Enyo Typhos
Control
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Unit for Archangel.
- Image Credit: Here.
- Role: Mechanised infantry.
- Links: Archangel Research and Design.
- Unit Name: Iron Maws
- Affiliation: Enyo Typhos, Archangel Research and Design, Typhos Clone Family.
- Classification: Mechanised Infantry.
- Unit composed of Legionnaire Combat Droids Mk2 and Droidekas. One or two HRDs per squad to serve as squad leader.
- Droids have Phylactery Scarab Swarm (purchase request here, approved here).
- ACS-205 Blackblade Modular Rifle (permission to use ArmaTech gear requested here, and confirmed here) OR ACS-202 Vanquisher Light Repeating Blaster (purchase request here, permission here).
- ACS-206 Arrowhead Missile Launcher. Limited to specialist. Two per squad max, (purchase request here, permission here).
- ACS-004 Olympian Battle Armor (request here, permission here).
- Electrical capacitance shield.
- Microgrenade launcher.
- A280 CFE or T-6 heavy blaster.
- Grenades, thermal detonators.
- Vibrosword.
- Vibroknife.
- Hellmaw Subterranean Transports.
COMBAT INFORMATION
- Availability: Uncommon
- Deployment: Minor.
While their droid bodies and body armour are tough, they only provide minor protection against lightsabres. The Faraday cage and insulation only protects vital internal systems, leaving the battle droids' motor systems a lot more vulnerable to ion and electrical attacks. The droid has an ionization buffer and an Electrical Capacitane Shield to protect itself, but these devices can still be overwhelmned, especially by repeated attacks or especially powerful blasts. Even if an attack does not outright destroy the droid, it could still paralyse or weaken it, giving an opponent time to launch a more lethal blow. Droidekas have the standard strengths and weaknesses of their model. Phylactery droids give their droid hosts a limited self-repair capacity.
Each squad has one or two HRD officers to provide direction. Their primary function is tactical command, but they can obviously also fight in combat, using their extreme strength, durability and combat protocols. HRDs are incredibly strong, resilient and, unlike common battle droids, able to think tactically, analyse situations and learn. However, heavy blaster salvoes, lightsabres and heavy weapons can still damage or disable them. Moreover, though their armour provides some protection, they remain vulnerable to electrical discharges, EMP and so on. Finally, each squad only has one or two HRDs at most. Should these be taken out, the overall unit will become a lot less effective since the Legionnaires are simple grunts who do not innovate. They would continue fighting, but be rather predictable since they would be unable to apply innovative or complex tactics.
The Hellmaws are able to travel underground, allowing the troops to ignore many standard defences by appearing from beneath the enemy’s feet, or in unexpected locations inside a fortress or city. Each Hellmaw carries droids which can be dropped off to attack the enemy as soon as it emerges. Alternatively, these droids can use the massive vehicle as cover. Featuring mainly anti-personnel weapons, the Hellmaw's head also features a very powerful dual heavy laser cannon and the mining drill. This drill can tear through most vehicle armour with ease. The vehicle is very well defended, with armour, shields and its sheer bulk making it hard to pin down. Shell. When required it can enter a static shell when above ground. Its weapons are retracted and the armour plating completely covers it. This mode cannot attack but is almost impossible to crack without massive firepower.
However, above and even below ground, the Hellmaw is very slow. It’s top speed is a sedate 20km/h. The Hellmaw is also quite slow and clumsy to turn due to its length. A vigilant enemy will know something is coming from the growing sound of the drill and the crushing of rocks coming from below. Even if they don’t know where it will emerge it’s hard to conceal unless a diversion covers it. Though they too are heavily armoured, the legs are the weakest part of the Hellmaw transports. Explosives, lightsabres or heavy impacts can shatter a leg. Destroying half the legs will render the vehicle immobile. Due to the slow pace of their vehicles, the Iron Maw forces are vulnerable to air and artillery strikes once above ground.
