Ship Traits

This is Lurker709s compilation of the Ship

Traits found in various threads on Waves in the Black.
Armed & Dexterous [Minor/Major]
By Psyckosama
Your boat is armed, literally. Manipulator arms
on spacecraft are a long standing tradition. They
can be used to load and unload cargo, move objects
in space, assist in macro construction projects, or
even retrieve wayward crewmembers who forgot to
tie down during an EVA. Recently though, since the
disarmament of the rim after the U-War,
manipulator arms are beginning to see use as
weapons. Both Reavers and Pirate Tongs use them
to literally grapple with other ships in the black,
physically damaging systems in space borne hand
to hand combat and latching on and forcing dock.
Benefit: Most manipulator arms lack fine
manipulators, meaning that any delicate tasks are
beyond their abilities; they suffer a -4 step Skill
Penalty when attempting them. However, some
arms are designed to take delicate work into
account, and have dexterous manipulators and
special mounts for tools specifically, those arms
on a ship with this Asset. When a ship is Armed
and Dexterous, using the manipulator arms offers
no penalty when attempting delicate work as they're
built for it.
Big Honkin' Space Guns
[Minor/Major]
By Psyckosama
Your vehicle is designed to mount weapons that
are way too big for its britches.
Benefit: Because of its heavily reinforced
Ship Traits
3
3
1
The Firefly Fanbook
Assets Complications
* This is an update of the original version.
Armed & Dextrous [Minor/Major]
Big Honkin Space Guns [Minor]
Brand Spankin New [Minor]
Comfy [Minor]
Compact Systems Design [Minor]
Deadeye Targeting System [Minor/Major]
Fuel Efficient* [Minor]
Got It Where It Counts [Minor/Major]
Heavy Frame/Military Construction
[Minor/Major]
Jury Rigged/No Factory Parts [Minor/Major]
Mobile, Barely [Minor]
Multi Environment [Minor/Major]
One Of A Kind [Minor/Major]
Responsive [Minor/Major]
Rugged Take-Off/Landing [MinorMajor]
Sponsor [Minor]
Stealthy [Minor/Major]
Strong As An Ox [Minor]
Tandem [Minor/Major]
Variable THrottle [Major]
Bulky Systems Design [Minor]
Conspicuous [Minor/Major]
Cortex Branded [Minor/Major]
Expendable [Minor/Major]
Exploitable Flaw [minor/Major]
Gaz Guzzler* [Minor]
Haunted [Minor/Major]
Jury Rigged [Minor/Major]
Launchpad Princess [Minor/Major]
Light Frame/Flimsy [Minor/Major]
Non-Atmospheric [Major]
Pulls To The Right/Left/Up/Down [Minor]
Sadistic Sponsor [Minor]
Sluggish [Minor]
Space Sick [Minor]
Tight Design [Minor/Major]
Totaled [Minor/Major]
Rough Take-Off/Landing [Minor/Major]
Assets
Ship Traits
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
mounts, recoil absorbers, and stabilization rigs, it
can be armed outside its regular size category
without ill effect. If you're using the optional
'capitol' scale to mount a capitol scale weapon on a
vehicle you'll just have to take it twice.
Brand Spankin' New [Minor]
By Vadia
The ship is so new that it barely needs
maintenance or the attention of an Engineer.
Benefit: For the first year it will give +2 step to
maintenance and for the next two +1 then this trait
goes away. Additionally maintenance costs are a
quarter less. Due to the nature of this asset it may
not count against one in complications, although it
may just come in the price tag of a brand spankin'
new vehicle.
Comfy [Minor]
By Vadia
The ship feels comfortable.
Benefit: Whether it means that it's as smooth as
flying in your dreams, or the subtle vibration feels
like an expert masseuse, or the lighting is just right,
or the dcor downright luxurious, but something
about this ship just feels right for passengers. Be
sure to charge them that bit more, too.
Compact Systems Design [Minor]
By Oneneoeno
The hull, life support, bridge, sensors, or some
combination of the above use newtech, less bulky
equipment than normal. They require less space
than might otherwise be the case.
Benefit: Effect is to have -5% of the ships
tonnage devoted to hull and vital systems. For
example, a Str d8 ship must normally devote 22%
of its tonnage to hull and vital systems. With this
trait, it only devotes 17% to them.
Deadeye Targeting System
[Minor/Major]
By Old Sarge
You've got some shiny infrared and radar
sensors tied into a fancy fire-control computer that
calculates ranges, trajectories, and how much lead to
give the bad guy.
Benefit: As a minor asset, you gain a 2-step
bonus to aim one of your ships weapon systems.
As a major asset, all of your ships weapons
receive the bonus.
Note: If you decide to allow this asset in your
campaign, most all Alliance warships should have it.
That could mean adjusting all of their complexity
levels, price, and maintenance costs, but personally,
I'd just give 'em the bonus and forge ahead. The
Alliance is going to pay whatever price they have to
if it'll keep their ships at the top of the heap.
Fuel Efficient [Minor] (Alternate
Version)
By Just Another Product
Through a miracle of good design or dumb
luck, the boat doesnt burn fuel as fast as most its
size.
Benefit:
Tiny ships (of size d2; 1025 tons [shuttles] &
25100 tons [vessels]) receive x2 or double the
listed fuel.
Small ships (of size d4; 1001K tons) receive
x1.5 or half again the listed fuel economy.
Mid-bulk ships (of size d6; 1K10K tons)
receive x1.3(33) or a third again the listed fuel
economy.
Large ships (of size d8; 10K100K tons)
receive x1.25 or a quarter again the listed fuel
economy.
Huge ships (of size d10; 100K1M tons)
receive x1.2 or a fifth again the listed fuel economy.
Gargantuan (size d12; 1M10M tons) receive
x1.16(66) or a sixth again the listed fuel economy.
An Ark Ship (size d12+; 10M25M tons)
receive x1.1 or a tenth again (what would be) the
listed fuel.
Got It Where It Counts
[Minor/Major]
By Corran950
The ship never lets you down when you truly
need it to do some thrilling heroics.
Benefit: Once per session, you may re-roll any
one piloting action except Botches. As a Major trait
you gain an additional re-roll (twice per session),
including Botch results.
Note: Any roll, including those using Plot Points,
can be re-rolled with this trait.
Heavy Frame/Military Construction
[Minor/Major]
By Psyckosama
Heavy Framed ships include the likes of heavy
cargo hauler, paramilitary patrol ship and other
2
A Free RPG Supplement
such craft that require more durability than your
average boat. Because of this, these ships are
constructed to take stresses that most are incapable
of withstanding.
Vehicles with Military Construction are full
fledged warships, and in addition to having heavier,
more durable frames also include additional
survival tricks such as armor plates over critical
systems, reinforced bracing, advanced composites,
to allow them to survive in heavy combat.
Benefit: Vehicles with a Heavy Frame (Minor)
have 50% more Life Points than normal, while
vehicles with Military Construction (Major) have
twice the normal amount of Life Points, rounding
up.
Jury-Rigged/No Factory Parts
[Minor/Major]
By Topher-Feyd
All ships in the Verse that fly have parts,
whether it is a primary buffer panel or a converter,
most ships use specific parts made by specific
companies. Other ships are jury-rigged using
whatever craptech is to hand. This dangerous asset
means that your ship is put together with parts that
are not factory original. The entire ship may be a
Frankensteined jumble, or perhaps just one system
like the engines is the benefactor. The advantage
to this is that your ship can more easily be repaired
as it doesn't need specific parts from specific
companies. The downside to this is that the ship is
sometimes held together by little more than gum
and a prayer. Sometimes it can get cantankerous
and blow up.
