Hellhound
| Hellhound | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Class: | Medium Mech | |
| Faction: | Clan | |
| Ticket cost: | 7 upon destruction | |
| Tier: | 7 | |
| Tonnage: | 50 tons | |
| Speed: | 97 km/h | |
| Torso yaw: | 260° | |
| Torso pitch: | -34° to +50° while standing -35° to +60° while crouching | |
| Variant Armament | ||
| Variant | Weapons | Equipment |
| Prime: Price: 66 000 CBills Total armor: 49 561 Engine Size: 300 STD |
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| A: Price: 59 200 CBills Total armor: 48 061 Engine Size: 300 STD |
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| B: Price: 77 300 CBills Total armor: 52 274 Engine Size: XL |
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| C: Price: 62 500 CBills Total armor: 50 774 Engine Size: 300 STD |
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| D: Price: 78 100 CBills Total armor: 46 848 Engine Size: XL |
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| E: Price: 59 600 CBills Total armor: 49 275 Engine Size: 300 STD |
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| F: Price: 73 500 CBills Total armor: 45 348 Engine Size: 300 STD |
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| G: Price: 65 600 CBills Total armor: 45 348 Engine Size: 300 STD |
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| Armor Points Distribution | ||
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All stats current as of release 0.15.3
The Conjurer - otherwise known as the Hellhound to Inner Sphere forces - is a Clan medium mech designed for frontline combat. Speed is sacrificed for lower price and increased survivability, helped in part by the usage of a Standard engine. All units are equipped with Enhanced Optics and a ground speed of 97 km/h. Relatively cheap for a clan chassis, it bridges the affordability gap between the high-end clan light mechs and the clan mediums. The Conjurer is also notable for its battlefield longevity, as all variants mount between 9.5 and 10.5 tons of armor, and are equipped with a standard engine, meaning that damage done to a destroyed side torso does not get a multiplier when it is applied to the center torso. This fact, combined with the lack of weapon mounts on the side torsos, make them particularly poor targets on this chassis, and skilled pilots should look to use them to soak damage when possible. The weapon mounts are spread across the center torso, the arms, and a pair of shoulder racks, making it generally inefficient to target individual weapon systems on this chassis, despite the relatively thin armor on those components.
Contents
Roles and Gameplay Hints
Prime
This quintessential second-line skirmisher variant features Improved Jump Jets with advanced vectoring capabilities, granting it enhanced mobility. It uses a Large Pulse Laser in its right arm as its main weapon, with a long range and rapid refire rate that doesn't falter as enemies close the distance. A pair of Medium Lasers in the left arm amicably augments the LPL's damage output, with similar range profiles. Finally, an SRM4 in an external pod provides an extra helping hand in close range encounters.
Variant A
A dedicated close-range brawler with marginal skirmishing capabilities, this variant notably lacks jumping capabilities. An array of 3 Medium Pulse Lasers spread across the side torsos and right arm provide a rapid source of short-mid range damage, while a pair of HEATM 3s located in an external pod and left arm grants this variant an extremely painful up-front punch in a brawl.
Variant B
One of the more expensive Hellhounds, this skirmisher variant features slightly more armor but has a fragile XL engine. It sports AECM to conceal nearby allies from enemy radar and has standard Jump Jets for basic vertical maneuverability. An LBX10 in the right arm provides far-reaching firepower that only gets more devastating at closer ranges, while a pair of SRM6 external pods provide a hefty close range punch. 3 small lasers in the left arm, and an extra one in the left torso, provide adequate backup weaponry. A single free ton of ammo is available, allowing an extra reload for the LBX10 to be stored.
AECM allows this variant to hide allies from enemy radar, which can be useful for catching entrenched enemies off guard in daring flanking maneuvers that they'd normally be able to see coming from a mile away. However, as AECM does not hide the user, this can result in enemies focusing fire on the user far more than usual.
Despite having an extra half ton of armor, the XL engine in this variant considerably reduces the robustness of the unit, mostly when its side torsos are shot out.
This variant closely resembles the Centurion CN-9D BattleMech.
Variant C - "MadMouse"
Having more armor at the cost of maneuverability due to the sacrifice of Jump Jets, this variant is a particularly flexible skirmisher due to its somewhat eccentric loadout. A trio of LRM5s spread across external pods and the left arm provides withering streams of missiles that function down to brawling range, while 3 Heavy Medium Lasers located in the right arm and side torsos allow the "Mad Mouse" to deliver blistering beams out to the edge of typical brawling ranges.
The long burn time of the heavy lasers mean that you have to absolutely focus on and track a single part of your enemy, or else their damage would just be spread over multiple components.
This variant can perform quite admirably in all-out brawls unless it devolves into point-blank face hugging, where the LRMs would be rendered useless due to its 20m minumum range.
Sustained alpha strikes can easily overheat the unit, but chainfiring any of the weapons systems are not recommended, especially the heavy lasers (which would basically become useless due to their long burn times). It's best to simply back down into cover to cool down instead of trying to maintain a pitiful amount of fire at a target.
Variant D - "Stink Eye"
An atypical mid-long range sharpshooter variant that happens to be the most expensive Hellhound, and also the most fragile due to having less armor and an XL engine. C3 allows the unit to share sensor contacts and target data to allies, while an active probe greatly enhances its sensor radius. Basic Jump Jets provide sufficient vertical maneuverability for poptarting. A Heavy Large Laser built into the right arm allows the "Stink Eye" to reach out to mid-long ranges with an utterly devastating scorching beam, supported by a standard ATM12 launcher in the left arm which can dish out unrelenting salvos of hard hitting mid-long range missiles. A quartet of machine guns spread amongst the side torsos round out the loadout with a source of minor long-range harassment. It should be noted that the machine guns only deal their full damage within 250m.
Variant E
A solid bread-and-butter skirmisher variant with augmented maneuverability thanks to Improved Jump Jets. A trio of ATM3 launchers spread across external pods above the side torsos and in the left arm serve as the main weapons system, granting this variant a solid mid-range punch that is further bolstered by a Medium Laser in the right arm and right torso, which can also act as a backup weapon in case targets were to be within the ATM's minimum range.
Variant F
With a gunload resembling that of a certain popular Solitare variant, but packing substantially more armor and close range punch with its HMGs. Its CERPPC provides fearsome punch at all ranges and its CERSLs dig into wounded components nicely. This Hellhound's versatility is highlighted by its GECM and IJJ giving it tons of options for how it approaches and engages targets, making it a tricky combatant to pin down when coupled with the Hellhound's signature toughness. A powerful generalist that excels at nothing but isn't bad at anything either makes for a flexible mech capable of adapting to a dynamic engagement without need to rearm or rebuy.
Variant G - "Bayonet"
Armed with the mighty HAG20, this mech is capable of putting out some serious damage in the early to mid stages of the game. However, it's true calling and namesake is pairing that at close range with its array of 4 Heavy Small Lasers which in tandem with its main gun are capable of putting serious hurt even on larger mechs. Coupled with the Hellhound's trademark survivability, it has plenty of opportunities to apply it's damage at both short and long ranges. This unit is perhaps must at home when contributing its HAG20 damage to a larger firing line, then breaking off to dive a weakened enemy, and using its armor to return to its own line.
History
The Hellhound was confirmed for release with update version 0.11.0, notably being the first Clan mech utilizing a Standard Engine.
Canon
The 2829 Conjurer (codenamed the Hellhound by the Inner Sphere nations) is a fast, inexpensive medium BattleMech that excels at medium to short range. As befits its status as a second-line 'Mech, the Conjurer uses a Standard engine, though it is constructed on an Endo-Steel chassis and uses eight and a half tons of Ferro-Fibrous armor. Its Jump Jets enable it to leap up to 180 meters at a time. Of note is that the Conjurer is, for all intents and purposes, the Wolverine IIC and was even reported as such by ComStar in early sightings, presumably for its obvious heritage; it was designed off the WVR-7H Wolverine II variant of the original Wolverine, taking the concept and rebuilding it with advanced technology in the fashion of a IIC rebuild. However the Clans would not retain the name of the Not-Named Clan for the redesigned 'Mech.
Year introduced: 2829, during the "Early Succession Wars" era (2781 - 2900) Unit Role: Skirmisher
