Scott's Game Room’Mech Manual: Battle Cobra BTL-C-2OA
I took one of these to the Atomic Empire Classic BattleTech tournament and killed a Tenshi with it! Sure, it had some help and the kill was mostly luck, but I still had lots of fun with this ’Mech.
Like other powers of the Inner Sphere, ComStar tasked their scientists and engineers with replicating Clan OmniMech technology. With numerous Battle Cobras taken as salvage from the Devil’s Bath on Tukayyid, they decided to try to replicate that design. Unfortunately, the Word of Blake schism and technical complexities caused numerous delays. While the Draconis Combine was manufacturing their own OmniMechs as early as 3052, ComStar did not complete its Battle Cobra OmniMech until 3063.
The new Battle Cobra BTL-C-2O’s Prime configuration attempted to replicate the Clan Battle Cobra’s Prime with a pair of large pulse lasers. The A configuration though attempted something different. It instead focused on electronic warfare with an armament consisting mostly of medium lasers.
The Com Guards were the only military force to make use of the Battle Cobra until they were dissolved at the end of the Word of Blake Jihad. At that point, the chassis was adopted by the Kell Hounds and some other mercenaries, but the C3i-equipped configurations like the A were abandoned in favor of new uses for the OmniMech chassis.
Read This First
- Try to fight within 6 hexes of your targets, or even closer if you are spotting for a friendly C3i network
- With C3i, ECM, Probe, and TAG you can make your allies more effective and excel at missions requiring scanning or locating hidden items
- You can’t generate much TMM because you’re slower than a 40-ton ’Mech should be and you don’t have much armor due to being a 40-ton ’Mech, so try to use terrain defensively
- Alternatively, make sure your allies are drawing all of the enemy fire for you
Battle Cobra BTL-C-2OA
- Role: Brawler
- Tech Base: Inner Sphere (3063)
- Chassis: 40 tons (Endo Steel)
- Movement: 5 / 8
- Armor: 125 (Ferro Fibrous)
- Heat Sinks: 11 (22)
- Weapons:
- Medium Pulse Laser × 3
- Medium Laser × 3
- Small Pulse Laser
- Equipment:
- Guardian ECM Suite
- Beagle Active Probe
- C3i
- TAG
- Design Quirks:
- Extended Torso Twist
- Battle Value: 1,113
Mobility
ComStar’s version of the Battle Cobra is slower than the original Clan version. It only has a 5 / 8 movement profile which puts it on the slow side for medium ’Mechs and especially 40-ton designs. When running, it can achieve a +3 target movement modifier, but most of the time when in terrain or needing to maneuver is more likely to be at a +2 modifier.
Durability
The BTL-C-2O chassis matches the Clan OmniMech defensively. It has 90% of the armor that a 40-ton chassis can carry, but that still is not enough to stop high damage weapons like a gauss rifle or Clan ER PPC from going directly to internals for most of its hit locations. Between a standard fusion engine and a lack of explosive components in the A configuration, it can still take a beating and continue to fight.
Weaponry
The A configuration of ComStar’s Battle Cobra carries an assortment of lasers. One arm has three medium lasers and the other has three medium pulse lasers and a small pulse laser. That gives it a shorter effective range with it ideally fighting at 6 hexes or less, but a fairly high damage output when targets are within range.
Maximum and Expected DamageWith all of its weapons mounted on its arms and the ability to arm flip, the BTL-C-2OA enjoys a wide firing arc. When playing with quirks, it also benefits from Extended Torso Twist to make it even easier to bring its weapons to bear against targets in any direction. That allows it to excel as a short range brawler.
Maximum Damage for Firing ArcsThe A configuration does not have any weapons that require ammunition.
Heat Management
The 11 double heat sinks on the BTL-C-2OA can handle most of the heat it can generate. Firing the medium lasers and medium pulse lasers generate 21 heat, so at a walk it is heat neutral and at a run it only overheats by 1 point. That allows it to fight for several turns before its MechWarrior must choose between continuing to fire everything or avoiding heat penalties. The extra 2 heat from the small pulse laser will cause overheating, but it can be used to spike damage a little bit or as a swap for one of the other lasers in order to allow a small amount of cooling off.
Heat-Adjusted Maximum and Expected DamageBrawling
While the BTL-C-2OA wants to be fighting up close, but it is not particularly good at physical attacks. Its arms lack lower arm actuators and are full of its lasers, so it should almost never punch. Kicking for 8 damage will generally be its best option.
Other Capabilities
The BTL-C-2OA configuration has an abundance of electronic warfare capabilities. Its C3i and TAG systems can both improve the targeting for allied units. An ECM can either disrupt enemy systems or operate in ECCM mode to protect the Battle Cobra’s connection to its own C3i network. Finally, an active probe allows for the Battle Cobra to locate hidden enemies and scan targets as needed.
OmniMech Chassis
The ComStar Battle Cobra, like the Clan design it is based on, is an OmniMech, so it can be reconfigured between engagements and transport mechanized battle armor. While its speed is a detriment for battle armor delivery, all of its weapons generally being arm-mounted means that the Battle Cobra gives up little when serving as a transport.
Capacity17.5 tonsHeadnoneCenter Torso2 slotsRight Torso3 slotsLeft TorsononeRight Arm4-6 slotsLeft Arm4-6 slotsRight LegnoneLeft LegnoneMiniature
The plastic Battle Cobra miniature in the Clan Support Star force pack is modeled after the Clan Battle Cobra’s Prime configuration, but it works to represent any of the Battle Cobra configurations, Clan or ComStar, on the table.
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