Psi Wars: Alternate Corvettes

While individual characters will interact more with starfighters, they'll most often use Corvettes as a group.  They tend to be within the budget of a complete party, they'll allow a group of ~5 heroes to go where they wish, and they provide a useful mix of firepower, cargo space and hyperspace reliability.  They'll also make a good intermediary threat between fighters and capital ships.

Tiger-Class Frigate

The Tiger-Class Frigate fared alright in our playtest, but it isn't particularly spectacular. A single light torpedo can do a considerable amount of damage, enough to drop it to 20 hp on the front, or to -20 to any other section. This isn't particularly problematic, as we expect fighters to be able to go head-to-head with a frigate, and neither their blasters nor their missiles can do much against them (though missiles might get lucky on a high roll and inflict a few points of damage). The problem, instead, is the weaponry. A It mounts a very rapid fire UV turret, which is perfect for point defense, but it also mounts several 1 GJ weapons, each of which deal about 70-140 damage (both with armor divisor 5), which is just barely able to damage another Tiger-Class frigate. Only, a Tiger shouldn't expect to face other Tigers. It should expect to face starfighters and capital ships, unless it's acting in its capacity for patrol or commerce raiding, in which case its primary focus will be on other corvettes, but substantially less well-armored corvettes.
The Tiger is out of the price-range for most player-characters, and will probably serve as a background piece, an antagonist. Note further that is is heavy corvette, if you wish to apply the Heavy/Light optional rule.

The Manticore Model

Inspired by the corvettes of Strike Suit Zero, the Manticore doubles as an escort or light naval attack vessel. The Manticore remains largely true to the design of the Tiger, only it drops its variou stealth options (to lower costs) and switches out its forward anti-particle weapon for a rapid-fire x-ray laser, and its central mounted x-rays for 40cm (medium) missile turrets. A single hit from the forward-mounted laser will destroy most fighters in a single shot, and its speedy fire means that it has a far better chance of hitting most. It also doubles as a decent point defense weapon. The centrally mounted missile launchers can act as devastating torpedo launchers for dealing with capital ships, or as missile launchers for dealing with fighters (or other corvettes). While it isn't ideal at handling corvettes, it'll make a fine escort for larger ships, help fend off torpedoes and fighters, and presents a modest threat to capital ships. The significantly lower cost comes from removing redundant stealth systems (a Manticore escorts huge, non-stealth ships, making its ability to hide useless) and reduced power requirements.

Front Hull	System
[1-2]	Hardened Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 60) ($120m)
[3]	Habitat (10 cabins, 6-bed automed sickbay, minifac fabricator) 15 tons cargo ($3m)
[4!]	Major Battery (100MJ rapid fire x-ray laser fixed mount), ($15m)
[5]	Tactical Array (Comm/Sensor 11) ($30m)
[6!!]	Heavy Force Screen (dDR 100 or 200) ($150m)
[core]	Control Room (C9 computer, comm/sensor 9, six control stations) ($6m)

Central Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 30) ($60m)
[2-3]	Major Battery (40cm missile launcher turrets) ($30m)
[4-5!]	Stardrive Engine (FTL-1 each) ($60m)
[6]	Fusion Reactor (Two power points) ($30m)
[core]	Super Fusion Reactors (four power points each) ($100m)

Rear Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 30) ($60m)
[2]	Engine Room (Two Workplaces) ($1m)
[3-5!]	Super Reactionless Engines (25G Acceleration each) ($60m)
[6!]	Major Battery (10 MJ improved very rapid fire UV laser turret) ($15m)

The Manticore has gravitic compensation ($3m) and Artificial Gravity ($3m) Automeds cost $600k

TL

Spacecraft

dST

Hnd/SR

HT

Move

Lwt

Load

SM

Occ

dDR

Range

Cost

11^

Tiger Manticore

100

+1/5

13

75G

3

17

9

20ASV

60/30/30*

x2

$746,6M

*Hardened, Additional 100 DR from Force Screens (200 if using an extra power-point)

The Stalker Model

The Stalker is a Corvette killer. The Stalker keeps the Tiger's focus on beam-weapons, but removes one x-ray turret and moves the rear-mounted UV turret to the central hull. This allows it to engage in point defense will rushing its enemy. It replaces the rear position with defensive ECM which, when paired with its dynamic chameleon hul and stealth, creates a vessel that's harder to detect before it has sprung its ambush. The multi-purpose array allows it to scan for vessel weaknesses, or to detect contraband items. This makes it an excellent patrol ship, but also a fine “pirate” vessel. The forward-mounted anti-particle weapon has been rplaced with a disruptor, to allow it to disable ships before raiding them or boarding them to make arrests. A more military vessel could return to the standard anti-particle model.

