Starships
Ships are an integral part of Whisperspace; without them, inter-planetary travel would be impossible, and the mysteries of Whisperspace itself would be impossible to unlock. From tiny and cramped single-seat craft to massive cargo transports or truly awe-inspiring capital ships, they vary widely in mass, hull structure, and engine power.
Ship Movement
To keep ship movement simple and intuitive, Whisperspace uses three basic stats:
Ship Size - how physically large the vessel is (0–6). The bigger the ship, the more capabilities it likely has, but the worse it is at maneuvering.
Drive Rating - how powerful the engines are (1–5). This affects both cruise speed (how quickly you can get places at sublight) and maneuverability.
Maneuverability - how agile the ship feels in motion (derived from Drive, thrusters, and Size; see Building Your Own Ships).
High G-forces
A ship’s standard movement rate applies only minimum g-forces to the ship and its inhabitants, however they are often capable of accelerating and changing direction more quickly. This can be dangerous for the crew or even the ship’s own structural integrity, but it does provide benefits in pursuit, escape, or combat encounters.
What are High-G Maneuvers?
High-G Maneuvers represent pushing a ship beyond safe operating limits for a brief period of time. Examples include:
Evasive Maneuvers: sudden, violent course changes to avoid incoming fire or collisions.
Hard Burn: extreme acceleration intended to rapidly close distance, escape pursuit, or reposition.
Declaring a High-G Maneuver
When a pilot initiates a High-G Maneuver, they must declare a G-Level, representing how extreme the maneuver will be.
A pilot may choose any G-Level up to the ship’s Maneuver rating.
A pilot may not choose a G-Level higher than their Piloting skill rank.
Higher G-Levels provide greater benefits, but dramatically increase risk to the crew and the ship.
Evasive Maneuvers
When a ship attempts evasive maneuvers in combat, the GM will call for a Piloting check against the ship’s Evasive DC, which is based on its Size and Maneuverability.
Travel Time
For gameplay pacing, travel distances within a star system are divided into travel segments (legs).
A typical leg could represent distances such as:
Between two planets
From a planet to the nearest Whisperspace entrance
From a station to a drop point in space
Some destinations could have multiple segments; for example, a far-away Whisperspace entrance might be 3 legs from you.
Travel Time Per Segment
The ship’s Drive Rating determines how quickly it completes each leg.
Drive Rating | Assessment | Time per Leg |
|---|---|---|
1 | Slow | ~2 hours |
2 | Standard | ~1 hour |
3 | Fast | ~45 minutes |
4–5 | Very Fast | ~20–30 min |
Basic Functions (Every Ship Has These)
Every ship can be assumed to have rudimentary systems on board, unless otherwise noted. These systems include:
Propulsion (drive rating: 0, enough to maneuver to dock, not much more)
Scanners (short-range radar, thermal imaging, hull integrity monitoring)
Communications (unencrypted radio and distress beacon)
Power (a minimal reactor sufficient for Basic Functions)
Life Support (oxygen, temperature, pressure, artificial gravity)
Computer Core (basic navigation capabilities, power routing)
Navigation (standard positional data and rudimentary autopilot)
Docking (universal docking collar, airlock, pressure seals)
Emergency Systems (fire suppression, sealant foam)
These systems do not require module slots. A starship without them is no longer a starship. Note that a Whisper Drive is not part of a ship’s basic systems; it must be installed as a module to enable travel between systems.
Stock Ship Models
These ships are ready-to-use examples that can be bought, stolen, or encountered as NPC ships. You can also use them as templates for your own designs.
To save room in this version of the rulebook, I’ve put these in another document: Whisperspace Prebuilt Ships
Building Your Own Ships
Starships in Whisperspace are modular machines built from a hull and a selection of modules. Whether you want to build a one-person courier pod or a colossal capital warship, just follow the steps below.
