Other Weapons

Weapon/Defence Archive: Weapons: Other

[Beam Bridge] -[Classed Beam Bridge] -[E/M Sabot] -[Classed E/M Sabot] -[Garrotte] -[Grav Buoy] -[Mind Control Laser] -[Probability Wave] -[Psi Wave] -[Resonance Field] -[Singularity Projector] - [Temporal Distortion Gun] - [Tractor Beams]



GENERAL NOTE

Allot of the weapon systems in this section are rather unusual, and would probably make good weapons for rather weird aliens.



BEAM BRIDGE

[Noam Izenberg] WotW #9

Beam Bridges allow multiple beams of smaller classes to fire as larger classes. A bridge always joins two equal class beams, and multiple beams must be cross connected for multiple effect.

Examples: Two beams joined by a bridge can fire as a single beam one class higher. Three beams joined by 3 bridges (each beam is joined by a bridge to the other two) can fire as two classes higher, and so on. (4 beams need 6 bridges for +3, 5 need 10 for +4.

Bridged beams can only fire as the higher class in arcs that all connected beams can fire through; e.g. a bridged FP/F/FS Class 2 beam bridged with aF/FS/AS beam can only fire as a class 3 in the F and FS arc.

Every time a bridged beam is fired, _all_ connecting bridges roll threshold at current level. If the roll fails, that bridge is damaged, the Bridged beam does not fire. Also, both beams the damaged bridge is connected to roll threshold checks as well.

Bridges that take threshold damage from normal ship combat (i.e. not while firing) do not force additional checks on the beams they connect.

A Beam Bridge has a MASS of 1, and it costs 4 points.

ALTERNATE-1: Beams don't need to be cross linked by extra bridges. (3 beams need 2 bridges, 4 need 3, etc..). Bridge cost +3 points.
ALTERNATE-2: Bridge threshold is rolled after Bridged Beam fires, guaranteeing at least one shot. Bridge cost +1 points. Other Alternates:

Brendan Robertson:
Beam Bridge: MASS: 2, cost: 8.
2 beam weapons can be joined to target together to fire as the next largest size beam (maximum of 1 size larger). Every time the Beam Bridge is used, it rolls a threshold against itself and each battery used. Eg: 2 x class 2s + 1 beam bridge = 6 mass, fires as a class-3 battery with threshold rolls.

ICON:    Beam Bridge



Comments/Analysis:

[WotW #9] Weapon of the Week discussion oscillated between accepting the system and arguing it is under-costed. Generally, it may be ok, though playtesting would be the ultimate judge. Costs of alternates have been adjusted. Originator prefers Alternate 1 and 2 together, which makes the Bridge pretty expensive (8 points per bridge), but more useful.



BEAM BRIDGE (CLASSED)

[Brendan Robertson and Brian Bell] (GZG-L May, 2001) WotW #9

The class of a Beam Bridge is the maximum beam equivalent that it can output. For instance, a Class 3 Beam Bridge can combine 3 class-1 beam batteries or a class-1 with a class-2 to get a class-3 beam battery output.

A Classed Beam Bridge need not make a threshold check every time it is used, but it is subject to normal thresholds checks and attacks by needle beams.

The Mass of the Classed Beam Bridge is equal to the minimum arc mass of a Beam Battery with the same rating. That is, if the Bridge is rated at Class-3, it has a mass of 4. If it has a rating of Class-4, it has a mass of 8. If it has a rating of Class-5, it would have a mass of 16 (a Class- 2 bridge is possible at mass 2, but not very efficient).

ICON (example):     Class 3 Beam Bridge  (Class 3)



Comments/Analysis:

[Noam] I think I'd rather simply have a beam of that class than the bridge. But the arc advantages may balance out in the larger classes.



ELECTROMAGNETIC SABOT

[Noam Izenberg] WotW #9

The Electromagnetic Sabot has the same purpose, function, and cost as the Beam Bridge, but is designed for Pulse Torpedo Launcher type weapons.

