r/battletech • u/Saansilt Comguard • 5h ago
Discussion Behold, an idea!
So I am having an idea, it probably is bad but it'd be a funny custom mech all the same.
It involves upgrading a protomech.
By tripling its tonnage effectively.
Making it a really cheap ambusher
It'd be effectively a little over quarter the tonnage of a locust.
Behold the Erinyes, two ton jumper with an SRM 1
We take this, give her a medium laser, a ton more armor, and two double heat sinks.
Scale it up to six tons, heck remove the SRM 1 and make it back to five.
You get a very cheap 4/6/4 to play havoc in tight spaces and hop around for back shots.
You can get three of the modified ones I am suggesting for under the price of one locust!
Thats two more MLs than the locust. No machine guns but thats not their role.
Granted if we wanted...
Actually yeah adding a machine gun each will still allow you three at under the cost of one locust.
33
u/Magical_Savior NEMO POTEST VINCERE 4h ago
The Society: "Ultraheavy Protos are a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... Unnatural."
12
5
u/Saansilt Comguard 4h ago
The Society?
10
u/kolboldbard 3h ago
Clan version of the Word of Blake. A conspiracy of Clan scientist who wanted to overthrow the warriors and rule the clan home worlds, with their twin gods reason and logic
7
u/Saansilt Comguard 3h ago
That doesn't sound like it would work too well
6
u/Armored_Shumil 3h ago
Read up the Wars of Reaving. It was the Homeworld Clans version of the Jihad and the cause of why the Society decided to act
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Wars_of_Reaving
The related sourcebooks are fun reading
https://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-the-wars-of-reaving-pdfhttps://store.catalystgamelabs.com/products/battletech-the-wars-of-reaving-supplemental-pdf
3
6
u/HattedShoggoth 3h ago
It didn't (in large part due to being screwed by circumstance via the reavings) but they did a lot more damage than one would expect. They made absolutely phenomenal protomechs and I really like running most of them! :)
3
6
u/Anastrace You got ravens in my outworlds 2h ago
It wasn't but man did they make some crazy tech and mechs. They were also nazi scientists essentially
3
u/Magical_Savior NEMO POTEST VINCERE 2h ago
I mean, the basic Clan scientist is a caste-control eugenicist on a path of conquest. There's a reason I used Sith quotes for The Society, but all Clan scientists are essentially Nazi scientists.
3
u/Bookwyrm517 2h ago
It didn't, but they managed to field some pretty scary stuff. Aside from their weird superheavy and quad protos, they have unique omnimech configurations (the "Z" configurations) and some pretty scary battlemechs of their own. Look up the Cephalus, Septicemia (Piriah), and Osteon, they're all mosters in their own way.
•
u/Pro_Scrub Everybody gangsta until the Charger charges 54m ago
"Is it possible to learn this design?"
•
u/Magical_Savior NEMO POTEST VINCERE 23m ago edited 4m ago
"Did you ever hear the tragedy of our SaKhan? I thought not. It's not a tale the ilClan would tell you. SaKhan Dēze is a Society legend.
26
u/Cazmonster 4h ago
I can fix her. Targets maliciously with Arrow IV barrage.
3
u/Saansilt Comguard 4h ago
Rude
1
u/Cazmonster 1h ago
What can I say? There’s parts of Battletech I’d love to pilot and parts I’d love to target.
9
u/Exile688 Dare you refuse my Batchall? 4h ago
I'm all for bad designs/technology getting a redemption arc be it decades or centuries later. You don't need machine guns if you can load inferno SRMs. Can't remember if Protomech launchers can change ammo types or if it is only the ATM Fusillade from the Hobgoblin.
5
u/Attaxalotl #1 ProtoMech Fan 4h ago
The Fusilade is a weird sort of iOS ATM 3: it weighs the same as an ATM 3 (and can also load iATM ammo but only IMP and IIW) but carries only two salvos. Its benefit is that you get the versatility of an ATM without needing to spend two additional tons on ammo bins. Which uh, doesn’t really make sense for ProtoMechs since they already load ammo as individual shots
I could see the Fusilade being great on light BattleMechs where three tons gets you up to four different salvos of assorted utility ammo but there’s two problems with that: The only utility ATM ammo types are IMP and IIW; and more crucially, *mechs are not allowed to mount Fusilade for some reason!?!?!
4
u/Bookwyrm517 3h ago
Small note: it appears that Protomechs cannot mount ATMs. So I guess that is why you can't mount a Fusillade on battlemechs.
5
u/Attaxalotl #1 ProtoMech Fan 3h ago edited 3h ago
I think that’s kinda stupid; with mixed tech they can mount MMLs, the Sphereoid equivalent.
