Second Sphere Rules

Ship Test Rules

Second Sphere Ship Test Rules

Combat Resolution

Vehicle to Vehicle Combat (guns)

1) An attack on a vehicle rolls a D20, attempting to defeat ([DefAgility - OffAgility] + [Evasion - Accuracy]). If the D20 roll exceeds this number, the attack has hit.

1a) Mission type 'Intercept' allows the replacement of OffAgility with OffSpeed.

All Vehicles/Craft are deployed on 'Missions'. They determine what the group is doing and provide various bonuses.

2) On a successful hit the attacker rolls another D20, attempting to defeat (Armor - Penetration). If the D20 roll exceeds this number, the craft takes the weapon damage (normally 1).

Agility is, not surprisingly, important for superiority craft. Somewhat different rules apply for guided missiles.

Ship to Ship Combat

1) An attack on a ship rolls a D20, attempting to defeat ([Armor - Penetration] + [Evasion - Accuracy]). If the D20 roll exceeds this number, the attack has hit.

All warships are assumed to have proper electronic warfare and sensor suites; at 'gun range', long-range sensors become meaningless against these large targets.

2) If the weapon is an E-type (energy) weapon, on a successful hit, roll a D20 vs the ship's energy absorbtion threshold. On a success, all damage from the attack is directly moved to the Energy Sink pool. Any excess, any attacks that fail this roll and all Kinetic attacks go to step 3.

Modern warships include substantial protections against energy weapons. Kinetic kill weapons avoid them but are less accurate.

3) On a successful hit the attacker rolls another D20, attempting to defeat (Structure - Strength). If the D20 roll exceeds this number, the ship takes the weapon damage.

Warships are substantially larger and thus more resilient than any craft. Weapons that would blow through meters of armor might merely poke an inconsequential hole in a two hundred meter cruiser. Anti-ship weapons require strength on top of armor-piercing ability.

Guns are one of the ways ships blow each other up. Unlike anti-ship missiles, guns do not run out of ammo in the middle of a fight. Additionally, they can be used defensively, against craft or missiles.

Vehicle to Ship combat

1) As per Ship to Ship combat, but OffAgility is added to Accuracy.

2) Unchanged

3) Craft at Point-blank range can effectively strike at weak points (airlocks, turret rings, etc), adding OffAgility to Strength. **May need consideration**

The best way for craft to destroy ships is get right up close and shoot them in the important bits. 22nd century dive bombing. Heavy anti-ship missiles can also be used, but anything short of a bomber can't carry more than one or two.

Ship to Vehicle combat

1) An attack on a vehicle rolls a D20, attempting to defeat ([DefAgility + ECM - Sensors] + [Evasion - Accuracy]). If the D20 roll exceeds this number, the attack has hit.

Craft have much smaller sensor cross-sections than warships and are much easier to protect via decoys. Thus sensors and ECM become much more important.

2) On a successful hit the attacker rolls another D20, attempting to defeat (Armor - Penetration). If the D20 roll exceeds this number, the craft takes the weapon damage.

General Test Rules

Vehicles

Aerospace Fighter

PIP Cost:

CIP Cost:

Internal Component Space: 8

How much space a vehicle has for components that are integral to the vehicle.

Hull Growth Factor: 3

The amount of space added to the internal components for each level of Hull Growth.

External Carriage: 8

Externally carried systems, such as mecha-rifles, bomb racks, explosive reactive armor, etc. There are (currently) no limits on what can be fitted save that it cannot cross between internal and external space. Gear carried externally can be swapped rapidly in the field.

External Carriage Growth Factor: 1

The amount of external carriage space added for every level of Hull Growth.

Hull Growth Cost:

Hull Coefficient: 1

Base Armor:

Base HP: 1

Base Agility:

Base Speed:

Base Deck Points: 3

The amount of 'deck space' taken up by the air vehicle.

Deck Point Growth Factor: 1/4

The amount that the deck space increases from the application of Hull Growth. In this case, it increases by 1 point for every 4 levels. Always round this down, thus a machine with 0-3 levels takes up no additional space, 4-7 takes up 1 additional space (eg, 4 DP), etc.