For Pulse Torpedoes, for example, a single bridge can allow two standard Pulse Torpedo Launchers to fire as a single Long Range Pulse Torpedo. 3 bridges can allow 3 Short Range Pulse Torpedo Launchers to fire as one Long Range Pulse Torpedo.

The alternate rules are the same as for the Beam Bridge

ICON:    EM Sabot



ELECTROMAGNETIC SABOT (CLASSED)

[Brendan Robertson and Brian Bell] (GZG-L May, 2001) WotW #9

The class of an Electromagnetic Sabot is the maximum pulse torpedo equivalent that it can output. For instance, a Heavy Electromagnetic Sabot can two Pulse Torpedo Launchers or four Short Range Pulse Torpedo Launchers to get a Long Range Pulse Torpedo.

A Classed Electromagnetic Sabot need not make a threshold check every time it is used, but it is subject to normal thresholds checks and attacks by needle beams.

The Mass of the Classed Electromagnetic Sabot is equal to the minimum arc mass of a Pulse Torpedo Launcher with the same rating. That is, if the Sabot is rated as Light, it has a mass of 2. If it is rated as Standard, it has a mass of 4. If it is rated as Heavy, it would have a mass of 8.

ICONS:    Light EM Sabot   (light)    Medium EM Sabot   (standard)    Heavy EM Sabot   (heavy)




GARROTTE

[Noam Izenberg]

The Garrotte is a weapon that consists of a pair of field generators, mounted on two separate ships. The generators create a destructive energy field between the two ships, that is more intense the closer together the two ships are.

The two Garrotte-armed ships must have activated the Garrotte-armed weapon and dedicated a fire control system to its use. The flight path of the pair of ships must bracket the mid-point of target ships movement for hit to count. If there are multiple targets, the 2nd target gets 1 die less damage. Each successive target takes 1 less die of damage.

Restrictions:
No other weapon may fire when the Garrotte is active.
One Garrotte-equipped ship cannot be in the other’s rear arc.
Garrottes must recharge for 1 turn after each use.
Screens reduce damage by 1d6/level
Each Garotte-equipped ship will suffer 1 beam die of feedback damage against if the minimum separation of the two ships is less than 6 mu.

The damage is defined by the greatest separation of the Garrotte armed ships.

Separation Damage
(damage = dice roll)
6 mu 4D6
12 mu 3D6
18 mu 2D6
24 mu 1D6
The Garrotte has a MASS of 4, +2 per additional arc, or 2, +1 per arc if the carrying ship is also armed with a Resonance Field Generator. The cost is 3 points per MASS.

ICON (example):    Garrotte    (3-arc)



Comments/Analysis:

[Oerjan] Good luck keeping track of the mid-point of each and every target ship's move in a battle with 8+ ships per side, as well as the flight path of two of your own ships. 8+ ships is quite normal for a 1500 pts battle... larger battles are increase the complexity exponentially
[Charles] A lot simpler to treat as a normal weapon, but the only valid target is any ship within 1 mu (say) of a line connecting the two garrotte-armed ships. The weapon fires when the second ship is activated. I recommend making it a 6-arc weapon as well, for simplicity.



GRAVITIC SHEPHERD BUOY

[Charles Stanley Taylor] (via e-mail)

This weapon is found in the Aliens: Kra'Vak section.



ILLUMINATI MIND CONTROL LASER SYSTEM

[John X Crimmins] (GZG-L 1-29-01)

This is the fiendish mind-control device of the Ancient and Illuminated Seers of Barvaria. By means of this weapon, the Illuminati can influence the behaviour of the crew on the target ship, causing fear, confusion, and mutiny.

