A few non-canon cannons

[Urban Kufahl]

For the Clan Auto canon

Code: [Select]

Type: Advanced Tactical Automatic Cannon
Tech Base: Clan
Available: 3081 CCY

ATAC-5 ATAC-10 ATAC-20

Heat: 1 3 7
Damage (UAC): 5 10 20
Damage (UBX): 3 7 15
Range: 0/7/14/21(-) 0/6/12/18(-) 0/4/8/12(-)
Tons: 8 12 15
Crits: 5 7 10
Ammo/ton: 20 10 5
Cost (unl): 275,000 425,000 625,000
Ammo (UAC): 10,000 15,000 22,500
Ammo (UBX): 16,000 22,500 37,500
BV: to do to do to do
Ammo BV: to do to do to do

Other: May fire twice per turn with both ammo.
Jamming on a 3 or less
Unjamming possible with the UAC ammo
Gun disabled if jam with UBX ammo (like the previous UAC guns)


[Fear Factory]

I always thought a good post-jihad lineup of weapons for the Clans would involve Streak LRMs/SRMs, Heavy Lasers, ER PPC's, Machine Gun Arrays, Flamers plus some kind of variable Autocannon.

[Garydee]

What programs are most of you using for your custom weapons?

[Suralin]

Mostly I'm balancing mine in my head, using values from Sarna or the back of TW/Tacops for comparison. (I do occasionally make up a BV or two.) Then I'll probably edit the weapons 3 or 4 times before I'm satisfied with them, not counting edits to the fluff.

Once that's done, I put the weapons into SSW, HMP, and HMV. In the case of HMP the new weapons are in their own file, since the program's max limit of custom equipment is pretty low compared to all the stuff we have post-Jihad.


I like those ATACs, by the way. A useful cross between LBX's and Ultra's. :)

[serack]

 :( no HMareo :)

[Garydee]

Another no-brainer for the Clans would be Light Ferro-Fibrous. It would take up 4 slots(like endo-composite) and would have an armor multiplier of 1.10(half of regular Ferro-Fibrous). I can't think of what to do with clan Heavy Ferro-Fibrous armor. I don't think it would be good for the game because it would have to give a 1.3 or 1.4 multiplier for only 4 or 7 additional crit slots. I think it would get a little too cheesy for my liking.  :D

[Sabelkatten]

11 slots, x1.4 points would be logical for clan HFF. As for how good it would be...  On a mech it's good (save up to about 5 tons, same as ES), on a tank it's very good (save about 6 tons at most) and on a fighter it's extremely good (save 10 tons or so on a 100-tonner).

Fighters are what makes it problematic, on mechs and tanks you're usually still better off using FL.

[Lazarus Jaguar]

ok, here's one I was tinkering with.  sorry, but don't have HM or any other program, so I typed it out on a word processor

Light Blazer:

Heat:5; Damage:10; Ranges: min-0, sht-3, med-6, lng-9; WT:2 tons; Mech Space: 1

A recent project by Magna Metals on Regulus for the Principality's military, the light Blazer is an attempt to match the performance somewhat of Clan Heavy Laser technology.  Working off the same concept as the Blazer, this weapon combines and links the mechanisms of two medium lasers into a more powerful weapon.  Results have thus far been promising, to the point Magna has begun looking into microsizing the weapon for battlearmor use. 


also in development by me:

Davion Micro-AutoCannons (for battlearmor)
ER Magshot Rifle
Magshot IIC
and other toys for Battlearmor.

[CloaknDagger]

EDIT: Nvm, new thread.

[Suralin]

Light Blazer:

Heat:5; Damage:10; Ranges: min-0, sht-3, med-6, lng-9; WT:2 tons; Mech Space: 1

A recent project by Magna Metals on Regulus for the Principality's military, the light Blazer is an attempt to match the performance somewhat of Clan Heavy Laser technology.  Working off the same concept as the Blazer, this weapon combines and links the mechanisms of two medium lasers into a more powerful weapon.  Results have thus far been promising, to the point Magna has begun looking into microsizing the weapon for battlearmor use.

