Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation List (~2000 points)

Recently I was asked to post the upgrades to the theoretical Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation list I summarized last month. The War Convocation list is pretty big, so I figured I'd give it it's own post it rather than put it my comments section.

Remember that all weapon and wargear options taken by units in this Formation are free. While this doesn't mean too much for the Cult Mechanicus or Knight units, it benefits the Skitarii units immensely. I haven't listed any default wargear.

Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregation

• Tech-priest Dominus: Phosphor serpenta and Uncreator Guantlet
• Kataphron Destroyer Squad (3 servitors): 1 Servitor with heavy grav cannon and cognis flamer
• Kataphron Breacher Squad (4 servitors): 2 Servitors with torsion cannons and hydraulic claws
• Kastelan Robot Maniple (1 Datasmith, 2 Robots): Anzion's Pseudogenetor (Datasmith); both Robots have TL phosphor blasters, one has a carapace phosphor blaster

Skitarii Battle Maniple

• Vanguard Squad (10 men): Omniscient Mask, radium pistol, taser goad (Vanguard Alpha); 3 plasma calivers, enhanced data tether
• Ranger Squad (10 men): Arc maul, arc pistol (Ranger Alpha); 3 arc rifles, omnispex
• Ruststalker Squad (5 men): Prehensile dataspike (Ruststalker Princeps)
• Infiltrator Squad (5 men): Infoslave skull (Infiltrator Princeps)
• Ironstrider Squadron (1 Ballistarii): TL cognis lascannon
• Onager Dunecrawler Squadron (2 Onagers): 2 neutron lasers, 2 cognis manipulators

Imperial Knight Oathsworn Detachment

• Knight Crusader: Rapid fire battlecannon, Ironstorm missile pod

Onagers are definitely better in trios

I wasn't entirely happy with this original list. First, it didn't quite make it to 2000 points (that's a minor complaint when you're getting hundreds of points worth of free wargear). Unfortunately, the list is hard to tailor to a specific points value since the only way to change the size of the list is to add or subtract units or models. Second, I didn't feel like it took advantage of certain abilities, the most obvious of which being the fact that two Onagers in a squadron only generate a 5++ protective field, whereas three Onagers would generate a 4++ field.

My final issue was that several units or wargear options required me to buy more models than I planned to field. For example, the Vanguard/Ranger box only provides one of each special weapon; to take three I would have to buy three squads while only being able to field two. The list also had me buying three boxes of Kataphrons (nine models total) just so I could field seven.

Here's a revised list:

Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregation

• Tech-priest Dominus: Phosphor serpenta and Uncreator Guantlet
• Kataphron Destroyer Squad (3 servitors): 1 Servitor with heavy grav cannon and cognis flamer
• Kataphron Breacher Squad (3 servitors): 1 Servitor with torsion cannon and hydraulic claw
• Kastelan Robot Maniple (1 Datasmith, 2 Robots): Anzion's Pseudogenetor (Datasmith); both Robots have TL phosphor blasters, one has a carapace phosphor blaster

Skitarii Battle Maniple

• Vanguard Squad (10 men): Omniscient Mask, radium pistol, taser goad (Vanguard Alpha); 2 plasma calivers, enhanced data tether
• Ranger Squad (8 men): Arc maul, arc pistol (Ranger Alpha); 2 arc rifles, omnispex
• Ruststalker Squad (5 men): Prehensile dataspike (Ruststalker Princeps)
• Infiltrator Squad (5 men): Infoslave skull (Infiltrator Princeps)
• Ironstrider Squadron (1 Ballistarii): TL cognis lascannon
• Onager Dunecrawler Squadron (3 Onagers): 3 neutron lasers, 3 cognis manipulators

Imperial Knight Oathsworn Detachment

• Knight Crusader: Rapid fire battlecannon, Ironstorm missile pod

By cutting out one Kataphron Breacher and two Rangers, I was able to fit in a third Onager. The list comes in at 2003 points.

Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation

I've been excited for Adeptus Mechanicus ever since GW started releasing Skitarii. Even before I had the Skitarii codex in hand, I used the White Dwarf rules to create a 2000 point Skitarii Maniple list (i.e., 2 Troops minimum with the option for 6 more Troops, 0-2 Fast Attack, 0-4 Elites, 0-4 Heavy Support, and 0-1 Fortifications). I even went as far to develop a 2500 point War Cohort list; a War Cohort being composed of three Skitarii Battle Maniples. This was a huge list since each Battle Maniple is composed of 1 Vanguard Squad, 1 Ranger Squad, 1 Sicarian Ruststalker Squad, 1 Sicarian Infiltrator Squad, 1 Ironstrider Squad (either Ballistarii or Sydonian Dragoons), and 1 Dunecrawler Squad. Not only was the total monetary cost of this latter arrangement quite high (around $1,000), but the model count was extremely prohibitive for a slow modeler such as myself.

