PLASMA CANNON, LIGHT (PL 7)
This is a smaller version of the standard plasma cannon. Although the smaller size means reduced range and power when compared to a standard plasma cannon, it is still one of the most powerful weapons for a ship of Huge size.
Damage: 10d8 (45)
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Fire
Range Increment: 2,000 ft.
Rate of Fire: Single, S, or A
Minimum Ship Size: Huge
Purchase DC: 33
Restriction: Military (+3)
Beam/Pulse Weapon System
This system combines long range of lasers with faster fire of plasma weaponry for close range combat all from the same barrel. Although more expensive than having just lasers or plasma cannons, the dual beam/pulse system allows most ships to be able to switch between the two systems, creating better flexibility in combat. When several are mounted in turrets on larger vessels, they can be tied into the point defense system, greatly improving it's damage capacity, however it makes the weapons unavailable for normal use by gunners.
Light Beam/Pulse System (Late PL7)
Damage: 6d8 (27) laser, 10d8 (45) plasma
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Fire, fire
Range Increment: 3500 ft laser, 2000 ft. plasma
Rate of Fire: Single laser , S or A plasma
Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
Purchase DC: 35
Restriction: Military (+3)
Game Note: Switching from laser or plasma weapons is a free action which can only be switched once per round. When at least four are mounted on a ship and tied into an installed point defense system, increase the damage by 1 die (in effect increasing the damage by one size category) and increases the range of of attacks of opporunity and of the system itself to 1000 ft adjacent squares around the ship's square. Also the damage type of the point defense system changes to half ballistic/half fire for the plasma weaponry enhancement.
Medium Beam/Pulse System (Early PL8)
An upgraded version of the light beam/pulse system using heavier lasers and plasma cannons
Damage: 8d8 (36) laser, 14d8 (63) plasma
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Fire, fire
Range Increment: 4000 ft laser, 3000 ft. plasma
Rate of Fire: Single laser , S or A plasma
Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
Purchase DC: 37
Restriction: Military (+3)
Game Note: Switching from laser or plasma weapons is a free action which can only be switched once per round. When at least four are mounted on a ship and tied into an installed point defense system, increase the damage by 1 die (in effect increasing the damage by one size category), and multiplier by x15 instead of x10 and increases the range of of attacks of opporunity and of the system itself to 1000 ft adjacent squares around the ship's square. Also the damage type of the point defense system changes to half ballistic/half fire for the plasma weaponry enhancement.
X-Ray Laser
After much research in laser weapons, and pulse/beam weapons, weapon designers discovered the x-ray variant laser. These types of lasers are slow to fire, and require a large amount of power, and only somewhat more powerful than other lasers, while being quite a bit larger than normal lasers. The main advantage of x-ray lasers is their armour penetrating capabilities, and normal laser defeating means are only half effective.
X-Ray Laser (PL7)
Damage: 11d8, ignore 40 points of DR/hardness
Critical: 19-20x3
Damage Type: Fire
Range Increment: 3000 ft
Rate of Fire: Single
Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
Purchase DC: 40
Restriction: Military (+3)
Spinal Mount
This option for ship based weapons allows one to install a large weapon onto a ship smaller than its listed minimum size. The ship can only get this option during construction as the ship is literally built around the weapon system.
A spinal mount weapon can be mounted on a ship one size smaller than its minimum listed size. For example, a rail cannon has a minimum ship size of gargantuan. As a spinal mount, the rail cannon can fit on a huge ship.
Spinal mounts have reduced payloads of weapons with physical ammunition, by half. They have reduced rates of fire for both physical ammunition weapons and energy weapons. So an automatic would now be semi, and semi would be single. You can rule that energy weapons also have reduced amount of ammunition due to power drains, especially if you want to keep a higher rate of fire.
These type of spinal mounts are usually seen on heavy fighters or bombers to give them a heavy, but limited punch against light capital ships or heavy fighters and bombers.
PDC +2 for this type of spinal mount.
For spinal mounts on a ship that meets the minimum ship size, or is bigger, the spinal mount version is considered a heavy version. Weapon has reduced rate of fire and payload and suffer a -2 to attacks on ships of gargantuan or bigger, but gains +50%, rounding up, damage and +100% range and ignore 20 points of DR/hardness. If the weapon already ignores some DR/hardness, add 20 to its rating. These are bigger, more powerful versions, usually mounted on destroyers or cruisers, meant to be ship killers. Can be found on corvettes and above class of ships.
PDC+5
Edit:
To make spinal mounts far more attractive, here's a little edit for larger ships.
For every increase in ship type above light, a spinal mount weapon can be made even bigger to match the size of the ship, by increasing the damage and range by 50% of the ORIGINAL weapon used, and a decrease in rate of fire. So a cruiser, which is a mediumweight ship can use a spinal mount weapon with a total of 100% range and damage increase but has it's rate of fire reduced twice.
OR a ship could have multiple spinal mounts of a weapon at least one ship type smaller than itself equal to ship size minus 1 in difference between its size and light. So a cruiser could have two light sized ship spinal mounts or one mediumweight. While a dreadnought, a super heavy ship, could have two heavy spinal mounts or 3 mediumweight or 4 light spinal mounts.
