Approved Starship Aeipathy-Class Cruiser

[Dainivhir Valeport]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To sub for the ‘workhorse’ of the Second Triumvirate. Co-written with [member="Madison M. Maxwell IV"]
• Image Source: X
• Canon Link: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: The Second Triumvirate
• Affiliation: The Second Triumvirate
• Model: Aeipathy-Class Cruiser
• Production: Minor
• Material:
  Durasteel
• Alusteel
• Transparisteel
• Starship Components
• Organic Material

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Light Cruiser
• Length: 800m
• Width: 200m (Widest) | 10m (Thinnest)
• Height: 155m (Tallest) | 40m (Shortest)
• Armament: High
  Ion Cannons | 12, Average
• Turbolasers | 14, Dual Turrets
• Laser Cannons | 36, Point Defence Turrets
• Torpedo Tubes | 2 Dual Tubes (4), 16 Each Stow
• Concussion Missiles | 8 Tubes, 4 Magazines of 8 (Burst Fire) Each Stow

[*]Defenses (See Weaknesses): Low

• Deflector Shields
• Ablative Armor - Non Replenishable

[*]Hangar: None
[*]Maneuverability Rating: High
[*]Speed Rating: High
[*]Hyperdrive Class: Slow: 4
STANDARD FEATURES

• Escape Pods: Twelve escape pods allow for evacuation from this cruiser in the event of critical system failure.
• Weaponry: See Armament
  Dual Function Targeting Computers: Designed to use multi-directional computations to assault single or multiple targets of variable size.

[*]Shields: Deflector I Somewhat weaker shields for a Cruiser Class vessel.
[*]Landing Gear & Ramp: Allows the cruiser to land on the surface of a planet or larger station and unload cargo and personnel via the ramp.
[*]Docking Ring: To allow vessels to dock with others in orbit
[*]Cargo Hold: Comfortably stores 2000 cubic meters of space.
[*]Crew Quarters: To allow the service of a crew.
ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• Droid Bays: To compensate for small crew compliment to meet mass restriction for sublight speed.
• Multi-vector engines: Engines mounted on pivoting turrets to allow for more maneuverability.
• Lateral and ventral thrusters: To allow for further maneuverability.
• Bioluminescent Internal Design: To compensate for Confractan Species' distaste for artificial lighting internal lights are replaced with vines along the rooms and corridors, which of course, glow.
• Internal Hydroponics Bay: A garden is required on all multi-room Confractan ships for religious purposes.

Strengths:

• Maneuver Warfare: The Aeipathy-Class Cruiser is a highly mobile cruiser, behaving more like a massive over-armed corvette.
  
• A Blanket Of Lasers: The vessel is incredibly vulnerable to Torpedo based weapons and strike craft, to compensate it boasts an impressive laser point defense system.
  
• Concentrate All Fire On That Target: The design and layout of the Aeipathy-Class cruiser allow its weapons to cover every angle with weapon arcs, while still being able to bring the majority of them onto a single target. Onboard targeting systems not only make this a possibility but the standard modus operandi.
  
• Automatic Efficiency: Due to the large use of droids and other automatic systems, the overall crew compliment and mass of this vessel are lower than its size may suggest. This also allows the Cruiser to suffer significant damage before being rendered inoperable, as Droids will continue to man their stations even when comparments are vented.
  
• Biological support: Sections of this vessel can lose power and still remain functional due to the more biologically inclined nature of Triumvirate Technology.
  
• Transport Tycoon: Due to the presence of mechanisms and design to allow the vessel to land directly on a planet's surface the Aeipathy is capable of transporting large numbers of military assets with relative ease, the primary reason for its ascension into the role of workhorse vessel.

Weaknesses:

• Glass Cannon: Designed to bring the maximum amount of firepower to bear, while disregarding the vessel's use as a traditional front-line ship and thus leading to the conception of various un-renewable defensive measures to compensate.
  
• Triumvirate Shielding: The shielding technology of the Second Triumvirate is somewhat behind that of the rest of the Galaxy, a side effect of isolation. Traditional armor is used to compensate for this but requires a shipyard service for replenishment.
  
• Out of Space, Boss: The vessel simply lacks the remaining internal space for a hangar, thus forced to land directly, it also leaves it noticeably vulnerable to strike craft if unsupported. This led to the absolute reliance of extensive point-defense networks which often strain the vessel's advanced targetting computers to their breaking point. It also has led to an extreme vulnerability to Strike Craft when combined with other weaknesses
  
• Torpedo Boat: The vessel relies primarily on projectile based weapons in the form of Torpedoes and Missiles to deal 'safe' damage, as using primary armament draws it too close to enemy ships for sustainable long-term combat. The drawback is that these weapons are slow to load, fire and carry far too little ammunition.
  
• Over gunned: The reactor of the cruiser provides insufficient power to power all weapons of the vessel at any given point in time.
  
• Notable targets: An enemy capable of overcoming the vessel's relatively weak shielding can easy immobilize the cruiser with but a few shots, if aiming for the engine pylons.
  
• Primitive design philosophy: Due to an overall lack of advanced shielding technology within the possession of the Second Triumvirate, the Aeipathy-Class Cruiser relies on a series of ablative armor panels for primary defenses, these are not only incredibly vulnerable to projectile based weapons but once used up cannot be replenished in combat.
  
