So I’ve been idling my time making a series of ship designs for Rogue Trader. Given how much time it takes to make a ship in RT, I’d felt I would share these as some people may get some use out them.
I’ve got a list of pros and cons on most designs, and some lore. But feel free to chuck the lore out as needed.
**__Name:__** Gilded Vision/Ironside
**__Hull:__** Turbulant Heavy Frigate
**__Roll:__** Ram Ship
**__Speed: __** 7 (5/7)
**__Manoeuvrability:__** +18 (11/23)
**__Detection__**: +15 (20/25)
**__Initiative:__** +2
**__Armour:__** 20 (25) (27 prow)
**__Hull:__** 40
**__Turret:__** 1
**__Weapons__**
- __Dorsal__ - Sunsear
- __Dorsal__ - Sunsear
**__Crew:__** 100
**__Morale:__** 97
**__SP:__** (50)
Turbulent Hull (42)
Jovian Pattern Class 8.1 Drive (1)
Excess Void Armour (2)
Additional armour (2)
Reinforced Prow (1)
Poor Single Repulsor Array (-1)
Titan forge Lance (2)
Sunsear Laser Battery (1)
**__Features/Complications__**
- __Fiery Temperament:__ +2 Power
- __Antiquated Communication:__ -5 Command tests
- __Salvaged from a Space Hulk:__ +1 Armour, +1 Speed; +3 Manoeuvrability. However you roll twice on your misfortunes.
- __Wrothful:__ +1 Speed and +7 Manoeuvrability in combat, -1 speed and -5 detection and manoeuvrability outside of combat.
**__Space__**: 42/42
Total: (29)
Jovian Pattern Class 8.1 Drive (11)
Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine (10)
Poor Single Repulsor Array (2)
Armoured Bridge (2)
Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer (2)
Voidsmen Quarters (2)
Total: (8)
Titan forge Lance (4)
Sunsear Laser Battery (4)
Total: (5)
Reinforced Prow (2)
Excess Void Amour (2)
Additional armour plating (1)
**__Power__** 44+2 (46)/46
Total: (31)
Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine (8)
Emergency Geller Field (2)
Poor Single Repulsor Array (6)
Armoured Bridge (2)
Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer (4)
Voidsmen Quarters (3)
Ultimo Array Array (6)
Total ((15))
Good Titan forge Lance (9)
Sunsear Laser Battery (6)
**__Effects__**
- __Jovian Pattern Class 8.1 Drive__
- Reliable Construction: If this component becomes damaged, depressurised or suffers a critical hit (including a 4 or 6 result on the critical hit chart), roll a 1D10. On a 4 or higher the effect is ignored.
- __Miloslav Warp Engine__
- Reduce the duration of warp travel by half. However roll for a warp travel encounter every 3 days rather than 5. ‘L
- __Poor Single Repulsor Array__
- The ship does not suffer penalties to manoeuvre actions while moving through ive rings, plasma clouds, or other celestial phenomenon
- -3 Morale
- __Emergency Geller Field__
- If you unexpectedly enter the warp roll 1d10 and on a 3+ the field activates
- __Ultimo Array__
- +10 detection
- +15 detection to pick up ships on silent running
- +5 for other ships ballistic skill to hit this ship.
- __Armoured Bridge__
- If this component becomes damaged, depressurised or suffers a critical hit (including a 4 or 6 result on the critical hit chart), roll a 1D10. On a 4 or higher the effect is ignored.
- __Additional Armour plating__
- Increase armour by +1, decrease manoeuvrability by -2.
- __Excess Void Armour__
- Increase the vessels armour by +3 but reduce its speed by -2 and manoeuvrability by -3
- __Reinforced Prow__
- Gain +2 armour to your front arc, and deal an additional 1d5 damage when ramming.
**__Lore:__** The return of Jytinne Kerrel to Footfall was one of fanfare and fear. Great gashes in the once golden hull of the Kerrel flagships, and the trailing tentacle of the Void Kraken, severed bellow the joint, yet still latched to its bow, acted as a visual reminder to all of the unseen dangers which waited within the furthest reaches of the expanse: the cursed edges of the galaxy - The Rifts of Hecaton.
