TEXT: The Modern Dispatch
  New�Starship�Class�Templates
  Page 1
  Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying 
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  #20
  The Gravity Star is a customized PL 7 escort designed 
  to be used as a base of operations for a party of 
  interstellar adventurers. This PDF details the starship, 
  offers suggestions for getting your players onboard, 
  and provides some suggestions for adventure once 
  they’re traveling the stars.
  If you’re in need of more starships, please consider 
  Ronin Arts’ Future: Starships line available at www.
  rpgnow.com. Each PDF in the series presents a 
  starship, new rules, adventure hooks, and information 
  speciﬁc to the ship design. You can also ﬁnd starship 
  information in RPGObject’s October Modern 
  Dispatch collection and their Blood and Space line.
  THE GRAVITY STAR 
  (PL 7) CUSTOMIZED 
  ESCORT
  This customized escort features the Marauder-class 
  template (see box) and additional modiﬁcations 
  (presented in game terms through quirks, see below).
  Type: Ultralight
  Subtype: Escort
  Defense: 7
  Flat-footed Defense: 5
  Autopilot Defense: 5
  Hardness: 40
  Hit Dice: 23d20 (460 hp)
  Initiative Modiﬁer: +5
  Pilot’s Class Bonus: +3
  Pilot’s Dex Modiﬁer: +2
  Gunner’s Attack Bonus: +2
  Size: Colossal (–8 size)
  Tactical Speed: 4,000 ft. (8 sq.)
  Length: 180 feet
  Weight: 900 tons
  Targeting System Bonus: +5
  Crew: 8 (trained +4)
  Passenger Capacity: 24
  Cargo Capacity: 30 tons
  Grapple Modiﬁer: +16
  Base Purchase DC: 52
  Restriction: Restricted (+2)
  Attack: 2 ﬁre-linked heavy neutron guns –3 ranged 
  (15d8) and 2 ﬁre-linked rail cannons –8 ranged (9d12) 
  and CHE missile –8 ranged (6d12/19–20)
  Attack of Opportunity: Point-defense system +3 
  ranged (1d12×10)
  STANDARD PL 6 DESIGN 
  SPECS: 
  Engines: Induction engine, thrusters
  Armor: Neutronite
  Defense Systems: Damage control system (1d10), 
  magnetic ﬁeld, point-defense system, particle ﬁeld, 
  radiation shielding, repair drones, sensor jammer
  Sensors: Class V sensor array, improved targeting 
  system
  Communications: Drivesat comm. Array, mass 
  transceiver.
  Weapons: 2 ﬁre-linked heavy neutron guns (range 
  incr. 6,000 ft.), 2 ﬁre-linked rail cannons (range incr. 
  3,000 ft.), 1 CHE missile launcher (8 missiles)
  Grappling Systems: Grapplers
  Quirks: Temperamental engine core, unexpected 
  power ﬂuctuations (see below).
  THE GRAVITY STAR
  BY PHILIP REED (RONIN ARTS)
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  New�Starship�Class�Templates
  Page 2
  STARSHIP QUIRKS
  A fun concept used in several sci-ﬁ movies and 
  series is the starship quirk. The starship quirk is an 
  unusual ﬂaw or defect that plagues the ship and gives 
  it personality and a unique identity. Starship quirks 
  are never intentionally planned and are typically 
  encountered on heavily modiﬁed, older generation 
  ships. 
  The Gravity Star has the following quirks:
  TEMPERAMENTAL ENGINE CORE
  The Gravity Star’s engines, having been cobbled 
  together from stolen and cast-off military hardware, 
  sometimes give out – especially when pushed to their 
  operational limits. The problem is untraceable and 
  permanent – the only way to repair the problem is to 
  completely replace the engines with an off-the-shelf 
  system.
  Disadvantage: Once per turn, if the ship is moving 
  at its maximum tactical speed, roll 1d20. If the result 
  is equal to or less than the number of squares moved 
  that round + the number of rounds the ship has 
  maintained its maximum tactical speed, the engines 
  fail and the ship is immobilized. Repairing the engines 
  requires a DC 25 Repair check and takes 1d4+1 
  minutes. Reduce the Repair DC by 5 for each failed 
  attempt at restarting the ship’s engines.
  Advantage: Increase the ship’s tactical speed by 
  1,000 ft. (2 squares).
  UNEXPECTED POWER 
  FLUCTUATIONS
  Plugging the upgraded sensor and defense systems 
  into the Gravity Star was not a task performed in a dry 
  dock or engineer’s repair facility. Instead, the ship was 
  upgraded a component at a time over the years, much 
  of the work performed in questionable locales and 
  without the proper tools. This, coupled with the lax 
  maintenance schedule and a number of various 
  owners’ tendency to use the cheapest components 
  available, has led the ship to develop unusual power 
  problems.
