Imperial Starships: Imperator-Class Dreadnought

ST/HP: 9,0000

Hand/SR: -4/6

HT: 12

Move: 1/75 (+9)

LWt.: 850,000

Load: 100,000

SM: +14

Occ.: 8500 ASV

DR: 5000/3000*

Range: NA (5 jumps)

Cost: $680B

Loc.: gGs40t

*the Empire-Class dreadnought has DR 5000 on the front, and 3000 everywhere else except for its turrets and sensors, which have a DR of 100. It has a force screen with 15,000 DR (ablative).

Equipment

Imperial Flagship Electronics:

• Capital-Scale Tactical Ultra-Scanner: 4000-mile scan, 400-mile imaging/bioscan; 360°;
  
• Targeting Megacomputer: +5 to hit target with a scan-lock.
  
• Night Vision Sensors: +9 nightvision, ×8 magnification (up to +3 to aimed attacks, if the vehicle aims for three turns).
  
• Large Area Jammer: -4 to target with missiles for all allied ships within 200 miles.
  
• Distortion Scrambler: May contest Electronics Ops (Comms) rolls with Electronics Ops (EW); 25 mile range.
  
• Large Holographic Radio: 10,000 mile range; “conference” sized holographic projector. All communications encrypted.
  
• Very Large FTL Communication Array: 300-parsec range.
  
• Hyperdrive: Rating 2; 5 jumps.
  
• Fusion Reactor: 50-year lifespan.
  
• Security: Simple Electronic Locks and security cameras at regular intervals.
  

Imperial Flagship Personnel and Facilities

• Command Crew: Commodore (rank 6); Colonel (rank 6); Executive Officer; up to 3 tactical officers (ECM/Sensors), up to 3 comm officers; up to 3 navigators; up to 15 engineering officers; up to 3 pilots.
  
• Facilities: Strategy Ops (+2 Strategy); Navigation Ops (+2 Navigation); 200-bed Hospital; 2 operation theaters; Briefing Rooms; Diplomatic Establishment (100-man capacity); Restaurants (100-man capacity); Entertainment Establishments (100-man capacity); Gym/Training facilities (150-man capacity).
  
• Food and Accommodations: Total life support for up to 8500 (actual crew complement is closer to 8000) and carries sufficient provisions for the entire crew for a year.
  
• Lifepods: 900 (main body; sufficient room for 3600 people); 85 (command bridge; sufficient room for 340).
  

Imperial Flagship Complement:

• Starfighters: 20 squadrons of 25 (each) Imperial Fighters in any configuration; generally 12 squadrons of Javelin-Class Interceptors (300), 6 squadrons of Peltast-class Strike Fighters (150), and 2 squadrons of Tempest-class Light Fighters (50). One squadron can be launched per minute.
  
• Starfighter Refuel/Rearmament Capacity: The craft has sufficient fuel to fully arm and fuel starfighters for up to 10 sorties (though it should be noted that the amount of fuel necessary to fully fuel the entire complement of starfighters is a rounding error compared to the fuel required to make a single jump).
  
• Soldiers: up to 5000 imperial troopers (one “Battlegroup,” led by a Colonel (Rank 6)); more often 1500 to 3000.
  
• Materiel: Up to 500 Sentinel-class Utility Gunships; more often 150 to 300 with assorted Hunter-class combat hovercycles and command shuttlecraft.
  

Imperial Flagship Armaments

• 4 top-mounted Super-heavy Turrets (F/R/L/T; Total ROF 12);
  
• 2 bottom-mounted Super-heavy Turrets (F/R/L/U; Total RoF 6);
  
• 10 top-mounted Capital Turrets (F/L/R/T; Total RoF 20);
  
• 4bottom -mounted Capital-scale Turrets (F/L/R/U; Total RoF 8);
  
• 8 top-mounted Plasma Flak Turrets (F/L/R/T);
  
• 4 bottom-mounted Plasma Flak Turrets (F/L/R/U);
  
• 4 rear-mounted Plasma Flak Turrets (B/L/R/T)
  
• 2 ST 1000 Tractor Beams; Range 2000, Move 10.
  

