Type of Aircraft: Escort Ship Fighter or Bomber? : Unique Weapon Type: Prismatic Beam
Armor Type: Protoss starship plating, plasma shield Classification: Beam of Death
Role: Surgical Strike Craft, Anti-armor
Basic Description:
The reunification of the Aiur Protoss and the Dark Templar has allowed the two groups to combine their divergent technologies, and their collaboration has produced astonishing new developments. The Void Ray is built around the newly developed prismatic core, which serves as a virtually eternal power source. When the Void Ray has locked onto a target and deployed its flux field projectors, it can shoot searing beams of energy that grow exponentially more powerful over time. Even heavily armored structures and warships have been incinerated by the Void Ray, leading some Terrans to believe that it will eventually replace the Carrier as the flagship of the Protoss fleet.
The void ray is built around a prismatic corean oblong crystal of synthetic origin that serves as a virtually eternal power source. The core derives its energy from both the Void and Khala, focusing them through phase crystals, and forming a self-sustaining reaction.[The core has multiple layers to contain and stabilize the violent maelstrom within, transforming a perpetual state of flux into usable energy for the vessel's weapons, engines, and systems.
The void ray's armored hull consists of plates fashioned from a flexible alloy, and are designed to handle the stress caused by the sheer power of the core. The molecular stability of this alloy is very high, a quality that prevents the energies of the core from disrupting its atomic bonds and degrading its structure from within.
The Void Ray’s design was successful enough that the Tald’arim stole it and created their own variant, the Destroyer.
Loadout: The Beam
In order to turn the power of the Prismatic Core into a controllable weapon, the Protoss employ a firing system with multiple lenses to stabilize its energy output, and a phase crystal to shape it into a cohesive beam. To further enhance the vessel’s combat capability, the Nerazim added three flux field projectors to amplify the power of the Prismatic Core. These projectors channel streams of unstable energy into the phase crystal, increasing the effectiveness of the Prismatic Beam against heavily armored targets. Fortunately the short story Lens of the Void provides an example of the Void Ray ‘s different generators in action.
At Flux 1, the base setting of the vessel, the beam is noticeably smaller and weaker than all other settings. Looks can fool and the Void Ray can still incinerate armored marines, zerg hyrdralisks, even light vehicles with ease. However the beam is too weak to get through the heavy carapace of an Ultralisk at this stage, at which point the Nerazim operator would have to be called in.
The tone that vibrated through the ship changed pitch as a second arc of energy sprung up, merging with the first at the main crystal. Once again the ultralisk staggered, but then the beam began to liquefy its tough skin, and the zerg was torn apart, consumed from the inside out.
"Target the remaining ultralisks."
The beam fired, tearing through zerg flesh and bone. What had begun as an army, almost two dozen of the towering beasts, was quickly reduced to ash. The Purity of Form scoured the battlefield until the last ultralisk fell still, its body a smoking ruin.”
On Flux 2 the armor of an Ultralisk melts pretty much instantaneously, and lesser creatures are vaporized. In the short story twelve of them were killed in moments. Maintaining this flux is draining however for the Nerazim operator, and the lesser experienced ones maybe killed. Which is why normally Flux 2 generators are as high as a Void Ray can go however for emergencies, there does exist one higher….
The Flux 3 generator. If Flux 2 can turn Ultralisks to mush in moments, the Flux 3 generator is more powerful still, an immense beam of death capable of consuming almost all it touches in an instant. In the short story the Void Ray ship, Purity of Form, had to fight off a Zerg assault all but by itself, and managed to do so under Flux 3.This Flux generator is extremely dangerous to use, will likely require two Nerazim or one master and has a high liklyhood of resulting in fatalities.
“Once again the prismatic beam lashed out, carving through armor, tooth, and claw with ease. Feranon inspected the data. Although the brood lords couldn't defend themselves against the void ray's weapon, the Purity of Form wouldn't be able to eliminate them before they reached the nexus, the heart of the protoss base. There were simply too many of the beasts. Feranon turned to the focusing couch.
