From BeginWiki
A Federation Heavy Cruiser firing a phaser at... another heavy cruiser
The shipboard
phaser is a directed energy weapon that cannot be dodged and has a variable width field of fire. Phasers have maximum ranges between 1800 and 2500 distance units (depending on the ship), and the damage they put out is proportional to distance.
[edit] Use in defense
Phasers can be used to pre-detonate
photon torpedoes or
probes. Most torpedoes can be deflected with a 45 degree shot in the direction from which they came, though some (like
Plasma need a more concentrated hit or multiple shots).
