New playtest rule for Star Fleet Battles 
Copyright © 2001 Amarillo Design Bureau
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(DN100.2) POWER ARMOR

(DN100.21) COST: A PA costs 3 points of Basic Point Value to buy as Commander's Options. The Economic Point Value is 1.5. See also (DN100.32).

(DN100.211) CAPACITY: A Size Class 1 unit can have up to 12 PA normally, a Size Class 2 unit can have up to 6 PA normally, a Size Class 3 unit can have up to 4 PA normally and a Size Class 4 unit can have up to 2 PA normally. Size Class 5 units cannot have PAs normally. These PA are in addition to the unit's regular boarding parties. These PA must be purchased with Commander's Option points; they are not automatically on any unit unless specifically listed as such in its ship description.

(DN100.212) TROOP TRANSPORTS: A Troop Transport ship (including a Commando ship) or Ground Assault PF (or any unit with "barracks") can replace up to half of its boarding parties with PAs at a cost of three BPV per PA. These PAs replace regular boarding parties and the cost includes the "trade-in" value of the replaced boarding party.

(DN100.22) CAPABILITIES: If on a ship or planet a PA is treated as a regular boarding party with some special abilities: The offensive potential (D15.87) of a PA is two and it requires three points of damage to destroy. After receiving two points of damage a PA is considered crippled, its offensive potential drops to one and any Pack (see DN100.3) carried by it at that point is destroyed. A PA struck by an ADD round (E5.0) is destroyed as if it were drone. A PA struck by a Shield Cracker (E16.0) is destroyed by the power surge created.
(DN100.221) OPERATION IN SPACE: A PA can operate independently in space.
(DN100.2211) A PA is treated as a shuttle [moving in the Order of Precedence (C1.313) at the same step as shuttles on Impulse #32] except that it has a maximum speed of one and it cannot use a booster pack. They have a turn mode of Zero, and are not required to move directly ahead as the first move after launch unlike other launched units.
(DN100.2212) Damage scored on a PA in a boarding action and damage scored in a space action is interchangeable and cumulative.
(DN100.2213) PAs are capable of landing or taking off from planets/moons as shuttles, but a given PA can only accomplish either (or both) task one time during a given scenario.
(DN100.2214) PAs in space are detected at Tactical Intelligence Level A (the same level as drones) unless using Hidden Deployment (D20.0). PAs cannot themselves gather intelligence under (D17.0), but might be used to capture information.
(DN100.222) ARMAMENT: A PA is armed with a proton pulse emitter-1A (360°); See (EN100.161). It can be fired once per turn with the normal quarter turn (eight impulses) delay between turns (E1.50). A PA cannot use its proton pulse emitter-1A or any Pack while onboard a ship or on a planetary surface (including moons and asteroids). Exception: A Heavy Ground Pack (DN100.34) can be used on a planet or moon. A PA cannot use its proton pulse emitter-1A or any Pack within four impulses of launching from a ship or taking off from a surface (whether a planet, moon, or asteroid) or being moved by a transporter. Exceptions: A Ground Pack (DN100.34) and an ECM Pack (DN100.36) can be used immediately.
(DN100.223) DOGFIGHT: A PA can only be engaged in a dogfight (J7.0) with another PA. Not even a fighter or shuttle moving speed one, or a sublight shuttle or fighter, can engage a PA in a dogfight.
(DN100.224) TRANSPORT: PAs can be carried by a shuttle or use a transporter as a boarding party, counting as one boarding party for such operations.
(DN100.2241) A PA can be transported into (or recovered from) space by a friendly transporter. A non-friendly transporter without the permission of the PA player cannot transport a PA.
(DN100.2242) A PA in space can be displaced (G18.0) as any other unit (whether a non-Andromedan PA by the non-Andromedan unit rules, or an Andromedan PA by the Andromedan unit rules).
(DN100.2243) PAs in space cannot "crash aboard" ships as shuttles can. They can attempt to board ships moving at an Effective Speed (C2.412) of one or zero through their docking points (C13.9). Such boarding attempts are made in the Final Activity Phase of the turn the PA entered the unit's hex. PAs attempting to board a ship are immune from having any weapons fire directed at them (including tractor attempts) so long as they are attempting to or have boarded the ship. They are still subject to taking casualties under (D7.21) while trying to board, or while aboard an enemy ship. Note that each damage point allocated to them under such conditions destroys one PA unit, it does not require three damage points under (D7.21). Note that PAs can claim the status of attempting to board so long as the unit they are trying to board does not exceed an Effective Speed of one during subsequent turns.
(DN100.225) HET: An uncrippled PA can HET once per turn to brake a tractor link as if it where a fighter (G7.55). It does not require movement points to accomplish this. A PA will be "death-dragged" as a fighter by any unit moving faster than speed two, and a crippled PA will be death dragged by any unit at any speed (G7.54).
(DN100.226) LAUNCHING FROM/LANDING ABOARD: A PA can be launched from a ship through its shuttle bay.
(DN100.2261) Up to six PA can be launched in a single impulse from a single bay, or up to three can be launched every two impulses, or one on one Impulse and five the next in any combination of up to six every two impulses. This includes landing, thus two PAs could land on one Impulse while four more took off.
(DN100.2262) The launching or landing of even a single PA counts under (J1.50) as the launching of a shuttle for the purposes of determining when a shuttle could be launched from or landed into that bay (or a mine laid from that bay).
(DN100.227) SIZE CLASS: A PA is considered to be Size Class 7.
(DN100.228) SMALL TARGET: PAs are treated as drones for purposes of (FD1.5). PAs use a different range modifier for small targets than that listed in (E1.7) as follows:
At ranges 0 to 5 there is no penalty when firing at a PA.
At ranges 6 to 10 the PA benefits from two points of natural ECM.
At ranges 11 to 20 a PA benefits from four points of natural ECM.
At ranges greater then 20 a PA benefits from six points of natural ECM.
In addition, PAs can benefit from Passive Fire Control (D19.0) and operate under all applicable (D19.0) rules including but not limited to (D19.26) and (D19.31).
(DN100.229) TERRAIN INTERACTION: For interactions with all terrain types except asteroids, and Radiation Zones treat a PA as a fighter.
(DN100.2291) If a PA in an asteroid hex it receives six points of natural ECM due to its ability to hide behind asteroids. If there is more than one hex of asteroids between the PA and the firing unit, the PA receives the six points plus one point for each additional hex of asteroids (P3.33).
(DN100.2292) If another PA in the same hex attacks a PA in an asteroid hex, there is no ECM benefit to either side for the asteroid hex.
(DN100.2293) PAs are too small to carry enough shielding to protect their electronics and/or their operator. Unlike shuttles and fighters, they cannot operate in a Radiation zone (P15.0) [including those created by an Ion Storm (P14.0) or a Neutron Star (P15.5)]. Note that special scenario rules may provide for radiation conditions in which a PA could survive exposure for some specific period of time.

