Nssis-class Clawcraft

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Chiss Clawcraft

The Chiss use the term “clawcraft” to describe a broad class of fast, maneuverable starfighters popular with their pilots and with military strategists. In fact, there have been dozens of models of Clawcraft over the history of the Chiss Ascendancy, as would be expected of any long-lasting galactic government. When used by non-Chiss, however, the term almost always refers to a Nssis-class Clawcraft, a fusion of Imperial and Chiss technology.

     The Nssis-class Clawcraft can be traced directly to the Imperial forces under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn had access to Chiss technology in the form of his Household Phalanx and to Imperial resources as a grand admiral. Sometime after the Battle of Yavin, Thrawn began trying to merge these technologies, resulting in custom-built craft using the ball cockpit of the TIE design coupled with the claw-wing design common among Chiss Clawcraft. In time, this design was perfected and standardized, becoming the Nssis-class. Rather than being a hybrid or “ugly,” the Nssis-class Clawcraft is a customized fighter design drawing on the strong points of two different lines of technology. The design is so efficient that it sees use with Imperial forces, the Chiss Ascendancy, and the Empire of the Hand.

Capabilities

The Nssis-class Clawcraft was intended to be an improvement over the TIE interceptor. It had similar armament to a TIE/ln, but added more armor, modest shields, and a class 1.5 hyperdrive. Though not as fast on a straight-out run as a TIE/ln, the Clawcraft was significantly more maneuverable. With a week of consumables, the Nssis-class could do anything a TIE/ln could, additionally acting as a long-range scout or attacking far-off targets in large numbers without the the aid of a carrier ship.

     Early versions of the Clawcraft had neither astromech droids nor navicomputers to plot hyperspace jumps, instead depending on data from a beacon ship. Such ships could not make a hyperspace jump more than a day away from a beacon ship or similar source of hyperspace coordinates. Later models crammed a navicomputer into each Clawcraft.

Chiss Nssis-class Clawcraft           (CL 10)

     Starships of the Galaxy, page 69.

Huge starfighter

Initiative: +14; Senses: Perception +8

Defenses: Fort 24, Ref 20 (flat-footed 12) ; +4 armor, Vehicular Combat

Hit Points: 90; DR: 10; SR: 25; Damage Threshold: 34

Speed: fly 16 squares (max. velocity 1,000 km/h), fly 5 squares (starship scale)

Ranged: laser cannons +11 (see below

Fighting Space: 3×3 or 1 square (starship scale); Cover: total

Base Attack: +5; Grapple: 29

Attack Options: autofire (laser cannons)

Abilities: Str 38, Dex 26, Con —, Int 18

Skills: Initiative +14, Mechanics +8, Perception +8, Pilot +14, Use Computer +8

Crew: 1 (expert); Passengers: none

Cargo: 25 kg; Consumables: 1 week; Carried Craft: none

Hyperdrive: ×1.5

Availability: Military; Cost: not available for sale

Laser cannons (pilot)
Attack: +11 (+6 autofire), Damage: 6d10×2

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