“Blitz Vulk” (Lightning Wolf) Werewolf Destroyer (T.W. / U.W.W.):

With the conversion of the Dwarven Iron Ship which was renamed the “Thunderstroke,” it was decided to convert the Werewolf class destroyer in a similar manner. So far only a single destroyer has been converted although the plan is to convert a number of additional destroyers in a similar manner. There are also a number of parties who may be interested in purchasing destroyers upgraded in a similar manner.

With regards to appearance, the destroyer had been greatly modified to the point that the ship looks far differently than a standard Werewolf class destroyer. In fact, one might not even recognize the ship as a Werewolf class in many cases. Even so, the ship still looks like an ancient naval type submarine. One of the most notable changes is that in front of the superstructure is a huge energy weapon mount which has two large forward firing barrel. Otherwise, the hull is also modified so the entire hull form looks differently.

In common with the far larger “Thunderstroke,” the “Blitz Vulk” has the ability to generate ball lightning in order to create a lightning field. The field acts as effective protection against missiles and most projectile weaponry, causing missiles to often detonate within the field while the destroyer is operating in space. While an X-Ray laser warhead could be effective, detonating outside of the field and striking with X-Ray lasers, the ship also has the enchantment of imperious to energy which can be effective against missiles.

There are some weaknesses of the lightning field where missiles cannot be fired from the destroyer with the field active. In addition, the ship is almost impossible to cloak with the lightning field extending outside of the ship. While invisibly or shadow meld hides the ship itself, it does nothing to hide the lightning field. Theoretically, a powerful enough cloak of shadows could hide the ship by hiding the whole field but it needs to be an extremely large field.

Main weaponry of the ship are two eighteen centimeter “short” heavy particle beams. They are mounted in a partially fixed mount just forward of the main superstructure. The particle beams are powered by the same magical rift to the elemental plane of air which powers the lightning enchantment. Otherwise, the fusion reactors likely could not sustain fire from the particle beams. Having shorter range than standard heavy particle beams, these particle beams appear to have been developed by Icaria military for their destroyers and corvettes. The ship’s standard tactic is to make strafing runs on other ships while protected by the lightning field and being impervious to energy.

The point defense are upgraded versions of the standard point defense carried on the Werewolf class. Replacing the single sub particle acceleration cannons are twin mounts. Unlike those mounted on the standard destroyer, the twin mounts do not need recharging, pulling mystical energy from the same rift which powers the particle beams. Quad heavy telekinetic mounts replace the twin mounts on the standard Werewolf class. In the case of the telekinetic mounts, they do need to have the enchantments recharged each month. The telekinetic mounts are extremely useful against targets which are impervious to energy.

Unlike most upgraded Werewolf class destroyers which are upgraded with battle missile launchers, the launchers are a bit further back from the bow where the hull is a bit wider. This allows the destroyer to carry more anti-ship missiles than might otherwise be possible. Most of the missiles carried have multi-warhead fusion warheads although usually a few decoys and jamming missiles are carried as well. So that the destroyer can attempt to overwhelm another ship’s point defense, it does have software to link missiles fired individually into a single volley.

As bottle demon missiles are extremely difficult to get outside of the United Worlds Warlock, it was decided to replace the missile launchers with conventional medium range missile launchers. These launchers have far greater range than standard mini-missiles would have. Otherwise, they are slightly modified merchant missile batteries with greater missile payload per battery than is standard.

When the ship was rebuilt, virtually all of the original enchanted armor plating was removed, leaving the bare frame. This made the refitting far easier than it might otherwise be. In addition, it enabled the frame to be greatly reinforced in areas. The original enchanted iron plating was sold and the armor plating was instead replaced by modern composite and alloy armor materials. For additional protection, the destroyer retains its “Armor of Ithan” force field.

For its size, the standard Werewolf class destroyer has a bit of a low acceleration even as upgraded from their original configuration. It was decided to replace the drives with more powerful units, basically updated versions of the drives carried on the Hunter class destroyer. Replacing the original combination techno-wizard and fusion power plant is a powerful advanced fusion plant. Of civilian design, the more modern plant requires a much smaller crew than the original.

