From TRO: 3060
Originally written and posted by wantec on 15/08/2009.Greek Fire: This 'Mech is one that has not only received a new variant since it its original article was written, but also a redesign of the whole chassis that lead to the Pack Hunter II. I'll be putting any text added by me in italics to keep it separate from what wantec originally wrote.~ ~ ~
Today's 'Mech of the Week is one that many people probably have heard of, but I think many people haven't used or faced in combat. Today's 'Mech is the Pack Hunter.
The Pack Hunter has the honor of being the first 'Mech produced by Clan Wolf-in-Exile after the Refusal War and their move to Arc Royal. Many of the Clan's warriors wanted a new heavy OmniMech, but noting their supply of well maintained Omnis, Khan Kell insisted on producing a second-line machine that would be of immediate use filling defensive gaps in their touman and one that would be simple and durable. This had the added benefit of allowing the Clan scientists and techs a chance to work all the bugs out of their new production facilities without the risk of producing a sub-standard Omni design (a move Vlad Ward would repeat years later with the Sun Cobra).
Unfortunately, due to the weight of the standard engine, there was little weight left for armor and weapons. Only 4 tons of standard armor cover the Pack Hunter, that's only 61% of the max it can carry. What little armor there is doesn't pass the smart armor test either. The head only has 7 points of armor, meaning a hit from a 10-point eapon will take the head off. The side torsos and arms only carry 6 points of armor, meaning a hit from any Clan medium-class laser will go internal. The legs have 8 points of armor which seems good at first, until you realize there's only 7 points of internal structure, meaning a hit from a Gauss Rifle or a Clan ER PPC will take a leg clean off.
The good side of the light armor, means that there were 6 tons remaining for weapons. And thankfully the Clan Wolf-in-Exile scientists didn't disappoint, giving us a Clan ER PPC. One of the most feared weapons in the Clan's arsenal, this turns the Pack Hunter from an annoying 'Mech with 6 tons of weapons into a deadly sniper that can take the head off of any 'Mech with one shot. At the same time, this power bumps the Pack Hunter up the priority list of targets, so it's kind of a win-lose. The other draw-back to the weapon is that the 'Mech only carries 10 double heat sinks, meaning it can't use it's full jump and fire the ER PPC every turn without over heating. The heat problems aren't as bad as the Panther -10K, but it's still annoying.
Overall I think this is a good harasser/sniper/fire-support 'Mech. The Clan ER PPC gives it the ability to turn a battle in one shot, but it is so fragile it starts to come apart as soon as it gets hit. I understand that TPTB try to keep the vast majority of 'Mechs flawed or imperfect in some way, but with so many ways to cripple or kill the Pack Hunter in one shot it seems almost over-balanced.
My rating: 5/10, I really like the look, the fluff, and the idea of the Pack Hunter, but I just have a hard time getting over the armor and heat sink issues.
How I would improve it:
One method I would use to improve it was actually used in a novel, and I'll discuss that option below. The other thing I would do is the obvious engine swap, to get an XL engine. That frees up 4.5 tons, which I would use to get one more double heat sink (allowing it to jump full and fire the ER PPC every turn for +/- 0 heat), add an ECM suite to give it that fluff extra electronic camo, and add 2.5 tons of armor to bring it up to 99% of max.
How I would use it:
Yep, I'm adding a new section to my MotW articles, a little bit of strategy based on my own experiences. It may not always be the typical or best advice (I don't have as much game time under my belt as I'd like), but it will be the best I can think of, and sometimes it will be a little different.
Ok, for the Pack Hunter, in a one-on-one battle, or operating by itself I would do my best to keep it at medium or long range for my opponent's big guns. A Pack Hunter pilot, even though he's an honor and glory-seeking clanner, is most concerned with keeping enemy fire off of his machine while still being able to take a shot at the enemy. The armor is so light that it only takes one or two hits in a location to start going internal, so the main goal should be to keep those modifiers as high as possible. Since the Pack Hunter doesn't carry any weapons in its arms, it might be appealing to try and get in close for a back shot and dual punches, but I think that gives your opponent too many chances to get an easier shot on you.
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Variants
The first variant comes from the novel Path of Glory. It was assigned to MechWarrior Zane of Clan Nova Cat. After using it some and checking over the stats, he directed his 'Mech's head technician to replace the armor with Ferro-Fibrous. This change increases the armor coverage from 61% to 72%. Not only does it increase the total coverage, it is very easy to pass the smart armor placement test. Using standard armor coverage percentages you get 9 head, 10 CT, 3 CTR, 9 LT/RT, 3L LTR/RTR, 9 LL/RL, 6 LA/RA. By shifting one point of armor from each rear side torso to the front side torso, you get 10 points on each front torso location. If one point of armor is removed from the head and CT rear, you can add that to each leg, to give them 10 points as well. And while the arms only have 6 points of armor, they have 5 points of IS, meaning it now takes 11 points to take off an arm. Overall, it's small changes, but a big improvement.
My rating: 6/10, the extra points of armor makes a nice improvement, and since the variant only appeared in the novel, not on a record sheet, we can adjust the armor points to pass the smart armor placement test.
