The Starship Armory · Chapter 12
Gravitic and Phase Weapons
Weapons that act on space or on mass directly: tractors, distorters, and phase weapons. Their damage type is Gravitic.
| Strength | They ignore the usual defences, or they hold a target still |
| Weakness | Price, Power, and the law. The damaging ones are Rare or Military and Volatile |
| Stopped by | Not being hit. A phase veil helps a little |
The first four entries are tractors. They do no damage and are sold openly. The last four are weapons.
Grapple Launcher
Magnetic grapnel, tow line, harpoon
Light — — — Engaged 0 0
4000 Common Gravitic Tractor 1, Limited Ammo 1
A cable and a magnetic or explosive anchor. Tractor 1 holds only a target of the firing vehicle's Scale or smaller. A held craft can be boarded, towed, or swung into something.
Tractor Beam
Tractor, docking beam, cargo beam
Standard — — — Short 2 2
30000 Common Gravitic Tractor 2
A projected field that holds a target in place. Ports use them to dock ships. Patrols use them to stop ships that will not heave to.
Heavy Tractor Beam
Capture beam, hangar tractor
Heavy — — — Short to Medium 3 3
95000 Restricted Gravitic Tractor 4
Strong enough to hold a freighter against its own engines and to draw a fighter into a hangar. A held target of Scale 3 or less can be pulled one range band closer each round.
Capital Tractor Array
Fleet tractor, the hand
Capital — — — Medium 4 4
400000 Military Gravitic Tractor 6
Several emitters working together. Nothing below Scale 6 breaks free without help.
Gravitic Distorter
Shear gun, drift cannon
Heavy 5 — 3 Medium 4 4
160000 Rare Gravitic Armor Bypass, Forced Drift, Volatile
Twists space across the target's hull. Armor Bypass: Armor and screens do nothing. Forced Drift: the target's pilot makes an Average Operate check or the ship drifts out of control. A hit also deals 1 System Damage to navigation.
Phase Lance
Phase cannon, ghost lance
Heavy 8 — 3 Medium 5 4
200000 Military Gravitic Screen Penetrating, Phase Shear, Volatile
A beam that is out of phase with a screen until it reaches the hull. Screen Penetrating: screens give nothing; Armor applies. Phase Shear: with 3 or more net Successes the target loses one defensive layer. It needs a hull of Scale 5 or more.
Inertial Shear Projector
Shear array, the wrench
Capital 12 — 3 Medium to Long 5 5
700000 Military Gravitic Armor Bypass, Forced Drift, Phase Shear, Volatile
The capital form of the distorter. The Forced Drift check is Hard. Few navies build it and none sell it.
Jump Interdictor
Interdiction field, gravity well, the anchor
Capital — 4 — Long to Extreme 4 5
900000 Military Gravitic Interdiction, Limited Ammo 4
Projects a field that stops faster-than-light travel. The 4 System Damage is dealt to the target's jump drive and navigation only. A target that is hit cannot jump for 1 to 3 rounds. Its components are rare and each use burns a set.
