Osprey/Summoner II
Background
Although it had been in service for 138 years and had accrued a very good service record, the surge in Warden and Crusader Mech building that had been kick started by the Hellion Surge made Clan Jade Falcon take a long hard look at their Tourman.
Although one of, if not the most powerful Crusader Clan, the Great Debate was swinging back and forth between the Wardens and Crusaders, and as other Clans re-armed, the Falcons dare not be left behind.
Whilst the usually haughty Falcons were quite above some honest self-appraisal, Khan Yvonne Hazen ordered a ‘head to toe’ check of her Clan and its Mechs performance, both on the battlefield and off in 3035
As a staple of Clan Jade Falcon’s Tourman the Summoners battlefield performance was looked at and despite its popularity it was found to be lacking in some areas. Whilst these were not as crippling as the Hellbringer, they did present inefficiencies and a number of flaws that needed to be corrected.
Authorizing a new Mech be built, as redesigning and rebuilding the Summoner would simply take too long, Khan Hazen’s Scientists began working on a replacement when one was presented to them.
Clan Goliath Scorpion debued their newly developed Goliath Scorpion heavy Mech in a Trial against Clan Wolf, the design intrigued Warrior Errin Roshak and pushed for a Trial of Possession for one of the new Mechs and finally was able to take part in a Trial on Roche where he in his Summoner squared off against a Goliath Scorpion. The duel was vicious but short as a hit to the Scorpion damaged its hip and leg actuator, making it near impossible to rise. Claiming the Mech as Isorla he presented it to Khan Hazen. This earned him a promotion to Star Captain and let the Scientists get a good look at the Scorpion Omni that, save for a shattered hip, was in good condition.
Once repaired it was obvious that this was the Mech that the Scientists were looking for, or at least one based on it. The endo-steel skeleton and smart allocation of armour, as well as a total lack of fixed items saved a considerable amount of weight and gave the Mech more pod space, the only downside was that it was slightly more expensive in terms of resources to produce.
Khan Hazen ordered a crash development program that was to use as many parts of the Summoner as possible to cut down on development time and production was started in 3041.
The configurations were developed with assistance of Warriors from the Turkina Keshik and this development program was entrusted to Elias Chrichell as another sign of Khan Hazen’s favour to her designated successor and saKhan.
Design
The Goliath Scorpion chassis was found to be very well laid out and designed and easily adopted Summoner parts like the engine, gyro and BCP as well as a Falcon made comms system.
It was felt to keep the design as free of fixed equipment as possible, allowing for maximum customisation and flexibility, as well as cutting down somewhat on production costs. As fast as a Summoner on the ground but with a thicker hide and despite this, can carry considerably more tonnage.
Initial performance trials showed it was a superior Mech and, in one of her last major decisions as Khan, Yvonne Hazen ordered the production of the Summoner to be halted and for the new Mech to be built in its place. It was felt that there was enough Summoners around to act as the mobile wing of the Tourman and that the new Mech would supplement and eventually replace it. Production started in 3041 and proceeded at a break neck pace as the build up to Operation REVIVAL’s launch reached a fever pitch.
Addendum – The new Mech once fully commissioned was initially called the Osprey, but due to its similarities with the Summoner in performance and role, this name never really took hold amongst the Warrior Caste who referred to it as the Summoner II. The Osprey name only appeared on paperwork and official documentation and was rarely used by Warriors or Commanders.
Variants
Prime – Heavily inspired by the Summoner Prime it features the same primary armament of a ER PPC as well as a LB-10 pattern autocannon. The cannons endurance has greatly increased thanks to the addition of an extra ton of ammunition, allowing its Pilots to use both solid and cluster ammunition, not have to choose one or the other. However, the traditional jump jets were not installed and instead a battery of mid-range weapons were installed to make the Mech more deadly at shorter ranges. A pair of Streak SRM-6’s each with their own ammo bin and a pair of ER Medium lasers were installed, making the Mech far more formidable in a close engagement. An extra heat sink fights the higher heat curve but the Mech can still safely alpha strike its weapons and run and not suffer a significant heat surge.
When they were introduced a common refit was to replace the Streak SRM’s and their ammo with an ATM-9 and 3 tons of ammunition as well as a light active probe.