(DN100.23) REPAIR: PA armor cannot be repaired during a scenario, it is automatically repaired between scenarios of a campaign as part of the (G17.132) repairs, except that it does not count against the total. A Legendary Engineer (G22.4), Legendary Marine Major (G22.5), Legendary Ground Forces Officer (G22.9), or a Legendary Captain acting in the role of one of the above (G22.22) can repair one point of PA armor per turn. The Legendary Officer must be present with (in the same location as) the PA unit and perform no other action on a turn he repairs PA armor. The unit being repaired must be a boarding party designated as a PA unit which has taken one or two points of damage, the above listed Legendary Officers cannot raise a PA unit from the "dead", but see (DN100.231).
(DN100.231) The actual "boarding party" (a single individual in this case) can be healed by the normal rules (G9.23) and (G22.611). Note that "dead" PA boarding parties healed by a Legendary Doctor during a scenario will not have their armor, but will be a single individual with no combat capability (unless combined with four other such individuals, in which case all of them are then treated as a single boarding party). If a Legendary Doctor is present with other Legendary officers, the Doctor could "heal" a PA pilot who could then operate a PA repaired by other Legendary officers (DN100.23).
(DN100.232) Note that PAs can only be repaired between rounds of a campaign if they are on the ship/planet etc. PA units that were destroyed when the shuttle they were on was blown up in space (or were themselves destroyed while in space), or that were left behind on an enemy ship (or carried off by an enemy ship) or planet, cannot be repaired and are lost.

(DN100.24) HIT-AND-RUN: A PA is treated like a commando (D15.84) for purposes of hit-and-runs if undamaged prior to the attempt. Damaged PAs, even a PA with a single damage point, cannot be sent on hit-and-run raids.
If the result of the hit-and-run includes the destruction of the boarding party roll a die: A result of 1-3 indicates the PA receives one point of damage and returns,
A result of 4-5 indicates the PA received two points of damage and returns,
A result of 6 indicates the PA is destroyed.

