Frigate Vanguard

# Vanguard Frigate

BACKGROUND

The most mass-produced vessel in the Varauta fleet is the Vanguard Frigate. Though the Vanguard Frigate is the smallest warship of the Varauta fleet it has a balance of maneuverability, armor and weaponry suitable for many roles. The Vanguard Frigate is extremely reliable and the ship is deployed in numerous small-ship operations including vanguard, enemy detection, armed reconnaissance, defense and other such missions.

***RPG STATS***

**Vehicle Type:** Frigate
**Class:** Warship
**Crew:** 318 to 352 total (command tower: 16, main ship: 280, pilots: 6, troops: 16 to 50)
**Sub-light:** 0.20 speed of light
**Auxiliary Drive:** Mach 3; Mach 9 in space.
**Space Fold Range:** 50 light years if there are no fold faults.

**Planet bound:** can land if necessary but not designed to manoeuvre in an atmosphere. Can only land in a body of water.
**Maximum Range:** estimated 20 year life span, which can be extended with regular maintenance and overhauls.

**Maximum rate of ascent:** 400 m per minute using the anti-gravity propulsion system.
**Maximum instantaneous acceleration during combat:** 2.0 G+

## STATISTICAL DATA:

**Height:** under investigation
**Width:** under investigation
**Length:** 168 m

**Operational Mass:** 1,500 t
**Empty Mass:** 1,020 t

**Power Plant:** under investigation

## MDC BY LOCATION:

(2) Command Tower
(2) Communications and Sensor Array (4)
(3) Main Engines/Power Plants (2)
(3) Secondary Engines (2)
(3) Small Guidance thrusters (16)
Fins (5)
Main-Battery Guns (2)
800
400 each
800 each
300 each
200 each
300 each
500 each
Missile Launchers (3)
Small Anti-Aircraft Guns (12)
Outer Hull (per 12 m area)
Interior Hangar Wall (per 6 m area)
Interior Wall (per 3 m area)
(4) Pin-point Barrier System
250 each
100 each
300
20
200 SDC
2,500 each

**NOTES:**

* (1) Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the Frigate out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.
* (2) Destroying the command tower will instantly kill the command staff and deprive the ship of all forms of long range communications, radar and targeting. The range and targeting capabilities of the secondary systems are equal to that of a VF-11 Thunderbolt. The ship can still operate, but is at -3 on initiative, -3 to strike, and number of attacks per melee of the weapon systems are reduced by half. Destroying the main sensory array atop the command tower will have the same effect, but the command staff will not be killed instantly.
* (3) Depleting the MDC of the main engines will force the ship to rely on its secondary engines. Depleting the MDC of the main engines AND secondary engines will leave the ship adrift in space. If in an atmosphere, the ship will crash (destruction of the main engines will render the anti-gravity system useless due to loss of power).
* (4) The pin-point barrier will regenerate at a rate of 2,500 MD per melee round.

## Weapons

### 1. MAIN BATTERY: MEDIUM-BORE BEAM GUNS (2)

Concentrated in the center of the hull with the sub-batteries and high-speed missile launchers. Only the nozzle of the beam gun is exposed. The beam is aligned [with the target] by twisting in a deflection field.

* PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
* SECONDARY PURPOSE: Defence
* RANGE: 1,200 km
* DAMAGE: 2D6x1000 M.D. each.
* RATE OF FIRE: each battery can fire twice per melee. The battery can fire individually or be combined to fire a single volley.
* PAYLOAD: Unlimited as long as the main engines are operational.

### 2. SUB-BATTERY: SMALL-BORE BEAM GUNS (4)

Concentrated in the center of the hull with the main-batteries and high-speed missile launchers. Only the nozzle of the beam gun is exposed. The beam is aligned [with the target] by twisting in a deflection field.

* PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
* SECONDARY PURPOSE: Defence
* RANGE: 800 km
* DAMAGE: 2D6x100 M.D. each.
* RATE OF FIRE: each battery can fire up to four times per melee. The battery can fire individually or be combined to fire a single volley.
* PAYLOAD: Unlimited as long as the main engines are operational.

### 3. LARGE ANTI-WARSHIP MISSILE LAUNCHER (1)

The lower part of the center of the hull is armed with a Large Anti-Warship Missile sliding type missile magazines launching mechanism. Each one is loaded with 9 Large Anti-Warship Missiles.

* PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
* SECONDARY PURPOSE: Defence
* RANGE: 5,000 km
* SPEED: 3,750 kph
* DAMAGE: 4D8x1,000 M.D. to 250 m, 4D8x100 M.D. to 500 m, 4D8x10 M.D. to 750 m, 4D8 M.D. to 1,000 m.
* BLAST RADIUS: 1,000 m
* RATE OF FIRE: 1 to 9. Each launcher tube holds one missile and must be reloaded after firing. Reloading a launcher tube takes 1 minute (4 melee rounds).
* PAYLOAD: 9 missiles. Can only be reloaded back at base.

### 4. RAPID-FIRE HIGH-SPEED MISSILE LAUNCHER (2)

Concentrated in the center of the hull with the main-batteries and sub-batteries. Only the nozzle of the missile launcherers are exposed. Each launcher is a cluster of 12 missile launchers.

* PRIMARY PURPOSE: Assault
* SECONDARY PURPOSE: Defence
* MISSILE TYPES: Small High-Speed High-Manoeuvrability Missiles
* RANGE: 10 km
* SPEED: Mach 2+ in an atmosphere.
* DAMAGE: 3D6x10 M.D. each
* BLAST RADIUS: 3 m
* RATE OF FIRE: 1 to 12 missiles per launcher. Each launch tube can fire a maximum of 4 times per melee round. The two launchers can be fired together.
* PAYLOAD: 12 missiles per launch tube, for a total of 288 missiles

### 4. SMALL ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS (12)

Mounted all over the hull, approximately 8 per side. The guns are the same as that in the GU-11 gun pod. With a rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute, the guns can expend their entire magazine within seconds. To prevent this, they have been mechanically preset to be able to fire in burst of either 5, 10, 20 rounds, or multiples of 10 until the magazine is emptied.)

* PRIMARY PURPOSE: Defence
* RANGE: 1,100 km
* DAMAGE: DAMAGE: 1D12 per round. 5 round burst, single target - 1D6X10 MD. 10 round burst, single target - 2D6X10 MD. For bursts greater than 25 rounds, increase the damage by a scale of 1D6X10 MD per 10 rounds (it is recommended to stick to multiples of 10 when firing for ease of damage resolution) OR refer to the modern weapons rules for machineguns.
The gun pod can be used for sprays: 5 round spray - 1D12 MD per target, effects 1D4 targets. 10 round burst spray - 1D12 MD per target, effects 2D4 targets with a 50% chance of hitting bystanders. Longer duration sprays (up to limits of the magazine): 2D12 MD per target, effects 4D4 targets. Chance of hitting bystanders is 70%.
* RATE OF FIRE: Equal to the pilot's combined number of attacks. The GU-11 isn't limited to bursts of 5, 10, 25 or 200 rounds.
* PAYLOAD: 1,200 rounds (200 along the barrel, and 1,000 in the replaceable magazine). Magazine requires 1D6 melee actions if spare magazine and appropriate equipment is standing by. Requires 1D6 melees if only a spare magazine is ready.

## SENSOR SYSTEMS

* LONG-RANGE LASER/SATELLITE RELAY COMMUNICATIONS
* SEARCH AND TARGETING RADAR
* SUPER DIMENSION SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
* SUPER LONG-RANGE ENEMY DETECTION SYSTEM: The Vanguard Frigate is equipped with subspace sensors & Spiritia Imagers, which are based on the same principles as the Super Dimension Space communications array. These sensors can essentially instantly detect mass readings and movement of objects up to 8 AU distant from the frigate, and the readings are used both for early warning and for navigation when travelling at sub light speeds. Readings taken with the subspace sensors are not very detailed (-25% penalty when trying to identify a detected object) and cannot detect objects of less than 40,000 kg (this includes most variable fighters). The Spiritia Imagers detect and note the strength of Spiritia within the same range.

## OTHER STANDARD EQUIPMENT

* AIRLOCKS: 6
* ARMOURY
* CARGO HATCHES: 1
* GRAVITY CONTROL
* LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: the ship has sufficient life support to provide breathable air and comfortable temperatures for 400 people for up to 2 years (air is recycled). In an emergency the life support system can support up to 650 people at one time, though living conditions onboard will get extremely cramped at that point. The ship also holds sufficient food and water to support 400 people for up to 6 months (can be extended to 9 months with rationing).
* SUBLIGHT ENGINES
* SPACE FOLD SYSTEM

**MECHA COMPLEMENT (STANDARD):**

* **Variable Fighters:** 4