The Illuminati Mind Control Laser (IMCL) has a range of 6 mu. When it is fired upon a target ship, roll 4 dice, less 1 die per screen level of the target. For each roll of 5+, 1 Crew Factor (CF) of the target ship mutinies and fights a boarding action against the "loyalist" crew. If any sixes are rolled during the boarding action, a single hull box is destroyed by the fighting in that turn (a maximum of 1 hull box can be destroyed each turn regardless of the number of mutineers or IMCLS systems used).
The boarding action doesn't reduce available boarding parties, as the crew are assumed to have been subdued or otherwise removed from mind control (often to the brig).
If the mutineers win (or all of the crew mutiny) treat the vessel as suffering a "Bridge Destroyed" core threshold for the rest of the game; however the ship will make minimal manoeuvres in order to avoid terrain (asteroids, planets, exploding suns etc.) and will repair any core systems currently damaged.

Each IMCL system covers 3 arcs of fire.

The Illuminati Mind Control Laser System has a MASS of 3. It costs 9 points.

ICON:    Illuminati Mind Control Laser



Comments/Analysis:

[Oerjan] Balance depends heavily on the boarding combat rules used. If you can get close enough it has ~80% chance of taking out a TMF20 or smaller ship (they only have 1 CF); the probability drops fast as the target's size increases.
(See also Charles' comments on the Psi Wave)



PROBABILITY WAVE

[Noam Izenberg]

This weapon creates a breakdown in the very "fabric of reality", distorting causality and probability to create bizarre effects.

The Probability Wave may only fire into a single arc. Hit determination is similar to that for Lance Pods, but with 10mu wide range bands, as follows:

At 0–10mu a hit is scored on 3+, at 10–20mu on 4+, at 20–30mu on 5+ and at 30–40mu on 6 only.

If the Probability Wave hits, roll D100 to determine the results:

D100 Roll Effect
0-5 The ship changes mass: Roll D100 for percentage change, and d6 for the sign of the change (1-3 = +; 4-6 = -). Round as needed. Reconfigure systems in proper proportion for new mass, or substitute extant other ship type of similar mass. New systems for "grown" mass are undamaged.
6-10 The ship changes mass: Roll D100 – 50 for percentage change.
11-30 The ship rolls a Threshold check. If a system fails, do another threshold check (at –2) to see if system is permanently altered. The firing player chooses the order of the threshold check. Stop the check after one system fails,or all systems have been checked.
31-50 The same as the above result but up to 2 systems are affected.
51-70 The same as the above result but up to 3 systems are affected.
71-90 Cosmetic change only, no effect on play.
91-98 Structural change: Roll D100 for percentage change in hull boxes, and D6 for the sign of the change (1-3 = +; 4-6 = -). If new number of hull boxes is less than current number of damaged hull boxes, the ship is destroyed.
99 All damage currently suffered is erased, all expendables refilled, and all fighter bays are filled, even if some or all flights have been launched.
100 The ship is erased from existence.

System Altered: roll 1D6, on 1-5 the new system is useless in combat, on a 6 it is converted to some other system(s) of the same or smaller mass - the firing player chooses the first system altered, the target player chooses the second, then they alternate. This roll gets +2 modifier if the target vessel has a Probability Wave as well.

The Probability Wave must recharge for 1 turn after firing.

The Probability Wave has a MASS of 6. It costs 18 points.

ICON:     Probability Wave



Comments/Analysis:

[Oerjan] d100s belong in Space Master, not in Full Thrust.
[Charles] Well, having to re-design a ship mid-play is a bit time consuming, and Oerjan's comments about d100's applies as well. A simpler idea: roll 1D6:

D6 Roll Effects
1 Ship loses the last row of hull boxes
2 Ship gains new row of hull boxes (the same size as largest row)
3 Ship makes a Threshold Check (rolls of 6 only fail) systems that fail are changed, not destroyed.
4-5 Cosmetic Change (just make it up)
6 Roll 2D6, if both roll 1, ship is restored to a pristine state, if both roll 6, ship is erased, otherwise treat as roll of 4-5.
Even so, it is still a very silly weapon Smile.