That looks promising! But I think it needs a bit more heat buildup (6 or 7?) and slightly less damage (9 maybe), to be in line with the normal Binary Laser (same heat as 2 LL, less damage). We don't want to shelf the AC-10 or Large Laser. Also it should be 2 slots, since it is 2 Medium Lasers stapled together, after all.

Mind if I use it/add it to my SSW/HMP?

Oh, and I like the idea of Davion Micro-ACs. :D

[Urban Kufahl]

Micro AC = Heavy machine gun ?  O:-)

For the missiles :

Universal Auto loader (based on the old school Atlas lrm-20)

- allow to feed launcher of different size with a common ammo bin (based on the smallest launcher).
ex : 1 LRM 5 and 1 LRM 15 to feed, strip 4 loads from the common "LRM-5" bin
The system jam on a 2 if he need to feed 3 launchers (even the same type), on a 3 for 4 launchers, etc...

Advanced Tactical Loader (for iATM 6/9/12).
- load a custom salvo into the launcher.
- the system only allow ammo with the same range profile (STD/IMP or HE/Inferno)
ex : iATM-9 with a mix of 6 HE and 3 infernos

[Lazarus Jaguar]

Micro AC = Heavy machine gun ?  O:-)

Kinda sorta.  More like Davion tries to copy the Bearhunter and winds up improving it,and making multiple calibres.  I'm stuck on balancing the weights though.

Also in the works:  Advanced Triple Strength Myomer, and Enhanced Myomer Augmentation.

[Suralin]

So, I'm thinking µAC/1, µAC/2, and µAC/3. Heavy by BA standards (especially the µAC/3), but with decent range, giving BAs a usable standoff weapon besides LRMs and the ER Medium. However I'm very inexperienced with making Battle Armor-scale weaponry myself.

Lazarus, what sort of stats are you mulling over for your guns? And also, what would aTSM and Enhanced Myomer Augmentation do? (curious)

[Suralin]

Time for a mess of new technology!

Support PPC ('Mech-Mounted)

Code: [Select]

Type: Energy
Tech Base: Inner Sphere (IS)
Available: 3093 CC/DC

Heat: 2
Damage: 2
Range: 2/5/10/15(20)
Other: Is too small to be combined with a Capacitor.
Tons: 1
Crits: 1
Proto Space: 1
Cost: 45,000
BV: 24
Desc:
   Liao and Kurita scientists both independently hit upon the idea of mounting the infantry-scaled Support PPC on larger units, like BattleMechs; the former as part of their search for usable ProtoMech weaponry, and the latter because they find PPCs so useful in general. Mating the weapon with the far larger capacity for power generation afforded by vehicles and 'Mechs allows it to fire indefinitely, without the need for power packs. This, along with the sturdier mounting point, also allows for a significant increase of the gun's effective range.

Addendum: The standard Support PPC is fairly rare, and generally only sees use where both heat capacity and weight are at an extreme premium.



Support ER PPC (Battle Armor)

Code: [Select]

Type: Direct Fire (Energy)
Tech Base: Both
Available: 3094 DC/3099 GBD

Damage: 2 (3 for Clan)
Range: x/4/8/12(16)
Mass (BA): 350kg (10 shots, 0.5kg/shot)
BA Slots: 2
Cost (unl): 19,000
BV: 19 IS/28 Clan
Desc:
   Scientists on New Samarkand sought to increase the range of the DCMS' battle armor designs. Since the Support PPC was a popular choice for a primary weapon, and since PPCs themselves were heavily in vogue among Kurita forces, a sizable quantity of C-bills were thrown at the problem. As it turned out, the solution was to slightly enlarge the weapon and boost the output. The resulting Support ER PPC compares to its progenitor much the same way as its 'Mech-scale equivalent does. However, it drains the gun's power pack incredibly quickly, allowing the infantryman only ten shots before having to reload.
   The Ghost Bears captured a few crates of these weapons as isorla during the start of their recent war against the Combine. Reverse-engineering them and improving their efficiency has allowed the Clan version, which debuted only a few months ago, to boast 50 percent greater damage per shot than their Inner Sphere equivalents.

