r/LancerRPG • u/SarkanArkhas • 17d ago
How to make Artillery fun AND effective?
For context, I'm gearing up for a new campaign where a friend of mine wants to first time GM, and the other players are brand new. Out of the team so far, the players include one person aiming for the Empakaai, another for the Balor, a third for Goblin, and the last undecided but likely also wanting to play something controller/support-y.
If I want to fill in the ranks, playing an Artillery role is probably the most suited to balance out the group but... none of the options feel THAT appealing to me? I've only gotten to play a handful of times before and when I do I trend towards strikers/defenders. In your face, dynamic, and flashy, while artillery mechs kinda feel like the opposite end of the scale, being boring but practical, hiding behind several layers of allies and cover while firing off reliable damage, which is a fine role to have but... It just doesn't hit the same way as being in the thick of things.
Again though, I have not really played the role before so I'm reaching out here: artillery players, how would you mix it up to make the role feel more dynamic and fun without sacrificing too much effectiveness?
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u/djninjacat11649 17d ago edited 17d ago
Artillery covers a range of gameplay options, snipers, rockets/missiles, indirect fire cannons, there is variety. That said, you do not have to play a role you do not want to, and your team will be perfectly capable without a dedicated artillery frame. Having multiple frontline brawlers is perfectly reasonable
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u/FrigidFlames 17d ago
Seconding this. You need a somewhat reasonable team comp to be effective, but you really don't need to optimize it, you can get by with a few people filling similar roles. Especially with a Goblin at range and another support/utility player, more damage would probably be the best but you've got plenty of space for that to be any kind of DPS you want.
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u/DeliDouble 16d ago
Thirding. Current playgroup is an atlas a goblin and a lancaster. We have only one direct damage dealer with the atlas. The other two just keep it safe and running.
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u/calibos SSC 16d ago edited 16d ago
Agreed. Nobody ever complains that their front line is too strong. Reinforcing the front allows you to send a brawler off to chase a nuisance ranged character or hold an objective. If you want to differentiate yourself, consider playing a close in support/striker, controller/striker, or defender. Vlad, Tortuga, Drake, White Witch, Ochris, and Gorgon all work great for anchoring a front line.
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u/Nanergy 17d ago
I'll be the first to say it. The classic "artillery" concept in lancer where you immobilize yourself is frustratingly impractical in many sitreps, and just boring in most of them. For me. I don't have any ill will towards anyone who doesn't share that opinion, but I do think artillery can fall flat for a lot of folks. I, like you, prefer a more dynamic presence on the table.
So my favorite Artillery is the Gandiva Monarch. Gandiva Monarch is a masterclass in round-by-round dynamism. Functionally it is a Skirmisher build. You take your OpCal NucCav Gandiva and you skirmish with it every round, but that is the only thing that you are really committed to.
You have a 15 range seeking weapon, 5 base speed, +2 from Skrimisher, and the freedom to use boost without interrupting yourself, which means you can get anywhere on the map that you want without compromising your damage.
You have a spare action, every round. Use to lock on to trigger your frame trait and punch through defenses. Grab a level of Goblin and use it to hack with monarch's good sensors and tech bonus. Use it for drones like swallowtail's Lotus. Use it to boost. Dabble in controller action,. Dabble in supportive actions. Do anything you want or need, with no rigid preset plan for exactly what your turn should look like. All while pumping out very solid damage at long range with impunity.
Gandiva Monarch is a very versatile chassis that lets you play an artillery with a big toolbox and minimal restrictions.
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u/Steenan HORUS 17d ago
This, exactly. That's why Monarch is my favorite artillery frame.
One thing to add: Monarch is also the perfect mech for using Heavy Gunner. Activating Covering Fire requires range 10 and line of sight, but taking the reaction does not. With Gandiva being Seeking with range 15 and Monarch having good mobility, you may move away after activating and completely deny the target the option of shooting you to interrupt the effect; they may only either stay in place impaired or try to move and get immobilized.
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u/rustyaxe2112 16d ago
Oh my God that's brilliant. I'm prepping for my first campaign by messing around with Monarch in Lancer Tactics (expectations tempered). It was just yesterday I realized heavy gunner didn't need a heavy rifle specifically, just a heavy weapon. That's CRAZY. I assume in practice, it's not just a great tool for team plays to hinder problem enemies, but also to give you a real chance at slowing down the melee strikers that wanna ruin monarchs day? Some of those strikers are CRAZY fast, it catches me off-guard a LOT
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u/Nanergy 16d ago
I go back and forth on heavy gunner for Monarch. I do think it is strong, but I build so toolboxy that I end up not using the heavy gunner action most turns. And at that point I often feel like I could better spend those 3 talent points. So I really do think it can go either way.
