DE vs Adeptus Mechanicus

So, we have a thread like this for the Deathwatch and I was thinking on doing the same for the Ad Mech.

I do own about 2,5K Adeptus Mechanicus (=Skitarii + Cult Mechanicus) and have played most of my games with them. They are quite the powerhouse and in my experience very devastating against Dark Eldar and Eldar (as long as the craftworld stuff doesn't get too cheesy).

I am not sure how relevant this thread will be for you guys, since I don't really hear much about someone playing against the Ad Mech on this board. But oh well, maybe my knowledge may prove useful for someone anyway.

Let's begin:

Cult Mechanicus

Canticles of the Omnissiah

These are buffs that the whole army may use. Every buff may only be used once per game but the Battle Congregation (main FOC of the Cult Mechanicus) lets you re-use one of these buffs for a second time. The buffs are stronger the more Cult Mechanicus units there are. They range from giving the units Fearless or Stealth and Shrouded to buffing their attack strenght by 1/2/3 or letting them re-roll 1s/2s/everything etc. There is no real counterplay to this other than killing the units, since the Canticles will get weaker the less units there are to sing praise to the Omnissiah.

Tech-Priest Dominus

The only HQ choice the Ad Mech has. It eludes me to this day why GW decided to publish two codices instead of one Adetpus Mechanicus codex (well, obviously because that way we have to buy two books). Anyway.

The Dominus isn't really all that devastating. He is quite tanky with his 2+ armour and 4++ refractor invul. His stock guns are the Volkite Blaster - 24" S6 AP5 Heavy 3 and any unsaved wound causes another hit. As well as the Makro Pistol - 12" S4 AP6 Assault 5. He also has a Power Axe and repairs vehicles (and damage results) on a 2+ (still has to forego his shooting with one weapon for this). His 2+ armour is a special pimp suit and such it allows him to fire two weapons in the shooting phase. It also comes with a Dataspike, which is a close combat weapon that does an additional haywire attack at Ini 10 but is S User and AP-. However, due to it being a CC weapon the Dominus can just elect to do all of his attacks with the Dataspike, meaning he will make mincemeat out of vehicles in CC.

He can also exchange both his shooty weapons. He can swap the Volkite Blaster for the Eradicator Ray: 0-12" S8 AP 1 Heavy 1, 12-24" S6 AP3 Heavy 1, 3" Blast.

He can exchange the pistol for the Phosphor-Serpenta: 18" S5 AP4 Assault 1, Luminagen

How to beat:

The Dominus is almost always used as a supporting character. He stays in the backline to repair stuff or joins some Skitarii to soak up incoming fire. However, he is only T4 so a single Dark Lance can take him out. Otherwise close combat is the way to go. Take a Succubus and challenge him, then just cut him down since he has to swing at Ini 1. Just be mindful of that 4++ invuln. If he isn't causing too much trouble you can also just ignore him, since your firepower will finde better targets elsewhere.


Kataphron Destroyers

T5 W2 4+ armour but luckily only BS3. Come either with Grav or Plasma and Phosphor or Flamer (yes, they can fire 2 weapons at the same time).

How to beat:

From my own experience, I have to say that poison is just bad news for these guys. Our Venoms have longer range than their weapons (Plasma 24", Grav 30") and the 4+ armour is not really something to rely on. Take them our with Venoms or smack them in close combat if they don't have the flamers. If they do, remember that those are Cognis Flamers, meaning they always score 3 hits per flamer when firing overwatch.


Kataphron Breachers

Same profile as the Destroyers but with 3+ armour and either Heavy Arc Rifles (36" S6 AP5 Heavy 2, Haywire) or Torsion Cannons (24" S8 AP1 Heavy 1, every wound causes D3 wounds).

How to beat:

Lances, Disi Cannons or Poison. Their weapons are made to hunt vehicles so try to stay out of LOS. Close combat is also an option if they don't have the Breacher Claw, which is essentialy a Power Fist. But they only have 1 attack and are Ini 3 so some Grots with an Agoniser should be able to take them down. Or just throw Reaver Jetbikes with CC at them.