I was encouraged when the Cult Mechanicus models were released. With the exception of the Electro-priests, Cult models are reasonably durable and worth quite a few points. Since Skitarii and Cult Mechanicus are obviously designed to complement each other, I ditched the idea of a pure Skitarii army in favor of a mixed Mechanicus army. With the release of the Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation Formation in the recent White Dwarf, I began to develop a Mechanicus list around the new Formation.

The War Convocation is composed of a Cult Mechanicus Battle Congregation (1 HQ and 2 Troops minimum with the option for 6 more Troops, 0-4 Elites, 0-2 Heavy Support, and 0-1 Fortifications), a Skitarii Battle Maniple, and an Imperial Knight Oathsworn Detachment (1-3 Imperial Knights). Where the Formation goes entirely insane is in the Might of the Adeptus Mechanicus rule:

All weapon and wargear options taken by units in this Formation, including any Relics of Mars or Arcana Mechanicum, are free. Furthermore, all weapons with the Gets Hot special rule carried by a model in this Formation no longer has the Gets Hot special rule.

This rule eliminates several of the Mechanicus' weaknesses. The base weapon of the Kataphron Destroyers is a two-shot plasma cannon, while one of the Skitarii's most potent weapons is the three-shot plasma caliver. Under normal circumstances, the likelihood of frying your own troops might cause you to reconsider your weapons choices. As for costs, with the exception of the Sicarians, Skitarii units are generally inexpensive. However, their wargear can be very expensive and can easily double the cost of a Vanguard or Ranger Squad. Similarly, an Onager Duncrawler with a base cost of 90 points can add upwards of 80 points of upgrades.

For 1985 points (I was unable to get up to a full 2000 points), I built a list that included a Tech-priest Dominus, one Kataphron Destroyer Squad (3 servitors), one Kataphron Breacher Squad (4 servitors), one Kastelan Robot Maniple (1 datasmith, 2 Robots), one Vanguard Squad (10 men), one Ranger Squad (10 men), one Ruststalker Squad (5 men), one Infiltrator Squad (5 men), one Ironstrider Squadron (1 Ballistarii), one Onager Squadron (2 Dunecrawlers), and a Knight Crusader. Alternatively, I could swap out the Knight Crusader for a Knight Errant and take an additional Kataphron Destroyer servitor. Of course I took advantage of the free upgrades, loading the squads up with quite a few options. I would have added more upgrades, but I'll be integrating models into my existing army as I finish them. It could be a very long time before I can play a full War Convocation and I won't be able to take advantage of the free options until then.

Out of curiosity, I calculated how much free stuff using the War Convocation Formation would give me. The cost difference turned out to be a full 395 points, which is more than the cost of most Imperial Knight patterns. [Correction 5/31/15: It's actually 430 points; I forgot to add in the Knight's upgrades. That puts the value of the Formation at that of a Knight Crusader with a battle cannon.] In other words, the Formation is fantastically broken and will almost certainly be one of the most common ways that Adeptus Mechanicus are fielded.

First Thoughts on Skitarii

I've been perusing Codex: Skitarii since I bought it. It turns out that having purchased the last three White Dwarves meant that I had already seen about 80% of the codex. The biggest things missing from the magazine were the description of the Doctrina Imperatives and the Detachments/Formations. Either way, I'm very excited to start this army. Although I wish I were a faster painter and could get a large Skitarii army on the Cabal's tables quickly, the codex seems designed to allow gamers to start out by fielding relatively small Mechanicus forces alongside their existing armies.

Models and Fluff
In my last post, I praised the Vanguard, Ranger, and Ironstrider models. The model line only got better with the Sicarian Infiltrator and Ruststalker models. GW topped it all off with the Onager Dunecrawler.