Aside from the concussion missile launchers (which are primarily for air defence) the Hellmaw is short ranged. The blasters and plasma drill have a relatively short range. The Drill is ineffective over 100m, the blaster cannon accurate to only 500m. The bane for all droids and machines is ion/EMP attacks. Though it does have protection from personnel carried weapons or light vehicle weapons, heavy ion artillery or bombs can pierce its defences and render the Hellmaw at least immobile or possibly destroy it.
Description:
When most people see thirty foot sand worms consuming and rampaging, they are driven to fear, possibly awe. Enyo Typhos took notes; here was something she could use, once the erratic organic flesh had been stripped away. Therefore, the Karakorum sand worm inspired Enyo to create a mechanical monstrosity which would be capable of burrowing underground, emerging and disgorging a full platoon of droid soldiers into the fray. In appearance the Hellmaw looks like a ten legged centipede with armoured carapace and terrifying alien form. It is capable of doing things no organic piloted craft could do such as operating in the jolting, airless, claustrophobic ground. Furthermore, the Hellmaw is armed with a potent array of weapons, though it is not equipped for combat at far range.
Once the first Hellmaws had left the factory, Enyo devised a unit that would take advantage of them. She called them the Iron Maws. Through use of combined arms tactics, they would increase the versatility of Archangel troops on the battlefield. They are equivalent in function to organic mechanised infantry, using their armoured vehicles to deploy into battle. Compared to a conventional APC or IFV, the Hellmaw is a lot slower. However, as a tradeoff it is better armoured. Moreover, its ability to burrow beneath the ground and appear suddenly in the midst of the enemy gives it greater versatility by allowing unconventional surprise attacks. It can also transport a large number of soldiers. Nonetheless, once above ground the Hellmaw is particularly vulnerable to heavy weapon attacks and bombardment, as it lacks the speed of an IFV.
The Iron Maws tend to load their transports with a mixed contingent of Legionnaire Mk2 battle droids, droidekas and HRD officers. Theoretically droids of only one type could be loaded into the transport, but the unit applies a combined arms doctrine. As is typical for Archangel units, HRDs serve as the officer corps. The Legionnaires are standard battle droids and the droidekas are the heavy fire support. A single Hellmaw can carry up to 32 infantry droids. This is about equal to a small platoon. Larger droids take more space. In canon terms it can carry 32 battle droids, 16 super battle droids or destroyer droids, or any combination therein. The Legionnaires and HRDs are equipped with blaster weapons, hand grenades, blades and a limited number of heavy weapons.
Once deployed, the Iron Maws fight like conventional droid infantry, aiming to use firepower, droid relentlessness and numbers to overwhelm opponents. The Hellmaw can provide heavy support at close and medium range. However, the transport is not equipped to deal with heavy armour except close up. This puts it at a disadvantage in confrontations with tanks and heavy walkers at long range. If not supported once they make their deep strikes, the Iron Maws can be overwhelmed by enemies or destroyed by heavy artillery or ion bombs. It is therefore important for the breakthrough they cause to be supported and reinforced by fresh troops.
They make ideal assault troops, particularly in combat situations where Archangel forces have to go up against heavily entrenched enemy troops. An example would be trench or urban warfare, where a frontal assault would be very costly for the attacker. In such a scenario the Iron Maws could achieve a breakthrough, throw enemy forces into temporary disarray or distract them. Depending on the experience and prowess of the enemies the Iron Maws are facing, the sudden appearance of a huge mechanical wurm might also have a strong psychological effect on enemy forces. Obviously green conscripts or militia are easier to scare than veterans of various campaigns.
However, any gains made by the Iron Maws would have to be exploited by timely reinforcements, especially in form of heavy armour that can take on eemies at far range and the provision of air support. A vigilant enemy could also be alerted by the sound of a Hellmaw's drill, so careless deployment could result in the element of surprise being lost. Diversionary assaults or artillery barrages can be employed to help mask the approach of the Iron Maws when they are making their way from below ground to the surface.
Pending secondary approval
