Cover

Overview The Sherpa-class freight hauler is the best known product of Xigaze Shipyards (now a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyperion Manufacturing and Transport). The ugly but functional vehicle was designed to move standard HMT 337 cargo containers and is little more than a frame with engines and a cockpit attached. The ship maneuvers over a container, picks it up, and takes it to its destination. Though the ship is not useful for anything else, the HMT337 container is so common that Sherpas are one of the most prevalent single-man work ships in service today. Many independent contractors own their own – some hauling other’s containers and some using their own container to move collections of small freight. Many metropolitan areas use Sherpas for public transportation, a prisoner transport option is popular with bounty hunters, and retired individuals have even turned these into private recreational vehicles – their very own VTOL home away from home. The four side-mounted engine pods on a Sherpa can independently rotate from straight back to 45 degrees down-forward (a 135 degree arc). Each is also equipped with side vents to vector horizontal thrust. It takes a little practice to get the most out of the unique set up, but with a skilled pilot at the controls the Sherpa can perform some very precise and impressive maneuvering. There are thousands of these blocky little ships out there and they will likely be around for a long time to come.

Future Armada: Sherpa by Ryan Wolfe of Ki Ryn Studios ki-ryn.com Future Armada: Sherpa is copyright © 2008 Ryan Wolfe. All text in this book other than proper names is designated as open game content. You may not distribute this material without permission of the author. Permission is granted to the purchaser to print a copy for personal use.

Stats

SHERPA Progress Level 6 Size Colossal (-8 size)

Type Ultralight Tactical Speed 3,500 ft. (7 squares)

Subtype Freight Hauler L x W x H (feet) 44 x 33 x 21 44 x 33 x 15 with gear retracted

Defense 11 Tonnage 20 or 32 +75 tons with container

Flat-footed 7 Targeting Bonus +0 +3

Autopilot 6 Crew 1 (Expert)

Hardness 20 Passenger Capacity 0

Hit Dice 8d20 (160 hp) 10d20 (200 hp) Cargo Capacity One container, 64 tons max

Plus 1 ton internal

Initiative +4 Grapple Mod. +16

Pilot’s Class Bonus +5 Base Purchase

DC 56

Pilot’s Dex Modifier +4 Restriction Restricted (+2)

Gunner’s Attack Bonus +4 Grappling

Systems none

Engines Ion engine, thrusters Armor Polymeric

Sensors Class II Targeting system

Communications Radio transceiver, laser transceiver

Defense Systems Autopilot system, Damage Control System (1d10), Radiation Shielding

Weapons 1 Guass gun (range increment 3,000 ft.)

Attacks 1 Guass gun -1 ranged (8d12)

Attack of Opportunity none

*Stats in blue apply when the optional Longhaul cabin is attached.

Portait

Interior

Cockpit This single room has the pilot station in front and a small bunk in back as well as a tiny galley area. The cockpit is entered through a hatch in the roof or floor. The one in the floor opens a ways above the ground and so has a retractable ladder built in. If the optional cabin is in place, then this lower hatch opens into the air lock of the cabin.

Cabin In response to pilot demand Xigaze developed the “Longhaul” cabin as an option piece of equipment which could be retrofit onto existing Sherpa frames. This cramped box-like structure attaches at the front of the craft beneath the cockpit and provides a toilet, airlock, and storage closet. It also includes additional life support, a long-range communications dish, and (local legal restrictions allowing) a small cannon. The interior space is also shielded to provide some protection against radiation. The cabin is designed to sync up with the both ladder tube leading to the cockpit and the front door found on most containers. When joined up properly the seals are air tight – allowing passage from the cockpit, through the cabin, and into the cargo container. The cabin has exit doors on the front and back and a hatch in the top and bottom. The hatch on the top mates up with the hatch on the bottom of the cockpit. The lower hatch opens a few feet above the ground when the landing gear is extended - flush with the ground when the gear is retracted.

Cargo Container: back end

Containers There are many different types of HMT 337 compatible containers, from empty metal boxes to homemade living quarters as comfortable as any dirt-side apartment. Some of the most common types of containers are described here. A Sherpa-certified container is 35 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 15 feet high, taking up 75 displacement tons of space. There are a pair of wells on either side – designed to mate up with the retractable titanium rods in the Sherpa frame. These are the load-bearing points of the frame, though the Sherpa landing gear and rear structures also have retractable tabs as a backup mechanism. The bottom of the container has simple landing skids. The top has basic air scrubbers and a heater to keep the interior livable. It also has electromagnetic plates to help in frame alignment and couplings to attach to an external power and life support system (to conserve or recharge the container’s systems).

