In the fires of the Horus Heresy, starships are living cathedrals of war — black-and-gold Solar livery scarred by plasma, cathedral bridges echoing with choirs and vox-hails to Terra, auspex screens flickering with the Astronomican’s light and the shadow of betrayal. Every vessel is a dynamic super-vehicle with its own stat block, movement, and actions. Ships are never static locations; they move on a hex grid, fight in realspace or warp, launch boarding actions, and provide orbital support to ground forces on the same initiative track.
Escort (Frigate): Hull 150, Shields 80, Speed 8 hexes. Appearance: Sleek predator hulls with fresh battle scars, bridge lit by hololiths of the Throneworld.
Cruiser (Lunar/Gothic): Hull 300, Shields 150, Speed 5. Appearance: Massive spires and gun-decks bristling with macro-cannons, aquila banners in artificial wind.
Capital (Battleship): Hull 500+, Shields 250+, Speed 3. Appearance: Colossal behemoths whose vaults ring with hymns; the Warmaster’s eyes are already upon them.
All ships have Crew Rating (+3 to +8), Weapons (macro-cannons, lances, torpedoes), and Special Systems (teleportarium, drop-pod bays, bombardment cannons). Assign PCs as Bridge Officers (Captain, Gunnery, Void-Master) — each gets one Ship Action per round.
Ships use modified 5e vehicle rules on a mental or shared hex grid (1 hex = 1 AU or planetary orbit). Realspace movement: up to Speed in hexes, gravity wells cost extra (Pilot check DC 13–20). Warp travel is narrative with a Heresy Warp Hazard roll (d100). Boarding is full 5e combat inside ship corridors (Astartes treat them as difficult terrain for mortals). Critical hits (nat 20 gunnery) roll on a 1d10 table: Bridge hit, Magazine explosion, Engine failure, etc.