The D configuration of the Timber Wolf is one of several that were introduced alongside the chassis in 2945. It is similar to the Prime in that it has a mix of energy and missile weapons, but it trades the lasers and LRMs for PPCs and Streak SRMs. The D configuration can be found amongst almost every Clan and in the forces of any Inner Sphere force capable of obtaining the chassis. As one of the most effective OmniMechs, it is still in wide use into the Dark Age.
Residents of the Inner Sphere used Mad Cat as a codename for the Timber Wolf when they first encountered it. Due to that, this configuration will sometimes be referred to as the Mad Cat D.
Read This First
- You are at home in the midst of a battle because it can fire in any direction
- Staying mobile and getting inside of 8 hexes makes you especially dangerous
- After successfully getting a lock with your Streak launchers, you will need to hold fire with a PPC on the following round to cool back down
Timber Wolf D
- Role: Skirmisher
- Tech Base: Clan (2945)
- Chassis: 75 tons (Endo Steel)
- Movement: 5 / 8, XL
- Armor: 230 (Ferro Fibrous)
- Heat Sinks: 15 (30)
- Weapons:
- ER PPC × 2
- Streak SRM × 4 (ammo: 45)
- ER Small Laser
- Equipment:
- CASE
- Design Quirks:
- Improved Targeting (Medium)
- Weak Head Armor (1)
- Cost: 24,326,641 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 2,682
Mobility
The Timber Wolf D is on the fast side for a heavy ’Mech. It has 5 walking MP and 8 running MP, but it does lack jump jets. It can achieve a +3 target movement modifier when able to run in open terrain, but will only get to a +2 if it has to spend more than one movement point on a facing change or terrain.
Durability
The Timber Wolf is well-armored for a heavy ’Mech. It carries just barely under the maximum armor for a 75-ton chassis. The Weak Head Armor quirk reduces its head armor to 1 below its maximum, but practically that will have limited impact in battle. The XL engine puts 2 engine critical slots into each of its side torsos which makes it more vulnerable to engine damage, but it can still survive the loss of one of those side torsos. Three tons of ammunition in the side torsos are protected by CASE. The right torso is more vulnerable with 25% of its slots being explosive. The left torso has only a 14% chance that a critical hit results in an explosion.
Weaponry
The D configuration of the Timber Wolf carries a mix of ER PPCs and short-range missiles. The two PPCS give the design two 15 damage attacks out to 23 hexes. The Streak SRM launchers then come into play at 12 hexes. The Improved Targeting quirk means that its weapons are only slightly less accurate at medium range than at short range. The small laser is very much a backup to the other weapon systems with a maximum range of only 6 hexes.
The D configuration is unusual amongst ’Mechs in that it has the ability to fire most of its weapons in any direction. The shoulder-mounted streak SRM launchers are arranged so that two face forwards and the other two fire into the Timber Wolf’s rear arc. Then the PPCs are in its arms, and it is capable of flipping those arms to fire behind it. That means that either through a torso twist or an arm flip, a MechWarrior in a Timber Wolf D can fire in any direction with both PPCs and two of the streak launchers. That ability makes it ideally suited to be in the thick of things with targets in all directions.
The D configuration is efficient with its ammunition thanks to the streak systems. It carries 3 tons of ammunition for a total of 45 shots. Because the launchers only fire when they get a lock, a MechWarrior should feel free to attempt to fire with them whenever a target is in range and not expect to run out of shots in most engagements.
Heat Management
The Timber Wolf D runs hot in combat. Its 15 double heat sinks dissipate 30 heat each turn, but its weapons can generate as much as 48 heat. The streak systems are a big boon for heat management though because they only fire when they are guaranteed to hit.
A good firing plan for a MechWarrior is to use both PPCs and two streak launchers as a default firing plan. That is guaranteed to cause an overheat of 1-2 points from movement, but that can be sustained for a couple rounds before hitting penalties. On the other hand, the streaks locking and launching can cause a spike of 10 heat beyond the cooling capacity. When that happens, the Timber Wolf can face a round with some substantial penalties, but the MechWarrior firing just one of the PPCs that round will allow the Timber Wolf to cool back off. Having hit with the dozen SRMs makes the following turn of limited firepower an acceptable trade off.
When following that plan, a MechWarrior should remember that the more likely their streak system is to lock, the more likely they are to suffer a heat spike. That means at short ranges against slow targets, it can be worthwhile to substitute the small laser for one of the PPCs in order to run cool enough have the streak launchers fire every round or make use of both forward and rear firing launchers if surrounded.
Brawling
In its D configuration, the Timber Wolf should favor firing weapons to physical attacks. It lacks lower arms, so its punches suffer from a +3 target number modifier and deal only 4 damage. Attempting one of those punches requires opting out of a far more accurate 15 damage from the arm’s PPC. If it kicks, the Timber Wolf can deal 15 damage making that a far better choice for a MechWarrior caught in a brawl.
OmniMech Chassis
The Timber Wolf is an OmniMech that can have its weapons and equipment changed depending on the mission. It has 27.5 tons of pod space and a large number of open critical slots in its arms and side torsos. None of the D configuration’s heat sinks are pod-mounted.
| Capacity | 27.5 tons |
| Head | none |
| Center Torso | 1 slot |
| Right Torso | 7 slots |
| Left Torso | 7 slots |
| Right Arm | 7-9 slots |
| Left Arm | 7-9 slots |
| Right Leg | none |
| Left Leg | none |
As an OmniMech, the Timber Wolf D can carry a unit of mechanized battle armor. It cannot fire the torso-mounted Streak SRMs or small laser when it has battle armor attached, but it retains use of the arm-mounted ER PPCs.
Cost & Upkeep
As a frontline OmniMech, the Timber Wolf is expensive. It uses endo steel, ferro fibrous, and an XL engine. In a single engagement, it will generally only use 1-2 or its three tons of Streak SRM ammo. Because it is a Clan design, Inner Sphere forces will face even higher costs for procurement and maintenance.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the Timber Wolf D:
| Action | Clan Cost | Inner Sphere Cost |
| Purchase | 1,500 SP | 3,000 SP |
| Armor Repair | 75 SP | 150 SP |
| Structure Repair | 150 SP | 300 SP |
| Reload | 10-20 SP | 20-40 SP |
| Reconfigure | 19 SP | 38 SP |
Miniature
The plastic Timber Wolf Prime miniature from either the Clan Invasion box set or the Wolf’s Dragoons Assault Star force pack is a good choice to represent a Timber Wolf D or any other configuration.
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