Starship Rules

The following section details the rules for using vehicles like Starships. It is heavily influenced by SAGA edition, but has been changed so that certain modifiers are more in-line with those of Pathfinder. In addition, a number of things have changed like how to calculate attack and how to determine a Starship’s defense.

= Scale = These rules use two scales: character scale and starship scale. If the encounter involves both vehicles and characters on foot, use character scale. If the scene involves vehicles only, use starship scale.

Character Scale
Character scale is identical to the standard movement scale. Combat is carried out on a grid in which each square equals 5-feet (~1.5 meters).

In character scale, most vehicles are large enough to occupy multiple squares on the battle grid.

How many squares a vehicle occupies is determined by the vehicle’s size (and the same holds true for characters and creatures). Vehicles of greater than Colossal size are not placed on the battle map; they are either off the map (perhaps performing fire support), or the battle takes place inside them, or they act as terrain.

In character scale, more than one surface vehicle cannot occupy the same space on the battle grid, and a collision occurs whenever a vehicle enters a square occupied by a creature, obstacle, or other vehicle (see Collisions below).

Starship Scale
In starship scale, each square of the grid is abstract, representing a variable amount of space depending on the vehicles involved. In most cases, one square is hundreds or even thousands of meters wide. In starship scale, the grid itself represents relative movement, not absolute movement, so several starships in orbit might be drifting together at many kilometers per second even as they move around one another.

At starship scale, a vehicle can pass through squares occupied by allies but not squares occupied by enemies.

Additionally, starships themselves work on a different scale. For instance, a Tiny Starship is Gargantuan at character scale. See Starship Table 1: Starship Scales Below for more information.

= Vehicle Types = The term “vehicle” encompasses both planetary vehicles (such as airspeeders, landspeeders, and walkers) and starships (such as starfighters, space transports, and capital ships). The major difference between planetary vehicles and starships is that planetary vehicles generally do not travel in the vacuum of space. Rules that pertain only to planetary vehicles or starships are called out specifically.

Planetary Vehicles
Planetary vehicles are further subdivided into ground vehicles and air vehicles.

Ground Vehicles: The most basic vehicles in the Galaxy, ground vehicles only operate on (or very near) a planetary surface.

Speeders: Speeders are common sights on technologically worlds. Equipped with repulsorlift drive technology, they hover above the ground at a height of anywhere from a few centimeters to several meters and can achieve remarkable speeds. Speeders ignore penalties for difficult terrain.

Tracked: Tracked vehicles have treads or tracks looped around a large number of wheels, providing great traction, but making them less maneuverable at higher speeds-and extremely loud at any speed. Tracked vehicles ignore penalties for difficult terrain and take half damage from collisions with obstacles at least one size category smaller than them.

Walkers: Walkers move about on two or more legs, literally walking over the terrain. Walkers retain their balance by means of finely tuned gyroscopes and offer a fairly smooth ride. They rely on even footing, however, and when they topple, the results can be disastrous. Walkers ignore obstacles that are three or more sizes smaller than them.

Wheeled: Wheeled vehicles move on one or more wheels (most commonly two to four). Faster and more maneuverable than tracked or walker vehicles, wheels are a cheap alternative to repulsorlift technology for light and fast vehicles. Wheeled vehicles gain a +2 maneuver bonus to defense. Air Vehicle: Air vehicles generally operate above a planetary surface, but within the planet’s atmosphere.

Airspeeders: Airspeeders are repulsorlift vehicles that can travel anywhere up to 320 kilometers (200 miles) above ground level, but they are incapable of true space flight. Because they fly so high above the ground, they ignore penalties for terrain or obstructions. Of all planetary vehicles, airspeeders are the most maneuverable.

Starships
Starships are vehicles capable of interplanetary and interstellar travel. They are subdivided into starfighters, space transports, capital ships, and space stations. These are further subdivided below. Starfighter: Starfighters are small, agile starships of gargantuan size or smaller. Though they can travel in atmosphere, they excel at space combat. Starfighters can function with as few as one crewmember (the pilot).

