Ftl Drives! Woot!
Faster than Light Drives
The cornerstone of the Terran Confederacy is FTL travel. Shipping, colonization, protection, everything depends on both FTL drives and communication. It binds the whole of the Confederation, not just under the thinly vieled fist of the Terran Confederate Navy, but by allowing vast corporations to exists that span solar systems.
The obelisk allowed Terran-Humans to leave the Sol system by providing six types of sub-light drives, and three types of faster than light travel. The G'Tak Empire also possesses these drives.
However, the drives invented by humans in the time since are in possession of the Confederacy only.
The letter C following a number means mutiples of light-speed. While some drives are taken from the MSRD-F, they have been slightly modified to fit within the Nova Wars universe, as well as slightly expanded upon.
Sublight Drives
Thrusters [PL 5]
In use by some Pre-Obelisk Terran nations at the time of The Discovery (Also known as the Liberation, the Release, and comedically: Opening the Bag) some ships still use this technology, although better refined and requiring less fuel.
- Minimum Ship Size: Medium
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +0 feet.
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 0.1C
- Starships Max Speed: 0.99C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: 0 ft.
- Maximum accelleration: Ship speed
- Maximum decelleration: Ship speed
Fusion Torch [PL 6]
This engine consists of a fusion reactor with one wall of the magnetic bottle missing, directing the thrust in the form of super-heated plasma. The fusion torch is intended for space-only applications; its exhaust stream would melt anything it landed on and incinerate everything within a few hundred yards of ground zero; it also expels a tremendous amount of radiation. Many ships fitted with fusion torch rockets use thrusters for atmospheric travel. However, combat ships, whose pilots and dismount crew are NOT concerned with radiation, rely merely on fusion torches, both for liftoff, and to subdue anything in the landing zone that might be hostile. To structures near the fusion torch, it does 20d6 damage.
A ship using a fusion torch as its primary source of propulsion must refuel after every three battles or interplanetary trips. Fusion torch fuel has a purchase DC of 23 or can be gathered by using a ramscoop.
- Minimum Ship Size:: Gargantuan.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +500 feet (+1 square).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: .75C
- Starships Max Speed: unknown
- Starship's Minimum Speed: .01C
Ramjet Engine
The Ramjet Engine uses a matter scoop to draw particles from space, through a torus, and converting them to energy. While it may take time to get up to speed, eventually a ramjet engine will break the lightspeed barrier. A Ramjet requires the same amount of time to slow down as it does to accellerate.
- Minimum Ship Size:: Gargantuan.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +1000 feet (+2 squares).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: .75C
- Starships Max Speed: unknown
- Starship's Minimum Speed: .01C
Ion Engine: Space [PL 6]
The ion engine generates power to break down molecules of a fuel material to create ions, and then expels them by means of a magnetic impeller. It doesn’t provide as effective a mass-thrust ratio as the fusion torch, but it’s more fuel efficient, and its exhaust is not nearly as dangerous.
A ship using an ion engine as its primary source of propulsion must refuel after every five battles or interplanetary trips. Ion engine fuel has a purchase DC of 29 or the use of a ramscoop.
- Minimum Ship Size:Huge.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +500 feet (+1 square).
- Starship's Cruising Speed:
- Starships Max Speed:
- Starship's Minimum Speed:
Ion Engine: Atmospheric [PL 6]
The ion engine generates power to break down molecules of a fuel material to create ions, and then expels them by means of a magnetic impeller. It doesn’t provide as effective a mass-thrust ratio as the fusion torch, but it’s more fuel efficient, and its exhaust is not nearly as dangerous.
A ship using an ion engine as its primary source of propulsion must refuel after every five battles or interplanetary trips. Ion engine fuel has a purchase DC of 29 or use of a ramscoop.
- Minimum Ship Size: Huge.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +500 feet (+1 square).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: .75C
- Starships Max Speed: .9C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: None
Solar/Photon Sail [PL 6]
Photon sails are immense but extremely fragile foil structures only a few molecules thick. Light pressure from a nearby star (or laser drive station, when available) provides motive force. The sails’ acceleration rates drop to half if the ship is beyond the edge of a star system and drop to one-quarter if the only available light is starlight. The sails can be wrecked by minor damage, but every ship equipped with photon sails carries at least three spare sets. Unfortunately, it takes 12 hours to replace damaged sails, though deployment or stowage of the sails takes only 1 minute.