PSI WAVE

[Noam Izenberg]

This weapon could represent a focused attack from telepathic crew members, in which case the MASS required is for the psionic amplification equipment.
Alternatively, this weapon could be a psionic weapon, similar to the Illuminati Mind Control Laser.

The effects of the Psi Wave may be resolved in two different ways:

  1. The Psi Wave may roll as many dice as a beam battery of an equivalent class (i.e. a Psi Wave-3 may roll 3 dice at 0-12 mu, 2 dice at 12-24 mu, and 1 die at 24-36 mu).
  2. Secondly, the Psi Wave may roll a single die, adding +1 for each class above 1st, and subtracting 1 for each full 12 mu of range to the target (i.e. a Psi Wave-3 may roll a single die at +2 from 0-12 mu, at +1 from 12-24 mu and at +0 from 24-36 mu).

A Psi Wave has some anti-fighter capability: In anti-fighter mode, all fighters within 6mu (friend or foe) must make additional morale checks, modified by the class of the Psi Wave (class 1 = +1, etc..). Fighters disengage any targets and run for their carrier if any morale check is failed.

The effect on ships is that they must make morale check as fighters do - each crew unit counts as 1 "fighter" in the "flight" for this purpose. Check at -1 for each level of screens. If the ship itself has a Psi Wave, it gains a -2 modifier to its morale check at per Psi Wave on the defending ship.
A failed morale check results in the ship disengaging from the battle (no weapon fire, make best speed away from Psi Wave-firing ship) for 1d6 turns.

The Psi Wave has the same MASS and points cost as a beam battery of the same class.

ICONS (examples):    6-arc Class 1 Psi Wave  (class 1, 6 arc)     3-arc Class 2 Psi Wave  (class 2, 3 arc)     1-arc Class 3 Psi Wave   (class 3, 1 arc)



Comments/Analysis:

[Oerjan] The number of dice rolled by the weapon seems to have no impact whatsoever on the actual resolution? Seems to be an extremely effective way of mission-killing cruisers and smaller ships, whereas SDNs are pretty much invulnerable. Do SDNs really need (yet) another weapon to make them better against smaller ships?

[Charles] suggested alternatives:
1st suggestion - warning - this one does not require attack roll, but the targets get a resistance roll.
vs. ships - ship rolls morale test based on number of crew factors, -1 per psi-wave class over 1 (roll d6, if > number of CF-Psi wave class +1, ship retreats). Psi-wave loses 1 'class' per full 12 mu of range. Ships with a Psi-wave that has not been used that turn may use it as a defence - add the defending ships psi-wave class to its CF for the purposes of defending vs. psi-wave attacks that turn.
vs. fighters - can target 1 attacking fighter group - forces morale test with penalty as for ships. 2nd suggestion
vs. ships - roll number of dice equal to class of psi-wave -1 per full 12 mu of range - if number of 6's rolls exceeds ships CF, the ship will flee. Again, a target ship with a psi-wave can use it as a defence - the defending ship gets to roll a number of dice equal to its psi-wave class, each 6 adds to its CF for the purposes of defence.
vs. fighters - roll 1d6, on a 6, the fighter group flees. In both cases, if the effect is to last more than 1 turn, the psi-wave must be 'locked' onto the affected unit, and can perform no other actions - but no further rolls need be made. This mechanic could also be used for Illuminati Mind Control Lasers.
The MASS and points cost may need adjusting.



RESONANCE FIELD GENERATOR

[Noam Izenberg]

The Resonance Field Generator is a weapon system consisting of a number of special energy field generators mounted on different ships. For the Resonance Field to function, it must be generated by at least two generators a sufficient distance apart (to far apart for both generators to be mounted on the same ship). The more Resonance Field Generators used, the more powerful is the effect, however, caution must be applied, as a to powerful field may damaged the generating ships.

