Vulture-class Droid Starfighter

“Crewed” by a droid brain and controlled by a remote processor, the droid starfighter is a completely mechanized vessel. Armed with blaster cannons and torpedo launchers, droid starfighters are fast and agile. Unlike conventional fighters, however, the can reconfigure themselves into “walk mode,” allowing them to patrol on the ground as well as in space. Switching between flight mode and walk mode requires a standard action.

Starships of the Galaxy, page 78.

A favored weapon of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars, the droid starfighter is a marvel of engineering and artificial intelligence. Combining the deadly technology of a starfighter with the advanced brains of a battle droid, droid starfighters provide the Separatists with an endless supply of combat-worthy vessels without the need to recruit and train living pilots.

Droid starfighters are small, cheap, and expendable, just the way the Trade Federation likes them. Mostly manufactured by companies supporting the confederacy, droid starfighters are churned out of factories nearly as quickly as Republic forces can destroy them. The only limit on the number of droid starfighters that can appear on the battlefront lie within the command and control computers or a Droid Control Ship. Though the automated nature of droid starfighters makes them more prone to large-scale difficulties (a single computer virus can scramble the programming of thousands of droid starfighters at a time), it also makes them easier to coordinate and command as a group.

The most common droid starfighter, the Vulture-class starfighter, operates in both a flight mode and a walker mode and was used as early as the Battle of Naboo. These fighters are common throughout the duration of the Clone Wars, but when the Separatist fleet was deactivated, many of these starfighters were lost or destroyed. Also used during the Clone Wars was the Scarab-class starfighter and the Droid Tri-Fighter. Both craft, while not nearly as popular as the Vulture-class starfighter, serve throughout the Confederate fleet and are seen on almost all fronts of the war.

Capabilities

Droid starfighters usually receive their commands from a Droid Control Ship, which coordinates their attacks for maximum efficiency. Though the failure of a single Droid Control Ship can have devastating results on the starfighters under its control (as seen at the Battle of Naboo), few squadrons are refitted with independent droid brains due to cost issues. For the most part, the Confederacy combats this problem by having redundant control vessels present at any battle, ensuring that if one such ship is destroyed, the droid starfighters will continues to operate.

Given the computerized nature of its piloting system, a droid starfighter can attack with all weapons as though each had its own gunner, despite the fact that the ship has no actual crew. this allows the ship to use each of its formidable weapon systems in a single round, without the need to coordinate multiple crewmembers.

Droid starfighters also have the added benefit of not being affected by the Force or other effects to which living pilots would be susceptible. They cannot be bargained with; they cannot be reasoned with; they do not feel pity, remorse, or fear. Droid starfighters have all droid immunities, including immunity to mind-affecting effects, and will not willfully communicate with enemy starships. They cannot be demoralized and will never contradict their orders; in essence, they are the most disciplined starfighter corps in the galaxy.

Baktoid Armor Workshop “Vulture”‑class Droid Starfighter^[1] (CL 7)

Starships of the Galaxy, page 78.

Huge starfighter/ground vehicle (walker)

Initiative: +9; Senses: Perception +8

Defenses: Fort 22, Ref 14 (flat-footed 11) ; ++3 armor

Hit Points: 60; DR: 10; Damage Threshold: 32

Speed: 6 squares, fly 16 squares (max. velocity 1,180 km/h), fly 4 squares (starship scale)

Ranged: laser cannons +7 or

Ranged: concussion missiles +7

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

Base Attack: +5; Grapple: 27

Attack Options: autofire (laser cannons)

Abilities: Str 34, Dex 16, Con —, Int 14

Skills: Initiative +9, Perception +8, Pilot +9, Use Computer +8

Crew: 0 (expert); Passengers: none

Cargo: none; Consumables: 2 days; Carried Craft: none

Payload: 6 concussion missiles

Availability: Restricted; Cost: 19,000

Immune—droid traits

Laser cannons
Attack: +7 (+2 autofire), Damage: 4d10×2

Concussion missiles
Attack: +7, Damage: 8d10×2, 4-square splash

Footnotes and References
Please see the following pages or sites for further information:

↑ With the exception of the name, the stat block listed here is identical to the one found in Saga Edition Core Rulebook

[1] With the exception of the name, the stat block listed here is identical to the one found in Saga Edition Core Rulebook

[1]