Light tug used for container load movements, hastily converted into a combat unit. It has potent RCS thrusters and armor, but everything else has to be adapted(like the industrial cutter turned close quarter 'melee' weapon)

Drawn by me for a campaign i'm a part of

I imagine a great deal of us build a mech on comp/con long before we get to play it, (theoretically the traditional way would be starting at LL0 and choosing licenses to suite the challenges your facing as the game moves along). This is often accompanied by the Whiteroom Effect; the practice of evaluating a build in isolation, without the context of actual gameplay. I know this is going to happen to every build I make in advance, I'm not ignorant of it, I plan for it, but in the way that no good plan survives contact with the enemy, no good build survives contact with the game.

I want to know what builds you had to tweak (and how) after actually playing them. Have you ever had a build just work as intended? What were your total flops?

For me, I built a classic HMG Foreverest [2222] with Sherman3/Death’s Head2/Caliban1, Autostab/Heatfall, Tac3/HG3/Spot2/SS1 and Azura/RSU/Supermassive Mod/Core Siphon. The big "Initiative, Skirmish, Barrage, OC" turn is absolutely devastating, but it needed either a target rich environment or a boss fight to justify the damage. In practice, the build had a bad case of tunnel vision: it could shoot things, and that was it. Azura wasn't pulling its weight because I didn't have the spare systems capacity to give it other things to do and in normal situations, it was just a secondary RSU. Even my spare Quick Action during the big turn usually ended up being wasted because I thought Spotter was going to be a decent Lock Generator, but I moved too often, which also meant I was rarely adjacent to allies. Heavy Gunner just never got used. I either bullied a single NPC to death, or took out a whole squad with no variation, so there was often nothing left to use it on.

I dropped Sherman 3 for Gilgamesh 1, traded Azura out for ERM and Hex Charges because every mission seemed to have an important Brace turn and I often had a need to close choke points. I rearranged my talents for Tac3/Skirmish3/SS3, all the special movement let me switch 2222 to 2024 for more RSU without really losing movement. Impact goes off every round, Lockbreaker goes off 2 or 3 times a round if I Flank, which is constant. Core Siphon gets used way more frequently because I'm not worried about tanking my follow-up shots, and reactions can't hit me for shit. I can pop out of the group, sting something, and scuttle right back into formation. It's vicious.

Alternatively, I have a Deaths Head 3/Monarch 2/Barbarossa 1 [4022], OpCal/Nuerolink with Crackshot3/Engineer3/Tactician3 that stacks every system for range and accuracy to crunk a Hurricane Cluster Project out to range 23, and that asshole just works. Opening turn, Move, Boost, OC:Boost if you need it, Quick Action Siege Stabilizer, then just Barrage for the rest of the fight with Tac3 or Overcharges facilitating defense with the Prototype Weapon.

Do you guys think this one would make a Lich visual proxy? Just add more robe and hanging tassels.

This is a Phyrexian concept art from Magic the Gathering, FYI.

Jontober day 15: THE PIT.

This took me almost 7 hours cause i dont own a stylus

I see a lot of people talk about using Black Thumb + Technophile to give your NHP control of your mech while you rodeo it since it gives you "free status removal", but I don't understand why you would do that unless I am misunderstanding something about the rules.

According to compcon: "Actions taken by pilots draw from the same pool - one standard move and two quick actions, or one full action - as actions taken by their mech. You can split your actions between pilot and mech if you so choose. You could, for instance, take a quick action to SKIRMISH with your mech, take a quick action to EJECT, and then use your move to run to cover on foot."

This seems to imply that if you want to rodeo your mech to, for example, clear burn, your mech would not get an action even if it had an NHP, since your full action would be used on the BT action. I just don't understand why you would ever use a full action to do this instead of stabilizing your mech to clear burn. Sure, the BT options are usually a little better since the clear burn one, for example, it gives you resistance to burn for a turn and they can make enemies waste an attack to pop your pilot's shield, but stabilizing doesn't require a quick action to climb back into the mech afterwards if you want to and it doesn't require a 2 talent point (realistically 5 talent point) investment.

