SotG - Chapter 01 - Step-By-Step Starships

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# Chapter 1: Step-By-Step Starships

our first step in transitioning to the space portion<br>         of your *Star Wars* 5th Edition campaign is imagining how having a starship impacts your character. When participating in the space portion of the game, your character is impacted by a number of features, including their chosen deployment, the size and style of ship on which they adventure, and the modification and equipment that ship has access to. These choices can enhance and enrich your avatar.

Before you dive into step 1 below, think about where your adventurer would be most likely to participate in a starship. You might be a dauntless pilot, or a crushing gunner. Perhaps you are a genius mechanic, an intricate operator, or a charming pilot. Maybe you are interested in a mixture of these roles.

Additionally, what kind of ship, and your intended purpose, can impact these decisions. Do you want to be a soldier in the Imperial Navy, piloting a TIE fighter and leading a squadron? Or are you more inclined to travel as a mercenary aboard a light freighter, taking jobs as you see fit in order to keep your ship in space? Maybe you instead want to be a bounty hunter in an assault craft, tracking your quarry to the Outer Rim, and beyond?

Once you have an idea in mind, follow these steps in order, making decisions that reflect the character and ship you want. Your conception of your character and starship might evolve with each choice you make. What's important is that you come to the table with a character you're excited to play.

Throughout this section, we use the term **deployment sheet** and **starship sheet** to mean whatever you use to track your character, whether it's a formal sheet (like the ones at the end of these rules), some form of digital record, or a piece of notebook paper. The official SW5e sheets are a fine place to start until you know what information you need and how you use it during the game.

> ##### Building the Millennium Falcon
> Each step of character creation includes an example of that step, with a player building the iconic starship the Millennium Falcon, as it is portrayed during the events of Episode IV.

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### 1. Choose a Deployment
Every character has a role on the ship. There are five major roles directly tied to the control of a starship: coordinator, gunner, mechanic, operator, and pilot. How your character interacts with your ship—or enemy ships—is determined by where they are deployed on the ship. The **Deployments** chapter provides more information about each deployment.

The deployment you choose is the first impactful decision you make when you adopt the space portion of your campaign. Each of the five deployments has a unique and tangible function, and many of them interact—and synergize—with your character's species and class features. As you progress through the ranks of your chosen deployment, you unlock unique features that augment and enhance your interaction with that deployment, potentially granting you new actions, or simply improving the actions already available to your deployment.

#### Rank
Typically, a character starts their space journey at deployment rank 0, and advances through the ranks (up to 5th) over time. A rank 0 character is typically inexperienced in the ways of their starship, although he or she might have been on a starship previously.

Starting off at rank 0 marks your character's entry in the spacefarer life. If you're already familiar with the game, or if you are joining an existing SW5e campaign, your DM might decide to have you begin at a higher rank, on assumption that your character has already survived a few harrowing adventures. Record your rank on your deployment sheet. If you're starting at a higher rank, record the additional elements your deployment specialization grants you.

> ##### Building the Millennium Falcon, Step 1
> Before we build the Falcon, we start with her pilot: Han Solo. Han is a versatile character aboard a ship, but he is strongest in the piloting role (best in the galaxy). 
>
> When Han achieves his first rank, we spend that rank in the pilot deployment specialization, unlocking the Piloting Procedure and Venture deployment features. For his Piloting Procedure, we mark that Han has two tactical dice, which are d4s. Additionally, Han knows two tactics: for these we choose Koiogran Turn and Snap Roll. For his Venture, we choose Skillful Gunner.

<div class='footnote'>PART 1 | STEP-BY-STEP STARSHIPS</div>

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### 2. Acquire a Starship
A crew is nothing without its starship, and this chapter covers the acquisition and initial set up of starships. Like classes and deployments, starships have their own features that are driven by their size category. The **Starships** chapter provides more information about acquiring a starship, starship size categories, and starship features.

What starship you acquire is the second impactful decision you make when you adopt the space portion of your campaign. Each size category of starship has unique and tangible features, and determines what kind of crew your starship can support. A Small starship, for instance, can support 1-2 crew members at tier 0, while a Medium starship can support an entire adventuring party. At larger sizes, the crew shifts into the hundreds and thousands of crew members a ship can support.

#### Tier
Once you've obtained your starship—through any number of ways—you gain the ability to upgrade your ship. Typically, like deployments, starships are obtained at tier 0. A tier 0 ship is typically newly constructed, or otherwise not yet battle tested or broken in.

Starting off at tier 0 marks the beginning of your starships journey and evolution. Over time, with the use of resources and workers—and credits—a starship can be upgraded from tier 0 all the way up to tier 5, unlocking unique features—and choices—as it improves.

#### Hit Points and Hit Dice
Your starship's hit points define how tough your ship is in combat and other dangerous situations. Your hit points are determined by your Hit Dice (short for Hit Point Dice).

At tier 0, your starship has a varying quantity and size of Hit Die, depending on its size category. Your starship starts with hit points equal to the highest roll of that die, as well as the average roll for each additional Hit Die. You also add your Constitution modifier to each die. This is your **hit point maximum**.

Record your starship's hit points on your starship sheet. Also record the type of Hit Die your starship uses and the number of Hit Dice it has. After you conduct repairs, you can spend Hit Dice to regain hit points (see "Repairs" in the Adventuring section).