Space Transport: Space transports are mid-size starships of Medium or Large size with fewer than 200 hit points. Most space transports are designed for moving passengers or cargo, but some are used as gunships, drop ships, or assault shuttles.

Capital Ship: Capital ships include all starships of Huge size or larger. Capital ships usually carry hundreds if not thousands of crewmembers and passengers, and some are large enough to house other capital ships within their hangar bays. Some very large transports and colony ships fall into this category despite not being designed for combat.

Space Station: Though not technically modes of transportation, space stations have statistics like other starships. A space station can have a population in the thousands or millions, depending on its size. Most space stations are immobile, the Death Star being a notable exception.

= Vehicle Combat Statistics = All vehicles statistics that are relevant to combat are described below.

Vehicle Size
Vehicles use similar size categories as creatures, as shown on Table 10-1: Vehicle Sizes. The Colossal size category is further subdivided to differentiate particularly massive starships and space stations. A vehicle’s size modifier applies to the vehicle’s defense and attack rolls, as well as to initiative and pilot checks made by the vehicle’s occupants.

Attacks
Any vehicle equipped with weapons can make attacks against enemies within range. An attack roll with a vehicle weapon is calculated as follows:

1d20 + Base Attack Bonus + vehicle’s intelligence modifier + range modifier + size modifier
Base Attack Bonus: Use the base attack bonus of the gunner (which, in some cases, may be the pilot).

Intelligence Modifier: A vehicle’s computer improves the accuracy of the vehicle’s weapon systems, and the vehicles intelligence score measures the quality of the computer.

Range Modifier: A vehicle weapon can attack a target at point blank, short, medium or long range. If you make a ranged attack against a target within the weapon’s point blank range, you take no penalty on the attack roll. Your penalty on attack rolls increases to -2 at short range, -4 at medium range, and -8 at long range.

Starship Table 2: Vehicle Weapon Ranges

Critical Hits
As in character combat, when you roll a natural 20 on your attack, you automatically hit and roll a second time at the same bonus to see if you deal additional damage.

Automatic Misses
If you roll a natural 1 on your attack, you automatically miss.

Combat Maneuver Bonus
This is mainly used for tractor beams and other grappling systems, but can also be used to buffet other vehicles, like when Anakin nudged Obi-Wan’s starfighter in Episode 3. Combat Maneuver Bonus is calculated as follows:

   1d20 + base attack bonus + vehicle’s strength modifier

Damage
When you hit with a vehicle weapon, you deal damage according to the type of weapon (listed in each vehicle’s statistics). Damage dealt by a vehicle weapon is calculated as follows:

Weapon Damage x damage multiplier.

Damage Multiplier: After rolling the weapon damage dice, multiply the result by the listed damage multiplier. For example, when you fire a vehicle weapon that deals 6d10x2 damage, roll 6d10 and multiply the result by 2.

Defense
A vehicles defense represents how difficult it is to hit or overload its systems. Unlike characters, vehicles do not have saving throws. However, vehicles have a Defense, Mental Defense, and Combat Maneuver Defense.

   Defense = 10 + pilot’s level + vehicles dexterity modifier + size modifier

   Combat Maneuver Defense = 10 + Base Attack Bonus + vehicle’s dexterity modifier + vehicle’s strength modifier + starship type bonus + size modifier

   Mental Defense = 10 + pilot’s level + vehicle’s intelligence modifier

Hit Points
Vehicles have hit points, just like characters. Hit points are abstract, meant to represent not only the vehicle’s mass, but also the robustness or fragility of its systems. A starship has a number of hit points based upon it’s size, Constitution Modifier, and d10 hit dice per each level of the commander. For instance, a small starship with a Constitution of 22 with a 3rd level pilot would get 3d10 + 18 + 50 Hit points, for an average of 84 hit points. The same pilot acting as commander aboard a gargantuan starship with a constitution of 40 would get 3d10 + 45 + 800 hit points, for an average of 861 hit points.

