait, the subsystems take up 5% more tonnage than normal, but the simplicity and ruggedness grant a +2 step bonus to maintenance rolls. As a major complication, the subsystems take up 10% more space, but grant a +4 step bonus to maintenance rolls.
SOFT [MINOR] See p.53 of the rule book. The components of the ship are more sensitive to electromagnetic waves than usual. UGLY AS SIN [MINOR/MAJOR] See p.55 of the rule book. The boat is plain ugly.
POOR FLIER [MINOR] Pick atmosphere or vacuum. In one environment, this ship is not as agile. This complication can’t be combined with "Born to the black / the blue". ...:. Penalty: The ship’s pilot suffers a -2 step to Pilot actions while in the chosen environment. SEEN BETTER DAYS [MINOR/MAJOR] The ship is old and showing obvious signs of wear. At the minor level, a ship that has "seen better days" is more than 20 years old. She’s been around the ‘Verse some, but is still basically sound. Purchase price is 25% of the original price. Maintenance costs are increased by +50%. As a major trait, the ship has really "seen better days"—more than 40 year’s worth. To anyone with an ounce of judgment, she’s clearly a piece of luh-suh. She probably wasn’t working when you found her, and might be worth more as scrap. Purchase price is 5% of the original price, if that. What it takes to get her runnin’ again is up to the GM. Double maintenance costs. ...:. Penalty: The ship suffers a -1 Attribute step on maintenance rolls. As a major trait, the penalty increases to -2 steps. An equal bonus applies to Communication rolls for character in social situations where their ship’s age comes into a factor (these penalties are cumulative with "ugly as sin"). Note also the cost differences listed above.
SHORT RANGE [MINOR] The ship is equipped with only reaction thrusters (engine pods, chemical rockets, etc.), and not a deep space pulse drive. Range is limited to wide orbit, though travel among the moons of a single planet or system will take months or maybe years. Short range vessels are generally not equipped with regenerative life support systems, and thus have limited supplies of air and water. ...:. Penalty: With no pulse drive, cruising speed is limited to 1 (and "full burn" to 3). Life support will run out without access to a mothership or space station. SLOW THROTTLE [MINOR/MAJOR] The ship functions normally at cruising speed, but her pulse drive doesn’t really accelerate like she should.
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APPENDIX B: SHIP SKILLS
APPENDIX C: FUEL USAGE
For ships, skills represent the programs and related databases executed by the controlling computer and its expert systems. Ordinarily, these systems lack the creativity and flexibility to go beyond the general into specializations; their skills are limited to d6 unless the GM grants an exception. Ships have a variety of available skills, where the most representative are described below. AUTOMATION The boat’s computers contain expert systems to independently run computerized or robotic equipment, which must be purchased separately. This is often used for unmanned mining operations, waste removal and dumping, surveying missions, hydroponics, or power collection. AUTOPILOT As named, this allows automatic piloting, collision avoidance, take off and landing, and allows the automatic plotting of routes. This device will never replace a true pilot, but in hard times, that’s better than nothing.
APPENDIX D: MAINTENANCE MULTIPLIER
DATABASE There is an extensive encyclopedia database, encompassing much of the common knowledge of the ‘Verse : everything from religious customs to street maps. There are also simple search programs that may provide indirect assistance to any roll to search information while onboard.
DETECTION The boat is equipped with automated sensors, running active scans independent of crew with recognition software to identify hazards and other objects. Detection of exterior hazards is often made earlier than with passive sensors, and there are internal cameras and motion detectors to monitor passengers and crew, and locate intruders or problems.
EVASION The ship is equipped with defensive maneuvring routines, allowing for randomized evasion patterns, as well as various active and passive countermeasures to confuse or block targetting systems. Besides these, it can reduce is signature to avoid detection by using the environment and calculate routes to hide from an enemy. MONITORING The ship has limited interactive capabilities and an extensive self-diagnostic system. Although it may not maintain itself, it may provide indirect assistance to any person conducting maintenance or repair.
TARGETING An automated targeting system, this can work in concert with voice commands, IFF beacons, or visual recognition. All such weapons systems have an override shutdown sequence, though this is often known only to the captain.
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APPENDIX E: SPECIAL RULES SPACE STATIONS A stationary or orbital complex is constructed in the same way as a normal ship, except that it will have a speed class of 0.5 for space allocation and price calculation (the maneuvering engines need less space than usual). Stabilizing thrusters allows it to maintain orbit, or stay at a LaGrange point, but the vessel can’t move under its own power, can’t make dodge rolls, etc.
DAMAGE Vehicles suffer Wounds and Stun damage just like character do, though on their own scale (Vehicle or Spacecraft scale) :
...:. Wounds + Stun ≥ Life points The pilot or mechanic make an Average ship’s Vitality + Willpower roll. Every turn after that requires another roll with a cumulative +4 to the Difficulty (unless an emergency fix done). Failure means a system crash, and the vehicle goes dark. ...:. Wounds > Life points /2 -2 Attribute step to all actions until repaired.
...:. Wounds ≥ Life points The pilot or mechanic make a ship’s Vitality + Willpower roll every minute. The checks start off Easy, but a cumulative +4 is added to difficulty on each subsequent roll. A failure means the vehicle just stops functionning correctly.
...:. Wounds ≥ Life points x2 The vehicle is destroyed. In most situations, this occurs in a cinematic fashion. Escape pods are the only way to survive.
SENSORS AND SCANNERS A proximity detection of another ship or object is based on distance and size. Make a ship’s Alertness + crew’s appropriate skill (or ship’s Detection) roll. The roll gains : +1 step bonus if the target is Size d6 or d8 +1 step bonus if the target is Size d10 or d12 And the difficulty is : [3] at short range [7] at medium range [11] at long range [15] beyond this See P.136 of Serenity rules book for ranges. Such detection identifies the general size, speed and direction of the ship or object.
Wounds damage represents serious problems; missing or destroyed components, ripped heat shielding, punctured containment. Stun damage indicates temporary problems caused by overloads, short-circuits, loss of power, and other such disabilities.
SECOND WIND Once per day, a ship may recover Stun damage in the same way as a normal character, representing the ability of redundancy and automatic adjustments to bring systems back online. Roll the ship’s Willpower; up to this many points are recovered. Otherwise, Stun are recovered at the typical rate of one per hour.
SCALE Big ships and the weapons mounted on them do a lot of damage to smaller ships, and resist them much better. This is reflected by the use of scale. When moving up scales, multiply the damage caused by 10. Divide when moving down. Act the same way with Armor.
REPAIRS See P.70 of the Big Damn Heroes Handbook. Damage sustained from weapons fire, collisions, sabotage or other circumstances may be repaired at a base cost of 5% of the original value per life point, modified as appropriate by the GM.
...:. Spacecraft scale > Vehicle scale > Personal scale
SPACE COMBAT See p135-136 of Serenity rule book and p64-71 of Big Damn Heroes Handbook for further information about vehicles and space combat.
All higher scale vessels are Easy targets against lower scale weapons. All lower scale vehicles are harder to hit, increasing the difficulty threshold one step beyond.
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