Turning up the HEAT
“Why are HEAT Troopers so feared? Is it because they possess the latest in environmental protective armor? No. Is it because they are the most highly trained and disciplined force the Mainframe can wield? No. Is it because they were the first to go through the waygates? No. It’s because they are the only people in the universe who look forward to a biohazard or chemical weapons leak.”
~Trooper Samuel Alpha Zyhcron (SAZer)
HEAT Troopers serve as both the enforcement arm and the regulator arm of the Mainframes operations. As is often the case with a culture that constantly pushes the limits of technology, and understanding there are just as often failures as there are successes. More often than not these failures are minor, but on occasion they can be quite spectacular.
HEAT units are stationed throughout the major cities in such a way that they can react quickly to any possible threat to the cities Biodome. This proximity to so much of the city has led to them working just as often as police forces and preventative forces as they are reactionary forces. Carrying out the Mainframes edicts and directions with brutal efficiency. Each HEAT trooper is gestated to be predisposed to being obedient to their superiors and to feel very little in the way of emotion. Allowing them to have many of the benefits of a machine, while still being completely human.
Each suit of HEAT armor is equipped with a fully self-sufficient power supply as well as enough supplies and oxygen to keep the occupant alive for up to three weeks if needed, and in the event that the armor is trapped in even worse situations can place the wearer into a hibernated sleep until help arrives. Large alloyed toes have the ability to move on their own to provide better footing for the trooper and can even fire downward into the floor to provide even more support if needed. Rounding out the armors capabilities are an Endotech Trinity Micro Laser with built in self-targeting system and a crowd control lance.
HEAT Trooper Strategies
Meat Shield
With the HEAT troopers ARM 5 and a range of 12” on the Trinity Micro Laser these are one of the toughest front line units in the game. Using them as advancing turrets means that you can use them to protect your weaker and yet more numerous units like Skirmish Bots until you get them within range to deal a devastating melee attack.
Elite Kill Squad
Due to their fairly high Tek attack (8 with the Trinity Micro Laser) and an AP of 2, combined with the fact that they can be in squads as large as 5 makes HEAT Troopers uniquely adept at taking out high Battle Value targets quickly. When supported by a second squad of HEAT Troopers they can take down a commander in a single round with the right application of Aeon cards.
Aeon Card Suggestions
Barrier Field-
Want to really mess up someone’s day? Keep your Assault Drones and HEAT Troopers near each other and drop this one. ARM 7 and ARM 9 combined together is just on the edge of cheating.
Corrosive Nanites-
Play on an opponent’s Elite unit and then team up two squads of HEAT troopers on the one target. It’s a fast way to earn some Battle Value and level the battlefield very quickly.
Linked Weapons-
Best used when you have a squad of 5 HEAT Troopers together granting the POW + 3 bonus making the Trinity Micro Laser a base-to-hit of 11.
