The Venator‑class Star Destroyer was the brainchild of designer Lire Blissex, who created it to serve as a multipurpose warship during the Clone Wars. Also called a Republic attack cruiser, the ship was very successful as an escort and a battle-group leader and often served as a flagship for Jedi commanders.
An able warship and among the most dangerous ships of its era, eventually the Venator serves best as part of a massive fleet, acting as both a primary fighting ship and a starfighter carrier while supporting numerous more specialized capital ships. By itself, or as part of a group with smaller ships, the Venator lacks the ability to carry out long-range missions. Its relatively small capacity for supplies, coupled with its need for constant influx of dozens of new fighters and fighter parts, force a Venator to either stay near Core worlds or support a long line of large freighters.
To allow its hundreds of fighters to quickly launch and be recovered, a Venator has a dorsal flight deck with sliding armored doors. When a Venator’s dorsal flight deck is opened, the ship’s armor bonus is reduced by 2 (Reflex Defense 11, 10 flat-footed). After too many ships of the class were lost to hits into the open flight deck, the feature was abandoned for future Star Destroyer designs.
Tactical Fire: A Venator‑class Star Destroyer is an excellent starfighter carrier capable of operating close to the action and supporting its fighter corps. As a standard action, a Venator‑class Star Destroyer can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself. All allied starships of Gargantuan size or smaller within that area gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls an increase their damage dice by one step (for example, from 4d10×2 to 4d12×2).
Venator-class Star Destroyer (CL 19)
Starships of the Galaxy, page 148.
Colossal (cruiser) capital ship
Initiative: −3; Senses: Perception +6
Defenses: Fort 52, Ref 14 (flat-footed 13) ; +13 armor, Vehicular Combat
Hit Points: 1,590; DR: 20; SR: 200; Damage Threshold: 252
Speed: fly 2 squares (starship scale)
Ranged: 2 heavy turbolaser batteries +11* (see below) and
2 medium double turbolaser batteries +5* (see below) and
4 point-defense laser batteries +13 (see below) and
2 tractor beams +9* (see below) and
4 proton torpedoes +5* (see below)
Fighting Space: 2×2 (starship scale); Cover: total (crew), +5 (ships in flight deck when plates open)
Base Attack: +2; Grapple: 64
Abilities: Str 95, Dex 12, Con —, Int 16
Skills: Initiative −2, Mechanics +6, Perception +6, Pilot −2, Use Computer +6
Crew: 7,400 (skilled); Passengers: 2,000 (troops)
Cargo: 20,000 tons; Consumables: 2 years; Carried Craft: 192 V‑wing or V‑19 Torrents, 192 Eta‑2s, 36 ARC‑170s, 40 heavy airspeeders, 24 heavy walkers, various support craft
Payload: 64 proton torpedoes
Hyperdrive: ×1 (backup ×12), navicomputer
Availability: Military; Cost: not available for sale (black market value 50,000,000 used)
* Apply a −20 penalty on attacks against targets smaller than Colossal Sise.
Heavy turbolaser battery (4 gunners)
Attack: +11 (−9 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 8d10×5
Medium double turbolasers (gunner)
Attack: +5 (−15 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 6d10×5
Point-defense laser cannon battery (5 gunners)
Attack: +13, Damage: 4d10×2
Tractor beam battery (3 gunners)
Attack: +9 (−11 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: —(grapple +64)
Proton torpedoes (gunner)
Attack: +5 (−15 against targets smaller than Colossal), Damage: 9d10×2, 4-square splash