Electro Priests

These holy men have such sweet models but are never, ever played. If you should face them, you can rip them appart with poison ages before they'll reach close combat or are in range to fire.

Kastelan Robots

Oh boy. This is a squad consisting of two T7 W3 armour 3+ MCs with a Datasmith T4 W2 Armour 2+. The big nasty robots will either have power fists and heavy flamers or just all-out phosphor, meaning 36" S6 DS3 Heavy 3 weapons - meaning 6 shots per robot. The Datasmith is just decoration and his only role is to change their modus operandi, either giving them FNP (5+), double their attacks but no shooting or letting them fire one of their weapons two times but they can't move. The later would result in 18 shots. To top it all of the robots also have a 5++ and if they roll a 6 for any save they make against a shooting attack, that attack is reflected back (but no blasts or flamers).

How to beat:

Drown them in poison or shoot them with lances - but be mindful of that reflection field! If your opponent runs them in the melee variant then you can easily avoid them. They will be footslogging and should never reach your stuff. Use that speed to your advantage!


It's getting late so I'll continue tomorrow. Feel free to add your own advice!

Great info so far!

I'll be watching this as one of my regular opponents is putting together a war convocation

Let's continue with the Skitarii.

Skitarii

Something noteworthy beforehand: Since the Skitarii do not have an HQ choice, they have a special Skitarii Maniple that they use for their main FOC. 2 Troop choices are mandatory. Optional are 6 additional troop choices, 4 elites, 2 fast attack, 4 heavy support and 1 fortification. All units in the Skitarii Maniple have Scout and Crusader, however, they may not use this to outflank, but can do so if some other special rule allows them to (like Infiltrate of the Sicarians).

Doctrina Imperativa

Much like the Cult Mechanicus, the Skitarii have also buffs but more straight forward this time. They too can use each only once per game (no second use). They last until the Skitarii's next turn. The buffs are:

+1 BS
+2 BS and -1 WS
+3 BS and -2 WS

and

+1 WS
+2 WS and -1 BS
+3 WS and -2 BS

The general procedure is to pop the +3 BS at the very first turn because it is highly unlikely that the enemy can get a charge of turn 1 and thus the -2 WS doesn't matter that much.

Vanguard

Statline of a Kabalite Warrior (WS 3 and Ini 4) but with 4+ armour and 6+ FNP. Vanguards are also very saturated with radioactive energy, so much so, that they lower the toughness value of any unit they are engaged with in close combat by -1.
Their stock-weapons are the Radium Carbines - 18" S3 AP5 Assault 3 and every to-wound roll of 6 does 2 wounds, regardless of the target's toughness. Did I mention that they only cost 9 points per model? Yeah, talk about power creep...
If the Squad is 10 men strong, up to 3 Vanguards may take special weapons. These are either a Plasma Caliver - 18" S7 AP2 Assault 3, Gets Hot or an Arc Rifle - 24" S6 AP5 Rapidfire, Haywire.
Or they take a Transuranic Arcebus, which is a Sniper Rifle with Armourbane. But that thing costs so much that it is rarely ever taken.
They may also take either an Omnispex, which lowers the cover save of any unit they shoot at by -1 (just for the Vanguard) or an Datatether which gives them +1 LD, making them LD 10 as long as the Vanguard Alpha is alive.


How to beat:

As an Ad Mech player I LOVE these guys. Their models are amazing and they pack a real punch. They'll annihilate Kabalite Warriors if they ever catch them on foot.
But fortunately their weaknesses are pretty obvious and not hard for us to exploit. Vanguards are slow (since the Ad Mech doesn't have transport vehicles) and have short-medium range with most of their weapons. Get a Venom with 5 Kabalites into 24" range and put the hurt on these guys. Or close up to 12" and just dakka them off the table. 4+ armour and FNP (6+) doesn't do much for them and their Radium Carbines can't hurt our Venoms.
If your opponent runs them with Plasma or Arc Rifles you can still stay out of range with your Venoms (remember, the Arc Rifles have only 24" range).

