The Shepherds are a bunch of slavers. With a few twisted interpretations of various religious texts, they've convinced themselves that mankind is damned and ought to be working towards forgiveness through a lifetime of harsh labor and cruel conditions. Of course, the Shepherds are there to help people along on this little quest for redemption, whether they like it or not. There a rather few "true believers" - most of the rank and file Shepherds pay lip service to the creed, motivated instead by a chance for power and wealth.
Since the Shepherds traffic in human cargo, they have a little more incentive than most pirates to keep ships intact. They lean towards disabling ships and using precision fire to shut down and soften up targets before sending in boarders to capture crew and passengers.
This pack contains 5 ships, all under 1000 mass. Below is a short overview of each ship:
The Beacon - Shepherds have taken to refitting old communications satellites with weapons and using false distress beacons to lure rescuers into ambushes. This one has a jump inhibitor and EMP cannon to help lock down ships for the ambush.
The Hound - A small scout for locating soft targets. Six long-range cannons give it punch against moderately armored ships, and a small auto-cannon can be deployed against soft targets. It is armored enough to skirmish against better armed foes, but is unlikely to do significant damage without support.
Jaws - This Shepherd ship is based on a modified mining hauler. Most of the internal space was converted for transporting human cargo. The remaining space was devoted to weapons systems and a small crew area. It's freighter origin leaves it rather unmaneuverable, but EMP and Stop lasers allow it to catch up to slow merchant vessels, where its cutting laser can be used to clear the way for boarders.
The Stave - Based on a similar chassis as Jaws, the Stave is a companion ship intended to occupy defenders during raids. Four ion lasers allow it to shave through shields, while a heavy-cannon array gives it decent penetration versus armor. Two light cutting lasers give it versatility for attacks against light targets and supporting boarding parties.
The Wolf - This grown-up version of the Hound is a maneuverable superiority fighter used for escorting Shepherd raiding parties. Based on captured military hardware, the Wolf's high thrust and frontal armor allow it to engage enemy fighters head-on. Two heavy cannons provide high-penetration against enemy fighters, and a rapid ion cannon ensures enemy shields stay down during attack. Four sets of single-axis anti-missile turrets provide long-range missile tracking and engagement along several engagement axes while maintaining a low profile.
Since the Shepherds traffic in human cargo, they have a little more incentive than most pirates to keep ships intact. They lean towards disabling ships and using precision fire to shut down and soften up targets before sending in boarders to capture crew and passengers.
This pack contains 5 ships, all under 1000 mass. Below is a short overview of each ship:
The Beacon - Shepherds have taken to refitting old communications satellites with weapons and using false distress beacons to lure rescuers into ambushes. This one has a jump inhibitor and EMP cannon to help lock down ships for the ambush.
The Hound - A small scout for locating soft targets. Six long-range cannons give it punch against moderately armored ships, and a small auto-cannon can be deployed against soft targets. It is armored enough to skirmish against better armed foes, but is unlikely to do significant damage without support.
Jaws - This Shepherd ship is based on a modified mining hauler. Most of the internal space was converted for transporting human cargo. The remaining space was devoted to weapons systems and a small crew area. It's freighter origin leaves it rather unmaneuverable, but EMP and Stop lasers allow it to catch up to slow merchant vessels, where its cutting laser can be used to clear the way for boarders.
The Stave - Based on a similar chassis as Jaws, the Stave is a companion ship intended to occupy defenders during raids. Four ion lasers allow it to shave through shields, while a heavy-cannon array gives it decent penetration versus armor. Two light cutting lasers give it versatility for attacks against light targets and supporting boarding parties.
The Wolf - This grown-up version of the Hound is a maneuverable superiority fighter used for escorting Shepherd raiding parties. Based on captured military hardware, the Wolf's high thrust and frontal armor allow it to engage enemy fighters head-on. Two heavy cannons provide high-penetration against enemy fighters, and a rapid ion cannon ensures enemy shields stay down during attack. Four sets of single-axis anti-missile turrets provide long-range missile tracking and engagement along several engagement axes while maintaining a low profile.