Energy Weapon Specs
Extended-Range Lasers
Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers damage their
targets by cncentrating energy in a small area. The extended-range laser is an upgraded
version of the basic Clan laser with improvements that are obvious in its superior beam
focusing and targeting equipment. The small extended-range laser is the lightest of all.
It causes less damage than the large version and generates less heat. The medium version
is heavier than the samll version, but with more of the same advantages and drawbacks of
the larger model. The large version of the ER laser has a significant increase in range
and a damage potential that is slightly higher than the basic model, at a cost of
substantially more heat than the other versions.
Extended-Range PPC
The Particle Projection Cannon fires high energy
ion bolts which cause damage through both the impact and high temperature. Extended-range
PPC is a significantly improved version of the particle projection cannon. This PPC is
smaller, lighter and more powerful than the basic version with its longer range and harder
punch. Heat buildup is also much higher and could be a critical disadvantage of employing
this weapon.
Pulse Lasers
The pulse laser uses a rapid-cycling, high-energy pulse to generate multiple
laser beams, creatng an effect comparable to machine-gun fire. This characteristic
improves each laser attack's hit probability with more damge per hit at the cost of
increased heat and somewhat shorter effective range. They too are available in Small,
Medium and Large versions.
Flamer
The flamer is a short-range energy weapon that taps into the superheated plasma
of the BattleMech's fusion reactor. The flamer causes a great deal of heat buildup on the
target but it also causes a large heat build-up in the 'Mech that is using it. Therefore,
caution should be exercised when using this weapon system.