Close Combat is also a valid option as you probably would have guessed by now. But be wary of counter-charges! The -1 toughness is bad news for our Grotesques. The Vanguard alone won't do any damage in CC but if they survive and some Sicarians join the melee, you are in trouble.

Rangers

Same stats as Vanguards but no -1 toughness. Instead they have Move Through Cover. They can take the same special weapons and equipment. Their stock weapons are the Galvanic Rifles - 30" S4 AP4, Rapid Fire, Percisionshots.

How to beat:

These guys are considered tax by most Ad Mech players, since everything they do, the Vanguard do more effective. If they are taken, then often as objective campers to sit at objectives in their deployment zone and snipe some guys. To be honest, you can probably ignore them if they don't go after your Venoms too much (remember, the Omnispex will make that 4+ jink a 5+ jink!). Otherwise some good ol' poison will take care of them. Or deepstrike/WWP next to them and have some Grots stare angrily at the silly tin-men.

Sicarian Ruststalkers

Yeah baby! You remember that Cyborg guy from Hellboy? That's pretty much the inspiration for the Ruststalkers.

They have Kabalite Warrior stats but have S4, 2 wounds per model, Ini 4, 2 attacks (3 for the Princeps and +1 for 2 CCW), as well as 4+ armour and FNP (5+). Their armour also gives them a 6++ invul save.

They also have:
Furious Charge
Dunestrider (add 3" to every move, charge etc. they make)

So let's take a look at what weapons they have. Stock they come with a Chorda Claw, which means that one of their attacks has Fleshbane (the Claw itself is S User AP5 and Transsonic) and a Transsonic Razor which is S User AP5 and Transsonic. This means that every 6 to-hit will wound automaticaly. Also in the first round of combat, every to-wound roll of 6 will be AP2. In the following rounds EVERY to-wound roll will be AP2 (fluff-wise this represents the Ruststalkers tuning the vibration of their weapon to the frequency that resonates the enemy's armour at a molecular level, thus letting the weapon just pass through. Fancy!).

They also have come stock with a special grenade that is essentially a small blast with poison 4+ and AP4. In close combat it is a haywire grenade. This also negates penalties for charging through difficult terrain.

The Ruststalkers may exchange their weapons and grenades for two Transsonic Blades, which are just like the Razors but with S+1. This is normally not taken, due to the loss of the grenades and thus the ability to ignore terrain.

How to beat:

These guys may look like they want to jump right into your face, but they work best as counter-chargers, since they are very fragile. Cluster Caltrops should be pretty effective against the Ruststalkers, since S6 is enough to ID them. If we stick with Instant Death, you can also use Lances. If you go for Poison you may need more than one Venom with Warriors, since the 4+ armour and the FNP makes them able to endure some punishment.

Another word of advice: Do NOT underestimate their speed! Adding 3" to their every move makes them surprisingly fast and able to pull off 15" charges. This, along with their Scout move will enable them to get into close combat on Turn 2 if you aren't careful.

This'll be it for today.

Sicarian Infiltrators

Same profile as the Ruststalkers. Their special rules are:

Dunestrider
Infiltrate
Stealth
Neurostatic Aura - all enemy models in 6" substract 1 from their WS, BS, Ini and LD.

Their stock wargear are an Assault Carbine - 18" S4 AP- Assault 3 and Power Swords. But they may exchange those (for free, which is why you won't ever see them with that loadout) for a Taser Goat - Close Combat S+2 AP-, Taser (to-hit rolls of 6 generate two additional hits) and Flachette Blaster - 12" S2 AP- Assault 5, Shred.

They may also buy a special servo skull that adds +1 to their LD and gives them Accute Senses which allows them to outflank more reliably.

