Any ideas for Protomech Artillery?

[AngryButler with a KNIFE!]

Was bouncing ideas with a friend and they mentioned BA Artillery, and why not enlarge it slightly into Proto-Artillery. Same damage and maybe an extra mapsheet of range, that or same range, but slightly boosted AOE or slightly boosted damage - aka, two versions, one or the other, not both.

Alternatively, Proto-Mortars, which could get quite interesting, if done with the same range reduction idea as what was done with Proto ACs.

[AlphaMirage]

I feel like the clan Mech-Mortar would fit the role for the most part. It wouldn't be great necessarily but then again neither is the BA Tube Artillery. As long as you can still add ammo per shot it'd be a nasty Anti-Infantry and indirect fire option.

[Charistoph]

Part of the problem is getting Protomech pilots to willingly use them.

Sure, some have TAG, but for the most part, the Clan culture discourages Trueborns from not facing their enemy.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Since they are able to be participate in zellbrigen it is reasonable to think that they are not so eager to use the artillery.

That said there are even the artillery omnimech in clans, so an artillery protomech isn't something gone too far either.

Although protomech CAN use handheld weapons but it's even worse than mech, for a 10% of them is 1.5 tons at most and they are not allowed to use TSM either.

Even for a 15 tons ultraheavy protomech it is barely able to add a clans gauss rifle(12 tons) at its stock body with MP of 1/2 without any armor and no ammunition for the gauss rifle too, so standard artillery isn't their option at all - even the lightest standard artillery, clans Arrow IV, requires 12 tons for the launcher without an ammunition. So BA tube artillery seems to be the only option to begin with.

BA weapons requires about 50~80% of weight than its battlemech counterparts and I remember that protomech equipments uses the same weight with battlemech/CV, so is it good for 1 ton, a double of 500kg for protomech? It would be feasible to only limit it to put as the main gun. Perhaps having up to 2 or 3 as one main gun would be not so bad either, maybe +1 per each 5 tons group, such as 5~9 can have up to 2, and 10+(ultraheavy) can have up to 3 on its main gun, each considered as a single item like as missiles.

For the artillery attacks, it would be not so bad to allowing the point of protomechs to be shoot as the single artillery if they are close enough(perhaps within 3~5 hex of each others?) but is the maximum damage of 45 quite powerful even consider the 5 points cluster damage spread? Maybe can merge the shots up to six tube worth of attacks, as BA can does with theirs, would be good too if the spike damage seems to be too high.

And per TO, remember that the counterbattery fire aims an artillery and if so it attacks the hex the said target occupies, so if two protomechs are shooting while one the same hex the opponent notes that there are two artilleries on the same hex when making counterbattery attack.

So what do you think about this idea for the houserule for allowing BA tube artillery for protomech?

[Cannonshop]

hmmm...

there's a mass limit on Protos that's pretty tight, and their gear is all in Kilos because full tonnage doesn't work.

hmmm.

Okay, first we'll go with the range and damage curve, then we can figure out the mass.

We'll start with salvaging something from the dark days of the past: the original stats for a Thumper round, which was 5 points at center, and 2 points to each adjoining hex.

Yeah, that was what a Thumper did in BMR play.

For the guided version (using TAG) 7 points, scattered in one five point and one two point.

Range? hmmm..

give it the same range bands as Battlearmor Arty.

It should be HEAVY, like "Protomech Autocannon" heavy...and bulky.

[Charistoph]

That said there are even the artillery omnimech in clans, so an artillery protomech isn't something gone too far either.

I always saw that as used by Freeborns.  Not a common case for Protomech pilots.

So what do you think about this idea for the houserule for allowing BA tube artillery for protomech?

It would either be that, or an upgraded version of it, if the Scientists felt the need to design something like that.  Much like Protomech ACs, it could also be used in Combat Vehicles, too, so it wouldn't be a total waste.  So maybe somewhere between a BA Artillery, Mech Mortar, and Artillery Cannon in stats and practice.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

I... just don't think that protomech pilots are considered anything better or even similar to the freebirth mechwarrior in clans, but is it just my ignorance or bias? Consider their social class, a regular mechwarrior seems to be superior to a washout pilots who get the chance of repechage, whatever the warrior is trueborn or freeborn.

[Charistoph]

I... just don't think that protomech pilots are considered anything better or even similar to the freebirth mechwarrior in clans, but is it just my ignorance or bias? Consider their social class, a regular mechwarrior seems to be superior to a washout pilots who get the chance of repechage, whatever the warrior is trueborn or freeborn.

For the first generation of Protomechs, agreed.  That's why the Protomech AC didn't exist.

But by the end of the Wars of Reaving, you're already at 2 generations of Pilots, easy.  By the time of the ilClan, we're at 20 generations, and I'd be surprised if Hell's Horses, Raven, and the Homeworlds haven't already set aside sibkos specifically as Protomech sibkos.

While they may not be "Mechwarrior" elite, they might be looked at the same level as an Elemental.

And going back to the Hell's Horses, they're the ones that put first-time failures in to tanks and use them offensively.  If anyone was going to develop Protomech Artillery, it would be the Horses, and they would also be quickly used on Combat Vehicles just like the ACs are.

[Daryk]

AOE weapons are how you erase all smaller forms of life on the battlefield.  Mount 'em on hovers or VTOLs and wipe the floor with your opponent's BA, protos, infantry, light fast movers, etc.

[DevianID]

The BA artillery is pretty great, so a protomech version would be sweet.  It would probably be 6 or 6.5 tons, aka the next weight up from the PAC series.  Kinda like how the AC series goes 6t/8t/12t/14t, and the first artillery is 15t, I can see the protomech artillery being slightly heavier then the PAC8, with more range then the battle armor version.  A P artillery at 6.5 tons would also slot in well with the 15 ton thumper, the P artillery being 40% the damage of the classic thumper.  Anything smaller then this fits into the mech mortar territory, as mentioned by others.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

For the first generation of Protomechs, agreed.  That's why the Protomech AC didn't exist.

But by the end of the Wars of Reaving, you're already at 2 generations of Pilots, easy.  By the time of the ilClan, we're at 20 generations, and I'd be surprised if Hell's Horses, Raven, and the Homeworlds haven't already set aside sibkos specifically as Protomech sibkos.

While they may not be "Mechwarrior" elite, they might be looked at the same level as an Elemental.

And going back to the Hell's Horses, they're the ones that put first-time failures in to tanks and use them offensively.  If anyone was going to develop Protomech Artillery, it would be the Horses, and they would also be quickly used on Combat Vehicles just like the ACs are.

Oh, that makes sense. The washout that got the second chance and the standard pilot that is dedicated to a branch are not the same thing.