Addendum: The Clan version has begun supplanting IS models in House territory, thanks to Sea Fox traders and adept reverse-engineering by the Combine and Capellans.


Support ER PPC ('Mech-Mounted)

Code: [Select]

Type: Energy
Tech Base: Both
Available: 3094 DC/3099 GBD

Heat: 3
Damage: 2 IS/3 Clan
Range: x/7/14/21(28)
Other: Is too small to be combined with a Capacitor.
Tons: 1
Crits: 1
Proto Space: 1
Cost: 67,000
BV: 30 IS/35 Clan
Desc:
   This is a larger version of the Support ER PPC, intended for use on 'Mechs, Protos and vehicles. It is functionally identical to the Battle Armor version, except with a longer range and no limits on the number of times it can be fired.
   It should be noted that 'Mech-scale Support PPCs are too small to add external Capacitors to. Combine scientists learned this the hard way, after losing one team and a number of prototypes to explosions when they tried to overcharge the weapons.

Addendum: Like the Battle Armor version, the 'Mech-scale Support ER PPC is being supplanted by its Clantech equivalent, though many units haven't gotten replacements yet.

(from another thread)
And on a side note, the MML-7 and MML-9 show that there's no real technical barrier to producing at least an SRM-8 and maybe even larger SRM launchers. So where are they?  >:(

Ask and you shall receive. ;)

SRM/SRT 8 and 10 Racks

Code: [Select]

Type: Missile
Tech Base: Both
Available: 3086 LA/3087 CWX ('87/'90 SRTs)

8-rack 10-rack
Heat: 5 6
Damage: 2x missile 2x missile
Range: x/3/6/9(12) x/3/6/9(12)
Other: SRTs can only be used underwater, obviously.
Tons: 4T IS/2T Clan 5T IS/2.5T Clan
Crits: 3 IS/2 Clan 4 IS/3 Clan
Ammo/ton: 12 10
Cost (unl): 100,000 120,000
Ammo cost: 27,000 27,000
BV: 81 104
Ammo BV: 9 11
Desc:
   While up-rating missile launchers has been a technical possibility for centuries, there was effectively no point to doing so, as a pair of common SRM-4 launchers could fulfill the same role as a hypothetical SRM-8, while also being able to split their fire between multiple targets. Not to mention, using smaller racks allowed for redundancy in the event of internal damage.
   The invention of Artemis IV Fire Control Systems changed that. In theory, one computer could improve the accuracy of one large missile rack, rather than using two computers and two separate racks -- effectively saving an extra ton for other equipment.
   That said, the larger SRM (and SRT) rack projects weren't brought up again until the Jihad was over. Predictably, the main drivers behind this enlargement were at Defiance Industries, who wanted relatively lightweight big-punch weapons. The Wolves-in-Exile used Clan know-how to lighten the technology for their own use, and the Diamond Sharks -- now insisting on being called Clan Sea Fox once again -- have been spreading the technology.

Addendum: Larger racks of SRMs and torpedoes have only really caught on now that Artemis V sees some limited availability in the Inner Sphere. The weight and bulk of multiple fire-control systems would add up more quickly if launchers were still restricted to 6 missiles per volley.


Larger Streak SRM Racks

Code: [Select]

Type: Missile
Tech Base: Both
Available: 3089 LA/3088 CWX

8-rack 10-rack
Heat: 5 6
Damage: 2x missile 2x missile
Range: x/3/6/9(12) IS
x/4/8/12(16) Clan
Tons: 6T IS/4T Clan 7.5T IS/5T Clan
Crits: 4 IS/3 Clan 5 IS/4 Clan
Ammo/ton: 12 10
Cost (unl): 150,000 180,000
Ammo cost: 54,000 54,000
BV: 122 IS/162 Clan 156 IS/208 Clan
Ammo BV: 14 IS/18 Clan 17 IS/22 Clan
Desc:
   A logical extrapolation of larger SRM racks was larger Streak SRM racks. The Wolves-in-Exile were the first to finish it, though the Lyran teams were only behind by a few months.

