Black Widow-class Battleship

The Black Widow is designed in such a way that the casual observer can never tell which side is intended to be "up". The design is a mile and a half long, but under a half mile tall and wide. In addition, it has numerous gun emplacements, 75% of which can fire at a single target at once, including behind it. The ship also features the only multi-layer hull in the Fleet; a total of six layers of armor protect the hull.

Because the ship is hideously expensive, costing almost two billion credits each, only five have been produced. These serve as the flagships of the Fleet, and are as much a status of the Earth Defense Alliance's solidarity and strength as they are combat ships. One is stationed in the Sol system at all times.

Model Type: BBG
Class: Battleship
Crew: 7,500
M.D.C. by Location:

• Engines (4): 152,500 ea.
• Heavy Mass Driver Turrets (12): 7,900 ea.
• Ballistic Missile Racks (12): 2,000 ea.
• Light Mass Driver Turrets (24): 1,400 ea.
• Heavy Rail Gun Turrets (36): 900 ea.
• Long-Range Missile Racks (36): 500 ea.
• Medium Rail Gun Turrets (72): 550 ea.
• Medium-Range Missile Racks (72): 300 ea.
• Light Rail Gun Turrets (144): 350 ea.
• Short-Range Missile Launchers (144): 400 ea.
• Hangar Bay Doors (2): 550 ea.
• Main Body: 1,825,000

• Note that because of the armor that went into this ship's construction, any weapon lighter than a heavy rail gun or long-range missile will not affect the main body, engines, or any turret that features heavy rail guns, light mass drivers, or heavy mass drivers, nor will it affect the ballistic and long-range missile racks.

Weapon Systems:

1. Heavy Mass Driver Turrets (12): Each of these turrets, which are strategically placed so that there are three along each side of the ship, possesses three large Heavy Mass Drivers. An advantage to this type emplacement is that 75% of all of these guns can fire at one target at any given time.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Range: 85 miles
   • Mega-Damage: 1D4 x 1000 M.D. per gun, 3D4 x 1000 M.D. for all three guns in a turret firing at once.
   • Rate of Fire: ONCE per melee round.
   • Payload: 100 rounds per gun, with another 1000 rounds per gun available
2. Ballistic Missile Racks (12): These launchers are placed alongside the main guns turrets, and provide additional firepower against enemy capital ships.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Secondary Purpose: Bombardment
   • Missile Type: Varies, but typically nuclear (1D4 x 1000 M.D.) or anti-matter (1D6 x 1000 M.D.), although when used for bombardment purposes they are armed with Plasma warheads (8D6 x 100 M.D.)
   • Range: Varies with missile type, but typically around 1000 miles.
   • Mega-Damage: Varies with missile type
   • Rate of Fire: One at a time, or in volleys of five or ten missiles at once.
   • Payload: 10 missiles per missile rack, with 100 missiles on standby. Reloading is done automatically.
3. Light Mass Driver Turrets (24): The "Secondary" main guns of the Widow's armaments, these are located in a similar pattern to the Heavy Mass Drivers, along all sides of the ship. Like their larger counterparts, 75% of these turrets can fire at any given target at the same time.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Range: 27 miles
   • Mega-Damage: 4D4 x 100 M.D. per gun, 8D6 x 100 M.D. for all three guns in the turret firing at once.
   • Rate of Fire: Twice per melee round.
   • Payload: 100 rounds per gun, with another 1000 rounds per gun available
4. Heavy Rail Gun Turrets (36): Rounding out the main guns of the ship, these are spread throughout the four sides, as well as the aft and stern of the ship. Like its larger counterparts, 75% of these turrets can fire at any given target at the same time.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Range: 22 miles
   • Mega-Damage: 1D6 x 100 M.D. per gun, 3D6 x 100 M.D. for all three guns in the turret firing at once.
   • Rate of Fire: Twice per melee round.
   • Payload: 100 rounds per gun, with another 1000 rounds per gun available
5. Long-Range Missile Racks (36): Like their larger counterparts, these missile racks are interspersed among the gun turrets to provide additional firepower against enemy ships.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Secondary Purpose: Bombardment
   • Missile Type: Varies
   • Range: Varies with missile type
   • Mega-Damage: Varies with missile type
   • Rate of Fire: One at a time, or in volleys of five or ten missiles at once.
   • Payload: 10 missiles per missile rack, with 100 missiles on standby. Reloading is done automatically.

