Lynx Quad Battle Armor

[AngryButler with a KNIFE!]

Background
A prototype, and occasionally experimental, quadruped battle armor developed by the Spirit Cats after their move to the Clan Protectorate in the Free Worlds League. Using information gleamed from salvaged Black Wolf units that carried the Wolf Empire's newly developed battle armor scaled LB-X autocannon, the Clan was able to reverse engineer a version suitable for their own purposes, and that of the FWLM. Unique among Battle Armor, although the Centaur comes closest, the Lynx is deliberately designed to act as an low-altitude anti-air platform, as the mounting for its LB-X can raise the autocannon's elevation as high as 70 degrees above level. While not turreted, this still can be a deadly surprise for many unwary VTOLs, WiGEs or even light Aerospace Fighters, who unknowingly are about to fly straight into a flak storm.

On the ground, the autocannon can still prove deadly, especially when the firepower of the Lynx's ultralight Gauss rifle is added into play. The similar range characteristics of both weapons does well to complement each other, leaving no real range gap for a hostile unit to easily exploit. Added to all that, the Lynx mounts an advanced dual-tube Clan SRM launcher, set between the ballistic weapons, providing not only both excellent accuracy and heavy firepower, but almost a third more range over the rest of its armament. Taken together with the fact it mounts enough armor to survive through being hit by anything less then a large laser, plus a ground speed equal to that of most assault mechs, and you have a unit that can easily slot into most defensive roles along with spearheading an infantry assault force.

Much like its namesake, which is a well known nocturnal predator of Terra, the Lynx also has additional sensors in the form of several wide-angle and highly sensitive boom microphones, able to pick up even the slightest of whispers, paired with a searchlight system that mimic's its namesake's eyes. All of which make it a force to be reckoned with during night time operations. While not built with any innate stealth systems, Lynx pilots are trained to use terrain to their best advantage, and are not above using ghille nets to hide under while on the defensive and mostly powered down except for their sensors. Suddenly finding yourself caught in the searchlight eyes of a Lynx at close range can be a terrifying moment that causes most infantryman to briefly freeze up and hesitate. A hesitation many do not live to learn from.

Variants
The only known variant of the Lynx turns it from a multi-role unit into a purely offensive anti-ground type. Removing its entire armament except for the anti-personnel Gauss rifle, and its upgraded sensors, it added in a second Gauss Rifle, micro-pulse laser, and upgrades the missile launcher with a third tube. Internally referred to as the 'Bobcat' by its pilots, this model is still undergoing proving ground tests alongside its older sibling on Angell II.

Code: [Select]

Lynx BattleArmor
Clan experimental

BV: 615
Cost: 3,508,750 C-bills

Movement: 4/4

Internal: 5
Armor: 40
                     Internal    Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1                   1        8
Trooper 2                   1        8
Trooper 3                   1        8
Trooper 4                   1        8
Trooper 5                   1        8

Weapon                         Loc  Heat
----------------------------------------
Swarm Mek                      Point     0
Attack Swarmed Mek             Point     0
Stop Swarm Attack              Point     0
Leg Attack                     Point     0
AP Gauss Rifle (Body)          Point     1
Battle Armor LB-X AC (Body)    Point     0
Advanced SRM 2 (Body)          Point     0

Ammo                           Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
Advanced SRM 2 Ammo            Point     1
Advanced SRM 2 Ammo            Point     1

Equipment                      Loc
----------------------------------
Shotgun Microphone (Body)      Point
Handheld Searchlight (Body)    Point



This is my current 'go-to' toy I reach for whenever one of my friends pulls out his VTOL/WiGE-Tank force. Also its surprisingly good against hovertanks, although for no real reason that I can tell, either in the stats nor the fluff I wrote up for it. Just that the dice really REALLY like them whenever hovers try to get by.

Don't ask me why.  ???

[Cryhavok101]

Generally anything that gets a high volume of hits will be dangerous to a vehicle, due to vehicles getting all those effects done to them through armor. On VTOLs, WiGEs, and hovertanks especially, due the the factor of crashing. LB-X ACs especially. Is this an assault quad?

[Dragon Cat]

The only thing I'd say is with the fluff is I think the BA LB-X was developed by the Spirit Cats parent Clan, the Nova Cats, maybe they'd have access already.  Then again the DA is pretty messed up all things considered so you never know

Otherwise I like it

[worktroll]

Out of interest, what does the "Movement 4/4" mean - eg. 4 walking/4 running, or something else?

I've seen jumping 'Mechs with 1/1/3, which sort of makes sense - just wondering why the repeated walking value?

Cheers,

W.

[Cryhavok101]

Out of interest, what does the "Movement 4/4" mean - eg. 4 walking/4 running, or something else?

