I've realized I've talked much about various Battle Armor designs, but haven't shared them. Time to fix that.
We shall start with the Haboob, my latest creation and more like the 3rd iteration of the fire support elemental design concept.
The Haboob is derived from the Monolith.
Named after giant dust storms that can envelope cities, The Haboob is intended to be a mechanized design, capable of both giving long range fire support, while also being a credible threat with anti-mech attacks. Its a mixed bag Twin Light Machine guns are OK, but not really good Anti-mech damage. The LRM-3 only has 4 missile salvos, and the only 9 points of armor leaves it weak to clan 10 point weapons. It has ground speed only which is a step down from classic Elemental armor, but can at least match the elementals speed in open terrain.
Alpha strike stats, its decent, if not overwhelming. Can't jump, but tends to have better long range damage compared to normal elementals. Stealth armor makes it slightly more survivable in mechanized operations and at longer ranges compared to the To hit bonus from jumping. But you pay for the extras you get in PV.
Doing Small Harms, or How Machiavelli does not aprove of Battle Armor.
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The Monolith
Stealth Armor plus a Camo system to allow for that glorious sit in one place and unleash doom upon your enemies feeling.
Heavy in size to allow it to be Mechanized. Lots of Ammo to give it lasting power.
I was plotting on having an extra awesome clan design to go with the Ebon Keshik theme I seem to like. Turned into this. This turned out to be nearly the same thing as the Ivor armor. I was both disappointed, and yet satisfied. Doing things smaller and faster then the Inner Sphere is a clan specialty.
Ivor
The Original. Inner Sphere, Assault design, LRM-4, 12 rounds of ammo, 10 points Improved stealth, camo system.
Fairly sure I messed with it for Alpha Strike to get an extra point of armor, basic stealth, 12 points. and only 10 rounds of ammo.
Sadly I can not find the original fluff for this. The short version was its supposed to be a joint Comstar Rasalhague project. Was playing with Mimic Armor, and figured out that Improved Stealth and the Camo system were better, if heavy and crit intensive.
One of the funny thing about this line of designs is that in Alpha Strike if you have less then 10 but more then 1 rounds of fire your firepower is only rated for 75% of its value. Most of the time Battle Armor abuses this in the other direction. SRM with only 2 shots? You get 75% of an SRM's value Every turn forever! The Ivor and the Monolith both have extra deep ammo bins for a Battle Armor design. Its the reason they actually have above average long range damage. (And the Haboob doesn't)
Fractal.
Another old design, Fabrizo would recognize it.
Assault sized, 3 SRM-4's with 4 Rounds of ammo each. Basicly a short lived SRM carrier that can be deployed from an APC.
Nothing fancy about this one, its just a solid reliable design that I made an alpha strike card for.
Type 7 Armor
This was probably a "I need a design with these stats for Alpha strike." And then I did it. And then Past Me didn't leave any notes so when I go back to look at the design I'm like "How did I do this... Past me has left me a mystery."
Solved for 2 ways of pulling this off.
First is a design with an SRM-3 and 2 SRM-1's.
The second uses a mixed tech chassis to free up tonnage for twin AP Gauss rifles.
The voices tell me this was probably somehow a snow raven alliance design, so option 2 is probably the correct one.
Shredder
This is another "I need this for alpha strike" design. Intent is to have a fairly dangerous package of pain, while keeping it as cheap and survivable as possible. Short range, plus a lack of mobility gives a 50% discount on PV. Twin HMG's, camo system and stealth armor make for a reasonable weapons and survivability package. Exceptionally light armor means you're not paying points for something that probably won't save you anyways. (too many things do 3 damage...) Magnetic clamps means it can go mechanized with anything. Which is convenient since Mechanized infantry in alpha strike can be delivered into the face of the enemy and shoot on the same turn, thus negating that entire "It can't move very good" thing.
Really like the Ivor there- probably could be improved further if it's CBT counterpart was a heavy with 10 points of armor, but only for mechanized movement. There's just so few tanks that can reliably move assault suits.
Truthfully, I just stick with the 1 ton per suit standard for transport.
And now im wondering if an inner sphere version of the haboob is possible.
In other random thoughts... The haboob isnt real to me. The Ivor is real. It was the first, effort was made discovering it. The haboob is just a derived design that uses a previously discovered solution.
