Antships

Here are the stats for Antships.  The flying antship isn't finished
because I never finished the deckplans (I wanted to ensure I actually
could make the tonnages match and use the deckplans to figure out
cargo space, weaponry, etc.).  I conceived the flying antships as 10
T/HP craft that were highly maneuverable (due to the wings) with some
armament.  Flying antships would be the rarest of all such vessels and
the most likely to be encountered as messengers, couriers, and scouts.
 Their size and maneuverability made them perfect for avoiding fights
rather than engaging in them.  I've got all this in Word97 format (and
so can easily put in .rtf) so anyone wanting to put it on their
webpage (or simply wanting it nicely formatted) can email me and I'll
send the file.  I'll probably wait a few days to get all requests in
so I can send just once (though late requests will be honored).


Antship, Flying:
Built By:  Hobgoblins
Used Primarily By:  Hobgoblins
Cost:  
Tonnage:  
Hull Points:  
Crew:  
Maneuverability Class:  B
Landing--Land:  Yes
Landing--Water:  No
Armor Rating:  5
Save As:  Metal
Power Type:  Furnace, Major, Minor, Death, or Lifejammer helm
Ship's Rating:  2 (furnace) or as helmsman
Standard Armament:
  
Cargo Capacity:  
Keel Length:  
Beam Width:  





Antship, Queen:
Built By:  Hobgoblins
Used Primarily By:  Hobgoblins
Cost:  300,000 gp
Tonnage:  100 tons
Hull Points:  100
Crew:  40/100
Maneuverability Class:  D
Landing--Land:  Yes
Landing--Water:  No
Armor Rating:  6
Save As:  Metal
Power Type:  Major, furnace, lifejammer, or death helm
Ship's Rating:  2 (furnace) or by helmsman
Standard Armament:
  14 Medium Ballistae  Crew:  2 each
  11 Medium Catapults  Crew:  3 each
  Pincer Ram
  Rear Piercing Ram
Cargo Capacity:  50 tons
Keel Length:  235'
Beam Width:  80'

     This is the hobgoblin answer to the armada used by the elven
fleet.  This 
vessel, along with the other antships was developed about 50 years
before the 
Second Unhuman War by hobgoblins that didn't ally with the scro.  The
hobgob-lins designed an entire line of ships (see also the flying,
warrior, and worker antships) to support this vessel.  The hobgoblin
tribe that designed the antship line has since travelled to other
hobgoblin tribes that were also unwilling to ally with the scro and
sold the designs to them.  Each ship type of the four that the tribe
wants the designs for costs them 1,000 gp times that ship type's
tonnage.  Thus a queen antship's design specifications cost 100,000 gp
while a warrior's specifications only cost the tribe 60,000 gp.
	Thus many of the tribes that use this design will start out with only
one of the ship designs and a few (possibly) of that ship type in
their fleet.  They
then raid for the money and other resources (such as  helms )
necessary to build 
additional ships of the type(s) they already possess and to purchase
addition-al antship designs.  This also means many of the ships are
constructed of inferior materials than those specified.  Specifically
the glassteel eyes are often reduced to more normal materials. 
Defensive walls behind the openable domes and other parts of the shell
prevent enemies from firing past the weap-onry into the main
accessway.  Each ship has a main corridor on each level in the center
so that troops can be rapidly deployed to wherever they are needed.

Crew:
     The hobgoblins who run these vessels are consummate slavers and
will use 
slave labor whenever possible (this enables the generally autonomous
and thus 
limited--in size--tribes who use these vessels to extend their
fleets).  Some 
tribes will also hire mercenaries (the giff seem to be particular
favorites).  
These ships will be run by a hobgoblin shaman or witchdoctor whenever
possible 
but many will have backup lifejammers.  This especially helps when
there is 
only one spell caster aboard so that spells and motive power can be
maintained in combat.  Queen class antships tend to be captained by
the tribe's chieftan 
and act as the flagship of the tribe's fleet (if it has more than one
ship).  
The head spellcaster and possibly a hired human spellcaster for the
tribe will 
also be on board with the possible addition of other, lesser
spellcasters from 
the tribe being present if not needed on other vessels.