For travel between star systems, the Blitz Vulk retains the Rifts Jump Drive. This allows the destroyer to jump up to twenty light years each time it is activated. The rifts jump drive is usually powered through the mystic energy battery. However, the battery can also be used to power spell casting by the crew of the destroyer. As previous mentioned, the destroyer has the enchantment of “Impervious to Energy” but it also has enchantments of “Invisibility - Superior” and “Shadow Meld.”

A secondary advantage of the upgrades to the ship is allowing it to be operated by a smaller crew. Instead of requiring a standard crew of twenty-six, the ship requires a crew of approximately twenty-two for normal operations. The marine compliment is also reduced from twelve to eight. All are however equipped with Stormcrow space power armors, a partial copy of the Silverhawk armor, equipped with techno-wizard enhancement.

As with the “Thunderstroke,” the refitted destroyer carries four old Starling light fighters which have been enhanced with techno-wizardry. They have similar, although shorter ranged and less powerful, enchantments to the destroyer and are protected a lightning field as well. Otherwise, the old light fighters have been reconditioned to improve their performance across the board.

This starship design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

Model Type: Modified UW-DD-24.

Vehicle Type: Light Destroyer (Techno-Wizard).

Crew: 22, requires at lest one techno-wizard with two preferred (levels 2-6.)

Troop Capacity: 8 marines and 4 fighter pilots.

Vehicles:

Power Armors & Robots:

SC-MM-1000 Stormcrow Space Combat Exoskeleton (With Techno-Wizard modifications.)

Fighter Compliment:

TW-SF-5 “Thunder” Techno-Wizard Starling Light Fighters.

M.D.C. by Location:

	18 cm “Short” Particle Beam Cannons (2):	500 each.
	Cruise Missile Launchers (2, sides):	1,000 each.
	Medium Range Missile Batteries (4):	300 each.
	Twin Sub Particle Acceleration Cannons (4):	150 each.
	Quad Telekinetic Machine Gun Mounts (4):	225 each.
	[1] Main Bridge:	900.
	[2] Main Body:	3,300.
	Hangar Bay Doors (2, Sides):	500 each.
	[3] “Ball Lightning” Balls (12 total):	20 each.
	[4] Magical “Armor of Ithan” Force Field:	1,500.

Notes:

[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ship’s armor. This ship does not have an auxiliary bridge. Even if the destroyer’s bridge is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the destroyer out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.

[3] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.

[4] This is not a variable force field, but a magical shield that must be completely depleted. Once the shield has been knocked down, it will cost 150 P.P.E. and require one minute (4 melee rounds) of spell casting to restore the force field. Magic, fire, lightning, and cold all inflict one-half damage. Magical force field can be activated under Ball Lightning field.

Speed:

Driving on the ground: Not Possible.

Water Surface: 45 knots (83.4 kph/51.8 mph).

Underwater: 35 knots (64.9 kph/40.3 mph).

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.95 percent of light per melee. Original magical engines had a top acceleration of about 20 gravities.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is 280 mph (450.6 kph), can enter an atmosphere and can leave on contra-grav propulsion but is not designed for atmospheric flight.

Star Drive: Rift Jump Drive; maximum safe jump distance of 20 light years every four hours (Jump costs 2,000 P.P.E. per activation.)

Range: Life support will keep crew alive for up to ten years, as long as the P.P.E. generators are kept in working order.

Statistical Data:

Height: 55.2 feet (16.82 meters) main body; 64.4 feet (19.63 meters) from the bottom of the main body to the top of the superstructure.

Width: 52.5 feet (16.00 meters).

Length: 432 feet (131.67 meters).

Weight / Mass: 5,950 tons (5,398 metric tons) fully loaded.

Power System: Conventional Advanced Fusion 20 year life span. Also uses a magical rift to elemental dimension of air to generate additional electricity (Indefinite duration).

The destroyer also has a P.P.E. generator that produces 500 P.P.E. per hour / 2 P.P.E. per melee round (Activating the Rifts Jump drive costs 2,000 P.P.E.) and can hold up to 2,000 P.P.E. in storage. This P.P.E. can be used to power the Rifts Jump Drive or can be used to power spells cast by the destroyer’s crew.

