Tactical Fire Options are an alternate ability that allows a vehicle to function more like a battlefield commander instead of a vehicle. When a vehicle’s commanding officer chooses to use one of these options it requires a standard action on their part.  While it is in effect, the vehicle can make no attacks until the start of the commander’s next turn.  To use an option, the vehicle must meet certain prerequisites.  Primarily these are used for engaging targets smaller than the vehicle itself when supporting other vehicles.  The tactical fire options are provided as a means of using large vehicles in combat scenarioes without making them another enemy the characters need to defeat.  In essence, the tactical fire option transforms the ship (usually a vehicle that is Colossal (Frigate) or larger) into an obstacle or complication.  This should allow GMs to include large vehicles in combat scenarios without the danger of blowing the player characters into smithereens with a lucky shot.

Anti-Capital Fire
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, at least one weapon that can only be installed on Colossal (Frigate) or larger vehicles
This vehicle is designed to take out capital ships.  As a standard action it can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire in a 2-square radius around itself.  All allied vehicles of Colossal (Frigate) size or larger deal +1 die of damage with vehicle weapons against enemy vehicles of Colossal (Frigate) size or larger within this radius.  Additionally, any missile or torpedo attack against such enemy vehicles deals +1 die of damage, regardless of that missile or torpedo’s origin location.  These two bonuses stack with each other.

Anti-Fighter Fire
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, at least one Point-Defense weapon
This vehicle is exceptionally good at punching through enemy fighters’ defenses, weaking their shields so that allied vehicles can finish them off.  As a standard action it can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all adjacent squares.  Enemy vehicles of Gargantuan size and smaller have their SR halved while within these squares.

Anti-Personnel Fire
Prerequisite: Autofire weapon
As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  Allied characters and vehicles in this area of effect gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls and +1 die of damage against character-scale targets.

Blockade Runner
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, GM Permission
Vehicles with access to this option can use their weapons and shielding to punch through enemy lines.  All vehicles adajacent to the one using this tactical fire option automatically avoid being engaged in a dogfight when moving through a square adjacent to an enemy starfighter or fighter.

Capital Doctrine
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, GM Permission
This vehicle is designed to disrupt other capital ships above all else, even at the cost of weakening itself against small craft (usually it will carry fighter and SAC vehicles to defend against small craft). As a standard action it can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  All allied vehicles attacking targets within that area gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls.

Combine Fire
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger
This vehicle may forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all adjacent squares.  All allied vehicles attacking targets within that area deal +1 die of damage on a successful attack.

Command & Control
Prerequisite: Command & Control Co-Processor vehicle accessory
This vehicle is designed to coordinate large amounts of smaller vehicles in a pitched battle.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire (data, really) to all squares in a 10-square radius around itself.  All allied starships within that area gain a +4 insight bonus on Pilot checks, a +3 insight bonus to Reflex Defense, and a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls.  These bonuses do not stack with those provided by the Command & Control Co-Processor accessory, but they do stack with those provided by any talent, feat, or other non-equipment special ability that provides a similar kind of bonus.

Coordinate Assault
Prerequisite: ATVU or Command Ship
This vehicle can guide allies’ weapons to exploit battlefield weaknesses.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  All allied characters in those squares which attack a target that is within range of the vehicle’s weaponry deal +1 die of damage on a successful attack.  This is essentially an improved version of Combine Fire, however it is only accessible to specific vehicles designed to provide this kind of battlefield support.

Cut Off Their Escape Route!
Prerequisites: Colossal (Frigate) or larger
This vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  All enemy vehicles within that area have their starship-scale speed reduced by 1 square (to a minimum of 1 square).

Escort Formation
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger
As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all adjacent squares.  All allied vehicles within that area gain a +1 bonus to Reflex Defense, while all enemy vehicles within that area take a -1 penalty to Reflex Defense.

Fighter Defense
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, at least one Point-Defense weapon
As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  Any successful attack against an enemy vehicle Colossal-size or smaller within that area that deals damage equal to or exceeding the target vehicle’s damage threshold automatically moves the target ship an additional -1 step down the condition track (in addition to the normal -1 step from damage).

Fighter Support
Prerequisites: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, the ability to carry at least 5 vehicles of Gargantuan size or smaller
This vehicle excels as a fighter support craft, but its vulnerability to outside attack requires that it’s fighters stick close to it.  As a standard action this vehicle can provide tactical fire to all adjacent squares.  Allied vehicles of Gargantuan size and smaller gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls and increase their damage dice one step (for example, from 4d10x2 to 4d12x2) while in the affected area.

