Helm Officer

The Helm Officer is a Ship Position. There are other ship positions that can be review and can affect this position.

The Helm Officer is a main position and is required for all sized ships. Tiny or smaller sized ships can combine the Helmsmen position with the Weapon Officer and/or Communications Officer.

Description

The Helm Officer is responsible for piloting the ship. Their skills can help the ship avoid danger and position it more effectively for weapon targeting.

Requirement: Must have at least 1 rank in the Pilot Skill.

Associated Ship Attribute: Engines

Associated Secondary Attribute: Tactical Mobility - The max tactical mobility is the Helm's Pilot Skill die level unless the Engine's Mod is lower.

Officer Functions:

1. Pilot Offensively or Defensively: This is a Pilot check done against the Enemy vessel. The Pilot picks the target vessel and then rolls. If they win, then their chosen outcome happens. If the Pilot chooses Offensive flight, then the Weapon’s office needs 1 less d10 for Battle Damage. (Minimum is 1). If the Pilot chooses Defensive flight, then the enemy ship has to have 1 more successful d10 in order to deliver Battle Damage. The enemy ship’s pilot's choice only matters if their pilot check wins. If there are more enemy ships than their Pilot checks are unopposed, then they automatically win. Remember that in Swarm combats, the Pilot can target the Swarm as a whole, a single entity.
2. Close or Widen Distance to Target: In Space Combat there are distances. Short, Medium, Long, Huge, Vast, Astronomic. Different distances can affect the ship's ability to target and fire. Some weapons cannot fire at some ranges. It may be useful to determine the enemy ship's abilities and then pick the best range to fire from. This Pilot check moves the ship to a different distance. If the opposing check is higher than the enemy ship has the choice to either let the ship make the distance change or not.
3. Pursue or Intercept Target: This is used for Chase mechanics. A Pilot who makes this check against an enemy ship allows the enemy ship to know that you are attempting to catch up to them and/or set up for a Ram. If the opposing check is higher than the enemy ship can choose to avoid the Interception.
4. Ram: If in Short range and a successful Pursue/Intercept check was done the last round, then this round the Pilot can choose to Ram the enemy vessel. Roll a percentile check. If above 50%, both ships take Battle Damage. If below 50%, then only the enemy ship takes Battle Damage. If your ship takes Battle Damage, the crew is ready for impact and is not shaken. The DC is simply 7 to repair the damage. While the enemy ship, you have to roll for Battle Damage, re-roll 7s.

Advanced Officer Functions:

1. Emergency Evasive Thrusters: The Helm Officer executes a sudden, violent maneuver using emergency auxiliary thrusters to evade an immediate threat (DC 15). Success forces the next enemy attack to require 2 additional success dice to deal Battle Damage, but cuts the ship's Movement Speed in half for the following round and prevents the Weapons Officer from firing.
2. Feint: (Advanced Flying Defensively): This is granted by a Talent, and it allows the Pilot to make a highly complicated and special maneuver that completely throws off the enemy ship. This provides a +4 to Tracking DC and requires 2 more successful d10s to do Battle Damage. Each time a successful Feint is done against a ship, the Pilot gains a disadvantage on the Pilot check to attempt another Feint, making it harder and harder until it is impossible to trick the enemy again.