Am I missing something with the rules?

My group usually plays other game systems, but my good friend is running a one shot in Lancer since a couple of us won't be available for the usual game. My friend who is running the game built an absolute monster in a game I ran a few months ago, so I'm out for vengeance.

Build requirements:

- LL3

- AI/NHP's are allowed

Other than that, he's setting us loose. I want to roll up with something that makes him both laugh and cry.

Any suggestions?

Hey folks! A pal of mine is running a game and I'm looking for advice on how to translate a vague character concept and combat role into game. Prefferably with as much flavour and optimization as could be mustered. If you're interested the concept, group, and characters are;

A dark-matter scientist, with a history in organized military operations, goes merc to fund maddening experiments about why the sun exploded into a black hole. For a role in the group I'm left with a controller sort of playstyle, and would be interested in stuff like grenades and passive techno-warfare. Ideally there's /a/ big gun involved to fire from time to time when the limited runs out. I am stumped on what frames to 'lock in' on besides Iskander, but I'm then having trouble figuring out how to make it... weird and dark matter-y since it seems to want to be exclusively focused on nades.

Our group so far is;
- A striker disgraced swordsman gilgamesh/sherman
- A striker/hacker technophile manticore staple
- A tanky man-eating white witch cosplaying Evangelion

I'm new to Lancer and have looked for a while, but think some community suggestions might give me inspiration over what I'm planning. Our LL is 3, but I'd like to plan for high-end too, like LL7+
Tyvm.

So I was thinking about the ideas of core worlds, right? Everyone gets what they need and can print pretty much whatever they want. Old goods like Gold or Ebony or Ivory, scarce things that used to demarcate the wealthy and influential. Obviously there are places like the Baronies where there is stratification, but on core worlds you can effectively make whatever you want provided it lacks a license to create like a mech. Obviously a person in power still has some higher level of authority, but given the ability to produce whatever someone wants, the thing that limits people's ability to create is ideas.

If the ability to print and create whatever you want means that many people are going to print what is popular or in style. If everyone is given the same tools to create, then the people who will set themselves apart from others are those who can think of things the others cannot. Power on core worlds can be thereby determined by who controls the flow of ideas.

If you have two people with the ability to print the same thing, the one who can think of something more interesting or unique before they begin printing will be of more note.

Obviously, the other factor that limits them is that everyone has their needs met and their wants attended to, then what they're allowed to print still ultimately has limits. Otherwise, anyone could print an incredibly dangerous Barbarossa. In a way, thought is restricted, because it's fair to say that an apocalypse rail is not necessary to day-to-day living. Some ideas are too dangerous to be allowed to print by the masses.

The printers allow for post-scarcity production, but Union recognizes that people's minds don't really have limits on what can be created, so they restrict what can be created, so people don't print large amounts of grey matter and turn cradle into a crater

The Final GMS Mech, the Sagarmatha is personally my least favorite of the GMS trio, it isnt a bad mech though. It gets the standard Guardian Trait that most defenders get and the standard bonus to repair efficiency that all the GMS mechs get which is nice, but its big trait is that it can Brace 1/scene with absolutely no downsides! Brace is an amazing ability resistance to damage from an attack and +1 difficulty to get hit is so good, but you sacrifice so much to use it that its hardly worth the cost, no free actions, no protocols, no movement, no reactions, just 1 quick action until the end of your next turn. Like it has to be an absolute emergency to justify using brace. The way I see it is that since you cant run when bracing it can be very easy for an enemy to finish you off in most scenarios, but once a scene you get to brace for absolutely free!