So, what is it that the Infiltrators do? They are pretty potent in melee but cost as much as a Grotesque. On the charge, a min squad of 5 of these guys will have 21 attacks, which means that they generate ~4 6s for the to-hit roll on average, meaning 12 hits from those 6s alone. Basically, they drown MEQs in wounds. They wound even our Grotesques on a 3+ and their Neurostatic Aura lets them swing first against any opponent with Ini 4.

How to beat:

Pretty much the same as the Ruststalkers. These guys cost 35 points a pop and for that cost they are very fragile. They also lack grenades, so they'll be swinging at Ini 1 if they have to charge through cover. Their Dunestrider makes them pretty fast and with S6 they'll tear up any Venom, Raider or even Ravager they charge so stay out of range!
In ruins, these guys have 3+ cover thanks to Stealth so it may be surprisingly hard to just shoot them down. Reavers with CC may be effective since S6 insta kills them.
Flamers are the bane of any T3 model's existence so some Medusae in a Venom will toast these guys. If you want to fight fire with fire, throw a Talos or Dark Artisan at them. Every attack that wounds will splat one guy and the 3+ armour will protect the Talos from the retaliation.

Secutarii Hoplites

Normally we would be done with the Elite section. But Forgeworld released the Secutarii Titan Guard literally just a few days ago.

So, ever wondered what happens when an Imperial Knight gets destroyed in combat? The Adeptus Mechanicus will rescue the pilot and the remains of the machine at any cost but until they get the poor dude out of that hunk of metal he has to be protected. This is where these guys come in.

The Hoplites have normal Vanguard stats but what makes them special is their unique wargear. I'll just quote this from the FW rules:

Kyropatris Field Generator  So long as a unit contains at least five models equipped with a Kyropatris field generator, all models in the unit may re-roll failed
Armour saves of a 1. In addition, if the unit contains at least 10 models equipped with Kyropatris field generators then shooting
attacks against them are reduced by -1 Str.

Mag-inverter Shield  The Mag-inverter shield provides its bearer with a 5+
invulnerable save and, in addition, they count as being armed with defensive grenades when charged.

No Hoplite would be complete without his Spear! So they come with just that. An Arc Lance that is both a shooting and melee weapon.

Shooty: 12" S4 AP5 Assault 1, Haywire

Melee: S+1 AP4, Concussive, Haywire

Since these models are so new, I have no experience with them. But they seem pretty straight forward. They'll eat any vehicle for breakfast, should they get close enough, but being only Ini 3 and having only 2 attacks (3 for the Alpha) on the charge, they won't really hurt any of our non-vehicle units, except for maybe Kabalite Warriors or Wyches.

How to beat:

I don't think I have ever seen such a strange combi, but the Hoplites are tanky, squishy units. Reducing the Strenght of incoming fire by -1 and re-rolling armour saves of 1 is pretty neat. Add to that the 5++ invuln and FNP (6+) and these dudes can actually take quite the beating. However, they are expensive with 13 points per model and they lose their boni the smaller the squad gets. If your opponent plays mono-Skitarii, he might take these guys. Otherwise the Karaphron Breachers of the Cult Mechanicus will kill vehicles just as good but from a much safer distance.

I would probably roast them with flames, but honestly, these guys aren't that threatening to us, since our vehicles are so fast that they shouldn't be caught in their measily 12" range.
If you do want to engage the Hoplites, I would opt for Grotesques (yes, I know that I say that pretty much every time but it is true. Skitarii just suck in melee and the Grots are the perfect mix of resilience and power). If you want to kill them in a single round, give the Aberration an Agoniser. That way they can't bring their 4+ armour and the re-roll to bear.

Secutarii Peltasts

Same stats as the Vanguards. They do have Relentless however.

Oh sweet jesus. I just ordered two packs of these and with good reason: They are just ridiculously deadly.

