Scale
Logarithmic damage steps let a rifle and a capital gun share one table.
One roll, one math, every scale
Damage scales logarithmically. Each scale step is ×10 energy, so a capital weapon is honestly a million times a rifle while no number in play exceeds two digits. Scale is a unit of measurement, not a separate rules layer.
| Scale | Energy multiplier | Representative |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | ×1 | Unarmoured people, small drones |
| 1 | ×10 | Powered armour, heavy weapons |
| 2 | ×100 | Vehicles, light mechs |
| 3 | ×1,000 | Heavy mechs, fighters |
| 4 | ×10,000 | Dropships, corvettes |
| 5 | ×100,000 | Frigates, destroyers |
| 6 | ×1,000,000 | Capital ships, stations |
Converting across scales
Damage at target scale = Damage × 10 ^ (attacker scale − target scale)
| Attacker | Target | Multiplier | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | ×1,000,000 | Annihilated; roll only for narrative detail |
| 5 | 2 | ×1,000 | Annihilated; roll only for narrative detail |
| 3 | 2 | ×10 | Overwhelming; expect location destruction |
| 2 | 2 | ×1 | Meaningful exchange |
| 2 | 3 | ×0.1 | Damages exposed components only |
| 0 | 2 | ×0.01 | Cannot threaten the hull; must target components or crew |
| 0 | 6 | ×0.000001 | Cannot threaten the hull; must target components or crew |
Why a rifleman still matters to a warship
The logarithmic spine says a rifle cannot dent a frigate's hull. It does not say the rifleman is irrelevant, because damage is not the only currency.
- Components live at their own scale. A sensor array, an airlock seal, a landing strut or an exposed crewman is a small target bolted to a huge hull.
- Angular size ignores scale. A boarding torch at 2 m has an enormous angular size and hits essentially automatically.
- Progress thresholds are scale-free. Sabotage, hacking and boarding accumulate Margin, not damage.
Infantry threaten capital ships by attacking things a rifle can actually break.