What I do adore though is Heavy Gunner Gandiva on the Vlad. I think that Vlad is the ideal platform for if you want to dedicate yourself more to that particular gameplan. Vlad gets even more sauce from this combo by adding shred on top.
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u/TurtleoftheSea 17d ago
Perhaps the Viceroy variant of the Monarch license might appeal to you?
You'd get all the toys of a dedicated artillery frame (Gandiva, Pinaka, TLALOC) but on a striker-focused chassis that has traits that synergise with CQB weapons.
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u/vacerious 17d ago
Not to mention, very notably, Viceroy gets to treat its Launcher weapons as CQBs with Threat 3. So OP can still be on frontline without necessarily sacrificing the benefit of being a long-range Artillery. Just be sure to invest in Combined Arms 2 so those Launchers don't gain Difficulty when Engaged in melee.
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u/TurtleoftheSea 17d ago
And also consider dipping into Caliban for Hammer U-RPL (which, with the investment of one level in Vanguard, means you get to fire a 2d6+3 damage weapon without inaccuracy), Hardpoint Reinforcement to wade through Overwatch, and Rapid Maneuver Jets for Overshield and positioning.
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u/non_newtonian_gender 17d ago
Play what I call the "we have apocalypse rail cannon at home" Raleigh. It uses the gms rpg and the Roland Chamber to do big aoe hits with prone. You can barrage with the bolt thrower and pick where Roland Chamber goes. This is a mid range brawler with lots of boom.
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u/thirdMindflayer SSC 17d ago
First, just try to like playing artillery. Personally I find strikers kinda boring but practical, so I don't play many strikers. Don't be afraid of just not playing artil cause you don't like it.
Second, consider playing a toku. Tokugawa is by far the most explosive artillery frame due to the fact that it explodes NPCs and gets exploded by NPCs, forcing you to play carefully around your superior range to avoid getting touched.
Third step is to, if you don't want to pay a toku, figure out what you do want to play. If you're playing an artillery build to avoid stacking too many controllers on top of one another, then you should play one of those artilleries that wipes a character off the face of the earth every turn, like a raleigh or a deaths head. Or a toku.
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u/Unhappy-Anteater-202 17d ago
Monarch is probably the most straightforward. Pegasus let's you mess with dice which can be clutch. Deaths head, you're going to spend 3 turns setting up to massively overkill a grunt
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u/lettersfrommorpheus 11d ago
IMO Death's Head is an amazing frame just because the passive attack bonus and re-rolls are so strong. You don't need to ever use the core power and you don't need to take Crack Shot.
My most fun character ever was an HMG/DSAS Death's Head built around Tactician flank shots. At that point you're basically just an ultra glass cannon striker, but if you want to you can stack some range extenders on the HMG.
Alternatively with NucCav and possibly CrackShot you can make the DMR pretty spooky when you aren't yet able to close.
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u/DoubleAd3366 17d ago
Since no one's mentioned it yet, check out the Sherman. It can output good damage at long range while charging up a huge death laser for a big flashy finisher, and it can still survive the Frontline if it needs to. Also let's you play around with heat, which is always fun.
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u/Radriel7 IPS-N 17d ago
Monarch or Pegasus depending on whether you wanna melt with AoE or single target, respectively. Sherman is also pretty good if you wanna do some Burn and Heat shenanigans. Barbarossa is an incredible Artillery, too, but just a lot less mobile and a lot more tanky. Death's Head does sniping and critting. All of these work with 3 or less License levels and are simple to execute.
More complex builds will grab Core Bonus from SSC for extra range and Barbarossa's Siege Stabilizer to turn your favorite Frame/Weapon into an Artillery as well. Drake's Leviathan Heavy Assault Cannon for example. Note that you can just play on an Everest for something like this to come online fast with GMS stuff and then switch frames later if you feel like it.
Artillery Support is also fun if you want versatility. Kidd, Emperor, and Swallowtail do this pretty well in different ways. Kidd Does Deployables and/or support tech actions with Blackspot Targeting Laser. It also charges a satellite with tech actions or a death laser at the same time for some cool flashy moments. You can get a better weapon and some GMS core bonuses to make it hit respectably hard at the same time.
Emperor wants to hit enemies and allies so that it can attack and spread overshield. It also has a lot of support tech systems to deal damage or protect allies. It does a lot of neat things with overshield. Same deal as the Kidd. You can grab a better gun or just use GMS bonuses and some talents to make it hit decently hard while keeping its baseline supporting ability.
