THE NISS

by Gideon Marcus

Hailing from fairly small star cluster about 50 light years above the plane of the milky way from the Klingon/Federation Border, the NISS are an alien race of multi-pseudopeded morphs.  Possessing a stable central core, the rest of their rubbery body shapes itself to the needed task.  Their ships use conventional warp propulsion system, and they prefer an atmospher not to different from our own.  Where they differ is their amazing weapons system.  It appears that they are unable to fire weapons through live shields (unlike most other races which have set their weapons to match a blinking frequency for the shields).  Thus, they have turned their shields into weapons.  At a range of up to 300,000 km (30 hexes), a NISS ship can extend any one of its shields on a warp needle (just as another race would fire a phaser down that warp tunnel), and whack an enemy ship causing immense damage.  Unfortunately, doing this reduces the shield level of the NISS ship making it vulnerable to subsequent attacks in that quarter.  

New Rules for the NISS

[N1.0]  Niss may use any number of shields points on a facing shield to attack an enemy ship (including drones and shuttlecraft) on any impulse.  It is considered a direct fire weapon, and cannot be shot at.  To determine the damage done by the shield attack, see the chart below.

[N1.1]  Shield Damage resolution chart:

RANGE        1-5    6-8   9-15   16-30

    per box       2x      1.5      1x       .5x

[N1.2]  One the shield has been fired, the number of boxes used in the attack are marked off--they have been DESTROYED.  Only Damage Control will bring them back.

[N2.0]  Niss damage control repairs twice as much shield damage every turn as normal.  Thus, at full operative leves, the Niss Patrol Cruiser can heal 8 boxes a turn.  The Damage Control functions normally in all other respects.

[N3.0]  Niss boarding parties are considered +1 boarding parties (see optional rules) due to their personal absorption shields they have adapted for troop use.

NISS SHIPS

[Image]The Niss Patrol Cruiser

Tough and nimble, these ships patrol, sometimes in pairs, the border of the Niss star cluster.

More to come!