Cargo Container The standard cargo container can squeeze in 64 tons of cargo and has a large (13x13) door at the back to facilitate loading and unloading. This cargo door has smaller, inset door for easier human access. There is another human-size door at the front, placed to match up with the Sherpa cabin door. Inside the cargo container are basic instrument panels for the doors, limited environmental controls, and a small storage closet. Otherwise the space is completely empty. Passenger Transport The standard passenger container has seating for 40 passengers and 1 steward. Luggage is stored beneath the floor and accessible through exterior hamper doors as well as an access hatch in the floor of the passenger compartment. There is a restroom and storage closet in the rear of the container. Between the 4 ft cargo area beneath, and the 4 feet of extended life support and other machinery above, the passenger cabin only has 7 feet of headroom. Though common throughout civilized space, these transports are regarded as the lowest of the low. They are generally reliable but absolutely no-frills. The ride is often hot, bumpy, and crowded - at least it is also cheap.

Travel Suite This variant has a large bed and all the amenities of a common hotel room for two. The restroom is expanded to include a sink and shower. The environmental controls are hidden behind a removable panel at the front of the room and the windows in this customization are typically set with adjustable glass which can be opaqued for privacy. Six Sleeper Designed for longer trips, this customization has half a dozen bunk beds along the starboard wall. These beds are set into self-contained alcoves which can be sealed by closing a pair of plastic sliding doors. The doors do a good job of blocking out light and sound, allowing the occupant to sleep while others are active outside. Each alcove has a storage closet near the head of the bed and a short ladder to access the upper alcove or closet (five feet off the floor). Outside of the alcoves, the container is a single room except for the small restroom and shower unit in the very back. In front of this is a kitchen area with a counter and pair of stools for dining. The front half of the room is a living area containing a couch, wall screen, and computer desk. A “Cold Sleeper” variant removes the living room and kitchen to put in another wall of alcoves. The sleeping areas have less headroom, allowing a stack of three bunks rather than two and bringing the container’s capacity to eighteen. This arrangement is typically used to transport passengers in cryogenic or chemically-induced hibernation. The latter is a common way for the military to ship soldiers over long distances. Medical Bay This medical facility has three beds that are equipped to serve as both operating tables and recovery areas. The usual closet and restroom are at the back end of the container. The starboard wall is a counter jammed above and below with medical equipment and supplies. The small chamber which leads to the rear exit is equipped with blowers and anti-bacterial emitters to help keep the interior as sterile as possible.

Office There are actually two offices, one on either end, though the rear one has more closet space and a private restroom. In configurations where only one end of the container is accessible (such as when being carried aboard an Ajax), the front office is occupied by a receptionist for the second (main) office. Bounty Hunter This customization has a comfortable living room in front, a pair of secure holding cells in the middle, and a storage room at the rear end. Video cameras allow for prisoner monitoring from the cockpit. While sleeping, savvy hunters keep the Longhaul air lock depressurized so there is vacuum between the prisoners and the cockpit even should they get out of their cells. A hovercycle is a popular choice with this configuration as there is room to hold one in the back and the cargo door can be customized to lower as a ramp. A “Prisoner Transport” variant loses the rear storage space to add a third cell. It also replaces the beds with bunks to increase the prisoner capacity to six. The cargo door is replaced with a solid wall in this version so there is no rear exit from the container. The front room is used as a guard station.

Cargo Container: front end

_____________________________________ Please feel free to modify this material however you desire to fit your game and story. On the interior maps one square is equal to 5 ft. or its rough equivalent in your system of choice.

Deckplans

Crew Margaret “Maggie” Kristoph (A Typical “Expert” Pilot)

Fast Ordinary 3 / Smart Ordinary 4 CR 7; human; HD 3d8+3 + 4d6+4; HP 35; Mas 12; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; Defense 19, touch 19, flatfooted 15 (+4 Dex, +5 class); BAB +4; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d6, crowbar), or +8 ranged (2d6, laser pistol); SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3; AP 3; Rep +3; Str 11, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 10. Occupation: Transporter (Pilot, Repair) Skills: Computer Use +8, Craft (Mechanical) +8, Knowledge (Popular Culture) +8, Knowledge (Streetwise) +8, Knowledge (Technology) +4, Navigate +8, Pilot +8, Profession (Pilot) +8, Repair +8, Tumble +8 Feats: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Spacer, Starship Gunnery, Starship Operations (Ultralight), Zero-G Training Possessions: laser pistol; Wealth +6

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