Weapon	Dmg	Acc	Range	Ewt	RoF	Shots	ST	Bulk	Rcl
Super-heavy cannon	6d×120(5) burn	9	170mi/500mi	5000t	1	NA	M	-10	2
Capital-scale cannon	6d×75(5) burn	9	60mi/180mi	500t	1	NA	M	-10	2
Plasma Flak	6dx10 burn	NA	2000/6000	100t	20	NA	M	-10	1

Look and Feel

The Imperator-Class battlecarrier is a looming behemoth, a study in firepower in a metallic grey. It’s total volume is comparable to the Empire state building, with similar length and ten stories “tall.” A relatively small (compared to the rest of it’s bulk) bridge appears as a hump with a lighted window in the center rear of the great warship, but these are overshadowed by the building-sized blaster batteries that line its hull (most on the top of the wedge-shaped vehicle, but about a third as many lining the bottom).

One approaches an Empire-Class Dreadnought by shuttle, because they are not equipped to land on a planet. The entry points of two, 50-yard long landing bays sit on the narrow sides of the dreadnought, and lead to a central hangar in the heart of the ship. The enormous hangar rises above newly arrived shuttles with the space of a cathedral; vehicles line its chrome-grey walls, many Typhoon-class fighters, but an even greater number of military vehicles and dropships.

Corridors lead away from the hangar. Technical stations and computer terminals appear regularly along the corridors, and down side-passages one can make out engine structure, pulsing conduits and read-outs: the vast majority of the ship is “access space” for the enormous reactor, force screen projector, the hyperdrive, and the gigantic hyperium tanks. As one climbs higher in the ship, eventually one reaches the habitat section, near the top of the ship. The technical infrastructure of the industrial corridors give way to hallways that lead to bunkrooms and cabins, like walking through an endless hotel. This section houses 7500 soldiers, pilots and technicians, and at the very heart of the living quarters is an “entertainment” quarter with the main mess hall, a ship cantina, gaming rooms, briefing rooms, and a sizeable hospital.

Beyond even this, one arrives at “brass alley,” where lavish quarters house the command crew and visiting dignitaries and less lavish quarters house hundreds of junior officers. Here begins the “Bridge,” the tower from which the commodore and his staff command the dreadnought. A combined briefing room and diplomatic entertainment establishment has a fine view over the ship and whatever world the ship overlooks. The tower also houses a starmap chamber, where Imperial navigators chart the course of the vessel, and the delicate electronics that allow the ship to detect, jam and communicate with others. Finally, at the very top, the bridge proper combines ops center with ship operations: the shiphandler, tactical officer, comm officer and executive officer attend their control stations, while behind them, a great holographic display shows a real-time map of either local space or the region of the planet that the dreadnought currently occupies itself with. The commodore overlooks all of it, typically stationed before the great, armored window that overlooks the whole of the ship.

The Imperator-class Dreadnought is the most iconic vessel of the Imperial fleet. In its original design, it was intended to act as a flagship, supporting older vessels like the Legacy-class dreadnought with its superior fleet complement and larger firepower. In fact, it replaced these older vessels and became the preferred command position of every ambitious imperial officer in the fleet. It’s considerable squadrons of fighters, its large contingent of soldiers and its impressive firepower means that a single Imperator can threaten an entire colony on its own. With its excellent facilities, it can serve as the command ship for an entire fleet. The Empire uses these behemoths in every battle that matters to the Empire, and often deploys them on remote patrols. The only more impressive ships are bespoke command ships made for specific fleet admirals of the Emperor himself.

Typical Names

The Names of Imperator-Class Dreadnoughts tend to be self-congratulatory multi-word phrases that speak to Imperial glory, victory in battle and the history of the Valorian Empire.

Example Names: the Arc of Dominion, the Ascendancy, the Glory of War, Honor’s Price, Leto’s Redemption, the Paramount, the Rite of Conquest, the Supremacy, the Triumphant, the Valorian Laurel, the Victorious