I have a question on a build I made agenst a friend, it consisted of:

Soonter Fel with PTL and Targeting Computer

Howlrunner with PTL and Targeting Computer

Patrol Leader With Darth Vader.

Now what I'm wondering is; with Darth Vader can you attack the hull on a ship you shoot at directly? Because the card stated that you can suffer two normal damage to give the defender a crit. So by bypassing shields I can destroy an E-Wing in two shots regardless of what they roll? It seemed a little O.P so I just wanted to know if that is a legal move or not.

Vader has to kill the shields first.

Only cards that say 'Deal a face-up damage card' or 'Deal a face-down damage card' actually bypass shields. It it says 'Deal 1 damage' or 'Deal 1 critical damage' then that is just 1 point of damage, the same is if you'd rolled one more hit or crit with your red dice.

If they have shields, the crit goes against the shields. It doesn't bypass shields and hit the hull directly. It's very good for when you deal just enough damage to bring the shields down to slip a crit past, or as comes up more than we want to admit, when you reduce a foe to 1 hull and just need that final point of damage.

The only thing that I know of that bypasses shields is a Proton Bomb, which gives a face up damage card, rather than dealing damage which would apply to shields first.

No. Damage is damage, no matter the source. If an effect says it deals damage then it will hit shields first and only after all the shields are gone do any remaining boom or kaboom symbols get converted into damage cards.

Damage and damage cards are different things. If something says it inflicts damage then it follows the normal rules for damage in the rulebook. If a card says it "deals a damage card" (like proton bombs) it skips the steps where shields are removed because it isn't causing "damage" and instead goes straight to the cards, but if something says it causes damage then it works as normal and has to get though shields first.

I don't think its a good idea, the decimator needs every single hit point. This is just my opinion and experience with the decimator though. Perhaps if you don't use Vader with every single shot.

Thank you for all the help!!

I also have a list with the doom decimator. Either 43 points with Vader or 48 points with Gunner and Vader. The key is to Vader selectively, and use this ship to threaten areas where fragile ships (like interceptors, especially after they have Autothrusters) do not dare to fly into (anywhere within range of your Patrol Leader). It's great area denial for the other half of your ships.

The Decimator w/ Vader onboard shouldn't be a suicide device but rather that "are you sure you want to come this way without any shields?" ship. Having the 360 field of fire makes it a threat and can help keep shieldless craft from approaching.