[FT] EMP Missiles

From: "Laserlight" <laserlight@quixnet.net>

> "EMP" - EMP warhead, endurance 1 (causes an additional threshold on

Examples:

1 EMP missile hits, but fails its roll to EMP the target. It does 1 pt
of hull/armour.

1 EMP missile hits, and succeeds in its roll to EMP-ise the (undamaged)
target. It does 1 pt of damage AND ALSO a threshold at 6.

4 EMP missiles hit an undamaged target. 3 of them roll enough to EMP-ise
it. It takes 4 pts of hull/armour damage, one for each missile, and also
a single threshold check at 4 (6 for the first, subtract 1 per additional).

1 EMP missile hits a target that's already taken 1 row of damage. The
roll to EMP-ise it succeeds. It takes one pt of hull/armour and a single
threshold at 5+.

As above, but target had only 1 hull remaining on the second row, and no
armour. The target takes 1 pt of hull - causing a threshold at 5+ -
except
that because it's been EMP-ised once, the threshold is at 4+.

18 EMP missiles hit a target with 2 screens. They roll average
(111222333444555666)
and need a 5+ to take effect ( 3 + screen level, thus 3+2=5). So 6 take
effect.
Target takes 18 pts of hull/armour, and also a threshold on 1. This will
KO all systems apart from core ones, and have a really good chance of taking
those out too. The ship *NO MATTER WHAT SIZE* is wrecked. Even if its mass
1,000,000.

Note that 18 "misericorde" missiles (comparable in cost and performance) would
have done 189 pts of damage (3D6 each). Not many ships could take that
:-)
The only ones that could would be superships of mass 1000 or more, and even
then, they'd have to be realy stupendous to shrug off the damage as
"negligible".

A quick - well, not-so-quick  - mathematical analysis shows that for
ships of less than Jeanne D'Arc or Komarov size, the misericorde is the weapon
of choice. For ships of Komarov size, an EMP is better if they have few
screens, otherwise it's about even. For larger ships, the EMP warhead is
better.

So super-ships in the Tuffleyverse suddenly have a really good reason
for not
existing. J d'As and K's are about the limit - in fact they may be a
hair beyond it.

Of course you have to get your missiles within 6" of the target, they've only
got a range of 18", they must survive PDS etc. Misericordes are usually only
used against large ships that cannot manouver of fire back much, where you
just want to provide a "coup de grace" to a cripple. EMP missiles would be
reserved