Starfield Build: The Ugly Mutt

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The Ugly Mutt




Introduction

I have been contending that Spacers should not have a unified color scheme and factory ships. I have backed off of that a bit, as I think the First from the Rangers questline might be related to Spacers and Spacers ultimately originated from the legions of disenfranchised former soldiers.  That said, there are almost certainly less reputable individuals out there with custom jobbers like this. Each ship would be an extension of the captain that flies it, much like the player ships.

My intention is to build examples from A-class Starter vessels all the way up to a C-class behemoth. The first one is the Ugly Mutt. Both the Mutt and her captain's story is presented here. I hope that you enjoy it.

The "Ugly Mutt." It is a Class-A vessel built from a Pik-Up by a Level 11 character with one point in Ship Design. It is completely designed to be an early level ship and will need to be seriously upgraded in order to compete as the character progresses into the middle tier.


Head Canon/Lore

Ezekial Roberts found himself stranded in orbit above Niira. His ship had become heavily damaged in the final minutes of the war and though it had enough power for life support, all other systems were damaged beyond repair.  When no rescue came, as he had no way to signal for help and both factions withdrew, Ezekial was stuck.

Ever resourceful, "Ol' Zeke" as he would become known as, began to take EV excursion out to gather pieces and parts from the other wrecks. It took him over a year to get everything in working order. During that time he lived off of salvaged ration packets and a small garden he set up in his one working habitat.

The ordeal did not endear Ol' Zeke to the rest of humanity. He felt like he was abandoned and thus took up arms in the pursuit of finding a "good" life. He has since preyed upon travelers around the Narion, Volo, and close-by systems. He has been in and out of jail, but none of the potential capital crimes ever stuck.

Ol' Zeke isn't dumb enough to attack Freestar or UC. He stays away from the organized criminals. No, Ol' Zeke targets the tourists or those who have become lost. The only ones Ol' Zeke will not target and will indeed help, are those who are stranded. Something he knows all too well about.

In addition to outright piracy, Ol' Zeke dabbles in smuggling and other property crimes. He hasn't upgraded his rig to a dedication smuggling ship, but he knows the backwater stations like the Den and other gray markets, like the Red Mile, are always good spots to liquidate questionable goods.


Assembly


 

Swatches




Main Deck

  • (2) Ares DT40 Engines, attached to the Aft 700T Fuel Tank
  • (2) Hope 55 Landing Gear, attached to the Fore 700T Fuel Tank
  • (2) 700T He3 Fuel Tanks, attached sequentially
  • R-2000 Alpha Grav Drive, attached to the Forward, Bottom point of the Fore 700T Tank
  • 20S Protector Shield Generator, attached to Port side of the Grav Drive
  • HopeTech Nose B - Aft, attached to Aft point on Landing Bay
  • Deimos Engineering Bay 3x1, attached to Forward point of Grav Drive
  • Stability Pro Landing Bay, attached to Aft, Starboard point of Engineering Bay
  • (2) StorMax 30 Cargo Bay, attached to Mid and Fore, Starboard points of Engineering Bay
  • Hope 11 Docker - Port, attached to Aft, Port point on Engineering Bay
  • HopeTech All-in-One Berth 2x1, attached to the Mid and Fore, Port points of Engineering Bay
  • Nova Galactic Bracer, attached to Forward Point of Engineering Bay
  • (2) Hope 6 Landing Gear - Fore, attached to Port and Starboard sides of Nova Galactic Bracer
  • (2) PB-30 Electron Beam, attached to weapon point on Hope 6 Landing Gear
  • HopeTech Bumper A, attached to Forward point of Nova Galactic Bracer

 


 

Upper Deck

  • 134mm Toroidal Reactor, attached to top point of Grav Drive
  • (2) Nova Radiator, attached to Port and Starboard points of Reactor
  • Stroud Storeroom 1x1 Port A, attached to Forward point of Reactor
  • Stroud Control Station 2x1, attached to Starboard side of Stroud Storeroom
  • Armstrong 10 Cockpit, attached to Forward point of Control Station
  • (4) HopeTech Cap A, arranged with Port and Starboard, Fore and Aft so they form a square and attach to top points of the AIO and the Mid and Fore top points of the Engineering Bay
  • CE-09 Missile Launcher attached to one of the HopeTech Cap A pieces. This is a preference choice.

