mattling wrote:As far as the UWW goes I don't see space stations necessarily as much as huge, complex magical circles on planetary surfaces allowing everything from the creation of Impenetrable Walls of Force, teleporting things here and there (of course), as well as focusing power for detecting and attacking ships in orbit.
Warlock Marines would be outrageous in boarding actions. Unless of course you want to use the P.O.S. ones that have already been splatted out (hint: they suck). If Warlock Marines were warlocks, or even just mages in general they could do terrifying things.
For example. Get a couple Shifters and some other Mages. Shoot down enemy energy shields, and teleport in to the ship, anywhere you want into the ship. Then start summoning Elementals. Or demons. Or cast River of Magma, which would basically just fill the ship up with lava (that hardens into rock later, if it doesn't just melt through all the bulkheads).
Using projected-Rift weapons the UWW could do a lot more than just create clouds of water. You could use it to start Rifting enemy ships into Hades, for example. Or the home dimension of Fire Elementals. Or into each other.
Every UWW ship should be a monument to magic, a device more complex than a hundred Rune Weapons combined. Granted, they don't like a volley of antimatter missiles any more than the next guy, but they would be flexible enough to attack in any way imaginable. I don't even see most of them having technological weapons outside of the most basic ones available. Iron Ships should represent the closest thing they come to a union of magic and technology; everything else should be heavily magical.
Magic is capable of so much more than just "Fireball!". It should be reflected in the war machines of the UWW.
Word!
What he said...
A century ago, the UWW commisoned the construction of a super- dreadnaught class of vessel to counter the growing threat of the Kreeghor empire, the existing Splugorth menace and the possible re-appearence of the 'Demon Star' armada.
The result was the creation of the TW Superdreadnaught AEther-Phoenix class. Only 5 have been consturcted (each takes over 30 years to build / grow) and nearly beggered the respective shipyards involved. Yet each one is an elegant and lethal weapon of war.
The AEther-Phoenix resembles a stylzed bird-shaped craft cronstructed of a bluish-white tranclucent crystal, while the interior resmbles nothing less than an elven pallace, with fluted and ribbed halls, glowing crystal lights, and an almost living essence, interspersed with gleaming ultra-tech elements..
Warlock Navy ‘AEther-Phoenix’ Super-Dreadnaught
Model: AEther-Phoenix
Class: Techno-Wizard Super Dreadnaught
Crew: 600 (10 Officers and 560 Enlisted, plus 30 Techno-Smiths)
Troops: Standard; 2000, Maximum; 5,000
Vehicle Compliment:
48: WF F-15 Shadowbolt fighters or WF FB-17 Spectre strike fighters
8: Atmospheric Shuttles (may be replaced on 1 for 1 basis with Starghost phase-tech fighters)
M.D.C. by Location:
Forward Weapons Array (“Head“): 45,000
TW ‘Phoenix Cannon’ (Bow): 1500
Antiship Laser Batteries (11): 1200 each
Battleship Laser Cannons (5): 2500 each
Point Deffense Grav-Railguns (15): 180 each
Long Range Missile Launchers (6; 3 per wing): 1,200 each
Launch Bays (2; underside): 2,000 each
Wings (2) 33,000 each
[1] Bridge (Tower on dorsal part of main body) : 75,000
[1] Emergency Bridge(Located 2 decks under bridge tower, in main body): 45,000
[2] Main Body: 300,000
[3] Engineering Section: 90,000
[4] Outrigger ‘D-Drive’ Pods (2) 20,000 each
[5] Variable Force Field: 12,000 a side (72,000 Total)
Notes:
[SPECIAL] The ships crystallis armor absorbs 50% of all incoming energy, not counting purely kinetic energy weapons. Subtract 50% of all damage done to the ships hit locations by energy weapons. Plus, all damage done by energy based attacks will fully regenerate 1 minute after combat ceases! Kinetic energy weapons and explosions do full damage.
[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ships armor. This ship also has an auxiliary bridge. Even if both bridges are destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.
[2] Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the Dreadnaught out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.
[3] Destroying the engineering section means that ship FTL propulsion systems are destroyed and maximum sublight acceleration is reduced to ten percent of normal (using navigational thrusters).
[4] Destroying either pod will disable the ships special Dimensional-Drive system.
[5] Shield positions are variable and can be combined into one shield. The shields regenerate at a rate of 5% (3,600 MDC) per melee round.
