STARSHIP ASSAULT BOARDING TUBE



   A device installed on many ships, ranging from starfighter scale transports to capital scaled pirate and military ships, the boarding tube is a means by which attacking crews can drill through and pierce a target's hull in order to unleash boarders inside a target ship, space station, or other structure.  While this is often used by pirates, privateers, raiders, military organizations, and the like, it can also be used as a tool for Search & Rescue operations to save lives from being stranded or from vessels on the verge of blowing up, among other possible uses.



* See below for more information



Type: Specialized Boarding Tube
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Arc: Chosen by owner
Skill: Space Transports
Crew: 1
Cost: 10,000 credits
Weight: 10 metric tons
Availability: 2, R
Difficulty: Moderate
Fire Rate: 1
Fire Control: 0D
Range: Point-Blank/"Melee"
Damage: 3D (Special)*



GAME NOTES:

   A boarding tube can be installed in a ship that has room for its weight in cargo space.  When installed, the tube can extend from a fire arc chosen by the ship owner.  It either extends straight outwards in that fire arc, or can "unfold" or raise up at a diagnal angle out from a section of the hull. The tube has main section that extends out which can either be cylindrical, or be some mix of this combined with a section of the hull area it is installed in, which can be extended outwards to begin the boarding process (and retracted back to the equipped ship once the operation is over).  A smaller tube-shaped section then extends out from this, tipped with a retractable boring device.  The boring device can drill into the target hull, and after piercing said hull, the boring device can retract from the tube's edges, revealing an airlock door that the boarders can exit from into the interior of the target hull.

   When in "point-blank" close range with another ship, space station, or other applicable structure, the ship's's crew can perform a boarding action against target structures.  The extended boarding tube reaches towards and presses against the hull of a target.  The outer ring at the edge of the tube can then spin and bore, "dig" into the target hull, creating a hole that penetrates into the target structure, accessing its interior within combat rounds of beginning the action.

   The ship using the Boarding Tube must be close to the target structure to do this.  The tube itself is a very simple mechanism.  Many ships have a variant of a boarding tube, a combination of airlock and traversal tube for boarding other ships.  But very few have a means of boring through other hulls like this one does, which allows it to be used more tactically against enemy targets.

   To keep a target structure close enough to use the tube, the ship equipped with this boarding mechanism can use various means, such as docking clamps, grapple cables, tractor beams, some variant of grappler arms, etc.  If the target structure has a means to move, it can attempt to pull away, either preventing the tube from touching its hull, or removing the tube from its hull after penetration has occurred (which may put the boarders at risk).  To hold a ship close enough to use the tube, the attacking ship must use the strength of its docking mechanisms to hold the target close (Attacking Weapon skill VS target Piloting skill check to latch on, then Weapon Damage/Strength VS target's Speed/Maneuverability to hold on, then target's piloting skill to pull away, and then attacker's Weapon Damage/Strength VS target's Hull Dice to decide if this causes any Damage).

   If boarders are in the tube when the target tries pulling away, it could hurt them as both hulls shake violently during these motions (use Passenger Damage chart).

   The time it takes to bore through a target structure hull could take 1+ combat rounds.  Roll the tube's Damage Dice (3D) against the target Hull Dice.  If the tube does not roll higher than the Hull Dice, the target recieves -1D to its Hull Dice from the constant drilling from the Boarding Tube's bore tip.  This continues every round until the tube rolls higher than the target's Hull Dice, at which point the tube has penetrated into the target Hull.  Capital scale targets will add their extra Hull Dice due to scale difference if applicable, but the Boarding Tube will still penetrate these thicker hulls with enough time.

   This Damage roll does not destroy the target structure (whether it causes any meaningful damage is left up to GMs to decide, as the tube could pierce a vital system by accident...or on purpose?).

   If the bore does not have time to finish the boring process, such as the target being a ship that pulls away from the Outlaw Star, the spot it was digging into can be attacked as a "called shot" by the attacking ship's crew and weapons.  Hitting this spot with a successful called shot means this section of the target's hull uses the reduced Hull Dice from the boring process to resist damage from the attackers.  (If the target had 4D Hull Dice, and the boarding tube dug into it for 2 rounds before it pulled away, any attacks that hit this spot later, the target only has 2D to resist the damage in that spot now).

   If attacked separately, the Boarding Tube would be a called shot as part of the ship it is attacked to.  It will have a Hull Dice of 2D (if it extends outwards by itself) or 3D (if it unfolds or retracts outwards with part of the equipped ship's hull plating attached to it).

   Some crafty GMs/players could take the poring tip from the tube (1/4 cost to purchase separately) and build some kind of hull-boring missile that could dig into a target hull, then detonate its warhead within said hull, but starship shields would also make this difficult to achieve before making the target drop them (if they have shields).



Availability Chart:

1 - Readily available throughout the galaxy.
2 - Available only in large cities or spaceports.
3 - Specialized item, normally available only on planet of origin.
4 - Rare item, difficult to find anywhere.
F - Fee or permit often required for purchase.
R - Restricted on most planets, and normally may not be bought or sold without appropriate Imperial or other relevant license.
X - Illegal on most planets.  Possession or use often violates Imperial or local laws except for specially authorized individuals; penalties may be severe.