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Artifact spaceship designed for one Exalted circle
Artifact 3 (mixed materials)
Manufactured in limited quantity, these small, agile craft were designed to be the personal ships of Exalts, though a fair number fly under merely awakened Essence users. With only 100 tons cargo capacity (the maximum the designers could fit on a small enough budget to make a true "class" of ships, given the primarily jade-and-orichalcum construction), their utility lies in speed and versatility, often ferrying small forces hither and yon, able to land in places no Friendly Roc could get to.
The main body is a cropped flying wing (making the rearmost part too thin to be usable except as avionics), 70 feet long by 50 feet wide by 25 feet tall (including the turret on top), bookended by swivel-mount engines (adding 30 feet on either side, for a total of 110 feet). Sensor clusters sit under transparent coverings (which can turn opaque to protect the sensors) at the corners of the wing. Since the engines can swivel, a Hummingbird can take off and land vertically; on the ground, three landing struts extend from the front corners (below the inter-deck ramps) and back center (behind the reactor). Four airlock-like doors on the front lead to four cargo modules, which can take standard 40x10x10 foot, 25-ton cargo containers, or utility modules designed to fit in the same space (with the front end open to space, or not, when the cargo door is open, depending on the module). These modules are key to a Hummingbird's flexibility: within minutes at a port (or wherever modules are available), it can change from a cargo hauler to a troop transport, a science vessel, a strike carrier, or many other roles. A Hummingbird can leave some or all of these modules out, in which case it simply has a cargo hold rated for the same tonnage; in this case, the struts between adjacent cargo doors can open with the doors, to allow wider objects through.
A Hummingbird has two decks: cargo and engineering below, everything else above. It has a double hull, with spider-like maintenance robots that crawl inside it to fix cracks and dents (which can be brought out or controlled via panels in front of the reactor, with backup access in the life support cabinet). The main reactor and fuel tank are held within the double hull, to minimize damage from leaks. Smugglers will often sneak small or compressible packages between the double hulls, since - aside from hull-penetrating sensors - there is little way to find anything in there save via the maintenance robots. This is not officially recommended since it transmits vibration between the hulls, hindering their performance as armor. (Up to 5 tons can be smuggled this way, at -1L/-1B armor per half ton, and any damage that breaches the armor ruins this cargo.) Airlocks lead out the sides of the lower deck or up from the upper deck - but any would-be intruders seeking to use the latter must contend with the top-mounted heavy vehicular blaster turret.
Hummingbirds are designed for Exalts, including the fact that they often travel in varying-sized circles. The "bridge" is little more than three seats at a long, computerized desk in front of the biggest viewport on the ship, with the main computer cores at either end. Only 2 crew are needed for optimal combat maneuverability (a pilot and a gunner/sensor operator), so one of the is bridge seats is technically an observer. However, all 3 stations have sympathetic Essence resonators, allowing anyone seated at them to use Charms or Sorcery as if the entire ship were an extension of their body - e.g., a Dragon-Blooded could cast an Elemental Bolt from the nose rather than through the hull, despite being inside (with any contributors to the Bolt in contact with the leader, so long as the leader is seated at the bridge). Exalts with long ranged weapon artifacts can don a spacesuit, climb onto the roof through the airlocks next to the bridge (taking 2 Move actions, or 1 in atmosphere where the airlocks do not need to cycle), secure themselves in the provided sockets (a miscellaneous action - or roll Dexterity+Athletics, difficulty 3, every time the pilot makes a maneuver such as dodging), and act as extra turrets. Outside of combat, these "spare" crew typically handle maintenance, cargo mastery, cooking, and so on. A pilot can handle all these tasks solo if no other crew are available, relying heavily on computer assistance.
A Hummingbird is somewhat luxuriously appointed for a small ship. The kitchen is a rotating 3-block unit consisting of refrigerator/freezer/pantry, oven, and washer/dryer (for dishes or clothes), so a chef can pull ingredients from the refrigerator straight onto the range atop the oven. 4 cabins (with single, bunk, or double beds) come standard; most Hummingbirds replace a cabin with a 1 or 2 bed medical bay. The water closet has separate rooms for toilet/sink and shower/bath to reduce discomfort by someone hogging one or the other. The ship's stores include equipment to synthesize bland food and water in case a trip takes longer than expected, though this only functions if the ship has a hearthstone to power it. There is even a sizable common area. Access between the two decks is by ramps to either side, which can be sealed by bulkheads at the top or bottom. In addition to the main viewport on the bridge, there are armored portholes (transparent only to non-damaging intensities of visible light, rigged to go dark temporarily if they detect Charms being used through them) next to the top and bottom stairs. One iconic image of class clash comes from a Hummingbird crew who sealed off the lower deck, disabled the lower deck's maintenance panels, and carried over 100 people at a time down there with the crew never having nor wanting to interact with their passengers.