Shield Rating
Some vehicles have a shield rating (SR). Whenever a target with SR takes damage from an attack, reduce the damage by the shield rating. The remaining damage (if any) is dealt to the target’s hit points, subtracting damage reduction normally.

Shield Damage: If the damage dealt by an attack exceeds the target’s SR, reduce the shield rating by an amount equal to the number of dice of damage rolled against them (without the multiplier). For instance, if your shields take 10d10x5 damage, your shields are reduced by 10. This reduction is cumulative, so a target’s shield rating can eventually be reduced to 0 (Zero). A character may recharge the shields of a vehicle (see Full Round Actions below).

Crew Cover
Most vehicles provide at least some cover to their passengers. Passengers gain a cover bonus to their Defense against any attacks that target them instead of the vehicle. A vehicle’s cover bonus will be described in its stat block. You cannot attack the passenger of a vehicle that has total cover.

Speed
Every vehicle has a speed, given in squares in most cases to represent their high speeds. The pilot may move a vehicle up to its listed speed as a move action, and up to four times its speed with the all-out movement action (see below).

Starships and airspeeders have separate listings for their speed in starship scale.

Maximum Velocity: This is the maximum speed a vehicle may move in character scale. It is seldom relevant in combat because such speeds quickly move the vehicle off the battle map and out of range.

= Characters in Vehicles = A character in a vehicle fills one of several possible roles, which determines what the character can do. A character can fill several roles at once, but most roles may only be filled by one character at a time. For example, an X-wing pilot also acts as the vehicle’s commander and gunner, while the astromech droid usually acts as a co-pilot, shield operator, and engineer. On the other hand, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer with thousands of crewmembers still has only one pilot, one commander, and so forth. You can change roles from round to round, but you can only start filling a particular role if no other crewmember has filled that role since your last turn.

Pilot: The pilot of the vehicle controls its movement. Most vehicles have only one position from where the vehicle can be piloted. Piloting a vehicle is, at a minimum, a move action, which means that the pilot can do something else with their other actions in a round. A vehicle can have only one pilot at a time. The pilot adds the vehicle’s size modifier and Dexterity modifier on all initiative and pilot checks. Copilot: A copilot can help the pilot by using the aid another action. The copilot must be seated in a location where he can see in front of the vehicle and advise the pilot (in most cases, this location is the cockpit). Aiding the pilot is a standard action, leaving the copilot with at least a move action each round to do something else. A vehicle can have only one copilot at a time.

Gunner: Most military vehicles and some civilian vehicles have built-in weapons. Any weapon not controlled by the pilot or copilot requires a gunner to operate. A vehicle can have as many gunners as it has gunner positions.

Commander: The commander coordinates the various crewmembers and stations aboard the vehicle, analyzes the battle as it unfolds, and looks for weaknesses in the enemy’s vehicles and tactics. A vehicle can have only one commander at a time.

System Operator: The system operator manages the vehicle’s shields, sensors, and communications. A vehicle can only have one system operator at a time.

Engineer: The chief engineer keeps the ship running even as it takes debilitating damage to its systems, diverting power from overloaded circuits to keep the ship functional. The engineer also leads efforts to repair damage to the hull between battles. A vehicle can only have on chief engineer at a time.

Other Crew: Other crewmembers can fill many supporting roles, coordinating troops or starfighters, administering medical care, guarding sensitive areas, and providing general maintenance. These crewmembers can assist others on some skill checks; for example, the members of a repair team may assist the chief engineer in his duties on capital ships.

Passengers: All other personnel aboard the vehicle are considered passengers. Passengers have no specific role in the vehicle’s operation, but may take actions aboard the vehicle or replace crewmembers as needed.