Ironstrider

Sicarians
I love the look of all these models, particularly the long-legged Sicarians. Their torsos and upper legs are clearly those of human beings, but their multi-jointed lower legs are grotesque cybernetic alterations that give them phenomenal mobility. This is reflected in their Dunestrider rule, which gives them an additional 3" of movement during the Movement phase, while running, and when charging. I prefer the look of the Sicarian Ruststalkers, but I think the Infiltrators' Stealth, Infiltrate, and Neurostatic Aura (which reduces a nearby enemy's WS, BS, I, and Ld by 1) will be a lot more useful.

Sicarian Infiltrators

Sicarian Ruststalkers

Onager Dunecrawler
I'm also a fan of the crab-like Onager Dunecrawler. The walker is obviously of human design and, like the Ironstrider, clearly shares characteristics with the Imperial Knight (the fleur-de-lis makes yet another appearance). At the same time, it has an insectile design that makes it completely different from anything we've seen fielded by the Imperium of Man. GW has even given the Onager a clever backstory.

As diehard 40K nerds already know, the High Gothic of the 41st Millennium is essentially corrupted Latin, although GW seems to throw in a healthy dose of Greek, too (paleontologists also love to mix up their Latin and Greek when naming dinosaurs). "Onager" is Greek for half-donkey or mule. This High Gothic name for the weaponized crawler was intended to be a translation of the name of its original utilitarian version: the "Mars Universal Land Engine" or "M.U.L.E." The M.U.L.E.'s design was inspired by the (apparently long-extinct) Terran beast of burden, which the designer mistakenly believed was insect-like.

Onager Dunecrawler

The original M.U.L.E. was used to escort early Martian settlers across the planet's wastes. Since the Mechanicus is nothing if not a slave to tradition, Skitarii Battle Maniples of the 41st Millennium are still centered around their Onager Squadron.

The Rules
Leadership and Doctrina Imperatives
Contrary to my expectations, Skitarii are not fearless. However, their base Leadership is as high as that of Space Marines while also having a number of ways to boost its value. We also know now that Doctrina Imperatives boost the BS or WS of the army for a turn. If the boost is merely +1, no other characteristics are affected. However, if the boost to BS or WS is +2 or +3, then an increase in BS will adversely affect WS or vice versa. There are currently six Imperatives, each of which can only be used once per game.

Initially, I had assumed that Doctrina Imperatives were based on a Leadership test since the White Dwarf revealed that "Data-tether" wargear added 1 to the Leadership of a unit affected by an Imperative. I wasn't sure how this was going to work for Skitarii vehicles since they also had the special rule. However, the codex states that to use a Doctrina Imperative, you simply choose one at the beginning of the Movement phase; all units in the army with the Doctrina Imperatives special rule benefit from the Imperative unit your next turn. Apparently, data-tether wargear is meant to reflect the fact that a unit affected by a Doctrina Imperative is subject to a higher level of external control by the Mechanicus Tech-priests, which has the side effect of increasing their effective Leadership for that turn.

Detachments and Formations
Since Skitarii lack an HQ, the standard Combined Arms Detachment is not an option. Instead, the basic Detachment is the Skitarii Maniple, which has no HQ choices, two mandatory Troop slots, six optional Troop slots, four optional Elite slots, two optional Fast Attack slots, four optional Heavy Support slots, and one optional Fortification slot. The Skitarii Maniple gives Preferred Enemy to your Warlord (who is chosen from among the Skitarii Alphas of your Vanguard or Ranger Squads, or from among the Princeps of your Infiltrator or Ruststalker Squads) as well as Scout and Crusader to all models. The universal Scout is limited in that units can't use it to Outflank unless they have the native ability to do so; e.g., Infiltrators, which have the Infiltrate special rule. The Skitarii Maniple seems like the best way to field a 1500 to 2000 point all Skitarii army.

The Battle Maniple Formation appears to be one of the best ways to field 800 to 1250 points of Skitarii with another force. The Formation consists of one unit of Vanguard, one unit of Rangers, one unit of Ruststalkers, one unit of Infiltrators, one unit of Ironstriders (either Sydonian Dragoons or Ballistarii, either of which can have up to six walkers), and one unit of Onager Dunecrawlers (which can have up to three vehicles). The Battle Maniple has all the special rules of the Skitarii Maniple while also giving Leadership 10 to all models within 12" of an Onager Dunecrawler.

