Ravager Class Destroyer

The epitome of the Confederation war machine at the time of their manufacture, the Ravager Class Destroyers incorporated heavy firepower, high survivability, and maximum speed and stealth into their compact designs. Useful for both solo and fleet missions, their astronomical cost in materials and labor combined with the cramped quarters in many sections of the ship meant only twenty five were ever built, with later ship designs focusing on cheaper costs and higher quantities.
Now one of the oldest models still in active service with the Confederation, the remaining Ravagers have been modified and retrofitted to maintain their effectiveness, with each ship now also revealing the personality and priorities of their Admiral. With only twelve left in existence – ten scattered throughout the Sparnell Armed Forces and two captured by the Mordena at the Battle for Baden – today a Ravager serves as both a fearsome weapon and a powerful status symbol.

Propulsion

Maneuverability

As with most ships of Sparnell Confederation manufacture, the Ravager Class Destroyers rely upon Telekinetic Engines to control their position and momentum in space. These are controlled by a Maneuverability Afterlife Intelligence, with the support of auxiliary Telekinetic Mages for maintenance, augmenation, and repair. Maneuverability also controls the internal gravity of the ship.

Navigations

Due to the instability of Telekinesis during Portal Travel, capital ships of Sparnelli manufacture such as the Ravager Class instead rely upon the Hyperjump spell to temporarily elevate the ship and its crew into the higher planes of the Afterlife, bending the mortal planes to emerge at the intended destination. Successful use of the spell requires intense concentration and years of training, as each crew member and cargo item must also be added to the spell to bring them with the ship. Generally crewmembers will strap themselves into jump seats or jump harnesses, with cargo items also tied down and stowed, to reduce strain on their Void Necromancer.
A standard Ravager relies upon a Navigations AI, supported by a living auxiliary Void Necromancer. The class' compact size and smaller crew requirements allow a skilled Void Necromancer to jump twice with a similar Imperium expenditure as required to jump a larger ship once.

Weapons & Armament

Ship Weaponry

The Ravager Class was designed with the intention of providing an impressive array of armaments within a compact and efficient layout. As a result the ship boasts a surprising collection of offensive and defensive weaponry for its size, typically controlled by a Weapons AI and supported by several experienced Special Forces teams of Battle Mages.

Special Forces

The Ravagers were designed to operate either within an armada or solo, with an assortment of Special Forces teams of varying talents. The ships were therefore well equipped to serve either to covertly deliver their troops to the ground and then jump away to safety, or remain in orbit to provide additional firepower. Standard configuration includes ample berthing for both temporarily and permanently stationed ground forces, as well as their equipment.

Armor and defense

Reinforced Hull

While small for his role, a Ravager Class Destroyer utilizes a triple-reinforced hull, with an additional fourth layer at the prow, unlike the simpler single or double layering utilized by most capital ships. This detailed method of support significantly increased manufacturing costs, but allows them to take a beating even if the Shielding fails, dissipating much of the force by distributing the impact throughout the ship via clever positioning of the reinforcement struts. This makes the class quite formidable should they be required to ram another spacecraft, and would even allow the ship to survive a planetary crash with minimal internal damage provided the nose is kept at the proper angle during the full descent.

Shielding

As with most ships Shielding Magic provides the primary defense for the ship and his crew. Shielding is typically led by a Shielding AI, although as with all critical systems live mages are available to assist in any means necessary.

Stealth Technology

The Ravager Class is built with a unique upgrade in the form of stealthing technology, allowing a Void Mage well versed in Illusion Magic to temporarily conceal the ship from view. Due to the vast amounts of Imperium required to hide the ship on all spectrums including magical, mundane, and the higher planes of The Afterlife this option is only available for a short duration, long enough for a skilled Sparnell Special Forces team to portal into a target.
Effective use of this feature also adds strain to the ship's Void Necromancer, who must maintain their awareness of the entire ship and any crew remaining on board after jumping into location, to permit an immediate hyperjump away to safety. The class' smaller crew and more compact size assist to reduce some of this effort.