Addendum: By contrast, larger Streak racks seem to have gained a measure of infamy as the Horses and Falcons have expanded aggressively into Lyran and Republic territory. Some of the Clan invaders have made names for themselves by making effective use of these larger launchers.



I also had an idea for a new IS engine in between Standard and Light. It would be 1/8 lighter than Standard, and add one crit in each side torso. Problem is, I can't think of a good name for it. :-\

Oh, also. Has anyone come up with stats for giant myomer crossbows/ballistae? Incredibly schizo-tech and not terribly effective, but that's the point, innit? ;)

[evilauthor]

Well if we're going beyond ACs now...

Improved Pulse Laser
One of the many attempts to improve Inner Sphere Pulse Laser systems, IPLs attempt to upgrade the range of regular pulse lasers by accepting heretofore using longer pulse durations. This has the side effect of scattering pulses across the mech rather than being focused in one locations.

Tonnage/Crits: Same as regular Pulse Lasers.
Range: Same as vanilla lasers.
Damage: Same as regular Pulse Lasers, but damage is scattered like LB-X cluster.
Heat: +1 higher than regular Pulse Lasers.

Improved Missile Launchers:
This upgrade to standard Missile Launchers (LRMs, SRMs, and MMLs) prevents missiles from firing if the launcher fails to achieve a lock. Standard Practice has previously been to fire missiles on a trigger pull regardless of whether or not a lock has been achieved on the off chance that missiles will strike the enemy anyway. Improved Launchers reverses this practice, which has led to some pilots to complain that launchers will sometimes fail to fire even when hits would have been achieved.

Rules: Stat wise, iLRMs, iSRMs, and iMMLs are identical to their standard counterparts. However, they suffer a +1 to targeting rolls because of their refusal to fire without a lock. But any miss is treated as if the launcher has not fired, similar to Streak systems. Unlike Streak however, Improved launchers do not guarantee that all missiles will hit on a successful lock.

[Lazarus Jaguar]

So.....streak missile launchers?

[evilauthor]

So.....streak missile launchers?

Streaks without the autohit for every missile fired (you still have roll how many missiles hit your target) and a +1 To-Hit penalty. On the plus side, you just don't fire/use ammo/generate heat if you just plain miss your targeting roll.

[Suralin]

Well if we're going beyond ACs now...

Heck, I did that in the first post :p

Improved Pulse Laser
Tonnage/Crits: Same as regular Pulse Lasers.
Range: Same as vanilla lasers.
Damage: Same as regular Pulse Lasers, but damage is scattered like LB-X cluster.
Heat: +1 higher than regular Pulse Lasers.

An interesting idea and a novel approach to making the IS pulse's range non-awful. Also it's an energy weapon that acts as a sander.

My main concern is that the number of head hits that would ensue on I-Pulse boats would rapidly knock out most pilots. The LBX's weight prevents it from being boated on all but the slowest chassis (e.g. ANH), while your I-Pulse's are light enough to be boated on heavies or even mediums.

Improved Missile Launchers:
Rules: Stat wise, iLRMs, iSRMs, and iMMLs are identical to their standard counterparts. However, they suffer a +1 to targeting rolls because of their refusal to fire without a lock. But any miss is treated as if the launcher has not fired, similar to Streak systems. Unlike Streak however, Improved launchers do not guarantee that all missiles will hit on a successful lock.

So it's a poor man's Streak system, basically. Would it use the same ammo as the standard launchers?

[evilauthor]

Heck, I did that in the first post :p

An interesting idea and a novel approach to making the IS pulse's range non-awful. Also it's an energy weapon that acts as a sander.