= Starting the Battle = Unless noted otherwise, climbing aboard a vehicle is a move action, and powering up a vehicle requires a second move action.

Initiative
There are two options for determining initiative in vehicle combat. First, each character can make a separate initiative roll. This is probably the best method if most or all player characters are aboard the same vehicle, but it can result in a lot of delayed or readied actions as passengers wait for pilots to perform maneuvers. An alternative is to make an initiative roll for each vehicle, using the pilot’s initiative check modifiers. This is particularly appropriate when characters are in separate vehicles, since it allows everyone aboard the same vehicle to act more or less simultaneously.

= Vehicle Combat Actions = They types of actions you can take during a single turn don’t change when you’re aboard a vehicle. Some actions described below can only be performed by particular crewmembers. In this case, the eligible crewmembers are listed in parentheses following the action’s name.

Full Round Actions
A full round action could be any of the following:

Attack Run
Pilot Only

As a full round action, you can move up to your vehicle’s speed (minimum 2 squares) in a straight line through unobstructed terrain directly toward your target, and then make an attack with a vehicle weapon at that target at the end of your movement. You gain a +2 bonus on your attack roll and take a -2 penalty to your vehicle’s defenses until the start of your next turn. In starship scale, you cannot make an attack run through squares occupied by enemies, but allies do not hinder your attack run.

Recharge Shields
System Operator Only

As a full-round action, you can make a DC 20 engineering check to increase your current shield rating by 5, up to the vehicle’s normal maximum.

All-Out Movement
Pilot Only

As a full-round action, you can move up to four times your vehicle’s speed. All of this movement must be in a straight line, and you can’t avoid collisions while doing so (see Avoid Collision below). Your vehicle loses its dexterity bonus to defense until the beginning of your next turn.

You can’t use all-out movement unless you moved on your last turn.

Because most power is diverted to the engines when using all-out movement, gunners on board your vehicle cannot attack until the start of your next turn.

Maximum Velocity (character scale only): If you use all-out movement on your turn, you may move up to your vehicle’s maximum velocity with all-out movement on your next turn. If you move your vehicle’s maximum velocity, you must either continue moving at the vehicle’s maximum velocity or use all-out movement as your action on the following turn.

Full Attack
Gunner Only

If you are capable of making more than one attack (because you have a high base attack bonus, rapid shot, or a similar ability) you must make a full attack to get those extra attacks. A pilot who spends at least a move action every round moving his vehicle cannot make a full attack action unless the vehicle has already been brought to a full stop.

Ram
Pilot Only

As a full-round action, you can attempt to ram a target by moving your vehicle into the target’s fighting space. You must have sufficient movement to reach the target’s fighting space, and the ram is treated as a special pilot check.

Make a combat maneuver check against the target’s combat maneuver defense. If your check succeeds, your vehicle, the target, and all passengers aboard vehicles involved in the collision (including you) take the amount of damage listed in table Starship Table 3: Collision Damage. Assuming you’re alive and conscious, you can continue moving through the target’s fighting space if your vehicle has any movement left. Otherwise, your vehicle is pushed out of the target’s fighting space and into the nearest available square or squares and your turn ends.

All-Out Movement: If the colliding vehicle is moving all-out or moving at maximum velocity (see AllOut Movement above), double the damage caused by the collision.

Reactions
As always, a character can make any number of reactions during a round. Reactions include the following:

Avoid Collision
Pilot Only

Any time your vehicle is subject to a collision, you can make a DC 15 pilot check as a reaction. If you succeed on the check, all targets involved in the collision take half damage (negated if two vehicles are colliding and both succeed on this check).

You can’t attempt to avoid a collision when you intentionally ram a target (See Ram, above). Starship Scale: Collisions are easier to avoid at Starship Scale. If you succeed on the pilot check to avoid a collision in Starship Scale, no collision occurs.