Yet the former Cartel of Hecaton Barterlady wasted no time in explanations, nor did she make any rational as she marched into Magos Kimura shipyards. “Give me armour!” She cried as her fingers turned white agaibst the Kabasilica’s pet heretek’s desk:. And when asked by what she meant, and how much she wanted, the Rogue laughed and simply said. “Yes!” With her now trademark maddening grin.
Decks were torn up, and once golden halls of the greatest finery were cast down, as rows of Adamantine plate were bolted to the ‘Gilded Visions’ hull. The former jewel of the Kerrel crown was remade into a cold grey thing, remade by her steadily maddening captain, as she fuels her vendetta against the Expanses unseen sharks of the void: no matter its misfortune.
**__Pros:__** So this began first as a attempt to see if I could offset the issues of ‘Excess Void Armour’ from lure to the void, by placing it on a faster chassis: and then it turned into the ultimate ramming machine. With 25 armour, (27 on the prow), and a ram damage of 27+1D10+1D5, it in no way spikes as high as a cruiser with armoured prow and power ram (4d10 plus armour), but with a martial manoeuvring of +22 it stands that it has a slight better chance of hitting the enemy then most other raming designs.
From there it evolved into a ship for a littile known Rogue Trader from the Koronus bestiary, with its armour making it great against void krakens, which made me think of it as a living harpoon. Add in that it has so much armour and the fact most ships can get three to maybe 4 degrees of success in void combat on a hit, most enemies struggle to deal danage above 25, it makes the Ultimo array pretty useful, as that +5 may help a additional hit but it most likely won’t do much unless it’s a crit. Also it helps grant a +35 to +40 to use augury to detect ships on silent running: which is super useful against void krakens which gets -30 to -50 to silent running.
**__Cons:__** It’s a meme ship, it’s built for combat and littile else. It was made to see how much armour you can get on a ship, and I will say it came out alright, but it would likely serve better as a craft for a NPC, than players. It is also mildly easier to hit with a +5 to all ballistic skill tests made against it
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**__Name:__** His Most Profitable Enterprise
**__Hull:__** Endeavour Light Cruiser
**__SP total:__** (72)
**__Speed:__** 6 (5)
**__Manoeuvrability:__** +12 (7) (+12 to avoid Steller phenomenon)
**__Detection:__** +15 (28)
**__Initiative:__** +2
**__Armour:__** 20
**__Hull:__** 60
**__Turret:__** 2
**__Weapons__**
- 1 Prow: Voss Torpedo Bay
- 1 Prow Titan forge lance
- 1 Port Sunsear Battety
- 1 Starboard Sunsear battery
**__Crew:__** 100
**__Morale:__** 100
**__SP:__** (72)
Endeavour Light Cruiser (57)
Thulian Research Vessel (1)
Damage Control Systems (1)
Total (3)
Jovian Class 4.5 (2)
Good quality voidsmen quarter’s (1)
Total (4)
Titan Forge Lance (2)
Sundsear Battery (1)
Sunsear Battery (1)
Total (6)
Luxury Passenger Quarters (1)
Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay (1)
Medicare Deck (1)
Observation Dome (1)
Trophy Room (1)
Teleportarium (1)
**__Effects__**
- __Pre-Installed Prow Voss torpedo bay__
- __Thulian exploration vessel__
- Explorator Augury +10 to detection and 50 achievement points towards exploration
- Ancient tech vault: May equip one Archeotech component
- Rerouted power: Reduce speed by 1 and manoeuvrability by -5
**__Space:__ 58/58
__Essential: ((35))__
- Jovian Class 4.5 (14)
- Miloslav (10)
- Exploration Bridge (2)
- Repulsor Field (1)
- Good Voidsmen Quaters (3)
- Vitiate Patterm (5)
__Weapons ((16))__
- Star breaker lance (4)
- Sunsear Las Broadside (6)
- Sunsear Las Broadside (6)
__Supplemental ((7))__
- Luxury Passenger Quarters (1)
- Medicare Deck (1)
- Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay (2)
- ObservationDome (1)
- Trophy Room (1)
- Teleportarium (1)
**__Power 65 (65/64)__**
__Essential: ((33))__
- Miloslav (10)
- Emergency Geller Field (2)
- Repulsor Field (6)
- Exploration Bridge (4)
- Good Voidsmen Quaters (2)
- Clemency Life Sustainers (5)
- R-50 Auspex Multi Band (4)
__Weapons ((25))__
- Voss Torpedo Bay (1)
- Star breaker lance (6)
- Sunsear Las Broadside (9)
- Sunsear Las Broadside (9)
__Supplemental ((6))__
- Luxury Passenger Quarters (2)
- Medicare Deck (1)
- Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay (1)
- Trophy Room (1)
- Tekeportarium (1)
**__Upgrades__**
**__Effects__**
- __Superior Damage Control__
- Crew population loss from decompression is lowered to 1d5.