   Note: It is highly unlikely that anything smaller than a space station would survive getting hit with all of the above weapons at once. Don't even bother rolling damage if this happens, as the results will be close to a million points of Mega-Damage! (When testing this, I did roll for every gun that would strike a ship, and calculated 977,400 M.D. done to one target.)

6. Medium Rail Gun Turrets (72): These turrets fall between the heavier turrets and the point-defense turrets, and are usually used to engage smaller ships like destroyers, frigates, and bombers. Because of the placement of these guns, only 50% can fire at a single target at once.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Secondary Purpose: Defense
   • Range: 9 miles
   • Mega-Damage: 3D6 x 10 M.D. per gun, 3D6 x 30 M.D. for all three guns in the turret firing at once.
   • Rate of Fire: Equal to the gunner's hand to hand attacks per melee.
   • Payload: 100 rounds per gun, with another 1000 rounds per gun available
7. Medium-Range Missile Launchers (72): Like the Medium Rail Gun Turrets, these missiles are typically used against destroyers, frigates, and bombers.
   • Primary Purpose: Assault
   • Secondary Purpose: Defense
   • Missile Type: Varies
   • Range: Varies with missile type
   • Mega-Damage: Varies with missile type
   • Rate of Fire: One at a time, or in volleys of two, three, four, six, nine, or all twelve missiles at once.
   • Payload: 12 missiles per missile rack, with 120 missiles on standby. Reloading is done automatically.
8. Light Rail Gun Turrets (144): These turrets are the battleship's primary point-defense weapons, protecting the ship from incoming fighters and missiles. Unlike the larger guns, these only have two guns on the turret.
   • Primary Purpose: Defense
   • Range: 2 miles
   • Mega-Damage: 2D4 x 10 M.D. per gun, 4D4 x 10 M.D. for both guns in the turret firing at once.
   • Rate of Fire: Equal to the gunner's hand to hand attacks per melee.
   • Payload: 100 rounds per gun, with another 1000 rounds per gun available
9. Short-Range Missile Launchers (144): These missile launcher turrets round out the battleship's point-defense web. They are designed to protect the ship from incoming enemy fighters and missiles.
   • Primary Purpose: Defense
   • Missile Type: Varies, although armor-piercing and high explosive are the most common.
   • Range: Varies with missile type
   • Mega-Damage: varies with missile type
   • Rate of Fire: One at a time, or in volleys of two, three, four, six, nine, or all twelve missiles at once.
   • Payload: 12 missiles per missile rack, with 120 missiles on standby. Reloading is done automatically.
10. Shuttle Bays (2): The Black Widow has a pair of shuttle hangars near the rear of the ship, each capable of carrying fifteen personnel shuttles, or five cargo shuttles. One Widow is currently being tested with a full division of Marines, replacing the shuttles with dropships.
11. Sensors of Note:
    • Advanced Sensor Package:
    • Geologic Sensor Array
    • Military Sensor Array: gives the ship a +2 on initiative, +1 to strike with all weapons, +1 to dodge, and +10% to combat related piloting rolls. Can track and identify up to 500 targets at a range of 2000 miles, and keep track of up to 250 more targets at a range of 4000 miles. With the aid of the Geologic Sensor Array, is able to take photographs of surface targets.
    • Super Navigation Computer
      Sublight Skill: 75% FTL Skill: 75%
    • Satellite Uplink Computer: enables the carrier to communicate with sensory satellites.
    • Scientific Sensor Array