COMBAT RULES
When entering battle players gain power up to their main power stat (Though they are
permitted to use batteries, but batteries must be recharged by allocating main power to
them).
The first things many players will do is raise shields. Shields power cost is equal to the shield stat divided by twenty for polarized hull plating or the sield stat divided by twenty and multiplied by 1.5 for deflector shields (IE: Polarized hull plating of 20 costs 1 power to raise, plating of 40 takes 2 points, ect. Deflector sheields of 20 cost 1 [1.5 rounded down], deflector shields of 40 cost 3 [40/20 * 1.5]. If in doubt, just look at your ship's statistics on the ships page. The power to raise shields is listed there.) Should players choose not to raise their shields, or should their shields subsequently fail, then all hits on their ships go to hull and systems.
After shields have been raised (Or not, depending on players choice) the player can use his energy to attack. He can:
1)Fire beams. For each power point dedicated to a beam, the beam does 2 points of damage. So if you put 3 points into a beam it will do 6 points of damage. A beam can not do more damage then the max damage potential per emitter (the beam stat in the ship stats.) So a ship with an emitter stat of 8 can not make a beam do more then 8 points of damage (for 4 power) per shot. However, a ship CAN fire as many beams as it likes up to its emitter numbers per turn (number of emitters for each ship is posted with the ship stats. For example, an NX class has 3 Phase Cannons. It can fire 3 4 damage point beams, though this would cost 6 power total [2 power for each cannon shot dealing 4 damage with each shot.]) Bolt weapons are a little different. They aren't as accurate as beams but they can be fired multiple times from the same emitter, as long as the ship has the energy to fire them.
2)Fire a Torpedo. Ships come with a set number of torpedo tubes. Each turn of combat, the ship may load and fire a torpedo of the captain's choice from each tube. The cost of this action depends on the torpedo, with more powerful torpedoes costing more energy to fire, but also doing more damage when they score a successful hit. The table is as follows:
Spatial Torpedoes: 10 damage, 3 power points to fire (older Human ships)
Photonic Torpedoes: 15 damage, 4 power points to fire (most Federation ships)
Photon Torpedoes: 25 damage, 5 power points to fire (standard on Klingon ships)
A ship's torpedo tubes also have a facing, either forward or aft. In general, ships use forward torpedoes for attacks. Aft torpedoes are fired when a ship is fleeing or being persued at warp (and yes, torpedoes can be fired at warp BACKWARDS, though accuracy is sevearly hampered.) A ship pulling out of a battlefield area may still fire any aft tubes that they have while fleeing or feigning a retreat.
As ships take damage they may also use power to repair themselves according to the
following table:
1 power point = 1 shield points
2 power points = 1 polarized plating shield points
4 power points = 1 hull point
1 power point = 2 system hit points
5 power points = brings a destroyed system back to 1 hp.
To repair system damage you can allocate 1 power point to repair 5 system hit points. If a system is destroyed it requires 10 power points to bring it back to 1 hp. From then on it can be repaired normally.
A player can use emergency power to fire more weapons or do repairs. However, once used emergency power is gone. To get it back a player must dedicate power to his batteries (IE: If a ship has 52 main power and 15 emergency power and it uses its emergency power [for an extra 15 power points that turn] then it needs to recharge its batteries. So say on the next turn it has 52 main power and 0 emergency power. If it puts 15 power to emergency power [IE: recharging the batteries], then it would have 42 power to use that turn. But next turn it would have 52 main and 15 emergency again.) Batteries are automatically recharged after a battle.
If a ship has its minimum crew or less then it suffers a penalty to weapons power cost to simulate the lack of manpower. It costs twice as much power as usual to fire (IE: It costs 2 power for 2 beam damage and 6/8/10 power per torpedo.)
Ships suffer crew casualities comparitive to their hull stat. If a ship with 1000 crew
suffers 50% hull damage, then it's crew falls to 500. If a ships hull is down to 25% then
the crew would be at 250. The only ships exempt from these rules are shuttles and fighters (which currently don't exist in the game outside of an RPG element.) Their crew casualities are up to the captain (Because these ships only have a crew of 2 to 4).
