Build Concept: Tickle Me Balor (LL8)

The resiliency of the Balor's nanobot swarm is well-documented, but the right pilot can do far more than endure. Augment your amorphous rig with IPS-N's battle-hardened practicalities and SSC's state-of-the-art control solutions for a self-sustaining warzone that enemies will struggle to flee from.

LICENSES - 3 Balor (Frame), 3 Vlad, 2 Black Witch
SKILLS - 6 Hull, 4 Agility
TALENTS - 3 Executioner, 3 Combined Arms, 3 Vanguard, 2 Spotter
CORE BONUSES - FOMORIAN Frame Reinforcement (IPS-N), Lesson of the Open Door (HORUS)

SYSTEM POINTS - 10
* 1 Snare Trap
* 0 IPS-N "Impaler" Nail Gun
* 1 Caltrop Launcher
* 2 Swarm Body
* 2 Nanobot Whip
* 2 Ferrous Lash
* 2 ICEOUT Drone

Truly unique in terms of Lancer tanks, the Balor has low evasion, no armor, but repairs itself automatically at the start of each turn. This build optimizes the natural area damage from the Balor and Executioner with crowd-control that pulls enemies in and then prevents their escape.

GET OVER HERE - The Nanobot Whip makes for a nice tool with a lot of natural synergy. However, fishing for crits can be a rough game (though worthwhile to proc Executioner). If you absolutely must pull a target, particularly a further-off one, the Ferrous Lash is technical wonder. The Agility save target of 12 (thanks Open Door) is respectable, and at range 8 with a pull distance of 5, anything pulled is now within range 3, which means Vanguard will grant your Nail Gun a bonus to hit, and the same bonus from Open Door for your target's Hull save against immobilization. Ferrous lash can knocks only the enemy pulled prone when on a collision course, so don't be afraid to bash them about. If possible, pull an enemy with your whip or lash onto an adjacent Snare Trap for an immobilize that they'll need to destroy the deployable to get out of. As teased above, the Nail Gun is your bread-and-butter - immobilize enemies as the second part of a barrage, or if they try to run away from an adjacent square. For enemies that move through your threat range, use your whip instead, as you'll have the chance to pull them adjacent to you.

Don't Stand So Close To Me The crowd control discussed above is just an invitation to the party laid out here. Swarm Body is the star of the show with 3 damage, scaling up to 9, in a burst area 1 if you take a quick action to activate and then just don't move (this system is almost certainly missing a unique tag, but hey, talk to your GM). Add on another 2 for Balor's Scouring Swarm trait. Caltrops over Hive drone as the improved 1d3 AP damage (you do hit yourself, but who cares!) with difficult terrain in burst 5 beats 1 AP with soft cover(which you'll already have from Combined Arms) in Burst 2. Once set up, none of these require additional actions to maintain, so if you score a critical to pull an enemy into the funzone with your Nanobot whip, he and all other adjacent enemies will automatically take 15-17 damage.

Built Tough - 28 HP is our number here, mainly because it divides up nicely into four for a tidy 7 HP back per round. While IPS-N offers a tantalizing +5 HP or +1 Armor, the HP boost only improves health/round by 1, and the armor won't work when you're using your core power. The FOMORIAN is the better choice for creating a larger presence on the battlefield with more adjacent space, and for making you immune to most knockbacks that could interrupt your swarm. If you find yourself in tighter quarters that make a size 3 mech impracticable, consider instead going for the GYGES. The 4 points in Agility allow you to position better for your initial set-up and bring your evasion up to a more respectable level. The unsung hero of this build is the ICEOUT Drone - total immunity to all tech actions is a perfect way to round out your defenses, even if it does turn off your free lock-ons from Spotter.

This configuration yet again suffers from a lack of mobility, but does have a few more options to deal with it. Particularly when utilizing the Balor's core power, a tank that's only real weakness is multi-attacks. A large number of 1d3 attacks that could be ignored outright by a Drake could be a cause for concern. Consider pairing with a Monarch for long range burst that can clear crowds of smaller enemies. Alternatively, a Black Witch buddy could provide the Ferrous Lashings and ICEOUT drones for you, preventing the need to dip into that license yourself. This mech would likely work best as a solo frontliner - additional melee buddies may be competing to hit the same targets. This build will shine when you're able to pull a lot of aggression from your foes and keep them close, allowing your passive damage to whittle them down while you focus your actions on pulling in and locking up additional targets.

Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I’ll answer him by law.
I’ll not budge an inch, boy. Let him come, and kindly.
- Sly, 'The Taming of the Shrew' Act I, Scene I

Submitted April 22, 2019 at 08:34PM by DoesThatEvenMatter http://bit.ly/2XzEggt