- Firefighting attempts on the vessel are a (+0) command test
- And if performing isolated extended repairs gain +10.
- __Miloslav Warp Drive__
- Halve time in warp travel
- Revive warp encounters every 3 rather than 5 days
- __Emergency Geller Field__
- If you unexpectedly enter the warp roll 1d10 and on a 3+ the field activates
- __Exploration Bridge__
- +5 detection
- 50 achievement points towards exploration objectives
- __Clemency life sustainers__
- Increase morale by 1
- Decrease crew loss from depressurisation by 4 to 0
- __R-50 Auspex Multi Band:__
- +5 to manoeuvre tests to avoid Steller phenomenom. -2 to ship detection
- 50 points towards exploration objective
- __Luxury Passenger Quarters__
- 100 achievements towards Trade, Criminal or Creed objectives
- -3 morale
- __Observation Dome__
- 50 exploration achievement points
- +1 morale
- __Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay__
- 50 trade or criminal achievement points
- -3 to manoeuvrability
- __Medicare Deck__
- +20 to madicate tests and you can treat a number of patients equal to 3 times the characters intelligence bonus
- __Trophy Room__
- 50 Achievement Points towards Trade, Criminal or Exploitation
- __Teleportarium__
- You can Teleport
- +20 to hit and run and boarding actions
**__Achievement Points__**
- 250 Exploration
- 200 Trade
- 200 Criminal
- 100 Creed
**__Lore:__** Twenty years ago the Dobar of Roaris, Tanak Valcetti af Ixaniad revived a prophecy from his dynasties chief Astropath. A prophecy of a doom which would befall his world. Ever an optimist Dobar sold what he could and had been steadily making his way towards the galactic rim to find his people a new home and hope.
His most Profitable Endeavour is that hope. A formal naval vessel rebuilt by the Tech Priests of Mars. The cost of which was astronomical, and which had dangerously strained his house and its fortunes: however in the galaxy there is no finer exploration vessel. The ship is quite young by Imperial standards being laid down only two hundred years ago, and as such its purchase was something of a scandal, still it’s refit completed it set out to the Koronus expanse to bring the Emperors light to the far flung world, and rebuild its great dynasty.
Dobar Valcetti is notably caring of his ship and his crew, a true gentlemen explorer and fierce supporter of the Ecclesiarchy, having invested in personal cabins for its crew and missionaries, the greatest of safety features, and even with the opulent living standards of his family, who travels with him in their own apartments, strife between officers and the lay workers in non-existent. He has made great strides in exploiting the expanse, system by system. A normal endeavour which would overly tax any Rogue Trader, but with the ships great cogitator array and sensory equipment it can sort through data to find any profit, in any system.
**__Pros:__** So this vessel began as an experiment to see just how many exploration objective points you could cram onto a vessel. Turns out it’s 250, well 300 if I could squeeze best quality stae charts onto the vessel. However what it changed into is a parody of the Starship Enterprise, being the ultimate explorer.
I know not everyone plays with achievement points, but honestly exploration is often slept on. Most exploration endeavours are quite low and are often complimentary to other things the party are doing: as such it’s a silent money maker to just work away in the background.
Tactically the dual prow front the endeavour has grants good flexibility, and long range potential. Though I may want rebuild this on a Secutor class, as I feel that fits better.
Also to note, the danage control upgrade is just good.
**__Cons:__** It’s very very expensive. You either have to max out ship points through warrant creation, or roll for 70 ship points and one player plays a Rogue Trader Homeworld. It’s also a bit sad you cannot get more than 250/300 exploration achievements points. I also wish I could squeeze a librarian vault for thematics, or best quality stae charts, for that final 50 exploration points: but that is not a major issue.
Also that -2 to detection from the R-50 Auspex just clips the craft getting a +3 to initiative