The Shadows
Shadow Energy Beam; Boresight; Attack +0; Damage
A race of ancient evil set upon bringing chaos to the galaxy,
few have had any contact with the Shadows. As time goes
on, the Shadows will reveal themselves to the younger
races, unleashing weapons of devastating power as they
work towards their unfathomable goals.
These are the latest playtest rules for the Shadows and the
Shadow ships – as always, thoughts and comments are
welcome on our forums!
Shadow Ship
Fearless and unstoppable, there is no ship among the
younger races that can stand against a Shadow vessel
in open combat. Fast, agile and possessing weapons of
incredible destructive power, a Shadow ship is capable
of literally slicing an enemy apart. The construction
and operation of these ships remains a mystery though
speculation remains that they are based on a similar bio-
technology as Vorlon craft.
Colossal III Spacecraft; hp 800; DV 14 (-12 size, +16
agility); DR 35; Spd 30; Acc 6; Dec 6; Han +6; Sensor
+15; Stealth 20; SQ Shadow Fighters, Shadow Jump,
Shadow Ship; Cargo 0 lb.; 0 Crewmen
Weapons:
Shadow Energy Beam; Turret; Attack +0; Damage
300+5d100; Critical special; Range 7
Jump Point Disruptor; Turret; Attack +0; Damage special;
Critical none; Range 1
Craft (8):
8 Shadow Fighters
Shadow Fighter
As relentless as the larger ships, Shadow fighters are the
nightmare of any pilot among the younger races. Fast and
agile, these fighters have a lethal beam weapon that
blasts any similar sized enemy apart and hordes
of this craft can even overwhelm capital ships.
Shadow fighters are usually encountered in large
battles when unleashed by the larger ships though
occasionally they are used as scouts and patrol
craft, guarding systems from prying eyes while their
masters prepare their plans of chaos.
Huge Spacecraft; hp 30; DV 18 (-2 size, +10
agility); DR 4; Spd 45; Acc 15; Dec 15; Han
+10; Sensor +20; Stealth 22; SQ Shadow Ship;
Cargo 0 lb.; 0 Crewmen
Weapons:
20+2d10; Critical special; Range 1
Shadow Technology
Shadows use the following special rules for their spacecraft.
Jump Point Disruptor: To the cost of their enemies, it has
been discovered Shadow ships are capable of unleashing a
ball of energy that, when aimed at a jump point, will disrupt
the vortex with fatal consequences for any ship attempting
to enter it. A Shadow ship may fire its jump point disruptor
at any jump point within range (note, this must be a
ship-generated jump point – jumpgates are too stable to
overcome in this way). A jump point is considered to be a
stationary object with DV 10. If the Shadow successfully
strikes the jump point, it will become disrupted, collapsing
within 1d3 rounds. Any ship attempting to enter the jump
point, or any ship that has entered within the last round, will
be automatically destroyed, regardless of its size.
Shadow Energy Beam: The energy beams used by
Shadow ships are incredibly destructive, fully capable of
slicing even an Omega destroyer in two. If successful in
The Shadows
striking a target, they will always deal 1d3 critical hits
(determined randomly as normal) in addition to normal
damage. All Shadow energy beams also ignore a target’s
Damage Reduction score.
Shadow Fighters: Shadow Ships can deploy their fighters
in the normal fashion, as detailed on p89 of the main
rulebook. However, they can also be shot from the Shadow
Ship in a compact mass, blasting apart to instantly engage
the enemy at a pre-determined range. All eight Shadow
Fighters may be deployed up to 8 squares away from the
Shadow Ship, at any facing they choose.
Shadow Jump: The Shadows are masters of hyperspace
and their larger ships can move in and out of real space
at will with total accuracy, seeming to shimmer in
and out of existence. Shadow Jump allows a ship to
1
 automatically enter or leave hyperspace as a free action,
with no check required. No jump point is created and only
the ship itself and any smaller craft it carries can enter
or leave hyperspace in this way. In addition to this, the
consciousness of a Shadow ship exists in both real space
and hyperspace simultaneously. This allows them to sit
in hyperspace while watching the corresponding location
in real space for enemies. It is this ability above all others
that makes Shadow vessels lethal in preparing ambushes.
Shadow ships follow their own paths through hyperspace
and can do so with 100% accuracy – they never need make
checks while navigating through hyperspace.
Shadow Ship: The vessels of the Shadows are less actual
spacecraft and more like living creatures in their own right.
To this end, they follow some special rules in addition to
those normally used for spacecraft. All Shadow vessels are
assumed to have a base attack bonus of +15 and 15 ranks
in the skills Pilot and Technical (electronics and space
travel). Shadow Ships are also capable of refracting a great
deal of damage away from themselves, often leaving only
the kinetic energy of an attack to be absorbed by their hull.
Every attack against a Shadow Ship has its damage halved,
though normal damage is dealt by collisions. The first half
is applied directly to the Shadow Ship as normal (taking
The Shadows
into account is Damage Reduction score. The second half
is completely ignored by the Shadow Ship. An amount of
damage equal to the Shadow Ship’s current hit points can
be ignored this way in a single round – any excess above
and beyond this is applied to the Shadow vessel as normal.
In addition to this, Shadow Ships are capable of absorbing
spacecraft and other objects, holding up to 10% of their hit
points within their dark, reflective skins.
Telepathy and the
Shadows
Because of the unique control systems and weapons
components used by the Shadow ships, they are capable
of being temporarily jammed by telepathic contact. This
takes a great deal of skill on the part of the telepath but, if
successful, will temporarily paralyse any Shadow vessel.
To do so, telepaths use the Jamming ability. When used
against a Shadow vessel, there are a number of changes that
must be taken into account. Note that the Adaptive Mind
feat does not work when attempting to tackle a Shadow
– their minds are just too alien for it!
When used to paralyse a Shadow vessel, the range of
Jamming becomes line of sight but it can only affect one
nominated Shadow vessel at a time. The Telepathy check
required is DC 20.
The targeted Shadow vessel receives a Will save to resist
the jamming. Shadow ships have a Will save of +10 while
Shadow fighters have a Will save of +7. If this saving
throw is failed, the Shadow vessel becomes paralysed,
unable to take any action so long as the telepath maintains
his concentration. The Shadow vessel is permitted a new
saving throw every round that the jamming is maintained.
Jamming used in this fashion only affects Shadow vessels,
not the Shadows themselves.