Cargo: Cargo holds can hold up to 50 tons (45.36 metric tons) of cargo in addition to standard compliment of supplies and ammunition. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ship’s officers have more space for personal items. Most of the ship’s spaces are taken up by extra ammunition, armor, troops, weapons, engine, and other equipment.

Market Cost: The Werewolf class destroyer costs approximately 600 million credits to construct. These ship is no longer in production or for sale. Upgrades to vessel costs approximately 225 million credits. If sold, upgraded version would likely cost around 775 to 800 million credits if available. Cost does not include embarked craft.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Two (2) 18 cm “Short” Particle Beam: In front of the ship’s superstructure are two 18 cm short particle beam cannons. While it does not have the range of a standard heavy particle beam, has a similar output and is extremely powerful. These can be fired forward and can be angled up to 60 degrees to either side as well as being able fire at a 20 degree angle up or down. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 25,000 miles (40,230 km) in space and 25 miles (40.2 km) in an atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 3D6x100 M.D.C. each.

Rate of Fire: Maximum of three (3) times per melee.

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Four (4) Sub Particle Acceleration Cannons in Dual Mounts: Mounted on top of the ship and along the sides of the ship’s hull in turrets. Cannons turrets can fire at up to a 90 degree angle up or down and can rotate up to 180 degrees side to side. The gun does not have penalties to strike small targets. Uses the spell of the same name from page 143 of World Book 16: Federation of Magic (although has far greater range.) The weapon pulls its energy from the elemental rift and does not need to be recharged. Weapon can be fired through the lightning field.

Maximum Effective Range: 200 miles (320 km) in space and 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 2D6x10+20 (1D6x10+10 per cannon.)

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (Usually 4 or 5).

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Four (4) Telekinetic Heavy Machine Guns in Quad Mounts: These cannons are identical to those mounted in the Shadow Bolt Starfighter but are in quad mounts. Mounted on the sides of the ship in turrets. Heavy machine gun mounts can fire at up to a 90 degree angle up or down and can rotate up to 180 degrees side to side. The gun mounts do not have penalties to strike small targets. Because the machine guns inflict damage by impact, they inflict full damage to targets that are using the spell “Impervious to Energy.” The spells must be renewed every two months (costs 400 P.P.E. and 20,000 credits per machine gun) but during the period the weapon can fire unlimited blasts. Weapon can be fired through the lightning field.

Maximum Effective Range: 200 miles (320 km) in space and 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 2D6x10+20 per burst (6D6 per heavy machine gun.)

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

Payload: Unlimited, although the spells must be renewed every two months whether the cannons have been used or not.
Two (2) Cruise Missile Launchers: The ship has two cruise missile tubes in sides near the bow. The launchers are copied from those carried on a Hunter class destroyer. Missiles have a top speed of Mach 25 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 10% of light per turn (far faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct or receives a destruct code but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because the target does not move and missile when dead is at -25% to be detected.) Cruise missiles have penalties to hit small targets but are all considered smart missiles. While missiles are only launched at the rate of one at a time per launcher, the ship’s computer has special software that allows all the missiles to hit a target at the same time for the purpose to make point defense of a target more easily overwhelmed. This is done by slowing down the acceleration of missiles and by setting some for delayed activation and target must be a least 30 seconds away. Missiles are then considered to only have an acceleration of 5% of light for the first turn. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time. Bottle demon missiles are not available. Missiles cannot be fired through the lightning field due to the fact that they would be destroyed / detonated by the field.

Maximum Effective Range: Cruise Missile range is 8,000 miles (12,875 km) in an atmosphere and 4,000,000 miles (6,437,376 km/ 21.5 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Fusion Multi-Warhead missiles inflict 3D6x100 M.D.C. each.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire one cruise missile per melee attack (special software allows 4 to 8 missile to be launched as one volley depending on gunners hand to hand attacks) per launcher. This allows total volleys of eight (8) to sixteen (16) cruise missiles to be launched in one melee round.