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> ##### Building the Millennium Falcon, Step 2
> The Millennium Falcon is a heavily modified YT-1300f light freighter, and falls under the Medium size category. The ship starts at tier 0.
>
> As a tier 0 Medium ship, the Millennium Falcon has 5 Hit Dice—which are d8s—and a Constitution modifier of +1. Consequently, the Millennium Falcon has 33 hit points: 8 + the average for the subsequent four dice (5) + the Constitution modifier for each Hit Die (5 x 1).
> 
> When the Millennium Falcon progresses to tier 1 it gains the following features: Starship Improvements and Evasive Maneuvers. We record Evasive Maneuvers on the starship sheet. Since the Millennium Falcon is fast, we increase its Strength with the Ability Score Improvement. It gains an additional Hit Dice, and it's current and maximum hit points increases by 6. It also gains additional modifications, discussed in Chapter 4.
> 
> Additionally, at tier 0, a Medium ship gets a choice of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throws proficiencies. For the Falcon, we choose Strength.

### 3. Installing Modifications
At tier 0, your starship has a number of modification slots, depending on its size, and it gains more modification slots as it progresses through tiers. Modifications—at the expense of credits, workers, and time—can be installed in these modification slots, enhancing and augmenting the ship's functionality. Modifications fall into five categories: engineering, operation, suite, universal, and weapon. The **Modifications** chapter provides more information about these categories.

> ##### Building the Millennium Falcon, Step 3
> At tier 0, the Millennium Falcon has 10 modification slots. Since it's a Medium ship, it comes with one Barracks at no cost. Additionally, we choose a Living Quarters to give the crew their own rooms. We also choose the Cantina and Storage Compartment suites, bringing the total modifications to 3.
>
> The Millennium Falcon has both a dorsal and ventral cannon, with limited firing arcs (discussed in Chapter 9), so we choose two Fixed Hardpoints. Additionally, these are more effective ship weapons, so we take two Gauss Rounds to augment them. We're up to 7 modifications.
>
> She has a Hyperdrive and Navcomputer, bringing the total modifications to 9.
>
> Finally, the Falcon has exterior protection, so we take the Anti-Boarding System upgrade as our 10th and final upgrade.
>
> When the Falcon reaches tier 1, it gains two more upgrade slots. We choose the Hyperdrive Quick-Start and Improved Navcomputer modifications.

<div class='footnote'>PART 1 | STEP-BY-STEP STARSHIPS</div>

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### 4. Choose Equipment
Starships have access to certain types of equipment. Every starship has access to armor and shields, and most have access to weapons. Many starships, especially larger ones, have access to hyperdrives and navcomputers. The **Equipment** chapter provides more information on these categories.

#### Armor Class
Your **Armor Class** (AC) represents how well your starship avoids being damaged in battle. Your AC is determined by three major factors: your starship's size category, the pilot's Piloting skill bonus, and the type of armor your ship has installed.

Your ship has a base AC, depending on its size, as shown in the Starship Size Base Armor Class table on page 56. You then add the pilot's bonus to Piloting checks. Finally, certain types of armor add a bonus or penalty to your ship's AC.

#### Weapons
Your ship can have a number of weapons no greater than the number of hardpoints it has. For each hardpoint, a single weapon can be attached. When making attack rolls, or setting the save DC for ship weapons, we use the starship's Dexterity modifier, and the deployed gunner's proficiency bonus. We also add the ship's Dexterity modifier to damage rolls.

> ##### Building the Millennium Falcon, Step 4
> The Millennium Falcon, as a Medium starship, has a base AC of 8. With an Intelligence of 14, proficiency in Piloting, and Piloting as one of his chosen skills with the Expertise class feature, Han has a +6 bonus to Piloting checks, which we add to the Millennium Falcon's base armor class, for a total of 14. Additionally, the Falcon comes with deflection armor installed, which we will change out for lightweight armor, further increasing the AC to 15. 
> 
> The Falcon has two fixed hardpoints, and we choose traditional laser cannons to equip to them. When making an attack roll with either weapon, we use the ship's Dexterity modifier (+2) and the deployed gunner's proficiency bonus. When making a damage roll, we add the ship's Dexterity modifier (+2). We note that the laser cannons have a limited firing arc, do 1d8 + 2 energy damage, can attack twice per round, and have a range of 450/900.

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### 5. Come Together
Most Star Wars characters don't work alone, and while some starships can be operated by a single crew member, it is more dynamic—and engaging—to crew a starship with a **party*, with each member of the party fulfilling a needed role on the ship. Teamwork and cooperation greatly improve your party's chance to survive the unapologetic lethality of spacefaring.

#### Beyond the Basics
As your characters—and their starship—go on adventures and overcomes challenges, they can increase in their ranks and tiers, respectively. While tiers are driven by the amount of effort—and credits—directly applied to the starship, ranks are earned separately. Generally, the characters should be awarded their first deployment rank after no more than five encounters. After that, they should be awarded at the discretion of the GM.

> The expectation is to tie ranks to proficiency bonuses. When characters reach 5th-level, their proficiency bonus increases to 3, and again at 9th (4), 13th (5), and 17th (6). Ranks 2-4 are designed to be awarded at or around those same improvements.

#### Features and Hit Dice
When your starship gains a tier, it unlocks additional features, depending on its size, as detailed in the description. Some of these features allow you to increase your starship's ability scores. You can't increase an ability score above 20.

Each time your starship gains a tier, it gains gain 1 additional Hit Die. Roll that Hit Die, add your ship's Constitution modifier to the roll, and add the total to your hit point maximum. Alternatively, you can use the fixed value shown in your class entry, which is the average result of the die roll (rounded up).

When your ship's Constitution modifier increases by 1, its hit point maximum increases by 1 for each Hit Dice it has. For example, if your tier 0 Medium ship has a Constitution score of 14, when it reaches tier 1, you increases its Constitution score from 14 to 16, thus increasing its Constitution modifier from +2 to +3. At tier 0, your Medium starship has a total of 6 Hit Dice, so its hit point maximum then increases by 6.

<div class='footnote'>PART 1 | STEP-BY-STEP STARSHIPS</div>

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