Its Core Power is simple and good, but a little underwhelming, Resistance to ALL damage and heat is crazy for teammates, but it only lasts until the end of your next turn so you better make sure you go first in the round you want to activate it then go dead last in the turn order in the next round so everyone can make the most of it. It is really good and lets your team overcharge and go all out temporarily and I really like the concept of this core power. Now lets discuss the Build I made:

» Sagarmatha // SAGARMATHA «

LL6

[ TALENTS ]

House Guard 3, Heavy Gunner 3,

Crack Shot 3

[ LICENSES ]

SSC Metalmark 3, IPS-N Drake 1,

IPS-N Caliban 1, IPS-N Nelson 1

[ CORE BONUSES ]

Reinforced Frame, Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints

[ MECH ]

« SAGARMATHA »

GMS Sagarmatha

H:4 A:2 S:0 E:2 SIZE:2

STRUCTURE:4 HP:26 ARMOR:1

STRESS:4 HEAT:8 REPAIR:6

ATK BONUS:3 TECH ATK:0 LTD BONUS:1

SPD:5 EVA:10 EDEF:8 SENS:10 SAVE:13

[ WEAPONS ]

Main Mount: Assault Rifle

Flex Mount: Rail Rifle

Heavy Mount: Heavy Machine Gun (Supermassive Mod) // Auto-Stabilizing Hardpoints

[ SYSTEMS ]

Reactive Weave, Active Camouflage,

Argonaut Shield, Personalizations,

Bulwark Mods

This is ideally a mid range mech that uses Heavy Gunner to debilitate enemies and make life easier for its allies. Active Camo can make this defender a pain in the ass to hit and reactive weave makes my free brace even better with bonus movement and invisibility. The Argonaut Shield and Core Power are useful for triggering House Guard 3 and house guard is just a good talent, soft cover to all allies within 2 spaces and makes the shield available from 2 spaces away.

This build really isnt too fancy or complex, and is just built around the GOAT GMS Heavy Machine Gun, gotta stick Auto-Stabilizers for better accuracy and boom, its amazing. Since Heavy Gunner doesnt work outside Range 10 I dont need amazing range, and if a shot lines up where I can hit multiple enemies at a time I can use the rail rifle, though tbh Im not really making the most use of crack shot ever, I probably could swap out that talent tree for something else, I wasnt really sure what to do for the final 3 talents tbh. Probably should go for Empath 1 Field Analyst 1 and then like Orator 1 for a healthy supply of reaction choices.

Overall I like the Sagarmatha but it is a bit forgettable imo, but it is a reliable defender mech that is very customizable. There isnt really a wrong way to build a Sagarmatha so you can make it into almost anything you want. Big Melee guy, Backline Defender, A bit of hacking and tech support can be added on, shotgun builds, etc. It is really awesome that these starting mechs are so versatile in how you can build them.

I want to run a lancer campaign, I’ve never played it before, my group has never played before, I’ve barely ever gmed before, but I know 95% of the lancer rules and I think mechs are cool. Is there a prebuilt official campaign that’s good for beginners? And how does one narrate the narrative section?

The Cone needs to start within 20 of you, but it can face any direction, yeah? Like, it doesn't need to be having away from you? It doesn't say anything about it, so I'm assuming I'm in the clear.

Todays a little slow and im bored, so Im doing another one of these, I never said this was a "daily" thing its whenever I want! And now we are doing our first Variant Frame the Empakaai, which shares a license with the Blackbeard. Like the Blackbeard, this mech is heavily focused on grappling and on melee, the mech even has built in resistance to all damage from characters it is grappling! The major and notable difference to the blackbeard is the GIANT FIST. This core integrated superheavy has a massive threat of 4 and can automatically grapple enemies before it even hits, just Firmly Grasping enemies with its oversized fist, essentially giving it a slightly worse version of the Blackbeard's grapple trait since its a barrage and a hull save does need to be passed for the grapple to succeed, but hey getting to grapple and swing a superheavy at the same time is just awesome.

