Iron Worm class Interceptor/meta
Iron Worm class Interceptor
This ship was first created using Mongoose Traveller Second Edition rules. Ship stats are presented below, with consent of the author.
Iron Worm class Interceptor, TL-10 Maintenance: 469 credits/month Crew: none (virtual pilot, virtual gunner, virtual sensor tech) MCr: 5.6225 Excess power: 1 System___________________________________________tons__MCr_____power Standard hull (4 Hull)___________________________-10___0.5_____2 Armor 10 (crystaliron)___________________________1.25__0.25____0 Reflec armor_____________________________________0_____1_______0 Thrust-3 maneuver drive__________________________0.3___0.6_____3 Thrust-12 reaction drive_________________________2.4___0.48____0 Fusion power plant_______________________________1_____0.5_____-10 Fuel (1 week's operation & 30 minutes' r-drive)__1.75__0_______0 Computer/5_______________________________________0_____0.03____0 Basic sensors____________________________________0_____0_______0 Laser drill turret (intense focus)_______________1_____1.1875__4 Cargo____________________________________________0.3___0_______0 Forced linkage apparatus_________________________2_____0.075___0 Software: maneuver/0_____________________________0_____0_______0 Software: virtual crew/0_________________________0_____1_______0
Docking attempts begin once an Iron Worm is at Adjacent range to its target, and thus happens in dogfighting rounds. The Iron Worm will always beat a large ship in the Pilot checks for positioning, so the large ship can only aim turrets and barbettes at the Iron Worm, at DM-2 to hit (on top of the DMs for range and, if used, for lasers - which is why the Iron Worm has anti-laser reflec armor).
To force a docking, between the virtual crew (skill 0) and the forced linkage apparatus (the legs, imposing a DM-1), the Iron Worm rolls a contested Pilot check against the pilot of the ship being docked with at an effective skill of -1. Given a typical total skill + attribute of +3 for said pilot, it takes on average several checks for 2D-1 to beat 2D+3. Each check is another dogfighting round, where the target's gunners can shoot at the Iron Worm again.
If an Iron Worm does manage to dock, on the next round it can attempt to pierce the hull. A hit is automatic; roll damage with an Effect of 0. If the Iron Worm does not do damage past the armor, it can reattempt each round until it does (or is destroyed). If it does manage to do at least 1 point of damage after accounting for armor, on the round after that it can move inside the hull) - at which point its further attacks are not impeded by the target's armor. (Internal bulkheads might slow it down if they present more than 2 armor, otherwise the drill's intense focus AP negates any bulkheads.) If any ships nearby fire at the Iron Worm while it is inside a target, first the target's armor is deducted from the damage, then half of the remainder is applied against the target's Hull, then what is left is applied against the Iron Worm and must overcome its armor to do damage. This is better run as a vehicular combat inside the ship than as further ship combat (though personal combat rounds use the same time scale as dogfighting): the Iron Worm attacks the deck plating and anything else between it and the target's power plant (evaporating deck plating in proportion to the Hull damage inflicted), only diverting if it is in line of sight of a credible threat (such as heavy vehicular weapons or a FGMP).
Actual Hull damage is delivered slowly: on average (ignoring Effect), an Iron Worm inside a ship will do only 140 Hull damage per space combat round. Any ship of at least 2,000 tons ignores critical hits from an Iron Worm's turret. This is why Iron Worms prioritize power plants: to take their targets out of the fight quickly.