This is a smaller version of the standard plasma cannon. Although the smaller size means reduced range and power when compared to a standard plasma cannon, it is still one of the most powerful weapons for a ship of Huge size.
Damage: 10d8 (45)
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Fire
Range Increment: 2,000 ft.
Rate of Fire: Single, S, or A
Minimum Ship Size: Huge
Purchase DC: 33
Restriction: Military (+3)
Beam/Pulse Weapon System
This system combines long range of lasers with faster fire of plasma weaponry for close range combat all from the same barrel. Although more expensive than having just lasers or plasma cannons, the dual beam/pulse system allows most ships to be able to switch between the two systems, creating better flexibility in combat. When several are mounted in turrets on larger vessels, they can be tied into the point defense system, greatly improving it's damage capacity, however it makes the weapons unavailable for normal use by gunners.
Light Beam/Pulse System (Late PL7)
Damage: 6d8 (27) laser, 10d8 (45) plasma
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Fire, fire
Range Increment: 3500 ft laser, 2000 ft. plasma
Rate of Fire: Single laser , S or A plasma
Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
Purchase DC: 35
Restriction: Military (+3)
Game Note: Switching from laser or plasma weapons is a free action which can only be switched once per round. When at least four are mounted on a ship and tied into an installed point defense system, increase the damage by 1 die (in effect increasing the damage by one size category) and increases the range of of attacks of opporunity and of the system itself to 1000 ft adjacent squares around the ship's square. Also the damage type of the point defense system changes to half ballistic/half fire for the plasma weaponry enhancement.
Medium Beam/Pulse System (Early PL8)
An upgraded version of the light beam/pulse system using heavier lasers and plasma cannons
Damage: 8d8 (36) laser, 14d8 (63) plasma
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Fire, fire
Range Increment: 4000 ft laser, 3000 ft. plasma
Rate of Fire: Single laser , S or A plasma
Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
Purchase DC: 37
Restriction: Military (+3)
Game Note: Switching from laser or plasma weapons is a free action which can only be switched once per round. When at least four are mounted on a ship and tied into an installed point defense system, increase the damage by 1 die (in effect increasing the damage by one size category), and multiplier by x15 instead of x10 and increases the range of of attacks of opporunity and of the system itself to 1000 ft adjacent squares around the ship's square. Also the damage type of the point defense system changes to half ballistic/half fire for the plasma weaponry enhancement.
X-Ray Laser
After much research in laser weapons, and pulse/beam weapons, weapon designers discovered the x-ray variant laser. These types of lasers are slow to fire, and require a large amount of power, and only somewhat more powerful than other lasers, while being quite a bit larger than normal lasers. The main advantage of x-ray lasers is their armour penetrating capabilities, and normal laser defeating means are only half effective.
X-Ray Laser (PL7)
Damage: 11d8, ignore 40 points of DR/hardness
Critical: 19-20x3
Damage Type: Fire
Range Increment: 3000 ft
Rate of Fire: Single
Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
Purchase DC: 40
Restriction: Military (+3)
Spinal Mount
This option for ship based weapons allows one to install a large weapon onto a ship smaller than its listed minimum size. The ship can only get this option during construction as the ship is literally built around the weapon system.
A spinal mount weapon can be mounted on a ship one size smaller than its minimum listed size. For example, a rail cannon has a minimum ship size of gargantuan. As a spinal mount, the rail cannon can fit on a huge ship.
Spinal mounts have reduced payloads of weapons with physical ammunition, by half. They have reduced rates of fire for both physical ammunition weapons and energy weapons. So an automatic would now be semi, and semi would be single. You can rule that energy weapons also have reduced amount of ammunition due to power drains, especially if you want to keep a higher rate of fire.
These type of spinal mounts are usually seen on heavy fighters or bombers to give them a heavy, but limited punch against light capital ships or heavy fighters and bombers.
PDC +2 for this type of spinal mount.
For spinal mounts on a ship that meets the minimum ship size, or is bigger, the spinal mount version is considered a heavy version. Weapon has reduced rate of fire and payload and suffer a -2 to attacks on ships of gargantuan or bigger, but gains +50%, rounding up, damage and +100% range and ignore 20 points of DR/hardness. If the weapon already ignores some DR/hardness, add 20 to its rating. These are bigger, more powerful versions, usually mounted on destroyers or cruisers, meant to be ship killers. Can be found on corvettes and above class of ships.
PDC+5
Edit:
To make spinal mounts far more attractive, here's a little edit for larger ships.
For every increase in ship type above light, a spinal mount weapon can be made even bigger to match the size of the ship, by increasing the damage and range by 50% of the ORIGINAL weapon used, and a decrease in rate of fire. So a cruiser, which is a mediumweight ship can use a spinal mount weapon with a total of 100% range and damage increase but has it's rate of fire reduced twice.
OR a ship could have multiple spinal mounts of a weapon at least one ship type smaller than itself equal to ship size minus 1 in difference between its size and light. So a cruiser could have two light sized ship spinal mounts or one mediumweight. While a dreadnought, a super heavy ship, could have two heavy spinal mounts or 3 mediumweight or 4 light spinal mounts.
