Star Trek Starship Armor Systems

Ablative Armor

Weight Cost: 80 metric tons per pip (12D+2 maximum)
Starships designed and built from the late 2360s onward can take advantage of new defensive technology called ablative armor. When an incoming beam or missile strikes the hull of a ship, the ablative armor first distributes the energy of the attack around the hull via its initial radiative/conducting components. Then, when the energy rate exceeds the armor's conductive capacity, the excess begins to boil the armor off, thus dissipating the force of the attack and preventing it from reaching the interior of the ship. In the case of beam weapons, the high-density particulate cloud also interacts with the relatively low-density energy of the beam to carry off some of its destructive force.

In game terms, ablative armor acts like extra Hull Resistance, but only provides protection until it is destroyed. Each point of damage done to ablative armor reduces its effectiveness by one point; when all of its points of protection are gone, the armor has been completely destroyed. Thereafter the ship only has its normal Hull Resistance to protect it. Apply damage to any existing ablative armor before applying it to normal Hull Resistance. Ablative armor offers no protection against the effects to which a ship's ordinary Hull Resistance does not apply, such as gravimetric shear.

Example: The U.S.S. Indomitable has Hull Resistance 3D+1 and 0D+2 points of ablative armor. It's hit by an attack which, after shields are applied causes it 4D+2 points of damage. This damage hits the ablative armor, which stops 0D+2 points' worth of it, boiling away under force of the attack as it does so. The remaining 4D points of damage is then affected by the ship's Hull Resistance of 3D+1. If the Indomitable is hit by a second blast, its ablative armor no longer applies; it's gone until replaced.

A ship of Size 4 (149 meters) or smaller may only have up to 6D+1 points of ablative armor. A ship of Size 5 (150 meters) or greater may have up to 12D+2 points of ablative armor. Each 0D+1 of it costs 80 metric tons of weight. Rebuilding or replacing ablative armor requires the facilities of a starbase, space station, or similar installation.

Protection	Weight Cost		Protection	Weight Cost		Protection	Weight Cost
0D+1	80 mt		4D+2	1,120 mt		9D	2,160 mt
0D+2	160 mt		5D	1,200 mt		9D+1	2,240 mt
1D	240 mt		5D+1	1,280 mt		9D+2	2,320 mt
1D+1	320 mt		5D+2	1,360 mt		10D	2,400 mt
1D+2	400 mt		6D	1,440 mt		10D+1	2,480 mt
2D	480 mt		6D+1	1,520 mt		10D+2	2,560 mt
2D+1	560 mt		6D+2	1,600 mt		11D	2,640 mt
2D+2	640 mt		7D	1,680 mt		11D+1	2,720 mt
3D	720 mt		7D+1	1,760 mt		11D+2	2,800 mt
3D+1	800 mt		7D+2	1,840 mt		12D	2,880 mt
3D+2	880 mt		8D	1,920 mt		12D+1	2,960 mt
4D	960 mt		8D+1	2,000 mt		12D+2	3,040 mt
4D+1	1,040 mt		8D+2	2,080 mt

Write up Notes:

• All figures are for Capital scale vessels.