Holographic Mantle

A starship equipped with a holographic mantle can appear as another vessel of the same size or one size category larger. This appearance is entirely illusory, but unlike a reconfiguration system, the ship does not physically change its shape. The sophisticated hull-mounted projectors of a holographic mantle fool a purely visual inspection, unless the viewer succeeds at a Perception check (DC = 25 + 1-1/2 × the tier of the disguised starship). The system also transmits false transponder information that raises the DC of scan actions against the disguised ship by 5. If an opponent fails their Computers check to perform a scan by 5 or less, the science officer aboard the disguised ship can give false basic information to the scanning ship. A holographic mantle requires 10 minutes to properly calibrate and activate, and it shuts down and can’t be used if the ship’s sensors gain a critical damage condition.