Here's the perennial Magpie's perspective on some of these:
Tempest
Capacitors: 9
Vents: 10
Weapons: 1x Heavy Blaster, 1x Tactical Laser, 1x Salamander MRM
Hullmods: Efficiency Overhaul, Hardened Subsystems, Integrated Targeting Unit, Resistant Flux Conduits
Needs Reinforced Bulkheads as Tempest is not disposable, and I want to keep it because even as a junker Temps own hard.
Not too concerned about ITU as it has the native speed to close distance. And don't care about H.Subsys as Tempest is the clearup and pursuit crew, it just doesn't need it. Would swap this for Unstable Injector for yet more speed.
I'd be tempted to swap the Salamander for Sabots on half of my Tempests instead for extra shield breaking.
Mule
Capacitors: 12
Vents: 20
Weapons: 1x Arbalest Cannon, 2x Salamander MRM, 2x Light Mortar, 1x Vulcan Cannon
Hullmods: Efficiency Overhaul, Integrated Targeting Unit, Reinforced Bulkheads, Resistant Flux Conduits
Mules are better as fleet support than they are at being on the front line.
Get rid of ITU and fit Converted Hangar with a wing of interceptors (Wasps preferred for crew saving, but Talons work fine).
Flux Conduits aren't needed so this can be swapped for a campaign mod like Surveying Equipment if needed.
Put Pilum in the medium mount, keep the Salamanders, and swap the mortars for 2 more vulcans.
Sunder (beam)
Capacitors: 1
Vents: 24
Weapons: 1x High Intensity Laser, 2x Graviton Beam, 2x Light Autocannon, 1x Vulcan Cannon
Hullmods: Advanced Optics, Efficiency Overhaul, Integrated Targeting Unit, Reinforced Bulkheads, Stabilized Shields
Autocannons are a waste here. If they're in range to fire at something, the ship isn't doing it's job right.
Either swap for LMG/Vulcan or leave empty.
Also really benefits from having Sabots on the wings.
Heron (late)
Capacitors: 5
Vents: 17
Fighters: 3x Sparks
Weapons: 1x Heavy Blaster, 4x Burst PD Laser
Hullmods: Efficiency Overhaul, Reinforced Bulkheads
Interceptors on Heron is a waste of its targetting ability. And it doesn't have the flux to support a gun in it's medium slot and keep it's shields up. Especially
that gun.
Downgrade the Burst lasers to standard PD. Fit a missile in the medium, Pilum and Salamander are good but anything will work.
Put bombers in the bays. All of them work well (yes, even Pirahna), but Heron doesn't have the OP to use Trident.
Mora
Capacitors: 8
Vents: 27
Fighters: 1x Khopesh, 1x Broadsword, 1x Talon
Weapons: 2x Hammer Torpedo, 3x Vulcan Cannon, 3x Light Mortar, 2x Light Autocannon
Hullmods: Efficiency Overhaul, Reinforced Bulkheads, Surveying Equipment
I'd use the Mora as an Interceptor/Suppression platform as it's always going to end up in the thick of things, and saturating space with fighters helps the entire fleet.
Doesn't need Surveying stuff as transports do that without having to sacrifice combat ability. I would instead use Recovery Shuttles to protect my precious crew.
Medium missles are a good fit for Pilum here as the Mora can still contribute as it's slowly shuffling into range.
Odyssey
Capacitors: 0
Vents: 40
Fighters: 1x Xyphos, 1x Mining Pod
Weapons: 2x Plasma Cannon, 1x Hurricane MIRV Launcher, 3x Salamander SRM, 11x PD Laser
Hullmods: Efficiency Overhaul, Hardened Shields, Integrated Point Defense AI, Integrated Targeting Unit, Resistant Flux Conduits
Does IPDAI do something other than turn small mounts into makeshift PD? Seems like not a great use of OP for a ship already using dedicated PD.
Personally, I really dislike plasma on Odyssey as the projectiles end up missing half the time. Beams are much better imo, either Tachyon or HIL work fine. (Tachyon if you want to control guns, HIL if you want to control missiles.)
Doesn't really need Resistant Flux or Hardened Shields, but really wants a pair of Xyphos for PD, suppression and more beams.
Unstable Injector and Adv. Optics are also something to consider if you're going the maximum beam HIL route, so you turn it into an obnoxios kiting machine.
Medium missiles work as either Sabot for shield breaking or Salmander for shield diverting.
Locust generally works better than MIRV as Ody can't afford ECCM without giving up something else it needs more.
Another thing to consider is that shields are also a weapon (of a sort), and the Odyssey is uniquely blessed amongst ships to take advantage of this in an easy, repeatable, and
amusing manner.