• Unhuman touch: Relying on large numbers of droids to crew the vessel as to allow for lower mass and crew requirements to maintain feasibility the Aeipathy-Class Cruisers suffers from the innate lack of creativity in droids.
  
• No Navicomputer: The Aeipathy-Class cruiser relies entirely on more traditional methods of Triumvirate Hyperspace navigation. Those who purchase said vessels may, however, install them with some difficulty - this is incredibly rare. The severe drawback for this is the inability of the vessel to rapidly retreat from an enemy force outside of sublight capability, a betrayal of her core design philosophy and one which makes the vessel increasingly vulnerable to Star-Fighters if unsupported.

Description: The Aeipathy-Class cruiser was originally designed to fulfill an anti-piracy and border patrol role for the Triumvirate navy, the highly specialized design has since been adopted as a workhorse cruiser in line with the Triumvirate focus on speed and maneuverability. This is largely a betrayal of the vessels function, however, it remains a highly capable combat platform. Primarily in combat, the Aeipathy is intended to run-down smaller or more lightly armed vessels while fleeting from larger ones before the adoption of wolf-pack tactics. This creates a need for 1: Overwhelming firepower, 2: High Speed, 3: High Maneuverability. Several key developments were taken in mind to support this specialization. Firstly the design of the vessel itself must allow it to A, cover all possible angles of attack while also B, supporting the ability to bring all weapons to bear on a single target thus resulting in the 'pyramid' design. Secondly to support the doctrine of speed and maneuverability specialized engine and thruster mountings would be developed allowing them to rapidly re-direct thrust, while admittedly creating a major weak point. Defenses while still a major concern, already suffer from their designers' lack of advanced shielding technology and so must rely on significantly inferior traditional armor as a main-stay defense mechanism. In a role unimportant to the Unknown Regions she calls home, but now a significant weakness with the revelation of the greater Galaxy the Aeipathy class has no navicomputer and is only capable of Hyperspace speeds which while the cutting edge of her own technological development, are significantly behind in terms of the rest of the Galaxy, preventing her from completely filling the role of a fast-attack cruiser. The Aeipathy-Class Cruiser carries approximately 1 year of biological supplies on board, however, the Hydroponics Bay significantly increases the lifespan of said supplies to an average of 2 years, thus allowing it to partake in long range/duration expeditions and missions.

 

[Malok]

<p>Under Review.</p>

 

[Malok]

[member="Dainivhir Valeport"]

In the Manufacturer field, please link to the Second Triumvirate faction page.

And please lower a single rating by one to complete balancing.

Once you've made this changes, I can pass this along.

 

[Dainivhir Valeport]

Mission Accomplished.

 

[Malok]

<p>Awesome. Pending Secondary Approval. Thanks! [member="Jamie Pyne"]</p>

 

[Gir Quee]

[member="Dainivhir Valeport"], this looks like a solid piece of worldcrafting with some unusual flavor features.

It's a bit overpowered right now though, by about two ratings.

As always, whenever a rating is increased above average, there needs to be a commensurate reduction in a different rating. Rating increases can also be compensated for by lowering production or adding significant weaknesses.

Glass Cannon: Designed to bring the maximum amount of firepower to bear, while disregarding the armoring of the vessel.

If I were you, I might consider lowering the defense rating to match this description.

Hyperdrive Class: Slow: 4

Hyperdrive ratings don't come into balancing play for capital ships unless they're faster than x1. I would probably change this to average, but that's up to you.

 

[Dainivhir Valeport]

[member="Dainivhir Valeport"], this looks like a solid piece of worldcrafting with some unusual flavor features.

It's a bit overpowered right now though, by about two ratings.

As always, whenever a rating is increased above average, there needs to be a commensurate reduction in a different rating. Rating increases can also be compensated for by lowering production or adding significant weaknesses.

If I were you, I might consider lowering the defense rating to match this description.

Hyperdrive ratings don't come into balancing play for capital ships unless they're faster than x1. I would probably change this to average, but that's up to you.

Of course!

• Decreased two (2) ratings of the vessel. Maneuverability -> High | Defenses -> Low
• Added many new weaknesses and two new strengths have been separated from the descriptions of others to independent status, making them clearer to read.
  
  The current manufacturer of the Aeipathy-Class Cruiser is limited technologically. This manifests itself primarily in two ways, first off their shielding technology is significantly inferior to that of the rest of the galaxy, thus creating a reliance on Ablative Armor. I was trying to keep defenses as being comparable with that of another vessel of its size while also noting that said defenses remain easier to overcome, I was not aware of how exactly that worked originally, but that falls to my own incompetence and unfamiliarity with the Factory, please excuse that incursion it should be hopefully be resolved now. Secondly the Triumvirate lags in hyperspace technology, so the speed is slow (4) as it's crucial to the lore and feel of the faction - I'm afraid I was unaware that it didn't count toward the balance of the vessel (whoops) and for that I apologize, however, I'll keep the slow speed for the sake of lore. I also made it clearer that this vessel has no navicomputers, which while not noted in your response is something I realized I failed to make clear outside of basic systems, which is a huge failing on my part.
  
  EDIT: Corrected formatting of the main post and this response.

 

[Gir Quee]

Approved.