’Mech of the Week: WHM-* Warhammer
Warhammer. A one-handed hammer strengthened for use in battle. Perhaps the most prominent example being the one used by Thor (Mjolnir). A fantasy game, in the form of both roleplaying and tabletop. Also has a science-fiction derivative with the appellation 40,000, though I still don’t understand the appeal.
Then again, I do like Warmachine, so…
It is also the name of a 70-ton BattleMech with a long pedigree, and a fierce reputation. It would not surprise me if some commanders hearing that an enemy heavy had been detected had quoted the old game show,
Press Your Luck. (“No Whammy, No Whammy, No Whammy!”) It even once served as the personal ride of Natasha Kerensky. The
Warhammer premiered in the old Technical Readout: 3025, and since has appeared in the original Technical Readout: 3050, as well as Project Phoenix, 3039, 3075, 3085, 3085: Supplemental, Operation: Klondike, Experimental Technical Readout: Gladiators, and Era Report: 2750. One variant appears in the New Tech, New Upgrades section of the 3145 Record Sheets.
According to the proverb, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The story behind the
Warhammer begins with Achernar BattleMechs in the Federated Suns. They were not the creators of the
Warhammer, per se. Instead, they built the first two designs for the Davions. First in 2459, the
BattleAxe, then in 2475, the
Hammerhands. The latter was extremely popular. So much so, that when asked to make a similar design, StarCorps apparently decided that Achernar should be very flattered, and imitated both designs, much to Achernar’s despair. The resulting
Warhammer quickly and almost completely supplanted the prior two designs.
Entering service in 2515, the
WHM-6R uses a VOX 280-rated engine to give it ground speed equal to the earlier
BattleAxe. Ten tons of armor give 73% of maximum protection laid out in a 9, 22/9, 17/8, 20, 15 pattern (head, center front/rear, side front/rear, arms, legs respectively). Weapons consisted of a Particle Cannon in each arm, a medium and small laser in each side torso, a 6-pack SRM launcher in the right torso, and a machine gun in each side torso. One ton of ammunition feeds the SRM pack and a full ton of ammo was allocated for the machine guns, stored in the center torso. Eighteen heat sinks struggle with the full heat load, though that is a usual complaint for early designs.
It didn’t take long for an upgrade to appear. In 2599, the
WHM-6Rb entered service. This differed from the base model by dropping a heat sink and replacing the rest with double-strength models. Artemis IV was added to the SRM pack, possibly one of the first designs to carry a full-production model (Artemis IV was perfected in 2598). Armor was replaced with an equal weight of ferro-fibrous, which was laid out in a 9, 25/9, 20/8, 20, 20 pattern.
The next variant showed up in the waning days of the Star League. First seen in battle on Fallon II in 2729, the
WHM-6Rk upgrades the engine to a 350-rated extralight engine, giving this variant speeds similar to the Star League
Excalibur. Fifteen double-strength heat sinks provide most of the heat dissipation needed, while any remaining weight went into additional armor, though exact allocation is unknown.
In 2761, the Royal regiments received an upgrade to the -6Rb model. The
WHM-7A upgrades the Particle Cannons to extended-models, swaps the small lasers for pulses, and drops the machine guns for paired medium lasers in the center torso. A heat sink was removed to add CASE for the ammunition. An endo-steel skeleton was utilized and thirteen tons of standard plate provided protection in a 9, 33/10, 22/8, 20, 28 pattern.
Then the Fall of the Star League came. After the Exodus, it appears that the Inner Sphere was left with only the -6R models (the -6Rk was a rare Kurita command variant). Early in the Succession Wars, either as repairs, or preference, a few variants showed up. The first, in 2825, was the
WHM-6L, which dropped the machine guns for a pair of flamers. The second, in 2830, was the
WHM-6K which removed the machine guns for a pair of heat sinks. Finally, in 2835 the
WHM-6D arrived, dropping both the machine guns and the SRM pack to add a pair of heat sinks and four tons of armor, laid out in a 9, 34/10, 22/8, 22, 30 pattern.
It would probably be improper not to mention that Natasha Kerensky’s
Warhammer was a -6R model, though if she customized it more than that, it is unknown. Also, in the Battles over Mallory’s World, Yorinaga Kurita piloted a
Warhammer. Though the Historical Turning Points volume on that conflict gives him a “personal” variant, I cannot find anything that differs between it and a stock -6K.
