Star Trek Starship Armor Systems
Ablative Armor
Weight Cost: 8 SUs 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 8 SUs. Rebuilding or replacing ablative armor requires the facilities of a starbase, space station, or similar installation.
| Protection | SU Cost | Protection | SU Cost | Protection | SU Cost | ||
| 0D+1 | 8 | 4D+2 | 112 | 9D | 216 | ||
| 0D+2 | 16 | 5D | 120 | 9D+1 | 224 | ||
| 1D | 24 | 5D+1 | 128 | 9D+2 | 232 | ||
| 1D+1 | 32 | 5D+2 | 136 | 10D | 240 | ||
| 1D+2 | 40 | 6D | 144 | 10D+1 | 248 | ||
| 2D | 48 | 6D+1 | 152 | 10D+2 | 256 | ||
| 2D+1 | 56 | 6D+2 | 160 | 11D | 264 | ||
| 2D+2 | 64 | 7D | 168 | 11D+1 | 272 | ||
| 3D | 72 | 7D+1 | 176 | 11D+2 | 280 | ||
| 3D+1 | 80 | 7D+2 | 184 | 12D | 288 | ||
| 3D+2 | 88 | 8D | 192 | 12D+1 | 296 | ||
| 4D | 96 | 8D+1 | 200 | 12D+2 | 304 | ||
| 4D+1 | 104 | 8D+2 | 208 |
Write up Notes:
- All figures are for Capital scale vessels.