Cover

Future Armada: Sherpa

by Ryan Wolfe of Ki Ryn Studios
ki-ryn.com
Future Armada: Sherpa is copyright 2008 Ryan Wolfe. All
text in this book other than proper names is designated as
open game content. You may not distribute this material
without permission of the author. Permission is granted to the
purchaser to print a copy for personal use.

Overview
The Sherpa-class freight hauler is the best
known product of Xigaze Shipyards (now a
wholly owned subsidiary of Hyperion
Manufacturing and Transport). The ugly but
functional vehicle was designed to move
standard HMT 337 cargo containers and is little
more than a frame with engines and a cockpit
attached. The ship maneuvers over a container,
picks it up, and takes it to its destination.
Though the ship is not useful for anything else,
the HMT337 container is so common that
Sherpas are one of the most prevalent singleman work ships in service today. Many
independent contractors own their own some
hauling others containers and some using their
own container to move collections of small
freight. Many metropolitan areas use Sherpas
for public transportation, a prisoner transport
option is popular with bounty hunters, and
retired individuals have even turned these into
private recreational vehicles their very own
VTOL home away from home.
The four side-mounted engine pods on a
Sherpa can independently rotate from straight
back to 45 degrees down-forward (a 135 degree
arc). Each is also equipped with side vents to
vector horizontal thrust. It takes a little practice
to get the most out of the unique set up, but with
a skilled pilot at the controls the Sherpa can
perform some very precise and impressive
maneuvering. There are thousands of these
blocky little ships out there and they will likely be
around for a long time to come.

Stats

SHERPA
Progress Level

Size

Colossal (-8 size)

Type

Ultralight

Tactical Speed

3,500 ft. (7 squares)

Subtype

Freight Hauler

L x W x H (feet)

44 x 33 x 21
44 x 33 x 15 with gear retracted

Defense

11

Tonnage

20 or 32
+75 tons with container

Flat-footed

Targeting Bonus

+0
+3

Autopilot

Crew

1 (Expert)

Hardness

20

Passenger
Capacity

Hit Dice

8d20 (160 hp)

10d20 (200 hp)

Cargo Capacity

One container, 64 tons max

Plus 1 ton internal

Initiative

+4

Grapple Mod.

+16

Pilots Class
Bonus

+5

Base Purchase
DC

56

Pilots Dex
Modifier

+4

Restriction

Restricted (+2)

Gunners
Attack Bonus

+4

Grappling
Systems

none

Engines

Ion engine, thrusters

Armor

Polymeric

Sensors

Class II
Targeting system

Communications

Radio transceiver,
laser transceiver

Defense Systems

Autopilot system, Damage Control System (1d10),

Radiation Shielding

Weapons

1 Guass gun (range increment 3,000 ft.)

Attacks

1 Guass gun -1 ranged (8d12)

Attack of
Opportunity

none

*Stats in blue apply when the optional Longhaul cabin is attached.

Portait

Interior

Containers

Cockpit
This single room has the pilot station in front and
a small bunk in back as well as a tiny galley
area. The cockpit is entered through a hatch in
the roof or floor. The one in the floor opens a
ways above the ground and so has a retractable
ladder built in. If the optional cabin is in place,
then this lower hatch opens into the air lock of
the cabin.

Cabin
In response to pilot demand Xigaze developed
the Longhaul cabin as an option piece of
equipment which could be retrofit onto existing
Sherpa frames. This cramped box-like structure
attaches at the front of the craft beneath the
cockpit and provides a toilet, airlock, and
storage closet. It also includes additional life
support, a long-range communications dish, and
(local legal restrictions allowing) a small cannon.
The interior space is also shielded to provide
some protection against radiation.
The cabin is designed to sync up with the both
ladder tube leading to the cockpit and the front
door found on most containers. When joined up
properly the seals are air tight allowing
passage from the cockpit, through the cabin,
and into the cargo container. The cabin has exit
doors on the front and back and a hatch in the
top and bottom. The hatch on the top mates up
with the hatch on the bottom of the cockpit. The
lower hatch opens a few feet above the ground
when the landing gear is extended - flush with
the ground when the gear is retracted.

There are many different types of HMT 337

compatible containers, from empty metal boxes
to homemade living quarters as comfortable as
any dirt-side apartment. Some of the most
common types of containers are described
here.
A Sherpa-certified container is 35 feet long, 15
feet wide, and 15 feet high, taking up 75
displacement tons of space. There are a pair of
wells on either side designed to mate up with
the retractable titanium rods in the Sherpa
frame. These are the load-bearing points of the
frame, though the Sherpa landing gear and rear
structures also have retractable tabs as a
backup mechanism. The bottom of the container
has simple landing skids. The top has basic air
scrubbers and a heater to keep the interior
livable. It also has electromagnetic plates to help
in frame alignment and couplings to attach to an
external power and life support system (to
conserve or recharge the containers systems).

