TFL/Spaceship House Rules

These house rules are vaguely organized in the same way as GURPS Spaceships 1. For convenience, measurements are in pixes or 1/2 light seconds.

# Space Travel

## Realspace Travel

### Astrogation

Geting to a T-K point
An astrogator attempting to set a course to a known, categorized Toshido-Kearny transition point needs to roll Navigation (Hyperspace), with a basic +4 bonus for having astrogational data and another modifier depending on the stability of the T-K point. Most T-K points do not have notable stability, but New Panama is stable enough to give a +3 and Seelluggue wanders around so much as to give a -2. Success lets the Astrogator plot a course to the T-K point using the desired amount of delta-V; failure requires MoF \* 10% more delta-V than intended without changing the intended transit speed. Settinincreases it by 50% ifg a course normally takes 20 seconds but additional or less time can be taken with the normal modifiers.

Attempting to astrogate to an uncategorized T-K point requires the same Navigation roll at -10 and without the bonus for having astrogational data. Categorizing a T-K point requires months of work and powerful scientific sensors.

### Sensing a T-K point

A T-K point is a notional region of space roughly 46 pixes across, or an SM+57 sphere. A categorized T-K point can be found using passive sensors as a hidden object that is not in plain sight or silhouetted, so the sensor operator's Electronic Ops (Sensor) + the sensor value + 57 - 9 (hidden object penalty) - the range to the center of the T-K point + the modifier for the T-K's point stability. Each attempt to find the current location of a T-K point takes 20 seconds and additional or less time can be taken with the normal modifiers. It is common for a Starship to be well inside a T-K point before it definitely determines that fact, but since T-K points are over 40 million miles wide, it takes a while for spaceship to traverse it.

### Entering Hyperspace

It takes 30 minutes and at least two undamaged Necklin Rods and sufficient systems power to enter Hyperspace. The ship must have at least 1 functioning Fusion Hyper Rocket Reaction Engine system or Fusion Hyper Torch Reaction Engine system and 1 Power Point for the engine. It does not take a skill roll to enter Hyperspace with the appropriate engine.

## Hyperspace

### Astrogation

Any ship with a map of the Star Systems in the local area can travel between T-K point analogues, but astrogating through featureless murk of the luminous ether is tricky. Plotting a course requires a Navigation (Hyperspace) roll, penalized by the SSR value for the Realspace distance between the starting point and destination (treat light years as yards) and adding half the value of the ship's sensors. On success, the astrogator plots the course without incident; failure increases the effective travel distance by 20% or 50% on a critical failure. On a critical success, the astrogator finds a favorable current in the luminous ether for 2d-1 light years of Realspace distance along the course, increasing the ship's Hyperfactor by 2d-1. It takes 30 minutes to plot a course.

*Example*: Dex intends to plot a course for the *Almighty Dollar* (Sensors +9) to go from New Panama to Venture, a Realspace distance of 13 light years. He needs to roll Navigation (Hyperspace) +4 (for the sensors) - 5 (a range of 13 yards).
Deviating from a course
If the ship maneuvers for any reason from its assigned course, the astrogator has to replot the course. This requires a new Navigation (Hyperspace) roll as above, with a cumulative -2 penalty for each new plot, and a cumulative -1 penalty per hour since the deviation. Success and failure have the normal effects, but a ship can only be in a single ether current at a time. Multiple deviations within an hour give an additional -1 penalty, no matter how many deviations are involved, so combat maneuvering makes replotting a course tricky but not impossible.

Tracking
It is possible to track another starship through Hyperspace. Roll against Tracking with -12 penalty every 24 hours. Apply half the Sensors of tracking ship and the SM of the target ship as bonuses and the range penalty for the current distance to the target (again treating Realspace light years as yards) and the time since the target ship passed by as a range penalty (treating hours as yards). There is an additional +4 bonus for knowing the target's intended direction. Success allows the tracking ship to match the target's course. Failures also match the target's course, but decrease the tracking ship's effective Hyperfactor by -25% or -50% on a critical failure.

