DC reads like it is supposed to be
the junkfleet option, but currently doesn't offer anything useful that regard.
What it does:
For every d-mod a ship has, it gets extra CR, crew protection, and a chance to vastly reduce any damage that hits hull.
But only for ships with officers.
That's it.
Interesting, and maybe sort of okay if you have lots of officers. But otherwise entirely useless if you don't.
What I'd like to propose is that this particular skill gets something added to it to make it a proper 'opposite' to the Field Repairs skill (making bad ships good).
The current ability would stay as it is. Having things depend on officers is okay (if a little annoying sometimes).
What would be added are two of the things that have been removed which made the 'junk' playstyle actually work:
- Passive maintenance reduction from d-mods
- Effects from d-mods are reduced
Both of these could fit fairly easily into the new fleet capacity framework, although too small a limit here would undermine the purpose of picking a 'junk' playstyle. (Ships are cheap. Deploy everything, let Ludd sort them out.)
But having it entirely uncapped and apply to the whole fleet without restriction might be a little too good (if entirely thematic).
One of these would also need splitting off to become the 'elite' skill, but I'm not sure which way round would make more sense.
I'm leaning towards the effect reduction being the elite, as that seems more situational. Whereas if the maint. reduction was elite it would likely always be taken and so be a 'story tax'.
So something like:
- Reduces maint. costs for any ship by 20% per d-mod (same mechanic as previously)
- Reduces negative effects of d-mods by 50% (rounded up - to avoid weird interaction with drive field mod)
Both applying fully upto somewhere between 100-150 deployment points. And scales so the effect diminishes thereafter.
Applies to all (d)amaged ships in the fleet.
