(to indicate number on ship)
[Assimilation/Boarding] -[Burst] -[Burster] -[Electronic Warfare] -[Electromagnetic Pulse] -[FTL-Scrambler] -[Gas] -[Gunge] -[Hammer] -[Mine] -[Needle] -[Parasite]
Assimilation Pods are the Sa’Vasku equivalent of boarding parties, they consist of a pod that bores into the target ship and release special combat bio–constructs that attack and 'assimilate' the crew of the target ship.
An Assimilation Pod requires 3 power points to fire, and consumes 1 biomass. It may be fired at any target that falls within the arc of the pod launcher.
The range and to-hit mechanism is the same as given for the Lance Pods.
If an Assimilation Pod hits, it releases its payload inside the target ship, where it fights a boarding action (see More Thrust, page 7). Treat each Assimilation Pod that hits as a single boarding party, however, each crew factor that the defender loses becomes an additional Assimilation Pod "boarding party".
COUNTER: (to indicate number on ship)
[Charles] Does the Assimilation Pod inflict any hull damage when it hits? What effects (if any) would it have on another Sa’Vasku ship?
Burst Pods are the Sa’Vasku fleet support artillery system, similar to the Plasma Bolt Launcher system from Fleet Book 2.
Burst Pods require 10 or 15 power to fire, and consume 2 biomass. They can be fired at any location that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
They are fired during Phase 4) LAUNCH ORDNANCE, the launch of the Burst Pod is announced by the firing player,and a marker is placed at the target point, which can be up to 24 mu from the firing ship. During Phase 7) POINT DEFENCE FIRE, any ship threatened by the Burst Pod can allocated its point defence weapons against the Burst pod. Point defence fire against a Burst Pod is resolved as if it were against a Plasma Bolt (see Fleet Book 2, page 36), with any hit eliminating the Burst pod. The effect of the Burst Pod is exactly the same as that of a size 1 Plasma Bolt.
COUNTER: 
[Jaime] (Paraphrased) This has one-third the arcs and 6 mu less range than a Plasma Bolt Launcher, but can be fired twice as fast.
[Charles] This is very like the Burster Pod, below, but is shorter range and does more damage. I think I prefer this version, however, I'd like Sa’Vasku pods to only consume 1 biomass, as standard.
Burster Pods are the Sa’Vasku fleet support artillery system, similar to the salvo missile system from Fleet Book 1.
Burster Pods require 5 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They can be fired at any location that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
They are fired during Phase 4) LAUNCH ORDNANCE, the launch of the Burster Pod is announced by the firing player,and a marker is placed at the target point, which can be up to 48 mu from the firing ship. During Phase 7) POINT DEFENCE FIRE, any ship threatened by the Burster Pod can allocated its point defence weapons against the Burster pod. Point defence fire against a Burster Pod is resolved as if it were against a Plasma Bolt (see Fleet Book 2, page 36), with each hit reducing the damage of the Burster Pod by 1 die (it has 2).
The effect of the Burster Pod is resolved during Phase 8) MISSILE, PLASMA BOLT AND FIGHTER ATTACKS, all ships within 6 mu of the Burster Pod take 2 beam dice of damage (re-rolls apply). Damage points are applied half to armour and half directly to the hull (or to the next armour layer if attacking Phalons), while re-rolls apply directly to the ship's structure. Screen systems do not apply any protection.
COUNTER: 
[Charles] This is very like the Burst Pod, above, but has a longer range and does more damage. I think the range may be a bit much, as all the 'official' pods do not have ranges that exceed 24 mu.
An Electronic Warfare Pod (EW Pod) is a Sa’Vasku decoy system designed as a countermeasure to proximity guided munitions (i.e. Salvo Missile Systems).
EW Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They can be fired at any location that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
An EW Pod is fired during Phase 1) WRITE ORDERS, and must be given a course and speed away from the launching ship. An EW Pod radiates a false drive signature, and is counted as a viable target for Salvo Missiles.
COUNTER: 
The Electomagnetic Pulse (EMP) Pod is the Sa’Vasku equivalent of the MT EMP missile.
Brian Bell’s Version
EMP Pods require 3 power points to fire, and consumes 1 biomass. They may be fired at any one location that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
An EMP Pod has a range of 24mu, all ships within 6 mu of the EMP Pod must make a threshold check (with a threshold number of 6), while all fighter groups within 6 mu lose 1 Combat Endurance Factor.