1 Realspace light year is 1,500 Hyperspace pixes and ships travel at 50 pixes/day per HF.

*Example*: Dex in the *Almighty Dollar* (Sensors +9) is following after the *Black Doom* (SM +11, Hyperfactor 70) and enters Hyperspace 30 hours behind them without knowing their destination. The *Black Doom* successfully plotted its course and the equivalent of 2.85 Realspace light years (4,275 pixes) away. Dex would need to roll against Tracking at -12 (hyperspace tracking) +4 (for sensors) +11 (for target SM) -1 (for Realspace distance) -7 (for 30 hours) or a net -5. If he succeeds in following them, he will travel at Hyperfactor 102 and overtake them at 32 HF or 1,560 pixes/day. After 24 hours, Dex has reduced the range to 2,715 pixes or 1.8 Realspace light years and is 11 hours behind the *Black Doom* and is now rolling at a net -2.
*Example*: Had Dex failed the initial Tracking roll, the *Dollar* would have followed at Hyperfactor 75 and would have overtaken the *Doom* at 150 pixes/day. On the second check, he still would have been 4,125 pixes away and 28 hours behind and would have needed to roll at -5 again.
### Sensing a T-K point analogue

A T-K point analogue in Hyperspace is a notional sphere in space, about 160 miles in diameter (SM +33) that moves as the corresponding T-K point in Realspace moves. A ship that has arrived at its destination needs to find current position of the T-K point analogue before returning to Realspace.

A categorized T-K point analogue can be found using passive sensors as a hidden object that is not in plain sight or silhouetted, so the sensor operator's Electronic Ops (Sensor) + the sensor value / 2 + 33 - 9 (hidden object penalty) - the range to the center of the T-K point analogue + the modifier for the corresponding T-K's point stability. Each attempt to find the current location of a T-K point takes 20 seconds and additional or less time can be taken with the normal modifiers. It is common for a Starship to loop around around a bit, searching for the T-K point analogue.

### Leaving Hyperspace

A ship leaves Hyperspace by entering the T-K point analogue and doing complicated things with its Necklin Field. Leaving is automatic.

When the ship re-enters Realspace, it can sets its speed and direction relative to the system primary star, with a maximum speed of around 300 mps. Pilots usually choose to come out at speed such that they can slow to a stop with their remaining reaction mass, headed for the planet or orbital that is their next destination.

Roll Piloting + Handling to achieve the desired speed. Success achieves that speed +/- 1d-MoS mps. Failure achieves that speed, +/- 10% or +/- 20% on a critical failure.

Normally the direction is "close enough" but a ship might some delta-V to adjust course. Make a Navigation (Hyperspace) roll and the delta-V required is 2d-MoS, which can be required the delta-V necessary to shed excess speed.

Most ships reserve 10-20% of their delta-V for course corrections.

# Space Operations

## Comm/Sensor Arrays

When using active or passive sensors, failing the roll by 5 or less detects something but does not provide enough detail to confirm was detected.

Passive Sensors
The bonus to spot an object in plain sight and silhouetted against deep space is +20, not +34. Ships in Hyperspace are in plain sight and silhouetted, but the passive sensor bonus is halved..

*Example*: The *Almighty Dollar* is an SM+10 starship with standard TL10 sensors (Sensor +9) and a minimally skilled crew working the sensors (skill-10) and looking for another SM+10 starship with a fusion power plant (IR signature +7). The crew is rolling against an 10+9+10+20+7 or 56 in most cases, and can be expected to find the ship if it is within 200,000 miles (1 light second or 2 pixes) in 20 seconds and if it is within 1,500,000 miles (8 light seconds or 15 pixes) in 30 minutes. If the other ship is lighting up with a hyper fusion torch drive (IR signature +10), the detection ranges triple, but that's still only 50 pixes away.
Detection Details
Passive sensors can only detect a craft's size and mass by default. If the MoS to detect the craft is 5+, the number and types of power plants and total Power Points are available. Apparent acceleration and drive type are detected automatically if the target craft is using its engine but cannot otherwise be determined.

At point blank, close, or short range, the visible features of the craft can be detected: comm/sensor arrays, habitats, hangar bays, weapon batteries, robot arms, and whether or not the craft is streamlined or has wings.

