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guide:weapon_limitations

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Weapon Limitations

:!: This rules addendum is currently not approved for implementation. :!:

The following is an addendum that, if approved, would be an additional requirement of the Submission Rules.

These rules govern the quantity and quality of firepower available to the numerous mecha, small craft, starships, vehicles, and so forth within the Star Army setting.

Disclaimer

These rules do not address the following topics, due to the fact that we believe it is the job of the submission reviewers to determine whether or not a submission is overpowered, not the job of yet more rules whose presence would only make it even more difficult for content creators to contribute to the setting.

  • Area of Effect
  • Ammunition Capacity
  • Missile Velocity
  • Missile Sizes
  • Muzzle Velocity

How much weaponry?

Usually, for infantrymen and power armor, this is self-explanatory… or at least easily ruled on. No one expects an infantryman or a power armor to dual-wield bazookas while carrying four spares on their back. For mecha and starships, however, it becomes more nebulous. The rule we offer is: a rough maximum of 8 same-tier weapons as the unit carrying them, and an absolute limit of 10 same-tier weapons as the unit carrying them.

  • Getting a higher-tier weapon costs 2 weapons of the tier below.
  • Getting a lower-tier weapon costs 1/2 of a weapon from the tier above.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • For weapon systems that use ammunition with different tiers: the ammunition with the highest tier determines the overall tier of the weapon system.
  • For missile systems with a single “launch tube” and a loading system for internal ammo storage, similar to the torpedo tubes found on modern-day submarines: each “launch tube” counts as a single weapon system and is calculated just like above.
  • For missile systems with multiple single-shot “launch tubes,” like the VLS (vertical launch systems) found on modern-day guided missile destroyers or the hardpoint-mounted missile racks and rocket pods found on modern-day military aircraft: each “cluster” - be it an individual hardpoint, a cluster of vertical launch system cells, an individual pod, an individual rack, or anything of a similar nature - counts as a single weapon system.
  • For weapon systems located internally in and/or externally mounted on shields: these weapon systems count towards the rough maximum of 8 same-tier weapons and the absolute maximum of 10 same-tier weapons.

Remember that it doesn't matter whether you call the “missile” a torpedo, missile, rocket, rocket-propelled grenade, or something else entirely. What ultimately matters is its tier - nothing more, nothing less.

Tier Conversion Table

The following table is included for usage as a quick reference when creating and/or reviewing new or pre-existing setting elements.

Usage

Note: “Host platform” refers to the mecha/small craft/starship/vehicle/etc. a weapon system is mounted on.

  • Tier Difference: The numerical difference between the tier of a weapon system and the tier of its “host platform”.
  • Capacity Utilized: Specifies how much a single weapon system (of a certain Tier Difference) counts towards its “host platform's” maximum weapon capacity.
Suggested Maximum Weapon Capacity = 8 Same-Tier Weapons
Absolute Maximum Weapon Capacity = 10 Same-Tier Weapons
Tier Difference Capacity Utilized
+3 8
+2 4
+1 2
0 1
-1 1/2
-2 1/4
-3 1/8
-4 1/16
-5 1/32
-6 1/64
-7 1/128
-8 1/256
-9 1/512
-10 1/1,024
-11 1/2,048
-12 1/4,096
-13 1/8,192
-14 1/16,384

Loadout Examples

The following sections are meant to serve as examples of how the system is meant to be used.

Loadout Example: Giant Robot Dinosaur

Let's say that I'm an evil Mishhuvurthyar villain recently freed from imprisonment on Luna Bianca who has decided to create an 80-meter-tall Giant Robot Dinosaur so that I can wreak chaos, havoc, destruction, and despair upon the unsuspecting residents of Kyoto City.

Given that 80-meter-tall units fit under the “Light Starship” (Tier 10) category according to this chart, I can have:

  • 8 Tier 10 (Light Anti-Starship) weapons

So, if I want to have two Laser Eyes of Destruction™, I'd convert those 8 Tier 10 (Light Anti-Starship) weapons into…

  • 4 Tier 11 (Medium Anti-Starship) weapons

…and then convert those four weapons into:

  • 2 Tier 12 (Heavy Anti-Starship) weapons

So, in the case of my giant robot dinosaur with laser eyes, it can kill with a glare.

