Star Trek Adventures classifies ship and station weapons into two basic categories: energy weapons and torpedoes. Each weapon type has different rules and is useful in different situations. Knowing which weapon to use can make or break a starship conflict, and this is the mark of a great security or weapons officer.
Starship weapons have the following categories:
TYPE: This will list Energy or Torpedo.
RANGE: This will list one of Close, Medium, or Long. Attacks cannot be made at any distance beyond the weapon’s listed range category.
DAMAGE: The base amount of damage inflicted when making an attack. A weapon’s Damage rating gains a bonus from the ship’s Weapons rating, as noted in the Damage Bonus from Weapon Rating table.
QUALITIES: Any other special rules or effects that usually apply to the weapon’s use. The following are the most common weapon qualities:
AREA: This weapon impacts a wider area and can affect several targets at once. When you succeed at an attack, additional targets in the same zone may be hit by spending 1 Momentum for each additional target (Repeatable). This attack may Succeed at Cost (see page 259).
CALIBRATION: This weapon needs to be calibrated before firing. The weapon cannot be fired unless a Prepare minor action is performed before the Attack major action in the same turn.
CUMBERSOME: This weapon is difficult to bring to bear against a target, increasing the Difficulty of an attack made using it by 1. If this weapon is a torpedo, it cannot be fired as part of a salvo (see page 229 for more information on salvos).
DAMPENING: This attack drains the target’s reserve power, causing widespread disruption. If the target has Reserve Power available, it loses Reserve Power.
DEPLETING: This attack strips away the protective layers of deflector shields. The attack cannot cause the ship to be shaken, but the Momentum cost to increase damage is reduced to 1.
DEVASTATING: Tasks to repair breaches caused by this weapon increase in Difficulty by 1.
HIDDEN X: This weapon system is concealed from scans. When the weapon is hidden, it cannot be detected unless a specific scan is attempted; this scan is a task with a Difficulty of X.
HIGH YIELD: This weapon inflicts massive damage to enemy vessels. If the attack inflicts one or more breaches to a system, it inflicts one additional breach (or steps up the Potency of a breach inflicted by 1—attacker’s choice).
INTENSE: When making an attack with this weapon, you may increase the damage by 1 by spending 1 Momentum, rather than 2. This is Repeatable.
JAMMING: This weapon sends out a scattering field, disrupting the target’s sensors or communications systems. Until the end of the current round, the target increases the Difficulty for all tasks assisted by Communications and Sensors by 1.
PERSISTENT: When this weapon hits, you may spend 1–3 Momentum. At the end of each round, the target suffers half the weapon’s damage rating (round up) again. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Momentum spent.
PIERCING: The weapon is effective at cutting through layers of protection. When this weapon makes an attack, any Resistance the target has is ignored.
SLOWING: Until the end of the current round, characters aboard the target vessel cannot use the Keep the Initiative Momentum spend.
SPREAD: Attacks with this weapon reduce the cost of the Devastating Attack Momentum spend to 1. This is Repeatable.
VERSATILE X: If an attack with this weapon is successful, it gains X points of bonus Momentum. Bonus Momentum cannot be saved.
Damage Bonus from Weapons Rating
Weapons Rating Damage
6 or Lower +0
7-8 +1
9-10 +2
11-12 +3
13+ +4
Energy Weapons
Energy weapons project beams or pulses of coherent energy, plasma, or energized particles and usually can be fired at impulse speeds only.
Attacks using energy weapons have a base Difficulty of 2. Energy weapon damage is determined by its delivery system plus a bonus from its Weapons system rating (see previous page). Energy weapons may also have Weapon Qualities, which modify how the damage affects an impacted target.
Types of Energy Weapon
Over the centuries, weapons have been developed and refined which employ different forms of energy with different effects and destructive capabilities. Starfleet vessels are typically equipped with phasers, though earlier vessels used more primitive plasma and phase weapons. Disruptors are common in Klingon and Romulan warship designs, and also used by Cardassians and other civilizations.
The Types of Energy Weapons table details different types of energy weapons installed on starships and space stations across the Galaxy, and lists which qualities each weapon possesses.
Energy Weapon Delivery Systems
An important part of energy weapon systems is how the energy is focused and delivered to a target. Each type of weapon system modifies the attack in some way and defines the range and damage output of the weapon. All damage ratings are increased by a bonus from the ship’s Weapons rating (see previous page).
Types of Energy Weapons
Energy Weapon Description Qualities
Antiproton Beam Pulsed beams of antiprotons especially damaging to a ship’s hull and physical systems. High Yield
Disruptor Disruptors are potent, damaging weapons favored by Klingons, Romulans, and a variety of other civilizations’ fleets. Intense
Electromagnetic or Ionic Electromagnetic or ionic weapons can disrupt power systems, draining power from the ships they hit. Dampening, Piercing
Free Electron Laser Used for both defense and mining during the early years of Human interstellar travel, these are not especially effective as weapons. —
Graviton Beam These weapons fire high-energy gravitons intended to inflict intense gravitational stresses on a target’s superstructure. Devastating, Piercing
Phase/Pulse The predecessor to phasers, phase weapons were used by the United Earth Starfleet, and the Federation Starfleet that succeeded it, in the 22nd century, but had largely been replaced by phasers in the 23rd century. Versatile 1
Phased Polaron Beam Favored by the Dominion, phased polaron weapons are highly effective at cutting through deflector shields and other starship defenses. Intense, Piercing
Phaser Common to Starfleet and a few civilizations’ fleets, phasers are a precise and adaptable weapon. Versatile 2
Proton Beam Focused proton beams can leave lingering disruptive energy that wears away at the target’s shields and hull over time. Persistent
Tetryon Beam Beams of concentrated tetryon radiation have an effect which can disrupt standard starship deflector shields. Depleting
Energy Weapon Delivery Systems
Energy Weapon Description Range Damage Qualities
Cannon Compact weapon systems designed to produce short, powerful pulses or bolts of energy at the target. Close Ship’s Scale +2 —
Banks An energy weapon bank consists of multiple emitters packed together, producing a focused beam or several longer pulses, inflicting damage to enemies. Medium Ship’s Scale +1 —
Arrays Long linked strips of emitters allow the weapon to discharge at any point along the strip, and often at multiple points along the strip if needed. This versatility allows a vessel to fire at multiple targets, or maintain fire on a moving target, from any direction. Medium Ship’s Scale Area or Spread (attacker chooses when attack is made)
Spinal Lance Some ships integrate large weapon systems into their hulls, often running the length of the ship. These weapons are very powerful, but difficult to bring to bear against a target. Long Ship’s Scale +3 Cumbersome
Torpedoes
Torpedoes are heavy projectiles that carry powerful explosives or energetic payloads. Firing torpedoes escalates hostilities, so attacking with torpedoes immediately adds 1 Threat. Attacks using torpedoes have a base Difficulty of 3.
Torpedoes may also be fired in a salvo if desired. Firing a salvo of torpedoes adds 3 Threat instead of 1 but also adds 1 to the attack’s Damage rating. Firing a salvo also grants either the Area or Spread quality, chosen by the attacker before attempting the attack. All torpedoes inflict a set amount of damage, plus any bonus derived from the ship’s Weapons system rating.
Types of Torpedo
The following table describes different types of torpedo types installed on starships and space stations across the Galaxy, and lists the range, Damage rating, and qualities each type possesses. Guided by internal sensors, torpedoes can be detonated either remotely or upon impact.
