Barbarian Howitzer

Mech Weapon

Barbarian Howitzer
Type	Technological
Damage Type	Ballistic
Heat	14
Ammo	65
Rate of Fire	2.1s cycle time
Burst Length	1
Damage	75
Trigger Type	Semi-Automatic
Range	200m
Projectile Velocity	70m/s
Hard-mount	Barbarian
Included with	Barbarian
Mount Points	Right Arm
Cost	7
Damage per Second	35.71
Heat per Second	6.67
Damage per Heat	5.36
Damage per Cost	10.71
DPS per Cost	5.1

Creator's Notes

The Barbarian Howitzer is a medium to long range ballistic weapon. Unlike many other ballistic weapons, the howitzer fires in a arcing trajectory, meaning that the projectile experiences bullet drop over it's flight path. Unlike many artillery weapons, this drop in flight is much more shallow, giving the weapon substantial range. While this makes the weapon ill-suited for lobbing shells over obstacles, it allows it to reach surprising distances. This is even more pronounced when firing the weapon from elevated positions on targets far below the Barbarian. With the weapon's long range and relatively quick re-fire rate, this makes it possible to shell a very distant location with reasonably sustained fire.

Adding to this, the howitzer's projectile also create a decently sized AOE upon impact. Unlike many other AOE weapons, this damage is also ballistic, potentially getting around the resistances to explosive damage many mechs may possess. The AOE also deals the same damage as a direct hit, meaning a near-miss is just as good as hitting the target perfectly. With practice, especially in conjunction with weapons using a similar flight path, a pilot is able to effectively shell an area with highly damaging AOEs.

It's worth noting that, while they have substantially shorter range, there is a 'sweet spot' when firing downwards that the SRMs which come stock on the Barbarian will land in conjunction with the shots from the howitzer. While this point may be tricky to find and not always be possible, it makes for a good opportunity to cover an opponent in area damage that's not easily avoided without the air of strife jets or warp drives.

This combination of high damage, decent AOE, arcing trajectory, and long range makes the howitzer a good all-around weapon in most combat situations. It's one drawback is in melee combat, where while it can still hit most targets at very close range, you will likely also catch yourself in the AOE. This can be an issue and may mean the Barbarian's Battle Axe would be a better option if you find yourself regularly engaging in melee. However, with the Barbarian's substantial health, it can weather several self-inflicted hits, perhaps enough to force off a less than determined opponent.