"We need to bring the third flux field projector online. I understand the danger, but it is the only way we can save the base. Without the extra power, we will not stop the zerg from consuming the nexus. All of our gains during the last offensive will be for nothing."
Theromos didn't answer; he merely looked at Sharas. Sharas, brow furrowed in concentration, nodded tersely.
Feranon shouted out his command. "Bring up the third flux field projector!"
Everyone immediately felt the results. The tone that filled the ship changed to an even higher note, one that vibrated throughout the crew's bodies. The beam tore forth, devouring brood lords whole. What armor they had didn't slow their deaths as the void ray's weapon converted beast after beast into flaming debris.
Suddenly the beam began to stutter. A plaintive whine accompanied the ship's vibration. A shriek from behind him caused Feranon to swivel his chair.
Sharas no longer relaxed on her couch but writhed in pain. Dark purple tendrils of energy arced between the cables and her head, racing over the length of her body.
Theromos leaned over Sharas and shouted, "Hold the power; guide it with your will! You must control it, or it will consume you."
Feranon saw her attempt to relax, but a new torrent of what looked like concentrated shadows flowed around her, filled with bright flashes of lightning, and she screamed once more.
"I cannot hold it! It evades my grasp. Please, teacher, help me."
Theromos turned to Feranon, but the commander shook his head. "We need the beam until the attacking force is destroyed. Hold on."”
In 2506, the phase-smith Karax devised solarite lenses for the void ray based on studying the Spear of Adun. The lenses allowed void rays to fire their beams further than normal as long as their prismastic lenses remained properly aligned.
Defense: Plasma Shielding, Vehicle Plating
Variant: The Talda’arim destroyer comes equipped with different weaponry. Instead of a prismatic core, their attacks are channeled by unstable bloodshard crystals. This creates an unstable beam that arcs between targets.Thus while lacking the extreme power of their Nerazim originals, the Destroyer’s arcs are perhaps a more effective form of crowd control particularly when in groups. And even armored foes will go down quickly if there are many arcing rays focused on them.
Type of Aircraft: Seigecraft
Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter Bomber/Artillery Ship Weapon Type: Storm Sphere
Armor Type: Protoss Ship Plating, Plasma Shield Classification: Seige
Utilized by : Auir, Purifiers, Tal’darim Basic Description:
Recent protoss efforts to engineer new war machines have resulted in the Tempest, an immense capital ship designed as an answer to zerg and terran long range weaponry. In battle, Tempest pilots overload the kinetic matrix that powers their vessel, resulting in a buildup of extremely volatile energies. These forces are then propelled through the ship's hull and fused into a contained sphere of highly charged particles that can be launched at distant targets. But this firepower doesn't come without risks. Tempest pilots, known for their fanaticism and bravery, must wear bulky dampening armor to protect their bodies from the destructive energies coursing through their ships.
Armament: Storm Sphere
The Tempest’s kinetic matrix produces extremely volatile energies. These energies are routed through the multiple resonators, coils, and amplifiers housed in the claw-like fore of the ship, where they are fused into a sphere of highly charged particles. The resulting projectile, while unstable, may be launched over great distances to soften up enemy forces or deal with defensive emplacements before Protoss armies engage in glorious battle. In game these massive shots give the Tempest a specialization against massive foes and they outrange every other palyable starcraft unit (only the hybrid Void Thrasher has greater range in artillery mode).
Defense: The Tempest is a capital class ship, and its defense is much heavier. The Pilots themselves are also heavily armored, to prevent the energy that propels from the ships hull’s from hurting them. They are also very fanatical though, so they won’t care if they die in the service of the Protoss.
Variant: Purifier Tempest: At the close of the End War, Phase-smith Karax developed tempests that were integrated into the purifier data web, allowing them to be flown remotely. This allowed them to be outfitted with advanced disintegration weaponry at no risk to protoss pilots. These disintegration weapons can destroy even things as powerful as a battlecruiser in one or two shots (though over time).