Communication Tools & Systems

As with most Sparnell Armed Forces ships, these Destroyers include an internal Teleconn system, relying upon Telepathy from a Communications AI for internal and external communications.

Sensors

Standard Sensors

Ravagers carry the standard array of sensors for use in navigation and battle, allowing the ship's Telemetry AI to provide spacial maps via hologram or Telepathy. Internal sensors monitor the ship's needs to assist both Maintenance and Navigations, and hull sensors verify ship integrity throughout.

Survey Sensors

Well equipped for assault and survey missions, the Destroyers are also equipped a full array of mapping sensors to check for life signs, geography, and even the exact power and positioning of any magical fields within or around the target. These scans can be projected holographically or telepathically depending upon need. More in-depth scans require hours or even days depending upon the size of the target to be mapped, with additional sensors available to alert the ship of any drastic changes when compared to the most recent data.

Additional & auxiliary systems

Portal Transit System

The portal transit system, a fixture in Sparnell Confederation capital ships, allows for ease of travel throughout the vessel. Crew members enter a set of codes tied to their level of access and their intended destination, linking the installed transit frames with a portal spell. In this way larger ships can be traversed quickly, particularly when maintenance is required.

Hydroponics

The hydroponics bay serves a critical role in spacefaring ships, providing not only a small quantity of fresh fruit and vegetables to the crew but also the Nature Magic fields necessary to power the Curative Magic of the medlab.
The standard Ravager Class Destroyer carries a single hydroponics bay, on the starboard side of the ship approximately two thirds of the way back from the nose. Unlike most hydroponics bays, standard Ravagers omit the large hydroponics window typical in most Confederation ships in favor of the reinforced bulkhead. The bay is typically monitored by a Hydroponics AI, who is supported by a small staff of biologists well versed in Agrokinesis.

Life Support

Critical to the health and safety of all living crew members, the Life Support systems of the Destroyers include Anemancy-enhanced airflow with Runework carbon dioxide scrubbers to guarantee a sufficient oxygen supply. Each cabin and compartment on the ship has its own in addition to a pair of larger centralized units, in case of a breach.
The system is maintained by a Maintenance AI, well-versed in Anemancy and Shielding Magic, and supported by an assortment of live crew members with similar magical training. In case of failure the AI is able to take over the functions of the ship's systems, while the Hydroponics AI is authorized to stimulate rapid growth within their bays using Agrokinesis to assist. If the hull is breached the Maintenance AI will reroute the airflow, their team and other crew members temporarily patching the leak with Shielding Magic until a more permanent corrected is implemented.

Pressure Sensitive Doors and Passageways

The standard bulkhead doors on the Ravager consist of two interlocking halves, one on each side of the door. If pressure is lost on one side of the bulkhead the door and any vents into the room will be locked into a closed position until that pressure is restored. Passageways and air vents throughout the ship are also sectioned with doors engineered to close automatically at a pressure differential across the doorway. These can also be triggered from the bridge and additionally set to require a key code to enter, as an added defense against boarding.

Hangars & docked vessels

Hangar space on the Ravagers includes room for a full squadron of fighters plus repair and support equipment, with additional berthing adjacent for pilots and support crew. The configuration also allows the ship to forego fighters, instead allowing the berthing of additional ground forces or planetary survey teams, plus the storage of any ground equipment required by ground forces. Hangar doors are configured to allow them to open to space, or remain closed with a full length portal to the local destination of choice.

Used by

• HMJ Ambition
• HMJ Relentless
• SCS Harbinger

Manufacturer

Sparnell Confederation

Owning Organization

Sparnell Armed Forces

Price

Expensive to manufacture, so only 25 were constructed.

Rarity

Only 12 of the original 25 remain.

Further Reading