The Peltasts have the swiss-army-knife of weapons. It has three different fire modi:

1. Flachette Burster - 24" S3 AP-, Salvo 2/4, Shred (remember that they are Relentless so they always fire 4 shots per guy!)

2. Ignis Blaze - 18" S3 AP5, Heavy 1, Blind, Parabolic Shot, Ignores Cover, 3" Blast. Parabolic Shot means that they don't need LOS to fire at their target, as long as that target isn't inside a building.

3. Kinetic Hammershot - 30" S4 AP3, Heavy 1, Rending

They also have Blind Barrage. Quote:

Once per game, the unit’s controlling player may declare the use of a Blind Barrage by the unit instead of that unit firing its
weapons in the Shooting phase. In this case, select a friendly unit within 18" and within line of sight of the Peltasts unit. That
friendly unit gains the Shrouded special rule until the beginning of the controlling player’s next player turn. Super-heavy units
may not be shrouded unless two Secutarii units simultaneously use their Blind Barrage ability to conceal it.

So yeah. For only 12 points per model these guys are insanely powerfull. The Kinetic Hammershot can even threaten vehicles up to AV 13 (S4 + 6[roll] + D3 [Rending]). To glance a Venom they only need to roll a 3 (and a 6 for rending) or just auto-glance on a 5 (since rending will always at least add +1).

Now, remember that they are Skitarii, so your opponent can bump up their BS by +3, making them BS7. They can also take the Omnispex to reduce the cover by -1.

The Flachette Burster is just insane against GEQ and MEQ. 4 shots per guy and re-rolling failed to-wound rolls will annihilate every squad of Kabalite Warriors, Wyches, Hellions etc. that they may catch.

The Ignis Blaze will curbstomp Mandrakes since it ignores cover. It also isn't Barrage so the BS does reduce the scatter distance.

Note that the Peltasts also come with the Kyropatris Fieldgenerator! So they too re-roll armour saves of 1 and shots taken at them are -1S.
How to beat:

The good thing is that these guys are still very fragile. Flamers will rain on their parade. For once I am not that inclined to say "Just send in some Grots" because the overwatch is just insane with all those shots. Venoms will also do very well against them, as long as you get the first strike. A Razorwing may be very good since they will only hit it on 6s and all those missiles should splat the squad.

Very useful thread. Not played against AdMech yet so this is all gold!

Quote :

Very useful thread. Not played against AdMech yet so this is all gold!

Thank you for your appreciation. Once I've covered all units I'll go over the artefacts and maybe some strategies. I'll also revise the posts once I'm done, if I find that I have forgotten something.

I haven't seen any Ad Mech armies locally here, but I like the models and am tempted to start them as a second army at some point. Some useful background for when I run into them here, so thanks for putting this together.

I haven't faced the admech yet but Ive seen how powerful the war-con is.

This is very well written and interesting! Keep em coming mate!

Quote :

I haven't seen any Ad Mech armies locally here, but I like the models and am tempted to start them as a second army at some point.

If you want some tips on how to start, PM me.

Added to the Dark Eldar Guides sticky.

Sydonian Dragoon

You may not have noticed but until now this list doesn't contain a single vehicle entry! Yes, for some unknown reason the Adeptus MECHANICUS doesn't really have many vehicles. I mean it's only the faction that produces every weapon and vehicle that mankind uses. But GW seems to ignore that.

Anyway, let's get going before I get too salty. ^^"

The Sydonian Dragoon is indeed the first vehicle on this list. To be more percise it is a walker!

Its stats are a bit surprising if you look at the model. It has AV 11 all around. That's right, the dude that is literally sitting in the open is more heavily armoured than our Venoms or Raiders!

Apart from that the stats are: WS4 BS4 S5 I3 A3 HP2

It also has Dunestrider and Crusader, as well as an incense dispenser that gives it 5+ cover in the open (note that this is not accumulative with other cover. So the Dragoon won't have 2+ cover in ruins!).

