Minotaur

The Minotaur is the "assault class" of the first generation ProtoMechs. Weighing more than any other ProtoMech, it trades speed for armor and weaponry. Intended for defensive operations, the Minotaur's lack of speed isn't an obstacle to completing its mission, and its impressive firepower means an entire Point working together can quickly take down a single target.

After the fall of Clan Smoke Jaguar the Minotaur was quickly adopted by Clans Goliath Scorpion, Hell's Horses and Star Adder before spreading to many other Clans in the following decades.

Weapons and Equipment
Carrying a pair of ER Medium Lasers, the Minotaur has enough firepower to seriously damage any light 'Mechs foolish enough to close with it. It also boasts more protection than most light 'Mechs, enough to take a direct Gauss Rifle hit to the torso and keep fighting. The drawback to this power however is a slow cruising speed of 32 km/h, which is somewhat compensated by a jumping capacity of 90 meters thanks to its Jump Jets.

Variants

 * Minotaur 2 : Developed during the 3060s, this variant utilizes an LB 2-X Autocannon with a single ton of ammunition. This changed cause a reallocation of armor from the torso and legs, while also dropping the original's jump jets. BV (2.0) = 168


 * Minotaur 3 : This variation of the Minotaur was redesigned as a fire support model, armed with an LRM 12 Launcher as its "main gun." Improvements to the design include an increase of its maximum speed to 80 km/h, increase range to its jumping capacity, and additional armor protection. BV (2.0) = 443


 * Minotaur 4 : Created during the Jihad, this version of the Minotaur was fitted with Advanced Tech developed during this era. The Minotaur 4 uses same armor protection as the second variant, but has speed of the third. Its only weapon is the newly developed Class 2 ProtoMech Autocannon with 16 rounds of ammunition. BV (2.0) = 188


 * Minotaur P2 : Based on the Minotaur-XP, this version reduces the SRM to an SRM-4 with eight reloads. It uses the same Improved Heavy Small Lasers, however, and retains the maximized armor protection. To overcome the Minotaur's low speed, engineers added a ProtoMech-scale Magnetic Clamp system that allows the ProtoMech to "hitch a ride" on friendly units. BV (2.0) = 266


 * Minotaur Z : Developed by The Society, this variant of the Minotaur uses five Extended Jump Jets and a Magnetic Clamp system to travel around the battlefield. It's equipped with an Improved Heavy Medium Laser, making it a threat to many units.

Custom Variants

 * Minotaur-XP : This version of the Minotaur was created by Clan Hell's Horses. The jump jets and standard weapons were removed and replaced by two Improved Heavy Small Lasers and an SRM-5 launcher. The weight saved from this weapon switch allowed the engineers to maximize the armor protection of the Minotaur-XP, making it popular with pilots. BV (2.0) = 294

Design Quirks
The Minotaur P2 variant is subject of the following Design Quirk:
 * Extended Torso Twist

The Minotaur-XR variant has following Design Quirks:
 * Distracting
 * Prototype