And the Core Power just allows this beast to literally grapple everything in the sitrep since it always couns as 1 size larger than ALL characters its grappling, and you get to melt everyone you are grappling alive as you are brutalizing them. A slight critique I have with this variant is that if feels a little too similar to the blackbeard, other variant frames while similar to their base feel like they do something different but Empakaai just feels like Blackbeard 2. Though it isnt a straight upgrade to the blackbeard, after all it cannot boost and take reactions while grappling, so you cannot kidnap enemies and separate them as effectively, giving the two mechs enough differences between them that they do feel like proper variants. Though in general you just pick whichever flavor of blackbeard looks better since both appear to have similar playstyles of being very aggressive close quarters mechs that grapple their poor foes. Now onto the Build:

» Empakaai // EMPAKAAI «

Pankrati, LL6

[ TALENTS ]

Executioner 3, Nuclear Cavalier 3,

Pankrati 2, Brawler 1

[ LICENSES ]

IPS-N Blackbeard 3, HA Tokugawa 3

[ CORE BONUSES ]

Titanomachy Mesh, Superior by Design

[ MECH ]

« EMPAKAAI »

IPS-N Empakaai

H:4 A:0 S:2 E:2 SIZE:1

STRUCTURE:4 HP:21 ARMOR:2

STRESS:4 HEAT:10 REPAIR:6

ATK BONUS:3 TECH ATK:0 LTD BONUS:1

SPD:4 EVA:7 EDEF:8 SENS:5 SAVE:13

[ WEAPONS ]

INTEGRATED MOUNT: Colossus Termo-Unguis

INTEGRATED MOUNT: Fuel Rod Gun

Heavy Mount: Nanocarbon Sword

Flex Mount: Assault Rifle

[ SYSTEMS ]

Synthetic Muscle Netting, SEKHMET-Class NHP,

Deep Well Heat Sink

Since I really haven't used Sekhmet, I decided to throw her onto this build, after all I have the nanocarbon sword to get that free action skirmish and it isnt like Sekhmet cant barrage with melee, there's nothing in her description stating that. And since rams and grapples are both melee attacks that allows Sekhmet to also perform those actions. After all I should be in the thick of the fight away from my allies anyways. And I still have that nanocarbon blade to attack with when Sekhmet decides to boost, and a threat of 4 helps her get off the excutioner talent even if she cant strategically position herself to make the most of it.

Deep Well Heat Sink is so useful in making the most of myy Giant Fist, and SMN is just useful so I can always grapple and ram larger targets, but I cant grapple the entire sitrep unfortunately lol. Pankrati lets me close gaps faster and gives me more accuracy, nuc cav for more damage and a heat loss option, executioner for the nanocarbon blade and fist, and brawler for even more accuracy on grappled targets. Just a solid melee build, nice, simple, and easy. And of course the classic GMS Assault Rifle on the spare flex mount for some flexiblity.

Its hard not to like the Empakaai, it is a variant of the blackbeard after all, and that giant fist is really cool. What's better than 1 cake? 2 cakes obviously.

Saladin’s hardlight emplacement doesn’t specify that you can’t make more, or that it’s something you deploy. It simply states that as a full action you can create a dome. So couldn’t you just keep making domes to make a wall that gives immense burn damage on entry?

Edit: I mean multiple walls that are all covering the same exact area, with 100% overlap in area

Hello there!

We are soon leveling up to our LL2, and I am going for the controller hydra.

My question is. What HASE you prefer for your hydras, and why? HASE is the only thing I am indecisive about for the build.
For now I think to focus on getting hull and systems to at least 4, and continue from there. But would like to hear some opinions.

For the overall build, I plan on going Balor-1 after hydra-2, with gorgon-1 and maybe manticore later.
Talents - drone commander-3 and will pick up orator-2 for utility at LL2. Heavy machine gunner is left for later, as is centimane.

Have a good day, everyone!

Hello, I am a DM trying to gather resources to play a short campaign with my homegroup. I've seen mentions of discord servers, but can't see me to locate any active links.