Summoner II Prime
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,463
Cost: 21,225,208 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 15 [30]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
ER PPC LA 15
LB 10-X AC RA 2
Streak SRM 6 LT 4
Streak SRM 6 RT 4
ER Medium Laser LT 5
ER Medium Laser RT 5
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LB 10-X AC Ammo RA 10
LB 10-X Cluster Ammo RA 10
Streak SRM 6 Ammo LT 15
Streak SRM 6 Ammo RT 15
Summoner II Prime (2)
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,457
Cost: 21,548,208 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 15 [30]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
ER PPC LA 15
LB 10-X AC RA 2
ER Medium Laser RT 5
ER Medium Laser RT 5
ATM 9 LT 6
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LB 10-X AC Ammo RA 10
LB 10-X Cluster Ammo RA 10
ATM 9 Ammo LT 7
ATM 9 Ammo LT 7
ATM 9 Ammo LT 7
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Light Active Probe HD
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
A – The Summoner II Alfa was more akin to a mix of the original Prime and C variant. Able to jump to 150 meters the Bravo was built to get close and bring its ultra-20 autocannon to bare. A large pulse laser provided heavy and accurate firepower at all ranges whilst a trio of ER small lasers could engage at short range. The electronics suite was expanded to feature an ECM to protect the Mech as it closed as well as allowing it to disrupt or silence hostile forces electronic systems once in range.
Popular with the Jaguars for its brutal, no nonsense approach the A took a skilled and brave Warrior and were very popular in duels.
Later refits often saw the pulse laser replaced with a Heavy large laser, reducing the Mech’s range but making it a terror in close quarters.
Summoner II A
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,532
Cost: 21,350,052 C-bills
Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 15 [30]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Ultra AC/20 RA/RT 7
Large Pulse Laser LA 10
ER Small Laser LA 2
ER Small Laser LA 2
ER Small Laser LA 2
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
Ultra AC/20 Ammo RT 5
Ultra AC/20 Ammo RT 5
Ultra AC/20 Ammo RT 5
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
ECM Suite HD
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
Summoner II A (2)
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,467
Cost: 21,534,927 C-bills
Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 17 [34]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Ultra AC/20 RA/RT 7
ER Small Laser LA 2
ER Small Laser LA 2
ER Small Laser LA 2
Heavy Large Laser LA 18
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
Ultra AC/20 Ammo RT 5
Ultra AC/20 Ammo RT 5
Ultra AC/20 Ammo RT 5
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
ECM Suite HD
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
B – Carrying a huge number of missiles the Bravo acted as a high mobility artillery platform. Although it lacked jump jets the new Bravo design carried nearly double the missiles compared to the Summoner B. A pair of Artemis IV enhanced LRM-20’s and LRM-15’s each with their own 2-ton ammo bin were the Mech’s only armament whilst an AMS and ECM provided additional layers of protection. Valued for its simplicity as well as the sheer amount of missiles that it brought to an engagement the Bravo’s main shortcoming was the significant strain that they put on a units logistics.
Summoner II B
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,598
Cost: 22,869,958 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 12 [24]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
LRM 20 LA 6
LRM 20 RA 6
LRM 15 RT 5
LRM 15 LT 5
AMS HD 1
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LRM 20 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo LA 6
LRM 20 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo LA 6
LRM 20 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo RA 6
LRM 20 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo RA 6
LRM 15 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo LT 8
LRM 15 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo LT 8
LRM 15 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo RT 8
LRM 15 (Clan) Artemis-capable Ammo RT 8
AMS Ammo LT 24
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Artemis IV FCS LA
Artemis IV FCS RA
Artemis IV FCS LT
Artemis IV FCS RT
ECM Suite CT
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
C – Designed to engage at long range the Charlie was armed with a Gauss rifle and a pair of ER large lasers whilst a SRM-6 provided point defence firepower. Capable of jumping up to 150 meters the Charlie was popular with Warriors who had previously commanded an older Summoner. Unfortunately, heat was a concern with this config but a careful warrior could easily control rising heat levels by simply dropping one ER laser from his or her firing pattern.
One popular refit of this config saw the gauss rifle replaced with a HAG-20 and its associated ammunition as well as an extra heatsink.
Summoner II C
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,704
Cost: 21,121,083 C-bills
Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 14 [28]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
Gauss Rifle LA 1
ER Large Laser RA 12
ER Large Laser RA 12
SRM 6 LT 4
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
Gauss Ammo LA 8
Gauss Ammo LA 8
SRM 6 Ammo LT 15
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
Summoner II C (2)
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,644
Cost: 21,452,583 C-bills
Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 15 [30]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
ER Large Laser RA 12
ER Large Laser RA 12
SRM 6 LT 4
HAG/20 LA 4
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
SRM 6 Ammo LT 15
HAG/20 Ammo LA 6
HAG/20 Ammo LT 6
HAG/20 Ammo LA 6
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
D – Built for long range engagements and long lasting battles the Delta’s armament was built around a blistering array of lasers that were tied into a targeting computer. A pair of ER large lasers provided the main punch whilst at shorter ranges a pair of ER medium lasers and Medium pulse lasers could be brought to bear. Eleven tons of additional cooling helped fight the heat load of this armament whilst jump jets were installed for additional mobility. A formidable sniper and harasser the Delta was often the last thing a Medium Mech’s pilot would see during a Falcon attack.
