The Avenger is a heavy space superiority fighter based on an older TOG design that was used by the Renegade Legions at the time of their defection to the Commonwealth. It is the predecessor of the Slingshot strike fighter, and the Devil medium fighter is built on its basic chassis.
Deployment History[]
Avengers fly with attack squadrons everywhere in Commonwealth space. The Renegade Legions remember the fighter fondly from their exodus from TOG space, and it has become something of an icon of the Renegade fighter force.
Many of those Avengers in service are veteran models in various states of decrepitude or disrepair, hastily patched up, jury-rigged and refitted to keep them flying and on par with modern electronic warfare. Not a few of them should by rights have been gently put out to pasture decades ago, but are kept on the active roster in the face of the TOG onslaught. The Avenger´s simplicity of design works in its favour here: it is sturdy, easy to maintain and repair, and its component systems are built to last an eternity. While not as comfortable or elegant as a modern design, an Avenger is decidedly less capricious.

Avenger with the engine fairings removed.
Although the Avenger is streamlined, many pilots assigned to deep-space fleet operations leave off the engine and weapons cowlings. Though irate senior officers condemn the practice, the pilots claim that the removal makes maintenance of the engines easier and reduces turnaround time. Many wing commanders feel that the pilots remove the cowlings just because it makes the ship look faster.
Design Philosophy and Tactical Role[]
At the lower end of heavy fighters, the Avenger is an old model that, despite many refits, is outclassed today by many other fighters, including some medium models. It has mediocre shielding that limits its survivability somewhat. On the positive side, it is rugged and reliable, well-armoured and equipped with a flexible and reasonably powerful weapons loadout.
The wings mount a laser and mass driver cannon each - both are not the most powerful in their class, but serve well in penetrating and undercutting armour. The heavy Electron particle cannon in the fighter´s nose is able to deliver a devastating close-range coup de grace if the Avenger can close to under 15 kilometers, or whittle down the enemy´s protective shell.

Avengers guarding an ON-3 naval base. (Original miniatures photos courtesy of LegionsIVhire.ca.)

Cut-away view of an Avenger´s interior.
Thrust is reasonably good for a heavy fighter at 7g, and gives the Avenger an edge against slower opponents like the Gladius. In all, the Avenger is a fighter well suited for space superiority dogfighting, and while interception is not exactly its forte, given enough time it can catch most medium and heavy fighters and give them a good seeing to.

An Avenger on the cover of the Legionnaire RPG rulebook.

Avenger fighters issuing from the Carthage-class cruiser RNS Covik during the defense of the Ope'Diar system from the Kraken Squadron.
The TOG has had ample time to study this venerable design closely and in detail. Recently, TOG fighters have fared badly in many encounters with the Avenger, and as a consequence, TOG has been rethinking its reliance on missiles as a ship´s primary offensive weapon. Strangely enough, the Avenger is one of the few standard Commonwealth fighters that does not have at least one hardpoint; unless the wing lasers are removed [see High Thrust Modification], the Avenger goes into combat without the benefit of ECM pods.
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Legionnaire RPG Values: Avenger Standard Variant[]
Hit Location | Sub-Location | Damage Boxes / Damage |
---|---|---|
[1] Structure | - | [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][] |
[2] FTL Drive | - | None |
[3] Shields | - | [][][][] |
[4] Engines / Thrust | - | [][][][][] [][] ::: Thrust 7 g |
[5] Armour | - | [][][][][] [][][] |
[6] Crew | Pilot | [][][][][] |
[7] Weapon Computers | - | [][][][] |
[8] Sensors | - | [][][] |
[9] Life Support | - | [][][] |
[10] Weapons | [1] 5/4 Laser | Damage 4 |
- | [2] 5/4 Laser | Damage 4 |
- | [3] MDC-8 | Damage 5 |
- | [4] MDC-8 | Damage 5 |
- | [5] EPC-18 | Damage 7 |
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Leviathan Values: Avenger Standard Variant[]

