SF Astaroth

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The SF Astaroth was a Shivan fighter spotted at the start of the Second Shivan Incursion in 2367, along with other ships such as the SC Rakshasa and SF Mara. While the Astaroth exhibits a high top speed and good maneuverability, it was more notorious for having an extremely thin hit profile and equally thin hull and shields to match. Astaroth fighters are easily taken down by aspect-seeking missiles such as the GTM Harpoon.

The SF Astaroth

Description

FS2 Demo Tech Room Description

We believe that the Astaroth is a Shivan Harpoon. It has a very high top speed, and its maneuverability is quite good. However, its shield system isn't strong enough to withstand constant fighting for long, which leads us to believe the Astaroth's primary purpose is to destroy enemy bombers. The Astaroth ranks as a Class B threat.

FS2 Tech Room Description

First encountered in Gamma Draconis, the SF Astaroth is a fast, agile fighter that appears to have achieved its maneuverability at the expense of its armor and weaponry. Once the shields of an Astaroth are down, the fighter can be dispatched quickly.

Developer Notes

None

Name origin

In demonology, Astaroth is a Prince of Hell. He is depicted as a nude angel riding on a dragon.

Performance

Statistics

Type	Interceptor (?)
Manufacturer	Unknown
Maneuverability	Excellent
Max Velocity	80.0 - 110.0 mps
Max Afterburner Velocity	155.0 mps
Armor	Light
Hitpoints	100
Shields	450
Length	21 m

Armaments

• Gun Mounts

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Guns	Standard Loadout
1st	2	Shivan Mega Laser

• Missile Banks

FreeSpace 2
Bank	Capacity	Standard Loadout
1st	40	Harpoon
2nd	40	MX-64

Veteran Comments

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The Astaroth is similar to the Dragon in most respects, only more annoying. It has a ridiculously small target profile, the smallest of any ship in any FreeSpace game, and is fast, making it annoyingly difficult to deal with via primaries. Its best advantage though is that unlike the Manticore it can still manage a turn capable of preventing missile lock while at speed; the Astaroth's lower speed/manueverability specs sum up to a greater total agility than the Manticore in a quirk of inertia. It also has a decent, though not impressive, amount of missiles to back up its lasers, unlike the Dragon. Destroy this ship at range via missiles if at all possible.

Very hard to dogfight against. However, a few Harpoons bring it down quickly and painlessly at medium range.

While the SF Astaroth is very fast and maneuverable, its shielding and armor cannot stand much punishment and it simply lacks adequate weaponry. The Astaroth kind of reminds me of the Imperial TIE series of fighters in Star Wars, only with shields and missiles.

The Astaroth has less maneuverability than a Dragon, meaning that it won't run circles around you. And despite the small target profile, it is easier to hit, especially if you approach from the rear where you can tear them up. Also quite weak against Harpoons: if the Astaroth's shields are softened up sufficiently, a single Harpoon will punch through this ship like a hot knife through butter, even if it had 100% hull.

Curiously enough, the Astaroth falls behind the SF Manticore in most specifications categories; it has weaker shields, it's slower and less maneuverable, and its weapons loadout is identical. The only thing the Astaroth has going for it on the surface is its thin target profile.