These high-powered weapons allow for devastating long-range strikes. Their chemically-fuelled laser warheads allow them to carry out a stand-off attack without the need to actually score a direct hit; get them close enough, and they are all but guaranteed to hit their target. However, their firepower, range and accuracy all depend on an enormous tradeoff: they are expendable weapons. Hit or miss, they are used up, and a ship that is out of torpedoes will have to meet up with a collier to replenish its supplies.
Ships can carry one of three types of torpedo tubes, and the volume of each torpedo tube depends on how they are reloaded.
These torpedo tubes carry a single weapon. Once fired, the tube must be reloaded, which takes half an hour alongside a replenishment collier. However, these single-use tubes have the benefit of being extremely compact. The volume listed for the tube includes both itself and the torpedo within.
Still relatively compact, the Revolver carries five torpedoes in a cylindrical magazine—the sixth “chamber” is the loading port used to replenish the magazine. As with the single-shot tube, it is still a relatively compact system, and the volume listed below is for the tube, its magazine and all torpedoes within.
For most warships, these are the preferred torpedo tube. They are reloaded from an internal magazine, which can be of any size. However, they are much bulkier than the other two options. The volume listed is for the tube, its loading system, and manipulators within the hull; it does not include any weapons! Each torpedo must be drawn from the ship's reserve magazine. The good news is, this magazine is far quicker to replenish at a collier, and the torpedo tubes can draw their ammunition from any magazine aboard ship.
There are fifteen distinct torpedo types used throughout the Shattered Worlds. All navies have torpedoes that almost meet one of the following types. For example, the Draconis Imperium's Tetsu no Yari is one meter in diameter, which puts it in the Type 19 category, whereas the Altair Compact's Dachs is 715mm, and basically performs like a Type 13.
Diameter: 508mm
Volume: 2m³
Damage: 4d4×2
Launchers:
Diameter: 712mm
Volume: 6m³
Damage: 4d6×2
Launchers:
Diameter: 762mm
Volume: 7m³
Damage: 4d4×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 915mm
Volume: 12m³
Damage: 4d8×2
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,067mm
Volume: 20m³
Damage: 4d6×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,118mm
Volume: 22m³
Damage: 4d10×2
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,143mm
Volume: 24m³
Damage: 6d4×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,321mm
Volume: 36m³
Damage: 4d12×2
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,372mm
Volume: 40m³
Damage: 4d8×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,601mm
Volume: 63m³
Damage: 6d6×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,677mm
Volume: 75m³
Damage: 4d10×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 1,982mm
Volume: 120m³
Damage: 4d12×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 2,058mm
Volume: 133m³
Damage: 6d8×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 2,515mm
Volume: 250m³
Damage: 6d10×3
Launchers:
Diameter: 2,972mm
Volume: 400m³
Damage: 6d12×3
Launchers: