Ship Captain and Battleships

"*Did You Hear Me? We're not taking evasive action! Point the bow towards the enemy flagship!*"

- Daitetsu Minase, Captain of the Hagane

Original Thread

## Ship Captain

A military officer in command of a powerful battleship.

**Hit Dice**: d8

### Skills and Proficiencies

* D&D 3.5
* Pathfinder
 4 skill points + Int per level, quadruple at first level.
**Class Skills:** Concentration, Climb, Diplomacy, Jump, Spot, Listen, Appraise, Intimidate, Knowledge(any)

 4 skill points + Int per level.
**Class Skills:** Acrobatics, Appraise, Climb, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge(any), Perception

**Proficiencies**: A Ship Captain is proficient with simple weapons and mechas.
**Martial Disciplines**: Ships Full Of Hope and one of Ace Pilot, Burning Justice, or Into The Danger Zone

### Features

#### Battleship

The Ship Captain has come in possession of a powerful battleship by fate or hard work (the details of which should be discussed with the DM). At 1st level, the Captain has access to a basic battleship. If the battleship is reduced to 0 HP it crashes into the ground, requiring one month of repairs to get it back into working condition. If the Ship Captain is at least 4th level, his crew can put the Ship back into action with just 10 minutes of quick repairs, however it will be three levels lower than normal until enough time has passed to fully repair it (including arsenal options).

The Battleship grows in power with its Captain's level as indicated in the Battleships section, due to the Captain's crew becoming more skilled and the Captain herself having more and more power to get needed supplies.

#### Maneuvers

The Ship Captain learns maneuvers and stances from the Ships Full Of Hope discipline, as well as from one of the Ace Pilot, Burning Justice, and Into The Danger Zone disciplines. To learn a maneuver of a given level, she must have a Pilot level of twice the maneuver level, minus one. Her Pilot level is equal to her Ship Captain level plus half her other levels.

#### Crew

At 1st level, a Ship Captain gains a crew along with their battleship. This crew manages the actual workings of the ship, while the Captain gives the orders, supervises, and shouts a lot. The crew is, for the most part, only experienced at battleship maintenance and control.

#### Leader

At 1st level, the Ship Captain gains Leader as a bonus feat.

#### Spirited

Starting at 2nd level, each level of Ship Captain increases their maximum number of spirit points by 7. In addition, the Ship Captain learns one spirit, with an additional one learned at 5th level and every three levels thereafter.

Spirits can be used as a free action at the beginning of your turn by paying their cost in spirit points (before you take any other action). You need to meditate for 5 minutes to recover your spirit points. You can use multiple spirits in a turn, but only once each kind of spirit. Spirits that trigger on a condition (like Valor and Alert) last 1 minute and then are lost if not triggered until then.

#### Bonus Feat

Whenever this ability shows up, the Ship Captain may gain a feat from the list of Pilot Feats, provided she meets the prerequisites.

#### Custom Ship

At level 4, the Ship Captain has obtained custom upgrades created by the crew of the ship, or from some kind of patronage with resources to spare. Only one accessory may be used at a time, and only accessories of up to the level indicated on the Ship Captain table (I at level 4, IV at level 7, etc.) may be chosen. With one week of work, the accessory may be changed.

#### Distinguished Officer

At 6th and 12th level, a member of the Ship Captain's crew has proved his worth, and has been promoted to become an Officer. Treat this officer as a cohort with all levels in the Ship Captain class, with the following exceptions - he does not gain the Battleship or Custom Ship class features, nor does he gain the "Distinguished Officer" class feature. The first officer's level is the Ship Captain's minus two. The second officer's level is the Ship Captain's minus six. If the Ship Captain is killed, the highest ranking officer immediately gains the lost class features, and may take full command of the Battleship. If the officer takes command of the Battleship, he no longer provides the bonuses he did as an officer since they're too busy commanding the ship. Each officer fills a specific role and provides certain benefits in combat, selected from the list below. No officer type can be chosen more than once.

##### Executive Officer

The Officer can use spirits during combat on the Ship Captain's turn.

##### Helmsman

For every four Ship Captain levels the officer has, he either increases the Battleship's maneuverability by one level or movement speeds by 10 mu. This configuration can be changed 1/round at the start of the Ship Captain's turn. Additionally, the officer grants a bonus to Balance checks for the purposes of flying equal to half his Ship Captain level.

##### Weapons Officer

The officer grants a to-hit bonus equal to his BaB to all attacks by the Battleship. By reducing this bonus by 5 (cannot reduce below 0), they may change the Main Beam Cannon to Area (Cone) or Area (Explosive) and/or double the Line/Cone length or double the reach of Area (Explosive) or combine two different types of area as long as they're touching each other or the battleship (like a line that ends with a burst as Explosive or two separate lines/cones).

##### Chief Engineer

The officer reduces the energy cost of each hit to the E-Field by 1/4 his Ship Captain level, plus one. Alternatively with one week of work they may install one extra Accessory of one tier lower they themselves would have access to, or two accessories of two tiers lower each, or three accessories three tiers lower each. Those extra Accessories may be turned off at any time to benefit from the E-Field cost reduction even if it isn't the Ships Captain's turn. Restoring the same accessory configuration takes 8 hours of work, otherwise another week will be needed to change them.

##### Tactician

Once per round per six Ship Captain levels the officer can use a maneuver he knows which affects your allies that requires a Swift or Immediate action. The energy for this maneuver comes from the Battleship. If you can use this ability at least twice per round, you may consume two uses to perform a maneuver that uses a Standard action instead. If you can use this ability three times per round, you may consume three uses to perform a maneuver that uses a Full action instead. The Ship Captain and Tactician cannot use any maneuver which the other has already used that round. For the purposes of this ability, the officer acts at the same time as the Ship Captain.

#### Legendary Leader

At 20th level once an hour as an Immediate action the Ship Captain can make his Leader aura affect all those who can see *or* hear him, regardless of distance.

### Ship Captain Alternative Class Features

#### Combat Commander

*Some captains will choose to forego secondary systems to get as many guns as they can on their ships.*

**Lose:** Cannot have or take the Heats feat.

**Special:** The Battleship counts smaller than it is for the purpose of its Mecha Transport ability, down to small sized. For each size it counts smaller than its actual size, it gains +4 Arsenal space. So for example a gargantuan battleship that counted as medium for transport capacity would gain +12 arsenal space. The E-Field, anti-air guns, missile batteries and main beam cannons may be sacrificed too, gaining +4 arsenal space for each. Once this decision is made it cannot be changed.

### Ship Captain Exclusive Flaws

#### LandShip (Flaw)

Your Battleship is incapable of atmospheric flight, instead having massive wheels that give it a land speed of 60 mu. It can fly with that speed in space (with clumsy maneuverability) thanks to helping thrusters, if it gets there through some method.

#### Seaship (Flaw)

Your Battleship is incapable of flight, instead having turbines that give it a swim speed of 60 mu only over a liquid surface. It can fly with that speed in space (with clumsy maneuverability) thanks to helping thrusters, if it gets there through some method.

#### Submarine (Flaw)

Your Battleship is incapable of flight, instead having underwater turbines that give it a swim speed of 40 mu and takes no penalties for combat underwater. It can fly with that speed in space (with clumsy maneuverability) thanks to helping thrusters, if it gets there through some method.

#### Floating Fortress (Flaw)

Your Battleship can only fly in an atmosphere, and will be adrift if somehow taken to space.

#### Starship (Flaw)

Your Battleship can only fly in space, and will drop down like a giant rock if placed inside an atmosphere.

## Battleships

Battleships are massive mobile bases blistering with weaponry. Although they have exceptional firepower and armor, their massive bulkiness makes them easy targets, and also makes it hard for them to fire back at smaller mobile targets. Thus they usually serve as the strong point of a mecha force, backing up smaller units and providing an Intelligence center for officers and support staff. They come in a number of forms, but overall they all follow the same chassis.
**Size**: Huge by default. A captain may choose to start with a bigger battleship up to colossal size, but this won't grant any mechanical benefit besides being able to carry more mechas, filling a bigger space and bigger size penalty to AC and attack rolls. This decision may be changed whenever another Ship Captain level is gained.
**Save Bonus**: 1/3 Captain level, rounded down.
**Nat Armor**: 4 + 1/2 Captain level
**Damage Reduction (DR/-)**: 6/- +2 per Captain level
**Hit Points (HP)**: 10 + 20 per captain level
**Energy (EN)**: 100 by default
**Dodge Bonus**: 0 by default
**Arsenal Space**: 4. Arsenal weapons mounted on a battleship deal damage as a medium sized mecha.
**Weapons**: Anti-Air Guns, Missile Battery x2, Main Beam Cannon
**Hardpoints**: 1
**Speed**: Fly 40mu by default, plus 5 mu per 2 Captain levels, clumsy maneuverability. Can hover.
**Extras**: Amphibious

For every extra Ship Captain level of the commander of the ship, increase the Main Beam Cannon damage by 1d12, the Missile Battery Damage by 1d8 and the Anti-Air Guns damage by 1d6.

#### E-Field

All attacks against a Battleship deal only ¾ damage before applying DR, rounded down, but the battleship loses 10 energy every time it is hit. Once per round, the captain can turn off or on this ability as a free action. The E-Field also automatically turns off if the Battleship's energy drops below 10.

#### Mecha Transport

A battleship can load and carry one mecha of its own size, or two mechas of one size category smaller, or four mechas of two size categories smaller, and so on. Entering or exiting a battleship is a move action on the part of the mecha. The battleship can prevent any hostiles from entering.

#### Mobile Base

A Battleship is assumed to have all the necessities to support a group of mechas and their pilots for at least 1 month in comfortable conditions, including repair and medic bays, food and ammo storages, holding and sleep cells, and at least one cafeteria and one entertainment room.

#### Cumbersome

A Battleship has no limbs capable of fine manipulation. It cannot make attacks of opportunity, initiate grapples or trip (may still bullrush), but others can initiate trips and/or grapples against it (if a battleship succeeds on a defensive grapple check, it cannot choose to maintain it and the grapple ends). Opponents adjacent to a battleship count it as flat-footed and automatically confirm any threatened critical hits against it.

#### Cruising Speed

Battleships are expected to travel great distances. As a fullround action they can activate Cruising Speed, upon which their movement speeds are tripled and they don't use up any energy for moving, but cannot perform any other actions but basic movement. Exiting Cruising Speed is a free action.

#### Down with the Ship

Battleships have no escape pods for the pilot by default due to their nature.

## Ship Captain Feats

### Database [Pilot]

*Books, videos, holograms, your ship is a true treasure trove of knowledge for those who know how to look.*
**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 1+

**Benefit**: Those inside your command aura (including yourself) can use their own pilot level for Knowledge checks, as long as they have at least 1 rank on their knowledge skill. Your Distinguished Officer(s) can now also use knowledge skills during battle. This may be taken as a Ship Captain bonus feat.

### Engineering Bay [Pilot]

*Engineers stand ready at dismantling and reconstructing any strange tech.*
**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 1+

**Benefit**: Super Robots docked inside your mecha can change their Upgrade points at the rate of 1 hour of work per upgrade point they want to change. Docked Real Robots can be converted into another model of the same tier valid for the respective pilot with 8 hours of work. If the ship itself is a real/super hybrid, it can change itself at the same rate. This may be taken as a Ship Captain bonus feat.

### Floating Palace [Pilot]

*Your Battleship's interior is a testament to excess and good taste, with silken beds, golden chandeliers, hot springs, professional chefs and other extravagant luxuries.*
**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 1+

**Benefit**: The Ship Captain may use his Charisma modifier for Will saves instead of Wisdom modifier while inside his battleship. This may be taken as a Ship Captain bonus feat.

### Humongous Ship [Pilot]

**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 9+

**Benefit**: You can have your Ship be bigger than colossal by one size, plus another at 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 19th Ship Captain levels. Each extra size beyond colossal multiplies your volume by 8 as well as your carrying capacity. You may choose how that volume is distributed, as long as no side of your ship is smaller than 30 mu. You don't take extra AC or attack roll penalties for the sizes beyond colossal, and you also gain one extra Hardpoint.

### Launcher Pad [Pilot]

*Fast-opening docks and magnetic catapults allow for quickly retrieving allied machines, while allowing to send them into the fray with a boost.*
**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 1+

**Benefit**: Entering or exiting the ship is now a free action for other mechas, but they can only exit 1 round after entering. In addition when a mecha exits the ship, all of its movement speeds are doubled for 1 round. This may be taken as a Ship Captain bonus feat.

### Medical Bay [Pilot]

*Medical specialists and nurses allow for the quick treatment of the injured.*
**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 1+

**Benefit**: All people inside the ship (including pilots of docked mechas) recover HP equal to your Pilot level each round. This may be taken as a Ship Captain bonus feat.

### Veteran Mechanics [Pilot]

*Your maintenance crew can patch up robots in the blink of an eye!*
**Prerequisites**: Ship Captain level 1+

**Benefit**: Any friendly robot loaded inside the battleship recovers 20% of his lost HP and energy every round, and the ammo to one weapon of its choice is automatically replenished. Fully destroyed robots may be repaired with one week of work. The ship itself may be repaired in just two weeks if reduced to 0 HP, or 20% of its max HP per hour of uninterrupted work if still at positive HP. This may be taken as a Ship Captain bonus feat.