The Resonance Field extends around center point of all the generating ships, and reaches for 6mu per generating ship. Any ship that is within this area of effect that does not carry a functioning Resonance Field Generator will suffer damage from the field. The damage is 1D6 points per Resonance Field Generator in use. A functioning screen system will reduce this damage by 1D6 per level of the screens. Against all missiles and fighter groups in the field roll 1D6 for each Resonance Field Generator powering the field. For each roll of 5+, one fighter or missile is destroyed. Any dice that roll 6 may be re-rolled (c.f. use of Class-1 Beam Batteries as point defence, Fleet Book 1, page 7).

A ship participating in generating a Resonance Field can fire no other weapons fire that turn. A minimum of 2 ships with undamaged Resonance Field Generators are needed to set up the Resonance Field. Only one Resonance Field Generator on a given ship may be active on any single turn.

Resonance Field Generators must recharge for 1 turn after firing.

If more than 4 Resonance Field Generators are used to generate a single Resonance Field, then all of the ships generating the field will suffer 1 beam dice of feedback damage for every additional Resonance Field Generator above 4.

The Resonance Field Generator has a MASS of 5. Each costs 15 points.

ICON:     Resonance Field Generator



SINGULARITY PROJECTOR

[Noam Izenberg]

This weapon creates a singularity, a small, artificial, black hole in space. The singularity is unstable, and only has a limited life span, in addition, the actual point at which the singularity appears cannot be accurately determined.

The Singularity Projector has a range of 50mu, and is fired as a placed marker ordnance weapon, similar to a Salvo Missile Launcher or Plasma Bolt Launcher. However, there is a slight amount of random scatter in the location of the Singularity, it will actually appear 1D6-1mu away from the target point in a random direction (see Full Thrust page 3). This distance increases with range by +1mu per full 10mu of distance between the ship and the target point. Allocating additional Fire Control Systems to the Singularity Projector will reduce the random scatter by -1mu per additional Fire Control.

To determine the effect, first note the closest point of approach of the flight paths of any ships that pass near the singularity, and consult the following table for the results:

Closest Approach Damage Other Effects
<1mu 3D6 After movement, move ship 6mu towards singularity
1–2mu 2D6 After movement, move ship 3mu towards singularity
2–3mu 1D6 After movement, move ship 1mu towards singularity
If the movement towards the singularity brings the ship directly onto it, then the ship takes another 3D6 of damage and it loses 1/2 of its velocity. The damage inflicted ignores screen systems, but not armour.

The Singularity normally lasts for 1 turn, however, some Singularity Projectors are built to generate longer-lasting Singularities. A Singularity Projector can only fire through a single arc.

The Singularity Projector has a MASS of 8, plus 2 for each additional turn of duration. It costs 3 points per MASS.

ICON:    Singularity Projector



COUNTER:     Signularity Counter



Comments/Analysis:

[Oerjan] Increases the time required for ship movement many fold. Not a factor in small battles (1-2 ships per side), but gets worse exponentially as the number of ships increases.
[Noam] Agreed. It's a book-keeping problem, so not a very usable system in large games.



TEMPORAL DISTORTION GUN

[Noam Izenberg] WotW #2

The Temporal Distortion Gun disables systems on the target ship by slowing the passage of time around them.

The target ship takes threshold check at its current level with the range modifiers given below. Failure means the system is "slowed" and does not work for the rest of this turn (if it has not operated yet) and next turn (a "slowed" Main Drive produces ½ thrust next turn, but movement is completed normally this turn).

Range   Modifiers
0-6mu
+2 to threshold level (i.e. threshold level 2 = threshold level 4 = system slowed on 3+
6-12mu
+1
12-18mu
0
18-24mu
-1
24-30mu
-2
30+mu
-3 (ineffective range; i.e. ship on last damage row still needs a 7+)

Effective range is +2mu vs. Screen 1, +3mu vs. Screen 2

The Temporal Distortion Gun has a MASS of 4, +1 per additional fire arc (maximum of 3 arcs). It costs 3 points per MASS.