Note: I will be putting a qualifier on this so it isn't a direct transition. For example, if a ship survives a battle with 25% of its hull, it would have 25% + X of its crew survive. I will probably roll a d20 to determine this amount (and I'll write up the rule for that here once I figure it out. ^_^)
Essentially, it should work out to (d20 - 2n) * 5% + (n/20)% of the ship's crew, where n/20 is the % hull remaining. So if a Raptor finished a battle with 10 hull remaining (25%), then n would = 4 (another way of saying this is 4 is 25% of 20.) I would roll the d20, subtract 2x that value and multiply by 5%. This is the % value of the crew that survived in addition to the ammount sheltered by the hull.
Example: USS Daedalus (Daedalus class) survives a battle with 20% of its hull. It went into the battle will standard 150 crew. This means 30 of the crew were sheltered by the hull directly and are safe. Now we apply our n/20 = 0.2 (20%) to find n. n = (0.2)*(20) = 4. So the ammount of additional crew that survived is (d20 - 2n) * 5%. Suppose we roll a 10. 10 - 2*4 = 10 - 8 = 2. 2 * 5% = 10% This means an additional 15 crewmen survived. Add this to the amount we already know survived (the 30) and we get 45. Alternatively, this is 20% + 10% or 30% of the original crew: (d20 - 2n) * 5% + (n/20)% is the total % of the crew that survives. So in this case, that's 150 * 0.3, which equals 45, the same number. ^_^
In summation:
X% of the crew survies based on the X% of the hull remaining (X% = hull remaining * 100 / max hull)
An additional Y% of the crew survives. This is (d20 - 2n) * 5%
X% = (n/20)%, so n is found by taking X% * 20
The final Z% of the crew that survives is X% + Y%. In simple number of crewmen this is [(d20 - 2n) * 5% + (n/20)%] * C, where C is the crew the ship had aboard at the start of the battle. Simple, right? :D
To board a ship and capture it the defender ship must have it's shields down, this is also true of hull plating. The attacking ship must beam an equal number of crew into the defender equal to the remaining crew on defender + 1/4 (So if a ship had 500 crew left an attacker would have to beam 625 over to capture it.) This results in 50% casualities to both attacker and defender (so in that previous example 250 of the defender crew would be captured and 312 of the attacker crew would be left to guard them.) At this point the attacker must beam the minimum amount of crew necessary to run the captured ship over to take control (So in that previous example, you'd have 250 prisoners, 312 guards and 250 controlling crew on board.) Prisoners can be dealt with however the boarder wishes, though atrocities are frowned apon. Most empiress will transfer them to a prison station, or try to convert them.
A disabled or derelict ship may be boarded out of combat by directly docking onto it and sending over a boarding party. If the ship has been abandoned and is derelict, it will likely require towing. If it is still functional, than repairs may be conducted to get the ship running and a minimum crew transfered aboard to fly the ship. If it is still crewed, than a battle may occur depending on the relations between the two peoples involved or, if they have had no prior relations, to the natural tendencies of the crews in question. If battle occurs, it happens with the same rules as above.
The only exception to the ship boarding rules is Borg vessels. Original Borg ships can not be captured (these ships are the: Borg Scout, Borg Sphere, Borg Diamond, Borg Tactical Cube, Borg Command Cube), although derelict ships... You CAN, however, board and capture an ASSIMILATED ship. However, in that case the Borg NEVER surrender and CAN'T be captured. They fight to the death on a 2 on 1 ratio. So if an assimulated Borg ship is boarded and it has 1000 crew you'd have to send over 2000 crew yourself, and ALL would be slain (as would the Borg.) You could then beam over a control crew.
VERY IMPORTANT!
Power recharges at a rate of 25% every 15 minutes. After using all your power you do not get anymore power for 15 minutes and at that time you only get 25%. At that time you can post and use your new power amount or wait until you have more power. The time from your post and your power supply is as follows:
15 minutes RT from post: 25% max power
30 minutes RT from post: 50% max power
45 minutes RT from post: 75% max power
60 minutes RT from post: 100% max power
This should keep combat flowing and allow players to participate at the rate they desire. Keep in mind that it's up to you to track your power, and the generation process doesn't start until the time you POST, not the time you start creating your post. As with many portions of this game this works under the honor system so please be honest.
Also, in single or small ship engagements the power rules do NOT need to be adhered to strictly. Feel free to have your power regenerate once all ships have fairly gone. These power rules are designed primarily to allow all to partake in large battles.