Payload: Forty (40) cruise missiles per launcher for a total of eighty (80) cruise missiles.
Four (4) Medium Range Missile Batteries: These are standard merchant type batteries modified for greater magazine space. Each battery is on the port and starboard side of the ship. Missile has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Normally used for anti-fighter and point defense. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time. Missiles cannot be fired through the lightning field due to the fact that they would be destroyed / detonated by the field.

Maximum Effective Range: Medium Range Missile range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage: Varies with medium range missile type (Multi-warhead heavy warheads inflict 5D6x10 M.D.C. each - See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire medium range missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), or eight (8) medium range missiles per battery, per melee attack.

Payload: 64 medium range missiles per battery for 256 total.
Magical “Ball Lightning” Bolts: The destroyer can generate up to a dozen ball lightning bolts. This creates a field larger than possible on smaller vehicles such as fighters. While this field is active, the destroyer glows a bright blue and cannot be concealed using the spells of Chameleon, Invisibility, or Shadow Meld. While the field is active, the warship (and the crew) is immune to all forms of electrical attack including ion weapons and magical lightning. As well, any missile or projectile must pass through the electrical field before striking the warship. Assume an object will make it about half way through the energy field before detonating to calculate to see if the blast radius will still affect the destroyer (reduce damage by half in that case.) Also effective against attempts to board the vessel by conventional means. Theoretically, the electrical field may be used as a weapon to attack targets by edging close to a target but piloting rolls are at -30% and is considered stunt piloting. The ball lightning may be fired at a greater range than the electrical field but reduces the power of the electrical field for each ball lightning that is fired. If more than four ball lightning are fired in a melee (less than eight remaining around the warship) then the electrical field will drop. As well, if more than four balls are destroyed (each ball has 20 M.D.C.), the electrical field is also lost. In either case, the balls will come back at the beginning of the next melee round and the field will be restored.

Maximum Effective Range: Electrical Field: In an atmosphere, field is in a globe 80 to 120 feet (24.4 to 38.6 meters) globe around vessel. In space, field is in a globe 640 to 960 foot (195.1 to 292.6 meter) globe around vessel. Reduce field by 10 feet (3 meters) / 80 feet (24.4 meters) from 120 feet (28.6 meters) / 960 feet (292.6 meters) for every ball lightning fired / destroyed. Ball Lightning Bolt: In an atmosphere, 600 feet (192.9 meters). In space, 4,800 feet (1,463 meters.)

Mega Damage: Electrical Field: 2D6x10+40 to anything within the electrical field (not including the vessel or crew.) Reduce field damage by 10 M.D.C. for each ball lower than twelve (Must maintain at least eight.) Ball Lightning Bolt: 3D6+6 each.

Rate of Fire: Electrical Field: Active as long as eight or more ball lightning are around destroyer. Ball Lightning Bolt: One per melee attack of gunner (Usually 4 or 5).

Payload: Twelve “Ball Lightning” Balls per melee. Balls are renewed at the start of each melee round.
Techno-Wizard Modifications: The “Blitz Vulk” has the following techno-wizard modifications built into the ship. These require P.P.E. or I.S.P. from the ships crew or P.P.E. battery.

Special Features:

[ Altara TM, Brodkil TM, Bushido Industries TM, CAF TM, Catyr TM, CCW TM, Consortium of Civilized Worlds TM, Coyles TM, Free Worlds Council TM, Gene Splicers TM, K-Hex TM, Kankoran TM, Kittani TM, Kreeghor TM, Kydian TM, Machine People TM, M.D.C. TM, Mega-Damage TM, Metzla TM, M’Kri Hardware TM, Monro TM, Mutants in Orbit TM, Naruni Enterprises TM, Noro TM, Paradise Federation TM, Phase World TM, Psylite TM, Rifter TM, SAMAS TM, S.D.C. TM, Seljuks TM, Splugorth TM, Sunaj TM, Trans-Galactic Empire TM, Tri-Galactic Military Service TM, United Worlds Warlock TM, U.W.W. TM, Wolfen TM, and Zembahk TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

[ Beyond the Supernatural®, Heroes Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Ninjas & Superspies®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Rifts® are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

Return