ICONS:    1-arc Temporal Distortion Gun  (1 arc)      2-arc Temporal Distortion Gun  (2 arc)      3-arc Temporal Distortion Gun   (3 arc)



Comments/Analysis:

The Temporal Distortion Gun is not strictly an EMP weapon, but as the game effects are roughly the same, it is listed in this section.
[WotW #2] This weapon was discussed as part of WotW #2, it is a genre weapon at best, and is too impractical for normal use.
[Oerjan] Extra paperwork to keep track of which systems are downed temporarily and will "autorepair" at the end of the *next* turn.



TRACTOR BEAM

[Charles Stanley Taylor and GZG-L September-October 2002] SUS #15

Tractor Beams come to the WDA by way of Charles reviving early ideas from Adam Delafield and updating them from FT2/More Thrust to create the Tractor Beam and Kinetic Damper

Simple Tractor Beam Rules
=========================

For the sake of utility, any 'Tractor Beam' is also a 'Pressor Beam'.

Each Tractor Beam has a rating, which is the amount of 'thrust' it can apply to a ship of the same mass as the ship mounting the Tractor Beam, at close range.

Tractor Beams are 'fired' during the Launch Ordnance phase: Tractor beams have full strength out to a range of 6 mu, and half strength (round down) out to a range of 12 mu, each further +6 mu halves the strength again.

Roll a number of D6s equal to the Tractor Beam strength (modified for range), resolve the D6s as beam dice, but without re-rolls. The total number of 'hits' inflicted is the 'pull' applied (if the tractor beam is used in 'pressor' or 'repulsor' mode, apply the 'pull' as a 'push').

- If the Target ship is less than half the MASS of the tractoring ship, it is pulled towards the tractoring vessel per twice the result above.
- If the target is half or more of the MASS of the tractoring ship, but less than twice its MASS, then they are both pulled towards each other by the result above.
- If the target is twice or more of the MASS of the tractoring ship, then the tractoring ship is pulled towards the target by twice the result above.

This pull will affect the course and speed of the affected ships, and is applied during the Move Ships phase:

In Cinematic, if the pull is applied through the Fore (F) arc, it is added to the ship's current speed (in addition to any MD in the written orders).
If it is applied through the FP or FS arcs, then half of the pull is added to the ship's current speed, and the ship makes a 2-point turn towards the tractoring vessel (in addition to any MD and manoeuvres in the written orders).
If it is applied through the AP or AS arcs, then half the pull is subtracted from the ships speed, and the ship makes a 2-point turn towards the tractoring vessel (in addition to any MD and manoeuvres in the written orders). If it is applied through the Aft (A) arc, then the pull is subtracted from the ship's current speed (in addition to any MD in the written orders).

In Vector, first move the ship according to its existing velocity and written orders, then move it according to the effects of tractor beams. Do not measure its new velocity or move the course marker until _after_ the tractor beam effects have been applied.

In all cases, a repulsor 'push' is treated as a 'pull' from the opposite direction.

A Tractor Beam requires MASS equal to 5% of that of the carrying ship, per rating, and has a cost of 5 points per MASS. It has a single arc of fire, for 50% extra cost, and can cover 2 arcs, and for double the MASS and cost, it can be increased to 3-arc coverage.

Kinetic Suppression Beam
========================

This reduces the velocity of the target ship.

Targets of less than half the MASS of the carrying ship reduce their speed by 2D6 mu.

Targets of less than twice, but at least half the MASS of the carrying ship reduce their speed by 1D6 mu.

Targets of twice or more the MASS of the carrying ship reduce their speed by 1 mu.

Targets of four times the MASS or more are unaffected.

In cinematic, the target just slows down, while for vector, realistically, the target should slow down _relative_to_the_ship_ with_the_kinetic_suppressor_, I suggest that for games using the vector movement system, the Kinetic Suppressor be treated as a tractor beam, but with the pull applied to as to try and equalise the vectors of the two ships, split between the two ships as for the tractor beam.

