Are archeotech components subject to the craftsmanship rules on pg.18 of Battlefleet Koronus? Also, can Archeotech components use the archeotech upgrade rules in Stars of Iniqiuity?

There is nothing stating that Archeotech components cannot be of variable quality. Consider that after 15,000 years (at the most recent) can cause even the most advanced of components to start to degrade. Therefore you can have Poor quality components, or better quality ones that have endured better.

I would be very careful about modifying Archeotech components using the rules in Stars of Inequity. They are allready more advanced and powerful, and further modifying them might make them unballanced. I generally use either Archeotech components from one of the various books, or more normal components modified by the Stars of Inequity rules.

I'm pretty sure the main rulebook states that Archaeotech is already considered Best-Quality? Don't have the book on me tho, so no page reference.

I do not have my RT book with me ( loaned it to a prospective player ), but it makes sense that some pieces of archeotech is in better shape than others - perhaps common archeotech would be the same as best current tech, good AT is only slightly better in some way and best is again only slightly better representing something that might have been in stasis, while poor AT is about the same as good current tech.

At the same time make availability, acquisition and costs at least one step higher. If a piece of poor or common AT is acquired, alow it to be repairable, but only after some very serious repair and archeotech rolls are made, and if the repair / archeotech rolls fail by much then the quality drops one step - major roll failuer should result in the item becoming so much expensive junk.

Note that in Stars of Inequity you still have to roll for quality (although with a +3 bonus). I am unaware of anyplace where it says that Archeotech is always best quality either. If there was, then you would think that Stars of Inequity would have simply said that all Archeotech is Best quality instead of having you roll for it.

WilliamAsher said:

It is honestly how many people in the Imperium would think of it. Archeotech is automatically better, the height of human engineering and impossible to reproduce. Of course, it may have sat in a steaming jungle for thousands of year. Even with their advanced engineering, its performance has degraded to the point where it jams constantly.

Well, I for one want my Best Quality, Modified Drive, Potent, Lathe 2b!

Or my Best Quality, Imposing, Bridge of Antiquity!

Or my Best Quality (Range, Size), Potent, Staravar Laser Macrobattery, with Best-Quality Turbo-Weapon Batteries and Best Quality Targeting Matrix!

Or my Best Quality (Range, Crit), Potent, Star-Flare Lance, with Best Quality Targeting Matrix! (get a critical hit with every 1 DoS!)

Or my Best Quality, Steady, Ancient Life Sustainer

…How many ship points do each of these cost? ;)

LOL…

But, to answer the question for anyone who may not think of it, the Stars of Inequity components don't list a SP cost. Nor would I allow them as starting ship equipment for players. They are the sort of thing you scour the expanse for, and a reason to actually go out and explore. The modifiers are pretty variable in their value, as some are 'WOW' and some are 'eh, whatever'. A Best, compact modified transport 2 drive would be 3 space, 41 power, +1 speed, +3 Maneuverability. That is at least Unique, and not something I would let the players get purely via aquisition. It is also a huge bullseye on your ship. I generally only use the Stars of Inequity modifiers on non-archeotech gear. The idea being that specific archeotech gear already includes modifiers for being archeotech. I do use quality with either of them, as there is a chance that they have degraded from their original Best quality.

As for availability later in game, I make a judgement call on each item based on similar items already in the books. A compact plasma drive is actually a little weaker than a modified drive, so I leave the base availability at ER. A Potent and Steady, Good quality M-201.b Auger array is much more effective than any other equivalent auger array (and provides a huge Morale bonus). I would rate it at -60 (NU-10 for Good Quality). The players finding that was a big deal, even though they had to return to a forge world to get it mounted properly. (Remember that the skill with which it is mounted effects quality, you can't get a Best quality component mounted at the Breaking Yards) Normally, such rare archeotech components are not available for purchase easily. Most Rogue Traders would much rather use the component themselves. My players actually have a Archeotech Best Hecutor Plasma Battery hidden on their main colony, just to save it for when they get the Grand Cruiser they have as a long term goal.

To me an interesting thing is something like…

"An Imposing, Good Power Exploration Bridge"

or a

"Compact, Good Power Clemency Life Sustainer"

To me, those sorts of things are better than 'Bridge of Antiquity' or 'Ancient Life Sustainer'.

I don't know whether the Stars of Inequity stuff should be able to be double stacked ("Best Quality, Compact, Incalculable Precision!"), or if they should apply to things that are made archeotech via other means, like 'modified drive', which seems to be the same as 'compact'.

I definitely like applying 'Good' and 'Best' to archeotech -- however it is made.

I tend to feel that things like 'cargo containers' and 'crew quarters' and so on tend to be difficult to reduce in size by good or best quality, though. It just seems… counterintuitive that things which are generally empty space can be reduced in size and still be effective without some sort of spatial compression going on.

And something that DOES have some sort of 'it's bigger on the inside!' better be freaky as all hell.

Is it a plasma battery or a plasma broadside? Because a small ship could hold the battery. And which archeotech bonus did you use?

I have only rolled one Archeotech items to date that had two modifiers. You only get that if you roll a 10 on the Archeotech chart. That is the new Auger Array on their ship and they are very glad to have it. (2 power, +10 Detection, +6 Morale)

I allow the stacking only if rolled, and those components are going to be Unique level items. They are also going to be highly desired by those who will kill you for your boots…

I see Good/Best cargo and crew quarters as having both better layout and better equipment. A cargo hold with advanced lifter cranes and data looms that track where every item is automatically. It may be a smaller cargo hold, but it is much more efficient in how it stores things. Crew quarters include better storage solutions for the crew, and more fold-out ammenities. An archeotech cargo hold might even use large stasis fields to protect the cargo and allow perishables to be transported in perfect condition. It would be smaller, but you could preserve the value of the cargo better. That would allow it to give the same bonus, just with less space.

It was a Hecutor Plasma Battery with the Imposing Archeotech quality of Best quality (Extra range/better crit). They tend to go for long range and good crit, and the Arch Militant has rolled consistantly under 20 for the majority of his shots in a couple of battles. The Exporator has even started to investigate if their is possible Warp influence on his shots…