The Starship Armory · Chapter 5

Qualities

Passive qualities are always on. Active qualities are triggered by spending Boons from a successful attack. Ranked qualities carry a number. Drawback qualities make the weapon worse and are not optional.

Core Qualities Used in This Book

Quality	Ranked	In brief
Accurate	Yes	Add X Boon Dice to attacks
Auto-Fire	No	Add 1 Trial Die to the attack. On a hit, spend 2 Boons per extra hit, on the original target or another within Short range of it
Blast	Yes	Spend 2 Boons to deal X Hull Damage to every other vehicle Engaged with the target. Against people, see Chapter 4
Inaccurate	Yes	Add X Bane Dice to attacks
Limited Ammo	Yes	X shots before it must be reloaded
Linked	Yes	After a hit, spend 2 Boons per extra hit on the same target, up to X times
Pierce	Yes	Ignore X points of Armor
Slow-Firing	Yes	After firing, the weapon cannot fire for X rounds. A Reload action removes one round

Qualities Given in Full

Anti-Fighter

Against missiles, drones, and unarmoured vehicles of Scale 1 or 2, the weapon deals 6 Hull Damage in place of its listed damage. Against a target with Armor 3 or more it deals half its listed damage.

Area Effect

The attack is made once and applied to every vehicle within the weapon's range, friend and foe. Each target applies its own Defense and defences.

Armor Breaker

When this weapon's damage exceeds the target's Armor by 4 or more, the target also suffers 1 System Damage, and 2 if it exceeds it by 8 or more.

Armor Bypass

Armor and screens do not reduce this weapon's damage.

Boarding Support

After this weapon hits a target, checks made this round and the next to breach its hull, force its locks, or board it are one step easier.

Breach X

A quality of personal-scale weapons built to defeat armour. Against a vehicle or a structure, multiply the weapon's damage and Successes by X and divide by 10 for its Hull damage, and ignore X points of the target's Armor. Against a person the weapon deals its printed damage. No weapon has both Breach and Siege. See Chapter 4.

Capital Killer

Add 3 to the weapon's damage against a target of Scale 6 or more.

Close Range

The weapon deals more damage at Engaged range and less at the outer edge of its reach. Its entry gives the numbers.

Concentrated Fire

Add 3 to the weapon's damage against a target that has already suffered 5 or more Hull Damage in this encounter.

Cooldown

Fired in two rounds running, or as a reaction and an action in the same round, the weapon makes 1 extra Heat. At a table not using Chapter 6, add 1 Bane Die to the second attack.

Disable

With 3 or more net Successes, the attacker names one system on the target: a weapon, the drive, sensors, a screen. It is shut down until the end of the target's next turn.

Disorient X

A personal-scale quality. Spend 2 Boons: the target is Disoriented for X rounds.

Forced Drift

On a hit, the target's pilot makes an Average Operate check. On a failure the vehicle is out of control until the pilot spends an action and succeeds on the same check.

Ground

The weapon is built for use on a planet's surface. It cannot be fitted to a spacecraft, and it cannot fire in vacuum or free fall.

Heat Surge

If the firing vehicle's Heat is at half its Heat Threshold or more when this weapon fires, the engineer makes an Average Craft check or the weapon makes 2 extra Heat. At a table not using Chapter 6, the weapon has the core Overheat quality.

Indirect

The weapon fires in a high arc. It may attack a target its gunner cannot see if a spotter can, adding 1 Bane Die. It cannot attack inside its minimum range or hit a target in flight.

Interceptable

After the attack hits and before damage, the target may use point defence or countermeasures against it. See Chapter 3.

Interdiction

A target that is hit cannot make a faster-than-light jump for 1 round, plus 1 for every 2 net Successes, to a maximum of 3.

Ion

The weapon deals System Damage. Armor does not reduce it, and screens do not reduce it. A vehicle with no powered systems is not affected.

Lock-On

The weapon needs a lock on its target before it fires. See Chapter 3.

Overload

With 4 or more net Successes, the attacker names two systems for Disable in place of one.

Payload

The ordnance may carry any warhead from the payload table in Chapter 8. The warhead is chosen when the round is loaded.

Personal Scale

The weapon is mounted on a vehicle and deals damage at personal scale. See Chapter 4.

Phase Shear

With 3 or more net Successes, the target's defensive controls suffer 1 System Damage, and one screen or active defence of the attacker's choice stops working until repaired.

Point Defense X

The weapon may fire as a reaction to intercept up to X incoming attacks. See Chapter 3.

Power Draw

The weapon draws 1 more Power in the round it is first brought to bear on a target.

Precision

Before rolling, the gunner may aim at one system. The attack deals 2 less Hull Damage and, if any damage gets through, 1 System Damage to that system.

Recoil

When this weapon fires from a vehicle of Scale 3 or less, add 1 Bane Die to the pilot's next Operate check. Add 1 Bane Die to the attack if it is made in free fall from a vehicle of Scale 2 or less.

Salvo X

The launcher may fire up to X rounds at one target with one action and one lock. Roll each attack separately.

Saturation

If three or more rounds from one salvo hit, the target suffers 1 extra System Damage.

Scatter

Spend 2 Boons: one other target within Short range of the first suffers half the weapon's damage.

Scorch X

Spend 2 Boons: the target gains X Heat. At a table not using Chapter 6, the target suffers 1 System Damage.

Screen Penetrating

Screens do not reduce this weapon's damage or add Bane Dice against it. Armor applies normally.

Siege X

A quality of personal-scale weapons that deal mass damage, first published in The Ranged Armory. Multiply the weapon's damage and Successes by X. Against a person that is its damage. Against a vehicle or a structure, divide by 10 for its Hull damage, which is then reduced by Armor. See Chapter 4.

Signature Bloom X

Firing the weapon lights the vehicle up. Until the end of the next round, add X Boon Dice to checks made to detect or lock onto it.

Stun Damage

A personal-scale quality. All damage is applied to Strain. The weapon cannot inflict a Critical Injury.

Tracking

A round that misses attacks once more at the end of the next round, at 1 less damage. See Chapter 3.

Tractor X

On a hit the target is held. It cannot move unless its pilot succeeds on an Operate check, as an action, against a difficulty of X. A target more than 2 Scale larger than the firing vehicle is not held. Holding a target needs the weapon's Power every round.

Volatile

If this weapon is disabled by a Critical Hit, the engineer makes an Average Craft check. On a failure the firing vehicle suffers Hull Damage equal to half the weapon's listed damage.