The EMP pod should be treated as a Launched Ordnance weapon (like a Plasma Bolt), and it can be targeted by point defence weapons as if it were a Plasma Bolt.
COUNTER: 
[Charles] I think this is a little powerful for the cost of 1 biomass and 3 power points, I suggest that it only attacks the nearest target, like a Salvo Missile, and it can likewise be defended against by point defence systems as if it were a Missile Salvo with only 1 missile on target.
Jaime Tiampo’s Version
EMP Pods require 5 power points to fire, and consumes 1 biomass. They may be fired at any one target that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
An EMP Pod has the same chances to hit as a Lance Pod (see Fleet Book 2, page 23). If it hits, the target ship is effected as if it had been hit by an EMP Missile (see More Thrust, page 3).
[Charles] I suggest using the revised MT EMP missile rules, with the following amendment; combine the roll to determine if the EMP effect happens with the pod 'to hit' roll, in other words, each level of screen is treated as an extra 6 mu of range. See the Gunge pod for an alternative system.
These are highly specialized pods, only used when an enemy ship is attempting to FTL out of battle, and the Sa’Vasku really DON'T want them to leave. The FTL Scrambler Pod generates an energy field on impact that disrupts the FTL jump field of the target ship.
FTL Scrambler Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They may be fired at any target that falls within the arc of the pod launcher, but will only have an effect on a ship that has 'warmed up' its FTL drives.
The range and to-hit mechanism is the same as given for the Lance Pods.
To use this weapon, take note of the rules of 'Leaving the Table under FTL Drive' (see Full Thrust, page 23-24, and the FTL Rules Revision), if the FTL Scrambler Pod manages to hit a ship that has FTL drives being 'warmed up', then it does no immediate damage that turn. On the following turn, when the die is rolled for the ship attempting to enter FTL drive, the die roll is modified by +2, but a natural roll of 1 is still treated as a roll of 1. Thus the target ship will only escape on a roll of 2, and is destroyed on a roll of 3+.
As an option, the player of the ship attempting to FTL may attempt to abort the jump after being hit by an FTL Scrambler Pod during the previous turn. To abort the jump, the player writes an 'Abort' order during the orders phase. When the time comes to make the die roll, the +2 modifier is NOT added, but all rolls of 2 to 4 are treated as a roll of 1 (i.e. the FTL drive fails to engage).
COUNTER: 
(to indicate affected ship)
A Gas Pod can be either a temporarily incapacitating weapon, or a defensive system, depending upon its usage. When fired it bursts on impact, releasing a 'fog' of gas and liquid droplets, very similar to the emissions of a Phalon Vapour Shroud Gland.
A Gas Pod requires 3 power points to fire, and consumes 1 biomass. It may be fired at any target that falls within the arc of the pod launcher.
The range and to-hit mechanism is the same as given for the Lance Pods.
If the Gas Pod hits, it bursts, releasing its gas cloud that will surround the target ship, roll 1D6, if the die roll is greater than one- twentieth of the total MASS of the target ship rounded up (i.e. its Crew Factor), then the target ship is affected. The Gas Pod has the same effects as a Phalon vapour shroud generated by the target ship namely, the target is treated as having level 2 screens, but cannot fire any weapons. If the target already had functioning screens, an active vapour shroud, then the effects are not cumulative. If the target ship has an activated reflex field then apply the effect of the Gas Pod BEFORE applying the effect of the reflex field (thus if the damage is reflected, the attacker gains the defensive benefit of the Gas Pod).
OPTION: If a Gas Pod is combined with level 2 screens or a vapour shroud, then treat the result as old Full Thrust level–3 screens, i.e. beam dice only score one damage point on a roll of 6, but the re-roll rule still applied, while for plasma bolts all rolls of 4, 5, and 6 are negated.
The effects of Gas Pod lasts until the end of the turn, as an option, Gas Pods may be fired during the movement phase if they are fired in a defensive mode (i.e. at friendly ships).
Optionally, a Gas Pod can be fired at a point in empty space, a cortex node is still required, but no roll to hit is necessary, consider the Gas Pod to create a 'mini-nebula' about 1 mu across, (use the counter below to indicate its position) that blocks line of sight, and hence direct weapon fire. The cloud will last until the end of the turn.
