GR6-Phalanx "Hobgoblin"

Standing at the usual Phalanx height, the Hobgoblin is not an unusual machine at first pass. It’s major modifications mainly focus on the legs, equipping it with a pair of hoverthrusters, allowing it to skate along the ground instead of having to manually take steps. The overall appearance of the Hobgoblin has become bulkier, with its primarily red paint job interrupted by stark black, blocky additions all along its chest. Its neck features a thin wall hiding most of the head, which is a little larger.

One of the major changes to the Hobgoblin lies primarily within its chest. No longer is the chest cavity used mainly for the cockpit, in fact, the cockpit has been moved towards the neck, focused under the head. Instead, the machine features an inbuilt beam cannon, codename: Dorcus. The barrel of the cannon is normally hidden, but reveals itself by a sliding mechanism in the chest.

The gun must be prepared, which involves the Hobgoblin implanting itself with stakes, and loading a sliding barrel out of its chest. The barrel is large in comparison, but doesn’t extend that far out. It has two modes: a long ranged sniping mode, and a shorter range ‘spread mode’, in which the three-pronged barrel splits open. This allows the Hobgoblin to both barrage the battlefield and defend itself in close range.

Though the gun itself does not create recoil, the machine does exhaust excess energy through a frontal ventilation system, which requires stability. Although already bulky enough in the front, the back of the machine has seen considerable modification as well. Its backpack has been kept mostly the same, but the general appearance has been modified; pillars instead of spikes, with the backpack being shorter in general. The bottom thrusters can now flip to face the back, allowing the machine to boost forward while hovering.

Its arms are bulkier as well, though instead of additional armor, the Hobgoblin now houses two close range flame spitters. Though a personal request from the pilot, the flame spitters are primarily useful for clearing thick brush to allow for easier setup. Likewise, they can be used to defend itself in close range, but it is more effective for confusing and weakening an enemy over outright killing them.