In combat, any weapon hit against a sail-driven starship destroys the deployed photon sails and prevents the ship from moving until the sails are replaced. The sail-ship continues on its last course and retains its former speed until the sails are replaced. Accordingly, most sail-ships carry a secondary propulsion system (such as thrusters or an ion engine) for emergency maneuvering and sailing against the sun. Photon sails are completely useless in atmosphere—in fact, they’re instantly destroyed by atmospheric entry—making a secondary propulsion system a virtual necessity for most sail-ships.
- Minimum Ship Size: : Gargantuan.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: None
- Starship's Cruising Speed: .5C
- Starships Max Speed: .99C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: None
FTL/Sublight Combination Drives
Induction Drive [PL 7]
Hands-down the best engine available at this or any previous Progress Level, the induction engine uses artificial gravity to provide incredible thrust and maneuverability. The induction engine requires no fuel and produces no exhaust; it’s ideal for atmospheric, orbital, or deep-space work. Recent advances by the Terrans have allowed it to break the lightspeed barrier, although it is somewhat slow for FTL travel.
- Minimum Ship Size: Huge.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +1,000 feet (+2 squares).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 5C
- Starships Max Speed: 6C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: N/A
Particle Impulse Engine [PL 7]
The particle impulse engine is the next evolutionary step of the PL 6 ion engine. It uses magnetic fields to produce a constant stream of high-energy particles, as well as to provide vectored thrust. The major advancement of the particle impulse drive over the ion drive is that the particle impulse engine uses a negligible amount of fuel, which it also manufactures. The drive’s reaction is so efficient that the tiny amounts of matter present in interplanetary or interstellar space can be collected through weak magnetic fields and converted into a thrust medium. Better still, the particle impulse engine is capable of atmospheric entry. It causes some damage to any surface close to its exhaust ports (5d6 per round), but nowhere near as much damage as PL 6 engines do.
Several decades ago, the Digital Artifical Life Forms Systems (DALFS) had a breakthrough in FTL travel, using the PIE. Since this occurred, many ships have been retrofit with the FTL components. This is one of the primary TCN engines for warships.
- Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +1,000 feet (+2 squares).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 10C
- Starships Max Speed: 15C
Gravatic Redirector [PL 8]
A refinement of the induction engine and the sublight version of the singularity drive, the gravitic redirector creates a gravitic singularity—essentially, a sub-microscopic black hole—in the vicinity of the ship, producing a constant pull on the ship. By changing the location of the singularity relative to the ship, the pilot can change the direction of the ship’s travel. The gravitic redirector is more powerful and more efficient than the induction engine, and at the height of the technology’s heyday, virtually foolproof. A gravitic redirector can operate within a atmosphere and a gravity well.
Recent advances by the Terran Confederacy have enabled the gravatic redirector engine to be used for FTL travel, but this is a closely guarded secret, and not available to the general public. Possession of an FTL drive gravatic redirector engine is a capitol offense, punishable by no less than 10 life sentences on a hellworld.
- Minimum Ship Size: Colossal.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +1,500 feet (+3 squares).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 25C
- Starships Max Speed: 30C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: 0 ft
Inertial Flux Engine [PL 8]
By precisely controlling the quantum energy level of every atom on the ship simultaneously, the inertial flux engine assumes the inertial states necessary to produce motion in any direction. In effect, by operating the controls, the pilot chooses from instant to instant what vector the ship’s atoms will next possess, and the inertial flux engine alters them simultaneously—along with everything else aboard, including the crew and passengers
This is the latest sublight/FTL drive, and currently is only in use by the Confederate Navy and a few select, powerful corporations.
- Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan.
- Tactical Speed Bonus: +1,500 feet (+3 squares).
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 15C
- Starships Max Speed: 30C
- Starship's Minimum Speed:
- Maximum accelleration: 5C per minute
- Maximum decelleration: instaneous upon entry to realspace
FTL Drives
Singularity Drive [PL 6]
By wrapping a magentic bottle around a singularity, this drive functions both in and out of atmosphere, as well as for sublight speeds by weakening the magnetic bottle that cancels out the gravity of the the singularity.
When light speed is desired, vast arrays of computers perform the correct calculations, and the bottle is breached in one area for a limited amount of time. The ship is immediately pulled beyond the event horizon and accellerated beyond light speed. While a highly dangerous drive type, this was already in theory by Pre-Obelisk scientists, and was easily adapted to Terran spacecraft.
Any craft whose magnetic bottle fails is presumed destroyed.
A singularity drive enables a ship to instantly exit realspace at one point, and reemerge in another. The computations for the jump take 1 minute per light year moved.