Standard Actions
A standard action could be any one of the following:

Aid Another
As a standard action, you can aid an ally’s next skill check, ability check, or attack roll.

Aiding a skill or ability check: You can aid another, just as you could at character scale. Characters must be on the same vehicle to aid one another in this way.

Aiding an Attack Roll: In combat, you can aid another character’s attack by providing improved targeting data or by coordinating that attack with other vehicle actions. A gunner can grant a +2 bonus to another character’s attack roll by making an attack against a defense of 10.

A sensor operator can grant a +2 bonus on another creature’s attack roll by making a DC 10 use computer check.

A vehicle’s commander can grant a +2 bonus on another character’s attack roll by making a DC 10 Knowledge [Tactics] check.

Attack with a Melee Weapon
With a melee weapon, you can strike any enemy in a square you can threaten. You can only threaten squares within your reach from the vehicle’s space, and you don’t threaten spaces around the vehicle at all if it grants total cover. For example, a Jedi Knight on a speeder bike could attack targets adjacent to the bike with his lightsaber, but the same Jedi couldn’t do so while inside an AT-AT.

You can’t make a melee attack in starship scale, except within the confines of the vehicle you occupy.

Attack with Ranged Weapon
With a ranged weapon, you can throw or shoot at any target within your line of sight, as long as your vehicle does not grant you total cover. For example, clone troopers can fire their blasters at targets outside a LAAT/i gunship as long as the ship’s doors are open. Range modifiers apply normally for your weapon.

You cannot make a personal ranged attack in starship scale, except within the confines of the vehicle you occupy.

Attack with Vehicle Weapon
Gunner Only

Any gunners (including the pilot, if there are pilot-operated weapons on the vehicle) can make an attack with their vehicle weapon as a standard action. The maximum range and the range modifiers of a vehicle weapon attack depend on the weapon used (see Starship Table 2: Vehicle Weapon Ranges above).

Capital Ships: Capital ship weapons are designed for long-range bombardment against large or immobile targets, and they have difficulty tracking small enemies. When attacking a target of less than Medium (Starship Scale) size, a vehicle that is Medium (Starship Scale) size or larger takes a -20 penalty on its attack rolls. Point-defense weapons are specifically designed to attack smaller targets and do not take these penalties.

Dogfight
Pilot Only

As a standard action, the pilot of an airspeeder or starfighter can initiate a dogfight against an enemy airspeeder or starfighter in an adjacent square (starship scale). Make a pilot check opposed by the enemy’s pilot check. If you succeed, you and the target vehicle are engaged in a dogfight.

Consequences of Dogfighting: A vehicle engaged in a dogfight must select the dogfight action on every turn, and cannot move out of its current square until it disengages (see below). While engaged in a dogfight, you cannot attack any target outside the dogfight.

Firing into a Dogfight: If another vehicle fires into a dogfight, it takes a -4 penalty on its attack roll unless the gunner has the precise shot feat.

Attacking in a Dogfight: Make a pilot check opposed by your dogfighting opponent’s pilot check. If you win the opposed check, you may make a single attack with a vehicle weapon as a swift action. If you fail, you cannot attack the target, and any gunners on your vehicle take a -4 penalty on any attack rolls they make until your next turn.

Disengaging from a Dogfight: Make a pilot check opposed by your dogfighting opponent’s pilot check as a move action. If you win the opposed check, you successfully disengage from the dogfight and may move a number of squares equal to your speed. If you fail, you remain in the dogfight, and any gunners on your vehicle take a -4 penalty on any attack rolls they make until your next turn. Attack of Opportunity: If an enemy starfighter tries to move through your square or an adjacent square, you may attempt to initiate a dogfight as an attack of opportunity. If successful, the enemy starfighter must stop moving.

Fight Defensively
Pilot Only

You can fight defensively as part of attacking with a vehicle weapon. This functions the same as fighting defensively at character scale. You can also take a total defense action.