For a reasonably balanced 2000 point force, you can run two Imperial Knights and a ~1250 point Battle Maniple. Unfortunately, you're limited to a single squadron of Onagers. The Onager is easily the most flexible unit in the codex. While the basic model has extremely limited close combat ability, if you upgrade it with a Cognis Manipulator, you get a Strength 10, AP1 close combat attack that also gives the vehicle It Will Not Die. (Bear in mind that its WS, I, and A aren't great, so don't get it in a fight with a Dreadnought or a Soulgrinder.) The walker's ranged capability is much more impressive, and has anti-infantry, anti-flyer, and anti-armor options. However, since all vehicles in a squadron have to fire at the same target, it's inefficient to arm each Onager with a different weapon.

For larger games you can field a War Cohort, which is composed of three Battle Maniples. All models in a War Cohort benefit from the rules of a Battle Maniple while gaining the ability to re-use a single Doctrina Imperative. I find the War Cohort appealing, in part because it includes three Onager squadrons, each of which can be equipped for a specific task. Unfortunately, my preliminary lists suggest that a reasonably effective War Cohort will cost at least 2500 points.

Adeptus Mechanicus and Skitarii

My first exposure to the Warhammer 40,000 universe outside of a codex or rulebook was through Dan Abnett's excellent novel Titanicus. At that time, I barely knew what a Titan was and all I knew about the Adeptus Mechanicus was that they worshiped some sort of Machine God and trained the Techmarines that maintained the Astartes' vehicles. I was completely new to the idea of the Skitarii, the Noosphere, or the strained relationship between Mars and the Imperium. By the time I finished Titanicus, I was very interested in the Mechanicus and was disappointed that they weren't a playable faction in the game.

As soon as the pictures leaked, I became tremendously excited for the new Skitarii and the fact that the Adeptus Mechanicus would finally take an active role in 40K. The most recent White Dwarf provides the rules for the recently released models and gives hints of more to come. Presumably the current release and those that are expected over the next couple weeks are meant to act as a companion force for other armies of the Imperium. I can only hope that this release does well and that GW expands the Mechanicus into as large and diverse a force as other 40K mainstays.

The Models
They're amazing. I love the robes, the masks, the cybernetic enhancements, and the archaic weapons. The arc rifle is as steampunk as you can get and looks like it was lifted from an H.G. Wells story. The other weapons look even older; the "radium jezzail" that some Sydonian Dragoons carry is inspired by the long barrelled, muzzle-loading, and occasionally rifled firearm commonly used in the Middle East up until the 1800s. "Arquebus" and "caliver" were terms that originally referred to muzzle-loading smoothbore guns used between the 15th and 17th centuries. The fact that a musket rest is provided for the transuranic arquebus shows how much attention went into these models. Apparently, "arquebus" could be a fairly broad term, with some referring to lighter versions as "calivers" while larger ones that required a rest were called "muskets".

I'm a big fan of design consistency, which is another reason why I find the Skitarii so appealing. The recent White Dwarf says that the Skitarii models were deliberately designed to fit in with the design philosophy of other Imperium units; the models share both artistic elements and technical details. For example, the fleur-de-lis emblem on the armored plates of the Imperial Knights, on the Tempestus Scions' armor, and on the Scion/Guard Taurox, also appears on the Ironstrider walkers. And a close comparison shows that, under their armor plating, the legs of the Imperial Knights and the Ironstriders share similar design features. Even the Knight's "faces" resembles a Skitarii mask.

The Rules
I have to admit that, with the exception of their archaeotech weapons, Titanicus made me expect the Skitarii to be something more akin to cyborg Space Marines. Once I accepted that their stat-lines more closely represent Astra Militarum Veterans in carapace armor, I looked more closely at their special rules and wargear.

Honestly, I like the models so much that I would play them even if their rules were mediocre. However, it looks like a lot of thought went into making the Skitarii a useful addition to any army since their rules are apparently meant to allow for some mean combinations.

For example, Vanguard don't seem too impressive as an assault unit by themselves. But when a unit is locked in combat with them, their Rad-saturation rule drops the enemy unit's Toughness by 1. Once the enemy is weakened by Rad-saturation, you can hit them with another unit (e.g., a Space Marine Assault Squad) to finish them off quickly.

Phosphor weapons also have some potential. These S5 AP4 weapons have the Luminagen rule. If a unit suffers an unsaved wound or a glancing or penetrating hit from a phosphor weapon, its cover saves are worsened by 1 until the end of the phase. Combo this with an Omnispex (cover saves taken against attacks made by a unit with an omnispex have a -1 modifier) for some real fun.