(DN100.25) OTHER RULES: A PA is treated as a regular boarding party for all other purposes e.g., requires one transporter action to move (G8.3), two can be carried by a shuttle into a combat situation (J2.211), has an offensive potential of one point (D15.87), are all killed if the barracks box they are in is destroyed (G28.33), etc., except as defined below.
(DN100.251) Ships with Poor Crews (G21.141) cannot purchase PA status for any of their boarding parties, including any additional boarding parties purchased above its starting level. Ships with Outstanding Crews (G21.142) gain no additional benefit in the purchase of PA status, i.e., they may spend Commander's Option points in the same manner as a non-Outstanding Crew ship.
(DN100.252) PA provides no protection from attack by Transporter Artillery (E20.0) except that each such unit requires three points of damage to be destroyed (DN100.22).
(DN100.253) RECORDS: It should be obvious that records will need to be kept on damage sustained by any one PA boarding party. Each ship able to carry PA will have a box system to record damage to the PAs carried on board. Such records are, for simplicity's sake, always open to review by all sides in any given scenario.
(DN100.2531) One solution is to use the counters from Module M, with each PA represented by a single counter. When a given PA is damaged, its counter number can be recorded.
(DN100.2532) Another means of keeping record keeping down is to require that the resolution of damage to PAs be done on the basis of eliminating whole counters, e.g., five damage points kills one PA and damages a second. A second volley of five damage points eliminates the damaged PA, kills another PA, and puts a point of damage on a third. Obviously this method favors the non-PA player as it reduces the PA side's firepower faster than if that side were allowed to cripple all its PAs to resolve damage before any are destroyed.
(DN100.254) PA units are destroyed by damage to the ship they are on exactly as non-PA-boarding parties are (D7.21), e.g., if the ship has taken its 50th damage point, one PA boarding party is destroyed. If the ship has PA and non-PA boarding parties, the owning player may choose which is lost (and will obviously choose the non-PA boarding party).
(DN100.255) PA boarding parties cannot be affected by non-violent marine combat (D6.46). They can use (D6.46) against opposing forces not in BA or PA armor.
(DN100.256) PAs can be used for minesweeping. They cannot combine to sweep a single mine, nor can they sweep a mine with their proton pulse emitter-1A (the fire control is not that precise). The PA sweeps a mine by actually contacting the mine and disarming it. Use the procedure for a minesweeping shuttle (M8.32). A ship must guide the PA to the mine, including a PF, that has a lock-on to the mine. The PA cannot itself detect a mine (its fire control system is a lot less effective than even that of a shuttle).
(DN100.257) PAs are not fighters, and do not benefit from any of the rules of fighters not specified above, e.g., they are not a "fighter squadron" eligible to receive lent EW from their "carrier", nor can one PA lend EW from its Pack (DN100.323) to other PAs in its "squadron", they cannot use Chaff (D13.0), etc.
(DN100.258) Some other units might operate a PA.
(DN100.2581) A Legendary Captain, Legendary Ground Forces Officer, Legendary Marine Major, or Legendary Ace fighter pilot can operate a PA, but if they do so they lose all of their other Legendary Abilities. This might result from one of the above (or a Legendary Engineer) repairing a destroyed PA and then operating it. Note that a Legendary Ace cannot repair a PA.
(DN100.2582) A Prime Team could be completely equipped with PAs, perhaps as part of a mission to insert into a planet of a hostile power. The Prime team members operate in all ways as PAs, but cannot function as a Prime team until they abandon the PAs. Note that a scenario may call for such a team to return to a site and take off from a planetary surface in PA armor.
(DN100.259) PA armor can only disengage aboard a ship or other unit capable of disengagement. While nominally capable of sublight disengagement, the life-support systems of PA armor could not possibly sustain the pilot long enough to reach any base. Some special scenario rules may provide for PA units to disengage by sublight and subsequently land on a nearby planet (which cannot be more than 100 hexes from the PA's current location) for a subsequent scenario.

(DN100.3) PACKS FOR PAs

(DN100.31) CARRIAGE: A PA can carry up to one space of Packs.