Front Hull	System
[1-2]	Hardened Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 60) ($120m)
[3]	Habitat (10 cabins, 6-bed automed sickbay, minifac fabricator) 15 tons cargo ($3m)
[4!]	Major Battery (1GJ improved EM disruptor fixed mount), ($15m)
[5]	Multi-purpose Array (Comm/Sensor 11) ($60m)
[6!!]	Heavy Force Screen (dDR 100 or 200) ($150m)
[core]	Control Room (C9 computer, comm/sensor 9, six control stations) ($6m)

Central Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 30) ($60m)
[2!]	Major Battery (1GJ x-ray laser turrets) ($15m)
[3!]	Major Battery (10 MJ improved very rapid fire UV laser turret) ($15m)
[4-5!]	Stardrive Engine (FTL-1 each) ($60m)
[6, core]	Super Fusion Reactors (four power points each) ($200m)

Rear Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 30) ($60m)
[2]	Engine Room (Two Workplaces) ($1m)
[3-5!]	Super Reactionless Engines (25G Acceleration each) ($60m)
[6]	Distortion ECM ($60m)

The Stalker has gravitic compensation ($3m), Artificial Gravity ($3m), Dynamic Chameleon ($3.5m) and Stealth ($5m), Automeds cost $600k

TL

Spacecraft

dST

Hnd/SR

HT

Move

Lwt

Load

SM

Occ

dDR

Range

Cost

11^

Tiger Stalker

100

+1/5

13

75G

3

17

9

20ASV

60/30/30*

x2

$900,1M

*Hardened, Additional 100 DR from Force Screens (200 if using an extra power-point)

The Renegade-Class Corsair and the Anthem-Class Freighter

Note that the Renegade-Class Corsair is already a variation of another ship: It is virtually identical fo the Anthem-Class Freighter, only with additional firepower, faster engines, and a decent force screen. The result is a ship that's pathetic, militarily speaking. It cannot deal more than 6d(2) damage, and it has far more energy requirements than it has power. It cannot hope to go toe-to-toe with any model of Tiger, and would lose to a concentrated assault for a skilled fighter pilot, but its primary targets are civilian, not military. The Anthem that it preys upon would certainly move too slowly to escape the Renegade, and would be unable to fend off its superior weapons.

The Maruader model

What happens when you build a Renegade out of military-grade arms and armor? The Renegade Maurader has an identical layout to the standard Renegade, but its weapons are heavier, armor more expensive, and it sports a superior fusion reactor, allowing it to power all of its systems at once. Mauraders might represent the command ship of a pirate fleet, or it might represent the best effort of a last-ditch defense.

Front Hull	System
[1-2]	Hardened Nanocomposite Armor (total dDR 40) ($20m)
[3]	Tactical Array (Comm/Sensor 10) ($10m)
[4!]	Medium Battery (Two turrets with 100 MJ x-ray lasers; 5 tons cargo) ($4m)
[5]	Habitat (3 cabins, three-bed automed sickbay) ($1m)
[6]	Habitat (one cabin, three bunkrooms, minifac fabricator, one cell) ($1m)
[core]	Control Room (C9 computer, comm/sensor 8, four control stations) ($2m)

Central Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Nanocomposite Armor (total dDR 20) ($10m)
[2-4]	Cargo Hold (50 tons capacity)
[5!]	Light Force Screen (dDR 70) ($5m)
[6!]	Secondary Battery (4 turrets with 30 MJ X-ray lasers, 30 tons of cargo) ($2.4m)

Rear Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Nanocomposite Armor (total dDR 20) ($10m)
[2-3!]	Super Reactionless Engines (25 Acceleration each) ($12m)
[4-5!]	Stardrive (FTL-1 each) ($20m)
[6]	Engine Room (one workspace) ($0.3m)
[core]	Super Fusion Reactor (four Power Points) ($30m)

The Renegade has gravitic compensation ($1m) and Artificial Gravity ($1m) Automeds cost $300k