1. Choose a Ship Size (0-6)
A ship’s size determines:
Base cost
Base hull points
Available module slots
Maneuverability
Ship Sizes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Size | Example | Crew | Power | Module Slots | Hull | Base Cost |
0 | Pod | 1–2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 15000 |
1 | Craft | 1–5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 30000 |
2 | Cutter | 2–6 | 6 | 10 | 60000 | |
3 | Frigate | 4–15 | 10 | 15 | 120000 | |
4 | Destroyer | 10–30 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 250000 |
5 | Cruiser | 20–80 | 20 | 22 | 30 | 500000 |
6 | Capital Ship | 100+ | 30 | 40 | 1500000 | |
2. Spend Module Slots
Each ship has a pool of Module Slots based on its size. Installing a module costs:
Module Slots
Power
Credits
If you run out of slots, you must remove or swap modules. A ship cannot physically support more slots than listed.
If you run out of power, some modules simply will not function. Characters may choose to power off some modules and power on others, but the functional modules’ power requirements may never exceed the ship’s total power resource (including installed power modules).
If you run out of money, sadly, this ship build isn’t for you; you’ll need to make it cheaper by removing modules or choosing a lower size. Alternatively, you could try obtaining more money.
A full list of Modules may be found below, under Modules.
3. Calculate Drive Rating, Power, Maneuverability, and Evasive DC
Drive Rating = 1 + Drive Rating modifiers from installed modules
A ship of any size with an installed Burner Mk. I would have a Drive Rating of 2. Drive Rating determines how fast your ship travels over large distances, and impacts maneuverability.
Power = Power Capacity (from ship sizes table) + Power modifiers from installed modules.
A ship of size 3 with an installed Fusion Core would have 13 Power. Remember that your ship’s power usage cannot be exceeded, so now’s a good time to make sure the modules you chose don’t exceed your ship’s Power.
Maneuverability = Drive Rating + Thruster bonuses (from modules) - Ship Size
Maneuverability can never go below 0. So a size 1 ship with a Drive Rating of 2 and no thruster bonuses would have maneuverability of 1.
Evasive DC = 8 + Ship Size - Maneuverability
A ship of size 1 with Maneuverability of 3 would have Evasive DC of 6.
4. Fill Out the Stat Block
After installing modules, record the ship’s final stats:
Ship Stat Block Template
Name:
Manufacturer:
Size:
Cost:
Crew Required:
Drive Rating:
Maneuverability (MVR):
Evasive DC:
Hull:
Armor:
Power (Total):
Slots Used / Total:
Modules Installed:
Propulsion:
Weapons:
Defense:
Utility:
Command / Navigation:
Cargo:
5. Add Character (optional)
To make a ship feel real and unique, you can add:
A name
A manufacturer
An interesting paint job
A quirk (floors not quite level; air smells of spice)
A past (was this ship salvaged? Is it brand new? Was it stolen?)
Modules
Propulsion Modules | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Drive Rating | Special | Cost |
Burner Mk. I | 1 | +1 | 12000 | ||
Combat Thrusters | 1 | 2 | Maneuver +1 | 10000 | |
Emergency Thrusters | 2 | Maneuver + 2; when activated (once per round), gain +1 bonus die to Evasive Maneuvers; everyone on board suffers 2 stress | 30000 | ||
Interceptor Drive | 2 | +1 | Maneuver +2 | 35000 | |
Afterburner | 1 | Gain +1 Drive Rating and +1 Maneuver for 1 round. If Engineering is manned, roll Engineering (DC8 + Drive Rating). On failure, suffer +2 hull damage. On extreme failure, suffer +4 hull damage. | 25000 | ||
Kessler Burner Mk. 2 | 3 | 2 | +2 | Once per day consume +2 power to gain +1 maneuver for 10 minutes | 45000 |
Power Modules | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Special | Cost |
Auxiliary Batteries | 1 | Once per day gain +2 power for 10 minutes | 8000 | |
Fusion Core | 3 | 30000 | ||
High-Capacity Reactor | 5 | 15000 * ship size | ||
Power Distributor | 1 | Grants +1 bonus die to Engineering checks to reroute power | 10000 | |
Weapon Modules | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Use DC | Damage | Range | Special | Cost |