Torpedo Types
Type Description Range Damage Rating Qualities
Chroniton These advanced weapons, employed by highly advanced cultures who have developed temporal technology. If they pierce shields, they can induce a temporal displacement effect in a vessel, hindering its ability to respond to attack. Long 3 Calibration, Slowing
Gravimetric A technology employed by the Borg—and likely taken from an assimilated culture—gravimetric torpedoes use graviton inversion fields to tear at an enemy’s hull. Long 5 Calibration, Cumbersome, High Yield, Piercing
Neutronic An evolution of the technology behind quantum torpedoes, neutronic torpedoes douse a target with neutronic radiation, disrupting power systems. Long 4 Calibration, Dampening
Nuclear Primitive nuclear fusion or nuclear fission warheads, generating intense heat, radiation, and explosive force, were commonly used during the EarthRomulan War. Medium 3 Calibration, Intense
Photon Commonly used by many civilizations, photon torpedoes use a controlled matter/antimatter reaction to create a devastating blast and burst of energy. Long 3 High Yield
Photonic The precursor to photon torpedoes, photonic torpedoes operate by the same method—a matter/antimatter reaction—but are less refined and the reaction less controlled. Long 2 High Yield
Plasma A common armament of Romulan warships, plasma torpedoes generate a field of destructive plasma around the target, which continues to damage the target over time. Long 5 Calibration, Cumbersome, Persistent
Polaron Installed on several Klingon vessels after the Dominion War, polaron torpedoes are more able to pierce a target’s shields and other defenses. Long 3 Calibration, Piercing
Positron Introduced by the Dominion by the Kessok, positron torpedoes are slow-moving compared to other torpedoes of the time, and easy to avoid or intercept. However, their payload is large and potent. Long 5 Calibration, Cumbersome, Dampening
Quantum A more advanced torpedo developed by the Federation in the wake of their clashes with the Borg, these destructive weapons add quantum vacuum energy to the energy released from their matter/antimatter reaction, giving them destructive power greater than the payload alone would normally produce. Long 4 Calibration, High Yield, Intense
Spatial Standard chemical explosive warheads fitted to a guided missile. These were used by the United Earth Starfleet during the 22nd century but were eventually replaced by early photonic torpedoes. Medium 2 –
Tetryonic Originally of Tzenkethi design, tetryonic torpedoes are primarily used against hardened targets—those with heavy defenses, strong shields, and armored hulls. After depleting shields, they are liable to cause major damage. Long 2 Depleting, High Yield
Transphasic Originally developed as an anti-Borg countermeasure in an alternate future, these torpedoes exist in multiple, dimensional phases at once, bypassing defenses that do not exist in every such phase. Long 4 Calibration, Devastating, Piercing
Tricobalt Borderline illegal due to potential subspace interactions, tricobalt explosives can be delivered as a torpedo payload. The resultant device is potent for demolitions—destroying stationary facilities, asteroids, comets, and other targets far larger than starships—but tend to be unwieldy for use in combat. Long 6 Area, Calibration, Cumbersome
Improvised Armaments
Most vessels described in this book employ only a small number of reliable forms of weaponry—phasers, disruptors, photon torpedoes—and not the wider range of esoteric armaments found in this subchapter.
These additional armaments are available for use by unusual alien species, such as the Dominion and the civilizations encountered by the U.S.S. Voyager during its time in the Delta Quadrant. However, they are also available as tools for the gamemaster and players.
While a Starfleet vessel may appear only to have its phasers and torpedoes to rely on in a crisis, there have been countless occasions where engineers and tactical officers have worked to generate other methods to overcome threats.
Any of the weapon types presented could be used as the basis for a form of “improvised” weapon developed by a starship’s crew, perhaps as a modification of phaser emitters, careful customization of a torpedo warhead, or as an energy or particle stream emitted from the ship’s main deflector. Creating any of these options could be handled as simply as creating a trait during a scene.
Tractor Beams
Though usually used for sunlight towing of disabled vessels or asteroids, tractor beams are often as useful as destructive weapons when in ship combat, especially in the hands of an experienced officer. Throughout history, the ability to keep an enemy ship from moving away with low energy graviton beams has prevented entire battles. The utility of being able to pull objects closer or push them out of the way has been so beneficial that almost every Starfleet vessel has an emitter installed.
The Strength of the tractor beam is equal to the ship’s Scale minus 1. Trapping a target within the beam is a Difficulty 2 Control + Security task assisted by the ship’s Structure + Security. If successful, the target is immobilized and cannot move until it can break free.
The Difficulty of any task to try to escape the tractor beam is equal to the tractor beam’s Strength. The task a ship must attempt to break free of a tractor beam is related to how the crew narratively wishes to escape. Some examples include:
DISABLING THE EMITTER: Control + Security assisted by the ship’s Weapons + Security.
DISRUPTING THE EMITTER: Reason + Science assisted by the ship’s Sensors + Science.
MODULATING SHIELDS: Insight + Engineering assisted by the ship’s Structure + Security.
RAW POWER: Daring + Conn assisted by the ship’s Engines + Conn.
Mines
Considered a primitive weapon by most civilized species, many species used mines as automated defenses at some point in their history. With payloads like those of torpedoes, mines can damage any ship foolish enough to stumble into their zone. Many spacefaring civilizations currently (or have in the past) make use of a variety of mines, and so mines may often be encountered during a mission.