Speed:
Flying: Mach 15 combat speed. 0.4 sublight speed. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 1 percent of light per melee.
FTL: 4 LY / Hr. using negative matter drive (see later for Dimesion-drive).
Range: 10 years at optimal conditions, using both conventional and magical life support.
Statistical Data:
Height: 949.05 feet (285 meters). The bridge tower adds another 66 feet (20meters). Length: 8,020 feet (2,406 meters) Width: 2,847 feet (854 meters) Weight: 8.76 million tons (7.93 million metric tons).
Cargo: Cargo holds are scattered about the ship that allows for carrying up to 70,000 tons of Cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition
Drive Type(s): Primary; Negative-matter energy wave generators rated for factor 400.
Secondary; Dimension-Drive for point-to-point travel (see later for description).
Power System: matter/anti-matter reactor with 30 years at maximum output. Cosmic ley-line PPE syphons for techno-wizard devices; 1000 PPE/hr. and crystal storage cells with 20,000 PPE capacity.
Market Cost: Unknown. Estimated at 100 billion Tri-galactic credits if ever sold.
Weapon Systems
1) Bow-mounted ‘Pheonix Cannon‘: Located in the front of the Aether-Pheonix is the devastating ‘Phoenix Cannon’. This weapon is similar to the Arcane-X’s Flare cannon, but is much more accurate and potentially more lethal despite it’s lesser damage output. When activated, a cluster of anti-protons is captured in a magnetic vortex while simultaneously a massive plasma cloud surrounds the magnetic ‘egg’. Upon firing, the entire cluster is propelled towards the target area at nearly 80% the speed of light, where at a pre-set distance the magnetic filed collapses. The result is a massive explosion enveloping several thousand cubic feet in raw nuclear fire!
Mega-Damage: 6D6X100 to a 2000ft. (610m) radius area! Damage is inflicted to all exposed areas, and in the case of capitol ships, the blast will damage at least 3 shield facings (GM‘s call). R.O.F.: once per minute (requires precise calculations). Range: 50miles (80km).
Payload: 1000 PPE per shot. Capitol Ship scale= -5 to strike small targets (due to large blast radius).
*Spells used in this design: Anti-Matter Blast, Magnetic Vortex, Nova (Rifter #10). Power Bolt, Sub-Particle Acceleration (FoM or R:MG).
2) Concealed Antiship Laser Batteries (11): Located port starboard & aft (6 dorsal, 4 ventral, 1 aft-dorsal), and covered by folding armour plates are concealed heavy laser batteries. Each battery has a 45º arc of fire to either side. Only called shots may damage the guns, and they are -25% to detect closed.
Mega-Damage: 3D6X100 per laser battery shot. R.O.F.: 2 shots per battery / rnd. Range: 55miles (88km) in space. Payload: Effectively unlimited. Capitol Ship scale= -10 to strike small targets.
3) Battleship Laser Cannons (5): 5 powerful laser cannons round out the main antiship weapons of the Aether-Phoenix. 2 are located in the ’head’ of the ship above and behind the main-gun, 2 are placed in the main body near the wing-roots, and 1 placed center-aft. Each cannon has 30 arc of fire.
Mega-Damage: 4D6X100 per shot. R.O.F.: 1 per gunners action. Range: 155miles (284km) in space. Payload: Unlimited. Heavy Ship scale= -14 to strike small targets.
4) GR-100 Grav Autocannon turrets (15): These point defense gravity-guns are spaced evenly across the hull to protect from enemy fighters and incoming missile strikes. The turrets may be manually operated or set to auto-fire.
Mega-Damage: 1D6X10 per 10 round burst. R.O.F.: 1 bursts per action or 3 attacks automated.
Range: 3miles (4.8km). Payload: 1000 bursts each. Light Ship scale= No penalties. Note: The rotating turret gives a +1 to strike (plus any WP, weapon system lock-ons and sensor bonuses). If set for auto-fire, the guns are +4 to strike (+6 if lock on has been achieved).
5) Foreward LRM / Torpedo Launchers (6): In either wing are 3 single-tube LR missile & torpedo launchers facing forward. Typically these launchers are loaded with plasma or gravitic warheads.
Mega-Damage: As per LRM / Torpedo type.
R.O.F.: Individually or in volleys of two per launcher (total volley of 12 warheads). Each volley counts as 1 gunner action. Once 10 warheads have been launched, it takes 3 actions (1/2 a melee) for the auto-loading system to reload another 10 from the magazine. Range: as per warhead type.
