the shape of things to come

Introduced: 3061 (Lyran Alliance)
Also known as fl echette weapons, needler weapons (or simply needlers)
are typically useless on the battlefi eld, specifi cally against battlesuits and
other armored units. Essentially a projectile weapon that uses a block of
treated polymer for ammunition, a needler sprays a shotgun-like cloud of
shredded plastic, intended to rip through lighter personal armor and bare
fl esh. While devastatingly eff ective in close-quarters, anti-personnel situations,
the typical needler lacks the range and the armor penetration to be
of much use beyond crowd control or spacecraft boarding missions.
In 3061, however, Mauser and Gray of the Lyran Alliance introduced the
Firedrake heavy support needler—a much bigger and nastier fl echette
NEEDLER (FIREDRAKE)
weapon than ever before. Built larger, with more power, and even capable
of rapid-fi ring bursts, this support needler also incorporates a specialized
polymer ammunition laced with encapsulated hypergolic chemicals.
When exposed to air after shredding—specifi cally, when fi red—these
needles ignite, adding an incendiary eff ect that magnifi es the weapon’s
damage potential beyond any other fl echette weapon produced today.
While still of questionable value against armored targets, the Firedrake’s
brutal potential in large-scale anti-infantry work won this weapon a place
among battlesuit arsenals after its 3065 debut on the Rottweiler-class
battle armor.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere only
Battle Armor Unit Restrictions: No restrictions
Game Rules: Under Total Warfare game play, a battlesuit’s needler weapons remain operational as long as the suit is not destroyed and its trooper
is capable of acting.
Construction Rules: A battlesuit may mount multiple Firedrake needlers if desired.
Table Reference: Battle Armor Weapons and Equipment (Inner Sphere, pp. 346–348)
Introduced: Pre-spacefl ight
Because they are relatively lightweight, battlesuits making combat
drops on atmospheric planets need not rely solely on jump jets or packs
for braking, but can instead deploy a specially designed parafoil. Similar to
a parachute, but narrower and designed to be steered through an added
NEEDLER (FIREDRAKE)
PARAFOIL
interface in the suit’s helmet, the parafoil can deploy from a rear mount
at any point during a drop and then be detached or reeled in for re-use
after landing. Silent and low-tech, parafoils can make troop deployments
during a hot drop not only safer, but much more stealthy.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere and Clan
Battle Armor Unit Restrictions: No restrictions
Game Rules: The parafoil has no impact in Total Warfare game play. This equipment’s function will be covered more fully in Tactical Operations.
Construction Rules: A battle armor suit (including exoskeleton and power armor designs) may mount only one parafoil.
Table Reference: Battle Armor Weapons and Equipment (Inner Sphere and Clans, pp. 346–348)
Introduced: 3053 (Draconis Combine)
The DCMS introduced the partial wing as a means of stabilizing the
fl ight characteristics of their Kage light battle armor. Designed merely to
assist in jumping fl ight, this collapsible structure automatically extends
when the suit engages its jump jets and retracts or folds up when the suit
lands. While employed, the extra glide surface can extend a standard jump
distance by as much as 30 meters, and it nicely mitigated the stability control
issues that cost the lives of several Kage test troopers.
PARAFOIL
PARTIAL WING
PARTIAL WING
It has its limits, of course. The wing structure cannot be combined with
jump boosters, both because of their bulk and because the power of the
boosters, when engaged, can cause the relatively fragile wing to warp or
even shatter. The partial wing also relies on signifi cant air fl ow for its lift,
and so in environments where atmospheric pressure is half standard or
less—such as an airless moon—the gliding benefi t is eff ectively lost.
Tech Base: Inner Sphere only
Battle Armor Unit Restrictions: Battlesuits must have Jumping MP in order to install a partial wing. Partial wings may only be installed on
humanoid-style light suits or PA(L)/exoskeletons.
Game Rules: Inner Sphere battle armor suits with detachable missile packs may not jump until the missile pack is jettisoned.
Construction Rules: The rules for installing partial wings on battlesuits appear under Special Physical Enhancements (Jump Booster/Partial
Wing) in Step 2 of the Battle Armor core construction rules (starting on p. 164). Jump jets or packs are necessary before adding a partial wing, and
partial wings may not be combined with a jump booster.
Table Reference: Battle Armor (Inner Sphere, pp. 346–347) Game Rules: Total Warfare, p. 53
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