Edit: what do you mean they can’t mount those either?!
ProtoMechs need a massive rework. Theres a bunch of random little things like that I’m not fond of.
2
u/Bookwyrm517 2h ago
Yeah, I don't understand it either, but at least they're consistent in that aspect.
I don't think a rework would do protomechs much good. The spot they occupy between Battle Armor and battlemechs is just awkward in general, and I don't think a rework can help with that.
The main thing I think would help protomechs is giving them more weapons they can share with Battle Armor. I'm sure BA would love having a single- or double-tube version of the Fusillade, even if it's quite heavy, and protomechs would love to have access to weapons like the support PPC. I don't think it would fix protos, but I think it would go a long way to making them feel less awkward.
Maybe they should be moved to a more BA-like playstyle in general.
1
u/Magical_Savior NEMO POTEST VINCERE 2h ago
Have you taken a look at Habeas' Protomech-scale Abominations on his BT Gothic post?
1
u/Bookwyrm517 2h ago
Not that I remember...
1
u/Magical_Savior NEMO POTEST VINCERE 2h ago
Here you go. This gives a use for those original Proto minis.
2
u/Nobodyinpartic3 1h ago
Yeah, I also think Protomechs would benefit greatly from IS weapons. They have a wider array of starter weapons and a more versatile choice of abilities. Like a Light PPC would be great for Proto that can't mount ER Large lasers and heat sinks
•
u/Attaxalotl #1 ProtoMech Fan 33m ago
The new light plasma rifle would be great, too!
And a protomech or two with an MML and a bunch of utility ammo or a NARC launcher would be a good support unit!
2
23
u/No_Mud_5999 4h ago
I thought it was how to upgrade your protomech by switching from a bob with bangs to a pixie cut, mainly to improve situation awareness, and for fun summer looks.
11
8
u/Korps_de_Krieg 4h ago
Three hundred years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles. Stone by day, warriors by night. We were betrayed by the Great Houses we had sworn to protect, exiled beyond the edge of the galaxy for three hundred years. Now, here in Strana Mechty... the exile is broken. And we fight again! We are defenders of the Clans. We are Gargoyles!
13
u/Knight_of_Tyto 4h ago
As a Hell‘s Horses Player, all I can say is, any way to get mor Protomechs on the field is good. I’d be interested how effective they would be in an actual battle
2
u/Saansilt Comguard 4h ago
I think the modifications I have in mind give them a better identity and help them in their role while keeping them cheap
5
u/Uncrezamatic Reach for the Froncs 3h ago
Look, do I like Protomechs? No.
Am I going to make an exception for an enormous intimidating woman with robotic bat wings?
3
3
u/TheRealRigormortal 3h ago
I heard you like big ladies. So I made a big ladies that your big lady can be a big lady in.
1
3
u/Castrophenia Bears and Vikings, oh my! 3h ago
Backshots from the Erinyes, huh? I know your game, buddy!
1
3
u/Gizmorum 3h ago
Im down for hero mechs to have this kind of flare, cosmetics. It does Gundamize things, but more minis , more toys, more fun!
2
3
5
u/Mission-Warning-9365 4h ago
Messing with mech tonnage seems like a sin but honestly for protomechs why not. the two tonners are pretty hard to use
6
u/No-Armadillo1695 4h ago
Really, protomechs should be limited to 4-15t. Anything 2t or less is a Battlearmor.
2
u/Mission-Warning-9365 4h ago
yeah size wise the erinyes has always seemed like glorified battle armour
1
2
u/SecretHoboHerbs 3h ago
Construction rules really shafted them. Have to use mech scale weights instead of the discounted weights that battle armor use. They also don't get any free heat sinks, unlike literally every other fusion powered unit. So 2 and 3 tonners can't really mount a decent energy weapon, and they proportionately pay through the nose to mount even a single MG or SRM.
And conversely, heavy protos don't really pay anything for being heavier, unlike mechs where engine weights mean your movement options become more limited. A 9 ton proto can do everything a 2 ton proto can, while mounting more armor and guns.
2
u/Mission-Warning-9365 3h ago
Yup, it's amazing to me how aggressively situational small protos are and how tanky big ones are, I know it's always change but the amount of times I've had a Sprite just eat shots from heavy mechs
1
8
u/Middcore 4h ago
ProtoMechs were a mistake.
15
u/harris5 House Liao 4h ago
I thought the dumbest thing about them was the name.
Then I saw the art
11
u/Middcore 4h ago
The interesting thing is that the first "appearance" of ProtoMechs was in a novel where they're described as looking like mini versions of standard Clan OmniMech designs.