COUNTER: 
(to indicate 'Gassed' ships)
The Gunge Pod, also known as Goop Pods and other, ruder names by the hapless damage control parties that have to deal with its effects, is the nearest Sa’Vasku equivalent to an EMP missile.
A Gunge Pod requires 3 power to fire, and consumes 1 biomass. It may be fired at any target that falls within the arc of the pod launcher.
The range and to-hit mechanism is the same as given for the Lance Pods.
When a Gunge Pod hits its target,it bursts, splattering it liberally with a quick setting bio-epoxy mucus, covering parts of the target. Systems that become covered are inoperable until the gunge is cleared from them. To determine which systems are covered, roll a threshold check for each system, with a threshold number dependent upon the size of the ship (there is only a limited amount of gunge to go round in each pod).
| TMF of Ship | System 'gunged' on a roll of: |
|---|---|
| 1–16 | 2+ |
| 17–32 | 3+ |
| 33–64 | 4+ |
| 65–128 | 5+ |
| 128+ | 6 |
NOTE: core systems (if that rule is in use) are NOT affected by Gunge Pods.
To clear an affected system of gunge, a crewed ship treats it as a damage control task, exactly the same as repairing a lost system, but with a base +1 to the damage control roll (it may be messy, but its not actually that hard to clear).
Other Sa’Vasku ships affected by a Gunge Pod need to expend at least one power point allocated to the Repair (R) pool to try and clear a system – the required roll is a 5, -1 for each additional power point applied to the attempt up to a maximum of 3 points total (which will clear the gunge on a roll of 3+). Clearing Gunge does NOT consume biomass.
COUNTER: 
(to indicate 'Gunged' ships)
Hammer Pods are the standard Sa’Vasku ortillery (orbital fire support/bombardment) system. They are another specialized form of Lance Pod.
Hammer Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They can only be fired when the launching ship is in close orbit of a planet.
The actual effects of a Hammer Pod depend upon the rules being used to conduct the planetside combat, if using the Full Thrust/Dirtside II rules in More Thrust (page 15-18), a Hammer Pod has the same effects as listed for Ortillery weapons fire, except that instead of placing a 'Nuke' marker on the point of impact, place a 'biochem' marker instead.
COUNTER: 
(to indicate point of impact)
These pods are the Sa’Vasku equivalent of human mines. They float freely in space until an enemy ship moves with their sensor range, at which point they release a stinger-like pulse of energy, inflicting damage upon the ship that triggered them, and consuming themselves in the process.
Mine Pods require a variable amount of power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. The power used determines the eventual strength of the Mine Pod, +1 to lay the mine, thus it requires 2 or more power points to lay a Mine Pod.
Laying Mine Pods is the same as using a minelayer system (see Full Thrust page 18-19 and the Mines section). A Mine Pod has a trigger range of 3 mu, any enemy ship entering this space will trigger the Mine Pod. When a Mine Pod fires, it does a number of beam dice of damage equal to the number of power points invested in it (re- rolls apply). For example, a Sa’Vasku ship uses 4 power points and 1 biomass to lay a Mine Pod, if the Mine Pod was triggered, it would inflict 3 beam dice of damage on the triggering ship. All normal screen, armour/carapace, and vapour shroud defences apply as normal.
Recommendation: use mine counters from Full Thrust, or below, but marked with their power allocation written on the reverse, when the mine is triggered, flip it counter over to reveal how many dice it does.
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(front) 
(reverse,
indicating power)
Needle Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They may be fired at anyone system that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher, however, to use a Needle Pod, the Sa’Vasku ship must dedicate 1 cortex node to its use (cf.. needle beam fire control requirements).
Needle Pods are actually a refinement of Lance Pods (see Fleet Book 2 page 23) that sacrifice damage for accuracy. Treat the attack by the Needle Pod exactly like THREE attacks by needle beams all targeting the same system (that is, range is 12 mu, roll 3 dice, rolls of 1 to 4 indicate no damage is scored, rolls of 5 indicate 1 damage point is scored, while rolls of 6 indicate that the target system has been destroyed and 1 damage point is scored).
Like needle beams, Needle Pods ignore screens and armour, carapace, or shells.
