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Hyperspace Pulsemass Generators
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CRMcNeill
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:04 pm    Post subject: Hyperspace Pulsemass Generators Reply with quote

All descriptions of this weapon seem to have missed a critical facet. All official material that I have read merely state that hyperspace pulsemass generators prevent ships from jumping to hyperspace without taking damage from collision with the pulsemasses. However, the original source, the Imperial Sourcebook, states that the masses also affect ships passing through the field while in hyperspace. As such, a pulsemass emitter could be an awesome ambush weapon, shredding ships in hyperspace with impact damage with no warning whatsoever, much like the Interdictor.

Thoughts?

While we are on the subject, here are my stats for a Hyperspace Pulsemass Emitter:

Fire Arc: Turret
Crew: 1
Fire Control: 6D
Range: 1-5/75/150
Damage: Target's Hull + 3D
Special Rules: See Gravity Well Projectors (Wanted by Cracken, pages 18-20)
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Methedor
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seems reasonable as it allows for a decent damage result without always resulting in an instant TPK.
The question I have is how do you aim for projected blocking of a route?

Would the difficulty for intercept be based on the trade rout or the astrogation of the pilot? The ladder I would partially recommend against due to the fact that no matter how well the roll is a ship is still traveling on a path that will be blocked if intercepted.
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CRMcNeill
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably just like an Interdictor, shooting blind based on information from other ships light years away. It could be used in pairs with Interdictors, hitting the ship with damage just before it hits the projected gravity well and drops into realspace badly damaged.

Precision targeting could also be achieved in concert with the Observer-Class Cruiser.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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TyCaine
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Starship Stats Revised & Expanded book created by Gry Sarth (I think?) lists the following as stats for the Hyperspace Pulsemass Generator:

Hyperspace Pulsemass Generators
Fire Arc: Turret
Crew: 1
Skill: Capital ship gunnery
Space Range: 1-5/75/150
Damage: Destroys any ship in hyperspace within range (see Imperial Sourcebook page 67 for details)

Now these aren't official as far as I am aware (though some would say Gry's stats are as close to official as it gets in many cases!), but they jive with the Wookieepedia entry on http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperspace_pulsemass_generator which states:
Quote:
If a ship traveled through the area the generator was affecting, the hyperenergy spheres would quickly overwhelm its Deflector shield and destroy the ship.



In my SWU I tend to lean towards this, it's just not an exact science to be able to plot the incoming course of a hyperspace ship and to get the generators targeted effective, so it works best against a fleet or group of ships in hyperspace.



T.C.
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CRMcNeill
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gry's stat compilations are quite comprehensive, but the only official stats for the Hyperspace Pulsemass Generator in the WEG material is in the stats for the Hapan Battle Dragon, and their only described effect is that they prevent hyperspace travel. Anything more detailed than that is home brew, so it should be viewed with a critical eye for accuracy. In this case, the result is awfully final, which limits its in game utility. My version includes the possibility of surviving in a damaged ship instead of being out and out destroyed, which makes for a good opening adventure hook, if nothing else.
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TyCaine
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 12:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually the more I think about it the more I agree with you, particularly after re-reading your comment:

crmcneill wrote:
It could be used in pairs with Interdictors, hitting the ship with damage just before it hits the projected gravity well and drops into realspace badly damaged.


That makes for a great set up, and makes sense that the Empire who invented the weapon would not necessarily want to outright destroy the target, but rendering it inoperable and then forcing it to drop from hyperspace makes perfect sense.

though the damage you had doesn't seem to be enough, unless there's also scale factors on there. Hull+3D could be countered by Hull+Shield, whereas it's description has it (at least for our purposes) disabling it.



T.C.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I was looking at it from an effect standpoint; it is basically throwing a massive cloud of pebbles into the path of an object moving at extreme velocities. A smaller ship is more fragile, but will take fewer hits because of its small size, while a larger ship will take more hits but be more resistant to damage. Making it uniform damage based on Hull dice seemed the best way to describe that effect in game terms.

Plus, ships don't usually run with combat shields active in hyperspace.
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TyCaine
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All good points, and you're right that full combat shields would not be active in this situation, still feels a little low, but I guess it' something that should be playtested to fully see the effects.

Also, assuming the Ship is Capital, and that these pulsemasses would be 'capital' size for want of a better descriptor, it would make for more damage if hitting a smaller craft which makes sense.

Liking this change...


T.C.
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Methedor
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 2:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

crmcneill wrote:
Observer-Class Cruiser.


Thanks for the write up! I think I'll adapt this as a "Darkstryder Array System" in my Trilogy.
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Ral_Brelt
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's actually a note in the adventure Enemies for Life (classic adventures 4) that shields aren't used in hyperspace. It doesn't go into detail about such, simply stating that shields would protect against a gas giants magnetic effect,
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vanir
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Particle shields would be what you want travelling in hyperspace, which is included in the hull dice of prequel/trilogy era starships and later, Old Republic (Information Age technology) starships have to manually activate particle shields.
This means in modern (Space Age era) starships the particle shields are active whenever the ship's power core is fired up, unless disabled.

Particle shields are also the only thing that protects you from physical object attacks, like warheads or clouds of rocks.
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CRMcNeill
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Meh. Particle shields = Navigation shields. I've had some characters who were paranoid enough to run with combat shields up even in hyperspace, so I started going with rules similar to the engine fault rules for running All Out for extended periods. Do it long enough, and the shields start to have problems.

I could see a ship captain running with deflector shields in hyperspace for 1-2 hours after escaping an active combat zone on the off chance that they run into an Interdictor ambush, though...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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KeldorKatarn
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think this thing is that what are you searching for: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Empion_mine
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Negative. The Empion is the combination of a hyperspace signal receiver, a gravity well projector, an ion bomb and EMP bomb. The Hyperspace Pulsemass Generator is a separate and distinct technology from the Empion, even though both affect targets in hyperspace.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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CRMcNeill
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.

PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding the damage inflicted, the operator could alter the density of the Pulsemass field and thus vary the damage inflicted (to a degree). Fewer pulse masses = fewer impacts = less damage, so rather than a flat 3D, the gunner could pre-select the damage inflicted, say 2D to 5D, from a chance of mild damage to almost certain destruction...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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