Planetary Defences¶
In certain scenarios, one player may be allowed to select planetary defences as part of their forces, generally to assist in defending a planet against an attacking enemy fleet. All races use some equivalent to planetary defences to form networks of armed satellites and ground installations to keep enemy ships at bay. Planetary defences also include system ships (vessels which have no warp drives and so are incapable of leaving the system they are stationed in), minefields, etc.
Two new unit types are introduced with planetary defences: satellite and ground.
Satellite units may not move as they are stationed in orbit around a planet or moon, or occasionally in deep space. Their weapons are able to fire all round so they don’t worry about fire arcs at all.
Ground units protect planets from spaceships getting close enough to send troops down to the surface. These anti-ship weapons are unable to move because they are concealed in deep underground silos for their protection. Ground units are limited to a single 90° fire arc extending up from the planet’s surface.
Special Rules¶
Orbital defences or ships that count as defences may be placed in squadrons, with 1HP defences grouped in up to six units and larger defences grouped in up to four. A Ramilies Star Fort cannot squadron with other orbital defences.
Stationary planetary defences may be placed in base contact if desired, but they can never be stacked or have their bases overlap other stationary planetary defences.
When desired, the defender in a scenario may spend up to one-third of his allocated point value on planetary defences, in addition to any planetary defences provided by the specific scenario. This allows for the use of larger planetary defences such as major fleet bases and the like, for which the profile and point cost of an Imperial Blackstone Fortress may be used. However, these additional defences come directly from the points allowed against his or her fleet list.
Stationary defences and vessels used as planetary defences such as Defence Monitors or system ships do not roll for leadership or have a leadership value just as other normal planetary defences do not, with the exception that they Reload Ordnance (where applicable) on a nominal leadership of 7 unless specifically stated otherwise in their fleet lists or special rules. This means that they cannot take on any special orders except Reload Ordnance, though they may also attempt to Brace For Impact! against this same leadership. They also make all other leadership checks they may have to make against Ld 7, such as for navigating celestial phenomena and for ignoring closest targets.
Ships that are targeted as defences but otherwise are not normally restricted to planetary defences, such as Ork Roks, Kroot Warspheres, etc., are treated as ships and can make Special Orders normally.
When shooting at minefields, treat them as ordnance for purposes of target priority.
** Notes: If a critical hit is rolled which cannot be applied, for example a station with no lances gets a ‘Lances damaged’ critical hit, apply the next highest critical instead. In this case the station would suffer main armament damage instead. If a station suffers multiple critical hits to the same place they must all be repaired before the location functions again as normal.
Defences Critical Hits Table¶
| 2D6 Roll | Extra Damage | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | +0 | Lances Damaged: The station’s lance array is taken off-line by the hit. The station may not fire until its lance armament has been repaired. |
| 4 | +0 | Main Armament Damaged: Heavy damage silences the station’s weapons batteries. They may not fire until it has been repaired. |
| 5 | +0 | Ordnance Bays Hit: The station’s ordnance bays are ravaged by explosions. No ordnance may be fired by the station until the bays have been repaired. |
| 6 | +1 | Reactors Damaged: The reactors are damaged, shutting down the power to the defences. Until power is restored the station’s shields and turrets are at half Strength. |
| 7 | 0 | Fire! Oxygen lines are broken, leading to fires in many compartments. Roll to repair (i.e. extinguish the fire) in the End Phase. If the fire is not put out it causes 1 point of extra damage and keeps burning. |
| 8-9 | +1 | Orbit Lost: The defences’ thruster assembly is disabled. The defence falls D6 cm towards the planet’s surface in each of its Movement Phases until either the damage is repaired or it hits the planet and is destroyed. |
| 10 | +0 | Shields Collapse: The shield generators overload, leaving the satellite virtually defenceless. The station’s shield Strength is reduced to zero and cannot be repaired. |
| 11 | +D3 | Hull Breach: A huge gash is torn in the station’s hull, causing massive carnage. |
| 12 | +D6 | Bulkhead Collapse: Explosions rip through the station as a series of pressure doors collapse. |
Defences with Multiple Hits¶
Some large defensive platforms, such as space stations and the huge Blackstone Fortresses, have multiple hits. When it comes to taking damage, these work just like capital ships. They suffer critical hits just like capital ships and get crippled once they have lost half their damage points. If a defence with multiple hits is reduced to 0 damage, roll on the Catastrophic Damage table. However, defences never drift, they always remain in place.
Blast Marker Removal¶
You remove D6 Blast Markers from each defence with a speed of 0 cm in each End Phase after all other actions in the End Phase. This only applies to stationary defences, not planetary defences that behave as ships (such as monitors or system ships). This also does not apply to ships on standby or ships reduced to 0 cm due to movement effects but otherwise capable of movement.
Warp Rifts¶
Warp rifts are especially unstable and dangerous forms of celestial phenomena, and planetary defences of any type cannot be placed closer than 30 cm to a warp rift, with all other rules still applying normally. This means if a particular defence must be placed within 15 cm of celestial phenomena, it still must be so placed, and it can’t be placed within 30 cm of a warp rift.