Hyperthermic Decay

Concept · Game mechanic

A hazard that takes a percentage of a ship’s hull each time it ticks; Hyperthermic Stabilizer subtracts its own percentage first.

Hyperthermic decay is a hazard effect that damages a ship’s hull directly, as a percentage of its hull, each time it ticks. It is not a weapon hit: it never meets standard mitigation, Isolytic Defense, Apex Barrier or the shields, and goes straight to hull like Burning.

Hyperthermic Stabilizer is its counter. It subtracts its percentage from the decay’s — percentage points, not a share of the decay — and the result never goes below zero: 5% decay against 2% stabilizer takes 3% of hull, and a stabilizer at or above the decay cancels it entirely.

Each tick lands at the start of the round, after that round’s hull repair and before any weapon fires, as a percentage of the ship’s maximum hull. It is not part of the damage the next round’s repair restores — unlike Burning, which is — so a large decay takes the hull down in a fixed number of rounds whatever the defences. In a combat log each tick is a Hyperthermic Decay row carrying both percentages, the raw decay and the net amount applied.