Initiative = d10+Detection

A note: having read through the rules (the supplemental Dark Heresy ship combat, and the Rogue Trader set), you can only take one action per character per turn (so no ½ action aiming). However, due to the unique interface for your lance weapons, I’ll allow full action aims the turn before. Below is a combination of the two rule sets... having seen how things played out Tuesday, I’m leaning more towards the Rogue Trader set and less towards the Dark Heresy supplement (which seems to have focused on smaller craft). The only major change to the Rogue Trader rules is that I’m keeping the move/move shoot/shoot sequence over the yougo-Igo rules in RT. There are many minor changes.

Maneuver actions:

SPEED: half or full move requires no rolls, as that is default settings on ship. However changing from one speed or the other requires a check, if wanting to add or subtract from the chosen speed, and +1 degree for each change

Fail = move current speed

BEARING: Can turn, but must move BEFORE turn, but turning early adds +1 degree for each space before end of moveNote: larger vessels: (10+ megatonnes) can only do 1 facing change a turn, smaller can do 2 (but all facing changes done at once, and extra facing adds a degree of difficulty)

Fail = 1 facing turn at end of move

SPEED and BEARING: If trying to do both, the ship can, but must move within 1 of its chosen speed, and can only turn 1 space early (check done at -20 to pilot check)

Fail = move current speed, turn 1 facing at end of move

NEW HEADING: (test done at -15) allows for a turn at half movement and a turn at full movement (at max bearing each time), all shots fired this turn are at -20, but no ability to modify speed this turn

Fail = move half current speed, turn 1 facing, finish move, weapons at -30

DISENGAGE: attempt to go dark if no enemy vessels are within 8 spaces: test as an opposed roll against enemy detection from all foes within 20 spaces. If succeeds, ship drifts at random heading away from combat (for 1d5 hours).

Fail = move at current speed, no weapons may fire, voids reduced by -1

FULL STOP: (Only available to craft 5 megatonnes and under), If dropping from half to stop, free action, if dropping from full move to stop, requires check. No weapons may fire this turn, ship must move again at half speed next turn.

Fail = drop to half speed, no weapons fire

EVASIVE: (test at -10) Small vessels (5 megatonnes and smaller) can add a -10 to enemy shots, but the ships take the same penalty while shooting. This can be combined with just a speed or bearing change… adding a degree of difficulty to those maneuvers. Medium (up to 10 megatonnes) and Large (over 10 megatonnes) can only combine this with a speed change, adding two degrees to that rolls.

RAM: if a flight path ends or crosses the space of an enemy ship, and the ship forgoes its shooting attacks, a piloting roll at -20 can allow a ram attack. Each ship then takes damage equal to the other’s armor (ignoring shields) +1d5 and the ramming ship can add its mass in megatonnes x (0.1 x its speed). (Ie: a 10 megatonne ship at speed 6 adds +6)

Fail = missed ram, no weapons fire, finish the movement

Ship Function Actions (sensors are range 10, can go to range 20 at an extra degree of difficulty, or range 30 at 2):

Targeting: a detection check to allow critical hits to target essential components, if a focused scan has already been completed of the target, a called shot at a scanned component can be attempted following a target lock.

Scan: opposed roll to check for ships running silent, check to pick up torpedoes for turrets, or enable defensive turrets (reduce STR of an enemy batteries by 1; additional successes, up to turret rating, can reduce further attacks that turn)

Focused Scan: pass (locate essential components, but not arrays or shields), one degree (+weapons), two degrees (+arrays and shields, and combat components), three degrees

ECM: a detection check at 2 degrees of difficulty to reduce enemy weapon ranges by 1

Repairs: 1 degree difficulty check to repair damaged component… takes 1d5 turns -1 for each additional success

In Charge: 1 degree difficulty check to raise crew moral 1d5 for each degree of success (can only reverse morale lost this turn)

Flank Speed: Tech use roll, every degree of success adds +1 speed to ship for 1d5 hours… must maintain bearing

Triage: reduce crew damage by 1, +1 for every additional success on a -10 Medicae Test (min of 1)

Hold Fast: Reverse moral damage suffered last turn by 1 point for each success on a willpower check

Focus on your duty: Intimidate or Charm test to add +5 to a repair, battery shot, ram, or firefighting roll. Each three additional successes can add another +5 to any of the above.

Ship Shooting Actions: (ships weapons may beyond their range (max of x2), but suffer -10 penalty, at half range or less, they gain a +10 bonus)

Firing arcs: Port = left side, Starboard = right side, Axial = front, Prow = front (and also port and starboard on medium and small vessels), Aft = rear, Keel = 360, Dorsal = either port, starboard, front… or port, starboard, aft (decided at ship construction).