Type of Aircraft: Capital Ship
Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter-Bomber Weapon Type: Interceptors
Armor Type: Plasma Shield, Protoss plating Classification: Protoss capital ship
Utilized by :Auir, Tald’arim
Size: 1.4km(Interceptor: 4.5 meters depth, 10 meters length) Basic Description:
The massive Carriers serve as operation centers for leaders of the Protoss fleet. Heavily armored and shielded, Carriers can punch their way through enemy blockades by unleashing flights of robotic Interceptors. Interceptors are maneuverable, computer-guided craft that can tear through flight formations and relentlessly strafe slower ground targets with their plasma charges. Interceptors are automatically manufactured and serviced inside of the Carriers’ bays, and a number of prepped Interceptors can be launched in rapid succession. In battle, Carriers appear to be virtual hornet’s nests of activity as their small allies dart swiftly in and out, alternating between attacking enemies and repairing damage.
In 2506, during the End War, phase-smith Karax was able to miniaturize the Spear of Adun's
reconstruction beam technology that allowed it to remotely repair mechanical units and structures. This allowed the Daelaam to arm their carriers with giant automated drones that could do the same types of repairs, greatly enhancing the longevity of their carriers and every other Protoss unit nearby.
Armament: Interceptors (plasma Charges)
Carriers typically deploy Interceptors for their main attacks. Some Carriers do have massive planet- cracking purification weaponry however this is rarely utilized in atmosphere.
These nimble robotic fighters are built in an automated manufacturing plant connected to the Carrier’s hangar, where diligent Khalai engineers see to their maintenance and launch operations. Each
Interceptor is fitted with two small plasma cannons—as heavier ordnance would decrease
maneuverability—and a simple AI with highly advanced targeting subroutines. Some of these fighters have independent fire-control circuits, which allow them to continue firing even if the enemy jams the command signal or destroys the Interceptor’s robotic brain. Though in game Carriers can only deploy eight interceptors, official concept art does sometimes shown them with far more.
Initially the deployment of Interceptors was slow, however the upgrade of the Graviton Catapult has greatly increased the speed by which they can be deployed. In addition in Legacy of the Void the Carrier was granted the release interceptor ability, allowing them to deploy interceptors at a immense
distance, well off from the main vessel. Thus if a Carrier commander wanted to he could sent his interceptors on a devastating suicide run far off while building more in his hull to no cost.
Defense: Plamsa Shield. Hull Plates: Khalai craftsmen meticulously shape high-density alloys into thick curved plates, using extreme temperatures to remove any structural imperfections which could
compromise their strength. Afterwards, the alloy is subject to a complex surface treatment that involves different gasses and substances. The resulting hull plates are not easily breached—be it by kinetic, thermal, or biological means.In lore these can withstand firepower from a massive zerg swarm or even opposing Portoss fleet for a while while alone, and even that might not be enough to gaurentee the Carrier’s destruction.
The Carrier’s sheer size- over a thousand meters according to the tech book- affords it a great amount of innate durability as it can sustain multiple crippling shots, even a zerg swarm tearing into it for a while, before going down. Also now has repair drones.
Special:
Transport: The Carrier can in lore carry many Protoss, including scout ships and arbiters.
Manufacturing: Carriers manufacture interceptors. When deployed the strike craft attack and retreat rapidly to the carrier for repairs and rearmament.
MOTHERSHIP
Type of Aircraft: Ultimate War Vessel Fighter or Bomber? : Fighter Bomber Weapon Type: Purifier Beams Armor Type: Plasma Shields, Plating Classification: Ultimate Vessel Utilized by :Auir, Tald’arim Size: 2.7km
Basic Description:
During the golden age of Protoss expansion, Motherships led vast armadas throughout deep space. In the centuries since, these primary command ships had departed the field of battle and become holy shrines, venerated by mystics and historians. But the loss of Aiur has convinced the Protoss to resurrect their oldest and most powerful weapons. All Motherships hold a huge khaydarin crystal infused with enough psionic energy to distort the very fabric of time and space. When wielding this force, these vessels can instantly destroy squadrons of enemy ships or even entire planets.
The Mothership’s hull, comprised of three slowly rotating wings, projects a tightly woven energy dome which allows for a life-sustaining atmosphere within the confines of the vessel, and turns harmful deep- space radiation into surplus energy for shields and primary systems. The Mothership’s core itself has a similar barrier whose sole function is to keep the crew on the rest of the ship safe from the powerful energies it generates.