 


 

Attaching Upper Deck

Select all of the components and drag them over to the Main Deck so that the Cockpit is on top of the Forward Cargo Bay. The four Cap A pieces attach as described above.

 

Structural

  • White Dwarf 3000 Engine
  • HopeTech Pipes A - Mid, attached to Forward point of White Dwarf Engine
  • HopeTech Pipes - Fore, attached to Forward point of HopeTech Pipes A - Mid
  • HopeTech Marker A, attached to Top of Stroud Storeroom on Upper Deck
  • Deimos Spine A - Aft, attached to Aft, Top of the Control Station
  • Deimos Spine C - Aft, attached to Fore, Top of the Control Station

 



Attaching Structural Pieces

Aside from the description above,  the White Dwarf engine attaches to the Top of the Aft Fuel Tank, with the two pipe pieces falling into place on top of the Fore Fuel Tank and Reactor.


Final Product



Options

If you cannot find a Pik-Up, you have options. The massive amount of fuel is probably overkill anyway, so as an alternative, capture a Crimson Fleet Ghost for those Hope 55 Landing Gear. Replace the Fore 700T Fuel Tank with a single Nova Bracer connected at the top point of the Hope 55 Gear. On the bottom, pick two fuel tanks that can connect to a side mount and attach them to the lower point.

Replace the Aft 700T with two Nova Bracers stacked vertically. You could even repeat what you did with the Fore tank, thus giving yourself 4 fuel tanks to add up the fuel reserve. It really depends on you.


Upgrade Path

In this form, the Ugly Mutt is suited for lower tiers of play. Somewhere around Level 40, you are going to start feeling the pinch. By that point in time, you can probably upgrade the Reactor (if you are putting points into Ship Design) and with that can add better shields or weapons. If you go through the Vanguard questline, you can mount some of the Obliterator cannons, though that might fall outside of the intended theme of a pirate/smuggler role that this ship is intended as.

Ultimately, this could be brought up to B-class without compromising the appearance. A solid B-class reactor that provides lots of Hull and Power would definitely allow you to mount a solid shield and enough weapons to make it through the day. Engines could be upgraded to the highest level or those DT40s and the White Dwarf engine can all be replaced with White Dwarf 3015's for that sweet 180 base speed. Recommended if you want to make one of those "fastest hunks of junk in the Galaxy type builds."

I wouldn't upgrade the normal cargo, but I might add some Shielded Cargo and one of those Scan Jammers from the Red Mile or the Key.


Final Thoughts

When designing this ship, I had in mind that it should resemble a drag racer with the big back tires and the small front ones. It should be narrow and short. I compromised a bit because the original design was perhaps too flat. Still, the overall profile does resemble what I wanted it to.

Now time for an admission. Ol' Zeke doesn't exist in Starfield. He was an NPC in a tabletop roleplaying game I was running once upon a time. His backstory has been retooled, but only to fit him into the closing hours of the Colony War (and the time after). His basic archetype (scavenger, smuggler, pirate) has never changed.

I'm going to leave the Ugly Mutt on the character that I was playing when I designed it, but she has her own ship that is a variation on the Stingwing, detailed elsewhere on this blog. I had a lot of fun coming up with the concept for this ship and, despite it being hideously ugly, I have a real soft spot for it.

Thanks for getting this far. I hope you enjoyed reading about the Ugly Mutt as much I did creating her.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2024 at 3:52 PM

    Another home run. The backstory was very well refurbished and fit entirely well with the realm of Starfield.

    ReplyDelete

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