Also "haboob" is a silly name. Even if thematicly appropriate for clan battle armor
Go for a Terminator Squad!
Resonance
Take the Fractal, make it mechanized. Ended up using 3 SRM-3's with 4 rounds of ammo or so. Still just a variation on a theme, but still a worthwhile addition.
Tsunami Mrk II and the Hedgehog
Fundamentally the same thing in Alpha Strike, these two designs are more of a complimentary pair under Total War rules.
The Tsunami Mrk II is a slight upgrade over the original, using a Detachable Weapon's Pack to get a bit more armor and potential ground speed out of the deal. Otherwise its a Mechanized Medium laser Carrier.
The Hedgehog goes in a bit more heavily with DWP's to carry 3 Magshots. As the companion design, the Hedgehog is supposed to be the Crit seeker after the Medium lasers have removed most of the armor. Traditionally I've tried to use SRM toting designs for this role, but the DWP Magshots give equivalent firepower, and no need to worry about ammo limitations while playing.
What criteria are required for a terminator squad?
Armor... lots of armor. We'll see what stats we can generate.
Inferno Crab
Actual fluff follows. This one was kind of the beginning of me gaming Alpha strike construction. Sadly, despite being a medium range weapon, ::Realizes the medium range damage is wrong on the card. Fixes:: The Heavy flamer only does heat at short range. But it does do a lot of heat... This is also where I started playing with lighter then useful armor points. And DWP's... more of those later.
Overview:
"And now let me introduce our special guest Dr. Zoidberg, lead designer of the controversial new line of-"
"You said she wouldn't be a hostile interviewer!"
Mellanie, host of the popular talk show "Out of the Frying Pan" winced. First because she had been warned of how difficult Dr. Zoidberg could be about any sort of criticism, and second because the man's voice was the most annoying and whining sound she had ever heard. If the whine in his voice could be likened to scratching a chalk board, his voice was like scratching a cat against a chalk board. A dead cat, against a dead chalkboard.
Dr. Zoidberg was beginning to work up a head of steam as he laid into his handler. Mellaine hated to do it, but the show must go on.
"Dr. Zoidberg, I think you'll find I'm not a hostile interviewer." Lean forward, emphasize cleavage, come on boobs don't fail me now.
Dr. Zoidberg was momentarily taken aback, and at least 3 levels of shrillness were eliminated when he replied. "Oh, yes you are. You're already using 'Their' language."
"And what 'language' is that" replied Mellaine, copying Dr. Zoidberg's air quotes with a bounce of her chest. Dr.Zoidberg's head could be clearly seen to follow the bounce. Another level of shrillness was lost.
"You called my design controversial. It's not. It is the proper product of science. You know, science, that thing which put the fortress walls up and keeps food on all of our tables."
"Oh dear me, I didn't mean to call your work that Doctor." Big eyes, flutter eye lashes, Kill producer for making me put up with this dick head. "But some people do call your design controversial. Why is that?"
"They're Idiots! They think more is better, but that just shows how stupid they are. My studies have proven that the additional armor added to other battle armor chassis's does nothing to improve survivability. So when I follow the natural conclusion and use a proper amount of armor to allow more tools to be mounted on my master piece, they accuse me of trying to get our troops killed!"
"Oh that's mean of them." I sound like a god damn airhead talking to a child, well that's half right at least. Oh well time to pout. "But I don't understand. More armor seems like a good Idea to me. Could you explain please. I don't want to be one of those Idiots!"
Dr. Zoidberg reacted as expected to the apparently distraught hostess, who looked to be about to burst into tears. "Oh no dear, you're not an Idiot. Here let me explain. Small weapons against armor bounce off. But the bigger weapons tend to blow holes though the armor. So while one of our troopers can shrug off being hit with a machine gun, If he gets hit by medium sized weapon like say a medium laser, he'll probably survive, but he's going to be injured, sometimes badly. Even the heaviest suits which claim to be able to take hits from heavy weapons like PPC's or Gauss rifles will leave their pilots crippled if they take such hits. Its only the use of Dangerous combat drugs that allows such mortally wounded troopers to keep fighting. And it doesn't matter how much armor is put on the suit, against guns made to kill mechs a battle armor suits armor just can't stop the damage from getting through to the trooper inside. Since its futile to even try to defend against the big guns I proposed to put on enough armor to stop light weapons, and rely on the troopers good sense to avoid being shot at by mechs. Does that answer your question my dear?"