Focused Fire
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger
All capital ships have the ability to focus their weapons on a large area of space, allowing the vessel to make a starship-scale area attack.  Essentially, focused fire creates dangerous ‘terrain’ in space by filling large areas of the battlefield with a hail of weapons fire.  A Colossal (Frigate) size vehicle can attack a single square with focused fire, a Colossal (Cruiser) size can attack a 2×2-square area, and a Colossal (Station) size can attack a 3×3-square area.  The vehicle selects a single weapon that has a variable arc of fire as its primary source of focused fire (meaning no bombardment-style weapons like the Artemis-class Bombardment Laser or Light Gas Guns).  The vehicle must forgo all other attacks in the round it uses focused fire, as normal for tactical fire options, and it makes an attack roll against a Reflex Defense of 10 (range penalties apply).  If successful, that area is targeted by focused fire.  If a vehicle (or worse, a character), ends its turn in an area targeted by focused fire, compare the result of the attack roll to the vehicle or character’s Reflex Defense.  If the attack roll is higher, the target takes normal damage from the chosen weapon system; if the target’s Reflex Defense is higher, the target takes half damage.  Characters trapped in an area of Focused Fire outside of a vehicle can spend a Hero Point to suffer no damage from Focused Fire for an entire turn.

Heavy Bombardment
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) size or larger, a weapon that can only be equipped on Colossal or larger vehicles
This tactical fire option creates a 2-square radius area of effect aroud the vehicle using it.  Any vehicle that is reduced to 0 hit points within that area is automatically destroyed, even if the attack that reduced it to 0 hit points did not deal enough damage to exceeed its damage threshold.

Interdiction
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) size or larger, GM Permission
This vehicle is designed to prevent enemy ships from fleeing through one or more of a variety of means.  As a standard action the vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  All enemy vehicles moving into that area must succeed on a DC 20 Pilot check or stop moving for the remainder of the round.  Once a vehicle is within this area, no further Pilot checks are required, though if a vehicle leaves this area and then moves into it again, a new Pilot check must be attempted.

Jamming Focus
Prerequisites: Colossal (Frigate) size or larger, Jamming Array defense system
By combining its jamming array and its weapons, this vehicle can disrupt the coordination of incoming enemy vehicles.  This tactical fire option creates a 2-square radius area of effect around the vehicle using it.  All enemy vehicles lose any morale or insight bonuses on attack rolls, defenses, or skill checks while within that area.

Minesweeper
Prerequisite: Perception +6, DR 10
This vehicle excels at locating and neutralizing minefields.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares within a 2-square radius around itself.  All alied characters and vehicles within this area gain a +10 equipment bonus to Perception checks when locating mines, and they take half damage from mines that detonate.

Platoon Leader
Prerequisite: Expert-quality or better crew
Advanced commlinks and tactical analyzers allow this vehicle to coordinate friendly troops more effectively.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares within a 6-square radius around itself.  All allied characters and vehicles within this radius grant an additional +1 bonus when they use the aid another action.  When dealing with Squads, this increases the squad’s bonuses to d20 rolls by an amount equal to the number of characters in the Squad – 1.

Protect The Transports!
Prerequisites: Colossal (Frigate) or larger
Commonly used aboard large ships which disgorge troops in smaller landing ships, this tactical fire option allows the vehicle to forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  All allied vehicles within that area gain a +2 bonus to their Reflex Defense.

Recon
Prerequisite: Speed 6 squares (in the current movement scale)
This vehicle is equipped with precise sensors and optics, allowing it to locate the enemy quickly and efficiently.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  Allied characters in this area of effect receive a +5 equipment bonus on Initiative checks.

Shield Support
Prerequisites: Colossal (Frigate) size or larger, SR 5 or higher
This vehicle can use its defenses to protect allied vehicles from harm.  As a standard action, it can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  All allied vehicles within that area gain +10 SR as long as the vehicle activating this effect has SR greater than 0.

Shield Support, Improved
Prerequisites: Colossal (Station), SR 5 or higher, GM Permission
This vehicle can use its defenses to protect allied vehicles from harm.  As a standard action, it can forgo all attacks to provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  All allied vehicles within that area gain +20 SR and +1 Reflex Defense.  This is an improved version of Shield Support.

Shock and Awe
Prerequisite: Autofire weapon dealing 3 damage dice minimum.
This vehicle coordinates fire to lay down a blistering amount of damage.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares within a 6-square radius around itself.  Any enemy in this area of effect automatically moves -1 step on the condition track when targeted by a successful attack that deals damage equal to or exceeding the the target’s damage threshold.

Sniper Fire
Prerequisite: Gunner, Intelligence 16+
This vehicle has superior targeting equipment, allowing it to pinpoint the enemy.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  Allied characters and vehicles in this area can aim as a single swift action.

Spotter
Prerequisite: Perception +6
This vehicle provides valuable observation data and calculations for allies wielding heavy weapons.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  Allied characters and vehicles wielding heavy weapons in this area gain a +2 equipment bonus to attack rolls and have a critical hit range of 18-20.

Tank Killer
Prerequisite: Weapon dealing 6 dice or more of damage
This vehicle specializes in eliminating other vehicles.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  All allied characters and vehicles in this area ignore the DR of vehicles on a successful attack roll.

Threatening Target
Prerequisite: Colossal (Frigate) or larger, the vehicle must be designed to absorb heavy amoutns of damage (GM Discretion)
As a standard action, this vehicle can provide tactical fire to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  Any attacks targeting allied vehicles of Colossal (Frigate) size or larger within that area are automatically directed at this vehicle instead.