Though the Hapan Battle Dragon is a formidable capital ship, encounters with smugglers and pirates utilizing small attack craft revealed a weakness in its design. A Battle Dragon has little chance of hitting multiple starfighters, and it can be picked apart by wings of swift, nimble craft firing at it with concentrated fire from missiles and heavy lasers. To solve this problem, the Hapes Consortium scoured the galaxy for solid design ideas.
The resulting Nova‑class cruiser is deployed as a dedicated support ship for Battle Dragons, or used in small three-ship patrols to guard the borders of the consortium. The crews of the cruisers see their duty as defense, of both their patrol routes and any ship they are assigned to guard.
Capabilities
With technology and ideas stolen from numerous shipyards, the Nova‑class cruiser is a functional cruiser in its own right, but truly shines as a support ship. Standard Nova‑class tactics call on focusing firepower on smaller, faster enemy ships first, and placing the ship between oncoming fighter wings and escorted Battle Dragons. When working in small groups the cruisers use similar tactics, assigning two or three Nova‑class ships to take the “primary” role as if they were a single Battle Dragon, and having all other cruisers maintain standard tactics.
Refits of the Nova‑class upgrade the turbolasers to a standard firing rate, expand consumables to a year, and mount regenerating deflectors, allowing its shields to gain +10 SR when the recharge shields action is taken. This comes at the cost of downgrading to a complement of twelve fighters.. Such refitted Nova‑class ships are CL 19.
Tactical Fire: the Hapes Nova‑class battlecruiser is an excellent support ship designed to work in concert with the Hapan Battle Dragon. As a standard action, a Nova‑class battlecruiser can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself. Any successful attack against an enemy starfighter within that area that deals damage equal to or exceeding the target ship’s damage threshold automatically moves the target ship and additional −1 step down the condition track (in addition to the normal −1 step from damage).
Hapes Nova-class Cruiser (CL 17)
Starships of the Galaxy, page 94.
Colossal (frigate) capital ship
Initiative: +1; Senses: Perception +6
Defenses: Fort 52, Ref 14 (flat-footed 13) ; +13 armor, Vehicular Combat
Hit Points: 1,000; DR: 20; SR: 100; Damage Threshold: 152
Speed: fly 4 squares (starship scale)
Ranged: 5 turbolaser batteries +13* (see below) and
2 point-defense laser cannon batteries +13 (see below) and
2 ion cannon batteries +13* (see below)
Fighting Space: 2×2 (starship scale); Cover: total
Base Attack: +2; Grapple: 64
Attack Options: autofire (point-defense laser cannon batteries)
Abilities: Str 94, Dex 20, Con —, Int 16
Skills: Initiative +1, Mechanics +6, Perception +6, Pilot +1, Use Computer +6
Crew: 1,790 (skilled); Passengers: 600 (troops and support crew)
Cargo: 600 tons; Consumables: 1 month; Carried Craft: 24 fighters, 6 assault bombers, various support vehicles
Hyperdrive: ×1.5, navicomputer
Availability: Military; Cost: not available for sale (black market value 20,000,000 used)
* Apply a −20 penalty on attacks against targets smaller than Colossal size.
Turbolaser battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +13 (−7 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 7d10×5
Point-defense laser cannon battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +13 (+8 autofire), Damage: 5d10×2
Ion cannon battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +13 (−7 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 5d10×5