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The Pack Hunter 2 variant comes to us from Record Sheets: Dark Age. As you might guess, it is based on a variant seen in the future of BattleTech. This version goes hog-wild on the advanced tech, using Endo Steel, Ferro-Fibrous, and an XL engine. The speed and jump jets are kept the same, and this one adds a double heat sink to bring the total to 11. The ER PPC remains the same, but 8 ER Micro Lasers were added. We don't have any firm information on when this variant first appeared, but the fluff from one of the Dark Age 'Mechs of this variant says the 'Mech walked off the assembly line in 3065. Now the 'Mech was nearly destroyed in the jihad and was rebuilt, so this variant could be a later rebuild.
My rating: 7/10, The extra armor and heat sink are great, but those ER Micro Lasers seem like such a waste of the tonnage. At the very least I would have rather seen Micro Pulse Lasers for their ability to tear through any infantry formations that the Pack Hunter might come across.
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Last is the Pack Hunter 3 variant which also comes from RS:DA. It uses the Pack Hunter 2 as a starting point, but it drops half the ER Micro Lasers to add MASC. This gives it the potential speed of 8/14/7, but I can't see many times when the MASC would be needed.
My rating: 7/10, It gets the same rating as the Pack Hunter 2 since in my mind it's essentially the same 'Mech.
GreekFire: both the Pack Hunter 2 and 3 can now be found in Record Sheets: 3060u, although both models appear to be unchanged from how they first appeared. The introduction date of the Pack Hunter 2 is now supported by the MUL, with the Pack Hunter 3 having entered production in 3068. Finally, the Pack Hunter 3 will be able to reach a 14 running speed in bursts like wantec said, although walking speed will always remain 7.~ ~ ~
Greek Fire: The Pack Hunter 4, first entering production in 3070, is rather different from all previous models. Although once again no expense was spared, the engine was downgraded to a 180-rated XL and Improved Jump Jets were given, changing the movement profile to 6/9/9. A bit of armor was shaved from the 2 and 3, but all of it was taken from its largely unimportant rear torso and arm locations; in fact, the Pack Hunter 4 even has one more point of armor on its front center torso! The classic ERPPC was changed over to an ER Large Laser linked to a targeting computer. ECM rounds out the 'Mech, making it a potent c3i disruptor ideal for the Jihad it fought in.
GreekFire's Rating: 9/10, it's a great sniper that uses IJJs in an intelligent manner. It can't normally overheat, it's more accurate, and it remains sturdy enough. The only thing I'm not sold on is the use of ECM on the chassis; the ER Large Laser promoted sniping, the ECM does not. Even so, a very solid 'Mech.From TRO: 3085
The Pack Hunter II doesn't distinguish itself enough to warrant a separate article. It remains at 30-tons, and keeps the XL Engine, Endo-Steel and Ferro-Fibrous armor of the Pack Hunter variants. The standard model entered production in 3077, a result of many failed Wolf-in-Exile ambitions. The Pack Hunter II was supposed to be an OmniMech, and supposed to use Modular Armor, Endo-Composite and/or AES. Ultimately, a rather vanilla model came out, retaining the old 7/11/7 movement profile and ERPPC. Some of the Ferro-Fibrous armor was shaved off compared to the Pack Hunter 2 or 3 to mount two ER Medium Lasers and two B-Pods.
GreekFire's Rating: 6/10, I don't consider it much of an improvement compared to the earlier variants. Even with the additional armor it can *still* be headcapped by a 10-point hit, and I don't see the ER Mediums or the B-Pods getting much use.~ ~ ~
The Pack Hunter II 2 is a result of insurgency terrorism on Arc-Royal. Temporarily unable to supply the ClanTech XL Engine, it was replaced by a Lyran-supplied Light model. This ate up some of the weight savings, forcing a removal of the ER Mediums and a downgrade of the B-Pods to A-Pods. A touch more armor was added compared to the Pack Hunter II.
GreekFire's Rating: 7/10, the A-Pods remain dead weight, but it can now survive a 10-point hit to the head and take a gauss slug to the center torso. This makes it better than the Pack Hunter II in my eyes.~ ~ ~
The Pack Hunter 3, a later redesign emerging in 3082, takes things to an extreme. Improved Jump Jets are used once again, this time bringing the 'Mech up to 7/11/10. This eats up a huge chunk of weight, meaning all secondary systems besides the ERPPC are dropped, an XL Gyro is used and armor is at almost the same level as the old original Pack Hunter.
GreekFire's Rating: 8/10, although it is quite fragile, a 10-point hit will not headcap it and an ER Medium will not go internal on the side torsos (unlike the Pack Hunter). It can reach a +5 TMM, and will not normally overheat.~ ~ ~
The Pack Hunter 4 is a rather funny one, inspired by certain Dark Age tales of 'Mechs doing handstands and cartwheels. It's more of the same; ERPPC, moves 7/11/7, same armor as the Pack Hunter II...but it has no secondary weapons, and instead puts AES in all of the limbs. What.
GreekFire's Rating: 6/10, uhhh...it can punch better, kick better, and DFA better. Still overheats, and is still easily headcapped. Fun little machine for brawlers, but it's certainly an oddity.
The Pack Hunter can be found on the MUL here: http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/2392/pack-hunter-standard
The Pack Hunter II, over here: http://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/2396/pack-hunter-ii-standard
CamoSpecs only has one Pack Hunter here: http://camospecs.com/MiniList.asp?Action=Detail&ID=67
But more Pack Hunter IIs here: http://camospecs.com/MiniList.asp?Action=Detail&ID=1568