When the Helm core was rediscovered and sent to all the Inner Sphere powers, Lostech started its long return. In 3047, the first new
Warhammer arrived, the
WHM-7M. The first thing Ronin Incorporated did was upgrade the old -6R’s heat sinks to double-strength models. The Particle Cannons were replaced with extended-models. The small lasers and one machine gun were swapped for an anti-missile system.
At the same time, Olivetti Weaponry was working on their upgraded version. The
WHM-7S entered service in 3050. This one also upgraded the -6R’s Particle Cannons and heat sinks. However this model swaps the medium lasers for pulse versions and drops the machine guns. Also the 6-pack SRM was replaced by a 2-pack Streak launcher in each side torso. While a decent variant, there are two issues. One is the placement of the Streak ammunition in the center torso. The other is technically outside their control. The plant is on Sudeten. Which means the Falcons show up on world within a couple years.
Speaking of the Clans, their arrival brought two versions of the
Warhammer from their archives. One version was the ten-ton heavier
Warhammer IIc. The other was a quick refit termed the
Warhammer C. This takes the iconic WHM-6R and replaces most of the weaponry with Clantech equivalents. The lasers become extended-models, the Particle Cannons were swapped for large pulse lasers, and the 6-pack SRM swapped for a Streak version. The machine guns remain Spheretech.
In 3054, the
WHM-7K arrived. This model differs from the -7S by putting both Streak launchers in the right torso, uses an endo-steel skeleton, and swaps the small lasers for pulses and the medium pulses for standards. A TAG system is placed in the head (which is slightly surprising since it weighs the same as a Slave unit). The leftover weight went into armor, laid out in a 9, 30/13, 20/10, 22, 30 pattern.
The
Warhammer had no more variants until the advent of Project Phoenix. Apparently, one StarCorps division jumped at upgrading the venerable design, which lead to other divisions to decide to also upgrade the design, and well, four different variants were produced. The original division produced the
WHM-8D, entering service in 3066. It maintains the standard engine, but uses an endo-steel skeleton, mounts seventeen double-strength heat sinks, and carries an extended-model Particle Cannon in each arm, an extended-model medium and small in each side torso, a 6-pack Streak SRM launcher in the right torso and a C3 Slave unit in the head. The Streak ammunition is CASEd. Thirteen and a half tons of armor provide protection in a 9, 33/10, 23/7, 22, 30 pattern.
3067 saw the arrival of the other three. The first, the
WHM-4L, comes from the Liao facility and differs from the -8D by using an extralight engine, a standard skeleton, one less heat sink, drops the lasers for a medium pulse in each arm, the left torso and the head. The Slave was removed for a Guardian ECM suite, which allowed for stealth armor to be used, laid out like the -8D.
The second, the
WHM-9S, instead uses a light engine, uses twenty double-strength heat sinks, uses a standard skeleton and standard armor, laid out in a 9, 31/10, 22/7, 21, 29 pattern. Weapons consist of the extended-model Particle Cannons, the 6-pack Streak, and twin extended-model medium lasers placed in the centerline.
The third was the
WHM-9D. This model is a bit stripped down compared to the -8D. All weapons save the Particle Cannons and the medium lasers were removed. The remaining weaponry is tied into a targeting computer. Armor has been adjusted slightly to a 9, 32/11, 22/8, 22, 30 pattern. A heat sink was added. The engine was upgraded to a 350-rated extralight, and jump jets were installed, giving the design the movement profile of a venerable
Shadow Hawk.
Shortly thereafter the Jihad burst forth. Amid the chaos, more variants appeared. The first was the
WHM-8M in 3069. This model mounts similar weaponry to the -9D, but without that expensive targeting computer, mounts the original standard engine, lacks the jump jets, and a small bit of armor. Protection was left in a 9, 29/10, 21/7, 22, 30 pattern. Twelve double heat sinks were used. The left over weight and space went to a Light-class Gauss Rifle, which was CASEd.
In 3073, two entered service. One, the
WHM-10T was more-or-less a field refit, taking the -9D, reducing the heat sink number to eleven, and removing the targeting computer and standard jump jets for seven improved-class jump jets. The other variant is the
WHM-8K takes the -7K, strips all the weaponry for a pair of Heavy-class Particle Cannons and a Streak-class 4-pack SRM (ammunition CASEd). A head-mounted C3 Slave unit helps with coordination. Light ferro-fibrous armor gives maximum protection in a 9, 34/10, 22/8, 22, 30 pattern.
