From: Tom McCarthy <tmcarth@f...>
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 16:27:39 -0400
Subject: [FT] Fighter customization
For genre purposes, I've been playing with characteristics that would create very good or very bad fighters. I've not playtested them for balance; it's all gut feel at this point. Characteristics either increase or decrease the cost of the squadron, but squadron costs can't drop below 0 (and you've still got to pay MASS and points for that fighter bay). Standard fighters cost 18 points for a flight of 6. Fast - +50% distance on move and secondary move (+6 pts / flight) Slow - -20% distance on move and secondary move (-3 pts / flight) Very Slow - -50% distance on move and secondary move (-6 pts / flight) Escort only - On any turn, must be escorting a friendly ship. May only hop 12" from one ship to another. (-12 pts / flight) Moves as ship - Group maintains a heading & velocity like a ship with thrust 18, but burns 1 combat endurance factor (CEF) each time it exerts thrust 6 or greater (-9 pts /flight) Agile - +50% distance on secondary move (+3 / flight) Poor sensors / awkward - -50% distance on secondary move (-3 pts / flight) Clumsy - No secondary move (-9 pts / flight) Long range - +50% CEFs (+6 pts / flight) Short range - -50% CEFs (-6 pts / flight) Defensive flying - May trade dogfight kills 1 for 1 to cancel up to half (rounded down) the enemy dogfight kills (+6 pts /flight) Dogfight bonus - +1 to dogfight rolls (Limit 2); rerolls only on a natural 6 (+9 pts / flight) Dogfight penalty - -1 to dogfight rolls (-3 pts / flight) Horrible dogfighters - Kill one enemy fighter or missile on a 6, no rerolls (-6 pts / flight) Strike bonus - +1 to all attack rolls against ships (limit 2); rerolls only on a natural 6 (+12 pts / flight) Strike penalty - -1 to all attack rolls against ships (-3 pts / flight) Horrible strike weapons - Do one damage to ships on a 6, no rerolls (-6 pts / flight) No strike weaponry - Cannot damage ships (-9 pts / flight) Anti-ship torpedoes - Fighters exchange fighter weaponry for one shot anti-ship weaponry which hits on a 4+ and does D6 damage, ignores screens (+24 pts / flight) Fighter weaponry which ignores screens (+6 pts / flight) Needle weapons - Fighters exchange fighter weaponry for needle beams (+12 pts / flight) Ace in group - +1 bonus to morale rolls, +1 die or 1 directed attack / needle attack (+6 pts / flight) Turkey group - -1 penalty to morale, bug out after 2 failed checks, -1 dogfight penalty (-6 pts / flight) Assault capable - Can fight a boarding action with one crew factor per fighter (limit 2) (+3 pts / flight) Heavy or Stealthy - Better survivability as per rulebook for heavy (ignores 4's on standard PDS, half damage from scatterguns, etc.) (+12 pts / flight) Tailgunner - +50% more dice for dogfights and strikes (+50% to total cost) Fearless - Pass all morale tests (+18 pts / flight) Brave Leader - +1 bonus to all morale checks (+3 pts / flight) Cowards - +1 penalty to all morale checks; bug out after 2 failures (-3 pts / flight) All around fire - 360 attack arcs (+3 pts / flight, or +0 if all fighters in genre have it) Mecha clamp - At the end of an attack, may attach to hull of target and continue to attack without being subject to further PDS attacks. Attacks may be as normal, or needle attacks. All fighters lost if ship explodes due to core explosion, fighters suffer weak PDS-like effects if ship shot at (lose one for each 1 rolled by attacker). Example Anime mecha - Very slow, agile, dogfighting bonus, mecha clamp, all around fire, assault capable (36 pts / flight) Good dogfighters who lack the acceleration to outmaneouvre fixed wing fighters in open space, mechs have the ability to attach themselves to the hull of the enemy for a sustained attack or to tear open the hull and go inside. It's not unusual to see these groups have an ace in the group (42 pts total)