Ion Bazooka

[ATN082268]

  Here is an old design of mine :)

  Ion Bazooka

  Overview:

  Most of the Clans prospered between 2830 and 2930 which are widely known as
the Golden Century. Clan Coyote prospered particularly well during those years,
enjoying great economic and industrial gains, including the development of the
OmniMech. Coyote’s pursuit of bigger and better weapons did not stop at the
Golden Century which later resulted in breakthroughs such as Advanced Tactical
Missiles (ATMs) and more recently, the Ion Bazooka. Some Mechwarriors
believe that a unit firing the Ion Cannon has laser heat sinks or simply lacks
static discharge coils which can prove to be quite a surprise in combat.

  The Ion Bazooka is based on the Particle Projector Cannon (PPC) although it
fires a much more powerful ion bolt which is unstable at closer ranges.
Unfortunately, the weapon generates a severe amount of heat and can not be
fired for two combat rounds in a row without overloading the special cooling
system of the weapon. And like the ancient Terran weapon that it is named
after, inflicts damage behind it with a powerful backblast when it is fired.
It is reported that Clan Coyote is manufacturing the Ion Bazooka on their
capital of Tamaron.


Tech: Clan
Type: Energy
Tonnage: 8
Critical: 3
Heat: 20
Damage: 20
Delay: 1 (See below)
Minimum: 4
Short: 1-7
Medium: 8-14
Long: 15-23


Game Notes: The Ion Bazooka can only be mounted on a ‘Mech or OmniMech and
only in the left or right side torso locations. When fired, it will inflict 5
points of damage to all units in the single hex directly behind the Ion
Bazooka. After the Ion Bazooka is fired during the fire phase, it can not be
fired during the next fire phase and will not generate any heat in a round
which it is not fired.


-ATN

[Kit deSummersville]

Really this should be much heavier given the massive accelerator (or dual accelerator) to fire that back-blast. I'm not sure why anyone would even design a weapon to do that.

[Arkansas Warrior]

Since the backblast is area-effect, it's a good way to get rid of backstabbers. :)

[Kit deSummersville]

Sure, but why not build that as a separate system? There's no reason to link the two.

[Shatara]

Looks like a cERPPC with a capacitor, with a bunch of extra downsides tacked on.

The throwing out backblast idea is neat, though I can't see why an energy weapon would need to.

[Kit deSummersville]

Looks like a cERPPC with a capacitor, with a bunch of extra downsides tacked on.

The throwing out backblast idea is neat, though I can't see why an energy weapon would need to.

Yeah, that's really detracting from the design for me. Maybe for some form of 'Mech Recoiless Rifle, but not an energy weapon.

[morhpheus121175]

Just keep it simple and create a Clan HPPC or a cERPPC with a capacitor

[Arkansas Warrior]

I was thinking it might be better to make the backblast part of the heat venting system, have anything in the hex immediately behind it hit for d6 heat instead if damage.

[Peter Smith]

I was thinking it might be better to make the backblast part of the heat venting system, have anything in the hex immediately behind it hit for d6 heat instead if damage.

That means you're venting a maximum of two flamers worth of heat to an entire hex. That a lot of energy, too much to be reasonable.

[Kit deSummersville]

Really an energy area effect weapon is pretty powerful on it's own. To have it be some sort of 'side effect' is too much.

[verybad]

Simply not the way accelerators work. An accelerator doing that would need to be using additional energy for the backblast. The heat in a PPC is for the power that's necessary to accerlate the particles. An RPG (sorry, bazooka is just to silly sounding I can't use it un normal conversation without wanting to laugh) accelerates using a rocket, which vents it's energy backwards. The backblast is so the soldier firing it doesn't take the force from the firing and get knocked on his ass.

An enlarged variant of the Plasma Cannon with an option to take additional heat to the firing unit, or to take a piloting roll might work ok using the concept.

EG
Large Plasma Rifle (experimental)
Damage 15, Heat to target 1D6+3, Tonnage 10, Critical Slots 3, Range 2 minimum, 6,11,16, Ammo per ton 7, Heat 17 or 10 plus firing mech must make a piloting roll, this is at the firing mechs decision on firing time.

PR's are made with a +1 bonus if the Large Plasma Rifle is in an arm wich allows for more flexible movement. The firing mech's mass also
affects teh piloting roll, with Light mechs -1, medium 0, Heavy+1, and Assault mechs +2 on the roll made.

If using the higher heat option:
Infantry in the same hex as the firing mech will take 1d6 damage, Powered armor will take 1 damage (to all units in the powered armor squad) Terrain in the firing mechs hex may be set on fire as though it had taken a flamer hit.

The Large Plasma Rifle is a Capellan Confederation prototype weapon being battlefield tested near Republic borders. It has recently undergone a fallback when the lead engineer in the project was killed while checking on the heat expansion systems in the weapon on a firing range. The weapon shows promise, but the drawbacks are signifigant.

[IndyRI]

Simply not the way accelerators work. An accelerator doing that would need to be using additional energy for the backblast. The heat in a PPC is for the power that's necessary to accerlate the particles. An RPG (sorry, bazooka is just to silly sounding I can't use it un normal conversation without wanting to laugh) accelerates using a rocket, which vents it's energy backwards. The backblast is so the soldier firing it doesn't take the force from the firing and get knocked on his ass.

An enlarged variant of the Plasma Cannon with an option to take additional heat to the firing unit, or to take a piloting roll might work ok using the concept.