TL

Spacecraft

dST

Hnd/SR

HT

Move

Lwt

Load

SM

Occ

dDR

Range

Cost

11^

Renegade Manticore

70

+1/5

13

50G

1000

237.4

8

24ASV

40/20/20*

x2

$130M

*Hardened, Additional 70 DR from Force Screens

The Partisan model

The Renegade may have originally been an Anthem, but it's jutting guns give it away. The Partisan sports heavier armor than the Anthem (but lighter than the Maurauder) and has the ability to hide its guns when not in use: Treat them as reconfigurable systems with no other mode (“cargo”). They take 20 seconds to reconfigure. All cargo bays, including those associated with the weapon batteries, are shielded (cost is included in the weapon battery), preventing others from scanning the ship. Finally, the ship has a dynamic hull, both to hide it if it's planet-side, and to allow it to change its markings to appear less conspicious. While its superior armor and concealable weapons might not pass intense scrutiny, it'll have an easier time passing by less-concerned patrols. The Partisan makes an excellent “spy” ship, in addition to being a tricky pirate ship.

Front Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Advanced Laminate Armor (total dDR 15) ($4m)
[2]	Distortion ECM ($20m)
[3]	Multiscanner Array (Comm/Sensor 10) ($20m)
[4!]	Hidden Medium Battery (Two turrets with 100 MJ x-ray lasers; 5 tons cargo) ($6m)
[5]	Habitat (3 cabins, three-bed automed sickbay) ($1m)
[6]	Habitat (one cabin, three bunkrooms, minifac fabricator, one cell) ($1m)
[core]	Control Room (C9 computer, comm/sensor 8, four control stations) ($2m)

Central Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Advanced Laminate Armor (total dDR 15) ($4m)
[2-4]	Cargo Hold (25 tons capacity, shielded) ) ($1.2m)
[5!]	Light Force Screen (dDR 70) ($5m)
[6!]	Hidden Secondary Battery (4 turrets with 30 MJ X-ray lasers, 30 tons of cargo) ($3.6m)

Rear Hull	System
[1]	Hardened Advanced Laminate Armor (total dDR 15) ($4m)
[2-3!]	Super Reactionless Engines (25 Acceleration each) ($12m)
[4-5!]	Stardrive (FTL-1 each) ($20m)
[6]	Engine Room (one workspace) ($0.3m)
[core]	Super Fusion Reactor (four Power Points) ($30m)

The Partisan has gravitic compensation ($1m), Artificial Gravity ($1m), Dynamic Chameleon Hull ($1.5m), Automeds cost $300k

TL

Spacecraft

dST

Hnd/SR

HT

Move

Lwt

Load

SM

Occ

dDR

Range

Cost

11^

Renegade Partisan

70

+1/5

13

50G

1000

112.4

8

24ASV

15*

x2

$137,9M

*Hardened, Additional 70 DR from Force Screens

The Dark-Horse Class Freighter

The Dark-Horse stands shoulder to shoulder with the Starhawk as a recognizable facsimile of similar Star Wars vessels. It also serves as an excellent ship for player characters, as its more powerful than is reasonable for most freighters (putting it head and shoulders above the Anthem, and even the standard Renegade), it relies on superior character skill to run all engines, the force screen and weapons while charging its hyperdrive, and it's quite affordable as Signature Gear (requiring 20 points). It makes an excellent “home” ship for a player-group.
An errata note: the Dark-Horse in the core book has the 6-slot on the rear filled twice, once with a stardrive and once with an engine room. This seems a genuine error, as it cannot have both range x3 and HT 13.

The Racer Model

As excellent as the Dark-Horse is, some players might expect something even faster, and better suited as a smuggling vessel. The Dark-Horse is already streamlined, but this design makes that clearer by stating it outright. It also shifts the engine room and one hyperdrive forward to the central hull, adds an extra engine, and hides some of its cargo holds. The result is a sleeker, faster and slightly more expensive Dark Horse that relies on a skilled engineer to keep all the systems running, but allows it to compete with some of the slower fighters, provided an excellent pilot is at the helm.