Benefit: As a Minor asset a specific system of
the ship is jury-rigged providing a +2 step on repair
rolls as well as a 25% price break on repairs. Once
per session a Vitality + Willpower check (versus an
Average Diff) on the system is to be rolled to see if
the system is working.
As a Major asset the entire ship is comprised of
jury-rigged parts providing a +4 step on repair rolls
as well as a 50% price break on repairs. Twice per
session, a Vitality + Willpower (Average Diff) check
on the ship should be made to see if the ship will
fly.
Mobile, Barely [Major]
By Just Another Product
Your space-station comes equipped with
directional/motivational thrusters such as reaction
pods.
Benefit: The reaction pods allow it to move at
a speed class of 1.
Note: For Station Scale, a d0 sized station equals
a d12 sized ship.
Multi-Environment [Minor/Major]
By Corran950
Everybody in the Verse knows that a spaceship
can travel in the black as well as in atmo. But this is
for craft that defy the typical mold for a spaceship.
Benefit: This trait, when applied to a vessel,
gives it the ability to land and survive in specific
environments normally not suitable for that type
of vessel. As a major trait this is extended to being
able to travel in/on that environment. Additionally
it costs 5% total weight of vessel for specialised
Ship Traits
3
3
3
The Firefly Fanbook
Ship Traits
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
drive systems. GM has final say in the feasibility of
the combination. Examples: a starship capable of
landing/traveling in water, a starship landing near
lava, a ground vehicle going underwater.
One of a Kind [Minor/Major]
By Donnovan Sunrider
This model of ship is very, very rare. Although
there are some problems with travelling in such a
rare vessel, like finding replacement parts (...what
do you mean you've never heard of a 42A3
Gravitonic Module?), the big benefit is that no one
has any idea what your ship can do. Is that a cargo
hatch or a torpedo bay opening?
As a minor trait production runs were between
5 and 20. As a major trait this vessel is quite literally
one of a kind. The only one in the Verse, flying or
mothballed.
Benefit: At the minor level, anyone attempting
to exploit the known features or abilities of this
ship design receives a -2 step Skill penalty to his
action. At the major level, anyone trying to
determine features and abilities of the ship are at a
-4 step Skill penalty. By spending Plot Points, the
Captain/Owner can increase the likelihood that the
one-of-a-kind ship is misidentified as something
else.
Note: Given the unique appearance of the craft,
it is recommended that this should be used with the
trait Memorable.
Responsive [Minor/Major]
By Corran950
Your ship has a particular environment that it
handles well in. Ships with this trait were either built
with that in mind or had modifications added to
cause it.
Benefit: When selecting this trait pick one of
the following environments (land, sea, atmosphere,
space). When the craft is in said environment
increase its agility by +2 Steps. As a Major Trait,
you get more for your Plot Points for piloting the
craft. Whenever you use PP for controlling the
craft, count the total PP as 2 higher.
Rugged Takeoff/Landing
[Minor/Major]
By Paladin-6
When most ships need a suitable landing field
they must pay to use the facilities of a starport, or
at least find a large piece of level ground with no
obstructions nearby. However some ships, such as
the rugged little Fireflys, are capable of landing
almost anywhere, even on a cow pasture or playing
field, allowing them to service even austere
outposts. This has made them popular with military
forces, smugglers, or others who desire to fly out
to small Rim communities.
Benefit: As a minor Trait, the ship gains a +2
step Strength Attribute bonus whenever you roll to
resist damage from a bad landing or takeoff. As a
major Asset, the bonus increases to +4 steps.
Sponsor [Minor]
By DaltonSpence
You aren't quite an independent operator, but
you get a steady paycheck and the boss pretty much
leaves you be as long as you get the job done. You
even get full reimbursement for expenses as long
as you can produce a receipt. Sure, you pretty much
have to take the jobs you're given (at least if you
want to keep the benefits of your position), but
security can be a good thing and at least you don't
have to go hunting for work just to make ends
meet. Plus it's always gratifying to see folk sit up
and take notice when you tell them who you're
working for. (This trait is only available with GM
approval.)
Benefit: You have a steady gig, either for the
government, a corp, a guild, a gang or some
apparently humanitarian organization. You share
your sponsor's reputation (for good and ill), and
don't have to worry about money too much. In the
Core, all legitimate expenses can be paid directly
from the sponsor's credit account. Elsewhere, a
bankroll will be provided sufficient to meet
anticipated needs. For every session you
successfully look after your sponsor's interests, the
GM will award plot points. The following traits may
be inherited from your sponsor, and while they still
have separate point costs (and values), they will not
count towards your total number of Assets or
Complications; Friends in High (or Low) Places,
Good Name, Military Rank*, Religiosity (Major)*,
Registered Companion*, Wears a Badge*, Branded,
Deadly Enemy, and Memorable (a visible symbol
of the sponsorship must be displayed at all times).
*Note: These traits represent professions that
automatically define the identity of the sponsor,
and are mutually exclusive.
A ship with a sponsor is either wholly owned by
them (not the crew or the captain) or under a bare
4
A Free RPG Supplement
bones charter, and all maintenance
and fuel costs will paid by the sponsor
while it remains in their service. At
least one person on board (usually the
captain) should also have this trait in
order to look out for the sponsor's
interests.
Stealthy [Minor/Major]
By Old Sarge
Your ship is hard for sensors to
detect when you switch off your
transponder, navsats, comms, and
pulse beacon.
Benefit: If you're using skills to
avoid detection, receive a two-step
bonus (3 step for Major). If you're just passively
floating there and hoping to avoid notice by doing
nothing, the other guys take a two-step penalty (3
step Major) to their rolls to pick you up. Major
Stealth is only seen in classified military vessels.
Strong As An Ox [Minor]
By Lynn LeFey
This asset allows a ship to haul cargo well
beyond its normal capacity, at the cost of speed.
Benefit: Doubling cargo cuts speed in half,
quadrupling cargo cuts speed to 1/4, etc. So, a
speed 8 ship could carry 8 times its normal load
limit, reducing the ship to speed 1. Full burn is not
possible while carrying more than the ship's normal
load limit.
This asset is meant to represent relatively small
ships that move enormous masses, such as tugs,
salvage ships, asteroid wranglers, etc. The cargo
beyond normal load limits are usually external
loads.
Tandem [Minor/Major]
By Just Another Product
Currently it is assumed that either the ship is on
auto pilot, with the nav-computer doing all the
work, or the ship is on manual control with the
pilot doin' the flying. This trait allows the nav-
computer to remain online, whilst still deferring to
the pilots manual control and allows the pilot to
defer to the computer if the computers course is
actually better. Moreover, the pilots navigation
and the ships auto-nav skill can be used via the aid
one another action, as if they were two characters
working together.
Benefit: At Minor, the ship and the pilot can
each roll for navigation (or whatever else, evasive
maneuvers etc.) and the higher of the two
outcomes is the one used to determine the success
of the roll. At major, the pilot and the computer
each roll and the sum of the two rolls is result of
the check.
Variable Throttle [Major]
By JustAnotherProduct
Currently if you have Slow Throttle (Minor),
your hard burn is +1, with no throttle trait it is +2,
with Fast Throttle (Minor) it is +3, and with Fast
Throttle (Major) +4. At all four possible speed
bonuses the increase to fuel economy is +50%; and
the current rules assume you either are at cruising
velocity or at your ships maximum speed (and over
the top stress endurance levels) while at hard burn.
This trait allows the ship to permanently trade out
some fuel economy for the ability to burn across a
spectrum of in excess of cruising velocity speeds.
Benefit: When engaging Hard-Burn, you may,
as the situation demands, choose for the ship to
burn at either:
Cruising velocity +1 at a +20% fuel economy,
also requires success at an average stress endurance
roll.
Cruising velocity +2 at a +25% fuel economy,
also requires success at an hard stress endurance
roll.
