Cataphract CTF-34LLLL Cavalry Cataphract Jihad/ Early Republic Era

[Isokrates]

Code: [Select]

Cataphract CTF-34LLLL

Mass: 70 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Clan Invasion
Tech Rating/Era Availability: E/X-X-F-A
Production Year: 3076
Cost: 16.823.767 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1.911

Chassis: Earthwerks CTF II Endo-Steel
Power Plant: Magna 350 Fusion XL Engine
Walking Speed: 54,0 km/h
Maximum Speed: 86,4 km/h
Jump Jets: None
    Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Hellespont Lite Light Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
    1 Magna StarFlare  Heavy PPC
    1 Mydron Devastator  LB 20-X AC
    1 Ceres Arms  ER Medium Laser
    3 Ceres Arms  Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Ceres Metals
    Primary Factory: Grand Base
Communications System: CommuTech Multi-Channel 10
Targeting and Tracking System: BlazeFire Sightlock

================================================================================
Equipment           Type                         Rating                   Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Endo-Steel                   107 points                3,50
    Internal Locations: 3 LT, 4 LA, 3 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL
Engine:             XL Fusion Engine             350                      15,00
    Walking MP: 5
    Running MP: 8
    Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks:         Double Heat Sink             12(24)                    2,00
Gyro:               Standard                                               4,00
Cockpit:            Standard                                               3,00
    Actuators:      L: SH+UA+LA    R: SH+UA
Armor:              Light Ferro-Fibrous          AV - 176                 10,50
    Armor Locations: 1 LT, 4 LA, 2 RA
    CASE II Locations: 1 LT                                                1,00

                                                      Internal       Armor     
                                                      Structure      Factor     
                                                Head     3            9         
                                        Center Torso     22           26       
                                 Center Torso (rear)                  9         
                                           L/R Torso     15           16       
                                    L/R Torso (rear)                  9         
                                             L/R Arm     11           22       
                                             L/R Leg     15           19       

================================================================================
Equipment                                 Location    Heat    Critical    Mass 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heavy PPC                                    RA        15        4        10,00
ER Medium Laser                              RA        5         1         1,00
Medium Laser                                 LA        3         1         1,00
Medium Laser                                 LT        3         1         1,00
LB 20-X AC                                   CT/RT     6         2/9      14,00
Medium Laser                                 HD        3         1         1,00
@LB 20-X (Slug) (5)                          LT        -         1         1,00
@LB 20-X (Cluster) (10)                      LT        -         2         2,00
                                            Free Critical Slots: 0

BattleForce Statistics
MV      S (+0)  M (+2)  L (+4)  E (+6)   Wt.   Ov   Armor:      6    Points: 19
5          4       4       2       0      3     1   Structure:  3
Special Abilities: CASEII, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA, FLK 1/1/0



[Col Toda]

This seems to try to do too much . Too little armor and the critical placement of part of a major weapon in the center torso not advisable. I would replace the LB 20 X  with  double light AC/5 with precision ammo instead on the opposite arm from the heavy ppc and move the medium lasers in the Center Torso . That would let you the extra armor.

[Isokrates]

This seems to try to do too much . Too little armor and the critical placement of part of a major weapon in the center torso not advisable. I would replace the LB 20 X  with  double light AC/5 with precision ammo instead on the opposite arm from the heavy ppc and move the medium lasers in the Center Torso . That would let you the extra armor.

It is a modernisation of the classic CTF-3L
Hence that amound of armor and weapon placement. All I did was drop the MASC, upgrade the LB10X to t LB20X, the ER-PPC to an HPPC and change the pulse lasers to the above issued laser mix,all forward facing. The engine was upgraded form a 280 XLE to a 350 XLE.

It is an upgrade.

[Col Toda]

If you keep the LB10X it's range brackets marry better with the heavy PPC . Since this is a heavy Calvary unit it might be good to mention it to the what mech a bounty hunter would use post in general discussion.