Mellanie glanced with scant favor at Dr. Zoidbergs hand which had found its way to her knee during his spiel. Her voice returned to its more professional and colder tone. "Why yes Dr.zoidberg that answers the question nicely. But there is one last point of contention, something about the name of the combat suit?"
In an instant livid, foaming at the mouth rage Dr. Zoidberg launched into a full rant. "Its called the Zoidapod! I don't know who started calling it an Inferno Crab, but when I find out who it was I'm going to sue him for libel! I'm going to"
Mellanie smiled as she faced the camera, "And now a word from our sponsors."
Capabilities:
The Zoidapod, or the Inferno Crab as its known by everyone else besides the lead designer and lawyers is an interesting study in contrasts. According to the best strategic models it should be an outstanding design, yet its performance falters badly in detailed simulations. For example the "Controversial" Armor protection. According to the strategic model the 200kg of armor offers as much protection as the maximum 500kg that could be mounted to the Medium combat suit. In the detailed tactical simulation however the light armor preforms woefully, taking terminal damage from even a medium laser. Similar contrasts are seen in mobility and firepower. Tactically the Detachable weapon packs should impair the mobility of the suit, but strategically this affect is not apparent. The weapons share the same contrast. Strategically, the mix of firepower and heat based weapons should dominate a battlefield. Tactically, the limited range of the heavy flamer and limited ammo supply would see the suit pulling back in short order from combat. In fact the only case where the tactical model says something should work better then the strategic model is the light TAG.
It was the clearly shown lack of tactical ability that finally nixed the Inferno Crab from major deployment. Though the chassis did show some remarkable success in more infantry oriented roles, sparking a variety of heavy weapon platform variants. One of the most fearsome mounted 4 Heavy Machine guns mounted in detachable mounts. The wide variety of variants can be attributed to one of the few things the original design did well with its plethora of weapon mounts. Though they did not allow for true modularity, they did make it easy to customize the suit for other roles.
Deployment
If you look up a list of the most interesting creatures humanity has found as it's spread across the stars you'll find a wide assortment of creatures. Some reminiscent of creatures from myth. Some awesome hunters, sometimes of man. Some that have replaced traditional Terran animals in domestication. And if you looked up a list of creatures we wish we had never met and want to exterminate, near the top of that list would be the Inferno Crab.
What makes the Inferno Crab so hated and feared is its preferred habitat on humanity, after all the Inferno Crab is classified as an STD. The home planet of the Inferno Crab is unknown, but they are now ubiquitous in human space. Only Isolated space born populations have been able to eliminate them, and that usually only lasts until someone gets shore leave.
The secret to the Inferno Crabs success is that it has two adult phases in its life. For most of their life they act as a skin mite, living in hair follicles, reproducing and spreading to any soft and moist patch of skin they can find. Unfortunately as their population increases they release chemical signals that prompts them to metamorphose into their second adult stage. They hole up in their hair follicle, and start growing, actively eating the surrounding flesh. Early stages of this growth look like an acute case of Acne. Attempts to scratch or dislodge them prompts them to release acidic poisons causing intense pain. Eventually their metamorphosis is complete and they leave the cratered skin of their host in search of new feeding grounds to lay the next batch of eggs. The host of course gets to look forward to the next wave of population growth.
Note from the Comstar-CDC: It should be noted it is actually the death of the population that prompts the second stage adult metamorphosis. Thus improper or incomplete treatment will actually cause an acute outbreak to occur. And proper treatment is difficult to achieve given how "Intimate" are some of the places Inferno Crabs will inhabit. Still receiving proper treatment is preferable to the amputations which are sometimes required because of an acute outbreak.
Mort
Because Ice Hellion wanted Terminator armor.
This one is mostly all about armor. 18 points of armor in a six man squad gives you 4 points of Alpha Strike armor, the best that can be achieved. Went with reactive armor for its anti Artillery properties, letting this unit hunker down and pretty much ignore fire meant to dislodge it.
