Tonnage: 75
Chassis: Endo Steel
Power Plant: Pyre 300 XL
Cruising Speed: 43
Maximum Speed: 64.5
Jump Jets: none
   Jump Capacity: none
Armor: Phoenix Plate with CASE
Armament:
   1 Ultra AC/20
   1 LB 20-X AC
   1 LRM 15
   2 Medium Pulse Lasers
Manufacturer: Storm Phoenix Combine
   Primary Factory: Sahara IV
Communications System: Thunderbird Special with Guardian ECM Suite
Targeting and Tracking System: Firesight Standard

Overview:
       The Ampharos is an older Mech, one of the first Storm Phoenix Combine designs not meant as a raider. It was in fact a direct response to the Clan discovery of Storm Phoenix worlds, as the Combine was faced with the prospect of batchalls and possessed no Mechs suitable for dueling. The uncharacteristic lack of speed made most Storm Phoenix pilots scorn the design, however--it was too light for assault pilots and too slow for anyone else. The Coordinator at the time solved the problem by piloting one himself, and soon the Ampharos became one of the most popular Mechs in the Combine military. But when the Coordinator, the Tai-shu, and House Doji's Tai-sho, Ampharos pilots all, were slain in a battle against Clan Jade Falcon, the deadly machine earned a reputation as a cursed Mech. The Combine has not quite shaken this myth, but recently the disgraced Mech has become more common, as increased Clan strikes at Storm Phoenix worlds require greater force to match them.

Capabilities:
        As a duelist, the Ampharos shines at close range, carrying both an Ultra class-20 autocannon and an LB-20X cannon in its cylindrical arms, with a generous supply of ammunition. A pair of torso-mounted medium pulse lasers augment the cannons. A shoulder-mounted LRM launcher provides some firepower when the Ampharos is forced into long-range combat, but is rarely effective for anything more than softening up a target. The Mech's lack of speed makes the situation that much worse. Because of its long-range deficiencies, the Ampharos is not at all suited for operating alone when a challenge has not been issued.

Deployment:
       The Ampharos is deployed sparingly throughout the Combine's central military, and it is even more uncommon among House forces. New Mechs are being produced as quickly as Maelstrom Armory's Sahara IV facility can turn them out, however, so its numbers are quickly increasing.
 

 Ampharos

Technology Base: - Clan - Level 2
Equipment                                                Mass
Internal Structure: - EndoSteel                        4
Engine:                300 XL                            9.5
    Walking MP:         4
    Running MP:         6
    Jumping MP:         0
Heat Sinks:            13(26) - Double               3
Gyro:                                                             3
Cockpit:                                                        3
Armor Factor:       231 - Ferro-Fibrous        12

                            Internal           Armor
                           Structure          Value
Head                           3                9
Center Torso            23               35
Center Torso(rear)                       11
R/L Torso                 16               24
R/L Torso(rear)                             8
R/L Arm                   12               24
R/L Leg                    16               32

Weapons and Ammo                     Location   Critical  Tonnage
Medium Pulse Laser                             CT          1          2
Medium Pulse Laser                             CT          1          2
Ultra AC/20                                         LA          8        12
ECM Suite                                           LT           1          1
Ultra AC/20 Ammo (15)                       LT          3          3
LB 20-X AC                                        RA         9        12
LB 20-X AC Ammo - Cluster (15)       RT          3          3
LRM 15                                               RT          2        3.5
LRM 15 Ammo (16)                            RT          2          2