Shock Damage

A weapon hitting a ship has a chance to inflict additional Shock Damage to the internals of the ship, bypassing armor. The chance to inflict damage is given by

 Damage^1.3 %

The damage inflicted is

 (Damage/3)*Random Percentage

Damage to shields do not inflict shock damage.

This graph shows the average shock damage inflicted depending on warhead/beam size respectively.

This shows the relative increase in damage, which caps below 17% at about 36 warhead size.

Offensive Considerations

Shock Damage can be be decisive, able to potentially cripple key systems early in an engagement. To use it, large missiles and beam weapons are necessary. Spinal Laser Weapons are especially suited to deliver a large punch.

Defensive Considerations

Against large missiles, active defenses are best used to prevent Shock Damage. Shields are a valuable defense for blunting Shock Damage, as large beam weapons have a slower RoF, allowing for recharge. Damage Controls can fix critical systems and bring them back online. Redundancy in Sensors and Fire Control, Fuel Tanks and Engines can prevent a ship becoming useless by a single lucky hit.