Cargo Container
The standard cargo container can squeeze in 64
tons of cargo and has a large (13x13) door at
the back to facilitate loading and unloading. This
cargo door has smaller, inset door for easier
human access. There is another human-size
door at the front, placed to match up with the
Sherpa cabin door. Inside the cargo container
are basic instrument panels for the doors, limited
environmental controls, and a small storage
closet. Otherwise the space is completely
empty.

Passenger Transport

Cargo Container: back end

The standard passenger container has seating

for 40 passengers and 1 steward. Luggage is
stored beneath the floor and accessible through
exterior hamper doors as well as an access
hatch in the floor of the passenger compartment.
There is a restroom and storage closet in the
rear of the container. Between the 4 ft cargo
area beneath, and the 4 feet of extended life
support and other machinery above, the
passenger cabin only has 7 feet of headroom.
Though common throughout civilized space,
these transports are regarded as the lowest of
the low. They are generally reliable but
absolutely no-frills. The ride is often hot, bumpy,
and crowded - at least it is also cheap.

Travel Suite

Office

This variant has a large bed and all the

amenities of a common hotel room for two. The
restroom is expanded to include a sink and
shower. The environmental controls are hidden
behind a removable panel at the front of the
room and the windows in this customization are
typically set with adjustable glass which can be
opaqued for privacy.

There are actually two offices, one on either

end, though the rear one has more closet space
and a private restroom. In configurations where
only one end of the container is accessible (such
as when being carried aboard an Ajax), the front
office is occupied by a receptionist for the
second (main) office.

Six Sleeper
Designed for longer trips, this customization has
half a dozen bunk beds along the starboard wall.
These beds are set into self-contained alcoves
which can be sealed by closing a pair of plastic
sliding doors. The doors do a good job of
blocking out light and sound, allowing the
occupant to sleep while others are active
outside. Each alcove has a storage closet near
the head of the bed and a short ladder to access
the upper alcove or closet (five feet off the
floor).

This customization has a comfortable living

room in front, a pair of secure holding cells in the
middle, and a storage room at the rear end.
Video cameras allow for prisoner monitoring
from the cockpit. While sleeping, savvy hunters
keep the Longhaul air lock depressurized so
there is vacuum between the prisoners and the
cockpit even should they get out of their cells. A
hovercycle is a popular choice with this
configuration as there is room to hold one in the
back and the cargo door can be customized to
lower as a ramp.

Outside of the alcoves, the container is a single

room except for the small restroom and shower
unit in the very back. In front of this is a kitchen
area with a counter and pair of stools for dining.
The front half of the room is a living area
containing a couch, wall screen, and computer
desk.

A Prisoner Transport variant loses the rear

storage space to add a third cell. It also replaces
the beds with bunks to increase the prisoner
capacity to six. The cargo door is replaced with
a solid wall in this version so there is no rear exit
from the container. The front room is used as a
guard station.

Bounty Hunter

A Cold Sleeper variant removes the living room

and kitchen to put in another wall of alcoves.
The sleeping areas have less headroom,
allowing a stack of three bunks rather than two
and bringing the containers capacity to
eighteen. This arrangement is typically used to
transport passengers in cryogenic or chemicallyinduced hibernation. The latter is a common way
for the military to ship soldiers over long
distances.

Medical Bay
This medical facility has three beds that are
equipped to serve as both operating tables and
recovery areas. The usual closet and restroom
are at the back end of the container. The
starboard wall is a counter jammed above and
below with medical equipment and supplies. The
small chamber which leads to the rear exit is
equipped with blowers and anti-bacterial
emitters to help keep the interior as sterile as
possible.

Cargo Container: front end

_____________________________________
Please feel free to modify this material however you
desire to fit your game and story. On the interior maps
one square is equal to 5 ft. or its rough equivalent in
your system of choice.

Deckplans

Crew
Margaret Maggie Kristoph
(A Typical Expert Pilot)

Fast Ordinary 3 / Smart Ordinary 4

CR 7; human; HD 3d8+3 + 4d6+4; HP 35; Mas 12; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; Defense 19, touch 19,
flatfooted 15 (+4 Dex, +5 class); BAB +4; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d6, crowbar), or
+8 ranged (2d6, laser pistol);
SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3; AP 3; Rep +3;
Str 11, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 10.
Occupation: Transporter (Pilot, Repair)
Skills: Computer Use +8, Craft (Mechanical) +8, Knowledge (Popular Culture) +8,
Knowledge (Streetwise) +8, Knowledge (Technology) +4, Navigate +8, Pilot +8,
Profession (Pilot) +8, Repair +8, Tumble +8
Feats: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Spacer, Starship Gunnery,
Starship Operations (Ultralight), Zero-G Training
Possessions: laser pistol; Wealth +6

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Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002-2004,
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Future Armada: Sherpa Copyright 2008, Ryan Wolfe.