Ship Uses:
     Flagship:  This is the primary use of this ship in hobgoblin
fleets.  It 
is of the standard configuration given above minus funding limitations
(see 
above).  It will generally have full armament as the rest of the fleet
will 
have been reduced in weaponry if needed so that this ship may be at
full power.  Accelerators, pumps, magical weapons, and any other
special equipment possessed by the tribe will generally be found on
this ship as this is the vessel most cared about (it has the chieftan
on it, after all).  Many of these vessels will have a large command
crew and at least 50 well-trained warriors.  In addition the normal
crew maximum will be overrun with slaves.  For truly desperate tribes
this may mean subservient kobolds but most will have humans on board
and even scro or rival hobgoblins aren't unknown.  If there are
mercenaries with the fleet they will also be here unless there is a
specific reason to have them on one or more of the other ships.
     Lone Wolf:  These ships are very rare.  They are the only ship
owned by 
the tribe, whether because they lost all their other ships in battle,
got 
separated from the rest of the tribe, or only possess one ship and
this is it.  
These vessels will be desperate to gain slaves, supplies, equipment,
treasure, 
and whatever else they can lay their hands on to build (or rebuild)
their 
fleet.  Depending on whether they were once part of a larger fleet or
are the 
only ship so far produced by the tribe they will either be as well
equipped as 
a flagship (minus battle damage if they've been in a battle) or as
poorly 
equipped as the DM desires.  They will always have at least a few
large weap-ons, even if they are only crudely and hastily constructed
catapults and jettisons.  These ships will usually be stacked to the
gills with hobgoblin troops and slaves (and--very rarely due to an
already low budget--mercenaries) in order to provide the best chance
of winning any battle, even if that means grappling and boarding is
necessary.

Other Configurations:
     Each hobgoblin tribe will try to do its best to make themselves
as power-ful as possible.  As the queen antship is usually the only
one of its kind in a fleet (in fact, no fleet is currently known to
have multiple queen class antships) and the most powerful of the
fleet's vessels it will always be as 
well-equipped, manned, and defended as the owners can make it. 
Modifications, 
especially to the standard weaponry and propulsion systems, are
common.  If 
the hobgoblins have it and it's potent or valuable (or both) it should
be here 
unless there is a specific reason to have it on another vessel in that
fleet.







Antship, Warrior:
Built By:  Hobgoblins
Used Primarily By:  Hobgoblins
Cost:  180,000 gp
Tonnage:  60 tons
Hull Points:  60
Crew:  20/60
Maneuverability Class:  D
Landing--Land:  Yes
Landing--Water:  No
Armor Rating:  5
Save As:  Metal
Power Type:  Furnace, major, minor, lifejammer, or death helm
Ship's Rating:  2 (furnace) or as helmsman
Standard Armament:
  14 Light Ballistae  Crew:  1 each
  9 Light Catapults  Crew:  1 each
  Pincer Ram
  Rear Piercing Ram
Cargo Capacity:  30 tons
Keel Length:  190'
Beam Width:  60'

     This is the standard attack ship of hobgoblin antship fleets.  If
part of 
an actual fleet it performs most of the battle work and boarding
actions.  The 
other ships are either too small and lightly armed to be effective in
this 
role against most standard combat ships (such as squidships,
hammerships, 
scorpions, octupus ships, and men-o'-war) or, in the case of the queen
antship, too valuable.  This is also the primary "starting" ship for a
hobgoblin 
antship fleet.  This ship's design will be purchased and one (or two
in rare 
instances) will be built and begin marauding for more money and
materials.  
Depending on the tribe's success and desires another may be built or
worker 
and/or queen antship designs may be purchased and built.  Most tribes
support 
a queen antship with at least two of these in combat and the
combination has 
proven very effective.  An average antship fleet will consist of one
or two of 
these along with a queen antship.  More powerful fleets will have up
to three 
warrior antships and several worker antships for additional support
and fleet 
screening.  The most numerous of these ever noted in one fleet is
four.  That 
fleet operates in Realmspace with four warrior, one queen, two flying,
and 
four worker antships.  The fleet is run by an unknown hobgoblin tribe
that is 
amazing in its ability to avoid the elven fleet and other ships sent
to de-stroy it and it has somehow kept its base of operations secret
so far (the tribe is the Flaming Scourge whose base is dug into a
cliff face in central--not polar--Anadia, the hobgoblins number over
350 average warriors with double the usual number of guards and
bodyguards and 10 subchiefs (one per ship, the chief runs the queen
antship), they have a large force of 1500+ kobolds also in their cave
network that are their slaves and two mantiss ships they took by force
from scro scouts in Realmspace, two crystal balls allow them to avoid
traps and superior--especially elven--foes).

Crew:
     Most of these ships run a full crew of hobgoblin warriors and
slaves.  The warriors will be loyal to the chief and mercenaries may
also be employed.  A ship that acts as flagship of the fleet or is the
only one will be overloaded with troops of all sorts.  Even normally
these vessels will have anti-boarding defenses and netting is not
uncommon.  Anti-intruder defenses in-cludes extra warriors above the
ship's maximum and many of these vessels will have 120+ actual
fighting crew (slaves generally run the rigging and large weapons).

