Avatar

The Chmmr Avatar is a state of the art ship with few real foes, combining the technological prowess of the Mmrnmhrm and the Chenjesu. With medium speed and a fairly good turn-rate the Avatar shouldn't be taken lightly. Its main weapon is a strong and deadly laser and its tractor beam would make even the bravest enemy captain sweat. It is orbited by three Zap satellites (ZapSats) for point defense.

Navigation

Built specifically for the purpose of defeating Ur-Quan vessels, the Avatar is faster and has a better turn rate than both the Dreadnought and Marauder. It is, however, quite large, and appropriate care should be taken near gravity wells.

Armament

Primary

Chmmr designers bring in the most devastating laser in the galaxy, so powerful that it ionizes the solar wind, causing visible sparkles in the void. Capable of tearing anything to pieces in a few seconds, this laser turns a face-to-face battle with the Avatar into a suicide run. Some sources describe this primary weapon as a "heavy X-ray laser."¹ Unlike the other laser weapons, the Avatar's laser kills two crew members per hit.

Secondary

The Avatar is also outfitted with a powerful Tractor Beam, capable of tractoring ships towards the Avatar's laser-jaws by generating a field of artificial gravity. Only fast-and-heavy ships can hope to evade this awesome beam. Slow ships or fast but light weighted ships (such as the Shofixti Scout and especially the Yehat Terminator) cannot evade this powerful tractoring. Lightweight ships can actually be thrown into immense speeds. It is quite funny to see a Terminator flying around in speeds three and four times higher than those of a Slylandro Probe. The Arilou Skiff or Slylandro Probe, being unaffected by gravity, are not affected by the Tractor beam.

Additional

In addition to its already formidable arsenal, three AI-Controlled laser-turrets orbit around the Avatar, providing it with point-defense against most types of attacks. Each ZapSat has 10 hit-points, and when all three are functional, the Avatar is nearly immune to weapons with 2 or less hit-points.

Tactical Overview

Don't mess with an Avatar. There are clearly few ships that can actually match it.

Strengths

So long as its ZapSats remain in place, the Avatar will have little trouble defeating most ships. Several ships do not have any weaponry that will penetrate the ZapSats.

Difficult Matchups

• The Shofixti Scout's glory device will usually destroy at least two ZapSats, leaving the Avatar much more vulnerable for the next fight. Proper timing of the detonation before the Scout is destroyed by the Avatar's laser or ZapSats, can be tricky, however.
• The Androsynth Guardian in comet form proves very nasty against the Avatar, if lucky enough — there's roughly a 25% chance per attack run for the Guardian to get stuck between the Avatar's nose and wings. However, the outcome may often be mutual annihilation, since the ZapSats will continually damage the Guardian. A good defense for the Avatar is to face in the opposite direction, since this will render it nearly impossible for the Guardian to successfully wedge.
  • Another tactic for the Guardian is to launch small groups of bubbles and comet away to safety. This is slower than ramming with the comet, but much safer, though many players despise the tactic, considering it unfair (since the Avatar is not really forced to speed through the bubbles). Still, the Guardian's modest energy regeneration often means that this tactic is only delaying the inevitable.
• A Supox Blade using its secondary to stay out of the Avatar's range can defeat it, if lucky enough not to be hit by asteroids. However, if the Avatar uses a gravity whip, the match will prove effectively impossible for the Blade.
• The Thraddash Torch's Mark VI Blaster is not blocked by the ZapSats' lasers; in addition, an AI-controlled Avatar will pass through the Torch's Afterburner, receiving significant damage. As a lightweight ship, however, the Torch is vulnerable to the tractor beam, so its pilot must remain wary and alert.
• A Yehat Terminator, if hurled into "hyperspacing speed" can rain fire on the Avatar but this is also not an easy thing to do.
• An Orz Nemesis can evade the tractor beam while patiently firing at the ZapSats with its turret facing backwards.
• The Druuge Mauler can recoil out of laser range while pummeling the Avatar with its cannon. The Mauler has to be careful not to recoil too fast, lest he won't be able to change course and will be smashed by the X-ray laser in seconds. Throwing a few crew in the furnace for extra speed to evade the Tractor Beam is inevitable.
• The Utwig Jugger can use its shields to defend against ZapSats while firing at the Avatar when out of range, quickly draining the Avatar — unless the ZapSats happen to die first; the AI is able, with a Jugger, to quickly let down the shield and fire, its vulnerability window being too small to be dangerous. However, this is much harder to do for a human player, and in netplay with any lag, even impossible.

All of these ships are capable of defeating the Avatar, but will be destroyed if their captain makes a single mistake.

Few ships can truly fight the Avatar with impunity.

Interesting Matchups

• The Kohr-Ah Marauder's F.R.I.E.D rips the ZapSats into pieces. Its shuriken mines are also a force to be reckoned with, since each takes 8 shots to destroy(while being fired) — less if stationary. All in all, the Marauder has the best chance of any race at destroying the Avatar with minimal losses.
• While the Kzer-Za Dreadnought's fighters are pointless versus the ZapSats, the Dreadnought has a better range and its fusion blasts can tear down the Avatar extremely quickly. An AI Dreadnought will not even launch any fighters if the Avatar has at least one ZapSat remaining.
• The Chenjesu Broodhome, with its range, can prove a worthy adversary as well. The Chmmr has significantly more firepower than these ships, however, and once the tractor beam pulls them into range of the laser they will quickly be destroyed, but usually leaving the Avatar without ZapSats for its next fight.
• The Pkunk Fury and it's spread shot can easily occupy the ZapSats allowing for the Fury to duck in and out usually without any damage. With an excellent pilot, and help from a well timed Tractor Beam pull, this will allow the Fury to execute repeated fly-byes causing minor damage to the Avatar, eventually destroying the ZapSats, and finally the ship itself. Unfortunately, if the Fury happens to cross paths with the laser, the poor captain's only hope rests with the divine...

Notes and references

¹3DO version ship video

3DO Chmmr Avatar Basic stats Crew: 42 Value: 30 pts Battery: 42 Batt. Regeneration: 0.5 units/frame Armament Primary: Heavy X-ray laser Secondary: Tractor beam Refire delay: 0 frames Refire delay: 0 frames Energy use: 2 units Energy use: 1 units Propulsion Max speed: 35 world units/frame Turn rate: 0.25 facings/frame Acceleration: 1.166 units/frame Mass: 10