I thought about limiting the number of clusters, but I was frankly unsure how to do that given that all IS Pulse Lasers do odd numbered damage damage.

My main concern is that the number of head hits that would ensue on I-Pulse boats would rapidly knock out most pilots. The LBX's weight prevents it from being boated on all but the slowest chassis (e.g. ANH), while your I-Pulse's are light enough to be boated on heavies or even mediums.

Wouldn't the rapidly escalating heat requirements (and hence DHS tonnage and crits) put a limiter on how many iPLs you can use at a time?

So it's a poor man's Streak system, basically. Would it use the same ammo as the standard launchers?

Yes. Although to be fair, I'm half minded to sat that iMLs are not in fact new launchers, but old launchers with firmware changes. Seriously, the whole concept is a procedural change: don't fire unless you have a lock. How many times in BT fiction have you seen some variation of the phrase, "X launcher failed to lock on, sending the missile volley off into the wild blue yonder" or some such? How hard would it be to just program it to NOT fire without a lock?

Now, some mechwarriors might be good enough gunners that they can score hits anyway even without a lock, hence why the canon launchers fire without a lock. And that's why iMLs have a targeting penalty: to model the launcher refusing to fire without a lock despite the mechwarrior actually aiming the launcher in the right direction.

[Suralin]

Wouldn't the rapidly escalating heat requirements (and hence DHS tonnage and crits) put a limiter on how many iPLs you can use at a time?

To be honest, I'm wary of heat being the sole balancing factor against energy weapons, probably from seeing far too many Clan ER Large boats in Mechwarrior 4. But I guess you're right.

Yes. Although to be fair, I'm half minded to say that iMLs are not in fact new launchers, but old launchers with firmware changes. Seriously, the whole concept is a procedural change: don't fire unless you have a lock. How many times in BT fiction have you seen some variation of the phrase, "X launcher failed to lock on, sending the missile volley off into the wild blue yonder" or some such? How hard would it be to just program it to NOT fire without a lock?

Now, some mechwarriors might be good enough gunners that they can score hits anyway even without a lock, hence why the canon launchers fire without a lock. And that's why iMLs have a targeting penalty: to model the launcher refusing to fire without a lock despite the mechwarrior actually aiming the launcher in the right direction.

Gotcha. The main reason I didn't want new ammo isn't fluff-related; more that I'm just lazy and don't want to bother with another 120 ammo entries in the custom equipment table. :P

[Urban Kufahl]

Dual Mode Laser

At first look this weapons seems to be a binary laser canon. But this weapon shear only the "bi-tube" concept with the BLC. Instead firing the both tube at full power (which was causing to much stress on the powers units) the scientist chose to feed the both tubes with a common generator equipped with rapid power switches. This configuration allow the pilot to fire both tube at the same time (Flash mode) or to fire them in quick succession (Pulse mode).
Special rules :
- The "Pulse Mode" is more a mimic than a true pulse (-1 TH instead of -2)
- The system can shutdown or even burn when the heat stress become to great,
  when heat = 10+ the weapon shutdown on a 3+ TH or is destroyed whit a 2+ TH

Code: [Select]

Type: Energy
Tech Base: Clan (Experimental)
Available: 3091 CCY

Small Medium Large
Heat (Flash): 2 4 10
Heat (Pulse): 1 3 8
Damage (Flash): 4 6 9
Damage (Pulse): 3 5 7
Range (Flash): 2/3/5 4/7/11 6/12/18
Range (Pulse): 1/2/3 3/5/8 4/9/13
Tons: 1 2 6
Crits: 2 2 3

[rlbell]

Streaks without the autohit for every missile fired (you still have roll how many missiles hit your target) and a +1 To-Hit penalty. On the plus side, you just don't fire/use ammo/generate heat if you just plain miss your targeting roll.