Active Sensors
As passive sensors no longer let every spacecraft automatically detect every other space craft in the same star system or almost anything in Hyperspace, active sensors become more important. Active sensors have their effective rating halved in Hyperspace, as the luminous ether rapidly attenuates E-M radiation.

Active sensor use is a roll against operator skill + target SM - target Stealth penalty (if any) + time taken. There is no range penalty for objects within sensor range and a -2 for multiple of sensor range beyond that. The sensor operator can "boost the signal" by making a skill check at -4; success increases the effective sensor rating by 2 but use the boosted signal rating for signals detection whether or not the roll succeeds.

*Example*: The *Dollar* is in Hyperspace, looking for enemy starfighters and using active sensors. The effective sensor value of 4 has a range of 60,000 miles (Extreme) but the SM+5 starfighters are actually 90,000 miles away (1 pix) and have Stealth technology for a -6 penalty. Rolling against Electronic Ops (Sensor)-10 + 5 (SM) -6 (Stealth) -2 (more than range) makes detection unlikely, but the roll for passive sensors is at a -9 penalty so active sensors are slightly better than passives.
Signal Detection
Detecting an incoming active signal is an Electronics Op (Sensors). Apply a +5 modifier for being within the signal's effective range or a -5 penalty for being beyond twice the signal's effective range. Low-probability intercept (LPI) active sensors have a -3 penalty to detected. Electronics Op (EW) is a complementary skill opposed by the active sensor operator's Electronics Op (EW) skill.

Sensor Operations in Hyperspace
Hyperspace sensors operations work just like Realspace operations, except the luminous ether cuts the effective value of all Sensors in half. Objects in Hyperspace are neither in plain sight nor silhouetted, making them substantially more difficult to detect.

Hyperspace Nebulae
Nebulas in Realspace are slightly more dense than the vacuum of deep space, but only slightly. The corresponding nebula in Hyperspace is much thicker - still not thick enough to impact movement, but thick enough to make object detection difficult. All Electronics Op (Sensor) rolls in a hyperspace nebula have a -3 penalty.

# Space Combat

## Engagement

Realspace combat normally takes place at the Standard scale using 10 minute turns. Ships on reciprocal courses normally engage in Fast Passes with 1 minute turns, though 3 minute or 10 minute turns may be appropriate for very slow moving ships.

Hyperspace combat normally takes place at the Standard scale using 1 minute turns; treat 1 Hyperfactor as 1 G for acceleration bonuses. It takes 10G to get a +2 bonus at that scale and and turn length.

## Actions During a Turn

### Comm Tasks

Subvert Comm Channel Task
Any ship may attempt to subvert a comm channel against another ship that is receiving signals, either by use of active sensors or because it is communicating with other ships. Any ship may completely protect itself against subversion by turning off its signal receivers, but then it cannot use active sensors, perform the subvert comm channel or hacking exploit tasks, or coordinate with allied ships. The offensive hacking task requires a character at a functional control station or a sapient computer program. The character attempting to subvert a comm channel rolls Computer Hacking, at -5 at Extreme range or -3 at Long range, and the opposing ship resists in a Quick Contest with the better of Computer Hacking or Expert Skill (Computer Security). This resistance does not require actions by the resisting ship. On a success, the hacker has established a subverted comm channel with the target ship and the target ship cannot drop the channel without winning a Defensive Hacking task or physically damaging the power lines to the communication devices as a Damage Control task.

A successful Signal Jamming task that affects either the hacking ship or the target will immediately cut a subverted communication link. A ship may jams its own signals in order to cut a link.

Hacking Exploit Task
A hacker may use a subverted comm channel to run exploits on the target spacecraft. By winning another Quick Contest of Computer Hacking versus Expert Skill (Computer Security) or Computer Hacking with the same range penalties from Subvert Comm Channel, the hacker may provide false data to a crew position, divert power from a single system for one turn, or sabotage a system to effectively disable it. The hacker is at an additional -3 penalty if the hacker attempts to depower active point defense weapons or sabotage or turn off all power from a power plant, though the hacker does not suffer the same penalty to affect other weapons in a weapons battery without affecting the point defenses.

