TIE-Wing Starfighter
The TIE-Wing is, like the name implies, a composite starfighter created using
parts from several different vessels - an ugly. Uglies are common among most
space vermin, such as pirates, privateers and smugglers. Others construct these
vessels as a hobby, but this hobby is usually restricted to individuals with
the credits, the time and the knowledge to invest.
The TIE-Wing became a notable ugly design after the basic plans and instructions
on how to cheaply construct one were freely distributed across the Holonet and
other means. The original designer, a man by the name of Veg Arboro from the
Venkothian system, designed and built the first TIE-Wing in his spare time. So
proud of his creation, he chose to freely distribute the plans and instructions
to anyone who wanted a copy.
The TIE wing is a bastardization of three vessels, a TIE fighter, an X-wing and
a Y-wing. The main fuselage of the vessel consists of that from an X-wing. All
four original X-wing engines are present on the TIE-Wing, but the S-foils were
heavily modified.
The S-foils are what really made the TIE-Wing a notable and successful ugly
design. Unlike the X-wing in form, the bottom two S-foils were removed from
the design completely and the top two were locked up in a permanent "attack
position" with a laser cannon on the tips. Interestingly enough, the S-foils
were not taken from the X-wing, but rather the TIE fighter - they are solar
panels.
These solar-powered S-foils provided a unique way to power the laser cannons
independently from the ship's main generator, allowing a greater deal of power
from the main generator to be sent to other vital systems. In the event of a
catastrophic failure of the main power generator, the solar panels could be
rerouted to provide minimul power to the rest of the ship - just enough to limp
back home.
The only drawback to these solar panels is that they were somewhat more fragile
and expensive to repair than the standard S-foils found on an X-wing. Extensive
or extreme atmospheric travel in the TIE-Wing could warp, bend or even snap one
of these solar S-foils and cause extensive damage to the ship.
All of the systems found within the fuselage of an X-wing are also found within
the fuselage of the TIE-Wing, except for sensors and the cockpit displays.
Located at the nose of the ship are the sensors, in the same exact spot as on an
X-wing. However, the X-wing's sensors were removed and replaced with a dome-like
sensor package which would be found on the front end of a Y-wing's engine nacelle.
Many Y-wings, especially of the Longprobe variant, carried better long range sensors
than an X-wing or a TIE fighter and replacements could be found for much cheaper.
The cockpit displays were butchered, incorporating concepts from all three fighters
and providing the pilot with one of the best Heads Up Displays, targetting systems,
sensor displays, communications systems and astromech interfaces that any fighter
of the era could offer. While it all worked well (if it was properly constructed),
it usually wasn't the most attractive cockpit in the galaxy. Panels were commonly
molded on top of one another, sometimes just bolted together with wires hanging out
and open spaces where there shouldn't have been.
An average person could probably construct a TIE-Wing with spending as little as
40,000 credits. Depending upon supply and demand, the cost could go as high as
70,000 credits to get the job done - and this is assuming that it will be built
first hand, and not by a contractor.
Due to the availability of the plans and parts needed to construct it, the TIE-Wing
was a fairly common ugly - as common as an ugly can be. Veg Arboro enjoyed getting
feedback about his design, and tried his best to track how many of his TIE-Wings were
being built. To the best of his knowledge, there were over three hundred constructed
across the galaxy by a wide array of collectors, enthusiasts and mechanics. However,
not everyone who used the designs took the time or effort to let Veg know, wanting
their new fighters to be kept a secret.
Craft: Custom Built TIE-Wing Starfighter
Class: Starfighter
Cost: 40,000 to 70,000 credits
Size: Tiny (12.6 meters long)
Crew: 2 (Normal +2)
Passengers: None
Cargo Capacity: 15 kilograms
Consumables: 2 days
Hyperdrive: x2 (Requires astromech droid)
Maximum Speed: Ramming
Defense: 22 (+2 size, +10 armor)
Shield Points: 60
Hull Points: 90
DR: 4
Weapon: 2 Laser Cannons (fire-linked)
Fire Arc: Front
Attack Bonus: +8 (+2 size, +2 crew, +4 fire control)
Damage: 5d10x2
Range Modifiers: PB +0, S -2, M/L n/a
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