[WotW #3] Consensus weapon: Range 12 mu. 3 die vs 1 system, other rules as per Needle Beam. The penalty of losing biomass balances the 3rd die.
Older Versions:
(T)[Charles Stanley Taylor] (via e-mail)
This is the primary Sa’Vasku precision weapon system.Needle Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They may be fired at anyone system that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher, however,to use a Needle Pod, the Sa’Vasku ship must dedicate 1 cortex node to its use (cf.. needle beam firecon requirements).
Needle Pods are actually a refinement of Lance Pods (see Fleet Book 2 page 23) that sacrifice damage for accuracy. Treat the attack by the Needle Pod exactly like an attack by a needle beam (that is, range is 12 mu, roll 1D6; rolls of 1-4 indicate no damage is scored, rolls of 5 indicate 1 damage point is scored, while rolls of 6 indicate that the target system has been destroyed and 1 damage point is scored).
Like needle beams, Needle Pods ignore screens and armour/carapace.
(G)[Nick Garbett] (via e-mail)Needle Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They may be fired at any one system that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
A Needle Pod has a range of 36 mu, and attacks all ships within 6 mu. For each attacked ship, roll 1 die: a 1-4 indicates no effect, a 5 indicates that 1 damage point is scored, while a roll of 6 indicates that the target system has been destroyed and 1 damage point is scored. All damage ignores screens and armour/carapace.
COUNTER:
Comments/Analysis:(S)[Imre A. Szabo] (via e-mail)[Charles] personally I'm not convinced by these, if you must use them, I recommend treating them in a similar way to Burst Pods, except that any hit by PDS fire destroys the pod.
[Oerjan] This Needle Pod is EXTREMELY powerful. Also, a MASS-1 critter being able to pin-point target an unlimited number of target ships/systems, but only one system on each one? Why not allow it to target every system on a single target instead - that's the same number of target systems, and just as unbalanced?Needle Pods require 3 power to fire, and consume 1 biomass. They may be fired at any one ship that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
If the target ship is within 0 - 6 mu of the firing ship, then two systems may be targeted, while if the range is 7 - 12 mu, then one system may be targeted. Roll 1 die for each system targeted, on a 1-3, the target ship suffers one point of damage, while on a 4-6 the target system is destroyed and the ship suffers one point of damage. All damage ignores shields and armour/carapace.
These pods are related to Leech Pods, but do damage by absorbing hull mass rather than just mangling it. They require 6 power points and 1 biomass to create and they maybe fired at any target that falls within the fire arc of the pod launcher.
The range and to hit mechanism is as of the lance and leech pods.
When a Parasite Pod hits its target it absorbs one biomass and does one point of damage straight away. On every subsequent turn it continues this pattern and absorbs one biomass and does one damage. The Parasite Pod is non-penetrating and must consume all of the armour before moving on to the hull. The removal of Parasite Pods is done in the same way as for Leech Pods. A Parasite Pod may also voluntarily drop off. In the orders phase this is noted and during movement the pod detaches and sits in space.
At this point any ship that wants access to this collected biomass must come and pick it up. If the pod has a total mass of 6 or less than normal drone wombs maybe used to pick it up, if it is larger then special large wombs are required. Until it is picked up it may be attacked by fighters or targeted by defensive fire (Point Defence Systems, Class–1 beam batteries, Scatterguns, Pulsers, Spicules and Interceptor Pods) within 6 mu. Every hit taken reduces the mass of the pod by 1. A detached pod has a limited self-defence capability. For every 6 MASS it may have EITHER one Stinger Node with an in-built supply of 1 PP OR 1 Spicule. Note, if the pods are large enough to have multiple Stinger Nodes this does NOT mean that one Stinger Node may lend its PP to another Stinger Node and increase its range. The Stinger Nodes on Parasite Pods are restricted to 1 PP each.
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[Beth] I'm not sure if 6 pts for the initial launch is enough given the extra capabilities out the other end, but maybe the fact it becomes a target itself balances that out. I also went with one damage and 1 absorbed per turn as I was thinking of mass conversion issues, but I guess you could switch to a straight two mass absorbed per turn. That should probably knock up its cost though as it'll get larger faster and be potentially harder to kill off at the other end I'd guess. Anyway just a few quick thoughts.
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