Weapon Batteries

A weapon battery consists of a cluster of up to five identical beam weapons, projectile weapons, or missile launchers that fire as a single weapon (requiring a single attack roll). When using battery fire, every weapon after the first in a battery adds a +1 bonus on the attack roll, to a maximum of +4 for a five-weapon battery. If the attack succeeds, roll damage as if one of the weapons had hit. In addition, a weapon battery has a greater chance of scoring a critical hit. Regardless of the number of weapons in the battery, the threat range is increased by 1. For example, a battery of plasma cannons (normal threat range of 20) has a threat range of 19–20. This effect stacks with other systems that expand a weapon’s critical threat range, such as Achilles targeting software.

Batteries of weapons cannot be “split” into individual weapons; they either fire all together, or not at all. Installing weapons in a battery increases the purchase DC of each weapon by +1.

Only mediumweight, heavy, and superheavy starships can be equipped with weapon batteries.