So my players have chosen the Wayfarer for the adventure we are currently playing. The seem to really like the idea of a massive tanker-style ship and the potential something like that could have.

There's been some table talk on how they want to modify it, but they haven't approached in in-game. My hope is I can get some feedback from the community on some how to handle one of the upgrades they have been discussing.

One of the ideas they had was to keep the pod, or at least the appearance of a pod, but instead have it heavily modified to conceal a battery of weapons. They envision the modification to the pod to make it open up like a maw and spray enemy ships with the nasty.

I'm not so concerned about the weapons they want to put onto this thing, but I'm pretty sure they will want to make the argument that that removing the mod should grant extra hard points. I'm always reluctant to stray from published rules and resources such as weapons, upgrades, and the like, as it could get very unbalancing in the long run.

Ultimately, my question is this: Is part of the Hard Point total from they wayfarer counting the pod? I think so, since this would be how you implement a retrofitted hanger bay (the upgrade I am trying promote to them).

Thoughts? Awesome suggestions?

I don't think removing the pod should give the ship any more HPs, perhaps not less either, but definitely not more.

A hidden weapon battery is a great idea, since its a silhouette 5 this can be light turbolasers, which is definitely cool!

Of course, they could also add the retrofitted hangar bay, slap on a tractor beam and then start pirating not that they could catch freighters in their hangar bay, but it's still a cool idea I think.

My suggestion here would be to add a double light turbolaser and as powerful ion cannon you can get on a silhouette 5. Since the light turbolaser can only fire every other round due to its slow-firing quality, the ion cannons and the existing weapons can also help beat an enemy ship pretty quickly. Ion cannons makes it easier for catching prey, particularly if you add in a tractor beam projector. It's a also a good tool against fighters and freighters that are fast enough to Gain the Advantage, something the Wayfarer cannot do.

As for the "hidden" part, I'd say that opening the pod to produce the weapons should perhaps take 1 round (like a Prepare 2 quality or whatnot). When closed the weapons are not visible, but also unusable. Scanning the starship with sensors should - perhaps - notify the sensor operator that there are weapons aboard, hidden, but of course some sensor shielding should be possible there. Also having the weapons only power up as part of the opening of the pod, could make noticing the weapons with sensors a bit more difficulty, like requiring extra successes or advantages, also I'd not increase the difficulty, but perhaps add a setback die to checks scanning the ship - if they go for some sensor shielding.

Oh, and the cost of this stuff should be high. The modification of the pod should be extensive, if they have made it into a hangar bay it should perhaps be slightly lowered, but I'd demand a medium lot of cash for the opening/hiding mechanism for the guns, hangar bay or not, depending on how fast and much money flows in your game, I'd set the price at around 7-9k adjusted by negotiation and stuff of course. The shielding should be more expensive and restricted (so perhaps a base price of 10k if not more, again adjusted by proper checks and all), and that alone is a session or two worth of adventuring to find, acquire and run from the law, and then add to the ship at some shadowport shipyard.

Brain fart attachment idea:

Hidden weapon emplacement

A weapon has been hidden appropriately somewhere on the starship, be it hangar bay or somewhere else. So the ship appears less armed than it is, only a Hard/Daunting perception check (up for debate of course) with excessive successes or advantages will notice something amiss in the ship's appearance.

Basic modification : One weapon is no longer visible. The weapon acquires a Prepare 2 quality.

Modification Options: 1 Decrease Weapon Quality (Prepare -1) mod.

Hard point cost: 1

Cost/rarity: 8,000/7

Edit: Of course we could increase the Prepare to 3, so that it at least takes 1 full round to enable the weapon for combat. I also considered the HP cost to be 2, but decided 1 is enough, since this comes in addition to the weapon itself. There could of course be other drawbacks as well, decreased hull or strain thresholds, or encumbrance capacity...

I love this idea.

I keep them pretty broke, I want to encourage them to take on obligation for their big stuff since I draw a lot of the story from the party's obligation.

Would it take an action to prepare the hidden weapon bay? Or just a maneuver from a crewman?

With the Prepare quality it would take a number of manoeuvres equal to rating, so the above version requires 2 manoeuvres. That's why I'm considering making it Prepare 3, so that in its basic form it requires at least 1 full round, otherwise the gunner can take 2 strain, spend two manoeuvres and then attack, all in one round. It's up to you really, what you find to be the best solution. I'm leaning towards a Prepare 3, particularly when it comes to bigger weapons that would be fitting. One round of something opening and a big gun suddenly powering up and firing. Yes. I like that.

Duh, forgot the prepare quality was in terms of maneuvers.

I think you're right about prepare 3 is more fitting.