Special: If you have 3 or more ranks in the Pilot skill, you gain a +3 dodge bonus to your vehicle’s defense or a +6 dodge bonus to your vehicle’s defense if you use the total defense action.

Move Actions
Move actions include the following:

Move
Pilot Only

You can move up to your vehicle’s speed. The only restriction for vehicle movement is that you cannot reenter a square you just left.

Swift Actions
Swift Actions include the following

Full Stop
Pilot Only

If you haven’t already used a move action or full-round action to move your vehicle this turn, as a swift action you can bring your vehicle to a full stop. After that, the vehicle is considered stationary. You cannot bring a vehicle to a full stop if you used all-out movement on your last turn.

Increase Vehicle Speed
Pilot Only

If you are trained in the Pilot skill, you can make a DC 20 pilot check as a swift action to push your vehicle beyond its normal limits. See the Pilot skill for more information.

Raise or Lower Shields
System Operator Only

As a swift action, you can activate or deactivate the shields on your vehicle. Shields are generally kept inactive in non-combat situations to reduce strain on the vehicle’s systems, and raising shields is often perceived as evidence of hostile intent, so many commanders prefer to keep their shields down unless they are expecting trouble.

= Special Vehicle Combat Rules = Vehicles have a few additional rules during combat that are different from those used with characters.

Weapon Batteries
A weapon battery is a cluster of up to six identical weapons. If a starship has weapon batteries, special rules apply when a gunner aids another gunner in the same battery. The aiding gunner automatically grants a +2 bonus on the attack roll; no attack roll is required to determine whether the aid another attempt is successful. For each total +2 added in aid another to the weapon battery, the weapon deals an additional die of damage, applied before the weapon’s damage multiplier. If a starship has weapon batteries, its statistics include the modified attack bonus because these weapons are usually fired as a group. However, the weapons may still fire independently if you desire.

Alternatively, a Weapon Battery can fire a proximity spread that maximizes the chance they’ll hit enemy starfighters. Resolve this as a splash attack, dealing 1 point of damage per die of the weapon battery before applying the multiplier in the area of the splash even if the battery misses. For example, a turbolaser battery that deals 5d10x5 damage attacking the area would deal (5x5) or 25 damage to all starfighters in the area. This damage is still reduced by shields and DR. Point defense batteries cannot be used in this way.

Collisions
A collision occurs whenever your vehicle moves into a space occupied by a creature, structure, another vehicle, or hazard (such as an asteroid), or whenever such things move into your vehicle’s fighting space. You can reduce or negate the damage from a collision as a reaction by succeeding at a DC 15 pilot check (see Avoid Collision above).

Ramming Vehicles: When the source of the collision is a ramming vehicle, the pilot of the ramming vehicle makes a combat maneuver check (instead of an attack roll) and compares the result to the Combat Maneuver Defense of the target. If the check succeeds, the ramming vehicle, the target, and all passengers aboard both vehicles involved in the collision take the amount of damage listed on Starship Table 3: Collision Damage. If the check fails, the collision is avoided.

Mobile Hazards: When the source of the collision is a mobile hazard of large size or greater (such as an asteroid or unguided vehicle), the colliding hazard makes an attack roll against the target’s Defense. The hazard’s attack roll is resolved by rolling 1d20 and adding the hazard’s size modifier. If the attack hits a collision occurs.

Starship Table 3: Collision Damage
1 Double the damage if the colliding vehicle is using all-out movement

Tractor Beams
Instead of damaging a vehicle’s hit points, tractor beams prevent another vehicle from escaping. When attacking with a tractor beam, you roll a combat maneuver against the target’s combat maneuver defense. If you succeed, the target is tractor beamed.

If a tractor beamed target is of your vehicle’s size or smaller, then it cannot move and it loses its dexterity bonus to its defense. Each round on your turn, you must make another combat maneuver check; if you win the opposed check, you may pull the target up to 10 squares closer to you (or 1 square closer to you in starship scale) or hold it in place in its current square. If you lose, the target manages to slip free from the tractor beam.

