Vulture-class Droid Fighter
Separatist Droid StarfighterGM · Enemy ShipThreat 2Droid fighter — no pilot to bargain with. Trade Federation swarm-attacks rely on overwhelming numbers.
- Size
- Tiny
- Length
- 6.96 m
- Speed
- Fast
- Reference price
- 22,000 cr
Lore
The Vulture-class droid starfighter is the iconic Separatist single-pilot fighter — a wedge-shaped automated platform that defined the air-and-space combat of the Clone Wars. Built by Haor Chall Engineering under Trade Federation contract, Vultures are essentially flying battle droids: no organic pilot, central-command relay to a Trade Federation Lucrehulk battleship or Munificent frigate, and a transformation mode that lets them walk on insectoid legs once landed.
The Vulture's combat profile is mass-rather-than-quality. Individual Vultures are slower and less capable than equivalent Republic ARC-170s or Y-wings, but they're cheap, expendable, and launched in colossal swarms. The Battle of Coruscant alone featured an estimated five thousand Vultures in the engagement. Cutting the central command relay (typically by killing the controlling carrier) shifts the swarm into degraded autonomous mode — they keep fighting but lose coordination, presenting easier targets for Jedi starfighter ace pilots.
For GMs running Clone Wars-era campaigns, the Vulture is the basic encounter currency on the Separatist side. They're mechanically similar to TIEs (cheap, swarm, no shields, no hyperdrive) but with the droid-pilot wrinkle: players can't talk them down, can't demoralize them, can't scare them off. They engage on the command relay's logic, fight until destroyed, or — if the relay drops — fight on degraded.
Default Loadout
| Weapon | Mount | Attr | Range | Acc | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Blaster Cannons | fixed | DEX | Close | +2 | 2d8 energy |
| Energy Torpedo Tubes | missile bay | INT | Medium | +2 | 2d10 explosive |
Reference loadout for a stock chassis. Players swap, add, or customize weapons in the Starship Builder, subject to hardpoint caps and GM approval.
Special Conditions
Droid Pilot — No Bargaining
The Vulture is droid-piloted. It cannot be intimidated, bargained with, or persuaded to retreat. If its central command relay is severed (the carrier ship destroyed or jamming successful), Vulture swarms enter degraded autonomous-mode — Disadvantage on attack rolls until the relay reconnects.
Walker Mode
The Vulture can transform into a four-legged walker for ground combat or landing-bay deployment. In walker mode it loses speed but gains a +2 to atmospheric Handling on planetary surfaces.
GM · Tactical Notes
Vultures swarm. Always deploy in groups of 6+, ideally with a Hyena Bomber or two for missile threat. Players who try to scare off Vultures are wasting actions — they're droids. The right tactical move for players is to find and kill the command carrier (a Munificent frigate or Lucrehulk in canon) and watch the swarm degrade. GMs should telegraph this option: a distant command ship visible on sensors, jamming opportunities, etc.
GM · Adventure Hooks
- Players' freighter exits hyperspace into a CIS blockade. 8 Vultures peel off from a Munificent picket to investigate; killing the Munificent breaks the swarm.
- A captured Republic shuttle is being escorted by 4 Vultures to a Separatist interrogation facility. Players intercept mid-flight.
- A Clone Wars-era anti-droid relic is on the table: an EMP that disables Vultures within a range band for 1 round. Players have one charge and must time it during a 12-Vulture ambush.
How to use this chassis
This is a GM-side stat block — an NPC ship for the GM to fly against the player crew. Use it as-is for a quick encounter, or fold it into a larger fleet engagement alongside other entries from the enemy ship catalog (filter to "Enemy / GM" on the catalog grid). For combat resolution, see the Starship Combat rules page. Enemy ships do not appear in the Starship Builder.
Similar Enemy Ships
More combat craft-category ships in the catalog.