As a TW design, Inner Sphere chassis combined with clan equipment to give maximum remaining tonnage. Detachable weapon packs everywhere lets it carry about 800kg of direct fire weapons. This particular variant has 4 AP Gauss rifles to give it lots of punch. If you were going to go a bit more war hammery, Heavy flamers and recoiless rifles, and maybe a missile launcher would be be more in line. Oddly Space Operations adaptation would also be a variant, giving it an edge in boarding actions. Hmmm that one needs heavy vibro claws too...
Humpty Dumpty
Detachable weapon's packs. Letting you get away with terrible things.
In this case, I managed to cram in 3 Battle Armor Artillery Tubes. And just enough ammo to fire them. And some stealth armor to make it marginally harder to kill. And I just noticed the CAR special is missing. I could fix it, but its a pain finding images to steal again. Its an Inner Sphere design, CAR4 works.
Response to this one was entertaining. Ranged from "I should put this in a hardened building and rain death upon mine enemies" to "I'm going to the battletech forums to try and get this insanity banned."
Also, Humpty Dumpty was apparently a cannon. Big enough that when it was knocked off the wall it was mounted on, it wasn't able to be remounted. Thus the nursery rhyme.
Kerub
The Kerub. Arguably my favorite design in my quest for more dakka. Also my favorite for dropping in the rear arc of an unsuspecting Mech. Also a reason I don't have any friends... That poor guy. All happy with his mech company and I smashed his entire Fire support lance in one round of fire... His scout lance got run over by a Menhit point (Different thread. Go find it.), and then his assault lance got ganged up on. Good Times.
Fluff wise, the Kerub is a stone lion design. The Name is supposed to be based on some form of winged lion angel thing. Google is less then helpful in establishing this.
Mechanically, this combines the natural mobility of a quad chassis with Detachable Weapon packs. I use this theme a lot. I remind you that I use this theme a lot a lot too.
The Initial design was 4 Clan ERSmall lasers. Which works out just fine, but has some minor drawbacks. The shear mass used up prevents the use of stealth armor while maintaining a decent number of armor points. Also when translated to Alpha Strike all those lasers gives this unit the ENE special. Which gives no benefit to the Battle Armor, and does make laser reflective armor much more useful. The solution was to trade out one of the ER smalls with a Ballistic weapon (Recoiless rifle in this case). Alpha Strike firepower was maintained, but the ENE special was dropped.
The shorter ranged variant came next. The ER Small variant when translated to Alpha Strike gets a medium range firing bracket. This is expensive in point value, both in direct costs, and also in not fully activating the brawler PV discount. The Short ranged Variant drops the Medium range firepower while maintaining the short ranged firepower. Many points and a deeper discount later, and the thing is stupidly cheap for its firepower, and unconcerned by mobility issues because there is a such thing as transports. Which I will get to in a second. This mix of firepower is achieved with twin Heavy Small Lasers, and Twin heavy Machine guns. Detachable weapons backs used as needed.
Now Back to Transports, the Proioxis
Speed and Electronic counter measures are the only real protection this transport gives. But on the bright side, it can pick up its cargo, move them halfway across the map, and drop them off in a single turn, so at least you don't have to worry about losing your cargo. Also, given how dangerous the cargo tends to be, no one is going to waste shots at this when they can try to kill battle armor that doesn't have a TMM.
The Proioxis is named after the spirit of getting into battle. Because it is bloody well hard to keep finding war gods for clan vehicles to be named after. Its also appropriate.
Mort
Because Ice Hellion wanted Terminator armor.
Kerberos
Overview:
What did you expect from a realm who's favorite additive to pure alcohol is Ouzo. Though the Kopis claims to stress firepower over all else, a recent addition to the Battle Armor scene is more then willing to duke it out for that title. Named for the three headed hound which guards the underworld, the Kerberos stands ready to guard the boarders of the Free Worlds league. Whats left of it. Ok, maybe the boarders of Steiner space, on the non-Steiner side.
