Starship Combat Quick Reference
Last Updated: 2026-01-16
Full rules: compiled/COMPILED_MODULE_PLAYER_RULES.md (Part IV), compiled/COMPILED_MODULE_GM_RULES.md (Part VIII)
| Level | DC | Level | DC | Level | DC |
|---|
| 0 | 14 | 8 | 24 | 16 | 35 |
| 1 | 15 | 9 | 26 | 17 | 36 |
| 2 | 16 | 10 | 27 | 18 | 38 |
| 3 | 18 | 11 | 28 | 19 | 39 |
| 4 | 19 | 12 | 30 | 20 | 40 |
| 5 | 20 | 13 | 31 | 21+ | 42+ |
| 6 | 22 | 14 | 32 | | |
| 7 | 23 | 15 | 34 | | |
| Difficulty | DC | | Adjustment | Modifier |
|---|
| Untrained | 10 | | Incredibly Easy | -10 |
| Trained | 15 | | Very Easy | -5 |
| Expert | 20 | | Easy | -2 |
| Master | 30 | | Hard | +2 |
| Legendary | 40 | | Very Hard | +5 |
| | | Incredibly Hard | +10 |
- Pilot rolls initiative (Piloting skill)
- Change Roles (start of turn, no action)
- Each crew member takes 1 action in any order
- Movement from Pilot actions
- Attacks of Opportunity when passing through/exiting adjacent hex
Starship Check = 1d20 + skill modifier + item bonuses + circumstance/status bonuses
| Role | Primary Skills | Key Actions |
|---|
| Captain | Diplomacy, Deception, Intimidation | Encourage, Coordinate, Taunt, Rally, Inspire |
| Pilot | Piloting | Glide, Fly, Full Power, Stunts |
| Engineer | Crafting | Divert, Restore Shields, Patch, Hold Together |
| Science Officer | Computers | Identify, Analyze, Lock On, Scan, Jam |
| Gunner | Piloting | Shoot, Launch, Suppressive Fire, Precise Shot |
| Deck Officer | Athletics, Acrobatics | Quick Fix, Overload Weapon, Direct Access |
| Magic Officer | Arcana, Occultism, Religion | Focus, Scry, Precognition, Mystic Haze, Eldritch Shot |
| Action | DC | Success | Failure |
|---|
| Encourage | Trained 15 (Push: 20) | +1 status (+2 Push) | -1 status |
| Coordinate | Trained 15 (Push: 20) | +1 if follow plan | -1 if follow plan |
| Taunt | Target captain's Perception DC | -1 to target's checks | No effect (CF: target +1) |
| Rally (Expert) | Expert 20 | All allies +1 next check | No effect |
| Inspire (Master) | Master 30, 1 HP | Allies roll twice/better (next action) | No effect |
| Intervene | No check | Reroll using your modifiers | -- |
Crit success: double the bonus. Crit failure: double the penalty.
| Action | DC | PCU | Crit Success | Success | Failure |
|---|
| Idle | -- | -- | -- | No move; lose prof to AC/TL | -- |
| Glide | Trained 15 | -- | Speed; +1 AC | Speed; -1 TL | Half speed; -1 all |
| Fly | Trained 15 | -- | Speed +1 | Speed | Half speed; -1 Gunnery |
| Full Power | Expert 20 | 5 | Speed +2 | Speed +1 | Speed -2; -1 all |
| Overdrive | Expert 20 | 10 | 2x speed; next turn -1 | 2x speed; penalties | Straight line; penalties |
| Stunt | DC | PCU | Crit Success | Success |
|---|
| Barrel Roll | Expert 20 | 2 | +2 AC/TL vs target | +1 AC/TL vs target |
| Escape | Trained 15 | 2 | +3 TL vs target | +2 TL vs target |
| Evade | Expert 20 | -- | +3 AC vs target | +2 AC vs target |
| Flip & Burn | Expert 20 | 4 | +2 AC/TL vs all | +1 AC/TL vs all |
| Strafe | Expert 20 | 4 | Next Gunnery +3 | Next Gunnery +2 |
| Gambit (Master) | -- | -- | Two Signature Stunts at -2 each | -- |
Unpracticed: +5 DC if not Signature Stunt. Breakthrough: +5 DC for enhanced crit success.
| Action | DC | PCU | Crit Success | Success |
|---|
| Divert | Level-based | 1/3/5 | Boost +1 level | Selected boost |
| Restore Shields | Shield's Restore DC | 5/10/20/40 | +25% extra | 25/50/75/100% restored |
| Patch System | 15/20/30 | -- | 2 patches | 1 patch |
| Hold Together (Trained) | Expert 20 + penalties | -- | 2 stages better | 1 stage better |
| Emergency Repairs (Expert) | 15 + HP/2 | 20 UPB/HP | Half UPB cost | HP restored |
| PCU | Boost |
|---|
| 1 | Minor: +1 status |
| 3 | Moderate: +2 status |
| 5 | Major: +3 status + range +1 |
| Condition | DC | Patches to Repair |
|---|
| Glitching | 15 | 2 |
| Malfunctioning | 20 | 3 |
| Wrecked | 30 | 4 |
Range Penalty: -2 per hex beyond sensor range
| Action | DC | PCU | Crit Success | Success |
|---|
| Identify | Target TL | -- | Basic info + system status | Basic info; Identified |
| Analyze System | Target TL | 1 | Two systems Analyzed | One system Analyzed |
| Lock On | Target TL | 2 | +2 damage dice next attack | +1 damage die |
| Scan Environment | GM-set | -- | Tactical + hidden feature | One tactical feature |
| Jam Comms (Expert) | Target TL+2 | 3 | No comms 1d4 rounds | No comms 1 round |
Identify Sweep: -2 cumulative penalty per extra target.
