Named for a breed of domestic cat popular among the nobility of Tamarind-Abbey, the House Panther is a specialized suit of battle armor intended primarily for ambush operations in urban combat. Combining the stealth capabilities of its advanced armor with its remarkable agility allows the House Panther to wait for an opportune moment, then quickly dart from cover, deliver its attack, then dart back under cover before most opponents can readily respond. These ambush tactics proved their value on several occassions during the Lyran and Wolf invasions of the Free Worlds League territories, however they also revealed one major weakness in the design. The armor is relatively thin, and has proven too weak to withstand the medium class lasers general used by clan forces. As recently as a few decades ago, this would not be a significant problem for League forces, however the spread of Clan weaponry has made it a critical weakness that tends to affect how the House Panther is deployed, with many suits held back to serve exclusively as scouts when facing foes using Clan technology.
Two major variants of the House Panther exist, both of which remove one of the machine guns. The SG version trades the gun for an improved electronic countermeasure system. In theory intended to aid in concealing the suit prior to an ambush, the electronic noise it generates actually tends to draw more attention than the passive systems of the standard House Panther, and as a result it tends to see more use as a disruptive element. The BU variant, on the other hand, attempts to tackle the survivability problem by adding over a hundred kilos of additional armor, while also finding space to add an extended power supply. Most pilots regret the loss of firepower, however commanders and experienced veterans tend to remark the loss is worth it if it means more House Panthers will be able to return home after an engagement.
Author note: It's a quad, if you haven't figured that out.
House Panther Ambush Armor
Base Tech Level: Experimental (IS)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental -
Advanced -
Standard 3145+
Tech Rating: E/X-X-F-E
BV: 191
Cost: 1,620,000 C-bills
Movement: 6/6/1
Internal: 4
Armor: 24 BA Stealth (Improved)
Internal Armor
------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 6
Trooper 2 1 6
Trooper 3 1 6
Trooper 4 1 6
Weapons Loc Heat
------------------------------------------
Machine Gun (Medium) (Body) Squad 0
Machine Gun (Medium) (Body) Squad 0
Equipment Loc
---------------------------------------
Mechanical Jump Booster (Body) Squad
House Panther Ambush Armor (SG)
Base Tech Level: Experimental (IS)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental -
Advanced -
Standard 3145+
Tech Rating: E/X-X-F-E
BV: 171
Cost: 1,800,000 C-bills
Movement: 6/6/1
Internal: 4
Armor: 24 BA Stealth (Improved)
Internal Armor
------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 6
Trooper 2 1 6
Trooper 3 1 6
Trooper 4 1 6
Weapons Loc Heat
------------------------------------------
Machine Gun (Medium) (Body) Squad 0
Equipment Loc
---------------------------------------
Mechanical Jump Booster (Body) Squad
Single-Hex ECM (Body) Squad
House Panther Ambush Armor (BU)
Base Tech Level: Experimental (IS)
Level Era
-------------------
Experimental -
Advanced -
Standard 3145+
Tech Rating: E/X-X-F-E
BV: 204
Cost: 1,764,000 C-bills
Movement: 6/6/1
Internal: 4
Armor: 32 BA Stealth (Improved)
Internal Armor
------------------------------
Trooper 1 1 8
Trooper 2 1 8
Trooper 3 1 8
Trooper 4 1 8
Weapons Loc Heat
------------------------------------------
Machine Gun (Medium) (Body) Squad 0
Equipment Loc
---------------------------------------
Mechanical Jump Booster (Body) Squad
Power Pack (Body) Squad
