Megaunit Design and Combat

Definitions

Megaunits are (im)mobile machines that are substantially larger than Avatars. Spaceships (both civilian and military) are the two most commonly encountered megaunits, though land dreadnoughts and large naval craft would also be considered megaunits. The most fundamental difference between Avatars and Megaunits is that the latter are host to an actual crew as opposed to a single pilot. Consequently the stat effects of the captain or commanding officer is somewhat changed relative to Avatars. The differences are summarized below.

• Body doesn't cap agility like it does for Avatars - Megaunits are much more sluggish than Avatars and will often include internal gravity and the like. Instead, BOD increases the hit points of all systems designated as Vital; the crew can continue to fight for longer.
• Reactions is used for evasion like Avatars, though this only really applies at Long/Extreme range. REA is also used for some defensive systems, such as morphic focus shield generators.
• Perception functions identically as it does for piloting an Avatar.
• Knowledge also functions identically as it does for piloting an Avatar.
• Psyche is changed from Avatar piloting; as Megaunits have shared responsibilities the difficulties of using neural interfaces are minimized. Instead, Psyche represents grim-faced determination to carry on the fight and consequently every round a megaunit may 'soak' a number of HP equal to the captain's PSY. This may not save items that are destroyed and at least 1 HP of damage will always 'leak' though.
• Cha functions identically as it does on Avatars.

The Strain pool for Megaunits is BOD + PSY + CHA, not psyche x 2. This represents that megaunits have crews that need to work together efficiently.

Design Basics

Megaunits are designed like Avatars, with the specific differences noted as relevant. An important difference is that of scale; equipment is not cross-compatible between Avatars and Megaunits.

External Components

A fundamental difference between Megaunits and Avatars is that Megaunits can stack as many External Components as they want at progressive penalties to agility and stealth. Furthermore, adding external components increases the Strain pool, representing greater crew to spread workload.

Armor

Use standard Avatar armors except that Durability modifier is multiplied by 3 for External components and 2 for Internal Components. Power consumption is doubled and applied per External Component.

Hulls

Engineering Hull

Cost:

Base Durability: 15

Component Space: 8

Base Criticals: Internal Structure (8)

Strain Pool Bonus: -2

Agility Penalty: -1

All Engineering equipment (power and propulsion) costs 1/2 spaces.

Small Hull

Cost:

Base Durability: 15

Component Space: 7

Base Criticals: Crew (4), Internal Structure (10)

Strain Pool Bonus: +2

Agility Penalty: -2

Medium Hull

Cost:

Base Durability: 18

Component Space: 10

Base Criticals: Crew (4), Internal Structure (12)

Strain Pool Bonus: +2

Agility Penalty: -2

Large Hull

Cost:

Base Durability: 20

Component Space: 14

Base Criticals: Crew (4), Internal Structure (15)

Strain Pool Bonus: +2

Agility Penalty: -2

X-Large Hull

Cost:

Base Durability: 25

Component Space: 20

Base Criticals: Crew (5), Internal Structure (18)

Strain Pool Bonus: +2

Agility Penalty: -3

Internal Components

Internal components are the "meat and potatoes" of a machine, as they provide most of the functionality. Without any internals, a design is essentially useless.

Engineering and Structure

Component Armor: A series of internal braces, internal bracing, and reinforcement that adds to the ability of a system to withstand damage. Component armor is not actually a discrete item, but rather a design philosophy of compartmentalization and protection. As such, there is a limit of 1 component armor + 1 additional component armor per 5 space in a system.

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: 1

Power: 0

If a body part with component armor is hit, criticals must first be allocated to component armor before any other allocations are made.

Structural Reinforcement: Thicker skeletal struts, more durable materials, and additional shielding provide increased durability.

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: N/A

Power: 0

+1 Internal Structure critical to the component it's mounted in. Structural Reinforcement cannot more than double the number of IS criticals a component has.

Light Spin Generator: Functionally identically to the the lightweight spin generators found in super robots.

Cost:

Size: 4

Durability: Infinite (functionally indestructible)

Power Output: +24

Strain: 1

Agility Penalty: -2

When allocating damage, no damage can be allocated to the spin generator.

Negates up to 5 points of hull-based Agility penalty.

Medium Spin Generator: Standard generator for Avatar Support Frigates.

Cost:

Size: 8

Durability: Infinite (functionally indestructible)

Power Output: +50

Strain: 2

Agility Penalty: -3

When allocating damage, no damage can be allocated to the spin generator.

Negates up to 8 points of hull-based Agility penalty.

Heavy Spin Generator: Enhanced Spin Generator commonly fitted to assault ships and dreadnoughts.