Its stock-weapon is the Taser Lance and sweet baby emperor do I love me some Taser Lance!
This baby is a close combat weapon that gives the Dragoon +3/+2 strength (+3 when charging, +2 in the second round) and AP-. It is also Taser so, 6s generate extra hits and it has another special rule: Tjost. This means that the Dragoon doubles his Initiative the turn it charges (so it's ini 6 on the charge).

For some points one can buy the Sydonian Dragoon some extra bling.
He may replace his Taser Lance with a Radium-Jezzail - a 30" Sniper Rifle that does 2 wounds on a to-wound roll of a 6 (same as the Vanguard's weapon). But no one ever does this because we don't need a walker-sniper, we need something that can charge stuff in melee.

The second option is buying a Phosphor-Serpenta for 10 points. It's 18" S5 AP4 Assault 1, Luminagen which means that it reduces the cover of any unit that lost a wound or got a glance/pen by -1 for the rest of the phase. It also allows to re-roll the charge distance, which is why this is given to the Dragoon. Note that any Phosphor weapon has the Luminagen special rule. They aren't commutative, however.

You want to know the most terrifying thing about the Dragoon? It costs only 45 points naked (55 points when taken with the Serpenta). One can take Dragoons in squads of up to five models.

How to beat:

Gosh I love the Dragoon! I always try to get three (a squad of two and a single one) of these into my list.

Dragoons are running distraction Carnifexes. They are cheap and thus expendable. Their job is to pummel MEQs (since S4 can't hurt them). As any model with Dunestrider they are very fast. First turn they'll scout 6" (thanks to the Skitarii Maniple), then move 9" and probably run into cover to hide for a turn, before charging on turn 2.

With 4 attacks on the charge (6s generating two additional hits) and being S8 and Ini 6 they really pack a punch! These dudes will kill Venoms, Raiders, Ravagers etc. left and right. They are also potent in close combat and win via Sweeping Advance and not by eradicating the enemy. Ini 6 + D3 (from Crusader) makes them pretty dangerous, even for high-ini models such as Dark Eldar.

Fortunately they are pretty much walking bombs. AV 11 and being open-topped is not really strong. Lances, Heat-Lances, Scourges w/ Haywire, Reavers w/ CC etc. will take care of these guys. The only downside is that Dragoons are inherently point efficient. Even if they kill not a single enemy and do nothing but attracting fire turn 1 and then blow up - they have done their job, because all those Lances etc. you pumped into them weren't shot into something more valuable.

Also remember that they can't charge Turn 1 if they use their scout-move! I myself have overextended some times with these guys, just to get charged Turn 1, which means that the Dragoons are Ini 3 and easy targets.

Ironstrider Balistraii

Same profile as the Sydonian Dragoon (WS3 A2) but no inherent cover save. But it has Percisionshots for some reason...
This is the "shooty" variant. It comes stock with a twin-linked Cognis Heavy Stubber - 48" S7 AP4 Heavy 2, Cognis (=does snapshots at BS2 so it hits flyers on 5s. Same for overwatch).

It costs 55 points naked. For 20 points it may exchange the Cognis Heavy Stubber for a Cognis Lasercannon - 48" S9 AP2 Heavy 1, Cognis.

Meh. This guy is in the unfortunate position of being redundant. The Ad Mech is an army filled with awesome guns that can rip vehicles to shreds. We just don't need this explosion waiting to happen. Both its guns are alright but just not worth taking since we have other units that do the same job but better.

How to beat:

This is a tax unit that has to be taken for some formations. It's AV11 and open topped with no inherent cover-save to protect it. Do I have to say more? Just use some Dark Lances etc. to take care of it.

Onager Dunecrawler

Waaay in the beginning of the first post I told you that the Adeptus Mechanicus is very devastating against the Eldar/Dark Eldar. You may have asked yourself why. Meet the (awesome) Onager Dunecrawler!