Light Railgun | 1 | 8 | 2 | Medium | Rapid-fire 3 | 15000 | |
Heavy Railgun | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | Medium | Rapid-fire 3 | 30000 |
Flak Cannon | 1 | 6 | 3 | Near | Anti-Missile | 10000 | |
Pulse Cannon | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | Near | 20000 | |
Heavy Pulse Cannon | 2 | 3 | 9 | 7 | Medium | 40000 | |
Plasma Cannon | 3 | 2 | 9 | 12 | Very Near | Reload 2 | 50000 |
Energy Lance | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 | Long | Piercing 5 | 75000 |
Boarding Grapple | 2 | 7 | Boarding | Reload 1; Tether | 8000 | ||
Missile Pods | 2 | 8 | Long | Missile | 25000 | ||
Aegis Cannon | 15 | 4 | 12 | 15 | Extreme | Reload 3; Gunnery 3; Piercing 3 | 250000 |
Gigawatt Laser | 5 | 10 | 2 | Long | Boost Charge; Gunnery 3; Reload 5 | ||
Weapon Keywords | |
|---|---|
Name | Effect |
Reload X | After firing, weapon requires X turns to reload before firing again. (if Reload 1, weapon cannot fire for 1 round after use). |
Piercing X | Ignores X points of armor protection. If X is greater than the target’s armour, deal additional damage equal to the difference. Reduces armour durability by X on hit. |
Tether | Target ship becomes attached to attacking ship. After 1 round, smaller ship is pulled to bigger ship, allowing forced docking and boarding. Cannot be used outside of boarding range. |
Rapid-fire X | Can make X attacks per turn. |
Anti-Missile | Can target missiles to shoot them down (as an attack). |
Missile | Missiles take 1 round per range band to travel to the enemy ship. Attempts to evade the missile receive +1 penalty die as it is locked onto its target. When boosted, missiles fire an additional missile per boost level and do not benefit from increased damage. |
Gunnery X | Weapons with Gunnery X require a character with Gunnery skill of X or higher to fire. Other characters attempting to fire these weapons take +2 penalty dice to their rolls. On Extreme failure, the weapon is damaged and must be repaired (DC 8 + X from Gunnery X) |
Boost Charge | For every round this weapon remains boosted (whether fired or not), it gains additional damage equal to its base damage. This resets when it is no longer boosted. |
Defense Modules | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Special | Cost |
Reinforced Plating | 2 | 2 armour | 20000 | |
Combat Plating | 5 | +1 armour per ship size | ||
Improved Hull | 3 | +3 Hull Points per ship size (ship size 2 gets +6 Hull Points) | 15000 * ship size | |
Blast Doors | 1 | Automated sealing of breached compartments | 8000 | |
Electronics Modules | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Special | Cost |
Advanced Sensors | 1 | 2 | Capable of detecting stealth ships; +1 bonus die to Sensors checks | 15000 |
Cloaking Field | 3 | Hides ship from sensors (DC10 sensors check to see it, requires advanced sensors). Can still be seen visually | 60000 | |
Long-Range Comms | 1 | System-wide communication relay | 7500 | |
Targeting Computer | 1 | +1 bonus die to Gunnery for ship weapons | 15000 | |
Cargo & Utility Modules | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Special | Cost |
Cargo Bay | 2 | Provides a place for storing large quantities of cargo | 10000 | |
Med Bay | 2 | 1 | Basic medical facility; capable of long-term care | 12000 |
Advanced Med Bay | 2 | 3 | State-of-the-art medical facility; includes auto-doc; +1 bonus die to First Aid checks; capable of long-term care | 40000 |
Salvage Clamps | 1 | Allows towing derelicts/debris | 7500 | |
Hangar Bay | 4 | Allows small craft (size 2 or less) to land inside the ship | 50000 | |
Brig | 1 | Secure chamber for prisoner use | 5000 | |
Cryogenics | 2 | 1 | Allows transport and monitoring of cryogenic pods | 25000 |
Command & Navigation Modules | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Slots | Boost | Special | Cost |
Navigation AI | 1 | +1 bonus die to Navigation checks | 20000 | |
Whisper Drive | 2 | 3 | Allows ship to enter Whisperspace at jump points | 40000 |
Combat AI | 3 | 2 | Allows ship to make attacks with Gunnery rank 1 | 50000 |