Cost:

Size: 8

Durability: Infinite (functionally indestructible)

Power Output: +100

Strain: 2

Agility Penalty: -5

When allocating damage, no damage can be allocated to the spin generator.

Negates up to 12 points of hull-based Agility penalty.

Spin Augmenter: This system enhances the rate at which power is extracted from a singularity. Light and Medium generators may only have one, but Heavy generators may have as many as desired.

Cost:

Size: 2

Durability: Infinite (functionally indestructible)

Power Output: +10

Strain: 0

Agility Penalty: -1 (counts as hull-based Agility penalty for spin generator penalty reduction)

Nanotap: The additional equipment required to support an Avatar.

Cost:

Size: 2

Durability: 15

Power: 15

Strain: 1

Agility Penalty: -1 if the host unit doesn't feature a Spin Generator.

Damage done to the Nanotap renders it unusable and cuts the power to the connected Avatar.

Fusion Generator: Most megaunits that don't have spin generators instead use large fusion cores for power. Without the extreme volumetric constraints of Avatars, these powerplants can run much more efficiently.

Cost:

Size: 2

Durability: 10

Power: +6

Strain: 1

Auxiliary Generator (Antimatter): Antimatter colliders go sizzle pop.

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: 5

Power: +10

Strain: 1

If destroyed, the entire housing component is automatically destroyed (due to the antimatter blowing up), though emergency containment fields protect any other components from suffering damage. However there's still a giant hole the armor and a distinct lack of power . . .

Superconducting Battery: Superconducting Batteries add limited duration power to a machine. These are generally used for fast interceptors, but may also be used to allow a machine to fire extremely large and power-hungry weapons.

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: 5

Power: up to +10

A superconducting battery stores 10 power and may provide up to +10 a round. Superconducting batteries can be recharged by any other power source at a 1-1 ratio.

Distortion Drive: The only way to move a multi-megaton singularity is by controlled gravitic distortions in the singularity itself. This equipment represents the machinery that induces these distortions.

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: 4

Power: -2

+1 Agility.

Only usable on megaunits with Spin Generators

Reaction Thruster: Fusion torches are used for propulsion on non-singularity spacecraft.

Size: 2

Durability: 2

Power: -2

+1 Agility, -2 Stealth.

Weapons

Some Megaunits may mount weapons that can strike to Extreme range. These tend to be large, power-hungry weapons that are simply impractical to mount on conventionally-sized mecha.

Burst Cannon: Multi-barrelled particle guns capable of laying down a withering barrage of fire at medium range.

Size: 1

Durability: 6

Power: -2

Strain: 1

Accuracy:

Penetration: 7 (Scatter: 4)

Range: Medium

Fusion Lance: Yamato cannon charged

Size: 5

Durability: 10

Power: -10

Strain: 1

Accuracy:

Penetration: 15 (Devastating: 6)

Range: Long

Against non-Megaunits, the Fusion Lance hits all external components once.

Blast Cannon: A powerful particle cannon capable of extreme-range bombardment.

Size: 2

Durability: 6

Power: -8/shot

Strain: 1

Accuracy:

Penetration: 10 (Devastating:3, Scatter:3)

Range: Extreme

Can buy an Alpha Capacitor at X cost per, each of which provides one additional shot (rechargeable)

Mass Cannon: These long-barrelled (~40 meters) gravitonic accelerators can propel half-ton slugs across vast distances and even shell targets using ballistic fire in a gravity field.

Size: 4

Durability: 6

Power: -6

Strain: 1

Accuracy:

Penetration: 10 (Devastating:4, Scatter:4)

Range: Extreme

Support and Electronics

Avatar Bay: A hangar to launch support one (1) Avatar. Comes with ammo bins, supplies, spares and a combat faber.

Cost:

Size: 4

Durability: 5

Power: 0

Strain: 2

Drone Bay: A smaller hangar to support various drones, such as recon wisps, combat wasps and interceptors.

Cost:

Size: 2

Durability: 3

Power: 0

Strain: 1

Scattering Field:

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: 5

Power: -3/Hull Component

Strain: 1

+4 Shield Bonus

Heavy Scattering Field:

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: 5

Power: -5/Hull Component

Strain: 1

+6 Shield Bonus

Internal Automation:

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: N/A (built into ship's structure)

Power: 0

Strain: -2

Added Crew:

Cost:

Size: 1

Durability: Backup Crew (4)

Power: 0

Strain: -3

Enhanced Sensor Grid:

Cost: 7 MPB

Size: 1

Durability: 3

Power: -1

Strain: 2

+4 Electronics, halves enemy stealth modified (round down), -1 Stealth

Integrated C3I Complex:

Cost: 7 MPB

Size: 1

Durability: 3

Power: -1

Strain: 2

+3 Electronics, +1 Electronics to all allied units, -1 Stealth