Step 2: Armor
The level of armor you decide to install in your new ship design will affect the durability you have available for all other installed systems. Like all other installed systems, a ship’s armor takes up hull points. Light armor takes up no hull points. Medium armor requires hull points equal to 5 percent of the ship’s total hull point score. Heavy armor requires 10 percent of the ship’s hull points. Super-heavy armor requires 20 percent of the ship’s hull points. Armor protects a ship against the effects of enemy fire, reducing the damage of hits sustained by the ship.
Alloy
Composed of carefully fitted belts or plates of very tough alloys such as vanadium steel, alloy armor is reasonably cheap and effective.
Polymeric
Polymeric armor is made up of advanced polymers, like carbon fiber and high-grade fiberglass. It is relatively cheap and light, but doesn’t offer tremendous protection.
Reflective
Consisting of dense, highly polished plates of metal, reflective armor is effective against simple energy weapons. It is quickly defeated by more advanced weaponry.
Design Tip: Armor Your ship design should devote about 10 to 20 percent of its hull points to defenses—armor and shields. Of course, you can maximize protection, but you’ll have to give up firepower or maneuverability. Similarly, going light on the armor leaves you more room for weapons and engines. It’s your call.
Neutronite
Advanced materials technologies lead to the creation of artificially dense materials that can withstand enormous forces. Neutronite is a tough steel alloy into which a “weave” of free neutrons has been pressed. It is incredibly massive, weighing about five times more than a similar volume of lead.
Reactive
A forerunner of the more advanced nanofluidic armor, reactive armor consists of layers of insulating gel or compressed gas between cerametal sheets. High-velocity impacts and energy beams may burn through the armor before it can dissipate the impact or heat of an intense blow.
Crystallis
This sophisticated armor consists of a crystalline lattice that absorbs phenomenal amounts of energy. While it is not particularly effective against projectiles and other massive weapons, it is the finest energy protection available.
Nanofluidic
Consisting of a thick layer of gel-like fluid sandwiched in a neutronite structure, nanofluidic armor is “smart” armor—it concentrates at the point of impact to blunt physical blows, and circulates around heat sources to dissipate energy. It is the most effective armor available.
Table 5-2: Armor
| Armor Type | Tech | LI | HI | En | Hull | Cost/Hull Pt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progress Level 6: Fusion Age | ||||||
| Alloy, Medium | - | d4+1 | d4+1 | d4 | 5% | $150 K |
| Alloy, Heavy* | - | d6+1 | d6+1 | d6 | 10% | $300 K |
| Alloy, Super-heavy! | - | d6+3 | d6+3 | d6+2 | 20% | $600 K |
| Polymeric, Light | - | d4-1 | d4-1 | d4-2 | 2.5% | $50 K |
| Polymeric, Medium | - | d4 | d4 | d4-1 | 5% | $100 K |
| Reflective, Light | - | d4-3 | d4-2 | d6-1 | 2.5% | $50 K |
| Reflective, Medium | - | d4-2 | d4-1 | d6 | 5% | $100 K |
| Reflective, Heavy* | - | d4 | d4 | d8+1 | 10% | $200 K |
| Progress Level 7: Gravity Age | ||||||
| Cerametal, Light | - | d6-1 | d6-1 | d6-1 | 2.5% | $100 K |
| Cerametal, Medium | - | d4+1 | d4+1 | d4+1 | 5% | $200 K |
| Cerametal, Heavy* | - | d8 | d8 | d8 | 10% | $400 K |
| Neutronite, Medium | S | d6+1 | d6+1 | d6+1 | 5% | $500 K |
| Neutronite, Heavy* | S | d8+1 | d8+1 | d8+1 | 10% | $1 M |
| Neutronite, Super-heavy! | S | d8+3 | d8+3 | d8+3 | 20% | $2 M |
| Reactive, Medium | - | d4+2 | d6 | d4 | 5% | $150 K |
| Reactive, Heavy* | - | 2d4+1 | d8 | d4+1 | 10% | $300 K |
| Reactive, Super-heavy! | - | 2d4+3 | d8+2 | d4+3 | 20% | $600 K |
| Progress Level 8: Energy Age | ||||||
| Crystallis, Light | P, X | d6-1 | d6 | d6+2 | 2.5% | $250 K |
| Crystallis, Medium | P, X | d6 | d6+1 | 2d4+1 | 5% | $500 K |
| Nanofluidic, Light | S, C | d8-1 | d8-1 | d8 | 2.5% | $500 K |
| Nanofluidic, Medium | S, C | 2d4 | 2d4 | 2d4 | 5% | $1 M |
| Nanofluidic, Heavy* | S, C | 2d4+1 | 2d4+2 | 2d4+1 | 10% | $2 M |
| Nanofluidic, Super-heavy! | S, C | 2d4+3 | 2d4+4 | 2d4+3 | 20% | $4 M |
* Heavy armors cannot be installed on small craft.
! Super-heavy armors cannot be installed on small craft or light ships.
LI, HI, En: The armor’s protective value against Low Impact, High Impact, and Energy attacks, respectively.
Hull: The amount of the ship’s hull points required by armor of this weight. Refer to the hull table for the number of hull points each percentage equals (2.5% is half of 5%, rounded normally).
Cost/Hull Pt.: Each hull point allocated to armor costs this much money. If the armor installation takes less than 1 hull point, use a minimum cost of 1 hull point worth of armor.