I've seen jumping 'Mechs with 1/1/3, which sort of makes sense - just wondering why the repeated walking value?

Cheers,

W.

It is what MegaMekLabs writes in for ground movement. so basically 4 walking/4 running, even though the unit only has one ground speed.

[AngryButler with a KNIFE!]

Generally anything that gets a high volume of hits will be dangerous to a vehicle, due to vehicles getting all those effects done to them through armor. On VTOLs, WiGEs, and hovertanks especially, due the the factor of crashing. LB-X ACs especially. Is this an assault quad?

Clan Heavy, not an Assault. Just that it's movement profile is just as good as 90% of all Assault 'Mechs.

These guys work great to create VTOL killboxes (more like kill-hexes) where just a single star of them, spread out all over, can pretty much instantly deny any attempts to get by them if you're using VTOLs or WiGEs without getting thrashed (WiGEs can get through, but are hurting. VTOLs are just glorified land-darts making pretty craters).

[Cryhavok101]

Clan Heavy, not an Assault. Just that it's movement profile is just as good as 90% of all Assault 'Mechs.

These guys work great to create VTOL killboxes (more like kill-hexes) where just a single star of them, spread out all over, can pretty much instantly deny any attempts to get by them if you're using VTOLs or WiGEs without getting thrashed (WiGEs can get through, but are hurting. VTOLs are just glorified land-darts making pretty craters).

I am curious how much that situation changes if they use VTOL/WiGEs with Ferro-Lamellor armor. Does it even out that match up, or swing the pendulum entirely in the vehicle's favor?

[AngryButler with a KNIFE!]

I am curious how much that situation changes if they use VTOL/WiGEs with Ferro-Lamellor armor. Does it even out that match up, or swing the pendulum entirely in the vehicle's favor?

VTOLS + Ferro-Lamellor:
Against anything that isn't a Michaelson design (Yellowjacket I/II, Mantis, etc) it still generally doesn't seem to help the VTOLS much, as those APGauss can still pretty much wreck all other non-superheavy VTOLs in one or two salvos. Generally one if two squads link up and combine their fire, haven't been hit yet and the dice like you. If its a Michaelson design, then things get dicey quick. Especially if its a Mantis that you're dealing with. The AdvSRM2s help plink as well, but outside of nearly always hitting, doesn't really do much due to their damage being halved.

WiGES + Ferro-Lamellor:
This is where the major pendulum shift happens as there's no chance of a lucky rotor hit for the APGauss to go 'hah, I do 3 prior to F-L messing with me, you have 2 no matter what, sucks to be you', like on a VTOL. In this case, I generally devote a turn or two for every single unit I have to turn and blast the WiGE(s) out of the air, even if something else *might* just be a tad bit more important at the time. Meanwhile the Lynx units hunker down and pray to god that the WiGE goes away. Thankfully most player's I've run into that use WiGEs still go for speedsters, ala the Rebel's Snowspeeder, and haven't quite figured out you can make some truly intimidating flying tanks with them that pack on enough armor to make them a very credible (and highly annoying) threat. The few that have, will mulch these easily.

Now if someone were to use a VTOL/WiGE + Ferro-Lamellor and an LB-X? Then you'd have me either not even bother showing up with them, or they'd make for the map edges just as fast as they can go.

[Cryhavok101]

a lucky rotor hit for the APGauss to go 'hah, I do 3 prior to F-L messing with me, you have 2 no matter what, sucks to be you

Isn't all rotor damage reduced to 10% of normal (after ferro lamellor reduction)(total war page 197), so even without the ferro lamellor, and AP gauss shouldn't be doing more than 1 damage to that rotor.

[AngryButler with a KNIFE!]

My group generally looks askew at that rule as making no sense, mainly because we have two helicopter pilots that play and laughed at that rule. Either it hits and pretty much shatters the rotor, or it doesn't hit at all. We instead went with an added 1d10.

Roll to hit as normal. If its a miss, we view it as it outright missed the diameter of the rotor blades/VTOL thruster cowling entirely because of a minor course fix/last second dodge by the pilot by a few meters in any direction, but not enough to move out of the hex.

If it 'hits' we treat it as a potential hit, and roll the 1d10. On a 2-8, it still misses completely. Roll a 10, it hits and does full damage, minus whatever bonuses the armor gives to the target. Roll a 1, your own gun get a critical and/or jams if its an Ultra. Because RNG. Anything that fires a spread of projectiles (or is the Snub-Nosed PPC, for 'reasons'), we have it so that you roll the 1d10 once more for every five point cluster or fraction thereof (so an LB-2X would still get a further chance to hit on top of its original to-hit bonus).

Needless to say, we all hate HAG40 carriers. Vehemently.