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Table of Contents
Starship Mechanics: Your Gateway to the Cosmos
Every starship is more than just steel and starlight—it’s a living extension of its crew, a vessel of ambition, and a weapon against the unknown. In this section, you’ll find everything you need to customize, command, and conquer the void with your own unique ship.
Class Options & Actions
From class options that define your vessel’s role in the galaxy—whether it’s a nimble scout, a heavily armored warship, or a versatile explorer—to the actions and systems that bring it to life, these mechanics are your toolkit for forging legends among the stars.
Choose your ship’s identity, master its capabilities, and adapt to the challenges of the cosmos. Will you:
- Outmaneuver pirates with lightning-fast engines?
- Overwhelm foes with devastating broadsides?
- Rely on cunning and diplomacy to navigate the treacherous politics of the final frontier?
The choices are yours, and the stars await.
Starship Operations: Departments & Combat Flow
Every starship is a living machine, its efficiency and firepower divided across five critical departments. Each department can be led by a player character (PC), unlocking unique actions and tactical possibilities. If a department lacks a PC at the helm, it defaults to the “Do Your Duty” action—reliable, but predictable.
Departments & Leadership
- Command: Direct the ship’s strategy and coordinate the crew.
- Engineering: Keep systems online, reroute power, and pull off miracles under fire.
- Comms: Manage intelligence, electronic warfare, and fleet coordination.
- Gunnery: Control the ship’s weapons, from broadsides to precision strikes.
- Bridge: Navigate the void, evade threats, and execute daring maneuvers.
Note: Only PC-led departments can take specialized actions—otherwise, they operate on autopilot.
Combat Mechanics
Initiative
- Determined by a Piloting (Bridge) or Computers (Comms) roll at the start of combat.
- Ships act in initiative order. When your ship’s turn arrives, the Captain decides the sequence in which departments activate.
Command Points
- Generated and spent each turn, fueling advanced tactics, emergency repairs, or devastating volleys.
- Main ways to generate command points are through Command actions or the Above and Beyond action
Movement
- Every ship receives a free Stride action per round.
- Turning: To execute a 90° turn, a ship must move at least its own length before pivoting—no sharp cuts in the void!
Escape
- Freedom is earned: Accumulate 3 Escape Tokens to disengage and jump to safety.
Specialized Actions
Captain
Command Skill: Choose one (Diplomacy, Intimidation, Deception)
- Into the Fire (0 CP, 1/turn) Accept a Crew Loss Crisis to gain Command Points (CP) based on skill level:
| Skill Level | CP Gained |
|---|---|
| Untrained | 1 |
| Trained | 2 |
| Expert | 3 |
| Master | 4 |
| Legendary | 5 |
- Keep It Together (Reaction, 0 CP, 1/round) Command Skill Check vs. attacking ship's DC:
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | Nullify hit |
| Success | Nullify hit and roll a Crisis |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | Roll a Crisis |
- Support Department (0 actions, 1/turn) One action by a department costs -2 CP this turn.
Comms
- Crash Systems (1 CP) Computers Check vs. enemy Computer DC:
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | Enemy starts with -2 CP |
| Success | Enemy starts with -1 CP |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | No effect, Haywire Systems Crisis |
- Defeat ECM (2 CP) Computers Check vs. enemy Computer DC:
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | +2 circumstance bonus to attacks (1 round) |
| Success | +1 circumstance bonus to attacks (1 round) |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | -1 circumstance penalty to attacks, Haywire Systems Crisis |
- Sensor Ghost (2 CP) Computers Check vs. enemy Computer DC:
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | +2 circumstance AC (1 round) |
| Success | +1 circumstance AC (1 round) |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | +1 circumstance AC, Haywire Systems Crisis |
Gunnery
All Critical Failures: Trigger Target Decalibration Crisis
- Fire All Guns (3 CP) Fire all weapons, designating targets freely. Standard rules apply (MAP, Agile, etc.).
- Fire One Weapon (1 CP) Fire a single weapon of choice. |
Bridge
- Escape Combat (4 CP) Piloting Check vs. enemy Piloting DC (±1 per 5ft speed difference). Stride twice.
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | +2 Escape Points |
| Success | +1 Escape Point |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | Engine Lock Crisis |
- Evasive Maneuvers (2 CP) Piloting Check vs. enemy Piloting DC (±1 per 5ft speed difference). Stride once.
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | +2 circumstance AC (1 round) |
| Success | +1 circumstance AC (1 round) |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | Engine Lock Crisis |
- Pursue Target (3 CP) Piloting Check vs. enemy Piloting DC (±1 per 5ft speed difference). Stride once.
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | -2 enemy Escape Points |
| Success | -1 enemy Escape Point |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | Engine Lock Crisis |
- Maneuver (1 CP) Stride once.
Engineering
- Boost Engines (2 CP) Crafting/Engineering Lore Check vs. ship hull DC (-2 for Lore):
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | +15 ft speed (1 round) |
| Success | +10 ft speed (1 round) |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | -10 ft speed, Fuel Bleed Crisis |
- Damage Control (3 CP) Repair action. DC increases by +1 for each repeat use in combat.
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Failure | Hull Breach Crisis |
- Emergency Repairs (3 CP) Crafting/Engineering Lore Check vs. ship hull DC (-2 for Lore):
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | Repair 2 broken systems |
| Success | Repair 1 broken system |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | Hull Breach Crisis |
Generic Actions
- Above and Beyond (0 CP) Push yourself to help. Pick a skill, explain your action, and roll vs. standard DC.
| Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | As Success and +1 circumstance bonus to next department roll |
| Success | Gain CP: U/T/E/M/L = 1/2/3/4/5 |
| Failure | No effect |
| Critical Failure | -1 CP |
- Deal with a Crisis (0 CP) Explain your action, roll relevant check vs. standard DC (±2 GM adjustment). Alternatively, spend 10 minutes of ship-wide actions.
- Do Your Duty (0 CP) +1 CP for the ship. PCs must describe their contribution and cannot repeat the same action consecutively.