BANEBLADES!
Vance Motherfucking Stubbs lost one hundred of these.
This is the most basic superheavy, and to some extent it's the standard to which others are compared. Note that some are compared favourably, I don't mean it's the
best. But it's one of the first, and everyone knows what it is, so such comparisons can be drawn at all.
Its size is somewhere in the region of "four Chimera tanks in a 2x2 formation". Its main cannon is bigger than a penis joke. It has a lot of long-range firepower, and it takes a real hammering. So what's it like now?
In line with Superheavy tanks being better in this edition, it saw a price hike in points (and in dollars, just like everything else). It's now 525, and I'll leave it to you to decide if it's better to just take 525 points worth of meltavets or whatever. It's probably a better deal than taking ~2.5 LMR tanks though (roughly the same points cost).
Other than that, instead of having 3 Structure Points it has 9 Hull Points, and there are a few other little changes:
- The autocannon is no longer coaxial (it doesn't twin-link THE BIG GUN)
- The Hunter-Killer Missile, Storm Bolter and Heavy Stubber that come in the actual box and are part of the kit? It's now allowed to actually take those as upgrade options! (Yes, that was a mistake in 5E)
- It actually has to purchase the sponsons, it doesn't get them for free. It now costs about 3 LMR battle tanks.
- It can't swap the sponson Heavy Bolters for Heavy Flamers.
- It can become a Command vehicle for holy shit +200 points (see: the cost of upgrading ten guys to have Lascannons). This makes it an HQ choice and a High Command formation (so you get the bonus Asset and it can give that special order)
- It can instead have a Commissar pilot for 45 points, granting Leadership 10 to all friendly Imperial Guard within 12". Because summary execution with the S 9 AP 2 Apocalyptic Blast cannon gets people's attention.
Next we have the Bane
hammer for 410 points. Picture the Baneblade. Subtract the Demolisher Cannon and Autocannon. Let it swap Sponson Heavy Bolters for Heavy Flamers. Give it space to hold 25 doods, with 10 able to fire from it. Then change its main gun - it loses a foot of range, 1 Strength and 1 AP, and is downgraded to just a Massive Blast. On the other hand, everything hit by it that was not destroyed then has to take a Dangerous Terrain test. To be honest, I prefer the older rule (if they move on their next turn, the area is Difficult Dangerous Terrain), but whatever. For the transport and price difference, it's actually worth the weaponry downgrades.
Now the Bane
sword for 430. It differs from the Baneblade in that it only has twin Heavy Bolters on the front and a big gun, and if it takes extra sponsons it can swap the heavy bolters for heavy flamers. It won't though, because you want this baby as a long range thing. Here's it's main gun: 180" range (with a minimum of 24") S 9 AP 3 Apocalyptic Blast.
Doomhammer. 420 points. Holds 25, with 10 able to shoot. Can't be a command/commissar vehicle, can take fire sponsons, no demolisher or autocannon. In return, it has... THE MAGMA CANNON! (OH NO, NOT THE MAGMA CANNON!)
Five feet of range, Strength 10, AP 1, Large Blast - it's like the best you could possibly have outside of Apocalypse. (Oh snap!)
Hellhammer. Have I mentioned how much I hate the naming scheme for these? QUICK TEST: WHICH ONE IS THE DOOMHAMMER?
Anyway the Hellhammer is a whopping 540 points. Hands up, who here thinks these big point values actually mean anything and represent very real differences in the capabilities, rather than being picked from a barrel?
It's a Baneblade that can't take the command or commissar upgrades, can replace side heavy bolters with heavy flamers (if it purchases them in the first place), and replaces the main gun with its own - 3 feet of range at Strength 10 AP 1 Massive Blast, Ignores Cover. I have one of these. It was decorated rather nicely before moving houses two times. It won many an Apocalypse game for me, with its Transmutation effect (it turns orks into carbon dust).
Shadowsword. At 455 points, this is the scary one.
This one has only one gun unless it buys the sponsons or front guns. Even the front guns can become heavy flamers if it really wants. It can also swap 2 lascannons (purchased via sponsons) for targeters, increasing it to BS 4. It can take the commandy stuff, and its gun...
Ten feet of range. Strength D. AP 2. Large Blast.
This tank really only exists to do one thing: fire that gun and annihilate enemies. Do not take extras. Just get the cheap 455 point one with nothing special, and unleash Strength D death every turn.
