the shape of things to come

(see p. 192). To determine the armor value provided by a given
tonnage of armor, fi rst fi nd the armor’s proper Points per Ton
value by cross-referencing the unit type and weight against
the armor’s type on the Aerospace Armor Points per Ton Table.
The value for a Clan-made unit (if any) appears to the left of the
slash, while the Inner Sphere value (if any) appears to the right
of the slash. Any armor type with “NA” listed as its Points per
Ton value is not available for units built using that tech base.
With the Points per Ton value determined, finding the
amount of points provided for a given tonnage is a matter of
multiplying that value by the desired tonnage of armor and then
rounding the fi nal result down to the nearest whole number. If
the designer wants a specifi c number of armor points, he may
simply divide that number of points by the armor type’s Points
per Ton value and round the result up to the nearest half-ton.
For example, if an aerospace unit is to mount 5 tons of standard
armor, the designer can multiply 5 by 16 to fi nd the result (80
points). If, on the other hand, the designer wants 170 points of
standard Inner Sphere ferro-aluminum armor, he should divide
the armor value of 170 by 17.92 (Points per Ton value for standard
Inner Sphere ferro-aluminum) to fi nd the tonnage needed
(9.5 tons; 170 ÷ 17.92 = 9.487, rounded up to 9.5).
Using the Armor Diagram on the aerospace unit’s appropriate
record sheet, the designer may indicate the number
of armor points protecting each of the unit’s hit locations by
blacking out any excess boxes beyond those assigned to that
location. The armor facings for all aerospace units covered by
these rules are presented on the Aerospace Unit Maximum
Armor Levels Table, below.
Aerospace units built under these rules may not combine
multiple armor types on the same design.
Small Craft and DropShips: To refl ect the added resiliency
of their structural integrity, Small Craft and DropShips receive
a bonus to their armor levels beyond the tonnage assigned to
armor. This bonus adds the unit’s SI value to its armor levels
per facing, so a DropShip with an SI of 10 would gain 10 armor
points—beyond the amount purchased as armor—for each
facing. This “bonus armor” is considered the same type of
armor as installed on the unit, but takes up no armor tonnage,
and so does not exceed the armor limits given for Small Craft
and DropShip units.
Tech Base: Aerospace units built under an Inner Sphere
Technology Base may only use standard Inner Sphere armor,
as well as Inner Sphere ferro-aluminum, heavy ferro-aluminum
and light ferro-aluminum armors. Aerospace units built
with a Clan Tech Base may only use Clan standard armor and
Clan ferro-aluminum armor.
Space: Carrying ferro-aluminum armor in any form aff ects
the allotment of weapon slots on conventional and aerospace
fi ghter units. The amount of slots taken by a given armor type
(and the locations aff ected) are shown under the Slots column
(appropriate to the unit’s Tech Base) in the Aerospace Armor
Weapon Space Table (Fighters Only) (see p. 192). An entry of
“NA” indicates that units using that technology base may not
install the listed armor type.
OmniFighters: The type, weight, number and allocation of
armor points, as well as any weapon slots required for its use,
must be established when designing an OmniFighter’s base
confi guration. These values may not be altered in the fi ghter’s
completed Primary or Alternate confi gurations.
Robert’s ’Mechbuster—as a conventional
fi ghter weighing 50 tons—has a
maximum armor limit of 50 points (50
tons x 1 = 50 points). Choosing standard
armor (to keep costs low), Rob fi nds that
the weight for maximum armor protection
comes to 3.5 tons (50 points ÷ 16 = 3.125, rounded
up to 3.5). Deciding to place the maximum amount of
armor on his fi ghter, Rob allocates 18 points to the nose,
11 points to each wing and 10 points to the aft, for a total
of 50 points allocated (18 + 11 + 11 + 10 = 50). With 3.5
tons invested in its armor, the ’Mechbuster now has 14.5
tons remaining (1s.5 = 14.5).
As a 75-ton aerospace fi ghter, Scott’s
Sabutai has an upper limit of 600 points
of armor (75 tons x 8 = 600 points).
Choosing Clan ferro-fi brous armor for
its protection, Scott decides not to push
this maximum limit (which he calculates
would take more than 31 tons to
accomplish; 600 points ÷ 19.2 Points per Ton of Clan
ferro-fi brous = 31.25, rounded up to 31.5 tons). Instead,
he decides on a nice, round 10 tons of armor, which will
provide his Sabutai with 192 armor points (10 armor
tons x 19.2 Points per Ton of Clan Ferro-Fibrous Armor
= 192 points).
After allocating these points—62 to the nose, 45 to
each wing and 40 points to the aft—Scott notes that
his fi ghter has 49.5 unspent tons remaining (59.5 tons
– 10 tons = 49.5 tons). Because of his selection of Clan
ferro-fibrous armor, however, the fighter also loses 1
open weapon slot in each wing, reducing its wings to a
maximum of 4 weapons apiece.
AEROSPACE UNIT MAXIMUM ARMOR LEVELS TABLE
Unit Type Maximum Armor Level Armor Facings
Conventional Fighter (Tonnage x 1) points Nose, Left Wing, Right Wing, Aft
Aerospace Fighter (Tonnage x 8) points Nose, Left Wing, Right Wing, Aft
Small Craft/DropShip (aerodyne) (Structural Integrity x 4.5) tons Nose, Left Wing, Right Wing, Aft
Small Craft/DropShip (spheroid) (Structural Integrity x 3.6) tons Nose, Left Side, Right Side, Aft
INTRODUCTION
CONSTRUCTION
BASICS
BATTLEMECH
CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRIALMECH
CONSTRUCTION
PROTOMECH
CONSTRUCTION
COMBAT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
CONV. INFANTRY
CONSTRUCTION
BATTLE ARMOR
CONSTRUCTION
AEROSPACE UNIT
CONSTRUCTION
WEAPONS AND
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
INFANTRY WEAPONS
AND EQUIPMENT
COSTS AND
AVAILABILITY
BATTLE VALUE
INDEX
RECORD SHEETS
191