Starships

Starships are made for exactly what it sounds like, sailing through the stars. There are no stars in a planet’s atmosphere, and so starships are not needed for getting around on planets. In The Narrow Expanse, starships refer only to vessels that travel beyond the atmosphere’s of the planets of the Milky Way. While this will most likely be where your stories in The Narrow Expanse take place, most people in the Milky Way are content with living out their entire life on a single planet, never concerning themselves with adventuring past their homeworld. It’s certainly possible that your foray into The Narrow Expanse will not involve a single starship, but take place in its entirety on a single planet. This may appeal to some players, but most people are going to want to experience all The Narrow Expanse has to offer.

### **Types of Ships**

Starships have just as much diversity as the playable races, if not more. Ships can come in all different shapes and sizes, and have been customized and designed to complete any job imaginable. Starships in The Narrow Expanse come in eleven different classes, each of varying size and purpose.

* **Starfighter**: These are personal, light attack ships most often used as cheap infantry for the many navies of The Narrow Expanse. Also a common choice among lone-wolf mercenaries.
* **Shuttle**: Small crafts used to move small amounts of personnel or cargo. Typically used to transport people from planets to stations, or from station to station.
* **Hauler**: Your typical independent cargo movers. Most smugglers use haulers, because they have dedicated cargo space, but are small enough to be maneuverable and avoid attracting attention.
* **Patrol Boat**: Medium sized ships favored by local law enforcement. These ships are moderately well armed and easily maneuvered, making them an intimidating presence to most civilian ships.
* **Corvette**: Often referred to as “light frigates”, these ships are fast and heavily armed. These ships are expensive, meaning only official navies have the money to purchase them. Their combat capabilities and price to buy new make them a prime target for pirates.
* **Frigate**: The smallest of the true warships. These ships are very rarely seen outside of a navy or megacorporation’s fleet, often used to escort larger naval vessels or corporate ships that trade armaments for cargo space.
* **Cruiser**: The most common warship in The Narrow Expanse. Frequently they have many roles. Designed for speed and maneuverability they are used much like frigates for protecting against smaller faster attackers. They can also be used as scouts and patrol vessels in dangerous areas.
* **Battleship**: These are fast, maneuverable, high endurance warships usually intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and are designed to protect against small, faster attackers. Battleships are the largest ship most people will ever see or come across in person.
* **Freighter**: Giant cargo ships that forego the advanced technology, weapons and armor of military starships for expansive cargo room.
* **Destroyer**: Dreaded hulks of war, these are the stars of any navy. Destroyers are made for exactly what it sounds like: eliminating opponents. These huge ships are heavily armored and even better armed.
* **Capital Ship**: Home to thousands of crew, these are the biggest ships in The Narrow Expanse, capable of carrying and moving smaller warships such as frigates, cruisers, and battleships. Most navies only have a few capital ships in their entire fleet, and most people in the Milky Way live their whole life without ever laying eyes on one.

### **Stats**

Just as with characters and creatures, starships have stats that help differentiate them from one another. Stats are mostly based on the class of the ship. For example, a patrol boat will have more hitpoints than a starfighter, while a starfighter will be much faster. Unlike character stats, starship stats serve only to define the capabilities of a ship and have nothing to do with backstory.

* **Hitpoints**: how much damage a ship can take once its armor has been depleted and it is immovable
* **Armor**: how much damage a ship can take before it loses functionality
* **Crew**: the minimum/maximum crew a ship can support
* **Speed**: the movement speed of a ship, also affects ability to evade attacks
* **Power**: power regulates how many additional systems a ship can support
* **Fittings**: how many locations a ship has on which a weapon can be mounted

Each class of ship has a maximum for each stat. A hauler will have more fittings and power than a starfighter, while a starfighter will generally be cheaper and faster. The bigger the ship, the more it will cost, and the more capabilities it will have. Below is a table detailing the maximum of each stat for each starship class.

### **Ship Technologies**

Ship technologies are additional gadgets, rooms, and technologies that a ship’s owner can add to their starship. Each starship’s power level indicates how many technologies a ship can support. Most ship technologies use 5 units of power, however there are more demanding technologies that require more power. In the same manner, some starships are too small to support more advanced technologies.