the shape of things to come

STEP 3:
ADD HEAT SINKS
Because they handle heat diff erently than BattleMechs, only
Combat Vehicles that use energy weapons require the installation
of heat sinks to vent the waste heat such weapons generate. If a
Combat Vehicle mounts no energy weapons, it requires no heat
sinks. The number of heat sinks required by a vehicle equals the
total amount of heat generated by fi ring all of its energy weapons
simultaneously.
As noted in the Combat Vehicle Bonus Heat Sink Table below,
Combat Vehicles that use a fusion engine automatically receive
10 heat sinks at no cost in tonnage (as they are considered part of
the engine). ICE-powered vehicles receive no free sinks. Additional
heat sinks may be installed beyond this free amount, at a cost of
1 ton per heat sink.
Combat Vehicles may use only single (standard) heat sinks.
Tractor/Trailers: Trailer units carrying energy weapons must
mount their own heat sinks like any other Combat Vehicle type.
Tech Base: The standard heat sinks used in vehicle construction
are equally available to vehicles of Clan or Inner Sphere
tech bases.
Space: Combat Vehicle heat sinks do not aff ect the amount of
item space available, even if mounted in the form of OmniVehicle
pods. Heat sinks are considered to be located deep within the
vehicle’s body.
OmniVehicles: OmniVehicles of Clan or Inner Sphere design
may add more heat sinks at this stage, or—at the designer’s
option—may stick with whatever weight-free sinks they may
receive from their fusion engines. Additional heat sinks for later
alternate configurations may be mounted in Omni-pods like
other weapons and equipment (at a cost in weight, but not item
space). Such additional sinks may then be easily determined by
the vehicle’s confi guration, based on its chassis and the total heat
of all energy weapons on that confi guration.
COMBAT VEHICLE BONUS HEAT SINKS
TABLE
Combat Vehicle Engine Type Weight-Free Heat Sinks
ICE 0
Fusion* 10
* Includes Compact, Standard, Light and XL engine types.
The fusion engine installed on
Michael’s Hephaestus provides 10 heat
sinks without cost. Mike decides that this
is sufficient for his hovertank’s needs,
noting that—as an OmniVehicle—he can always add
more if a later configuration so requires. As heat sinks
occupy no space in a Combat Vehicle design, the Hephaestus
loses no item slots for having sinks.
Nathaniel’s Yellow Jacket VTOL uses
an ICE, and so receives no free heat sinks.
Because he does not plan to install energy
weapons, he elects not to add any.
Patrick’s Zhukov is also being planned
as a ballistic-based Combat Vehicle, and so
he is equally satisfi ed with having no heat
sinks due to the selection of an IC engine.
Rick has decided to mount energy
weapons on his Neptune, but because
he has chosen an internal combustion
engine, he has received no free heat sinks
to handle any such weapons. With his eye on a standard
large laser, he decides to add 8 heat sinks to the vessel, to
vent the 8 points of heat the weapon would generate. At
1 ton per heat sink, Rick fi nds that he has 38 unspent tons
remaining (46 tons – 8 tons = 38 tons).
Heat sinks take up no item space in Combat Vehicle design,
so Rick moves on to the next step.
A pair of Blood Spirit Shamash vehicles deploys with a Warhammer IIC.
DF