Starship Combat

Starship combat in SWURPG runs on a parallel initiative track — separate from ground combat — and assigns each player a crew role (Pilot, Gunner, Engineer, or Commander). The system is designed for the cinematic dogfight: tight-quarters chases through asteroid fields, capital-ship runs, escape attempts under pursuit. Don't reach for it for mundane in-system travel; reserve it for the moments your party is actually flying for their lives.

Starship Initiative

Starship Initiative = d20 + 20 + Pilot's Initiative Bonus + Ship Handling Bonus

The +20 offset keeps starship combat on a separate tier of the initiative order from ground combat when both are happening simultaneously (e.g. a boarding action where the boarders are dueling on deck while the pilots dogfight outside). Ships go first; ground combat resolves below.

Starship Armor Class

Starship AC = 10 + Handling Bonus + Size Modifier + Structural Integrity Bonus (SIB)

Size modifiers (starships)

Size	Modifier
Tiny	+3
Small	+2
Medium	+0
Large	-2
Huge	-4
Gargantuan	-6
Colossal	-8

Smaller craft are harder to hit (positive modifier); capital ships are easy targets but make up for it in HP and shielding.

Example starships

Ship	Size	SIB	HP	Handling
X-Wing (T-65B)	Small	+2	45	+2
YT-1300 Freighter	Medium	+2	120	+0
Imperial Star Destroyer	Gargantuan	+5	800	-2

Starship Range Categories

Starship combat uses range bands instead of feet. Most actions modify the band relative to the target.

Range	Distance	Notes
Dogfight	0–500 m	Small craft gain Advantage; large ships suffer Disadvantage. Ramming is possible at this range.
Close	500 m – 2 km	Standard blaster and torpedo range. Tractor beam locks possible.
Medium	2–10 km	Starfighters fire at Disadvantage; heavy weapons fire normally.
Long	10–50 km	Only capital-scale weapons are reliable. Maintain Long Range for 3 rounds without pursuit = escape.

The "escape" rule at Long Range is the chase climax — once the fleeing ship reaches Long for 3 rounds, the encounter ends.

Actions per round

Each crew role gets one action per round, simultaneously.

Pilot actions (choose one)

Action	Mechanic
Evasive Maneuvers	Pilot check + Handling vs. enemy AC; outcome scales by margin.
Increase / Reduce Range	Pilot check + Handling, DC 12–18 depending on situation.
Hold Range	Maintain current position relative to target.

Evasive maneuver results

Margin	Outcome
Fail by 5+	Botched — enemy gains Advantage on next attack.
Fail by 1–4	Partial — no effect.
Success 0–4	Standard — +2 AC or 1 range band shift.
Success 5–9	Skilled — +4 AC or 1 range shift + enemy at Disadvantage.
Success 10+	Ace — +4 AC, all attacks at Disadvantage, enemy must make a Pilot check.

Crew actions (simultaneous with the Pilot)

Role	Action
Gunner	d20 + Proficiency + Ability Modifier + Weapon Accuracy vs. target's Starship AC.
Engineer	d20 + Mechanics; success restores 1d6 + Intelligence modifier HP or Shields.
Commander	Grants Advantage to one ally's action this round.

A 4-player party fits these roles cleanly: one Pilot, one Gunner (or two if the ship has multiple turret stations), one Engineer (Tech Specialist territory), one Commander (Leader territory). Other classes can take any role with a successful skill check.

★ Example— A round of starship combat (4-player crew)

The freighter is at Close range with 2 TIE pursuers. All four PCs act simultaneously this round:

Pilot (Scoundrel) — Evasive Maneuvers, rolls 18 vs the lead TIE's AC 16 → Standard outcome → +2 AC for the freighter this round.
Gunner (Soldier) — fires the dorsal turret at the lead TIE, rolls 22 vs TIE's AC 16, hits for 3d10 damage. TIE takes 18 — its 12 HP melts; TIE destroyed.
Engineer (Tech Specialist) — Mechanics check 19, success → restores 1d6 + INT mod = 5 Shields. Cushioning for whatever the second TIE does.
Commander (Leader) — grants Advantage to next round's Gunner action. (No need to use Advantage this round; the Gunner already hit and killed.)