If you are the pilot of a tractor beamed vehicle, you can attempt to break the grapple on your turn by making a Combat Maneuver check against your opponent’s CMD as a standard action. If you succeed, you break the grapple and can act normally.

If the tractor beamed target is larger than your vehicle, the target retains its dexterity bonus to its defense and can move freely, but you may move your vehicle up to 10 squares closer to it (or 1 square at starship scale). If the tractor beamed vehicle ever moves beyond the range of your tractor beam, the tractor beam’s hold is broken automatically (such as when a starship uses its hyperdrive).

If  you pull a target into your square (or pull your vehicle into a larger target’s square), your vehicle may use docking clamps to attach itself to the target. Once this is done, it is possible to board the target ship by blowing open or cutting through an airlock or the hull (see Attack and Object).

Starfighters of Tiny size and smaller are normally two small and fast for a Tractor Beam to lock on, but ships of Small size or larger can be targeted normally.

Crew Quality  [OLD RULES: DO NOT USE]
The crew of a ship in a given stat block will be given in the last section before weapon damage. Use the following Table to help you determine a ship’s stats that is not crewed by a Heroic character.

= ALTERNATE RULE: Facing and Firing Arcs = All standard-mounted weapons point in one of four directions: forward, aft (rear), right, or left. Some weapons are partially turreted (giving them two adjacent arcs of fire) or fully turret-mounted (allowing them to fire in all four directions).

Because all fighting spaces are now squares, you can easily determine a firing arc by determining which face of a square is part of which of the below firing arcs. Just determine which corner or face of a ship has the forward facing and use the below diagrams to determine firing arcs.

You can only move in the direction that you’re facing. You can change your facing by up to two arcs (90 degrees) by spending 1 point of movement from your movement total, and one additional arc for every extra point of movement you’re willing to spend, up to four points (180 degrees). You can change your facing by one arc for free as part of a move action. You do not have to use facing, as a GM. It is only here to help you should you decide to use it for Starship Combat. You will have to determine a vehicle’s weapon firing arcs, and the best way to do so is to check the Star Wars d20 RCR (Chapter 11: Starships) for more information on firing arcs.

A ship’s firing arcs will be noted in the descriptions of its weapons. You don’t have to do any other work. Each square on this diagram is equal to the size of the vehicle.

= Alternate Rules: Flights = There are times that you’re going to want to speed up combat somewhat by having Starfighters work in Flights. A flight is typically made up of 4 starships, but can have as few as 2, all following the same rough path as the leader. The lead ship is the one who directs all movement and attacks within their flight.

This option only works with starfighters of tiny or smaller size at the Starship Scale. They effectively become 1 unit for attack purposes, but each starfighter must still be targeted independently of one another. That means you have to disable or destroy each fighter in a flight independently of one another.

The benefit of using a flight over just solo flying is that it works best with capital ship scale combat, allowing Starfighters to deal more damage. They effectively become a battery for each of their weapons (assuming all ships are the same kind). For each ship in your flight, you get a +2 on attack rolls, the damage dice increase by 1 die, and the multiplier for your weapon damage increases by 1. So, a flight of X-Wings firing proton torpedoes would get a +6 on attack rolls, the damage would increase to 12d10 and have their multiplier increased from x2 to x5, allowing it to function like a weapon battery on a larger starship.

If ships in the flight are destroyed or haven’t joined, the bonuses to attack, damage dice, and multipliers decrease accordingly.