Cruising velocity +3 at a +33% fuel economy,
also requires success at a formidable stress
endurance roll.
Cruising velocity +4 at a +50% fuel economy,
also requires success at a heroic stress endurance
Ship Traits
3
3
5
The Firefly Fanbook
Ship Traits
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
roll.
The engine modifications necessary to allow for
this variability also permanently increase your
cruising velocitys fuel economy by +16%, and
regular (at GM's discretion) easy stress checks to
maintain because the equipment is more prone to
the typical stresses than your standard engine. In
effect, your cruising velocity counts as Hard-Burn
+0.
Bulky Systems Design [Minor]
By Oneneoeno
The hull, life support, bridge, sensors, or some
combination of the above use older, bulkier
equipment than is normal. They require more space
than might otherwise be the case, but they are easier
and cheaper to maintain.
Penalty: +5% to ship tonnage devoted to hull
and vital systems. For exampe, a Str d8 ship must
normally devote 22% of its tonnage to hull and
vital systems. With this trait, it must devote 27% to
them.
Conspicuous [Minor/Major]
By Lurker709
The ship has an abnormally large sensor
footprint for its size making it easier to lock on and
target.
Penalty: Folk hunting it gain a two step bonus
for picking you up out of the background noise.
Cortex Branded [Minor/Major]
By Romnipotent
Cortex Branded is the opposite of a spectre.
This ship gets harrassed by Alliance and/or other
factions at every turn. Although no longer owned
or run by any of the original crew, it retains its
notorious reputation and is a continuous goad to
those who have run afoul of it before.
Penalty: No matter how much the crew tries to
change the ships identity, its distinctive history
haunts the crew on every job, in any big port, and
with hassle by Alliance patrols who want to check
their IDs every single time.
Expendable (Minor/Major)
By Dawg180
This vessel was designed for a 'one way journey'
or 'one shot' use and not for constant long term
operation or re-use after it has served its purpose,
as many of the components are consumed during
use (i.e. ablative heat shields for a one-time atmo
entry) or are built for compactness instead of ease
of replacement (i.e. hardcoded, dedicated processor
boards are installed and then hull plating is welded
over them). The vessel requires no maintenance
when mothballed/not in operation, but once
activated, it has a limited lifespan.
Penalty: As a Minor trait the vessel can last up
to 6 months without maintenance, but thereafter
requires monthly maintenance starting at a difficult
(11) and stepping up one difficulty level every
month therafter. Failure of a maintenance roll
means the vessel is, or the malfunctioning systems
are, beyond repair and it is essentially salvage at that
point, or that the character will have to spend a
great deal of time and money tracking down the
proper parts. An example of this would be the
Bumblebee Homesteader.
As a Major trait, the vessel is only meant for a
very short term operational duration (a week to a
month) and uses up most its components in
operation. An example of this would be a lifeboat
or escape pod, with nonreplenishable solid rocket
boosters/braking jets, long life power cells that
aren't rechargeable,an ablative heat shied that burns
away during atmo entry, and a parachute that
deploys but is not easily repacked.
These vessels have significant cost savings: a
1/3 cost reduction for Minor and a 2/3 cost
reduction for Major trait.
Exploitable Flaw [Minor/Major]
By Psyckosama
This ship has a weak spot. One that if exploited
could be a major threat to the ship.
Penalty: As a minor complication, exploiting it
would allow the first attack to hit the weak spot to
do ten times its normal damage, disable a critical
system, or inconvenience the crew in some other
especially obnoxious fashion. An example is the
flawed engine design on Tohoku class Cruisers.
As a major complication, the design flaw is
especially critical and if exploited could lead to all
kinds of unpleasantness, from disabling it outright,
to doing 100 times the normal damage, or even to
instantly killing the ship (which in most cases is the
same as 100x damage).
6
A Free RPG Supplement
Complications
Gas Guzzler [Minor] (Alternative
Version)
By JustAnotherProduct
The boat just aint economical when it comes to
fuel, and either needs larger tanks or more regular
trips to a refueling station.
Penalty:
Tiny ships (of size d2; 1025 tons [shuttles] &
25100 tons [vessels]) receive 90% of the listed
fuel.
Small ships (of size d4; 1001K tons) receive
84.4(44)% of the listed fuel economy.
Mid-bulk ships (of size d6; 1K10K tons)
receive 80% of the listed fuel economy.
Large ships (of size d8; 10K100K tons)
receive 75% of the listed fuel economy.
Huge ships (of size d10; 100K1M tons)
receive 66.6(66)% of the listed fuel economy.
Gargantuan (size d12; 1M10M tons) receive
50% of the listed fuel economy.
An Ark Ship (size d12+; 10M25M tons)
require twice the fuel to obtain (what would be)
listed fuel.
Haunted [Major/Minor]
By Romnipotent
The ship is haunted. Whether some malevolent
hacker has installed a worm to torment passengers,
or the ship is indeed haunted by some poltergeist,
the ship has that eerie feeling at night and an
inexplicable ability to do stuff when theres no
reason for it. If the ghost is friendly then the ship
must previously have had the Loved trait. Still,
superstitious folk wont fly on something with a
haunted rep. Readers on board these vessels will
experience nightmares or dreams about the old
crew.
Penalty: As a Minor complication the ship has
quirks, a number of them: inexplicable sounds at
night, small things moving about harmlessly, doors
opening and closing randomly. Maybe the water in
the sink turns red like blood. These are little things
to make the crew uncomfortable. As a Major
complication the ship is out to irk its passengers!
The pipes groan in agony and fear, the alarms go
off for no reason, lights flicker at inappropriate
times, voices can be heard.
These modifiers effect the trait cost:
Helpful (+2): The ship has a friendly resident
'geist. The ship has 8 skill points towards beneficial
programs, life support, scanners, and the like that
opperate to assist the crew without them knowing.
The crew cannot use these skills directly, it just
happens that the ship may pick up something and
assist the crew.
Friendly (+4, does not stack with Helpful): The
ships resident spirit is friendly to the crew, whether
they're aware of it or not (readers can attempt to
find out about the ships somewhat haunted
nature). The ship usually takes on the personality
of the previous captain, if the captain was
belligerent then so is the ship, or it may be
protective. Either way the ship still attempts self
preservation.
The ship becomes more like a character, with 20
points to spend on a separate character for the
ship, using only mental stats, and 40pts for skills.
The ship may attempt to communicate with the
crew if it makes a heroic Will+Influence check.
Often the ship revises flight paths, keeps an eye on
the crew, and assists crew with diagnosis checks.
Sometimes the ship is only Helpful/Friendly to
the owners/captains descendants, reducing the
costs by 2 to both, essentially making the ship
spiteful to others.
Spiteful (-2): The poltergeist will harm the crew,
not setting out to do so, but acting more
problematic as if it was hooked on many things. A
crew on a spiteful ship will often abandon running
it as costs rise and that eerie feeling lingers. The
occurance of hauntings and such is more rampant
and the ship eventually makes a contested
willpower roll with the current captain or a crew
member; if the ship wins the crewmember has a
nightmare, the topic of which is "Get off me!"
Vengeful (-4): May Buddha take pity on the
souls of a vengeful ship. If the captain has been
shot by pirates and somehow come to haunt that
ship, he may very well wish ill will to everyone on
that vessel. The ship assaults the minds of its
captors while they sleep and while awake. When
awake the ship will do its best to make the crew
uncomfortable, screams on the PAs, doors going
haywire, and if so sadistic will attempt to blow the
air locks and kill those inside it. The ship may even
flood the bathroom so when you open the door a
wave of red, blood-like coolant washes over you. A
reader will certainly pick up on an angry force, as
will less gifted empaths.