Front Hull	System
[1]	Streamlined Light Alloy Armor (total dDR 5) ($4m)
[2]	Habitat (Four cabins, two-bed automed sickbay) ($1m)
[3]	Hangar Bay (30 tons capacity) ($0.1m)
[4]	Cargo Hold (50 ton capacity each)
[5]	Habitat (3 cabins, three-bed automed sickbay) ($1m)
[6]	Control Room (C9 computer, comm/sensor 8, four control stations) ($2m)

Central Hull	System
[1]	Streamlined Light Alloy Armor (total dDR 5) ($4m)
[2]	Cargo Hold (25 tons capacity, shielded) ($0.6m)
[3!]	Stardrive (FTL-1) ($10m)
[4!]	Secondary Battery (two turrets with 30 MJ improved UV lasers, 40 tons cargo) ($1.2m)
[5]	Habitat (six cabins) ($1m)
[6]	Engine Room (one workspace) ($0.3m)
[core!]	Light Force Screen (dDR 70) ($5m)

Rear Hull	System
[1]	Streamlined Light Alloy Armor (total dDR 5) ($4m)
[2-4!]	Super Reactionless Engines (25 Acceleration each) ($18m)
[5-6!]	Stardrive (FTL-1 each) ($20m)
[core]	Super Fusion Reactor (four Power Points) ($30m)

The Racer has gravitic compensation ($1m), Artificial Gravity ($1m), Automeds cost $200k

TL

Spacecraft

dST

Hnd/SR

HT

Move

Lwt

Load

SM

Occ

dDR

Range

Cost

11^

Dark-Horse Racer

70

+1/5

13

75G

1000

132

8

20ASV

5*

x3

$104,4m

*Hardened, Additional 70 DR from Force Screens

The Taj Mahal-Class Yacht

The Taj Mahal, as written, serves as an excellent “nobleman's” ship, or as a diplomat's vessel. Despite its claim that “no expense was spared,” it's quite an affordable ship as written. Most players would turn their nose up at it as written: It lacks firepower and certainly lacks speed (It's effectively immobile against other starships in combat), it has some nice fundamentals, especially is armor, that could serve as the basis for a more effective PC ship. Also, it's listed in the book as an SM+9 ship, but it is, in fact, an SM+8 ship.

The Taj Mahal Black

The Taj-Mahal Black closely resembles the Taj-Mahal class, retaining the same external armor and line (with the same number of engines and guns), and those who come inside will notice the same gardens and ballrooms and swimming pools, but some of the cabins have been removed to make way for additional electronics, and the cargo is buried behind layers of deception jamming and shielded hull, allowing for superior smuggling, and much of it has been filled with additional (hidden!) weapon batteries, sensors and a small, last-ditch shield. The result is a ship that, in a pinch, can out-fly most civilian corvettes and sports more fire-power and defense than most fighters and many corvettes. It sacrifices some room for passengers, making it a tight fit, but spies don't need as much room to drag their contraband around.
The Taj Mahal black is even more expensive than the Taj Mahal, but it's within the realm of possibilities for well-funded group of spies.

Front Hull	System
[1]	Streamlined Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 20) ($10m)
[2]	Open Space (Garden)
[3]	Open Space (Ballroom)
[4]	Habitat (three luxury cabins) ($1m)
[5]	Habitat (Bar, gym, briefing room, three offices) ($1m)
[6]	Multipurpose Array ($10m)
[core]	Control Room (C9 computer, comm/sensor 8, four control stations) ($2m)

Central Hull	System
[1]	Streamlined Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 20) ($10m)
[2!]	Medium Battery (one turret with 10mj rapid fire improved UV laser, two hidden turrets with rapid fire 10 mj X-ray lasers) ($8m)
[3-4]	Habitat (six cabins) ($2m)
[5]	Habitat (six bed automed) ($1m)
[6!]	Shielded cargo hold (16 tons) ($0.13m) and SM +7 force screen (dDR 15) ($5m)

Rear Hull	System
[1]	Streamlined Diamondoid Armor (total dDR 20) ($10m)
[2-3!]	Stardrive (FTL-1 each) ($20m)
[4-5!]	Super Reactionless Drive (25g acceleration each) ($12m)
[6]	Engine Room (one workspace) ($0.3m)
[core]	Super Fusion Reactor (four Power Points) ($30m)

The Taj Mahal Black has gravitic compensation ($1m), Artificial Gravity ($1m), Dynamic Chameleon hull ($1.5m) Automeds cost $600k

TL

Spacecraft

dST

Hnd/SR

HT

Move

Lwt

Load

SM

Occ

dDR

Range

Cost

11^

Taj-Mahal Black

70

+1/5

13

50G

1000

19

8

30ASV

20*

x2

$126,5m

*Additional 15 DR from Force Screens