Gnomish Fighter (new!)

Aware of their inadequecies versus small fighter type craft,  the Imperial
Gnomish Navy has recently purchased a new fighter design from an eccentric
gnomish designer.
A map in PICT format is attached.

Name: Spudnik I Space Superiority fighter
Built By: Gnomes
Used Primarily By:Gnomes
Cost: 66800
Tonnage: 6
Hull Points: 6
Crew: 1/3
Maneuverability Class: B
Landing-Land: Yes
Landing-Water: No
Armor Rating: 7
Saves As: Thick Wood
Power Type: Potato Electralysis Energizing Propulsion System
Ship's Rating: 1 (may be boosted to 2) May not attain spelljamming speeds.
Standard Armament:
Gnome Guided Ionized Potato Gonne (Forward arc only)
Cargo Capacity: Personal
Keel Length:30'
Beam Width:7' (25' including antennas)

Gnomish shipwrights have managed to produce 15 of these little fighters
todate,  the greatest flaw in the design seems to be their unusual fuel and
ammo.

The Spudnik operates off of a revolutionary drive design.  Battey packs of
gigantic potatoes produce an electrical current which is then run through
the complicated array of wires and rods which extends from the vessels bow.
By altering the rods and wires attitudes towards one another the pilot
manipulates the elctromagnetic field of the craft and causes it to be
propelled through space.  This can produce an impressive amount of speed
through wildspace,  fails to work within the gravity well of any planetoid
of class C or larger.  It also fails to achieve Spelljamming speeds.  For
it's limited role as a space superiority fighter,  however,  it works
surprisingly well.  The potatoes are fairly hard to acquire (they must be
grown in specially fertilized soil) but are storeable for upto a year
within airtight barrels.  The drive is somewhat unpredictable,  each time
the vessel changes speed or direction there is a 5% chance of a break down,
which someone with engineering and a familiarity with the system can
usually repair with a successful proficiency check.  A given set of potato
batteries can power the vessel for appox. 48 hours.  This time may be split
among multiple flights (periods during which the drives are shutdown do not
count against the 48 hours).

The weapon system of the Sudnik is equally unusual.  The ship contains a
long tube with wires running along it's length,  exiting from the front of
the ship.  A magazine of 20 potatoes rests at the tubes end.  When fired a
charge is sent down the tube's wires,  propelling an oppositely charged
potato ahead of it.  This potato achieves incredible velocity and shoots
out of the tube towards the target,  charged with electricity. stats are
below:

Gnome Guided Ionized Potato Gonne
Range-1  Hull Damage 1d2  ROF 2/1  Crew 1 (pilot can fire and fly at same time)
Thaco-17  Crit 18+  Cost-500 gp
If a 1 is rolled on the to hit roll,  the gonne jams and may not fire until
repaired.

"We look on the same stars,  the sky is common,  the same world surrounds
us.  What difference does it make by what pains each seeks the truth?  We
can not attain to so great a secret by one road..."
Symmachus,  "Memorial on the Occasion of the Removal of the Altar of
Victory from the Senate House" (392 AD)

westermeyer.3@???.edu
Paul William Westermeyer