Destroying Angel


Craft: RPD X-4A
Type: Experimental Superfighter
Scale: Starfighter
Length: 19 meters
Skill: Starship Piloting; Destroying Angel
Cost: Not for sale (4.1 million in construction costs)
Crew: 1
Passengers: None
Cargo Capacity: 15 kg
Consumables: 2 months
Hyperdrive Multiplier: x1
Hyper Backup: None
Nav Computer: None (uses R-7 astromech droid)
Maneuverability: 4D+1
Space: 14
Atmosphere: 700; 2,000 kph
Hull: 3D+2
Shields: 2D
Sensors:
Passive: 30/2D
Scan: 40/3D+2
Search: 80/4D+2
Focus: 6/6D
Weapons:
4 Heavy Laser Cannons (fire linked)
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Arc: Front
Crew: Pilot
Skill: Starship gunnery
Fire Control: 4D
Space Range: 1-4/15/32
Atmosphere Range: 100-400m/1.5km/3.2km
Damage: 7D
2 Long Range Blaster Cannons (fire linked)
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Arc: Front
Crew: Pilot
Skill: Starship gunnery
Fire Control: 3D
Space Range: 1-10/20/45
Atmosphere Range: 100m-1.0km/2.0km/4.5km
Damage: 3D
2 Extra Heavy Torch Cannons (fire linked)
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Arc: Front
Crew: Pilot
Skill: Starship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1/5/7
Atmosphere Range: 10-100/500/700m
Damage: 10D
6 Claw Armor Piercing Missiles
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Arc: Front
Crew: Pilot
Skill: Starship gunnery
Fire Control: 3D
Space Range: 1/5/10
Atmosphere Range: 100m/500m/1.0km
Damage: 6D (see below)

The X-Wing has been the standard in space superiority fighters for over twenty years. RPD has been assigned to produce a replacement for the beloved fighter, and the result is the very, very impressive Destroying Angel. This is what is termed a "pie in the sky" prototype. Far too expensive to be produced in any numbers, the ship is packed with every improvement that the special engineering team (composed of RPD's usual staff, Verpine technicians, and a few Ulfgar recruited from the Yaeger sector.) could think of. A limited run of 50 of these craft have been produced, and will be tested in a wide variety of combat situations. Those improvements that prove most effective, and hold up the best, will be included in later versions of the ship that will be far more cost effective.

In form, the Destroying Angel is somewhat like the Yaeger Hunter in appearance, with much heavier wings permanently halfway extended, a New Republic type astromech droid slot behind the cockpit, and a fixed strut underneath, mounting the Twin Torch cannons. The first run Destroying Angels are all painted a uniform white, without any insignia or ornamentation.

The Destroying Angel is equipped with some truly remarkable improvements. The Claw Missiles are a good deal larger than standard starfighter missiles, as they are a two part warhead. The first half is a high yield localized warhead, designed to provide a massive localized explosion. The second part is a depleted Cynorad shell that is heated to up to 600ø C before impact. Within this shell is a high powered explosive. The first stage weakens the armor, and the Cynorad pushes through anything that remains, delivering it's payload right into the middle of the target. In game terms, the Claws can effectively ignore modern starship armor, and can only be blocked by their particle shields.

The Heavy Lasers and the Long Range blasters are both linked into the new Killsight targeting system. The pilots helmet is equipped with sensors that link into the weapon systems. As he turns his head, the weapons automatically orient toward the direction he is looking. The D.A.s helmet also superimposes 3-D sensor images over the pilot's regular view, enabling him to target anything, simply by looking at them. Furthermore, these sensors are remarkably easy to use, as reflected in the numbers above.

The Destroying Angel's other controls are also almost as intuitive, making it possible for just about anyone to pilot them. However, in the hands of a proficient pilot, the Destroying Angel truly lives up to it's name. In fact, RPD is considering a making a second limited run of these Superfighters, for those missions where a fighter is of greater utility than a capital ship. Of course, they do cost considerably more than most combat corvettes, and the New Republic is not yet sure it really needs these ships that badly.

Note: If you give one of these to players, you have to make sure that they give them back. After all, RPD wants to take them apart, and find out what worked, and what didn't. But it is a nifty ship to let them play with once or twice, and give them a taste of what the future might hold.

Another Note: The Destroying Angel is not that much more powerful than conservative estimates for the RPG stats of the TIE Defender, so if you are willing to admit the cannonality of the Defender, there is no reason not to allow limited use of the Destroying Angel.
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