IN PROGRESS: This article is still in progress. Its information may change significantly in the future.

This article contains guidelines for designing enhancers—items that enhance ships or other items. For example, laser amplifiers are enhancers that give a +10% damage bonus to laser weapons. We include items that repair armor, but we exclude installed devices (which are covered in a different guideline). We also include cursed items that end up causing damage.

Armor Repairers

Cost

Armor repairer items should cost 1.5× the price of repairing armor (by hit points) at its level. For example, imagine a level 5 armor repair kit that repairs 50 hit points of damage. Level 5 armor costs 3 credits per hit point, so it would normally cost 150 credits to repair 50 hit points at a station. The armor repair kit will cost 1.5 times that cost, so the price should be 225 credits.

Armor Enhancers

Shield Enhancers

  • Permanent enhancements should cost approximately one-third the price of a shield generator of the same level.
  • Temporary enhancements should cost one-quarter of the price of a generator.

Weapon Enhancers

We balance these enhancers by calculating a number, called the balance rating, which represents the power of the enhancer. The higher the balance rating, the more powerful the item.

To compute a balance rating, we assign point values to each trait of the enhancer. The sum of the points is equal to the balance rating. Use the following table:

TRAIT                           POINTS
----------------------------------------------
Power saving                      +1 per 20%
Speed bonus                       +1 per 5%
Affect higher damage tiers        +1
+10% damage (stacking)            +2
+tracking                         +4

Time-Limited                      -2
Affects a subset                  -1 or -2
   (e.g., Makayev only)
Chance of Damage                  -1

Cost

The cost of an enhancer depends on its level and balance rating. In general, each point is worth one-twelfth of the price of a weapon at that level.