Storm
lord. At 480 points? It has the front heavy bolters, the pintle and sponson options, and a pair of heavy stubbers out the sides. It holds 40 models, 20 can fire out of it, and they can embark and disembark as though it were open-topped. I have one of these, and actually built the back up with multiple levels to look like it could actually hold that many. And with massive gates at the front of the passenger section so they could fire out. The best time involved driving some genestealers in, unleashing those into the conflict. Some Termicide occurrd, putting combi-melta in its rear, and the ensuing explosion wiped out literally a quarter of the battlefield. Good times.
Oh yeah, it can't be a boss tank (shame), and it has the VULCAN MEGA BOLTER. It's anti-infantry, or can plink light tanks to death. Five feet of range, Strength 6, AP 3 (see: wounds Space Marines on a 2+ with no save),
fifteen shots. And if it doesn't move? It can do it again.
The Stormsword is 485 points and can be a command tank but not a commissar. It has a Hellhammer cannon but with an Apocalyptic Blast. Only 3 feet of range, and it doesn't get the Demolisher or Autocannon.
Finally, something else! The Thunderhawk ship! It's a giant Space Marine flyer. 685 points and 9 HP of ugliness. 4x Twin Heavy Bolters, 6x Hellstrike Missile, 2x Lascannon, Ceramite Plating (fuck your Lance/Melta rules) and a Battle Cannon. It's an Assault Vehicle with the capacity to hold 30 guys - yes, they can charge right on out the front hatch. It can hold guys with jump packs, for the record. The Battle Cannon can be swapped for a Strength D Turbo Laser (very expensive) and it can swap the missiles for bombs.
Formations interesting enough to mention...Emperor's Fist: 1 Formation Leader LMR tank (any kind), and 3x3 LMR tanks (any kind). Each of those squads of 3 is an Armoured Spearhead, and the leader is BS 4 and bestows BS 4 on any part of the formation within 12". Nifty. Cooler still is that if 3 or more tanks in this formation tank shock or ram the same target, they get a single Thunderblitz as though they were a Superheavy.
Imperial Shield Infantry Company: 1 Command Squad and 3+ Platoons of Infantry. Every squad with at least one remaining model regenerates 1d3 models during each scheduled break. It can't take them above the maximum. Yes, the Heavy Weapon Squads that are part of platoons can basically regenerate entire lascannons.
Lord Castellan's Supreme Command: CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!
You need a Company Command squad - the full maximum one with bodyguards, astropath etc. etc. Also you need CREEEEEEEEEEEEED and Jarran Kell and a Bastion. This is a Supreme Command with the following bonuses when Creed is actually in the Bastion:
- The Ordinance guy gets 1d3+1 bombardments per turn
- Creed can issue his commands with infinite range
- You get TWO strategic assets... PER BREAK.
Fucking Creed.
Imperial Guard Mega Psychic Squad: 1 Primaris Psyker and 4+ Sanctioned Psykers. Their special power is Charge 3 with 3 feet of range. Used on an enemy, the target can't charge next turn. That's pretty cool. Used on your tyranid/daemon allies, they add 6" to their run and 2d6 to their charge, meaning they might very well move 6", run 12" and assault 24" for a total of 42", which is actually approaching aircraft movement. On average it's move 6" run 9.5" charge 14" though, for "only" just shy of two and a half feet.
Space Marine Company: if you seriously field an entire fucking company of space marines, I can't help you. They become Stubborn within 12" of an Objective, they can overwatch for each other (yes, an enemy unit charges one unit, and three units open fire on the enemy). Also they get a bonus Orbital Bombardment.
Squad of five librarians: they get a special 24" Large Blast Vortex power. Here's the thing: each turn, they can choose to just keep focusing on it, and it remains in place (scattering as normal) every turn that they focus, and disappears when they stop. If you roll dubs for scatter, it zooms towards the centre of the planet and the Unnatural Disaster becomes Seismic Activity. That's the one where the table disappears.
Chapter Master, Honour Guard and 4-10 Captains (a chance to sell the crazy new minis they made, with SO. MUCH. BLING). Supreme Command, but during the first break you get three assets. Also, when the Chapter Master invokes his Finest Hour, the whole group get a 3++ for the turn.
The Black Rage: Take a bunch of Death Company. Now the bonus attacks they get for charging equals either 2 or the turn number, whichever is higher. So if they survive until turn nine, then they jolly well get +9 Attacks on the charge. This includes the Death Company Dreadnoughts.
Grey Knights: If you take 3-5
Wardknights Dreadknights, they gain the Shred rule...
Sisters of Battle: fuck you, you don't exist any more
NEXT: SOMEONE WHO ISN'T IMPERIAL! THE SHOCK!