= Starship Purchasing = Generally, you do not have to pay the full price of a starship on the legitimate market. If you desire to buy a starship, you must pay for 1/5th (20%) the cost of the ship up front and then pay 2% of the total cost each month for the next 5 years. You can pay more to speed up the process of gaining full ownership of the vehicle. Until the vehicle is full purchased, it cannot be sold on the legitimate market. This method assumes the character is using legitimate financing (through an institution like a bank) in order to purchase their starship. Depending on the era and the actual availability of a kind of vessel, the interest rates may be higher or lower. These are the default rates for the Independent Age. In addition to the cost of the starship, most pilots will be required to purchase a license to prove their competence. Multiple licenses may be necessary depending on the kind of vehicle being purchased or operated. The following licenses are available for purchase.

•       Captain’s Accredited License: This certifies that the captain is capable of piloting and operating the starship. The cost for this license is 200 credits (usually), and can be issued to someone that successfully makes a DC 15 pilot check and has 10 years of Starship piloting experience. An “Expedition Fee” can be paid to ignore the years of experience necessary, an additional 300 credits.

•       Ship’s Operating License: This license validates the ship’s make, manufacturer, port of origin, transponder codes, and the owner of the vessel. This license costs 1,000 credits, the captain must have an accredited license, and the ship must pass inspection (local customs-codes permit different modifications to a starship). When purchasing this license, a character that makes a DC 20 Knowledge (Bureaucracy) skill check can forgo the inspection as long as they pay an additional nominal fee of 1,000 credits.

•       Arms Load-Out Permit: This license registers a starship’s weapons. The cost varies based on the availability of the Starship. Generally, the cost is 400 for a licensed vessel’s weapons, 800 credits for a restricted vessel, and 1,200 for a military vessel. This cost doubles for each weapon attack the vessel has. You cannot purchase a license for an illegal starship.

Generally, a port will scan each vessel incoming and then dispatch a team of inspectors to search a vessel they believe to be illegally equipped. The fine for docking an illegal vessel in a space port is 1/5th the cost of the vessel, requirement of purchase of license or dismantling of weapons systems before the vessel is allowed to disembark, and/or other requirements based on the jurisdiction. A vessel with illegal weapon systems can be immediately impounded and the captain and crew will be place in holding by local security forces until an investigation on the ship is completed.

Alternatively, some characters are provided a vessel due to their involvement with a particular government-affiliated group such as the Intelligence service, the Jedi Order, or even from a senator or moff. Should this be the case, each ship will have a special registry that makes them immune to search and seizure, unless a higher official declares this special registry/license unavailable.

= Starship Maintenance and Upkeep = Starships require fuel and other resources in order to maintain their functionality. Typically, a starship of Small starship scale or smaller requires only 50 credits to pay for a day’s worth of fuel. Multiply the cost by 10 for each size category for each size category larger than small size. That’s 500 for Medium, 5,000 for gargantuan, 50,000 for colossal, and 500,000 for station sized vessels. Note, however, that an actual space station without engines to maneuver in space only expends as much fuel as a medium starship scale sized starship.

You can restock a ship’s other consumables as well. This costs 10 x the number of living creatures onboard x days of operation (days used out of total consumables). This generally consists of meals, minor repairs to comforts, and other non-essential functions. A ship can be upgraded to luxury levels by increasing the cost to 100 x the number of living creatures onboard x days of operation, but this upgrade is rare and has no benefit outside of the prestige of owning a luxury vessel.

Used Starships
A used Starship is one that is sold on the open market. Typically, these vessels have accumulated some sort of defect due to their prolonged use in the past. You can roll randomly or select a defect from the following table. It is generally considered better to choose a defect than to roll randomly, in order to tailor a starship for your players. The GM should check the table below.

You can remove a defect from a starship by making a DC 20 mechanics check and spending a week attempting to repair the defect while in a port with repair facilities. You can gain a +5 bonus on your mechanics check by spending 1,000 credits per size level of the ship above diminutive (starship scale) size to make sure that every system on your ship is at peak operational performance levels.

Alternatively, you can hire a non-player mechanic to work out the defect. This costs the same as gaining a +5 bonus above x2. This makes purchasing a used Starship potentially hazardous to someone’s wallet.