But wait, I wanted it to breathe fire too! And I want my fire breath to cause more damage than my laser eyes. Back to the drawing board: I divide 1 of those Tier 12 (Heavy Anti-Starship) weapons back into 2 Tier 11 (Medium Anti-Starship) weapons. Those two will actually be my laser eyes. The bigger one is my fire breath. So, now, my loadout looks like:

  • 1 Tier 12 (Heavy Anti-Starship) Plasma Flamethrower of Doom™
  • 2 Tier 11 (Medium Anti-Starship) Laser Eyes of Destruction™

And there we go. My Godzilla impersonator is armed and ready to smash, stomp, burn, rip, and tear Kyoto City into rubble!

Loadout Example: Ke-V9 "Nodachi" Assault Fighter

Ke-V9 "Nodachi" Assault Fighter
Vehicle Tier Tier 8, Medium Mecha
Weapon Systems Tier Amt. x Capacity Utilized = Total Capacity Utilized
Ke-V9-W3300 Turbo Aether Cannon 8 4 x 1 4
Ke-V9-S3300 Combined Field System 8 1 x 1 1
Ke-V9-W3301 Turbo Aether Turret 6 6 x 1/16 6/16
Ke-V9-W3304 Variable Equipment Mount 6



6 x 1/4




6/4


Each Mount can be equipped with one of the following:
Ke-T8-W3101 Missile Launcher Pod 6
Ke-T8-W3103 Countermeasure Model 3
Ke-V8-W3200 Targeting Module -
Ke-V8-W3201 Decoy Launcher -
Ke-V8-E3200 Wavefront Module -
Total Weapon Capacity Utilized 55/8 out of 64/8

Loadout Example: Ke-C11-2 Super Eikan-class Heavy Cruiser

Damage Rating (Version 3) Tier Chart

The following table was copied directly from the DRv3 Quick Reference article (apart from a few minor formatting changes) and is also included for reference purposes.

<WRAP center>

Tier Purpose Defensive Example Offensive Example
Personnel
1 Light Anti-Personnel Flak jacket, riot armor Smallarms such as pistols
2 Medium Anti-Personnel Ballistic Vest, bodyarmor GP-1 Assault Rifle, Nekovalkyrja Service Pistol (standard)
3 Heavy Anti-Personnel Hardsuits NSP (Heavy), LASR, SLAG grenades
Power Armor
4 Light Anti-Armor M2 Mindy IV, M6 Daisy II Aether Saber-Rifle (Rapid-Fire), Atmospheric/Space Plasma Rifle
5 Medium Anti-Armor Aether Saber-Rifle (Beam), Type 32 Dual-Gun Turret
6 Heavy Anti-Armor Hostile, Ripper Aether Saber-Rifle (Saber), Offensive Mini-missile
Mecha
7 Light Anti-Mecha M9 TASHA, Aggressor, small shuttlepods 50mm Gauss Bazooka, Type 31 Quad-Gun Turret
8 Medium Anti-Mecha V9 Nodachi, Ravager, most shuttlecraft Kawarime/Nodachi Turbo-Aether cannon
9 Heavy Anti-Mecha Larger shuttles Type 31 Dual-Cannon Turret
Starship
10 Light Anti-Starship Corvettes, Yui-7 Scout, Chiaki Escort Chiaki Mass Driver Gun (Solid round)
11 Medium Anti-Starship Destroyers, Plumeria Gunship Chiaki Mass Driver Gun (Antimatter round), Plumeria Positron Railgun
12 Heavy Anti-Starship Cruisers, Ookami Light Cruiser Yui-type Aether Array, Sharie Aether Turret, Z1 Torpedoes
13 Light Anti-Capital Ship Super Eikan Heavy Cruiser Plumeria-type dual-bladed Aether Array, Eikan Positron Cannon
14 Medium Anti-Capital Ship Sharie Battleship Eikan-type Aether Array, AS-7 Torpedoes
15 Heavy Anti-Capital Ship 3km+ Structures, Dreadnoughts Sharie-type Dual-Pronged Aether Array

</WRAP>

OOC Notes

frostjaeger created this article on 2017/04/22 12:28.


Quality:
guide/weapon_limitations.1494394119.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/12/20 15:53 (external edit)