Weapon and Utility systems
Hardpoints
Most spacecraft have standardized exterior mounts for various weapons and utility systems. These mounts provide data and ammunition connections, pitch and rotation control, and are optimally placed based on the manufacturer's design.
Hardpoints come in four site ratings: Light, Medium, Heavy, and Super.
Light hardpoints fit weapons that are no more than 5 meters in length and are commonly used on small craft such as surface vehicles, utility pods, and fighters.
Medium hardpoints hold cannons that are regularly 20 meters in length. They are more common among medium-sized ships such as corvettes, frigates, and destroyers, or serving as the main gun for smaller ships. Since coilguns are not manufactured for light hardpoints, they often occupy medium hardpoints when one is available.
Heavy hardpoints are capable for weapons up to 50 meters in length. While they are slow to orient and load, once acquiring a target have the greatest sustained destructive output of any weapon rating. They are seen on larger capital ships such as destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, or castle stations.
Super hardpoints are extremely rare, being able to install weapons that can measure 150 meters in length. While these hardpoints are found on the largest warships such as destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, they are normally reserved for experimental weaponry such as devices capable of devastating orbital bombardment. Due to their enormous size, energy requirements, and ordinance, they take a long time to find their target and fire. However, their destructive capabilities rarely necessitate a second attack.
Featured 150m Super Coilgun, 50m Heavy Plasma Cannon, 20m Medium Energy Beam, 5m Light Plasma Cannon, and 2m person.
Energy Beam Emitter
Energy beam weapons use light amplified through chambers filled with oshum gas and lenses until it is powerful enough to cause damage. Energy beams have nearly instantaneous travel and are extremely accurate, however the thermal energy dissipates at medium range. This makes energy beams effective at close-quarters combat and missile point-defense.
Type: Energy
Range: Short
Hardpoints: Light, Medium, Heavy
Plasma Projectile Cannon
Plasma cannons propel containers of ionized xudramon gas. Plasma containers burst on impact, and inertia spreads the destructive gas across an area. This makes plasma effective at stripping armor, or dealing widespread damage to exposed systems. Because of the large and volatile rounds, they are inaccurate and become inert over long range. To make them effective, they are often employed in rapid-fire magazines. An added advantage of plasma cannons is that the rounds are kinetic, but the payload is energized. This means that the projectile bypasses energy shields and detonates beneath the defensive barrier, while kinetic shields stop the projectile but also detonate it, allowing the energized gas through.
Type: Kinetic/Energy
Range: Medium, Short
Hardpoints: Light, Medium, Heavy
Coilgun
Coilguns use magnetically-accelerated projectiles. These inert rounds are very fast, accurate, and equally effective at any range. Their rounds can puncture through most armor and frequently through entire ships, resulting in multiple hull breaches through the projectile's path. However, this precision means they are unlikely to strike crucial subsystems by accident. The energy required to activate the magnetic accelerators limits a coilgun's fire rate, and although the projectiles are much faster than most others, they can still miss if the target engages in evasive maneuvers.
Type: Kinetic
Range: Short, Medium, Long
Hardpoints: Medium, Heavy, Super
Magnetic Accelerated Reeling Grapnel
The MARG uses a remotely-activated magnetic grapnel attached to a high-tensile cable. Although the grapnel has slow acceleration, if activated in proximity to a spacecraft, will self-guide until it makes contact with a magnetic portion of the hull. The grapnel can then activate its anchor spikes with plasma cutting to adhere to other materials such as asteroids, comets, or non-magnetic debris, and the cable can be retracted to reel in the target. It is most often used to prevent a craft from escaping or to tug a derelict spacecraft.
Type: Kinetic
Range: Medium, Short
Hardpoints: Small, Medium
Manipulator Arm
Manipulator arms are robotic appendages used mostly for moving cargo, components, or debris, but can also be used to assist in docking maneuvers and refueling. And since these arms are fitted with additional small hardpoints, they can often multitask with plasma cutters, wiring kits, pigment quills, data jacks, and diagnostic sensors. While not effective as weaponry, they can swiftly disassemble a disabled craft or reconfigure exposed systems.
Type: Kinetic
Range: Short
Hardpoints: Small, Medium, Heavy
Torpedo
Torpedoes are probe variants configured with high impulse engines, explosive payloads, and guidance systems. While they have the most potential damage of any spacecraft weaponry, they are slow to accelerate and easily destroyed by point-defense weapons or disarmed by electromagnetic pulses.
The most common type of payloads are:
EMP torpedo - Disabling electronic systems
Plasma torpedo - Disintegrating armor and hull
Flak torpedo - Destroying or deterring fighter craft
Explosive torpedo - Damaging structural integrity
Type: Kinetic
Range: Long, Medium
Hardpoints: Medium, Heavy, Super
Missile
Missiles are miniaturized torpedoes configured with high impulse engines, explosive payloads, and rudimentary guidance systems. They are slow to accelerate and easily destroyed by point-defense weapons or disarmed by electromagnetic pulses.
Type: Kinetic
Range: Long, Medium
Hardpoints: Small
