Source Starship Operations Manual pg. 113
Gargantuan battleship
Speed 4; Maneuverability average (turn 2); Drift 1
AC 29; TL 30
HP 400; DT 10; CT 80
Shields heavy 320 (forward 80, port 80, starboard 80, aft 80)
Attack (Forward) railgun (8d4; 20 hexes), superlaser (2d4×10; 20 hexes)
Attack (Port) heavy laser cannon (4d8; 10 hexes)
Attack (Starboard) heavy laser cannon (4d8; 10 hexes)
Attack (Aft) gyrolaser (1d8; 5 hexes)
Attack (Turret) heavy laser net (5d6; 5 hexes), particle beam (8d6; 20 hexes)
Power Core Gateway Heavy (400 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems basic long-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 8 armor, mk 10 defenses, mk 3 trinode computer; Expansion Bays cargo holds (4), escape pods (2), recreation suite (gym), tech workshop; Modifiers +3 to any 3 checks per round, +2 Computers (sensors only), +2 Piloting; Complement 145 (minimum 100, maximum 300)CrewCaptain Computers +26 (15 ranks), Diplomacy +26 (15 ranks), Engineering +26 (15 ranks), gunnery +22 (15th level), Intimidate +31 (15 ranks), Piloting +28 (15 ranks)
Engineers (3 officers, 10 crew each) Engineering +31 (15 ranks)
Gunners (4 officers, 15 crew each) gunnery +22 (15th level)
Pilot (1 officer, 20 crew) Piloting +28 (15 ranks)
Science Officer (1 officer, 25 crew) Computers +26 (15 ranks)DescriptionThe Vespiar was the first starship produced on Nchak, and it represents a combination of trox and shirren engineering. Starhive built the Vespiar to be a powerful warship, capable of fighting back against the Swarm once it attacked the Pact Worlds. The design integrates wasp-like imagery, incorporating black-and-yellow paint jobs and stinger-like tails to intentionally look dangerous. True to form for highly individualistic and decision-loving shirrens, Vespiars are available with many options for their cargo bays and exact weapons configurations, yielding hundreds of different possible combinations and ensuring that very few Vespiars are exactly the same.
Starhive saw a huge increase in Vespiar sales after the Swarm attacked. Prior to 291 ag, most non-shirren buyers thought that Starhive ships would be similar to Hivonyx models, with minimal weapons and software blocks to keep what weapons they do have from accidentally initiating combat. In reality, the primary customer base for the Vespiar comprised paramilitary organizations run by shirrens on various Pact Worlds, ever vigilant for the Swarm’s inevitable attack. When it came, they were ready. The combination of Starhive ships like the Vespiar and the shirrens’ anti-Swarm tactics so impressed the coalition defenders that demand for the ship tripled. The surge of capital allowed Starhive to incorporate innovative redesigns of the weapon mounts, most notably moving the iconic and devastating particle beam aft-stinger to a more flexible turret. Recent Vespiar models sport only a simple gyrolaser stinger, serving less as a defensive weapon and more as an homage to the classic design.
Vespiars are notable for having modular bridge stations that can easily accommodate Large, Medium, or Small creatures, thanks to the collaboration between shirrens and trox. This also makes them popular on Akiton, where humans, shobhads, and ysoki often form crews together and switch positions frequently.
|