Summoner II D
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 3,076
Cost: 20,935,146 C-bills
Movement: 5/8/5
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 21 [42]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
ER Large Laser LA 12
ER Large Laser RA 12
ER Medium Laser LA 5
ER Medium Laser RA 5
Medium Pulse Laser LA 4
Medium Pulse Laser RA 4
Flamer HD 3
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Targeting Computer RT
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
E - Designed to be a hammer, the Echo traded mobility for raw firepower and to do so the Falcon Scientists quite blatantly copied a Mech from the past, the fearsome and lauded Marauder. They copied its weapons loadout almost exactly, with each arm holding an ER PPC and a ER Medium laser whilst a LB-10 pattern autocannon sits on the right shoulder. Although an alpha strike is not recommended the Mech can use its primary weapons and only suffer heat from movement. The Echo was used as a ‘pocket assault Mech’ in battles against Inner Sphere forces on the Lyran front where its firepower easily matched that of the Zeus assault Mech.
Later refits sometimes saw the autocannon replaced with a HAG, which increased the Mech’s ranged firepower at the cost of battlefield endurance.
Summoner II E
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,684
Cost: 21,155,615 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 17 [34]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
ER PPC LA 15
ER PPC RA 15
LB 10-X AC RT 2
ER Medium Laser LA 5
ER Medium Laser RA 5
ER Small Laser HD 2
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LB 10-X AC Ammo RT 10
LB 10-X AC Ammo RT 10
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
Summoner II E (2)
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,812
Cost: 21,232,115 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 17 [34]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
ER PPC LA 15
ER PPC RA 15
ER Medium Laser LA 5
ER Medium Laser RA 5
ER Small Laser HD 2
HAG/20 RT 4
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
HAG/20 Ammo RT 6
HAG/20 Ammo CT 6
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
F – Built to operate in close quarters as well as engage the expected masses of infantry that the Successor Lords would field the F was built to hunt and destroy Infantry and vehicle forces. An LB-10 and large pulse laser provided the main firepower but it was most effective at shorter ranges. A pair of medium pulse lasers and a single small pulse laser were supported by a pair of SRM-6’s each with their own ammunition bin and a quartet of machine guns. An active probe let it hunt for targets and the SRM bins were often filled with fragmentation and inferno warheads.
Unfortunately, heat was a significant issue if a Warrior used all his weapons against a single target, and some criticized the lack of jump jets that were felt as needed in a built up environment.
Summoner II F
Clan TW
70 tons
BV: 2,153
Cost: 21,062,646 C-bills
Movement: 5/8
Engine: 350 XL
Heat Sinks: 12 [24]
Gyro: Standard Gyro
Internal: 107 (Endo-Steel)
Armor: 211/217 (Ferro-Fibrous)
Internal Armor
--------------------------------------
Center Torso 22 30
Center Torso (rear) 10
Right Torso 15 22
Right Torso (rear) 7
Left Torso 15 22
Left Torso (rear) 7
Right Arm 11 22
Left Arm 11 22
Right Leg 15 30
Left Leg 15 30
Weapon Loc Heat
----------------------------------------
LB 10-X AC RA 2
Large Pulse Laser LA 10
Medium Pulse Laser LA 4
Medium Pulse Laser LA 4
Small Pulse Laser RT 2
SRM 6 LT 4
SRM 6 RT 4
Machine Gun LT 0
Machine Gun RT 0
Machine Gun LT 0
Machine Gun RT 0
Ammo Loc Shots
----------------------------------------
LB 10-X AC Ammo RA 10
LB 10-X AC Ammo RA 10
LB 10-X AC Ammo RA 10
SRM 6 Ammo LT 15
SRM 6 Ammo RT 15
Half Machine Gun Ammo CT 100
Equipment Loc
----------------------------------
Active Probe HD
!MechView.CarringCapacity!One battle armor squad
Deployment
Due to it being fairly new at the start of REVIVAL the Summoner II was concentrated in Alpha and Gamma Galaxies as well as the Turkina Keshik, being assigned a Summoner II outside of these units was a sign of approval from higher command. Operating alongside its older cousin and the *INSERT NAME OF THE HELLBRINGERS REPLACEMENT HERE* the Summoner II very quickly earned a vicious reputation amongst Inner Sphere Mechwarrior's who faced it. Spread by trial or salvage across the Crusader Clans, only the Jaguars won production rights prior to the invasion although in a political move the Falcons traded the schematics to the Ghost Bears in return for mining rights and favourable trade agreements. Thanks to their industrial might the Bears were able to make the Summoner II a staple amongst their front line Galaxies during REVIVAL.
This is my hat being put in the ring, I tried to stick close to the original Summoner configs and weapon choices, and many of them are jump capable.
Author
Topic: Configuration Challenge: Jade Falcon #1 (Goliath Scorpion; aka Summoner II) (Read 512 times)