Battery weapons: (missiles, macros, etc): Each degree of success adds an additional hit. Multiple batteries, when firing at the same target, can also add their totals together, but can only do 1 Critical hit (Note: your missiles, due to their ability to fire into the fore arc, cannot inflict critical hits, except by exceeding a ship’s hull points). Each battery cannot exceed its strength’s number of hits (ie: a Str 3 batter rolls 4 successes to hit, instead of 5 dice, it is capped at 3… however, if another battery scored 2 hits and they were combined, all 5 hits from 2 batteries could be rolled)

Lance weapons: Every 3 degrees of success score an extra hit, but ignore armor.

Torpedoes: command check to get torpedoes loaded (takes one full turn), each success loads a torpedo that turn. A full salvo travel at their speed rating, in a straight line (pick a point they aimed at), until either exceeding their range and becoming duds, or passing within range 1 of another vessel. Then the crewman who launched the salvo makes a check (BS+Torpedo Guidance rating), for each degree of success +1, there will be an addition hit up to the full salvo… each hit is resolved separately at the torpedoes damage (no stacking like in batteries). If the roll to damage is lower than or equal to the TP, reroll the result. If one of the hits from a salvo exceeds the Crit Rating, resolve a critical hit as normal.

Wide Salvo: as above, but torpedoes engage targets at range 2, but the salvo check is at -20, and only a max of half the salvo can hit.

Nova Cannons: One of the most feared naval weapons in the Imperium. These can only be put on large vessels and cannot be fired is any maneuvers were made that turn with any penalty. They may fire every other turn if a command check is passed. Pick a point at least 6 spaces away and fire. If the roll is successful, it hits, if not, for every degree of failure the shot is either short (odd) or long (even) one space. The blast radius is one space out from the targeted area. Any ship covered takes 1d5 hits that ignore armour. Any natural 10s cause a critical hit. If the shooter rolled two or more degrees of success, add two additional hits to one covered target (shooter’s choice)

Critical Hits: If you roll a number of equal to or greater than a Crit rating, do a d5 Critical to the ship until it is below its hull, then roll a d10. If a ship is taken below its hull value, an automatic Critical Hit is scored. Add +1 for every 10 points it is taken below zero (unless it is already below zero, then just add 1 for every degree of success) and an additional +1 if that hit is a natural critical hit.

Raking Attack: If a ship moves past an enemy ship that was in a firing arc during its movement, it can fire one weapon that would been able to fire in a Raking Attack. That shot is fired at -10 BS if the ship moved ½ speed and at -20 if it moved full speed. That weapon may not fire again in the same turn.

Point Defense: If wanting to shoot down torpedoes or attack craft, a character can use the turrets instead of having them protect from boarding operations. Roll a BS check +5 for every Turret rating. A success turns away an attack squadron or destroys a torpedo. Every 2 successes turns away another squadron or destroys an additional torpedo. For the rest of the turn the Turret rating counts as “0”

Damage and Defences:

Void Shields: in essence, reduce that many hits (not shots) from an enemy shooting action. This is on a ship by ship basis. So if ship A scores 3 hits with one weapon and 2 with another, a void shield would drop the first by 1 (2hits), but not stop the next 2 at all. However, if Ship B also fires at the same target, the void shield would still reduce its first attack too.

Turrets: Each turret rating gives a chance for reducing an enemy battery, imposes a -10 to Hit and Run Attacks, and adds +10 to Command Tests during a boarding action.

Boarding Actions:

Hit and Run: This allows a character to lead a boarding team to an enemy vessel (if it has boarding craft) to perform a quick raid to destroy one identified component on the enemy ship. This has a 5 space range. This requires a Space Craft piloting check and must gain as many successes at the enemy’s turret rating. If this succeeds, a character on board may then make an opposed command roll against the defenders. If he wins, roll two d5 critical hits, pick one, and do 1 Hull damage for every success in the opposed command roll (which also does crew and morale damage).

Pilot Fail = return driven away, fail by more than three degrees, boarding ship is destroyed.

Command Fail = driven away, take 1d5 Moral damage to crew

Prepare to be Boarded: A character not leading the boarding defense motivates thecrew (Charm or Intimidate). This gives a +10 to the boarding checks (see below) and an additional +5 for every two successes. This bonus only applies to the first two rounds of the boarding action

Prepare to Board: A character not leading the boarding action motivates the boarders (Charm or Intimidate). This gives a +5 to the boarding checks (see below) and an additional +5 for every three successes. This bonus only applies to the first round of the boarding action

Board Vessel: If a ship occupies the same space as another, it can attempt to board it. To do so, it must past a maneuver roll at -20 (-10 if equipped with boarding torpedoes or other boarding vessels). After that if becomes opposed command rolls for the characters leading the boarding action/defense. The ship with the larger crew receives a +10, unless it is more than double the other’s, then a +20. The ship that has taken less crew damage receives a +10 for every 10 better crew rating it has. This ship that has taken less hull damage receives a +10 for every 10 better hull rating it has. Both ships may add their turret rating. Each turn the loser of the opposed command roll loses 1d5 Crew Rating and 1d5 Morale, or loses 1d5 to the Hull Rating (which damages Crew and Moral as normal), the winner picks. After the first round the leading character can challenge the opposing character. Whoever wins (or if one side turns down the challenge) automatically does 1d10 Moral damage to the enemy crew. After three rounds of combat, the ship that has lost 2 or more rounds, must take a Morale check. If they roll below their morale rating, another round is fought and that round’s loser must roll a morale check, repeat until there is a victor. The crew of the losing vessel surrenders.