Attempts to apply penalties to a crew position have a +2 bonus on the Quick Contest. On success, all crew performing tasks for that position have a -4 penalty to skill until the hacker's next turn.

If the hacker is attempting to divert power and succeeds in the Quick Contest, no one on the hacked ship may use the Allocate Power or Increase Power Tasks to power the system until after the hacker's next turn.

Attempts to sabotage a system have a -5 penalty. On success, the system is sabotaged and is effectively disabled. There is no additional effect if the system was already disabled. Systems that are immune to sur damage effects are immune to sabotage. Restoring a sabotaged is a Jury-Rigged Repair task with a +5 bonus.

Defensive hacking
A ship that currently has a subverted communication link or sabotaged systems may engage in defensive hacking to throw off the intruder and resume control of its own systems. The defensive hacking task requires a character at a functional control station or a sapient computer program. Roll a quick Contest of Computer Hacking; the offensive hacker is at -5 at Extreme range or -3 at Long range. On success, the defensive hacker regains control of the subverted communication channel or re-enables a hacked disabled system. The offensive hacker is at -6 if the defender has already jammed or gained control of the subverted communication channel.

### Sensor Tasks

Spoofing Electronic Warfare
Any ship may engage in spoofing electronic warfare (EW) to degrade the accuracy of opposing ship's sensors. The Spoofing EW task requires a character at a functional control station or a sapient computer program. The character engaging in EW rolls Electronics Op (EW), at +2 per active ECM system, and -5 if the ship is currently using or has used active sensors in the last turn. If the target ship performed a Counter Spoofing Electronics Warfare Task on its last turn, the spoofer must win a Quick Contest of Electronic Ops (EW). If the character performing the EW task wins the quick contest, her ship has spoofing ECM against the opposing ship or ships that lost the contest. Spoofing ECM lasts until the start of the spoofing ship's next turn.

All attacks against a ship that has spoofing ECM are at -2, cumulative with the normal effects. Spoofing ECM status is not detectable if the spoofing ship won the contest by 3 or more.

Spoofing ECM is not reciprocal nor mutually exclusive. Two ships might each have Spoofing ECM against each other, or 1 ship might have it and the other not have it, or both ships could have been defeated by the opposing defensive ECM.

Counter Spoofing Electronic Warfare
Any ship may engage in counter spoofing electronic warfare (EW) to counter the effect of opposing spoofing. The Counter Spoofing EW task requires a character at a functional control station or a sapient computer program. Counter Spoofing allows the operator to resist Spoofing Electronic Warfare tasks by making a hidden Electronics Op (HW), at +2 per active ECM system, and +3 if the ship is currently using or has used active sensors in the last turn.

Targeting Lock
A sensor operator may use passive or active sensors to get a targeting lock on an opposing vessel. Check against passive or active sensors normally against a particular opposing ship; success gives gunners on the operator's ship a +3 Lockon bonus for attacks in the same space combat turn. It is not possible to gain a targeting lock on a target that is spoofing ECM or any ship with an active ECM system unless the targeting ship has a functional tactical or multipurpose array.

Sensor Analysis
Succeeding on Engineering Analysis by 5+ gives the total energy of all energy weapons currently powered on the target ship. If the target ship currently has Spoofing ECM against the ship attempting the sensor analysis, the spoofing ship can report any amount of energy.

## Space Movement

### Pilot Maneuvers

Closing Maneuver
The options for closing and rendezvousing are complicated:

 Rendezvous | Rendezvous | Rendezvous | Zero

On any a success, you can also stay at your initial status and add Advantaged; you are not required to move closer.

Failure on a Closing maneuver causes the ship to stay at the same range and lose any Advantaged status.

Any pilot should be able to achieve rendezvous with 4 successful Piloting checks.

Evasive Action
In Hyperspace, decrease the acceleration bonus for Evasive movement to 1.5 times the normal bonus instead of twice the normal bonus.

A ship with a merged Necklin field with another ship may attempt to separate the fields by taking Evasive action but it not guaranteed. A ship in control of a merged Necklin field can choose not to separate the fields when taking Evasive action, in which case both ships take the Evasive maneuver.

Taking Evasive action moves any ships at Rendezvous with the evading ship to a non-Advantaged engaged position.

