The Ebon Jaguar was introduced by Clan Smoke Jaguar just before the Clan Invasion. The A configuration was one of the first configurations standardized for the chassis and has been one of the most popular configurations.
When the Ebon Jaguar was first encountered by the Inner Sphere, they designated it the Cauldron-Born. Due to being a relatively new design, that Inner Sphere name managed to catch on even with some Clan MechWarriors.
After its introduction, the Ebon Jaguar quickly spread to other Clans as a replacement for the older Hellbringer. After Operation Bulldog, the Draconis Combine also was able to begin fielding the OmniMech as well. At the beginning of the ilClan era, it remains in use amongst several of the Clans, the Capellan Confederation, and the Draconis Combine.
Read This First
- Your heat sinks are insufficient for your weapon systems
- Fire just the large lasers when skirmishing at long range
- At short range make use of your autocannon to blast through your enemy’s armor, but be mindful of your limited ammo supply
Ebon Jaguar A
- Role: Skirmisher
- Tech Base: Clan (3049)
- Chassis: 65 tons (Endo Steel)
- Movement: 5 / 8, XL
- Armor: 182 (Ferro Fibrous)
- Heat Sinks: 13 (26)
- Weapons:
- Ultra AC/20 (ammo: 15)
- ER Large Laser × 2
- Medium Pulse Laser
- ER Medium Laser × 3
- Flamer
- Machine Gun × 2 (ammo: 200)
- Equipment:
- CASE
- Design Quirks:
- Narrow/Low Profile
- Cost: 18,732,312 C-Bills
- Battle Value: 2,429
Mobility
The Ebon Jaguar has good mobility for a heavy ’Mech. It walks with 5 MP and runs with 8 MP, which is slightly above average for its tonnage. The A configuration is not equipped with any jumpjets, so it can have difficulty staying mobile in rough terrain. When running it can reach a +3 target movement modifier which can make it a fairly difficult target in open terrain.
Durability
The Ebon Jaguar devotes a below average portion of its tonnage to armor. It carries only 86% of the maximum for a 65-ton chassis, which puts it about halfway between the average armor protection for a 60-ton and a 65-ton ’Mech. Its Narrow/Low Profile quirk helps to counter that below average protection by halving the damage of some hits. Beneath the armor, the left torso is an explosion risk with 44% of its critical slots filled with explosive ammo. The location is protected by CASE, but will still result in 2 engine hits and the loss of more than half of the ’Mech’s firepower.
Weaponry
The A configuration of the Ebon Jaguar carries three primary weapons. Two ER large lasers provide long-range firepower, and then an Ultra AC/20 gives it a devastating punch at shorter ranges. Those weapons are then backed by four medium lasers, a flamer, and two machine guns. That mix of weapons allows for the ’Mech to deal a lot of damage and fight well against almost any type of target.
The mixed weapons of the Ebon Jaguar A allow for it to engage at almost any range. Its large lasers are in medium range at 15 hexes which gives it the ability to skirmish at that range and soften up targets. Then its autocannon and medium lasers are best used within 8 hexes, and its anti-infantry weapons only reach out to a range of 3 hexes.
Other than its autocannon, the A configuration can bring its weapons to bear against targets in almost any direction. Its arms with the large lasers, pulse laser, machine guns, and flamer can flip to fire backwards. It also has two of its ER medium lasers mounted to fire behind it. That means that even flankers that aim for its thinner rear armor will not be able to avoid much of its firepower.
The only ammo concern for a MechWarrior in an Ebon Jaguar A is the autocannon. The configuration carries 15 shots for that weapon, but when firing at its maximum rate of fire, that will only last 7 and a half turns. In general, a MechWarrior should try to conserve that ammunition for shorter range shots that are more likely to hit. The machine gun also uses ammunition, but its 200 shots is enough to last entire campaigns.
Heat Management
The A configuration can be crippled by heat if its MechWarrior is not careful. It can generate 62 heat in a single turn, but can only dissipate 26. That means it can max out its heat cycle and automatically shut down from a single alpha strike. In practice, a MechWarrior will use one of a few firing options. At long ranges, firing just the two large lasers will use up its cooling capacity. At shorter ranges, the MechWarrior can instead fire the front-facing medium lasers and the autocannon at full rate while staying within the limits of their heat sinks. At mid-ranges, a MechWarrior can mix and match based on the specific situation.
Brawling
The A configuration of the Ebon Jaguar is not particularly well-suited to brawling. The configuration does not have lower arm actuators and many of its weapons are mounted in its arms. That setup means that its punches are inaccurate and only deal 4 damage each. Instead, a MechWarrior can kick for 13 damage when they find themselves in a melee.
OmniMech Chassis
The Ebon Jaguar is an OmniMech so a MechWarrior can easily alter its equipment between missions. Thanks to its endo steel, ferro fibrous armor, and XL engine, it has 30 tons of capacity. Those same construction options limit its number of available critical slots though. The A configuration does not include any pod-mounted heat sinks.
| Capacity | 30 tons |
| Head | none |
| Center Torso | none |
| Right Torso | 9 slots |
| Left Torso | 8 slots |
| Right Arm | 6-8 slots |
| Left Arm | 6-8 slots |
| Right Leg | none |
| Left Leg | none |
As an OmniMech, the Ebon Jaguar is capable of carrying a unit of battle armor on to the battlefield. The weapon arrangement of the A configuration is not ideal for that role though because it is unable to make use of its autocannon or its ER medium lasers while a unit of battle armor is mounted on its torso.
Cost & Upkeep
The Ebon Jaguar makes use of advanced Clan construction materials, including an XL engine. That pushes its price up, particularly for Inner Sphere forces. The A configuration also can easily consume three tons of autocannon ammo each engagement which can cause logistical problems if it is operating away from a munitions depot.
When using the Warchest Point system, these are the expected costs for the Ebon Jaguar A:
| Action | Clan Cost | Inner Sphere Cost |
| Purchase | 1,300 SP | 2,600 SP |
| Armor Repair | 65 SP | 130 SP |
| Structure Repair | 130 SP | 260 SP |
| Reload | 20-30 SP | 40-60 SP |
| Reconfigure | 16 SP | 33 SP |
Miniature
The plastic miniature for the Ebon Jaguar is included in the Clan Heavy Battle Star force pack. It is modeled as the Prime configuration but can be used to represent any configuration.
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