[Natasha Kerensky]

I like the HPPC/LB 20-X combo.  The HPPC/LB 10-X pairing is effective but overdone.

But her armor is underwhelming, especially with the XLE vulnerability and especially given that her weaponry and speed clearly place her in the brawler category.  A few ways to up-armor:

1) She's still carrying the Cat's original four medium lasers.  But her LB 20-X does a more than adequate job covering her short/minimum ranges.  Maybe drop two lasers like the canon -4L and -5D variants did for 2 more tons of armor.

2) She could rejigger her crit slot allotment so that the LB 20-X occupies the RT/RA instead of the RT/CT.  With the two slots freed up by the removing the two medium lasers above, she could save another 2 tons for armor by switching to an XL gyro.  It reduces internal survivability, but I think it's worth it in this case for the armor.

3) If that doesn't max the armor, she's spending a ton on CASE II.  My 2-bit rule-of-thumb is that armor should be maxed or close to it before spending tonnage on internal survivability improvements.  Maybe drop back to standard CASE and add the 0.5 ton to armor.

Hope this helps.

[Col Toda]

I disagree losing the medium lasers for armor is a poor trade . Going to the LB 10 X and losing a ton of ammo would get 3 of the 4 tons of armor this mech is missing and improve the heat balance . My original suggestion recouped all 4 missing tons but lost some of the aesthetic of the original version . The only thing that would prevent me from fielding this design  is the light ferro fibrous armor . Very few employers and militias carry it . Heavy Ferro Fibrous on the other hand by the Republic Age becomes popular with combat vehicles . So if you replaced the endosteel with composite internal structure you get enough space for it . I think it would add about 16 points of armor

[Natasha Kerensky]

I disagree losing the medium lasers for armor is a poor trade . Going to the LB 10 X and losing a ton of ammo would get 3 of the 4 tons of armor this mech is missing and improve the heat balance.

LB 10-X is the more conventional way to go, but folks have been putting HPPC/LB 10-X pairings on Cataphracts for years.  Even Isokrates did one a half-decade ago:

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=19625.msg441945#msg441945

If he's gonna keep his LB 20-X on this design, he's gotta go a different way to up his armor.  Losing a couple medium lasers makes sense given how that beatstick covers their range and given the precedent set by a couple canon variants.

It's not necessarily the best way to go generally, but it may be the best given what he's going for.

My 2 C-bills... YMMV.

[Col Toda]

The previous version with the LB 10-X with the max armor seems a nicer design . A Dark Age version could be done by exchanging the Heavy PPC for a Clan spec ER PPC which would also save 4 tons that could go to armor.

[Sabelkatten]

Heh. I tried removing one DHS and the CASEII for armor. BV went up 37 points. :D

[Isokrates]

If you keep the LB10X it's range brackets marry better with the heavy PPC . Since this is a heavy Calvary unit it might be good to mention it to the what mech a bounty hunter would use post in general discussion.

Tempest, Patriot both use a mismatched main weapons bracket and it works because they are optimised for up close accurate fire.

LB 10-X is the more conventional way to go, but folks have been putting HPPC/LB 10-X pairings on Cataphracts for years.  Even Isokrates did one a half-decade ago:

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=19625.msg441945#msg441945

If he's gonna keep his LB 20-X on this design, he's gotta go a different way to up his armor.  Losing a couple medium lasers makes sense given how that beatstick covers their range and given the precedent set by a couple canon variants.

It's not necessarily the best way to go generally, but it may be the best given what he's going for.

My 2 C-bills... YMMV.

Wow!  :o
You honor me by remembering my older designs.

Now if you do that you get pretty much  my 5 ton heavier cavalry Patriot and I didn´t want something like that, since I already had come up with that upgrade a while back

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=54521.msg1256089#msg1256089

I did make also a cavalry Ceasar back then since it is a comparable design you might want to check it out.
http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=3173.msg72492#msg72492