An Avenger fighter diving through a Naval battle between Leviathans.
Line Combat Missions[]
The Avenger is a mainstay of the fighter complements aboard capital ships. Its acceleration, armour and weapons make it a good and reliable dogfighter, even if it is not equipped with missiles. For this reason, Avengers are usually deployed in smaller units - squadrons or sometimes flights - to make the most of their dogfighting ability and let them hit vital locations on capital ships hard and repeatedly.
Raiding Missions[]
Avengers aboard raiding carriers are usually part of a reserve that can intercept pursuing enemy craft or defend the carrier. They are also used to hit planetary targets hard and fast, often in conjunction with missile-armed fighters. Their atmospheric capability is an asset in these missions.
More often than not, however, the Avenger is on the receiving end of a TOG raid. There are literally hundreds of thousands of Avengers active, and those too old for regular combat missions are often assigned to freighter escort duty or guarding installations (keeping close to the station so they can be quickly recovered and repaired if an aging component aboard a fighter blows a gasket).
Group (72 Fighters) | Armour | Missile Attack Value | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Armour Row 6 | [][][][][][] [][][][][][] [][][][]-- - | 0 | 173 | 104 | 7 |
Armour Row 5 | [][][][][][] [][][][][][] []--- | - | 144 | 87 | - |
Armour Row 4 | [][][][][][] [][][][][]- - | - | 115 | 70 | - |
Armour Row 3 | [][][][][][] [][]-- | - | 86 | 52 | - |
Armour Row 2 | [][][][][][] -- | - | 58 | 35 | - |
Armour Row 1 | [][][][]-- | - | 29 | 17 | - |
Flight (24 Fighters) | Armour | Missile Attack Value | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
Armour Row 3 | [][][][][][] [][]-- | 0 | 58 | 35 | 9 |
Armour Row 2 | [][][][][][] -- | - | 38 | 23 | - |
Armour Row 1 | [][][][][]- | - | 19 | 12 | - |
Squadron (6 Fighters) | Armour | Missile Attack Value | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
Armour Row 1 | [][][][][]- | 0 | 14 | 9 | 11 |
Single Fighter Values | Armour | Missile Hardpoints | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
Avenger | 80 | 0 | 48 | 29 | 7 |
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Variant: High Thrust Modification[]
This is a quick refit, easily done within a few hours by a skilled deck or ground crew, to reduce the fighter´s mass / engine ratio and increase its acceleration. Just as importantly, the modification enables the Avenger to carry missiles or specialised equipment. The two wing lasers are removed, and the fighter fitted with two hardpoints in their place. The acceleration compensator is boosted to account for the increased thrust.
Still a bit slow for an in-earnest reconnaissance mission, refit Avengers nevertheless may find themselves pushed into this role simply because they are the only fighters available in the theater of operations. More often, they are employed to accompany Penetrators or similar fighters on strike missions against planetary or orbital targets. The missile load is effective against fixed-trajectory installations, although most Avenger pilots prefer carrying an ECM pod or decoy missile on one of their two hardpoints for defensive purposes.
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Legionnaire RPG Values: Avenger High Thrust Modification[]
Hit Location | Sub-Location | Damage Boxes / Damage |
---|---|---|
[1] Structure | - | [][][][][] [][][][][] [][][][][] |
[2] FTL Drive | - | None |
[3] Shields | - | [][][][] |
[4] Engines / Thrust | - | [][][][][] [][][] ::: Thrust 8 g |
[5] Armour | - | [][][][][] [][][] |
[6] Crew | Pilot | [][][][][] |
[7] Weapon Computers | - | [][][][] |
[8] Sensors | - | [][][] |
[9] Life Support | - | [][][] |
[10] Weapons | [1] MDC-8 | Damage 5 |
- | [2] MDC-8 | Damage 5 |
- | [3] EPC-18 | Damage 7 |
- | [4] Hardpoint | * |
- | [5] Hardpoint | * |
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Leviathan Values: Avenger High Thrust Modification[]
The moderate missile load increases the Avenger´s potential in line battles with capital ships, although its combat endurance and ability to engage other fighters in protracted dogfights suffers. High-thrust modified Avengers usually serve with carrier squadrons for raiding and strike missions, where their good mix of dogfighting and missile capacity is much appreciated.
Group (72 Fighters) | Armour | Missile Attack Value | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Armour Row 6 | [][][][][][] [][][][][][] [][][][]-- - | 100 | 94 | 68 | 8 |
Armour Row 5 | [][][][][][] [][][][][][] []--- | - | 78 | 57 | - |
Armour Row 4 | [][][][][][] [][][][][]- - | - | 62 | 46 | - |
Armour Row 3 | [][][][][][] [][]-- | - | 47 | 34 | - |
Armour Row 2 | [][][][][][] -- | - | 31 | 23 | - |
Armour Row 1 | [][][][]-- | - | 16 | 11 | - |
Flight (24 Fighters) | Armour | Missile Attack Value | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
Armour Row 3 | [][][][][][] [][]-- | 25 | 31 | 23 | 10 |
Armour Row 2 | [][][][][][] -- | - | 21 | 15 | - |
Armour Row 1 | [][][][][]- | - | 10 | 8 | - |
Squadron (6 Fighters) | Armour | Missile Attack Value | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
Armour Row 1 | [][][][][]- | 10 | 8 | 6 | 12 |
Single Fighter Values | Armour | Missile Hardpoints | CRA | LRA | Thrust |
Avenger (High Thrust Modification) | 80 | 2 | 26 | 19 | 8 |
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