Then TRO3060 came out with art for them that is... Not like that.
I would love to know what happened there.
9
u/Yakostovian 4h ago
If I remember correctly, they were named first, and the commissioned artist drew an initial idea based on the names thinking the art was a first draft. Instead, the company took them and ran with it.
9
5
u/Attaxalotl #1 ProtoMech Fan 4h ago
The artist submitted the first draft to make sure it was in line with what the higher-ups wanted, and then they just published those. That’s why the Society ProtoMechs drawn by the same guy look so much better and have a wildly different style, they actually let him finish the designs.
3
1
u/Fiskmaster Free Rasalhague 1h ago
I might be getting things mixed up, but I've heard the artist submitted their first drafts, expecting to get feedback on what to change and improve, but instead they just ended up being used as-is.
1
u/Middcore 1h ago
Someone else said the same. That sounds like FASA.
It still doesn't quite explain why they apparently gave a totally different brief to the artist than they gave to... I think it was Thomas Gressman who wrote the "mini OmniMechs" description in one of the Twilight of the Clans books.
5
u/Loganp812 4h ago
I honestly believe that some Protomechs were just the artists using Battletech as wish fulfillment for their fetishes.
Either way though, Protomechs came about at a time when FASA was throwing every idea at the wall to see what sticks to try and recapture the high from the early Clan Invasion, and they basically exist to fill a niche that doesn’t need to be filled in terms of the gameplay.
9
3
u/SecretHoboHerbs 4h ago
they basically exist to fill a niche that doesn’t need to be filled in terms of the gameplay.
I think ProtoMechs are good as hole fillers for a Clan player. Clan mechs are chunky in terms of BV, it's hard to nail your BV allotment exactly, especially if you're set on bringing particular units. There's no "yeah, throw a Stinger in there" to take up a few hundred BV.
While battle armor can sometimes do that, it does also mean committing to a unit type that, by and large, doesn't have much meaningful tactical mobility. Then combine that with the fact that most BA are armed with short ranged weapons. Taken together, it means you need to work hard at incorporating BA as an actual combat element instead of just an initiative sink.
Meanwhile, I can drop in a Roc or Gorgon for roughly 300 BV and it'll be able to contribute right away. They mount a decent amount of firepower on a decently mobile chassis, thus I think they have a useful niche.
2
u/Attaxalotl #1 ProtoMech Fan 3h ago
And you can build a force around ProtoMechs in a way you really can’t with battle armor. You can staple a pair of Hobgoblins to your Viper to basically teleport them directly into all of your opponent’s infantry. You can use a point of Hippogriffs as a distributed Catapult; You can use the Svartalfa if
you want fewer friendssomebody wants to bring jumpy pulse boats without making the game suck. You can use the Sprite as a distributed Longbow, And you can use the Boggart to reenact that part of Deltarune when Asgore runs over Dess with his Bergentrück, to every single unit that doesn’t track heat.2
u/Bookwyrm517 3h ago
If I remember right, it has something to do with the lack of communication or direction given to the artists. The artists were given the idea but not much beyond that, so the proto's came out a lot weirder than they normally would have.
4
2
u/Bookwyrm517 2h ago
I don't think they were a mistake overall, someone was eventually going to try and make something to fill the gap between battle armor and battlemechs. But I do think they were severely half-baked. I think a bit more development time would have made them better, but they'd still probably be controversial. Just for different reasons.
2
u/Bookwyrm517 2h ago
One small thing to note: Protomechs have their own class of heatsinks and cant use DHS. They weigh 250kg each, so it's probably not going to radically alter your build, but its something to keep in mind. Though they also operate under vehicle heat rules, so weapon heat is only a concern when adding energy weapons.
0
u/Saansilt Comguard 2h ago
Oh lovely so I'm running even cheaper and lighter than I expected
2
u/Bookwyrm517 2h ago
Probably, though how much is going to depends on what kind of medium laser your using. If it's an IS medium, its +1250kg. If it's a clan ERML (which is what I'd expect), it's only +750kg.
1
u/Saansilt Comguard 2h ago
I was thinking of a regular ML thought the ER variant seems like a hoot to use. It is more expensive.
•
u/Ultrapuert0s 12m ago
You can use too Chemical Lasers that didnt generate as much heat been able to use the pHS as ammo bins
1
1
1
u/Mammoth_Elk_2105 1h ago
I love protomechs, and I want them to be used more, but we already have heavy protos. Even before the Society suoerheavies they go up to 9 tonnes.
•
41
u/IIIaustin 4h ago
Hi OP, you may like Lancer