Battletech Heaps: Future Technology

Whether it's for nostalgia or novelty, Wednesdays are the days that I put up old Battletech house rules I created nigh on 10 years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the (in)famous, addictive board game of armored combat, I'll add some context, but know that you should abandon all non-courier fonts, ye who enter here.

Nominees
Plasma Ball: A slow-moving ball of charged EM energy, it is actually drawn to strong EM signatures. It is a medium-sized weapon that does moderate damage(relative to its size and tech) and is innately difficult to hit with(because of its speed), but it can seek and home in on any 'mech with emitted electronics (ECM in use, BAP, Artemis IV, TAG in use, C3, Lasers in use).

Double-Lock Missiles: Much like the LRMs in Mechwarrior games, they gain a non-cumulative +1 bonus to hit a target on a turn after they've hit that target. Artemis IV and NARC compatible.

Advanced Sensor Packages: Acts as a free BAP on the 'mech. The faction's BAP acts as a Level 1 ECCM, as per Max Tech* ECM levels.

Laser Chaff LBX: Thieved from the Classic Battletech forums-A type of LBX munition that deals no damage, but adds a +1 to hit for all laser weapons on a location hit with a submunition.

High-Reflec Armor: Standard Reflective Armor that requires no criticals, takes an additional 10% damage from physical attacks, is immune to TAG, and can shake off smaller laser weapons fire (4 damage or less) entirely. Interfaces with ECM to act as Stealth Armor.

Weaving Missiles: Weaving missiles are designed to avoid AMS fire. The effect of any AMS system against them is halved (round up). Weaving Missile clusters do 1/2 damage of a normal missile cluster, rounded up.

MEAMS-Multiple-Engagement AMS can engage one incoming missle volley at fulle effectiveness, and a second at -2 effectiveness.

Kinetic Missiles: Kinetic Missiles deal no damage, instead, the missiles add to the total damage dealt to that unit this turn for the purposes of determining piloting skill rolls based on damage.

Winners:
Liquefaction Mines: Liquefaction Mines burrow into reasonably moist terrain (not desert). When activated (either by vibration or command), they can temporarily make the earth around them undergo a process called Liquefaction, similar to quicksand. This often traps a 'mech, immobilized and waist deep in earth(or swallows vehicles whole). Larger 'mechs are more vulnerable, and 'mechs of any variety can often pull themselves out of the softened earth afterwards. Liquefaction Minefields of 20 points or more may be used to reduce the level of Terrain by 1, provided that there is an adjacent hex with an elevation 2 lower.

Fragment Gauss-Fragment Gauss rifles do about half the damage of a regular gauss rifle. However, when impacting armor, they fragment and reflect back towards the user, sending out thousands of shards that are harmless to armor, but dangerous against unarmored components and units. When a unit is hit, a spray of shrapnel spreads out from the targets hex, hitting all units in the adjacent hex los was traced through and the two hexes adjacent to it and the target. Shrapnel damage is the same damage as the Gauss Rifle, but the damage is rolled on the appropriate missile hits table. Hit locations are rolled normally, but against an armored location, no damage is done. Hits on an unarmored location deal no damage, but still gain the possibility of a critical or motive system hit.  Against infantry units, each cluster does one point of damage. Fragment Gauss rounds allow the ability to 'bank' shots off of one enemy to hit a damaged friendly unit they might be protecting.

Ivan Missiles: Ivan Missiles can be aimed off, only to establish an independent lock and bank and veer towards their target at the last minute. Ivan Missile clusters deal half of the damage of a normal missle cluster, rounded up. Ivan Missiles can either:

Trace their LOS (and targeting modifiers for intervening terrain) through any terrain adjacent to both the second-to-last hex of their normal LOS and the target's hex. This allows, amongst other things, the attacker to decide which hex fire enters through when LOS falls on a line between two hexes adjacent to the attacker.
OR:
Ignore partial cover for the target, as the missiles fly high, then bank down.

*Wow, old reference, right?

This is the last Battletech heap. With any luck, I'll be posting 3087 designs next week.