Net: 1 TIE down, freighter still at Close range with 1 TIE remaining, shields topped up, Gunner has Advantage queued for round 2. Strong round.

Shield and Hull System

Damage applies to Shields first. When Shields reach 0, all remaining damage reduces Hull HP directly.

At 0 Hull HP

Result	Outcome
Disabled	Ship drifts without power. Emergency repairs require Mechanics DC 20; success restores 10 HP.
Destroyed	Catastrophic damage. The GM determines the level of destruction (cinematic explosion vs. survivable wreck).

GMs typically rule "Disabled" first when the party is in the ship — destruction without warning rarely makes for good stories. Save "Destroyed" for enemy ships and the rare narrative gut-punch.

Space environmental hazards

Roll 1d8 when the GM introduces a space hazard mid-combat:

Roll	Hazard	Effect
1	Asteroid Field	DC 16 Pilot or 2d8 damage; success grants Disadvantage to enemies.
2	Debris Cloud	DC 14 or Disadvantage on attacks next turn.
3	Gravity Well	DC 18 or lose 1 range category.
4	Ion Storm	DC 15 Engineer check or shields disabled for 1 round.
5	Minefield	DC 15 Perception or 3d10 damage.
6	Enemy ECM	Disadvantage on Pilot and Attack rolls next action.
7	Solar Flare	DC 15 Constitution save or sensors and weapons disabled for 1 round.
8	Boarding Pods	DC 15 Pilot at Dogfight range or boarding commences.

Don't roll a hazard every round — once or twice per dogfight is plenty. Hazards exist to spice up an encounter that's settled into a damage-trade rhythm.

Vehicle Combat

Ground vehicles (speeders, walkers, landspeeders) use the same core mechanics as starship combat — same Pilot/Gunner/Engineer/Commander roles, same evasive-maneuver math — with narratively adjusted range categories (street blocks instead of kilometers, canyons instead of debris fields).

Vehicle drivers can be individually targeted with cover bonuses: +2 AC (half cover) or +5 AC (three-quarters cover) depending on the vehicle's design. An open speeder driver is exposed; a turret gunner inside an AT-AT is mostly covered.

Vehicle hazard table (1d8)

Roll	Hazard	Effect
1	Sharp Turn	DC 15 or 1d6 collision damage, lose 1 range.
2	Heavy Traffic	DC 14 or 2d6 collision damage.
3	Collapsed Stall	DC 14 Dexterity or 1d8 damage, halted for 1 round.
4	Narrow Passage	DC 16 or 3d6 crash damage.
5	Jump / Gap	DC 15 success clears; failure = 4d6 damage.
6	Enemy Interference	Disadvantage on next Pilot check.
7	Fire	DC 15 or 1d6 fire damage per turn until extinguished.
8	Crowd Panic	DC 12 or lose 1 range category.

Running a starship encounter

A few practical tips for GMs:

Set the stakes upfront. Why does this fight matter? Escape from Imperials? Protect a convoy? Boarding action? The objective shapes how aggressively players play.
Use the Long Range escape rule. Letting the players flee successfully is fine — escape is a valid resolution, not a loss.
Don't roll hazards until the fight has rhythm. Rolling a hazard on round 1 buries the players before they understand the encounter.
Lean on Disabled, not Destroyed. Disabled is a story turn; Destroyed is a TPK. Most starship encounters should end with Disabled and an opportunity for narrative cleanup.

For ship-specific stat blocks beyond the three example ships, build them off the same shape: Size + SIB + HP + Handling. Most published ship roles fit cleanly into the table above.