Brought about in part from comments on the rec.games.mecha newsgroup, this page details various optional "house" rules and equipment for Aerospace Fighters. Some of the following items may also be used on Conventional Fighters and Dropships. Since they are "house" rules, all of the following rules are considered Level 3. Comments or suggestions to these rules would be appreciated. The following rules are listed:
Optional Naval Unit Components (separate page)
Froggie's Escape Pods and Lifeboats (separate page)
Alternative Minimal Crew Requirements (separate page)High-G Cockpit
Dual Cockpit
Rear Turret
V/STOL Equipment
Combination Conventional/Aerospace Fighter Design
Advanced Armors
OmniFighter Bomb/Missile Pods
"Built-in" Bomb/Missile tonnage
Bomb Costs
Fuel pods
Aerospace Fighter Designs
The basis for this item is the advanced cockpit that is shown for the Banshee fighter in the First Somerset Strikers sourcebook (FASA 1687). I have taken this item, with minor modifications, and listed it here as a Level 3 item:
- May be installed in Aerospace and Conventional Fighters.
- Takes up 5 tons, and is considered the Control Tonnage for Conventional Fighters.
- Confers the benefit of a -2 to the Target Number for blackout rolls and any other required "high-G induced" rolls.
- Cost is 400,000 C-bills.
This is an aerospace conversion of the item listed in the MechWarrior Companion (FASA 1671). These rules assume standard Aerotech 2 play with fully qualified pilots/gunners. For role-playing rules, look up the Dual Cockpit rules on pages 49-52 of the MechWarrior Companion.
- May be installed in Aerospace or Conventional Fighters.
- Takes up 5 tons, and is considered the Control Tonnage for Conventional Fighters.
- Because the pilot and gunnery officers are able to concentrate on their particular actions more, the Dual Cockpit confers a -1 bonus to the target number for all Piloting Skill, Control, and Gunnery rolls while both crewmen are active. This bonus is in addition to any Targeting Computer bonuses that may apply (for craft that mount one).
- Critical hits to the cockpit (or crew) will affect both pilot and gunner.
- The craft can still fly if one of the crewmen is incapacitated. If the pilot is out, all gunnery benefits are lost and there is a +1 penalty to the target number for all Piloting Skill and Control rolls. If the gunner is out, the pilot loses all piloting benefits if he/she fires a weapon, and also incurs a +1 penalty to the target number for all Gunnery rolls.
- Dual Cockpits cost 400,000 C-bills.
- For Battle Value, increase the Defensive Multiplier by 0.1. Also, a Dual Cockpit incurs an additional 5% bonus to the Offensive Battle Rating (calculate the bonus after applying the Speed Factor).
I got the idea for this from two locations: first was the "fluff text" for the Slayer aerospace fighter (Kurita 80-ton machine); second was from the Sabre from Wing Commander 2. The concept is that there is a manned rear turret to handle gunnery for the rear-firing weapons. As with the Dual Cockpit, this item assumes standard Aerotech 2 play with fully qualified pilots/gunners.
- May be installed in Aerospace Fighters.
- Takes up 2 tons, and is mounted in the rear of the craft.
- Rear-firing weapons use the rear turret gunner's gunnery skill as a base, with a -1 bonus to the target number. All normal rules for rear-firing weapons apply. If the craft mounts a Targeting Computer, any applicable Targeting Computer bonuses also apply.
- Due to the turret's location and general frailty (as compared with the craft overall), any critical hits to rear firing weapons or to the engine will also cause a "pilot hit" to the rear gunner. Unlike the cockpit, only 4 such hits will disable the rear turret and kill the rear gunner. If the rear gunner is disabled, the pilot (or main gunner) may still fire any undamaged rear-firing weapons, but with a +1 penalty to the target number.
- Rear Turrets cost 100,000 C-bills.
- Rear Turrets may not be added to OmniFighters as pods. However, a Rear Turret may be structurally built into an OmniFighter and use any available pod space for the rear-firing weapons.
- For Battle Value, add 10% to the battle value of any rear-firing weapons.
This is one of the biggest items lacking, IMHO. V/STOL Equipment would allow a fighter (conventional or aerospace) or aerodyne small craft to take off and land on an extremely small surface (as compared with a regular runway), not unlike the AV-8B Harrier aircraft of current times. V/STOL Equipment uses the following rules:
- Can be installed on Aerospace Fighters, Conventional Fighters, and Aerodyne Small Craft.
- Takes up 10% of the craft's mass. Half-tons are allowed.
- Allows the craft to take off and land vertically. Landing rules are as per a Spheroid Dropship landing, with the exception that the craft must slow down to 0 velocity and be in the altitude level immediately above the ground in the turn prior to landing. Control Rolls are made as normal. If using fuel consumption, a landing will require 5 Thrust Points, while a takeoff requires 10 Thrust Points. Craft cannot take off if they have a Safe Thrust of less than 3.
- Craft may use their VTOL Equipment to move through atmosphere as per Spheroid Dropships. This expends Thrust Points as per a Spheroid Dropship, but requires a Control Roll for every turn. Failed Control Rolls result in the craft losing one altitude level.
- Equipment cost is 40,000 C-bills x equipment tonnage.
- For the Battle Value Rating, increase the Defensive multiplier by 0.1.
- For purposes of damage, if the craft takes enough engine hits to reduce its Safe Thrust to less than 3, the V/STOL Equipment is considered destroyed.