Heavy Fighter

PIP Cost:

CIP Cost:

Internal Component Space: 14

Hull Growth Factor: 4

External Carriage: 8

External Carriage Growth Factor: 1

Hull Growth Cost:

Hull Coefficient: 1

Base Armor: 6

Base HP: 1

Base Agility:

Base Speed:

Base Deck Points: 4

Deck Point Growth Factor: 1/3

Suffers performance penalty in dense atmospheric flight

Combat Frame

PIP Cost:

CIP Cost:

Internal Component Space: 12

Hull Growth Factor: 4

External Carriage: 10

External Carriage Growth Factor: 1

Hull Growth Cost:

Hull Coefficient: 1

Base Armor: 5

Base HP: 1

Base Agility: 3

Base Speed: 3

Base Deck Points: 4

Deck Point Growth Factor: 1/3

Heavy Frame

PIP Cost:

CIP Cost:

Internal Component Space: 24

Hull Growth Factor: 4

External Carriage: 12

External Carriage Growth Factor: 1

Hull Growth Cost:

Hull Coefficient: 2

Base Armor: 5

Base HP: 2

Base Agility: 3

Base Speed: 3

Base Deck Points: 6

Deck Point Growth Factor: 1/3

May apply 1 extra hull growth beyond fundamental mecha construction level.

Orbital Frame

PIP Cost:

CIP Cost:

Internal Component Space: 24

Hull Growth Factor: 6

External Carriage: 16

External Carriage Growth Factor: 4

Hull Growth Cost:

Hull Coefficient: 2

Base Armor:

Base HP:

Base Agility:

Base Speed:

Base Deck Points: 4

Deck Point Growth Factor: 1/3

Weapons

Chemical Propellant Guns
It has taken a long time for the venerable ‘gun’ to die out. Popular due to their rugged simplicity and ease of manufacture, conventional guns remain common outside of high-tech centers. While they can never match modern electromotive or directed-energy weapons in raw performance, modern chemical engineering ensures they offer excellent value for their price point. Plus, they require no sophisticated manufacturing base.
Firepower 4
Range 5
PIP 8
CIP 2
Space 8

Electromotive Weapons
The standard for first-world militaries, electromotive weapons use powerful electromagnets to propel projectiles at high velocities. While this ties them to a significant power source, it also means that they have good performance and have compact, non-volatile ammunition. Unfortunately, this performance comes at a price and they required substantially more high-technology materials. Some advanced designs integrate reactionless drive concepts to further increase performance.
Firepower 5
Range 6
PIP 6
CIP 6
Space 8
Power 2

Directed Energy Weapons
Powerful directed-energy weapons took a long time to mature. Hampered by power demands and inefficient heat-to-output ratios, it was only the use of posthuman-derived Delta Dust technologies that finally turned them into compact, effective packages that had a role outside of niche applications. Currently, a number of subtypes exist.

Lasers
Relatively simple but inefficient energy weapons, used in high-accuracy roles.
Stats TBD

Pulse Cannons
A common particle-accelerator weapon, commonly used by Pac-Am ships.
Firepower 5
Range 5
Accuracy +2
PIP 4
CIP 10
Space 6
Dust 5
Power 6
Special: Energy

Mega Particle Weapons
Powerful particle beam weapons originally developed by Asakuran scientists and adopted as the standard direct-fire weapon of ZOCU.
Firepower 4
Range 6
Accuracy -1
PIP 4
CIP 10
Space 8
Dust 15
Power 8
Special: Energy, Armor Piercing

Missiles
Another standby, missiles are powerful and effective weapons, however their physical size limits the endurance of equipped units. Long supply lines and the proliferation of cheap anti-missile systems has seen them fall out of favor in some circles, but they still remain an important part of most arsenals.

Multi-Missiles

4 Space

Strike Missile

4 Space

Assault Missile

4 Space

Formats

Formats are variations on the basic weapon design to exagerate one or more aspects at the cost of others. Round all modified values to the nearest whole number. Cost multipliers apply to all cost values (PIP, CIP, Dust) unless otherwise specified.

Standard
Standard weapons use the base statline. Treat the Standard format as a x1.0 modifier to all stats.

Compact
Compact weapons are lightweight, short-barreled weapons.

Firepower: x0.8

Range: x0.5

Accuracy: +0

Agility penalty: -0

Space: x0.6

Power: x0.75

Cost: x0.6

Modifier: Gunslinger

Cluster
Cluster weapons are designed to fire a volley of shots in a narrow cone, like a giant shotgun.

