Toggle Theme

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Starfinder RPG Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition)

All Rules | Downtime Rules
Chapter 1: Building Starships / Starship Weapons

Starship Weapon Types

Source Starship Operations Manual pg. 12
In addition to direct-fire and tracking weapons, this section introduces two new starship weapon types: ECM modules and melee weapons.

Electronic Countermeasure Modules

Source Starship Operations Manual pg. 12
Electronic countermeasure (ECM) modules are a type of powerful instrument designed to foil an enemy starship’s sensors, impair a starship’s systems, and in some cases alter the battlefield itself. ECM modules must be installed on weapon mounts, but they are activated by a science officer during the gunnery phase. ECM modules follow the same rules for range and quadrant targeting as conventional starship weapons.

When activating an ECM module, a science officer attempts a special gunnery check, adding their ranks in the Computers skill but adding neither their base attack bonus nor their ranks in the Piloting skill, and adding their Intelligence modifier in place of their Dexterity modifier; an NPC officer typically has a gunnery modifier equal to that of the gunner’s gunnery modifier. Compare the result of this gunnery check to the target’s Target Lock (TL). If the result equals or exceeds the target’s TL, the science officer hits and applies the ECM module’s effects. Due to the interference created by shields, starships with functioning shields in the targeted quadrant gain a +2 circumstance bonus to their TL against ECM modules. ECM modules do not deal critical damage.

Melee Weapons

Source Starship Operations Manual pg. 12
A melee weapon uses some part of the starship to induce a direct collision between the attacking and defending starships, targeting the opposing vessel’s AC. Melee starship weapons always have a range of 1 hex, even if a special property would otherwise change the weapon’s range.

Related Rules

Weapons (Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 303)