Other Actions

Flee: A ship may flee if it moves out of maximum range of all enemy guns. This requires a Maneuver check, if passed, the ship disengages, accelerating away or micro jumping. No weapons may be fired by a ship attempting to flee.

Fail: = ship stays on bearing at half speed for one turn and may not fire weapons or attempt boarding actions

Chase: If a ship disengages, an enemy can choose to give chase. Up to three characters can use different skills to try and locate and gain the fleeing ship (tech use, sensor check, command, pilot, navigation, etc.). The following modifiers apply to the roll. Any failed rolls increase the difficulty by the degree of failure.

For every degree of success in disengaging +1 success is neededIf the fleeing vessel is a TR or CR, need 3 successesIf the fleeing vessel is a CL or FF, need 5 successesIf the fleeing vessel is a Raider, need 7 successesIf the fleeing vessel is smaller than the chasing vessel +1 success neededIf the chasing vessel is faster -2 successes neededIf the fleeing vessel is faster +2 successes neededIf the fleeing vessel has jumped or fled through stellar obstacles +1 success needed

If the number of successes is met, then enemy is brought to heel and combat begins at 1d5+1 range in a stern to bow alignment. If it is not met, but there was a navigation, piloting, or command success, the pursuing ship has also disengaged, if not it never leaves combat, moves at full power at the same heading and cannot fire weapons this turn. If trying lose an NPC pursuer, reverse the table accordingly.

Running Silent & Ambush: If not detected already, a ship can attempt to maneuver in silently under momentum at half speed on a successful Pilot check and a successful Tech-use check. Firing from this state reveals the ship, but the act of bringing up targeting and powering up weapons gives the surprised crew some warning. A ship ambushing another, automatically wins initiative and receives a +20 to targeting/scanning rolls and a +10 to shots fired.

Something’s Not Right: If a ship is about to be ambushed or surprised, and if a PC is at the sensor station, a successful scrutiny+ detection roll can cancel out the bonuses to an ambush (but the ship still loses initiative), if the roll has 3 degrees of success, there is no ambush and begin combat normally.

Plotting a Jump: Navigation usually is an easy task, taking time and care… to plot a micro jump in combat requires 1 full turn of fl

Crew, Morale, and Damage

To be clear, each ship has a 100 Crew and a 100 Morale rating at the beginning of combat… this can later be converted into a percentile and applied to the actual number of crew persons onboard. If Crew drops below 10, the ship can only jump and navigate. If Morale is below 10, chances of a violent mutiny climb quickly

Components can be unpowered (+10 tech use to repair), damaged (see repair above), destroyed (replaced or fixed at a spacedock).

If a component depressurizes, it does d10 damage to the Crew and d5 Morale and is considered damaged.

If a component catches fire, it does d5 Crew and d10 Moral damage, a Command test must be taken to organize and coordinate the firefighting team. Instead it can depressurized, doing another d5 Crew and 2d10 Morale damage. If the fire is not put out in 2 turns it spreads to another component.

Attack Craft… coming later

CSS: Ancestors’ Eye

Dimensions: 440 m longMass: 5 megatonnesCrew: 400 (35/45), 125(50) Engineers/Maintenance, 25 officers, 65 general staff, 60 Marines,

25 Weapons, 60 Sensors/Defensive, 15 medical staff, 25 navigation/survey

Passenger Capacity: 100 moreAcceleration: 7 gravitiesSpeed: 8 (can lose weapons for +3)Maneuverability: +30Detection: +25Void Shields: 2ECM Net: -10 to enemy BS and Hit and RunArmour: 19Hull: 65 (5 ablative, crits: after 15, component list, after 30, both, after 45, roll d5 on critical chart, after 60 full chart)Turret: 3 (tech use: reduce Str of enemy batteries by 1)

Weapons: Prow 2, Port 1, Starboard 1Axial: 2 Ion Lance Spears: Str 4, damage: 1d10 +3, Crit:4 Range 10 damage = speed - 1 and man -5 for 2 turnsPort and Starboard Void Missile Batteries, Str 5, damage: 1d10 +3 Range 5 (no crit, small warheads)

Can fire Prow mode at: Str 4, damage: 1d10 +1 Range 4 (no crit, small warheads)

SP: 5 left Power: 10 left

Components: Internals:4 Main Drives (2 each) 2 Comms(6+)Keller Field (4+) ECM Net1 Warp Drive (5+) 3 Laser Turrets2 Void Arrays 3 ThrustersCommand Bridge (5+) Marine Bays (5+)2 Life support(4+) Battle Bridge2 Sensor Arrays Warp Tether2 Ion Spears Fire Control (6+)2 Void Missile batteries Cargo Bay A2 Crew Quarters Med Bay (5+)