Other Tractor Beam tech
=======================

Tractor Shears
- --------------

This is an anti-tractor beam defence. These work as 'screens' against tractor beams.

Level of Tractor Shears  MASS Required
Level 1                  2.5% of carrying ship
Level 2                  5% of carrying ship
Level 3                  10% of carrying ship
Level 4                  20% of carrying ship

Tractor shears have a minimum MASS equal to their level, and cost 5 points per MASS. They are represented by 1 SSD icon per level, and each icon makes threshold checks separately (as for screen generators).

Level 3 tractor shears reduce the effectiveness of a tractor beam to 1 point of pull per 6 rolled, while level 4 tractor shears confer
immunity.

Manipulator Beams
- -----------------

An advanced tractor beam, the pull can be applied in any direction. Where the pull is split between the two ships, the two pulls must be equal and opposite.

MASS is as for Tractor Beams, but cost is doubled.

Spinner Beams
- -------------

As tractor beams, but applies no pull, instead it 'spins' the target ship by 1 clock-face per point of 'pull'.

Mass and Cost as per tractor beams.

=====================================================================

Discussions (Some sources are lost. Check the GZG-L archives  for originators)

Tractors are also used used to 2) hold an opponent at bay, 3) tow a friendly, and in some genres 4) push an object away or 5) force it to change orientation.

Re: Charles' rules:

"If it is applied through the FP or FS arcs, then half of the pull is added to the ship's current speed, and the ship makes a 2-point turn towards the tractoring vessel (in addition to any MD and manoeuvres in the written orders)."

Forcing the target to turn should be an additional "attack" of the tractor beam, not a given, especially in Cinematic. Or apply the "tractor points" rolled on attack to forcing the ship to turn (scaled by mass. 1 point : 1 clock facing if the target is < 50% mass of tractoring ship  2:1 if   50%<ratio<200%, 3:1 or 4:1 if  ratio < 200%.

{Charles' Reply} I understand, but this makes tractors much more powerful in cinematic. Changing a ships heading by 60 degrees is huge just imagine if there's a planet nearby), as opposed to changing their vector by a few MU (assuming they're moving at more than a crawl to begin with. I still think pull/push and rotation should be different functions.

You could alternately PSB the tractor beam as a Projected Gravitic Drive. The cost and mass look right - the same as a main drive. This also solves the "towing" concept as well:
 A ship with a tractor can tow inert masses (dead or willing ships, asteroids, etc) Add the total mass (M) of the tractoring ship plus target mass. Dtermine the total mass (T) of Main Drive + Tractor Beam. Divide T/M by .05 and round fractions down (i.e. - without math - determine how much thrust a Main drive of mass T can give a ship of Mass M)

Tractor Shears:
I think an opposed tractor beam should work as a tractor shear. It rolls defensively just as the attacking tractor rolls offensively. If you want defense to be easier than offense, make the defensive roll 2 dice per point of Tractor strength.

Spinner Beams - I think this should be an alternate function of tractors -as noted above.

Icon (silly): A U-magnet (top/bottom = white/black.
Icon (serious) An open V in facing arc with a double arrow pointing into and out of the V.

Alternate use of Tractor as weapon: Tractor Repulsor Beam:
    Same range bands as tractor beam.
    Same dice as tractor beam
    Screens have no effect.
    Damage application 1 to Armor (if any), then 1 to hull for each damage row, then repeat, to represent the effect of the entire ship being shaken apart.
    Mass issues: Target <50% Mass of attacker: Damage to target as tractor dice roll
                 50%<Target <100% Damage to target = half tractor dice roll
                 100%-200% Damage to Target  = half tractor dice roll; Damage to Attacker = 1/4 dice roll.
                  200%+ Damage to target = 1/4, Damage to attacker = 1/2




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Last Update December 21, 2002, NRI