Ship Traits
3
3
7
The Firefly Fanbook
Ship Traits
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
Jury Rigged [Major/Minor]
By mcellis
Your ship is held together by little more
than duct tape, bailing wire and positive
thinking. Scrapped parts fitted together from
a dozen different ships make up your engine,
the computer core is made of three different
computers and two operating systems, and
even your own navcomp says the ship won't
get off the ground. Prospective passengers
assume the interior was rigged up by
terrifying space monkeys. This is not to say
that your ship isn't fast or packed with all
sorts of extras, just that its systems are a bit
more highly tuned and delicate than the
factory approved specifications. Or perhaps you're
just too cheap to pay for proper repairs and
constantly tell your engineer to, Just fix it! Either
way when a system fails, it fails big time.
Penalty: With the Minor Complication the GM
can force a re-roll of any ship-related action once
per session and take the lowest of the two results.
With the Major trait, you will have to re-roll two
actions per session.
Launchpad Princess [Minor/Major]
By Old Sarge
There are many ships in the Verse designed to
serve specialized roles where every last bit of
performance counts. So sometimes systems
normally considered important are sacrificed.
Maybe the idea was to give you an extra edge in
combat or hit the finish line first. Either way
winning counts more than making an easy landing.
Penalty: As a minor complication, the ship
receives a -2 step Attribute penalty to Agility when
making takeoff and landing rolls in austere
locations. As a major Complication, the ship takes
an additional -4 step Attribute penalty for Strength
when trying to resist damage from landing without
extensive support equipment.
For this trait I figure the -2 Agility penalty
applies to both major and minor versions. But
under the major version I added the strength based
penalty because even a good landing (without the
mentioned support equipment) would at best be a
well controlled crash.
Light Frame/Flimsy [Minor/Major]
By Psyckosama
Light framed ships for some reason have a less
durable hull than most vehicles their size. This is
very common in light duty and high performance
vehicles which sacrifice durability for reduced costs
or agility, though it might be just because the ship
was built using substandard materials. Flimsy
vehicles go a step further. This is common among
dedicated racing and stunt vehicles which sacrifice
all for quickness, one shot vehicles which do not
have to withstand the rigors of reuse, or the
cheapest, most substandard of vehicles.
Penalty: Vehicles with Light Frame (Minor)
have 25% less hit points than normal while Flimsy
(Major) vehicles have one half the normal amount
of hit points, rounding up.
Non-Atmospheric [Major]
By mcellis
This model ship was built for the black of
space, and was never designed to enter a world's
atmosphere. Unlike most ships in the Verse that
can take off and land on a planet, this bird is purely
an interplanetary vessel meant only for space travel.
Such ships often come equipped with short range
shuttles for ferrying crew to and from planets, or
escape pods for emergencies.
Penalty: Should this ship ever try or be forced
to land on a planet with an atmosphere it will burn
up in a very pretty fireball.
Pulls To The Right/Left/Up/Down
[Minor]
By Vadia
Steering on course is only possible with
constant supervision and a steady hand.
Penalty: The ship wreaks havoc with long
distance travel regardless of autopilot corrections
8
A Free RPG Supplement
(across the Verse -3 step to astrogation) and a ship
may have to stop and realign itself a few times
before finding its locale. Other consequences are
fatigue due to constantly resteering, difficulties in
close formation travel, etc. This also works with
land vehicles but the effect is on driving straight
lines.
Sadistic Sponsor [Minor]
By Vadia
This is very similar to the Sponsor Asset listed
above except that they insist on you accepting
insanely dangerous, unpleasant or difficult jobs.
There are some good reasons you don't have the
freedom to get rid of them though.
Penalty: In addition to the above; at any time
you can attempt to end the relationship and instead
gain a different complication (such as Branded,
Dead Broke and Deadly Enemy) or the loss of a
minor Asset (Friends in High or Low Places, or
your Good Name).
Sluggish [Minor]
By Corran950
The vessel moves like molasses in winter when
it hits one particular environment.
Penalty: When selecting this trait pick one of
the following environments (land, sea, atmosphere,
space), this choice should be believable to the type
of vehicle. When the craft is in said environment
decrease its agility by -2 Steps.
Spacesick [Minor]
By Vadia
Something about this ship just nauseates its
passengers and crew.
Penalty: Until they get acclimatised to the
effects (subliminal noises, uneven grav coil synch)
people have to make a series of don't get sick rolls
(Vitality + Willpower) starting with Hard (11) and
moving to Easy during certain segments of travel
(for example: when in space and in pulse drive;
when lifting off and landing). One roll must be
made for each segment of a journey. Nearly
nobody would use your ship as a passenger ship
(and hiring crew may be tough too).
Tight Design [Minor/Major]
By Corran950
The ship was either designed by a sah gwa or by
someone who lacked any spatial awareness. The
ships components are seemingly put together in a
way that any normal human being would have
trouble accessing.
Penalty: Any maintenance or modifications to
the craft have the difficulties raised by one difficulty
level. Alternatively the GM may allow the original
difficulty but at 150% of the required time. As a
Major Flaw, the difficulty increases by 2 levels and
time required increases to 200%.
Totaled (Minor/Major)
By wizardstouch
The ship has obviously been in some major
mishap that has damaged it beyond what normal
folk would consider repairable. But with enough
bloody-mindedness and hard work (and a dang dab
crowbar) it will be shipshape again.
Purchase price is 25% the original and
maintenance cost are 50% greater. Dont even think
about trying to get it insured.
As a major trait it is obvious that it really is scrap
metal and a piece of luh-suh. But, because the
metalwork is still newer than a 40 year old ship she
still might be fixable (though will have the same
issues as a vessel of 40 years of age). Because of
this the purchase price is 10% of the original and
maintenance costs are doubled (x2).
Penalty: The ship suffers a -1 step Attribute
penalty for Vitality on monthly maintenance rolls.
As a major trait increase this penalty to -2. As with
Seen Better Days, penalties are cumulative with
Ugly As Sin in social situations where the ships
soundness and looks count.
Rough Takeoff/Landing
[Minor/Major]
By Lurker709
Though the ship performs normally in flight,
the pilots landing systems could be described as
tricky at best. Perhaps it is a result of bad design,
some bad code, a modification gone wrong, or
defective parts. Regardless the result is the same
and it often makes life interesting for the pilot on
what should be an easy task under normal
circumstances.
Penalty: As a minor Trait, the ship gets a -2 step
Attribute penalty for Agility when making takeoff
and landing rolls. As a major Complication, the
penalty increases to -4 steps.
Ship Traits
3
3
9
The Firefly Fanbook
Ship Pricing
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
10
A Free RPG Supplement
Ship Pricing
By Nathan Rockwood
One of the biggest hurdles the Serenity core
rulebook faced during production was the race to
get it published on time. As the author behind the
values of cash and coin and economic exchanges, I
regret I did not have the opportunity to modify the
prices of spaceships and gear listed in Chapter 4 to
match the actual values of the cash as intended in
the rest of the game. As a result, the prices listed in
Chapter 4 are not on the same scale as those in
Chapter 3.
Spaceships and space travel in the Serenity
'Verse are not concepts that travelers or buyers
approach lightly. While the expanding frontier of
space exists to be explored in the game and show,
poor farmers and travelers don't fly often - they
explore their own frontiers by traveling their little
worlds on horseback or in floating boats. The push
that carries them to those planets is extremely
expensive, and it would be nearly impossible for a
family to afford more than one move. Most settlers
travel in groups of 10-25 families (of two to ten
people each), with each family pitching in and
contributing about 3,000-6,000 Credits. A ship
capable of transporting such a group (such as the
derelict found in the episode Bushwacked), if
bought used and retrofitted, will cost the settlers
between 20,000-60,000 Credits to purchase, repair,
fuel, and get into space. Then the settlers would
have to purchase large amounts of seed and crop
supplements, farming implements, animals,
homesteader licenses and so on.
