the shape of things to come

(or Omnis). Omni units function in combat just like their standard
equivalents, but may be rapidly reconfi gured between missions
and are depicted as having a Primary confi guration and at least
one Alternate confi guration that uses the same base components
(structure, engines, armor and controls), but may vary in weapons
and other equipment.
All equipment and components used in an Omni unit’s base
(core) confi guration are considered “fi xed” and may not change in
terms of weight, space or arrangement between the base model
and any of its Primary or Alternate confi gurations. At minimum,
such fi xed equipment includes the Omni unit’s chassis (internal
structure/structural integrity values and arrangement), engine
(type, rating and size), control systems (including cockpits,
actuators and fi re-control systems, as well as driving and lift/dive
equipment for vehicles) and armor (including type and allocation).
In addition, some weapons and a minimum number of heat
sinks—where applicable—may be considered part of the Omni
unit’s base design, with such components “fi xed” to the core of
the unit.
Any weight or mass left over after the fi xed core components
and any optional items are installed on the base design is considered
open to modular pods. This pod-based equipment fi lls out
the remainder of the unit’s unused weight and/or space to complete
the design, and may include additional heat sinks, weapons,
ammunition and so forth.
ALLOWED UNITS
Aerospace fi ghters, BattleMechs, Combat Vehicles and Support
Vehicles may use Omni technology regardless of whether they
are constructed using Clan or Inner Sphere technology bases.
Aerospace fi ghters (OmniFighters) and Airship, Fixed-Wing, Naval
or VTOL vehicles (Combat or Support) gain no additional benefi ts
from Omni technology in game play. BattleMechs (OmniMechs),
ground-based Combat Vehicles (OmniVehicles) and ground-based
Support Vehicles (Support OmniVehicles) designed as Omnis may
carry a squad of battlesuits capable of using the Mechanized
Battle Armor rules (see p. 227, TW) with no loss in performance.
Battle Armor: Battlesuits use a variation on modular technology
that requires special modular mountings to be installed on a
location-by-location basis at the designer’s option, and so battle
armor units are not considered true Omni units.
PROHIBITED UNITS
Conventional fi ghters, conventional infantry, DropShips, IndustrialMechs,
ProtoMechs and aerospace Small Craft may not be
constructed using Omni technology, regardless of the technology
base chosen for them.
WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION
The various units in Total Warfare employ a broad range of weapons.
For purposes of construction, these weapons are divided into
fi ve main categories, some of which overlap in game play.
HEAVY WEAPONS
These weapons generally weigh as little as 0.25 tons (Inner
Sphere heavy weapons are never seen below 0.5 tons) and up.
This class of weapons represents those commonly available to
BattleMechs, IndustrialMechs, ProtoMechs, Combat Vehicles,
aerospace units and Support Vehicles of Medium size or larger.
Some heavy weapons may be further restricted to select unit
types, such as capital missile launchers (which only DropShips
may carry) or hatchets (which may only be wielded by BattleMechs
and IndustrialMechs).
Ammunition for heavy weapons is generally required only for
ballistic and missile weapons, and must be installed in full bins for
all unit types except ProtoMechs (ProtoMech ammunition may be
installed per shot). Under these rules, a full bin represents 1 ton of
ammunition for most weapons, though machine guns may install
half-ton bins at the designer’s option. The amount of ammunition
a weapon receives per bin is shown under its listing on the
Weapons and Equipment Tables (starting on p. 341). Depending
on a unit’s construction rules, ammunition may occupy space as
well as weight.
MEDIUM WEAPONS
The medium weapon category overlaps with the Support subdivision
of infantry weapons, and tends to refl ect man-portable
versions of heavy weapons such as the SRM and the machine gun.
In terms of construction, medium weapons may be mounted only
on Small Support Vehicles or battle armor with anti-personnel
weapon mounts.
Regardless of the weapon’s type (energy, ballistic, missile and
so forth), medium weapons mounted on Support Vehicles and
battlesuits include a fi rst lot of ammunition free with the weapon,
equal to a single default-size bin for that weapon. Additional
ammunition may be installed as well, though the amount of shots
provided for a given amount of weight varies from weapon to
weapon. The weight of this ammunition (and the number of shots
provided per unit of ammo), are shown in the weapon’s listing
on the Conventional Infantry Weapons Table (starting on p. 349).
Unless otherwise noted in the unit’s construction rules, ammunition
for a medium weapon is considered part of the weapon in
terms of space occupied.
LIGHT WEAPONS
Light weapons overlap with the Standard subdivision of infantry
weapons, refl ecting smaller man-portable arms such as pistols,
rifl es and submachine guns. In terms of construction, light weapons
may be mounted only on Small Support Vehicles or battle
armor with anti-personnel weapon mounts.
In terms of ammunition, light weapons use the same rules as
medium weapons.
BATTLE ARMOR WEAPONS
Battle armor weapons occupy a middle ground between
medium and heavy weapons. Though based on medium weapons,
these weapons are signifi cantly upgraded and enhanced for use
by battlesuit units only, where their enhanced targeting capabilities
and more stable fi ring render them more eff ective than their
conventional infantry variations.
Non-missile battle armor weapons install ammunition along
the same lines as medium and light weapons, complete with
receiving the fi rst bin of ammunition free, integrating all ammunition
into the weapon’s space and counting only as additional
weight for the weapon itself. Battlesuit missile launchers receive
one full volley of missiles free, but must allocate mass and space
for additional volleys based on the size of the launcher used, with