Vangaard Pathfinder
Craft: Vangaard Pathfinder
Type: Small fighter/Scoutship
Scale: Starfighter
Length: 36 meters
Skill: Space transport piloting
Crew: 1
Passengers: 2
Cargo Capacity: 100 metric tons; 40 cuic meters
Consumables: 6 months
Hyperdrive Multiplier: x3
Hyperdrive Backup: x15
Nav Computer: Yes
Maneuverability: 1D
Space: 4
Atmosphere: 350; 950 km/h
Hull: 3D
Shields: 3D
Sensors:
- Passive: 30/0D
- Scan: 45/1D
- Search: 60/2D
- Focus: 5/3D
Weapons:
- 1 Laser Cannons
- Scale: Starfighter
Fire Arc: Turret
Crew: Pilot
Skill: Starship gunnery
Fire Control: 0D
Space Range: 1-5/15/20
Atmosphere Range: 2/10/30/60 km
Damage: 3D (special)
Notes: The Laser cannon’s special damage is that for each shot absorbed by the shields, the damage of the gun goes up by +1. When the shields absorb 3 hits, the generator overloads and shuts down for 3 rounds while it recalibrates. Both the +1 and the overload effect reset to zero after ten rounds automatically. The generator can be replaced at a cost of 10,000 credits, but it then loses it’s additive damage value.
Capsule: The Vangaard Pathfinder was a scout vessel first produced by Vangaard Industries over sixty years before the formation of the New Republic. At the time, it was a cutting-edge scout vessel, one of the first ships of its size to include a hyperdrive and computer-assisted weapons systems.
The Pathfinder was notable for the unique design of its shield generator. When the shields absorbed a hit, the energy absorbed was diverted to the ship's laser cannon, increasing its firepower. After three hits, however, the generator overloaded, and the ship's shields were unusable for a brief period of time. Some early models were actually destroyed due to explosions in their shield generators. Many scouts and pilots operating Pathfinders replaced their ships' shield generators with more conventional ones which were not prone to overload. Others elected to keep the original generators, either to save the 10,000 credit price of a rebuilt shield generator or to keep the damage-absorbing properties of its weapons systems.
Although the problems with the shields led to Vangaard stopping production of the Pathfinder, it found success as a privately owned scout ship even as late as the New Republic era. It was inexpensive, had sufficient space for a scout's cargo and passengers, could operate for six standard months without supplies, and (except for the shields) was extremely reliable.