A brand new ship is much more expensive,
much, much more, because new buyers are paying for
cutting edge technology at artificially inflated prices,
while used buyers are paying a more practical fee.
For example, a similar transport, or a new-ish
Firefly, would likely cost between 100,000 and
500,000 Credits, depending on the model.
To bring the prices of spaceships in line with
these ideas, I would have to rework each
individually, and the pricing system along with
them. That being the province of MWP and
official, licensed products, I cannot do that here.
However, for those who might be interested my
personal quick-fix to the ship prices while we wait
and hope for an official supplement, here's what I
do in the games I'm running: multiply the listed
ship prices by x10 if the listed price is initially
10,000 or more. If the price is initially less than
10,000 Cr: add 2,000 Credits to the price before
multiplying x10.
According to the book, the higher price will
increase the monthly/yearly maintenance costs of
the ship. However, the maintenance cost should
remain at the original value---either calculate the
maintenance cost according to the ship's price in
the book, or find it using the new price and then
divide by 10.
Again, this isn't a perfect fix, or an official one
- and it only applies to the spaceships, not other
vehicles - but it achieves ship prices that might
more accurately reflect the governmentally
controlled, (supposedly) tightly regulated cost of
space travel in a 'Verse moving slowly into a
totalitarian setup.
New Ships
...So its kinda like this; one of our fellow Browncoats happens to be a great ship and floorplan artiste,
who also created most of the deck plans and ship exteriors shown in the Big Damn Book. Well, hes been
jolly enough to let us showcase some of his shiny work right here in The Firefly Handbook. Yall remember
now, the stuff hes lettin us present has passed under the eyes of the Alliance, and shouldnt be passed on
for back-handers - its free to fellow Browncoats and ought remain that way. Dohn luh mah?
In the mean time, a show of mutual respect is always appreciated by the artiste himself - feel free to
peruse these, and other works of art from Future Armada, at Ryan Wolfes homepage.
New Ships
3
3
11
The Firefly Fanbook
Jo Lynn (Gunboat)
Dimensions: 135Lx100Bx35H.
Tonnage: 1,100 tons.
Speed Class: 5 cruise/ 8 Hard
burn.
Crew: 4 (as transport), 5 (as
gunship)
Fuel Capacity: 27.5 Tons (600
hours)
Cargo Capacity: 275 tons
Passenger Capacity: Two 1st class
births, or four 2nd class births
(transport version only)
Price: 89,100 Cr (89500 Cr for
gunship); munitions cost for
gunship:19,600 Cr
Stats: Agi d8, Str d6, Vit d6, Ale d4,
Int d6, Wil d12; Init d8+d4, Life 18.
Skills: Pilot d2; Perception d4;
Heavy Weapons d6
Complexity: High. Maintenance
Costs 3520 Cr per year.
Traits: Branded/Good Name
(recognizable as an Independant
gunship, so depending on which side
of the war you were on...), Fast
Throttle
Gear: Armor (W2, wt. 110 tons,
cost 1,100),
Armaments: (Only as gunship. The
vessel is unarmed as a civilian
transport)
Turret guns (One dorsal, one
ventral); 0.2 lb projectile (d2 vehicle
scale damage), 1000 round magazine
Standard missile load (32 tons
allocated): 16 medium-range 100-lb
missiles (d6 starship scale), 16 long-
range 50-lb missiles (d4 starship
scale)
Sherpa
The Sherpa-class freight hauler is the well known product of the little known TirAnon Shipyards. The
ugly but functional vehicle was designed to move standardized cargo containers and is basically just a frame
with engines and a cockpit attached. The ship maneuvers over a container, picks it up, and takes it to its
destination. The pulse drive is minimal but enough to get the job done. The four side-mounted engine
pods can independently rotate from straight back to 45 degrees down-forward (a 135 degree arc). It takes a
little practice to get the most out of the unique set up, but with a skilled pilot at the controls the Sherpa
can perform some very precise and impressive maneuvering. This, unfortunately, upped the cost of the
basic model and since that sort of precision isnt really needed in most freight missions, the cheaper but
less agile Wren class eventually became the industry standard. Still, there are thousands of Sherpas out
there and they will likely be around for a long time to come.
Dimensions (LxBxH): 43 x 33 x 22 feet
Tonnage: 104 tons
Speed Class: 3 cruise / 5 hard burn
Crew: One
Crew Quarters: single bed in cockpit, toilet in cabin
Fuel Capacity: 2 tons (800 hours)
Cargo Capacity: 60 tons in standard 35x15x15 container
Price: 2,872 Cr with Longhaul cabin and cargo container
Maintenance Costs: 125 Cr per year
Stats: Agi d10, Str d4, Vit d6, Ale d4, Int d2, Wil d6, Init d10+d4, Life 10.
Skills: Pilot d2.
Complexity: Low
Traits: Everybody Has One, Ugly as Sin (major), Fuel Efficient
Armament: 1 pound cannon with 20 rounds
New Ships
3
3
13
The Firefly Fanbook
New Ships
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
14
A Free RPG Supplement
Frame: The frame supports 4 engines, the pulse drive and a cockpit, as well as fuel and life support
ystems. The single room has the pilot station in front and a small bunk in back, as well as a tiny galley area.
The cockpit is entered through a hatch in the roof or floor. The one in the floor opens a ways above the
ground and so has a retractable ladder built in. If the optional Longhaul cabin is in place, then this lower
hatch opens into the air lock of the cabin. Even though the engine system was designed for fuel efficiency,
the small tanks give the Sherpa a much shorter range than the Wren. On the bright side, the Sherpa is left
with more tonnage devoted to cargo rather than fuel.
Cabin: Later models were equipped with an optional cabin called the Longhaul. This cramped box-like
structure attached beneath the cockpit and provided a toilet, airlock, and storage closet. It also included
additional life support, a long-range communications dish, and (local legal restrictions allowing) a
turreted cannon. The cabin is designed to sync up with the ladder tube leading to the cockpit and also the
front door found on most cargo and passenger containers. When joined up properly, the seals are air tight
allowing passage from the cockpit, through the cabin, and into the cargo container. The cabin has exits
on both the front and back of the air lock, and a hatch in the top and bottom. The hatch on the top mates
up with the hatch on the bottom of the cockpit. The lower cabin hatch opens a few feet above the ground
when the landing gear is extended - flush with the ground when the gear is retracted.
New Ships
3
3
15
The Firefly Fanbook
New Ships
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
16
A Free RPG Supplement
Containers: There are
many different types of
Sherpa containers, from
empty metal boxes, to
home-made living quarters
as comfortable as any dirt-
side apartment. The two
most common types of
containers are described
below. Note that these
containers are NOT
compatible with those used
by the Wren. A Sherpa-
certified container is 35 feet
long, 15 feet wide, and 15
feet high. They weigh 20
tons empty and can
comfortably fit up to 60
displacement tons of cargo
within. There are a pair of
wells on either side
designed to mate up with
the retractable titanium rods
in the Sherpa frame. These
are the load-bearing points
of the frame, though the
Sherpa landing gear and rear
end also have retractable
tabs as a backup
mechanism. The bottom of
the container has simple
landing skids. The top has
basic air scrubbers and a
heater to keep the interior
livable. It also has
electromagnetic plates to
help in frame alignment,
and couplings to attach to
the Sherpa power system.
The standard cargo
container has a large
(13x13) door at the back
and a normal-size door at
the front (placed to match
up with the cabin door).
Inside are basic instrument
panels for the doors &
limited environmental
controls, and a small storage
closet.
The standard passenger
New Ships
3
3
17
The Firefly Fanbook
container has seating for 40
passengers and 1 steward.
