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Archives of Nethys

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

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Chapter 1: Building Starships / Alternate Armors

Ablative Armor

Source Starship Operations Manual pg. 20
By layering inexpensive metal and composite plates over existing bulkheads, a ship can absorb initial damage to its hull before its essential components become vulnerable to attack or hostile environments. However, thicker plates are bulky and interfere with the maneuverability and handling of starships. Ablative armor grants a starship temporary Hull Points to each quadrant, usually distributed evenly. When a starship would take damage to its Hull Points, it first reduces its temporary Hull Points from ablative armor in that quadrant. Once a starship’s temporary Hull Points in a quadrant are reduced to 0, any further damage to that quadrant not absorbed by shields is applied to the ship’s Hull Points. The loss of temporary Hull Points does not count toward the starship’s critical threshold, though for all other effects, any attack that reduces a starship’s temporary Hull Points is treated as though it had dealt Hull Point damage to the target.

In most cases, ablative armor is applied evenly, distributing its temporary Hull Points between all four quadrants. However, a starship can support uneven distribution at the cost of the starship’s handling, though the vessel can add only a limited amount of extra armor to smaller hulls. If a starship’s ablative armor is not installed evenly across all four quadrants, reduce the starship’s base frame Piloting modifier by 1 (minimum –3). Reduce the Piloting modifier by 1 if the temporary Hull Points granted by ablative armor exceed the starship’s Hull Point total. A starship cannot support ablative armor if its temporary Hull Points exceed twice its standard Hull Point total.

Ablative armor can be restored only when the starship undergoes repairs, and it is repaired at the same rate and cost as standard Hull Points. A starship’s Hull Points must be fully repaired before making repairs to any temporary Hull Points provided by ablative armor.

Related Rules

Armor (Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 297)