Yeah, I too have thought of what sensible rules for torpedos would be like. I've read through the previous threads on the topic, and adapted some of the ideas in them I've found worthy. To that I've added some of my own thoughts. First thing first, design philosophy. What should torpedoes be like? How would they work, in a context-realistic way? How would they be, from a game-design perspective, different enough from macrobatteries and lances to be worth giving a specific classification? Here's the points I've started with:

-Assuming the torpedos are guided (which they'd effectively have to be to make sense, otherwise they'd just be slow, heavy ordnance doing much damage but being hardly capable of hitting anything), rolling against BS to hit doesn't make much sense. Firing guided munitions doesn't require skill to hit, the guided thingy is, well, guided.

-Whether the enemy would be hit would be affected by the electronic counter-measures (ECM) of the enemy: flares, guidance jamming through electric noise, etc. The firer would counteract this with electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM), like jamming the ECM systems of the enemy, or possibly getting real-time signal feedback from the torpedos and guiding it manually past the tricks of the foe.

-As was concluded in another thread, torpedoes should effectively be about twice as fast as small craft. Furthermore, ships being as clumsy as they are, actually dodging a torpedo doesn't make much sense in 40k. However, a ship with incoming torpedoes could plausibly put more distance between it and the torpedoes, winning time for the ECM to work its wonders, or, if at the very extreme range of the torpedos, actually get out of range. Or turn its best-armoured prow towards them to take them on.

With all this in mind, here's what I've come up with at present:

TORPEDOS

Each torpedo weapon component has the following stats: space, power, SP, strength, damage and range.

Firing torpedos is resolved together with the firing of other weapons in a ship's turn. They must be fired simultaneously with any macrobatteries and/or lances, but cannot be combined into a salvo with other types of weapons (as they travel too slow for coordination). They can, however, be fired in a salvo together with torpedoes from another weapon component. When firing, the ship selects a character (or NPC crewman using base crew skill) to guide the torpedos and do ECCM. Guiding torpedoes requires either one of the skills Tech-Use and Trade (Voidfarer), and counts as an extended action.

The effects of the torpedos is resolved during the next turn of the targeted ship, immediately after it has made its move that turn (thus allowing it to try to get out of range, or at least fire back before the torpedos hit). The targeted ship selects one character to carry out ECM, counting as the character's extended action for the turn. Tech-Use and Trade(Voidfarer) can be used for this.

If the target ship is still within maximum range (i.e. two times range stat), the torpedoes have a chance to impact. The number of torpedoes in the volley is equal to the strength value of the weapon component (or the sum of the strengths, if several are fired in a salvo). First, ECM vs ECCM is resolved. For each torpedo, make an opposed skill test between the two appointed characters. If the defender wins by more degrees of success than the attacker, the torpedo is stopped. In any other case (both fail, only attacker succeeds, or both succeed equally well), the torpedo stays on course. The defender gains a modifier to his test depending on the range at which the torpedos are about to hit: -10/0/+10 at short/medium/long range.

The turrets are the targeted ship's last chance to stop the torpedos from impacting. Each point of turret rating gives the target one chance to shoot down a single torpedo. This is an unmodified BS test. A success shoots down one torpedo. Every three degrees of success shoots down an additional torpedo. A character can, as an extended action, make one of the BS tests to shoot down torpedoes. Any test not made by a character is made by an NPC at the ship's basic crew skill. (Despite there being many turrets, it is plausible that they'd lay down blanketing fire, and thus a certain number could be directed by a single character.)

Any torpedos left after turret fire impact. Torpedos ignore void shields (being too slow to be stopped by them). Armour protects against torpedoes as normal: Roll damage for each torpedo, add together the values, any amount exceeding the armour value causes that much hull damage. Any natural 10 on the damage roll causes a value d5 critical hit in addition to the damage.

What do you think? I'm all up for criticism, and if you think your torpedo rules are better than mine, fire away!

The idea seems sound but there are a few problems. The problems are not mechanic but 40k fluff based. The imperium as far as i know posses no guided missile technology, Tau and Eldar more likely so, Topedos for the Imperium are only found on some crusiers, Lunar class from the RT book, Battle crusier, battle ship and havoc raider should also be able to have at least 2 . The topedo mounts are always built into the prow, the missiles them selves are massive in size and fired in mass vollies combined with other ships or at close range.

The idea sounds good but the fact that your topedos sound almost as if you can mount them on guncutter, they would not do enough damage because they are to small unless you can roll crits consistanly.

The idea of torps i would really like to see. Real shame the dry dock print out doesn't have them. If you need a referance to torps an the 40k universe Battle fleet gothic material. other than that don't think to hard, imperial torpedos are big slow and can destroy planets if you have enough of them

I salute your efforts in this endevor

Jarrion_Zukov said:

This is wrong. The Imperium possess guided missile technology ranging in size from Executioner rounds for shotguns to hunter killer missile mounts on vehicles to Titan missiles to starship torpedoes. The most common starship torpedo designs do use only limited guidance systems. They're fired out torpedo tubes and their engines kick in at full burn. Remember the faster you're going the more energy it takes to change course. They're fired at what is generally an intercept course and they're guidance and maneuver systems kick in for the last few thousand kilometers between them and the target as they modify their course to try and ensure a hit. In BFG this is represented by using a wide torpedo spread marker and having them go straight. There are also nonstandard torpedoes with better maneuvering and guidance systems.

Stat wise I would go with having them shoot in fairly straight line while moving ten VUs a turn. Each point of turret rating gives a single BS 40 to hit chance against a torpedo and after the swarm takes damage each torpedo has a BS 40 chance to hit the ship. I would have each torpedo do damage separately, but each one does a lot of damage like 4d10+10. That's just off the top of my head.