Luggage is stored beneath
the floor and accessible
through exterior hamper
doors as well as an access
hatch in the floor of the
passenger compartment.
There is a restroom and
storage closet in the rear of
the container.
Between the 4 ft cargo area
beneath, and the 4 feet of
life support and other
machinery above, the
passenger cabin only has 7
feet of headroom. Though
common throughout
civilized space, these
transports are regarded as
the lowest of the low. They
are generally reliable but
absolutely no-frills. The ride
is often hot, bumpy, and
crowded - at least it is also
cheap.
New Ships
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
Patrol Skiff Armed Shuttle
(Also known as the Morgan Class as a civilian shuttle)
Dimensions: 27Lx18Bx11H.
Tonnage: 30 tons.
Speed Class: 6 cruise/ 8 Hard burn.
Crew: 1
Fuel Capacity: 500 lbs. (200 hours)
Cargo Capacity: 500 lbs.
Passenger Capacity: 4
Price: 1680 (military version), 480 (civilian version)
Stats: Agi d10, Str d2, Vit d6, Ale d8, Int d6, Wil d10; Init d10+d8, Life 12.
Skills: Pilot d4, Perception d4; Heavy Weapons d4
Complexity: High. Maintenance Costs 96 a year.
Armaments: (Military version only) Turret Guns (2 linked); 0.2 lb projectile (d2 vehicle scale damage),
2000 round magazine
Morgan Class XL Stats
Dimensions: 37Lx18Bx11H.
Tonnage: 40 tons.
Speed Class: 6 cruise/ 8 Hard burn.
Crew: 1
Fuel Capacity: 600 lbs. (200 hours)
Cargo Capacity: 500 lbs.
Passenger Capacity: 10
Price: 640 (civilian version)
Stats: Agi d10, Str d2, Vit d6, Ale d8, Int d6, Wil d10; Init d10+d8, Life 12.
Skills: Pilot d4, Perception d4; Heavy Weapons d4
Complexity: High. Maintenance Costs 128 a year.
20
A Free RPG Supplement
New Ships
3
3
21
The Firefly Fanbook
New Ships
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
Remora 18
Remora 18 is a Lamprey class boarding ship, used extensively by the Alliance in the Unification War. The
Remora 18 was found adrift by a group of scavengers and is now used as a pirate ship.
Dimensions: 100x54x37
Tonnage: 550
Speed Class: 6 / 8 hard burn
Crew Quarters:3
Fuel Capacity: 12 tons (600 hours)
Cargo Capacity: 100 tons
Passenger Capacity: None normally.
Price: 36,280 Cr new
Maintenance Cost: 1320 Cr per year (110 Cr per month)
Stats: Agi d10, Str d4, Vit d4, Ale d4, Int d2, Wil d10, Init d10+d4, Life Points 14
Skills: Perception d2, Pilot d2
Complexity: Low
Traits: Seen Better Days (major)
Gear: Magnetic Grapple (can grapple another ship at point blank range, forcing them into position to use
breaching bore) Breaching Bore (can cut a 10' diameter hole in an unarmored hull in 2 rounds. One
additional round required per point of armor).
Armaments: 4 medium range missiles with 50 lb. warheads, mounted on external rack
22
A Free RPG Supplement
New Ships
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
Valkyrn
Dimensions: 74x73x17
Tonnage: 110
Speed Class: 7 / 9 hard burn
Crew Quarters: 2
Fuel Capacity: 2 tons (600 hours)
Cargo Capacity: 10 tons
Passenger Capacity: 2
Price: 18,880 Cr base (an additional 800 for ammunition and 680 for missile load)
Maintenance Cost: 528 Cr per year
Stats: Agi d10, Str d4, Vit d8, Ale d8, Int d8, Wil d6, Init d10+d8, Life Points 10
Skills: Athletics d6, perception d6, pilot d4
Complexity: Very High 44
Weapons: Nose Guns (2 linked); 0.2 lb projectile (d2 vehicle scale damage), 2000 round magazine
Standard missile load (4 tons allocated): 4 medium-range 100-lb missiles (d6 starship scale), 4 long-range
50-lb missiles (d4 starship scale)
24
A Free RPG Supplement
New Ships
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
Vanguard Station
Dimensions: 100Lx100Bx160H.
Tonnage: 4,400 tons.
Speed Class: 1 cruise/ No Hard burn.
Crew: 10
Fuel Capacity: 250 Tons (1200 hours)
Cargo Capacity: 100 tons
Passenger Capacity: Barracks for 16
Price: 374,400 new
Stats: Agi d0, Str d6, Vit d6, Ale d8, Int d6, Wil d10; Init d0+d8, Life 16.
Skills: Perception d6; Heavy Weapons d6
Complexity: Average. Maintenance Costs 8800 a year.
Gear: Armor (S2, wt. 88 tons, cost 88,000), 2 Patrol Skiff Armed Shuttles
Armaments: Point Defense Guns (4); 0.2 lb projectile (d2 vehicle scale damage), 2000 round magazine
Heavy Mass Guns (4); 50 lb projectile (d4 starship scale damage), 200 round magazine.
26
A Free RPG Supplement
New Ships
3
3
27
The Firefly Fanbook
Alternate Economics
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
28
A Free RPG Supplement
Alternate Economics
by Andrew Linder
Many of you may have noticed that trying to
deal with matters of income, expenses, fuel, repairs,
rations, salaries is either completely glossed over or
is a gigantic headache, especially given the
discrepancies in relative prices given in different
sections of the core rulebook. I have put together
the basics of a simplified system for handling most
of the money matters that are supposed to happen
behind-the-scenes.
In our rotating-GM Serenity campaign, the GM
that ran our first adventure wanted to leap into the
story and not mess around with the chaos of
numbers, and just describe if business was going
well or going poorly. I disagreed with this, because
without actually earning an income even characters
paying for drinks and replacing ammunition would
eat away whatever was left of the starting budget.
When I took a turn running the game I tried
enumerating salaries and income, but quickly
realized that without nickel-and-diming those
credits away as fast as it was earned, wealth would
quickly balloon beyond the "scarce life of a spacer."
The idea I had was to put numbers to how good
or how bad things were going, to give players and
the GM a simple way to record what that means for
the characters, and push the details of expenses
firmly behind the curtain.
The success of the ship as a business is rated
from 0 to 5. Zero means business isn't running;
there isn't enough cash flow to keep consumables
stocked, the ship fueled or repaired, let alone any
salaries to be paid. Five is the kind of phenomenal
success that is the stuff of legends, such as
snagging a priceless relic or emptying the vaults of
a successful casino into your pockets.
Based on the success of the ship, a number is
given that represents the pocket cash of each crew
member. This is money that can't be saved; it will
be spent one way or another during the course of
an adventure (equivalent of an episode). If the ship
is doing very well, you can record a smaller amount
of cash as savings each adventure. Lastly, once per
adventure, each character can make a roll using
Intelligence + Influence/Administration (for
stocks, accounts, and so on) or Influence/Barter
(swapping trade goods, haggling, etc.) to make a
purchase, with a difficulty based on the success of
the ship and the value of the purchase; this system
is a down-powered version of the Moneyed
Individual chart.
Resource Level
This number is a rough guide the ships wealth,
and also shows how many things can go wrong
before your standard of living drops to the next-
lowest category. Going wrong can include such
things as serious repairs, a botched job, credit
problems, a month without income and so forth.
Whenever you drop down to the next step, the
Alternate Economics
3
3
29
The Firefly Fanbook
cycle begins again. Conversly, this also shows the
number of flawless cargo deliveries needed to
move up a level.
