Progress Level 6: Fusion Age

Table: Starship Weapons
Weapon	Damage	Critical	Damage Type	Range Increment	Rate of Fire	Minimum Ship Size	Purchase DC	Restriction
Fusion beam	10d8 (45)	20	Energy	3,000 ft.	Single	Gargantuan	33	Res (+2)
Gauss gun	8d12 (52)	20	Ballistic	4,000 ft.	Single1	Gargantuan	35	Res (+2)
Laser	6d8 (27)	20	Fire	3,000 ft.	Single1	Huge	28	Lic (+1)
Laser, heavy	8d8 (36)	20	Fire	4,000 ft.	Single	Colossal	31	Res (+2)
Mine, fusion	5d100 (275)	—	Energy	—	—	Colossal	33	Mil (+3)
Missile, CHE	6d12 (39)	19–20	Ballistic	—	Single	Gargantuan	252	Mil (+3)
Missile, KE submunition	4d12 (26)	19–20	Ballistic	—	Single	Gargantuan	222	Lic (+1)
Missile, nuclear	16d8 (72)	19–20	Energy	—	Single	Gargantuan	452	Mil (+3)
Needle driver	8d12 (52)	20	Ballistic	4,000 ft.	A	Gargantuan	36	Lic (+1)
Neutron gun	6d8 (27)	20	Energy	5,000 ft.	Single	Colossal	31	Mil (+3)
Neutron gun, heavy	10d8 (45)	20	Energy	6,000 ft.	Single	Colossal	35	Mil (+3)
Rail cannon	6d12 (39)	20	Ballistic	3,000 ft.	Single1	Gargantuan	30	Lic (+1)
1With a successful Repair check (DC 30) and 1 hour of work, this weapon can be modified for semiautomatic or automatic fire mode. Resetting the weapon to its original configuration requires another check and another hour of labor. 2The purchase DC includes a basic launch system (missile rack or missile tube) and eight missiles with warheads. The purchase DC is 2 lower without the launch system. 3In addition to taking damage, the ship is dazed for 1 round (see Starship Condition Summary). 4This weapon’s damage ignores a ship’s hardness.

Fusion Beam (PL 6)

The fusion beam initiates a fusion reaction and then directs the blast at the target.

Gauss Gun (PL 6)

The gauss gun is an electromagnetic accelerator that fires tiny ball bearings at an extremely high velocity.

Laser (PL 6)

The simplest beam weapon, the laser is used generally for small craft. It consists of a focused beam of white-hot light.

Laser, Heavy (PL 6)

The heavy laser is simply an oversized laser that pours more energy on the target. It’s too big to install on light spacecraft, but is common on destroyers and larger warships.

Mine, Fusion (PL 6)

A fusion mine initiates a fusion reaction that deals damage to all starships in its square and all adjacent squares.

Missile, CHE (PL 6)

A CHE (conventional high-explosive) warhead can destroy a small vessel, but it’s less effective against larger warships unless launched in numbers. Heavy vessels, such as battleships, can usually ignore the weapon despite its payload of hundreds of kilos of advanced chemical explosives.

Missile, KE Submunition (PL 6)

This warhead consists of a bundle of dozens or even hundreds of tungsten steel darts, each mounted on small rocket motors. As the weapon approaches its target, the warhead splits open, unleashing a lethal hail of high-velocity metal arrows. The impact alone can vaporize several square yards of heavy armor.

Missile, Nuclear (PL 6)

This 1-megaton warhead is essentially a fusion bomb rigged to a guided rocket.

Needle Driver (PL 6)

The needle driver is a larger, heavier version of the rail cannon (see below), with an extremely high rate of fire. It fires small metal flechettes at the rate of thousands of rounds per minute.

Neutron Gun (PL 6)

This device directs an intense blast of neutron radiation at the target.

Neutron Gun, Heavy (PL 6)

This weapon is simply a larger version of the neutron gun.

Rail Cannon (PL 6)

Rail cannons use a series of electromagnets to propel projectiles down a magnetic track. The projectiles are kinetic-energy weapons with no explosive charge, but at close ranges, they can still be quite devastating.