Here are some more goodies that will be going into Version 3. I tell ya, you guys really sparked my imagination on this one! THANKS!
Taking Off and Landing
Ordinarily taking off and landing are simple maneuvers and no Pilot checks need to be made. In other cases, dangerous crosswinds and other factors can combine to make taking off or landing a difficult prospect. The GM determines when a pilot must make a Pilot check to take off or land.
On a successful Pilot skill check, the maneuver goes smoothly. On a failed check, the Pilot can choose to abort the maneuver or keep going. If the pilot aborts the maneuver, no further Pilot checks are required and the pilot may attempt the maneuver again in 1d4+1 minutes. If the pilot chooses to keep going, the Pilot check DC increases by +2 and he must roll again. If the pilot fails any Pilot check by more than 10 the airship crashes and takes collision damage (see Collisions). A pilot cannot take 10 or 20 on a Pilot skill check to takeoff or land.
The GM can choose from or roll on Table: Takeoff and Landing Hazards to add drama to an otherwise routine maneuver.
Table: Takeoff and Landing Hazards
d% Hazard
01-50 Uneventful
76-90 Crosswind
91-95 Air Traffic
97-99 Rough Runway
100 Equipment Failure
Uneventful: The maneuver goes smoothly. No Pilot skill checks are required.
Crosswind: A strong wind is blowing across the runway or straight on. The Pilot check DC is 9 + 1d10. Since winds change frequently, if the pilot chooses to keep going the GM must once more determine the Pilot check DC.
Air Traffic: Another airship looms into view. Both pilots must roll to avoid a collision (see Collisions).
Rough Runway: The runway is in bad repair, which makes taking off or landing a rough ride. The pilot must succeed on a DC 15 Pilot check to take off or land.
Equipment Failure: It happens even to the most well-maintained airships. Some vital piece of equipment fails during the maneuver. During takeoff, the pilot can only choose abort the maneuver and must succeed on a DC 15 Pilot check to avoid crashing. On a failed Pilot check, the airship takes collision damage (see Collisions). If equipment fails during landing, the pilot can only choose to keep going. The airship must receive a DC 20 Repair check and 2d4 hours of repair time (at a cost of 1/4 the Purchase DC if the airship) before it can fly again
Short Runways
In most metropolitan areas, landing fields are usually long enough to handle even the largest of airships. In out-of-the-way places, small villages, or wilderness areas, such roomy airstrips are rare and can only easily accommodate small airships. Occasionally, a pilot must bring his airship down in less than ideal circumstances. Sometimes the pilot is under duress and must take off or land in a shorter distance even if the runway is long enough for a normal maneuver. Taking off or landing in a shorter distance is difficult and dangerous.
An airship normally requires 4 times its size in 100-foot squares to take off safely, and 8 times its size in 100-foot squares to land. On a successful DC 25 Pilot check, the pilot can take off in 3 times its size in squares and land in 6 times its size in squares.
As with all such maneuvers, the pilot can choose to abort the maneuver or keep going (see above).
For example, a Huge airship which fills 1/2 a square normally requires 2 squares to take off and 4 squares to land. The pilot can take off in 1.5 squares or land in 4.5 squares, but to do so he must succeed on a DC 25 Pilot check.
VTOL: Some airships have the VTOL (vertical take off and landing) trait. These airships do not need runways to take off or land.