Another idea from the First Somerset Strikers, this is more of a design concept that combines elements of conventional fighter and aerospace fighter design into one package. This concept uses the following rules:
- This type of craft is essentially a combination aerospace/conventional fighter. As such, both a standard aerospace engine AND a conventional engine must be installed in the craft. Extralight (XL) or Turbine engines may be used. The conventional engine weighs the same as a normal aerospace/battlemech engine. Turbine engines weigh double what a standard fusion engine weighs.
- While in space or at high altitude (medium or higher in Battlespace, Row 3 or higher in Aerotech 2), the fighter operates as an aerospace fighter. At low altitude (or lower in Battlespace, Row 2 or lower in Aerotech 2), the fighter spends Thrust and maneuvers as a conventional fighter. If V/STOL Equipment is installed, the fighter also has VTOL capability.
- If using "fuel consumption" rules, calculate Thrust Points based on where the fighter begins play (ie., if it begins play in space, it has 80 Thrust Points per ton of fuel). When moving from high altitude to low altitude (going from aerospace to conventional operation), double the remaining number of Thrust Points. Likewise, when moving from low to high, divide the remaining Thrust Points in half (rounding down).
- When calculating Battle Value, the Defensive multiplier is 1.3.
- When calculating cost, use the costs for Aerospace Fighters for Structure, Sensors, Life Support, and Cockpit. In addition, add an Avionics cost equal to the fighter's mass times 400 C-bills (i.e. Tonnage x 400).
This "house" rule allows the use of some of the optional Level 3 armors listed on pages 80 and 81 of Maximum Tech (FASA 1700).
- Light and Heavy Ferro Fibrous may be installed on aerospace and conventional fighters, small craft, and dropships. Light Ferro Fibrous does not affect the number of weapons fighters may carry on their wings, but Heavy Ferro Fibrous reduces this number by 2 (to a maximum of 3 weapons per wing).
- Ferro Fibrous: all standard rules apply. Regular Ferro Fibrous is a Level 2 item.
- Laser-Reflective Armor has been modified for aerospace uses, and may be installed on aerospace/conventional fighters, small craft, and dropships. Las-Ref reduces by half the amount of damage from laser weapons (round 0.5 down). However, due to its brittleness, damage from Gauss Rifles (due to the slugs sheer kinetic energy), crashes, and ramming attacks increases. Gauss Rifle damage is increased by 50% (round down), while a crash, ramming attack, or other physical damage is doubled. All other weapons attacks (including PPCs and Flamers) do damage normally.
To be used in conjunction with the Bombing rules from pg. 26 of AT2, and with my missile rules.
- OmniFighters may devote some of their pod space to carrying Bombs and Missiles. Each bomb or Missile carried weighs 1 ton (except for "Arrow IV missiles", which weigh 5 tons, and "Torpedoes", which weigh 3 tons).
- OmniFighters are still limited by their craft tonnage for the number of bombs or missiles they can carry (1 bomb per 5 tons fighter weight, 1 missile per 10 tons fighter weight).
- Using Pod Space for bombs or missiles does not reduce the Safe Thrust of the craft. For example, a Kirghiz (from TR 3055) using 10 tons of its pod space for bombs will still have a Safe Thrust of 5, instead of a Safe Thrust of 3.
To be used in conjunction with the Bombing rules from pg. 26 of AT2, and with my missile rules.
- During construction, fighter designers may designate some tonnage to carrying Bombs and Missiles. Each bomb or Missile carried weighs 1 ton (except for "Arrow IV missiles", which weigh 5 tons, and "Torpedoes", which weigh 3 tons).
- Fighters are still limited by their craft tonnage for the number of bombs or missiles they can carry (1 bomb per 5 tons fighter weight, 1 missile per 10 tons fighter weight).
- Using tonnage in this way for bombs or missiles does not reduce the Safe Thrust of the craft. For example, an Eisensturm (new fighter from AT2) variant using 10 tons of its tonnage for bombs and missiles will still have a Safe Thrust of 6, instead of a Safe Thrust of 4.
Since AT2 did not include costs for bombs, the following table can be used as a guideline:
Bomb Type C-bill Cost (per unit) High-explosive (HE) 10,000 Cluster 20,000 Laser-Guided (LG) 20,000 Inferno 10,000 FASCAM 20,000 Arrow IV 30,000 TAG 50,000 (reusable)
To be used in conjunction with the Bombing rules from pg. 26 of AT2. Allows fighters to carry fuel pods instead of bombs.
- Each Fuel Pod is considered one "bomb" for purposes of determining modified Safe Thrust and the number of "bombs" carried.
- Each Fuel Pod holds 1/2 ton of fuel (40 Thrust Points for Aerospace Fighters, 80 Thrust Points for Conventional Fighters).
- If using Fuel Consumption rules, fuel from Fuel Pods gets used up before fuel carried onboard.
- Fuel Pods can be jettisoned to improve aircraft handling (i.e. reducing the number of "bombs" carried).
- For cost purposes, each empty fuel pod costs 10,000 C-bills and, if not jettisoned, can be reused.
I have come up with two fighter designs to illustrate the above "house" rules and equipment:
BSE-X4 Banshee (50 tons)
SL1-O Slayer (80 tons)
If you have any other ideas, or comments/suggestions on the above items, please let me know. In the future, I will be adding optional rules for missiles.
Back to the Top.
Back to Froggie's Aerotech 2 Depot.
Back to the Dropshuttle to Tancredi IV.
See some Battletech Links.
Return to Main Page
Page last modified 31 December, 2003