Player > Starships
Starships
Tier | Starship Build Points | Special |
1/4 | 25 | — |
1/3 | 30 | — |
1/2 | 40 | — |
1 | 55 | — |
2 | 75 | — |
3 | 95 | — |
4 | 115 | HP increase |
5 | 135 | — |
6 | 155 | — |
7 | 180 | — |
8 | 205 | HP increase |
9 | 230 | — |
10 | 270 | — |
11 | 310 | — |
12 | 350 | HP increase |
13 | 400 | — |
14 | 450 | — |
15 | 500 | — |
16 | 600 | HP increase |
17 | 700 | — |
18 | 800 | — |
19 | 900 | — |
20 | 1,000 | HP increase |
Regardless of starships’ size and purpose, they’re all created
using the same process. GMs and players alike can use the
following steps to create an incredibly diverse array of vessels,
from sleek science ships and nimble skirmishers to heavily
armored combat frigates. Alternatively, you can use the prebuilt
sample starships detailed later in this chapter (see page 305).
While it’s possible to run a Starfinder game that doesn’t
involve starships at all, the Starfinder RPG assumes that PCs
have access to a starship. Whether it was built from scrap,
received from a generous benefactor, or purchased with an
exorbitant loan, the PCs’ starship serves as a mobile base of
operations, a means of reaching distant stars, and a defense
against hostile alien vessels. Often, the PCs’ first starship is
designed by the GM and can be upgraded or even replaced
as the characters gain experience. However, some GMs might
allow the PCs free reign over their starship’s creation, letting
them feel a sense of true ownership over the starship that
will accompany them throughout the campaign. Either way,
a starship’s power level is based on the PCs’ Average Party
Level (APL)—the characters’ average character level. See
Refitting and Upgrading Starships on page 305 for information
on how to adjust a starship’s capabilities when the characters’
APL changes.
When creating a starship, follow these steps.
- Step 1: Conceptualize. Start by deciding what type of
starship you are designing, with a general idea of its purpose
and required crew size. If you are creating a starship to be
used by PCs, make sure that all the PCs can fit within the
vessel! Some of the choices you make later might depend on
your overall concept.
- Step 2: Determine tier and Build Points. If you are creating
a PC starship, determine the characters’ APL by adding
together the characters’ levels and dividing by the number
of characters. That number is their ship’s tier. If designing
enemy starships, decide the difficulty of the encounter (see
Designing Starship Encounters on page 326) and choose the
enemy ship’s tier. Once you know the tier of the ship, consult
Table 9–1: Starship Base Statistics to determine the number
of Build Points you can spend to create the starship. Note
that a starship receives a boost to its Hull Points equal to its
HP increment at tiers 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20.
- Step 3: Select a frame. Each starship is built upon one of a
variety of frames that determines its size, maneuverability,
crew complement, weapon mounts, and other basic statistics.
Each frame costs a certain number of Build Points; see Base
Frame below for more information.
- Step 4: Select a power core. A starship’s power core
determines its overall power available (listed in power
core units, or PCU), so you should spend Build Points on
it first (see page 296). This amount of power can be used
as a kind of budget when installing other systems, such as
thrusters and weapons—see Power Budget on page 296 for
more suggestions.
- Step 5: Select thrusters. A starship without a means of
propulsion is nothing more than a floating target (or an inert
hunk of metal on a planet’s surface), so spending Build Points
on the starship’s thrusters should be your next priority. On
page 296, thrusters are listed by starship size and speed (in
hexes) during combat.
- Step 6: Select other systems. Next, spend your remaining
Build Points on all the other systems you wish to have on
your starship. To be effective in combat, a starship needs
armor, defensive countermeasures, shields, and weapons.
If you wish to travel to locations outside of your home star
system, it also needs a Drift engine. Other, more optional
purchases include upgrades to the starship’s computers,
expansion bays, security, and sensors. (See Other Systems on
page 297.)
- Step 7: Add details. Finally, once all these choices have been
made, you should give your starship a name, determine its
relevant statistics (such as its AC and TL), and add any other
details (such as quirks, physical description, and so on).
Size | Length | Weight | AC and TL Modifiers |
Tiny | 20–60 ft. | 2–40 tons | +2 |
Small | 60–120 ft. | 30–250 tons | +1 |
Medium | 120–300 ft. | 50–2,500 tons | +0 |
Large | 300–800 ft. | 2,000–50,000 tons | –1 |
Huge | 800–2,000 ft. | 40,000–640,000 tons | –2 |
Gargantuan | 2,000–15,000 ft. | 600,000 tons to 250 megatons | –4 |
Colossal | Over 15,000 ft. | 200–2,000 megatons | –8 |
Supercolossal | Over 6 miles | Over 2,000 megatons | –8 |
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