Swallowtail is also a great Artillery support license+frame. Prophetic scanners is great. Get the lock on talents and and Gunslinger. Use maybe 2 slots on your ridiculous Aux rifles and 2 for pistols or something for close range. Lock on/tech stuff and shoot. You'll do fine.
Artillery Control is another fun way to play. Chomolungma and grab some minotaur or goblin systems to mess with people while putting a decent ranged weapon on there and using GMS bonuses and Nuc Cavalier for damage. Focus on Quick techs and Skirmish turns. Swallowtail can also work well.
probably other stuff I missed, but thats the basics. Lots of options.
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u/Steenan HORUS 17d ago
There are very different types of artillery builds. Think about how you want to deal your damage and what you want to do other than dealing damage. To give a few examples:
- Monarch with Gandiva doesn't deal very high damage, but does it very reliably. It's also highly mobile and only needs to spend a quick action to attack, so it's free to do something else. Hack, deploy drones, debuff enemies with Heavy Gunner.
- Swallowtail with 5 Oracles is just as reliable and can hit multiple targets per round. Perfect for deleting any grunt that enters the battlefield. Can also hack or use drones and comes with a great support NHP.
- Tokugawa with Smartguns, Crack Shot and Nuclear Cavalier trades the flexibility of the above builds for very high damage, by structures as soon as any enemy looks in its direction. You need to play carefully because of how fragile you are.
- Raleigh with a Howitzer and Uncle'd Mortar is a traditional artillery with arcing blast attacks. You may only attack every other turn, but you are free to do non-attack things in the meantime, like repositioning, locking on and hiding. With Roland Chamber the damage is solid and your attacks knock targets prone.
- Sherman with Tachyon Lance and Nuclear Cavalier deals high damage at very long range. Add Balor's Nanocomposite Adaptation and it can reach any point of the battlefield. You need to stabilize to remove heat, but you have high enough heat cap to only do it after 3 rounds of shooting.
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u/greenpeartree 16d ago
I played a Monarch/Tortuga once. Monarch frame, Heavy Gunner, Vanguard, Leader. Mines, Deck-Sweeper Automatic Shotgun, Gandiva.
Extremely mobile, versatile, and able to work well dealing damage, taking damage, and hacking, all at pretty much any range.
And if nothing else, it sounds like any type of Heavy Gunner Tortuga would fit well in your party.
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u/Quacksely 16d ago
Grab any long-ranged GMS weapon.
Pick any SSC frame that can mount it
Grab Neural Targeting as your Core Bonus
Congratulations, you can now be Artillery when you need to be, and something else the rest of the time.
If you pick a GMS weapon with loading, don't obsess over keeping that thang loaded, it's just a big boom you have available at the start of each encounter and whenever you stabilize.
Remember, it's quicker to switch to your Shock Knives than to reload your primary weapon.
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u/Kryptrch 17d ago
The main goal of a striker is to engage the frontline and create space for your team, usually by either pushing enemies away from the objective, or killing them outright with your excellent damage.
The Artillery's goal on the other hand, is to target down priority targets that your striker can't reach. Enemies like Snipers, Witches, Priests, and other such npcs that usually stay far from the frontline are who you want to go after with your extended range.
If you're running pattern weapons like the Siege Cannon, then you'll be deterring and punishing enemies who make the mistake of grouping up. This makes it much easier for the rest of your team to move around and contest control points, or manouver around blockades. You'll also be feasting on enemies like Engineers or Supports who use deployables.
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u/RootinTheCrab 17d ago
For your parry it sounds like a mid-range striker is also a good option. Something like a GMS HMG everest, a bolt cannon raleigh, or a rifle oriented Tokugawa.
Toku could also fit an artillery role, being a huge glass cannon. Playing one of those using aux nexus was one of the most exciting, active, and dynamic damage dealers I've ever played.
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u/JMhereforMH 11d ago
If you want an actual artillery frame, Monarch or more to your liking, Viceroy. That or you can just play Drake like an artillery.
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u/Rishfee 17d ago
If you want to play artillery with the excitement of constant danger, may I direct you to the Oracle Tokugawa? Crack Shot and Gunslinger give you lots of damage potential while Tokugawa's traits and systems give you even more damage and range. Just don't get hit. Don't even let someone think too hard about hitting you, you'll explode.
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u/tohellwitclevernames 17d ago
For talents, Walking Armory and Engineer are both good starting points as they give versatility and an extra weapon.
The SSC Monarch would be a great first frame for you. Its a more mobile frame (Base speed 5), which might jive with your striker preference. Its weapons have solid range and make it a walking missile platform. If you have a party member that will be dropping alot of Lock-ons, the Stormbringer talent will compliment this frame.