(DN100.32) PACKS: There are six types of Packs that can be carried by a PA, the Pack carried by each PA must be recorded at the start of the scenario and cannot be changed during the scenario. Any Packs can be chosen, and are included in the PA cost (DN100.21). Packs are destroyed when a PA receives two points of damage.
(DN100.321) GROUND PACK: Size: 0.5. A PA can carry only one Ground Pack. If the PA is on a planet, not a ship, the Ground Pack adds one to the PA's offensive potential.
(DN100.322) PROTON PULSE EMITTER-1A PACK: Size: 1. Operates like a proton pulse emitter-1A (360°) (EN100.161) but can only be fired once.
(DN100.3221) The proton pulse emitter-1A pack can be recharged by having .25 points of energy applied to it. The application of this energy requires that the PA unit be aboard the ship taking no other action for one turn. It can be recharged by any power source owned by the player controlling the PA unit (or his allies), e.g., inside any ship or base.
(DN100.323) ECM PACK: Size: 0.5. An ECM Pack adds two points of ECM to a PA. The ECM pack must be charged with a half-point of power from any source on the owning ship. Once charged, it is able to perform its function with no further energy cost for 100 turns, after which it will need to be recharged. ECM packs are able to do this because the size of the unit they are generating the ECM for is very small, which increases the EW effect. If more than 100 turns has elapsed, the pack may be recharged at any power source owned by the player controlling the PA unit (or his allies), e.g., inside any ship or base, but this will require the PA unit to take no other actions for one turn.
(DN100.324) TRANSPORTER PACK: Size: 0.5. A Transporter Pack can be used by the carrying PA to transport itself once. The maximum range is three hexes. If used for a hit-and-run the PA is not returned after the attempt, it remains on the target ship. The Transporter pack must be charged with 1/5th of a point of power from any source on the owning ship. It can be recharged at any power source owned by the player controlling the PA unit (or his allies), e.g., inside any ship or base, but this will require the PA unit to take no other actions for one turn.
(DN100.325) MINI-MINE PACK: Size: 1. A Mini-Mine Pack can drop one Mini-Mine. This mine can only be dropped by a PA that is acting independently in space. Use the standard procedure for activation. It is legal to use a transporter to move a PA into space, have it drop its mine, and then use another transporter to beam the PA back aboard (or someplace else) causing the mine to become active.
(DN100.32511) MINI-MINE: A Mini-Mine is treated like a T-bomb (M3.0) but with an explosion strength of five, an explosion and detection range of zero (only in the hex of the Mini-Mine), and it can only be deployed by a PA. It cannot be dropped from a shuttle hatch, minerack, minelaying shuttle, or be independently transported into space.
(DN100.32512) A given unit may have a number of mini-mines equal to twice the total number of PAs it has. These cost no additional BPV, but note that if all PAs equipped with mini-mine packs are destroyed the remaining mini-mines will not be able to be laid by any means during a given scenario.
(DN100.32513) To reload a PA with a mini-mine requires that the PA be aboard a ship operated by its owning race or an ally with such a mine available. The PA can take no action for one turn while the mine is loaded.
(DN100.326) STILETTO MISSILE PACK: Size: 0.5. A Stiletto Missile Pack can launch one Stiletto Missile.
(DN100.3261) STILETTO MISSILE: A Stiletto Missile is treated like a Spear Missile (see FN103.2) but with these statistics: Size: 0.25, speed: 24, damage: 1, warhead: 6, endurance: 8 hexes, tracking arc: FA. A Stiletto Missile is self-guided and cannot receive any EW.
(DN100.3262) To reload a PA with a stiletto missile requires that the PA be aboard a ship operated by its owning race or an ally with such a missile available. The PA can take no action for one turn while the missile is loaded.
(DN100.3263) A given unit may have a number of Stilettos equal to twice the total number of PAs it has. These cost no additional BPV, but note that if all PAs equipped with Stiletto packs are destroyed the remaining stilettos will not be able to be launched by any means during a given scenario.
(DN100.327) INTERUPTION: A PA in the process of being reloaded is very vulnerable to damage from simple hand phasers.
(DN100.3271) A PA in the process of being reloaded can abandon the reloading process at any point in the reload turn. If it does so, the reload energy (if any) is lost, any mine or missile being reloaded is ruined and must be discarded. Players controlling PAs might take such action due to the ship they are on being boarded by enemy action, or the player may simply decide he needs to launch that particular PA into space (or onto an enemy unit, or down to a planet, etc.) immediately.
(DN100.3272) If a PA on a ship being boarded by an enemy does not abandon its reloading, it cannot take part in the subsequent boarding action at the end of the turn, but can be given up as a casualty to resolve one (1) casualty point.
(DN100.3273) The reload facilities for PAs for purposes of (D16.0) are located with the Barracks on ships which have barracks, and are otherwise located in the largest block of hull boxes on the ship. If a ship has two equal blocks of hull boxes, the owning player may select the block. These reload facilities can never "chain react" (D12.0).

(DN100.33) RESTRICTION: A PA cannot use a pack in the same impulse that it uses its proton pulse emitter-1A or any other Pack. Exception: ECM packs are always active and do not affect the use of other packs by that PA.

(DN100.4) ORDER OF THE ULTIMATE TRUTH LIMITATION

(DN100.41) LIMITATION: PAs operated by the Order of Ultimate Truth (OUT) cannot operate in space and can only carry a Ground Pack (DN100.321).