At first glance, the Archangel will likely be a mech that makes people do a double-take and take a second, long look at the record sheet. On paper, the design choices made in creating this largest of the Word of Blake’s Celestial Omnimech might seem questionable at best, utterly ridiculous (or idiotic) at worst. And indeed, the basic design of the Archangel presents a study of contrasts in mech design.
Weighing in at 100 tons, the Archangel is at the sweet spot for maximum available weight for a 3/5 mech. Weight-saving measures comes from the use of Endo-Steel internals and Small Cockpit, the latter of which might be a rather questionable thing considering the penalty to PSRs it gives. However, given the fact that the Archangel is tailored for use by Manei Domini pilots, and that most of the MDs that pilot one will likely have VDNI/Buffered VDNI, the Small Pilot is an understandable design choice.
What makes the weight-saving measures seem impotent however, is the choice of an “Immortus” 300 Compact Engine for the mech. Weighing a full nine and a half tons more than a standard engine of the same rating, this engine alone eats up all the weight saved by the use of Endo-Steel and Small Cockpit. The Compact Gyro further eats up into the available tonnage. What this combination results in however, is a base chassis with a unique setup, being able to fit in large guns in its Center Torso as well as a backup weapon on its head, a feature every single configuration of the Archangel have utilized.
A paltry thirty-six tons of pod space is rather laughable for a 100-ton assault mech, but in this case, actual play has shown me that the Archangel’s trade of firepower for sheer survivability gives it certain qualities that other mechs will be hard-pressed to match. Wrapped in a full nineteen and a half ton of armor plating, the Archangel is as well armored as any mech can be without using hardened/modular armor or being a quad. The armor distribution passes the smart-armor check with flying colors, with the extra-thick back armor hinting that the mech is likely expected to be in the thick of things. With the Center Torso able to take three Gauss slugs, the side torsos and arms two each, and the legs able to take a UAC/20 double-tap without breaching, it is well protected. Even on the back, the side torsos can take an errant PPC hit without letting it through, and the rear CT is capable of handling a single Gauss slug.
It is this combination of thick armor, compact engine and gyro, and a tendency to all-energy setups that grants the Archangel its well-earned reputation of a literal “zombie” mech. In most configurations its internals are usually well-padded with non-explosive equipment and/or double heat sinks, and even a TAC to the CT will have less than 50% chance to touch this mech’s engines or gyroes. In fact, it is usually faster and more efficient to kill one of these beasts by coring it rather than trying to crit it to death.
The Archangel sports 6 common configurations, one experimental configuration, and one personalized configuration, outlined below:
Invictus (Prime) – A true oddball even amongst the rest, the Invictus configuration is armed only with a Heavy PPC and a Plasma Rifle with 20 shots as well as the Retractable Blade common to all celestial’s Invictus configuration. Despite possessing jump jets, this is still a 100-ton 3/5/3 mech that is unable to deal more than 25 points of damage at range, even if those shots will be accurate thanks to the targeting computer it carries. The value of the Retractable Blade highly depends on which ruleset you use, as under TW rules its ability to extend on punch attacks gives this mech a 10-point punch that can potentially roll for critical twice. Considering that this mech possessed a Guardian ECM suite, it might be worthwhile to use it as a huge, kicking, punching distraction that also spots for the rest of its level II.
Dominus (A) – Armed with twin arm-mounted Heavy PPCs as well as the ER Medium Lasers mounted on the CT and a Snub-Nose PPC mounted on the head, the Dominus is a trooper that can dish out the pain and keep shooting until it dies thanks to its centerline armaments. Twenty double heat sinks allows it to use both heavies as well as either the snubbie or the ERMLs while only building movement heat. While the Snub-Nose PPC suffers from being used outside short range, the ability to toss around a pair of 15-point hits with C3i assistance at will gives this mech a higher threat level than most of the other configurations.
Infernus (B) – Very similar to the Dominus (A) configuration, the Infernus trades one Heavy PPC for a pair of Light PPCs and throws away the ER Mediums for a second Snub-Nose PPC. This setup makes the Infernus an arguably better brawler than the Dominus, but the two configurations are so similar I would almost consider them interchangeable.
Comminus (C) – The one oddball configuration, this is the only Archangel config without any serious centerline weaponry, and is also the only one armed with ammunition-based weapon. In this case it is armed with a pair of MRM-40 racks as well as pair of ER Medium Lasers, with an ER Small Laser mounted facing the rear. A Guardian ECM suite makes this configuration particularly well-suited for city-fighting, and its C3i computer allows it to use its MRMs to their full potential, since it can use them from 15 hexes away at short-range to-hit numbers. This configuration works well as a shooter in a C3i linked team or as a straightforward in-your-face assault mech. In a city it would also be a pretty mean ambusher. Unfortunately, the pilot will have to pick his/her shots, since only 12 rounds of ammunition is provided for each MRM rack.
Luminos (D) – Another configuration that would be at home in confined terrain, the Luminos config arms itself with a pair of ER PPCs for long-range combat while carrying a suite of pulse lasers for close combat. The addition of a Guardian ECM Suite and Jump Jets would make this mech particularly at home in cities or as a bodyguard to sniper elements of its Level II, where it can contribute as both a sniper and as a bodyguard.
Eminus (E) – A configuration that works best as a long-range sniper, the Eminus is armed with twin ER PPCs, an ER Large Laser, a Light PPC, and two ER Small Lasers, all linked to a Targeting Computer. This configuration has some heat issues, and usually needs to alternate using its ER Large Laser with its Light PPC from turn to turn to keep its heat under control. With the Targeting Computer and the bevy of long-range guns, it works best staying far back and sniping away, preferably with the aid of some C3i links.
Caelestis (S) – Like most other Caelestis configs, this is an oddball configuration featuring experimental equipment. In this case, it combines arm-mounted clan-tech ER Small Lasers and Thunderbolt-10 with torso-mounted Binary Laser Cannons, with a pair of Clan-tech ER Medium Lasers mounted in the center torso and a pair of ER Flamers in the head. A heat hog, this config has issues trying to fire more than half of its weapons, and to be honest, it’s not particularly effective at anything. Like other Caelestis configs, it seems to function primarily as a test-bed for experimental gear.
Guardian – Berith’s personalized Archangel, the Guardian is very similar to the Infernus configuration. In fact, the only difference between the two configurations is that Berith traded out the CT Snub-Nose PPC and a heat sink for a Medium VSPL as well as capacitors on the light and heavy PPCs. The addition of capacitors makes heat juggling more difficult, but at range it can easily keep up a staggered barrage of capacitor-powered PPC blasts.
To use an Archangel, ideally it would have a C3i network to support it, regardless of which role it is assuming. Most configurations of the Archangel is perfectly capable of serving as either pointman/spotter or sniper/anchor for its team, with its ridiculous durability presenting its opponents with the unpleasant choice of trying to kill it (and take a long while doing so while its teammates pound on you) or to ignore it (and risk it pounding on you on its own).
Fighting against an Archangel… is an unpleasant proposition. Barring a lucky headshot chances are you would need to core the Archangel before it finally dies. The combination of compact engine and gyro makes attempting to crit it out of the fight a difficult proposition, and as such, the most efficient way might be to just crush it with brute force, or to bring out as many headcapping weapons as you can and hope for a headshot.
Note: It's a little early because I might not be able to get online tomorrow. Also, this is my first try at MoTWs, so any comments and critiques would be much appreciated.
