With exceptional speed for an assault 'Mech and the ability to dissipate great amounts of heat in a short time, the Gargoyle is a threat to enemy assault 'Mechs and smaller machines that can normally outdistance a 'Mech this size. This instilled shock and terror among many Inner Sphere MechWarriors who faced it during the Clan Invasion and gave it the name Man-o'-War. Designed by Clan Wolf alongside the Timber Wolf as a successor to the aging Woodman, the Gargoyle is still considered one of the more deadly assault-class BattleMechs fielded by the surviving Clans.

         The Gargoyle's primary weapon remains its surprising speed, which it can maintain without any MASC-enhanced muculature, making it the fastest Clan assault OmniMech in use. Its speed is also its greatest weakness though, as the massive engine reduces the amount of pod space it has available. It can only carry 21.5 tons in fact, not much more than the Adder almost 50 tons its junior. The Gargoyle is nearly as fast as that design though, and carries much more armor, making it hardier in a combat environment.
         Carrying almost all of its firepower in its arm-mounted weapon pods in all configurations, the Gargoyle requires little time to change from one version to another. Of course, once again a strength can also be a weakness-in this case because better MechWarriors will often aim at the arms, thereby depriving the Gargoyle of its main weapons without having dismantle it piece by piece.
         The most common combination of weapons is an LB 5-X autocannon and SRM-6 missile launcher on each arm, with a small laser in the center torso. Almost as frequently seen is a model that carries two particle projection cannons in the right arm and four lasers in the left-a large pulse laser, a medium pulse laser, and extended-range medium and small lasers.
         When extra firepower is needed, the Man O' War appears in Alternate Configuration B. This model lacks some of the versatility of the others but carries a powerful Gauss rifle. In the left arm, an SRM-4 rack sits atop an LRM-10 launcher, each supported by its own Artemis IV fire-control system.
         Another favorite model is Alternate Configuration C, which carries a hexagonal array of medium lasers in its right arm. The left arm holds a massive Ultra-20 autocannon. For defense, this model has an A-pod on each leg and an anti-missile system in the left torso.
         When accurate long-range fire is called for, Alternate Configuration D is often brought into action. Mounting an extended-range large laser in each arm, guided by a targeting computer, it can easily snipe targets far outside the normal range that most enemies can return fire. Three medium pulse lasers and a small laser round out the armament package.
         Alternate Configuration E came out in the 3060s and differs from the other configs in that it actually has some main weapons in the torsos. Because of this it can take much longer to modify a Gargoyle in or out of the configuration, so while many MechWarriors love it, the technicians try to avoid changing it as much as possible. It uses four heavy lasers in the left side and arm, along with a pair of micro lasers in the right torso, all guided by a targeting computer. A Streak SRM in the left torso and an ATM 12 in the right arm gives it the ability to shoot at any target from long to short ranges.
         The H configuration carries a heavy large laser in the left arm, along with twin extended-range mediums, a medium Ultra autocannon in the right, and a ten-tube LRM rack in the left torso.

         While the Gargoyle was been seen throughout the Clan Toumans during the Clan Invasion, they have become rare outside of the Wolf Ascendancy in the last three decades. Other than the Ascendancy's Tamar plant, only the Wolf's Dragoons build them. They have approved sales to the most trusted members of the Allied Mercenary Command, but few units can afford to buy such an expensive OmniMech, especially one that carries so few weapons for its mass. The Outreach factory rarely builds more than is required to replace combat losses in the AMC, and so the Dragoons have the largest collection of Gargoyles outside the Ascendancy, most often deployed with Timber Wolves.