Another off-shoot of the Jihad was the devastation of the gaming industry. However, if anything, the Games industry is resilient. Alongside this, corporations like StarCorps tend to use the Games to test out new concepts. In 3077, the
Warhammer got hit by the confluence of these two factors. The
WHM-X7, nicknamed “The Lich”, is a technically a FrankenMech. The design is based around the chassis of an -8D, but uses the arm structures of a -5R
Marauder and the leg style of the Clan
Nova Cat. A light fusion engine is used, thirteen double-strength heat sinks and light ferro-fibrous were also used. Armor is laid out in a 9, 33/11, 23/7, 22, 30 pattern. Weapons consist of arm-mounted Snub-Nose Particle Cannons tied to Capacitors. Extended-model medium lasers were installed in each arm and side torso. A Clantech Streak 6-pack SRM launcher was used, supposedly ripped from a
Timber Wolf D. CASE II was used. The gyro was a heavy-duty model, and the engine and cockpit were armored.
As the ashes left by the Jihad began to cool, the Capellans and their Canopian friends modified the -4L. In 3081, the
WHM-5L arrived, mounting a standard 210-rated engine, giving it the ground speed of an
Atlas. Five improved-class jump jets were added to make up for the speed loss. Fifteen double-strength heat sinks were used, and eleven and a half tons of standard plate is laid out in a 9, 26/9, 22/6, 22, 20 pattern. A 4-pack SRM launcher is placed in the right torso, which is also CASEd. An extended-model medium is placed in each side torso. A Plasma Rifle is mounted in each arm, along with two tons of ammunition for each weapon.
In 3084, the
WHM-11T arrived. This variant uses an extralight engine, five improved jump jets, thirteen double-strength heat sinks, and ten and a half tons of light-class ferro-fibrous laid out in a 9, 28/9, 22/6, 20, 18 pattern. A Snub-Nose and Light-class Particle Cannon are placed in each arm. An extended-model medium is in each side torso, and a 5-rack MML is in the right torso. One ton of each type of ammunition is placed below the launcher in the CASEd torso.
In 3085, StarCorps experiments in the Gaming scene came to fruition. Produced at all of their factories, save the one in the Federated Suns, the
WHD-10CT lacks the armored components, Capacitors, CASE II and Clantech of “The Lich”, but instead uses a Spheretech Streak 6-pack, standard CASE, and a targeting computer. As well, the torso lasers were swapped for pulse versions. Armor is slightly reduced, laid out in a 9, 33/10, 23/7, 22, 28 pattern. Finally, a C3 Slave unit was placed in the head, to make the design even more dangerous (consider three of them tied into a Master). The designation pays homage to the influences of the
Nova Cat (CT) and
Marauder (D).
The final variant is a reworking of the -8D. The
WHM-8D2 swaps the Slave unit for a Boosted version. Instead of the Streak launcher, a Class-5 Thunderbolt launcher was used. Half a ton of armor was removed, which breaks down to 4 points from the front center torso and two from each front side torso.
Using one is a matter of perspective. Most of the time, I use one as a walking gun battery, taking down enemies as I go, and absorbing some return fire. (Most of the fire seems to be aimed at the assaults coming with him.) Most of these are able to engage at long ranges and alternating fire as they (or the enemy) close. At least a couple are more like brawlers. And I have the image of a bunch of
Shadow Hawks being paced by a
Whammy or two as the muscle/fire magnet.
Fighting one is likely a PITA. He’s big, he’s got heavy weaponry, and people fear them. This leads to either extreme caution or attempting to achieve overkill. (Yes, I know, there is no such thing as overkill.) Heavy weapons of your own will certainly help. ECM on fast, agile movers will assist with the C3 carriers (though I think you’ll need Angel for the -8D2). Many of the variants are a bit heat-intolerant, so plasma and flamers also help. As for targeting a location, most of the time it would be either the right torso (SRM/MML/T-bolt) or center torso (the older models have machine gun ammo there). The lightbulb variant(s) probably should be hit in the center.
The
Whammy is likely to remain a staple of BattleTech for eternity. As such, it should be casting its intimidating shadow across battlefields across the known worlds. Unlike its Unseen brother, the
Marauder, the
Warhammer has only spawned one offspring design (that I know of), the ten-ton heavier
Warhammer IIc. So even in Clan space, its effect will continue for quite some time.