Black Dog

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[edit] Description

The Black Dog was built with the mission of being able "to outfight or outrun anything it comes across", a mission that it manages to live up to far more than what was expected of what has been called the "FrankenMech". The Black Dog's chassis began life as the salvaged frame of a failed experimental 'Mech designated as the Tyrant. Other parts and pieces from various 'Mechs were soon found that were compatible with the rather unusual frame, and it soon became the local techs' pet project. Techs have long had a love-hate relationship with the Black Dog; while its (nonweapon) components are easily obtained and replaced due to the 'Mech's origins as an amalgam of readily available off-the-shelf parts, it's internal equipment is packed together so closely as to border on the insane, and as such it often has to be partially disassembled for what should be relatively simple repairs since technicians are unable to fit inside it. Even the pilot is forced to bear the burden of the 'Mechs lack of space due to its small cockpit, greatly reducing the draw of piloting such a powerful 'Mech. Eventually it was commandeered by a group of mercenaries desperate for additional firepower for an upcoming mission against the Clans.

Its appearance clearly reflects its humble junkyard origins-its rust red paint, unbalanced looking form, and ungainly gait are a homage to its beginnings as piles of mismatched parts and salvaged armor, which often leads its opponents to underestimate it in combat. It has greater firepower than most 'Mechs of the same size, and those few that boast greater firepower are often hard pressed to keep up with its formidable-by assault 'Mech standards-maneuverability. Those that can do both are inevitably less durable, usually having an XL engine, paper thin armor, or both- making them a relatively easy kill for their heavily armored and armed opponent.

[edit] Armament

Equipped with an extraordinary sixteen and a half tons of armor, protected by a Pandora's Box Mk. II CASE, and using a standard engine, the Black Dog is a monster of a 'Mech that is designed to be able to withstand massive amounts punishment before going down. Its heavy weapons load all but guarantees that it will wreak devastation upon any opponent foolish enough to get within range. The Black Dog is equipped with a diverse assortment of weaponry that reflects its use as a multipurpose 'Mech, which when combined with it's reversible arms makes it a force to be reckoned with. It relies upon a Dragon's Fire Gauss Rifle and a Defiance 1001 ER PPC to crush foes that it is unable to close upon, while a Mydron Tornado Rotary AC/5 and a pair of Defiance Model XII ER Medium Lasers allow it to increase its firepower as it closes range (and take full advantage of its opponent's pre-existing wounds ). A BlazeFire Longshot ER Small Laser prevents infantry from getting too ambitious and provides yet another reason for enemy 'Mechs to keep their distance. Unfortunately (or perhaps thankfully for its opponents), the Black Dog's shallow ammunition bins prevent it from doing particularly well in any situation where it is unable to reload for more than a few battles at a time.

[edit] Variants

Several promising alterations have been spotted on this machine, but only one of any note has been recorded properly.

• TYR-X8 - The X8 variant drops the ER Small Laser and a half ton of armor to increase the ammo capacity of one of its weapons.

BV (1.0) = ???