Merging Necklin Fields in Hyperspace
Two ships in Hyperspace can merge Necklin Fields to effectively create a bubble of Realspace that allows for the transfer of goods and personnel. If both ships are co-operating or one ship is drifting, this is automatic. If only one ship wants to merge, roll a Quick Contest of Piloting when the merging ship closes to Rendezvous or stays at that range.

Each pilot adds the Handling modifier of their ship.
Multiply each ship's mass in kilotons by its Hyperfactor speed to get a Hyperdynamic value. The ship with the larger Hyperdynamic gets a +1 on the contest, or +2 if it has more than twice the Hyperdynamic of the other, or +3 if it has more than four time the Hyperdynamic value.
If the merging pilot wins the contest, the Necklin fields merge and both ships move under the control of the ship with the larger Hyperdynamic (or the merging ship if they have equal values) until one ship separates the Necklin fields. Calculate shared Hyperfactor from the combined mass and acceleration of both ships; either ship can opt to turn off its engines to reduce the shared speed.

There is no repeated attempt penalty for trying to merge Necklin fields.

Separating Merged Necklin Fields in Hyperspace
Two ships in Hyperspace with merged Necklin Fields can choose to separate. Either ship can take Evasive action and attempt to separate. If the separation is mutually agreed, it happens automatically. Otherwise, the same contest of skills takes place as for Merging Necklin fields (above). If the ship wishing to separate wins, the fields are separated and both ships are moved to non-Ddvantaged engagement position with each other. Both ships can now maneuver freely. If the ship wishing to separate loses the contest, the fields remain merged and the ships move under control of the ship with the larger Hyperdynamic.

There is no repeated attempt penalty for trying to separate Necklin fields.

## Weapons Fire

### Missile Attacks

Homing multi-stage missiles are accurate but have difficulty hitting maneuvering targets from great distances. When dodging missiles in Realspace, the defending ship get +2 Dodge if the missiles are fired from X range and +1 Dodge if the missiles are fired from L range.

Missiles fired at X range have -3 sAcc (-4 if fired in Hy[erspace).

### Point Defense Attacks

RoF attacks from Point defense weapons must be split among all incoming missile attacks in a turn; if a ship with a VRF PD laser uses 3,000 shots against a missile attack in a 10 minute turn, it cannot use that laser against another missile attacks until the start of the ship's next turn. Gunners have to decide how to allocate their PD shots.

Missiles that are launched from beyond a PD system's range can only be fired on for a few seconds before impact. The maximum amount of RoF per weapon that can be allocated per missile depends on the PD weapon's range and the launch range:

Missiles fired from longer ranges are easier to dodge but arrive fast enough to speed through short ranged PD without necessarily being destroyed; missiles fired from closer ranges are accelerating slowly while still being with PD ranges but have arrive with enough delta-V remaining to counter dodging targets.

## Damage

### Destroyed Systems and Core Systems

If the system hit is already destroyed, a disable or destroy effect moves to the next highest numbered system and then wraps around to system [1] after system [6] is destroyed. The [core] system, if there is any in that hull section, only follows system [6] if the ship is at 0 dHP or lower, or if all the non-core systems in that hull section are destroyed.

### Disabled Systems

Disabled Engines
Disabled engines in Hyperspace can generate enough of a Necklin field to keep the starship from decomposing into harks even if they can't propel the ship. Hyperspace feedback will overwhelm the field after a number of hours equal to the ship's SM. The ship's crew should jury-rig a fix as soon as possible.

### Destroyed Systems

Destroyed Engines
Destroyed engines in Hyperspace can generate enough of a Necklin field to keep the starship from decomposing into harks even if they can't propel the ship. Hyperspace feedback will overwhelm the field after a number of hours equal to the ship's SM/4. The ship's crew should jury-rig a fix as soon as possible.

Although destroyed systems normally cannot be jury-rigged, starships have enough redundant systems to jury-rig a Necklin field generator even if the engines are blown apart. Rolls to jury-rig a destroyed engine have a -3 penalty and the resulting jury rigged engine can only move the starship at 1 HF. The engine stops working when the ship leaves Hyperspace.