The Federation rarely uses mines because they generally do not fit within the Federation’s standard rules of engagement. The desperation of the Dominion War forced the need to mine the Bajoran wormhole entrance. For the Federation and Starfleet, the use of mines, especially cloaked mines, is a last-resort measure used under extreme circumstances.
Weapon Qualities
Some of the weapon qualities described on pages 226–227 of the core rulebook require minor amendments to adjust for the addition of mines to the game, as follows:
CUMBERSOME: If the weapon is a mine, the ship deploys only a single mine, the Difficulty to avoid it is reduced by 1, and the minefield is removed entirely after the mine detonates.
DEPLETING: On a mine, the ship hit cannot be shaken, and damage is instead increased by 1 for each success less than the Difficulty the enemy ship scored.
HIDDEN X: If mines have this quality, an active scan (such as a Reveal major action) is needed to detect a minefield. Further, the Difficulty to avoid the mines increases by X.
INTENSE: On a mine, the damage is instead increased by 1 for each success less than the Difficulty the enemy ship scored.
Mine Details
As they lack a need for propulsion systems, mines tend to carry larger payloads than torpedoes and are meant to fill a zone with a hazardous deterrent. Often carrying the same types of energy payloads as torpedoes (see pages 229–230 of the core rulebook), mines are placed in an area and set to detonate when a ship moves within Close range. Mines have a set amount of damage. Releasing mines into an area escalates hostilities, so when the mines are set, add 2 Threat.
Releasing a minefield cannot be completed while in combat and requires a Difficulty 0 Control + Conn task assisted by the ship’s Computers + Security. This task generates no Momentum; instead, the number of successes rolled sets the Difficulty for an opposed task by any ship venturing into the minefield. Minefields typically show up on routine scans.
When a ship moves into Close range of the mines, the character at the helm must attempt a Control + Conn task assisted by the ship’s Sensors + Security. The Difficulty of this task is set by the ship that deployed the mines. If the enemy ship fails this task, a mine explodes, damage is calculated, and qualities are applied; the mine’s damage is increased by 1 for every two successes less than the Difficulty the enemy ship scored. The enemy ship must attempt this task at the end of each round that it is in Close range of the zone containing the minefield. Once a mine detonates, the Difficulty to avoid the mines in that zone is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 0, as fewer mines remain to be avoided. At Difficulty 0, the minefield is no longer present.
Types of Mines
In general, mines were introduced in the same century as their torpedo counterparts and have the same qualities. Because the payloads are typically larger than those found in torpedoes, the Damage rating of mines is typically less than their torpedo counterparts.
Mines do not add station or ship damage bonuses; they inflict the listed damage only.
Mine Types
Mine Type Description Damage Rating Qualities
Blackout Used to slow down an enemy by interfering with their sensors and causing the ship to collide with multiple mines with little chance of navigating away. 2 Jamming
Blade Uses mechanical spinning blades to slice into an enemy’s hull. 3 Piercing
Chroniton Advanced weapons, employed by highly advanced cultures who have developed temporal technology. If they pierce shields, can induce a temporal displacement effect in a vessel, hindering its ability to respond to attack. 4 Slowing
Gravimetric Uses graviton inversion fields to tear at an enemy’s hull. 6 Cumbersome, High Yield, Piercing
Neutronic Douses a target with neutronic radiation, disrupting power systems. 5 Dampening
Nuclear Primitive nuclear fusion or nuclear fission mines, generates intense heat, radiation, and explosive force. 4 Intense
Photon Uses a controlled matter/antimatter reaction to create a devastating blast. 4 High Yield
Photonic The precursor to photon mines, uses a matter/antimatter reaction but is less refined and the reaction less controlled. 3 High Yield
Plasma Generates a field of destructive plasma around the target, which continues to damage the target over time. 6 Cumbersome, Persistent
Polaron Powerful mines able to pierce a target’s defenses. 4 Piercing
Positron A simple but powerful mine. 6 Cumbersome, Dampening
Quantum These destructive weapons add quantum vacuum energy to the energy released from their matter/antimatter reaction, giving them powerful destructive energy. 5 High-Yield, Intense
Tetryonic Primarily used against hardened targets—those with heavy defenses, strong shields, and armored hulls. 3 Depleting, High Yield
Transphasic These mines exist in multiple, dimensional phases at once, bypassing defenses that do not exist in every such phase. 5 Devastating, Piercing