So, one of my favourite things to make in BattleTech is Battle Armour. They are quick, simple to make and when made well can swing above their weight. I enjoy making, them, designing them and in addition drawing them. Still as I have been drawing them, I am quite surprised by just how limited Battle Armour options are with Design Quirks. This is understandable given the Mech based focus of BattleTech, still in my experimentation I have decided to bounce around a few custom Design Quirks which are largely RPG in nature or have minor mechanical benefits. I’ll also go over some of the earlier Battle Armour which were made before design quirks were really a thing.
Feel free to share your Battle Armour design quirk ideas, or critique any of the ones I have. Lord knows I need some feedback.
Design Quirks
Lithium Charge Battery (1): Overhauls to this suit’s power supply with an upgraded lithium battery have managed to extend the effective operation time of the unit quite considerably. Units with this design quirk extend their total operation time by x1.5. This includes all Power Packs.
Anti Mech Expert (2): Through improvements made to manipulators, placement of weapons, and a natural fluidity of design this power armour excels in Anti Mech attacks. When performing a Swam or Leg attack, decrease the Target number of the attack by -1.
All Terrain (2): Highly mobile in their layout, these suits are designed to move across rough terrain with ease, granting them an increase mobility on the ground. When using this suits Ground Movement, decrease all Movement Point Cost increases as a result of Land based terrain by 1. Water Hexes are excluded.
Integrated Missile System (2): With the advent of the technological progression of the Inner Sphere, hurdles of early Battle Armour design began to be overcome. The normal barrier of Inner Sphere Battle Armour being unable to jump without jettisoning their missile packs can be overcome through various means. Mechanically Inner Sphere battle armour with this design quirk do not need to jettison their missile packs before jumping, just like a clan Battle Armour.
Enhanced Myomer Bundles (1): All battle armour on some level posses some measure of enhanced strength, by virtue of the myomer that make up their design. Some units however seem to take this increased strength to heart and through a mixture of sturdy construction and extra myomer bundles their lifting capacity is increased. As such units with this design quirk may increase their lifting capacity by x1.5
Melee Suit (1): On the battlefield of the 31st century, hand to hand combat is not only common, to many it is considered a necessity. Certain Battle Armour are therefore constructed for melee duals with other battle armour, with their razor sharp claws being constructed to pierce through the joints of enemy suits to tear at their enemies inside. Units with this quirk receive a +1 bonus to melee attacks in RPG play.
Survival Suit (1): This quirk represents a battle armour which is intended to ensure the pilots survival even if the suit should not. Through a suite on onboard medical systems, life support equipment, breathing apparatus and more. Mechanically what this quirk does is that if a battle armour takes no further damage in excess of its combined armour and internal structure, while the suit is mechanically destroyed the pilot may survive: if in a severely inured state. For example, in a Cavalier battle armour takes 10 points of damage, encompassing its armour and internal structure, but no more then 10 points of damage the pilot may survive. If the pilot however exceeded in taking 11 points of damage the pilot would be killed.
Revised Design Quirks for early Suits (I am not keeping to point neutral as so few cannon units do so anyway)
Elemental- Easy to Maintain
- Ubiquitous
TornadoInner Sphere StandardInfiltrator- Bad Reputation
- Hard to Pilot
- Improved Communications
- Obsolete (3100)
Sloth- Short Range Targeting
- Poor Sealing
- Gas Hog
Gray Death ScoutGray Death Standard- Rugged (1)
- Lithium Charge Battery
Raiden- Easy to Pilot
- Enhanced Myomer Bundles
GnomeKage- Lithium Charge Battery
- Difficult to Maintain
AchileusLonginusCavalier - Good Reputation
- Survival Suit
Kanazuchi- Hard to Pilot
- Gas Hog
- Long Range Targeting
- Medium Range Targeting
Salamander UndineCoronaFenrir- Good Reputation
- All Terrain
Infiltrator Mk. II- Hard to Find Parts
- Anti Mech Expert
SylphFa Shih- Medium Range Targeting
- Enhanced Myomer Bundles
Purifier AdaptiveGrenadierPhalanx- Accurate (Light David Gauss Rifle)
- Lithium Charge Battery
RottweilerAerieAfreet- Difficult to Pilot
- Melee Suit
- Anti Mech Expert
GolemVoidKobold- Easy to Maintain
- Modular Weapons
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