Arms Load-Out Permit

Though these registrations are required by law, many Starship captains operating on the fringes of society forge these documents to hide the ship's true identity (Or their own). Forging BoSS documents requires a Forgery or Slicing check, counting as both a Deceptive Appearance (To produce a BoSS-secure Datapad that seems authentic) and Deceptive Information (To create plausible ship records). However, such forgeries won't appear in the BoSS computer system, so they will not survive close scrutiny.

Transponder Codes

Every Starship has a Transponder Code, a unique signal that allows that ship to be distinguished from any other. If you look up a specific Transponder Code in a BoSS database, you can find the ship's name, type, Starship Modifications and armament, owner, and even history (Including the time of its arrival and departure from every legitimate spaceport in the galaxy).

A ship's Transponder Code is built into the ship's sublight engines, so any attempt to remove or alter the code can fuse the wiring and destroy the engine (DC 30 Mechanics Check to remove or alter). Some smugglers and pirates have been known to mask their transponder signal to preserve anonymity, but most governments will attempt to capture or destroy such a ship immediately. Instead, many criminals and others operating outside the law will tamper with their transponder to broadcast false Transponder Codes. Though highly illegal, altering a Transponder Code will allow a ship to identify itself by another name (See Transponder).

TRANSPONDER          AVAILABILITY          COST
IFF                                Military                       1000
Masked                        Illegal                         200 (Base)
Disguised (1)                Illegal                          500 (Base)
Disguised (2)               Illegal                          1000 (Base)
Disguised (3)               Illegal                          2000 (Base) 

IFF Transponders

Military ships also broadcast a unique transponder code that identifies the ship by its type, designation, and allegiance. These Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) Transponders are separate from the transponders built into Starship engines, and they are not included on civilian Starships.

Getting A License

To get a license, you must pay the fee required to file the application. The amount of the fee is a percentage of the object's normal cost, as listed in Restricted Objects. Once you've paid the fee, make a History check against the DC listed in the Skill DC column. You can't Take 10 or Take 20 on this check. On a success, your license is approved and will be available to you in a number of days as listed in the Time Required column. On a failure, you spend a number of days as listed in the Time Required column, but you are not granted the license and your application fee is lost. You may try again as often as you like if you have the time and credits to do so.

Whether you succeed or fail on your History check, your request is recorded in public records. The more restricted the license, the more in-depth the background check required, and this leaves an increasingly detailed electronic trail for others to follow.

You can choose to secure a license through illicit means. If you want to bribe an official, make a Persuasion check instead of a History check. If you want to fabricate a false identity or steal another person's identity, make a Deception check instead of a History  check. If either of these checks fails by 5 or more, the local authorities are alerted to your activities.

Restricted Objects

LEVEL             LICENSE FEE   BM COST    DC    TIME 

Licensed         5%                    x2                10      1 day
Restricted       10%                  x3                 15      2 days
Military            20%                 x4                 20     5 days
Illegal              50%                 x5                 25     10 days

The license fee is given as a percentage of the licensed object's base cost.

The Black Market

Almost anything is available on the Black Market. However, you must make a Persuasion check to locate a Black Market merchant who has the object you seek. The DC of the check is listed in the Skill DC column of the Restricted Objects table, and the GM may apply a bonus or penalty to the check depending on the circumstances. (For example, finding a Black Market dealer on the smuggler's moon of Nar Shaddaa is relatively easy and may warrant a +5 bonus on the check.) If you succeed on the Persuasion check, you find a Black Market merchant who has access to the item you seek. If you fail, you can try again later. If you fail by 5 or more, someone notices you've been asking questions and comes to capture, interrogate, or silence you.

Once you find someone who can get the item for you, you'll have to pay two, three, four, or five times the item's normal price (As listed in the Black Market Cost column of the Restricted Items table) and wait some time for the item to become available (As listed in the Time Required column).

Selling on the Black Market

The Black Market can be used by the heroes not only to obtain illicit goods but also to sell them. If the heroes are smugglers, shipjackers, or pirates, they may need some way to pawn off their prizes, and the Black Market is an excellent place to do so. The heroes can find the Black Market in the same way that they would to buy from the Black Market, but instead of making purchases they can make sales, using the same Black Market cost modifiers to determine how many credits the heroes make off their goods. The value of the goods is still halved as normal, before applying the Black Market modifiers (Which should compensate for the reduction in value from selling the item). When you make your check, if you fail by 5 or more, the authorities are notified.