This reminds me of a house rule that I came up with (but haven't used)-- Waiting for tone.  Originally, pilots were trained to not commit a missile launch without hearing the lock-on tone, but that would result in many missed firing opportunities, so the cannier pilots would anticipate when a spread of missiles could lock on the target while in flight.  Although this would often waste missiles, and even whole spreads could miss the target, it meant that more hits were scored in a shorter time.  The trick of forcing the launch early caught on, and it reached the point where most pilots would not recognize the tone, let alone listen for it.  Streak systems use a more powerful designator system and have a seeker head that can lock on in less time.  Despite the common practice of forcing a premature launch, mechwarriors would occasionally find themselves in situations when waiting for tone was practical, or why being ambushed by Archers could be really bad.

Waiting for tone is a +4 modifier (I would need to playtest this), but it can be combined with the careful aiming rule from TacOps.  A miss indicates no firing opportunity and a turn where no missiles are fired counts as a turn spent aiming.

[CloaknDagger]

Dual Mode Laser

At first look this weapons seems to be a binary laser canon. But this weapon shear only the "bi-tube" concept with the BLC. Instead firing the both tube at full power (which was causing to much stress on the powers units) the scientist chose to feed the both tubes with a common generator equipped with rapid power switches. This configuration allow the pilot to fire both tube at the same time (Flash mode) or to fire them in quick succession (Pulse mode).
Special rules :
- The "Pulse Mode" is more a mimic than a true pulse (-1 TH instead of -2)
- The system can shutdown or even burn when the heat stress become to great,
  when heat = 10+ the weapon shutdown on a 3+ TH or is destroyed whit a 2+ TH

Code: [Select]

Type: Energy
Tech Base: Clan (Experimental)
Available: 3091 CCY

Small Medium Large
Heat (Flash): 2 4 10
Heat (Pulse): 1 3 8
Damage (Flash): 4 6 9
Damage (Pulse): 3 5 7
Range (Flash): 2/3/5 4/7/11 6/12/18
Range (Pulse): 1/2/3 3/5/8 4/9/13
Tons: 1 2 6
Crits: 2 2 3

Hmm...

How about a version of this that's heavier, but based off the ER Pulse laser?

[Urban Kufahl]

Just "design decision". I do not want something flexible and powerfull  :)

[CloaknDagger]

Just "design decision". I do not want something flexible and powerfull  :)

You got that part down. It's arguably worse than an IS ER laser, and that's hard to do.

[Urban Kufahl]

Yes and no, to have the "same" capacities you need 2 weapons (12T/4crit) vs 1 weapon (6T/3crit).

Flash vs IS ER Large Laser :

Dmg = 9 (vs 8)
Heat = 10 (vs 12)
Range = 18 (vs 19)

Pulse vs IS Er Large Pulse :

Dmg = 7 (vs 9)
Heat = 8 (vs 10)
Range = 13 (vs 10)

Not really so worst  O:-)

[CloaknDagger]

Yes and no, to have the "same" capacities you need 2 weapons (12T/4crit) vs 1 weapon (6T/3crit).

Flash vs IS ER Large Laser :

Dmg = 9 (vs 8)
Heat = 10 (vs 12)
Range = 18 (vs 19)

Pulse vs IS Er Large Pulse :

Dmg = 7 (vs 9)
Heat = 8 (vs 10)
Range = 13 (vs 10)

Not really so worst  O:-)

You missed the part where this is a CLAN weapon, and therefore, a Pulse Laser beats the crap out all of those.

[Drop Bear]

Ok for D.E.T. I'm working on the RC-5 (Rocket Cannon 5), it's a Mech scale A.R.L., it's not really a Cannon, it's more a Rocket Launcher with a Tumbler Vented Launch Rail, since the Rail must open to the wider environment to allow venting of the propellant gases Heat  is negligible and takes up less Crits, thing is the Tech base is say about a "D" I'm going wit ha 5-10-15 range 0 Heat 5 Dam. Still have to tie down weight and Crits.

[Suralin]

So essentially a cross between a TBolt-5 and a recoilless rifle, minus any tracking capability? Or am I misunderstanding?

[Drop Bear]

More a big honking Auto-fire Recoils Rifle than a T-Bolt system.