Category:Chapter 7 / Armaments

Leave the safety and refuge of a space colony, and you're a fool. Leave the safety and refuge of a space colony without arming yourself, and you're a dead fool. Even the passive dangers of space travel will cut short any adventure for the unprepared, let alone the myriad creatures who would gladly kill you, take all your things, and perhaps eat you.

Don't get eaten in space. Arm yourself!

Here's an overview of the contents of this chapter.

• Armor: Gear for protection in combat and against the elements.
• Weapons: Tools of killing, in all their flavors.

Armor

Armor provides a barrier between you and your foes—or, put more bluntly, between you and death. Every class has access to a tier of armor, and every other tier below that. It is in your best interest to wear the finest armor you can. The choice is not simply for more armor over less, though, for within tiers, each armor type provides different resistance values for each of the five damage types.

You can work with your resistance values from other sources to fill in the gaps with armor, or accentuate the positives to become nigh-invulnerable to certain types. The choice is up to you.

Armor Tiers

Armor is grouped into tiers. If you have proficiency with a tier of armor, you can wear any armor from that tier or from a lower tier. If you ever don armor you aren't proficient with, you are immobilized as you cannot coordinate with the control systems.

Armor provides a sealed environment, doubling as your space suit.

Putting on armor takes at least 300 seconds, which means it's an activity you can undertake only outside combat (during a short rest, perhaps).

Tier 3

The least any modern warrior can leave his dwelling wearing without feeling naked or getting mocked before getting easily killed for the pocket change he had on his person he should have better spent on at least this tier of armor. Don't get killed for your pocket change: buy at least some armor.

Tier 2

Adequate protection for mercenaries of equal parts discretion and whatever the other half of valor is. Training in tier 2 armor allows the use of tier 2 or tier 3 armor.

Tier 1

The top tier of effective resistance to the elements and bullets. The most sophisticated of personal bodily security ever crafted in the modern age. Training in this tier of armor gives you access to any armor, including the best and most complex suits the modern mercenary ever wore.

Suit Up

Each suit of armor has a name, tier, description, and resistance values.

When you confront opposing mercenary groups on the battlefield, armed security at their stations, or monsters in their lairs, you often end up in situations that can be resolved only with force. Indeed, the main thrust of the game of Startroid is combat. And fighting. Fighting and combat. With guns.

Weapon Characteristics

How do you plan to fight your enemies? Up close with a psi blade or impact hammer? One shot at a time with a linear driver? Whole swaths at medium range with a perdition flame thrower?

Each of these weapons has different characteristics that frame how you will use your powers and defeat your enemies.

Type

The "type" of a weapon refers to the damage type: which corresponding defense amount is used to calculate incoming damage. Pierce and Explosive damage are common, Anima is less common, Psionic less still and Void is most rare. Ordinarily, damage types like Psionic and Void are themselves methods of subverting enemy defenses: it is exceedingly rare for a creature or armor to have a higher Void defense than Pierce or Explosive.

Anima

An uncommon damage type. Anima represents fire, acid, extreme cold, electricity, or other natural forces of the physical universe that don't fall under the other headings. Anima weapons can thus take all shapes and sizes, though the most common are flamethrowers and acid spewers. Anima is a good choice for balance between range, area, and subverting defenses.

Explosive

A common damage type. Explosives include bombs, grenades, rockets, and other mechanisms that rapidly modify pressure and temperature or induce semi-localized damage with fragmentation. Explosive weapons most often have an area-of-effect, making them the best choice for dealing with swaths of small enemies.

Pierce

A common damage type. Pierce includes slugs, bullets, flechettes, and anything designed chiefly to be sharp and go fast. Pierce weapons generally have great range and compatibility, and higher damage than other similar weapons of different types. Pierce is the best choice for value, range, and single-target damage.

Psionic

A rare damage type. Psionic represents energy cohered from the Archonosphere, typically focused into glowing white-blue blades, rays, or beams. Beloved by psionically gifted fighters. Psionic weapons are the best choice for close-quarters defense subversion.

Void

The most rare damage type. Few understand the mysteries of the void, which seems to violate physical law and render those who suffer it unto oblivion, sometimes without leaving a physical trace as to how. It takes many forms, all of them suffused with light-absorbing black and purple motes. Void weapons are the best choice for wanton destruction and inflicting suffering.

Range

The number of squares distant your target can be from you when making an attack. A melee weapon can strike a target within your reach (most commonly, this means the target is adjacent to your square).

Spread

Weapons that list a spread actually target multiple squares. An entry of "line" indicates that every square between you and the weapon's range in a width of the listed value is a target. An entry of "area" indicates that every square within that many squares of your primary target's location is also a target. If a weapon does not list a spread, it only strikes a single target. Full descriptions of these are properties are in Chapter 9.

Weapon Training

Untrained weapons are not a classification of arms that you train in, but rather, a surrogate set of values you use for any weapon you use that you haven't trained in. Improvised weapons belong in this category as well: whatever you have in easy grasp to fight with. If you use any weapon you haven't trained with, you use the "untrained" version of that weapon. You can train in weapons as classified by range, weight, or damage type. These training types sometimes overlap for this reason. If you have proficiency with any of the matching categories of a weapon, you can use that weapon trained.

Anima Weapons

Training in Anima weapons means flamethrowers, acid-launchers, and other weapons that draw on natural forces. Anima is a damage type, and any weapon that lists that type is available to you with proficiency in Anima. ­­

Explosive Weapons

Training in Explosive weapons means grenades, rockets, and pressure mines. Explosive is a damage type, and any weapon that lists that type is available to you with proficiency in Explosive.

Pierce Weapons

Training in Pierce weapons means guns, linear accelerators, and flechette rifles. Pierce is a damage type, and any weapon that lists that type is available to you with proficiency in Pierce.

Melee Weapons

Training in Melee weapons means psi blades, impact hammers, and anything else you wield in your hands with the intent to smash someone with it in close-quarters. Melee is a range, and any weapon that lists that range is available to you with proficiency in Melee.

Light Weapons

Training in Light weapons means fine blades, low-mass projectiles, thin barrels and small arms. Light weapons use Dexterity to calculate damage. Light is a weight class, and any weapon that lists that weight is available to you with proficiency in Light.

Heavy Weapons

Training in Heavy weapons means massive blades, high-impact projectiles, large barrels and long arms. Heavy weapons use Strength to calculate damage. Heavy is a weight class, and any weapon that lists that weight is available to you with proficiency in Heavy.