Standard of Living
This is a measure of comfort. Better profits
mean better food, longer shore leave, more regular
health care, more reliable repair parts, and general
quality of life. If you're at the Raggedy Edge, the
crew is down to the contents of their wallets and
whatever's left in the fuel tank. Lucrative jobs raise
the standard of living. Salvaging some nutrient bars
and selling them to a rim world is only a Red Line
kind of job: good enough to keep flying, not
enough to rest up on, but still enough so that a
botched job doesn't put the ship in hoc. Basic legal
cargo or minor smuggling runs are low margin,
only capable of keeping a ship at Less Poor unless
they're coming very regularly, and even then not
much will hit the savings account. A heist of
medicines and supplies from a core world hospital
makes for Good Times. If you score a priceless
artifact and can find a rich buyer, or if you pocket
the purse of a big-time casino on your own, you've
hit the Jackpot.
Petty Cash
This is pocket money. Its what each member of
the crew has to hand that is going to get spent one
way or another during each adventure. When you
buy ammo, replace minor equipment, pay for
bribes, or order drinks; this should usually cover it.
You've still got the credits on your sheet, but that's
more like your life savings, and you don't dig into
that every time you need a new tube of protein
paste. If times are good enough, each adventure
you can also succeed in saving the value from two
steps down for a rainy day. Two or more characters
can always dip into their petty cash to go in on a
purchase together.
Capital Funds are for buying expensive things
with your cut of the profits: mules, lasers, robots, a
night with a genuine Companion, ship upgrades,
that sort of thing.
Roll Intelligence + Influence/Barter or
Intelligence + Influence/Administration to see if
you achieve the Difficulty given for a purchase
based on your current Resource Level (see table,
below).
Any crew paid in shares can roll once per
adventure using the same line as their standard of
living to see if they've scraped together enough to
make a given purchase. Non-shareholding crew can
do the same thing, but use the next step down to
determine their Difficulty target. These rolls can be
improved with Plot Points. Alternatively, the ship
as a whole can pool their funds and make one roll
per adventure at the next step up, and all the crew
can provide indirect assistance on the roll.
General categories may be great for keeping the
game moving and the bookkeeping easy, but
characters live in a world of credits and a lot of
concern about the bottom line. These values are
some rough estimates on what matches with
different levels of success, and for use in dialogue
for negotiations.
Crew Share
This is a rough approximation that works for
either actual salaried crew, or when figuring out a
10% to 15% share of the profits (divided over the
number of months equal to the standard of living
that a given payoff supports). Salaried crew would
not all really be making the exact same wage, as this
chart would indicate, but it will be close enough
Capital Funds Difficulty
Resource
Level
200
Cr
400
Cr
800
Cr
1600
Cr
3200
Cr
6400
Cr
12800
Cr
25600
Cr
51200
Cr
1 19 23 27 31 - - - - -
2 15 19 23 27 31 - - - -
3 11 15 19 23 27 31 - -
4 7 11 15 19 23 27 31 - -
5 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31 -
6 3 3 7 11 15 19 23 27 31
Wages, Pay-Offs & Passage
Resource
Level
Standard Of
Living
Petty
Cash
1 Raggedy Edge ~
2 Red Line 4 Cr ($100)
3 Less Poor 10 Cr
4 Shiny 20 Cr
5 Good Times 40 Cr
6 Jackpot 80 Cr
Alternate Economics
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
30
A Free RPG Supplement
that it shouldn't affect the general quality of life
they experience.
Gross Profits
These are numbers to gauge how lucrative a job
would appear to be. These numbers represent the
whole crew's take, so a crew that was earning a 10%
cut of the value of a 10,000 Cr cargo would make
a gross profit of 1,000 Cr; not rich, but definitely
Less Poor. Do not deduct for fuel, repairs, docking
fees or other such expenses; these are part of why
so little actually ends up in a spacer's pockets, much
less his or her savings account.
Characters may simply purchase a standard of
living, rather than earn
one through the profits
of an adventure or
through practicing a
trade. A purchased
resource level provides
the usual petty cash and
covers appropriate
food, health care, and
lodging (or basic
passage, for a
shipboard character),
but not larger expenses
such as fuel, repairs, or
payments for a
spaceship. A passenger
character can easily take
this option, rather than haggle over specific fares
and fees with the other players.
Temporary Cost
Temporary resources will last a character one
month, or until something goes wrong, such as
needing to pay some major medical bills. A
temporary standard of living covers expenses and
petty cash, but does not provide capital funds.
Normal Cost
Normal resources are treated the same as crew
resources described above, and will last one month
per resource level before dropping one step worse,
and will likewise degrade from there. As usual,
problems will cause funds to shrivel up faster.
Permanent Cost
Permanent resources represent saving up
enough money and investments to retire in relative
security. It takes some serious
bad times to degrade this level
of planning: the resource level in
significantly unfortunate events,
all within one month. Permanent
resources provide for ordinary
expenses, petty cash and capital
funds the same as purchasing
normal resources or being
shareholding crew.
If you ever need to liquidate
permanent resources, make one
roll as if determining Capital
Funds with +4 Skill bonus, and
do not apply the modifiers for
Stingy or Moneyed Individual.
The sale of your assets produces
credits appropriate to the result of your roll on the
Capital Funds chart for the permanent resource
level you previously possessed. You cannot sell part
Resource Level
Standard Of
Living
Crew Share
(Monthly)
Gross Profit
Per Job
Monthly
Passage
1 Raggedy Edge ~ ~ 20 Cr Steerage
2 Red Line 8 Cr ($200) < 500 Cr
3 Less Poor 20 Cr 500 1499 Cr 40 Cr 2nd Class
4 Shiny 40 Cr 1500 4999 Cr
5 Good Times 80 Cr 5000 14999 Cr 100 Cr 1st Class
6 Jackpot 160 Cr 15000 Cr or more
Buying A Standard of Living
Resource Level
Standard Of
Living
Temporary
Cost
Normal Cost
Permanent
Cost
1 Raggedy Edge ~ ~ ~
2 Red Line 8 Cr ($200) 16 Cr 1500 Cr
3 Less Poor 20 Cr 80 Cr 2500 Cr
4 Shiny 40 Cr 240 Cr 5000 Cr
5 Good Times 80 Cr 640 Cr 12000 Cr
6 Jackpot 160 Cr 1600 Cr 25000 Cr
Alternate Economics
3
3
31
The Firefly Fanbook
of your permanent resources; you may only sell
everything and purchase a new standard of living as
normal. A permanent Jackpot does not
automatically provide a private floating island, but
you'll be well on your way
Passengers
Passengers are treated as separate entities from
the crew of a ship. What constitutes a job or
income for them will often be very different from
typical crew. A Companion taking a respectable
client gets a Shiny way of life compared to a typical
spacehand, perhaps better depending on the
circumstances. Passengers can always be brought
on for any given mission as well, earning their keep
and taking a cut of the profits as well as if they
were salaried crew. Paying one's way with small
shipboard tasks (cooking, cleaning, and so forth)
can keep a determined passenger at a ragged
Redline indefinitely. A passenger that drops below
Redline needs to find a new direction in life.
Dead Broke
Dead Broke characters are considered to be at
one step worse than normal for determining petty
cash, and have the usual starting wealth penalties.
Stingy characters have their usual hesitations in
parting with any coin but, in addition, the Difficulty
number for any roll to make a capital purchase on
their own is +2 higher, and any concerted effort by
the whole crew to make a purchase is more difficult
by +2 for each Stingy character on the ship.
Some Assumptions:
1. Priority will be given towards keeping the
ship fueled, repaired, in operational condition and
up-to-date on loans.
2. The general well-being of the crew is
pretty similar.
3. Using the model of the crew of Serenity,
most ships out in the black are not rolling in cash.
Most ships should probably range from operating
at the Redline up to everything being Shiny. Most
crews will be happy simply being Less Poor.
