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Narrative Starship Combat / Combat Rounds

Enemy Tactics

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 177
Each round, the GM chooses one of the following tactics for each enemy vessel. GMs can also create their own tactics tailored to a particular setting or foe, basing them off the ones presented here. No two enemy ships can choose the same tactic in a round.
Each tactic notes how it affects the combat in that particular round, usually by granting a bonus to an enemy ship or by imparting a penalty on the PCs or damaging their ship. Some tactics require the enemy ships to attempt a skill check before the tactic takes effect; these skill checks use the skill bonus listed for that starship.

All-Out Attack

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 177
An enemy ship concentrates a salvo of attacks!
Effect: The enemy starship attempts two skill checks against the Hard DC of a PC ship. If both succeed, that ship takes 2 hits. If even one check fails, the PC ship takes no damage.
Special: If successful, this tactic can’t be chosen again by any enemy starship until after the following round.

Cruel Taunt

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 177
The enemy unleashes a barrage of threats and taunts over comms.
Effect: The enemy starship attempts a skill check against either the Average DC or the Hard DC of a PC ship. On a success, characters on board that ship take a –1 penalty to all skill checks until the end of the round; this penalty increases to –2 if the check succeeds against the Hard DC.

Evasive Maneuvers

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 177
An enemy ship flies in a manner that makes them hard to target.
Effect: All ranged attacks (page 180) and Piloting checks attempted against the enemy ship use the Hard DC for that ship until the end of the round.

Flee

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 177
A foe tries to escape the battle.
Effect: If the enemy ship has more than 0 HP at the end of the round, it flees the battle, likely ending the narrative starship combat if there are no other enemy ships remaining.
Special: If the players want to give chase to the fleeing enemies, the GM can, at their discretion, run a starship chase (Starship Operations Manual 44).

Flyby Stunt

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
An enemy ship crowds the characters’ starship as it sweeps past.
Effect: The GM chooses a PC ship. Acrobatics and Athletics checks attempted by crew on board that ship use the Hard DC for the target until the end of the round.

Make Repairs

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
Enemy engineers scurry to repair the damage inflicted on their vessel.
Effect: The enemy starship recovers 1 HP (up to its maximum). However, that ship’s threshold is lower (minimum 1) until the end of the round.

Open Fire

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
An enemy ship fires upon the characters’ starship!
Effect: The enemy starship attempts a skill check against the Average DC of a PC ship. On a success, that PC ship takes 1 hit.

Raise Shields

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
An enemy ship diverts all their power to their shields.
Effect: The enemy starship’s threshold is 1 higher until the end of the round.

Ram

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
Heedless of danger, a foe barrels into the characters’ starship.
Effect: The enemy vessel attempts a skill check against the Average DC of a PC ship. On a success, both the PC ship and the enemy ship take 1 hit, and all characters on board the PC ship take a –1 penalty to all skill checks until the end of the round.

Signal Jam

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
The enemy vessel emits mystical interference.
Effect: The GM chooses a PC ship. Computers and Mysticism checks attempted by crew on board that ship use the Hard DC for the target until the end of the round.

Take Cover

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 178
An enemy ship ducks behind some space debris.
Effect: The enemy starship can’t be targeted by PC skill checks this round. On the PCs’ turn, the PC pilot can attempt a special Piloting check against the enemy ship’s Hard DC to negate this effect, but this action doesn’t count as a successful skill check for the purpose of meeting or exceeding that enemy ship’s threshold.

Use a Special Ability

Source Starfinder Enhanced pg. 179
One of the enemies activates one of their special abilities.
Effect: The effect of this tactic depends on the special ability used, as described in the ship’s stat block.

Archives of Nethys

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