Hummingbird
[*]Armor: 20L/25B
[*]Health Levels: Ux15/Mx10/Cx10/Ix5/D
[*]Weapons: one heavy vehicular blaster in a turret on top (as a blaster rifle, with Damage 11L, Range 150, Ammo 300
Deckplans for a typical Hummingbird, to help visualize action aboard.
Alternate deckplans, if a Hummingbird only has 1.5 modules installed (in this case, a garage module for Road Lions and a cabin module for their riders) and no medical bay.
Artifact 3 (mixed materials)
Manufactured in limited quantity, these small, agile craft were designed to be the personal ships of Exalts, though a fair number fly under merely awakened Essence users. With only 100 tons cargo capacity (the maximum the designers could fit on a small enough budget to make a true "class" of ships, given the primarily jade-and-orichalcum construction), their utility lies in speed and versatility, often ferrying small forces hither and yon, able to land in places no Friendly Roc could get to.
The main body is a cropped flying wing (making the rearmost part too thin to be usable except as avionics), 70 feet long by 50 feet wide by 25 feet tall (including the turret on top), bookended by swivel-mount engines (adding 30 feet on either side, for a total of 110 feet). Sensor clusters sit under transparent coverings (which can turn opaque to protect the sensors) at the corners of the wing. Since the engines can swivel, a Hummingbird can take off and land vertically; on the ground, three landing struts extend from the front corners (below the inter-deck ramps) and back center (behind the reactor). Four airlock-like doors on the front lead to four cargo modules, which can take standard 40x10x10 foot, 25-ton cargo containers, or utility modules designed to fit in the same space (with the front end open to space, or not, when the cargo door is open, depending on the module). These modules are key to a Hummingbird's flexibility: within minutes at a port (or wherever modules are available), it can change from a cargo hauler to a troop transport, a science vessel, a strike carrier, or many other roles. A Hummingbird can leave some or all of these modules out, in which case it simply has a cargo hold rated for the same tonnage; in this case, the struts between adjacent cargo doors can open with the doors, to allow wider objects through.
A Hummingbird has two decks: cargo and engineering below, everything else above. It has a double hull, with spider-like maintenance robots that crawl inside it to fix cracks and dents (which can be brought out or controlled via panels in front of the reactor, with backup access in the life support cabinet). The main reactor and fuel tank are held within the double hull, to minimize damage from leaks. Smugglers will often sneak small or compressible packages between the double hulls, since - aside from hull-penetrating sensors - there is little way to find anything in there save via the maintenance robots. This is not officially recommended since it transmits vibration between the hulls, hindering their performance as armor. (Up to 5 tons can be smuggled this way, at -1L/-1B armor per half ton, and any damage that breaches the armor ruins this cargo.) Airlocks lead out the sides of the lower deck or up from the upper deck - but any would-be intruders seeking to use the latter must contend with the top-mounted heavy vehicular blaster turret.
Hummingbirds are designed for Exalts, including the fact that they often travel in varying-sized circles. The "bridge" is little more than three seats at a long, computerized desk in front of the biggest viewport on the ship, with the main computer cores at either end. Only 2 crew are needed for optimal combat maneuverability (a pilot and a gunner/sensor operator), so one of the is bridge seats is technically an observer. However, all 3 stations have sympathetic Essence resonators, allowing anyone seated at them to use Charms or Sorcery as if the entire ship were an extension of their body - e.g., a Dragon-Blooded could cast an Elemental Bolt from the nose rather than through the hull, despite being inside (with any contributors to the Bolt in contact with the leader, so long as the leader is seated at the bridge). Exalts with long ranged weapon artifacts can don a spacesuit, climb onto the roof through the airlocks next to the bridge (taking 2 Move actions, or 1 in atmosphere where the airlocks do not need to cycle), secure themselves in the provided sockets (a miscellaneous action - or roll Dexterity+Athletics, difficulty 3, every time the pilot makes a maneuver such as dodging), and act as extra turrets. Outside of combat, these "spare" crew typically handle maintenance, cargo mastery, cooking, and so on. A pilot can handle all these tasks solo if no other crew are available, relying heavily on computer assistance.
