Trying something new here. [blank] ::)
And I might be dead wrong in how the Melusine works, depending on if I can carry more than one ammo type at a time - I was somewhat confused with the rulebook/errata on whether or not its possible on a BA.
If so, sorry....
Both are Raven Alliance designs originally, although the Melusine was immediately put on Trial by Clan Sea Fox for obvious reasons you'll see below.
The Beholder is the lingering 'we hate pirates' mentality of the Outworlds Alliance, mixed with the Snow Ravens & Outworlds Alliance 'any AA is good AA' mentality. As most pirates aren't exactly well equipped, with their 'infantry' usually nothing more than a motley band of thugs packed into barely armored jeeps and driving flatbeds, having an infantry force able to rapidly move into position without revealing themselves by jumping all over the place, appealed to the Raven Alliance. That and the dual AP mounts which can be fitted with all kinds of things to make a PBI's life pure hell. Its telling that many Beholder wearers prefer auto-shotguns when dealing with pirates. For larger and better armored targets, the design managed to fit a light Gauss rifle over one shoulder, and a generously supplied LRM-2 over the other shoulder. Against most light VTOLs and vehicles, the Gauss rifle is more than sufficient, while a massed LRM volley from several Beholder squads can make existence rather perilous for ASF pilots, along with being incredibly annoying for said ASF pilots trying to get rid of them easily or quickly. Beyond this, the designs are very easy to get into/out of, and most infantrymen within the Ravens Alliance can learn to use it within a matter of hours as there are backup controls to fire either the Gauss rifle or LRM launcher which are external to the suit, allowing an infantryman in the Beholder to use them much as if they were nothing more than hard-mounted versions of the shoulder carried systems in use for decades or longer. Obviously these backup controls can be locked out to prevent someone else from 'accidentally' firing them.
Beholder (Raven Alliance IS Light) BattleArmor
IS experimental
BV: 208
Cost: 1,404,000 C-bills
Ground Movement: 3
(Burdened by unjettisoned body-mounted missile launchers)
Internal: 4
Armor: 24
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 6
Trooper 2 1 6
Trooper 3 1 6
Trooper 4 1 6
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
David Light Gauss Rifle (Body) Squad 0
Swarm Mek Squad 0
Attack Swarmed Mek Squad 0
Stop Swarm Attack Squad 0
Leg Attack Squad 0
LRM 2 (Body) Squad 0
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
BA LRM 2 Ammo Squad 3
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Armored Glove (Left arm) Squad
Armored Glove (Right arm) Squad
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Right arm) Squad
Anti Personnel Weapon Mount (Left arm) Squad
Handheld Searchlight (Right arm) Squad
Cutting Torch (Left arm) Squad
Melusine on the other hand, are Clan Snow Raven's response to perceived gap left by the Undine. Whereas the Undine is unabashedly an amphibious assault unit, once it has actually hit the beach, its practically defenseless if a hostile unit were to close with it, while being smart enough to stay out of the water. What the Raven Alliance wanted, due to the numerous water rich worlds under its control (and, to be fair, on the far side of its borders as well), was a true 'beachstormer' unit, able to rapidly assault a coastal position once they've left the aquatic environment. Forgoing heavy armor and the quicker aquatic movement of the Undine for additional ground movement, the result was the Melusine. No longer needing the longer ranging support weaponry, they went for a close range assault loadout of a micro pulse laser - highly effective both in and out of the water - and a very unique missile launcher arrangement. Where most Battle Armor stick to a single ammunition type, the Melusine has a revolving drum that can carry up to three different ammunition types, although normally it carries dual loads of both standard and torpedo rounds, along with a single load packed with inferno gel - as fire aboard a ship, or along a dock front, is still one of the most feared scenarios for sailors across settled space. To make matters more hectic for opponents, is the fact the Melusine's rudimentary stealth capabilities makes it hard to spot once free from the depths, and a five-pronged battle claw, lined with a vibro-blade along the outside of each claw, meant to punch holes in hulls before opening them up further, much like an unholy version of the Jaws of Life.
Melusine (Raven Alliance Light) BattleArmor
Clan experimental
BV: 278
Cost: 2,667,500 C-bills
Ground Movement: 3
Water Movement: 2
Internal: 5
Armor: 25
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 5
Trooper 2 1 5
Trooper 3 1 5
Trooper 4 1 5
Trooper 5 1 5
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Micro Pulse Laser (Left arm) Point 1
Swarm Mek Point 0
Attack Swarmed Mek Point 0
Stop Swarm Attack Point 0
Leg Attack Point 0
SRM 1 (Body) Point 0
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
BA SRM 1 Ammo Point 2
BA SRM 1 Torpedo Ammo Point 2
BA SRM 1 (Clan) Inferno Ammo Point 1
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Battle Vibro Claw (Right arm) Point
BA Stealth (Basic) (Right arm) Point
BA Stealth (Basic) (Right arm) Point
BA Stealth (Basic) (Left arm) Point
