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Player > Starships > Other > Armor

Starship Armor

Armor protects a ship from direct-fire weapons (see Type on page 303), deflecting their energy and preventing damage to critical ship systems. It grants an armor bonus to a ship’s AC. Armor’s cost depends on the bonus it grants and the ship’s size category (for the purpose of this calculation, Tiny = 1, Small = 2, Medium = 3, Large = 4, etc.). Armor is a passive system and does not require any PCU to remain functional. It provides protection primarily through mass, which can affect a ship’s maneuverability (making it harder to turn) and make it easier for opponents using tracking weapons to lock on to the ship— these effects are listed in the Special column of the table below.

NameBonus to ACSpecialCost (In BP)Source
Mk 1 armor11 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 2 armor22 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 3 armor33 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 4 armor45 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 5 armor5–1 TL7 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 6 armor6–1 TL9 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 7 armor7–1 TL12 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 8 armor8–1 TL15 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 9 armor9–2 TL, +1 turn distance18 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 10 armor10–2 TL, +1 turn distance21 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 11 armor11–2 TL, +1 turn distance25 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 12 armor12–3 TL, +2 turn distance30 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 13 armor13–3 TL, +2 turn distance35 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 14 armor14–3 TL, +2 turn distance40 × size categoryCRB p.297
Mk 15 armor15–4 TL, +3 turn distance45 × size categoryCRB p.297

Ablative Armor

By layering inexpensive metal and composite plates over existing bulkheads, a ship can absorb initial damage to its hull before its essential components become vulnerable to attack or hostile environments. However, thicker plates are bulky and interfere with the maneuverability and handling of starships. Ablative armor grants a starship temporary Hull Points to each quadrant, usually distributed evenly. When a starship would take damage to its Hull Points, it first reduces its temporary Hull Points from ablative armor in that quadrant. Once a starship’s temporary Hull Points in a quadrant are reduced to 0, any further damage to that quadrant not absorbed by shields is applied to the ship’s Hull Points. The loss of temporary Hull Points does not count toward the starship’s critical threshold, though for all other effects, any attack that reduces a starship’s temporary Hull Points is treated as though it had dealt Hull Point damage to the target.
In most cases, ablative armor is applied evenly, distributing its temporary Hull Points between all four quadrants. However, a starship can support uneven distribution at the cost of the starship’s handling, though the vessel can add only a limited amount of extra armor to smaller hulls. If a starship’s ablative armor is not installed evenly across all four quadrants, reduce the starship’s base frame Piloting modifier by 1 (minimum –3). Reduce the Piloting modifier by 1 if the temporary Hull Points granted by ablative armor exceed the starship’s Hull Point total. A starship cannot support ablative armor if its temporary Hull Points exceed twice its standard Hull Point total.
Ablative armor can be restored only when the starship undergoes repairs, and it is repaired at the same rate and cost as standard Hull Points. A starship’s Hull Points must be fully repaired before making repairs to any temporary Hull Points provided by ablative armor.

NameTotal Temp HPSpecialCost (In BP)Source
Basic ablative armor82SOM p.20
Basic ablative armor163SOM p.20
Basic ablative armor244SOM p.20
Basic ablative armor325SOM p.20
Basic ablative armor406SOM p.20
Light ablative armor52–1 TL8SOM p.20
Light ablative armor64–1 TL10SOM p.20
Light ablative armor76–1 TL12SOM p.20
Light ablative armor88–1 TL13SOM p.20
Light ablative armor100–1 TL14SOM p.20
Medium ablative armor120–2 TL, +1 turn distance16SOM p.20
Medium ablative armor140–2 TL, +1 turn distance17SOM p.20
Medium ablative armor160–2 TL, +1 turn distance19SOM p.20
Medium ablative armor180–2 TL, +1 turn distance21SOM p.20
Medium ablative armor200–2 TL, +1 turn distance22SOM p.20
Heavy ablative armor240–2 TL, +2 turn distance24SOM p.20
Heavy ablative armor280–2 TL, +2 turn distance27SOM p.20
Heavy ablative armor320–2 TL, +2 turn distance29SOM p.20
Heavy ablative armor360–2 TL, +2 turn distance31SOM p.20
Heavy ablative armor400–2 TL, +2 turn distance34SOM p.20
Superior ablative armor460–3 TL, +2 turn distance38SOM p.20
Superior ablative armor520–3 TL, +2 turn distance45SOM p.20

Other Armors

NameCost (In BP)Source
Energy-absorbent plating4 × size category3C03 p.47

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