A Hummingbird is somewhat luxuriously appointed for a small ship. The kitchen is a rotating 3-block unit consisting of refrigerator/freezer/pantry, oven, and washer/dryer (for dishes or clothes), so a chef can pull ingredients from the refrigerator straight onto the range atop the oven. 4 cabins (with single, bunk, or double beds) come standard; most Hummingbirds replace a cabin with a 1 or 2 bed medical bay. The water closet has separate rooms for toilet/sink and shower/bath to reduce discomfort by someone hogging one or the other. The ship's stores include equipment to synthesize bland food and water in case a trip takes longer than expected, though this only functions if the ship has a hearthstone to power it. There is even a sizable common area. Access between the two decks is by ramps to either side, which can be sealed by bulkheads at the top or bottom. In addition to the main viewport on the bridge, there are armored portholes (transparent only to non-damaging intensities of visible light, rigged to go dark temporarily if they detect Charms being used through them) next to the top and bottom stairs. One iconic image of class clash comes from a Hummingbird crew who sealed off the lower deck, disabled the lower deck's maintenance panels, and carried over 100 people at a time down there with the crew never having nor wanting to interact with their passengers.
Hummingbird
- Repair: 3
- Speed: 50/100mph
- Maneuverability: +2S (Lore 2, Sail 2)
- Endurance: Requires a hearthstone from a two-dot (or better) manse plugged into the control panel to operate, but in an emergency it can fly without (though the vehicular blaster will not fire). Requires a one-mote commitment from the pilot, as a security measure. Can fly indefinitely with a hearthstone, using the power to synthesize food and water for up to 8 people. Needs weekly maintenance (and can carry supplies for up to a month) if flown without a hearthstone; each week in arrears imposes -1 Maneuverability down to +0S, then -5/10mph Speed until it can no longer move, then random systems begin to fail, with life support last.
- Crew: 2/1 (but 4-6 is not uncommon; see notes in description)
- Cargo: 3 or 4 cabins (1 or 2 people each) for crew and passengers, 5 tons of ship's stores (food, spare parts, and so on), 5 tons smuggled between the double hulls (see note in description), and 100 tons in the main cargo hold - which can be occupied by up to four 25-ton modules. A module can be used for cargo, or it can carry equipment, but this is usually a separate purchase. Some of the possible modules (and their costs per module) are:
an empty standardized cargo container (Resources 0)
- cramped bunks that can accommodate up to 36 soldiers (and their gear) through "hot-bunking" (sleeping in turns, so a different soldier occupies the bunk each 1/3 of the day) for trips lasting a few days, plus one bathroom and limited life support; a troop transport with 4 of these carries a talon (Resources 1)
- 3 cabins (for up to 6 passengers), plus a bathroom and life support (Resources 1)
- one warstrider (or fighter that can fold up to less than a 10x10 foot cross section) plus support equipment (including 1 cabin for pilot, possibly shared with a technician or copilot) (Resources 1, not including cost of the warstrider or fighter)
- two common or scout warstriders without support equipment (Resources 0 for an empty cargo module, not including cost of the warstriders)
- a two-level garage for up to 4 motorcycle-sized vehicles (such as Road Lions) or 1 car-sized vehicle on each level, with a retractable ramp to access the upper level, usually a half-length module leaving the back half empty; the two levels divide 10 feet of height between them, so one or both is a bit cramped (Resources 1)
- a missile launcher with a dedicated targeting computer and sensors, auto-loader, and extended ammunition bay (as a rocket launcher, with Speed 6, Accuracy +0, Damage 20L, Ammo 200, no S tag) (Resources 3)
- a prefabricated, self-assembling manse or similar structure, to be dropped off where it is to be built (this is one way in which the Grand Central Mountain's reach is extended, so there are always contracts available to put a manse on a world that has none - but there is usually a good reason why an inhabited world will not already have a manse, most often active local opposition) (Resources 5)
- specialized sensors and data processors (a typical science loadout is one gravity anomaly sensor for locating lost canals, one planetary survey package, two folding reconnaissance craft, and a cargo module for extra supplies) (the sensor and survey package are Resources 3 each)
- a machine shop, cloning facilities, or other workshop (requires all 4 modules to provide a master's workshop with 1 specialty, or 3-dot workshop using Wonders of the Lost Age; without this, an engineer could set up a basic or 2-dot workshop in the open space between the cargo modules and the access panels, and many do) (Resources 4 to build/3 per month to maintain a master's workshop, or 3 to build/2 per month to maintain a basic workshop)
[*]Armor: 20L/25B
[*]Health Levels: Ux15/Mx10/Cx10/Ix5/D
[*]Weapons: one heavy vehicular blaster in a turret on top (as a blaster rifle, with Damage 11L, Range 150, Ammo 300
Deckplans for a typical Hummingbird, to help visualize action aboard.
Alternate deckplans, if a Hummingbird only has 1.5 modules installed (in this case, a garage module for Road Lions and a cabin module for their riders) and no medical bay.
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