My only concern is that we still don't know what "Doctrina Imperatives" are. All the units introduced this week, both infantry and vehicles, include it as a special rule. The only hint we're given is that "Data-tether" wargear adds 1 to the Leadership of a unit affected by a Doctrina Imperative until the start of their next turn. The fact that the special rule is plural (i.e., "Doctrina Imperatives") indicates that there are several Imperatives and the fact that a Data-tether enhance a unit's Leadership suggests that whatever the Imperatives do, they are based on a Leadership test. Some have guessed that this may be similar to Tyranids' Instinctive Behavior and that a unit will attempt to execute a "pre-programmed" task unless they pass a Doctrina Imperative test. Although I hope that this isn't the case and that Doctrina Imperatives are more of a benefit than a liability, it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me if they do resemble Instinctive Behavior.

Skitarii and Imperial Knights

Just over a year ago, GW released the Imperial Knights. Although I was attracted to the idea of depicting a Mechanicus-aligned house, particularly the Mars-based House Taranis (whose paint scheme I was particularly fond of), I had thought that my Knights were going to go into combat alongside the Ultramarines. I decided against Taranis because:

While the story of House Taranis is interesting, it's obvious that their true loyalties lie with the Adeptus Mechanicus. This would be fine if I were playing Iron Hands or the Imperial Guard, but I play Ultramarines; a Chapter whose captains bear titles like "Knight Champion of Macragge" and "Regent of Ultramar". I want to model a knightly house that will remember a favor and repay a debt millennia after the fact, not one that will ally with the Ultramarines because the Mechanicus' and the Astartes' interests are generally aligned.

Needless to say, my opinion has changed significantly now that we can finally pair up Imperial Knights with an Adeptus Mechanicus army. House Taranis' fluff now makes it the ideal Knightly House for allying with Skitarii. From The Imperial Knight Companion:

The Ritual of Becoming is a hazardous process. Many of those who undertake its stresses do not survive, or if they do are rendered insensate. [...] House Taranis, gifted with the learned presence of the Adeptus Mechanicus and an understanding of the Throne Mechanicum like no other, has a much more practical use for those incompatible with the device's delicate neural matrixes. Known to the Tech-priests of Mars as the Psychosis-Neuracanium, nobles that have failed the Ritual of Becoming and survived are still a valuable resource. [...]

Primarily, the Psychosis-Neuracanium are adapted for use as Skitarii captain-overseers. Their forebrains are implanted with emotive-selectors and memory-catheters to keep their rages and madness in check. [...] The families of House Taranis willingly give these broken sons to the attentions of the Mechanicus, on the promise that the regiments they lead, and the formations they fight in, will find a place at the side of the household Knights.

In other words, I'll almost certainly be building two Knights of House Taranis. Since my fever dreams still include a total of three Knights, the third will either be from House Terryn (as I originally intended for all three Knights) or the Freeblade known as the Obsidian Knight.

Future Releases
Rumor has it that we'll be getting more infantry in the form of the "Sicarians", which will supposedly be revealed this week. While we know very little about additional infantry units, we definitely know that Skitarii will be getting another walker thanks to a single leaked image:

The vehicle, which is rumored to be called the "Onager Dunecrawler", looks to be pretty large based on the size of the gunner.

My biggest concern right now is whether or not Skitarii infantry will get some sort of transport. The Vanguard and Rangers have some awesome rules and weapons, but with the stat-line of a Guard Veteran, they simply won't last long out in the open. The easiest route would be for GW to stick with preexisting fluff and designate the Rhino as a Dedicated Transport for Skitarii squads. The release of the Skitarii Transfer Sheet, which has multiple decals that appear to be sized for vehicles, has made me suspicious that an existing model might find its way into the new army. While I wouldn't be too excited about building even more Rhino chassis, I'd rather field more Rhinos than lose my troops en masse.

Final Thoughts
As I said before, I'm very excited for this release. Not only are fans of the Adeptus Mechanicus getting some great models, but GW's recent history has left the door open for even more releases. Late last year, GW unexpectedly released multiple new Tyranid models, with several of them representing entirely new units. Rather than waiting to release the models with a new codex, the models' rules were simply released in White Dwarf and the Shield of Baal supplements.

If the Skitarii line is successful (and it's hard to imagine that they won't be), I think we can expect the kind of treatment that Tyranids received, with periodic releases of models whose rules are published in White Dwarf and/or supplements. In a few years, the Adeptus Mechanicus might become a full blown army on par with the game's major factions.