Tripods and Mechanical Jump boosters

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

Lagrange brought up this idea in This thread:

For munchkin purposes, mechanical jump boosters can provide a half dozen more tons on a jump 10 mech, and if you make it a tripod you eliminate the downside of mechanical jump boosters.

While I can't exactly match whatever they're talking about, I have been messing around with attempting to build some kind of handheld carrier that uses industrial TSM for actual firepower while still boosting itself 10 hexes. Tripod chassis are blessed things that prevent most problems but especially, inherently allow a full 360 torso twist which seriously helps the issues of the mech jump jets.
Obvious problems with the 'mech all come down to it's need to use industrial structure to have that always-on TSM, and thus having less armor. This is basically a first round proof of concept.

Code: [Select]

Handheld Tripod Carrier HTC-X

Mass: 80 tons
Chassis: Industrial Industrial Tripod
Power Plant: 240 XL
Cruising Speed: 32.4 kph
Maximum Speed: 54 kph
Jump Jets: Jump Booster
     Jump Capacity: 300 meters
Armor: Heavy Ferro-Fibrous
Armament:
Manufacturer: Unknown
     Primary Factory: Unknown
Communication System: Unknown
Targeting & Tracking System: Unknown
Introduction Year: 3145
Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-F
Cost: 11,030,160 C-bills

Type: Handheld Tripod Carrier
Technology Base: Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Tonnage: 80
Battle Value: 1,051

Equipment                                          Mass
Internal Structure            Industrial             18
Engine                        240 XL                  6
Walking MP: 3
Running MP: 5
Jumping MP: 10
Double Heat Sink              10 [20]                 0
Gyro                                                  3
Tripod Cockpit                                        4
Armor Factor (Heavy Ferro)    178                     9

                          Internal   Armor   
                          Structure  Value   
     Head                    3         9     
     Center Torso            25        23   
     Center Torso (rear)               7     
     R/L Torso               17        16   
     R/L Torso (rear)                  7     
     R/L Arm                 13        15   
     R/C/L Leg               17        21   


Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand
Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand

Weapons
and Ammo                               Location  Critical   Heat    Tonnage
Mech Mechanical Jump Boosters          RL/LL/CL   2/2/2      -       40.0 
Double Heat Sink                          RT        3        -       1.0   
4 Industrial Triple Strength Myomers   LT/RA/LA   5/3/4      -       0.0   
5 Industrial Triple Strength Myomers   LT/RA/LA   5/3/4      -       0.0   
3 Industrial Triple Strength Myomers   LT/RA/LA   5/3/4      -       0.0   

Handheld weapons include:

Enhanced LRM weapon
eLRM20 + Artemis IV 13.0 tons
2 Tons of eLRM20 ammo (12 rnds) 2.0 tons
16 points of armor 1.0 tons


Heavy LBX weapon
LB 20X-AC 14.0 tons
7 total rounds of ammo 1.5 tons
8 points of armor 0.5 tons


Ultra AC Weapon
Ultra AC/10 13.0 tons
20 rounds of ammo 2.0 tons
16 points of armor 1.0 tons


MRM Weapon
MRM 40 12.0 tons
+ Apollo FCS 1.0 tons
2 tons of MRM 4 0ammo (12 rounds) 2.0 tons
16 points of armor (1.0 tons)


Thunderbolt weapon
Thunderbolt 15 - 11.0 tons
3 tons of ammo - 12 rounds - 3.0 tons
32 points of armor - 2.0 tons

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

You can even make a 100 tons mech with speed of 1/2/10 with it!

[CloaknDagger]

Handheld weapons include:

I vaguely remember trying this same combo many years ago and the response was that you can't jump with handheld weapons.

[Firesprocket]

I vaguely remember trying this same combo many years ago and the response was that you can't jump with handheld weapons.

That is a new one I hadn't heard before.  Nothing in the rules or errata that I could find.  Maybe it was something situational and not tied to a standard jump?  The Kuma 3 exists with fluff to say it could use handheld weapons (I think) and the Quickdraw 8P doesn't have jump.  Is there any other mechs that are currently fluffed to use a handheld as a primary(ish) weapon?

[CloaknDagger]

That is a new one I hadn't heard before.  Nothing in the rules or errata that I could find.  Maybe it was something situational and not tied to a standard jump?  The Kuma 3 exists with fluff to say it could use handheld weapons (I think) and the Quickdraw 8P doesn't have jump.  Is there any other mechs that are currently fluffed to use a handheld as a primary(ish) weapon?

Huh. So it was said in a question to devs but never actually added to errata. Total Warfare errata explicitly ALLOWS jumping with cargo as long as it's within the hand holding range.

Yet carrying BA or regular cargo is the opposite and automatically prevents jumping. Weird.

[Sabelkatten]

Can’t you jump with BA? AFAIK swarming BA gets thrown off, but where does it say this happens in other cases.

[Daryk]

BA carrying rules are the weirdest.

[CloaknDagger]

Can’t you jump with BA? AFAIK swarming BA gets thrown off, but where does it say this happens in other cases.

Total Warfare errata

[Lagrange]

While I can't exactly match whatever they're talking about, I have been messing around with attempting to build some kind of handheld carrier that uses industrial TSM for actual firepower while still boosting itself 10 hexes.

I suspect that the extra structure + the lost use of free heat sinks ends up costing to much, but if you want to push the idea further, I think you can fit 20 tons of FL armor on a 100 ton 1/2/10 design. 

In terms of handheld weapons, you may also find the extended (not enhanced) LRM series appealing for range 38 softening of targets as well as the RL-20 for a 6x RL-20 handheld ambush device.

[NUT-BUSTING TORQUE]

Total Warfare errata

TBH I'd have to see direct links, because that would invalidate several canon mechs.

I suspect that the extra structure + the lost use of free heat sinks ends up costing to much, but if you want to push the idea further, I think you can fit 20 tons of FL armor on a 100 ton 1/2/10 design. 

In terms of handheld weapons, you may also find the extended (not enhanced) LRM series appealing for range 38 softening of targets as well as the RL-20 for a 6x RL-20 handheld ambush device.

We could; this was actually kind of a morph of a different 'mech, an 80 tonner Industrial handheld carrier that I cooked up for a version of TRO: Irregulars of my own. The idea was for 2/3/8 or 2/3/10 because that movement speed meant it could at least turn 180 before jumping, but because Tripods have a 360 torso twist and move in whatever direction their leg is, then 1/2 might be doable for something thats literally just leaping.

As for that handheld idea- I dunno, I've gotten real bullish on Rocket pods and extreme range weapons over time, the former because they almost never hit and the latter because they never seem to deal enough damage to matter.