Capabilities:
Clearly based on the Fenrir, the Kerberos is a Quad Battle Armor design that takes the weapons platform concept to a new level. Eschewing the multi-functionally of the Lyran design, the Kerberos instead focuses on a level of raw firepower never before seen in Battle Armor. Three Medium lasers are mounted using detachable weapon mounts. The unbalancing normally associated with the DWP's is countered by the natural stability of a Quad Design. There is still considerable stress on the motive musculature however slowing the Kerberos to a crawl. Though this would normally be a vulnerability, use of recovered Mimic armor technology from the former Word of Blake oppressors makes the Kerberos harder to hit then it's Lyran counterpart. Slightly more armor coverage also compares favorably to the Lyran's mongrel.
Variants:
Though the Tri-Laser Kerberos made an impression and gained renown to help boost sales. A Twin Laser design is far more battlefield capable. The simple expedient of more then doubling the armor carried gives the Kerberos the longevity to really make an impression on the battlefield.
One of my first forays into Detachable weapon packs. All in all, a nasty little ground holder. Medium lasers give decent range and punch, Mimic armor make them hard to dislodge. For TW, these are arguably more effective then the Kerubs; range matters.
Brimestone
Overview:
Clan Hell Horse, Known for their extensive use of combined arms. While some would look at their use of Vehicles in place of Proper mechs to be their distinguishing trait, but their true pride has always been the warrior, right down to their infantry. It was they who developed the elemental phenotype, and they who embraced the promised of Battle Armor when it was developed. When their edge In Battle Armor was threatened by the Inner Spheres introduction of new assault Battle Armor capable of standing up against the standard Elemental Armor, they responded with the Gnome. Now the edge given to them by the Gnome is being threatened by New Clan designs. Their response this time, fire and Brimstone.
Capabilities:
There are two new designs in the Clan Sphere that threaten the Balance of power, the Corona and the Golem. The Golem is perhaps the most direct threat to the Gnomes superiority, offering a massive increase in firepower and Armor over the Gnome. While the Gnome can still hold it's own in a knife fight, The disparity in missile throw weight can quickly turn a fight in the Golem's favor.
The Corona offers a new way of using Battle Armor. Mechanized deployment and superior weapons range allows this relatively unmaneuverable design to quickly enter and stay in action. The Medium Pulse lasers makes this one of the most lethally effective battle Armor designs to date.
Hell Horse Scientists took both of these designs into account when they began work on the Brimstone. Originally the Brimstone was suppose to be a counter to the Corona. As such it follows much the same combat model as the Corona, The ability to quickly destroy the Corona was another Combat Goal in the original design process. To achieve this goal the Advanced SRM pack was reached for once more. Using a larger launcher with a much deeper ammo bin compared to the Gnome the Brimstone is able to put out respectable damage longer then most other Battle Armor designs currently in use. Unfortunately the Balance between weight of fire, length of fire, and secondary weapons help up development of the Brimstone for considerable amounts of time. Several prototype stages were produced, some seeing action, but no solution set really ever worked. Either the Secondary weapons would take up to much weight and detract from the missiles, or The missiles systems would take up to much space, leaving the design in a pinch once their ammo ran dry. The Project was nearly shelved when two events happened. The Ghost Bears unveiled the Golem, and the Jade Falcons introduced the AP Gauss Rifle. The AP-Gauss rifle finally gave the Brimstone a suitable Secondary weapon with enough Damage, range and endurance to keep the Brimstone in the fight once it's missiles were gone. The missile pack on the other hand finally settles on an ASRM-4, slightly lighter then the Golem's Launcher, with three times the firing time as the Golem. As a Final measure to help insure the Brimstone's superiority over competing Battle Armor Designs, it incorporates a substantial amount of Stealth Technologies giving it an Edge in the long range duels that can develop between these next generations of Battle Armor.
14 points stealth, AP Gauss, aSRM-4 with 6 salvo's. Mechanized. Can't really move once it gets to the battle, but able to punch out decent to above average damage. It was intended to match up against Corona Armor. Corona's would require 3 hits to take out a Brimstone, while 2 Salvo's worth of fire should be more then enough to take out a Corona. Course then I turned around and upgraded the Corona...
In Alpha Strike, its a relatively normal unit. There is nothing that matches it's stats exactly, but that's because the best match's are faster then it is. Cuchulainn Support armor. Whatever that is.
This particular design did spawn two other designs.
And the Corona II, which uses a Detachable Weapons Pack to free up tonnage for more armor is exactly the same as the stock Cuchulainn in alpha strike Stats. No separate post for you!