Motherships are very rare vessels, and though the Protoss once possessed thousands of them they are far fewer now. However there are still enough to make an impact and it is notable that, in the final mission of Legacy of the Void, every assault by the possessed Golden Armada was spearheaded by a Mothership . The Protoss can also create new ones by upgrading mothership cores, so they are replaceable.
Loadout:
Armament: Purifier Beams: These beams-each mothership possesses six of them- vary heavily in power. Sometimes they are weaker, but the Mothership has other systems to compensate. Other times, such as in the short story of the same, these beams are powerful enough to utterly wipe out any Zerg they touch in a single blow - ground or air variants and even successfully annihilate zerg leviathans (though with backup). Entire Swarms of mutalisks and devourers perished once the Mothership Moratun brought the purifier beams to bear (even given that shields of the Mothership were at ten percent). Each beam can track foes independently.
Defense: The Single most powerful Protoss vehicle other than the arkship. In the short story Mothership it tanked simultaneous blows from mutalisk swarms, devourer attacks even dozens of scourges crashing into it (for reference, one scourge is enough to blow up a Terran dropship or Protoss Warp Prism while a handful can breach the hull of a battlecruiser) . After tanking ‘dozens of scourges’ + attacks from the other two creatures the shields of the Mothership Moratun were only reduced to eighty percent. It took several more such barrages of dozens Scourges plus ever more mounting numbers of Devourers and Mutalisks (adding to numbers already present) to continuously reduce it
further. By the time the pacifist Mothership operator finally relieved the Zerg needed to be destroyed shields were still at ten percent despite having accumulated a massive aerial swarm attacking it. Even assuming one can down this shield the Mothership still have incredibly thick vehicle plating. And if the enemy can bypass that its size alone means that, unless a key part is quickly destroyed, the
Mothership can sustain much damage before going down. Special:
The Mothership has many powers, both in game and Lore, over its iterations.
-Vortex: The Mothership creates an interdimensional rift, sucking anything it catches inside. Those caught in it are violently removed from play for a time .
-- Mass Recall: The Motheship could weaken space-time, tearing rifts in the fabric of space-time, creating a vortex linking another location to the Mothership's location. This could be used to move personnel and supplies over long distances. In this way an outnumbered Protoss force can experience a massive reinforcement rate in seconds, as the Protoss recall units from other areas of the planet.
--Cloaking Field: The Mothership’s khaydarin crystal core radiates a considerable amount of quickly- dissipating energy. Once the Mothership becomes fully operational, this dissipating power is absorbed by the wings and projected as a cloaking field that covers a wide area around the vessel. The Mothership itself does not benefit from said field, but it renders nearby Protoss forces, structures, and allies invisible to the naked eye.
- Temporal Rift: Temporal Rift slows all movement speed, attack speeds and ability cast times by two thirds within a small area of effect.
- Wormhole Transit: Allows the Mothership to instantly travel to a Protoss building, bringing with it any nearby Protoss units. This can be used as either a quick way to get back to base or to save a failed assault.
-Some Motherships in campaign demonstrate the ability to function as a psionic matrix, capable of warping in units around it.
Tald’arim Mothership: The
Tal'darim Alarak brought the Tal'darim's motherships to join the Daelaam after Alarak defeated Ma'lash in Rak'shir to become the new Tal'darim Highlord. The motherships were recognized by Rohana as highly modified from the Daelaam's motherships, with a focus on the total destruction of the Tal'darim's enemies. It does not have the cloaking ability.-Black Hole: The Tald’arim mothership tears a whole in the fabric of space-time, sucking up enemies in a miniature Black Hole. Unlike with the Vortex, which removes enemies to another dimension, those affected by the Tald’arim mothership are targetable and can be killed en masse.
-Blink: Essentially the Stalker’s teleport, fitted for such a massive ship. -Thermal Lance: A far more powerful version of the Collosi’s thermal lance .
Purifier: When the main body of Protoss wants to completely annihilate a foe, the Purifier Mothership is