Just like the other vehicles, this one is a walker as well. Affectionately called "Dr. Zoidberg" (because it is a crab-tank. Woop, woop, woop, woop!), it is a main-stay in almost every Skitarii or Ad Mech list. And here's why:

WS3 BS4 S5 AV12 (front and side, AV11 on the behind) I2 A1 HP3

It comes stock with:

The Eradication Beamer, a weapon that gets stronger and more focused the closer the target:

0-9" S10 AP1 Heavy 1
9-18" S8 AP3 Heavy 1, 3" Blast
18-36" S6 AP5 Heavy 1, 5" Blast

Broadspectrum Datatether - Any Skitarii unit in 6" adds +1 to LD if they are influenced by a Doctrina Imperativa until the next turn (not commulative).

Emanatus Forcefield - Gives a 6++ invuln. Add +1 to the invuln (up to a 4++) for every other Onager in the same squad.

It is also never slowed by difficult terrain and passes any dangerous terrain test automatically but it may never run (remember, it is a walker!).

All of this for 90 points, naked. Now let's take a look at the other weapon options!

15 points will swap the Eradication Beamer for a twin-linked heavy Phosphorblaster - 36" S6 AP3 Heavy 3, Luminagen.

For 25 points we get the Neutron Laser and a Cognis Stubber instead. Laser - 48" S10 AP1 Heavy 1, Concussive, 3" Blast. Stubber - 36" S4 AP6 Heavy 3, Cognis.

And now comes the real killer! For 35 points it gets the Iccarus Array, which is three weapons in one (so it can shoot all of the following at full BS because it counts as one weapon!):

Daedalus Missile Launcher - 48" S7 AP2 Heavy 1, Skyfire

Gatling Rocket Launcher - 48" S6 AP4 Heavy 5, Ignores Cover, Skyfire

Twin Icarus Autocannon - 48" S7 AP4 Heavy 2, Interceptor, Skyfire, Twin-Linked

This thing absolutely annihilates any Skimmer it shoots at (Skyfire may fire at full BS against Skimmers for some reason).

But Dr. Zoidberg isn't finished here, oh no! The Onager Dunecrawler may also buy stuff from the vehicle equipment chart!

This means it may take:

5 points for a Cognis Stubber (this gives it TWO Stubbers when taken with the Neutron Laser, so 6(!) shots)

5 points for a Smoke Launcher

10 points for a Mindscanner Probe - Defensive Grenades for every friendly unit in 6" (fluff-wise it is an alarm system that makes an annoying sound if an enemy unit approaches, giving the Skitarii time to react)

25 points for a Cognis-Manipulator - This is a close combat weapon: Sx2 (so S10 for the Onager) AP1, Special Weapon, Unwieldy. It also gives the Onager It Will Not Die.

How to beat:

If this is on the table it is probably one of your top-targets. The Icarus Array will take down our vehicles, the Eradication Beamer will eat infantry and the Neutron Laser will eat your soul everything.

The Onager is pretty resiliant due to its invuln and the ability to buy IWND. Fortunately it is considered overkill to put for example three Icarus Onager in a squad. However, three Neutron Laser or Eradication Beamer Onager are fairly common. Especially the Neutron Laser variant is taken in squads becasue the 3" blast can just scatter off or hit only 3 of 5 tactical Marines etc. which makes more Neutron Lasers in the same squad less overkilly.

But it gets worse. If I were your opponent and I wanted to annoy you, I would not only take a whole squad of these guys and give them IWND, I would also put the Tech-Priest Dominus behind them to repair a lost HP on a 2+ every round. If I really, REALLY want to piss you off, I'll buy the Dominus the Uncreator Gauntlet, which works like this: I roll a D6. On a 1 my opponent chooses if the vehicle regains or loses an HP. 2-3 I chose if it regains or loses an HP. 4-5 it's D3 HP and on a 6 it's D6(!) HP. But that is very expensive.