Payload: 10 per launch system plus an additional magazine of 60 per twin-launcher, for a total 420
*Note: Up to half the missile payload may be replaced with anti-magic, tech-disruption and/or ’breacher’ warheads.
See Carl Gleba’s ‘Rifts: Three Galaxies’ Pg. 130-131 for effects of these TW missiles.
Other Systems
Crystallis armour (½ damage from energy based attacks). ECM generators. Advanced Sensor Package. Geologic Sensors. Targeting and combat computer (+2 to strike, +1 to dodge). Auto-pilot & Supernavigation computer (50% skill). Atmosphere recycling system. 50 staterooms & 550 basic accommodations (troops are housed in barrack style areas). 2 Launch-bays (@200 tonne capacity each). Artificial gravity. 5 Recreation facilities. 300 Stasis pod facilities. Medical Facility (200 patients). 100 FTL life-boats. FCE pod (bridge unit). Auto-Breach sealing. FTL communications system.
Dimension Drive (Special)
This techno-wizard engine creates a stable wormhole that enables the Aether-Phoenix to travel enormous distances in a single jump. This system is a three part device. The first (and most important) component of the D-Drive is the ‘navigational cogitator’. Consisting of a series of massive parallel-processors programmed with navigationl charts, linked to a TW cloud chamber resembling a 30ft. ‘plasma-globe’ made of black crystal located deep in the center of the ship. The second part is the navigators chair, which connects the navigator mage to the sensor systems of the ship via TW neural links (a modified noro psi-helm). Finally, the drive nacelles which create the actual wormhole effect.
When activated, a glowing ring of bluish energy projects from the D-Drive nacelles to encircle the ship. Also, lines of glowing blue vein the surface of the Aether-Phoenix; each line composed of moving msytic sigils and glyphs. 1-6 minutes later, the ring shoots forwards opening the transit wormhole, drawing the ship along behind it.
Though capable of going ten times further than even the most advanced ‘Rift’ drive, and able to create relatively stable wormholes, the D-Drive is still subject to fluctuating travel ranges, and may take up to 6 minutes for the navigator and the ‘NC’ to calculate the safest endpoint for the wormhole. However, the D-Drive is still a marvel of TW spce technology.
Range: 1D6X100 light years. Payload: 1 Jump per 5 hours. PPE: 3000 per jump! Takes 1D6 minutes for the navigator & ‘navigational cogitator’ to calculate the wormhole endpoint (requires skill Navigation: Space/FTL).
*Spells used in this design: Create wormhole, Stabalize Wormhole (Rifter #10). Teleport: Superior (Rifts RPG).
TW Systems
1. Impervious to energy: 20 PPE / 20 minutes. Draws directly from the storage batteries, but can be activated by others from the bridge.
2. Invisibility superior: 20 PPE / 30 minutes. Draws directly from the storage batteries, but can be activated by others from the bridge.
3. Sustain: 12 PPE / 10 days. Draws directly from the storage batteries, but can be activated by others from the bridge.
4. Spaceflight superior: 38 PPE / 10 hours. Draws directly from the storrage batteries, but can be activated by others from the bridge. Used when / if primary power is disrupted to the main engines. Equal to 10th level power.
5. Pin-point deflectors: 20 PPE / 5 minutes per deflector (up to 10). Same effect as Deflect spell, but cover a 10ft. area per barrier. Draws directly from the storage batteries, but can be activated by others from the bridge. Must be manually controlled. Equal to 10th level power.
*Spells used in this design: Deflect, Armour of Ithan.
6. Ship to Surface Teleporter (up to 20 crew or 10X10X10ft. Object): 600 PPE per use. Draws directly from the storage batteries, but can be activated by others from the bridge. Roughly equal to 10th level power, and uses Teleport Superior table for success rate; typically the ship sensors give a 99% accuracy rate (different weather conditions or anomalous energy fields can effect the accuracy. GM’s call).
7. TW Sensors: Ley-line sensor, Sense Magic, Sense Dimensional Anomaly, See Dimensional Anomaly. Draws directly from the storage batteries. See Carl Gleba’s ‘Rifts: Three Galaxies’ Pg. 108-109 for descriptions, though ranges are based on the ’normal’ sensor suite (tied directly normal sensors).
), then you've simply GOT to start constructing a Fleet that is the Magical equivalent of the other Fleets in the Three Galaxies.