- Minimum Ship Size: Colossal
- Starship's Cruising Speed: N/A
- Starships Max Speed: N/A
- Starship's Minimum Speed: N/A
- Maximum accelleration: N/A
- Maximum decelleration: N/A
Hyperspace Drive [PL 6]
The most advanced type of drive found in the Obelisk, human engineers quickly improved upon the engine, making it faster, more energy efficient, and usuable nearly everywhere instead of outside of a sun's gravity well. Early models could not be used within a solar system due to the suns gravity interfering with the transit point. These engines rapidly accellerate, and once .5C is reached, exit normal space and enter hyperspace.
- Minimum Ship Size:
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 25C
- Starships Max Speed: 75C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: 1C
- Maximum accelleration: .25C/minute
- Maximum decelleration: Instantaneous upon exiting hyperspace
Warp Field Drive [PL 5]
A warpfield drive locates temporary gravitational anomolies that create "warped" points in space. This drive creates a field that allows the craft to "squirt" into the warped point, where light year distances are often compressed to a mere 3 hour transit.
- Minimum Ship Size: Gargantuan
- Starship's Cruising Speed: Depends on warp zone
- Starships Max Speed: Depends on warp zone
- Starship's Minimum Speed: N/A
- Maximum accelleration: Instant
- Maximum decelleration: Instant
Jump Drive [PL 7]
Originally one of the few FTL drives theories listed in the Obelisk, human engineers mastered it within a century based on theoretical data produced by Dr. Hawking. The Jump Drive is often known as a "Hawking Drive" due to his extensive work on wormhole theory before his death. The jump drive can create a stable, though temporary, wormhole that lasts until the ship that created it emerges from the exit point. Energy from the limited worm hole can be detected by sensors for up to a week.
A jump drive takes 1 hour of transit time per light year travelled, and moves at a steady, unmeasurable speed through jumpspace.
The jump drive suffers from one major limitation. Once a ship has entered jump space, it has only two real options: continue to the exit point or deactivate the jump drive. The ship cannot change course while in jump space; it must drop out of jump space, set a new course, and re-engage the jump drive. The drawback to this is that jump drives require a lot of energy; recharging the drive takes hours, as shown in FMSRD Table: Jump Drive Recharge Time.
- Minimum Ship Size: Huge
- Starship's Cruising Speed: NA
- Starships Max Speed: N/A
- Starship's Minimum Speed: N/A
- Maximum accelleration: N/A
- Maximum decelleration: N/A
String Drive [PL 7]
Underlying the universe are vast constructs of prime matter known as "superstrings". While for some the shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, for a string-drive equipped vessel, it's shooting down a Superstring to it's desitination.
Pilot's may "stringjump" with a successful Pilot Check (DC: 10+Speed /5C) to reach an alternate destination. Pilots may not use computer assistance when "stringjumping" or "stringriding" and must rely solely on thier pilot skill. They must suceed at a Pilot (Starship) Check every 10 minutes (DC: 10 +1 per 10C of speed) or the ship will take the same amount of d4 damage as speed.
Most astrogation computers will only allow jumps to pre-navigated strings.
- Minimum Ship Size: Huge
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 25 C
- Starships Max Speed: 500C
- Starship's Minimum Speed: 5C
- Maximum accelleration: 10C/minute
- Maximum decelleration: 5C/minute
Shunt Drive [PL 7]
In space there exists gravitational "shunts" where space is weaker between two locations. The shunt drive allows a ship to enter these "weak spots" and traverse through the areas where space is "folded". A pilot must make a Piloting Check, with a DC of 10 base (+1 per 10 LY multiplier beyond Cx50) or damage the ship (This check must be made every hour, or when passing a solar system or other gravitational "knot) for damage equal to the C multiplier.
- Minimum Ship Size: Large
- Starship's Cruising Speed: 50C
- Starships Max Speed: Unknown
- Starship's Minimum Speed: 50C
- Maximum accelleration: 5C/minute
- Maximum decelleration: instaneous upon exiting shuntspace
Tachyon Drive [PL 8]
Developed recently, and only fielded on smaller vessels due to power and tachyon field constraints imposed by current theory and technology, only ships of the line carry these drives.
- Maximum Ship Size: Huge
- Starship's Cruising Speed: Lightspeed x 0.5
- Starships Max Speed: Lightspeed x 500
- Starship's Minimum Speed: None
- Maximum accelleration: .25 C/rnd
- Maximum decelleration:
.25 C/rnd
Later: Shunt Space, Viodspace, Hyperspace, Stringspace, Jumpspace and thier effects on travellers, as well as hazards, encounters, pursuits, tracking, etc.