Just what it says on the tin.
While tooling around with a merc commander's custom Atlas, I noticed that with a small bit of tweaking I could easily fit in an artillery cannon...and trade some PPCs for a binary laser as well. The firepower's not a page on some of what you can do with a 100-ton 'mech in 3025, but I'm not dissatisfied with the result, either. Just bring buddies with a long arm while it's waddling into range. Tell me what you think:
Atlas Custom ('Pluto II')
Mass: 100 tons
Tech Base: Inner Sphere
Chassis Config: Biped
Rules Level: Experimental Tech
Era: Succession Wars
Tech Rating/Era Availability: D/X-F-E-D
Production Year: 3025
Dry Cost: 9,486,000 C-Bills
Total Cost: 9,543,000 C-Bills
Battle Value: 1,627
Chassis: Foundation Type 10X Standard
Power Plant: Vlar 300 Fusion Engine
Walking Speed: 32.4 km/h
Maximum Speed: 54.0 km/h
Jump Jets: None
Jump Capacity: 0 meters
Armor: Durallex Heavy Special Standard Armor
Armament:
1 Custom Binary Laser Cannon
1 Custom Sniper Art. Cannon
1 Thunderstroke SRM-6
2 Hellion-V Medium Lasers
Manufacturer: Defiance Industries
Primary Factory: Hesperus II
Communications System: Army Comm. Class 5
Targeting and Tracking System: Army Corporation Type 29K
Overview:
In an era where one BattleMech is more than many MechWarriors can lay claim
to, mercenary commander Captain Ludwig Prinz has two. And two Atlases, at
that. The Pluto II is a heavily-customed salvage prize, hosting some
specialized equipment acquired from Lyran benefactors for field testing in
special roles.
Capabilities:
The Pluto II is a rather different machine than the standard Atlas,
sacrificing a great deal of its conventional frontal assault ability to mount
the tools necessary to make its siege support role practical. The Atlas's
traditional class-20 autocannon has been deleted in exchange for a cut-down
sniper artillery piece. This "sniper cannon" is being evaluated for broader
adatation in the Lyran armed forces, though at present deployed examples are
custom-built. With half the firepower of an autocannon, it does have unique
benefits of its own in demolishing bunkers and buildings, and boasts superior
effective range to the previous weapon mount. Captain Prinz has found it quite
effective as well at catching fast-moving hovertanks or lighter mechs, against
whom its high explosive ammunition requires less precision to be effective.
Unwilling to rely on the sniper cannon as the Pluto II's sole hard-hitting
weapon, Captain Prinz inquired as to the existence of any other unusual
technology his benefactors may want field-tested, and was furnished with a
binary laser cannon. Prinz was well-used to trading his Atlas's long range
missiles for direct fire energy weapons, and had his techs perform the exchange
immediately. The Pluto II's binary laser cannon is piggishly hot-running and
has inferior range to a PPC, though the increased firepower and lack of a
minimum range gives the Pluto II a deadly close-range main gun.
Pluto II retains 2 of its 4 medium lasers - the front-facing ones - as well
as its SRM rack. Like Prinz's more-frequently-seen 'Pluto,' the Pluto II has
"only" 17 tons of armor to protect it, more than enough to endure an absolutely
punishing barrage of fire. This was deemed necesaary in order to allow the
'mech to fire both of its primary weapons at medium ranges without inflicting
severe overheating on the chassis. With its relatively short reach, Pluto II
requires on its lancemates for fire support, no problem for Captain Prinz's
adept and professional subordinates.
Notable 'Mechs & MechWarriors:
Captain Ludwig Prinz
The owner of the Pluto II, Ludwig Prinz is the commander and CEO of the War
Pigs, a company-sized assault-weight mercenary company well-reputed for its
sterling professionalism, both in fulfilling the terms of their contract and
not bringing messy 'personal ethics' into what that contract might demand. A
Lyran by birth, Prinz was a natural choice to test one of Defiance Industries'
experimental toys.
================================================================================
Equipment Type Rating Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Structure: Standard 152 points 10.00
Engine: Fusion Engine 300 19.00
Walking MP: 3
Running MP: 5
Jumping MP: 0
Heat Sinks: Single Heat Sink 26 16.00
Heat Sink Locations: 1 HD, 2 CT, 5 LT, 1 LA, 1 RA, 2 LL, 2 RL
Gyro: Standard 3.00
Cockpit: Standard 3.00
Actuators: L: SH+UA+LA+H R: SH+UA+LA+H
Armor: Standard Armor AV - 272 17.00
Internal Armor
Structure Factor
Head 3 9
Center Torso 31 41
Center Torso (rear) 10
L/R Torso 21 32
L/R Torso (rear) 10
L/R Arm 17 30
L/R Leg 21 34
================================================================================
Equipment Location Heat Critical Mass
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medium Laser RA 3 1 1.00
Medium Laser LA 3 1 1.00
Sniper Art. Cannon RT 10 10 15.00
SRM-6 LT 4 2 3.00
Binary Laser Cannon LT 16 4 9.00
@Sniper Cannon (20) RT - 2 2.00
@SRM-6 (15) LT - 1 1.00
Free Critical Slots: 12
BattleForce Statistics
MV S (+0) M (+2) L (+4) E (+6) Wt. Ov Armor: 9 Points: 16
3 3 4 0 0 4 0 Structure: 8
Special Abilities: ARTSC, SRCH, ES, SEAL, SOA