| Action | DC | Crit Success | Success |
|---|
| Shoot | Target AC | Hit + Critical Condition | Hit; weapon damage |
| Launch | Target TL | Hit + Critical Condition | Projectile spawns, moves to target |
| Suppressive Fire (Expert) | Expert 20 | Area ships -2 all checks | Area ships -1 all checks |
| Precise Shot (Master) | Target AC+5 | Chosen system 2 stages crit | Chosen system 1 stage crit |
Risk: Take 1-3 Risks for +DC and enhanced effects/penalties.
| Action | DC | PCU | Crit Success | Success |
|---|
| Quick Fix | 15 + 2/Risk | 1 + 1/Risk | +2 bonus (+1/Risk) | +1 bonus (+1/Risk) |
| Overload Weapon | Expert 20 + 2/Risk | 1 + 1/Risk | +2 dice (+1/Risk); 1d4 self | +1 die (+1/Risk); 1d4+/Risk self |
| Direct Access | 15/20/30 + 2/Risk | 1 + 1/Risk | 2 patches (+1/Risk) | 1 patch (+1/Risk) |
| Manual Evasion (Reaction) | Expert 20 + 2/Risk | 1 + 1/Risk | +2 AC (+1/Risk) | +1 AC (+1/Risk) |
Magic Points (MP): Shared resource; resets at start/end of combat. Amplify: +2 DC, +1 MP per Amplify.
| Action | DC | MP | Crit Success | Success |
|---|
| Focus | Trained 15 | -- | Gain 2 MP | Gain 1 MP |
| Scry | Target TL | 1 | 2 questions | 1 question |
| Precognition | Expert 20 | 2 | Roll twice, better + reroll 1s | Roll twice, better |
| Mystic Haze | Expert 20 | 3 | -2 to target your ship, 2 rds | -1 to target, 1 rd |
| Eldritch Shot (Expert) | Target AC | 2 | 2d6 force, ignores shields | 1d6 force, ignores shields |
| Roll | System | Roll | System |
|---|
| 1-3 | Life Support | 13-15 | Power Core |
| 4-6 | Sensors | 16-18 | Shields |
| 7-9 | Weapons (random) | 19-20 | Expansion Bays |
| 10-12 | Engines | | |
| Condition | Penalty |
|---|
| Glitching | -2 circumstance |
| Malfunctioning | -4 circumstance |
| Wrecked | -8 circumstance (effectively non-functional) |
- AC = frame AC (from table, includes base 10) + armor item + pilot proficiency (no level) + bonuses
- TL = frame TL (from table, includes base 10) + countermeasures item + pilot proficiency (no level) + bonuses
- HP = Base frame HP + (HP+ x levels after 1st)
- Repairing HP: 5 hours, 10 UPB/HP, Crafting check vs ship level DC
| Method | Check | DC | Effect |
|---|
| Anchoring Weapons | Gunnery | AC | Ships anchored; boarding possible |
| Ramming | Flight | AC | Collision damage; adjacent 1 round |
| Breaching Pods | Gunnery | AC | Pod attaches; 4 crew board next round |
Boarding Attack = 1d20 + leader's Intimidation/Athletics + size modifier vs BR (10 + ship level + security + crew quality)
| Result | Effect |
|---|
| Crit Success | Control one system; defenders take 4d6 |
| Success | Foothold established |
| Failure | Repelled; boarders take 2d6 |
| Crit Failure | Boarders captured/destroyed |
- Duration: 6 rounds. Each round: obstacle (optional) -> crew actions -> track successes.
- Hit limit by size: Tiny 4, Small 5, Medium 6, Large 7, Huge 8, Gargantuan 10, Colossal+ 12
| Successes | Pursuer Result | Quarry Result |
|---|
| 0-1 | Complete failure | Captured/destroyed |
| 2-3 | 50% SP/HP lost | Damaged escape |
| 4-5 | 25% SP/HP lost | Clean escape |
| 6+ | Minimal damage | Perfect escape |
Tier = (Avg Party Level - 1) / Number of Ships (round down, min 1)
| Stunt | Effect on Success |
|---|
| Escort | Ally +2/+3 AC and TL |
| Flank | Ally +2/+3 gunnery vs target |
| Intercept | Tracking weapon destroyed/penalized |
| Formation Flying | All +1 AC (crit: +1 gunnery) |
Ship Destruction: Crew takes 1d6 x enemy ship level damage (Reflex save vs level DC).
- Disabled (0 HP): Float at half speed; no offensive actions
- Destroyed (>2x max HP): Crew exposed to vacuum; 1d4 rounds to evacuate
- Power Core Breach: 3-round countdown; Round 3: stabilize (Master 30), eject (Expert 20), or explode (10d6 fire)
- Surrender: Diplomacy vs opponent captain's Perception DC