  Disadvantage: At the beginning of each trip, and 
  again at the beginning of each combat encounter, roll 
  1d20. On a roll of 8 or less the ship exhibits power 
  failures for this trip (or combat, as appropriate) and 
  all attack and defense rolls suffer a –1d4 penalty (roll 
  the penalty once for each crew member – the power 
  ﬂuctuations are random across the ship). Additionally, 
  a random communications or sensor system is 
  inoperative for this trip (or combat). A successful DC 
  30 Repair check reduces this penalty to –1 for this trip 
  (or combat). The Repair check must be made each 
  time that the d20 roll indicates the ship is experiencing 
  power ﬂuctuations.
  Additionally, doors on the ship are almost always 
  stuck (90% chance) and require four rounds to open.
  Beneﬁt: Increase the ship’s Initiative Modiﬁer by 
  +1 and the ship may have one more sensor, defemse, 
  or communications system than normally allowed.
  STARSHIP KEY
  1. Cockpit: Designed for three crewmembers 
  – a pilot, communications ofﬁce, and navigator 
  – the cockpit is quite large for a ship of this size. 
  The navigation and communication stations include 
  backup controls from which the ship may be piloted 
  (-2 penalty to Pilot checks) in an emergency.
  2. Crew Quarters: A downside to being on a ship 
  this size of the Gravity Star is that, except for the 
  pilot, this is the only place to sleep. Three triple bunks 
  mean tight quarters and this means that everyone from 
  the technician trainee to the communications ofﬁcer 
  have to live in the same area, a fact resented by almost 
  everyone. Each crewmember that sleeps in this room 
  has his own personal storage locker.
  3. Bathroom: Fully equipped and very necessary.
  4. Storage and Backup Systems: This area of 
  the ship is the primary cargo hold and is ﬁlled with a 
  variety of storage lockers. Additionally, a computer 
  terminal in this section can be used to perform every 
  task of running the ship – with the exception of 
  piloting.
  5. Airlock: This is the Gravity Star’s entrance and 
  airlock. The lockers contain a number of survival suits 
  and other gear potentially necessary for adventuring.
  6. Pilot’s Quarters: When the Gravity Star was 
  a military escort, this area was the pilot’s personal 
  quarters. Today it serves the same purpose though 
  some owners of the ship have used it as guest 
  accommodations or extra cargo space – all depending 
  on the ship’s function at the time (for a decade 
  or so the ship was used as a private taxi between 
  installations in the rim worlds). The room includes its 
  own, private bathroom.
  7. Ship’s Library: The computer terminal in 
  this area is stocked with data on every subject 
  MARAUDER-CLASS TEMPLATE (PL 7)
  The Marauder-class template can be applied to any PL 6 ultralight starship. The starship’s design specs 
  should be adjusted as follows.
  Hit Dice: Increase by +3d20.
  Engine Upgrade: Induction engine (tactical speed +1,000 ft.)
  Armor Upgrade: Neutronite (hardness 40).
  Defense System Upgrade: Repair Drones.
  Sensor System Upgrade: Class V sensor array, improved targeting system.
  Communications Upgrade: Drivesat comm. Array, mass transceiver.
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  New�Starship�Class�Templates
  Page 3
  imaginable. Additionally, records of the ship’s history, 
  maintenance, schematics, and whatever information 
  previous owners felt important have been added to the 
  ship’s library. This is an unusual feature on a ship of 
  this size and was added shortly after the Gravity Star 
  was decommissioned from military service. This area, 
  like many others on the ship, is sometimes used as 
  storage space in an emergency.
  8. Airlock Controls: The computer system in this 
  area, in addition to being connected to the ship’s 
  library, controls all three of the airlocks – the only 
  ways in or out of the ship.
  9. Airlock: This smaller airlock is identical to area 
  5, with the exception that the lockers in this area do 
  not hold any survival suits.
  10. Engineering: The ship’s unusual engine design 
  – built of scraps and stolen components – makes it 
  extremely temperamental (see Quirks, above) and in 
  constant need of repair. If possible, the current owners 
  of the Gravity Star prefer to keep two engineers in 
  this section during ﬂights so that they are immediately 
  available to attempt repairs if something goes wrong. 
  The door that originally separated this area from the 
  rest of the ship was removed to make it easier to get 
  into the section during an emergency.
  ACQUIRING 
  STARSHIPS
  In addition to the methods covered in the basic SRD 
  – borrow, rent, steal – here are some ideas for getting 
  your group of adventurers into a starship. After all, 
  most sci-ﬁ campaigns in which the player characters 
  do not own a starship will prove difﬁcult and 
  frustrating – it’s not a lot of fun to take a passenger 
  ship and it’s difﬁcult to get involved in starship 
  combat without owning your own starship.