Complications
Being Buzzed
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
32
A Free RPG Supplement
Being Buzzed
(Ships Sensors)
By Buscadero
I couldnt find any rules regarding a spaceships
sensors and their use. So I used what little is said in
the core rulebook and converted rules from the
Star Wars Role-playing Games by WEG and WotC.
I originally intended to differentiate between active
and passive, but then I read the small paragraph on
p. 101 of the core rulebook which deals with
sensors. There it says:
Sensors come in two modes: simple
detectors [...] and scanners [...]. Both types use
a mix of active (transmitting) and passive
(receiving) techniques spread pretty much
across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Although I find that quite strange, I
incorporated it. Sensors in passive mode are merely
gathering information about the immediate vicinity
of the boat, while sensors in active mode send out
energy pulses to gather additional data.
Operating starship sensors requires a roll using
the ship's Comm/Sensors (Alertness) + the
operator's Technical Engineering/Sensors.
Sensors can perform two distinct tasks:
detection and identification. When a sensor detects
something, it means that it has noticed the object,
but cannot identify exactly what it is. When a sensor
identifies something, that means that the sensor
identifies the type of ship or object (i.e., telling the
difference between a Firefly class transport and an
Alliance Patrol Boat).
If the sensors are set to passive mode and
simply receive information about the immediate
vicinity (out to Medium range), the operator's skill
is penalised by -1 step. Gathering data from sensors
in passive mode is a free action. In active mode,
sensors actively send out pulses in all directions to
gather information about the ship's surroundings.
Using sensors in active mode is an action.
A sensor in search mode sweeps a specific area
(i.e., front, left, right, or rear) for information. This
grants a +1 step Skill bonus and is also an action.
The Difficulty to locate an object with sensors
depends on the object's size and the range from the
ship.
I do like the idea that a passing boat buzzing
actively can be detected even though it is out of
sensor range. You could let your players make an
Average Skill roll using their boat's Alertness +
Perception. If they succeed, a soft bleep tells them
that they were buzzed, although a quick glance on
the sensor readout does not reveal any boat nearby.
Finally, to the subject of Schleichfahrt (running
silent)! Boats may turn off all of its major systems,
including engines, communications, sensors, and
power generators. The ship is adrift in space, with
its life support systems running on auxiliary power
only. Boats can seldom run silent for longer than a
few minutes before life support systems shut down
for lack of power. There needn't be new rules
concerning running silent, because this situation is
already covered with what we have at hand
I have tried to avoid the detailed topic of
jammers and decoys because a decoy missile's
primary task is to fool the enemy ship's targeting
systems. Jammers are offensive electronic
countermeasures that are designed to emit signals
that interfere with the operation of sensors by
saturating them with noise or false information. I
didn't want to come up with a starship combat
system which would have been a prerequisite to
discuss decoys
In my opinion, typical sensors in the Verse do
not produce a significant enough amount of
radiation to have detrimental effects on the
Tonnage
(Strength)
Difficulty
Detect/Identify
Up to 100 (Str d2) 13/15
101 1,000 (Str d4) 11/13
1,001 10,000 (Str d6) 9/11
10,001 100,000 (Str d8) 7/9
100,001 1 million (Str d10) 5/7
> 1 million (Str d12) 3/5
Situation
Difficulty
Modifier
Target firing jammer warheads +16 (to identify only)
Target firing decoy warheads +12 (to identify only)
Target running silent +12
Target concealed behind massive body +8
Target using Passive sensors -
Target using Active sensors -4
Range Category Skill Modifier
Point Blank +1 step
Short -
Medium -1 step
Extreme -2 step
Long -3 step
Being Buzzed
3
3
33
The Firefly Fanbook
performance of other sensors. Whenever we see
sensors put to use they seem somewhat unreliable;
such as missing the bounty hunter's boat in Objects
in Space or nearly missing the search and rescue ship
on Miranda. I'd like to stress that energy pulses
generated by active sensors should only be used to
temporarily blind a target after some quite major
modifications: at least Hard Technical Engineering
Skill roll. Since all spaceworthy vehicles must be
shielded against electromagnetic radiation, sending
out strong pulses should rarely interfere with
shipboard systems. However, extreme electro-
magnetic pulses (EMP) such as used by the
Reavers will definitely teach most boats how to
do the Dying Cockroach because all systems will
crash temporarily. The more sophisticated the
electronic equipment is, the longer it takes for the
effects to wear off. Everyone aboard will suffer
orientation loss for a few seconds.
Because this application of electromagnetic
energy is more an attack
than one of the standard
uses of active sensors, you'll
probably understand my
reservations concerning this
matter. The Difficulty of any roll made to turn a
sensor into a weapon depends primarily on your
style of play. If you allow your characters to make
frequent use of this tactic, lower the Difficulty at
will. You're in charge, after all. (In my opinion, the
word that there is a crew that frequently bombards
opponents with electromagnetic radiation will
spread fast, possibly gaining the characters and/or
their boat the Branded complication.) I think that
this kind of jury-rigging should be used only as a
last resort, because the radiation will damage your
own systems as well.
Roll a Skill of your choice (I'd suggest
Technical Engineering /Sensors, but felonious
characters might go for Covert as well) against a
Difficulty threshold to simulate that you are
working within a limited time frame when you want
to give a EMP treatment to an approaching
spacecraft. If you want to annoy a space station or
facility (and have enough time at hand), roll against
a normal Difficulty. Whether electromagnetic
shielding affects the Difficulty is again entirely up to
you. I'd recommend taking into account what the
objective of the EMP attack is. If it should blind
the target, consider its Alertness Level. If the target
is about to be knocked out, consider its Intelligence.
A lower Level
might add to
the Difficulty,
while a higher
Level might
decrease it. (The higher the Levels are, the more
susceptible equipment is installed.) Range might be
important as well.
Finally I'd like to add that I don't intend to
allow my players to use their boat's sensors as a
dangerous EMP weapon, but temporarily blinding
Kaylee! Go to blackout, were bein buzzed.
Wash
Being Buzzed
C
C
H
H
A
A
P
P
T
T
E
E
R
R
3
3
34
A Free RPG Supplement
a target could be an option: a successful Skill roll
inflicting a few points of Stun damage and
penalizing the target's Alertness by -2 step (-4 step
in case of an extraordinary success). If you want to
know how long the effect lasts, roll the target's
concerned Attribute to get the number of minutes.
Afterwards, the fried sensors should be replaced.
If you find these rules are too complicated, this
is what I did to simplify them;
1: Do not distinguish between detection and
identification anymore.
2: Range does not penalize skill rolls, but
increases the difficulty.
Sensors require a roll using the ships Alertness
(Comm/Sensors) Attribute + the operators
Technical Engineering / Sensors Skill.
If the sensors are set to passive mode and
simply receive information about the immediate
vicinity (out to Medium range), the operator's skill
is penalized by -2 Skill Steps. Gathering data from
sensors in passive mode is a free action.
In active mode, sensors actively send out pulses
in all directions to gather information about the
ship's surroundings. Using sensors in active mode is
an action. A sensor in search mode sweeps a
specific area (i.e., front, left, right, or rear) for
information. This grants a +1 step skill bonus and
is also an action.
The Difficulty to locate and identify an object
with sensors depends on the objects size and the
range from the ship.
Rules Lite
Tonnage
(Strength)
Difficulty
Up to 100 (Str d2) 13
101 1,000 (Str d4) 11
1,001 10,000 (Str d6) 9
10,001 100,000 (Str d8) 7
100,001 1 million (Str d10) 5
> 1 million (Str d12) 3
Range Category Difficulty
Point Blank -4
Short -
Medium +4
Long +8
Situation
Difficulty
Modifier
Target firing jammer warheads
+ (warheads
combined damage)
Target running silent +12
Target concealed behind massive body +8
Target using Passive sensors -
Target using Active sensors -4