So, how do you actually combat this monstrosity? A lone Onager can be taken down quite reliably with some Dark Lances or Heat Lances. A whole squad will take way more effort. Deepstrike Heat-Lance or Haywire Scourges (if possible into its rear-arc). Unload all your Ravagers/Raiders into the squad. Close combat may only be an option against a lone Onager or if the squad doesn't have any Cognis-Manipulators. Talos (Taloi?) might be the best option here, since you'll have to swing against its front-AV.

Always keep in mind that Dr. Zoidberg belongs to the Skitarii so he may be buffed up to BS7! If your opponent goes first I strongly advise you to hide all/most of your vehicles behind LOS blocking stuff. If that isn't available you may want to consider putting the vehicles into reserves and deepstriking them.



These are all the units the Adeptus Mechanicus has right now. If I have the time I'll also cover the different artefacts and might elaborate some playstiles and lists that I've used.

Ok, you just resolved how to assemble this start collecting box )))

Vanguard, Dragoon and Icarus Dunecrawler )

Would be dope if the Start Collecting Box had a Dragoon in it!

Do keep in mind that the Icarus Onager is pure Skyfire, which means he'll shoot at BS1 against any tanks. The Icarus version is only valid against armies with either lots of skimmers or if you know that your opponent will be bringing flyers.

That's why I magnetized mine. I recommend this for inspiration:

Mine have Dragoon. Its a deal with terrain Armoured Containers. Pity he is outside of formation. But, oh well.

Thanks for the link, il do the magnetising.

Ah, I didn't even know there was this package. Seems like a sweet deal. Also: Welcome in the choir of the Omnissiah. I hope you'll love painting the Dominus as much as I did. Hands down the best-looking no-name HQ out there.

Arcana Mechanicum

These are the artefacts the Cult Mechanicus can buy for the Tech-Priest Dominus and the Datasmith.

Arkhan Land's Autocaduceus - 30 points. Gives the bearer and his unit It Will Not Die. I frequently use this to add more protection to my Kataphron Destroyers. It is especially good when they have the Plamsa Guns as this will allow them to recover from their Gets Hot-Wounds. Keep in mind that the Tech-Priest Dominus may also heal a lost wound on a 2+ (yes, he can also "repair" living flesh).

Anzion's Pseudogenetor - 15 points. Gives the bearer D6 additional S4 AP5 hits with Shred at Ini 10 in melee. You may see this on the Datasmith if the Kastelan Robots are equipped with Power Fists, thus he isn't all that useless in close combat.

Raiment of the Technomartyr - 30 points. Gives the bearer 2+ armour (which both the Dominus and the Datasmith already have). It also conferes the Cognis special rule tho the bearer and his unit. So they can fire snapshots at BS2. This is a more popular artefact, since one can just put the Tech-Priest Dominus in a squad of Vanguard/Kataphrons and if they get charged their overwatch will be pretty potent, especially if the Vanguards have Plasma Calivers.

Mask of the Alpha Dominus - 15 points. Lets Kastelan Robots in 12" immediately change their Protocols (normally the Protocol change happens the round after you declared it). The drawback is that they lose the former protocol for the rest of the game.

The Scryerskull Perspicatus - 25 points. At the beginning of my turn the bearer of the Scryerskull may either identify a mysterious objective anywhere on the field or scan an enemy vehicle. If I do scan the vehicle, all Cult Mechanicus and Skitarii units may re-roll failed armour pen rolls against it until my next turn.

The Uncreator Gauntlet - 35 points. Roll a D6 when attempting to repair a vehicle:

1: My opponent chooses if the vehicle regains or loses an HP.

2-3: I choose if it regains or loses an HP.

4-5: I choose if it regains or loses D3 HP.

6: I choose if it regains or loses D6 HP.

Updated a few things:

-Added wargear options for the Tech-Priest Dominus.

-Added that Sicarians have a 6++ invuln (literally only found out because I made this thread and thus looked at their armour entry again).

-Added that the Secutarii Peltasts also have the Kyropatris Fieldgenerator. They just get better and better...