  INHERITING A STARSHIP
  The simplest method for placing low-level PCs into a 
  starship is to have one of the player characters inherit 
  a ship. This can be handled by counting the starship in 
  place of a feat, permanently spending 5 action points, 
  or just giving one PC the starship. Any inherited 
  starship should be  partially damaged (the ship has 
  1d4+1x10 percent of its maximum hit points) and 
  one PL lower than the campaign level. An inherited 
  starship is very likely to have quirks (see above).
  FINDING A STARSHIP
  In some campaigns in which war plays a major role, 
  ﬁnding a heavily damaged starship and repairing it to 
  operational status is an excellent option. Allowing the 
  PCs the opportunity to ﬁnd – and rebuild – a starship 
  should be the focal point of an adventure and found 
  starships should always be abandoned derelicts. 
  A series of adventures can be designed around 
  rebuilding the derelict starship as the player characters 
  travel the galaxy in search of the proper parts. And 
  new starship components can make an excellent 
  payment for a group in the middle of retroﬁtting an 
  older design (transport this load of illicit materials and 
  we’ll give you a new particle beam as payment for the 
  job).
  ADVENTURE HOOKS
  Once a small group of interstellar heroes have 
  access to their own starship, a variety of adventure 
  possibilities open up. Below are just a few adventure 
  ideas.
  THE LOST IDOL
  The party hears rumors of a long-dead alien 
  civilization and manage to acquire the coordinates 
  of the planet on which the civilization is rumored to 
  have existed. They journey to this location where they 
  discover the ruins of an ancient city. A rival group is 
  there and the two forces suddenly become involved in 
  a race to locate and recover an ancient alien artifacts 
  of immense value to collectors.
  MEDICINE DELIVERY
  An outbreak of a rare and dangerous disease on a 
  distant asteroid colony can only be halted by a special 
  medicine from the core worlds. The group is hired to 
  deliver the medicine to the colony – or they are doing 
  it for personal reasons – when they encounter a band 
  of pirates that is charging a toll to those wishing to 
  land on the colony. The pirates, if the GM is feeling 
  particularly nasty, are responsible for the sickness 
  and are using it to steal money and supplies from the 
  colonists.
  STARSHIPS AND PURCHASE DCS
  According to the rules as presented, starships are extremely expensive pieces of equipment. This is 
  appropriate for many types of games but, when it comes to a space opera setting where several people own 
  and operate starships, the printed purchase DCs are far too high. 
  To make starships more proliﬁc in a campaign setting, especially one in which it’s preferable for the 
  player characters to own their own starships, reduce the printed purchase DCs of all non-military starships 
  by 15. This change brings starship purchase DCs to a range closer to that of civilian land vehicles in a 
  Modern campaign. 
  This is an optional rule and one that must be approved by the GM.
  
  The Modern Dispatch
  New�Starship�Class�Templates
  Page 4
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based 
  on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, 
  Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
  Modern Dispatch #20 2004, Ronin Arts; Author Phil Reed
  open gaming content
  Designation of Product Identity: The following terms are designated as 
  product identity as outline in section 1(a) of the Open Gaming License: 
  Modern Dispatch, Darwin’s World, Blood and Guts, Blood and Fists, Blood 
  and Vigilance, Blood and Circuits, Blood and Relics, Blood and Space, e-
  Future Tiles.
  Designation of Open Gaming Content: The following sections of Modern 
  Dispatch #20 is designated as open gaming content except for terms deﬁned 
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  distributed without the permission of the author.
  SKELETONKEY GAMES’ 
  E-FUTURE TILES
  The Gravity Star has been designed using 
  SkeletonKey Games’ e-Future Tiles: Star 
  Chasers tile set. If you would like to use this ship 
  design with your miniatures please visit www.
  skeletonkeygames.com for information on the 
  e-Future Tiles series.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Philip Reed has been working professionally 
  in the roleplaying game industry since 1995. In 
  that time he has worked for such companies as 
  Atlas Games, Paradigm Concepts, Steve Jackson 
  Games, and Dork Storm Press. Today Philip 
  spends his days at home running Ronin Arts, 
  writing and designing new games, and trying 
  to force himself to take a break so that his wrist 
  will heal. To learn more about Philip Reed – and 
  Ronin Arts – please visit www.roninarts.com.
  
  TOP VIEW
  SILHOUETTE VIEW – FRONT
  THE GRAVITY STAR
  Modified Escort
  
  DECK PLAN
  THE GRAVITY STAR
  Modified Escort
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  1. Cockpit
  2. Crew Quarters
  3. Bathroom
  4. Storage and Backup Systems
  5. Airlock
  6. Pilot’s Quarters
  7. Ship’s Library
  8. Airlock Controls
  9. Airlock
  10. Engineering 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/The Modern Dispatch/The Modern Dispatch 020 - The Gravity Star.pdf