Ship Uses:
     Flagship:  This is usually when the warrior antship is the only
vessel in 
the fleet though sometimes it is simply the largest.  Such a ship will
be as 
well equipped as the hobgoblins can make it, with the possibility of
magical 
armaments, modifications, and defenses being added based on their
raiding 
success.  The ship will usually be overloaded with loyal troops and
slaves and 
mercenaries are not uncommon for richer tribes.  In general this ship
should 
be as devastating as the hobgoblins can possibly make it.
     Warship:  The hobgoblin warship of choice, this use has the ship
defend-ing a flagship, usually a queen class antship.  As this ship is
the warship and boarding ship of choice it will have armaments and
crew second only to the flagship, sometimes more if fighting slaves
(slaves who will melee loyally) and expendable mercenaries
(mercenaries the hobgoblins don't care about the survival of) are
employed.  The ship will be well armed with large weapons and
grappling hooks and boarding pikes (to grapple and board enemy ships).

Other Configurations:
     The warrior class antship is an excellent vessel for all its
primary uses and rarely has more than the crew complement and weaponry
altered.  An ex-tremely successful fleet may even sport magical
weaponry and/or modifications on a warrior antship that isn't its
flagship.








Antship, Worker:
Built By:  Hobgoblins
Used Primarily By:  Hobgoblins
Cost:  60,000 gp
Tonnage:  20 tons
Hull Points:  20
Crew:  5/20
Maneuverability Class:  C
Landing--Land:  Yes
Landing--Water:  No
Armor Rating:  5
Save As:  Metal
Power Type:  Major, minor, lifejammer, furnace, or death helm
Ship's Rating:  2 (furnace) or by helmsman
Standard Armament:
  4 Light Ballistae  Crew:  1 each
  6 Light Catapults  Crew:  1 each
  Medium Jettison  Crew:  3
Cargo Capacity:  10 tons
Keel Length:  115'
Beam Width:  30'

     This is the antship fighter.  Built to deal with light to medium
enemy craft and to be able to interdict merchant vessels.  They are
usually used in numbers for fleet defense.  They were meant to deal
with the threat of elven flitters and to be able to overcome tradesmen
and lesser vessels which would be the primary backbone of any defense
against a hobgoblin raid against a port.  They are designed to be well
armed and will usually carry at least half the listed weaponry.  These
ships are usually built only when a fleet of at least two warrior
class antships is already possessed by the tribe and more often when
the tribe has an operational queen class antship.  Some tribes have
been known to make these their first vessel, however.

Crew:
     Worker antship crews tend to be considered expendable.  As the
ship is used to screen the rest of the fleet from enemy fighters,
slaves and out-of-favor warriors make up the typical crew complement. 
Mercenaries may also be present if the tribe utilizes them.  These
vessels are sometimes overloaded with troops so they can grapple and
board enemy vessels.  If this is the only ship or ship type possessed
by a particular tribe the best in troops and slaves will be present.

Ship Uses:
     Screening Fighter:  This is the worker antship's primary use.  It
will attempt to engage enemy tradesmen and lesser ships to prevent
their engaging the rest of the fleet.  Slaves and less able warriors
typically make up the crew but if there is a powerful faction in the
tribe that is a rival of the chief they may also man one of these,
making a truly dangerous vessel.  2-5 of these will usually be present
in any fleet that has a queen and at least two warrior antships.  1-2
is usual for a fleet with only two warriors or a queen and one warrior
antship.  Note that fleets of either configuration are just as often
encountered without any worker antships (OK, actually more often). 
The most worker antships every seen in one fleet was six supporting a
flying 
antship flagship, all of which were destroyed in battle.
     Messenger:  This worker antship is used as a messenger and
cargo-hauler for the hobgoblin tribe that runs it.  Such a tribe will
usually have allies nearby that they wish to communicate with or may
be arranging a meeting with the arcane, illithids, neogi, Chainmen, or
pirates so as to sell or purchase something.  Such ships may well be
topped out (MC B, crew minimum 7) and will usually have a crew that is
very loyal to the chief (angering your allies is not good for survival).
     Flagship:  A (relatively) poor space-faring hobgoblin tribe may
not be able to afford any more than one or two of these vessels.  They
then build them and try to raid for additional funds and supplies to
help expand their fleet.  Such ships will usually have limited and
crude heavy weapons but will be overloaded with slaves and troops. 
Mercenaries are out of such a group's price range.

Other Configurations:
     Little modification generally goes into these ships other than
those mentioned.  A flagship will have the best the tribe can capture
or purchase and will sometimes have hull thickening or extra rigging. 
These are usually the "expendable" ships of the fleet and so are very
standard, possibly substand-ard.  The only major alteration seen with
these vessels is the addition of either a blunt or piercing ram to the
front.  The lower dome is removed and replaced with hull while the
entire head has its hull thickened and strength-ened.  The two forward
light catapults no longer have anywhere to fire and so are removed (if
there were ever enough to fill the positions in the first place). 
Note that the piercing ram is less popular than the blunt in this
alteration and that the modification of an added ram to this vessel is
unpopular no matter what.  Grappling rams have never been noted on
these vessels though a failed attempt to add a pair of claw rams to
one was once noted by the Greyspace elven fleet when it ran across one
in the Grinder.  That vessel is no more.

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