Firepower: x1

Range: x0.5

Accuracy: +2

Agility penalty: -0

Space: x1

Power: x1

Cost: x1

Strike
Strike weapons are heavyweight cannons, designed for range and hitting power.

Firepower: x1.5

Range: x1.5

Accuracy: -2

Agility penalty: -1

Space: x1.5

Power: x1.5

Cost: x1.5

Modfier: Slow

Assault
Assault weapons are bulky-shot-ranged weapons, primarily meant for attacking fortifications or warships.

Firepower: x2

Range: x0.5

Accuracy: -5

Agility penalty: -1

Space: x1.5

Power: x2

Cost: x1.5

Sniper
Sniper weapons are long-range precision weapons, though if used outside of sniper mode are relatively clumsy.

Firepower: x1.0

Range: x2.5

Accuracy: -2

Agility penalty: -0

Space: x1.0

Power: x1.0

Cost: x1.25

Modfier: Sniper

Upgrades

Upgrades can be developed and applied to various weapons in order to increase their capabilities. They add to any Format multipliers.

Heavy
Weapons with the Heavy upgrade fire more powerful shots to penetrate armor.

Firepower: +0.2

Range: +0.0

Accuracy: -0

Agility penalty: -0

Space: +0.0

Power: +0.25

Cost: +0.25

Extended
Weapons with the Extended upgrade are specially modified to fire to greater distances.

Firepower: +0.0

Range: +0.5

Accuracy: -0

Agility penalty: -0

Space: +0.0

Power: +0.25

Cost: +0.25

Precision
Weapons with the Precision upgrade can fire more accurately.

Firepower: +0.0

Range: +0.0

Accuracy: +1

Agility penalty: -0

Space: +0.0

Power: +0.25

Cost: +0.25

Mega
Weapons with the Mega upgrade are exceptionally large-caliber and damaging.

Firepower: +0.0

Range: +0.0

Accuracy: -2

Agility penalty: -0

Space: +0.75

Power: +1.0

Cost: +0.75

Special: Damage:2

Limited Shots
Weapons with Limited Shots have a sharply limited amount of ammunition available for them.

Firepower: +0.0

Range: +0.0

Accuracy: 0

Agility penalty: -0

Space: 50%

Power: 50%

Cost: 50%

Special: Limited Shots: 3

Armor

Armor can be applied multiple times, representing ever-greater thicknesses. All stats are per level and are summed. Multiple types of armor cannot be mixed and matched on a given unit.

Standard Armor
Standard armor is normally made of high-tensile Titanium-steel alloy, an efficient and relatively good compromise between resistance, price and weight.
Armor +2
Agility -.33 (round penalty down)
Speed -.33 (round penalty down)
PIP 0.5/level (round down) +2 base
Space 1/level +2 base

Depleted Uranium Armor
Depleted Uranium has been used in armors since the late 20th century and remains popular due to its density and resistance. Unfortunately, the qualities that make it a good armor also make it less than perfectly suited to aerospace applications.
Armor +2
HP +50% (round up)
Agility -.5 (round penalty down)
Speed -.5 (round penalty down)
PIP 1/level (round down) +2 base
Space 1/level +2 base

Phase Shift Armor
A relatively new development in protective technologies ‘Phase Shift’ armor is a derivation of the 21st century ‘electrical’ armor. However, whereas the original type was only effective against HEAT warheads, the modern version provides increased protection against all projectiles.
Stats TBD

Polarized Armor
Recently unveiled by the EU in an effort to counteract ZOCU’s powerful mega particle weapons, polarized armor is similar to phase shift armor save it is designed to resist direct-energy weapons.
Stats TBD

Other Stuff

Verniers
All of these are applied as one set, eg, 5x Verniers
Agility +1
Space 1
Power 1

Boosters
All of these are applied as one set, eg, 5x Boosters
Speed +1
Space 1
Power 1

High-Output Batteries
All of these are applied as one set, eg, 5x Powerplant

Power Output +8

Space 1

3 Turns Combat Endurance

Low-Output Batteries
All of these are applied as one set, eg, 5x Powerplant

Power Output +6

Space 1

6 Turns Combat Endurance

Fusion Reactor
All of these are applied as one set, eg, 5x Powerplant

Power Output +4

Space 1