Alchemist
Overview:
Though the Brimstone and other next generation Battle Armor suits offered a variety of exciting new options, they achieved their goals by specialization. No doubt the lowborn free birth scum of the Inner Sphere would be fine with such an arrangement, but the Warriors of Kerensky demand more from their technology. For the Clans the ability to adapt their machinery to the task at hand as become a hallmark of their superiority.
Clan Hell Horse in praticular desired a Modular Heavy Battle Armor design. Their Rock Golem and the Brimstone gave them a significant margin of superiority, but both were specialist designs. The ability to retailor for specific tasks would improve flexibility, and perhaps even better allow for a consolidation of production. Why build several different suits when a single suit can do all of their jobs.
Capabilities:
The Alchemist can in most respects be considered a descendant of the Brimstone. The same basic chassis is at the core of both designs. The Alchemist's main difference and defining feature is it's plethora of modular weapons mounts. Twin Gun mounts and a Missile capable mount allows for a wide variety of weapon options. In order to maximize the weapon variety a trade off in armor was forced. Though advanced armors offer superior protection through target jamming, traditional armor still offers advantages in both mass savings and bulk. As such even the largest weapons can be mounted in the Alchemist's central mount. Recent innovations however have allowed over sized weapons to be mounted in the arm mounts as well; the Detachable Weapons Pack. Though this system limits the maneuverability of the suit greatly the trade off in firepower is more then worth it.
Variants:
The initial production run of the Alchemist included 4 configurations. The base configuration uses twin AP Gauss rifles backed by an Advanced SRM pack with a significant reserve of ammo. This configuration offers good coverage against all targets that can be found on the battle field.
The Fire support Variant can command the battlefield with it's LRM launcher. If the battle lasts longer then the ammo bins, then the ER Small Laser can still influence the fight.
The Anti Infantry variant has had mixed reviews since it's inception. Though the mix of weapons can have terrifying impact on unarmored infantry, many warriors seem to prefer stacked Anti-personal Gauss rifles for there superior range and damage against hardened targets while maintaining the ability to create significant casualties to soft targets.
The Heavy Weapons Configuration is something of a coup. Similar to the Corona, but with greater resilience and firepower. The only downside compared to the Corona is a slight decrease in mobility due to the DWP.
The Alchemist has a slight and minor problem in that its not exactly a legal design. Any one of its configurations can be made with ease, but its gimmick of combining Modular weapon mounts with detachable weapon packs was deemed a "Nope" by errata. Fortunately I now have enough experience and wisdom to be able to ignore rules that interfere with a perfectly neat idea. The world is a more interesting place because of this. You may thank me later. 
Basic stats, Move of 2 (Because of DWP's) 14 points of standard clan armor. Guns are pretty much always in a DWP.
Base configuration, 2 AP Gauss, Advanced SRM-3 with 7 salvo's. Its the one most obviously descended from the Brimstone.
Fire Support, ERSmall laser and an LRM-4 with 6 Salvos. Remaining tonnage is taken up by a Light TAG, because why not.
Anti-Infantry. Heavy Recoiless Rifle, Heavy machine Gun, Flamer. I Don't like this one. The weapons mix is Meh. There is of course the 3 AP Gauss variant. Also boring Good for 4/4/0 damage. On other Hand, Heavy Flamer, Micro Pulse and an SRM-4. Gives 5/3/0 with HT 2/0/0. That's a fairly nasty damage profile, especially against non-heat tracking units. SRM ammo is light though, oh well. I'll tack an extra card on at the end.
Heavy Weapon: ER Medium laser, and a OS SRM-2. A Case of very effective in Total Warfare being boiled down to steaming piles of Meh in Alpha Strike. Makes sense. Many Meh Mechs Murder Marvelously, once translated to Alpha Strike.
Close Quarters: A New addition. Being upset at the Heavy Weapon Variant's lack of impressiveness, a design with more dakka was required. Twin ERSmall Lasers and an SRM-1 with significant ammo reserves scrap by with just enough damage to round up to 5. Which incidentally has no stock equivalent. You can have the armor and damage, but this one is Mechanized.
And of course being named the Alchemist. A play on the Elemental name, both designs being the centered Multi-purpose modular designs that they are.