EG
Large Plasma Rifle
Damage 15, Heat to target 1D6+3, Tonnage 9, Critical Slots 3, Range 2 minimum, 6,11,16, Ammo per ton 7, Heat 17 or 10 plus firing mech must make a piloting roll, this is at the firing mechs decision on firing time.

PR's are made with a +1 bonus if the Large Plasma Rifle is in an arm wich allows for more flexible movement.

If using the higher heat option:
Infantry in the same hex as the firing mech will take 1d6 damage, Powered armor will take 1 damage (to all units in the powered armor squad) Terrain in the firing mechs hex may be set on fire as though it had taken a flamer hit.

Not a bad idea overall, but the OP's idea is still a viable interpretation of physics if the backblast is an intentionally created effect for purpsoes of stabilization. Rather than being a side effect, the wide array energy dispersal, while it would take even more energy, would act as a bracing to allow the mech not to be knocked over by firing the weapon. Energy weapons can have recoil if they generate their damage by kinetic energy. Particle cannons do just that. It's why they're called "Particle" cannons. They chuck particles at an extreme weight. Conservation of momentum states that in firing such a weapon there will be some force in the opposite direction. One that's powerful enough may throw a mech off balance without a stabilizing "backblast" to equalize the force.

[verybad]

Yeah, I'm aware of the potential for recoil in a PPC, however I think they probably do more of their damage through heat than impact (like lasers)

Yeah, I'm also aware the heat is caused though the impacting particles, but were we to look into PPC recoil as a game system, than that for gauss and ACs would also be valid. (not that I have a problem with that as a game option  to tell you the truth)

[Kit deSummersville]

If I remember correctly, this was all debunked back on rec.games.mecha in the past. The original fluff was inspired by the fluff description in a TRO of some 'mech having a back plate to discharge all the electrons built up by the PPC. PPCs don't do damage because of the large charge they have, but by protons moving at near c speeds.

[verybad]

Uhh, I don't see anyone referring to the charge as being the source of damage... (?)

A plasma weapon is of course an Ion weapon, PPCs are subatomic...more energy, less mass being fired. The cohesive nature of plasma could probably account for the induced heat on targets.

[Kit deSummersville]

Uhh, I don't see anyone referring to the charge as being the source of damage... (?)

Back on RGM, as I mentioned.

A plasma weapon is of course an Ion weapon, PPCs are subatomic...more energy, less mass being fired. The cohesive nature of plasma could probably account for the induced heat on targets.

Protons are ions, H+ to be precise. The most efficient accelerators these days are proton accelerators, we have a bunch at work.

[Suralin]

I sort of envision PPCs as being electrolasers. Fire a beam of ions at your target and then a powerful lightning bolt along the trail.

[cray]

I sort of envision PPCs as being electrolasers. Fire a beam of ions at your target and then a powerful lightning bolt along the trail.

Nope. As noted in Tech Manual, PPCs are not "lightning guns." They don't deliver a high amperage to the target.

[ATN082268]

If I remember correctly, this was all debunked back on rec.games.mecha in the past. The original fluff was inspired by the fluff description in a TRO of some 'mech having a back plate to discharge all the electrons built up by the PPC. PPCs don't do damage because of the large charge they have, but by protons moving at near c speeds.

  I'm sure you could debunk a lot of things in the Battletech Universe  :)  Is it really impossible to have a backblast of thermal and kinetic damage from a PPC?

  Sincerely,

    Andrew

[Kit deSummersville]

  I'm sure you could debunk a lot of things in the Battletech Universe  :)  Is it really impossible to have a backblast of thermal and kinetic damage from a PPC?

  Sincerely,

    Andrew

Yes. There's no 'blast' in accelerating particles.

[ATN082268]

Yes. There's no 'blast' in accelerating particles.

  Sounds like an RGM reply  ::) Whatever it is called, if you can have thermal and kinetic damage coming from the front of a weapon, you can also have it coming from the back of the weapon...

-Andrew

[Kit deSummersville]

  Sounds like an RGM reply  ::) Whatever it is called, if you can have thermal and kinetic damage coming from the front of a weapon, you can also have it coming from the back of the weapon...

Not without engineering it as such. There is no reason for the two systems to be linked together, they are doing separate jobs that are not interrelated.

Particle accelerators work by taking an ion (typically hydrogen stripped¹ of an electron to make a proton) and using magnetic fields to accelerate the particle, most likely in a circular vacuum chamber, until it has reached the desired velocity. It is then channeled toward its target. The equal and opposite forces are the proton stream and the accelerator, not the proton and the electron. The electron is most likely dispersed as a static charge or used to supplement the power required to operate the accelerator.

I'm sorry if reality is messing with your plans, but that's the way it works.

_{1 Technically, I do work with strippers. Stripper foils that remove electrons. Sexy, sexy.}

[Urban Kufahl]

For the "backblast" it could be the discharging electron from the stripper. A kind of battlemech sized spark.
for the recoil you have no recoil with a circular accelerator (the pushing force is opposing herself, ootch hard to explain that  :D).

@ Kit : fortunaly for us battletech is ignoring the synchrotron radiation  ;)

@Cray : did you solve you "plasma" travel problem ?  :P

[Kit deSummersville]

@ Kit : fortunaly for us battletech is ignoring the synchrotron radiation  ;)

Well, I'm not sure they'd be using a synchrotron for a battlemech accelerator. The smallest of those in reality take up an entire hex and the linear accelerator is a huge limitation for putting it on a mobile unit. Luckily Herb doesn't make us figure out all the solutions to BT's problems.  ;)